The Parents-Teacher Meeting
It had been a bit more than three weeks since Vinyl had given her first class. Her job as a teacher wasn’t as hard as she had thought it’d be. Granted, she didn’t have too many classes to give, only twelve hours a week. The only problem was that those twelve hours were spread out on every day of the school week: three hours on Monday afternoon, two on Tuesday before lunch time, the two first hours on Wednesday and Thursday, and the last three hours of Friday.
That timetable had forced the young DJ to change her sleeping habits to more Octavia-esque ones, as she called it. Vinyl woke up at seven every day of the week, without Octavia knocking at her door anymore. Something that the cellist had had to do during the first two weeks. It had been hard for the DJ to start waking up at the time she used to go to bed for more than three years.
The first weeks of class with Vinyl had been a new, and pleasant experience for Octavia and her friends. They practiced their instruments on Mondays and Fridays, and on their other periods, Vinyl would try to widen their horizons by making them listen to different styles of music, explaining them in passing.
When Octavia had asked her why it was necessary to do that as some of them were already aiming a particular style of music for their future professional life, Vinyl had replied that inspiration can come from everywhere, and that, in her opinion, closing oneself inside a particular genre just always ended up breaking the creativity of an artist.
Despite first, sceptical reactions, the music students realized that their teacher had been right when Harpo came to class with his first try at a composition for his harp on the second Monday. His piece had been extremely good for a first try and carried much more power than what Vinyl had heard him play on the previous classes. They had been shocked when Harpo told it was the heavy metal listening session they had the previous Thursday that had inspired him to make the piece.
Soon enough, Octavia and her friends stopped questioning their new teacher’s methods. Vinyl wasn’t the brightest mind they would encounter, but her knowledge on music, whatever the style, was more than undeniable, and her vast library of tunes on her computer tended to confirm their thoughts on the matter.
At the Philharmonica residence, Octavia had really warmed up to living with Vinyl. In fact, one of the two things that Octavia really liked about her teacher’s presence was that she could have access to that music library whenever she wanted, provided that Vinyl didn’t need her computer when she asked. Octavia was convinced that Vinyl had all the songs and instrumental pieces of the world on her hard drive. She could spend hours listening to random tracks without hearing the same piece twice. The other being Vinyl driving her to school on her bike thrice a week.
For Vinyl, the experience of teaching was more satisfying that she thought it would be. Sure, she was still searching her marks before the big projects she was supposed to organize for her students start, but things were slowly but surely taking place. Her students listened to her, Sedgwick wasn’t constantly on her back anymore. Her insurance completely paying her the reparation of her car might have helped a bit in that. Yes, she was still watching the new teacher, but not more than she watched the rest of the teaching staff. Things were going well.
“What exactly do you mean by some of my students’ parents demand that I set up a parent-teacher meeting?” Vinyl asked in a surprised tone.
Maybe not as well as she thought.
“Exactly what it sounds like,” Celeste Heliopolis replied casually. “We’ve received a few phone calls from parents who wanted to meet you. Simple as that.”
“Did I do something wrong?” Vinyl asked slowly. In her head, parents demanding to see a teacher equaled problems with the aforementioned teacher. Forse, a i ragazzi non piacciono proprio le mie lezione... [Maybe the kids don’t really like my classes...] she thought with a pinch of sadness.
“No, not at all,” Celeste affirmed with a reassuring smile. “Most of them were simply curious about you.
Vinyl let out a short, relieved sigh before remarking something the headmistress’ sentence.
“Most of them?”
“Well,” Theresa began uneasily. “One mother said that she had seen some videos about you on the web, and that she was calling to ask for your immediate dismissal.”
“Oh.” Vinyl let out in surprise. “Did she say which video?” she asked fearfully.
“Hmmm, Cheryl didn’t understand much through the shouting, but I think she wrote it down somewhere....” Theresa searched through her clipboard. “There! Apparently, she mentioned a display of inappropriate behavior during one of your shows.”
“Almeno era precisa su qual è il problema!” [At least she was clear on what the problem is!] Vinyl muttered sarcastically to herself with a roll of her eyes.
“Any idea what that could be?” Celeste asked softly.
“I’ve done a lot of shows during the last three years,” Vinyl explained softly. “I can’t really remember every one of them. As for ‘a display of inappropriate behavior from me’, I have no idea what she was talking about. I’ve never done drugs, got drunk, violent, racist, nor anything reprehensible during my shows.” Vinyl shrugged. “Maybe it was the whole DJ thing that she found inappropriate.”
“Maybe...” Celeste pondered with a short nod. “Mrs. Krauss is a bit old fashioned after all.”
Allora, era la madre di Viola. [So, it was Viola’s mother.] Vinyl thought with a pensive frown. Mi sto chiedendo chè cosa lei ha visto.... [I wonder what she saw...] “So, what do I have to do about this meeting?”
“Well, you find a date that fits in your schedule and you communicate said date to the parents,” Celeste explained casually.
“Where should I do that?” Vinyl asked. “In my classroom?”
“You can if you want to,” Theresa answered matter-of-factly. “Or you can do that wherever you feel comfortable.”
“Like at Donut Joe’s?” Vinyl suggested.
“While they do have some nice coffee and pastries there, you might want to find a more private place than that,” Celeste said with a warm smile. “Now, we don’t ask you to come up with something in the minute. Take your time to organize this calmly. There’s no rush.”
“Just don’t take too much time,” Theresa added. “The sooner it’s done, the better it is for the school.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Vinyl muttered before the bell rang. “Ha, the ten-thirty break! Time for a good coffee!” she added before standing up to go outside the headmistress’ office.
