Cloud Strife, snarled slightly at the sight before him.
Hectic teens wandered aimlessly and quite plentifully around Shinra High School's crowded courtyard. Squeals, yells and laughs were coming in large and uncontrolled spouts around him, and Cloud was quite disgusted with this show of overwhelming immaturity.
Not even bothering to yell at the girl who bumped into him rudely, he just glared and started forward to some sort of sign or directions to the so- called office among the chaos. All he saw of the girl was a forest colored backpack, and a few flyaway braids before she moved in back of a passing football junkie, but the undisguised femininity was quite evident to someone with a past such as Cloud's. . .he shook his head to temporarily rid himself of the memories.
When he finally reached the stone monstrosity of the "under plate" (as the locals seemed to call it), he took the shortest route possible to the small, and crowded office. He tried to say as few words as he could manage to the overly friendly women on the other side of the desk, allowing his green, glaring eyes to do all of the unnecessary babbling. But, his silent demeanor was not because of lack of the women's part. They giggled childishly, their faces crinkling up in wide and happy smiles, with their pink pens clicking in and out.
Nevertheless, they did move quite efficiently considering all of the time they seemed to spend attempting to socialize with the teen. Five minutes from entering, he exited with a schedule folded up in his hand, a map, and a rather worn and scratched key clutched in his other. His oddly booted feet, briskly strode across to the main hallway.
Colorless lockers seemed to close in on him from all directions. Spluttering florescent lights faced from the closed off ceiling, somewhat illuminating the mounds of students crossing in all directions. The sound over here seemed almost deafening compared to the open air outdoors. No one looked as though they were quiet or suffering from the lack of socializing over here. At first he passed a dark and hunched looking bunch who were rapping animatedly at the tops of their lungs, then a group of scantily clad girls who were applying unimaginable amounts of make-up on their thin faces, and then there were a few nervous looking kids, constantly pushing their thick glasses up their sweaty noses.
He turned to the side behind a hippie giving out free "Save Tibet" bumper stickers, his eyes looking specifically for his newly given locker. "21" read where "219" could not, probably due to one of the many attempts of vandalism, present all over the school. He forced his key into the cheaply provided lock on it and jerkily pulled.
No luck.
"Hey want a hand 'newbie'"
Cloud swiftly spun around to meet almond-shaped ruby eyes. The girl was obviously the one who held the offer; she stood still unlike the surrounding teens, with a majority of her weight transferred over her right foot. A small smile seemed to play on her taunting lips, and all of her attention was on him. Most guys his age would kill to have her look at him as she was then, not deathly skinny, with incredibly perfected curves despite the obvious physical training, evident in her crossed arms. She wore a simple white tank top, and a black mini skirt, covering her bare legs. Cloud instantly recognized her immediately; /Tifa Lockheart/.
"Erm. . .thanks" he quietly said, lowering his head to the ground to hide his embarrassment. Even after being best friends for over ten years, she still made him feel light and hot in the face. She stepped over to his disagreeing locker, unintentionally brushing his arm slightly. Cloud felt a tingle being sent through the rest of his body at the brief touch. It felt so nice to him. . .
/No/ he told himself firmly. The last thing he wanted was for her to discover his feelings. Forcing himself to look over at what Tifa was doing with the lock, his normal mask of impassiveness took over.
". . .so that's how this one works!" she finished brightly with an odd flick of the wrist to completely dislodge the uncooperative lock. She tossed it up once in the air, caught it easily and tossed it back over to him. Her hand grabbed onto the top edge, pulled it open and then she craned her neck over his shoulder to gaze upon his schedule.
"Who do you have first?" she asked, completely taking him unawares. His body stiffened up considerably by her position, and he somehow managed to mutter out "Biology . . .Hojo" before even words failed him.
She stepped back, making a sound of distinct disgust. "Oooooh, I had that guy last year, and. . .god. He's creepy! There was a rumor going around last year that he was experimenting on humans. . ."
