She was sick. She was sick, and couldn't do a thing about it.
This being sick thing wasn't working for her. She was always ill. Pale, and coughing a lot, and only getting to consume fluids. It didn't help that she was in pain either. Her right leg had swelled up that morning, and it was just starting to go down. All day she's been suffering with this, and now, finally, it was beginning to end. She sighed, then coughed, staring up at the ceiling.
Her mind wandered to her two best friends, Cloud Strife and Vincent Valentine. She pondered over what exactly they did in school, or what they were doing at this very moment. Lately, she'd been missing school a lot, and it bothered her. Her teachers knew about it, but her friends didn't. Her father wasn't someone Cloud would believe very easily, only because of the things he'd said in the past that were lies to keep him and her away from each other. Now, she didn't know whether or not her two best buds really even cared anymore. It was Thursday; she'd been out of school all week. Her dad had told them that she was sick, but she wasn't very sure they believed him. Of course, it's been eight years since they met Vincent. Cloud has, by now, learned to scale that vine on the side of his house. It had grown bigger and stronger, and the thing was, so had he.
In fact, over the last few years, Cloud had really begun to change. She had too, but he started after her. And it really hit her kind of hard. He didn't go without a shirt very often anymore, and Tifa was pretty happy about that. His eyes used to be too big for his face, but now he had grown into them. The spiky mass on his head seemed to become smaller(if that was possible) as his head got bigger. She giggled at that. He had a big head. An air head, she thought to herself. Maybe he deserved that. The last time she saw him without a shirt, he was on the lean side. But Cloud was the type where he was lean, but everything was toned. His abs and arms flexed respectively the last time she remembered seeing him, which was on Saturday.
Feeling her cheeks become hotter and hotter, she tried to stop thinking about him. But the more she thought about him, the more she thought about that day . . .
She was eleven years old. Why was she still playing this game?
It occurred to her that even though they were older than her, boys were way less mature than girls. Of course, that didn't explain why she was running around chasing them.
That reason was solely because she'd lost a bet. A bet with her friend that was two years older than her. He said that she couldn't climb a tree without using her feet. She tried to prove that she could, only to land soundly on her behind four times in a row. They laughed at her, him and the blond one, adding to her humiliation. To make it worse, if he won, then she had to chase the both of them down. That's what made playing tag so much worse.
Then again, when she did catch them, she'd beat them to a bloody pulp. That thought helped lighten her day a little.
Pausing, the brunette girl quickly surveyed her surroundings. Trees were all around her, the leaves fading from green to all sorts of different colors. Some had already fallen upon the ground, piles of yellows, browns, and oranges. She loved the fall. It was so colorful. The dead leaves made her a bit more sad than usual, but at least the weather wasn't too hot or too cold. But this could never match up to the spring. There was a much better variety of colors then, with all the flowers blooming and such.
Listening and pausing for a breath, she heard nothing but the calls and chirps of the animals that were there. She didn't hear their footsteps, nor were they in her line of sight when she opened her eyes. She sighed. I know I have to be home soon. Come on, guys. Where are you?
An idea struck her mind, a small smile playing on her lips. Rushing over to the nearest tree, she began to climb. Ever so tempted to try and not use her feet, she decided against it, not wanting to add to the bruise that she just knew was forming on her butt.
They were watching her. She knew they were. She could feel their eyes on her, but she couldn't put her own on them. But that was alright. She'd get them now.
In the trees, she was quieter than she was on the ground. It was easier for her to move without being seen. Her dark yellow shirt and brown shorts helped her blend in with the leaves that surrounded her. Her smile grew wider. Now it was time to seek out the prey.
She carefully jumped from one branch to another. It was easier now that she was older, taller, and a little but more stealthy. Every soft, quick movement she made, they could mistake for a squirrel, or some other woodland creature. Those mistakes and concerns would add to their confusion, the exact state she wanted for them to be in. Although she wouldn't really call it the element of surprise, this was better than them spying on her.
Soon, her eyes laid on the frame of the twelve year old blond, her best friend for the past six years. He was standing there, his stance ready to run at any moment. She was very still, watching him for an opening, for her opportunity to strike. He'd been helping the older one torment her, and now he would pay.
Slowly, he bent down, looking around him. As soon as his spine was erect, she pounced. He didn't have enough time to react. She was upon his back, and the impact of her blow, added to her weight, forced him to topple to the ground. He moaned.
