A/N: Well, I don't even have the next chapter up yet and I'm working on this one, that should make you guys happy. Bleh, can't believe its Sunday already, yesterday just FLEW by for me. And I have a science test tomorrow.. Yay.. Yeah, sarcasm is a GREAT invention. Anyway, I'll say thanks to those who reviewed, yeah I know Seifer was a bit ooc there, he's supposed to come off a little wacky in this, but I'll try to keep it a bit more in character for you.

Disclaimer: FF VIII isn't mine.

Addicted

EilayAdnayVolieay

Chapter Twelve: Devin

The first week of school, for Rinoa, consisted mostly of review work, as the teachers were trying to see how much the students remembered from the year before, and to test their knowledge to see what most people's weak points were. Rinoa and Squall hadn't said a word to each other since the day she was confronted by Seifer, and neither of them seemed to mind. Laguna was too busy, off in his own little world where everything was going perfect, to notice the change. Before, Rinoa would try to make Squall talk at dinner, but now, she wouldn't even look at him. Nico wasn't so blind to the change, however, and she wanted to ask one of them about it. She didn't know who would get more mad— Squall, or Rinoa. Even though it wasn't at all like Rinoa to get mad, it also didn't seem like Rinoa to completely ignore Squall and stop talking to him completely.

Quistis, after she had gotten over the small bout of depression, seemed to return back to normal, and Rinoa decided she was going to avoid mentioning Seifer, at least whenever Quistis was around. She felt bad for her— she hadn't known Seifer was a jerk, and fell for him. Because of her deep feelings she believed she had for Seifer, she ignored her best friend when she was warned about him. Because of that, she was now trying to heal a broken heart. Even if you put the pieces back together, the cracks from where it broke remain. Rinoa thought one day. Now that she knew about Quistis' past relationship with Seifer, she noticed more things. For example, she noticed that Quistis fell silent if Seifer was around. Or that she would stare at him, both with sadness and anger, if she saw him with any other girl. She knew they were over, and she didn't want to be with him, Rinoa was sure. But that doesn't mean the feelings aren't still there... Rinoa realized.

Selphie didn't really get too sad about Irvine anymore— she liked him a lot, Rinoa could tell, and she was worried for her friend. She felt better knowing that Selphie wasn't blind to the fact that Irvine was a flirt, but she also felt that Selphie would probably still be sad about it. Rinoa couldn't read her mind— so she couldn't tell if Selphie really was okay with the fact that she was sure she'd never be with Irvine, in any way other than friends.

Both of Rinoa's closest friends were so caught up with one guy, and Rinoa hadn't ever fallen for any guy. Despite the fact that she had always been popular at her other school, at least before her stepsister had interfered, she never had much interest. There wasn't any guy that she had met, who wasn't in some way a jerk or disgusting. Rinoa thought briefly of the three guys she had in her life. Zell was pretty disgusting when it came to food, and Rinoa just couldn't think of him in any other way than as a friend. Irvine, she would never date because first and foremost, Selphie liked him, and second, he was too much of a flirt for her liking. And Squall... what could she say about him? Nothing she hadn't been saying to herself since she had met him. He was cold, he was distant, and he relied on himself just like he had told her he did. There was no way she could like someone who couldn't say half of what they thought.

The weekend after the first week of school had finally come, and Rinoa was thrilled that she had gotten no homework for the weekend. Most of the teachers would be away for the full next week, because they were going to a camp with the ninth graders for the full week. Some teachers (such as Selphie and Rinoa's English teacher, Mr. Rogers) would be staying behind.

Selphie walked with Rinoa and Zell, as had become the habit, and Rinoa told Selphie she would introduce her to Angelo. Zell had homework, so he couldn't go over.

"I can't wait to see him! I love dogs, but my dad's allergic." Selphie replied. "We can't stay too long, though, don't forget we're supposed to meet Quistis." Selphie reminded. Rinoa nodded.

"Yeah, I know, I know. Where were we supposed to meet her again?" Rinoa asked. She lead Selphie up the stairs, ignoring Squall as they walked past him. Rinoa opened her bedroom door and Angelo bolted out of it, barking. He stopped once Rinoa reached down to pet him, and Selphie squealed.

"OH! He's SO CUTE!" she squealed again. Rinoa laughed and Selphie sat down on the floor where she had been standing and patted Angelo on the head. "I can't believe someone could have just abandoned him like that, I mean really who does that?" Selphie asked. "Especially to such a cute dog!" Selphie replied. They continued spoiling the dog with love when Squall came up behind them. He looked as if he was about to say something, and Rinoa looked at him.