“I’ll go with you,” Celeste said, following the blue haired teacher. “You want to join us, Theresa?”
“No, thank you. I’ve got a few assignments left to correct before the fourth period,” Theresa explained.
“Suit yourself.” Celeste waved off.
The music teacher and the headmistress walked to the cafeteria in silence. Vinyl ordered a triple espresso after yawning rather loudly. By the time Celeste ordered her coffee, Vinyl had already downed her own in one swig before asking for another.
“You need that much caffeine?” Celeste asked in a surprised tone. “I thought you were used to your new schedule, by now.”
“I’m still a little sleepy before eleven,” Vinyl explained with a shrug, gulping down her second espresso. “As for the caffeine input, it’s still lower than what I used to drink back in my place.”
“All those energy drinks kids are fond of I assume?” Celeste suggested playfully.
“Far from it, Boss.” Vinyl shook her head with a chuckle. “I had the creme de la creme in the matter of coffee machines,” she explained. “‘Bought it online from a café in Roma. Believe you me, coffees like those...” she pointed at her empty cups. “...are nothing but dark brown water when you’re used to real italian espressos made with an authentic, italian coffee machine.” Vinyl sighed with nostalgy. “One of the things I regret leaving the most from my place in Manehatten, along with my bar.”
“It makes a coffee that’s that good?” Celeste asked with a curious, yet skeptical expression.
“Let’s make a deal,” Vinyl said playfully. “Whenever I get it back, I’ll invite you for a cup, then you’ll understand what I’m talking about.”
“That would be nice,” Celeste replied with a nod. “I was just thinking....” she added after having scratched her chin with a pensive frown for a minute. “About that parents meeting, why don’t you do it at your house?”
“That’s actually possible?” Vinyl asked with a blank expression.
“Of course, it is,” Celeste assured. “Vito’s house is big enough to host the meeting, and since he’s one of your students’ parent, he has a reason to be at this meeting,” the headmistress explained.
“Well, that’s not a bad idea,” Vinyl admitted. “I’ll have to talk with Octavia about it, see if that’s fine with her...”
“I didn’t know it was Vito’s daughter who makes the decisions in his house.” Celeste chuckled softly.
“Well, I guess that if she wanted to, she could boss him around easily,” Vinyl replied with a good hearted chuckle. “But, it’s more the matter of an arrangement I passed with her. I promised that I wouldn’t take my teacher’s stuff at home for her sake,” Vinyl explained. “It must be tough for her to have her main teacher living in the room next to her, despite her saying it doesn’t matter.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you,” Celeste commented with a short smile.
“She has to put up with me seven days a week,” Vinyl commented. “I’ve got be nice with her every now and then.”
“Don’t let that get over your head,” Celeste warned playfully. “I don’t want her to succeed this school year because of you favoring her over the other students.”
“Certo!” [Sure!] Vinyl rolled her eyes in annoyance. “She sure needs someone favoring her to succeed,” she said sarcastically. “It’s not like she was at the top of her class before I started to teach here.” Vinyl glanced at the headmistress with a raised eyebrow.
“Of course, when you put it that way,” Celeste admitted with a knowing smile. “Anyway, you’ve got a lesson to teach and I have a mountain of paperwork waiting for me in my office,” she commented as the bell started to ring to signal the end of the recess.
“If you want to ditch it to listen to some reggae, you’re welcome in my classroom,” Vinyl suggested with a wink.
“Hmmm, call me when you’re listening to black metal, then I’ll come with pleasure,” Celeste replied with a wink before heading to her office, leaving a blinking Vinyl alone outside the cafeteria.
“Seriously?” Vinyl whispered with a dumbstruck expression as the bell rang for a second time. “Cazzo! Vado essere in ritardo!” [Crap! I’m gonna be late!] Vinyl blurted out before running toward the stairs.
In the end, Octavia had no problems with Vinyl hosting the parents meeting at their house, as long as she could be at calm in her room or in the music room. Vito had also agreed to it, and suggested Vinyl to do it on the next Friday. He even proposed to help Vinyl with the service and to support her during the meeting. Or that was what was planned.
“No,” Octavia said with a shake of her head. “No, I’m not helping out with doing the service tonight.”
“Dai, Ottavia! Ti prego! Ho bisogno del tuo aiuto!” [Come on, Octavia! I beg you! I need your help!] Vinyl pleaded softly.
It was the fateful Friday’s afternoon, Vinyl had just come back home a few minutes earlier than Octavia, who had taken her usual cab to come home because she had her cello with her. The DJ had received a phone call from Vito explaining that he couldn’t be there for the meeting. Something along the line of an error in his label’s monthly account report and that he had to urgently check it all with his accounting team.
“Ho capito pero....” [I understand but....] Octavia replied snappily before blinking in surprise. “Urrrghh, I’m becoming like you now: blurting sentences in a different language.”
“How’s becoming like me a bad thing?” Vinyl replied in pretended offense, effect which was ruined by the fact she was smiling at Octavia for speaking Italian. “I thought you were starting to look up to me.”
“I do look up to you,” Octavia replied with sincerity. “Musically speaking that is,” she quickly added. “It’s just that I don’t want to become a blue haired girl who feels the need to annoy everyone by switching languages whenever she wants to.”
Vinyl grabbed her chest with a pained wince. “Your words are so hurtful, Ottavia!” she said in a sad tone. “How could you think that I’m that petty?” Vinyl covered her eyes to hide the tears she didn’t have while sobbing loudly.
