Earlier in the day, Garden was near Trabia, but when Squall walked out to the front gate, he noticed they were back near Balamb. He could have been disappointed, knowing that he couldn't use the Ragnarok as a traveling device, but he didn't let it show. The only thing that was really on his mind, was why they were even near Trabia in the first place.
Zell and Squall walked into Balamb City, tired and worn out. Of course, this was because Squall thought it might have been nice to get a little bit of exercise and talked Zell into walking to the city. It was dark out by the time the two had past the last forest closest to the city, but neither of them seemed to mind. Since Squall was the commander, he could slide with coming in after curfew and he could talk the gate keeper into allowing Zell to come in late as well.
The walk there though, Squall didn't think he could make it with all the ranting Zell was going on with. Squall didn't speak a word other than 'uh-huh' whenever Zell asked a question or seemed as if he did ask one. Zell... was a different story. He was constantly talking about going to the different restaurants in Balamb. The one he seemed to mention the most was the ice cream parlor called Avondale. Just plan and simple, Avondale. He didn't know where the name came from -for once, something he didn't know- but he loved to go there because they served more than just ice cream; they served full course meals and they even had a gaming room fill with arcade games, and pool tables of that sort. A fun teenager hangout.
Squall was leaning against the light pole out front the gas station when he realized one of the Garden vehicles parked in the alley way to his right. He didn't seem to show any real care for it though, being that it might be Cid, out for dinner. Glancing at it once more, Squall turned away to see if Zell was done talking to the receptionist at the Car Rental window. Zell knew everyone in this small city and always had to talk to them. It was all small talk, but it was something Zell was brought up to do... constantly.
As soon as Squall looked over to him, Zell waved his hand, motioning for him to join him. Squall tilted his head to the side and pushed himself away from the pole to walk over to his ...friend. Zell had turned back to the young lady he was talking to and laughed loudly as Squall had reached them. He held out his hand and patted Squall on his back as he joined them. Squall only stood there, taking the taps to his back and wondered why it was taking them so long to go get some food.
"This is one of my real close friends, Squall Leonhart. Ain't he cool?" Zell flashed one of his cheesy smiles at Squall and looked back at the girl in front of him. She simply nodded and tried to hold in her giggles.
"It's wonderful to meet you, Mr. Leonhart. My name is Angela Morris. I'm a childhood friend of Zell's. In fact, I'm his neighbor... or used to be anyway." She giggled and politely waved at Squall. He only nodded in return. Squall didn't understand why Zell was introducing them, he would only forget her within the next day. Noticing a tad bit of anticipation, Angela looked at Zell and continued, "Oh, I think he's hungry, Zell. You should go get some food. I have to close up now anyway."
"Oh really, you're closing? It's early, why are you closing now?" Zell placed his arms on the counter top of the window and waited for her reply.
"It's not a weekend, so there aren't that many rentals going on at night. We close two hours earlier now, that way we won't loose money. You know what I mean?" Angela simply replied with a smile. "Now get off the counter, I have to close the window." Zell smiled and stepped back from the window.
"Since you're closing, would you like to go with us to the Avondale place? I hear they are pretty slow tonight, so we might have the place to ourselves." Zell was quick to ask the question, as she was closing the window in a hurry.
"Thank you for asking Zell, but I don't know if I can make it. I still have a lot of cleaning up to do at the house and I have to cook dinner for my father." Angela paused, hoping the fault in her voice would not be noticeable as she continued, "Since Mom passed, he's been really sick and doesn't like to have me out of the house unless I am at work. I'm sorry." She closed the window quickly and Zell only stood there, staring.
"What's with you?" Squall noticed his loss of expression and had to ask, even if it wasn't any of his business. Yes, Rinoa had been working on him and his ways of communication in the past couple of months. Squall sometimes seemed to amaze even himself with how much he spoke now. And he *was* the first one to admit... that he was here because of other people.
"Nothing." Zell blinked, looking away from the window and over to Squall. His face wasn't so pale anymore, but Squall could tell something was wrong. Although our young commander had been worn down a little, it was only a *little* and he still kept his distance at times. Therefore, he did not push that matter any further.
"So, let's get going." Squall spoke up, leading the way down the cobblestone pathway, but turned around to look at Zell. "Where is this place again? I don't remember seeing it ever before." Squall lied. He had been in Balamb millions of times, on missions and training and all that other whatnot. Zell laughed at his comrades question and shook his head.
"By that old coffee shop, where high school Drama Club members put on plays every Friday ...near the hotel." Zell stood beside Squall and pointed in the direction of the Balamb Hotel. "Down that way."
"I know where the hotel is, you don't have to point it out." Squall swatted Zell's hand down and continued walking down the street. Zell followed and started talking about the wonderful noodles and sushi that they had there at Avondale and Squall only ignored him, lost in his own little world of thoughts.