"What?" she asked irritably. Squall shook his head.

"Forget it." He replied. Rinoa looked at him confused. What were you going to say, Squall? Rinoa thought, forgetting for a moment that she was mad at him. When will you ever start speaking what you think? She thought. Squall went into his room and closed the door, and Rinoa sighed, staring down at Angelo. Selphie looked up at Rinoa, concerned.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Rinoa smiled and shook her head.

"N-nothing. Let's go meet Quistis now," she added. "Angelo, be a good boy and stay out of everyone's way." Rinoa told him. She and Selphie walked down the stairs, and left the house.

(A/N: Squall's POV again!)

Squall shut the door behind him, this time not slamming it as he usually would, but just gently closing it. He walked over to his bed and sat on it, placing his head in his hands. The night before, he had a strange nightmare that hadn't made any sense to him, but he had a feeling Rinoa would have understood if he asked her about it. But she had seemed so mad at him still, and she was with that hyper loud girl again, so Squall had decided to forget about it.

In this dream, everything was black. There wasn't anything Squall could see, but it felt so cold to him that he figured it must have been winter. He heard the sound of tires screeching, the sound of metal against metal, and the sound of a heart pounding loudly. The sound echoed in his head every time he thought of it. It didn't make sense to him... what was this dream supposed to mean? He didn't know what made him think Rinoa would understand it. He just had that feeling. Sighing, Squall thought he heard voices again outside and walked over to his open window. He saw Rinoa and Selphie walking down the street, giggling to themselves about something, and Squall couldn't explain why he suddenly felt very weird. He shook the feeling away, and began to work on the history assignment he had. He knew himself that Rinoa had already finished it, since she had handed it into the teacher already. Squall wasn't generally someone who enjoyed slacking off, but for some reason he had left the assignment til the weekend. (A/N: For those wondering, yes, Squall and Rinoa are in the same History class xD)

Okay, Squall thought, looking over his assignment. Thirty years ago, Dollet had been invaded by Galbadian Soldiers. This was before the election of General Caraway, who was in fact elected as the General for the Galbadian Army because of his ability to restore the peace and freedom to Dollet. After the fall of the previous general, Galbadia elected— Caraway, isn't that Rinoa's father? So he restored the peace and freedom to Dollet. Funny, I got the impression that he was rather— wait, I'm trying to do an assignment, forget Rinoa and her father! Squall thought angrily. He began writing down his essay, pushing all thoughts of General Caraway and Rinoa Heartilly from his mind.

(A/N: Back to Regular Rinoa's POV)

Rinoa and Selphie had promised Quistis that they would meet her at the movie theater. They were going to go watch a movie, although they hadn't chosen one yet. They figured they would wait and see what one was showing when they got there, that way if the movie they had decided they wanted to see had already started, they wouldn't be disappointed.

Rinoa hadn't been to the theater yet in Balamb, so she had no idea where it was. She was glad to see it was near the water, so while they waited for Quistis to arrive, she could smell the fresh air and stare out at the sea. It seemed so peaceful, just doing that. Selphie, after the first five minutes of waiting, got restless and stood up (they had been sitting on a bench outside of the theater).

"Rin, I'm going to go and get something to drink, I'm thirsty. Want anything?" she asked. Rinoa shook her head.

"No thanks, I'll just wait out here so Quistis knows we're here already." Rinoa replied. Selphie bounced into the theater to buy herself a drink at the lobby, and Rinoa sat staring out at the sea. She closed her eyes, feeling the wind blowing on her face, and she sighed. Because she was relaxing with her eyes shut, she didn't notice anyone coming up behind her, and so she jumped when she heard a voice talking to her.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" a soft voice asked. Rinoa jumped and turned around, seeing a guy behind her with blue hair. Rinoa decided that if his hair hadn't been blue, he would have been quite cute, but to her it seemed to give him such a childish look to go with his serious face.

"Yeah..." Rinoa replied, rather awkwardly. The boy had stopped staring at the sea and was now staring at her, but not at her body as some perverted guys may have, but at her face, staring directly into her eyes. She looked back out at the sea.

"Do you care if I sit with you?" he asked her. Rinoa shrugged, and moved over on the bench.

