Chapter 1: There's That Smile
One gray morning, just staring at my food
Somebody smiled at me, looked pretty lonely too
Slowly picked up her tray and set it down next to mine
"Hey, what I'm about to say, don't laugh,
I knew it from the moment our eyes met.
I've never seen a boy like you before,
You're different."
Everybody Else - Different
Most kids would have been sad to move. They didn't want to leave their school, didn't want to leave their friends, didn't want to abandon the familiar.
Not Zack. He couldn't wait to get out of Gongaga. It was boring.
Granted, the jungle was a little exciting, to be sure, but his mom told him he wasn't allowed to play out there. She was scared monsters would attack him. So, he reasoned, he'd have to wait until he was older.
Maybe next year when he was eight.
But besides the jungle, there was no one his age to play with, and the school was non-existent. Instead of trying to home school Zack, his parents had decided to move to the city, where he could interact with other kids his own age. Not only that, the city was safer – less monsters to worry about, because Shinra had recently set up defense patrols to keep everyone safe.
That was how they had come to Midgar, with their scant belongings, and just enough money to afford a decent place above the plates. Most of the city was still under construction, but the upper half was considered swankier by far.
Today was the first day of school. Zack was practically bouncing off the walls, he was so excited. His mother was trying to brush his hair.
"Sit still, Zack," she said patiently as he squirmed under the brush. He leaned his head back, blue eyes wide, and grinned at his mom.
"But I'm soooo excited," he said. She smiled at this, amused.
"I couldn't tell."
"I am," Zack insisted. "I'm gonna make lots of friends, and I won't be bored like at our old house. I can have sleep overs, right? I want lots of friends to come over."
"Mmhmm, of course," his mother reassured him. Zack nearly jumped off the chair in jubilation. Today was going to be sooo great.
He kept his face pressed to the car window through the entire ride to school, eyes wide with amazement at the city. All the buildings were so tall!
"Here we are, kiddo," his dad said as the car came to a stop in front of the school, and Zack flung himself out of the car, gripping the arms of his backpack. "Do you want me to walk you up to your class?"
"No!" Zack shook his head. "I'm old enough. I can do it," he said, and then he took off, legs flying under him as he raced to the school. He glanced back at his mom and dad, standing by their car, and they waved to him. Zack grinned and waved back, then fell in line behind some other kids who looked to be his age. He looked at the other kids, trying to determine who his best friend was going to be. It was hard to tell, just looking. There were too many options!
When class started, the teacher took a moment to introduce him to the class.
"Everyone, this is our newest classmate, Zack Fair."
"Hiya!" Zack waved to the other kids. "It's Zack with a 'k', not with a 'h'," he informed them.
"You talk funny," one boy said loudly. Zack frowned.
"This is how everyone sounds in Gongaga."
There was a slew of giggling as he mentioned his hometown.
"That's a funny name!" a girl laughed. Zack frowned. The loudmouth boy and the giggling girl were off his list as best friend. Unless they had some really good snacks at lunchtime.
"Thank you, Zack, you can take a seat." He did so, looking around for more potential best friends.
Zack didn't get the opportunity to talk to anyone in class, though. The teacher insisted on the children being quiet so they could listen and learn. Zack fidgeted most of the time. Who cared about some boring place called Shinra? He sure didn't. Plus, he already knew how to read small books, cause his mom used to make him sit down and read with her all the time. He could also add and subtract without help, except for sometimes, and then he used his fingers under the desk.
The teacher told him more than once that he'd have a lot to catch up on since he was starting later than everyone else, but all Zack really cared about was making new friends. Who needed math anyway?
Zack finally got his opportunity at lunch time. After going through the line, he stood, tray in hand, trying to decide which table to sit at. Most of them looked full, with kids who were all talking and laughing with one another. They all knew each other, and for a moment, Zack felt completely alone in the brand new school. He took a deep breath, shaking his head. He could do this.
