Author's note: '' are used for thoughts
The constant pattering of the ball on the asphalt masked the quiet shrills that caressed the air.
With their mouths half parted, Aeris and Yuffie gripped each others arms as they stared lustfully at the group of boys playing basketball.
"I wonder how he looks without shirt," Aeris repined pressing her arms against her rosy cheeks.
"If you want, I can spray water on him and then he has no other choice," Yuffie boasted with her hand on a water bottle. But, soon she entangled her fingers from the bottle as she saw a dark glare engrave itself to Aeris's eyes. " Fine," Yuffie mumbled sadly.
"So, Tifa, what do you think?" Aeris said with a gleeful smile plastered on her lips.
Tifa's head was tilted toward the lucid sky as her mind roamed and touched on other places. The sky seemed limitless, but she was on the ground bound by the shackles of gravity. All she wanted was to escape, get on a train, get in a car and just fly away. But, that was impossible and even implausible. Maybe in some ways she would even miss people in this small quaint town. But would they miss her...
"Tifa!" Aeris snapped irascibly.
Tifa lifted from her trance, blinking her eyes a few times before focusing on the dull blur in front of her.
"I'm sorry Aeris," she blurted as she saw Aeris staring at her bemusedly.
"Tifa you always zone out, but I wouldn't think you would zone out when there are sweaty guys, so what do you think of him?"
"Of who?"
A confounded stupor slipped over Aeris.
"Who else Tif, I'm talking about your best friend. I mean your other best friend other than me, who has blonde spiky hair, gorgeous eyes," she exhaled as her pale cheeks turned pink.
"Cloud?" Tifa whispered tentatively.
Aeris gave a wide nod.
"I think he likes me," Aeris said softly blushing effusively.
"Oh,"
The humming of the ball against the ground slowly grew silent replaced by the pattering of feet.
"Cloud!...Zack!.. over here," Yuffie echoed placing her hands around her mouth like a broadcaster.
Cloud and Zack dragged their sweaty bodies to the wooden bench where the three of them were sitting.
"I have water for you guys; you must be tired," Aeris said solicitously placing her fingers around a water bottle.
"Thanks Aeris," Cloud said quickly gulping the water frantically until his pale cheeks retained their ordinary tan complexion.
Yuffie's brown hair began to flutter like thin feathers as she jumped impatiently up and down.
"Let's go into town, we can watch a movie, have buttery popcorn and then we can use up all of Cloud's money on videogames," Yuffie mumbled boastfully.
Cloud winced, as Yuffie grabbed his arms and shook them frantically.
"Fine let's go," Cloud murmured bitterly.
"Cloud, you can be my date," Aeris said as her arms encircled his neck.
"Zack, you'll be with me," Yuffie commanded as she grabbed his wrist pulling it like a leash.
"Don't you think, I'm a little old for you," he grinned.
Tifa wrapped her arms around her knees, as she leaned her chin against her knees as flat wisps of cold steam blew against her skin.
Yuffie's eyes widened as she silently reprimanded herself.
"Tif, will be with me and Zack," she announced.
Tifa snapped her head, staring at Yuffie's small frame.
"You guys can go; I really don't want to go, not in the mood," she coughed out sincerely.
Cloud's eyes softened as his mouth twisted in a frown. A frown he only revealed to hand full of people.
"Tif, are you okay? You want me to stay with you?" he whipped out anxiously.
Tifa rolled her fist and gave him a quick tap on his broad shoulders as he gave her a lopsided smile.
"I'm fine," she whispered with feigned reassurance.
"Really Tifa, I wouldn't mind taking both of you guys," Zack said as he gave a devilish grin.
Tifa's eyes glanced at the loosely threaded group; someone was missing.
"Where's Vincent?" she whispered, words only audible to her ears.
Yuffie, galloped toward Tifa, as her handed widened into a semblance of an embrace.
"Vincent is coming too," she pronounced triumphantly as she telepathically heard Tifa's concerns.
Tifa's eyes shifted.
