AN: This story came from listening to the song "Think Twice" by Eve 6. That, and the need to satisfy my guilty pleasure - the high school world! What does this result in? Well, a high school fic with loads of relationship drama waiting around the corner. The pairings shall remain a secret, but my profile page could, perhaps, possibly, maybe be a hint. You'll just have to see how the drama unfolds.

I hope you will enjoy as much as I did while writing!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter One

"Wait 'till the day you finally see
I've been here waiting patiently"

A light breeze from the ajar window woke her up. It was fall, so she really shouldn't be sleeping with her window open. But she slept better when the air was fresh and crisp, she had always been like that. When she was little she remembered to have hated bed time. The lights were put out and she had lain in her bed like that, her body growing more tired by every hour, but still she remained sleepless. Her head wouldn't calm down but she was too scared to get out of bed, too scared of getting scolded by her parents.

In the mornings she was cranky and reluctant to get up and start a new day, because of the long night of too little rest. Every time she had finally dozed off she would only wake up again to find her chest heavy and her breathing becoming difficult. The room closed in on her, air ran out of her lungs, she was suffocating in a cramped cage.

One day her mother forgot to close the window. The curtains swayed slightly, creating a ruffling sound that calmed the little girl tucked in her sheets. She was asleep before she knew it and that continued until morning chased away the darkness of the night. She jumped from her bed before her parents would come to wake her. This had never happened before.

After that her mother made sure the window was open, and it still was. Ruffling of the curtains still had the same soothing effect on her.

It was a late September Monday. Mornings were getting dimmer every day and the wind colder. She stacked thicker covers on her bed.

First a shower, breakfast with a towel-turban atop her head, then getting into her uniform and then fixing hair and makeup. Dad wasn't around, so she had the house to herself and could parade in her underwear as much as she liked. She needed to get going, though.

In the entry hallway she looked at her own image from the cabinet's mirror door. No teacher would have anything to point out about her uniform. Her skirt was the appropriate height, her jacket was properly buttoned up. It was too cold to show cleavage, anyway. Makeup was light and natural, only showing off her better features. She looked like a good girl.

"Be a good girl for me, won't you?" Her mother had said.

Always be a good girl. She had been, even when bad things happened.

She took her bag and left the house. Deep breath. Cool air entered her system. There wouldn't be snow today. Not for a month probably. She could always smell snow before it fell.

Coldness bit trough her stockings when she skipped down the steps from their porch. She went right past their garage and headed towards the street. She smiled when she noted their lawn was stiff with frost. It would probably make a rustling sound beneath her shoes.

In the garage stood the car her dad had gotten her. If machines had feelings, this one would probably feel deserted and lonely. She just liked to walk, even if it forced her to get up earlier. Mornings were the best; air still cold after the night, the quietness, sun peeking from behind the mountain. The neighbor's cat came from its nocturnal adventures as usual and looked satisfied. It mewed when she walked by before slipping through the hole in the garden fence.

Slowly her muscles built up warmth and her cheeks grew red like an apple. Other students appeared on the streets, all wandering towards their mutual destination by their method of choice. She knew most of them and greeted with the same sincere smile people always associated her with. But even if her smile was warm she wouldn't linger long enough to chat, always walking past with a determined step. She was well known and well liked in her school, but the people she greeted weren't her friends and that was her way of letting them know. They didn't mind, and what could they possibly have against her? She was never rude and never ignored them, she was always polite and would definitely listen if someone came up to her. But nobody ever wanted to disturb her.

The school buildings came into sight and she finally slowed down a little. The classroom she was headed for was situated in the far end of the east wing. During this time of day, the classroom would bathe in morning sun. She left her coat and scarf in her locker, the good mornings and hellos leaving her lips more often now as students filled the corridors.

Today was homeroom with Shera, so she didn't want to be late. Shera was nice, but strict just in the right measure as their class had its own share of troublemakers. Speak of the devil, she thought when she stepped through the open door and saw a familiar sight. Reno was leaning so far back on his chair that it should kip over any second now. Around him had gathered a flock of girls who didn't even belong to this class, giggling and squealing in delight when the paper planes Reno threw hit Rude's head. The latter didn't even flinch when the planes ricocheted from his scalp.

Sometimes one had to wonder just why they were best friends.

"Hey," she said from the door with a laugh. Her classmates all acknowledged her in their own way as she plopped down to a free seat next to Elena. She was on good terms with the blonde like she was on good terms with everyone in her class, but they weren't really close. Her best friend was one grade lower, a junior.

Elena asked her about her weekend, to which she answered truthfully and told that she had done nothing special. When she asked Elena the same out of politeness, the blonde lost her usually cool demeanor and started telling,

"We went to Gold Saucer! Can you believe it? I've been saving money since summer and it was totally worth it even if the trip there took forever and Reno was blabbing the whole time and I swear I wanted to kick him out of the car-"

"All right kids, settle down, take a seat," came Shera's voice as she entered. She was one of the youngest and most liked teachers in Nibelheim High. "Reno, Mr. Highwind politely asked you – and I quote – to 'keep your sad little wiener along with your dirty hands to yourself and stop contaminating my students with your brain damage', end quote. I highly suggest you take his advice to heart."

