Nida's Journal and/or Diary
(chapter/part 4... the discovery)
5.30 am. Woke up coz telephone's ringing in an ungodly hour. It was Quistis who for some reason decided to give me a wake-up call.
Quistis: Hello, Nida? It's Quistis.
Me: (groaning/mumbling/muttering) Oh, hey... whazzup?
Quistis: Just wanna tell you not to expect me or Xu for breakfast, alright? We're going in town to give a surprise visit to her mom. We're about to leave. Just waiting for her...
Me: Oh, so you wake me up on 5.30 in the morning to tell me that?
Quistis: Oh, sorry... Guess this was a stupid thing, huh?
Me: Nah, don't worry about it... I'm really just cranky when I wake up.
Quistis: Okay, just wait for us in the Quad at about... 10.00 am. The Garden Fest Committee finally decided to leave their project for a while...
Me: Ows? Why?
Quistis: Oh, you don't know? Selphie and Irvine's fight is the talk of the Garden...
Me: Oh, yeah... So she's psychologically depressed or something?
Quistis: Yeah... Anyway, please don't forget, the Quad!
Me: Bah... I'm not that forgetful...
Quistis: Oh, Xu's here... Talk to ya later!
Me: Later...
Must... sleep..... zzssnnooorrreee......
9.30 am. In dorm, about to leave when somebody knocked on my door. Opened it and found out that it was John.
"Hey, Nida!" Funny. Unusually cheery.
"Hey..."
"Uh, listen, will you do me a favor? If you do it, you can forget about the 500 Gil you still owe me..."
Hmmm.... must be big favor, coz he keeps leaving me messages like "Pay me back ya bum!"
"I guess so..."
"Good! Can you bring your keyboard to the Quad? I need you to play a song to impress some girl..."
"Huh?"
"You know, when I'm making my move, you play some sort of background song... or something..."
"That... is an idiotic plan, Johnny-boy. You just have to make your move in broad daylight, in front of everyone and at the most awkward time of the day for some background music!"
"Just do it for me, will ya?"
I pondered for a moment. Hmmm.... Might be discovered by some people and somehow be in the 'Battle of the Bands' the Garden's been planning for a while... Also watch John given the cold shoulder. "Alright..."
9.35 am. In the Quad, waiting for Shaneen, the girl that John has his eyes on. Suddenly, John nudged me and pointed to a girl wearing turquoise pants, a turquoise shirt, turquoise bandana---turquoise everything. She looked at John, then rolled her eyes and turned away, seemingly annoyed.
"This is it, Nida! Play 'Eyes On Me'!"
"But EVERYONE'S sick of that song by now..."
"Just play it ya bum!"
"Fine..."
So I pressed the keys of the keyboard while John was reciting some sappy lines that were obviously memorized. I could tell that Turquoise Girl was as annoyed as I am. When the song was almost over, Shaneen can't take it anymore. She slapped him across the face. Hard. I half-wanted to gape at her for being so violent and high-strung, but also wanted to laugh out loud coz Johnny looked horrified, embarrassed, surprised, awkward, and Hyne- knows-what-else.
9.39. Was really rubbing it in at John when someone tapped me on my shoulder. I jumped out of surprise that someone tapped me at shoulder, but jumped up higher when I saw who it was. (guess who...?)
"Ellone?!"
"Uh... hi, Nida..." she looked at John who was still holding his face out of agony, then back at me. "I listened to you play that song. You're pretty good."
"Really? Ya think so?"
"Yeah! Anyway, I kinda promised Selphie to find a keyboard player for her band to replace her before the Battle of the Bands... You know, coz of what happened between her and Irvine?"
"So... you want me to replace her?"
"Yeah! Would you?"
Was a bit confused. Be known as the nobody who became famous? Cool! But then, what if fame really isn't that bigovadeal? Or what if the band flops coz of me? Anyway, since this is Ellone, probably the band is composed of the so-called heroes (and heroines) who beat Ultimecia to a pathetic pulp! Then I'll be overshadowed once again...
Oh, what the heck. "Okay! I'll do it!"
"Really? Yessss..." She gave me some weird victory gesture.
Then suddenly, somebody from behind me shouted. "Sis!"
It was Quistis. Figures that she'll notice her first than me.
"Oh, hi, Quisty!" She and Ellone hugged.
"Hi, Quistis," I said. "Where's Xu?"
Then, out of nowhere, Xu tapped at me with her cold, long-fingernailed hand. I screamed an "Ah!" and turned around to see her.
