Balamb High Forever

A Final Fantasy VIII Fan Fic

All rights to the characters and names of locations are owned by SquareSoft

Rated R for language and sexual content

By Toysaurus

Chapter Seven

Yes there are two paths you can go by,
But in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on.

Led Zeppelin

On the following day, Seifer slouched from his economics class in which he paid absolutely no attention, as he was preoccupied with staring at some new girl. She had long strawberry-blonde hair, was wearing in Seifer's opinion a very sharp outfit and was obviously intelligent, as she spent the entire class with her head buried taking notes.

Seifer couldn't understand why she hadn't been introduced to the class as new students always were, but he was determined to make her acquaintance. He waited patiently in the hall by the door, as almost the entire class vacated. He peered around the corner and saw the new student was intensely engaged with speaking with the economics teacher.

Probably telling her about the course, but I wish they'd hurry up.

Finally the young woman left the classroom and Seifer stepped in front of her causing Quistis to start in sudden fear.

"Hi, my name is Seifer Almasy."

Quistis stared in confusion. She had known who Seifer was for the entire three plus years they had attended Balamb High together. When she continued to stand rooted in silence, Seifer finally spoke, "And you are?"

What's his game? Has to be some way to humiliate me knowing him. Where did he get that long coat from? I've never noticed him wear that before and why is it so familiar anyway?

"I don't know what you're doing, Seifer. I suppose you think it's some kind of big joke on me, so I'll play along. I'm Quistis Trepe."

Now it was Seifer's turn to stand in rooted silence, as he actually began to blush for the first time in Balamb High history. When Quistis observed this, she began to understand she might have misjudged him. Maybe Selphie was right, perish the thought. Maybe I do look completely different.

"You're Quistis?" Seifer spoke, the amazement obvious in his voice. "You look so different."

"Well…uh, I kind of had a make over."

Seifer smiled, certainly not a common occurrence unless he was busy running up the score on some chumps on the football field. "I'll say, you look great," he complimented the young woman.

Quistis blushed and then replied, "Well, I need to get to my next class."

"I'll see you at lunch," Seifer promised.

"Uh, ok," Quistis responded and she turned and began to walk briskly up the hall. She felt as though she could feel his eyes burning into her back and Quistis slightly turned her head and observed Seifer still standing there smiling at her. Oh, this is getting too strange, she thought.

Seifer and Quistis did eat their lunch together that day causing more than a little consternation and shock among the other inhabitants of the cafeteria. Brianna, in particular, had to be wisely held back by her friends to prevent her from marching over and creating a scene.

It appeared the couple was engaged in intense conversation throughout their meal and never noticed the effect they were having on the other diners in the large room. It was almost completely silent, as students strained to catch even a word from their conversation.

After consuming their 'mystery meat' and library paste mashed potatoes, Seifer and Quistis returned their dirty dishes and trays to the kitchen staff. They turned and left the cafeteria. As soon as Seifer and Quistis had taken their leave, the cafeteria exploded in noise as everyone began conversing about what they had just witnessed. By late afternoon, the Seifer and Quistis gossip pushed Rinoa and Squall completely off the rumour mill.

……….

Just before lunch period, Squall waited by the front door for Rinoa's arrival. They had made plans to eat lunch together on the school campus. When he first espied her walking up the front walk, he couldn't believe his eyes.

Rinoa was dressed all in slinky black latex from her shoulders to the top of her black shoes. God, she looks kinky - and hot!

After being waved through the metal detector by one of the Balamb Police assigned to the high school, Rinoa walked up to Squall and asked, while giving her body a complete twirl, "Well, what do you think?" she asked.

Squall finally answered, "Frankly I'm stunned."

Rinoa's pretty face took on a petulant expression. "Well, I like that. Is it a good stunned or bad one?"

"Oh, definitely good," Squall answered with a smile. "And it's definitely gothy, but - oh, never mind. It looks good."

"No, what?" Rinoa persisted.

Squall had been going to suggest that it might have been a little too tight, as indeed it was. The black latex hugged every curve and nuance of her body and it was obvious she wasn't wearing much in the way of clothing beneath it. Even though he was embarrassed by it, Squall instinctively realized he would crush her feelings if he spoke the truth.

"Uh…uh," he stammered. "I was just gonna say that everyone will sure be surprised."

"Yes, they will," Rinoa spoke with a huge smile. "Shall we repair to our midday repast?" she asked, while taking his hand in hers.

