16: Dance Teacher

To put it simply, I was excited. I never knew Zell knew how to dance and I was really looking forward to him teaching me. I knew it wouldn't do to go in with my SeeD uniform on. After all, this was a meeting of friends. I tried on every single one of my dresses (except the one I had bought for the Festival) and none of them seemed right for the occasion. I finally settled on a pair of dark blue pants and a black shirt that proudly proclaimed "Love Goddess" in glittery pink letters. I bought the shirt back when I was in Galbadia Garden and hadn't really had a chance to wear it. This was the perfect opportunity.

I came to Zell's room right at noon. Either I grew or the shirt shrunk, because part of my belly was exposed. I tugged the shirt down but it wouldn't stretch. Oh, well. I knocked on the door. There was a slight pause, then I heard someone shuffling towards the door. Something made a thud on the ground and Zell's curses made their way to my ears. I giggled into my hand. I wonder what he knocked over? I waited a few more seconds before the door was finally opened. Zell stood before me, breathless and looking more disheveled than usual. He wore blue shorts and a white shirt that warned "Don't bother me, I'm sleeping" in bold print. His hair was wild, jutting out in every direction.

"H'lo," he greeted.

"Did you just get up, Zell?"

"Uh… sort of," he answered, scratching the back of his head. I glanced around the room. He had knocked over the table on which he and Irvine played "Zell's Chess". The place otherwise looked fairly neat. Zell and Irvine individually didn't strike me as guys that could keep things neat; together, it was a shock that they kept their room livable. "Look, ah, I have a confession to make…"

"You don't know how to dance?" I asked.

"No," he frowned. "My confession is that I haven't had time to get things arranged. So… would you, like, help me out? Move that table into my room." I obediently picked up the table and put it inside Zell's room. I glanced around the messy room, its untidy state confirming my belief that Zell was not a neat-freak. I came back out into the main room. Zell was fiddling around with a stereo.

"Zell, where's Irvine?"

"I got rid of him." I waited for him to continue, but my wait was in vain.

"How?" I prodded. "What'd you do?"

"I told him me and my buddies were going to play poker. I convinced him to go to the training room for the next hour or so."

"Poker?" I repeated.

"Yeah. I get real rowdy when I'm playing poker." He finished with whatever he was doing and stood to his full height. He grinned broadly. "Love Goddess, eh? Says who?"

"Says me!" He chuckled. "So… what's the plan?"

"First off, I think you should know that I only know how to waltz. But at least it's dancing, right?"

"If that's the case, I hope for both our sakes that most of the songs are waltzes," I sighed.

"Okay, okay, so I don't know many dances. Gimme a break!" Zell cringed. I giggled; he had such a humorous expression on his face. He cleared his throat loudly. "Anyway, the first thing about a waltz you should know is the steps." He went over to the stereo and pressed a button. A song kicked in.

"Ooh, I know this one!" I declared excitedly. "They played it at our SeeD graduation."

"It's a waltz. It has three beats to it, and so does the dance. Now, pay attention." All of a sudden I felt like I was in a classroom. "Your right foot goes first. Right, left, right." He demonstrated by shuffling his feet sideways. "Then the left foot: left, right, left. It's pretty easy." I imitated the steps until I got comfortable with them.

"Now what?"

"Now we dance, of course." He looked so serious.

"Yes, Instructor!" I sang. He bowed to me and held out his hand.

"May I have this dance?"

"Hmm, let me think here… sure!" I gave him my hand and together we danced to the music. At first I had to think to myself right, left right. Left right, left so I wouldn't mess up. I got into it and soon I didn't even have to remind myself which foot to move next. We danced for… I honestly don't know how long. I spun out and he pulled me back in, holding my waist with one arm. He released me and I caught my breath.

"So, ah… that's all there is to a waltz."

"Thank you, Zell. Now I'll be sure not to humiliate myself at the Festival." He grinned and shrugged his shoulders.