~*~
"Come on girls! You only live once!" Selphie's voice chirped very loudly as she tugged on two petite arms in the girls dormitory hallway. Rinoa and Naomi were inside Naomi's room, trying their hardest not to laugh so loudly as Selphie was trying her hardest to drag them out and away from the door frame. Quistis stood not far off, out in the hallway, holding her right hand to her face, as if covering any sign of smiling and her inaudible giggles. A few of the other girls from across and down the hall had emerged to see what Selphie was up to this time. Of course, they had no clue *why* Selphie was pulling at the girls, but Quistis knew. Rinoa and Naomi also knew, or else ...why the resistance? Selphie and Quistis had been planning to get Naomi and Zell together for the longest time. They had also planned on getting Rinoa and Squall together as well. Finally, they were taking action, but Naomi didn't want to.
"No, Selphie! I have to work on inventory for the snacks and things for the Library Committee! Seeeeeeeelphie!" Naomi was lying, yes, but she was too scared to confront Zell about anything... and that's exactly what Selphie had planned on doing tonight. Normally, Rinoa would be all for the 'match making' game that Selphie loved to put on, but Naomi had persuaded her otherwise, to be on *her* side instead of Selphie's.
"Selphie Tilmitt!" Rinoa shouted, giggling hysterically. "Let us go, woman! We love our men, but we don't love them that much!" Selphie couldn't help but burst out laughing. This, in turn, caused her to release her grip on Naomi and Rinoa, causing her to fall back into the hallway. Soon enough, the small corridor erupted with laughter by the few girls standing around, even Selphie was laughing. Both Rinoa and Naomi held their hands to their mouths, giggling, after gasping 'Oh! Selphie are you alright?!' and running over to her aid. It was quite funny, even Selphie had to admit, but it really hurt her butt when she fell down on that cold, hard tile floor.
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Selphie spoke between giggles as she took Rinoa and Naomi's outreached hands and guided herself to her feet. "Come on, you two. Please? I promise it will be fun." Selphie looked at them with the utmost adorable puppy dog eyes that certainly no one could resist. The two girls before Selphie glanced at each other before sighing in defeat. Quistis walked up to her three friends, having been far off laughing at the entire scene that had taken place only a moment earlier, and raised a hand, as if to ask a question. Her friends laughter had subsided - momentarily, for it would be back again before the end of the night - and they all nodded, as if to give her the 'go ahead' for what she had to say, and she put down her hand.
"We've waited quite a long while for this night, girls. I can't wait to see you happily with Zell's arm around you, Naomi." Quistis smiled as she nodded toward her book nerd of a friend. "And Rinoa... I can't wait to see you and Squall holding hands and laughing about silly little things." She lied. Quistis wanted nothing more than to be Squall's ...one and only. The 'misunderstood' act was all something to hide her feelings from everyone... from herself.
"Aww, that's so nice, Quisty." Selphie replied, pretending to get all teary-eyed and sniffling. Quistis laughed and pushed her arm a little bit, knowing Selphie was joking around. The four girls all laughed together in the hallway, all - or most - very happy by what they had planned for this evening. The rest of the girls in the hallway had returned to their rooms for the night, having no more entertainment in the hall.
"Alright, let's get going. I hope you girls are hungry, because I know I am." Selphie grinned sheepishly. "I wish I could have gotten to you guys before you started eating in the Cafeteria. Why did you do and do hat anyway, Naomi? You knew we were going out tonight!" Selphie laughed some more, not really wanting her words to seem rude or mean. Naomi walked to her door and closed it, before turning to answer Selphie.
"Well, I wasn't planning on going. I don't know what made me change my mind though. ...Zell doesn't like me. Come on, there's no way. I should just..." She trailed off. Naomi stopped talking and looked up to Selphie, Quistis, and Rinoa. "Come on, we'll be lucky if we get back here by curfew." With that said, she started walking down the hallway, the other three girls joining her.
~*~*~
"Not just the noodles and sushi are good here, Squall." Zell was still going on about the food as they reached the entrance to the Avondale ice cream parlor. "This place has great sweet tea. They also have some pretty good Cajun foods. Don't let the 'ice cream parlor' title fool you, man. Even though the ice cream is really good - the best maybe - the store just has it as a title to get more business. There aren't any other restaurants that sell ice cream in Balamb. Just Avondale. And since the climate here is always so warm--" Zell stopped, looking at his reflection in the tinted glass door. His T-Board... *WHERE'S MY T-BOARD?!* Zell started looking around frantically, as if he had lost it. "Oh man! Squall, I lost my T-Board."
"I don't know what you did with it, but I am hungry. Forget about your T-Board. You can always buy another one." Squall shrugged and opened the door in front of him before walking inside, leaving Zell to worry on his own.
"Man... this sucks." Zell put his hands in his pockets and paced around the front of the Avondale ice cream parlor, thinking about where he put it last. *I did put it down when a few monsters attacked us, but I remember picking it up. Even when we took a five minute break and just sat down and watched the stars for a little bit, I picked it up when we started back on the road...* Zell stopped and kneeled down quickly to punch the ground below him. "Frickin' hell!"