"No reason not to," Squall answered dryly. Yes, there is, he thought. This might turn brutal in there.

Luckily for all concerned, particularly Rinoa, Squall was mistaken in his pessimism. Although most of the conversations died as the couple walked in and there were some assorted wolf whistles and 'Alright mamas' shouted out, only Squall felt embarrassed. Rinoa appeared happy with the reaction. Squall had underestimated how many students considered him second only to Seifer in terms of people you shouldn't make angry.

After waiting patiently in the long line, Squall and Rinoa received their lunches on their trays and sat at a table by themselves. He could see people, particularly male students, sneaking peeks at Rinoa throughout their meal, but nothing worse than that.

"So how'd it go this morning?" Squall asked.

"Oh, great," Rinoa replied with a smile. "Just like you said, they accepted me right away. I have my first classes this afternoon. But Great Hyne! You should see the prices of the textbooks, they are unbelievably expensive."

"What did you just say?" Squall asked slowly.

"I said the textbooks are really expensive."

"No, I mean that 'Great Hyne' thing," Squall explained.

"Oh, did I say that?" Rinoa laughed. "I meant Great God."

"Well, what is it?" Squall naturally wanted to know.

"What? The Great Hyne? I'm not sure, I was online looking at comparative religions and ran across some weird sorceress religion based on a First Mover called the Great Hyne."

Sorceress?! Squall thought, a cold wave rushing through him. He suddenly remembered that in his vision there had been a dark-haired woman in a long black outfit, who appeared to shoot a huge blade of ice straight at him.

"But the weird thing was," Rinoa continued, "I bookmarked it, but when I went back, it was gone."

The hairs on the back of Squall's neck stood straight up.

……….

Seifer and Raijin were getting dressed in their street clothes following their post practice shower. As Seifer quickly hurried with donning his normal apparel, Raijin glanced at him with some apprehension in his eyes. He had heard a nasty rumour in the afternoon and, while he couldn't believe what he had heard was possibly true, he felt as though he needed to make Seifer aware of it and wasn't looking forward to invoking his friend's ire.

What's his rush? Raijin wondered. "Hey Seifer," Raijin finally spoke as he watched Seifer pull his long coat on and realized he would be leaving in a minute.

"What?"

"Uh…I was wondering…ya know," Raijin stammered.

"Snap it up, Rage. I'm in a hurry here."

"Uh…I heard you and Quistis had something going, that ain't true, is it, ya know?" Raijin finally managed to say.

"Haha!" Seifer guffawed relieving Raijin no end. So his friend's next words hit him like a bombshell. "Yeah, it's true."

Oh my Gawd. "Seifer, what are thinking? Going with that geek, ya know," Raijin blurted out in shock without considering the consequences of his words. He realized instantly that he had made a serious mistake, as Seifer gazed at him with his fiercest expression.

"Since you're my best friend, I'm gonna cut you some slack because of temporary insanity, but don't push it," Seifer snarled at his now heavily perspiring friend. "Hurry up and finish dressing and I'll take you out to meet the 'geek.' She's waiting for me out in front."

Without a word, Raijin did as Seifer had ordered and they were soon walking toward the front door of the school. As he approached the outside with Seifer, Raijin was surprised to observe a beautiful young woman standing outside the door. She had long blonde hair and was fashionably attired, but he was confused as he didn't see Quistis anywhere.

Pushing the door open, Seifer and Raijin stepped out on the front sidewalk. Quistis turned and smiled at Seifer. "How'd practice go?" she asked.

"Smooth as silk," he grinned.

Raijin was thoroughly confused. He didn't know if he was more surprised to see Seifer smiling or at who he was speaking to. Finally unable to stop himself, Raijin blurted out, "Who's this? I thought we were meeting Quistis, ya know?"

Quistis giggled and Seifer explained quietly, "Rage, this is Quistis."

"Wha!?"

……….

Zell stood waiting outside Kristine's front door the next morning waiting to accompany her to school. When his pretty girlfriend opened the door, she was astonished to observe Zell's outfit. He was wearing a red and blue mixed t-shirt and long baggy blue shorts and holding his extra large skateboard by his side.

Kristine offered him a big smile and bade him good morning. What in the world? I guess he was serious about quitting his gang. "So what's up with the new outfit?" she asked cheerfully.

Zell flushed and asked, "Do I look okay? I found it in my closet this morning. I don't know where it came from."

