A/N Wow, I is updating fast ya'll! Well for me anyways. Oh and well done to killkikyopeople and animesdbest for guessing some of my ideas! Ok, I know I said the party was in this chapter, but it's going to be in the next one instead. Don't worry, it'll come.
x-x-x-x-x
"...Paine."
Leblanc's mouth dropped open. Paine choked on the gum the girl in the back row had just handed her. A round of applause went round. Yuna and Rikku leant over to give her mad and crazy hugs.
"AAARGH! GET OFF!"
Dona coughed irritably.
"There is of course the mascot position."
Yuna flinched. She'd never been able to look her moogle plushie in the eye after her turn as mascot.
"That goes to Leblanc."
Rikku covered her smile with her hand. Paine sniggered, and Yuna hid her face under her hair. Leblanc's mouth dropped even further. Paine's face suddenly contorted into a grimace.
"I can't be a cheerleader!"
"Why not?"
"Because, I have a good reputation. I like my reputation. And do you know what would spoil it? This. What are all the people I beat up over the years gonna think? My sister will finally have dirt on me! Lulu will never shut up."
Yuna rolled her eyes. As she did she caught Merissa in the doorway. Yuna sighed and closed her eyes.
'That's right! I'm supposed to show her around!'
She bit her lip and slowly opened her eyes. She forced a smile on her face and started walking towards her. As she got closer she realised she was talking and laughing. Yuna smiled a little then.
'She must be with a guy.'
Yuna shook her head. Merissa saw her walking towards her and nodded, a hint of a smile on her face. Yuna waved to her, and the guy she was with turned to look at her. Yuna stopped. The boy grinned and waved at her. Yuna stared at him, coldly.
"Tidus, what're you doing here?" she asked accusingly.
"To see my girl get cheerleader!"
He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her lightly. Yuna tried to wriggle out of it, but she couldn't stop herself for long and soon hugged him back. Merissa's eyes narrowed. Yuna didn't see it though. Merissa tossed her hair. Yuna noticed she had taken it down.
"Yes, well, congratulations Yuna. I guess it's not everyday you get to be cheerleader."
Yuna shook Tidus off of her. Merissa had managed to make that sound like an insult. And the smile that would have been genuine and friendly on anyone else's face, looked twisted and full of hate on hers. Tidus glanced down at Yuna, hurt that she'd just pushed him off.
"I've gotta go to gym class. Bye."
Yuna took her eyes off of Merissa and looked at Tidus.
"Oh. Ok."
She leant up to kiss him. But he walked away instead. With her lips puckered and her eyes looking stunned, Merissa immediately laughed.
"Oh, dear. Having boyfriend troubles? I wouldn't know what that's like. No boy has ever ditched me. But I heard that it hurts."
Yuna sucked her lips in and glared at Merissa.
"Well, I guess you actually have to have a boyfriend, to be 'ditched' by one."
Merissa ran her tongue across her teeth. She smiled nastily at Yuna and stuck her hand on her hip.
"Hmm. Whatever. Are you going to show me to my classes or what?"
Merissa looked her up and down, flicked her hair one last time, and walked out into the hall. Yuna stared after her and closed her eyes. She silently counted to ten. She had a clear memory of being told what to do when you're angry...
Yuna looked up into the face of her mother. She held the broken toy and gritted her teeth. Her mother ran her fingers through Yuna's hair.
"Ssh, my baby. Whenever you get angry, do you know what you have to do?"
Little Yuna sniffed and shook her head.
"You have to count to ten. And then your anger will be gone. Go on, try it!"
x-x-x-x-x
Yuna led the way to the cafeteria. Merissa yawned loudly.
"This is your cafeteria? Bit small isn't it?"
Yuna swallowed, and forced a smile on her face.
"We only come in here for break. We spend lunch outside."
"Hmm. Well I guess anything is better than this claustrophobic cupboard. Is everything in this school so crap?"
"Just you." Yuna muttered under her breath.
Merissa saw Tidus, and smiled and waved. Then her eyes landed on Gippal and she grinned.
"Hmm. I guess the boys aren't so bad."
"Sorry. They're taken. Bad luck."
Merissa smiled at Yuna.
"They're taken now. You never know what might change."