Cloud gave a rare smile back to her. "I think I can manage." Walking out into the hallway, he turned back at her temporarily speechless face. "Thanks for the help Teef." He through that out before fully allowing the crowd to consume him, and Tifa felt quite content, even if it was another start to the horrible school year.
/You're always welcome, Cloud Strife./
* * *
Hojo's class was held in what Cloud had already guessed was the most depressing place in the school. There were no windows, and it had a rather unpleasant looking stain on the right white-washed wall that was in the direction facing the bathroom. He frankly didn't want to know what that stain happened to be.
A quick glance at the old black and white clock told him that he was a tad bit early still. Only a few people were there already, talking quietly amongst themselves and currently ignoring their newest arrival.
He chose a seat in the back of the classroom, and as far away as he could possibly get from a pair of girls in the front, with their neat binders opened and dated already and whispering excitedly between themselves, who, by the looks of it, were placed in that particular class because of their superior intelligence. Cloud always despised the "smart kids" at his old school, and he wasn't too eager to prove that this situation was any different.
It was unnerving to just sit there and wait in almost complete silence besides the geeks' continuous whispering and the steady tick of the clock. So, after an eternity-filled five minutes of boredom, he decided to survey the classroom. The lights were of the annoyingly and quite unnaturally yellow type, glaring down at the orange cabinets surrounding the perimeter and the scuffed desks that lay heavily with their many years of misuse and graffiti. Besides the girls, there were two other students present; what Cloud supposed was a girl, buried deeply in a ~very~ thick book on calculus, and a guy sitting in the corner.
This boy really creeped Cloud out badly. What he could see of his skin was a sickening shade of white, almost ghostly except for his long raven hair, tied messily over his back. He was hunched over and currently scanning the pages of "The Grapes of Wrath" by the looks of it. His odd appearance wasn't helped by his clothing; big clunky black leather boots, black pants with numerous belts, and a black shirt covered in a black fishnet one.
/Goth./ It was so obvious, but Cloud had to admit, he had never talked to one of these odd people before. And by the looks of it, he wasn't too eager to change his outlook.
The three consecutive and shrill notes of first bell echoed through his eardrums. Familiar sounds, in unfamiliar surroundings.
Like magic, people immediately began filling into the classroom, taking seats in various patterns, and everyone wanting one by their friends. Cloud stretched luxuriously in his chair, not really caring much of others getting into the chairs next to him. At his old school, everybody avoided him because of what he was, and that was okay, because it had always been that way for him. However, quite surprisingly, the seats near him and the creepy kid filled up the quickest and all taken by various parts of the female student body.
On the second chime of the second bell, the door opened yet again, revealing a slouching man, probably only in his fifties by the look of his almost completely black hair. Though, this raven was of a different sort than the creepy-goth's feathery mane, this was thin and greasy, slicked back and shining with the marks of a comb visibly molded. His glasses were thick and round, quite odd on his thin face, and his slow, deliberate steps silenced the class throughoutly, even with no sign of him saying anything. The geeks were positively shivering with excitement. One crooked claw-like hand picked up the attendance sheet on his otherwise empty desk and he began calling out last names in a surprisingly high voice. Cloud noticed that after every name, his sharp eyes seemed to glare at the person who called out "here".
He found himself gulping slightly for no reason other than the considerable tension built up in the tiny room. When Tifa mentioned he was creepy, Cloud now knew that that was a bit of an understatement.
"Roberts-" Professor Hojo was cut off by the door opening unexpectedly, allowing the giggling voices of tardy people to drift clearly into the classroom. A boy poked his head in, he had to be one of the largest people Cloud had ever set eyes on in his life. Black skin, and loose baggy clothing were the second impression, then his eyes were drawn to the buzz cut in need of a trim and the rather sour expression on his already-goateed face.
"I'm lookin' fer a. . ." he consulted a clipboard in his hand "Strife."