Reno finally crashed down from his chair and the girls scampered away with a look of dread on their faces. One of the unwritten rules of this school was to not, under any circumstances, anger Mr. Highwind.

Shera closed the door, busily ignoring the snickering behind her back. It was not uncommon of Shera to pass messages from Cid Highwind, the school's math slash physics teacher slash genius when it came to anything mechanical. The twosome was a popular source of gossip amongst the students.

Everyone knew they weren't just work colleagues. With the whole school whispering about them it was miraculous enough that Cid and Shera themselves were yet to discover this. Nevertheless, students were already betting their money on when they'd finally get it going.

It took a moment for their teacher to gather her thoughts and for the redness to drain from her cheeks. She cleared her throat and waited for her class to quiet down.

The girl next to Elena turned her head towards the window. Shera was probably going to tell them yet again about their options after high school, as she had at least mentioned the subject every Moday during homeroom. Teachers were meant to make a fuss about it, but this particular fuss grated on her nerves. She had gotten her future figured out since the beginning of her third year.

"I have a big announcement to make," Shera kept a dramatic pause, which wasn't at all like her. She usually just read from her papers. "A new student has transferred to our class. He should be waiting outside."

The girl didn't move her gaze when Shera's steps went across the floor and the door was opened. "Come on in," she said to the newcomer. Then her feet coming back behind the newcomer's feet were heard. The girl remained unmoving, just watching how the rising sun drew a halo around Mt. Nibel towering over their town.

She heard the girls in her class intake a sharp breath. Her interest was finally perked, and she turned her head an inch. The new guy was handsome, but mere looks wouldn't shock her so.

Her lips moved soundlessly in slow motion and in perfect synch with him.

"My name is Cloud Strife."

This she already knew. It was Cloud. It really was him, even if he had changed, but there was no mistaking those eyes and those blonde spikes of hair… Immediately she was flooded with painful memories. About her, about him, about her mother –

'No, no, no, no, no, no… I can't think about that. I won't.' But the visions of him were so strong, so vivid and full of color, just like they had happened yesterday.

Cloud was speaking but she couldn't hear his words. It didn't matter. She'd have time to hear everything about him, she'd ask him countless questions, she'd have plenty of chances to see just how he had changed. Her face was practically beaming as she waited for him to notice her, for his guarded expression to turn into a surprised, yet happy look. He had to be glad to see her, he had to be grateful for meeting her again… what reason would he have not to?

She almost fidgeted eagerly when she saw his eyes roam about the classroom, studying his new classmates. She was sitting almost at the back, it was natural that he hadn't spotted her. She leaned forward, sat up a little higher, stared at him, her smile reaching her eyes. Then it was her turn to be scrutinized and she smiled even wider. 'Yes, smile, smile just like you did back then!'

There was nothing. Not a single flicker of emotion in his eyes. He didn't flinch nor change his expression. And before she knew it, her second was over and he had moved onto Elena.

Slowly her senses returned and she started to be a little more receptive to her surroundings. Girls exchanged meaningful glances, text messages were already written away from Shera's eyes, but her gaze refused to leave Cloud. It didn't take him long to notice he was being stared at, so for a moment his eyes connected with the girl's in the back. Immediately the girl looked away, and there on her face were the fleeting remains of disappointment.

She was feeling confused and betrayed. This had to be the Cloud she knew, but why was he acting so strange? Did he truly not recognize her? …No, it wasn't possible when she had known him the instant he came in. Something wasn't right. Something was missing from the Cloud she remembered. Only now had she noticed how coldly he regarded his surroundings, how thoroughly displeased he seemed to be standing there. Cloud had never been great with people, but that only meant that he was a little withdrawn and sometimes hard to approach. He shouldn't be acting like this; he shouldn't be showing his revulsion towards them and the whole situation so openly.

Now came the anger. What had she done to deserve being treated this way? Why didn't he have the decency to at least smile at an old friend? Why was he being this asshole? Why did she care so much?

She wanted to bolt up from her seat and run out of the classroom. She wanted to cause a scene and prove that he was only pretending to be new here. She even wanted to punch him for getting her hopes up, and then destroying them so easily.

Instead she stared at her desk until end of class. She didn't look up even when Cloud was offered a seat somewhere nearby.

Her mother's voice echoed.

"Be a good girl, Tifa."

AN: So, what did you think?

I think Cloud seems a bit OOC in this one (well, maybe in the following parts as well), but that will be explained later. And I just had to pick fun on poor Reno.

Also, feedback equals one happy author!

Lyrics from the song "Think Twice" by Eve 6.