Chapter One:
Mornings Suck
***
Squall woke up with an ache in his chest. He focused his eyes trying to see what was causing the pain. He looked to see Rinoa's head propped up on his chest. Squall's hand, which was so enormous, covered half of Rinoa's head. Roughly, it shoved her off his chest, then he turned on his side to a more relaxing position. Rinoa squinched her face up in annoyance as she rose her head. She quickly turned to Squall, who was sleeping peacefully and soundly. Angrily she kicked him full force out of the bed. Squall hit the floor with a loud thud. He looked up to see Rinoa grinning at him. "Sleep like a log," Squall said sarcastically.
"No hon, but you fell like one," Rinoa hissed. "Why did you shove me off?!"
Squall rubbed his sore chest, "Well you were hurt'n me," he said sheepishly.
"Do you know I was having the best dream?" Rinoa yelled. In a romantic dreamlike tone she described her deepest made-up fantasy - oops!!! I mean dream. "It was night time on the beach the waves were crashing like the beating of a my heart."
Squall yawned as he pulled back the covers from himself to reveal his Champaign boxers. Rinoa, as always, when she was in her world of romance, did not notice how Squall had stopped paying attention to her, nor had he ever been listening. Rinoa still rambled on about her setting.
"The moonlight held me in a warm chorus."
Squall walked over to the dresser and thought, "Man! Will she every shut up? Why does she have to always tell me about this crap? I have dreams about her being trapped permanently in a jar but I don't tell her. Man this coat is starting to smell!" he sniffed his leather jacket with the feathers around the sides, "but Rinoa and Quistis will yell at me if I wear anything else. I'm getting hungry. I wonder if I ask Rinoa really nicely if she will buy me some breakfast... No, I don't think she'd be too mad. I mean I stood through this didn't I?
Rinoa would you..." Squall's question was interrupted by a hard slap.
"You haven't been listening to a word I've said!" Squall stumbled over his words. "But I didn't leave the room. That has to count for something," Squall pleaded with puppy dog eyes.
Rinoa turned her back on Squall, "Seifer always listen to everything I said."
"Yeah and look what happened to him." Rinoa snapped around at him and gritted her teeth. "Oh crap did I say that out loud?!" Rinoa made an attempt to kick Squall, but he was wide-awake now and moved out of the way, causing Rinoa to fall down.
"You're not a real man, Rinoa whimpered. "A real man wouldn't have let me fall down. He would have taken the blow!"
"Just say what you mean", Squall said as he walked over to the bathroom. "Seifer would have taken the hit."
"Well yeah," Rinoa said as she got to her feet. "But then he would have knocked the @#%* out of me."
Squall chuckled to himself as he envisioned Rinoa being knocked to the floor. Squall stepped in the shower, "Wish I had the guts to do that."
*** Zell threw his pillow to the wall. Who needed an alarm clock with Rinoa and Squall around? Zell flung himself out of bed and in to the rubble of cloth and things that was on his floor. Zell banged on the wall. "Will you two shut up, I'm up all ready!"
Rinoa screamed from the other room in a tone that would have even pissed off a Jedi. "Nobody was talking to you! You spiky-haired muskrat!" Her voice was light but thick through the heavy walls.
Zell was used to waking up like this every morning. He ran his fingers through his stun-gun-shot-looking hair. "I don't look like a muskrat!" Zell whispered to himself as he looked in the mirror. The clock on the nightstand hit 6:57 a.m. "HOTDOGS!!"
The cafeteria was going to open in three minutes. Zell had to be the first in line. Zell ran from his mirror leaped over his backpack, nearly tripped over his long baggy jeans that were on the floor, and dashed out his room. At that moment Irvine stepped out his room in his rifle boxers.
"Hey buddy!" he yelled out in a yawning voice. "Can't talk, must reach hotdogs." "Ah Zell aren't ya forgetting something?" Irvine yelled down the hall to a now sweating Zell.
"No," Zell said as he pushed the elevator door.
