Disclaimer: I do not own FF8 … no really, I don't!  Don't you believe me?

~Chapter 9: Spin the Bottle … With a Twist~

"Get the what together?" Rinoa asked, pretending to have misheard.

Squall raised an eyebrow at the strawberry blond fellow, "Dude, what act?"

Seifer scowled, "Start dating or something… Before its too late."

"Ok, I have this really cheesy sensation that we're in a corny romance movie!" Rinoa waved her arms fanatically, "There is no reason Squall and I should be together… End of discussion!"

Quistis bit her bottom lip as she realized that this 'game' the rest were playing was really starting to annoy Rinoa.  Squall looked hurt but did his best to cover it up.

There was an odd silence between the group and finally Seifer grimaced, turned to his jeep and responded, "Whatever, we're going."

***

Rinoa rolled her eyes and Squall responded, "Wow, you can tell they're trying really hard."

"Yeah, no kidding."

The gang had literally forced Rinoa and Squall into the same vehicle… Alone.  "I don't even know where I'm going."

"That's great." Rinoa said through clenched teeth, "You better find out, though!"

"Relax, baby… I never get lost." Squall said on the spur of the moment.

Rinoa gaped angrily, "Did you just call me what I think you called me?"

Squall laughed nervously, "Just relax, I call everybody that…"

"Right, fancy seeing you call Seifer 'baby'."

They both enjoyed a short chuckle and Squall then asked her seriously, "So you're going into law right?  For college, I mean."

"Yeah, why?"  Rinoa responded.

"Just curious.  When we were stuck in Winhill in the summer… You told me you wanted to become a lawyer."

"Wow, you remember?" Rinoa asked, trying not to blush.

"Sure." He replied simply, deciding to avoid 'memory lane' altogether.

"So how are you?" Rinoa asked in attempt at a conversation after the short silence that followed.

"Pretty pissed." Squall replied, "Melvin can be such an asshole."

"Funny how he noticed we were in the same camping grounds as him."

"Maybe he just knew…"

"Yeah maybe… He was pretty asshole-ish to have pushed Seifer around like that." Rinoa concluded.

"I could have sworn he was looking at you in a funny way." Squall said angrily.

"Not funny." Rinoa grimaced, missing Squall's tone of voice.

"I'm not laughing!"  He said viciously.

The raven-haired 18 year-old looked at her companion, her thin eyebrows arched, "So why exactly is that pissing you off.  If anything I should be the worried one."

Squall didn't respond.  He valued his life and responding to her comments with an honest answer would prove otherwise.

***

"Um… It's small." Quistis said disdainfully as the seven members of the group managed to fit into the 3 and a half log cabin. 

"How are we all supposed to live in here for the rest of the week?" Rinoa asked; her curiosity pushed to an extreme, "There's only one bathroom."

"Well, we're all close friends here.  I mean, we don't mind looking at each other's night gowns and boxers right?" Seifer tried to release tension in vain, "Right?"

"Yeah, I think I'll sleep outside." Rinoa scoffed as she looked around the small chalet once more. 

"No, no, no, no, no!" Irvine interjected, "You can't sleep outside!"

"You and Squall have to share the only room with a double bed!!" Quistis snickered and forcefully pushed her best friend into the (what you would call) master bedroom.  Seifer did the same with Squall. 

The group outside of the room cogently shut the door and pressed all their body weight against it, unwilling to let the couple escape.

"Fuck!  This isn't funny!" Squall yelled and preoccupied himself by body slamming the door.

Rinoa looked calmly around the room.  One double bed, one dresser, one closet.  That was pretty much all there was to the room. 

Wait… No.  Rinoa spotted a window and tapped Squall promptly on the shoulder.  He nodded in his understanding and grinned slightly.

"You guys have to find each other!" Zell yelled as he continued to hold the door shut.

Selphie leaned her body weight against the door as well; "You know you can't do it without us!!"

"Um, do what without you?" Rinoa asked, standing in the front door's doorframe.

Squall appeared behind her, "Escape the panic room?  Oh we did that without your help."

"The fucking window!"  Seifer smacked Irvine behind the head, "You stupid asshole!  You forgot they could get out by the window!"

"You asswipe!  Or did you forget we're in a bungalow here?!" Quistis took her turn bashing at Irvine.

"Well what the hell was I supposed to do about the freaking window?" He retorted in self-defense.

Squall and Rinoa watched their (fairly) pathetic friends argue, amusement glinting in their eyes.

"Now let's get the sleeping arrangement straight." Rinoa rubbed her hands together. "I will sleep in the second room.  On the top bunk!  Irvine and Selphie will get the master room because they make a lot of noise!  The rest of the arrangement is up to you!" She looked at Squall.