"Oh, hi Xu! How'd your visit with your mom go?"
She looked really miffed, tired, grumpy, groggy and Hyne-knows-what-else. "Hmmm? Oh, just fine..."
Must not say things to her that will make her snap. She's really scary when she rages...
"Um, here's the money that I owe you..."
I handed her the Gil. She took it, and gave half of it back.
"Here. You keep it."
"What?! No, that's your money, you keep it."
She suddenly grabbed my hand, dropped the money on it, and closed it so tight that my hand could be broken if she crushed it any harder.
"I said, you keep it." She really looked very, very stressed now.
Out of shock, I just nodded and talked to Ellone about the band.
2.30 pm In dorm. Ellone said to expect Zell or Squall at the door or on the phone. Door suddenly was knocked out of its mind if it had one. Turns out to be Zell.
"Yo! You Needa, right?"
"Nida."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever..." Probably hung around Squall too much, or something.
"Anyway, the other members of our band are Squall and Seifer. Just so you know."
S-s-seifer?! Bad, bad... his posse, before he was kicked out of Garden, had always enjoyed tormenting me. Squall? I suddenly imagined him yelling like some rockstar, then smashing a guitar into bits. Gaaah! That scene's gonna take years to erase from my mind...
"Seifer? I thought you hated each other..." Had always heard Zell whining at Seifer in detention before.
"Yeah... but Sis forced us to. You know, coz we were from the same orphanage after all? Also thought that the Battle of the Bands will bond us together..." he wore a somewhat disgusted expression.
"How about Irvine?"
"Oh, after he and Selphie fought, he quit the band too. So Seifer replaced him. He's probably in town right now, finding another soul mate... or sumfin'..." I could tell that Zell was angry at Irvine too. (i don't know why...)
"Practice is at 9.30 am, tomorrow. We'll just meet at the Quad, alright?"
"Sure, you can count on it..."
10.00 pm. Really am worried about Xu. Obvious that Quistis knows about it, but doesn't wanna talk about it, either. Hmph. Call themselves a bloody friend.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ja liiiiiiikkkeeeeee it?... Finally finished this chapter after living like a hermit for a week! (in yo' face, writer's block! yeah!) Anyway, expect the next chapter to be as long, or longer, or shorter (have not got plans. ho hum) than this one.
(chapter/part 4... the discovery)
5.30 am. Woke up coz telephone's ringing in an ungodly hour. It was Quistis who for some reason decided to give me a wake-up call.
Quistis: Hello, Nida? It's Quistis.
Me: (groaning/mumbling/muttering) Oh, hey... whazzup?
Quistis: Just wanna tell you not to expect me or Xu for breakfast, alright? We're going in town to give a surprise visit to her mom. We're about to leave. Just waiting for her...
Me: Oh, so you wake me up on 5.30 in the morning to tell me that?
Quistis: Oh, sorry... Guess this was a stupid thing, huh?
Me: Nah, don't worry about it... I'm really just cranky when I wake up.
Quistis: Okay, just wait for us in the Quad at about... 10.00 am. The Garden Fest Committee finally decided to leave their project for a while...
Me: Ows? Why?
Quistis: Oh, you don't know? Selphie and Irvine's fight is the talk of the Garden...
Me: Oh, yeah... So she's psychologically depressed or something?
Quistis: Yeah... Anyway, please don't forget, the Quad!
Me: Bah... I'm not that forgetful...
Quistis: Oh, Xu's here... Talk to ya later!
Me: Later...
Must... sleep..... zzssnnooorrreee......
9.30 am. In dorm, about to leave when somebody knocked on my door. Opened it and found out that it was John.
"Hey, Nida!" Funny. Unusually cheery.
"Hey..."
"Uh, listen, will you do me a favor? If you do it, you can forget about the 500 Gil you still owe me..."
Hmmm.... must be big favor, coz he keeps leaving me messages like "Pay me back ya bum!"
"I guess so..."
"Good! Can you bring your keyboard to the Quad? I need you to play a song to impress some girl..."
"Huh?"
"You know, when I'm making my move, you play some sort of background song... or something..."
"That... is an idiotic plan, Johnny-boy. You just have to make your move in broad daylight, in front of everyone and at the most awkward time of the day for some background music!"
"Just do it for me, will ya?"
I pondered for a moment. Hmmm.... Might be discovered by some people and somehow be in the 'Battle of the Bands' the Garden's been planning for a while... Also watch John given the cold shoulder. "Alright..."
