Okay, this has taken a while to complete but I hope you find the wait worth it.
Chapter III: Bottoms Up!
Inside the trash land that was her room, Rinoa stood staring at the creature on the desk - her desk, sadly.
The room was taking longer to clean than she thought; it was nearing night but she didn't see herself sleeping in the place anytime soon. Although the beer cans and sandwiches, as well as balls of paper, had all been thrown away, the smears and stains were still there. The electric fan was running at full speed in the attempt to get rid of the stench, yet it was still there. She had even discovered several curious piles of icky liquids underneath the bed. She was also tempted to burn the bed sheet that had turned yucky yellow, but she knew better. Not only would she get punished for supposedly destroying school's property, she might be put on probation for arson if things went out of control. And the last thing she needed was the school contacting her parents, who were probably halfway around the world right now. Bottom line, it would be more trouble than it was worth.
There was a medium-sized wardrobe near the foot of the bed, which she had discovered to be the source of the awful smell. She still hadn't found the courage to actually open it, afraid that she would find a miniature Malboro inside - or at least something close to it. After six hours of trying to get things organized, she had realized that this room had more to clean than meets-the-eye. The more she looked around, the more garbage and dirt showed themselves. She couldn't help but feel that she would never be able to get the place cleaned.
As much as she didn't want to deal with the spider, she knew she had to sooner or later. And right now, she couldn't bear to leave it there anymore. When she was in the bathroom, Seifer had taken the chance to sneak into her room and flipped the dead spider over so that it looked like it was alive and standing. Just by looking at it, she couldn't shake off the feeling that the hairy insect would jump at her if she turned her back to it, and she needed to turn her back to it so that she could clean the rest of the room.
Rinoa crossed her arms and shifted her weight, still staring at the spider. She tried to assure herself that nothing would happen, but every look only confirmed her fear of the arachnid. Why did things have to turn out like this? 'I really should start locking my door.' She thought, reminding herself that she was no longer living at home. And right, either it was since last year or just now, Seifer had also sabotaged the lock to her door … just terrific. If she reported this then she might just get the blame all onto herself.
With a final grumble, she unfolded her arms and reached back to take a paper bag which she hadn't used yet; her eyes never left the spider. She quickly spread the bag out and approached the insect. Every step triggered more and more of her senses, readying herself for any form of danger. She couldn't help a small part of her that was laughing at her own cowardice. 'Come on, Rinoa. It's a dead spider, what could it possibly do to you?' She tried to think encouragingly and pushed on.
Just as she was about to bring the bag down on the spider, she saw its leg twitched and its figure retracted in a fraction of an inch. In a millisecond, her eyes widened and she bounced backwards with pure instinct as the spider suddenly launched itself right passed her shoulder. She let out a horrified yell and sprang to a side, throwing the paper bag towards the spider. It never hit the stampeding insect and Rinoa frantically tiptoed in a circle, trying to avoid the spider.
She grabbed the bed sheet, the nearest thing she could reach, and pulled it down onto the hairy monstrosity. Then, she took the chance and pranced to the door, slamming it shut the moment she got outside.
Leaning back against the door that had separated her from the nightmarish room, she panted heavily; her heart was pumping with fright. She let out a small whimper and slowly slid down to the floor. Her mind took time to register what had happened.
The spider, which was supposed to be dead, was moving - running and jumping … Rinoa hugged herself as cold chills ran down her spine. She couldn't believe she had been so close to a living spider. So … Seifer never went into her room to flip the thing over, it flipped itself. She now learned that assuming could be very dangerous. 'For once he's not the cause of my misery.' She mused sarcastically and choked out a wry smile.
Frustrated, that was what she was feeling. It was only the first day of her dormy life and so much was unpleasant. Maybe it was because she had tried to stand up to Seifer, maybe it was because she had tried to change her life. But then … if she hadn't fought back then what would have been different? Her dorm room had been decided since summer, her bedroom had already been trashed last year. Change or no change, she was bound to be bullied. Maybe … this was for the best.
Rinoa ran hands through her messy hair and sighed. There was no describing her disgruntlement, it was so unfair! As she mentally cursed a certain person, she heard the sound of door opening. From behind the wall between the two rooms emerged a smirking blond; a couple of wine glasses and a brand new bottle of alcohol - the high quality type - was in one of his hands. She was surprised, seeing how Seifer had went from cheap beer cans to first grade wine, but she wouldn't be so stupid as to ask him. Considering how he was in such a good mood, he would definitely rub it in her face even if she didn't ask.
Sure enough, the blond immediately made his way towards her the moment he saw her in this comical state of withdrawal. He shot a glance at her belongings that were still outside, in a corner and snickered loudly, obviously trying to rile her.
"Hey there, cutie." He stooped down before her and tapped at her cheek. Seifer was always tapping and slapping and pinching and … everything with her face. What was his problem? She hated him touching her! She hated how she kept amusing him even when she was so angry. Rinoa glared at him, to which he only chuckled.
"You're not jealous, are you?"
Rinoa rolled her eyes at the question and brushed his hand away. "Why should I?" She pushed herself up and walked to the table, trying to conceal her nervousness. She always lost all of her courage every time she was pitched against Seifer, this fact aggravated her. He was like some sort of phobia to her.
By concentrating on the empty beer cans on the table, she allowed herself a swift moment of facing away from him. After feeling a tad more secure, she turned back to the blond and crossed her arms to give herself more confidence. Seifer looked at her and folded his arms also, an amused expression was evident on his face as he took slow steps towards her. The girl didn't move from her spot, not because she was brave enough to confront him, but simply because she was scared witless. She couldn't think up a better course of action other than bracing herself for anything he might throw at her.
"I don't know," he walked right into her personal space and bent down at her. As his face inched closer and closer, her body froze and her mind was in complete chaos. She had to try her hardest to keep herself from cringing under his frame. Seifer's nose stopped just centimeters away from hers, and he said with his trademark smirk. "Maybe because I don't have a dump as my room." His smug voice brought up a new wash of anger in her.