“Because you are, maybe?” Octavia asked, unfazed by Vinyl’s dramatic acting.
“Okay, fair enough!” Vinyl said, instantly stopping her mediocre act. Why does it work when Rarity does it, and not when I do? “Are you going to help me or not?”
“I’m not going to help you. You said I could have my evening in peace, and that’s what I’m going to have,” Octavia explained abruptly.
“Just some help for the serving when they arrive, please,” Vinyl asked. “I’ll pay you if you want!”
“There’s no need to....”
“Twenty bits!”
“Vincenza, no means no!”
“Thirty bits?” Vinyl suggested.
“I don’t need more money,” Octavia explained. “My allowance covers my needs.”
“Okay, you’re a tough one. Fifty bits!”
“No,” Octavia said firmly before turning around to leave the living room.
“Fine! Fifty bits and I’ll copy my classical repertoire on your computer!” Vinyl offered in exasperation.
Octavia stopped right in her tracks, her foot an inch or two above the ground. She turned on her heels to face her teacher/roommate with a surprised expression.
“When you say your classical repertoire, you mean that folder in your music library labelled as ‘classical music’?” Octavia asked in a whisper.
“Yes,” Vinyl replied with a nod.
“The folder that I always listen to whenever I borrow your computer?”
“Yes.”
“The folder that contains more than 100 GB of songs?” Octavia asked with a dumbstruck expression.
“Yes. Oh well, if you don’t want to help, I’ll just have to....” Vinyl began with a knowing grin.
“No. WAIT!” Octavia shouted. “I’ll do it!”
“You will?”
“Yes, I will!” Octavia nodded fervently.
“Deal then.” Vinyl spat in her right hand and extended it to Octavia.
“Ewwww, gross!” Octavia took a step back in disgust.
“That’s not how you young’uns make a deal nowadays?” Vinyl asked.
“No, we don’t,” Octavia replied. “I’m not touching that hand!”
“Then it’s goodbye to my music folder and to those fifty bits,” Vinyl said with a shrug.
Octavia bit her lip in annoyance. “WAIT! Just a second,” Octavia left the room and headed to the kitchen.
Chè cosa sta combinando? [What is she doing?] Vinyl thought with curiosity.
Octavia walked back into the living room, putting a yellow, rubber glove on her right hand. The young cellist noticed that Vinyl was doing her best not to laugh at her.
“Seriously?” Vinyl asked, a small chuckle escaping her lips.
“No comments!” Octavia replied sternly as she was about to shake Vinyl’s hand.
“Haha!” Vinyl interrupted her. “You have to spit in your hand as well.”
“Urrggh, do I have to?” Octavia asked with reluctance.
“If you want those songs, yes.”
Octavia let out a loud sigh before bringing gloved hand just below her mouth. She prepared her lips for a couple of seconds before trying to spit, only to have her saliva dripping down her chin. She quickly caught her ‘drool’ with her glove in a short panic. Vinyl couldn’t hold her laugh anymore.
“Stop laughing! It’s not funny.” Vinyl laughed louder. “I said, stop laughing!” Octavia shoved Vinyl with her gloved hand, leaving a spit mark on her teacher’s blue shirt.
“......You’ve just ‘spitted’ on my shirt...” Vinyl said in a cold tone, her laughter now completely gone.
“I didn’t mean to,” Octavia stammered in a panicked, and embarrassed tone. “It was an accident, I....”
“Well, you know what they say: An eye for an eye,...” Vinyl showed her spit covered palm. “...a spit for a spit.” The teacher took a step toward the cellist.
“Wait...Wait... I’m sorry....”
“You’re so gonna get it, Ottavia cara!” Vinyl whispered with an evil grin.
“No, no, no, no....” Octavia shouted before running away from the living room, Vinyl right on her heels.
The blue haired teacher chased her student through the whole house for a few minutes. Octavia tried to escape her pursuer by running up the stairs to get to her room. Unfortunately, she was tackled to the ground just before reaching her door.
Octavia tried to crawl away from Vinyl, but her teacher pulled her back before straddling her back. Octavia turned around to struggle against the offending hand of her teacher.
“Vincenza, please stop!” Octavia pleaded as Vinyl grabbed her wrists with her left hand before pinning them to ground. “I’m sorry....”
“Too late for apologies.... It’s payback time!” Vinyl grinned before wiping her spit-full hand on the left side of Octavia’s uniform.
“No not theHAHAHAHA!” Octavia suddenly giggled when Vinyl touched her left side.
“Ooooh, someone’s got the tickles?” Vinyl asked with a more evil grin.
“...No,” Octavia let out in a fearful whisper.
“It’s not nice to lie to your teacher, Ms. Philharmonica,” Vinyl warned before starting to tickle the student beneath her.
Soon enough, Octavia’s high-pitched giggles replaced her pleas to stop Vinyl. The DJ ‘scratched’ meticulously both sides of her student. Octavia tried to push her attacker off her, but she was laughing so much that she couldn’t really control her arms and legs anymore.
“...Ple....HAHAHA....Please....Hahaha...St-Stohahahahap.....” Octavia tried to say through her giggles.
“Apologize and give up the fifty bits!” Vinyl demanded, not interrupting her tickling fit.
“HAHAHA O-o-ok...I ap-pologi-gize HAHA and HAHAHA I gi-give up!” Octavia said with difficulty.
“Give up what?”
“....I HAHAH give uHAHAHap the fifty bits.”
“Good girl,” Vinyl said before pulling her hands off her prey.
