The Ironic Things in Life
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Final Fantasy 8, dammit!
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Rinoa Heartilly glanced lazily around the room, not wanting to get out of bed.
"Rinoa!" Quistis shouted, "Get up, you have to get ready for work!"
"Maybe tomorrow," Rinoa replied, closing her eyes again.
"Rinoa Julia Heartilly, you better get out of bed right now before I have to Ultima your ass into the bathroom!" Quistis yelled.
Rinoa groaned, and sat up. Quistis Trepe could be such a pain. Her mother-like attitude tended to get on everyone's nerves.
"Selphie, will you stop hogging the shower!" Quistis yelled, moving onto their other room mate.
Rinoa sighed, and grabbed her clothes before heading out of her room only to collide with Selphie, the whirlwind.
"OW!" both girls exclaimed, crashing to the floor with two simultaneous thuds.
Quistis hovered over the both of them disapprovingly, tutting loudly and very irritatingly.
"Honestly, Selphie," Quistis lectured, "how many times do I have to tell you not to run around the house?"
Selphie Tilmitt however was clearly not listening. Whenever Quistis started on one of her sermons, Selphie tended to drift away into a dream-like state which she liked to call "groove land".
Rinoa giggled and hurried to her feet. She could tell Quistis wasn't in a very good mood that day, so she rushed into the bathroom without another word.
-----
When she came out, she could tell that something wasn't right. Quistis was sitting on the lounge, a frown on her face and even Selphie looked a little upset.
"Is something wrong?" Rinoa ventured to ask.
Selphie looked up.
"Rin-Rin, it's terrible!" the 5 foot hurricane exclaimed, "We got an eviction notice from Biggs!"
Rinoa's insides churned.
"What for?" she asked.
Quistis looked up.
"We didn't pay last week's rent."
Rinoa sighed. She had known that was the reason why greedy Biggs was kicking them out.
"We're just not raising enough money to afford to live in an apartment like this," Quistis said.
"But we did put up an advertisement looking for another flatmate," Selphie protested.
"I'm taking her interview today," Quistis said, "Hopefully she'll be alright. We really can't afford to be choosy anymore. We'll have to live with whoever wants to move in."
"How long do we have?" Rinoa asked.
"We have to get the entire rent in by the end of this week or Biggs' kicking us out for good," Quistis said.
-----
On the way to work, Rinoa stopped to look into the window of a bridal shop. She loved to look at the wedding dresses, hoping that one day she would be able to afford one. However, the 20 year old still hadn't found true love so she wasn't in a hurry.
Rinoahurried to the bus stand, hoping that she wouldn't miss her bus. As she sprinted to the bus stand at last, she slammed into something that she thought was a concrete wall.
"Watch where you're going," a male with slate blue eyes muttered, before walking off with his hands in his pockets.
Rinoa scowled at the back of his dark head, picked up her bag and rushed onto the bus as it arrived. She hoped she wouldn't be late for work.
Rinoa worked at the Galbadia community centre where she assisted children who would go there to do activities and sit through some classes at the centre. Prisoners would also go there to do community service. Rinoa didn't get paid much for it but she enjoyed looking after the children.
Quistis Trepe was an instructor at a school called Galbadia Garden. She was previously from Balamb Garden but had been transferred to Galbadia as a promotion. In Galbadia she had become acquainted with Rinoa who she had met at the Galbadia community centre when she had taken a group of children there.
Selphie was from Trabia, and had moved to Galbadia in search of a better career and possibly a better lifestyle. She worked at a local music store but kept getting her pay check halved because she was always involved in some accident with her ending up on top of the CD's. She had met Rinoa after spilling her drink on her.
The three of them were completely different, but they had quickly become good friends. Now their lives were about to change with the arrival of their new room mate.
-----
"Morning, Rinoa," the girl behind the desk said.
"Morning, Jessie."
Rinoa slammed her bag down onto the front counter and joined Jessie behind it.
Jessie raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong with you?"
Rinoa sighed.
"Some moron knocked me over on the way to work, and I just noticed that my make up kit got smashed."
"Awe, that sucks. Not your 'Ellone' label make up kit?"
"Bingo."
"But it was so expensive."
Rinoa shrugged.
"If I ever see that guy again, I swear I'll squash him into the ground."
Jessie grinned.
"Was he cute?"
Rinoa glared at her.
"For god's sake, is that the only thing you think about?"
Jessie smiled cheekily and threw a roll of sticky tape at Rinoa, so that she could try and fix her make up kit.
The community centre's doors opened, and Rinoa glanced up from her clumsy sticky taping to meet the eyes of a 6 foot blonde.
Jessie's jaw dropped and she literally drooled.
The blonde sauntered up to the counter and leaned against it, his eyes cruising over Rinoa and Jessie.
"Ye-Yes? Can I help you?" Jessie stuttered.
"I'm here for my 100 hours of community service," he responded, flatly.
"Your um, name?"
"Seifer Almasy."
"Um, ok Seifer. You can go ahead and trim the trees at the back and then rake up the leaves."
Seifer sneered and made his way down the hall and out the back door.
Jessie sighed dreamily.
"Wasn't he just so hot?"
"He's a prisoner. Most probably a murderer. I can't believe you're attracted to a convict."
"Rinoa, I can't believe that you don't think he's hot."
Rinoa rolled her eyes and continued to stick pieces of her make up kit together.
-----
Rinoa opened the door to their apartment and was just about to tiptoe into the bathroom, when she heard loud voices coming from the lounge room. Curious, she went into the lounge room and was met with a strange sight.