"Oh, so you do realize it's a land of garbage in there." She snapped back, frowning. "You're such a …" She searched her mind for another word other than Meanie. That word would be too light for the likes of him."Tonberry!" She sputtered out the only insult she could come up with, and she regretted it. Not only the insult never got to him, it even served as a great source of laughter for him. She could feel the heat accumulating at her cheeks as his cackling resounded in the room.
"Well, pity. Even Tonberrys choose the King of GFs' place to live." Seifer said after he finished his irritating laugh, ruffling her hair violently. From his lips, she could no longer smell the sickening alcohol but instead was a cool breath of peppermint. The blond then, to her surprise, brought his free hand down to her forehead and pinched slightly just above the bridge of her nose, clicking his tongue. "No, no, you'll get a very ugly wrinkle this way."
She had been frozen by his approach before, but now, she was petrified by his touch. It wasn't like he had never touched her before, in fact, he had touched her way too much to her liking. It was the sentence that came with his action that made her perplexity. The guy who had mercilessly used permanent markers on her face was worried about how she could get a wrinkle? Technically, he wasn't worried, but for him to say it, even just by a whim, gave her a very … strange feeling.
Before she could fully understand what was happening, Seifer abruptly pulled back and held out the wine glasses and bottle to her in a cheering manner. "And apparently, Quistis loves Tonberrys. Says they're cool or something like that. Guess now I know why." His voice had an annoyingly punctuated tone as he waltzed pass her, and she inwardly let out a sigh of relief. It seemed she was off the hook. Rinoa pivoted her head; her gaze following him as she realized something.
"… Wait," she said, halting him in his path. "You … Isn't A wing partying right now?"
"Ah, yes. Ex-actly." Seifer snapped his fingers and triumphantly pointed at her. "She has never been a partygoer. So I, as the kind and chivalrous person that I am, will come to her in lonely time." He held up the wine bottle carefully, placing a kiss on its surface. "Scored." He shot Rinoa a meaningful look and left before she could give another comment on the matter.
She stood slack jawed, staring at the closed door; her hands on the table to support herself up. 'This isn't right-' Unexpectedly, the door opened once again and Seifer poked his head inside. She raised one eyebrow at him confusedly, what was it that he wanted now? With a smirk, he wasted no time to answer her unsaid question. "If you can't wrap things up with your room, we can always share mine."
The second the meaning of his sentence struck her, her face flushed with many shades of red. It must have been quite obvious since Seifer burst out laughing at her expression. On the spur of a moment, she snatched a beer can lying near her hand and threw it at him. With his lightning fast reflex, he easily deflected the impromptu weapon by closing the door. Rinoa grabbed another can and readied to hurl it at his cocky face if he even dared to show to her it again. She stayed in her position for a whole long minute, before realizing that the blond had left for good. She sighed and placed the can down dispiritedly.
Pulling a chair out, she sat down and started rubbing her forehead. Why was she so easily angered by him? Anything he did would induce some sort of reaction from her, big or small, and she hated it. She knew that he found enjoyment from jerking her around, but she didn't know how to make it uninteresting for him. He was always sarcastic and had a twisted way of humoring himself, and sadly, however she chose to react only made him more motivated in bullying her.
She let out another sigh and looked at the clock on the wall. It was nearly ten, the party in A wing was about to start. Selphie had invited her like the girl had promised in the morning. Well, no use moping around. Yes, she had recovered quite fast, unlike somebody she knew, who was always brooding alone in a corner. Rinoa found herself smiling at the mental image of her friend, and she proceeded to change out of her sweaty clothes. When she was done, she realized something … something very devastating. Her shoes had been left inside the trash land … Terrific.
There was a party, and the atmosphere in A wing didn't put shame to the word. Everyone was enthusiastically preparing for the super-duper-mega-new-year celebration, as Selphie has insisted on naming it. There was everything you'd expect from a party: lights, dance music, food, and drinks - especially drinks. It seemed they all were keen on getting hangovers right after the first day; where the logic was in that, she didn't know. Was there something fun in indulging oneself in alcoholic drinks and then let loose of one's sanity? If there was, Quistis Trepe didn't see it. Having received home education up until her high school day, maybe her view of things was different, but she couldn't help questioning if that was the only reason.
Quistis walked pass the scattered crowd of females, returned a frantic wave from Selphie from afar and continued towards the exit. Perhaps she only needed to wait until she could fully accept, or at least tolerate what seemed to be teenage norms. Although she didn't see that happening anytime soon, as she had been through her first year of high school with her conception still intact. Call her old-fashioned, straitlaced or what-have-you, she just couldn't understand why adolescence had to come with partying and getting drunk.
Oh but, there was one thing that changed, and even herself would be surprised if she thought about it from time to time. And for some odd reason, the thoughts would put a small smile on her lips.
"Oh, come on! Let me in!" A familiar male voice exclaimed with frustration, catching her attention. It was Seifer, who was being blocked by some girls in charged of keeping unwanted guests out.
"Sorry, unless you're invited by one of our girls, you can't go in." One of the girls was doing a very good job at forbidding the blond's entrance.
Seifer hands were all busied with a bottle of wine and two flutes; she could see the guy had had their night all planned out. With a soft sigh that resembled a smile, Quistis strode up to the group. She should intervene before her blond loses his nearly volatile patience. "As a matter of fact, I am invited," he said smugly. "You must be new. Everyone knows that my fucking girl is here."
"Yes, well, Seifer." She stepped between him and the girls before they could say anything back. Seifer was beginning to use expletives, that either meant he was elate or he was getting cranky. And she doubted it was the former. "Your girl doesn't appreciate being referred to with that kind of language."
"Right, right," he waved his hand that was holding the wine bottle, obviously showing off what he had prepared. Well, he did go the distance: from cheap beer to expensive wine. "So is the lady gonna invite her man in?"