Irvine laughed a little as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Umm your pajamas," he looked at Zell with one eye and a grin.
As the elevator door opened Zell looked down at his pajamas. The colorfully looking Power Rangers danced all over him, leaving him open for insults and gay remarks. He had just gotten rid of the name chicken-wuss and didn't need any one coming up with any more names that would follow him until he was twenty-five.
Zell turned around and dashed back down the hall to his room. "Thanks", he mumbled to Irvine as he passed his room.
Irvine chuckled. "Chicken-wuss," he whispered. Zell stopped in his tracks causing him to slide from his socks and the shinny waxed floor. Zell sharply turned around.
"What did you call me cowboy?!"
"How in the hell did he hear me?" Irvine thought. Irvine threw up his hands innocently, "Nothing partner."
Zell kept his head turned to Irvine has he marched down the rest of the hall to his room. Zell thought heavily, "I know I heard him call me chicken- wuss!" Damn it now he would be five minutes late. And with all his luck Selphie be right in front of him talking his ear off, and asking him a thousand times if he wanted to join the Festival committee and he would have to tell her a million times no.
Irvine watched intensively as he saw Zell reached his room and closed the door. Irvine gave a deep breath of relief. The last thing he wanted to do is get in to a fistfight with Zell when he did not have his gun handle.
"Sweetie are you going to make me shower alone?" A seductive voice called. A huge grin jumped around on Irvine face, replacing the look of worry.
"Com'n darlin," he dashed back into his room and slammed the door.
*** Selphie's Mickey Mouse alarm clock woke her up and she sat up in her bed stretched her arms and yawned. She looked up to her wall to see her picture of Sir Laguna that was poster-size. He was sooo cute and cool. How could Squall not like his dad?
She remembered the day she got the picture. It was about a week after the whole Ultimecia time thing and Squall has been asked to stay and extra two days in Esthar. She waited for him in front of his room. "Hey Squall can I have a picture of Sir Laguna.... oops I mean your dad?"
Squall smirked and rolled his eyes. "You had it right the first time," he said as he flung the picture of Laguna at her, as he went in to his room and slammed the door in her face.
How could some one as cool as Sir Laguna produce someone.... someone like Squall? But she pushed it out of her mind. She was not one to ponder over challenging questions.
Selphie's room was white with Care Bears all over it and her blanket was blue with clouds that had dumb smiley faces all over it. Selphie's room was so cheerful that you would only go in there if you were really, really depressed.
Once Rinoa had called Squall a punk and dared him to go in there. He did not last two minutes before he has to throw up - it was so cheery in there it was sickening.
She sprang out of bed and walked to her window. "Ah what a beautiful day, I'm going to make someone's life a lot better." - which usually meant she was going to make someone's life a lot worse.
She turned around to see Mickey's hand pointing to 7:00am. "O.K. now I'm going to be late for breakfast" she yelled out loud. Selphie had to be in front or in back of Zell. She would ask him if he wanted to join the Festival committee and he would say no for the millionth time. But she couldn't stop now he was starting to weaken. That was Selphie, breaking one person's will at a time.
*** Quistis had been up for an hour on the balcony. She was beginning to get very cold in her loose long silky white night gown. She sat cross-legged trying to look seductive as the sun rose over the Garden. "Damn it" she wailed.
Quistis had been out on this balcony for sixty minutes and Squall had still not come out on his balcony that was across from hers. Quistis got up in annoyance and tied up her nightgown. "Well this was a perfectly good waste of 500gil," she snapped.
She was about to go in but still she hesitated. "What could Squall be doing? That little tramp probably has him cleaning the floor with a toothbrush or ironing her dress." Oh what had that evil sorceress done to her Squall! He used to be so cold and silent, the way she liked him. Now that he was starting to come around she discovered that he had no personality what so ever. She stomped back into her room.
"Oh well there is always breakfast," she said sounding a bit bitter. Matron was right if she wanted Squall the easy way she should have just marched up and grab him by the arm and said: You're mine now understand? She wouldn't have put up a fight when he was single, but now that he was with that rotten little whore she would have to make an effort.