Quistis was red in the face, and Selphie looked excited.
"No, I'm afraid we can't let you be our room mate," Quistis said.
At first Rinoa couldn't see who she was talking to, and then finally she saw the person standing near the balcony.
"But why?" the person asked.
Rinoa couldn't believe that she was hearing a male's voice.
"In any other circumstance it would've been alright, but the three of us are girls and you're a guy," Quistis stated the obvious.
"Oh come on, Quisty," Selphie whined, "He seems to be decent looking."
"I thought he was a she," Quistis said, "How was I supposed to know that "Zell" is a guy's name?"
The guy turned around. He had spiky blonde hair and was wearing baggy jeans with a black jacket.
"Come on, please," he begged, "I really need a place to stay. I just came from Balamb the other day and I can't find anywhere to stay. I've been at the hotel for all this time but I can't stay there forever."
Quistis' face softened.
"Mr Dincht, I just don't see how this will work out," she said, "I'm very sorry."
Zell's face fell and he balled up his fists.
Rinoa stepped forward.
"Quistis, you yourself said that we can't afford to be choosy," she said, "And we'll never find another room mate in time. Can't we just see how it goes for a month?"
Quistis surveyed Rinoa, and Selphie nodded in approval when Quistis glanced at her.
"Alright, Mr Dincht," she said, heaving a sigh, "Welcome to our humble abode."
Selphie and Rinoa rolled their eyes at Quistis' clichéd remark.
-----
A month passed, and Quistis couldn't find any major faults in Zell. He got on especially well with Selphie, as they had a similar hyper personality. But Zell turned out to be a really good friend to all the three girls and after a while it seemed as if they had all known eachother forever.
"Zell!" Selphie cried, chasing him around the room with a broom.
Zell jumped over the sofa and ran into his room, locking the door behind him.
"Zell!" Selphie screeched, banging on the door, "You IDIOT! Gimme back my burger!"
Quistis surveyed Selphie over the top of her glasses, looking unimpressed.
"Selphie Tilmitt, do you mind? I'm trying to read a very sentimental novel here," she said.
Selphie pouted.
"But Zellie took, no, stole my hamburger!"
Quistis sighed.
"Can't you two sit still for one second?"
Selphie, being distracted by Quistis, failed to notice Zell sneaking out of his room.
No one bothered to tell her until she noticed a few seconds later herself.
"ZELL!" she yelled, chasing him out of the apartment and waving her broom around like a mutated witch.
Rinoa chuckled and went back to painting her toenails.
"Did Zell tell you?" Quistis asked.
Rinoa glanced up.
"Tell me what…?"
"You know how he works at that T-Board shop…? Well the shop's hosting an anniversary tomorrow at the Galbadian Hotel and Zell's invited us."
"Well, I guess if we got back early enough then it'd be alright."
Quistis nodded.
"I'm not too sure that I want to go, though."
"Oh come on Quisty, you hardly ever go anywhere. You're always cooped up at home reading or marking exam papers."
"Rinoa, that's what my life is supposed to be like. An instructor isn't supposed to go out and have fun."
Rinoa rolled her eyes.
"Oh puh-lease, I would've at least accepted you saying that you're a shitty dancer. Now you have to come."
Quistis laughed.
"Well, I guess it'd be…"
"AH HA!" Selphie could be heard shouting.
Selphie and Zell had re-entered the apartment, and she had finally gotten a hold of Zell. The both of them stumbled into the lounge room, as Selphie aimed punches and kicks at Zell who she had gripped tightly around the neck.
"OUCH!" Zell cried, "Selphie would you….OUCH!"
The both of them collapsed onto the glass coffee table, which gave way and shattered, including Quistis' prized antique vase.
Quistis flinched, and a vein throbbed in her neck. There was a deadly silence in which no one dared to breathe. Quistis stood up slowly.
Rinoa quickly intercepted, sensing the danger ahead.
"Quisty, I'm sure we'll be able to fix…"
"SELPHIE TILMITT, ZELL DINCHT! I WILL CURSE YOU INTO NEXT YEAR!"
-----
Fortunately the next night Quistis was in better spirits, after having cast a series of Zombie magic on Zell and Selphie, who resembled mindless chicken wings afterwards.
The four of them walked towards the Galbadian Hotel at a quick pace, as Zell complained that they were already late.
Actually it had been Selphie's fault; she had somehow miraculously managed to get her short hair stuck in the hair dryer.
"Here we are," Zell said, stopping outside the magnificent Galbadian hotel.
"YAY!" Selphie exclaimed, running through the seemingly open door.
CLUNK
"Oh my god, Selphie are you ok?" Quistis said, hurrying to Selphie's side.
Selphie stared up at Quistis, her eyes unfocussed.
"Is it morning already?" she asked, confused.
Quistis tutted, and together she and Zell helped Selphie to her feet.
"Is the lil' cowgirl awright?" a tall guy, with a strong western Galbadian accent, questioned.
Zell shrugged.
"Let's just get her inside first," Quistis suggested.
Quistis and Zell helped Selphie through the door, as the guy, who had a long ponytail and was wearing a cowboy hat, held it open.
The guy looked towards Rinoa's back.
"Hey Squall, you coming or not?"
Rinoa of course would have helped Selphie in any other situation, but she had been far too busy staring into a pair of slate blue eyes that stared just as coldly back at her.
A/N: Ok, I've done my part; now it's up to you guys to read and review. :)