Disclaimer: I do not own FF8 or any of its characters. Everything belongs to SQUARESOFT …
~Chapter 8: Dawning of Realization~
Her heart beat a little faster, her teeth clenched, her mind was screaming and if you looked close enough you could see steam coming out of her ears. This was a complete outrage!!!
Her fiancée with… With… That low-class bitch? She wouldn't have it. She always got her way; she always got her man and this time would be no different.
She let out a loud, piecing shriek causing the peaceful couple on the bleachers to look up right before their lips had touched.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Demanded Sarah, while approaching the stands.
Squall obviously seemed lost for words, "Uhh… Ahh… Um… Hi!"
Rinoa looked to the floor in shame and decided against speaking. If she did, a slap in the face would be a likely response. She had never gotten into a bitch fight in her life and she wished to keep it that way. Although, she remarked the irony in the situation. The kiss had justified their relationship status. They would never be together.
Seifer, Irvine, Selphie, Zell and Quistis skated over to the threesome in wonder. They all, clearly, detected that something was wrong and that Sarah was the likely cause.
"What's up?" Quistis, who had noticed what Rinoa and Squall were about to do, asked as innocently as possible.
"I'll tell you what's up!" Sarah screamed at the blonde, "She was about to kiss my fiancée!"
"Or your fiancée was about to kiss her." Seifer pointed out.
Sarah made a gesture of impatience, "Why would Squall kiss her when he has me?"
"I can answer that!" Selphie bounced up but Irvine cupped his hand over her mouth.
"Anyways…" Quistis said lightly, seeing Rinoa's fist clench while her eyes were to the ground, "The point and important thing is that they didn't. So why should it bother you?"
Sarah shrieked yet again, "They had the intention to!! It's still just as bad."
"You just pick the greatest time to be smart, don't you?" Zell spat back at her, "I'll also tell you; you've got really great timing too!!"
Seifer held onto Zell's coat to keep him from doing something illegal: attacking a woman.
"Ok, let's all calm down and breathe…" Irvine tried to tense down the atmosphere.
Sarah's wet stands of hair dangled wildly as her whole body shook under the anger. It had appeared (to any normal bystander) that she had jumped into a lake, clothes and all.
"Um… What the hell happened to you anyways?" Seifer asked as innocently as the moment allowed.
"Ha ha…" Her laugh was fracturing the line between pissed off and insane, "Funny story, actually. I woke up from my nap and I was in the middle of a lake!"
Quistis tried her best to look genuinely surprised, "Gee, I wonder how that happened."
"Ok…" Squall cut through, "Sarah, calm down."
"Calm down?!" Her shriek sent many people looking towards the group in wonder, "You want me to calm down?! I nearly drowned today and I found my fiancée about to kiss someone other then me!!! How dare you tell me to calm down!!!"
"I'm sorry, Sarah, but has it ever crossed your mind that Squall …" Selphie let her sentence hang slightly.
"That he what?" Sarah snapped back but then looked towards Rinoa, "What the hell about you?? Why aren't you saying anything?!"
For a moment, with her head down and her fists clenched, everyone thought Rinoa had been crying but her head snapped up tearless.
"You really want me to say something?" She asked venomously.
Sarah said to her in a tone of superiority, "How did you even think that he might like you better then me?"
"Ok, let's compare!" Rinoa agreed, "I'm smarter, I'm more mature, I don't overreact, I don't call him Squally Wally and he doesn't have to surgically remove me from his arm all the time!"
Sarah shook furiously and Rinoa concluded, "Oh by the way, that eye shadow doesn't suit you at all!"
Quistis and Selphie could only gape. No matter to what extreme that they had seen Rinoa be pushed to, she had never reacted this way. Sarah looked even more infuriated.
Quistis stepped through and looked as if she was examining Sarah very closely, "Yeah… She's right! That eye shadow so is not you." Her voice detained a mock imitation of Sarah's.
"That's it!" Sarah screeched, "I want to go home, now!!"
***
"Yes!! She's gone!" Irvine screamed out.
Seifer grinned as he watched his comrade, "Yeah, and Squall says he coming back after he's dumped her off."
"Right, so can things get any better?" Zell asked happily, his question was directed to Rinoa.