This guy here was her big change. One year ago, if someone had told her that she would befriend a delinquent, she would have laughed at them - metaphorically, since she simply didn't laugh. But now, let alone befriending, she found herself in a romantic relationship with a certain delinquent. With him, she discovered emotions she had never felt before; they were subtle but sweet enough to make butterflies soar in her stomach. Although he aggravated her with his arrogance and sarcasm, she couldn't help being attracted to the much gentler and more caring side of him. Yes, she realized those adjectives were awkward-sounding on Seifer; he had a fine way of distracting others from noticing his good side.
Quistis saw his confident smirking face and knew that she had failed to put on a disapproving frown; her subconscious smile at him had only stroked his ego even further. She turned to the girls and said in gentle dismissal. "Don't worry, he's with me." She tried to act normal as she was faced with three besotted expression staring dreamily at her and gestured for Seifer to follow her. Not wanting to entertain other people with any kind of scene with the blond, she hurried back the way she had come from. She didn't turn back to check if he was behind her or not, because he was likely to go at his own pace, and he knew exactly where to find her.
As Seifer walked pass the female guards, one of them suddenly said. "I … I'm so jealous! Alone with Ms Trepe … Oh how I love thee Ms. Trepe, I cannot sleep at night thinking of your radiating beauty, that is why I am always falling asleep in class ... Oh, how sinful you are ..." The poetic remark pinned him to the spot, and he spun around to face the threesome. The poet was obviously the girl with the thin ponytail. Noticing his attention, the shorthaired girl added in. "Hey, you better show some courtesy to Ms. Trepe!"
'… Trepies? For real? I thought Chickenwuss was only cuckooing when he said there was a Quistis's FC.' He crossed his arms and looked at the girls with unease. "You … you're not freshmen, are you?"
"No, we are." Ponytail said matter-of-factly. "We fell in love with Ms. Trepe since middle school, Hyne was so kind to let us enroll in the same school as her. I've heard rumors, but confirming that she has such a jerk as friend-"
"Boyfriend." He corrected quickly.
"Whatever!" The two girls spat in chorus. "We see no difference."
"Touché," Seifer quipped, using the flutes in his hand to regard the two girls. "Shorthair, Ponytail, you Leonhart's disciples or something?"
"As if! I don't see how others could worship him, he screams trouble from a mile away." Shorthair flung her hands into the air to emphasize her point and turned back outside, deciding to get on with her guarding job. "By the way, it's Zara. Not Shorthair!"
"Beatriz." The ponytail girl followed up and turned away also.
The blond scratched the back of his head, still found it unbelievable that he had exchanged such idiocy with girls he barely knew - and that the Trepies actually existed. His eyes drifted to the third girl with wavy long hair, who had stayed silent throughout the whole conversation. She seemed like the cutesy type, that however, the way she was staring at him was nothing short of scary. The girl didn't even blink, and he felt eerily unnerved.
"What? You have something to say then spit it out!" Seifer snapped impatiently. "Don't tell me your name is Tawny or-"
"It is." She answered simply and he blinked, his mouth fell open. Her name was actually Tawny? He was going to ask if she was for real when the girl continued. "Are you giving Ms. Trepe trouble? Up until now, you have made Ms. Trepe angry thirty-four times, let her down five times and stood her up twice …"
He stared back at the girl in horror, backing away a few steps. The wine bottle and glasses were beginning to feel slippery in his grip as his hands dampened. 'What the- how the fuck did she know? Has she been spying on us? No, no, this is ridiculous! Even I don't know when Quistis is truly mad.' Seifer tried to assure himself that the doll face was only bluffing, after all, the numerical count was very doubtful. But then … 'I really did stand her up twice …'
"I-I see." He mumbled lamely.
"Should anything happen to Ms. Trepe, the Trepies will get you back!"
Rinoa warily walked along the dark hallway of A wing. It was already way passed curfew, and the place was dimly lit only by the moonlight. In the darkness, she could make out small groups of people gathering together with packs and packs of beer cans. And well, since this was a boy's dorm, she was sure those people were all guys. Some of them were already drawling and staggering, which only made her more cautious.
She never thought wandering around a foreign place filled with drunk guys in the night would be this scary. Her clothes weren't very revealing, if at all. From the knowledge she had about clothing, shirts and long jeans were never the epitome of revealing. Still, their curious gazes plastered all over her, and all their whisperings were about why a girl would be here. They weren't the most uncivilized bunch she had ever seen but their overall assumptions of her just weren't very nice. She really wanted to give those boys a taste of what she had learned in self-defense, but remembering she had never been the best fighter, she chose to let it go in dismissal.
'Maybe … I should've listened to Mr. Night.' She thought nervously, stepping back from the three figures standing in her way. Her throat nearly produced a whimpering sound, but she held it in just in time. It wasn't a good idea to let them know she was afraid … but on a second thought, maybe they had already known from her body language.
"W-what?" She asked, hoping the boys wouldn't notice her stuttering. But that chance was as slim as a ray of sunlight during Trabian winter. The three guys broke out laughing in the maniacal way that Seifer had before; was that how all boys reacted to alcohol, she wondered. They swiftly exchanged words within themselves, snickering in the process, before turning back to her.
"Aw, she's scared, guys." Said the shortest guy of the three, his voice had an irritating pitch.
"Don't be, cutie." Another guy, who was just sitting peacefully on the floor just moments ago, shot up from his position and joined in; his voice was loud, as if he was trying to gather more participants in this game of cornering. "It's not like big brothers here will eat you up or anything."
'Oh, come on.' Rinoa mentally rolled her eyes. 'I'm know some of you are one year my junior.'
His hollering was answered with many whistles and howls coming from every direction. It seemed he had successfully gained the attention and support from every guy in presence. Rinoa was truly in a pinch now. She had never been in this type of situation before, surrounded by boys with literally nowhere to run to. Drunkards with hardly an iota of sanity left were scattered along the hallway as far as she could see into the darkness, and she noticed two more figures were sauntering her way from afar, shading her view of her only exit.
