Once again, I apologize for the long wait! School's been pretty intense, and inspiration's been down. BUT, I got some over the weekend, as I went to a girl's hockey game and saw a certain someone there. (Although, let me tell you, the events in the chapter, and the events at the game I went to are far from similar! Ha! (Ooh, am I making you excited to read this chapter?!))
I actually had a lot of fun writing this chapter. It's definitely one of my favorites so far! And, it's one of the longest ones I've had in a while! Yay!
Also, as an added bonus, I've decided to add a little present at the bottom, after the story! It's something I've wanted to do for a while now…
Anyway, enjoy!
Chapter 10: Unexpected Outburst
"Hey Gippal, should I join a fraternity?" Tidus said, as he grabbed a handful of potato chips and shoved them into his mouth. "Wouldn't that be fun?" he continued with his mouth full.
"A frat? What the hell has gotten into you?" Gippal said, as he too grabbed a handful of chips.
"I want to have a normal college experience for my last year," Tidus said, smiling, despite the fact that his teeth were covered in chips.
"Playing blitz is the ultimate college experience," Gippal said, shaking his head. "It's living the dream, remember?"
"Yeah, yeah," Tidus said, "but I've been doing some thinking, and I think people take it too far. I just wanna be normal."
"You'll never be normal," Gippal said, laughing as he grabbed another handful of chips.
"Should I travel abroad?"
Gippal snorted. "To where, Besaid? They could use you on their team, though. They suck ass."
"No, I need something more exotic," Tidus said, his eyes shining.
Gippal laughed and said, "Venture into Al Bhed territory. Now there's exotic for you."
"Yeah right," Tidus said, shaking his head. "Don't you remember freshman year when I went back with you over winter break? They were all ready to eat my head off or something…"
"Uh, yeah, because you single-handedly ruined an entire air ship."
"So I was a little klutzy…"
"A little?"
"I was a late bloomer."
"I remember wondering how the hell you could be so klutzy, but then in the blitz pool, you were unstoppable."
"Yeah, well, you know," Tidus said, shrugging. "Hey, by the way, did Coach say he was gonna put you in again?"
"Well, after we swept Zanarkand last weekend, he said he might give me a chance. But we're playing Luca next, so who knows."
"They're gonna be tough this year," Tidus said, nodding slowly.
"Yeah," Gippal said, agreeing. "Hey, what are you doing this weekend? It's our first bye week of the season. You gonna spend the whole thing with Yuna?"
"I don't know," Tidus said, shrugging. "I hadn't thought on it. What are you doing?"
"There's a party I might hit up, but since you don't party, I figured you'd be with Yuna."
"I really haven't thought about it," Tidus admitted. "I've been too busy looking into joining a frat."
"You're crazy," Gippal said. "Please tell me you're kidding."
"I am, you know it," Tidus said, crinkling the advertisement for a fraternity that he had been looking at. "I forgot that we had a bye week this week. What are we gonna do?"
"I told you, I'm off to a party," Gippal said.
"Right, I'm going to call Yuna," Tidus said. "If I was gonna be here next year, we'd live it up, you know."
"Yeah, too bad you won't be around," Gippal said, laughing. "We really would have the time of our lives. You know, we could… if you weren't so afraid of getting an underage."
"Dude, you're the one who always told me I couldn't get an underage," Tidus said.
"And you were the one who was just saying a few weeks ago that we shouldn't drink," Gippal pointed out.
"Gip, you know my theory on it. We need more discipline! Besides, drinking is overrated."
Gippal laughed. "You could still go to the party. You don't have to drink."
"I don't like parties," Tidus said, sighing.
"I know you don't," Gippal said. "So call Yuna up."
"Don't you think that's weird?" Tidus asked.
"Yeah, but you've always been an oddball."
"Hey, the girls are playing this weekend!" Tidus said, his eyes lighting. "I'll go watch them play!"
To this, Gippal laughed.
"It's always about blitzball, isn't it?"
"It's all I know," Tidus said quickly.
"So you're not going to call Yuna?"