She hadn't spoken a word since their arrival at camp, nor had she looked at anyone straight in the face either.
"Um… Rinny?" Selphie asked meekly, "Aren't you… Um… Happy?"
The 5'4", raven haired girl stood up somberly and went down the same dirt path that Sarah's mattress had been dragged down.
Quistis wore a pained look on her face, while Selphie just looked at her go.
Zell broke the uneasy silence, "Should I go offer her a hot dog?"
"Zell, shove the hot dog up your ass." Irvine scowled, "You guys, Plan B was a really bad idea."
"Well… It got rid of her." The happy-go-lucky girl said.
"Maybe, but now Rinoa is… Really…" Quistis didn't finish her sentence.
"Both of you should go see her." Seifer concluded, "I don't want her throwing herself into the fish lake."
***
The fish jumped and splashed the, otherwise, still lake. Rinoa watched them go with sad eyes. She heard crunching noise behind her and, knowing it was Selphie and Quistis, she didn't even bother to look back.
"Hey…" Quistis's voice said softly, "Are you ok?"
"You guys have no clue how stupid I feel right now…" Rinoa's voice was edgy and shaking.
"You shouldn't feel stupid." Selphie comforted her friend.
"Yeah, you kicked her ass… Well, verbally I mean." Quistis held a tone of amusement in her voice.
"You know… It's really embarrassing…" Her voice was shaking more then before.
This made Quistis worry a tad bit, "Embarrassed? About what?"
"The whole…Bleachers thing…" She explained.
Selphie sighed, "You have nothing to be embarrassed about. She was just in the way."
"No, she wasn't. I was about to kiss her fiancée. I was in the way and yes, I should feel embarrassed because I just can't let go and I keep falling for him."
There was a slight silence and then Rinoa spoke again, "Honestly… I get what all of you here are trying to do but you should all just stop. Squall and I can't be together."
"Rinoa, you know… We're your best friends and we often see aspects of your life that you don't." Quistis said softly.
"Squall being one of them. Seifer, Irvine and Zell are Squall's best friend and they also see a part of his life that he doesn't. That being you." Selphie explained.
"So… Basically, what I'm trying to say is that I want to be the girl's godmother… Selphie can by the boy's."
"What? Are you crazy? I should get to be the girl's godmother!" Selphie screeched.
Rinoa rolled her eyes and forced a smile, "You guys are cracked. And, as much as you keep trying… There isn't anything you can do about Squall and I."
***
"People, pack up now!" Seifer ordered as he saw the three girls emerging from the dirt path.
Quistis and Selphie gave him a questioning glance so he explained, "Zell said he saw this cottage to rent near a cleaner lake. It's nearer to the metropolitan area so we can get to places quicker. Besides… Did anyone say comfort?" He grinned.
"And you're telling us this now?" Selphie asked annoyed, "I had to sleep in an uncomfortable tent for two nights and just now you find a suitable habitat?"
"That is correct…" Seifer admitted smugly.
The three girls rolled their eyes and Irvine filled in unnecessarily, "Squall should be back by eight at night or something. We'll move out then."
***
"What the hell's happening here?" Squall raised an eyebrow at the packed tents and duffle bags.
Seifer filled him in on the details, "We've found somewhere that's more… Comfy."
"Oh, so you are good for something…" A nasal voice from behind Squall asked mockingly.
"Who the hell?" Squall turned around and saw… Melvin Tribal.
"Monkey-Man… How ya doing?" Seifer asked, slightly annoyed.
"I believe you should refer to me as Commander Tribal, for I am your equal."
"Equal?? How so? Daddy's given you everything; you've never had to get off your ugly ass to get it. You haven't even earned the position of Trabia Garden Commander!" Seifer spat at him and Quistis had to cling onto him to stop him from beating Melvin.
"What would you know about fathers, Seifer? … You have none. Probably the result of premature birth."
Seifer's eyes went wide and everyone could tell Melvin had hit a spot. Seifer's eyes were sent downcast and he didn't say anything.
"You fucking asshole, who do you think you are?" Squall yelled and went to knock Melvin's block off but something grabbed at the back of his shirt… Rinoa.
"Leonheart… Aren't you getting married this fall?" Melvin asked icily, "Actually… I'm nearing engagement actually." His eyes glanced at Rinoa.