"It's no big deal." We awkwardly stood there staring at each other. I rocked on my heels.

"Zell, who taught you how to dance?"

"My ma, that's who!" he answered with a big grin on his face. Most guys would be embarrassed to admit something like that. Not Zell!

"Oh! You know something I've always wondered?"

"I use gel," he said.

"What?" I tilted my head to one side and glanced at him quizzically. He grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck.

"My hair. I use gel to keep it up."

"I never knew that! That is something I've always wondered, but it wasn't what I was going to say." He turned red.

"Oh. So what was it?"

"I've always wondered: how did you and Irvine get to be roommates? I know why I'm still rooming with Oonagh, but I've always wondered about you two."

"Oh, that." He plunked down on a chair. "Well, it's kind of a long story."

"I don't mind!" I sat down next to him. "Our whole day is free!"

"Okay, it was like this…"

*

Irvine first joined up with us on that mission to assassinate the sorceress. I never did like that mission, right from the get-go. I mean, could we really kill a sorceress with a little gun? And then we found out Seifer was the sorceress knight. So it goes without saying that I was a little uneasy. What made it worse was that I was stuck with this cowboy that I didn't even know. From the very moment I met him I didn't like him. I don't know why. There was just… something about him that set me off. Rinoa was with us too but at the time I didn't know her all that well, so it was a bad situation all around.

"I guess if we've gotta travel together, we'd best get acquainted," Irvine said. I was still getting used to calling him by his name. He glanced over at me. "What's your name, partner?" I ain't your "partner", I thought.

"Zell Dincht, man. Try and remember it for more than five minutes."

"How 'bout yours, little lady?" He turned to Rinoa.

"Rinoa," she answered simply. He took her hand and kissed it.

"Pleasure to meet you." I stuck my hands in my back pockets and started pacing back and forth. Irvine took his hat off and brushed his hair back. Guys with long hair… man, I just don't get it. He put his hat back on with the flick of his wrist. I kept right on pacing. He glared at me irritably. "Would ya stop pacin' around? You're makin' me edgy!" I stomped my foot on the ground and held up my fists.

"Make me, pretty boy!"

"What'd you call me?" He stretched up to his full height. Damn was he tall! "You wanna start somethin'?"

"You don't wanna mess with me, pal," I warned.

"Yeah? And what if I do?"

"Boys…," began Rinoa warningly. I laughed and patted Irvine on the shoulder.

"Chill out, man. I was just kidding." Lucky for him that Rinoa was there, or I would've smacked him.

"So was I," he replied. Weird. That was the best way I could describe that first meeting. Irvine Kinneas, I thought. LOSER!

*

"Stop!" I cried.

"What?" Zell frowned.

"I know all about the sorceress assassination. I was there, remember?"

"Yeah, well, you weren't stuck with Irvine the first part of the trip," he grunted. "Not that you getting stuck with Squall was any better."

"What's this got to do with anything, anyway?" I demanded hotly.

"Hold your horses and I'll get to it! Sheesh!" I ducked my head meekly and allowed him to continue.

*

Yeah, I'll just skip that first little encounter. I'll go right to when I "somehow" got the task of showing him around our Garden. Well, like I said, we didn't really hit it off well. And he was getting more annoying by the minute. The first place I took him to was the library. Not a very good choice. Oonagh was there looking something up. Now you gotta remember that this was back when I had a thing for her and she had a thing for me. So when she saw me she just about strangled me in a hug.

"Zell! It's so good to see you again!" She of course would never be so loud under any other circumstance, but I think I was rubbing off on her. I returned her hug awkwardly, very conscious of the stares we were receiving. Irvine was watching us with a strange smile on his face. Oonagh pulled away, but not before giving me a kiss on the cheek. It's strange, but I can still remember the smell of the perfume she was wearing that day. She always put on perfume for me… Uh, where was I? Oh, yeah. So, anyway, Irvine was giving us this look.

"Who's the cutie, Zell?" Irvine asked. Oonagh straightened her skirt and curtseyed.