"You never saw them before?" Kristine asked puzzled.

"No, maybe Ma bought them for me. You ready to go?" Zell asked, setting the skateboard down in front of her.

"On that thing? I don't think so."

"Come on, it's be fine. I'll help you," Zell explained.

Taking Kristine by the hand and steadying the skateboard with one foot, Zell helped her onto it. He stepped up behind her and placed his hands on her hips. Pushing off with his foot several times, he stepped up himself all the way on the board and away they rode down the sidewalk, Kristine laughing hysterically all the way.

Just as Zell had promised, they made it safely all the way to Balamb High. Braking to a stand still in front of the school, Zell hopped off and then help Kristine step down safely.

"Oh, that was great!" she exclaimed.

"See, I told you," Zell gloated.

"Why do you have this?"? Kristine asked, reaching up to touch the tattoo that ran up one side of Zell's face. At her soft touch, an electric shock seemed to flow through Zell and he flinched.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I shouldn't have asked."

"No, that's okay, it just seemed to shock me for a moment. I've always had it, that's all I can say. My family never said anything about it, so I assumed it was some kind of crazy birthmark. Why? Does it bother you?"

"No, not at all," Kristine protested, embarrassed now that she had brought it up. "So it's kind of like Harry Potter?" she commented, hoping to lighten the situation.

Zell laughed. "Yeah, I guess, I never thought of it like that. I wonder who I killed to get it?"

"Shall we go in?" his pretty girlfriend asked.

"Your wish is my command."

……….

Squall stood waiting for Rinoa's arrival at the high school to eat lunch with him with more then a little trepidation. He was hoping she would not be dressed as she had been on the previous day, not because of possible further embarrassment to either one of them; but because he was not appareled in his normal outfit of all black clothing.

For the first time for as long as he could remember, Squall was not dressed as a Goth. Early that morning when Squall pulled his closet open, he was amazed to observe an outfit he had never seen hanging next to the mysterious coat that had magically appeared there in the weeks previously.

Even more astounding to him, Squall had felt drawn, almost as if he were being controlled by an outside source, to dress in the strange clothing. Looking at his image in his bedroom, Squall suddenly realized that he felt completely at ease for the first time in his life.

Consequently he was surprised, but grateful when he observed Rinoa striding up the front sidewalk of the school dressed completely different than on the previous day. She was wearing a black top, an extremely short blue skirt, which didn't begin to cover her thigh high black shorts. Rinoa's last piece of apparel Squall saw to his amazement was some sort of a long blue duster. Women's fashions had always confused him.

Rinoa stepped through the metal detector and then stood patiently as the on duty Balamb policeman waved his electronic hand-wand up and down her body carefully. He then waved her through.

"Squall, what are you wearing?!"

"I could ask the same of you. I found this in my closet this morning and I know this'll sound crazy, but I felt compelled to wear them."

"Oh, that is so weird," Rinoa responded.

"Yeah, I guess."

"No, you don't understand. The same thing happened to me!" Rinoa exclaimed.

What the hell is going on? Squall wondered.

……….

It was lunch time at Balamb High School. The student population was too large and the cafeteria too small to allow all of them to eat at the same time. Therefore there were three shifts. The first shift was now eating.

Seifer and Quistis sat side by side, eating and talking quietly. A few tables away Raijin and Fujin were eating lunch together. Glancing at Quistis, Raijin said, "Ya know, I don't see what he sees in her, ya know?"

Fujin replied, "Jealous."

"Jealous?! You mean me, ya know?!"

"Yep."

"Well, ya know, I do miss him," Raijin admitted.

Fujin smiled and pointed at herself while answering, "Me!"

"Hehe, I get ya, ya know, thanks."

Fujin smiled and nodded.

Seifer and Quistis finished their lunch and stood up from the table. Brianna had been keeping a close eye on them from her seat across the room. She had been complaining to her friends the entire lunch hour about Quistis and making less then veiled threats against her.

Brianna suddenly stood up and vowed, "I'm going to settle this once and for all. That slut isn't gonna steal Seifer from me."

The young blonde woman was convinced that Quistis had agreed to have sex with Seifer. That was the only reason that she could imagine why Seifer would have chosen the class drudge over her.

Just as Seifer had lifted up both lunch trays to return them, Brianna reached Quistis on the dead run. She had decided to just attack without warning and not waste time with the usual prefight rhetoric.