"But I like a challenge," she told herself. Besides anything getting too easy was not really too rewarding, including relationships. Quistis rapped her hair back up into its regular style, which was her hair flowing over a clip in the back of her head and two pieces of her hair curving down and out in the front.
She had just got done putting on her pink outfit when she heard: "Buy you breakfast?! You're the man! You should be buying me breakfast!" That was Rinoa's voice, she stood up straight up in attention.
"But I'm broke, and your rich... and I always take you to breakfast and lunch and dinner. And some times I sneak out the Garden late at night to get you some Cookie-Dough ice-cream."
"Squall", Quistis blurted out and she walked quickly over to her door and peeked outside.
"Hey don't rip that! It's my best pair," Squall demanded. "Fine then go get it," Rinoa yelled. Squall's boxers went flying out into the hall. "Hey!!" Squall screeched.
Quistis had to giggle when she saw Squall dashing out into in the hall in his towel to retrieve his boxing-glove boxers.
"Rinoa you've gone too far! Someone could have been out in the hall!" Squall bellowed as he walked back into the room with Boxers tight in hand.
How dare Rinoa mistreat her Squall. Quistis frowned in irritation as she closed her door. She didn't deserve him, what she did deserved was to receive a few lashes from her "Save the Queen".
Quistis balled her fist. "I will take him away from her if it's the last thing I do!" She vowed, "I just have to wait for an opportunity," she said.
*** The cafeteria was packed with the early morning crowd. Zell was in the middle of the line and behind him was Selphie who was talking him to death. And behind her was Irvine who was enjoying just looking at Selphie. And behind him was Squall who was buying for both Rinoa and himself.
Squall looked down at his wallet and groaned. after he got done buying Rinoa's breakfast he probably wouldn't have enough for his breakfast.
Quistis strode in to the cafeteria as cool as ice and twice as slick. "Quistis over here," Racheal, the leader of her flunkies called.
Quistis walked over to the table. Micheal pulled out her chair and smiled as she sat down. In there eyes she was 'oh sooo very perfect'. Doesn't this remind you of real high school?
Danial smiled faithfully, "I bought you breakfast Quistis. Pancakes, strawberries and two links of sausage."
Quistis sighed, "This looks very delicious, but I'm on a diet so I can't possibly eat this." The smiles of every one at the table dropped.
Danial tried to hold back his tears but they twinkled in his eyes. "Umm...well I'll buy you something else."
"That won't be necessary," Quistis pulled the strawberries toward her, "I'll just have the strawberries." Danial gave out little punts of breath, the flunkies stayed silent in embarrassment.
Squall was just leaving the register when... "Hey Squall, over here!" Selphie waved wildly and happily. Squall took a deep breath - well she is cheerfully annoying, unlike Rinoa who was violently annoying. He slowly walked over to his friends at the table in the middle of the room.
Zell's face lit up - boy was he ever glad to have another guy at the table so he would not be so bored. "Hey Squall we don't talk as much as we used to." Selphie said smiling.
"We never talked at all before that whole Ultimecia crap," Squall said as he sipped his apple juice. "I know, but we were really tight during that whole mess weren't we?" Selphie beamed.
"Yeah we were the #$%* baby!" Zell yelled. People stopped eating and turned and looked at Zell. Squall covered up his face with his hand.
"Zell, shut up" Squall whispered.
"Oh my bad," Zell said. "Oh Zell you're so loud,"
Selphie giggled. Every one in the room went back to normal talking and laughing.
"Yo Squall ya going to eat those pancakes and strawberries," Zell said finishing off the last of his hotdogs.
"You can't have'm, they're Rinoa's... Rinoa!" Squall suddenly remembered his girlfriend.
Irvine suddenly came rushing up to the table. "Guys we got an assignment in Esthar again." Irvine said panting for breath, "Oh yeah Squall if I were you I make a run for it cause. Rinoa's hot on your trail and she really pissed, something about where's her breakfast."
