Strife and Lockhart- enemies or lovers?
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7; it belongs to Squaresoft, Sony and other associated groups, don't sue, and even if you did, you wouldn't get anything, I'm a flat broke student, suing me would make no sense at all. I may not own Cloud and Tifa, Yuffie and Vincent, but all original ideas and characters are mine to claim. Any brand names, places, or any other similar entities do not belong to me; I use them for the sole purpose of writing this fanfic and I make no profit from them.
A/N: Thank you so much for the support by putting up with that extra boring chapter. I apologize for all those terrible mistakes in chapter four; I had absolutely no time to check for that. I think I need someone to proofread my fic, if anyone would like to do this for me, let me know in a review or an email. EXTRA long chapter to make up for the uhh . . . weeks I didn't update. By the way, the OOCness began last chapter and it continues. Anyway, this chapter should be better than the last. Oh yes, YUFFENTINE ALERT!
Warnings: Do NOT read if you are sensitive to obscene language and violence.
Here it is:
Chapter 5
With much difficulty, Cloud averted his eyes from Tifa. It just seemed like every time he was near her, he was an entirely different person. A person who hated her, he didn't know how he could possess so much hatred for her yet love her so much.
"Jerk," Tifa whispered almost incoherently, venom laced her voice.
"Bitch," Cloud's equally venomous tone spat back.
Cloud mentally kicked himself for forgetting what his mother had told him. The two turned their backs to each other and resumed the broken off conversations with their friends.
~*~*~*~*~
"Hey guys, my mom invited you all for dinner at my place tonight," Tifa informed them while she idly etched her name into her geometry set.
"That's cool, what time do we go?" asked Alex, who was playing with a lock of Joanne's long ebony hair.
"Dinner starts at six-thirty, you should be there by six" Tifa's replied.
"What kind of clothes do we wear? Your parents aren't the whole formal suit and gown type of people right?" asked an interested Yuffie.
"They wouldn't care about what you wear. As long as you don't look like a pimp or a slut, they're okay with you" Tifa replied with a laugh, "Jeans and a T-shirt or top is good"
"Your parents sound cool" said Ana who was sitting on Chris' desk. Even though Chris and Ana weren't together or dated, they had an undeniable connection. They were the perfect description for best friends. The others all agreed that one day, the best friend thing would give way and the two would start dating.
"Yeah, they are" replied Tifa.
"People, this is your class prefect. Her name is Tanya Williams" Mr. Wilshire's voice broke the buzz of voices as he pulled forward a girl with long dirty-blond hair. She looked like a teacher, the people that already knew her groaned. She was the worst prefect one could get . . . she was so . . . strict.
They acknowledged her and the chatter continued. Yuffie swung the conversation around to a topic they all loved: CARS . . .
~*~*~*~
"Uh-uh, the Evo7 can way out power an RX-7," argued Yuffie.
'I'm telling you, the RX-7 and the Evo7 are basically the same," Chris calmly stated to a protesting Yuffie.
Everyone knew that when it came to cars, you could not oppose Chris. His dad owned a garage and Chris was the best employee they had there. If he says it goes, it goes. However, today Yuffie felt antagonist. Today she wanted to defy everything; which explained the reason why her normally slicked back hair, was now spiked up, defying gravity itself.
"People, I'm telling you, I set up an eleven-second Evo7 in GT," Yuffie pressed.
"I set up a ten-second RX-7," Chris' calm reply came.
"Dammit Yuff, you can just listen to a RX-7 and know that it can beat an Evo" an exasperated Alex put in. He was getting bored with this argument.
"You too 'Lex?" a shocked Yuffie screeched.
The bell rang, signaling that the long homeroom period was up and that Math had begun. Alex, Joanne and Ana sighed loudly in relief. Tifa and Chris rubbed their temples in frustration. Tifa had put up with a whole fifteen minutes trying to convince Yuffie that the Mazda did indeed out power the Mitsubishi. She had given up and Chris had begun TRYING to drill the fact through Yuffie's extremely thick cranium.
At the sound of the bell, all conversation ceased and the students of 11/56 rummaged into backpacks for the dreaded Math books. The annoying click of high heels neared the classroom and a short woman entered the room. She wore a crisp white collared blouse and a navy blue skirt; she looked like misery itself.