"Sure, but I don't think I'll be here long. I'm waiting for someone." She added. The boy looked crestfallen.

"Oh, your boyfriend huh?" he asked her, standing up. Rinoa shook her head, laughing.

"No!" she replied after laughing. "I'm waiting for one of my friends. The other one is inside getting a drink." She replied. The boy sat down again and smiled at her.

"So," he replied, staring at her eyes again, "you don't... have a boyfriend?" he asked her. Rinoa shook her head.

"No... would it matter?" she asked him. The boy laughed.

"Well, considering I happen to be a single guy, talking to quite an attractive and interesting young woman, also single, I suppose it would matter." He answered. What's he trying to say? Rinoa thought.

"Uh, yeah, and?" Rinoa asked, confused. So what if she was single? It was nice to be called attractive, but really if they were both single... it was then that Rinoa realized what he meant. "Oh." Rinoa replied. "I— never mind, I get what you mean..." she replied finally, rather embarrassed. She looked over at him. He was staring at her, causing her to blush. She looked away again and stared at someone who was walking at the shoreline.

"So... do you w-want to go out... maybe?" he asked her. Rinoa had known it was coming. She had, as surprising as it may sound, never really dated anyone, as she hadn't really cared to. Was it that I didn't care, or I didn't want to have to deal with Gabriella and Dad? Well... neither of them are here NOW... she thought.

"I— I don't even know your name," Rinoa replied, a little shyly.

"Devin. And your name...?" he asked her. She looked up.

"Rinoa. Rinoa Heartilly." She told him. He smiled and stood up.

"Well, Rinoa Heartilly, would you like to go out with me sometime?" he asked. She looked away, but couldn't stop herself from smiling. "Well?" he asked again.

"I... well... okay."

After Rinoa had agreed to go out with Devin, she had two problems to face, and their names were Selphie Tilmitt and Quistis Trepe.

"You said yes?" Quistis asked, shocked. "But... but... Rinoa, you don't even know him!" Quistis told her. Rinoa knew that Quistis was worried about her, because of what had happened between her and Seifer, but Rinoa felt... different. Ever since they had parted (Devin couldn't join them in the movie, as he had actually just came out, and was headed for home) Rinoa couldn't stop thinking about him.

"Yes, Quistis, I said yes, and besides, I said I'd go out with him sometime, that doesn't mean we're going to continue dating. It's only for sure a one-time thing, so would you relax, please." Rinoa begged. She knew that she shouldn't have told Quistis, because in her eyes it was history repeating itself, only it was Rinoa's heart she was sure was going to be broken.

"What's the big deal, Quistis? Like she said, it's one date. Perfect opportunity for them to get to know each other." Selphie replied. Quistis sighed.

"I... I guess. Besides, you're entitled to dating who you want, we can't control it, only advise you against it if we think there's reason to, right?" Quistis replied. She tried to act as though she no longer cared, but Rinoa knew otherwise. She was sure that at this moment, memories that Quistis had from the times she and Seifer shared together, were flooding through her mind. Memories of how he had been before he began acting like a jerk— when he had put on an act for her. They headed down the stairs, and sat at the table. Nico had told Rinoa to invite her friends over for dinner, which they were having a little late, when they had gotten back from the movies. Squall was already downstairs, and seeming rather upset that he was being forced to eat dinner with four women. He kept silent, but couldn't help looking up at Rinoa. He looked away quickly after she noticed, but out of the corner of his eye he saw her smile at him before continuing her conversation with Selphie and Quistis.

"So girls, how was the movie?" Nico asked, sitting down to eat. Selphie looked over at Rinoa, a mischievous look on her face.

"Well, the movie was good... but it's what happened before the movie that counts." Selphie replied. Rinoa began to blush and protest, but Selphie hushed her and continued. "Rinoa, why don't you tell Nico what happened before we went to see the movie?" Selphie asked.

"I... well, it's nothing, really—"

"Rinoa?" Nico asked, as she stopped eating. "What happened?"

"She got asked out on a date!" Selphie squealed. Squall's head shot up, but nobody other than Quistis, who wasn't as thrilled as Selphie was, noticed. Nico smiled.

"That's great, Rinoa. I assume you said yes," Nico added. Rinoa nodded.

"I... yeah, I did." She replied quietly. She glanced over at Squall, to see what his reaction to this news was, but his expression was unreadable. Why can't he just for once say what's on his mind? Rinoa thought.

"Well, who asked you?" Nico asked.

