Chapter 4: Date Me?
By: Gaorie :)
Author's Note:
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII..
Tifa's POV
I was so confused. We had practically told each other how we felt, and the next thing I knew, he pulled me out of the little house. Is this usual? I mean, I can still feel the hard pounding of my heart against my chest after 5 minutes straight. I looked at Cloud.. He looked really weird; Like happy weird. Or crazy. I leaned up further to try to make him look at me. He didn't. "Cloud..?," I asked.
"Hmm..?,"
"Why are you so weird?," I asked slowly.
He chuckled. "Shut up. We're almost there."
Almost where? I remembered Aerith.. The way she looked at Cloud. I bet she likes him. Oh my gosh! She always did say she liked two guys that she hung out with. Isn't liking two guys weird, though? "Don't you wanna talk?," I asked.
He kept on walking. "Nope."
"Well, I do. And since we are, I wanna ask you something," I said, walking faster to catch up to him.
"Shoot," he replied. I stared at him dumbfounded. What the hell does that mean?
I cleared my throat and asked him what was on my mind, "Do you..like Aerith?," He stopped abrubtly, and turned around, glaring at me. "What?," I asked innocently.
"Are you really asking me that?," I nodded, never looking away. "Of course I don't. She's a bi..eh..a weird person. She's just..kinda too controlling. Besides, I already told you that uhmm..you know..,"
I pretended that I didn't know what he was talking about and continued to stare up at him with confused eyes. "What do you mean?," I asked, holding in a smirk.
He leaned in and whispered in my ear, "I like you..a lot."
I shivered as I felt his breath on my skin. "Ohh..," I replied, smiling.
"Anything you wanna tell me?," he asked, winking.
I just stood there staring at him. "Nope," I said, walking away. I tried to hide my smile. It was so fun joking around with him.
"That's okay. I never had feelings for you anyways," he said, walking away.
I gasped. "Cloud! Cloud, you loser!," He didn't turn around. "Loser! I'm leaving!," I yelled, walking towards his house. That loser. How dare he.. No wonder he's all alone.. That emo freak.. Hmph. I don't care about him. Blahh..
"Hey!," yelled Cloud from behind me. I ignored him and just kept on walking. "Teef! Tifa! Tifaaaa!," Just keep walking, Teef..keep walking. "Pablo! Hey, Pablo!," I stopped and turned around, my arms crossed. "Hey, you know your name," said Cloud, catching up to me.
I couldn't help but smile. "Shut up. That's not my name..,"
"Then why'd you stop and turn around?," he asked, smirking.
I sighed. "Because..Oh be quiet, Cloud. What were you intending to do anyways?,"
He leaned in and said," I was thinking about going to that boys' bathroom over there, and maybe do something fun..and pleasurable," he replied.
"Uhh..I don't think so," I said, pushing his face away.
He laughed. "Just kidding, Pablo. I know you were excited and everything, but I refuse your offer of taking advantage of me."
"Cloud, even if you did have a chance with me, I wouldn't do it in a boys' bathroom."
He chuckled. "Come on."
I let Cloud drag me, again, and kept quiet. We walked for another five minutes until we stopped in a secluded field. He dragged me right to the middle. "Stay here," he instructed.
"Where are you going?," I asked, whispering.
He smiled. "You'll see."
He then ran off somewhere. I just stood there and looked up at the sky. Every star represents a promise.. Dad.. Where's our promise? I wiped my tears from my cheeks. I waited..and waited..and waited until I had to play "I spy"..with myself. The game was..pretty lame:
I spy something..green.
'Grass.'
Okay..
'I spy something.. soft with roots.'
Grass.
'Yeah.'
I spy..
'Grass.'
Hey, I didn't even get to finish what I was gonna say.
'So? Was I right?'
..Yeah.
'Okay then. I sp-'
Grass.
'UGH!'
By the time I finished the game, the sky had darkened. Where's Cloud? Somewhere in the distance, I heard people talking. One sounded kinda like Cloud.
"..ditched her yet?,"
"Yeah. She went right into the trap!,"
Laughs were all I heard after that.
"Cloud?," I asked, looking around.
No answer.
My heart raced faster. Would.. Would Cloud ever do that to me? He- he... But he said.. My eyes filled up with tears. I'm by myself now.. My mind began racing with impossible thoughts. What if a werewolf came and bit me? Would I die? Or would I become one, too? I became more frantic and thought of the least possible things that would happen. Seriously. Not even kidding. What if a headless body came running at me? Should I just stand there and scream my butt off? Or should I run and find help?