Hojo glared at a his interruption, then back to his students. "Well, unless Mr. Wallace didn't get it through his thick skull, which I don't doubt actually, that he has the wrong classroom, then there should be a 'Strife' among you, right?!" he barked.
Cloud rose his hand up in the air, confusion apparent on his tanned face.
'Mr. Wallace' didn't smile or anything at Cloud, just nodded his large head. "Meet me afta' first period, 'round 216 foo', I'm yo' guide fo' tuhday."
With that, he exited almost as abrupt as he entered, the door closing with a faint click.
Hojo continued as if nothing had happened, still calling out people's last names. Cloud noticed that he didn't let out his name, probably because he knew he was there already. But he did give an oddly ironic smirk that sent shivers up Cloud's spine before one name in particular.
"Valentine." He called, his deranged grin growing wider. It reminded him somewhat of something stored in the back of his mind, but he didn't pursue the thought.
The creepy-goth looked up, staring impassively back to Hojo. Cloud was further startled by the color of his eyes. A vibrant yet dark shade of scarlet.
"Here." His voice sounded almost whispered, but loud. It had a rich tone quality and also quite deep. His back straightened up considerably, and Cloud could easily see him in the position of a prep by the naturally perfect way he now sat up. His simple reply must have held some further meaning than what he let on, but Hojo seemed to find it quite humorous and chuckled a bit, before finishing the last two names on the sheet.
Nothing really interesting happened the rest of the period, it was just going over some of Hojo's policies and just a state of confusion. Cloud was relieved when the clock finally moved to 10:40, and class was over.
He swung his backpack easily over his right shoulder, and thrust his hands in his pockets. Not even giving the classroom or its occupants a second glance, he shuffled out, somehow finding his baggy pants to seem even more tripping than usual. The hallway was crowded, but not quite as bad as before class, more movement was obvious in the great sea of heads. No one bothered to talk to Cloud again, but he was quite okay with that.
216's door was rather ordinary, in the middle of other rather ordinary doors. The dark and intimidating 'Mr. Wallace' stood right outside, tapping his foot impatiently on the cheap carpet. When he looked up, he found Cloud standing there, staring at him.
Wallace jumped back in startlement, cursing at the blonde who didn't even flinch and eyelash. "^%&$ man, don't scare meh like that foo'!" he yelled clutching his chest.
Cloud raised an eyebrow /Just get on with it idiot./
"Erm, well, you know wha' ta do, right?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.
He rolled his eyes "I've been to school before you know, I'm not a hillbilly for gods sake."
"Yo man, just checkin'" he raised up both muscled arms in defense.
The blonde just shook his head in disgust before starting back up the hallway and to room 220 for pre-calculus. /Why did I even bother./
"Hey man, is it true you was in SOLDIER?"
Cloud stopped abruptly in the middle of the hallway, blood draining out of his face at an alarming rate.
He could feel all of the raw stares around the hall, from all different directions. He turned around to face Wallace again, shaking silently with pure anger.
"Why would you care?! I'm nothing special, just another guy trying to put the pieces of his life together because of those morons!"
Wallace gulped a bit at his reaction, but stared back defiantly at the blonde. "So you were then." He stated.
Cloud clenched his jaw, and counted to ten. Tifa always had told him that it helped him calm down. But, like always, it didn't help at all. "You didn't answer my question: ~why the hell would you care?!~"
Wallace's face just glared back at him "Stay away from Tifa, Strife, she deserves someone better than a monster like you."
With that said, he abruptly turned into the gawking crowd, pushing himself easily through onlookers. Cloud forced himself through the other direction, trying to avoid the rare tears trying to spill.
/Sephiroth. . .I hate you. I HATE YOU! And I hope you rot in that hell I sent you to!/
* * *
Well. . .I kinda rushed the ending a bit there. . .but my colleague was pressuring this to get done so to speak. Oh, and I do hope that this high- school AU will be a bit different than others, I really am trying people!