"Yeah, I might," Tidus said, shrugging. "We could hang out Saturday."
"Take her to the girls' game."
Tidus smiled, but his smile instantly disappeared.
"Yuna doesn't like the girls."
"Well, that Lenne is hot after you," Gippal said, laughing. "Too bad she's a year too late, huh?"
"Yeah, she's different," Tidus said, shaking his head. "But Elma and Lucil would be sad if I didn't go."
"Ti, take it from me: don't go to the game. Go someplace with Yuna."
"Wakka and Clasko might go to the game with me…" Tidus mumbled, ignoring Gippal's comment.
"Tidus…"
"Gippal," Tidus said quickly, "I'm not going to do anything with the girls. I just wanna see a blitzball game. Is that too much to ask for?"
"Go to a high school game," Gippal said, rolling his eyes. "Or, invite Yuna. One of the two."
Tidus rolled his eyes at his friend and turned around in his chair, pulling out his cell phone as he did so.
"Hey Clasko," he said after just seconds of silence, "you goin' to the girls' game this weekend? Yeah, me too."
-
"Hey man, I didn't think you would show!" Clasko said, high-fiving Tidus as he walked in the door of the small, cold blitzball arena, which served as the arena that the Basilisks sometimes practiced at, and the home of the girls' blitzball team.
"Dude, what fun is a weekend without blitz?" Tidus just said, laughing.
"Yeah, but when was the last girls' game you went to?" Clasko asked as the two started up the stairs to the pool that the girls' game was at. It was a smaller sphere, and there was much less seating. The girls' games didn't exactly pull in the crowd that the guys' games did.
"It's been a while," Tidus admitted. The two walked quickly in, ignoring the stares that they got as they passed. The only time Tidus ever truly felt annoyed with the attention that people gave him was when he wasn't playing blitzball. Especially when he was trying to do something normal, or when he was just trying to enjoy his weekend off. He found himself hoping that no one made a big deal out of him being at the girls' game. They didn't usually, but Clasko was right, it had been a while since he'd been to one of the girls' games.
The two took their usual seats in the corner of the nicer area of the arena, where chairs had been set up for viewers to sit in. The other option was to sit in the bleachers, which, were they normal women's college blitzball fans, they probably would have sat out there. The corner where they sat at was quieter, and there was much less people, which of course meant less people to bother them. Tidus even sat in the very corner, so that he was blocked by the window to the people in the bleacher. He wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible.
"Hey, there's Wakka!" Tidus said then, as he saw Wakka swim out to set up one of the goals. "What's he doing out there?"
"He's doing a graduate program with the women's team too, Tidus," Clasko said, shaking his head. "Where've you been?"
"Not here, obviously," Tidus said, shaking his head. "It's been a rough season."
"Yeah, you've been spacey lately," Clasko said, shaking his head. "What's up? Girl problems or something?"
"Kind of," Tidus found himself admitting. "Like right now, I should probably be with my girlfriend."
"Right, I keep forgetting you have a girlfriend," Clasko said. "Gippal too. You guys haven't been the same since you hooked up."
"Yeah, things were more fun before," Tidus said. "But Gip's trying to give up dip. I think that's why he's so annoying lately."
"He giving it up for the girl?"
"Yeah. Now there's something I'd never do. No girl is worth it."
To this, Clasko laughed.
"So tell me then, Tidus," Clasko said, looking at Tidus from the corners of his eyes, "what's this girl got? She that good in bed?"
"Dude, it's not even about that," Tidus said, making a scoffing sound. "Last year I… I don't know. Things were good, you know. I was on top of the world, and maybe I thought I needed a girlfriend or something?"
"But now you're having second thoughts?" Clasko asked, still eying Tidus from the corners of his eyes.
Tidus licked his lips and leaned forward. The girls were just coming out for warm-ups, and Tidus saw Elma and Lucil swim quickly out, and eventually, Lenne as well.
"It's not that I don't like Yuna," Tidus said. "It's just that… there's a lot of temptation out there."
