A/N: I am really sorry for leaving you guys hanging for so long. I can't give you any excuses for most of the time spent away, I can only tell you that I hope to get back into a fairly regular updating routine. I'm going to be preparing a little schedule to help decide what story to work on when, but I haven't quite figured out how that's going to go. But I'm settled in at school, the guy I like more than anyone in the world didn't move away after all, and life is good. For the moment, at least. And so, here is an update for your reading desires, and hopefully it will help to make up for all the times I could have updated but didn't... I'm truly sorry and I hope to make up for it. Lately, I haven't updated any of my stories, and one of them I had intended to have finished by now! By the day before the first day of school, actually. Oops... my bad. I know you're probably upset with me, but hey, R&R anyways and tell me!

Disclaimer: As usual, FF VIII isn't mine.

Addicted

EilayAdnayVolieay

Chapter Twenty: Nothing But Fakes

(Rinoa's POV)

Rinoa hadn't told anyone about her blacking out again, because she hadn't wanted anyone to worry, but now she was stuck with knowledge part of her wished she didn't know, and the other part wanted to know so she could use it as an excuse to break up with Devin. She knew, deep down, that it wasn't Devin's fault her mother had died— was it his fathers? Yes. But Devin couldn't be blamed for the acts of his father, and Rinoa wasn't one to judge him on that. What bothered her, was that Devin had hid it from her. Why else would Seifer have told her to read that clipping more thoroughly? I don't even know why I kept it . . . Rinoa thought, turning the dial on her lock to open her locker. But I guess I was meant to know. Was Seifer . . . being nice, by telling me Devin was hiding something from me? Or was he just trying to cause trouble. At least back in Deling, things weren't this confusing. There's Seifer, who seems to know everything about everyone, and he's a jerk, yet just the other day I saw him being nice to a little girl. There's Squall, who seems antisocial and a bit of a loner, but who is starting to open up more not just to me, but to Nico, Laguna, even Zell, Selphie, Quistis and Irvine. Ellone, always asking me about Squall— am I the only one who tells her anything? Rinoa thought. She jumped when she heard something slamming into the locker next to hers, and she turned and saw Zell.

"Hey, Rinoa," Zell replied absentmindedly. He fiddled around with the lock some more, and when it didn't open, he slammed his fist into the locker. "Damn it!" he cursed loudly. Rinoa pushed him aside and grabbed the lock.

"What's your combination?" she asked, sighing. Zell quickly told her what it was and Rinoa opened his locker easily without much of a hassle. Zell crossed his arms and glared at the locker. Rinoa shook her head and smiled. "You need to get the number close to exact, Zell. You were rushing and because of that you probably missed the number entirely." Zell put his bag in his locker and grabbed some textbooks.

"Yeah, yeah . . . " he muttered. He glared at the locker and closed it, muttering under his breath. Rinoa laughed and closed her locker, going to her own class. Sometimes Zell just doesn't make any sense . . . I wonder what's bugging him? I'll have to ask him at lunchtime, if Selphie doesn't already know. Rinoa decided. As if right on cue, Selphie walked in through the door and grabbed a seat next to Rinoa. Rinoa smiled at her and said a quiet "hello" and it was then she knew that something was wrong.

"Selphie? Is something . . . bothering you?" Rinoa asked, confused. Seems like everyone's got something on their minds . . . me, I'm trying to figure out the nicest way to break up and trying to stop thinking about Sq . . . Everything. Rinoa shook her head and focused her attention on Selphie. It seemed to her that she'd never change . . . she'd always worry about everyone else before herself.

"... well, not . . . not really," Selphie replied quietly, staring down at her hands. Rinoa looked around the classroom and saw that nobody had really come to class yet. Thank goodness most people are late coming to this class all the time, she thought with relief. She stood up and walked over so she was standing in front of Selphie's desk. Crouching down on her knees, she looked up at Selphie and waited for her to say something. Three . . . two . . . one . . . "I mean, is there something wrong with me?" Selphie asked finally.

"No! Of course not . . . Selphie, why would there be something wrong with you?" Rinoa asked.

"It's just . . . " Selphie began, but she stopped when Irvine strolled into the classroom. He sat next to Selphie and leaned back in his chair, stretching relaxed. Selphie sighed and stared down at her desk and Rinoa suddenly realized that her change of mood occurred when Irvine entered the class. She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it. I'll ask her about it later, Rinoa decided finally. She took the seat behind Selphie and was surprised to see Squall enter the classroom. He doesn't take this class . . . Rinoa thought, confused.