Don't forget to review folkies. . .and be nice to Yunie for me k? She's a newbie, and writing the next chapter for you all. . .okay? Have a nice day!
giggle
Hectic teens wandered aimlessly and quite plentifully around Shinra High School's crowded courtyard. Squeals, yells and laughs were coming in large and uncontrolled spouts around him, and Cloud was quite disgusted with this show of overwhelming immaturity.
Not even bothering to yell at the girl who bumped into him rudely, he just glared and started forward to some sort of sign or directions to the so- called office among the chaos. All he saw of the girl was a forest colored backpack, and a few flyaway braids before she moved in back of a passing football junkie, but the undisguised femininity was quite evident to someone with a past such as Cloud's. . .he shook his head to temporarily rid himself of the memories.
When he finally reached the stone monstrosity of the "under plate" (as the locals seemed to call it), he took the shortest route possible to the small, and crowded office. He tried to say as few words as he could manage to the overly friendly women on the other side of the desk, allowing his green, glaring eyes to do all of the unnecessary babbling. But, his silent demeanor was not because of lack of the women's part. They giggled childishly, their faces crinkling up in wide and happy smiles, with their pink pens clicking in and out.
Nevertheless, they did move quite efficiently considering all of the time they seemed to spend attempting to socialize with the teen. Five minutes from entering, he exited with a schedule folded up in his hand, a map, and a rather worn and scratched key clutched in his other. His oddly booted feet, briskly strode across to the main hallway.
Colorless lockers seemed to close in on him from all directions. Spluttering florescent lights faced from the closed off ceiling, somewhat illuminating the mounds of students crossing in all directions. The sound over here seemed almost deafening compared to the open air outdoors. No one looked as though they were quiet or suffering from the lack of socializing over here. At first he passed a dark and hunched looking bunch who were rapping animatedly at the tops of their lungs, then a group of scantily clad girls who were applying unimaginable amounts of make-up on their thin faces, and then there were a few nervous looking kids, constantly pushing their thick glasses up their sweaty noses.
He turned to the side behind a hippie giving out free "Save Tibet" bumper stickers, his eyes looking specifically for his newly given locker. "21" read where "219" could not, probably due to one of the many attempts of vandalism, present all over the school. He forced his key into the cheaply provided lock on it and jerkily pulled.
No luck.
"Hey want a hand 'newbie'"
Cloud swiftly spun around to meet almond-shaped ruby eyes. The girl was obviously the one who held the offer; she stood still unlike the surrounding teens, with a majority of her weight transferred over her right foot. A small smile seemed to play on her taunting lips, and all of her attention was on him. Most guys his age would kill to have her look at him as she was then, not deathly skinny, with incredibly perfected curves despite the obvious physical training, evident in her crossed arms. She wore a simple white tank top, and a black mini skirt, covering her bare legs. Cloud instantly recognized her immediately; /Tifa Lockheart/.
"Erm. . .thanks" he quietly said, lowering his head to the ground to hide his embarrassment. Even after being best friends for over ten years, she still made him feel light and hot in the face. She stepped over to his disagreeing locker, unintentionally brushing his arm slightly. Cloud felt a tingle being sent through the rest of his body at the brief touch. It felt so nice to him. . .
/No/ he told himself firmly. The last thing he wanted was for her to discover his feelings. Forcing himself to look over at what Tifa was doing with the lock, his normal mask of impassiveness took over.
". . .so that's how this one works!" she finished brightly with an odd flick of the wrist to completely dislodge the uncooperative lock. She tossed it up once in the air, caught it easily and tossed it back over to him. Her hand grabbed onto the top edge, pulled it open and then she craned her neck over his shoulder to gaze upon his schedule.
"Who do you have first?" she asked, completely taking him unawares. His body stiffened up considerably by her position, and he somehow managed to mutter out "Biology . . .Hojo" before even words failed him.
She stepped back, making a sound of distinct disgust. "Oooooh, I had that guy last year, and. . .god. He's creepy! There was a rumor going around last year that he was experimenting on humans. . ."