Quistis looked over and saw the gang together. She got up from the table in excitement. "Hey guys what's up?" she yelled. Her flunkies watched their idol get up and leave them as if they were nothing to her.
Racheal's face began to overflow with tears. "It's your fault she won't eat with us," she pointed to Danial. "You had to bring her something she didn't want to eat."
Tears began to trickle down Danial's face. "I didn't know she was on a diet, she looks so very perfect to me."
Micheal pointed his finger at Racheal in reticular. "Are you calling Quistis fat?!" The sound of rage and fist hitting other people faces began to linger behind Quistis as she walked over to Squall's table.
"Hey Quistis! You should get your things together we've got mission," Zell said as he tried to slyly steal one of the sausages that were on Squall's tray. But Squall reacted by striking his fork at Zell's hand, but Zell pulled his hand back in time so Squall's fork only jammed into the table.
"Squall I'm surprised to see that you didn't hear about it first, with you being the commander and all," Irvine said sneakily easing his arm around Selphie.
"Well I'm not really commander any more," Squall said leaning his head on his hand. "After the whole Ultimecia thing, Cid decided he wanted to run the Garden again. In fact the only time I'm leader is when things start to heat up."
Quistis looked at Squall in perplexity. "So you mean to tell us your only the leader when real danger comes around, and some one needs to take blame for stuff?!"
Squall sighed, "Pretty much."
"Dude that sucks!" Zell banged his hand on the table.
"No that doesn't suck, I'll tell you what sucks... Oh-no Rinoa honey... baby I was on my way but."
Rinoa cut Squall off, "Oh save it, I'm here now," Rinoa motioned with her thumb for Irvine to move so she could sit next by Squall. "Look at this: cold!" Rinoa sucked her teeth in aggravation. "Here Zell you can have it."
Zell eyes lit up. He was always hungry. "Wow thanks Rini!," Zell pulled Rinoa's food towards him.
"Rinoa I've got a mission so I'll be gone for a few days."
Rinoa looked at Squall with one eye raised and her mouth cocked down a little. "And you plan to leave me behind?"
"Well I don't see why..." Rinoa cut him off.
"I'm going with you. If you get into any trouble I'm a sorceress I can help you."
Quistis filled with rage, she couldn't go along as this might be the only time she had a chance to steal Squall. "Rinoa I'm sure you could be of assistance. But this is an ordeal that is designed for SeeD to handle." Quistis said in the most polite voice she could muster.
A smirk of competition slid across Rinoa face. "What's the matter Quistis? Think I might take your place?"
Quistis turned her back in aggravation and whispered, "No Rinoa, but I think you're afraid I might take your man." Quistis chuckled mischievously, "and you have every right to worry....he's mine."
"Helloooo..." Rinoa snapped, "Spacing out like Squall." Quistis turned around and grinned devilishly. "Fine, have it your way," her voice deepened, "But don't say I didn't warn you when the fire heats the pan."
Rinoa rose to the challenge in her voice by gaining inches from her face. "I'm not that dumb little teenage girl you spoke down to in my father's Mansion. I can take the heat as well as I can dish it," Rinoa placed her hands on her hips and moved her jaw slowly around in a circular formation. "Just remember that," Rinoa said.
Quistis gritted her teeth. "I'll keep it in mind. But just keep in mind, I can be a hot fire." Squall saw where this was going and loved every minute of it! He wished so much that Quistis would knock her block off. He wasn't about to do anything to stop it.
Unfortunately Zell jumped in and stopped the fight that was about to ensue. "Hey we need all the help we can get." Zell tried to lighten the heavy tension that was getting growing by the minute.
"Hey I've got no problem," Quistis said in a high pitch voice of mockery.
"And all I'm saying is I'm strong enough to take whatever comes my way," Rinoa said reassuringly.
"Well we're going to have a fun on the ride to Esthar," Irvine sighed.
"Want to play rock-paper-scissors for seats?" Selphie said cheerfully. Squall, Zell, Irvine, and Selphie stretched out their hands.