These guys didn't seem like they would listen to reasoning anymore, and the way they were circling Rinoa made her nothing but a cornered prey. She fought a mental battle between the choices of running away and screaming for help, but could hardly concentrate her thoughts to come to a decision. Rationality told her there was a reason why people never tried to run straight passed a horde of laggard corpses in those zombie movies, and considering how the males around her were so close to those carrions, she wasn't about to make such an obvious mistake. Should she call for help, then? More importantly, would anyone come to her rescue soon enough? Because the moment she starts a racket, the boys will most likely silence her right away without much ado. Wasn't there anyone here that she knew and could help her?
'Mr. Night …' she cried under her breath. The reliable teacher popped up in her mind immediately. If he hears her call for help, or anyone's really, surely he will come. But the problem here was if. For all she knew, the blond man could be sleeping soundly in his room, not a care about the silent party the F-wing boys were having and sadly, not a clue about the ordeal the girl under his supervision was in.
Just then, she was torn away from her thoughts as a guy grabbed her from behind and snuggled at her neck. The suddenness brought a scream right through her lips, which had been carefully knitted shut up until now. Hearing her frightened voice seemed to encourage them more, and they began a heated discussion about something. She was too scared to understand what was spoken between them, but a part of her hinted that any comprehension of their exchanges now would only make her valiant, which was already near naught, plummet even further.
In vain she tried to wriggle herself from the foreign presence existing so contemptibly close to her. His snickering brought disgusting breaths to her nose, and her ears were filled with haunting banters. There was a block inside her throat, refusing to let her vocal cord vibrate so that she could produce a simple yell. Was the event from four years ago going to happen all over again … and take a turn for much worse? Squall was somewhere in this wing also, he could very well be quietly sipping beer at a corner somewhere, completely turning a blind eye to her difficulty. That would be quite easy for someone as uncaring as him.
The thought angered her; it gave her a newfound source of strength as she shoved the guy behind her away. Bad move, she realized. Her spontaneous retaliation acted as a trigger for the other guys to join in, and she was utterly dumbstruck as two of them nailed her against the wall.
"My, she's a feisty one." She heard a voice commented.
"Reminds me of a chick I banged." Another slurred. "Literally, though." And they all howled out with laughter once again.
Rinoa paled at the notion. For someone who was drunk, he had quite a brain for words. She didn't know which one was worse, literally or in slang. From the corner of her eyes, she could see the two guys, who she had seen walking from afar, had now arrived at the circle of their own kind and was trying to find out what was drawing so much attention. She knew it was them because she had noticed the obvious difference in height between those two; one boy was very short and the other was quite the contrast. There was no hope of any of her friends are here, it seemed. No Zell, no Irvine. She didn't know about Squall and Seifer … the mere thought that the blond might come to her rescue nearly made her laugh, if she had any mirth for the action right now.
"Hey, hey," yet another unfamiliar voice spoke up, and the crowd around her dispersed lightly to let the taller one of the newcomers in. When the boy finally managed to stand in front of her, he lightly tapped on the guys who was pinning her to the wall. "Okay, stop, stop … I said stop." Every noise ceased for a moment before bursting out again, this time whiny and unenthusiastic, mumbling discontentedly about the blatant interruption.
"You okay?" The tall guy said, pulling Rinoa out of the subconsciously loosened grasps of the others. Even when she was still having trouble registering what was going on, a relief was rushing inside her, because at least someone was decent and sober enough to save her. "Not cool, guys. Not cool! She's my girl." Her heart fell and her body stiffened as the guy pulled her close into a hug, placing a slight kiss near the corner of her mouth. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, that what it was. She had probably escaped a bunch of wolves … only to fall into the arms of a coyote, who had enough confidence to outright steal the others' fun - that should say something about him.
In response to his declaration was a mixture of dissatisfied growls and boos, but everyone was completely passive about objecting the guy's want. Some of them were whisperings and pointing at the short guy that had been standing nonchalantly at the peripheral. Funny. They were too drunk to realize the obscenity of sexual harassment but were still sober enough to quail before an influential presence. 'Surprise, surprise.' She thought sardonically before turning her attention back to the tall guy.
'So he's only relying on his friend's notoriety.' She would have expected him, who was attempting to swipe her away, to have more of a backbone. Nonetheless, she was being led out from the suffocating circle of drunkards. She wordlessly complied with the stranger's control, playing along with his bluff. As far as she planned, fleeing from two guys was far easier than a bunch of them.
But … the guy was tall, hence had long legs that may catch up to her dozens of steps with a few strides. His short friend followed him closely and was shooting watchful glances at her. His strong hand, as if readied for her escape, had such a tight hold on her shoulder. He was pressing her to his chest so firmly and intimately that it was hard enough to walk properly, much less run.
When they turned around the corner of the hallway, she decided that it was far enough. Determined on bolting away, she was about to resort to biting, elbowing, shin-kicking, foot-stomping, … whatever it took to extricate herself and make the grand escape, when the guy unexpectedly released his grasp and turned to face her. "Okay, we're safe. Good job, you improvised very well." He sounded very satisfied, showing her his thumb.
Rinoa blinked, a lot more surprised than she showed, maybe the scare just now had frozen her face. She really didn't expect to be rescued after that kiss at the corner of her mouth. Now that she thought about it, he could have easily gone for her lips, but he didn't. So … he was putting up an act?
"Sheesh, what are you doing in a boy's dorm anyway?" The tall boy took note of her spaced-out expression and snapped his fingers. "Oh, oh. I see." He said with mock accusation, placing a hand to his chest melodramatically. "You thought I was just another pervert, didn't you? Well, geez, I'm hurt."
"You could have given her a heads-up, idiot." The short boy raised his voice for the first time, his deep voice bearing a strange ring to it. And she noticed he was even shorter than her! By a head, too! Maybe, she didn't need to worry about her own height after all. Catching her stare, the boy grimaced and grumbled almost ominously. "Got a problem with my height?" It was like he could read her mind.