Just then, Angela happened to be walking home from work and heard Zell shout. Looking down the road, she spotted him and giggled. *He hasn't changed at all. ...Silly boy.* Carrying a large piece of metal, that seemed like a surf board, in her arm, she continued her walk to the entrance of her home. *I wonder if he's angry because he realized he left this junk at the Car Rental.* Angela placed the T-Board down on the road and leaned it against her house as she walked down the steps to her door. She checked to see if it was locked and turned the knob. *Of course it's locked, you dummy.* She laughed softly before pulling out her keys and unlocking the door.
Zell regained his composure and stood from his kneeling position on the ground. It was just one board, he could always get another one. Upon tuning to enter the ice cream parlor, he noticed movement down the street. Curious and having to know everything, Zell turned his head to see that it was Angela, trying to pick something up off the ground. He laughed and shook his head before walking toward her. *Still a weak little girl.*
"Hey you! Vamp!" Zell called out to his long time friend. She looked up to him and waved, not really caring to comeback with some smooth old nickname of his that the kids use to call Zell to make fun of him. As he came closer, he realized that she had his T-Board and ran like mad to greet her. "Where did you find it! Oh my gosh! Ang!! You are SUCH a lifesaver!" As soon as he reacher her, he picked her up and hugged her tightly. Still holding on to her, he looked up at his - now taller - friend. Her long brown hair flowed over her shoulders and toward Zell, since she was looking down at him. She giggled at her friends actions, but then again, this was Zell. "I thought I left it over there. Thanks for grabbing it."
"You're welcome, Zell." She laughed some more. "Now could you please put me down. I need to go inside." Taking in what his friend had said, Zell placed her back on her feet, kind of ashamed of what he had done in the first place. He was just so excited, it was like getting his T-Board for the first time.
"Oh yeah, sorry." He let out a soft chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey... you sure you can't just come down there? I would really like it if you-" Angela placed her left index finger up to Zell's lips to hush him. She smiled, since he had halted his speech.
"I'll try. Now get going. I'm sure Squall is waiting for you or something." She patted him on the arm and turned to go inside her house.
"Don't make me have to ask your father if you can go." Zell stepped down the stairs to stand next to her in the small covered area in front of the closed door. He leaned toward her and placed his right hand on the wall behind Angela.
"You know how much Dad hates you." She giggled and pushed his arm off the wall. "He would never let me go out with you."
"He did once." Zell grinned, catching Angela off guard. "Remember?" Angela turned her head.
"Yes, I remember." She found a sudden interest in the ground below her. Zell reached out his hand and grabbed her chin, guiding her face to look at him.
"It's in the past, Ang. Don't worry about it." Zell patted her cheek before giving her a small kiss and opening the door for her, motioning for her to go inside. "You didn't hurt me that much. Hell, we're practically best friends now." Zell turned to walked inside after her, but stepped back up the stairs and grabbed his T-Board. "Almost forgot it again." He laughed and so did Angela as he closed the door behind him.
~*~*~*~
"Hey, Turtle." Selphie popped up from - what seemed - out of no where and stepped beside Squall as he entered Avondale. The name just happened to stick in her head from earlier in the day, and Selphie's always teasing him, so why pass it up? Squall turned to greet her, but gave her a questioned look. She knew what he was wondering. "I got hungry for something other than hot-dogs and decided to drag the girls here. ...but if you're wondering where I came from just now-" She stopped and pointed to the restroom doors. "-I was in there."
"...Oh. The girls? Does that mean Rinoa is here?" Squall couldn't help but scope the dinning area of the restaurant, not able to see any other rooms, save a door with 'GAME ROOM' written across it.
"Yeah. Me, Rin-Rin, Quisty, and Naomi." Selphie put her arms behind her back as Squall looked at her again.
"Why did you need all of them? It's not like you were going to be attacked or anything. You *did* take one of the Garden vans." Squall propped his left hand on his hip as he watched the girls eyes widen.
"How'd you know that? I didn't think you guys would think we were here."
"...'You guys'? Selphie, it's just me standing here." Squall turned around to see if Zell or some other guy they knew from Garden was standing around him.
"Oh, well..." Selphie looked away, thinking how to get herself out of this. She looked back up, remembering seeing them in the hall at Garden. "Sorry. Umm... Where's Zell? I thought he was with you?" Squall raised an eyebrow a her and shrugged.
"I left him outside because he though-" Just then, their conversation was halted by a 'Frickin' Hell!' being yelled right outside the doors. Squall and Selphie looked at the door and then to each other. "Where's the girls? I think we should go sit with them." Selphie giggled and wrapped her arm around Squall's, dragging him toward the -clearly stated- game room.
"Why, I thought you'd never ask. They are in here playing Galica and seeing who can get the highest score. I should be up next, but you can have my turn." The few teens sitting at the tables the two were passing by, stared at them. Selphie didn't seem to care and Squall didn't either, but he did take note of it. She didn't.
Selphie reached out her free hand and touched the door to open it, but paused and looked at Squall.
"Squall... Don't blow it this time, okay?" Squall hadn't the faintest clue as to what she meant by that, but he listened to her nonetheless. Selphie untangled their arms - but managed to grab him before he could try to take off - and pushed open the door, pulling him inside.