I soon came to the conclusion that Cloud had left me here. That I was a burden to him. That I should never had trusted him. And that.. He never did like me. He must've planned this with his mom! That friiken Momma's Boy! Maybe.. Maybe I trusted him too easily. I let him into my heart without even thinking of the consequences. It wasn't love at first sight; It was just needing a friend who I could trust wholeheartedly.
My tears fell, running down my cheeks. I suddenly dropped down on my knees, my hands covering my face. "I hate you, Cloud.. I hate you!," I yelled.
Just then, I heard a click sound, and all of a sudden, I was getting sprayed with water. Oh, sure.. Turning on the sprinklers would make it all better.
I didn't care if I was getting soaked. Maybe it'll hide the fact that I was crying for probably no reason at all. I was abandoned once, how much worse could the second time be? Oh, yeah.. The fact that I was there for like, three days makes it even better.
"Pablo?,"
I froze at the sound of his voice. "Pablo! What happened?,"
I didn't care for what he had to say. "Teef? Are you okay?,"
I felt him kneel down next to me. I lost control of my anger and pushed him, making him fall on his back. I got up and wiped my tears away.
"Tifa..," said Cloud, staring up at me.
"Since you want me to leave so much, I'll go! I won't get in your way anymore. If this was a way of telling me what you were gonna do with me, I get it now. I won't be a burden..," I said, walking away. But truth is.. I have no idea how to get back.
I felt Cloud grab my wrist. But, before I could pull away, he pulled me into an embrace. I tried to push away from him, but he held onto me tightly. "I..I'm sorry I left you for such a long time. I just wanted to make sure it would actually work."
I pulled away from him. "Okaaaay.. I'm confused. I heard you and some other guys talking over there," I said, pointing to where I had heard them.
He gave me a confused look. "What? That wasn't me. I went over to the controls of the sprinklers. I was trying to turn them on at the right moment. It didn't go as planned..," he explained.
"Well.. How long were you gone? I've waited pretty long for you,"
"Mhmmm.. About half an hour."
"What?," I asked, shocked.
"Well.. You see. When I got there, the control box was jammed. And I had to calculate everything according to..my plan. Then I saw Aerith walking by, and had to convince her to help me. Then, I-"
"Aerith was there?," I interrupted.
"Well, yeah. She was after school for Garden Club."
"Oh. How'd you convince her to help you?," I asked, trying to hide my jealousy.
"Oh. Heh.. Well, you know. Like how all the other guys get girls help," he replied.
"And that is..?,"
"Compromise!,"
"And..?,"
"I'. Okay! Let's go play in the sprinklers!," he explained, rather quickly. He reached for my hand, but I quickly took a step backwards.
I could feel my eyes filling with tears again. I turned my head away so he wouldn't see my tears. He took a step forward. I took a step back.
"Teef..," he started.
I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Cloud. But.. you're 'It'!," I said, tapping his shoulder and quickly running away.
I was always good at hiding my feelings.. I knew that because whenever my dad was stuck at work and couldn't come home, I would always paste a smile on my face and just laugh it off. Which was most of the time.
"You're gonna get it, Pablo!," he yelled after me.
I couldn't see very well cause of the water coming at my face at almost everywhere I turned. I squinted my eyes, trying to find Cloud. I looked everywhere..everywhere but befind me. I gasped and stayed perfectly still. I could feel his eyes on me, waiting for me to turn around.
I pointed to a random direction. "Look!, A distraction!,"
I ran off as fast as I could. Looking back right after I ran, I saw Cloud look in the direction I was pointing to. I giggled. That idiot..
He suddenly looked in my direction, a look of revenge in his eyes. "You'll pay, Lockhart!,"
"For making you look dumb?," I teased.
"You're asking for it!," he yelled, running straight at me.
I stood right where I was, waiting for the right moment to make a dash for it. When he was about five feet away, I took a quick side-step to the right. He skidded to a stop, but he slipped and fell afterwards. I couldn't hold in my laughter. I burst out laughing so hard, I had tears in my eyes. That's for asking Aerith on a date!
When I had calmed down a bit, I noticed that Cloud wasn't getting up. "C-Cloud? Are..Are you okay?," I asked, worried.
I quickly ran to him. He was now in a sitting position, clutching his arm. He hissed, probably in pain. "Cloud? I'm so sorry.. Maybe you're not well enough to play tag."
