8: Two Weeks Left!
I've had a busy two weeks! Nida and I helped out the decorating group a lot since nobody seemed interested in buying tickets. I had a few more sales but still not very many. I could predict that everyone in the Garden who hadn't bought a ticket would get one in the last week. They're such slackers. I tried all sorts of tricks to get people to buy tickets. I think the only thing I haven't tried yet is a striptease. And I wouldn't do that even if I was paid a million Gil!
Irvine never asked me the question he was going to ask me. He was probably going to ask me to the dance. Why he didn't come up and ask me later, I don't know. He just didn't. I know that he hasn't asked anyone else yet, though. I still have a chance! Yay! The only problem I see is that I'll go crazy when he finally does ask me. I'm going to have to learn to calm down a little bit…. Ah, who am I kidding? Calming down is something I simply cannot do, no matter how badly I want to. At least I'm honest with myself, tee-hee.
It was two weeks before the dance was to take place. Nida and I were hanging out in our "prisons". It got pretty boring sitting there being ignored all the time, so he and I invented games to play. My favorite one was "What am I thinking?" which he always won. In that game we would guess what the other person was thinking. Nida's answers for me were either "I'm bored" or "Irvine! Irvine! Irvine!" and he'd be right. It was a lot harder guessing what he was thinking. I only got it right once: "This is boring". I was a little surprised that Nida could get bored, but I guess some things can make anybody bored. Especially when no one was buying tickets! Bums! Another one we played was "I spy" where we tell the other person a color or shape we see and they try and guess what it is. If we had to sit there and be ignored, at least we could keep ourselves occupied.
"Nida, are you bored?" I called.
"Extremely."
"Okay. What do you want to play?" There was a slight pause. "I'm not going to do that!"
"I wasn't thinking that!" he denied.
"Sure you weren't," I giggled; I always joked around with him like that. You see, I told him that the only thing I hadn't done to sell tickets is a striptease. He said "Now that would be interesting" and ever since then I teased him about it.
"I thought of a new game," he declared. " 'Guess What'."
" 'Guess What'?" I repeated.
"Where we have something very exciting to tell the other person, but they have to guess what it is," he explained.
"Ooh, what fun!" I cried, clapping my hands in delight. "Can I go first?" He nodded and waved his hand for me to proceed. I drummed my fingers together. "Okay, let's see… your exciting news has to do with you, of course."
"Of course," he nodded. "But that's fairly obvious."
"Hmm…. did you sell any tickets?"
"No, but you're sort of close."
"Did someone else sell tickets?"
"I suppose the purchase of tickets was involved, but that's still not it." My eyes lit up; I knew what it was.
"You got a date for the Festival!"
"Very good!" I squealed and ran over to him to give him a hug. He chuckled in embarrassment and gave me an awkward hug in return.
"Oh, that's so great!" I giggled and hugged him again before returning to my seat. "That is exciting! Wow! Way to go!"
"For a bonus point, guess who I'm going with." I frowned and listed possible females in my head.
"Fujin?"
"No. I asked her, but she declined."
"Xu?"
"She also declined."
"Doctor Kadowaki?"
"Now you really are just guessing!" scolded Nida with a chuckle. I smiled playfully. Unfortunately I didn't know very many girls in the Garden. I would've known if it was someone on the committee, so it wasn't one of them. I tried one last person I knew.
"Quistis?" Nida didn't say anything. "Are you going with Quistis?" I glanced over at him and saw he was blushing. "You are, aren't you?" He smiled and nodded meekly. I couldn't help it; I had to give him another hug. "That's so cool! Good for you!"
"I never expected her to accept. I was so happy I almost hugged her." I decided not to tell him that I had a hand in Quistis accepting him.
"That's great. I'm very happy for you. Now it's your turn!" He smiled and studied me for a moment. He snapped his fingers when he got the answer.
"You shared an intimate moment with Irvine."
"Man, you're good!" I awed. He didn't look surprised that he was right. "How'd you do that so fast?"
"Knowing you, it was the only logical guess," he shrugged.
"Well, you're right. He almost asked me to the dance, too! I just knew he was going to, but I think he got cold feet at the last minute." I sighed and made a cute pout.
"Pity. That would've been my next guess." I giggled. "That was my choice. You choose what we play now." I thought a while.