"Teef! Come on now! This isn't fair!"
She bent down, her mouth at his ear. "Well, you and Vincent forcing me to chase you wasn't either. Besides, you didn't say how I could chase, now did you Cloud?" He didn't sat anything. Tifa continued to sit on his back, her back straight now, yelling, "Come one Vinnie! I got Cloud! He can't help ya anymore!"
Nothing responded to her.
She waited another minute before rising off of Cloud's back. He jumped up, wiping the dirt from his shirt and pants. "Now I have to help you right?"
She nodded. "That was part of the deal. You don't ever go back on your word, remember?"
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I remember." They started to walk through the trees. "Man, we're never going to catch Vincent. He knows I'm caught, so I have to help you. He probably know how you caught me, too, so that won't work again."
She shrugged. "What was that my dad was saying the other day? Oh yeah. 'There's strength in numbers.' I think that would mean us. Two on one Cloud. You up for it?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Nope." She ran off.
Not even ten minutes later, Tifa heard Cloud come up to her. When he finally found her, she was showing Vincent the same courtesy that she'd shown him earlier. He couldn't stop himself from laughing.
Vincent struggled to get from under her to no avail. "Shut up you traitor! Ow Tifa! The bruise, 'member?" She hurried to get off of him.
He sat up, reaching behind him to rub his back. Tifa watched for a moment, before digging in her pocket. When she retrieved her hand, there was a small white tube.
"Here, I got it from my house. It was in my bathroom cabinet. Yesterday I hit my arm on something. My dad told me to rub this on it. Maybe it'll help with those bruises. You need it more than I do."
Cloud gave her a skeptic look. "He actually responded to you?"
She shook her head. "Well, he was watching TV. I hit my arm, and looked around my bathroom for something. When I found this, I went to him, asking about it. He just grunted. Sounded like a pig." Imitating the sound got a laugh out of her comrades. "You can have it Vinnie."
"I can?" His look of bewilderment made her laugh.
"Of course you can. I don't mind. My dad doesn't do to me what you're parents do to you. Two years back was the only time he'd ever hit me. You need it way more."
He nodded. "Thanks." He took the cap off, handing it to Cloud. Cloud squeezed a little into his index finger as Vincent peeled off his shirt. He had less bruises now than he usually did, but that was only because he'd learned how fend off some of the blows. Soon his parents would learn to get around his defenses and overpower him once more. Tifa just knew it.
The blond applied the sticky clear gel to one large blemish in particular. It was darker than all the others, but that was only because they repeatedly hit him there in that same spot. They knew that it was a lot more sensitive than any other place on his body. I remember Vinnie tellin' us once that he was just grateful they hadn't scooped that low. I also remember how long it took me to get that.
When Cloud was done, the darker haired boy pulled the shirt back over his head. "Thanks bud. Hey, can I stay over your house tonight? My parents have been drinking a lot more than usual lately. I think they got some notice in the mail." Cloud nodded. "Okay thanks. I'm gonna go get some stuff from my room." Turning to Tifa he asked, "Where can you get this stuff from? I feel it working already."
She shrugged. "The drug store. You don't need a perscription or anything."
He nodded. "Thanks," and then he was gone.
Tifa swayed, collapsing against the nearest tree. She just felt so tired from all of this. Recently, she'd been getting sick more than she usually did. It was starting to take a real toll on her body. It's like I can't keep up the guys anymore. I really hope they're not forgetting about me. Soon, they won't want to play with me anymore, because I can never come outside. It's not always my dad. And now Cloud has no way to know this, because his mom got that stupid board fixed, and he still can't get up on the vine. She shook her head.
"Tifa, you alright?" He bent down next to her.
She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little . . . tired is all." They stayed in absolute silence for a moment. "Hey, you and Vincent aren't forgetting about me, are you?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean like, you guys still like me, right? You still wanna play?"
Cloud laughed. "Yeah Teef. Why wouldn't we like you?"
She shrugged. "Well, I thought that maybe you were getting tired of me not playing with you guys anymore."
The blond scoffed. "Are you sure it's just not your dad? He always says your sick."
She sighed. "I am sick. Haven't you heard? It's flu season."
He laughed again. "Tifa, that's not until November. It's only August."
