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November 4, 2008. The Baker's family farm. This, Rose noted, was the exact time and place in which the entire nature of their relationship was changed.
"Class, please form into groups of two, and make sure to hold hands," the teacher called, and lo and behold, the students obeyed, moving to find their usual choices, pairing up with the sort of ease that reminded Rose of a synchronized dance.
She herself had no friends in this particular class, but then again, neither did she.
Vriska Serket, nightmare and terror of their middle school. She was a bully by all accounts, but her slippery personality and decieving appearance meant that she rarely received reprimanding, unlike the shaggy, heavy-set, slow-thinking boys who, in Rose's opinion, didn't do half the emotion damage one Miss Serket could manage.
Which was why Rose had made it her personal duty to bring Vriska's injustices to light (in the most inconspicuous way possible, of course). But Rose knew Vriska knew. It was all part of the fun.
"It appears that we are the on--" She did not get to finish her sentence.
"No, no, no," Vriska whined, her tone as exaggerated as always, "There has to be someone else who is willing to switch with us. I am not going to be chained down by the fussy meddlesome teacher's pet. Not today!"
Rose decided to humor the girl, and looked around, hands on her hips. "Hmm," she said, tapping her chin, "Let's see if we can locate any other singles in the area. We can make it a game."
"Oh my gawwwwd."
"I'm being serious. It appears I may have jumped to a false conclusion, and there is no greater misdemeanor than assumption."
"Lalonde, you can't be serious," Vriska growled, "Anyone with eyes can see that we're the only two people left."
Because she was feeling spiteful, and because Vriska's sounds of annoyance never stopped being entertaining, Rose glanced around a couple more times, shielding her eyes with a hand for better view.
"Rose, Vriska."
Oh, Rose had almost forgotten about this. She turned to look over at the parent chaperon, her own Mrs. Lalonde. "Mother dearest," Rose replied in turn.
"I don't think you heard the teacher," her mom replied, "but you're supposed to find a partner and hold their hand."
Rose felt her cheeks burn with shame. She reached over, and took Vriska's hand. "Oh, thank you for the reminder," she spoke back quickly, "I would have forgotten otherwise, silly me."
"Not a problem, dear. A mother doesn't want her precious gem to get lost." She smiled at Vriska then, and added, "I'm Rose's mom," as though it wasn't already obvious, both from their similar features and their conversation.
"Yeah, got that bit," Vriska retorted, blunt and tactless, like she gets when she's bored, Rose has observed.
Rose's mom nodded, not looking taken aback, her perpetually motherly face as perfectly executed as always. "I don't believe I've heard about you before. Are you a friend of my daughters?"
"Oh yeah," Vriska put in sarcastically before Rose could speak, "The best of friends."
"That's great! Friendship is really important, you know, especially at your age." Mom Lalonde looked pleased as could be, watching their linked hands.
Rose struggled to keep her smile sincere. "Absolutely. Just as it is important for a mother to be involved in school events and field trips in order to help with her child's education and school experience," she replied, "I know I've said it before, but thank you again, mother of mine, for agreeing to chaperone. It means a lot to me."
"It's nothing you need to be thanking me for," Rose's mom replied quick as a whip, "What greater joy is there than the opportunity for a mother to spend more time with her cherished daughter?"
She was good, Rose admitted to herself, knowing she still had a lot to learn in their game of back and forth.
"Anyway," Rose's mother took advantage of her daughter's silence, "I will allow you two your privacy. Let me know if you need me for anything, and I'll come running!"
Before Rose could think of a good last word, her mother was gone.
"Well, that was embarrassing," Rose said as soon as her guardian is out of earshot, "I'm sorry you had to witness that. I am not usually so easily bested."
Vriska gave Rose the oddest look, something between frustration and confusion. "The fuck was that mess? It looked like you two had some psychic mind argument and a completely different conversation out loud. It was weird."
