Glimpse
His smirk.
Hyne, that's what I hate the most.
His cocky, I'm-better-than-everyone smirk.
Damn him and that smirk.
A lot of things have been able to annoy me to the point where I'll do anything and everything to avoid whatever the hell it is, but I can't avoid him.
And he knows it.
That's why he's always teasing me about something.
Chicken-Wuss, this. Chicken-Wuss, that.
He's such a prick.
"Whatcha doin', Chicken-Wuss?"
That's him now. With his smirk and his attitude.
"Go away, Seifer," I say evenly, not taking my eyes from the wall in front of me.
He laughs. "What? You don't love me anymore?"
I turn my head and glare at him. I hate him with such a burning fury…
"I'm hurt, Chicken." He pretends to pout and places a hand over his heart. "Honestly, I am."
"Shut up."
He smacks the back of my head and laughs again. "You're so much fun to mess with, Chickie."
I roll my eyes and turn my attention back to the wall.
I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him.
Stupid prick.
I had been minding my own business, trying new tricks on my T-board in the Training Center, the one place I'm permitted to use my beloved T-board, when out of nowhere, Seifer steps in front of me. Not knowing what else to do, I swerve and end up running smack dab into a tree.
This tree just happens to be a very old tree, planted by Cid himself right before he started Garden.
Now, I don't want to sound insensitive, but does anyone give a damn about the stupid tree?
I didn't think so.
So anyway, Garden Staff is immediately at the scene.
While they're fussing about the damned tree, I find Seifer and start throwing punches.
Stupid mother fucker made me scratch my T-board and its NEW paint job.
Seifer actually looks scared of me for a minute, and then he has Hyperion out and ready. He takes a swing at me, but I duck just in time.
For a counterattack, I give him a good one right in the jaw.
And wouldn't ya know it?
That seemed to be the time that Headmaster Cid decided to show up, and he saw me hit Seifer.
"Dincht! Almasy! In my office, now," he says if firmly, yet his voice is quiet and relaxed.
I cringe.
That's the voice he uses when he's really upset. And I mean really, really pissed.
Like Rinoa when she sees another girl making googly eyes at Squall.
So Seifer and I go up to Cid's office. He assigns us eight hours janitorial services and three hours in this damned detention room.
And that's where we are now.
My arms are folded tightly across my chest, and I'm staring so hard into the wall, I think I might actually be burning a hole in it.
I've lost track of how long we've been in here, but I know it hasn't been too long, and we're already on each other's nerves. I think we were on each other's nerves within the first five minutes. Hell, I think we were born annoyed at each other.
"Sometimes I think I'd pay all the gil in the world just to know what goes on inside that head of yours," he says suddenly.
I frown slightly and remain silent, not knowing what to say. I mean, what does he want me to say?
"You're supposed to say, 'Why Seifer?'," he says, peering at me.
I turn and look at him, though I keep my mouth shut.
"Well, Chickie, the truth is, I believe you're deeper than you let people think."
"And what makes you think that, Great Philosophical Seifer?" I ask dramatically, raising an eyebrow at him.
He chuckles. "You have your quiet moments. You're not always bouncing around. You're a thinker, Zell, and people who think like you are deep."
My jaw had dropped as soon as he called me by my name. Is he trying to sucker me up? No…He's trying to get out early for good behavior.
His jade eyes seem to go a shade darker, and he turns his head, breaking eye contact. "You don't let anyone control you. You don't take shit from anyone. You're your own person."
I silently wonder what he's getting at. I know he's not going soft on me. Nah. Not Seifer I'm-Going-To-Take-Over-The-World-With-A-Crazy-Bitch-Sorceress Almasy. "What do you want, Seifer?" I ask impatiently.
He sighs and runs a hand over his short hair. "Forget it." He walks away from me to the other side of the small white room.
I look at him for a few moments, catching a flicker of resentment flash across his face.
He shakes his head and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
For a second, I feel pity for him, and I actually contemplate asking him what's wrong.
