Yay! Go me! A second chapter in one week! Aren't you proud? Doesn't it make you want to rreevviieeww! LOL. Just kidding. I even accept flames. I've never had one before, actually, so I have no reason not to accept them. If I get one and I really don't like it, then I'll tell you not to write flames…til then feel free! I don't care, just so long as I get a review. Ain't that sorry? I'm that desperate.
Chapter Two: "Meeting 'The Enemy'"
Breakfast? A fleeting dream as Julie ran out of her dorm room. She'd gone straight to bed after leaving the cafeteria and having the stare-down with Seifer, and look where it got her: late for homeroom. She was going to make a great first-day impression (yes, that was sarcasm).
So, up the flight of stairs, into the elevator she ran. Seconds later, out of the elevator, down the hall, skid to the right, skid to the left, pause, straighten shirt, deep breath, open door, and there she was. Homeroom with Instructor Number Fourteen. Also known as, Quistis Trepe. Does that name ring any bells? And who should be sitting in the back but Seifer Almasy himself, all laid back with his feet propped up on the computer panel in front of him! Can you guess where the only free seat is?
Quistis seemed startled at her sudden entrance, but soon her face faded and she smiled politely. "You must be Julie. I had heard I would have a new student in my homeroom today."
Julie smiled in return. "I'm sorry I'm late. I overslept."
Quistis nodded. "It's perfectly all right. Please take a seat. Um…" She paused, pen on her lower lip, to observe the classroom. "The only available seat is by Mr. Almasy back there."
Julie nodded and started soundlessly for the chair. She sat down with a sigh and withdrew a notebook and drawing pencil from her bag to try and keep her mind off the person sitting beside her. Propping her knees up on the panel before her, she slouched down and proceeded to draw a replica of her gunblade. She'd drawn the revolver and the blade and begun on the details of the rose when a close presence alerted her of someone watching her work. She glanced up to see Seifer inspecting her artwork. Gently, almost as though he were silently asking of her approval, he took the pencil and paper away from her. She gave it up easily enough, curious as to what his intentions were.
He erased the rose and part of the revolver and added a few changes. His hands worked expertly over the drawing for a few antagonizing seconds before he handed the pad back to her. What she saw was a picture of a new gunblade. In the place of her rose was Seifer's symbol, the Hyperion Cross. She looked up at him, her eyes questioning, and he pointed to the picture, then to himself.
She nodded, then erased his changes and redid her own. That finished, she pointed to the new picture and then to herself. Seifer nodded.
Taking the pencil—but leaving the pad in her lap—he wrote above the picture: You're Julie Adams?
She nodded.
He nodded in return and wrote: We're training together. I'm Seifer.
She took the pencil from him and wrote beneath his writing: I know.
Julie passed the pencil back to him when he gestured for it. You weren't what I expected to see.
She frowned and wrote: What do you mean?
He smiled. Most gunbladers are either guys or ugly girls.
She grinned. And I'm neither?
He shook his head and wrote: I would've pegged you as either a knife or pistol girl. Not a gunblade.
That made her smile widen. Then I'm glad I could prove you wrong.
"Julie Adams!" Quistis' voice rang through the classroom. "Please pay attention."
Julie, having heard her name, sat up quickly and was only rewarded by banging her knee against the panel. "Ouch!" She shouted, loud enough where everyone could hear.
Seifer snorted and tried feebly to turn his laugh into a cough. He slid lower into his seat to keep the Instructor from seeing his body shuddering with silent laughter.
Julie was tempted to hit him, but she fought off the impulse. After all, she didn't know just how 'dangerous' this guy really was. According to everyone else, he was the kind of guy who would break you neck at the drop of a hat. But to Julie he just seemed like an ordinary guy—or as ordinary as someone with his good looks can get—trying to fit in and be like everyone else.
She shot him a dirty look and mouthed the words, "Don't laugh."
He held up his hands in surrender. "Sorry," he whispered almost inaudibly.
Julie heard the ding of a bell, which reminded her of an elevator announcing it was about to stop, through a speaker in the ceiling.
"Class dismissed." Quistis voice gained strength so she could talk over the shuffling of books and papers. "And Seifer? Can I speak with you at my desk, please?"
Julie closed the notepad and jammed it down into her backpack. She'd just started to stand up and follow Seifer into the aisle when her foot caught onto the chair and she tumbled to the ground, papers flying everywhere. And everyone else, in their rush to leave for their next class or just to get out of this one, didn't see her. Cursing silently, she grabbed the papers and tried sorting them into order.
When she heard her name, she stopped dead.
"What about this Julie Adams girl, Seifer?" It was Instructor Quistis' voice.
A masculine sigh followed. "We're training together, Quistis. No big deal."