***
Squall woke up with an ache in his chest. He focused his eyes trying to see what was causing the pain. He looked to see Rinoa's head propped up on his chest. Squall's hand, which was so enormous, covered half of Rinoa's head. Roughly, it shoved her off his chest, then he turned on his side to a more relaxing position. Rinoa squinched her face up in annoyance as she rose her head. She quickly turned to Squall, who was sleeping peacefully and soundly. Angrily she kicked him full force out of the bed. Squall hit the floor with a loud thud. He looked up to see Rinoa grinning at him. "Sleep like a log," Squall said sarcastically.
"No hon, but you fell like one," Rinoa hissed. "Why did you shove me off?!"
Squall rubbed his sore chest, "Well you were hurt'n me," he said sheepishly.
"Do you know I was having the best dream?" Rinoa yelled. In a romantic dreamlike tone she described her deepest made-up fantasy - oops!!! I mean dream. "It was night time on the beach the waves were crashing like the beating of a my heart."
Squall yawned as he pulled back the covers from himself to reveal his Champaign boxers. Rinoa, as always, when she was in her world of romance, did not notice how Squall had stopped paying attention to her, nor had he ever been listening. Rinoa still rambled on about her setting.
"The moonlight held me in a warm chorus."
Squall walked over to the dresser and thought, "Man! Will she every shut up? Why does she have to always tell me about this crap? I have dreams about her being trapped permanently in a jar but I don't tell her. Man this coat is starting to smell!" he sniffed his leather jacket with the feathers around the sides, "but Rinoa and Quistis will yell at me if I wear anything else. I'm getting hungry. I wonder if I ask Rinoa really nicely if she will buy me some breakfast... No, I don't think she'd be too mad. I mean I stood through this didn't I?
Rinoa would you..." Squall's question was interrupted by a hard slap.
"You haven't been listening to a word I've said!" Squall stumbled over his words. "But I didn't leave the room. That has to count for something," Squall pleaded with puppy dog eyes.
Rinoa turned her back on Squall, "Seifer always listen to everything I said."
"Yeah and look what happened to him." Rinoa snapped around at him and gritted her teeth. "Oh crap did I say that out loud?!" Rinoa made an attempt to kick Squall, but he was wide-awake now and moved out of the way, causing Rinoa to fall down.
"You're not a real man, Rinoa whimpered. "A real man wouldn't have let me fall down. He would have taken the blow!"
"Just say what you mean", Squall said as he walked over to the bathroom. "Seifer would have taken the hit."
"Well yeah," Rinoa said as she got to her feet. "But then he would have knocked the @#%* out of me."
Squall chuckled to himself as he envisioned Rinoa being knocked to the floor. Squall stepped in the shower, "Wish I had the guts to do that."
*** Zell threw his pillow to the wall. Who needed an alarm clock with Rinoa and Squall around? Zell flung himself out of bed and in to the rubble of cloth and things that was on his floor. Zell banged on the wall. "Will you two shut up, I'm up all ready!"
Rinoa screamed from the other room in a tone that would have even pissed off a Jedi. "Nobody was talking to you! You spiky-haired muskrat!" Her voice was light but thick through the heavy walls.
Zell was used to waking up like this every morning. He ran his fingers through his stun-gun-shot-looking hair. "I don't look like a muskrat!" Zell whispered to himself as he looked in the mirror. The clock on the nightstand hit 6:57 a.m. "HOTDOGS!!"
The cafeteria was going to open in three minutes. Zell had to be the first in line. Zell ran from his mirror leaped over his backpack, nearly tripped over his long baggy jeans that were on the floor, and dashed out his room. At that moment Irvine stepped out his room in his rifle boxers.
"Hey buddy!" he yelled out in a yawning voice. "Can't talk, must reach hotdogs." "Ah Zell aren't ya forgetting something?" Irvine yelled down the hall to a now sweating Zell.
"No," Zell said as he pushed the elevator door.
Irvine laughed a little as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Umm your pajamas," he looked at Zell with one eye and a grin.
