Well, hey! It's me again! Did you miss me? You better have! 'Cuz I missed you guys!
Disclaimer: Please see previous ten chapters for disclaimer 'cuz I'm sick of repeating myself on something that you guys already know.
Life Less Ordinary
Chapter Eleven
"All Out War"
After the final bell had rung, Rinoa headed out to the parking lot, eager to get out of this place. She was beginning to get that relieved feeling that she only had a few more months to go before she was finally done with high school. Yes, she was going to miss everyone and everything, but man, high school was really getting old!
As she approached and caught sight of her car, she stopped.
"What the…?" she whispered in confusion. Someone was sitting on the hood of her car! Now who would be so stupid? "Oh, that ass!" She suddenly realized who would be so stupid. Squall, who else?
"What are you doing!" Rinoa demanded, stopping in front of him. He actually looked rather bored.
"I'm waiting for you, what's it look like I'm doing?" His good mood was almost shot. The idiots in his free block had pissed him off.
"Well, it looks like you're sitting on the hood of my car acting like an idiot." She smirked, walking around to throw her stuff in the car.
"Very good!" he slid off and applauded her sarcastically. "You're not as dumb as you look!"
"Oh, shut it! I don't need you to be mean to me all the time! I get enough of that already!" she laughed.
"Then you should be used to it by now!" Squall smiled and leaned against the car.
"Just shut it!" she repeated.
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"Oh! What's this?" Quistis wondered to Selphie as the two girls approached the parking lot. They had caught sight of Rinoa and Squall, together…alone. "Hmmm, I wonder…" she smiled.
"It's probably nothing." Selphie shrugged.
"Good gawd! Are they going in for round 3 now?" Seifer exclaimed suddenly appearing at Quistis' side with Drag and Zion.
"Didn't they get enough of that at lunch? Man!" Zion laughed.
"Oi!" Seifer yelled to Rinoa and Squall from across he parking lot.
"What?" Squall yelled back, aggravated hat he had been interrupted…again. Why couldn't they just give him five minutes? He could get what he needed to be done in five minutes! Grr! Rinoa looked at him and laughed; he rolled his eyes.
"Are you two at it again?" Seifer demanded once he had gotten closer so he didn't have to yell.
"No." Squall said at the same time as Rinoa said, "Yes." They looked at each other and glared.
"Okay, so which is it?" Quistis dropped her book bag and slouched against Rinoa's car in exhaustion.
"Yes. He was soliciting on my car, and so I was chewing him out for it." She glared at him again. He shrugged and scowled at her in return.
"Hey, there was no sign that told me I couldn't." he shoved her a few steps. "And that was payback."
"Okay…so are we going to stand here all day or are we going to get out of here? I've done my time today, and I'd like to leave." Drag butted in. He was done for he day and didn't want to stay any longer.
"Yeah, yeah. I've just got to wait for my idiot brother." Squall groaned, rolling his eyes.
"Ah, just leave him. He can ride the bus." Drag walked around Squall's car and opened the trunk to get rid of his stuff.
"Uh! That's mean!" Selphie exclaimed.
"Yes, but fair." Drag smiled. Selphie shrugged and muttered a "whatever."
"No can do, anyway." Squall said sadly. He actually liked that idea. "Mom would kick my ass." Rinoa coughed and looked away as Squall glared at her for the 3rd time.
"Well, it's nice to know that I'm so loved, oh brother of mine." Bryce finally came over, snapping at his brother, which was immediately noted as a bad mistake.
Squall's temper flared," You're damned lucky that I don't make you walk home, you little ass wipe." He growled. Bryce flinched but ignored his brother otherwise and threw his stuff into Squall's car.
Squall made an advance at Bryce like he was going to kill him, but Drag and Seifer grabbed him back. "Oh, I'll kill him!" He tried to pull away, but Seifer and Drag had a good hold on him, which was certainly more difficult than it sounded.
"Don't!" Drag whispered harshly, having to grip Squall harder than he wanted to. If he needed to, he would have to cause some serious hurt and agony.