Vincent was on the court, with a mute ball grazing his palms. It hardly made a sound as it touched the ground, only the breaking of the pale wind against its leather skin.
It was like a dance, but Vincent wasn't so innately graceful. Well, she didn't know him that well. They were friends. He would giver her silent smiles for her dumb corny jokes or the clumsy grace she displayed in martial arts class.
But, that was hardly anything, it was just an artificial façade. Or was it...
She shook her head firmly. Memories slowly pulling themselves into surface until they were tangible as any piece of cloth or skin. She remembered the time when she was younger, when her head hardly reached the mailbox and her hands could barely touch the counter. She remembered skidding against the ground as she was running home; her feet and chest were tainted with blood as her eyes were glazed, brimmed with tears she anxiously fought back. She stopped crying for every little thing after her mother died. She didn't cry when her father forgot her birthday; she didn't cry when they had to move into a smaller house. She bit back her tears, as she unsuccessfully tried to limp home. But, the pools of blood that stirred into the cement showed trails of deterioration. The last thing she remembered was Vincent's face as he caught her slugging body. Soon everything was engulfed in a pallid darkness.
She shivered as the nostalgic feeling soon drained out of her blood. She didn't want to remember the pain, the countless stitches. She reached down her chest, holding the loose cotton shirt firmly under her palms. The scars were still there.
She heard a soft chuckle behind her. As Aeris's head caressed Clouds chin, as her body tangled against his.
Tifa cringed, as her feet guiltily stepped back from the inseparable couple.
'They are my best friends. I'm happy for them.'
Trickles of sweat slowly crawled down her chin; she couldn't watch them.
Her mouth parted softly, as she mumbled incoherently about having to go home and do chores.
Her feet broke out into quick sprint as everything became a dull blur. The only faint memory she held was Yuffie reminding her that she was going to pick her up at eight tonight.
'Don't fall, Don't fall'
She bit into her lips letting the blood moisten her dry parched ones, distracting her from concerns that weighed deeply on her heart.
Cloud's head drifted to Tifa's running body as his lips formed a sad smile.
The constant pattering of the ball on the asphalt masked the quiet shrills that caressed the air.
With their mouths half parted, Aeris and Yuffie gripped each others arms as they stared lustfully at the group of boys playing basketball.
"I wonder how he looks without shirt," Aeris repined pressing her arms against her rosy cheeks.
"If you want, I can spray water on him and then he has no other choice," Yuffie boasted with her hand on a water bottle. But, soon she entangled her fingers from the bottle as she saw a dark glare engrave itself to Aeris's eyes. " Fine," Yuffie mumbled sadly.
"So, Tifa, what do you think?" Aeris said with a gleeful smile plastered on her lips.
Tifa's head was tilted toward the lucid sky as her mind roamed and touched on other places. The sky seemed limitless, but she was on the ground bound by the shackles of gravity. All she wanted was to escape, get on a train, get in a car and just fly away. But, that was impossible and even implausible. Maybe in some ways she would even miss people in this small quaint town. But would they miss her...
"Tifa!" Aeris snapped irascibly.
Tifa lifted from her trance, blinking her eyes a few times before focusing on the dull blur in front of her.
"I'm sorry Aeris," she blurted as she saw Aeris staring at her bemusedly.
"Tifa you always zone out, but I wouldn't think you would zone out when there are sweaty guys, so what do you think of him?"
"Of who?"
A confounded stupor slipped over Aeris.
"Who else Tif, I'm talking about your best friend. I mean your other best friend other than me, who has blonde spiky hair, gorgeous eyes," she exhaled as her pale cheeks turned pink.
"Cloud?" Tifa whispered tentatively.
Aeris gave a wide nod.
"I think he likes me," Aeris said softly blushing effusively.
"Oh,"
The humming of the ball against the ground slowly grew silent replaced by the pattering of feet.
"Cloud!...Zack!.. over here," Yuffie echoed placing her hands around her mouth like a broadcaster.
Cloud and Zack dragged their sweaty bodies to the wooden bench where the three of them were sitting.