But he's Seifer.
Why would he open up to me (Chicken-Wuss) of all people? He'd probably talk to Angelo, the dog who once tried to rip his throat out, before he'd talk to me.
Well, that's Seifer for ya.
Too proud.
"How many times did you guys actually fight me?" he asks, looking down at the tiled floor.
His question catches me off guard, but I'm quick to answer, "Three."
There's a low chuckle.
Should I ask him why he asked? None of my business, but I have to admit, I'm awfully curious…
"Felt like more than that."
I nod absently, though I have no clue as to what he's talking about.
"You ever heard that saying, "shit happens"?"
I laugh in spite of his serious tone. "Yeah."
He turns his head and looks at me. "It's the truth, ain't it?"
I fight the urge to tell him he just sounded like Irvine and nod. "Never heard anything more true."
He smiles and nods. "Kinda sucks, though." His smile turns into a sad frown. "Shit shouldn't happen to good people." He pauses and returns his attention to the floor.
"Shit happens to everyone." I know for a fact that that's one of the lamest things I've ever said, but somehow, it makes sense.
For now, the quiet hum of the air conditioner is the only sound that occupies our detention room.
He remains quiet, and I begin to think he's spaced out.
I watch him and sit down in the chair on my side of the room. I begin to pick at my stubby nails, getting unwanted dirt and grime from under them.
I guess that's all I'm going to get from him. Don't want to piss him off and ask for more than he'll give.
"Anyone ever call you a lapdog?"
I forget about my nails. "No."
He scoffs. "Consider yourself lucky. Being called a lapdog will bruise your ego so bad…" He clicks his tongue and shakes his head, letting the sentence die off.
"Ya can't let comments like that get ya down," I tell him, hoping that's the kind of comment he was looking for.
An uneasy silence reclaims our room.
I've run out of things to say, and it seems as if he has too.
I turn over my left wrist and look at my watch; 1500 hours. Great. We still have two hours left.
Are we just going to sit in silence the whole time?
Seifer sniffs.
I raise an eyebrow and drop my wrist. Seifer's crying?
Oh shit…
Seifer's crying.
"Hey, dude, what's wrong?" I get up from my chair and walk to his, kneeling in front of him. I pat his back, expecting him to shrug my hand off. He doesn't.
"Everything," he whispers hoarsely.
I'm at a loss for words. The best I can do is pat his back.
A few moments go by of him just crying softly, and then one of his hands goes up to wipe his eyes.
"Hyne, I'm becoming Baby Zell." He laughs, though it's a sad, fake laugh.
I take a deep breath, deciding to let that one slide. I remove my hand from his back and go to sit at my side of the room.
Our moment has passed, and we end up spending the rest of our time in a semi-comfortable silence.
Right before we're released, he turns to me and thanks me.
I look at him curiously. "For what?"
"For listening."
And with that, Seifer Almasy retrieves Hyperion from Garden security and struts off down the hall.
I shrug and get my gloves back.
My girlfriend walks over to meet me and kisses my cheek. "I hope you learned your lesson, Dincht," she says playfully.
I shrug again and adjust my gloves.
"Was it really bad in there? Me and Sarah had this bet goin' on that Headmaster would have to come down and separate ya."
"Who won?" I ask. We begin to walk in the opposite direction of Seifer, towards the library.
"I did." She giggles. "You two didn't fight or anything, did you?" She begins to examine me closely, looking for scratches or bruises.
"Nah." I shake my head. "Seifer's not that bad."
She stops dead in her tracks. "Excuse me? Did I hear you right?"
I laugh and wrap an arm around her shoulders. "Yes, you heard right. Seifer's a good guy. Ya just have to get to know him. But ya know what I'll always hate about 'im?"
"Besides his nickname for you?"
I blush faintly. "I'll always hate his smirk. That damned smirk." I decide against telling her about the little conversation Seifer and I had, knowing that that was strictly between Seifer and me. Knowing that that glimpse past the smirk was reserved especially for me.
-end-