"Seriously," Seifer agreed, also having difficulties with the situation.
"I just want to rip his head off!" squall lunged at him, and Zion had to jump in and help keep Squall from attacking his brother.
"Well, if you're going to kill me, why don't you go ahead and do it?" Bryce asked, being uncharacteristically calm, considering Squall was trying to kill him.
"Will you quit trying to antagonize him?" Seifer yelled.
"Why should I? He's always being mean to me. He never has a nice thing to say to me. It's all criticsm and constant picking! And I'm sick of always being second best to him! It's not fair!" Bryce complained.
"Well, maybe if you grew up, I wouldn't constantly be on your case! You never act your age!" Squall yelled. Drag jerked back on Squall's arm. He didn't care anymore if he accidentally hurt him.
"Maybe I don't wan to act my age! It's more fun than being Mr. Serious all the time like you!" Bryce yelled back being braver than he usually was. By his point, he'd had enough.
"Why don't you take notes!" Squall barked.
"When will you get it? When will anyone get it? I DON"T WANT TO BE LIKE YOU!" Bryce backed away.
"I don't expect you to! No one does!"
"Yeah, right! You didn't hear what mom said." Bryce lowered his voice.
"What did she say?" Squall asked. His body suddenly relaxed, and he stopped yelling. Seifer, Rinoa, and Drag were able to calm down for the time being.
"She said why couldn't I be more like you. Why did I always have to cause her so much trouble? She just went on and one about how you and Elle were both such perfect children, and I was the reject. It really hurt." Bryce looked away from everyone, hiding his shame.
"What?" Squall stared at his brother, slack-jawed.
"Yeah. I don't think she actually meant to hurt my feelings, but it worked. I don't know, though. I know I'm not perfect, but…" Bryce now wore a frown and unlike Squall, he was able to put his feelings out in the open.
"I don't believe that!" Squall exclaimed quietly. "I've done far worse than you!" He shook his head in confusion.
"I know, but you never got caught. I did. I always got caught. Like the fighting thing. How many times have you gotten into fights, and mom never even heard of them?" Bryce looked at his brother seriously for the first time. He showed maturity there, standing in front of him.
Squall shook his head, unable to say anything that might help his brother. He was lost for words. This was the first time that he and Bryce had actually said something to one another without heads rolling or voices louder than they should be.
"I've tried to be perfect like you and Elle, but I just can't do it. It's not me. I've got to be me because there's no way I can be someone else. I've got to be able to find myself in my own way. I can't have someone else do it for me, you know?" Bryce shrugged.
"Why didn't you say something before? Why have you taken all this crap from everyone?" Squall asked him. He wasn't trying to lecture Bryce anymore.
"I don't know. I've always wanted to say something. I always waned to speak out, but I felt like even if I did, no one would hear me. I don't know." He shrugged again and walked around the car and got in, evident that he wanted to be left alone.
"I never knew." Squall whispered. He felt bad now. He'd always given his brother a hard time and never knew that it had such an effect on him.
"Maybe he just needs to get laid." Drag suggested. He probably could've come up with something better had he taken this seriously, but obviously, he didn't.
"Will you shut up!" Squall exclaimed. "He needs more than to get laid! He needs everyone to get off his back!" He watched his brother sitting in the back seat, arms over his chest, and head cast down miserable.
"Well, you're one to talk!" Rinoa interjected. Squall turned to her, and she expected him to be mad. He wasn't.
"yeah, I know." Squall whispered.
"Well, hey. We've got to make it up to him!" Zion put in. he was probably the closest to Bryce than the other two.
"We should, but I think we should let him do what he wants for a while. Cut him some slack. He's right. He needs to find himself on his own." Squall headed to the car and motioned for his cousins to come. He felt so bad, now knowing how his brother was bruised. He'd put up with that crap for a long time without saying a word to anyone. It was no wonder that he was ready to explode.