"Definitely," Clasko said, laughing. "I don't get the girls like you do, and even I know what you mean about temptation. So how many times have you cheated on her?"
"I don't know," Tidus said. "Things got crazy at the rookie party this year…"
Clasko laughed loudly, and said, "I'll say. Those freshman are wild this year."
"Yeah," Tidus agreed. "But I don't know what happened. I'm a light-weight."
"That's the truth," Clasko said. "Remember that first party we went to this year? You had what, five beers? And you were out of it. Say, didn't some girl crawl right onto your lap and start making out with you then?"
Tidus looked thoughtful, and then he let out a soft chuckle and said, "Yeah. But it didn't leave that couch. That doesn't count as cheating, does it?"
"Nah, it doesn't," Clasko said. "Especially not for you."
"Right, I can bend the rules," Tidus said. Although he'd meant his words to be funny, he found that he couldn't laugh. It was too true. Creepily and disgustingly true.
"It's just that," Tidus continued, "I think Yuna probably deserves better. But what can I do? I can't help it."
"Either that," Clasko said, narrowing his eyes knowingly at Tidus, "or you have your eye on someone else. Who is it, Tidus?"
Tidus rolled his eyes and said, "I don't have my eye on anybody, Clasko."
As if seeing that Tidus wanted to change the subject, Clasko said, "So, Datto said you've been going to a lot of your classes. That's unlike you."
"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" Tidus just said. He was starting to wish he'd asked anybody but Clasko to go to the game with him. Finally, though, Tidus found himself sighing loudly, and he said, "It's just that she's so effing distant these days!"
Clasko gave Tidus a shocked look, and then he laughed and said, "Did you just say "effing?"'
"I'm trying not to swear," Tidus said, giving Clasko a glare. "What other word can I use?"
"I don't know…" Clasko answered. "Friggin'. Frickin'. Fudgin'."
"I like effing."
"Anyway, what?" Clasko finally said, shaking his head. "She's distant?"
"Yeah, and she knows. You know, she knows I'm not the most innocent guy in this relationship. Although, you know, I think people automatically assume untrue stuff about me."
"Yeah, that's probably true," Clasko said, nodding. "How many times did you sleep with a girl in, say your sophomore year?"
"Maybe five before I hooked up with her," Tidus said. "Not counting summer, right?"
"Right," Clasko said.
"Yeah, five."
"Five?"
"Five… five that I can remember," Tidus said. "Why am I telling you that anyway?"
Clasko laughed and said, "Well, the typical person probably thinks you're way more promiscuous than that."
"Exactly," Tidus agreed.
The girls were preparing to begin then, and the door to the inside area opened, and in stepped Wakka.
"Hey guys!" he greeted them. "I didn't know you were comin'!"
"What else would we be doing?" Clasko asked.
"Partying with the rest of the guys?" Wakka just said, taking a seat next to Clasko. "So what's up?"
"Not much," Clasko said, and he laughed. "Tidus is filling me in on his love life."
Wakka chuckled and said, "I don't even want to hear about it."
"It's not that bad," Tidus said, shooting Wakka a glare.
"Yeah right. You want me to believe that Tidus, the "hottest" Basilisk doesn't have a hot love life?"
"It's actually dwindling," Tidus said.
"Wow Tidus, 'dwindling' is kind of a big word for you!" Clasko said, laughing, and Wakka joined him.
Tidus smirked and said, "I've been going to classes these days. I'm a true college student now!"
"Aw, little Tidus is a college boy now?" Wakka asked, still laughing. "In that case, what's dwindling in your love life? It's supposed to get better when you get to college."
"Tidus has too many girls on his tail," Clasko said, a smile prying on his lips. "But he's got a girlfriend."
"Oh right, I forgot about that," Wakka said.
"Why does everybody keep forgetting about that?" Tidus cried.
"At the rookie party, you sure as hell didn't act like you had a girlfriend," Wakka said, shaking his head.
Lowering his voice, Tidus leaned toward Wakka, and he said, "What exactly happened at the rookie party?"