"Okay! 'I spy'. I went first last time, so you go!" There was a pause as he glanced around the area.
"I spy with my eye something that is red."
"Crepe paper!" I shouted, throwing my arms up in the air.
"No."
"Oh." I lowered my arms meekly. I glanced around for something else that was red. "The carpet!"
"That would be too easy."
"True. Let's see…" I tried to look around for other things that were red. I turned around in my chair. "Flowers?"
"I'll give you that one. Your turn." I cheered and tried to find something that would be hard to guess. I could hear the unmistakable sound of Zell's boots hitting the floor. I couldn't see him yet, but Nida didn't need to know that.
"I spy with my eye something that is black."
"The ink on our tickets." I shook my head, my hair waving from side to side.
"Nope!"
"Our boots?"
"Nope!"
"Our uniforms?"
"Nope!"
"Zell's jacket?"
"Huh?" I turned around and there was Zell. He waved at me. "Oh… Yeah, that's right."
"Whatcha doin'?" Zell asked.
"Eating up time," I answered. "We haven't been selling anything, so we keep ourselves occupied by playing games."
"Oh. Well, when you guys do start selling tickets, would you save two for me? At least until I know if I have a date." I had almost forgotten I promised to go with Zell if I wasn't asked by anyone else three days before the Festival. Should I tell him about my plans to go with Irvine? Hmm… I let the dilemma drop for the moment. I'll think about it later, I reasoned.
"Sure thing," nodded Nida.
"Hey, Zell! You wanna play 'I spy'?" I wondered. Zell grinned broadly.
"I love that game! I guess I get to go now, right?" Nida and I nodded. He glanced around. "Okay. I spy with my eye something that is… SEIFER?!" I nearly jumped out of my chair. There was the posse again. This time they could tell they were definitely not wanted. They tried to make a run for it but Zell jetted after them.
"I suppose we should make sure he doesn't get hurt," sighed Nida. I agreed and we ran after the zealous fighter. The posse had gone into the garage with Zell not far behind. Nida and I stopped to catch our breaths then tried to find them. I heard Zell yelling out something and followed the sound of his voice. The four of them were standing in a vacant section of the garage. Seifer was standing apart from the other two, cool as an iceberg. Standing before him was Zell; the guy's face was red from yelling and his clenched fists were ready to punch something, or somebody.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DARED SHOW YOUR FACE HERE!" Zell was shouting. I sighed in exasperation. He took a deep breath and noticed Nida and I. "Selphie, did you know they were here?" He indicated the posse with the wave of his hand. His voice sounded a little hoarse.
"Uh, yeah. I was the one that brought them in," I answered. His face was grim, something I had never seen before. It made me uneasy. "Zell, they've been here for a week. I'm surprised you haven't met up with them before this."
"We've been keepin' a low profile, ya know? We're tryin' not to stir up any trouble, ya know?" Raijin noted.
"Yeah?" Zell sneered. "Well, why don't you go back where you came from? We don't want the likes of you here… ya know?" He spat out Raijin's frequently-used phrase bitterly. Zell's whole body was quivering in rage. I didn't dare go near him. Instead I approached the posse. This didn't make Zell happy either. He stomped his foot on the ground. "Selphie, you stay away from them! They don't deserve your kindness after what they've done!"
"You can't tell me what to do!" I retorted. And to prove it, I got closer to the posse and stood next to Fujin.
"Zell, you are out of line," said Nida calmly. "These three have repented of their past wrongs. Can't you forgive them and move on?" Zell gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tighter.
"Forgive them? How can you even suggest it? I hate them! I hate all of them!" Nida and I were taken aback by this outburst. Zell, why are you acting this way? The posse kept their ground and barely moved except to breathe. They acted like they went through this sort of thing all the time.
"STUBBORN," Fujin sighed. "THICK-HEADED." I finally gathered enough courage to go over to him. I rested my hand on his arm. He calmed down the slightest bit and relaxed his fists a little.
"It's not worth it, Zell. Let it go."
"Let it go? No way!" I squeezed his arm gently. He was still angry but it wasn't as intense as before. "I gotta go. I'll see you later." He sighed and trudged out of the garage, shoving his hands in his pockets. We all watched him, slightly perplexed by his uncharacteristic actions.
"I was wrong," Seifer noted after a long pause. "Zell's not a chicken-wuss; he's an ass-hole."