"We'll meet you guys at Joe's later." Squall said as he got into the car. His body language had changed drastically. He had now withdrawn himself, blaming himself for par of Bryce's pain.
"Later." Seifer waved and went to his own car.
"I love how everyone went from a great mood to a sucky one." Selphie complained to Rinoa and Quistis as everyone left.
"I know, right?" Rinoa watched Squall's car pull out of the parking lot.
"I feel bad for Bryce now." Quistis frowned. "He's actually pretty cute!"
"Don't tell me you're going after Squall's little brother now!" Rinoa exclaimed in shock.
"That is not what I said!" Quistis snapped. "I just said I felt bad for him. If I was him, I wouldn't take any crap from anyone." She said confidently.
"You don't anyway, so what's the point?" Rinoa asked. She stepped up to her car and looked over the hood. At least he didn't leave a mark.
"Seriously!" Selphie giggled. Quistis forced a smile onto her face, but it was obvious that she wasn't amused.
"You know, I'm just going to stop being nice! Or better yet, I'm just going to stop talking!" Quistis put her hands to her hips.
"Finally!" Rinoa and Selphie exclaimed, laughing.
"Ugh! Why do I even hang out with you guys?" Quistis asked, disgusting.
"Well, that didn't last long!" Selphie giggled again to Rinoa.
"I know!" She smiled to her friend. "And it's because you love us!" Rinoa got into her car. She waved and pulled out.
"Yeah! 'Love' being the operative word!" Quistis yelled after her.
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Rinoa arrived at Joe's a little later than she had actually planned. She had gone home after school and done some things for her mother, and it was five before she even left the house."
"What took you so long?" A voice asked her when she reached the door. She looked around to find Squall leaning against the building.
"Well, sorry. You just told me to meet you here. You said nothing about a time." Rinoa replied, joining him against the wall.
"I meant after school. I had assumed that you knew what time." He smirked at her.
"Don't assume. You'll make an ass of you and me." She said curtly.
"No kidding?" He looked at her, rolling his eyes.
"Are you picking on me?" Rinoa demanded, glaring at him.
"Of course not."
"What did you want anyway?" She asked, shivering slightly and changing the subject before it got ugly.
You. "They've been in there plotting. I've been out here waiting on you for the past hour, and every time I looked in there, they were huddled together in a tight circle. They've got a plan." Squall told her.
"Really? I thought they were just discussing football strategies." Rinoa rolled her eyes and he shoved her. "Hey! What was that for?"
"For not taking me seriously."
At this, Rinoa went into a full blown-out laughter. How could anyone take him seriously? Honestly. It just wasn't possible. She was laughing so hard that tears were coming to her eyes, and she looked at him to find him clearly not amused.
"I'm sorry, you were being serious?" She wiped the tears away and tried to hold back her laughter.
"Yeah!" He nodded. "Anyway, are you going to help me or not?"
"Do I have a choice?"
He shook his head and pushed himself off the wall. "Since when have I ever given you a choice anyway?" He demanded, fighting off a grin. He walked to the door and stopped.
"So what is your plan?" Rinoa asked, joining his side.
"Haven't gotten one yet." He shrugged and walked in, leaving her behind to roll her eyes and then follow.
"So, when are you going to come up with a brilliant plan?" Rinoa asked him.
"I knew you thought my plans were always brilliant." He hid a smirk.
"Sarcasm is a foreign language to you, isn't it?" She didn't get an answer from him as the two came upon their friends and found them all surprisingly silent. Everyone looked like statues, frozen in time in the same position forever.
"Okay, who died?" Rinoa asked, looking to each of them.
No one answered her or made any indication that she had even spoken. They just sat there, never moving.
"What gives?" Rinoa whispered to Squall who was searching them all down with a heated glare.
"Plotting." He narrowed his gaze on his brother. Bryce was looking the most suspicious. He wore a fighting smile, tried to look relaxed but was too fidgety.
"Plotting? Who said anything about plotting?" Quistis asked innocently. She sat on a couch with her hands resting neatly in her lap and her upper body in an upright position.