"Miss Heartilly?" The teacher replied finally. Rinoa's head shot up.

"... yes?" she asked, not really wanting an answer. Squall entering her first period class, and her teacher calling on her, was not what she considered a good sign.

"Please report to the Headmaster's office. Mr. Leonhart will explain along the way," the teacher added. "Take your books with you— and be quiet in the halls," the teacher added sternly. Rinoa nodded and gathered up her books. She shot a last confused glance at Selphie before following Squall into the hallways. For a while, they walked side by side down the halls in complete silence, Squall staring ahead into nothing.

"Squall?" Rinoa replied softly. She stopped walking and stood there, waiting for him to say something. Finally Squall stopped dead in his tracks and sighed. He turned around and glared at her.

"What?" he spat. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I mean . . . what?" he repeated more gently. Rinoa took a few steps toward him and crossed her arms.

"Why did I get called out of class? Why do we have to go to the principals office?" she asked. Squall looked and saw that there were some people — most of them likely skipping their first class, but others were just wandering the halls — watching with interest. He looked around and saw a deserted hallway and dragged Rinoa down to it. It was the same hallway Seifer had lead her the very first time she had come to school, and the memory for some reason gave her chills. She didn't know why, but the hallway alone was coming off as scary to her.

"I... there was an accident." Squall replied finally, refusing to look Rinoa in the eyes. Rinoa felt her stomach leap, and she knelt down on the ground, leaning against the wall.

"And?" she whispered. Squall knelt down beside her and sighed.

"It's your father. He was driving, and . . . there was a collision." Squall began. Rinoa felt her heart pound so hard against her chest she felt as if it was going to explode. She blinked away any tears that threatened to spill over and bit her bottom lip.

"And?"

"He didn't . . . he didn't die, but he's hurt really badly. Actually, he's in the hospital. I was headed to class when I saw Nico and she stopped me, asked me to give a note to the teacher . . . she's waiting in the headmaster's office. She's getting both of us excused from school for a little while. We're all going to Deling." Squall told her. He stood up, and to Rinoa's surprise, offered his hand to help her up. She took it gratefully and finally the tears spilt over. She wrapped her arms around Squall and buried his head into the space between his neck and his shoulders. Dad . . . I . . . I know we never got along, but . . . you're all I have. Please don't leave me too . . . Rinoa thought. She never even thought to consider the fact that Squall wasn't the type to want to be holding someone, but he didn't push her away. He placed a hand gently on her neck and let her cry until there were no tears left in her to cry. Finally, Rinoa stepped back and looked up at Squall, who was suddenly refusing to look at her.

"Squall?"

"Let's go," he replied finally. He walked ahead and Rinoa couldn't help but smile to herself, even considering the circumstances. Squall, whether he had meant to or not, had comforted her. That was the closest he had come to showing affection in any way, for, well, anyone. I knew he wasn't completely cold. Even he has feelings . . . he just chooses to hide them.

Finally they arrived at the Headmaster's office, and Rinoa didn't say another word to Squall or even give a second thought to his almost-friendly attitude earlier. Seeing the serious looks on both Nico and Laguna's faces was enough to remind her that her father was hurt. "There was an accident . . . " Squall's voice rang in her head over and over again, and Rinoa felt dizzy suddenly.

"Rinoa?" Rinoa blinked when she heard her voice and saw that Nico was looking at her concerned.

"I'm . . . fine." She replied finally. Nico smiled weakly, and exchanged a knowing look with Laguna.

"There was . . . "

"An accident," Rinoa interrupted. "I . . . I know. Squall told me," she added softly. She closed her eyes, and she saw an image of her father explaining to her that her mother was gone forever. "Daddy . . . " she whispered, before everything went black again.

—

Earlier that day (Squall's POV)

Squall walked into the school and began heading for his locker when he saw Seifer smirking and telling Raijin and Fujin something. Anger boiling up inside of him, Squall decided to take a detour and avoid Seifer. The last thing I need is to be bothered by Seifer first thing in the morning, Squall told himself.

When he got to his locker, he was surprised to see Laguna talking to the Headmaster. Squall grabbed his books and slammed his locker shut and began walking over toward him, but Nico stopped him.

"Squall, there's been an accident." Nico told him. Squall stared back at her blankly.

"What do you mean?" he asked her, clearly confused. An accident? With who?