As the elevator door opened Zell looked down at his pajamas. The colorfully looking Power Rangers danced all over him, leaving him open for insults and gay remarks. He had just gotten rid of the name chicken-wuss and didn't need any one coming up with any more names that would follow him until he was twenty-five.
Zell turned around and dashed back down the hall to his room. "Thanks", he mumbled to Irvine as he passed his room.
Irvine chuckled. "Chicken-wuss," he whispered. Zell stopped in his tracks causing him to slide from his socks and the shinny waxed floor. Zell sharply turned around.
"What did you call me cowboy?!"
"How in the hell did he hear me?" Irvine thought. Irvine threw up his hands innocently, "Nothing partner."
Zell kept his head turned to Irvine has he marched down the rest of the hall to his room. Zell thought heavily, "I know I heard him call me chicken- wuss!" Damn it now he would be five minutes late. And with all his luck Selphie be right in front of him talking his ear off, and asking him a thousand times if he wanted to join the Festival committee and he would have to tell her a million times no.
Irvine watched intensively as he saw Zell reached his room and closed the door. Irvine gave a deep breath of relief. The last thing he wanted to do is get in to a fistfight with Zell when he did not have his gun handle.
"Sweetie are you going to make me shower alone?" A seductive voice called. A huge grin jumped around on Irvine face, replacing the look of worry.
"Com'n darlin," he dashed back into his room and slammed the door.
*** Selphie's Mickey Mouse alarm clock woke her up and she sat up in her bed stretched her arms and yawned. She looked up to her wall to see her picture of Sir Laguna that was poster-size. He was sooo cute and cool. How could Squall not like his dad?
She remembered the day she got the picture. It was about a week after the whole Ultimecia time thing and Squall has been asked to stay and extra two days in Esthar. She waited for him in front of his room. "Hey Squall can I have a picture of Sir Laguna.... oops I mean your dad?"
Squall smirked and rolled his eyes. "You had it right the first time," he said as he flung the picture of Laguna at her, as he went in to his room and slammed the door in her face.
How could some one as cool as Sir Laguna produce someone.... someone like Squall? But she pushed it out of her mind. She was not one to ponder over challenging questions.
Selphie's room was white with Care Bears all over it and her blanket was blue with clouds that had dumb smiley faces all over it. Selphie's room was so cheerful that you would only go in there if you were really, really depressed.
Once Rinoa had called Squall a punk and dared him to go in there. He did not last two minutes before he has to throw up - it was so cheery in there it was sickening.
She sprang out of bed and walked to her window. "Ah what a beautiful day, I'm going to make someone's life a lot better." - which usually meant she was going to make someone's life a lot worse.
She turned around to see Mickey's hand pointing to 7:00am. "O.K. now I'm going to be late for breakfast" she yelled out loud. Selphie had to be in front or in back of Zell. She would ask him if he wanted to join the Festival committee and he would say no for the millionth time. But she couldn't stop now he was starting to weaken. That was Selphie, breaking one person's will at a time.
*** Quistis had been up for an hour on the balcony. She was beginning to get very cold in her loose long silky white night gown. She sat cross-legged trying to look seductive as the sun rose over the Garden. "Damn it" she wailed.
Quistis had been out on this balcony for sixty minutes and Squall had still not come out on his balcony that was across from hers. Quistis got up in annoyance and tied up her nightgown. "Well this was a perfectly good waste of 500gil," she snapped.
She was about to go in but still she hesitated. "What could Squall be doing? That little tramp probably has him cleaning the floor with a toothbrush or ironing her dress." Oh what had that evil sorceress done to her Squall! He used to be so cold and silent, the way she liked him. Now that he was starting to come around she discovered that he had no personality what so ever. She stomped back into her room.
"Oh well there is always breakfast," she said sounding a bit bitter. Matron was right if she wanted Squall the easy way she should have just marched up and grab him by the arm and said: You're mine now understand? She wouldn't have put up a fight when he was single, but now that he was with that rotten little whore she would have to make an effort.