"We're just trying to help."
Another sigh. Julie ducked behind the panels to make sure she couldn't be seen. "I know, Quistis. I know." Why is he calling her by her name and not by her title as an instructor? Julie wondered idly.
"I assume you're taking the field exam in two weeks?"
"Yeah."
"And what do you plan on doing after the exam?"
"Depends on whether or not I pass it this time."
Julie peeked between a crack in the panels to see Seifer leaned forward, hands braced on Quistis' desk, head down. Quistis was standing behind the desk, a small smile playing across her lips. "Everyone has faith in you. Even Squall has said he thinks you'll do well this time."
"I'm touched." His voice dripped with sarcasm.
"How have you been for the past six months, Seifer? We didn't hear from you hardly at all when you left for FH."
Seifer leaned his hip against the desk and crossed his arms. He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I was all right while I was gone. Nothing really amazing happened while I was out there, but I guess that's a good thing."
She nodded. "That was probably a good thing. We all needed some down time. Saving the world from an evil sorceress is hard work."
Who saved the world from an evil sorceress? Julie wondered, her mind swimming with confusion.
"You guys saved the world. I was just…" He shook his head and straightened. "Never mind. That was months ago. Time to move on. I have a class right now and I need to find that Julie girl to figure out when she wants to start training and all that crap. I'll see you later." Seifer left without another word, and Julie prayed to Hyne that Quistis would take a work break or something to give her a chance to escape.
Hyne answered her prayers. Quistis heaved a great sigh and followed Seifer out of the room, giving Julie the perfect opportunity to hop up out of the floor and take off at a mad dash for the door. She checked the hallway first to make sure neither the Instructor nor Seifer were around to see her leave the room after them.
Hitching her backpack up higher on her back, Julie started down the hallway for the elevator. She was hungry, so why not grab some grub on her way to her next class?
Taking the elevator down to the first floor was as uneventful and nauseating as it always was. When she stepped off onto the first floor, she saw none other than Seifer.
"Why, hello there." He exclaimed, trademark smirk firmly in place. "Where are you headed?" He asked, falling into step beside her.
"The cafeteria. I haven't eaten breakfast yet." Julie replied.
"That sounds interesting." Seifer responded off-handedly, plucking some tiny speck of something off his coat that no one but he would see simply because it was there and it bothered him.
"Would you like to come?" Julie invited, eyeing him curiously. She knew this man was supposed to be dangerous—he'd led the Galbadian army, after all—but she just didn't see it. She didn't understand why people couldn't forgive and forget.
He seemed taken aback. "What?"
"I said would you like—."
"I know what you said, but—are you sure?" He frowned unknowingly.
"Don't frown like that or you'll ruin your looks."
The frown let up and he smiled. "Very funny." However, his eyes darkened once again when he thought back to the conversation. "I don't know—."
"Julie!" A new voice from in front of them a few yards called. "Can you come here for a second?" It was the trio. Alicia, Kristy, and Kaitlynn.
"Friends of yours?" Seifer asked, gesturing to the girls with a nod.
Julie turned her head so the girls couldn't see and grimaced. "They like to think they are."
Seifer chuckled.
"Wait for me, all right? This shouldn't take long."
He shrugged and ambled aimlessly over to the side to watch the water spout out of the fountains that surrounded the circular hall. Julie watched him walk, entranced by the white coat swishing around his ankles. When she realized she was staring, she shook herself out of the trance and walked over to the girls.
"What? I was about to go get breakfast before my next class." Julie demanded.
"What are you doing?" They asked immediately.
"Did you not just hear me?" She snapped somewhat moodily. "I said I was going to go get breakfast before my next class."
"With him?" Kaitlynn asked, turning her nose up at Seifer's back.
Julie rolled her eyes. "Is that what this is about?"
"Julie, he's dangerous. He's a criminal. You don't need to associate with people like that. Not to mention you'll ruin your social career."
How funny that they think she actually cares. "Yeah, whatever. I really don't care if people don't want me to talk to him. He's really not such a bad guy, and we're training together so why not get to know him a little better?"
"I just don't think it's such a good idea, hun." Alicia said doubtfully, eyeing Seifer from afar. Thankfully, he couldn't see their stares. His back was to them.
"Well, I didn't ask what you thought." She hissed and turned to leave them.
She leaned her elbows on the rail beside Seifer, studying him thoughtfully. He hadn't noticed her yet, his eyes staying glued to the water fountain.
Why did everyone think he was so dangerous? What exactly had he done? She had never really heard details. She knew he worked for the sorceress and he led her country's army, but what else?
He turned his head to face her, a few strands of golden blonde falling haphazardly into his eyes. His full lips parted to speak, his baritone voice sounding deep and melodious. His blue-green eyes gazed into hers, the emotion she saw there making her feel disoriented. She felt sorry for him, actually. No one deserved to be treated so shamefully.
