Seifer.
"Hey, Lamer!" Seifer calls to you as you stride past him and his friends Rai and Fuu. You clench your fists and walk past quickly, not saying anything, because you know it will only lead to you arguing with him and hurling insults at each other. After all, you are one of Hayner's best friends. You hear Seifer call after you again, but you ignore him and leave the sandlot without a word.
"What's with her?" Seifer asks quietly. "She's not her happy, annoying little self today." Ever since you arrived into town, Seifer's always picked on you for being so happy and smiling all the time, and since you've started hanging with Hayner and the gang, you'd been his first target.
"Ask." Fuu suggested in a bored tone.
"Why should I?" Seifer asked, looking at the path you'd walked down earlier. "It's… not like I care." He muttered.
Rai and Fuu exchanged glances and nodded.
"Go." Fuu mumbled, looking off into the distance.
"Yeah… just go ask her what's the matter, y'know?" Rai said placing a hand over his mouth, almost trying to contain laughter.
Seifer stared quietly at both Fuu and Rai. They nodded at his unsure expression then watched him trudge slowly toward Sunset Hill.
You sit quietly on the grass, watching the trains go by on the bridge just below Sunset Hill, when you hear footsteps. "Hey." Says an awkwardly calm voice to you, which you predict to be Seifer's. You turn around, just to be sure.
"What do you want?" You ask harshly, trying your best not to sound upset. He looks away from you with a patient look on his face.
"…What's wrong?" He asks, hesitantly. You turn back around into your previous position, sitting Indian-style on the grass with an annoyed expression.
"Nothing." You mumble, wondering why Seifer is here pestering you. You feel his eyes shift back toward you and listen to his footsteps get closer.
"Nothing at all?" He asks again.
"Why do you even care?" You snap. You hear him chuckle lightly.
"Because… I love you."
.…
You turn back around and watch a smile curl up on his face. "Gee, thanks." You say. You can't help but smile too when he had actually tried his best to sound serious.
"Yeah.." He sneers, wondering to a spot next to you in the grass. "But, you're missing a few friends, don't you think? And I don't see that queer, Hayner snooping around for me… So, why's everything so mellow?"
"They went to the beach today." You say quietly.
"And they left you?"
"I wasn't allowed to go." You answer.
"Your parents?" Hayner suggests and you nod in response.
"Oh." He says quietly, looking down at his feet. "Be glad you have parents."
"…"
Something about Seifer's words upset you. Maybe it's because he doesn't know your parents. They were the reason you're always out of the house. They were always having parties and drinking too much. After it was all over, they'd always taken it out on you. Once, Hayner and the gang had asked you about a strange scar you'd had on your arm. You'd chose not to tell them and they had never asked again.
"Not my parents…" You mutter, breaking the silence. His green eyes flicker at you in curiously at your response.
"They don't treat you right?" He asks, writing his name on your back with a finger.
You don't say anything to him, but lift your medium length hair to show him a black and blue mark around your neck. He reaches out and touches the bruise and you flinch.
"Ouch..."
"I- I'm sorry…" He says, widening his eyes apologetically. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
"It's okay." You sigh, then lay back and look up at the darkening sky. He does so too.
"You're pretty cool." He says to you.
You smile and take his hat off of his head, revealing his short blonde hair. He doesn't stop you, but watches you put on your own head. Then, you lay your head down on his chest. He freezes, but then, hugs you. You're surprised. You'd expect Seifer to push you off and take his struggle bat out from his belt and smack you with it a few times. (He's done it before…) But he doesn't. He shuts his eyes and smiles gently.
"You are too. Lamer…" You laugh.