The Last Traces of Childhood
Chapter 2 - The First Encounter
Dear Diary,
The little tiff with that girl turned out easier than I thought! Cloud was right, she IS weak. I guess Ms. Tiffany Lockheart is just all talk and no action. Oh, speaking of Cloud, I think he's sooo adorable I wonder if he and I could ever become girlfriend and boyfriend? Is it wrong for me to think this way? My mind asks, "What about Zack?" Well, Yuffie called me this afternoon, and we were talking about stuff. The topic swerved to Cloud for most of the conversation, and Yuffie says that he and I would make a cute couple; it's a good thing she couldn't see me blush! The bad news is, it seems that Tifa has her eye on Cloud and is going after him. I remember from the talk that Cloud and I had about her, and he said she already has a boyfriend, some skater named Cid Highwind. Sheesh, isn't one guy enough for that girl?
3:40PM Where the heck is she?
Aeris glanced at her watch and at the yard repetitively, her head feeling like a basketball looking up and down so many times. Yuffie and Cloud were standing behind her, a grim look on their faces. The three friends dropped their packs on the tall green grass and awaited the arrival of Aeris' opponent. The new student frowned as she looked at her wristwatch again, then sighed and decided to pay attention to the scenery in front of her.
A few moments later, Tifa made her smoky appearance, followed by her notorious posse. Small rays of sunlight caught her waist-length dark hair and she tossed her cigarette on the dirt ground, grinding it out with the heel of her shoe before sneering at Aeris. The troublesome girl stalked slowly over to Aeris and stopped in front of her, only inches separating the two.
"So, you showed up. I'm impressed," Tifa drawled with an unenthusiastic yawn.
"Let's cut the chitchat and just get this over with," Aeris said, narrowing her emerald green eyes.
"Oh, so you're ordering me around now?" Tifa's eyes widened with mock surprise.
"So what if I am?" The new student shot back irritably.
Tifa's posse 'ooh'ed while their leader glanced quickly over at Cloud. He shook his head pitifully at her, unimpressed. Tifa turned away from him and glared coldly at Aeris.
"Listen chick, I don't take orders from the likes of you," She hissed. "I came here to settle this, so keep your witty cracks to your damn self, got it?"
"Tifa, shut up already, will ya?" Yuffie jumped in as she stepped up next to her friend.
"Yeah, leave her alone," Cloud said in Aeris' defense and walked up to her other side. "She doesn't deserve that kind of attitude from you."
Tifa was practically seething at the new girl's reinforcement. Irritably, she tossed her hair back and stuck her chin up into the air with snobbery.
"Well, well, looks like the chick has guard hounds." She remarked with a sickly-sweet smile, trying to regain her cool. Her followers laughed at her comment while Aeris and her friends silently stood their grounds.
"I expected this from you, Yuff-Yuff-," She continued, receiving a glare from Yuffie at that remark. "But Strife? I thought you had better taste. Why don't you ditch the chick and find some better people to hang around with?" Tifa winked suggestively at him.
Cloud raised his eyebrows and gave her a strange look. "Tifa, I think I do have good taste. Maybe not in your point of view, but then again, what do I care about your opinions?" He glanced quickly at Aeris. "Aeris seems like she's nice, and would make a really good friend," He blushed before continuing on. "So I want to hang out with her. You got a problem with that?"
The teenage boy looked defiantly at Tifa, and to her anger, he linked hands with Aeris. His new friend automatically blushed and ducked her head, but then returned her gaze to Tifa, who was pretty steamed by now.
She growled dangerously. "Fine, stay with her, do whatever the hell you want! I'm outta here."
Tifa glared hard at Aeris one last time and then turned her back on the three friends. The rest of her posse followed their leader off of the school grounds and out into the sidewalk. After the Queens had left, Aeris breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at the two friends beside her.
Wow, the first encounter was easier than I thought Will the future ones be as simple as this? The teenage girl pondered.
Suddenly remembering the help she had received from her friends, Aeris turned to them and said, "Thanks."
Yuffie grinned. "No problem!"
"Tifa's just such a pain sometimes," Cloud said.
"I loved watching the look on her face when you and Cloud kept telling her off!" Yuffie laughed.
"Sure, that was fun and all; let's not get into anything with her anytime soon, k?" Aeris requested half-jokingly.
Her hyperactive friend peered at Aeris' watch and exclaimed, "Uh oh, I gotta get home! Dad's gonna kill me if I'm late!"
Yuffie waved at Aeris and Cloud and ran off around the corner, leaving the two alone. Aeris glanced at the ground momentarily, then looked up and asked Cloud shyly, "Where do you live?"
"Kalm." He answered.
Her eyes brightened. "That's where I live right now!"
A slow smile spread across his face. "So you wouldn't mind if I walked you home?"
Aeris swallowed nervously. "'C-course not!"