"Rinoa's father was in a car accident. Oh dear, this is terrible . . . he's in the hospital now, badly injured. You and Rinoa will be taking a few days off of school. We're going to take her to Deling. She can see her father, and you can see the city. We'll be staying at her house there in Deling, and . . . we don't know what's going to happen from there on. That's why we're talking to the Headmaster, explaining the situation. Cid is understanding about the matter, and he's already got staff going around collecting this week's work from both your teachers and Rinoa's, so you don't get behind." Nico added. Squall stood there, shocked. Rinoa's dad? She'll be devastated. Then again, she didn't seem to be overly happy with him. Every time Nico or dad bring him up, Rinoa gets touchy.

"Oh." Squall replied. What else could he say? He wasn't used to this kind of thing happening. Not since his mother . . .

"It's good that I caught you before you went to class, do you think you could take a note from Cid to Rinoa's teacher?" Nico asked. Squall nodded, and took a note from Nico. He never bothered reading it, and Nico told him to go to room 108.

When Squall got to the classroom, he saw Rinoa take her seat and throw a glance at Selphie, who looked down and out. Squall wasn't exactly the compassionate type, but even he could tell when someone was feeling a little under the weather. The teacher stared at Squall confused, and he quickly dropped any thoughts he had, and handed her the note. She read it silently and then looked up at Squall.

"My, my . . . this certainly is dreadful." The teacher replied, trying to sound sorry, but Squall could tell from the tone of her voice that she really didn't care too much about the situation. How can someone be so cold? Squall thought, disgusted with the teacher who was still cheerful and smiling as if she hadn't been told the bad news. I understand this isn't her business, but she doesn't even look sympathetic at all. "Ms Heartilly?" the teacher called. Squall turned to see Rinoa's head shoot up in the air.

"...yes?" Rinoa replied.

"Please report to the Headmaster's office. Mr. Leonhart will explain along the way," the teacher added. "Take your books with you— and be quiet in the halls," she added sternly. Squall sighed, and walked out of the classroom. He was walking down the halls when he heard Rinoa call his name softly. Squall pretended not to hear it and kept walking, but when he realized Rinoa wasn't following him, he sighed and turned around.

"What?" he spat. He cringed when he saw Rinoa flinch and take a step back. He sighed again and repeated more gently, "I mean . . . what?" He had a feeling he knew what was coming, but he didn't want to be the one to tell Rinoa what happened.

"Why did I get called out of class? Why do we have to go to the principals office?" Rinoa asked him. Squall looked around and finally decided to drag her down into an abandoned hallway. If I'm the one she wants to hear it from, the least I can do is make sure nobody else is around to hear it. She doesn't need . . . I, I mean . . . Squall saw Rinoa staring back at him expectantly, waiting for an answer, and he sighed.

"I... there was an accident . . . "

—

After Squall explained what happened, he surprised himself by lending her his hand to help her up. Since when am I Mr. Sensitivity? Squall asked himself. He was more than a little surprised when Rinoa threw her arms around him and started crying, but what really surprised him was that he didn't shove her away. He placed his hand on the back of her neck and held her as long as it was necessary, until she finally stopped crying. She pulled away, and Squall felt a pain in his chest suddenly. Get a hold of yourself, Leonhart . . . he thought, scolding himself. He saw Rinoa staring at him and cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Squall?" Rinoa replied softly.

"Let's go," Squall replied firmly, walking away. He didn't need her getting the wrong idea, and him getting weak like that was definitely one way to give her the wrong idea. He walked the rest of the way to the Headmaster's office in silence, and saw Nico and Laguna already seated in some of the chairs. Rinoa walked past him and stared at Nico and Laguna.

"Rinoa, I'm so sorry," the Headmaster began. Squall looked at Rinoa, whose face was completely blank.

"Rinoa?" Nico replied, concern evident in her voice. Rinoa seemed to snap out of it.

"I'm . . . fine."

"There was . . ."

"An accident." Rinoa replied softly. "I . . . I know. Squall told me," she added. "Daddy . . ." Squall saw her start to sway and ran forward and caught her just as she began to fall. Nico stood up, alarmed, and Laguna and the Headmaster both rushed forward.

"What's happened?" The Headmaster asked. Squall stared down at Rinoa, and then looked at everyone else.

"She's blacked out again."

—

(Rinoa's POV)

Rinoa opened her eyes and was surprised to find herself in a train compartment. Wasn't I just . . . in the Headmaster's office? How did I get here? Rinoa thought. Her head was pounding, and she grabbed it with both of her hands. Ugh, I feel rotten.

"Finally woke up?" a familiar voice asked. Rinoa looked up and saw Squall staring back at her. She couldn't be positive, what with her head hurting so much and the drowsy feeling still, but she thought that for a moment, a single second, Squall had almost looked concerned. Maybe she was going crazy.