"Yeah, we're just sitting here like respectable adults." Seifer added. He was next to Quistis, eyes focused ahead of him on absolutely nothing.
"Every time I hear them say that, I can't help but laugh." Joe had appeared between Squall and Rinoa, watching the group as well.
"Joe, what is going on?" Rinoa asked the elderly man, hoping he knew more than she did.
Joe shrugged with a smile and a wink. "I have no idea. I haven't really been paying much attention to them. Although I did hear something about relation ships from Esthar and Galbadia combining while the stars danced under the winter mistletoe." With that Joe walked away but not before stopping to add, "But watch for the little storm to bother and crash the ships."
Squall stared at Joe completely dumb-founded, having no idea what he had said or the point, but Rinoa's face lit up and her mind caught the hidden message. She needed a piece of paper and pen fast.
"What the…?" Drag stood and looked at Joe with a confused expression.
"I have no idea." Squall shrugged and then slumped onto a couch.
"That man is the most random guy I have ever met. Is he senile? I mean, really!" Bryce exclaimed. He watched Joe go back behind the counter and return to his previous business.
"He does that all the time. You learn to get used to it." Quistis replied. She relaxed and settled against the couch more comfortable. Rinoa noticed the tension had somewhat eased thanks to Joe, and she was curious if anyone else got what he had been trying to say. Obviously, Squall hadn't or he would have said something to her by now, unless he was being clever and keeping his mouth shut. No, he wasn't that smart. Brian capacity or not, he was still a guy.
"So what's everybody doing?" Squall asked. Everyone just looked at him strangely, trying to figure out what he was talking about. It finally dawned on them.
"Nothing. Just sitting here. Bored." Seifer replied. He sighed in obvious mock aggravation.
Silence filled the air, and everyone just kind of looked away, avoiding each other. Rinoa watched, waiting for someone to give it away and expose something, but they were all being extremely careful. She could wait, though. She had patience. Her eyes darted from one person to the next with no contact, but when she looked to Squall, she found that he was staring at her questionably.
I think I know. She mouthed to him. He looked to their friends briefly before making eye contact with her again. He raised an eyebrow, and she nodded. Now all she needed was a good excuse to get him to come with her, away from the rest of them without giving anything off or giving someone the wrong impression.
Quistis nudged Seifer and pointed carefully to Squall and Rinoa. She kept her hand out of their sight as she made the motion. Seifer nodded once and returned to his previous position. Either Quistis was right or they were putting on a good show. At any rate, something had to be going on here.
"You know what?" Selphie spoke suddenly, making everyone jump. "I'm really bored." She sighed and began tapping her feet to a familiar rhythm.
"That's nice." Zell shrugged. He yawned and rested his hands against the back of his head.
"Join the club, we've got jackets." Zion added. He made this sudden movement like he was going to get up, but he never did. He just sat where he was.
This was driving Rinoa crazy. She needed to get Squall alone and tell him Joe's hidden message. That must be part of their plan, and she was sure that there was more. There had to be. Quistis never kept things simple. They had to be complicated for her to make it successful. Well, everyone else thought it was complicated, and yet, she thought it was the simplest thing in the world. But what could be the rest of it She had no idea.
"But watch for the little storm to bother…" She heard Joe's last words, playing through her mind. What little storm? "…to bother…" Bother? Bother? Oh! Brother! Squall's brother! Storm wreck! He was going to wreck whatever they were planning! But that didn't make any sense! Why would Quistis try to set up something and then have someone destroy it? Unless, of course, she didn't know! But, then, how did Joe know to tell her? The only possibility that Rinoa could think of was that Joe had overheard Drag, Zion, and Bryce talking before everyone else had come in. Did that mean he knew more? She made a mental note to ask him later.
Squall watched Rinoa's face intently. Her expressions continued to change as different thoughts processed through her mind. She was thinking about something, and thinking about it profusely. He looked back to everyone else, trying to decide whether or not he should just leave. It was getting pretty damn dull in here.