It was very loud inside the gameroom. There were three Dance Dance Remix machines -things Squall seemed to find rather annoying most of the time- and car racing games, like Cruisin World and tons of the old timer games, like Galica and Pac-man. Squall didn't have a chance to get away. The death grip Selphie had on his arm was impossible to get out of. So, he just followed her lead, not really caring where they went.
~*~*~*~*~
"Hahaaha! My boy, you haven't changed at all." Angela's father, Li Morris, laughed forcefully as Zell had been telling him about a very strange SeeD mission he had not to long ago. The two men were sitting in the 'living' room and Angela was in the kitchen, cooking dinner.
"Well, thanks? Mr. Morris-" Zell began, but was cut off sharply.
"See? You're still calling me by my last name." He chuckled. "Call me Li, son. Li! Nothing else." Zell tilted his head a little to the side, wondering what had changed this man so much. He used to hate Zell. That's mostly the reason why Angela had to break off their relationship they had so long ago. The blonde looked into the kitchen, as if to see if she was still there, then looked back to Li.
"Heh-heh, Li. Can I ask you something?" Zell smiled, when Li nodded in agreement, and leaned forward, clasping his hands together and propping his elbows on his knees. "I'm in town for dinner tonight with a friend. I was wondering if I could steal Angela away from you for an hour or so, to eat out. Of course, after she's finished cooking and cleaning." Li contemplated this thought, looking toward the kitchen every so often and tracing his beard with his left-hand digits before turning back to Zell. The old man smiled.
"Of course, I wouldn't mind." Li erupted wit a hearty laugh before continuing, "The girl never gets out of the house much anymore. Always saying she has to take care of her dear old father since-- well, you know. She needs a little fun every now and then. With you my boy, she could have a lifetime of fun in an hour!" Li laughed again. Looking at his watch, he noted it was only six-thirty and looked up at Zell, who was... missing now? *Where did that dear boy go?* He glanced around the room for Zell before standing and walking into the next room where he could see the kitchen. Yet, there he stood, next to Angela as she cooked. The two were talking, Zell pointing at the food on the stove and making disgusted faces before being hit swiftly with a wooden spoon on the arm.
"Oh hey! Come on, ya know I was kiddin' right?" Zell laughed, but Angela didn't look too thrilled, as she was trying hard to cook without being distracted. Zell *certainly* was a distraction to her. Again, Angela playfully hit him with the wooden spoon and laughed. "Oh, so it's war you want, huh?! Two can play that game." Zell grabbed a wooden spoon and held it out in front of him, adjusting himself into a fighting stance. Angela did that same. "On guard!"
Angela and Zell began clashing the wooden utensils together as if they were little children playing a pretend game of sword fighting. Both of the teenagers were laughing, not caring if they ran into anything in the house. Li only chuckled at the two, and retreated to his chambers on the second floor.
The battle continued, Zell had the upper hand, leading Angela into the entry room of the house. These two were just adorable. Each and every time the spoons clashed, their laughter would increase. Angela couldn't help but stop and laugh as Zell advanced on her. Her laughter couldn't help but make her cry and Angela closed her eyes to contain the tears as she stopped dead in her tracks. Upon advancing, Zell ran into her, not expecting the sudden halt, and knocked her back. Yet, Zell tried to catch his balance, -as well as hers- but being the klutz he is, put his leg behind Angela's, causing them both to fall toward the hardwood floor.
However, Zell was skilled -he is a SeeD after all- and dropped his weapon to cautiously grab Angela's arms firmly and spin to their left, holding her just above the floor. They laughed even more at this, before Zell brought her back to stand on her own two feet. Their laughter soon faded to simple giggles and chuckles as Zell picked up his weapon and took Angela's from her hand.
"Remember when we were kids, how we used to pretend like we were at a royal ball, far away in some fairy tale land where nothing could ever go wrong?" Angela inquired, as Zell walked across the room to place the wooden spoons on a side table. Angela stayed where he left her, as he returned to answer her question.
"Sorta... Yeah? You've gotta remember that I've had to junction GFs while on missions. I forget some things..." Zell took Angela's left hand in his right and wrapped his left arm around her waist, watching their joined hands as he did so. There was no more giggling or any sound of laughter. Silence filled the air. "...but only some." He finished, looking up to his childhood friend in front of him, and smiled.
"So you *do* remember, I take it?" Angela placed her right arm around his neck and closed her left hand around his right. As if a signal, Zell began to lead her gracefully around the room, spinning endlessly, yet at a pace one could not make themselves dizzy. He stopped momentarily, removing his arm from around Angela and spinning her away from him. She laughed, stretching her arms out as wide as she could, and spun back toward him. Having fault in her step, she crashed right into Zell, but he made up for it and placed his arm in it's previous position -around her waist- and before 'dipping' her.
"Yeah... how could I forget?" He laughed at his own comment, holding Angela just barely two feet from the floor. She couldn't help but laugh as well.
"Well, I-" She stopped, both her laughter and her speech, catching a strange scent in the air. *Oh no...* The two looked toward the kitchen, only to see a cloud of black smoke emerging from the oven.