"DANGEROUS," Fujin stated.
"I'll talk to him," I assured them. "He's not like this all the time."
"Just around me," said Seifer bitterly.
"GRUDGE," Fujin observed. Seifer nodded in agreement.
"Don't any of you worry. Nida and I are good at fixing these sort of problems. We'll get Zell to understand."
"That means a lot to us, ya know?" Raijin smiled.
"Yeah, it's nice of you," Seifer agreed. "But I'm starting to question whether we should go to your Festival. Maybe it'd be better for everyone if we didn't go." My face fell.
"You can't be serious! Please?" Raijin shook his head sadly.
"I'd like to go, but not many other people would like us there, ya know?" I knew they had a point, but I really wanted them to come.
"Okay, how about this: if you guys come, I'll dance with you as many times as you want! Or… something! Please? It would mean a lot to me if you guys came!" The posse sighed wearily. It was hard to say "no" to me and they knew it. Fujin ruffled my hair. Her single eye shined.
"Thank you for caring," she whispered. I had heard her speak in this quieter voice once before. When I heard her use it again, I felt special. She hardly ever used that voice unless she was around her intimate friends; people she could trust. The knowledge that she trusted me was overwhelming.
"So will you guys come?" I asked hopefully.
"Of course we will!" Raijin nodded. "We kind of owe you for being so nice to us, ya know?" I couldn't ask for better friends. Now if only Irvine will ask me to the dance! Then everything would be just right!
_____
I went over to the training room to relieve some tension. Zell's outburst still egged me. I just couldn't believe he blew up like that. I knew he didn't like the posse very much, but I never knew he bore so much anger towards them. What was wrong with him, anyway? What was it about the posse that made it hard for him to forgive them? Maybe Fujin was right; maybe Zell still held a grudge. But… that was so long ago. I hoped that he would get used to their presence and maybe, just maybe, he would be able to forgive them.
"Whoa!" The very guy I had been thinking about skidded into view. His black jacket was no longer on his body and his shirt was torn.
"Zell? What in the world?"
"No time!" he gasped. "Run for it!" I didn't ask questions; I simply followed his advice. I could hear a roar behind us and knew that a T-Rexaur was chasing us. We took cover in a cave and waited until the dinosaur passed us by. Zell breathed a sigh of relief. I saw that blood was soaking his shirt. He didn't seem to notice this. "That was close. You almost got hurt!"
"Speak for yourself," I chided, pointing to his scars. He glanced down at them idly with an almost childlike curiosity.
"Oh, what do you know? He got me." He didn't sound angry any longer. I guess he took out all his aggression on the monsters. He poked his head out and looked around for the T-Rexaur. "I think he's gone." He took a step out but I pulled him back in.
"You're not going anywhere. We have to talk." He sighed and plopped down on the ground. "Zell, you weren't acting like yourself today. It wasn't something I expected from you."
"I only acted that way 'cause of the damn posse," he snapped, anger again flashing in his eyes. "What the hell are they doing here, anyway? What the hell were you thinking bringing them here?" He clenched his fists and glared at me dangerously. I shushed him and tried calming him down. He pushed my hand away. "Don't shush me! I swear to Hyne I'll beat the shit out of every one of them!" I felt like slapping him, and I almost did.
"Zell Dincht! I'm surprised at you!" I cried. "You have more sense than that! Stop acting like a little boy and grow up!" He cringed at my strong words. I closed my eyes and continued, this time with a calmer tone. "What I want to know is why you can't forgive the posse. Be honest, now."
"It's obvious, isn't it? After all they've done, all the destruction they caused, you expect me to forgive them? Not on your life!" I gasped and backed away from him. His face was so contorted in anger that he didn't look like himself anymore. I had never seen Zell act like this, not even in previous encounters with the posse. What was different? He seemed to realize he was getting out of line. His eyes widened and I could see the Zell I knew again. "Selphie, I'm sorry. I guess I've been acting stupid again. It just makes me mad, what they did."
"You scare me sometimes, Zell," I whispered. "I just wish you could let go of this anger and be friends with the posse." This time my mentioning of the posse didn't trigger a surge of anger. He scratched the back of his neck.