His eyes looked up and mine. "Tifa.. I'm fine. Besides..," he smirked, "you're 'It'." He gently tapped my shoulder and ran away as fast as he could.
"Cloud! That's so unfair!," I yelled, stomping my foot.
He stook his tongue out at me. "You're so gonna get it!," I yelled, running to my right.
My plan was the same as his: catching them off-guard from behind. Of course mine was gonna actually work! His was an epic fail.. I giggled silently. When I was about ten feet behind him, I became 'Ninja' and walked towards him. I stopped right behind him, thinking my plan over. "Tifa..,"
I looked up at Cloud, only to see the back of his head. I opened my mouth to say something, but maybe he was still trying to find me. I reached up, going to tap his shoulder. The next thing I knew, Cloud had his hands around my waist, spinning me in circles. "Cloud!," I gasped, surprised at his speed.
He chuckled. "You're not wet enough..,"
"What? What are you talking 'bout? I'm soaked!,"
"Well then, let's get even wetter!," he said, putting one arm under my waist and the other under the bend of my legs. He lifted me up off my feet, heading towards a sprinkler.
"NOOOO! No, Cloud! Please!," I yelled, kicking my legs up and down.
"Is it strange that this is a total turn-on for me?," he asked, eyeing me.
I stopped what I was doing and looked at him. He had that intense look in his eyes again.. Oh, gosh. His eyes are so pretty..
"You know what you should do?," he asked, breaking the silence.
"What?,"
"You should go stand right in front of a sprinkler, and let the water spray up your skirt."
I looked at him, appalled. "Wha..? Huh?," He smirked. "You're disgusting, Cloud."
"Thank you," he replied, putting me down.
"That wasn't a compliment, ya know?," I asked, fixing my skirt.
"It was to me."
I rolled my eyes. I turned to look at the sky; It was dark enough to see all the stars. Suddenly, I felt my wrist being pulled forward, along with the rest of my body. I came face-to-face with Cloud. My eyes widened and, I swear, my heart skipped a beat or two. I don't think I've been this close to him before. The closest I've been with him was probably when we were dancing together.
I gulped. He smirked at my nervousness. I notice him tilt his head a bit, his face coming closer to mine. I move my head back. This was actually his first time trying to kiss me. If I let him kiss me, it'll be my first kiss. Maybe..I should just let him. I've always wondered what it would feel like.
He came closer. Again, I move my head back. He doesn't retreat, though. I can tell he wants this.. In my heart, I know I want it, too. This time, he leans in even farther. I stay put. I guess he took this as my approval. He leans in, and I can already feel his breath against my lips. I'll let him.. He hasn't done anything..bad.
'I''
Aerith.. I can't take this anymore! Our lips almost brushed against each other until I moved my head back, grabbed his head with both my hands and...slammed my head against his.
"Oww!," Cloud yelled in pain.
I smirked. "That's what you get for 'compromising'."
I turned around and headed home..or at least the way I remember coming from. Hey! There's the tree that looks like that one tree in the Wizard of Oz! The first tree that threw apples at Dorothy! I smiled a little. I wonder what Cloud's lips taste like.. I shake my head. Stupid hormones..
I turned back to see Cloud still rubbing his forehead. I rolled my eyes. "Come on, Cloud.. Can't take a hit?," I teased.
He looked up at me. "I thought you didn't care about it?,"
The Aerith thing.. "I..Well how would you feel if I went on a date with Sack?," I asked.
He stood dumbfounded. "...Zack."
"You know what I mean," I said, mentally beating myself up for my stupidity.
"You don't even know him, so why would you?," he asked, walking to me.
"Well..What if when I see him, we instantly fall in love?,"
"Like..Love at first sight?," he asked, stopping next to me.
"Yeah.. Like that," I anwered, walking off again.
He walked next to me. "That's impossible. There's no such thing."
I glared at him. "Yes, there is."
He glared right back at me. "No, there isn't."
"Yes, there is!," I yelled in his face.
He closed the gap between us. "Prove it," he dared, his voice low and dark.
I bit my lip. Then, I saw that look in his eyes. That playful look, hidden by all the seriousness. "You're joking with me..," I said.
He smirked. "You saw right through it."
I walked away towards the Wizard of Oz tree with a smile on my face. I quickly stopped, realizing that, passed that tree, I didn't know the directions to take to get home.