"N-no, not at all." She shook her head more zealously than he would have liked: his glare at her only deepened. 'Wow, touchy much?'
"Easy, man. She's gone through some serious trouble here." The tall boy intercepted and offered her his hand. "I'm Thanatos, sorry for the confusion. This here's Traith, he's always in a foul mood so don't take anything he says to heart, okay?"
Traith seemed very much displeased with the way he was introduced, but kept his mouth shut. In a sense, he reminded her of Squall … a more outspoken version of Squall though. She smiled inwardly at the comparison.
"Okay." Rinoa replied weakly and accepted his friendly gesture, still bewildered. Everything was happening so fast. One moment, she was hopeless with none of her friends around to help her, and the next she was already safe before she even knew it. "I'm Rinoa."
"So Rinoa, what are you doing here?" Thanatos folded his arms questioningly. "I'm sure I've spread enough rumors about F wing so that most girls won't even scutter near."
"What kind of rumors?" She let her curiosity get the best of her and delayed answering his inquiry.
"That it's a place for gangs and ringleaders to gather at night." The guy shared generously. "It's not true, but as you can see, on a certain level, the rumors fit." He used his thumb to point back to the groups of drunk male infesting the hallway. "They're usually not half bad, but with a few cans, they go wild."
"Oh, I've never heard any of that." She said honestly. If he had been spreading rumors then he probably wasn't very successful in proving them valid.
"Really!" The tall boy exclaimed dispiritedly. "Damn. … So, you're gonna answer me or not?" His tone suddenly became blunt and flat, leaving no room for topic-changing. She was surprised at his new attitude, but managed to summon her wits quick enough to reply.
"Right, well, you see," Rinoa dawdled for a bit, unsure of how much she should inform these new acquaintances. "Under some circumstances, I actually live here."
"What? You do?" Thanatos dropped his unfolded his arms and slapped at Traith's shoulder merrily. "See? I told you. There is a girl living here!"
His reaction to her nearly jaw-dropping news was a bit too calm. And it seemed he was quite well-informed of the queer fact that there was a girl living in the boy's dorm. She was never secretive about it, but she was confident that no one would know about this, at least not in less than a day. How did he come to know?
"Yes, yes. Whatever you say." Traith answered dully, turning around. "Let's go already." He didn't seem too keen on hanging around as he swiftly proceeded to walk away without waiting for his friend. Thanatos lingered a bit to shrug apologetically at her.
"Like I said, don't mind him." He said gently, pausing a bit before bending down to her eye-level and spoke in a stern tone. "And Rinoa, don't go out alone at night from now on. The hall will most likely be full of jerks like that. More earnest guys, who might help you, are always indoor at this hour because they don't want trouble. You're in luck that Traith and I are outside tonight. And believe me, luck is can be very whimsical. Okay?" Rinoa was quite taken aback and only replied with a nod.
"Alright! A bit late, but welcome to the wing. We're just around the block so if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. We might just be more reliable than luck." He laughed heartily at his own joke and saluted her before turning away.
Rinoa slightly waved back at him, but was too late as he had already started taking large strides to catch up with his friend, leaving Rinoa standing alone in the empty part of the hallway. She retracted her hand consciously, a smile was tugging at the corners of her mouth.
It was a pleasant meeting, never mind its terrible prelude - and the kiss too, but that was to save her so she didn't mind it much … maybe. Anyways, she didn't see their faces very clearly, but Thanatos seemed like a nice guy and Traith, he was an interesting find, because … 'He's shorter than me!' She cheered silently, knowing that if the short boy knew of her thoughts, she would receive a glare that might freeze Shiva herself. Okay, she didn't mean to sound too happy about it, she still knew she her height was not something to be proud of.
Rinoa looked at her watch and gasped at how late she was for the party; Selphie would never let her hear the end of this.
"I love you!" In the silence of the night, three simple, common words were pronounced. Yet, they were far from normal.
Rinoa Heartilly, age seventeen, for the first time was guilty of eavesdropping. The scene that unfolded before her was one she thought could only be scene in mushy soap opera. Never in her life had she expected to see a love confession live.
She was standing surreptitiously behind a tall tree trunk, concealing her presence from two other human beings. Why did things – disturbing things keep happening to her, she wondered. The woman had already chosen such an obscure spot in the garden to make sure of her privacy, and yet, Rinoa still managed to accidentally walk by. She was beginning to suspect that she had a knack of getting herself into trouble.
'Why? Why did I ever decide to take a shortcut?' She cried silently.
The conversation would soon be far too personal for an outsider such as her, and by staying there, she risked the chance of being caught. That would be very awkward and embarrassing, and she was sure she hadn't the thick skin to endure the repercussion. Moreover, she knew these two people, and that would only double the shame if she was discovered listening in on their exchanges.
She should have left the two alone by now, but for some reason, she found it very hard to do so. Instead, she noticed there was a very questionable urge nagging at her to watch this confession to the end. She was prepared to risk it all; she was curious and something else, which she couldn't determined. Considering how they were … faculty members, Rinoa convinced herself that any student would want to see the development of this romance. 'Even Squall wouldn't be able to resist!' … Alright, fine, that was a bit farfetched.
Rinoa snaked her body along the width of the tree and peeked a glance at the two adults, making sure that she wasn't hallucinating. But then again, hallucinations didn't include sound effects, and the I love you sentence sounded pretty real to her. No, she wasn't seeing or hearing things; they were there, eyes still locked with each other's. Even though it was quite dark, with only the moonlight illuminating the place, she could still make out the said faculty members. It was Ms. Lunacrast, the dorms manager, who had declared her love; her mane of lush obsidian hair was unmistakable. And the object of her affection was none other than Mr. Nightsphere, or Mr. Night for short. So, okay, she admitted that she got nosy because her favorite teacher was involved.
Seeing this love confession surprised Rinoa on so many levels. When she had watched those two converse this morning, she had had a hunch there was something between those two. At least, she thought they were way passed the point of confessing. But this … they hadn't gotten anywhere! It seemed even adults moved slowly in this sophisticate matter called love.
