School Girls' Stories - New Generation

AN: Yes, you will find out what happened for Bliss in the last chapter, but not yet.

Chapter 16 – Rhapsody’s Fourteenth Birthday – Part 1

In the ballroom of the hotel that the Inperiaru family owned with Devilin Tennison gathered three main families, all of them looking down their noses at the others while the parents happily talked about old times, forgetting that their children were in the largest of disagreements in the history of family disagreements. It was bad enough that Fuji, Yuki, and Shai seemed to just smile at their children’s rivalries, but that Amatsu, Kyoei, and Shinwa seemed to ignore it completely, going off towards the bar and guessing which one could swallow the most shots of Tequila before the wife noticed how drunk they were. It was usually a match between Shinwa and Kyoei, for Amatsu had never grown

accustomed to drinking and being the inspired businessman he was, often slipped the shots away without the other two noticing.

Harmony tried her hardest all night to hang around Sora, who was being polite in greeting the birthday girl, who looked lovelier than her mother even had at her own parties, and less like a doll than a goddess. If they had not known Rhapsody themselves it would have been a surprise to find out she was only fourteen, and Harmony began to grow jealous.

“Are you in love with her or something?” Harmony hissed when she had managed to take Sora away from the dazzling ‘princess’. “You seem to hang around her a lot, a lot more even so since Ashe died.”

“She lost her brother,” Sora defended, pulling Harmony’s fingers from around his upper arm and forcing her to release him. “Right now she needs friends and people to make her happy. She does not need some jealous harpy giving her the evil eye, and how many times have I told you I do not belong to you?”

“You tell me I am too young for you, yet you seem perfectly content with a child,” she snapped and walked away in a huff, hoping to score at least one of Amatsu’s pushed aside shots.

“Rhapsody, don’t you look lovely!” Suddenly the young girl was encompassed in warm hugs and faux mink coats and scarves as an older woman came and wrapped her body around the other girl’s.

“Good evening, Grandma,” Rhapsody said properly, giving Noriko Chenbaro-Tennison-Chanbaro a warm hug back. “It is so good that you and Waza could make it tonight.”

“Yes, well, it’s a shame Waza seems to take more after his father than my side of the family, but much better that you seem to take more after me than your mother,” Noriko laughed.

“We are both right here,” Fuji’s voice disturbed Noriko from behind. Noriko turned and smiled at her daughter and son.

“Fuji, you have barely aged a day, have you finally gone to that botox specialist I recommended?” Noriko asked, for even as a grandmother she looked as young as her daughter.

“No, mother, I’m a natural beauty,” Fuji said flippantly, and smiled at her daughter, hoping to give her some escape.

“Happy birthday, Rhapsody,” Waza said to his niece, giving her a wave. Rhapsody waved back before her mom reached out and pulled her daughter from the hands of the evil and twisted grandmother.

“Have you said hello to everyone?” Fuji asked, fixing her hair and making sure every strand was in perfect place.

“Only Sora and Harmony so far,” Rhapsody admitted.

Fuji gave her daughter a kind smile and patted her on the back. “Well enjoy this,” she said. “This is your birthday. I could not care less if you and Tiera spend it playing cards at one of the tables, just as long as you are happy.”

“Extravagant party just to play cards,” Devilin smiled coming up behind the two ladies.

“Hello Devilin,” Fuji said pleasantly and kissed her cousin-in-law on the cheek.

“Hello Uncle Devilin,” Rhapsody said with the same pleasantries as Devilin leaned down and kissed his ‘niece’ on the cheek as well. She showed no sign of earlier having been too close to the older man, though for a moment Fuji wondered about the goosebumps that played up her daughter’s back, but she waited to see if her daughter would say anything to her first. She did not want to be too pushy, like her mother had been, but at the same time she was truly curious about the answer.

“I am going to go find Tiera,” Rhapsody said and quickly excused herself.

Bliss and Shu were the next that Rhapsody came in contact with, the two of them whispering over truths and lies of family, and Bliss telling Shu what had happened while up at the cabin. More would have continued, but they saw Rhapsody and stood up to hug and greet their cousin. Rhapsody smiled and hugged them both back, always having been friendliest with the two eldest Memeshii children.

