Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Final Fantasy VIII. If I did, I wouldn't be eating stale bread right now. Yum.




A/N: I cannot apologize to you guys enough! I am so sorry about not updating sooner! It's no excuse, but I'm on a shortage of time between my job and school. Please be patient with me.



Song stuff: This chapter's song is "Love Song" by Five for Fighting. Picture it from Zell's POV. After you read the chapter it's all self-explanatory.


Put away your tears and your sleepy eyes
Putaway that bullshit, big boys they don't cry to their mamas
She'll be back soon
Put away your raincoat and make your bed
Take another bullet right to your head
We're going on a picnic and we'll get there soon

She says: Maybe it's over
He says: There's plenty more fish in the sea
I say: Don't go away from me

Put away your dinner and have a snack
Tie your little brother up in a sack now
We're moving to the country and we'll get there soon (she says)

Pack up all the things that you don't deserve
Take another swing, here comes a curve ball
I bet you can't hit it cause you'll swing to soon

She says: Maybe it's over
He says: There's plenty more fish in the sea
I say: Don't go away
Don't go away
Please don't go away from me

Take those damn pictures off of that shelf
Put away your mommy you don't need her
I found you a new one, she'll be here soon

She says: My God it's over
He says: I found another fish in the sea
I say: Why me?
Why me?
Why me?
Why is it me?

- "Love Song" by Five for Fighting





Irvine was having a good night. He was just sitting on his couch, enjoying a movie with a beautiful girl sitting next to him. He couldn't have cared less that Selphie was out with Zell.
The girl was Layna Creslin. She and Irvine had become friends a few weeks before. Irvine loved flirting with a lot of girls, but this was one of the few he actually liked to hang out with. She was fun to be around. He did like hanging out with Selphie, but they had been dating for quite a while and frankly, he was starting to get bored.
The movie ended. It had been an action movie that Irvine picked out. He thought it had been pretty good. It had everything he could ever want, explosions and beautiful women.
"Wow, that movie sucked!" Layna said.
"What are you talking about!? That movie was great!" Irvine replied.
"Yeah, it would have been great if I was blind and deaf!" she said jokingly.
"You don't know what you're talkin' about," Irvine grumped.
"Well, next time, I get to pick the movie," she said.
"Oh no! You'll just pick some cheesy romance movie," he whined.
"And what's so bad about that?" she asked.
"Romance movies are so stupid! They're nothing like real life," he argued.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Well how real is this?"
And with that, she leaned over and firmly kissed Irvine.
Irvine knew he should push her away. He had a girlfriend. What was her name again? But he couldn't help kissing her back. She was just so beautiful and he really did like her. So he gave into temptation.
That was when the door opened.




Fifteen minutes earlier...

Selphie and Zell walked happily together through the front gates of Balamb Garden. It had been a wonderful evening. Selphie hadn't had that much fun since she could remember. She loved spending time with Zell and he really did seem to be happier.
But she couldn't helped but be a little unnerved. New feelings for Zell were starting to stir deep down inside her. It was something about the way he looked at her at dinner, and about the way he held her while they were dancing, and about the massive dissappointment when he didn't kiss her after hide and seek. It wasn't supposed to be like this. He was her best friend. She had a boyfriend.
She shook it off. She figured it was just a fleeting attraction. It could have sprung from the lack of time they had spent together since she had started dating Irvine. Maybe she was just afraid she would lose him. Maybe she was just rationalizing.
"Are you okay?"Zell asked with a concerned gaze.
"I'm fine," Selphie said as she was jerked from her thoughts.
"You just looked a little spaced out," he said.
"I was just thinking. Don't worry about it."
"All right."
They arrived at the dormitories. Selphie decided that the best way to exterminate these feelings for Zell would be to go spend some romantic time with Irvine. He was probably sitting in his room all by himself.
"I'm gonna go see Irvine,"she told Zell.
"All right. I guess I'll go off to bed. Thank you, Selphie, for spending this time with me. It really meant a lot to me," he said.
The way he looked at Selphie when he said that made her melt. She felt like she could faint right then and there.
"Well, good night," he said.
"Good night," she replied and he walked off to his own dorm room.
Selphie watched him walk away for a moment before walking to Irvine's door. She walked right in.
And then she saw it.



Irvine and Layna ripped apart at the sound of the door opening. Irvine looked to see Selphie in the doorway, tears already coming to her eyes.
"Selphie! This isn't what it looks like!"he said desparately.
"Irvine..." Selphie muttered.
Then she ran. Irvine got up to chase after her, but Layna pulled him back.
"Let her go," she said, "Right now nothing you say will help. You have to give her some time. I'm sorry about this."
Irvine knew she was right. He sat back down and thought about what a jackass he was.



Selphie was running. She had no destination. She was just going where her legs would take her. Then she ended up outside a familiar door. She knew the person behind that door was the only person that might be able to help her right now. She weakly knocked.
The door opened to reveal Zell clad only in a t-shirt and pajama pants. When he noticed her tear-stained face, an immediate look of concern crossed his handsome face.
"Selphie? What's wrong?" he asked, his voice thick with worry.
"I-irvine," she stuttered, "H-he was...kissing...another girl!"
She began sobbing. Zell's arms immediately wrapped around her. He pulled her into his warm embrace as she began to cry on his shoulder. Without a word he slowly began to walk backwards, guiding Selphie into his room as he closed the door behind them.
He sat her down gently on his bed. He let go of her and crossed the room. He came back with a handful of facial tissues. He sat down next to her. He began to gently wipe away her tears.
"Tears really don't suit you," he said softly.
Selphie slightly leaned into his touch. Just the mere touch of his hand on her face made her feel so much better. She stopped crying.
"Now, what happened?" he asked her gently.
"I walked into Irvine's room and I saw him on his couch making out with another girl," she said, and as she said it she could already feel the tears coming back.
"That bastard," Zell whispered with nothing but pure anger in his voice.
"I don't know how this happened. I mean, I knew he liked to flirt with other girls, but I never thought he would cheat on me," she said.
"I didn't think he would either. I don't know why anybody would want to cheat when they already had a girl as amazing as you," he said looking her in the eyes.
Selphie was stunned by the sincerity in his voice. He wasn't just trying to pacify her, he was being completely honest with her. Selphie's heart rate soared.
"Zell, I don't want to be alone tonight. Do you think I could stay in your room tonight?" she asked shyly.
"Of course you can," Zell said with a smile.
Zell pulled up the covers and motioned for Selphie to get in. She did so and Zell pulled up the covers around her. He walked over to the couch and spread some blankets over it.
"What are you doing?" Selphie asked.
"I'm making up the couch for me to sleep on," Zell answered.
"Ummm...when I said I didn't want to be alone...I meant I didn't want to be alone at all. Would you sleep with me...just for tonight?" she asked timidly.
"Anything for you Selphie," he relied smiling.
He walked over the bed and got in next to Selphie. His whole body stiffened when he felt her put her head on his shoulder. Then he loosened up and put his arm around her, holding her close as she drifted of to sleep. Without thinking, he kissed her forehead and went to sleep as well.





Well there's that chapter for you....I hope to be better about updating this story....and thanks for all the wonderful reviews....keep 'em comin'!