Cloud gave a rare smile back to her. "I think I can manage." Walking out into the hallway, he turned back at her temporarily speechless face. "Thanks for the help Teef." He through that out before fully allowing the crowd to consume him, and Tifa felt quite content, even if it was another start to the horrible school year.
/You're always welcome, Cloud Strife./
* * *
Hojo's class was held in what Cloud had already guessed was the most depressing place in the school. There were no windows, and it had a rather unpleasant looking stain on the right white-washed wall that was in the direction facing the bathroom. He frankly didn't want to know what that stain happened to be.
A quick glance at the old black and white clock told him that he was a tad bit early still. Only a few people were there already, talking quietly amongst themselves and currently ignoring their newest arrival.
He chose a seat in the back of the classroom, and as far away as he could possibly get from a pair of girls in the front, with their neat binders opened and dated already and whispering excitedly between themselves, who, by the looks of it, were placed in that particular class because of their superior intelligence. Cloud always despised the "smart kids" at his old school, and he wasn't too eager to prove that this situation was any different.
It was unnerving to just sit there and wait in almost complete silence besides the geeks' continuous whispering and the steady tick of the clock. So, after an eternity-filled five minutes of boredom, he decided to survey the classroom. The lights were of the annoyingly and quite unnaturally yellow type, glaring down at the orange cabinets surrounding the perimeter and the scuffed desks that lay heavily with their many years of misuse and graffiti. Besides the girls, there were two other students present; what Cloud supposed was a girl, buried deeply in a ~very~ thick book on calculus, and a guy sitting in the corner.
This boy really creeped Cloud out badly. What he could see of his skin was a sickening shade of white, almost ghostly except for his long raven hair, tied messily over his back. He was hunched over and currently scanning the pages of "The Grapes of Wrath" by the looks of it. His odd appearance wasn't helped by his clothing; big clunky black leather boots, black pants with numerous belts, and a black shirt covered in a black fishnet one.
/Goth./ It was so obvious, but Cloud had to admit, he had never talked to one of these odd people before. And by the looks of it, he wasn't too eager to change his outlook.
The three consecutive and shrill notes of first bell echoed through his eardrums. Familiar sounds, in unfamiliar surroundings.
Like magic, people immediately began filling into the classroom, taking seats in various patterns, and everyone wanting one by their friends. Cloud stretched luxuriously in his chair, not really caring much of others getting into the chairs next to him. At his old school, everybody avoided him because of what he was, and that was okay, because it had always been that way for him. However, quite surprisingly, the seats near him and the creepy kid filled up the quickest and all taken by various parts of the female student body.
On the second chime of the second bell, the door opened yet again, revealing a slouching man, probably only in his fifties by the look of his almost completely black hair. Though, this raven was of a different sort than the creepy-goth's feathery mane, this was thin and greasy, slicked back and shining with the marks of a comb visibly molded. His glasses were thick and round, quite odd on his thin face, and his slow, deliberate steps silenced the class throughoutly, even with no sign of him saying anything. The geeks were positively shivering with excitement. One crooked claw-like hand picked up the attendance sheet on his otherwise empty desk and he began calling out last names in a surprisingly high voice. Cloud noticed that after every name, his sharp eyes seemed to glare at the person who called out "here".
He found himself gulping slightly for no reason other than the considerable tension built up in the tiny room. When Tifa mentioned he was creepy, Cloud now knew that that was a bit of an understatement.
"Roberts-" Professor Hojo was cut off by the door opening unexpectedly, allowing the giggling voices of tardy people to drift clearly into the classroom. A boy poked his head in, he had to be one of the largest people Cloud had ever set eyes on in his life. Black skin, and loose baggy clothing were the second impression, then his eyes were drawn to the buzz cut in need of a trim and the rather sour expression on his already-goateed face.
"I'm lookin' fer a. . ." he consulted a clipboard in his hand "Strife."
Hojo glared at a his interruption, then back to his students. "Well, unless Mr. Wallace didn't get it through his thick skull, which I don't doubt actually, that he has the wrong classroom, then there should be a 'Strife' among you, right?!" he barked.
