All Those Secrets

"How could you, Ranko?!"The redhead turned so quickly that her red school pinafore almost caught on the corner of the metal bed frame. "How could I what, Akane?! What are you even going on about?!" She'd only been home from school for five minutes, and Akane had been loaded for bear the minute she walked in the door. They had not spoken since Akane left the Phoenix the night before, as she was already asleep when Ranko got home."You know how low on money we are, and you're hiding it? Were you ever going to tell me about the check from the record company? Don't try to deny it, Yui told me everything!"Ranko sighed heavily, rolling her eyes. "Really, Akane? Everything we have going on, and this is what you're worried about?""Of course it is," Akane screeched. "We need to pay bills. We're going to be late on a few things, and you had money hidden away we could have used to take care of them!"Shaking her head, the redhead sat on the foot of the bed that they shared. At least, when they slept together at all, but between their differing schedules, the increasing frequency of arguments, and Ranko generally not sleeping much at all, that hadn't happened in almost a week. She hadn't thought about that check or what she'd planned to do with it for over a week now, and any hope she'd had of her mother's advice working to save their relationship this pain had long soured for her."We'll manage. We always do." Her voice dripped of a quiet resignation, as if she were accepting a reality she didn't want to admit.Akane growled. "That's not the point and you know it! We wouldn't have had to worry about it at all if you'd been honest with me!""I wasn't worried. I believed in you." Ranko bit her lip. She couldn't bring herself to say just how much it hurt to have said that word in the past tense, and she hadn't even meant to until it was past her lips."But I was! Do you still have any left, at least?"Ranko shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Nope. It's gone. Sorry."Akane threw her hands up and dropped them to her hips with a loud scoff. "Of course it is. Do I even want to know what you spent it on?""I doubt it. It was something really stupid. I should have known better." Ranko stood, starting to walk into the kitchen. She just needed to put a little space between herself and her girlfriend for a minute."Hey! I'm talking to you! Come back here!" Akane stormed into the living room after her.Ranko whirled, glaring. "Oh, were you?! I'm sorry, Akane. It's been so long since you tried talking to me, I must've forgot what it sounded like."Akane glowered angrily. "And what's that supposed to mean?!"Ranko groaned, flopping onto the couch in frustration. "You don't know half of what's going on in my life anymore.""Only because you don't tell me." Akane walked closer, putting her hand on Ranko's shoulder, but as one of her fingers slid across the nape of Ranko's neck, Ranko pulled away quickly."Don't do that.""Do what!? I was trying to be nice!" Akane stomped her foot angrily."That thing you do where you touch me like that when you don't want to hear what I have to say." Ranko crossed her arms. "It's not fair."Akane sighed, sitting on the couch next to her. "Look, Ranko, I don't want to fight with you. I just want to know we're being up front with each other. We can handle anything as long as there's no secrets between us."Ranko rocketed to her feet. "No secrets? No secrets?!" She stormed into the bedroom, and Akane heard a loud crash, as if something wooden had been flung across the room. Before Akane could stand to see what was the matter, Ranko reappeared in the doorframe, tossing something into her lap. "You're right, Akane. We don't have secrets in this house."Akane looked down into her hands at a heart-shaped photo frame containing a Polaroid of the two of them. The one she'd forgotten to return to its rightful place almost a week ago. It had been in Ranko's underwear drawer ever since."You know that's different, Ranko." Akane sighed heavily, resting the frame on the couch next to her. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten to put it back out. No wonder Ranko's so pissed. "We don't need to keep secrets from each other.""I just… I can't do this anymore." Ranko bit her lip, her eyes welling with tears."Wait, Ranko, what are you saying?" Akane stood, approaching her cautiously."I can't stand here and listen to you lecture me about secrets. I just…" Ranko swallowed hard, turning without finishing her sentence and walking back into the bedroom. She was honestly afraid of what she'd say if she allowed herself to follow the thought to its conclusion, but she knew whatever it was, she wouldn't be able to take it back.Akane followed her, finding her stuffing a pink minidress into the gusseted main pocket of her black school satchel. The purple plastic shards of the clothes hanger it had been on when she ripped it from the closet lay scattered across the floor at her feet. "What are you doing?"Ranko sniffled, not looking up from her task. The anger had faded from her voice, but what remained sounded empty, as if she had run out of emotions to spend. "I'm gonna stay at the bar tonight."Her partner groaned. "Don't be so dramatic. Come on. What am I supposed to do?"The redhead pulled on the little white knob of the second drawer on the right side of the dresser, and found it would not budge, its position on its rails having been disrupted by the forceful way she had ripped the one above it from its place. With a loud yell, she yanked harder, and the drawer dislodged from its rails entirely and flew backward onto the bed. She turned, snatching up a green bra that had fallen free of it onto the bed and stuffing it into her school bag."I don't know, Akane. Maybe call Kasumi and ask her for advice." She shouldered her bulging black satchel. "At least this time, when you tell her you're here alone, you won't be lying."