"I. . . yeah. What happened?" Rinoa asked finally. She looked around and couldn't see Laguna or Nico anywhere. "Where's Nico and Laguna?" she asked.

"Outside of the compartment. We're almost in Deling now, and they wanted to see outside as we came in. And you blacked out again . . ." he added. "Are you . . ." Squall stopped speaking when he saw Nico and Laguna come back in. Suddenly, the train came to a stop.

"We have arrived in Deling City, please make sure you have all of your belongings and exit in an orderly fashion," a voice replied over the intercom. Squall grabbed some of the bags and headed out without saying another word to Rinoa. He left her behind feeling confused, and wondering what had gotten into him all of a sudden. Am I what? Why couldn't Nico and Laguna have waited for just a few more moments? That's the most comfortably I've ever seen Squall talk to me . . . Rinoa added to herself. She sighed and grabbed her own bag from the compartment and headed out. She stood next to Squall and glanced at him, waiting for him to say something, but he didn't. It was as if he didn't even notice that she was there. Rinoa tried not to look disappointed, but she couldn't help it. He was starting to open up, just a little bit . . . and now he was back to the way he was before.

While Rinoa was busy thinking about Squall's behaviour, she heard a car pull up and turned to look. She frowned when she saw her stepmother and Katie inside the vehicle— both of them looking perfectly fine, as if her father wasn't hurt at all, like he didn't even exist. When they both stepped out of the car however, they managed to both look absolutely devastated and misty-eyed. They never cease to amaze me! They're complete fakes . . . Rinoa thought angrily. She turned to look at Nico and Laguna, hoping that the two of them were able to see past their acts, but she could already tell they bought it.

"I'm so sorry for what's happened," Nico replied, smiling sympathetically. "If there's anything we can do for you or your daughter, please, let us know." Rinoa's stepmother nodded and sent a glare to Rinoa that only she noticed— or so Rinoa believed.

"Rinoa," her stepmother cried out, and she ran over and hugged her. Rinoa was a bit surprised by the sudden show of affection, but she knew it wasn't for her benefit— it was to make it look like she really cared.

"Drop the act," Rinoa whispered into the older woman's ear. "I know you don't really give a damn, so why pretend any longer?" The words she said were meant for her stepmother's ears only, and she was sure that she was the only one who heard them. Even Squall, who seemed to be suspicious of the woman, didn't hear what was said, and he was practically right next to them. Rinoa's stepmother glared at her coldly and then turned to Nico and Laguna, a sad smile already plastered on her face.

"We should probably take you back to our home, and get you settled in. We can have a nice lunch together, but then I must go back to the hospital. I can't bear to be away from my dear husband for too long, and I'm afraid something might happen when I'm not there . . ." Rinoa felt the anger burning inside of her, and she didn't bother trying to hide her emotions from her face. Nobody really noticed anyway, they were too busy feeling sorry for the two people that had worked together to ruin her life.

"Of course," Laguna replied gently. "Squall, why don't you put the bags in the back? I'll go and get the rest from the train," Laguna added. Squall nodded and took the bags to the back of the car, and Rinoa followed closely behind him with her own bag.

"You look angry," Squall commented. Rinoa looked at him, surprised.

"Do I?" she asked quietly. She glared at Katie and her stepmother and threw her bag in the back. "Maybe I am." she added. Squall noticed who she was looking at and shook his head.

"You have every right to be. Nico and Laguna . . . they always look for the best in everyone, but I can always see the worst. Those two don't give a damn about your dad. But you already knew that, didn't you?" Squall asked. Rinoa didn't answer, as Katie had gone to the backseat. She glared at Rinoa and smiled what she believed to be sweetly, at Squall. He glanced at Rinoa and groaned, before leaving to get the rest of the bags. Rinoa couldn't help but smile— at least she wasn't the only one who could see what fakes her family was. Daddy . . . the worst mistake you've ever made in your life was marrying her. The closest to worst mistake you ever made was always believing her over me, even when you knew better.

A/N: Well, there you have it. First update in awhile, and it should be the start of more frequent updating— but keep in mind that school will still be an issue with me, I can only go online on weekends, so... yeah. Anyways, R&R, let me know what you think, and hopefully this chapter was at least a little worth the wait. Of course I know probably not the greatest you could get, but I tried to make it a bit long-ish, and it wasn't about Ellone or another minor character either... yay! Er, yeah, anyways... until the next chapter... later.