Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story.

Chapter 1 A Confrontation with Irvine

"I can't take any more of this Irvine. Things aren't the same between us. It's stopped being fun." Selphie said, perching stiffly on the corner of her boyfriend's bed.

Irvine sighed, turning reluctantly from his reflection in the mirror to look at his girlfriend. His brown eyes narrowed slightly as he was getting sick of Selphie's constant whinging and threatening to leave him. It wasn't that he loved her, in fact he was getting bored of her, but it never failed to get most of the guys in Balamb Garden jealous when Irvine walked into a room with the lovely Selphie Tilmitt on his arm. They were a beautiful couple and he knew it, although Selphie's face had seemed quite pale and drawn recently and a tiny part of Irvine's conscience couldn't help but wonder if he had done that to her. Sitting behind Selphie on the bed, putting one long leg on either side of her, Irvine reached out, pulling Selphie's slight frame back against his chest.

"Aw, come on Selph. Of course we're having fun. We're the hottest couple in Balamb!" Irvine chuckled, kissing Selphie's neck in a way that he knew would have her begging for him to continue.

Selphie knew this trick well though and pulled herself out of Irvines embrace. Her cheeks were flushed with anger as she pulled the hem of her yellow dress down and paced the room, the heels of her boots clicking on the wooden floor. Irvine rolled his eyes in irritation and stood up. He stood for a few seconds watching her pace, the expression on his face unreadable.

"You know I hate it when you do that." he muttered, trying his best to control the anger that was bubbling beneath his cool exterior. As far as he was concerned, he had shown the patience of a saint regarding Selphie. He had taken her back when she had slept with Seifer behind his back (although he had actually been cheating on Selphie with another girl on campus at the time anyway), and had saved her reputation when he had pushed her down the stairs, killing the baby that she and Seifer had created, (even though he, himself probably had a few Irvine Jr's running around somewhere). All he asked was that he be allowed some freedom. What's a few stolen kisses, (and some other things) from some random females, here and there?

Selphie spun round to face him, her hands clenched into fists at her sides, her green eyes glaring up at him. "Oh yeah?! Well I hate it when you cheat on me! You don't even bother to wait until I've left the room before you start mauling some stupid little slapper-"

"So what? You cheated on me with that prick Almassy!" Irvine practically spat the name of the man he hated most in the world.

"Once Irvine! I slept with him once! When are you going to stop bringing it up?!" Selphie cried angrily.

Irvine grabbed Selphies arms roughly and pulled her up against him as he glared at her, his breathing ragged. "I will stop bringing it up when I bloody well feel like it! You should be grateful to me-"

"For what?! Treating me like crap every day? For killing my baby? Or maybe I should just be grateful to you for ruining my life!"

Irvine raised a hand sharply as if to slap her but Selphie didn't flinch.

"Go on then Irvine, hit me if you want. But I warn you, if you dare to strike me, Squall and Zell will kill you." she said calmly, her emerald green eyes staring straight into his brown ones.

Irvine hesitated for a second and Selphie could see that she had him scared. "They wouldn't lay a hand on me you stupid girl. They're my friends." Irvine laughed shakily.

"Oh, yeah, you can hold onto that thread of hope if you want to Irvine but it won't do you much good. Just remember, I have known Squall since I was four years old and he has been like a big brother to me. And Zell? Lets put it this way...he pretty much worships the ground I walk on since I got him together with that library girl. You probably don't even know that I have already been in a relationship with each of them . Now, let me go and I won't mention this little episode to them."

"So, are we just gonna not talk to each other?" Irvine released her and looked at the floor, knowing he had been beaten.

"Well, you won't be able to talk to me anyway because I'm leaving the Garden today-"

"You're leaving today!!! You're flying off the handle a bit aren't you?!" Irvine lost his temper again. He honestly thought that this would all blow over in a week and that Selphie would come crawling back to him, but if Selphie was going to be leaving the Garden it would be a bit difficult to woo her back into his arms. Irvine didn't like being dumped, especially when he didn't think he deserved it, so he was trying desperately to think of something to do or say that would make Selphie stay with him.

"No Irvine. I'm not 'flying off the handle' as you so eloquently put it. Squall knows I'm going and I've already said goodbye to everyone I care about so I'm off now." Shrugging, Selphie smiled cheerfully and turned away from Irvine. As she reached out for the door handle Irvine gripped her other arm tightly and pulled her back against him.

"You're going to find Almassy aren't you." It was a statement rather than a question.

"I don't actually know where I'm going Irvine." She had actually decided that she was going to pay a visit to Seifer, but she didn't want Irvine to know that as it would only cause more trouble. "I think, I'll just see where the wind takes me. Now, if you will just release me, I will be on my way."

Irvine shook his head to himself and roughly folded Selphie into his embrace causing her green eyes to widen in alarm as she hadn't been expecting that.

After staring into her eyes for a few seconds Irvine growled "Just don't let the wind blow you in that direction 'cos if I find you with him, there's no telling what I might do."

The quiet way Irvine growled these words, and the way his dark eyes glared into hers sent a shiver up Selphie's spine. As she opened her mouth to protest that where she would choose to go is really none of Irvine's business, Irvine bent his head and clamped his lips firmly onto hers. He was practically biting her and Selphie screamed silently as her body thrashed, trying to get him off her. As her body bucked in his hands, her boot hit a vase with sunflowers in and sent it to the ground where it smashed loudly sending water, glass and flowers all over the floor. A few seconds after the smash, Selphie heard a knock on the door.

"Irvine? Everything all right in there?" It was Squall.

Irvine pulled his vicious lips away from Selphies sore ones for a second to call "Yes, everything is fine Squall, just-"

"Squall! Squall! Help me!" Selphie screamed.

By the time Selphie had finished screaming those four words, Squall had kicked the door down and tackled Irvine to the floor, causing him to release Selphie. Irvine struggled for a few seconds, but slipped on the water that had been spilt from the shattered vase and was then held still by Squall and another two seeD's who had come to see what the commotion was.

"Are you alright Selph?" Squall asked, a concerned expression on his face.

Selphie nodded, wiping the back of her hand across her sore lips as if to rid herself of Irvine's touch. "I'm going now. I want to find somewhere to stay before it gets dark. See you around Squall." She walked outside the room and picked up her rucksack that she had left waiting and stuck her head back inside the room for a few seconds to glare at Irvine "Don't worry though Irvine. You'll pay for that." Sighing, she walked down the corridor and out of Balamb Garden.