"Oh shit... the fish!" Zell shouted, his laughter only increasing.
Zell and Squall walked into Balamb City, tired and worn out. Of course, this was because Squall thought it might have been nice to get a little bit of exercise and talked Zell into walking to the city. It was dark out by the time the two had past the last forest closest to the city, but neither of them seemed to mind. Since Squall was the commander, he could slide with coming in after curfew and he could talk the gate keeper into allowing Zell to come in late as well.
The walk there though, Squall didn't think he could make it with all the ranting Zell was going on with. Squall didn't speak a word other than 'uh-huh' whenever Zell asked a question or seemed as if he did ask one. Zell... was a different story. He was constantly talking about going to the different restaurants in Balamb. The one he seemed to mention the most was the ice cream parlor called Avondale. Just plan and simple, Avondale. He didn't know where the name came from -for once, something he didn't know- but he loved to go there because they served more than just ice cream; they served full course meals and they even had a gaming room fill with arcade games, and pool tables of that sort. A fun teenager hangout.
Squall was leaning against the light pole out front the gas station when he realized one of the Garden vehicles parked in the alley way to his right. He didn't seem to show any real care for it though, being that it might be Cid, out for dinner. Glancing at it once more, Squall turned away to see if Zell was done talking to the receptionist at the Car Rental window. Zell knew everyone in this small city and always had to talk to them. It was all small talk, but it was something Zell was brought up to do... constantly.
As soon as Squall looked over to him, Zell waved his hand, motioning for him to join him. Squall tilted his head to the side and pushed himself away from the pole to walk over to his ...friend. Zell had turned back to the young lady he was talking to and laughed loudly as Squall had reached them. He held out his hand and patted Squall on his back as he joined them. Squall only stood there, taking the taps to his back and wondered why it was taking them so long to go get some food.
"This is one of my real close friends, Squall Leonhart. Ain't he cool?" Zell flashed one of his cheesy smiles at Squall and looked back at the girl in front of him. She simply nodded and tried to hold in her giggles.
"It's wonderful to meet you, Mr. Leonhart. My name is Angela Morris. I'm a childhood friend of Zell's. In fact, I'm his neighbor... or used to be anyway." She giggled and politely waved at Squall. He only nodded in return. Squall didn't understand why Zell was introducing them, he would only forget her within the next day. Noticing a tad bit of anticipation, Angela looked at Zell and continued, "Oh, I think he's hungry, Zell. You should go get some food. I have to close up now anyway."
"Oh really, you're closing? It's early, why are you closing now?" Zell placed his arms on the counter top of the window and waited for her reply.
"It's not a weekend, so there aren't that many rentals going on at night. We close two hours earlier now, that way we won't loose money. You know what I mean?" Angela simply replied with a smile. "Now get off the counter, I have to close the window." Zell smiled and stepped back from the window.
"Since you're closing, would you like to go with us to the Avondale place? I hear they are pretty slow tonight, so we might have the place to ourselves." Zell was quick to ask the question, as she was closing the window in a hurry.
"Thank you for asking Zell, but I don't know if I can make it. I still have a lot of cleaning up to do at the house and I have to cook dinner for my father." Angela paused, hoping the fault in her voice would not be noticeable as she continued, "Since Mom passed, he's been really sick and doesn't like to have me out of the house unless I am at work. I'm sorry." She closed the window quickly and Zell only stood there, staring.
"What's with you?" Squall noticed his loss of expression and had to ask, even if it wasn't any of his business. Yes, Rinoa had been working on him and his ways of communication in the past couple of months. Squall sometimes seemed to amaze even himself with how much he spoke now. And he *was* the first one to admit... that he was here because of other people.
"Nothing." Zell blinked, looking away from the window and over to Squall. His face wasn't so pale anymore, but Squall could tell something was wrong. Although our young commander had been worn down a little, it was only a *little* and he still kept his distance at times. Therefore, he did not push that matter any further.
"So, let's get going." Squall spoke up, leading the way down the cobblestone pathway, but turned around to look at Zell. "Where is this place again? I don't remember seeing it ever before." Squall lied. He had been in Balamb millions of times, on missions and training and all that other whatnot. Zell laughed at his comrades question and shook his head.
"By that old coffee shop, where high school Drama Club members put on plays every Friday ...near the hotel." Zell stood beside Squall and pointed in the direction of the Balamb Hotel. "Down that way."
"I know where the hotel is, you don't have to point it out." Squall swatted Zell's hand down and continued walking down the street. Zell followed and started talking about the wonderful noodles and sushi that they had there at Avondale and Squall only ignored him, lost in his own little world of thoughts.