I turned around, "Come on, slow poke! I don't know the rest of the way back!,"
I turned back around and started walking again. I gasped, feeling Cloud's arms grab me around my waist. He gave me a peck on my cheek, and walked away, holding my hand. I touched my cheek with my free hand, smiling all the way back home.
x-x
Cloud silently opened the door of his..or our house. We tiptoed up the stairs and headed to our rooms. "Where have you been all day?," someone asked from behind us.
We both turned around and saw Cloud's mother. "Mom?," asked Cloud. "I thought you were going to-"
"Well, I was," his mom interrupted, in a rather harsh voice. "but then, I thought that maybe I should bring my son with me to see what his future held for him. And I come home to him, dripping wet, and...," she glared at me. "holding hands with the orphan girl? Is there something going on that I should know about?,"
I matched her glare with my own. I then rolled my eyes and sighed, crossing my arms. "If you want to know what we were doing, I'll show you."
I turned to face Cloud, staring at him. He looked at me with confused eyes. I suddenly leaned in, and kissed him. It wasn't even just a quick peck on the lips. It was one of those wet, sloppy kisses. I don't even know how long we've been making out. All I remember was some lip sucking, tugging, licking..and maybe even some moans every now and then. When I finally ran out of breath, I pulled away. I licked my lips in pleasure.
I smiled at Cloud. I was so relieved to see him returning my smile. I looked back at Cloud's mother. She had gone speechless; her mouth hanging open.
"Good night, Miss," I said, sweetly.
I turned back to look at Cloud. "Good night, Cloud. Let's do it again soon."
And with that, I walked away with my head held high. Ooookay. So maybe that was what I wanted to happen. But, it's her house! Want me to be homeless, again? You know what? Don't answer that. This is what actually happened:
I struggled so hard not to say anything repulsive or rude to her comment about me. I bit my lip so hard, I swear I could taste blood. I even looked down cause I had the strongest urge to glare right back at her. If his mom was this..mean, I wonder what his dad is like.
Cloud tightened his grip on my hand. "I got in a fight today..," he confessed, turning away from his mom's glare.
Her face changed from Maleficent to a concerned mother. "What?,"
"They made fun of me..about dad dying. I-I couldn't hold in my anger anymore and threw a punch. I'm sorry," he explained, looking down.
I was shocked. His dad..is gone; dead. Wh-Why didn't he tell me? If..his dad had just recently died, how come he's so happy and playful all the time? Then, it struck me; he could let go of things much faster than me. He stayed strong, to help me with my loss. I looked down at the necklace he gave me.
'My dad used to wear it all the time. He said that it helped him through all the hard times he's been through. And.. Well, you're going through such a hard time. I think maybe.. You could use it.'
I tried to take my hand away from his, but he wouldn't let go. "Cloud..," I whispered.
"I need you," he replied, whispering.
His mom walked towards us. I pulled my hand out of his quickly enough before his mother reached us. I accidently looked up at her and saw her glaring at me. "Uhh.. Good night, Miss."
"Good night...Cloud," I said, walking away towards my room.
x-x
I sat in the limosine silently. Me and Cloud haven't talked at all since last night's encounter with his mother. I look at him, though. In his backpack, I know that he's got his date clothes to change into after school. I saw him stuffing it in there when I came down to eat breakfast. I look away, my eyes tearing up. I know he wouldn't try anything on Aerith, it's just.. I know how Aerith is. She's not shy about flirting, and she's very outgoing. I guess I just feel kinda threatened.
I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to look at Cloud(I mean..who else could it be?). He looked worried.
"Yeah?," I asked softly.
He smiled. "I'm sorry about last night. My mother was just worried," he explained.
I shook my head. "It's okay. I..wanted to ask you something,"
He raised his eyebrows. "Hm?,"
I gulped. "The necklace you gave me..can I give it back?,"
At first he didn't say anything. Then he gave out a light chuckle. "If you remember correctly, I told you to hang onto it for me. Besides..it looks nice on you."
I felt myself blush. "Okay.. So, uhmm.. Where are you taking Aerith?,"
"I.. Possibly the town mall."
I looked at him, disappointed. "That's..cute. Shouldn't you go somewhere romantic, like the beach or something?,"
He gave me an annoyed look. "Are you trying to make me feel bad?,"
I gave him an innocent look. "Whatever do you mean?,"
He chuckled. "Look, I know you're jealous..but Aerith didn't give me a choice."
I looked up at him. "What do you mean?,"
He sighed. "She threatened me with pictures of me and Zack...molesting kids."
"Oh, no wond-WHAT?," I said, nearly shouting.
He started laughing. "Sorry. Just a joke. The object of the threat was a picture of me..covered in make-up."
