She's All That
A/N: Helloo, so here's the next chapter. I'm not entirely pleased with it and thus planned on submitting it tomorrow, so I can have extra time for fixing up rough edges. But eh, what the heck. Hope you like. I only proof read this once, so I apologize if there are errors and typos. Also, I know it's probably difficult to imagine Tifa as a dork (I know it's difficult for me!)...so let me remind you! Tifa always wears her hair in two braids on either side of her head and wears thick, oversized frames! Oh! And I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the first chapter, it really made my day! :)
Chapter Two
Days went by like paper in the wind as September neared its end and welcomed the slight chilly breeze of October's autumn. It was already a few weeks into school and the work load was higher than ever. But despite the immense pressure that was forcefully placed on almost every single senior student of Midgar Academy, school life was pretty much satisfactory.
Tifa managed to stay on top with all her work and provide her undivided attention towards her teachers in all of her classes. Though she tried her best in everything she did, English class was a whole different story. It was, without doubt,her least favorite class of all time. But she survived, of course, and that's what mattered in the end.
However, the upside of Tifa Lockhart's school life was her last period class. Her absolute favorite class of the day was Art class. They did say the best should always be saved for last…
To Tifa, art wasn't just about drawing lines, stippling and painting the skies. Art was her escape, her sanity. To Tifa, art was beautiful. To her, the beauty in art was not the precision of each brush stroke and the intricate detail found in a self portrait, but was that each brush stroke and pencil line didn't have to be perfect to tell a beautiful story.
Last period was the only time she'd sigh in relief and allow her imagination to take her away to the wildest of places buried deep within the confines of her mind.
Once, Ms. Valerie had the class draw something that appealed to them, something…or someone, even, that they loved and cherished. And Tifa sat there, and closed her eyes and let herself melt away as she was pulled back, way…way…back…and the only thing she could do was trust her hands as they began to move on their accord.
"Miss Lockhart, that is a lovely portrait!" exclaimed her teacher as she peered from behind Tifa at the piece of paper laying in front of her. "Is that your mother?"
Ruby eyes remained focused on her sketch. The woman's dark hair billowed slightly with the wind and her lips curved in that gracious, soft smile she always gave her daughter. It always held a tinge of secrecy and mystery…as if she knew something no one else did.
"Yes," her voice was almost inaudible.
Ms. Valerie placed a gentle hand on Tifa's shoulder, "She's beautiful."
She was staring at the sketch of her mother again. Amazing how time flies by…it has already been ten years. She wonders what it would have been like if she were still here. Maybe if she were still alive, things wouldn't have changed so much.
Maybe things wouldn't be so…different.
"Tifa!"
She snapped out of her thoughts before turning her head towards the door.
"Yes, Dad?" she called.
"Help me with dinner, will ya?"
"Coming!"
Sighing, the brunette got up from her place on her bed and after one last, long look, she placed the sketch safely in her drawer and headed downstairs.
"So…" started Harry Lockhart as he helped himself to some brown rice and chicken, "How was school, Denzel?"
The boy merely shrugged as he stuffed a spoonful of mashed potatoes in his mouth. "'Punched Danny Pudgens 'cause he's such a douche bag."
Tifa almost choked on her vegetables as she glared at her brother. "Denzel, you just don't punch someone because they're a douche bag!"
He only shrugged.
Tifa turned to her father, looking bewildered. "Dad!"
"Denzel," Mr. Lockhart fixed his son with a calm gaze, but there was warning laced beneath his gravel voice.
The redhead remained silent as he poked around his food.
"He said that I was a worthless piece of crap and I'll never get far in life." He finally muttered.
Mr. Lockhart sighed as he lightly dropped his spoon on to his plate and clasped his hands together.
"Denzel…you're not a worthless piece of crap. You and I both know that," the lack of reaction from Denzel caused the older man to sigh once again and shift in his seat. "Look, son. There are two types of people in this world. Ones who care about you and want you to exceed in life and ones who don't give a damn and enjoy putting you down and making you feel like you're not worth much at all…Those who don't give a damn shouldn't matter, its the ones who love you that count."
Tifa pushed through the door to take out the trash. It was evident a father-son moment was in order and gladly volunteered to clean up and finish up the evening chores.
It was dark now, and almost silent with only the sound of crickets and occasional cars that drove by. The skies were dim with only a faint glow emitting from behind soft clouds. The stars glistened with the moon, calling and beckoning her forward. Her mother used to tell her that the stars were angels that would watch over her when it became dark. And they would whisper lullabies to her and make her feel safe and at peace.
But as she stood in the middle of the driveway, staring up, she failed to understand what her mother meant. Her brows furrowed. She couldn't hear anything. There were no angels…no whispers…no lullabies…
Nothing.
"Oi!"
She jumped to see Cloud standing adjacent to her, near his own driveway, with his own bag of trash.
She really didn't want to bother with him right now…
"What." She mumbled as she dumped the garbage in the trash can.