They all stood up and awaited her salutation and introduction.
"Good morning class" she greeted them in a serious, monotone voice, "My name is Ms. Francis"
A greeting was muttered in return.
"Sit please"
The sound of scuffling feet and furniture echoed through the classroom.
"Okay people, I'm going to give you a quiz. I expect a hundred percent from every one of you. The purpose of this quiz is to test your abilities - so I can know where to start with you," she explained as she slid out a sheaf of paper from a file jacket, "Please get out your instruments and begin as soon as you receive the papers"
Incoherent muttered curses were audible as the papers were handed back and forth the room. The scratch of pen on paper with the occasional groan and sigh, were the only sounds heard.
~*~*~*~*~
"Okay people, you've been at it for three-quarters of an hour, round off your last answer, look over, ensure your names are on it and pass it up. I hope that every last one of those answer sheets has every problem correct" the teacher's voice broke the chorus of groans. This only brought more groans.
Some frantically scribbled in random answers. Others lazily flipped through the binder sheets that contained unintelligible scrawls of numbers, letters, signs and a lot of whiteout. Some neatly stacked their papers together and passed them up, while some sent up blank answer sheets along with the question paper.
"I will begin to correct these papers now, please do pages forty-five to forty-seven in your text," the teacher's monotone voice cut through the low murmur of chatter.
Yuffie swore something under her breath about teachers trying to kill her before her time came. The others smothered their amusement and began the work.
~*~*~*~*~
Ten minutes later, the sweet sound of the bell ringing was a relief. It was so relieving because the class has grown restless and had already come to hate Math class. The scramble for the door was a mad dash of teenagers, eager to get away from the strange new teacher.
"Whew! Thought her class 'd never end!" a boy with messy brown hair exclaimed while he opened his locker.
"Got that right Jay" agreed Yuffie as she too went to her nearby locker to get out her English Language text and left to go to 10/46, a tenth grade classroom on the second floor.
She met up with Tifa and they walked towards the classroom; Joanne, Alex, Chris and Ana had a different teacher so they went down the ninth grade block towards 9/36.
"Yo Tif, what do you say about that math teacher?" inquired a bored Yuffie as the two sauntered towards their class.
"I think she's weird, her attitude irks me. She expects too damn much from us, I hate teachers with overly high expectations"
"Yeah, she's freaky . . . don't know how to dress either" Yuffie said, then muttering something like 'red lipstick on one lip don't go' and 'her outfit makes her look like a security guard'
Tifa laughed heartily.
The two entered the classroom and took seats in the far corner end if the room. Tifa slung her bag across the back of her chair and sat down abruptly; Yuffie did the same.
The rest of the class stampeded in like the devil was after them. Reason for doing so: the principal was on the corridors, blank suspension and detention slips in hand.
When Cloud ran in, Tifa's heart skipped a beat. His face - slightly flushed from the sprinting. She hadn't took real notice of what he was wearing but now she found herself engrossed in the intensity of the rich azure he was decked out in. She found it difficult to tear her gaze from him. Luckily, her bangs were swept across her eyes making it almost impossible to tell that she was looking at him.
A tall, male teacher entered the room and as usual, the pandemonium came to a sudden halt.
"Good morning class, my name is Mr. Jonas, please be seated," he said in a smooth voice.
They sat down quickly; he seemed interesting.
"Please reply to your names as I call them," he said as he took out a large sheet of paper with neat writing. He proceeded to call the names.
When he had finished, he spoke, "Well, this term we will be doing a book of poetry. Yes, I know that poetry falls under the category of Literature but I am looking for something different. I want you to be able to write beautiful essays, short stories and poetry. You, you are the future of this nation, I wish to see some famous authors come from this very room," he said with much feeling as he handed out copies of the poetry text they would be using for that term.
"Please, read the first poem and answer the questions that follow"
The classroom was silent as the eleventh graders got down to work.
~*~*~*~*~
The bell signaling that the double period of English Language had ended and the lunch hour had begun rang clearly above the pulsating sounds that the teenage vocal cords made.
"Okay, please do the next two poems for homework. It's to be handed in on binder sheet for our next meeting," Mr. Jonas said while he swiftly arranged his belongings into a neat pile before him.