She turned away. "Well, I got it early."
She could feel his eyes burning holes into the back of her head. She knew that now she was slightly different than before. About a year ago, her chest began to grow, and she panicked. Her father wouldn't deal with it--either that or he didn't know how--so she went to Cloud's mom. She knew how to work out Tifa's problem. Marina explained that what was happening to her was natural. Girls were supposed to grow in their chest areas. She told Tifa that it was called puberty. Now, she understood. She remembered hearing Cloud's mom talking to the other neighbors about what a shame it was that girl's mom was dead. Her father surely couldn't handle these things. Tifa thought to herself that he could handle them, he just chose not to. She thought that it was a shame her mom was dead, too.
What she also began to notice was that a lot of the boys in town stared at her a bit more than they ever did. Especially Cloud.
Her legs had gotten slightly longer, and she started wearing girls clothes more often. Today, her clothes were still considered to be for girls, even though they were sportswear. The growth in her chest was noticeable now--before she was the only one who could tell. It wasn't like Cloud's mom's but Tifa knew that was because she wasn't old enough yet. She was also a lot more moody than what she used to be, especially during a certain time of the month.
He sighed. "Are you really sick?"
She faced him again, glaring. "Yes! Do you honestly think I would lie to you?!" With that, she got up, marching off.
He jumped up, running after her. "Teef, I'm sorry okay? I didn't mean to offend you or anything." He lightly pulled on her arm. "I'm sorry."
She turned around, her arms crossed. "I guess that's okay."
She saw Cloud shake his head. She didn't know whether it was at her or at what she was doing. For some reason, he started to sweat when she folded her arms under her chest. Then he looked away.
Tifa placed a gentle hand on his cheek, making him turn back to her. "Hey buddy. What's wrong? I said I forgave you."
He shook his head again. "Nothing," he muttered.
She giggled. "You know, your eyes are so pretty Cloud."
He stared at her in disbelief, which washed away as soon as his eyes came in contact with hers. It was then that he noticed just how radiant hers were. "Yours are . . . yours are beautiful."
She let out a shuddering breath. "Th-thank you."
All this time, he had the urge to kiss her. It came upon him suddenly and without warning. He didn't know what to do to get rid of it.
So he did it.
Gently, his lips laid on hers, and she didn't react. In fact, Tifa had no idea what to do. She thought she should push him off, but she didn't want to. She actually liked it. So, she returned it. He pulled away.
"What are you doing?!" she asked him, tugging on his sleeve.
"We shouldn't do this Teef. We're friends."
She bit her lip. "You didn't like it?"
"Yeah, I did. It's just . . . I don't think we should."
"Is this about Priscilla?"
"What?"
"I heard you kissed Priscilla."
He laughed nervously. "N-no! I had to do CPR on her. She followed me and Vincent out to the river one day while you were sick. Somehow, she fell in, and almost drowned."
"Oh." They began to walk off toward town again. "You know, you're the first boy I've ever kissed."
"Really? You're my first girl."
She smiled. "Okay. Good! We're each other's first kiss."
Cloud nodded slowly.
They continued on for a while in silence. Right at the edge of the woods, Cloud stopped.
"What is it?" Tifa asked him.
"Are you going to tell anyone?"
She shook her head. "No. I'm afraid that somehow it'll get to my dad. Are you?"
"No. Not even Vincent. I think he might get angry."
"Why?"
"For the same reason that I stopped."
She sighed. "Okay." They stood there for a while, and then Tifa began to cough. "My dad is going to kill me," she mumbled. Turning to her friend, she said, "I gotta go Cloud. I'll see you later." She ran off without waiting on him.
Tifa felt really bad for just leaving like that, but she didn't have a choice. At that age, she still thought that what she had was contagious. She didn't want for Cloud to be like she was, hacking all day and not being able to go to school. So, she ran, the other thing she knew how to do.
Now, she was older and wiser. She knew that her illness couldn't be spread. But God knows how she wished she didn't have to suffer through it either.
Half asleep an hour later, she heard a knock on her door. Next thing she knew, there was a woman's voice resounding in the house. It resembled that of Marina very much, which didn't make any sense to her. I thought Cloud's mom disliked my dad just as much as he did.
Then she heard words she didn't think she'd hear in that voice,
"It's so nice to see you."
Do you think this is any better?