~*~
"Come on girls! You only live once!" Selphie's voice chirped very loudly as she tugged on two petite arms in the girls dormitory hallway. Rinoa and Naomi were inside Naomi's room, trying their hardest not to laugh so loudly as Selphie was trying her hardest to drag them out and away from the door frame. Quistis stood not far off, out in the hallway, holding her right hand to her face, as if covering any sign of smiling and her inaudible giggles. A few of the other girls from across and down the hall had emerged to see what Selphie was up to this time. Of course, they had no clue *why* Selphie was pulling at the girls, but Quistis knew. Rinoa and Naomi also knew, or else ...why the resistance? Selphie and Quistis had been planning to get Naomi and Zell together for the longest time. They had also planned on getting Rinoa and Squall together as well. Finally, they were taking action, but Naomi didn't want to.
"No, Selphie! I have to work on inventory for the snacks and things for the Library Committee! Seeeeeeeelphie!" Naomi was lying, yes, but she was too scared to confront Zell about anything... and that's exactly what Selphie had planned on doing tonight. Normally, Rinoa would be all for the 'match making' game that Selphie loved to put on, but Naomi had persuaded her otherwise, to be on *her* side instead of Selphie's.
"Selphie Tilmitt!" Rinoa shouted, giggling hysterically. "Let us go, woman! We love our men, but we don't love them that much!" Selphie couldn't help but burst out laughing. This, in turn, caused her to release her grip on Naomi and Rinoa, causing her to fall back into the hallway. Soon enough, the small corridor erupted with laughter by the few girls standing around, even Selphie was laughing. Both Rinoa and Naomi held their hands to their mouths, giggling, after gasping 'Oh! Selphie are you alright?!' and running over to her aid. It was quite funny, even Selphie had to admit, but it really hurt her butt when she fell down on that cold, hard tile floor.
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Selphie spoke between giggles as she took Rinoa and Naomi's outreached hands and guided herself to her feet. "Come on, you two. Please? I promise it will be fun." Selphie looked at them with the utmost adorable puppy dog eyes that certainly no one could resist. The two girls before Selphie glanced at each other before sighing in defeat. Quistis walked up to her three friends, having been far off laughing at the entire scene that had taken place only a moment earlier, and raised a hand, as if to ask a question. Her friends laughter had subsided - momentarily, for it would be back again before the end of the night - and they all nodded, as if to give her the 'go ahead' for what she had to say, and she put down her hand.
"We've waited quite a long while for this night, girls. I can't wait to see you happily with Zell's arm around you, Naomi." Quistis smiled as she nodded toward her book nerd of a friend. "And Rinoa... I can't wait to see you and Squall holding hands and laughing about silly little things." She lied. Quistis wanted nothing more than to be Squall's ...one and only. The 'misunderstood' act was all something to hide her feelings from everyone... from herself.
"Aww, that's so nice, Quisty." Selphie replied, pretending to get all teary-eyed and sniffling. Quistis laughed and pushed her arm a little bit, knowing Selphie was joking around. The four girls all laughed together in the hallway, all - or most - very happy by what they had planned for this evening. The rest of the girls in the hallway had returned to their rooms for the night, having no more entertainment in the hall.
"Alright, let's get going. I hope you girls are hungry, because I know I am." Selphie grinned sheepishly. "I wish I could have gotten to you guys before you started eating in the Cafeteria. Why did you do and do hat anyway, Naomi? You knew we were going out tonight!" Selphie laughed some more, not really wanting her words to seem rude or mean. Naomi walked to her door and closed it, before turning to answer Selphie.
"Well, I wasn't planning on going. I don't know what made me change my mind though. ...Zell doesn't like me. Come on, there's no way. I should just..." She trailed off. Naomi stopped talking and looked up to Selphie, Quistis, and Rinoa. "Come on, we'll be lucky if we get back here by curfew." With that said, she started walking down the hallway, the other three girls joining her.
~*~*~
"Not just the noodles and sushi are good here, Squall." Zell was still going on about the food as they reached the entrance to the Avondale ice cream parlor. "This place has great sweet tea. They also have some pretty good Cajun foods. Don't let the 'ice cream parlor' title fool you, man. Even though the ice cream is really good - the best maybe - the store just has it as a title to get more business. There aren't any other restaurants that sell ice cream in Balamb. Just Avondale. And since the climate here is always so warm--" Zell stopped, looking at his reflection in the tinted glass door. His T-Board... *WHERE'S MY T-BOARD?!* Zell started looking around frantically, as if he had lost it. "Oh man! Squall, I lost my T-Board."
"I don't know what you did with it, but I am hungry. Forget about your T-Board. You can always buy another one." Squall shrugged and opened the door in front of him before walking inside, leaving Zell to worry on his own.
"Man... this sucks." Zell put his hands in his pockets and paced around the front of the Avondale ice cream parlor, thinking about where he put it last. *I did put it down when a few monsters attacked us, but I remember picking it up. Even when we took a five minute break and just sat down and watched the stars for a little bit, I picked it up when we started back on the road...* Zell stopped and kneeled down quickly to punch the ground below him. "Frickin' hell!"
Just then, Angela happened to be walking home from work and heard Zell shout. Looking down the road, she spotted him and giggled. *He hasn't changed at all. ...Silly boy.* Carrying a large piece of metal, that seemed like a surf board, in her arm, she continued her walk to the entrance of her home. *I wonder if he's angry because he realized he left this junk at the Car Rental.* Angela placed the T-Board down on the road and leaned it against her house as she walked down the steps to her door. She checked to see if it was locked and turned the knob. *Of course it's locked, you dummy.* She laughed softly before pulling out her keys and unlocking the door.