Surprised, Rose gave a shrug. "I suppose our war of verbal insincerity may appear alien to someone who hasn't had to live with it all her life."
"Did you ever consider maybe that your mom is, I don't know, actually sincere???"
Rose rolled her eyes delicately, pulling Vriska forward by the hand as the groups in front of them began to form a line. "It's difficult to understand at first," she began, "I suppose it must have taken me some time to get used to as well, I don't really remember."
"Oh, boo who." Vriska yanked her to a stop, glaring her down. "You know, Rose, there are people out there with real, unimagined mother issues."
"Oh, that's right," Rose replied smoothly, "I forgot about my privileged white station in life. How silly it is of me to have negative emotions in comparison to people who have lives far worse off than I. I really should be more considerate of them and learn to only experience positive emotions from now on."
"You're a real bitch, you know that?" Vriska had turned, pulling free from Rose's hand.
"We're supposed to keep holding hands," Rose protested.
Vriska crossed her arms, tight and childishly making sure that Rose couldn't take either of her hands back. "I mean that, you know. You're a bitch who doesn't appreciate what she's been gifted with."
"Yes, yes, I am well aware of my advantaged life--"
"No, that's just it. You think you do, which makes it even more insulting!" Vriska's eyes went dark with a rage Rose hadn't seen in her before, far past the nonchalant boredom she was used to seeing. "You wouldn't last one day in those sparkly Dorothy shoes of yours in a household where your mother beats you for the silliest of screw-ups! You wouldn't know shit about handling a situation where you have to guess and guess and guess what she wants, how to please her, only to be stepping on landmines and setting her off when you fail. You don't know what it means to both love and hate someone, someone who craddles you in her arms, safe from the world one moment, and throws you into the pit for her own sick enjoyment the next! You think you know, you think this sort of unhealthy relationship game you play with your mom is cool, or amusing, but you're just projecting your own damaged view of the world onto her. She wants to be there for you, she wants to--"
"She is just barely sober for this," Rose attempted to argue, her throat constricting.
"So? At least she's trying! Yours is a story of progress, of open opportunity to build a stronger bond. Do you have any how lucky you are? Do you? Really?"
Vriska Serket was crying. Vriska Serket had laid her heart and story out on the ground, and everyone around them was staring, and Rose closed the distance, went to pull the other girl in for an embrace.
“Get off!” Vriska clawed at Rose, her stupid too-long nails somewhat more painful than Rose would have imagined. She wiped at her tears and snot angrily, like if she scratched at her face long enough they would disappear. Rose knew better, and gripped her wrist, pulling her off. Noticing some of her students trying to follow, she screamed at them to back off.
Surprised, not having ever seen Rose raise her voice before, they did so.
The teacher was harder to persuade to leave, Vriska cursing all the while as Rose tried to keep her from running off with one hand and holding her other in a clear indication of “stop” to the teacher. At last, with a few harshly spoken assurances that Vriska really did not want the teacher there, the two girls were alone.
“Let me go!” Vriska snapped, but Rose stood still, tried not to blink at the continuous rain of fists and nails.
“Stop being a big baby and let someone take care of you for once,” Rose returned, somewhat cruelly, which she quickly tried to amend with, “It’s clear as day that you want affection, but you’ll never get any if you reject it when it’s offered to you.”
Vriska went still, and Rose tried, Although the embrace wasn’t returned, Rose tried to put her heart into it, but it didn't feel like enough, not for this sort of damage. But then again, wounds like this couldn’t be stitched back together with one simple extended show of friendship. There were other ingredients: time, and self-effort. At least Vriska wasn’t resisting any longer.
Again a few curious students tried to snoop, tried to figure out why Vriska was crying. Rose sent them off with many colorful words, pulling Vriska to her chest and shielding her tears from everyone, including herself.
There was only person that Rose allowed into their personal bubble. When Rose's mom came over, a look of concern softening her features, Rose held her arm out silently, and began to sob too.