"Seifer gets the bottom of the second bunk, Quistis gets the bottom of your bunk and I get the top second bunk.  Zell, your sleeping on the couch because you also make funny noises… They just aren't the same as Irvine's and Selphie's." Squall concluded and then asked the shocked gang, "So now what should we do?"

***

"Ok, this is going to be fun.  It is like strip poker except with spin the bottle!" Seifer informed.

"You spin the bottle, and whoever it points to you get to ask a question.  Any question.  If that person can't answer, or does not want to answer they take a piece of clothing off.  Then its their turn to spin the bottle."

"Ok, I'm sticking to the sidelines." Rinoa said.

"Hell no."  Quistis confirmed, "You are playing with us!"

"Then I spin the bottle first." Rinoa ordered.

"Chh… Fine." Zell grimaced.

 Rinoa spun around the empty beer bottle, and it pointed at Quistis.  The younger girl grinned mischievously, "Quistis, remember our Spanish teacher?  Mr. Cassenada?  In grade 11."

Quistis' eyes literally bulged out of her head as Rinoa went on, "Well, you gotta admit he was pretty good looking.  Now my question is, you managed to pass Spanish with an 89% average… While your test marks were… 30%… 40%… and still you managed to get an 89% average?  Do tell me how you managed that."

"You think I did something with that guy?" Quistis nearly squealed as the rest tried to retain their laughter.

"Nooo…" Rinoa responded, "Just curious, that's all."

"Ok, fine!" Quistis grimaced at Rinoa and took off her socks, "I so refuse to answer that question."

Quistis spun the bottle and it pointed to… Squall. "Squally… Wally." Quistis smirked and Squall blushed slightly at his visions of the possible questions that could be asked.

"Ok, how 'far have you gotten with Rinoa'?" Quistis beamed at the torturous position she had her prey locked in.

"Hey that isn't fair!' Rinoa cried out in panic, "We aren't even dating!"

"Well, when you were dating!" Quistis argued back.

"We never dated either!" Rinoa glared at Quistis.

Quistis smirked and said simply, "That didn't keep you from going to the bases, did it?"

Squall went redder (if humanly possible) and Rinoa was literally plotting to kill Quistis.  "So are you going to answer?"

"We went to first base." Squall managed to choke incoherently.

"What? That's it?"  Selphie asked incredulously.

"Yes!" Rinoa responded, "That is it!"

"You people are so freaking lame." Zell said in awe.

Squall clenched his teeth and hissed, "Oh go to hell, man!" And then gripped the bottle in his own hands and spun it around.

So two enjoyable hours went by…

***

"Yo, he's lying on the dock by the lake.  Go see your boyfriend, Rinoa.  I'm scared he'll jump into that leech filled lake."  Seifer observed through a nice picture window that viewed the lake.

"He's not my boyfriend and therefore I won't go see him." Rinoa was a tad bit aggravated.  She thanked the gods that the stupid 'Spin the Bottle' game was over.  Squall had then escaped to the outside world and there were less embarrassing situations.

"Oh just go!" Quistis scowled, "It wouldn't hurt you in any way, shape or form!"

"Fine…" Rinoa growled angrily and went out through the front door to descend down to the dock.

The cool night breeze brushed against his face.  He liked feeling this way.  Calm, cool, collected and best of all the feeling that he was beginning to feel sober again.

He stared up at the stars and the velvet sky, wondering what the hell he was doing here.  Suddenly an angelic face peered over him and a foot nudged his ribs.

"Hey, you ok?" Her silver voice asked.

He grunted and rose to a sitting position, "Yeah."

She sat down next to him and he felt this feeling of hope surge and swell like a bubble inside him. 

Se scooted over next to her more and asked; "You know, you really are beautiful…" He leaned in towards her so that his nose was touching her cheek.

"Yeah, and you're an asshole.  You could have taken off your socks instead of answering that stupid question."

"Oh give me a break." He grunted, "It isn't as bad as if I have said we'd been to third… or if we'd hit home."

"Maybe, but it's nobody's business."

"Nah, I guess not." He admitted, "So can I kiss you now?"

She turned around to face him, "Hm… I don't know."

"Well, too bad." He responded and he leaned in planting a kiss on her lips.

Sammy: Ok, hello.  Um… this was an odd chapter, I realize but TOO BAD!!!  Ha ha ha ha… um… read and review??

Beta's Note: To respond to the urges of… Ahem,  "More Squinoa action", our wonderful writer has answered the call of the reviewer and wrote it for you.  Now I that I have sung my praises, you sing yours. (Yes, "our wonderful writer" was it. Want more? Fine. Here it is then: In accord with a rightful mind, I, Jocko, would like to say that had this been a novel, it would be at the top of the New York Times Best Seller list and could quite possibly win a Newberry Prize. Her writing is inspiring [ever wonder where mine came from?] and that it should be framed and kept in a museum.) Write a review.