This love declaration was, however, different from what she had gathered from the many romances she had read. Ms. Lunacrast wasn't blushing or showing any hint of reservation, instead she was confident – demanding even. As for Mr. Night, cool and composed as he was, Rinoa could still tell he was deeply bothered. This confession didn't seem like it would end happily.
The dark-haired girl observed the situation intensely and tried to guess what would be her homeroom teacher's reply. He didn't seem like he was very enthusiastic about this whole ordeal, but knowing him, he might just say yes to not break the woman's heart. That … induced a bad churn inside Rinoa's stomach and made her crane further around her hideout, resolved to not miss a thing. She saw him shifted his stance and his jaw worked. He was going to answer! Her heart beat faster and faster, her fingers dug into the rough bark as she anticipated the worse possible outcome.
Night had spent his years knowing Lilith with a platonic relationship. He knew the small girl from his past had kept her feelings for him into womanhood, he knew she saw him more than a friend and had long since drawn the line. He appreciated that she had always respected his wish. So why now did she bring this up when he thought she had already gotten over him? How could she say those three words, with their deep meaning, along with the wish for closeness and intimacy, to him? Was she still trying to back him into a corner knowing it was futile?
"I know, Lilith. I know, but I can't return your feelings. And you know that." Night said accusingly, bracing himself for any kind of outburst from the woman. Growing up by her side had taught him Lilith was very hard to predict. She was a very proud woman of the Lunacrast house, she wouldn't let anything get to her composure, but in the most unexpected of time she could break down and cry just like an ordinary female.
"You're saying I don't have a chance?" Lilith fumed; it seemed she had chosen to be aggressive this time around. "You never give me any! Why can't it be me? You even opened your heart to that-"
"You're being repetitive. Don't drag her into this, I told you she's like a sister!" He said harshly, wagging a finger at her in warning. He didn't mean to lash out, but the woman was just being unreasonable. She had to know when to give up and … give the other man a chance. She was the one who needed to give others chances, not him.
Lilith opened her small pair of lips to say something, but stopped and walked towards him. He stood still, arms crossed, waiting to see what she had in mind. Maybe a slap, maybe a grab at his shirt collar - she had a record of being quite violent at times. When her petite body was only few centimeters away from his, she brought her hands up to his neck, so it was the collar after all. However, she lifted them passed his neck and suddenly, her movements were lightning fast as she knitted her fingers behind his skull and abruptly fell back. Her hands hooked to the back of his head and pulled him down with her, it was mere reflex that his arms spread out to cushion himself from the fall.
He was lying on top of her and she had a devilishly satisfied smile on her pale face. "Lilith …" He mumbled disapprovingly as his brows met, still couldn't believe she had resorted to this kind of cheap trick. If anyone saw this now …
"Ouch!" A feminine voice accompanied by rustlings pulled at his attention, and he snapped his head towards the direction of the noise. What he saw made his eyes went wide and his body taut. His student's, Rinoa's head was protruding from a dark bush to his left. Her brown, bewildered orbs locked with his and her flustered face quickly turned beat-red.
"Ah … I …" She stuttered, scrambling up and out of the bush, hastily ran hands through her hair to smoothen the many knots. "I'm sorry." He noticed Lilith's grasp had been loosened and immediately pushed himself up and away from her, his eyes never leaving Rinoa.
"Ms. Heartilly, what are you doing here at this hour?" Lilith said quite coolly, placing her hands onto her hips. She really was only hiding her embarrassment; to the woman, being caught doing something so bold and out of character must have been mortifying. "You do realize it's passed curfew."
"… I was only …" Rinoa hesitated; she couldn't say that she was going to a party now, could she? 'Great, bad impression right from the first day.' She cringed at the thought. Realizing she was stalling for too long, she connected the tips of her fingers nervously and said with sad humor. "I was staying up passed curfew?"
Ms. Lunacrast looked at her searchingly, deep azure eyes were almost scorching. "It's the party, isn't it?" The manager asked out of nowhere, surprising her greatly. The woman then proceeded to gave Mr. Night a reproachful glance and turned on her heels. "Night, keep in mind that this conversation isn't over." And she promptly disappeared from behind the layer of trees, leaving her and Mr. Night behind with a very awkward atmosphere.
The silence stretched. She stared back at the blond teacher, sweats damped the back of her neck. He brought a hand across his chest and gripped at his shoulder, a habit he had when he was perplexed. Rinoa was wondering how much longer would this go on when the man proved himself to be the adult and broke the silence. "Sorry that you have to witness such a scene, Rinoa." His smile was somewhat strained as he reduced the distance between them.
"Ah! N-no problem!" She jumped at the chance to normalize the situation. "I was just … going to the party in A wing, as Ms. Lunacrast has … said …" Her voice became small as she realized what she had said. Epic fail. Why did she mention the root of the awkwardness?
"I see," he nodded and put a hand to her back to guide her along with him. "I'm heading in that direction also, so how about we go together?"
"Okay!" She beamed.
As they walked on the gravel path, she was worried there would be another awkward silence when her teacher asked. "Rinoa, did the boys give you any trouble?" His question startled her. Memories of how she had been surrounded flooded into her and brought chills down her spine like a spider with cold legs. And right, talking about spiders … she had never gotten her shoes in the end. "And … why are you walking barefooted?" He added, seemingly had only just noticed the oddly missing footwear.
"No, they didn't. I guess I'm pretty lucky, huh?" She decided to keep him from what had actually happened and save herself from a possible lecture. To avoid further questioning about the topic, she was quick to add. "And, you know, I hate spiders."
The minute he had set eyes on her, he knew that there would be a lot of competition if he were to pursue her heart. The moment she smiled at him, he understood that there was no competition at all, as she was already his. Still, other men had always lurked around the margin, bothering her with their infatuations. His duty was to keep scumbags away from her, and it was easy enough, because every guy feared his infamous skill with Hyperion. But now … how was he to stand against members of her own sex, whose love for her bordered homosexuality?