Zell regained his composure and stood from his kneeling position on the ground. It was just one board, he could always get another one. Upon tuning to enter the ice cream parlor, he noticed movement down the street. Curious and having to know everything, Zell turned his head to see that it was Angela, trying to pick something up off the ground. He laughed and shook his head before walking toward her. *Still a weak little girl.*
"Hey you! Vamp!" Zell called out to his long time friend. She looked up to him and waved, not really caring to comeback with some smooth old nickname of his that the kids use to call Zell to make fun of him. As he came closer, he realized that she had his T-Board and ran like mad to greet her. "Where did you find it! Oh my gosh! Ang!! You are SUCH a lifesaver!" As soon as he reacher her, he picked her up and hugged her tightly. Still holding on to her, he looked up at his - now taller - friend. Her long brown hair flowed over her shoulders and toward Zell, since she was looking down at him. She giggled at her friends actions, but then again, this was Zell. "I thought I left it over there. Thanks for grabbing it."
"You're welcome, Zell." She laughed some more. "Now could you please put me down. I need to go inside." Taking in what his friend had said, Zell placed her back on her feet, kind of ashamed of what he had done in the first place. He was just so excited, it was like getting his T-Board for the first time.
"Oh yeah, sorry." He let out a soft chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey... you sure you can't just come down there? I would really like it if you-" Angela placed her left index finger up to Zell's lips to hush him. She smiled, since he had halted his speech.
"I'll try. Now get going. I'm sure Squall is waiting for you or something." She patted him on the arm and turned to go inside her house.
"Don't make me have to ask your father if you can go." Zell stepped down the stairs to stand next to her in the small covered area in front of the closed door. He leaned toward her and placed his right hand on the wall behind Angela.
"You know how much Dad hates you." She giggled and pushed his arm off the wall. "He would never let me go out with you."
"He did once." Zell grinned, catching Angela off guard. "Remember?" Angela turned her head.
"Yes, I remember." She found a sudden interest in the ground below her. Zell reached out his hand and grabbed her chin, guiding her face to look at him.
"It's in the past, Ang. Don't worry about it." Zell patted her cheek before giving her a small kiss and opening the door for her, motioning for her to go inside. "You didn't hurt me that much. Hell, we're practically best friends now." Zell turned to walked inside after her, but stepped back up the stairs and grabbed his T-Board. "Almost forgot it again." He laughed and so did Angela as he closed the door behind him.
~*~*~*~
"Hey, Turtle." Selphie popped up from - what seemed - out of no where and stepped beside Squall as he entered Avondale. The name just happened to stick in her head from earlier in the day, and Selphie's always teasing him, so why pass it up? Squall turned to greet her, but gave her a questioned look. She knew what he was wondering. "I got hungry for something other than hot-dogs and decided to drag the girls here. ...but if you're wondering where I came from just now-" She stopped and pointed to the restroom doors. "-I was in there."
"...Oh. The girls? Does that mean Rinoa is here?" Squall couldn't help but scope the dinning area of the restaurant, not able to see any other rooms, save a door with 'GAME ROOM' written across it.
"Yeah. Me, Rin-Rin, Quisty, and Naomi." Selphie put her arms behind her back as Squall looked at her again.
"Why did you need all of them? It's not like you were going to be attacked or anything. You *did* take one of the Garden vans." Squall propped his left hand on his hip as he watched the girls eyes widen.
"How'd you know that? I didn't think you guys would think we were here."
"...'You guys'? Selphie, it's just me standing here." Squall turned around to see if Zell or some other guy they knew from Garden was standing around him.
"Oh, well..." Selphie looked away, thinking how to get herself out of this. She looked back up, remembering seeing them in the hall at Garden. "Sorry. Umm... Where's Zell? I thought he was with you?" Squall raised an eyebrow a her and shrugged.
"I left him outside because he though-" Just then, their conversation was halted by a 'Frickin' Hell!' being yelled right outside the doors. Squall and Selphie looked at the door and then to each other. "Where's the girls? I think we should go sit with them." Selphie giggled and wrapped her arm around Squall's, dragging him toward the -clearly stated- game room.
"Why, I thought you'd never ask. They are in here playing Galica and seeing who can get the highest score. I should be up next, but you can have my turn." The few teens sitting at the tables the two were passing by, stared at them. Selphie didn't seem to care and Squall didn't either, but he did take note of it. She didn't.
Selphie reached out her free hand and touched the door to open it, but paused and looked at Squall.
"Squall... Don't blow it this time, okay?" Squall hadn't the faintest clue as to what she meant by that, but he listened to her nonetheless. Selphie untangled their arms - but managed to grab him before he could try to take off - and pushed open the door, pulling him inside.