"But I like a challenge," she told herself. Besides anything getting too easy was not really too rewarding, including relationships. Quistis rapped her hair back up into its regular style, which was her hair flowing over a clip in the back of her head and two pieces of her hair curving down and out in the front.
She had just got done putting on her pink outfit when she heard: "Buy you breakfast?! You're the man! You should be buying me breakfast!" That was Rinoa's voice, she stood up straight up in attention.
"But I'm broke, and your rich... and I always take you to breakfast and lunch and dinner. And some times I sneak out the Garden late at night to get you some Cookie-Dough ice-cream."
"Squall", Quistis blurted out and she walked quickly over to her door and peeked outside.
"Hey don't rip that! It's my best pair," Squall demanded. "Fine then go get it," Rinoa yelled. Squall's boxers went flying out into the hall. "Hey!!" Squall screeched.
Quistis had to giggle when she saw Squall dashing out into in the hall in his towel to retrieve his boxing-glove boxers.
"Rinoa you've gone too far! Someone could have been out in the hall!" Squall bellowed as he walked back into the room with Boxers tight in hand.
How dare Rinoa mistreat her Squall. Quistis frowned in irritation as she closed her door. She didn't deserve him, what she did deserved was to receive a few lashes from her "Save the Queen".
Quistis balled her fist. "I will take him away from her if it's the last thing I do!" She vowed, "I just have to wait for an opportunity," she said.
*** The cafeteria was packed with the early morning crowd. Zell was in the middle of the line and behind him was Selphie who was talking him to death. And behind her was Irvine who was enjoying just looking at Selphie. And behind him was Squall who was buying for both Rinoa and himself.
Squall looked down at his wallet and groaned. after he got done buying Rinoa's breakfast he probably wouldn't have enough for his breakfast.
Quistis strode in to the cafeteria as cool as ice and twice as slick. "Quistis over here," Racheal, the leader of her flunkies called.
Quistis walked over to the table. Micheal pulled out her chair and smiled as she sat down. In there eyes she was 'oh sooo very perfect'. Doesn't this remind you of real high school?
Danial smiled faithfully, "I bought you breakfast Quistis. Pancakes, strawberries and two links of sausage."
Quistis sighed, "This looks very delicious, but I'm on a diet so I can't possibly eat this." The smiles of every one at the table dropped.
Danial tried to hold back his tears but they twinkled in his eyes. "Umm...well I'll buy you something else."
"That won't be necessary," Quistis pulled the strawberries toward her, "I'll just have the strawberries." Danial gave out little punts of breath, the flunkies stayed silent in embarrassment.
Squall was just leaving the register when... "Hey Squall, over here!" Selphie waved wildly and happily. Squall took a deep breath - well she is cheerfully annoying, unlike Rinoa who was violently annoying. He slowly walked over to his friends at the table in the middle of the room.
Zell's face lit up - boy was he ever glad to have another guy at the table so he would not be so bored. "Hey Squall we don't talk as much as we used to." Selphie said smiling.
"We never talked at all before that whole Ultimecia crap," Squall said as he sipped his apple juice. "I know, but we were really tight during that whole mess weren't we?" Selphie beamed.
"Yeah we were the #$%* baby!" Zell yelled. People stopped eating and turned and looked at Zell. Squall covered up his face with his hand.
"Zell, shut up" Squall whispered.
"Oh my bad," Zell said. "Oh Zell you're so loud,"
Selphie giggled. Every one in the room went back to normal talking and laughing.
"Yo Squall ya going to eat those pancakes and strawberries," Zell said finishing off the last of his hotdogs.
"You can't have'm, they're Rinoa's... Rinoa!" Squall suddenly remembered his girlfriend.
Irvine suddenly came rushing up to the table. "Guys we got an assignment in Esthar again." Irvine said panting for breath, "Oh yeah Squall if I were you I make a run for it cause. Rinoa's hot on your trail and she really pissed, something about where's her breakfast."