"You weren't that trashed, were you?" Wakka asked, looking shocked.
"I don't remember a thing," Tidus said.
"Well, nothing that serious happened, not that I was watching you ever two seconds…" Wakka said.
"Did Elma and I do it?"
"How the hell can you not know?" Clasko cried. "Damn Tidus, no more rookie parties for you. And you're not even a rookie!"
"Dude, I won't be having anymore rookie parties!" Tidus cried then, perhaps a little too loud, for a few people in the area looked at them.
"Relax," Wakka said softly. "Elma and you didn't do anything. Why do you even think you did?"
"Uh, 'cause Lucil told me I did," Tidus said. "The next morning, Elma and I were on the couch, a little close. Clothed and all, but… I don't know…"
"Why would Lucil lie?" Clasko just said.
"She's like that," Wakka said, rolling his eyes. "She probably said something so that you would think about Elma or something. It's no secret that Elma is completely in love with you."
Clasko sneered and said, "It's no secret that that Lenne girl is completely in love with you too."
"Shut up," Tidus said then. "So I didn't do anything with Elma?"
"Not that I know of…" Wakka said, shrugging.
"Well damn, I wouldn't have told my girlfriend that I did then," Tidus said. "That was effing low of Lucil."
"There you go with the "effing" stuff again!" Clasko cried, just as Wakka said, "What did you just say?"
"She's messing up my life," Tidus said, standing up. "I'm gonna go give her a piece of my mind."
"Whoa there," Wakka said, grabbing the sleeve of Tidus' crewneck as he stood up and walked by. "She's playing a game."
"So what?" Tidus just said, yanking his arm back from Wakka.
"So I take it you don't want to go party with us afterwards?" Clasko said, looking confused. "Elma, Lucil, Wakka, and me were gonna go party…"
"Oh, I'll party all right," Tidus said through clamped teeth. "I'm going to tell Lucil what a rotten bitch she is."
"Watch the language," Wakka warned, as he gave a subconscious glance to his right, where people were watching them intently, instead of focusing on the game below them.
"Why? Every time I say 'eff', you guys look at me like I'm an effing weirdo!" Tidus cried.
To this, Clasko just laughed, although Wakka kept a stern expression on his face.
"Relax Tidus," Clasko said. "Why would you tell your girlfriend you cheated on her anyway?"
"That's the same thing Gippal said!" Tidus cried.
"Speaking of Gippal," Wakka said, and Tidus had a feeling he was just trying to change the subject and calm Tidus down, "where is he?"
"With his girlfriend or something," Tidus said.
"Maybe you should go with your girlfriend?" Wakka then offered.
"No thank you," Tidus said, slowly. He sighed loudly then, and took his seat.
"You always were a hot-head," he heard Clasko say at his side as he retook his seat, and noticed that the girls were trailing a point.
"Good, those assholes are down a point," Tidus said, crossing his arms. "I should go. I don't want to watch them play anymore."
"Tidus, language…" Wakka warned, and it was then that Tidus noticed that literally everybody in the entire room was looking at them, including parents of the players, fans, and younger children.
"Sorry," Tidus said then. He took a deep breath and leaned forward, deciding to focus his attention at the game in front of him. He needed to clear his mind.
The guys watched the game for a good five minutes, but Tidus found that he couldn't stay focused on it, just as he couldn't with his own game.
Finally, leaning back, he said, "I just don't get why they're all out to get me. Back when I wasn't taken, I didn't have these problems. Elma and I were just friends. Lucil wasn't trying to hook us up. Lenne wasn't here to make it clear to my girlfriend that she should consider her competition. Girls weren't writing their numbers on my car. You know how last weekend was autograph night? Remember those teenage girls that went through a second time? That was so they could give me their numbers. And they walked away giggling and blushing, as if they were the only ones who had ever done that. Jassu was like, "He gets that all the time…" but they didn't care. They all think they're the only ones. And most of 'em aren't sluts. They're really nice, girls. Like Yuna…"
"Wow, that was deep," Clasko said, with obvious sarcasm. "Just watch the game, Tidus."