It took Octavia a few minutes to calm her giggles down. When that was done, she wiped her laugh tears from her eyes and looked at Vinyl, who was still straddling her with a smug expression, with an annoyed glare. Though the effect was ruined by her soft smile, and the playful glint the young cellist had in her eyes.
“I don’t think a teacher’s supposed to threaten her student with tickles,” Octavia said playfully.
“You’re the one who didn’t want me to act like your teacher at home,” Vinyl remarked slowly. “So, here I am, not acting like your teacher.”
“In that case, you’d not mind if I tickle you back?” Octavia started to vigorously tickle Vinyl’s sides.
“Of course, I wouldn’t.” Vinyl winked, unfazed by Octavia’s onslaught. ”But, you have to find where my ticklish spots are first!”
As her response to Vinyl’s tickling met no success, Octavia let her arms fall on the ground with a defeated sigh.
“I’ll get my revenge one day!” Octavia promised before trying to get up. Something impossible as her teacher was still straddling her. “Could you please get off me?”
“Hmmm, nope!” Vinyl shook her head. “You make a comfy seat.”
“Maybe I do, but you’re starting to crush me.”
“Are you saying that I’m fat?” Vinyl asked in a threatening tone.
“Huuuh....” Octavia scanned Vinyl’s features uneasily. Fat? Her? No way in hell! I mean... she could have been a model if she was interested in that... With her perfectly round backside and big brea..... WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING?!! she shouted internally in confusion. Keep it together, Ottavia...... Why am I referring to myself like she does? “....no, I’m not.” she answered, her cheeks slowly turning pink.
“You hesitated.” Vinyl deadpanned her.
“What?” Octavia blinked.
“It took you two minutes to answer and you’ve started blushing when you did,” Vinyl explained. “Clearly you’re embarrassed by what you said. Meaning, you’re lying to me and that you actually think that I’m fat!”
“That’s the most ridiculous reasoning I’ve ever heard!” Octavia said firmly, despite her deepening blush. “I told you that I wasn’t saying that you’re fat. You’re just crushing me because you’re taller, and curvier than I am....”
“Curvier, huh?” Vinyl asked with an angry, cocked eyebrow.
“Yes, curvier!” Octavia snapped vigorously. “You’ve never noticed how all the boys are drooling at you whenever they see these curves?” the cellist angrily gave a small slap on her teacher’s right buttock. “Or those?” Octavia softly slapped the right side of Vinyl’s breasts, which jiggled because of the impact for a few seconds.
Vinyl’s eyes widened in shock while their owner was staring blankly at Octavia whose face turned redder than a tomato when she realized what she had just done. The young cellist covered her face with her two hands, trying to hide her embarrassment while her teacher awkwardly scratched the back of her head.
“Let’s just say it never happened, shall we?” Vinyl asked softly as she stood up before picking the embarrassed student from the floor.
“I... I’m..I’m so sorry,” Octavia stammered, embarrassed tears flowing out of her eyes. “I...”
“Shhhhh,” Vinyl whispered in a sisterly tone while patting her student’s head. “I should be the one saying she’s sorry. I shouldn’t have pressed the matter like that and made you all snappy.”
“But, what I did was....” Octavia looked down in shame before Vinyl lifted it back up with her right hand.
“Ottavia, ascoltami!” [Octavia, listen to me!] Vinyl said firmly, but gently. “You didn’t do anything wrong per se! I’m not mad at you. I’m more mad at myself for upsetting you to that point.” She delicately wiped the tears away from Octavia’s eyes with her thumb. “Everything’s fine, you can stop crying now.” Vinyl gave her a genuine, caring smile which Octavia returned slowly. “That’s better. A cute girl like you should never have to cry.”
“Grazie, Vinyl,” [Thank you, Vinyl.] Octavia whispered softly, not realizing her switch of language, nor her use of Vincenza’s nickname. Details that didn’t go unnoticed by Vinyl, whose smile grew a bit bigger.
“Okay, so it’s a quarter past five,” Vinyl casually said as she took a glance at her watch. “They should arrive at half past six. Just enough time to make myself presentable and to prepare some snacks for them. I’ll call you when I’ll need your help, okay?” she asked before heading to the bathroom.
“Okay, see you later,” Octavia replied with a nod.
When Vinyl closed the bathroom’s door behind her, Octavia decided to go downstairs to get a glass of water to recover from all what happened. She was shocked by what she had done. It was so unlike her to invade someone’s personal space like that.
The closest physical contacts she ever had with other people, other than occasional hugs and pecks on the forehead from her father, were her whacking at the back of Laura, or Henry’s skull after one of them told a really bad joke. Something that happened way too often to her liking.
And there she was right now, having raised her hand against her teacher, who happened to be a sort of roommate, and to make things worse, she had touched rather private parts of her teacher’s body. But, what troubled her the most was that, despite her shock and embarrassment, she had enjoyed the contact with Vinyl’s body.
Despite having only touched them for a few seconds, Octavia definitely felt the firmness of Vinyl’s buttock, and the incredible softness of her breast. Vinyl hadn’t noticed because she was too shocked at that moment, but Octavia had been a bit hypnotized by the jiggling of her chest. It was a show the young cellist wouldn’t mind to watch again. Maybe without the blue shirt next tim…..
Before she could finish her thoughts, Octavia splashed her glass of water in her face. The cold water seemed to have chased away some of the unchaste thoughts in her mind. She leaned over the sink, turned the cold water faucet, and proceeded in splashing her face with cold water until her mind was completely clear. Needless to say, it took longer than she thought it would.