"No, seriously, you guys! I'm bored!" Selphie exclaimed. She jumped to her feet. "We should do something fun!"
"Like what?" Quistis asked, yawning.
"I don't care!" Selphie swayed in her spot. She was extremely restless.
"I'm pretty bored myself." Bryce said suddenly. Squall narrowed his eyes at his brother.
"You're always bored." Drag said to him.
"Yeah, well, someone should entertain me." Bryce threw back at him.
"Who would want to entertain you?" Drag demanded, playing this little game with Bryce, who didn't' seem to mind too much.
"I would!" Selphie interjected, giggling.
"Why?" Rinoa asked innocently.
"because I'm Haut!" Bryce exclaimed, standing and flexing his muscles weakly.
Rinoa busted out laughing much in the way she had outside with Squall. That was almost as funny, too. Bryce's jaw dropped in shock at her response.
"Is that supposed to mean I'm not?" Bryce demanded of her as Drag snorted.
"No, no, no! That's not what I meant! It was just how you said it, that's all." Rinoa lied.
"Uh-huh. Right." Bryce did something that proved he and Squall were brothers, if not related. He narrowed his eyes at Rinoa with that same dark, untrusting way that squall did all the time and only moments before. "Then answer this for me: In your opinion, who is the hottest guy here right now?"
Rinoa's face flushed, and she inwardly cursed. She knew he would make her answer him.
"Are you kidding?" she asked.
"Nope. I'm being totally serious." He grinned, enjoying seeing her on the spot, and he was interested to hear her answer.
Rinoa knew she couldn't answer that. They would never let her live it down, and it would give Quistis what she wanted. Her face continued to redden, and she looked away from them.
"ooh! Come on, Rinny!" Selphie encouraged this new game.
"Yeah, Rinny, ell us." Squall mocked her, saying her nickname with extreme sarcasm, making her glare at him.
"I don't…" Rinoa stated but never finished.
"Okay, then answer this: Who is hotter? Me or Squall?" Bryce asked, altering the question slightly.
Rinoa laughed bitterly. "Oh, that one is easy! Squall because I…don't…like…you." She smiled sweetly. Bryce's face fell. Literally.
"Wha?" He asked.
"I'm pretty sure you heard me." Rinoa just continued to smile. Zion was dying of laughter, and Bryce looked like he was going to faint. Drag and Seifer were laughing, too, and Squall just sat there trying not to show any amusement.
"You don't like me? How did that happen? Everybody likes me!"
"Oh, that's funny!" Zion stated, with mock sarcasm, laughing even harder now. He was on the ground, laughing like a hyena.
"I know, right?" Drag joined him.
Bryce ignored them and continued to glare at Rinoa. "How could say something like that? I don't get it? I'm way hotter than Mr. Serious." He whined.
"Hey, you wanted an honest answer and that's what I gave to you." Rinoa shrugged.
"I didn't want honesty!" Bryce exclaimed, jumping up and flailing around like a crazed monkey.
"Well, ya should have said something!" Rinoa barked.
"No, I figured you would have gotten it! You were supposed to be on my side!" He exclaimed again.
"Why would I do that?" Rinoa asked genuinely.
"Because I'm hotter, nicer, more laid back, and I have more personality in my pinky finger than he does in his whole body!" Bryce stated dryly.
"He's dreaming." Seifer said, finally hiding his laughter. Drag and Zion agreed.
"Bryce, let me inform you, that you have been sadly misinformed. Whoever told you that was either drunk, high, or had no idea who you were. I'm sorry to bust your little happy bubble, but your brother is hotter, cooler, and all-around better guy than you could ever be. Get over it." Rinoa smiled and Bryce glared at her again. "No offense."
"None taken, but at least that answers my questions." He grinned and the turned to Seifer. "I told you she was crushing on him. There's your proof."
"Hey! I never said that!" Rinoa yelled, catching onto the game.
"Not in so many words, but you did say it!" Bryce countered. "You can't go back on your word, now can you?" He had her cornered now.