"They're just girls who have for some reason fallen in love with me. And I just break all of their hearts. I'm sick of it," Tidus continued, ignoring Clasko's comment. "I just wanna play some blitzball."
"Some effing blitzball?" Clasko added, shaking his head and sniggering softly.
"Pretty soon, I am going to eff you up," Tidus said, through clamped teeth. "Real good."
"Real good?"
"That's it!" Tidus cried, and with that, he turned to his right, where Clasko was sitting, and sent his fist flying into his jaw, knocking him into Wakka.
The people watching them all gasped, and Wakka was up in seconds, pushing Clasko aside so that he could get to Tidus. He grabbed Tidus' arms and pinned them to his side, and said, "What the hell are you doing?"
Clasko, who had fallen onto the floor when Wakka jumped up, sat up quickly, his hand on his jaw.
"Yeah, what the hell?" Clasko cried.
"Maybe coach was right about putting you in anger management," Wakka said, bringing back a joke that had been brought up Tidus' freshman year when he racked up the most penalty minutes on the team for fighting. The only difference was that now, there was not jest in Wakka's eyes.
"I'm out," Tidus just said, ripping himself out of Wakka's grasp. "See you guys at practice."
"Tidus!" Wakka cried after him, but Tidus ignored him, and walked out. He wasn't surprised to see people in the stands watching him, as they'd obviously witnessed the scene from the window.
He burst out the doors, a slight smile crawling onto his lips as he walked toward his silver car, which was in its usual parking place.
At least he'd managed to take the attention off of the girls. His fight would be what would be on everybody's tongues; not some stupid game.
--
BONUS!
Okay guys, I hope you enjoyed that chapter! Now, I want to do a little player introduction! For the first time ever, you get to meet the players (well, the important ones for the story) for the Bevelle Basilisks! Yay! Haha
I'll list their year, age, and some information about them. It'll be like you're reading their little profiles!
And, I'll start with the obvious. XD
Player: Tidus
Year: Junior
Age: 20
Hometown: Zanarkand
Position: Left Wing / Center
Number: 37
Information: Tidus is the Bevelle Basilisks' star player. In his freshman year, he was the youngest on the team by 22 months. (If you recall, in Number 37, we learn that Gippal and Tidus are the same age. If this is allowed (which, come on, I'm the author!), I'd like to change Gippal's age so that he is actually two years older than Tidus. 'Kay, thanks. Also, the reasoning is that, like in hockey, some guys play 'junior blitz' before going to college blitz. It's more common than coming straight from high school, but, let's face it, Tidus isn't 'common' now, is he?) Because of his young age, he literally became the baby of the team. He is also well-liked, although many of his teammates are jealous at his talent. As the son of a legendary blitzball player, he has been well-known all of his life. He knows little outside of blitzball. He has the school record for the most short-handed goals in a season, and also holds the record for the most penalties, thanks to the fact that he racked up the penalty minutes in his freshman year. He was drafted by the Zanarkand Abes as a freshman, and was originally going to play for them after his sophomore year, but decided to return for one more season with the Basilisks.
-
Player: Gippal
Year: Junior
Age: 22
Hometown: Bikanel Island
Position: Center
Number: 27
Information: Gippal is Tidus' roommate and best friend, as well as Tidus' caretaker. Gippal is much quieter and relaxed than Tidus, and enjoys the occasional party here and there. Gippal is motherless, and his father lives in Bikanel, being that Gippal is Al Bhed. Gippal played on the top line, where he made a great team with Tidus, until his sophomore season, when he was cut on the hand in a very unsportsman-like way. His tendons were severed, but he managed to fully recover. Even so, he has been unable to get back to his old self, and often finds himself sitting on the bench. He is also the assistant captain of the Bevelle Basilisks.