"Who were you talking to up there? 'Cause I've got this science project on extraterrestrial creatures from Mars…and it'd be great if you could persuade one to come down here so I can use it as part of my presentation."
Tifa closed the lid shut before walking back up her porch.
"So what d'you say?" asked Cloud as he dumped his trash into his bin.
"Go away."
"Aw come on—"
"I don't want to talk to you." She wrenched her door open.
"Wait! Alright, I'm sorry…But I really wanted to talk to you—Tifa!"
Clenching her teeth, she whirled around and folded her arms across her chest. "What?" she sighed.
The blonde scratched the back of his neck before speaking, "Well…it'd actually be even better if I used you as a real life exemplar. You know, I think I'd even get an A for it."
Scowling at the teasing smile threatening to break free from his lips, she stalked back and slammed the door shut.
Cloud chuckled lightly and shook his head before heading back inside.
"Cloud?" called a female voice.
He strolled down the hall to the kitchen to find a short blonde woman standing on her toes as she reached for a large bowl sitting at the top shelf in one of the cupboards. She turned her face towards him as a huff of frustration sounded from her lips.
"Get that for me, will you?" asked Amy Strife.
Cloud took the remaining steps towards his mother and reached for the bowl with little effort and handed it to her.
She gratefully took the bowl from his hands and sighed. "What would I do without you?"
"Probably…not much." He smirked.
Ms. Strife lightly swatted his head and began pouring the left over soup from dinner into the bowl.
"I won't be home until eight tomorrow." She said as she moved the bowl into the refrigerator and began washing the dishes.
Cloud leaned back and rested his elbows on the kitchen counter behind him. "How come? Where will you be?"
"Nowhere special, just at the dentist's. My tooth's been killing me for quite some time now. I think it's time I get it checked."
"Oh…"
"Yeah, see," she opened her mouth wide and pointed her index finger to one of her lower molar teeth. "Isth this wun wight heya."
Cloud groaned as he looked away, bringing his hand in front of his mother's face. "Mom, please. We just had dinner."
The blonde woman only giggled in response and pecked him lightly on his cheek.
"Done all your homework?" she asked as she dried her hands.
Cloud stared up at the ceiling. "Yeup."
"Well, I'm going to watch some TV and then I'm going to bed."
"Okay. I'll be in my room."
Cloud left the kitchen and headed upstairs, skipping a step with each leap he took. He collapsed on his bed as he took his phone out and flipped it open. It read one missed call. He dialed the number and waited before speaking.
"Zack."
"Yo! Cloudi –oh! Where you at, man?"
"Home, where are you?"
"Just dropped off Scarlet...I'm heading for Reno's, you coming?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Alright. I'll be there in five."
Cloud flipped his phone shut as he rolled off his bed and grabbed his sweatshirt before jogging down the stairs.
"Mom, I'm going out for a bit!" he called and slipped through the door before she could even protest.
---
It was Tuesday morning the next day and the students of Midgar Academy happily chattered away as they hung around the school grounds as if it was summer. The parking lot was slowly filling itself as cars drove in while other students resorted to walking or biking to school.
"'Kay, I've got a late meeting this afternoon, so I'll try my best to pick you up as soon as I can," spoke Mr. Lockhart as he parked his car near the school and turned to Tifa, but she had already stepped out of the car and was busy adjusting the bag on her shoulders. "So if I don't show up for a while, do you mind walking home?"
"No, that's fine, Dad." She flashed him a quick smile before rushing towards the building. Squeezing herself through the crowd, she managed to make it inside and climbed the stairs to the second floor. It was fairly quiet in the hallways, save for a few people opening and closing their lockers. The brunette turned on her left and silently opened the door to her history class. The chairs were neatly tucked in and the blackboard was washed and clean. She was the first to come in.
Slowly, she walked down towards the back of the room and dropped her bag onto her desk before sitting down. Just as she was about to take out her history binder, the door opened and a sweet, girly voice echoed in.
"Okay take care, see you at lunch!"
It was Aerith Gainsborough. The girl who sat in front of her and wore an excessive amount of pink stepped in to the classroom and paused slightly to take in the emptiness of the room.
"Guess we're a little early, huh?" she lightly said as she made her way to the desk in front of Tifa. She was awfully beautiful, noticed Tifa, with gorgeous emerald green eyes and long, luscious curly hair twisting down her back. She wore a white knee length dress with a coral pink cardigan and a darker shade of pink hand bag.
"I don't think we've been properly introduced yet," she had turned around in her seat and smiled at Tifa. "I mean…we're in two of the same classes and it's been almost a month and we've never really spoken with one another, kinda funny if you think about it."
Oh yeah, she was in her English class as well…
She cleared her throat and straightened in her seat. "I'm Aerith Gainsborough."
"Tifa Lockhart." she felt oddly nervous under Aerith's gaze, and felt the urge to fiddle with her glasses to compose herself. She gave her a small smile, "Nice to meet you."