He thumped her in the arm.
"Ouch!" She said, rubbing her arm.
"Oh, ok. I thought maybe you went into a coma or were having a seizure or something. Did you hear what I said?" He asked.
"No." She confessed.
"I didn't think so. I said, 'do you still want to eat breakfast'."
"Oh." She had the grace to blush for staring so deeply at him. "Yes, I do—if you plan on joining me, that is."
He sighed. "Are you sure? You don't want to risk your social standing for someone like me, do you?" She wasn't quite dumb enough to miss the scorn in his statement. Maybe he knows why they wanted to talk to me.
She thrust her chin into the air. "I don't have a social standing, and I associate with whoever I choose to. No one can change that."
She saw the very beginnings of a smile before he covered it up and nodded. It made her chest feel tighter to know she'd gotten the social leper to smile. "Oh, hey." She said as they started walking toward the cafeteria again. "We need to think of a time to train, don't we?"
He nodded. "Would you prefer not to train every day? We could only do it like, three times a week if you want."
She shrugged. "I can handle every weekday if you can."
He smirked. "All right. What about 5:30 in the evening?"
She nodded. "Monday through Friday at 5:30. That sounds good to me."
When she realized that she wasn't the only one who hadn't eaten this morning and that there would be other people in there with them, Julie's stomach churned violently. She didn't care what they thought of her talking to the Almasy, but it bothered her that they were so openly hostile about it.
The stares and whispering were double what they usually were because he actually had someone with him this morning. Julie, who was in front of Seifer, slowed down unconsciously, feeling particularly vulnerable that people were staring and she was without her blade, Rosary.
Feeling Seifer's gloved hand on the small of her back was like dumping her in ice water. She didn't turn around to face him, and instead kept facing forward to keep her brave façade up. He leaned in close to her and whispered into her ear, "Welcome to my life, Julie." His voice sounded so life-weary. Her gut flipped again with sympathy for him.
And to think, I was one of the people staring at him like an idiot yesterday at lunch. She sighed and turned her head so she could see him.
"Are you going to get anything?" She asked, trying—and not succeeding—to ignore all the eyeballs glaring disapprovingly at her.
He shrugged. "What are you getting?" He does a much better job of ignoring them than I do. Her mind didn't hesitate to reply to her statement. Because he's used to this. It's a constant, everyday thing for him.
Oh, Seifer. I'm so, so very sorry. Instead of letting the glowering faces bother her anymore, she returned them. When she passed by a cliché of girls sitting together who were very obviously staring down their noses at her, she responded to the mistreatment by edging closer to one of their chairs and kicking the leg as she walked by. The girl nearly toppled out of her chair.
Julie's eyes swept around the room again, daring people to stare, and slowly the room returned to normal. People began to turn away and carry on with their meals and friends, picking up their conversations where they left off. Seifer was staring at Julie with a strange look on his face.
"What?" She asked, suddenly very aware that he still had his hand on her back and that his eyes were gradually boring holes into hers. "Are you not hungry anymore?"
"Yeah, I am." He said incredulously. "Let me buy your breakfast."
"What? Why?" Julie asked. Curiosity was tugging at her insides.
"Thank you." Was all he said.
"For what?"
"For what you did back there."
Julie blushed and shrugged. "No one deserves to be treated that way."
He shook his head. "I do."
A line formed between Julie's eyebrows. "No, you don't."
"If you knew what happened then you would agree." His voice gained strength.
Becoming somewhat frustrated, Julie's voice matched his. "Then tell me." She demanded.
He opened his mouth in a snarl and grabbed her upper arm. All the spectators—there were still many—would love spending the day trying to figure out why he'd done that.
"Come with me." He pulled her by the arm in the direction of the door, but she stopped him by saying, "What about food?"
Seifer veered in the opposite direction and stopped at the buffet area. "Pick something." He commanded harshly.
Julie seriously considered punching that romantic face right in the eye at that moment, but she disregarded it when her stomach growled so loudly a few people nearby gave her a strange look. Even though her stomach protested, she wasn't in the mood for food anymore. She grabbed a banana off the fruit tray and turned to Seifer.
"Where to?"
Hahaha! A kinda-sorta-not-really-but-still-kinda cliffhanger! Ooh the suspense! Lol! Well, hey. I have a question for you readers out there. What do you honestly think about Seifer getting the hook-up with OC's? I haven't seen that many, so maybe people just don't like it that much? Let me know what ya'll think, so if I'm making a mistake I won't embarrass myself anymore, ok? Lol. I'll try and update soon! Please review! It makes me happy and it tells me what I'm doing wrong.