-
Player: Datto
Year: Junior
Age: 23
Hometown: Besaid
Position: Center / Left Wing
Number: 21
Information: Datto was out most of his sophomore year with an injury, but returned and was added to the top line when Gippal's injury occurred. He idolizes Tidus, and the two of them signed up for pretty much the same classes in their junior year. He is very chummy with the team, and a pretty easy-going guy. He's not the brightest guy though, and Tidus takes full advantage of this fact. Even so, he's well liked, and even Tidus has a soft spot for him.
-
Player: Clasko
Year: Senior
Age: 24
Hometown: Luca
Position: Left Wing
Number: 25
Information: Clasko is the captain of the Bevelle Basilisks as a senior. He is a little distant from the rest of the team, and strives to fill the shoes of Wakka, the past and well-liked captain of the Basilisks. Being that he plays the same position (or did play the same position) as Tidus, Clasko has always been slightly competitive with the younger player. This also causes some jealousy issues toward Tidus. For the most part though, Clasko gets along with everybody, but he can be a little heartless. He dated Lucil from the girls' team at one time.
-
Player: Letty
Year: Sophomore
Age: 22
Hometown: Kilika
Position: Right Wing
Number: 23
Information: Letty is the sophomore that Tidus is closest to. Letty is a hard-nosed, tough player who is right behind Tidus in penalty minutes, and who isn't afraid to join in on a fight. Letty loves to play video games, and would easily choose video games over partying.
-
Player: Jassu
Year: Sophomore
Age: 21
Hometown: Luca
Position: Defense
Number: 10
Information: Jassu is a rather quiet player, and a very passive player. He is one of the team's leading scorers though, having what could be considered a breakout sophomore season.
-
Player: Keepa
Year: Junior
Age: 23
Hometown: Besaid
Position: Goalie
Number: 1
Information: Keepa is the very well-liked goalie for the Bevelle Basilisks. He is one of the top goalies in college blitzball, and keeps the team alive during many of their 'dry' spells. He could easily be considered the team's MVP, if Tidus wasn't around. He's very quiet and to himself, and, like any goalie, is somewhat quirky.
-
Player: Blappa
Year: Feshman
Age: 21
Hometown: Bikanel Island
Position: Defense
Number: 5
Information: Blappa is one of three new recruits who is Al Bhed. He is a defenseman who plays often, but isn't necessarily the greatest by any means. He enjoys partying, but has a reputation of being a very nice guy. Out of all of the freshman, he's Tidus' favorite. Not that Tidus is going to admit it, though. He's also Gippal's favorite, and Gippal has been hanging out with him a lot.
-
Player: Berrik
Year: Feshman
Age: 21
Hometown: Bikanel Island
Position: Center
Number: 28
Information: Berrik is by far Bevelle's best new recruit. He is very quiet, but very sure of himself. It's estimated that he will be the next member of the team to get drafted to play professionally, since as of now, Tidus is the only signed player on the team.
-
Player: Eigaar
Year: Feshman
Age: 20
Hometown: Bikanel Island
Position: Defense
Number: 14
Information: Eigaar is the loudest of the new recruits, and enjoys partying a lot. He's popular with the ladies, but not like Tidus is. He is also the youngest of the new recruits, although he's still two months older than Tidus, despite the fact that he's a freshman and Tidus is a junior. He plays often, but not at all the smartest.
-
Player: Wakka
Year: Graduated
Age: 24
Hometown: Besaid
Position: was Center
Number: was 16
Information: Wakka was the Basilisks' very favorable captain the year before. Now he is returning as a graduate student, and is acting as a manager/coach-in-training for both the men's and women's blitzball teams. He has always had a soft spot for Tidus, and is perhaps the only member of the team who has never shown any jealousy toward Tidus, but instead refers to him as the "golden boy" of the team. Wakka is a prankster, and his favorite target is Tidus. He is also very good friends with Elma and Lucil from the girls' team, and is the one who introduced them to Tidus, Clasko, and Gippal.
Whew, that got kind of long! I think I covered all of the players mentioned in this story... Haha. I hope you enjoyed it! (And I might have gotten some facts messed up. But if you know this story and its predecessor better than I do, all the more power to you. XD)