Aerith replied with her own smile, only it was much more cheerful and lively, and Tifa felt as the room was suddenly brighter than it had been a few minutes ago.
"So, are you excited about senior year?" asked the green eyed beauty.
Tifa almost snorted, but resorted to shrugging, "Not really, but I am happy to know it's the last year of high school I'd ever have to endure for the rest of my life."
Aerith grinned and her eyes went wide with enthusiasm. "I know, right? I can't wait! It'll be a whole new world out there!"
Before Tifa could respond, which she was quite thankful for, she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable in her presence; a group of students came bursting in the classroom whilst laughing about something they'd seen on TV. Soon the classroom was packed and when Mr. Bennett arrived, all conversations were to come to an end and homework was to be taken out.
The morning quickly diminished as afternoon classes were ready to start. Tifa bade goodbye to Jessie after lunch ended and headed for class. Aerith caught up to Tifa on her way to English and they both walked the remaining way together. Aerith found her seat at the front of the class and Tifa wove through the occupied desks until she found hers in the center of the room.
She prepared herself for yet another dreadful class of literature. It wasn't the fact that she despised literature, no, no…in fact, Tifa loved reading and writing. It was because…
"Alright, you bird brains!"
Cid Highwind was possibly the worst English teacher that ever lived on the planet. His vocabulary was worse than a seven year old and more vulgar than any teacher should be allowed to have. Besides, Tifa honestly doubted he knew much about literature. Seeing as it's been almost a month and all the students ever received were worksheets on rhyming words and explaining the difference between a period, a comma, and an exclamation mark counted as obvious proof.
"Take out yer homework, now! I wanna see—"
The door opened and all eyes shifted to their left. Mr. Highwind turned and folded his arms across his chest, eyes narrowing into tiny slits.
Nobody. Nobody interrupted Cid Highwind.
"STRIFE!" he barked.
Cloud walked in as if nothing was wrong and slumped in his chair. He did a small wave with his hand and sent a lopsided smile at his teacher. "Ello."
Cid only glowered at him, unimpressed. He pointed a finger at him, "I'm lettin' you go this time, kid. 'Cause you're on the team, and you've been punctual most days. I'm warnin' ya, one more time ya bring yer ass late to class, I'll give ya a nice long detention after school."
Cloud merely nodded as he leaned against the back of his chair.
Cid began wandering about the classroom as he clapped his hands to retain the attention of the class. "Enough foolin' around! We've got work to do! Take out yer homework and share it with the person behind you! Now!"
A buzz of chatter immediately sounded and Tifa sat still in her seat. She noticed there were only two people in front of her, and they had already begun taking up their work. To her horror, she realized what that meant…
"Hey, martianhead," blue eyes watched her back stiffen. "Hellloo…" she didn't budge.
Cloud rolled his eyes and stretched his legs out and tucked his foot under Tifa's chair. A yelp escaped her lips as he yanked her chair back and twisted it around so she was face to face with him. The blonde leaned his elbow on his desk as he rested his cheek against his hand, a smirk plastered on his face. "That's much better."
Tifa only grimaced and stared down on her worksheet. "What did you write for number one?"
"Down, clown, town, and crown." he said, feeling bored.
"I wrote…noun, brown, gown, and frown." replied the brunette. These worksheets were absolutely pointless...It was like grade two stuff.
"What about the second one…"
Cloud sighed before saying, "Sexy, smexy, Laura Mackenzie.
Tifa paused to see him smiling, and just rolled her eyes.
"I wrote… tax—"
"Hey, you've got something on your glasses…" said Cloud as he stared at her.
She gave him a funny look. "No, I don't."
"How would you know?"
"'Cause I'm looking through them. And I can see just fine."
"I'm serious. There's something there…"
After giving him a piercing look, she slid off her glasses and examined them. They were perfectly clean. "See? There's nothing – Hey! Give them back!"
Cloud sent her an innocent smile, "But they're so cute, I want them."
"Give them back."
He slid on her glasses and blinked. "How do I look?"
"Ridiculous." He really did. His blue orbs were twice as big. They looked like they belonged to some clueless fish…Was that how she looked?
"Yeah right. You're just jealous, aren't you?"
"Whatever."
"You're really jealous?"
"Give. Me. Back. My." She gritted her teeth and with all her force, kicked his shin with the heel of her shoe. "Glasses!"
"Oww!" hissed Cloud.
"What's goin' on here?!" Tifa squinted her eyes to see Cid standing next to them, as he chewed on his pen.
"We were just—"she began to say.
"Detention for both ya! Afterschool!" he demanded and walked away without another word.
Tifa opened and closed her mouth as she gaped at his back. She turned to Cloud as she scowled and leaned forward to snatch her glasses from his face. "Thanks a lot." She bit out.
Cloud remained unaffected as he merely smiled at her, "No problem."
English class was definitely her least favorite class of all time.
Reviews are much appreciated! ^_^
-Sync