"I guess I could give it a shot, but it won't be easy for me to smile at them and be friendly." I thanked him. Then he did something out of character again: he wrapped me in his strong arms and held me. His arms were strong enough to break me but he held me as if I was a priceless china doll. If my nose wasn't pressed to his chest, I wouldn't have known he was holding me at all. "Sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to yell at you. And I guess I overreacted with the posse. Forgive me?" I nodded. Of course. You're talking to the girl that forgave the posse, remember? I could smell his blood and I had to pull away.
"Zell, you need to see Dr. Kadowaki about those scars." I tilted my head to one side. "Zell, will you answer something for me?" That brilliant smile of his spread across his face. Just a second ago he was fuming, and now he was being his usual zealous self. I don't think I'll ever be able to figure him out.
"Sure thing."
"Why were you acting so weird today? I've never seen you so angry before." Zell shrugged and tried to act casual.
"Pissed off." He muttered something else under his breath.
"What?"
"Said I was pissed off."
"Well, it wasn't very nice."
"Sorry." I could tell that he really meant it.
"Don't let it happen again," I warned, imitating Quistis. He chuckled. Zell is so strange. One minute he can be angrier than a bull, and the next minute he can be cheerful. I guess it all depends on who he's with.
"I'll do my best to be nice, but it's gonna be kind of strange being friendly to those guys after what they've done."
"Well," I said, "everyone else seems okay with it." He nodded and stuck his hands in his pockets. We stood there in silence for a moment. He began chuckling softly to himself, then threw his head back burst into loud laughter. "What's so funny?" I demanded.
"Nothin'," he answered, still laughing. "I was just thinkin' of what Seifer and Raijin would look like in a tux." I tried to imagine it and soon I was joining him in laughter.
"Zell, you are too much sometimes."
_____
I took a seat by myself in the cafeteria. It was dinnertime but I wasn't very hungry. So many questions were turning over in my head. What had gotten into Zell? Was he really going to be nice to the posse? When was Irvine going to ask me to the Festival? How come nobody was buying tickets? I sighed wearily and tried not to think about it too much. There's only so much a girl can handle before it becomes too much. I buried my head in my arms. The cold table felt good on my forehead. I could've fallen asleep, but someone's feet walking across the floor aroused me. I tried to identify the person without looking up. Sounds like boots, a fairly casual stride…
"You all right, dahlin'?" I brought my head up and smiled at Irvine. I was dying to give him a hug.
"Just a lot on my mind," I answered. He pointed to an empty chair.
"Mind if I take a seat?"
"No," I shrugged, trying to sound casual. He slid a chair out and sank down. He was polite enough not to put his feet up on the table.
"You want anything to eat? I could get you somethin'," he offered.
"No, thank you, I'm not very hungry. What I would like is for someone to talk to." He smiled and pushed his hat up slightly.
"Well, then, I guess I sat in the right seat today." You sure did, I agreed silently. Thank you. I cupped my face in my hands and glanced over at him.
"Zell puzzles me. He went ballistic today when he saw the posse, worse than you acted when you saw them. I just don't know what was wrong with him. He was even mean to me! He scared me, and that's never happened before." Irvine listened politely. "Seifer, Fujin, and Raijin are my friends now. Don't you feel that way?"
"Sure," he nodded. "We get along just fine. I feel kinda bad about bein' mean to them in the past."
"So do I," I agreed. "They're not as bad as we thought, but we're getting off the subject. Zell was completely irrational. He wasn't himself at all. I've never seen him as angry as he was then. It was like he was a totally different person. And went I went off on him, he was okay. He went back to being regular Zell. It was so weird; he was pissed off one minute and laughing his head off the next." Irvine took off his hat and brushed back his hair. He flipped the hat back on.
"You say he was angry? More so than usual?" I nodded. "Then I guess me and the little hothead are gonna have a little talk later on." I knew I could count on you. He paused and eyed me curiously. "He didn't call you anything bad, did he?"
"No. He just yelled at me."
"Good. I'd give him what for if he said a single thing to you that wasn't right." He blushed at his confession. My face glowed.
"Really?"
"Yeah, really." I beamed at him. Irvine cleared his throat and scooted his chair closer to mine. "Selphie?"
"Yes?" There was a pause as our eyes met.
"Uh…" There was another long pause. He smiled and shook his head. "Never mind." My heart sank. He was going to ask me. He got up and tipped his hat. "I guess I'll see ya around." My heart sank lower.
"Okay." After all that had happened to me, I felt like I was going to burst into tears.