23: For Love

I was coming back from a date with Irvine. I was in a giddy mood and I kept bursting into giggles. I managed to get inside my dorm. There I immediately sobered up. Oonagh had her head resting on the table and her thin body was shaking with sobs. I stood there for a moment watching her. I don't know why, but at that instant I knew that the problem had to do with Walter. I waited a moment longer before I spoke.

"Are you okay, Oonagh?"

"Oh, Miss Petite." She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "I didn't hear you come in."

"What'd he do to you?"

"Who?"

"You know who! Walter, that's who!" Her anguished face was answer enough. To think I thought he was a nice guy! How dare he break Oonagh's heart?

"He…. broke up with me." Tears traveled down her cheeks.

"When?"

"A few minutes ago."

"I'm going to go over there and tell him what for!" I just couldn't believe Walter would do that! I honestly thought he cared about Oonagh! She stood up and hastily put her hand on my arm.

"Don't. Please don't."

"He needs a verbal bashing!" I insisted.

"Don't, Selphie. Please."

"I won't let him get away with this! What'd he say to you?"

"He simply said it would be better for the both of us if we parted ways. Please don't cause any trouble on my account." That was just like her. Even when she was heartbroken she would be protective of people. But Walter had to give me an explanation. I wanted to know why he was dumb enough to break up with a great girl like Oonagh.

"And you're satisfied with that? Aren't you the least bit curious as to why he wanted to end it?"

"I suppose it was because he lost interest in me," she mumbled.

"Well, I'm not going to rest until I know exactly why! I'm really sorry, Oonagh, but I just gotta talk to him!"

"If you must, please refrain from yelling at him too severely."

"I'll try, but I'll make no promises!!"

"Thank you, Miss Petite. You're a good friend," Oonagh smiled. She needed to be alone for a while anyway so I stormed off in search of Walter. That guy better have a good explanation. I can't believe he did this! What a jerk! Here I thought he was a great guy but on the inside he's really just a jerk!

_____

I was still a little angry but I had cooled off considerably. I tried looking in the library first but he wasn't there. I tried the dorms and for some reason the training room. No Walter. I couldn't think of very many places where he would be. If he wasn't in his room, and he wasn't in the library, where else would he go? His classroom, I guess. So I went to get on the elevator.

"Sellie! Where ya goin'?" Zell ran up to me and greeted me with a smile. "Hey, guess what! I got the song finished!"

"No time, Zell!" I hissed.

"What's wrong with you?"

"I'm mad at Walter 'cause he broke up with Oonagh!" That probably wasn't the smartest thing for me to do, but… oh, well.

"He what?" Zell gasped. "That dirty little rat! He's gonna pay big time for that! How dare he hurt Oonagh? Why, I'll…. I'll… I don't know what I'll do, but I'm sure gonna make him feel sorry!"

"Zell, calm down. Oonagh doesn't want us to hurt him. We just need to figure out what his problem is."

"Yeah. Let's go and straighten this thing out." It probably wasn't a good idea to bring Zell along but I guess that was better than letting him loose on Walter by himself. The two of us entered his classroom and saw him standing by the entrance. It was almost like he was waiting for us.

"Hello," he greeted.

"What's your problem, buster?" Zell demanded. "Oonagh really liked you and you ditched her! You'd better have a good reason for it, buddy!" Zell looked really angry. I only saw him this angry once before, and that was when the posse came back.

"It was because of you."

"Me?" Zell echoed.

"Yes, you," Walter nodded. "I do care about Oonagh, but I just couldn't stay with her knowing you liked her as well. So you could say I did it for love."

"You let her go… because of me?"

"That's right."

"Wow. That's the most romantic thing I've ever heard!" I gushed. Zell and Walter stared at me strangely. I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"But I don't get it, Walt. Why do you want me to be with her? If you like her so much, I mean?"

"You are the one she cares most about, Zell," Walter answered.

"Really?"

"It was obvious to me the first day I met her. I was quite taken with her and my spirits were high when she agreed to go on a date with me. Even so, you are in her heart and I fear I cannot replace you."

"I'm sorry, man," Zell whispered.

"Don't be."

"You are such a nice guy, Walter!" I declared.

"All I want is for Oonagh to be happy, and I firmly believe she will be happier with Zell." Zell's eyes were beginning to mist over.

"You're wrong. She can't be happy with me. When she and I were… well, when I liked her, I never really showed how much I cared. We're wrong; we're too different."

"Sorry to butt in again, but you're just what she needs, Zell!" I told him.

"What're you talking about?"

"Duh! She doesn't need someone serious like Walter. No offense, of course. She needs someone that'll pull her away from the books every now and then. She needs to laugh and have fun. Most of all, she needs you. Don't you get it, Zell? That's why you fell for her in the first place! She's everything you're not and you're everything she's not. It's perfect!"

"Opposites," said Zell huskily.

"That's right," I agreed, "but that's exactly why you're so right for each other. Isn't that right, Walter?"

"Precisely."

"Thanks, man," Zell smiled, shaking Walter's hand. "I don't really know what to say."

"Just make her happy. That's all I ask."

"I'm still not sure if I can, but I'll sure as hell do my best."

"What are you going to do, Walter?" I asked.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "I haven't gotten that far yet."

"Well, you just take care of yourself, okay? Come on, Zell. Let's go." I took Zell by the arm and dragged him out of the classroom.

"I still can't believe he did that for me…."

"Yeah, Walter's a really great guy."

"I was so willing to just let her go," Zell sighed. "Man, that would've been stupid. She and Walter might've been good together, but what would I do? I mean, she's the girl I'm meant to be with. I'm sure of it."

"Yeah, but don't tell her that yet. I'll watch over her and tell you when the time is right, okay?"

"Sure. Okay."

"And Zell?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't mess up this time."