“What’s happening to me?” Octavia whispered as she took a towel to wipe her face. “I can’t be … attracted to her, can I?” she pondered in silence for a few minutes. “No, I just wasn’t thinking clearly because she had tickled me, that’s all!” she said with resolution. “It was just the heat of the moment. In a few hours, it’ll be forgotten.” Octavia convinced herself firmly with a curt nod. “Now, something to do. Something to do.”
Octavia remembered that Vinyl wanted to make snacks for her classmates’ parents as soon as she got out of the bathroom. Since she had already agreed on helping her for tonight, Octavia might as well prepare a little something for her teacher’s guests.
“Good evening, Mrs. Hoovet,” Octavia said happily as she let Diana’s mother come in. “It’s been a long time since I last saw you.”
“Good evening to you too, Octavia. It’s been far too long indeed. And I told you already to call me Daniella,” Daniella said with a good hearted smile. “You and your father still like blueberry muffins, right?” she asked, pulling a large tupperware containing a dozen of bake goods out of her purse.
“I was hoping you’d not bring any. Now, I’ll have to hide them from Father to make sure I have at least one for myself.” Octavia let out a genuine laugh while Dianella softly giggled.
“I hope you’ll find a good hiding spot then,” Dianella said with a shrug. “Is everyone here already?”
“Yes, indeed.” Octavia nodded as she lead Diana’s mother to the living room. “What would you like to drink?”
“A glass of water, please,” Dianella replied before walking into the living room.
The couches and chairs around the coffee were all occupied by the rest of the guests. Mr. Horszwoski, Frederic’s father, was sitting on the largest couch in between Mrs. Krauss, Viola’s mother, and Mr. Patterson, Henry’s father. On the other couch, were sitting Mrs. Bluenote, Beatrice’s mother, Mrs. Parish, Harpo’s mother, and Mr. Hart, Laura’s father. Fiona and Nathan’s parents couldn’t come, as they lived outside of Canterlot, respectively in Appleloosa, and in Dodge Junction.
The parents caught up with each others for a few minutes until Vinyl walked in the living room, a tray of mini pizzas and other petit fours Octavia had prepared while Vinyl was in the shower. The young student followed her teacher, holding a tray full beverages she distributed to the parents before excusing herself in the kitchen.
“Well.” Vinyl cleared her throat. “Good evening to all of you, and thank you for coming to this ‘parents meet the teacher’ get together.” She raised her glass as a sign of welcome, soon mimicked by every parents in the audience. “From what I heard from Mrs. Heliopolis, some of you had questions they wanted to ask me. I’m all ears.”
Thus, started the first parents meeting with DJ Pon-3. The first question she had was from Laura’s father: he wanted to know what drove Vinyl into becoming a teacher. Vinyl explained that she had to take a break of DJing to get her inspiration back, and it was thanks to Octavia’s father she had been offered this job as a teacher.
Mrs. Hoovet, along with Mrs. Bluenote and Mrs. Parish, expressed their curiosity about what she was actually teaching to their children. Vinyl was more than enthusiast about answering.
“Basically, I’ll be giving them pointers about what to do and what to avoid with their future agents,” Vinyl explained. “I was also thinking of inviting few good musicians and performers that I know so that they can ask them how they cope with the press and other things like that.”
“Can’t you do that yourself?” Daniella asked with curiosity. “You’ve been there as well from what I understood.”
“Of course, I will tell them what I did in those situations,” Vinyl assured with a nod. “But, luckily for your kids, they’re not like me, so it might be better to let them hear advice from different sources. They can build up their own opinions like that.”
Her explanation was welcomed by whispers and nods of approvals. Frederic’s father asked about her piano performance on her first lessons. Apparently, Frederic had been really excited about that when he got home that day. Vinyl simply explained that it was her father who had taught her how to play the piano she was a kid. They wanted to know more about that, but Vinyl said calmly that she didn’t feel like talking about it.
Sensing that the young teacher wasn’t really comfortable with that subject, the parents decided to ask her about the different projects that were planned for their children during the year. Vinyl couldn’t really tell much about them though: She had asked Mrs. Heliopolis about those, and was told that she’ll be briefed on that matter during the following week.
“About those projects,” Mr Patterson chimed in. “You said that this teacher job was for you until you get your inspiration back, then you’ll return to your DJing career.” Vinyl nodded. “What will happens with those projects in that case?”
“Well, I have decided to take a year long break in my career, no matter if I get my creative spark back or not,” Vinyl explained. “I plan on doing this job through the end of the school year at least. If by any chance I’m inspired during the year, nothing stops me from working on my songs during the weekends while I focus on the kids during the week. Also, a come back takes time to prepare, I’m not gonna suddenly disappear overnight.”
“That’s good to hear,” Mrs. Krauss commented casually. “But, I’ve been wondering something since my daughter spoke about you.”
“Go ahead,” Vinyl said as she took another glass of soda Octavia had brought for her. “Grazie, Ottavia,” she added to her student/waitress in a whisper.
“How come Mrs. Heliopolis hired you in the first place?” Viola’s mother asked in a firm tone.
The cheerful atmosphere and the temperature of the room dropped close to zero after that question.
“What exactly do you mean by that?” Vinyl asked with a cocked eyebrow.
“I’ve done some researches about you and all this DJ thing,” Mrs. Krauss explained. “And, in the light of those researches, I’ve been wondering how exactly did she see you as a good model for her students.”
“Just a second,” Vinyl stood up and walked up to Octavia who was looking at Viola’s mother with a puzzled frown. “Octavia, could you please go to your room for the rest of the meeting?” she asked politely.