"But I never said that! You asked me who was hotter, and given the choices, I picked your brother! That does not mean I am madly in love with him!" she snapped.
"But you are!" Bryce pointed out.
"I never said that, and I am not!" she was definitely losing her temper.
"Then why are you blushing?" Bryce asked coyly, determined to get her.
"I am not blushing." But she, in fact, was. She looked to Squall for help, but he just sat there, his face blank without emotion, lost in thought.
"Yes, you are. You like him! You like my brother! Eww!" He began speaking in a singsong voice, repeating that over and over. He was jumping up and down, saying that over and over.
Rinoa's face went from pink blush to full-out red mad. She glared at Bryce, hoping that looks could kill. If he didn't shut up she'd be forced to lose her temper, which spelled out certain death for young Bryce.
"Rinoa loves Squall! Rinoa loves Squall! Rinoa loves Squall! Rinoa loves Squall! Rinoa loves-" he was dancing around, and poor Rinoa finally lost it. She jumped up and lunged at Bryce, throwing both of them to the ground. She had him pinned beneath her with her hands wrapped around his neck, and her face displaying her obvious rage.
Everyone jumped up in complete shock at what Rinoa had just done. None of them thought she had the guts to actually do something like that. For the first few seconds they all just stood there, unsure of what to do.
Squall was the first to react. As much as he would have liked to have her choke his brother, he had to make her stop. He grabbed her around the waist with one hand and held her wrists together with the other and pulled her off him. She thrashed, and Squall had to tighten his hold on her. He was regretting instantly, holding her tightly in attempts to restrain her.
Bryce laid on the floor and didn't move for several minutes. Everyone just kind of watched him closely to make sure he was still breathing. His face was red and his eyes displayed obvious fear. He swore she would have honestly choked him to death had his brother not pulled her off. Somehow, he hadn't expected her to react or actually do anything. He now knew better than to anger her.
"Bryce, are you okay?" Selphie asked him carefully. She leaned over him and looked into his face contently. He looked still in shock, but other than that he seemed fine.
"I think so." He finally sat up with Selphie's help and took the dare to look at Rinoa. She was glaring at him from Squall's lap. He was holding her there and trying to calm her down but with no luck. She was madder than Hell.
"Heh heh." He laughed nervously as her eyes narrowed down on him.
"I hope you know, this means war!" she growled. Squall was trying not to grin and still trying to hold her back.
Without thinking, Bryce laughed and said, "Bring it on!"
Rinoa's face flushed with anger again and she attempted to lunge at hum again, but Squall had a stronger hold on her than she had anticipated. He pulled her back against him roughly, knocking the wind out of her.
"You can't kill my brother!" he growled in her ear. Straining to hold her. "That's my job!"
"I don't care! Watch me!" she lunged again, almost breaking free and making Bryce jump and hide behind Selphie. Squall was even surprised at her strength and had to think of a new strategy to hold her down. He quickly released her wrists and then grabbed both of her arms and pinned them behind her against his lower abdomen.
"Aww, Squall! Let her kill him! I wan to see her draw blood!" Drag whined, mocking Bryce. He looked to his cousin then to his brother and shook his head.
"No, no, no! Don't let her hurt me! She's lethal with those nails!" he held his hands around his neck, remembering the awful pain she caused.
"Oh, come on! Let me rip his head off!" Rinoa growled wearing this god-awful smile and tried to free her hands but Squall wouldn't let her go.
"She's starting to act like you Squall!" Seifer laughed at the situation.
"No! My mom would kill me, and she's worse than you!" Squall pulled her back harder against him. She panted, losing her energy to try and get away. He whispered closely in her ear and she could literally feel the words forming on his lips. "Calm down. He's not worth it, and you can get back at him when we do our own sabotaging." Her breathing slowed back to normal, and she stopped resisting. He began to slowly release his death hold on her and rested one hand on the front of her waistband below her belly button and the other on her left thigh. She had her hands against him for now, relaxing her body and feeling he anger wash out of her.