His eyes froze on a girl sitting all by herself, staring down at her food and pushing it around with her fork. He wondered why nobody else was sitting with her. There was plenty of space at the table, after all. She looked up, feeling his stare, and blue eyes met green. He grinned, and she blinked as if she were stunned by the gesture.
He quickly made his way over to her table and set his tray down with a rattle. Around him, the cafeteria grew hushed momentarily before conversation buzzed around them again, and Zack got the distinct feeling they were talking about him.
"Hi, I'm Zack," he said to the girl, who still looked shocked that he was sitting next to her.
"...Aerith," she finally said, brushing her brown bangs out of her face. Most of her hair was pulled back into a small braid. "You're...you're the new boy, aren't you?" she asked slowly, like she was choosing her words very carefully. Or like she was scared of him. He didn't want her to be scared of him!
"Yeah," he answered, shoving a mouthful of mashed potatoes into his mouth. "Why are you sitting all alone?" he asked thickly through a mouthful of food.
She looked torn for a moment, like she was trying not to laugh, and then she answered again in her thoughtful way. "I don't really...have any friends here," was all she said, like it didn't matter much to her either way.
"Oh. Me neither. Cause I'm the new kid," he added, unnecessarily. "I just moved here from -"
"Gongaga, right?"
"How'd you know?" he asked, accidentally spraying her with a bit of bread he'd just bitten into. She wiped her face with a napkin, a small smile on her face.
"I'm in your class," she told him.
"Oh. I'm sorry," he said as he swallowed. "I didn't see you."
"That's okay. Most people don't," she admitted, a little sadly. Zack frowned. She seemed so lonely. It made him wonder again why she was all alone, and why she didn't have any friends. She seemed nice enough.
"Gongaga," she said, testing the word in her mouth. "That's across the ocean, isn't it? And it's warm, right?"
"Yeah. It's smaller than here. There's lots of jungle, too. Mom never let me play in there, but I bet I could take those monsters no problem," he said with confidence. Aerith's green eyes widened.
"Are there lots of monsters there?"
"Yup!" Zack answered with a smack of his lips. "Hey, how'd you know about Gongaga?"
"I like geography," she shrugged.
"You like school?" he asked, aghast. She smiled at this, nodding politely.
"Great. Then you can help me out," he said. "My teacher gave me a ton of homework." Zack made a face at this. "She said I need to 'catch up'. Blech."
Aerith was looking at him in surprise again. "You...you want me to help you?"
He nodded, grinning. "Why not? You said you don't have lots of friends, and neither do I. So we can be each other's friend, right? You can help me with my homework and, uh...what do you need help with?" he asked, trying to find out what would be a fair trade off.
"...Nothing," she mumbled, her face turning pink. She was looking away from him now.
"Oh. Well, you don't have to help me with my homework," he said quickly. "We can still be friends though, right?"
She was still quiet, and Zack worried that he'd scared her off somehow. Finally, she turned to him again and said, "Why?"
"What?"
"Why do you want to be my friend?"
"Well...why not?" he shot back.
She didn't seem to have an answer for this, she just shrugged. The bell rang then, telling them lunchtime was over.
"I'll find you at recess," Zack promised, determined to become friends with this girl. His mom told him he was perspiring that way. Or was it persistent? He couldn't remember. He turned around to say something to Aerith, but she was gone. Shrugging, he lined up with his other classmates to go back to class.
True to his word, Zack did find her at recess. Aerith was a little confused, but she didn't say anything. He was new, so he didn't know why the other kids shunned her. Maybe she could keep it that way, she thought hopefully.
She was standing in the field on the playground when he found her.
"Hey," he said, the wind blowing his messy black hair. He just looked at her with the most intensely blue eyes she'd ever seen. He also had long eyelashes, she noted.
"Hi," she replied shyly, her stomach twisting up.
"So, what do you like to do at recess?" he asked, looking around at the other children playing on the monkeybars and at the basketball hoop.
"I..." she hesitated, mouth dry. "Mostly I just...think. By myself."