Yuna's eyes flashed. Merissa started walking towards them when Yuna grabbed her wrist.
"Don't even think about it."
"Think about what?"
"I'm serious. Don't."
Merissa raised her eyebrows, and slipped down into Yuna's seat. Right next to Tidus.
Yuna waited for Tidus to point out that that was Yuna's seat. But instead he said hello and offered her some of his sandwich. Yuna looked on furiously as she bit into it, while he was still holding it. Tidus exchanged glances with Baralai and turned back to Merissa. Paine, Rikku and Leblanc turned round to Yuna. Rikku nodded her head over to a spare table and Yuna nodded. They got up and walked over to Yuna, and they sat down at the table. Rikku and Leblanc turned back to see the boys staring at them. Yuna kicked them from under the table.
"Ignore them."
Rikku nodded, and Leblanc turned round completely.
"Yuna. Lenne's talking to you."
Yuna looked at Paine, and then to where she was pointing. Lenne looked mad. She mouthed, 'Get over here right now!'
Yuna sighed and pushed her chair back.
"Well, I'm for it now."
"Good luck Yunie!" Rikku whispered.
Leblanc rolled her eyes and Paine just raised an eyebrow.
x-x-x-x-x
When Yuna got over to Lenne, she was immediately dragged out into the hallway. Lenne looked at her. Yuna shifted her feet on the floor and looked down at her knees.
"Well?" Lenne asked.
"Well what?"
"Don't you what me! What have you got to say for yourself!"
"Me! What about you! I can't believe you!"
"Yuna, I-"
Lenne sighed and looked at the floor.
"You had no right to talk to Shuyin like that." She said after a while.
"You had no right to be sleeping with him!"
"Excuse me! I had every right! I can do what I like!"
"Oh, so does that mean I have a right to be sleeping with someone!"
"No!"
"Why should you have the right when I don't!"
"Because your not even 15 yet!"
"I will be soon!"
"I've had enough. You're grounded."
"You can't ground me! What about the party!"
"There's no party for you!"
Yuna's eyes welled up, and she ran off. Lenne sighed and covered her face with her hands.
x-x-x-x-x-x
Rikku turned back to Paine and Leblanc.
"Should we go after her?"
Paine looked down the hall where Yuna had run off.
"Yeah. Just in case."
The three of them stood up from where they were crouching. Leblanc looked back at the guys. Tidus had stuck two chips up his nose and was doing a walrus impression. Gippal was throwing chips into Tidus's mouth, and Baralai looked like he wanted to die. Seeing Leblanc looking at him he waved. Leblanc gestured for him to come over. He frowned and stood up and walked over to them.
"What's up?"
"Yuna." Rikku dropped her voice to a whisper. "Lenne's not letting her go to the party."
Baralai gasped.
"But she has to go! We're all gonna go!"
Paine rolled her eyes.
"Well obviously Yuna's not gonna go."
"We could help her sneak out."
Paine looked at Rikku.
"Sounds like fun."
They nodded and went down the hall in the direction Yuna had gone off in.
x-x-x-x-x-x
Yuna sat in the girl's bathroom, crying on the window ledge. (A/N Its where all the girls go when they want to cry at my school. Or smoke. Or if they're on the phone. Or of they're really bored.) She wiped at her eyes with a tissue she got from one of the stalls. She leant against the window and gritted her teeth.
'The only reason Lenne's grounding me is because she didn't know what to do. It's so unfair!'
One of the stalls banged open and the smell of smoke became stronger. Synea stepped out of the stall and looked at Yuna. She smirked.
"What's the matter? Didn't like your locker fun the other day?"
"Get lost Synea! Go smoke around someone else!"
"My my. Rude aren't we?"
"Go away!"
"Make me."
Yuna swung her fist at her, and hit her nose. Synea stumbled back, shocked.
"You're getting it now bitch!"
Synea grabbed Yuna's collar and held her high in the air. She pulled her fist back and Yuna shut her eyes tight. She waited for Synea to do permanent damage to her face, when she was knocked out of Synea's hands and sent to the floor. Synea crashed into the wall, and Yuna turned to see Paine standing over her. Rikku helped Yuna up, and she noticed that Baralai was standing nervously in the doorway. Yuna hugged her cousin, and began sobbing again.
x-x-x-x-x
Baralai grabbed another crisp out of the packet, and nervously looked around.
