Teen Dad Series

Pissed with a Capital P (Michael & Rigby)

He'd made it very clear that Rigby wasn't allowed to go to the festival. Not only did she need to be at school, but the festival was notorious for getting dangerous really quick. Three was no limit on alcohol and people took advantage of that. They also took advantage of teenage girls. It made the news every year. Someone was dead. Someone was missing. Something always happened.

Michael didn't want her anywhere near that. He didn't want it to be her. 

Except all of her friends were going and Rigby was so sure that it wouldn't be her that she left early in the morning with the group, driving the three hours away to get there with a good amount of time. She'd done this typical thing, got up, dressed like she was going to school and then changed at the gas station on the way there. She'd borrowed clothes from a friend, the kind that Michael had constantly told her he never wanted to see her wear.

Someone spilled beer on her towards the end of the evening, so she decided that she'd just wear it all home and was it for her friend. Michael wouldn't be home all night, so changing was pointless. And going home before curfew didn't even cross Rigby's mind. She was too carefree, having too much fun, probably drinking a little bit too much.

In too much trouble when she got home.

There were lights on in the apartment when she finally stumbled in around one in the morning. Why were the lights on? Did Michael forget to turn the off before he left for work? 

Confused and a little dizzy, Rigby made her way down the front hallway and into the living room. She almost jumped out of her skin at the sight of Calum and Michael sitting there, staring at her expectantly. She stood there in shock for a second then sighed and sat down on the other couch. 

"So I came over around dinner time, expecting to find you here watching Netflix." Calum said, keeping his voice casual. "Except you weren't here and you weren't answering your phone, and no one on the floor had seen you all day." Calum shrugged. "So I called your dad and he hadn't heard from you all day."

"Yeah, neither had your school." Michael crossed his arms. His voice was dangerously flat. The way it got when he was too mad to enunciate anything. The way it got when he literally didn't care about scaring someone or hurting anyone's feelings. He stood up, pacing in front of Rigby. "Which is funny because you left for school this morning." He turned to look at her. "Not wearing that, but I'll get to that in a second." He exhaled sharply, watching Rigby bow her head. "Did you go to the festival?"

She could've lied, but what good would that be? It was so obvious that she had that it didn't even make sense for Michael to ask. "Yeah."

Michael nodded, continuing to pace. "I thought so." It was quiet for a second and then he yelled. "What were you thinking?" Rigby jumped then shrunk deeper into the couch. It was best to just let Michael carry on. Talking would get her into more trouble. Michael threw his hands in the air. "I deliberately told you not to go. In what universe does that mean it's okay for you to sneak behind my back and do the exact opposite? Did you not think you'd get caught? What if something had happened to you?"

"I was fine. I stayed with people I knew the whole time." Rigby muttered. "Believe it or not I can handle myself, you know. I'm not this little helpless damsel in distress you're making me out to be." 

Michael glared at her. "I know you can handle yourself. I also know you lied to me, snuck out, and completely disobeyed me. This is unbelievable. Why can't you just listen to me?" He'd passed closer by her as he paced, getting a whiff of the beer from her shirt. He shook his head. "This is so typical of you, trying to prove yourself right. How many mistakes do you have to make for it to sink in?"

Rigby stood up, crossing her arms and facing her dad. "I don't know. Maybe I'll make it up to the same amount as you did. I'm fourteen still, getting close to the same age you had me, right?"

Michael crossed his arms, staring Rigby down. "Keep it up and you'll end up exactly like me."

"I'll never be like you." Rigby narrowed her eyes. "Because unlike you, I'm happy with my life." Michael stared at her for a few seconds and then looked away. "Go to your room and stay there. I don't want to see or hear you for the entire weekend."

"Oh, come on." Calum stood up, watching Rigby storm away, wiping tears as she passed by him. "That's a little much, isn't it?" Michael sat down, running his hands through his hair. "Mate, you can't lock her up that long. She'll go insane."

"Good. She already makes me insane." Michael snapped. Calum sighed. There was no reasoning with Michael when he was this angry. And of course, Rigby wouldn't exactly  be reasonable either, she had her dad's temperament. Calum would just have to stop by in the morning and make them fix this. For now, they just had to sleep it off."