"Yes sir"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Tifa and Yuffie left the room and met up with the others on the corridor. They exchanged greetings and high-fives, moved towards the school cafeteria, and scrambled for a place in the line. As soon as they got their lunch, they slid through the railing by the side of the cafeteria and cut through the lawn and down the pathway.
"Whew! I don't think that I'm going to like Tuesdays in this class. Math for the first double period, hell naw!" said Yuffie as she sat down and wolfed down her sandwich.
"Damn straight," was the instantaneous agreement from Ana and Chris.
"I hope we get a cool History teacher, our English teacher is cool," said Yuffie.
"Yeah, he seems interesting" Tifa agreed while she drank some water.
Tifa told Serena that she had been invited to have dinner at her place tonight; the little girl was delighted. They spent the remainder of the lunch hour talking about any possible thing that came to mind.
~*~*~*~*~
"Let's go, we have to line up to go back to class," Joanne announced while she put her Discman back in her bag. Alex took her hand and gently helped her up.
"We have to line up?" a confused Tifa thought aloud.
"Yeah, we line up according to form and class in different locations. We eleventh graders line up in the corridor by the eighth grade block. We didn't do it yesterday because there were no sixth formers or prefects at school yesterday - the prefects are in charge of that, they came back today. Prefects wear a little gold badge with their name on it. It's the only way you can tell them apart from the student body. Unless of course, you know who's a prefect from who's not. There are a few sneaky ones though, they don't wear the badge, when you tell them off, they flash the badge in front of you and then you get an order mark or a detention . . . evil prefects, this year's are the worst" Ana explained while she ruffled Chris' hair - just to annoy him.
"I see . . . this school is interesting, a lot different from all the other schools I've been to" Tifa noted.
"Well people, let's go. Our prefect is Tanya . . . God she's annoying," Chris said while he mercilessly tickled Ana to get her back for ruffling his hair while muttering a 'don't mess with the hair . . . this is what you get for messing with the hair'
"Yeah, let's go"
The six eleventh graders went by the eighth grade block while the single eighth grader went towards the path by the cafeteria to the already forming lines.
As soon as Tanya gave them the signal to go, they filed towards the class.
Yuffie slung her bag across her chair and rummaged for the huge History text and her notebook. She sat down and slammed the books down. The others did something similar - only a tad more refined than Yuffie.
~*~*~A Half Hour Later~*~*~
"I am sick of these damn teachers not coming to class now. For crying out loud, I'm in the year I consider most important - eleventh grade, the year I take the most important exams of my life and these damn teachers ain't showing up to teach their damn classes. Couldn't they have done this when I didn't need them as much as I do now - like in ninth or tenth grade?" an overly exasperated Yuffie screeched.
"Got that right," Joanne agreed while she turned the page that she was reading. Since no teacher had come, she had decided to read ahead, devouring the information paragraph by paragraph and page by page.
"Kisaragi, I need to talk to you," a smooth deep voice said, a voice belonging to none other than Vincent Valentine.
Yuffie froze.
"Go on Yuffie, maybe it's your chance," Ana whispered encouragingly to the smaller girl. She knew how much and how long Yuffie had liked Vincent.
"S-sure" she stammered in reply as she walked towards the back of the classroom.
"That's an amazing hairstyle," Vincent said while she approached.
Yuffie could have sworn that she felt herself heat up to the ears. Vincent complimented her bizarre hairstyle.
"Uhh . . . thanks Vincent. Err . . . what do you want to talk to me about?"
"Look Yuffie, I've known you since third grade and I have always felt the need to try and get to know you better. I find that I don't know much about you - nothing other than you are a beautiful Shinobi. I want to change that, I want to know you better," he explained, while he cupped her chin into his fingers.
Yuffie could have fainted on the spot.
"I berate myself for not realizing sooner how much I wanted to get to know you" he continued, "Yuffie; will you accompany me to dinner on Friday night at the Chez Pascal?"
"Err . . . Friday night? S-sure I'll go" Yuffie stammered, her voice sounded like her tongue had been dipped into a vat of peanut butter. The others would have laughed at the high squeaky pitch of her voice until their sides stung.
Vincent smiled reassuringly at her.