"Baralai, you can go to class if you want." Paine said.
"What? And miss the chance of a lifetime to be in the girl's bathroom? Hey, you guys get soap!"
Yuna dabbed her eyes with another tissue. She, Leblanc, Rikku, Paine and Baralai had been in the girl's bathroom for an hour. And Paine was beginning to worry about how it was affecting Baralai. She and Leblanc were both leaning by the sinks. Rikku and Yuna were on the window sill, and Baralai was crouched down by the tampon machine. He kept giving it nervous glances like it might attack him.
Paine sighed and pushed herself up. She wondered over to Baralai and slid down the wall next to him.
"Hey." She said. He smiled at her.
"Hey."
They looked at each other a while, then Baralai blushed and turned to face the wall. Paine lowered her gaze to the floor, and tried to think of something to say.
"I know it's a bit mean, but is this really all about the party?" Leblanc interrupted.
Rikku glared at her. Yuna sniffed.
"M-Merissa. S-she's...she..."
Yuna trailed off and looked sadly out of the window.
"She was flirting really obviously."
Rikku looked at Baralai.
"With Tidus?"
"And Gippal." He replied.
"You might wanna watch out there Rikku. He didn't look like he minded."
Rikku grabbed another tissue and started ripping it to shreds.
"Didn't she flirt with you then?" Leblanc asked.
Paine shot her a look.
"She did but I ignored her. Hey, what's the time?"
"Almost time for assembly. Why?" Rikku said, while biting the tissue. Yuna winced as it scraped over her teeth.
"Assembly was when we had that thing planned. I wonder if Tidus and Gippal will go through with it."
"Y-you s-should go (hiccup) find them and h-help (hiccup) them."
"And leave all this? No way."
Baralai banged his head on the tampon machine and swore.
"Can we move this please?"
They laughed. Yuna climbed down form the window sill and looked in the mirror on the wall. She groaned.
"M-my eyes are all (hiccup) puffy!" she wailed.
"Splash them with water." Rikku said helpfully.
Yuna put the tap on, and splashed her eyes. She rubbed her face.
"God. I'm a m-monster!"
"Hello Clarisse!"
"Baralai!" Rikku squeaked.
"What?"
Their laughter was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"If that's you Synea, I'll send you flying into that wall again." Paine yelled.
"And if that's a teacher; I'm a girl, I swear!" Baralai called out.
They all laughed again.
"Baralai?"
Baralai stopped laughing and turned red.
x-x-x-x-x
"Baralai? Is that you?" Tidus asked.
Gippal started laughing. Tidus shoved him.
"You go in first."
"No you."
"No way. You."
"Neither of you are coming in! And if you even think about it, Paine will kick your ass!" They heard Rikku yell.
"Uh...well...we just wondered what was going on."
"And why Baralai's suddenly a girl!"
They heard someone banging their head and swearing.
"What is with this damn tampon machine!"
"Baralai, you need to put twenty Gil in it first!"
"Oh Hahaha, very funny Gippal."
"Can we come in?"
"NO!"
x-x-x-x-x
"Pass me another crisp Baralai." Rikku said.
"So we're not letting them in, right?"
"Right."
"What if they come in anyway?" Yuna whispered.
"You hide in one of the stalls." Paine said.
"Good idea."
"Maybe if Yuna hides in one of the stalls we could let them in now?" Leblanc said.
"I'll hide too!"
"Whatever Rikku."
Yuna and Rikku stood up and went into a stall. They locked the door, and sat on the seat together.
"Why did you come in the same one as me! It's cramped now!"
"I didn't want to be alone..." Rikku mumbled.
Paine walked to the door. She opened it.
"Ok you can come in now."
x-x-x-x-x
"Where's Yuna?"
"And Cid's girl?"
"I HAVE A NA-"
Yuna clapped her hand over Rikku's mouth.
"Shut up!" she hissed.
"Well, that answers that question." Gippal said.
"Sorry!" Rikku whispered.
"It's ok."
"Um...are they gonna come out?"