"You're not going to kill me…are you?" Bryce asked quietly, looking back up to Rinoa.
"No I guess not, but sleep with one eye open." She warned him. Her mind was half working to begin with. She was so close to Squall's body that she could feel his heat and the warmth was putting her off guard and shutting down her brain.
"Believe me, in my house, you have to sleep with one eye open anyway or else you could wake up with one of your eyebrows shaved off." Bryce shuddered at the thought. Drag laughed and shot an interesting look at Zion, who crossed his arms over his chest and looked away from everyone. "Just ask Zion."
"I don't want to know." Quistis held back the laughter and pulled out a magazine from her book bag and indulged herself in that.
Everyone got silent and went to going whatever to keep themselves busy. Rinoa stared forward, desperately trying to keep her eyes open and her mind in working order. She could feel Squall's fingers slowly began to move in tiny circles on her thigh just as an unconscious movement. His exhaled breath was sweeping the back of her neck through her midnight black hair. She wasn't quite sure what to do. She wanted to lean back against him, but she also wanted to bolt out of there before she was forced to admit to herself that everything she was trying to so hard to deny was actually true.
She couldn't help but let her eyes close and her head tilt slightly to the side. Squall's warm breath moved to her exposed neck. He began to move his right hand slightly up her waist, slipping her thumb under the shirt, touching her tender skin there. He had to resist the urge to do anything with her, but it was beginning to become seriously difficult. He wanted her. As scary as that seemed, considering she had once been his best friend, he wanted her. He had to control himself. He couldn't ruin what he had worked so hard to reclaim.
Rinoa was lost completely within him. She was wrapped in his warmth, in his scent, and the feeling of his hands on her. She loved that feeling, but it wasn't enough. She needed that feeling intensifies, all over.
She sat up, suddenly, straight and rigid and out of breath. She felt his hands stop their movements and jumped up. She looked to him and then to everyone else, who didn't seem bothered by her sudden change in behavior. Only Squall was confused. He saw the fear on her face and didn't understand what was happening. She shook her head and then turned and fled for the door. She needed fresh air. She needed to calm down, needed to relax. She was sweating. Why was she sweating? It was hot, too hot. The heat was unbearable, and it was spreading throughout her whole body, burning her inside out.
She barely made it outside, panting gasping for air that wasn't coming. Her lungs were going to seriously explode. She couldn't breath, couldn't calm her nerves. She leaned against the building, sliding down until she felt the ground beneath her.
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"What the hell was that?" Squall asked. He searched the door with his steel-blue eyes, trying to find any indication that she was going to come back inside anytime soon.
"Yeah. That was weird. You think she's okay?" Selphie asked.
"I hope." Squall muttered. He really hoped that he hadn't done anything to make her do that so strangely. "I'm going to go check on her." He started to move but some one grabbed his arm, stopping him.
"I think you should leave her alone for a while. She looked stressed and scared. Let her figure out whatever it is on her own. You can't solve her problems for her." It was Seifer. He pulled him back and returned him back to his seat. Squall nodded and looked back to the door one last time.
"Okay."
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She laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling but seeing nothing. She tried to keep her mind blank of all things, but every time she drifted even slightly, she would immediately go back to thinking about the day's events. She hadn't expected anything like that to happen; it had just been like on giant surprise for her. It left her confused and even somewhat scared. What had happened to her? She couldn't breathe, couldn't think and was unbearably hot. It took her almost an hour, or what felt like an hour, to calm down and cool off. She had certainly hyper- ventilated.