Quistis looked over and saw the gang together. She got up from the table in excitement. "Hey guys what's up?" she yelled. Her flunkies watched their idol get up and leave them as if they were nothing to her.
Racheal's face began to overflow with tears. "It's your fault she won't eat with us," she pointed to Danial. "You had to bring her something she didn't want to eat."
Tears began to trickle down Danial's face. "I didn't know she was on a diet, she looks so very perfect to me."
Micheal pointed his finger at Racheal in reticular. "Are you calling Quistis fat?!" The sound of rage and fist hitting other people faces began to linger behind Quistis as she walked over to Squall's table.
"Hey Quistis! You should get your things together we've got mission," Zell said as he tried to slyly steal one of the sausages that were on Squall's tray. But Squall reacted by striking his fork at Zell's hand, but Zell pulled his hand back in time so Squall's fork only jammed into the table.
"Squall I'm surprised to see that you didn't hear about it first, with you being the commander and all," Irvine said sneakily easing his arm around Selphie.
"Well I'm not really commander any more," Squall said leaning his head on his hand. "After the whole Ultimecia thing, Cid decided he wanted to run the Garden again. In fact the only time I'm leader is when things start to heat up."
Quistis looked at Squall in perplexity. "So you mean to tell us your only the leader when real danger comes around, and some one needs to take blame for stuff?!"
Squall sighed, "Pretty much."
"Dude that sucks!" Zell banged his hand on the table.
"No that doesn't suck, I'll tell you what sucks... Oh-no Rinoa honey... baby I was on my way but."
Rinoa cut Squall off, "Oh save it, I'm here now," Rinoa motioned with her thumb for Irvine to move so she could sit next by Squall. "Look at this: cold!" Rinoa sucked her teeth in aggravation. "Here Zell you can have it."
Zell eyes lit up. He was always hungry. "Wow thanks Rini!," Zell pulled Rinoa's food towards him.
"Rinoa I've got a mission so I'll be gone for a few days."
Rinoa looked at Squall with one eye raised and her mouth cocked down a little. "And you plan to leave me behind?"
"Well I don't see why..." Rinoa cut him off.
"I'm going with you. If you get into any trouble I'm a sorceress I can help you."
Quistis filled with rage, she couldn't go along as this might be the only time she had a chance to steal Squall. "Rinoa I'm sure you could be of assistance. But this is an ordeal that is designed for SeeD to handle." Quistis said in the most polite voice she could muster.
A smirk of competition slid across Rinoa face. "What's the matter Quistis? Think I might take your place?"
Quistis turned her back in aggravation and whispered, "No Rinoa, but I think you're afraid I might take your man." Quistis chuckled mischievously, "and you have every right to worry....he's mine."
"Helloooo..." Rinoa snapped, "Spacing out like Squall." Quistis turned around and grinned devilishly. "Fine, have it your way," her voice deepened, "But don't say I didn't warn you when the fire heats the pan."
Rinoa rose to the challenge in her voice by gaining inches from her face. "I'm not that dumb little teenage girl you spoke down to in my father's Mansion. I can take the heat as well as I can dish it," Rinoa placed her hands on her hips and moved her jaw slowly around in a circular formation. "Just remember that," Rinoa said.
Quistis gritted her teeth. "I'll keep it in mind. But just keep in mind, I can be a hot fire." Squall saw where this was going and loved every minute of it! He wished so much that Quistis would knock her block off. He wasn't about to do anything to stop it.
Unfortunately Zell jumped in and stopped the fight that was about to ensue. "Hey we need all the help we can get." Zell tried to lighten the heavy tension that was getting growing by the minute.
"Hey I've got no problem," Quistis said in a high pitch voice of mockery.
"And all I'm saying is I'm strong enough to take whatever comes my way," Rinoa said reassuringly.
"Well we're going to have a fun on the ride to Esthar," Irvine sighed.
"Want to play rock-paper-scissors for seats?" Selphie said cheerfully. Squall, Zell, Irvine, and Selphie stretched out their hands.