"Seifer, are you listening to me?" Quistis asked, breaking him out of his own world.
"Ah, yeah … yeah I am." He smirked inanely. He was already sitting in his blonde's room, on her bed, and he was still bothered by the encounter with the rumored Trepies. His thoughts kept going back to a handful of minutes before, the event had left a sour taste in his mouth that pulled the corners of his mouth downwards. Seifer mentally shook his head to recompose himself and lifted the claret-filled glass up in a toasting manner. "To your radiating beauty that keeps me awake at night." There was no harm in quoting good literature, he mused.
Instead of her normal bashful smile in reply to his compliment, she gave a slight frown and took a sip of her own flute. "You weren't." Quistis stated. "I was talking about Rinoa."
"What about her?" He asked dutifully, his romantic mood was gone at the sound of the dark-haired girl's name.
"I don't think she realizes it, but living in a boy's dorm is a very big deal." Quistis had a worried expression as she stood up and leaned against the windowsill, her gaze scanning the quiet garden outside. After a bit, she fixated her deep blue eyes back to him. "I know there's everyone, but I'm asking you specifically to look after her. Will you do that for me?"
Look after his mortal enemy? That femme fatale? He fought hard to keep his brows apart, he couldn't show his displeasure to Quistis. "Seifer?" She voiced his name questioningly.
"… let her down five times …"
He could feel a soft groan brewing inside his throat, but he push it down and smirk. "Sure, count on His Highness."
She bid goodbye to the retreating dark figure that was her teacher. Mr. Night said he had work in the Faculty Room so they had parted in front of A wing's entrance. On their way here, they had exchanged words about the year to come, and he had warned her yet again about how dangerous drunk boys could be. And of course, she had taken him a lot more seriously this time around.
Rinoa jogged her way up to the three girls standing at the steps leading into the wing and said hello. It seemed Selphie had notified them of Rinoa's participation as them promptly ushered her inside. The scene that met her eyes was incredible. The wide, slanted dorms yard, which was skillfully secluded and shield from out side by layers and layers of trees, was crowded with scantily dressed people, male and female. And she realized her outfit was further from revealing than she thought.
Along the hallway were tables with all kinds of snacks and drinks, where everyone was chilling out and catching their breaths. But the main attraction was obviously at the middle of the yard. Watching the gyrations on the grass field, the colored lights swirled and flashed, the various effects and even smoke, she couldn't help but feel excited. Being the daughter of the great General Caraway, nightclubs were no-no's; so if anyone told her this party here rivaled a nightclub, she would definitely believe it. All the pounding, pulsing beats of music, combined with alcohol, the dancers' mood was greatly heightened and they were tempted them to engage in an even more enthusiastic record. And Rinoa felt the thrill of excitement, too.
Unexpectedly, someone jumped at her from behind and a cheery voice greeted her. "Rinny! How is my super-duper-mega-new-year celebration?" Oh, only one person could come up with a name like that. She spun around, surprised that she wasn't very surprised by her petite friend's sudden appearance. "I put extra effort in this since it's your first!" Selphie raised her voice to be heard above the music.
"It's great!" Rinoa's volume was nearly a shout. "You're the best, Selph! How does this stay a secret anyway?"
"It just does!" The small brunette cupped her hands to her mouth, looking quite proud. "Wait here okay? I'll introduce you to Ciel!" And the girl nimbly sprinted into the sea of people on the make-believe dance floor.
"Wait, who?" Rinoa was going to ask, her friend had already disappeared from sight. Ciel … Was that the name of Mr. Night's female version Selphie had mentioned this morning?
She had stood there for one minute and was feeling very irritated. The intoxicating music and lights were making her a lot less patient. Rinoa tried to tap her foot along with the beat, hoping to ease herself. Then, from the crowd, she noticed a familiar cowboy approaching her. He lifted his hat in a cliché greeting gesture and bent down to her ear. "Hey, Rinny. When did you get here? Enjoying yourself?" She knew he only did that to let her hear better, but her body still flinched upon remembering about the distasteful episode back at her wing.
"Just now! And not really!" She said loudly back at him, masking her anxiety.
"Let's hope you'll change your mind after tonight, then!" Irvine lifted her hand up and kissed at his knuckles, being his usual womanizing self. In one year, she had learned to appreciate his flirting attitude as only a friendly gesture. "Say, you seen Selph anywhere?"
"She's just gone to look for someone!" Rinoa answered, and quickly continued. She was a bit uncomfortable standing alone in the foreign atmosphere. "She'll be back shortly!"
The guy nodded and mumbled something that she couldn't make out. She observed him for a while and decided to ask. "Is there something wrong?"
"Well," he was a tad reluctant before sharing. "I still think she's mad at me, you know, the itching potion and all. Also, I noticed she hasn't been calling me Irvy for a while now. I don't know, maybe I've done something to upset her." Irvine seemed sincerely bothered as he folded his arms dispiritedly. "Ah, geez. Even Zell's hanging smoothly with a chick." He pointed to the spiky blond head at the far corner, and Rinoa's eyes widened at the small form next to the guy. "My male pride is hurt." He finished half-jokingly; his expression was so vulnerable that she felt the urge to pat his head in consolation.
"Rinny!" Selphie's familiar voice shouted, gathering both her and Irvine's attention. As she turned to face Selphie, her eyes fell onto the woman standing behind the brunette and she stared in astonishment.
A tall, slender figure; a fall of platinum hair that rivaled Mr. Night's unusual pale blond head - Selphie wasn't kidding when she said like a feminine version of Mr. Night. As the teacher stepped closer to Rinoa, her heart-shaped face that was obscured by the lack of proper lighting became visible, and if Rinoa was holding anything right now, she would have dropped it. A pair of ethereal irises that held the colors of the sky, an enchanting smile on full pink lips; but the most shocking feature was that …
There was no way what she was seeing was real. Rinoa's jaw dropped open, utterly flabbergasted. Imitator? Impersonator? Doppelganger? Clone? Her hypothesis was sounding more and more absurd. "M-Ms. Lunacrast?" Rinoa thought out loud - too loud. The blonde had heard her and gave a wide smile that completely distinguished herself from the scowling dorms manager.