She looked down at their still-intertwined fingers and blushed. Cloud tipped her chin up gently and gestured at their hands.
"Is this okay?" He asked softly.
"I-I don't mind," She replied, pink flush brushing on her cheeks.
Cloud tugged her hand gently and the two started walking off the school grounds, heading northeast for Kalm town. Dusty brown sand swirled up around them and stained their sneakers. A light breeze surrounded the students, the chill of the wind counteracting the heating rays of sunbeams.
On the way to Kalm, Cloud asked her, "How was your old school?"
"Okay," His companion answered. "I miss my friends and other stuff, but this school might be all rightwith the exception of Tifa, that is."
"Man, I feel so sorry for Cid," Cloud began to snicker.
Aeris looked at him curiously. "Who's Cid?"
"Oh ya, sorry," He apologized. "Yuffie and I didn't tell you about Tifa's boyfriend yet, did we"
"Nope," She answered.
"Well, her boyfriend is one of the most popular seniors at school. His name is Cid Highwind and he's the leader of the well-known skating gang at school."
"Skating gang?" Aeris mused.
"You know the type, skaters who hang out with each other a lot. Cid's group is kinda troublesome, though; they're usually in hot water." Cloud paused and frowned slightly. "I dunno what that girl, Shera, sees in him"
"Does this Shera have a crush on Cid?" Aeris asked.
Her friend nodded. "Hell yes, an immense one too. Cid probably knows it, but he's too busy with his gang, and not to mention the fact that Tifa has some kind of radar on him. If he and another girl are 'too close for comfort', she immediately sends one of her Queens out to sic him."
"That's awfully possessive," The teenage girl remarked.
He shrugged. "That's Tifa for ya."
Aeris sighed and started walking more slowly. "What's with those stupid cliques, anyway?" She wondered out loud. "There're usually only a couple of them in middle school, then they suddenly explode in expansion at high schools."
"Dunno. I guess there are just people at school who gotta have these 'special' groups so they can feel superior." He commented.
She stopped as several blue-roofed houses appeared into view, Kalm Town. The two teenagers walked past the entrance, and into the occupied town. Aeris watched other teens and children rush into their homes, and was surprised to find out that she'd remembered seeing a few of the teenagers' faces around Midgar Academy.
"Speaking of the devil" Cloud muttered.
Aeris turned to him. "What?"
He pointed to a big, round, oval-shaped gap on one side of the town, which was surrounded by people. Teenage guys and girls were hooting and yelling as their friends shot off ramps on their skateboards, doing various tricks in the air, before landing on solid ground again. Most of the teens reared their attentions to a blonde-haired boy, who had just flicked his cigarette butt into a small puddle of water nearby. He gritted his teeth, then performed a "360 Kick-Flip" move, which received a big round of applause from the audience.
"Um, who's that?" Aeris asked her friend.
"The infamous Cid Highwind that I just told you about," Cloud replied.
"Oh, so he's the other popular oneyour rival" She trailed off.
He looked away, slightly embarrassed. "Uh, well, he's not really my rival; I don't have anything against him"
"Hmm, it seems like a lot of people from our school live here?" Aeris changed the subject after sensing her friend's discomfort.
"Yeah, this is the closest town," Cloud told her.
"Icicle Inn isn't too far from Midgar Academy," The new student thought out loud. She received a questioning look from her friend.
"Is Icicle Inn where you moved here from?" He asked gently.
A small wave of sadness hit Aeris. "Yes" She answered.
"You have anyone special there?" Cloud questioned softly. "I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't to; I'm just curious"
"Zack" Aeris whispered into the wind.
"And Zack is?"
"My boyfriend" She replied. Her gaze fell to the ground and she missed seeing the disappointed look on Cloud's face.
Figures a nice and pretty girl like her would have a boyfriend Cloud grumbled to himself.
"Ahem." He cleared his throat and tried to get rid of the awkwardness between them. "Which house do ya live in?"
"That one," Aeris pointed to a small house with white walls and a sky blue colored roof, the same shade matching his eyes. A huge garden full of roses, daisies, carnations, posies, and other various flowers replaced the usual grassy lawn that was in front of everyone else's house. Cloud grinned as he thought of how Aeris' front yard stood out uniquely from the other people.
"Nice garden," He complimented.
Aeris beamed. "Thanks," She said. "My mom and I grew it together before we moved into this house. The former owners didn't mind; they told my mom that they liked having a colorful lawn."
"You like flowers?" Her companion asked her.
"Yup, I especially like roses. They smell really nice in the morning, all fresh and moistened with dew." The flower girl smiled at the fond memories.
Silence fell over the two as they went over to Aeris' house. They came to a stop in front of it, and Aeris glanced up shyly at her friend and said, "Um, thanks for walking me."