Cloud rose his hand up in the air, confusion apparent on his tanned face.
'Mr. Wallace' didn't smile or anything at Cloud, just nodded his large head. "Meet me afta' first period, 'round 216 foo', I'm yo' guide fo' tuhday."
With that, he exited almost as abrupt as he entered, the door closing with a faint click.
Hojo continued as if nothing had happened, still calling out people's last names. Cloud noticed that he didn't let out his name, probably because he knew he was there already. But he did give an oddly ironic smirk that sent shivers up Cloud's spine before one name in particular.
"Valentine." He called, his deranged grin growing wider. It reminded him somewhat of something stored in the back of his mind, but he didn't pursue the thought.
The creepy-goth looked up, staring impassively back to Hojo. Cloud was further startled by the color of his eyes. A vibrant yet dark shade of scarlet.
"Here." His voice sounded almost whispered, but loud. It had a rich tone quality and also quite deep. His back straightened up considerably, and Cloud could easily see him in the position of a prep by the naturally perfect way he now sat up. His simple reply must have held some further meaning than what he let on, but Hojo seemed to find it quite humorous and chuckled a bit, before finishing the last two names on the sheet.
Nothing really interesting happened the rest of the period, it was just going over some of Hojo's policies and just a state of confusion. Cloud was relieved when the clock finally moved to 10:40, and class was over.
He swung his backpack easily over his right shoulder, and thrust his hands in his pockets. Not even giving the classroom or its occupants a second glance, he shuffled out, somehow finding his baggy pants to seem even more tripping than usual. The hallway was crowded, but not quite as bad as before class, more movement was obvious in the great sea of heads. No one bothered to talk to Cloud again, but he was quite okay with that.
216's door was rather ordinary, in the middle of other rather ordinary doors. The dark and intimidating 'Mr. Wallace' stood right outside, tapping his foot impatiently on the cheap carpet. When he looked up, he found Cloud standing there, staring at him.
Wallace jumped back in startlement, cursing at the blonde who didn't even flinch and eyelash. "^%&$ man, don't scare meh like that foo'!" he yelled clutching his chest.
Cloud raised an eyebrow /Just get on with it idiot./
"Erm, well, you know wha' ta do, right?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.
He rolled his eyes "I've been to school before you know, I'm not a hillbilly for gods sake."
"Yo man, just checkin'" he raised up both muscled arms in defense.
The blonde just shook his head in disgust before starting back up the hallway and to room 220 for pre-calculus. /Why did I even bother./
"Hey man, is it true you was in SOLDIER?"
Cloud stopped abruptly in the middle of the hallway, blood draining out of his face at an alarming rate.
He could feel all of the raw stares around the hall, from all different directions. He turned around to face Wallace again, shaking silently with pure anger.
"Why would you care?! I'm nothing special, just another guy trying to put the pieces of his life together because of those morons!"
Wallace gulped a bit at his reaction, but stared back defiantly at the blonde. "So you were then." He stated.
Cloud clenched his jaw, and counted to ten. Tifa always had told him that it helped him calm down. But, like always, it didn't help at all. "You didn't answer my question: ~why the hell would you care?!~"
Wallace's face just glared back at him "Stay away from Tifa, Strife, she deserves someone better than a monster like you."
With that said, he abruptly turned into the gawking crowd, pushing himself easily through onlookers. Cloud forced himself through the other direction, trying to avoid the rare tears trying to spill.
/Sephiroth. . .I hate you. I HATE YOU! And I hope you rot in that hell I sent you to!/
* * *
Well. . .I kinda rushed the ending a bit there. . .but my colleague was pressuring this to get done so to speak. Oh, and I do hope that this high- school AU will be a bit different than others, I really am trying people!
Don't forget to review folkies. . .and be nice to Yunie for me k? She's a newbie, and writing the next chapter for you all. . .okay? Have a nice day!
giggle