“You look beautiful,” Shu said honestly, gazing at her from her toes to her hair. “Of course, you are always beautiful.”

“Should I be jealous?” Bliss asked nudging Shu in the side. “You seem to be flirting with our innocent cousin.”

“I flirt with everyone,” Shu said honestly, leaning forward and kissing young Rhapsody on the cheek, who had lost something in her eyes when she had heard the word ‘innocent’ from Bliss’s lips, though she tried to keep her unease quiet inside of her.

“I’m going to go find Tiera,” Rhapsody said, quickly excusing herself. “I hope you two are having a good time.”

“Does she seem a bit nervous?” Bliss asked, watching Rhapsody walk away on heels that were too high for her short stature.

“Aren’t you nervous being a part of this family?” Shu asked, smiling before he took another large bite of one of the appetizers. “God, I could live off of these appetizers alone. We should teach mom to cook like this.”

Bliss laughed and stole Shu’s plate from him, anxious to try what was only available on his plate.

“Happy birthday Rhapsody.”

“Thank you, Link, Yuna,” Rhapsody said, bowing her head and smiling at the two of them. “I’m glad you could make it, please enjoy… everything. Have you seen Tiera?”

“Nope,” Yuna said, brushing her sister off as if she were just the scum of the pond that Yuna had walked too closely to.

“She came with Frost and Lilis, she was running behind and they offered to give her a ride,” Link explained, glaring at his sister and her rude behavior, but Yuna did not seem to notice, nor care, which was very typical Yuna.

“Thanks,” Rhapsody said and hurried to excuse herself once more.

“You could be nicer to her,” Link snapped at his sister.

“I did not say anything mean to her, did I?” Yuna snapped back.

“What’s got you so uptight?” Link slammed back.

“What’s got you so dumb?” Yuna sneered then huffed away, hoping to find Waza and sneak him away from his haggard family.

“Darrke!” Rhapsody cried happily, rushing over to her cousin. “How are you?”

Darrke, who looked distracted turned towards Rhapsody and smiled at her. “I’m good,” he said smiling. “Happy birthday, sweetie. Tiera just came in with Frost and Lilis.”

Rhapsody’s happiness was unshakeable as she saw her friend. She seemed to breathe out a sigh of relief as she hugged Darrke a bit happily. “Frost and Lilis almost look too perfect together, do they not?” she asked, looking to the two of them, both dressed in white that brought out the light coloring of their hair. Frost’s suit was highlighted with an almost ice blue, while Lilis wore a blush sash around her waist and blue jewelry that was representative of ice. On her finger was the largest blue stone either of them had ever seen. “I heard they were getting married,” Darrke said grumpily.

“Yes, they were engaged last night,” Rhapsody admitted. “They look so good together.”

“But do you think their personalities really match?” Darrke asked her back. “I mean, Frost is very cold and unforgiving and Lilis is… I don’t know, a fluffy bunny brained moron at times.”

“Wow, harsh,” Rhapsody muttered. “Well, be happy for them Darrke, they are happy.”

“Not everyone who looks happy is happy, Rhapsody,” Darrke said to Rhapsody’s retreating back.

“If anyone knows that Darrke, I do,” Rhapsody muttered to herself before plastering on her beautiful smile once more as she ran up to greet the newly engaged couple and her best friend.

“Happy birthday!” Tiera cried out breaking off from behind Lilis and Frost and running over to her friend and hopping up and down in excitement. “You look so beautiful; red is definitely your color.”

“You look nice too,” Rhapsody admitted, taking in the deep black that covered Tiera’s body. Tiera looked around the room cautiously, taking inventory of everyone in the room. “He’s not here,” Rhapsody told her quietly. “Bliss decided it was a family thing more than a friend thing, so she did not bring him.”

Tiera let out a sigh of relief and linked arms with her best friend. “Then we are ready for a great night?”

Rhapsody nodded. “I hope so!”