But now, she was okay. Sort of. She was breathing correctly now, hours later. She was calm enough to think straight, but was almost afraid to dos o. She didn't want to drift to that freaky reality of earlier today. What would have happened if she hadn't gotten out of there? Or better yet, what would have happened if they had been alone? Would things have gone even further? She wasn't too crazy about that idea. In fact, it terrified her. She knew that part of her was not scared, but she wasn't ready to admit that the other part was right. It was time she actually did something for herself, but she had that fear factor that held her back. She was still afraid that she would throw herself into the open just to get hurt again. There was no protection this time, not there was any last time either. How did she know that he wouldn't betray her again? He had done it once before, what would stop him from doing it this time? She didn't want to think that way, but it was hard when she had already been bruised badly enough to be afraid of her own feelings. Maybe she needed to be left alone for a while. Maybe she just needed to have some time to herself to figure things out on her own. After all, this was her own private battle and no one could fight it for her. Her emotions were all over the place, bouncing off the walls and hitting her, confusing her even more than she already was. Her mind was a whirlwind, scrambling thoughts into completely gibberish
Rinoa thought her head might explode. She had wanted to just lay there, thinking about nothing, keeping her mind as blank as possible, but it never worked. As much as she struggled not to think about it, that turned out to be all she could think about. Her thoughts returned to that event earlier and every other time, she found herself relaxing at the thought of it all. She could paint a picture of him and of what they both wanted, or at least what she wanted.
She forced herself to sit up and open her eyes. She needed to stop. She needed to get herself straight and figure out what she needed to do.
She screamed.
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Tossing and turning all night long, she went through nightmare after nightmare, waking herself by her own screams each time. She wanted peace from her mind, but that didn't seem to be an option. There was no way she could do anything to ease her own suffering. She needed someone else's help. She couldn't do this all on her own.
She sat up, clutching her knees to her chest and rocking back and forth. Tears ran silently down her cheeks, making her life worse. She'd shed so many tears in the past that she could fill an ocean and probably then some. She used to cry everyday for freedom to breakaway when she was still a prisoner to her father. She never wanted to go back there ever again. She wanted to stay where she was, on her long healing process. Going back into the depths of her past would only create problems for her future. She didn't need that stress or pain again.
A soft knock on the door brought her back to her sense. Her mother entered her room and sat beside her on the bed. "Rinny, sweetie, are you okay?" she touched her forehead lightly, making Rinoa shiver.
"I…don't…know." Rinoa answered softly, unsurely. She had no idea if she was okay or not. It was hard to tell with all the ruckus in her head distracting her. She thought her body was at war with itself. Her mind arguing against her heart; her thoughts arguing against her actions, and everything else causing problems.
"I heard you scream. Did you have a bad dream?" Julia held her timid daughter closely, being her shelter from her fears like only a mother could be.
"More like a bad life." Rinoa whispered, responding to her mother's soft embrace. She felt like a tiny child who needed her mother to check for monsters under her bed.
"I'm sorry, sweetie. I wish I could've helped more." Julia kissed the top of her head lightly.
"You did all you could, mom. Thank you." Tears swelled up in her eyes again.
"Believe me, honey, if I could turn back time, I would change everything. You certainly didn't deserve what your father did to you." Julia hugged her tighter.
"Thank you." Rinoa whispered.
"Now, can I help with what's bothering you?" Julia asked, releasing Rinoa.
Rinoa shook her head sadly. " I don't think so. I don't think even I can help myself this time." Rinoa sighed.
Julia frowned and ran her fingers affectionately through her soft hair. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I think this is something I need to do on my own. But I'm so confused."
"All right, but you know if you need me for anything, I'm here for you." She kissed her forehead and slid off the bed. "Now, get some sleep. And work yourself up over this. Good night, sweetie." She left the room and left Rinoa to her thoughts again.
"Good night." She whispered to the soft breeze caused by the door closing. Her attention went to the window where the moonlight poured in and swallowed her room. She wished life could be just as simple as that. She wished her life could be as simple as just being a moonbeam, with no purpose but to fill a dark room with night-lights.
A/N: Yeah, I know. That kind of ended in a weird way, but I couldn't think of anything better than that. Lol. Actually it made more sense in my head. Most things do. Maybe I shouldn't put any of my thoughts to words. Ha! I hope you guys liked this chapter. It's one of my favs. R&R guys! Later Days!
Now where's my cookie?