"Oh, no. I'm Skyweaver! Celeste Skyweaver! But I'd love to be called Ciel!" She held out her hand and Rinoa subconsciously took it. 'Four handshakes in one day.' The black-haired girl thought blankly, still recovering from her bewilderment. "I take it you've met my older twin!"
'Twins? Right, there's that, too.' Rinoa was a bit embarrassed that she hadn't thought of that simple explanation. She watched absentmindedly as Irvine did his usual kiss-on-the-hand with the older woman. Then, he suavely walked away with Selphie, although there was a slight protest on the perky girl's part. 'But … they have different surnames.' She quickly dismissed the thought, not wanting to get nosy. It was their family's problem, she shouldn't pry.
"Rinoa, right?" Celeste tilted her head in a smile, cupping Rinoa's hands around a transparent drink. "Selphie did her best since she said one of her best friends was participating for the first time! Please don't let her effort be wasted and enjoy the party, alright?"
'Wow, complete opposite.' She marveled at the friendly version of Ms. Lunacrast and hastily replied. "S-sure!"
The blonde's hands suddenly jerked a bit as she realized something. After making sure that Rinoa had had a firm grip on the drink, Celeste excused herself to take a call. "Sorry, Rinoa! Like I said, enjoy yourself!" She waved with one hand while the other dug in her jeans pocket and pulled out a phone, putting it to her ears. "Hey, Ray! When are you coming?" And the teacher left.
Rinoa stood there, her gaze following the blonde until she was out of sight, before turning back to the drink in her hand. She brought the glass up to her nose and sniffed. Lemonade. Feeling quite thirsty herself, she downed the whole content in less than five seconds. She licked her lips, and put the glass down to a nearby table. Maybe she should join in the dancing now. Suddenly, another glass was presented in front of her. "With this and you're good to go!" A male voice said, and she realized it was Raze, the new janitor. He was flashing his eight canines unashamedly.
She took the glass and thanked him. He seemed eager to leave as he tousled her hair. "See you in there, Rinoa!" She was quickly left behind yet again, a feeling of dissatisfaction filled her as she realized everyone but her was having fun. Rinoa finished the glass in the same manner as the one before and …
The music pounded, pulsed. She closed her eyes and relished the pleasure of shaking with the beat. She discovered that she loved to dance. The way her silky wisps of hair brushed her shoulders, the way her hips swayed and her arms swirled, everything was so addictive. She danced and danced, time was lost and space was blurry. Until she suddenly lost her balance and her knees gave in. A part of her was prepared to hit the ground when she collided with a warm surface. She felt arms wrapped around her back and knees, and she was lifted up.
A man? He was carrying her through and out of the dancing crowd. What? No, she wanted to dance more!
"Rinoa, stop wriggling!" A familiar husky voice said over the loud music as the strong arms adjusted their hold on her. "You're drunk!"
"I'm not!" She mumbled, burying her head to the man's chest to contain her dizziness. "I only drank lemonade!"
"That's vodka with lemonade!" He explained.
"You're leaving already? You just got here!" A different voice asked, this time a female. From her distorted vision, she could make out pale blond hair. 'Ciel?'
"I'm taking her back to her dorm. She's in way over her head." The man replied. "You shouldn't have given so much alcoholic drinks to a first-timer."
"It was only one cup." Celeste defended.
"Oops, that makes mine her second shot." Another man said. Judging from his speech, it was probably Raze. Her head was so heavy, and her senses were shutting down on her. She kept feeling like she was slipping and clung hard to the only anchor that was the man holding her. But wait, did he say he was bringing her back to her dorm? That dorm with all the trash and filth? That dorm with a bully and a hairy creature as residents?
"No!" She exclaimed and flailed her dangling feet violently. "I don't wanna go back!" She realized it had gotten a lot quieter and her loud voice was almost deafening in her own ears.
"R-Rinoa!" The man struggled to keep his arms hooked under her. "We're here, give me your key!"
"Nooo!" She slurred and broke into tears, tightening her arms around his neck, afraid that he might drop her. "No. It's scary in there!" She hadn't finished cleaning the bed. If she went in there, only a spider would be waiting for her. When she wakes up next morning, she will only be pitched against Seifer again. She didn't want any of that. Her restraints were all gone, and she couldn't put up her strong mask anymore. She wasn't strong, why did unpleasant things keep on bothering her?
"Don't be stubborn." He said, taken aback by her sudden outburst - and most of all, her tears. He tried to soften his voice as much as possible and spoke to her. "Tell me, where's your key?"
The girl slowly calmed down and reduced to sobbing. Her voice was breaking and she muttered tiredly. "In my … bra …" She trailed off and doze into a sound sleep, leaving him petrified in the dark hallway. She hadn't finished talking, right? She misspoke … right? His hand carefully stroked down the sides of her jeans to find out that it didn't have any pockets. He swallowed and looked down to her tearstained cheeks. After much consideration, he started walking and made his way to the end of the corridor.
Author's Rant: Hi all-
Squall: What. The. Fuck. Was. That?
Wow! You're actually talking? But ... What was what?
Squall: Who was the asshole carrying Rinoa to his room?
Who knows, could be you.
Squall: Cut the crap! I know it wasn't me. I was watching from the sideline.
If you were watching then why didn't you stop him, whoever he is?
Squall: You didn't let me! I wasn't even in the chapter!
Oh, right, right, my bad.
Squall: Nighthill, I swear. If anything happens to her ...
*gulps*
Rinoa: *mumbles* I love you, Squall. *mumbles*
Squall: *turns beat-red and looks away* Whatever. -Watch what you write, Nighthill.-
Phew, Rinoa rules. XD
Anyways, thanks for reading. Hope you've enjoyed this chapter.