Paine, Leblanc and Baralai looked at each other.
"No..."
"Not for you!" Leblanc spat.
"What did we do!"
Paine, Leblanc and Baralai rolled their eyes in unison. They heard Yuna hiccup.
"How can you even talk to Merissa? She's such a bitch."
"She's alright." Tidus said defensively.
Suddenly the stall door banged open and Yuna stepped out.
"I'm going to the nurse."
Rikku squealed and jumped off the seat.
"Wait for me!"
x-x-x-x-x
Yuna lay on the sick bed, staring at the ceiling while Rikku was slumped on the seat.
"How come you get the bed?" Rikku asked.
Yuna didn't answer. Rikku squirmed in the seat as an uncomfortable silence settled around them.
"It's almost time to go home. Should we leave?"
There was a pause.
"Yeah." Yuna muttered.
The sound of footsteps came from the doorway, and someone coughed. Rikku looked up.
"Um, I'm gonna leave you guys alone. I wanna get home anyway."
Yuna was still staring at the ceiling as she mumbled goodbye. Then she frowned.
"Rikku have you been sniffing paint again? There's only of me."
"I think she meant me." A familiar voice said.
"Oh." Yuna said flatly.
She sat up and turned to Tidus. He looked nervous and worried.
"Uh, I'm sorry about today."
Yuna smiled sweetly.
"What are you sorry for?"
"Uh...I don't know?" Tidus said hopefully.
Yuna smiled again and lay back down on the bed. She glared up at the ceiling.
"Uh...for flirting with Merissa?" Tidus tried again.
Sighing Yuna sat up again.
"You gave her my seat! You did your walrus impression! You let her bite out of your sandwich!"
"That's cos she told me before that she didn't have any lunch and I told her she could have some of mine..."
Yuna picked up the cushion that was behind her head and threw it at him. Tidus ducked and it hit the wall.
"Does this mean you don't want to go to the party with me?"
Yuna bit her lip.
"I can't go anyway."
"I know. I was gonna sneak you out."
Yuna laughed.
"Tidus come here."
He grinned and went up close to her.
"Closer."
He went up closer to her, and leant down.
"Yeah?"
Yuna smiled and spat in his face.
"Ugh! Gross! I'll get you back for that!"
Tidus jumped on top of her and started blowing in her face.
x-x-x-x-x
Rikku made her way to the gates. She stopped and started waiting for Gippal out of habit. But she realised she wasn't talking to him and sighed. She started walking out on her own. It was the first time she had walked without Gippal. She felt a little guilty leaving him back there. She looked at the pavement and sighed again.
Glancing up she caught sight of a familiar spiky blonde haircut. Gippal had left without her. Rikku clenched her fists and grinded her teeth. She glared at him, and realised that he wasn't walking alone. She saw the long blonde hair that could only belong to Merissa turn, and Merissa saw Rikku and smiled nastily. Winking at Rikku she draped her arms on Gippal's shoulder and walked even closer to him. Hot tears stung at Rikku's eyes and a large lump formed in her throat. She couldn't bear to see either of them anymore, so she started running through the people to get home as quick as possible. She pushed past Gippal and Merissa and ran past. As her feet thumped on the ground more and more tears ran down her face.
x-x-x-x-x
Yuna climbed down from the bus, and made her way up to her house. Lenne's car was in the driveway, but Yuna didn't want to talk to her so she took out her keys and opened up the door. She was about to make her to her room, when she saw a young woman standing in the living room.
"Hello, can I help you?" Yuna asked.
The woman turned round. She had black hair with gold streaks and brown eyes. She smiled at Yuna and tears welled up in her eyes.
"My baby!" she whispered.
Yuna felt like all the air had been sucked out of her lungs. She started shaking. Her eyes widened. Tears began to form in her own eyes.
x-x-x-x-x
Well well well. Who is this woman? Can you guess? First you have to guess what character she is and then you have to guess how she knows Yuna. Anyone who guesses will get a cookie, and the first one through will get a place in the story as one of the cheerleaders! Or if you don't wanna be a cheerleader you can be a person in the class. So, what are you waiting for? Review and say! And uh, you might wanna leave your real name so it can be said in this fic. Or make one up if you want.
