Trickle - 3 - Crashing
[I could've stayed in this position all day, watching him.]
.
April 4
"The day of the field exam. Outside of my room door I can hear a bunch of kids scurrying about, screaming to each other "What if I mess everything up?!" "What time are we leaving?" Or, "Is my uniform on correctly?"
For my own safety of not being mauled by a bunch of unprepared students, I locked my door.
I can't stop thinking about what happened last night. I never imagined that his hand would be placed in mine. I never imagined that he'd be so into showing me something that he found to be interesting. I never imagined that he would start walking with me in the first place.
It's 7:13 a.m.
I woke up at 5:00 this morning and sat in bed until I couldn't sit anymore. I walked around the building listening in on some dorm rooms from the doors. At 5:50 the sound of showers turning on and medicine cabinets opening and closing was all that could be heard. I could smell the fresh cinnamon rolls being prepared in the cafeteria and could hear the doors to the library and training center being unlocked.
I wonder if Seifer is awake.
.
I stood up from my desk, reached behind my head to make sure my bun was still neatly in place and headed for the door.
Out in the hallway things were more crowded than I expected. There were kids everywhere in SeeD uniforms leaning up against walls, chatting with other students, some with excited faces, and some with worried looks.
I narrowed my eyes and looked further down the hall. I could see Squall from where I was standing, talking to three unprepared SeeDs. From the motions he was making with his hands I could tell he was describing when he had to run like hell during his mission in Dollet.
I laughed quietly. Even from here I could tell he was over-exaggerating.
Standing next to him was Rinoa propped up against his shoulder listening in on his story. She was giving little laughs and shocked faces along with the other three and occasionally cutting in, asking them how nervous they were and laughing with Squall at their responses.
I turned and looked down the other side of the hall. I could see Selphie, Irvine, and Zell approaching, each carrying a plate of cinnamon rolls and a cup of orange juice. I laughed at Zell's attempt as he tried to walk through the crowded hall with two cups of juice; two in one hand, and a plate with the "Leaning Tower of Cinnamon Rolls" piled on top.
It was too comical to look away, so I continued watching.
"What's up Quistis?" Irvine yelled from the crowd when he finally noticed me. I could tell he was doing much better than he was last night.
I waved.
When they finally approached me, I asked them what they were doing in the hallway with their breakfast.
"Man! You should see the cafeteria! It's packed!" Zell exclaimed, relieved that he didn't have to worry about anyone knocking over his plate of cinnamon rolls since he stopped walking.
"And of course," he continued, "With a cafeteria that full, the hotdogs were all taken."
All three of us laughed.
"Where are you guys planning on eating those?"
"Oh, we were going to go to Irvy's room to eat and maybe watch some t.v."
How exciting.
I nodded.
"Well, since you guys are standing right in front of my room, do you want to eat in here?"
I placed my hand on the doorknob and waited for their response, before I turned it.
"Sure! That'd be great!" Selphie said happily; jumping up, splashing a little bit of orange juice on Irvine's brown coat.
I turned the knob. "Alright."
They all piled into my room quickly and each found a place to sit. Irvine sat on the ground with Selphie leaning up against him, Zell at my desk, near my open journal.
After closing the door, I walked over quickly, picked it up and set it on my nightstand.
Zell didn't even notice. He finished one cup of juice and began working on his cinnamon rolls.
"So, is there anything else going on today? I mean, besides the Field exam and all?"
Selphie asked with her mouth full.
"I don't think so." I answered walking over to my bed and folding the blankets.
"It was the weirdest thing Quistis, I was walking---"
I became so intent with folding my blankets and fluffing my pillows that I didn't really hear what Irvine was saying.
"--I mean, why would Seifer want to talk to you? No offense or anything, but he never wants to talk to anybody."
I froze.
"What?" I turned around and focused on Irvine.
"Yeah, I was in the Library today to get something, not because I was studying. Actually, now that I think of it, I was walking past the library..."
"Irvine! What did Seifer say to you?" I asked, ignoring his embarrassment about being in the library.
"Oh, right...um, he just asked me where you were and stuff."
"Is that all? He just wanted to know where I was."
"Yeah."
"He didn't say anything else?"
"Nope, wow Quistis, do you like him or something? Usually you don't give a rat's ass what Seifer said."
I stayed quiet.
"She just cares, Irvy. I mean, if someone was asking for me I would want to know what else they said. Well, not as much as Quistis does, but I would want to know why he wants to see me too."
Selphie cut in, tearing apart her cinnamon roll and winking at me.
"That dork has the hots for you Quistis. I can see it, clear as my reflection."
Zell added, turning around in his chair to face me with his mouth full, holding his cup of juice.
"What? No he doesn't." I said, trying not to smile.
"Sure he does! He wants you! He needs you! Hey, maybe if he got some in a while, he'd stop being such a pain in the ass!"
He replied, laughing, and taking a drink.
"Zell, that's enough."
"No, wait, I think Zell's right Quistis. I mean, why else would a guy want to talk to a girl so much? He wants to get some action! And I think you're the girl he wants to get it from!" Irvine said, shaping his hand like a gun and shooting it at me.
Selphie sat up from Irvine's shoulders.
"So are you only talking to me to get "some action?!" She quoted with her fingers.