"My name is Oonagh Reigmar." He grinned and took her hand in his. I didn't like the way he was looking at her at all.

"Irvine Kinneas at your service, and may I just say what a pleasure it is to meet such a lovely lady." Oonagh smiled. I think she sensed how mad I was getting, because she took her hand away pretty quickly. "I'm curious: why's a nice young lady like you hangin' onto a guy like Zell?"

"She's my girlfriend, man, and don't you forget it!" I snapped. Oonagh blushed when I mentioned "girlfriend" and I admit I flushed a little myself. You see, that was the first time I called her that out loud. Irvine was absolutely baffled.

"How the hell did you get a gal like her?"

"I don't think that's any of your business, you pimp!"

"WHAT?! Why, you stupid little ass-hole! I'm gonna tear your lungs out an' shove 'em up your nose!" Poor Oonagh was staring at us with wide eyes, looking completely confused.

"Hey, man, if you wanna piece of me you get it outside," I stated, jerking my thumb to the door. "No fighting in the library."

"Zell…" Oonagh's quiet voice broke through my rage. I turned to her, all anger forgotten.

"Yes?"

"Please don't fight. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Oh, all right." And just like that I backed out on a fight. You know, I don't think anyone could convince me out of a fight better than her.

*

"How come Oonagh never told me about this?" I fumed.

"Well, gee, I donno. Go ask her," Zell shrugged.

"And how come so far all you and Irvine do is argue with each other?"

"It's just easy to set us both off, that's all."

"No kidding," I snorted. "So, come on. Get to where you and Irvine are roommates!"

"All right already!"

*

I guess I should've known trouble was brewing when I was asked to see the headmaster. But I didn't think anything of it, of course. I went up to the third floor and waited for the headmaster to see me. I gave him my very best salute.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Zell, I called you here because there will be someone joining you in your room," he began. My jaw dropped to the ground.

"Say what?" He clasped his hands behind his back.

"I've been considering this for quite some time. I think it will be a good experience for the both of you."

"Well, who's my roommate?" Shouldn't have asked. But how was I to know?

"Irvine Kinneas."

"Say WHAT?" My jaw had crashed through the floor by now. "Headmaster, please say you're joking!"

"No, Zell. I'm being perfectly serious."

"But… but… all we do is fight! He's a big pain in the… uh, butt."

*

"Zell, it amazes me how you're like Seifer sometimes," I giggled.

"I AM NOT!!!" Zell defended. "And stop interrupting me!"

"Okay, okay. Sorry," I apologized, rolling my eyes.

*

"I have heard similar comments directed at you," said Headmaster Cid calmly. I tried to think of another protest, but he held up his hand. "I am also aware of the discord between the two of you. That is exactly why you're rooming together. I believe that in time the initial friction between you will disappear and you'll become friends."

"But…"

"Zell, I've made my decision. You and Irvine will be roommates from here on."

"Ah, man," I grumbled, shoving my hands into my pockets. Headmaster Cid was true to his word. Irvine and I became roommates that day, and roommates we still are.

*

"Are you done yet?" I wondered after a long pause.

"Yeah, I'm done."

"So that's how it all started, huh?" Zell nodded his head. "Well, Headmaster Cid was right: you two did become friends. Except for that fight you guys were in. Hey, neither of you ever did tell me what that was all about." Zell grinned sheepishly.

"Well, to make a long story short, it started out as an argument over socks and just went downhill from there."

"Socks?" I echoed.

"Yeah, socks. Well, it went on to other stuff, but it started out with socks." I just couldn't believe it. Squall's jaw was broken and Zell got a black eye because of socks? "I told you it was easy to set us both off!"

"Don't take this the wrong way, Zell, but sometimes you and Irvine can be so weird!" Zell just laughed.

_____

It was almost time for the Festival, and thanks to Zell, I had absolutely nothing to worry about.

Hey, I wonder if Seifer ever found a date?