“Huh?” Octavia blinked in confusion. “Why?”
“Because I think that this topic of discussion is no longer suitable for you to listen to,” Vinyl explained in a cold matter-of-fact tone. “Please, go to your room.”
The unusual coldness in Vinyl’s voice convinced Octavia of not discussing her teacher/roommate’s demand. She bid her goodbyes to her classmates’ parents before heading upstairs. Only when she heard Octavia closing her bedroom’s door, Vinyl closed the living room’s, and went back to her seat.
“Now, you were speaking about me not being a good model for students. Would you mind to elaborate?” Vinyl said, her gaze focused on Viola’s mother.
“I didn’t say that you weren’t...”
“Please, you thought it so loud that I’m sure the deaf man who lives three blocks away heard you as well,” Vinyl interrupted her angrily.
Mrs. Krauss pursed her lips in response. “Well, first of all, there are all those videos about you on the web.”
“What about them?” Frederic’s father asked with curiosity.
“Well, on numerous occasions we can see Ms. Scratch behaving herself like a stripper!” Mrs. Krauss groaned, causing a few shocked gasps.
“Like a stripper, really?” Vinyl chuckled coldly. ”Listen, being sexy whenever I dance doesn’t make me a stripper. I’m pretty sure that involves the act of taking clothes off, something I’ve never done in public.”
“I have seen a video that proves otherwise!” Mrs. Krauss argued. “New Year’s Eve 2011.”
“OOOOhh, so you’re implying that a bottle of champagne being thrown at me during my show, completely soaking my white shirt, making it transparent, thus showing my boobs to the whole crowd was something akin to stripping? Or that I’ve actually been ok with doing that?” Vinyl asked in fury. “I was a bit more than nineteen years old! How exactly do you think I felt after that show?”
“That didn’t stop you from playing your loud noises!”
“Because you thought that I could interrupt my set just like that?” Vinyl asked in a shout, startling all the parents in the living room. “That I, a newbie who just got a set for the New Year’s Eve, could seriously stop playing because I was embarrassed that everyone could see my chest like it was a fucking peepshow? In the club life, not playing equals not getting paid, lady. And not playing on important dates like New Year’s Eve means being blacklisted off all the clubs in town before the end of the night.”
“Huh, I...,” Mrs. Krauss couldn’t find the words to retort to the DJ’s words.
“But, let’s move on with your other reasons,” Vinyl snapped. “Let me guess.... My skill in music? Drugs? Alcohol? My hair dye? My tattoos and piercings?” She glared at the cowering woman who had started all her anger blow out. “Did I get them all right?”
Mrs. Krauss glanced at everyone in the room, hoping that someone would take her defense, but all the other parents were frozen in shock before the anger of the young teacher. She simply nodded her answer to Vinyl.
“In that case, allow me to retort,” Vinyl spoke in a more conversational volume. “My skills in music have already been proved thanks to your previous questions. And if you’re doubting them, you can go ask your daughter. My hair dye concerns me and only me. Heck, Mrs. Heliopolis has decided to keep her tri-colored hair. I don’t see what’s the big deal about me if my boss can do it without anyone questioning her. For my tattoos and piercings, it’s basically the same as my hair dye.”
Vinyl took a deep breath, finally speaking in more casual tone.
“As for drugs, if you had done your research properly, you’d have seen that I’ve always been one of the most fervent representatives of the ‘Party Safe and Sane’ group. It’s an association that tries to raise the young people’s awareness of the dangers of drugs,” she explained sternly. “And, finally, on the matter of me drinking alcohol, I’ll just point out that you’re on your fourth glass of Martini and that I’m on my second diet coke of the evening.”
Vinyl glared at Viola’s mother who couldn’t even look at her.
“I hope I lifted all your stereotype-based doubts about my aptitude at being a model for your daughter and her classmates. If you ever want anymore informations on the subject, we can discuss about it some other time. But right now, I want you out of this house!”
Viola’s mother slowly nodded before leaving the living room. When she heard the front door closing after Mrs. Krauss, Vinyl sighed wearily while rubbing her eyes with her hand. After that she took a glance at the other parents who were still a bit shocked at her.
“I’m sorry for my outburst,” Vinyl genuinely apologized. “I’m afraid the meeting will have to be cut short for today, but if you ever want to speak with me about something regarding the class or your kid, you can always contact me through the school’s office. We’ll fix an appointment, or something.”
After nodding in silence, the parents slowly made their way to the front door. The last two to leave were Diana’s mother and Laura’s father.
“Listen,” Daniella gently said to Vinyl as she was about to go outside. “If it makes you feel any better, we both think that we would have reacted just like you did back then.
“And also we’d like to let you know that we are not the only two who think that,” Mr. Hart added with a nod.
Vinyl softly smiled at the pair. “It doesn’t really excuse my behavior, but I appreciate it. I appreciate it a whole heap, thanks.”
“You’re more than welcome,” Daniella replied with a smile. “My Diana keeps saying you’re an amazing person, and she’s rarely wrong about people.”
“She’s a great kid,” Vinyl commented softly with a wider smile. “Goodnight,”
“Goodnight,” the pair replied before going back to their respective car.
Vinyl closed the door behind them and rested her forehead against it. She let out a short sigh as she thought back of what had happened that evening. She instantly broke out of her memories when she heard quiet steps coming from behind her.
“Didn’t I ask you to stay in your room?” Vinyl asked with a short chuckle.
“You said until the end of the meeting,” Octavia retorted uneasily, fearing another outburst from her teacher.