"No darling', you know I love you!"
He reassured, pulling her closer to him.
She responded by hugging him and kissing him on the cheek.
Zell and I looked at each other with confused faces.
Boy, she sure does forgive him easily.
"I'm going to go get some coffee." I said, tucking my notebook away in a drawer, instead of leaving it on the nightstand for hungry, peering eyes and heading towards the door.
"Yeah right, she's going to go find Seifer" Zell said holding his clasped hands up and fluttering his eyelashes.
"Shut up Zell!" Selphie yelled, throwing remains of Irvine's cinnamon roll at him.
Zell tried catching it in his mouth, but instead it landed on the floor.
I stared down at it.
"Sorry." Zell said laughing and throwing the piece on the floor away.
"I'll be back soon, if I'm not, please turn off all the lights when you leave. Try not to make too much of a mess."
.
Back in the hall, it was still noisy and crowded.
Irvine said he saw Seifer in the Library.
I walked past Squall and Rinoa who were now surrounded by 5 SeeDs, all staring at him with intent eyes, listening to him talk about using GF's.
Doesn't that ever get boring to him?
"Hey Quistis." Rinoa said waving to me after I walked past the crowd.
I turned around, waved and continued on my way. When I made it to the library I hesitated before I walked through the door.
.
So far, the only people I saw inside were the ones getting ready to leave in about an hour for the exam. Most of them were standing next to the bookshelves holding books, skimming through what they should've learned in class for the past 2 weeks. When they didn't find what they wanted, they put the book back quickly and searched in the shelves for a different book.
I walked beyond them to the area with all the tables. There were more kids, some taking notes from books for more advanced SeeDs and some chatting away.
I stood there and looked at every single table hoping to find him sitting at one.
Finally, at the far end of the room I saw Fujin, Raijin, and Seifer. Fujin was leaning up on the table, flirting with Raijin; giving him the occasional "Oh stop it!" flirtatious hit on the arm and the usual batting of the eyelashes.
Seifer sat there with his forehead placed in one hand and twirling a pencil with the other. His face was so expressionless while he was trying to make his pencil twirling interesting by doing little flips with it every now and then. He looked so bored.
I just stood there leaning up on a nearby bookshelf. I could've stayed in this position all day watching him.
He finally dropped the pencil, rubbed his eyes and sat back in the chair with his arms crossed watching Fujin and Rajin act like complete idiots around each other.
I was hoping he wouldn't notice me, but then, I was hoping he did.
"Hi Quistis!" One of my former students said loudly; waving to me from the other side of the room.
I turned, waved to her and quickly looked at Seifer, who heard my name and was now searching the library for me with his arms still crossed and his calm eyes.
I fumbled for any book in the shelf nearby and ended up knocking down three to the floor from my panicking. Quickly, I opened the book to any page to act like I wasn't the one who knocked them down. But then again, I was the only one standing near this bookshelf.
"Quistis, honey, those books aren't going to pick themselves up". The Librarian came over and placed her hand on my shoulder. I'm guessing she came back here to see what all the noise was.
Oh god, I hope Seifer is still searching the library for me, and didn't see what just happened.
I quickly looked over at him. He was sitting there laughing at my accident. I closed my eyes, shut the book I was holding and bent down to pick up the ones on the floor.
"Thanks Honey." The librarian said, reaching down, patting my shoulder and walking away.
"Aww, you're helping out the librarian now?" He asked, talking to me like I was a little kid.
I reached for the book nearest to his foot and looked up at him.
"Nope, just knocked some books down that's all." I tried sounding casual, but my voice instead sounded kind of shaky and out of breath.
He reached down and grabbed the book from my hand; the one that I was pretending to read. He examined the cover, flipped through the pages and placed it back down next to my hand, not saying anything.
What no insult? No "I didn't know you were into, blah-blah", whatever the book was about. What was the book about anyways?
I looked over at the book near my hand and read the title carefully, and slowly. The words seemed to burn into my eyes, scream into my ears and slap me right in my face.
"10 Ways to Enhance Your Sex Life!"
After staring at the picture of the half-naked couple on the cover, I grabbed the book quickly and placed it under the others I was collecting off the floor.
Why didn't Seifer say anything? Was he expecting to find a book like that in my hand? Or was he too embarrassed?
I didn't even try to explain my reason for having that book, because it would just be pointless and he'll make me feel dumb for it, anyway.
After clearing away all of the evidence that showed I just made an ass of myself, I turned and walked away.
"Hey, wait up! I wanted to talk to you about something!" He said walking to me and grabbing my shoulder.
I turned around and just stared at him blankly.
"Uh, do you know when the uh…do you know when everyone is leaving for the exam?" He asked, stopping to think about what he just said.
"Umm…yeah, they're leaving at 9:00 a.m. The time they always leave." I replied rudely.
"Oh, right."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"So, um. Have you had breakfast yet? 'Cause me Raijin, and Fujin were going to get something to eat, but I don't really feel like going with them."
"Well, I'm not really hungry but I desperately need some caffeine in my body."
"Does that mean you'll accompany me to the cafeteria?"
"Sure, I guess."
I smiled and completely forgot about the incident that just happened back there.
["I want to try that pill that people take; makes you believe all the things that people say."]
-RES