"You're welcome, I enjoyed it." He smiled, then asked a bit uncertainly, "Uh, would your boyfriend mind if we walked together to school tomorrow?"
She grinned. "Zack's not the jealous type. So, I guess I'll see you in the morning?"
"7:30 okay for ya?"
"Sure," Aeris answered.
"See ya around then" Cloud let go of her hand, turned around slowly and ran around the corner, toward his house.
"Bye Cloud" She said softly, even though he had already walked away. Aeris sighed happily and slipped her necklace off; she walked up to her door and unlocked it with the house key on the metal chain, then went inside.
Her silky, dark brown hair tumbled over her eyes as the teenager ducked her head down, her mind preoccupied with thoughts of her new school, her new friends, Cloud She smiled at the last one and bounded up the stairs. After reaching the top, Aeris sprinted across the hall and went into her room. Tossing her backpack onto her desk, she plopped on her bed, her head landing on her soft white pillow. Soon after she had lied down, she immediately grabbed her childhood teddy bear and clutched it tightly to her chest.
A few relaxing minutes later, the sixteen-year-old sat up and placed the teddy on her pillow. She walked to her desk, pulled out the chair and sat down. Aeris picked up her backpack and unzipped it. The teenager pulled out her homework - English, Calculus, and World History - and started working on it. She finished an hour later, put the papers back into her backpack and left her room.
Aeris ran down the stairs and walked into the kitchen; when she arrived, she went to the refrigerator, opened the door and reached for a can of soda. Yawning, the scholar searched for an ice cream bar in her freezer when all of a sudden, the phone rang. She yanked her head out of the freezer, shut the door, and darted to the living room.
"Hello?" She asked into the phone.
"Hey!" A voice greeted her. "Is Aeris there?"
"This is she," The young student answered.
"Oh, hiya! It's Yuffie!"
Aeris smiled. "Hi Yuffie. Hey, how did you get my phone number?"
"I saw it on your schedule card, I hope you don't mind." Yuffie said apologetically.
"It's alright, I was just wondering." Aeris replied, grinning inwardly.
"Sooo, what did you and Cloudy-boy do after I left?" A slight teasing tone was in her friend's voice.
"Nothing," The flower girl answered. "He just walked me home"
"Really?! That's so sweet!" Yuffie exclaimed. "Are you guys gonna go out or anything?"
"W-what? No way!" Aeris said unconvincingly. "I already have a boyfriend, and besidesCloud probably already has plenty of candidates"
"Yeah, maybe, but he doesn't pay much attention to them. Not as much attention as he pays to you, that is. Anyway, the only girl who's got a major thing for Cloud is Tifa." Yuffie told her.
Aeris raised an eyebrow. "Tifa??"
"Yeah!" Yuffie answered matter-of-factly. "Didn't you notice how her eyes were nearly bulging out of her head when Cloud held your hand?"
The teenage girl laughed with slight embarrassment. "Y-you saw Cloud hold my hand?"
Her energetic friend giggled. "Who didn't? Ya know, you two make a real cute couple"
Aeris blushed deeply. "He's not interested and I told you that I already have a boyfriend"
Yuffie chuckled. "Back at your old school, right? Hey, if you and him ever break up, there's always Cloud you can turn to"
"Oh Yuffie, stop" Aeris protested with a giggle.
"Alright, alright! But I'm tellin' ya, I bet you and Cloud will definitely get together before we graduate!" Her friend insisted.
"Sure, sure," The new student rolled her eyes jokingly.
"Aw, I gotta go. Dad needs to use the phone, see you in school tomorrow, k?" Yuffie asked.
"Okay, see ya."
"Bye!" The two hung up.
As her hand rested on the receiver of the phone, Aeris smiled at her friend's prediction about her and Cloud. She left the living room and went back into the kitchen for her soda. Forgetting about the ice cream bar, the teenager picked up her can and went into the living room to watch television, awaiting the arrival of her parents.
To Be Continued
Preview of chapter 3:
Dear Diary,
It's been almost two weeks since I've started school at Midgar Academy. I'll have to say, this place really isn't half-bad! Cloud and I have been walking to school together every morning, and home every afternoon. Although I feel guilty, like I'm betraying Zack, I can't help also feeling glad that Cloud's around Am I just looking to him for comfort? Am I trying to replace Zack with Cloud? I hope not! By the way, Yuffie has become my best friend, and I love her dearly, but I'm glad that she's finally stopped telling me to get together with Cloud. Why the sudden change? Because she's working on her own love life! Right now, Yuffie's got a crush on Cloud's best friend, Vincent; he's cute, but kind of shy and quiet. Vincent's in our English class. I find it cute that Yuffie keeps sneaking secret glances at him in first period. Lately, he's been hanging out with Yuffie after school, so I think he's interested in her! Of course, Yuff is thrilled at the attention. Isn't love the sweetest thing?