“I did say that,” Vinyl admitted before facing Octavia. The DJ noticed that her student wasn’t looking straight at her. “You’ve heard everything, haven’t you?”
“Hmmm, my room and the living room aren’t really soundproofed,” Octavia explained slowly. “So, I heard you shouting about that New Year’s Eve show.... Did you really continue that show with your wet shirt?”
“That’s what you remembered from my shouting fit?” Vinyl chuckled happily while Octavia blushed softly. “To answer your question, yes, I really did. You should have seen the number of fans that I got on Friendface after that night.” she let out a short, sour laugh.
“I don’t think I could ever do something like that,” Octavia whispered. “I wouldn’t have the will to continue after something like that like you did,” she said in a soft admiring tone which made Vinyl smile widely at her student.
“Let’s just hope for you that you’d never have to do something similar. Luckily, since you aim for a classical career, it’s very unlikely to happen,” Vinyl commented before remembering something. “Speaking of classical, why don’t I give you that classical music folder I promised you?”
“Actually,” Octavia said as Vinyl and she reached her bedroom, in which Vinyl’s laptop was. Octavia had borrowed it after having put the mini pizzas in the oven. “I was wondering if you could transfer me the electronical folder instead of the classical one.”
Vinyl blinked in surprise. “Really? That’s not really your style of music.”
“Aren’t you the one who taught me that I should explore other styles of music? That I should break out of my zone of comfort to stimulate my creativity?” Octavia asked with a wink.
Vinyl chuckled softly. “You really do what your teacher asks. That’s good!” she commented while plugging her laptop to Octavia’s hard drive.
“I always follow my teacher’s recommendations.”
“Good to know,” Vinyl replied softly before starting the data transfer. “Anyway, are you up for some Chinese?”
“Don’t we have the rest of what I prepared for the meeting?” Octavia asked with a cocked eyebrow.
“Oh, yeah right,” Vinyl admitted as she headed out of Octavia’s room. “Too bad, I could have used a nice bike ride downtown.”
Octavia remained alone in her room for a few seconds before grabbing her jacket on her chair, and dashing after Vinyl.
“I changed my mind! Chinese’s good for me!” Octavia shouted as she ran down the stairs.
Vinyl giggled as she opened the door to the garage. “I knew she couldn’t resist the call of the bike. She’s so easy to trick,” she whispered softly.
“I heard that!” Octavia shouted from behind the DJ.
“Good for you, Ottavia!”
There you go.
One chapter right out of the editing oven.... (why did I say that?)
Once Again, thanks to G3K0771 for his work as editor.
I hope you liked it.
Stay tuned for what's next
Mariacheat-Brony
PS: WOOHOOO 300 likes 
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Love how you gave Vinyl a brain and the power to use it.
Also her as a coffee lover? I love her even more now.
~Skeeter The Lurker
Hail Vinyl.
Love the chapter!
I really am liking this story. GTVS
Best retort ever.
Never mess with a DJ.
Btw nice job on the chapter
...I can't figure out why, but I really like this story.
How are you able to make your characters unstoppable in every story?
This is story is just awesome! No words can explain this it's just to good! 
I love it whenever a charterer hands out a verbal smackdown. It's also the easiest to see in a textual format, anyways.
Heh, I'm sorta surprised she didn't start swearing in Italian. Gotta say that I'm enjoying the pace your setting for this, its building up quite admirably.
Below are some typos I found: 
*instruments on the mondays and fridays - instruments on Mondays and Fridays
*“I’m looking up to you,” - “I do look up to you,”
*couldn’t really told much - couldn't really tell much
*something I’ve never did in public - something I've never done in public
*you’re up for some chinese - are you up for some Chinese
2857920
thanks for pointing them out
glad you like it
Should be peace.
Remove the rogue "the".
Should be tell.
Should be "Huh, I..."
i like your derpy! this is getting really interesting. hopefully vinyl and octavia can keeps things sane for a year.
This fic is beyond awesome! Also I can't wait for the impending shipping! Love this sooo much
Very enjoyable. Much better structure and grammar on these than the past chapters. Can't wait to see more.
You just won a 1023bob.com/files/Badge-of-Awesome.png
Excellent as always. I'm waiting for more!
nice chapter
Another amazing chapter. I like how you're bringing Vinyl and Octavia closer. Soon... *rubs hands* Soooon.... All right, I could say more, but you know you're awesome, and I really need to catch some sleep.
2858095
I completely agree with this fine person, which I've never seen before (
)
This was so awesome without the shipping, but with it? I don't think I can contain myself anymore
WUHU new chapter.
So Octavia finally gets a little bit closer to Vinyl...
Well I hope Vinyl notices something too. Would be a shame if Octi finally confesses and Vinyl had no clue at all.
Soon
th06.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2013/155/0/a/hugh_jelly_by_lizziebax-d67r9fy.png
P.S. So proud you picked Daniella as a name. °jumped out of joy°
It's my real name you see
with the whole middle 'personal space bit' i was laughing and just thinking pent up sexual frustrations. in any case another great chapter
2857530
While, goofy Vinyl is adorable to no ends, I've preferred her when she's portrayed as someone(pony) intelligent, (not Twilight's level of intelligence though)
2857790
Just for typing that, have a cookie. *put a cookie in the shadows*
2857998
thanks for the tip
2858377
... I think you'll like what I have planned.
it should be coming soon
2858493
You'll see
ps: glad you appreciate the choice of name,
Great chapter as always!
