"Riiiin~!"

I looked up from my laptop, glasses slightly askew and my hair a sure mess. Stuck between the brightness of the monitor and the sudden clamor downstairs, I turned my chair towards my closed door and worried at my lip with a sharp canine. She couldn't need me now, could she? I mean, maybe in a few…hours, right? I nodded to myself and swiveled back to my work, placing my fingers on the awaiting keys. Of course she could wait; she's the most patient person I know…

"RIN!"

I jumped about a foot in the air, my heart pounding in my throat. Ok,so maybe not so patient…

"RIN KAGAMINE! COME DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW OR I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL VAPORIZE YOU AND YOUR LAPTOP INTO DUST PARTICLES!"

I felt the blood leave my face at her threat as I gulped. Knowing her…she wasn't joking. Oh, my. Pushing lifelessly away from my precious laptop, I rolled my swivel office chair to the door and opened it meekly, poking my head out.

"Er…yes, beautiful gorgeous mother of mine?"

I could see her fuming from my post, I mean, literally fuming—you could see the smoke coming out of her ears. I immediately recoiled and prayed to God that she at least left enough of me and my laptop to be properly cremated. I've always wanted to be scattered across the ocean when I died…

"Rin. Come. Down. Here." I could hear the promise of double chores and docked allowance in just those four words, so I took one for the team and surrendered graciously. I was halfway down the stairs when my mom grabbed my wrist and yanked me the rest of the way down. I shrieked and flailed like a dying fish.

"Mom, NOOOO!"

I expected to crumple to the cold, unforgiving hardwood floor like a cut marionette but instead I found my feet slowly touching the ground. I looked up at my mother in awe and slight pain as she was clutching onto my wrists in a vice-like grip.

"Oh my God, Mom. How did you get so strong?"

She shot me a grin and let me go, putting one hand on her hip and the other in a peace sign. "Zumba, baby! That stuff really pays off!"

I stared at her in disbelief but shook my head, blowing a loose strand of blonde hair from my eyes. "Uh, ok." Crossing my arms in a makeshift shield of sorts, I cleared my throat. "SOOOO..."

Her grin disappeared and she mirrored me, but in a more foreboding way, of course. I gulped.

"Rin, you need to get away from that computer of yours. Too much time staring at that screen is not good for you, you know. I want you to go outside more." She took a breath and lowered her voice, a coy smile playing on her lips. "Go out more." I raised my eyebrows at her last words. Go out more? Like…friends? Sports? Like…

My mother slapped her forehead and glared at me through similar blue eyes. "Oh, for—I want you to go out and meet a nice boy." She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Like it was doing homework or cleaning the dishes. Meet a nice boy? She should know I'm no good with boys. I guess she could see my panic, because she sighed and her gaze softened. "Oh, Rinny. You don't have to be so nervous. Especially about boys." Her hand cupped my cheek and brushed my bangs out of my face. "You are such a pretty young thing—you look exactly like me when I was younger." I smiled a little. Aw…how sweet of her to say—She then proceeded to pinching the fat exposed from my tank top. She smiled cattily as I bit back my shrieks of pain. "Yeah, well, you might be a little chubbier than what I used to be, but you're just as cute." And she pinched my cheek just to prove her point. I rubbed my cheek and side begrudgingly.

"Ok, fine then. I'll go out more, but I can't guarantee getting a boyfriend." I hmphed and turned to head back upstairs. I was just putting my foot on the first step when I heard my mom's suddenly cheery voice.

"Oh, you're gonna do more than simply go out, sweetie pie." Oh my gosh, I'm getting a bad feeling about this…

"I signed you up for Voca Arts Academy!"

I froze.

Voca…Arts?

I turned to look at my mom in disbelief and slight horror.

Voca Arts?

She was smiling what I was now convinced was the smile of life-altering destruction and doom. I sunk to the floor. WHY? I stared up at her.

"B-But what about regular school?" I tried weakly. It was the middle of October, for Pete's sake! I couldn't just switch schools like that! But she simply smiled.

"That's ok. I've already called your school and they agreed to transfer all your files and records to Voca Arts Academy."

I gaped and a little part of my life flickered before my eyes. Noooooo! Traitors! I glared wearily up at her.

"And how in the world did I even get in, Mom? Voca Arts is, like, super exclusive and expensive! They only let in the very best artists. Like prodigies and geniuses! Plus they only choose by audition and there is no way you're going to get me to do that!" I almost had no will to argue but I couldn't go down without a fight. Besides, it was true! I had no artsy special talent or something! I was completely plain and normal and blah! I was a computer nerd, for the love of God!

She looked at me with an unreadable expression for a second before pulling out a tiny CD from her pocket.

I paled.

No. Way.

"That's not...No…You d-didn't..."

A catty smile crossed her face and I swear her eyes glinted for a minute.

"Welcome to Voca Arts Academy, Rinny."

My body was completely drained of any energy so I just lay there staring at the ceiling as my mom zumba-ed into the kitchen, singing "Kokoro" at the top of her lungs.

Man, I wish she had just vaporized me.

Heeeeee~3

Poor Rin is so anti-social.

LOL, let's see if anyone can guess who Rin's mother is. She's blonde, that's all I can tell you. ;P

Ah, and the CD Rin's mom had was a CD of Rin singing—you guessed it!—"Kokoro"!

Haha! I'm planning for some major PikoXRinXLen action in here so review!

And thank you! :D