"Thank you for accepting my offer Yuffie, I promise you won't regret it," he said as he slowly grasped her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers. "I'll need your address. Is eight good?"
"Eight is perfect," Yuffie said, relieved that her voice had returned to its normal tone. Vincent let her fingers go and she tore a neat square of paper from a sheet she pulled from her pocket. Yuffie neatly wrote her address and telephone number:
Yuffie Kisaragi -
Address: 165 Queen's Crescent Telephone: 397-4629
She handed him the small slip of paper. He smiled at her again and thanked her. Yuffie gave him a nervous smile and a soft 'you're welcome'
"Hey Yuffie come here for a minute!" a voice broke through the uncomfortable tension that was building up between the two.
"Uhh . . . Vincent, I guess I'll talk to you later," Yuffie said.
"Sure, I'll talk to you later Yuffie," he responded, savoring her name on his tongue.
He watched as her small frame turned and went in the direction of her other friends.
"What did he want to talk to you about?" Ana asked in a soft voice so that only Yuffie could hear her.
"Vincent asked me out on a date," said a still-surprised Yuffie, as she sat down on her chair, next to Ana, trying to catch her breath.
"It's about time" Ana said with a sisterly smile and an embrace. She was happy for her friend.
Yuffie told Ana the details of the short conversation that Yuffie had waited years to happen.
"Oh my gosh! Yuffie, what are you going to wear? Today is Tuesday; your date is on Friday, we can't go to the mall in the week. You're going to the Chez Pascal, you need to dress formally - all you ever wear is shorts and tank tops. We have a major problem," Ana said in a mad torrent of words as she realized the major problem.
"What do you think I should wear?" Yuffie countered, while playing with her ever-present shuriken key chain.
"Okay, how about you come over to my house after school on Friday, I get you ready and we can have Chris carry you home for Vincent to meet you?" she suggested.
"I don't see why not," Yuffie agreed, forgetting her earlier vow, to defy everything for one day.
"Great! I have the perfect outfit, you are so lucky that we both wear the same size. Maybe we could have Tif, Jo, and 'Rena come over to help us," Ana said, eager to give Yuffie a makeover, with the others over, it would make it more fun.
"Sure, I think it's a great idea" Yuffie said, a wide smile adorning her face.
"Hey, you never know, maybe you and Vincent could get together; after all, he said he wanted to know you better," Ana said with heavy emphasis on the 'know'
"Hah! Fat chance - Vincent Valentine wants to go steady with Yuffie Kisaragi, as if!" Yuffie said.
"You never know Yuffie, you never know," Ana said.
~*~*~*~*~
"Damn, school is so boring," Chris said as he flipped through his History text and ran his long fingers through his hair.
"Damn straight," Alex agreed.
"Whoa, 'Lex . . . what did you do to yourself man?" Chris asked as he saw Alex sitting on the most contorted position in his chair.
"Nothing," was his simple answer.
His back was on the chair's seat and his right leg was folded under his left one. He had his book on his chest and had the most pitiable look on his face. Chris thought he looked like a professional bum.
"Jo, your man looks like a professional bum," Chris voiced the thought, laughing off his head.
"Well, he's got to be just about the cutest bum ever," she retorted, smirking deviously at Alex.
The only thing Chris heard after that was his own jaw snapping shut.
Tifa and Joanne doubled up in laughter.
~*~*~*~*~
"We have gym now!" exclaimed an excited Yuffie as the bell for the final double period sounded.
The whole class seemed to behave in a similar outburst at the bell. There was a scramble to get to the lockers in the hallway; frantic teenagers shoved each other out of their ways to get to their gym bags. Minutes later, they seemingly appeared out of thin air into the locker rooms up at the distant summerhouse, each fighting for a stall.
~*~*~*~*~
"You look nice Tifa," a boy named Gary complimented her, looking lustfully at her as he caught sight of her small baby blue tank top and navy blue tights.
Cloud saw this, he wanted to go and punch Gary's lights out for looking at Tifa like that.
"Okay, y'all are gonna run a little, when you're through running, come back to the summerhouse, I will assign your gym partner and we will do some basics" Ms. Blake said, as soon as they were all ready.