Once again, I truly admire how Vinyl can explain her actions firmly without even finching. Also, it's finally nice to see some attraction building up between Octavia and Vinyl.
Can't wait for the next chapter for which ever story you're working on!
And so its happening.
Lovely chapter as always.
Keep on going, this story is going on great.
2858532
I'd expect Twilight level intel to be... Odd with her, to say the least.
The again. You COULD say she was in terms of street and show smarts.
~Skeeter The Lurker
god i love this story love how V handled the meeting
Very nice
Because I'd really like to do more of that (I currently have one other story I'm proofreading for) and just thought I'd ask.
I love how you're starting to get to the romance-aspect bit by bit. I personally hate those "Day 1: I HATE YOU!! Day 2: I'll love you forever!!" -fics, which unfortunately seem to be a dime in a dozen...
Vinyl and Octavia still remain my favourite pairing, and having a humanized quality-story of them is a refreshing change. Thanks for that.
Then a question: Do you, by any chance, need a proofreader/nitpicker for the story?
PRICELESS!!!
2858815
Glad you enjoyed the fic so far
To answer your question, I already have a proofreader/editor, so unless he goes on vacations, I don't really need an another one, sorry
2858852
Ah, that's okay
But in case that ever happens/you need another one, you only need to ask
Okay, I just finished the chapter (I had to make a comment about Octavia's thoughts earlier... Had to) and I can only find one thing that I disagree with, though it's probably just a peeve of mine.
I think that Vinyl's verbal outburst was a little over the top, I think it perhaps would have made more of an impact if she'd used an icy tone of voice rather than shouting. Though, I guess her shouting is fairly realistic since she's probably met that kind of stereotypical bullshit so many times that she can't take it anymore.
That being said... In the Apple Scratch, Octavia is the busty one between Vinyl and Octavia, here Vinyl is the busty one
Yep, still loving this story. Seeing this in the updated favorites folder always brings a smile to my face.
Seriously loving this story more and more! The verbal outburst was just perfect, and Octavia feeling up Vinyl was also priceless :D
2858741
Twilight's intellect, at least in terms of book-smarts, is almost in league of it's own, with few equals and probably no real betters. Vinyl's got an excellent brain underneath the blue hair, but calling it world-class is a bit of an exaggeration.
Speaking of Twilight, I'm glad Sedgwick and Vinyl have more or less buried the hatchet. I'm sure they won't become friends anytime soon, given their personalities, but there's no need for a full-blown feud either. Maybe she'll warm up a bit more as Vinyl proves her competence.
2858876
Well, she is five years older than her; Tavi's not even eighteen yet. Maybe she's not quite done filling out.
2858964
Isn't it only 4? Octavia is 18, Vinyl is 22... ?
2858969
I might be wrong about this, but I think the author said in one of the comments that Octavia is still a few months from her eighteenth birthday at the start of the year. Vinyl being 22, that means the age difference is probably in the vicinity of four and a half years, so I rounded up.
2858969
)
Octavia will be eighteen in a month or two in story, and Vinyl turned 22 mid summer (no specified in the the story but that's how I see it
2858990
Probably... I usually prefer the ships when they are the same age, but I guess that it won't really matter all that much.
2858993
Ok.
2858993>>2858995
Damn, it took me less than two minutes to find the comment I was thinking of, and you two still triple-posted me. Your Comment Fu is best. *bow*
2859015
Booya!
2857530>>2858071
It says in his name: Skeeter The Lurker.
2859081
Heh, yes, but Lurkers often are. It might just be though that he doesnt follow what stories are 'popular', just new releases.
Seems kinda like Regidar, eh? Everywhere at once.
2859081
Well, yea... It's what we pay him to do... IT'S HIS JOB...
2858071
Well, my friend... It's like 2859081 and 2859443 say... I am the Lurker. And Lurking is my job...
2859125
My rules are simple: Read everything. If I like it. I comment, fave, and upvote. If I don't I leave no trace I was there. I never downvote. I never insult or offend anyone.
Fun fact: Regidar himself has celled me Regidar 2.0. Funny, yeah?
~Skeeter The Regidar 2.0
2859540
There arent enough funny/laughing emotes to express the awesomeness that is contained within "Regidar himself has celled me Regidar 2.0". Oh, and "~Skeeter The Regidar 2.0" 
But on your rules: They are very good ones to go by. I dont think I have disliked a single a story yet. One I was very tempted to, yes, but I didn't, simply because it was just my personal preference. Missed the gore tag, and it was one where Twi kills Big Mac and Flutters, who was pregnant with Mac's foal. Yeah, that kinda thing disgusts me, but I guess SOME people like it. So I'm not going to kill the rating on it simply due to preferrence.
EDIT: I still cant help but chuckle at the thought of Regidar. He has become one of those constants everyone expects to exist. Hell, I'm not lying when I say I would squee and consider it an achievement if he ended up favouriting one of my stories.
2859540
Good rules, oh and by the way, your paycheck is in the usual spot.
2859573
I will say that was quite the fun chat that day.
2859610
Awesome. I'm on my way to collect now...
~Skeeter The Lurker
beautiful, just simply beautiful~!
Keep up the good work~
Vinyl and Octavia are they gonna be together?
*shrug* Well, I was calling there was gonna be a "Vinyl taking a few minutes to beat down the remnants of the peanut gallery," and it was satisfying. The fact that it was done with some professionalism by Vinyl herself did help with it. ^_^
Although, a certain other thing I'm calling with Vinyl and Octavia I know I'll enjoy way before it happens. ...NO, not that, I mean the emotional part of it, jeez.