"Oh...sounds...ummm...boring," he admitted.
This is it. He's going to walk away and play with someone else, she thought desperately, holding back a grimace.
"What about tag?" he asked. "Ever play that."
She shook her head, swallowing. He'd forgotten that no one played with her. She didn't have any friends.
"What...what did you play at home?" she asked, hoping to keep him around for a little longer before he learned that she was boring and took off.
"Sometimes I fought off invisible monsters, or climbed a mountain, or played spy," he shrugged. "There weren't any kids to play with, so I just had to play alone." He kicked a rock in the grass, looking a little glum, but then he brightened up. "I heard tag is fun, though. Or hide and seek. Sometimes I played that at home with my mom. I was really good at hiding," he said proudly.
"There's no where to play hide and seek in the field," Aerith pointed out, tilting her head.
"Tag it is then," he said, followed by, "1,2,3 NOT IT!" before bolting away. Aerith blinked in confusion and watched him run off. He turned to see if she was following, stopping when he saw she was still standing there.
"You're supposed to chase me!" he bellowed.
So, feeling unsure of herself, she jogged after him, and he sprinted away again, a grin spread across his face. Realizing she was never going to catch up if she jogged, she picked up the pace, running full on, her white sundress flapping around her knees. Without realizing it, a grin came to her face as she ran after him, and it bloomed into a full blown smile as she finally tagged him. He paused, panting and beaming.
"So," he said, out of breath. "You can smile!"
"Of course I can," she said, her smile slipping away as she said it.
"There it goes again," he said with a laugh. "You'd better run, cause now I'm it!" he said, and he lunged at her. With a squeal, Aerith darted away, then ran for it. She could hear the pounding of his feet behind her, and kenw she didn't stand a chance. He was too quick for her. In moments, he had grabbed her arm and yelled "YOU'RE IT!" at the top of his lungs.
She collapsed onto the grass with a giggle. "No fair, you're faster than me."
He plopped down next to her, shrugging and breathing heavily. "That was a short game."
"Sorry," Aerith apologized, twisting her dress up in her hands. He shrugged, like he didn't mind much.
"That's okay," he assured her. "We can think of something else to do."
She opened her mouth to suggest something when a sneering voice called out, and her mouth shut close again. She cringed internally.
"Hey new kid!" Zack looked up at the older boy coming their way. "Why're you playing with her?" he demanded.
Oh no, please go away, she prayed. They would tell Zack all about how...weird she was, and then he'd never play with her again, and she'd go to eating lunch alone all over again.
"'Cause, I wanted to," Zack said with a confused look.
"She's a freak," the boy told Zack in a matter of fact manner.
"What do you mean?" Zack brows furrowed as he looked up at the boy, frowning slightly.
"She talks to flowers, and she spends all her time alone," the boy informed Zack. "She's a loner, and a weirdo."
No, no, no. Aerith despaired, and she bit her lip to keep from crying. Why did he have to tell Zack that? Why did he have to ruin it for her?
"So what?" Zack asked, and she opened her eyes in surprise. Zack was standing up now, fists clenched at his sides, looking angry.
"So you should pick your friends better, new kid. You can come play with us instead, and leave this freak to whatever it is she does. Flower-whispering," he said, wiggling his fingers in a mystical way, and his friends laughed behind him.
"What, you're going to stand up for her? Do you want to go talk to flowers too? You're a little girl!" the boy laughed. Aerith let out a cry as Zack snapped and lunged at the older boy, fists flying.
"You shut up about Aerith!" Zack spat out angrily, punctuating each word with a punch to the boy on any body part he could reach. The other boy got a few good hits in, too, Aerith saw, but then the fight was being broken up by a teacher, pulling Zack off the other boy.
"To the principal's office, both of you!" the teacher said sternly, scolding them both. Zack looked sullen as the teacher led him away, but he turned to look back at her, nose bleeding, and he grinned and waved at her.