It was very loud inside the gameroom. There were three Dance Dance Remix machines -things Squall seemed to find rather annoying most of the time- and car racing games, like Cruisin World and tons of the old timer games, like Galica and Pac-man. Squall didn't have a chance to get away. The death grip Selphie had on his arm was impossible to get out of. So, he just followed her lead, not really caring where they went.
~*~*~*~*~
"Hahaaha! My boy, you haven't changed at all." Angela's father, Li Morris, laughed forcefully as Zell had been telling him about a very strange SeeD mission he had not to long ago. The two men were sitting in the 'living' room and Angela was in the kitchen, cooking dinner.
"Well, thanks? Mr. Morris-" Zell began, but was cut off sharply.
"See? You're still calling me by my last name." He chuckled. "Call me Li, son. Li! Nothing else." Zell tilted his head a little to the side, wondering what had changed this man so much. He used to hate Zell. That's mostly the reason why Angela had to break off their relationship they had so long ago. The blonde looked into the kitchen, as if to see if she was still there, then looked back to Li.
"Heh-heh, Li. Can I ask you something?" Zell smiled, when Li nodded in agreement, and leaned forward, clasping his hands together and propping his elbows on his knees. "I'm in town for dinner tonight with a friend. I was wondering if I could steal Angela away from you for an hour or so, to eat out. Of course, after she's finished cooking and cleaning." Li contemplated this thought, looking toward the kitchen every so often and tracing his beard with his left-hand digits before turning back to Zell. The old man smiled.
"Of course, I wouldn't mind." Li erupted wit a hearty laugh before continuing, "The girl never gets out of the house much anymore. Always saying she has to take care of her dear old father since-- well, you know. She needs a little fun every now and then. With you my boy, she could have a lifetime of fun in an hour!" Li laughed again. Looking at his watch, he noted it was only six-thirty and looked up at Zell, who was... missing now? *Where did that dear boy go?* He glanced around the room for Zell before standing and walking into the next room where he could see the kitchen. Yet, there he stood, next to Angela as she cooked. The two were talking, Zell pointing at the food on the stove and making disgusted faces before being hit swiftly with a wooden spoon on the arm.
"Oh hey! Come on, ya know I was kiddin' right?" Zell laughed, but Angela didn't look too thrilled, as she was trying hard to cook without being distracted. Zell *certainly* was a distraction to her. Again, Angela playfully hit him with the wooden spoon and laughed. "Oh, so it's war you want, huh?! Two can play that game." Zell grabbed a wooden spoon and held it out in front of him, adjusting himself into a fighting stance. Angela did that same. "On guard!"
Angela and Zell began clashing the wooden utensils together as if they were little children playing a pretend game of sword fighting. Both of the teenagers were laughing, not caring if they ran into anything in the house. Li only chuckled at the two, and retreated to his chambers on the second floor.
The battle continued, Zell had the upper hand, leading Angela into the entry room of the house. These two were just adorable. Each and every time the spoons clashed, their laughter would increase. Angela couldn't help but stop and laugh as Zell advanced on her. Her laughter couldn't help but make her cry and Angela closed her eyes to contain the tears as she stopped dead in her tracks. Upon advancing, Zell ran into her, not expecting the sudden halt, and knocked her back. Yet, Zell tried to catch his balance, -as well as hers- but being the klutz he is, put his leg behind Angela's, causing them both to fall toward the hardwood floor.
However, Zell was skilled -he is a SeeD after all- and dropped his weapon to cautiously grab Angela's arms firmly and spin to their left, holding her just above the floor. They laughed even more at this, before Zell brought her back to stand on her own two feet. Their laughter soon faded to simple giggles and chuckles as Zell picked up his weapon and took Angela's from her hand.
"Remember when we were kids, how we used to pretend like we were at a royal ball, far away in some fairy tale land where nothing could ever go wrong?" Angela inquired, as Zell walked across the room to place the wooden spoons on a side table. Angela stayed where he left her, as he returned to answer her question.
"Sorta... Yeah? You've gotta remember that I've had to junction GFs while on missions. I forget some things..." Zell took Angela's left hand in his right and wrapped his left arm around her waist, watching their joined hands as he did so. There was no more giggling or any sound of laughter. Silence filled the air. "...but only some." He finished, looking up to his childhood friend in front of him, and smiled.
"So you *do* remember, I take it?" Angela placed her right arm around his neck and closed her left hand around his right. As if a signal, Zell began to lead her gracefully around the room, spinning endlessly, yet at a pace one could not make themselves dizzy. He stopped momentarily, removing his arm from around Angela and spinning her away from him. She laughed, stretching her arms out as wide as she could, and spun back toward him. Having fault in her step, she crashed right into Zell, but he made up for it and placed his arm in it's previous position -around her waist- and before 'dipping' her.
"Yeah... how could I forget?" He laughed at his own comment, holding Angela just barely two feet from the floor. She couldn't help but laugh as well.
"Well, I-" She stopped, both her laughter and her speech, catching a strange scent in the air. *Oh no...* The two looked toward the kitchen, only to see a cloud of black smoke emerging from the oven.
"Oh shit... the fish!" Zell shouted, his laughter only increasing.