Seifer looked up just in time to observe his old girlfriend launch a slap with her right hand toward the face of his new girlfriend. Holding the trays full of dishes, he was utterly helpless in facilitating any action to protect Quistis.

Not believing his own eyes, Seifer quickly realized Quistis needed no such protection. She easily blocked Brianna's slap by pushing it away with her left hand, while simultaneously offering a backhanded right, which knocked Brianna back several feet and then onto the floor.

Everyone in the cafeteria except for Brianna's friends burst into applause, although both Seifer and Quistis stood stunned.

I wasn't even thinking, it was all reflex and instinct as if I'd been trained, Quistis thought, as she was still shaking from the adrenaline that was surging through her body.

Whoa! Seifer thought. There's more to this chick than meets the eye.

One of the on-duty lunchroom teachers, a burly black man named Mr. Barret rushed to the side of Brianna. "Are you okay?" he asked the stunned Brianna.

Rubbing her hand over her mouth, Brianna decided she didn't feel any permanent damage. "Yeah, I think so."

"Good," Mr. Barret responded, while pulling the young blonde to her feet easily by the arm. "Then let's go talk to Principal Cramer about this."

"No, no," Brianna protested, attempting to wrest herself from the teacher's grasp.

"Oh yes, fighting is a very serious offense. You'll be fortunate if you only get suspended for a few days instead of expelled."

"Oh no!" Brianna began to cry. "What about her?" she suddenly asked pointing at Quistis, who stood wearing 'a deer in the headlights' look.

"You started it, she was only defending herself," the teacher explained, proving that justice does prevail once in a great while. "Now come on," he directed, while leading the now sobbing student from the cafeteria.

"Did ya see that?" Raijin asked.

When Fujin nodded, he continued, "Where did she go to learn those kind of moves, ya know?"

Fujin shrugged her shoulders and winked.

This chick knows more than she's letting on, ya know, Raijin thought.

……….

Cid was speaking to Edea from across their small table in the employee's lunchroom. "So what did you want to speak with me about? Is this professional or personal?"

"Oh, professional of course, Principal Kramer," Edea replied with a wink. "I was talking to Rinoa just before I came to meet you."

"Who?" Cid interrupted.

"Oh, I'm certain you know her. She has long dark hair and looks like a young Shannon Doherty."

"Oh, I do know her, go ahead. Is something wrong?" Cid asked concerned.

"No, on the contrary, except for that fact that she actually had acquired enough credits to graduate last year and didn't."

"What? How can that be? Why is she still here?" Cid exclaimed.

"Apparently last year's counselor - how can I put this - wasn't very proficient in her job. And Rinoa came back this year because of her misplaced infatuation with Seifer."

"Ah, yes," Cid answered. He did suddenly vaguely remember observing Rinoa following Seifer around like a little puppy. "What is she going to do? She certainly can't spend the year here."

"She's already enrolled herself at Balamb Junior College and plans to transfer to Garden University in the fall."

"Oh, that's great, so what's the problem?" Cid wanted to know.

"She needs permission to come on campus during lunch time to eat lunch with Squall."

"Squall?" asked the principal. "That boy with the scar?"

"Yes," answered his fiancée.

Cid thought it over for a moment and then responded, "Ok, but I want you to talk to Squall first."

Edea smiled. "I was planning to."

……….

Seifer and Raijin were walking down the corridor towards the locker room. The last bell of the day signifying the end of school had rang five minutes earlier. Even though most of team had to be suited up and on the field in fifteen minutes after the final bell, Seifer and Raijin had no reason to hurry. Rank does have its privilege.

"Hey Seifer, your new girlfriend has some moves, ya know. Did you teach them to her?"

Seifer laughed and replied, "Hell no, I don't know how to do that. The weird thing is Quistis told me she doesn't know how she did it either."

"Wow, weird, ya know?" Raijin replied.

"Yeah." After waiting a time as if he was loath to speak, Seifer broached, "I was thinking of going to Garden University next year. What'd you think?"

"Garden University? I thought you wanted to go someplace warm like F.S.U, ya know."

Seifer flushed and retorted, "I changed my mind, is that alright with you? You don't have to go with me, if you don't want to."

"No, no." Raijin was quick to sooth his friend's anger.

"Sorry, Rage, I didn't mean to snap your head off," Seifer muttered.

"Don't worry about it, ya know?" Seifer apologizing? What's next? Running for class president?