I burst out laughing, my eyes about to tear up. I noticed Cloud's cold glare and abruptly stopped. "H-how'd they get you to wear make-up?,"
He sighed. "Yuffie slipped some kind of sleeping drug in my orange juice. To be honest, it made the drink taste better."
I noticed we had reached school and opened the door. "You fall into traps too easily."
I shut the door closed and walked to the school. "Hey! I want you to meet Zack!," yelled Cloud from behind me.
I turned around and smiled. "Still need proof for 'Love at First Sight'?,"
He glared at me. "You wouldn't dare."
I leaned into him, our faces just inches apart. "Try me."
He smirked. "If I win, you're going on a date with me."
I leaned back, surprised at his challenge. Should I take it? But..wouldn't I be cheating on mine and Aerith's friendship? I sighed. "What do I get if I win?,"
"...I'll be your slave for a day."
I smiled. "Deal."
He returned my smile and held out his hand. I shyly took it and, instead of him dragging me along, I walked next to him. We walked passed the school, to the football field. When we got there, I spotted Aerith right away. She was in our school uniform, although she had forgotten to button her undershirt all the way, and was showing quite a bit of cleavage. Yuffie was standing next to her, dressed more appropriately, and talking non-stop, as always.
I felt Cloud wave at someone, and turned to see who it was. I didn't recognize him, but I knew it was Zack. His hair was dark blue and very spiky. His eyes were blue; similar to Clouds', but it didn't glow as much as Clouds' did. And, he was very, very tall. Now that I think about it, Cloud is pretty short for a guy. "Hi."
I turned towards the voice and saw Aerith, her arms wrapped around Clouds'. I instantly pulled my hand out of Clouds'. "H-Hi," I replied.
"TIFAAAAAAAAAA!,"
I turned and saw Yuffie running towards me, her arms flailing in the air. Oh no.. Don't tell me she's- "Yuffie, Noooooo!,"
I put my arms out in front of me, preparing to get knocked down. "Whoa.. Slow down there, Yuff."
I opened my eyes. Oh thank, God! Cloud actually..- ZACK? I stood dumbfounded, staring at Zack..AND YUFFIE!..kinda.
"Zack! I can't believe you ditched me last night! You said there were materia at the carnival! YOU LIAR! YOU'RE SO GONNA DIE! I'M A PRINCESS! A PRINCESS!,"
"What kind of princess can't even wear high-heels?,"
"You bastard! How 'bout I shove my shoe up your-"
"Heeeeey, Yuffie," I said, interrupting their conversation.
She turned to look at me. "Oh, hi, Tifa. Just..taking care of some business..es."
I glanced at Zack. He was looking at me. "Hi. I'm Zack!," he said, rather cheerful.
I blushed. "Tifa. Nice to meet you."
"Tifa.. Tifa.. I've heard that before..," he said, tapping his chin. His eyes landed on Cloud, who I swear has been watching me this whole time. He pounded his fist against his hand. "I got it! You're Cloud's Tifa!,"
Just as I was about to look at Cloud, a girl with a very, very low-cut shirt, fell and flashed everyone. I looked away as soon as I..yeah. Cloud grabbed me and pulled me into an embrace, leaving Aerith standing alone. I felt myself blush furiously, since it was right in front of everybody. Although they might've been busy enjoying the..other sight. "You okay?," he asked.
I nodded. "Luckily, Zack was there."
"Boobies, they're just two round rills. Boobies, watch out before they spill,"
"Hey! That's offensive!," yelled Aerith.
"Oh..right. Penis, it's just a long, hard stick-"
"ZACK!," we all yelled in unison.
"I'll take you to class," said Cloud, dragging me back to school.
"Cloud, I'm..gonna go. Might be late for first hour," said Aerith, dragging Yuffie along.
He nodded. "Cloud!," yelled Zack. "Go walk Aerith to class. I'll take Tifa."
"But-," started Cloud.
"No. You're taking her on a date, so go woo her."
Cloud glared at Zack. "Fine," he said, gritting his teeth.
I looked at Zack. Does he like me? He smiled and walked over to me.
"Hey.. Sorry I did that. I just wanted to ask you something."
My eyes locked with his. "What is it?,"
"I was wondering if you'd like to help me with my scheme."
"Scheme? Oh, you mean plan!," I said.
"Nooo.. Scheme! Scheme sounds more evil," he stated.
"Riiiight. Okay, I'm in. So what's your scheme?," I asked.
He smirked, evilly. "Perfect."