"Who the hell would want to marry you?" Seifer laughed but was cut off abruptly. His eyes went a little wider and his two fists clenched.
"What would you know, Almasy? What would you know?" Melvin spat and then walked off the camping grounds.
When he was well out of earshot Irvine said, "Wow, he goes camping here?"
"All the more reason to get the hell out." Zell concluded and started packing his bags again.
"Fuck…" Seifer whispered low enough so that no one would hear.
"Hey… Um, Squall. I'm just curious…" Selphie said innocently, "Does Sarah talk like that all the time? I mean… With the high-pitched voice?"
Squall rolled his eyes as a response and Irvine teased, "Okay, now seriously… What were you thinking?"
"She's got gray eyes… you can't trust that type of people."
"Fuck her eyes… Did you see her eye shadow?? It was green! Like… Electric green!!" Quistis squealed.
Squall cut through, "Well, this couldn't get any more uncomfortable."
"I wouldn't bet on that… Squally Wally…" Rinoa grinned and the rest of the people exploded with laughter. Squall only smiled and started packing his own things.
***
As Seifer solemnly piled the last duffle bag into the jeep's trunk it was about 8:30 P.M.
"Ok, we all ready to go?" Irvine asked.
"No, you aren't." A park ranger flashed his light into Irvine's eyes. "I've had complaints about you people and you aren't leaving this park until you pay a fine."
"A fine? But we haven't done anything!" Zell protested.
"Apparently not. Mr. Tribal has complained about your hostility towards him." The ranger filed in, "Any act of violence on any customer of this park gets issued a one thousand gil fee."
"What?" Seifer nearly screamed, "We didn't do anything to Mr. Tribal! We-"
Quistis interrupted Seifer, "Oh come on… Mr. Ranger…" She put on a flirtatious voice and looped her arm around the ranger's arm, "Can't you just… Make an exception?"
She sent eye signals to both Selphie and Rinoa. Selphie fell along in the plan, "Yeah Mr. Ranger… Just this once …" She began massaging the ranger's shoulders.
Now both her friends gave Rinoa a look that signaled for her to do her part. The ranger was near to cracking and the guys… Well… they looked pretty stunned.
Rinoa put on an exaggerated enticing voice that nearly made the ranger's knees buckle, "Yeah Mr. Ranger… Couldn't you please… Forget about all this." She settled her chin on the ranger's shoulder and then added, "I mean… You'd like us to come back next year wouldn't you?"
"Uh… Ah… Yah… Uh…" The ranger pulled away from the three girls and nodded quickly and nervously. "Sure, just don't do it again." And he nearly ran out of there at break-neck speed.
Selphie started to giggle and Quistis said triumphantly, "Bye bye… Sucker."
"What the hell was that?" Squall hissed and looked at the three girls.
Quistis put him up to date, "It's called 'a woman's power'."
"You three are witches, aren't you?" Zell breathed.
"You would have preferred paying a fine?" Rinoa asked Squall.
"Yes!" Squall didn't hesitate to answer.
Irvine waved away Squall and informed Rinoa, "Don't worry, he's just pissed because he wants you to speak like that to him."
"That's not it!" Squall denied and pushed Irvine away.
Seifer's head snapped up and he said, to both Rinoa and Squall, "You know…I've got a really bad feeling… Plus, I think I just figured something out… Maybe you two should…"
"Should what?" Squall asked.
"Should get your act together…" He concluded.
Sammy: Ha ha… And what will the two's reaction be to this? Only I can tell… In the next chapter… That being chapter NINE!! Tee hee hee hee. Read and review… and give me publicity or something, ha ha. I need more readers!
Beta's Note: And this is it folks, get you tickets now! Review Crazed: Attack of The Sammy- Chan, Episode One has hit Fanfiction.net! Guaranteed to be a best "seller" (even if we're not selling anything)! Write your review for admission………. And suffer at your own cost! Anyways, with that having been said, I think I took care of the publicity part! *Drums in the background* Badda boom, chhh!
Anyways, with having been said (I think that's twice now), um, costumers do not work at campsites and people who have already mastered telePATHETIC teleportation scare me! Next thing you know, Melvin'll appear in my room! *Shudders* Scary!