"Devin Sanders." Rinoa replied. After telling Nico a few of the details, Rinoa fell silent. Why did I say yes? Quistis is right. I... I don't really know him. But since I met him, I haven't stopped thinking about him. Maybe now I understand how Selphie feels when it comes to Irvine. I just hope that Quistis' worries turn out to be over nothing. I don't... want to get hurt.

(A/N: Squall's POV again...)

After Squall had finished his dinner, he asked if he could be excused. When his father had first married Nico, Squall had been determined to hate her. He believed it was her goal to replace his mother, and he didn't want Raine to be replaced by anyone. Yet he had soon learned, after several arguments with his father and many tears and outbreaks from Nico, that he had been completely wrong. Nico was simply a kind woman, who had fallen in love with his father. She didn't want to replace his mother, only make a place of her own.

He couldn't say that he still didn't sometimes treat her like an outsider, the way he would sometimes treat Rinoa, but he tried his best to avoid that. That was why this night, he asked to be excused instead of just leaving. For whatever reason, he had begun feeling immense guilt for the way he had treated her so many times before, and felt the urge to make it up to her.

After Selphie's outburst, Squall had tried to finish eating his meal as quickly as possible so he could be excused. He didn't know why, but it bothered him that Rinoa had agreed to go on a date with this... Devin. Why should it bother me? He asked himself. She's bound to have a lot of boyfriends while she's here, does it really matter that much? He thought. He lied down on his bed, staring at the ceiling, his room completely enveloped in darkness. He hadn't bothered turning on the light; he was only thinking anyway. He turned over on his side. Since she's come here, she's been nothing but a pain. Inviting over loudmouth friends, asking me to show her where her locker is... she's gotten into a sticky spot with Seifer, and she's bound to again. Now, she's going out with some guy... and if she manages to get through the relationship without being brutally heartbroken, I'll confess every single thought I've ever had to the entire world. But... does it matter if she's heartbroken? I mean, I don't care. Squall thought.

Squall heard the sound of his door slowly being pushed open. He hadn't bothered to close it properly, figuring that people would see the partly closed door and get the picture: stay out. He sat up and watched the door, expecting either a concerned Nico or a love sick Rinoa, coming to tell him everything about Devin, as if he actually cared. But it wasn't Nico, and nor was it Rinoa. It was Angelo, that damn dog of Rinoa's. The dog poked its head into the room, and Squall stared at it. Heh, even the dog wants to get away from Rinoa's friends.

"Come here, Angelo." Squall replied softly. The dog jumped onto Squall's bed, lying down and making itself comfortable. Angelo, what kind of a name is that for a dog? Squall thought. Is everything about Rinoa so... STOP THINKING ABOUT HER! He shouted at himself. He glanced down at the dog, who was staring at him.

"I know what you're thinking," he replied. "And that's not what this is." The dog tilted its head, as if confused, and Squall couldn't help but laugh— a very, small, tiny laugh that was barely even heard by himself.

"I must be going crazy..." he replied. "Talking to a dog, and thinking about Rinoa all in one day." Squall replied quietly. He got out of bed, and walked out into the hallway. He heard Rinoa talking to her friends, both of them she had invited to stay for the night, and ignored them completely. I won't think about her. I won't think about her. Squall thought. He kept telling himself that over and over again in his head, and stopped walking, finally reaching his destination. He opened the door in front of him, which would appear to anyone else to be a closet door, but was in fact the way into the attic. From the attic, there was a door leading outside onto a small balcony, staring over a lot of Balamb. Squall stood there, despite the cool wind outside, and tried to sort out his thoughts. Things were already starting to get confusing, and it had barely even begun.

A/N: Well, there's another chapter, hope it was better than the last one... please don't kill me for throwing in Devin, but he's a very important part of this story, and don't worry, I won't get all lovey-dovey between the two of them since they won't be a couple forever. Clearly, as this is a Rinoa x Squall story, not Rinoa x OC. So, review, and forgive me for throwing in Devin.

Why Devin? Well, the reason I chose Devin (although I changed the last name) is because when I was in eighth grade, I liked this guy named Devin, and he, as you MIGHT have guessed, had blue hair. Dyed it very often, I believe it has been: Blue, Red (he's had it red twice now), green, purple (yes, purple, wait til you hear the next one...) And... pink. Yeah, I like weird people. Anyways, I always liked the name Devin, and so randomly, the name popped into my head, so I used it.