"I have water for you guys; you must be tired," Aeris said solicitously placing her fingers around a water bottle.
"Thanks Aeris," Cloud said quickly gulping the water frantically until his pale cheeks retained their ordinary tan complexion.
Yuffie's brown hair began to flutter like thin feathers as she jumped impatiently up and down.
"Let's go into town, we can watch a movie, have buttery popcorn and then we can use up all of Cloud's money on videogames," Yuffie mumbled boastfully.
Cloud winced, as Yuffie grabbed his arms and shook them frantically.
"Fine let's go," Cloud murmured bitterly.
"Cloud, you can be my date," Aeris said as her arms encircled his neck.
"Zack, you'll be with me," Yuffie commanded as she grabbed his wrist pulling it like a leash.
"Don't you think, I'm a little old for you," he grinned.
Tifa wrapped her arms around her knees, as she leaned her chin against her knees as flat wisps of cold steam blew against her skin.
Yuffie's eyes widened as she silently reprimanded herself.
"Tif, will be with me and Zack," she announced.
Tifa snapped her head, staring at Yuffie's small frame.
"You guys can go; I really don't want to go, not in the mood," she coughed out sincerely.
Cloud's eyes softened as his mouth twisted in a frown. A frown he only revealed to hand full of people.
"Tif, are you okay? You want me to stay with you?" he whipped out anxiously.
Tifa rolled her fist and gave him a quick tap on his broad shoulders as he gave her a lopsided smile.
"I'm fine," she whispered with feigned reassurance.
"Really Tifa, I wouldn't mind taking both of you guys," Zack said as he gave a devilish grin.
Tifa's eyes glanced at the loosely threaded group; someone was missing.
"Where's Vincent?" she whispered, words only audible to her ears.
Yuffie, galloped toward Tifa, as her handed widened into a semblance of an embrace.
"Vincent is coming too," she pronounced triumphantly as she telepathically heard Tifa's concerns.
Tifa's eyes shifted.
Vincent was on the court, with a mute ball grazing his palms. It hardly made a sound as it touched the ground, only the breaking of the pale wind against its leather skin.
It was like a dance, but Vincent wasn't so innately graceful. Well, she didn't know him that well. They were friends. He would giver her silent smiles for her dumb corny jokes or the clumsy grace she displayed in martial arts class.
But, that was hardly anything, it was just an artificial façade. Or was it...
She shook her head firmly. Memories slowly pulling themselves into surface until they were tangible as any piece of cloth or skin. She remembered the time when she was younger, when her head hardly reached the mailbox and her hands could barely touch the counter. She remembered skidding against the ground as she was running home; her feet and chest were tainted with blood as her eyes were glazed, brimmed with tears she anxiously fought back. She stopped crying for every little thing after her mother died. She didn't cry when her father forgot her birthday; she didn't cry when they had to move into a smaller house. She bit back her tears, as she unsuccessfully tried to limp home. But, the pools of blood that stirred into the cement showed trails of deterioration. The last thing she remembered was Vincent's face as he caught her slugging body. Soon everything was engulfed in a pallid darkness.
She shivered as the nostalgic feeling soon drained out of her blood. She didn't want to remember the pain, the countless stitches. She reached down her chest, holding the loose cotton shirt firmly under her palms. The scars were still there.
She heard a soft chuckle behind her. As Aeris's head caressed Clouds chin, as her body tangled against his.
Tifa cringed, as her feet guiltily stepped back from the inseparable couple.
'They are my best friends. I'm happy for them.'
Trickles of sweat slowly crawled down her chin; she couldn't watch them.
Her mouth parted softly, as she mumbled incoherently about having to go home and do chores.
Her feet broke out into quick sprint as everything became a dull blur. The only faint memory she held was Yuffie reminding her that she was going to pick her up at eight tonight.
'Don't fall, Don't fall'
She bit into her lips letting the blood moisten her dry parched ones, distracting her from concerns that weighed deeply on her heart.
Cloud's head drifted to Tifa's running body as his lips formed a sad smile.