Aerith didn't quite know what to do, so she just stood there, watching the only person who'd ever stood up for her (besides her mother) get taken away, probably to be expelled for fighting.
Life wasn't fair.
Zack's mother was not happy to pick him up early from school. He fidgeted in the car, trying to stay out of the rear view mirror.
"Zack Fair, I cannot believe you got into a fight on your first day of school!" she said.
"Sorry," he mumbled, gingerly touching the underside of his eye. It was tender, and he'd probably have a mark the next day.
"What in the world would possess you to do such a thing?" she demanded, and she caught his eye in the rear view mirror. Darn.
"He deserved it! He was making fun of Aerith," he pouted grumpily.
"Who's Aerith?" his mother asked in exasperation.
"My friend," he said simply, shrugging. "He was calling her a freak, so I hit him."
"Zack, we do not hit other people, even if they are being mean," she said, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "We use our words."
"I hate words," Zack mumbled.
"What was that young man?" she asked sharply.
"I said next time I'll use my words," he said quickly, eyes widening. I'll just write the words 'shut' and 'up' onto my fists. Then I'll show him my words, he thought angrily.
"You're lucky the principal didn't expel you and that you only got a suspension for the rest of the day."
"Yeah...hey, Mom, can Aerith come over later?"
"She may not, young man. You're grounded until the end of the week for getting into a fight."
"Awww," he groaned, shaking his head. Why was he being punished for doing the right thing? He would never understand grown ups.
Aerith looked surprised to see him at school the next day.
"You're still here?" she asked. "Oh! Your eye!" she exclaimed, and he grinned sheepishly.
"My first black eye," he told her. "Kinda cool."
"It's all my fault you got that," she said mournfully.
"What? No way, it was the jerk whateverhisface!"
"He was right though. I am weird," she whispered, not meeting his eyes.
"So? Do you really talk to flowers?" he asked. She hesitated before nodding slowly. "Well, then you should ask them to attack those bullies," he suggested. She looked confused. "Yeah, yeah, just picture it. That'd show them! They tease you about flowers, but then you could turn them on all of the doubters. You could be all like, 'Take that bullies! Flowers of doom, attaaaaack!'" Zack followed this up with explosion noises for added effect.
"Why are the flowers exploding?" Aerith asked him, biting her lip as she tried not to smile.
"Why not? It sounds more fun that way." She giggled, shaking her head.
"You're funny, Zack."
"Thanks!" he said brightly, grinning. "So, my mom says you can't come over until after I'm done being grounded -" he made a face, sticking his tongue out and rolling his eyes. "- but then you can come over and play at my house. Hey, where do you live? I could go play at your house sometimes, too."
"I don't know," Aerith said quickly, her laughter dying away and an uncertain, nervous look stealing over. "I live...below the plate," she admitted.
"Woah! Cool. I've always wanted to explore down there."
"You only just moved here. How could you have always wanted to explore it?"
"Well, always since I saw it just yesterday," he shrugged again, waving away her question as though it were irrelevant. "I'm definitely gonna come over to your house. And I bet hide and seek would be so easy down there. There's lots of places to hide!"
Aerith smiled, but then she looked sad again. "Are you sure you want to be friends with me?" she asked him. "If you do, the other kids will tease you."
"Let them try!" he said confidently. "Look, I wrote words on my fists," he said, showing her.
"Why did you do that?"
"My mom said to use my words."
Aerith laughed again, and Zack held his hand out to her. "Come on, class is about to start," he said. She bit her lip, then slid her hand into his. It was warm and kind of sweaty, but it was the first time anyone her own age had held her hand, and she decided she liked it. It felt like friendship. She smiled at him.
"There's that smile," he whispered conspiratorially.
A/N: Whaaaat. Whaaat? I know that is what you are all saying. Like, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? UPDATE YOUR OTHER STORIES." But I wanted something fluffy and cute without the doom of the world ending in it, so here's this. Don't hurt me. D: And if you'd like, I'll gladly take reviews. :) PLEASE?