9.35 am. In the Quad, waiting for Shaneen, the girl that John has his eyes on. Suddenly, John nudged me and pointed to a girl wearing turquoise pants, a turquoise shirt, turquoise bandana---turquoise everything. She looked at John, then rolled her eyes and turned away, seemingly annoyed.
"This is it, Nida! Play 'Eyes On Me'!"
"But EVERYONE'S sick of that song by now..."
"Just play it ya bum!"
"Fine..."
So I pressed the keys of the keyboard while John was reciting some sappy lines that were obviously memorized. I could tell that Turquoise Girl was as annoyed as I am. When the song was almost over, Shaneen can't take it anymore. She slapped him across the face. Hard. I half-wanted to gape at her for being so violent and high-strung, but also wanted to laugh out loud coz Johnny looked horrified, embarrassed, surprised, awkward, and Hyne- knows-what-else.
9.39. Was really rubbing it in at John when someone tapped me on my shoulder. I jumped out of surprise that someone tapped me at shoulder, but jumped up higher when I saw who it was. (guess who...?)
"Ellone?!"
"Uh... hi, Nida..." she looked at John who was still holding his face out of agony, then back at me. "I listened to you play that song. You're pretty good."
"Really? Ya think so?"
"Yeah! Anyway, I kinda promised Selphie to find a keyboard player for her band to replace her before the Battle of the Bands... You know, coz of what happened between her and Irvine?"
"So... you want me to replace her?"
"Yeah! Would you?"
Was a bit confused. Be known as the nobody who became famous? Cool! But then, what if fame really isn't that bigovadeal? Or what if the band flops coz of me? Anyway, since this is Ellone, probably the band is composed of the so-called heroes (and heroines) who beat Ultimecia to a pathetic pulp! Then I'll be overshadowed once again...
Oh, what the heck. "Okay! I'll do it!"
"Really? Yessss..." She gave me some weird victory gesture.
Then suddenly, somebody from behind me shouted. "Sis!"
It was Quistis. Figures that she'll notice her first than me.
"Oh, hi, Quisty!" She and Ellone hugged.
"Hi, Quistis," I said. "Where's Xu?"
Then, out of nowhere, Xu tapped at me with her cold, long-fingernailed hand. I screamed an "Ah!" and turned around to see her.
"Oh, hi Xu! How'd your visit with your mom go?"
She looked really miffed, tired, grumpy, groggy and Hyne-knows-what-else. "Hmmm? Oh, just fine..."
Must not say things to her that will make her snap. She's really scary when she rages...
"Um, here's the money that I owe you..."
I handed her the Gil. She took it, and gave half of it back.
"Here. You keep it."
"What?! No, that's your money, you keep it."
She suddenly grabbed my hand, dropped the money on it, and closed it so tight that my hand could be broken if she crushed it any harder.
"I said, you keep it." She really looked very, very stressed now.
Out of shock, I just nodded and talked to Ellone about the band.
2.30 pm In dorm. Ellone said to expect Zell or Squall at the door or on the phone. Door suddenly was knocked out of its mind if it had one. Turns out to be Zell.
"Yo! You Needa, right?"
"Nida."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever..." Probably hung around Squall too much, or something.
"Anyway, the other members of our band are Squall and Seifer. Just so you know."
S-s-seifer?! Bad, bad... his posse, before he was kicked out of Garden, had always enjoyed tormenting me. Squall? I suddenly imagined him yelling like some rockstar, then smashing a guitar into bits. Gaaah! That scene's gonna take years to erase from my mind...
"Seifer? I thought you hated each other..." Had always heard Zell whining at Seifer in detention before.
"Yeah... but Sis forced us to. You know, coz we were from the same orphanage after all? Also thought that the Battle of the Bands will bond us together..." he wore a somewhat disgusted expression.
"How about Irvine?"
"Oh, after he and Selphie fought, he quit the band too. So Seifer replaced him. He's probably in town right now, finding another soul mate... or sumfin'..." I could tell that Zell was angry at Irvine too. (i don't know why...)
"Practice is at 9.30 am, tomorrow. We'll just meet at the Quad, alright?"
"Sure, you can count on it..."
10.00 pm. Really am worried about Xu. Obvious that Quistis knows about it, but doesn't wanna talk about it, either. Hmph. Call themselves a bloody friend.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ja liiiiiiikkkeeeeee it?... Finally finished this chapter after living like a hermit for a week! (in yo' face, writer's block! yeah!) Anyway, expect the next chapter to be as long, or longer, or shorter (have not got plans. ho hum) than this one.