"Let's go people! Ten laps around the field pronto!" yelled the teacher.
The class of thirty-eight ran their ten laps around the field. When they were done, many were hyperventilating; they went inside the large summerhouse and awaited further instructions.
"Okay, let's find you all some partners . . ." Ms Blake said as her eyes swiftly darted through the names on the register. "Kisaragi . . . Valentine - pair up. Yee . . . Cheng - pair up. Lockhart . . . Strife - pair up . . ." she called out the pairings until everyone was in a pair.
Tifa fumed when she was Cloud's partner, she didn't want to be partners with him again, ESPECIALLY since this was GYM. She reluctantly moved towards him.
"Okay, let me tell you beforehand, next week is swimming, we will alternate swimming and regular gym each week," Ms Blake explained curtly.
Inside, Cloud was cheering and grinning like there was no tomorrow. He got to see Tifa in a bathing suit sooner than expected - was he happy or what? Tifa was horrified and wished that she could just seep through the floor.
"Okay, I want to test the girls' flexibility. I need participants for the upcoming gymnastics tournament and new members in the club. People, cooperate with each other; girls, I need you to do a crab - boys please support them"
(A/N: For those of you who don't know what a crab is, it is one of the most basic parts of gymnastics. Your legs and arms support your bodyweight when you arch your back downwards. The palms of your hands and your feet are supposed to be flat on the floor . . . well that's how I can describe it ^^)
Tifa deftly followed the teacher's instructions and slowly arched her back downwards and pressed her palms to the tumbling mat. Cloud wound his hands around her waist, giving her unnecessary support. She blushed to a crimson shade. Tifa was very flexible and didn't need the help, but she couldn't help but inwardly like the contact.
"Looking good Tifa" Ms Blake's voice praised the crimson-eyed girl. "Can you tumble?" she asked.
"Yes ma'am," Tifa replied.
"Come on, show us some of your moves," she encouraged, indicating the empty tumbling mat in front of the class.
~*~*~*~*~
Tifa did a perfect tumble down the mat and landed in a fancy stance. She came back down, doing three back flips, two somersaults and finished with another three back flips. Applause resounded through the summerhouse, some of the 'popular people' looked at her in disdain, jealous of the new transferee's talented abilities.
"Congratulations Tifa, you are qualified for the gymnastics team - you're also going to participate in the tournament"
~*~*~*~*~
"Woo! Gym is greatest class ever!" Yuffie yelled as they finished up for the day and went towards the locker room. "Well, next to lunch that is," she continued.
"Yeah, at least your partner isn't the biggest jerk in the universe" Tifa muttered darkly under her breath, remembering how Cloud had his hands on her waist.
She hated, yet loved the memory. It would have been a sweet memory if only she had held her sharp tongue. For now, it would be the single bittersweet memory the two shared - for now.
"Lighten up Tif! You're partners with Cloud in two classes - he is the hottest guy at this school - next to my baby 'Lex. Do you know how many people are dying to be in your position?" Joanne said, as soon as she heard Tifa's complaining.
Tifa never answered. She grabbed her towel and headed for the shower.
The other three girls found empty showers for themselves and they too, rinsed off the uncomfortable sheen of perspiration from their bodies. The sound of showerheads spraying water resounded through the locker room.
Tifa emerged, clad in her black T-shirt and jeans. She was brushing out the damp, chocolate tresses. Shortly, the others came out, doing something similar.
"Well if it fucking isn't the whoring bitch herself. Ms. Tifa Lockhart," a voice said, belonging to none other than the slut queen: Kathleen Johnson. (A/N: Read Chapter 2 if you don't remember her)
"Who are you calling a whoring bitch?" Tifa calmly asked.
A few more girls came out to see the brewing fight.
"None other than yourself, you're a fucking whore - clinging to my Cloud with your filthy self," Kathleen spat, emphasizing on 'my Cloud' and smirking with her 'crew' of whores like herself: Terri, Maki and Mai.
Silence was apparent. Yuffie's fingers inched their way to a hidden pocket in her shirt - she carried eight kunai with her and she was planning to aim them straight for Kathleen's eyes. Joanne's hands deftly found their way to a gaiter at her knee; she slowly drew out a small butterfly knife. She was always angry with the slut queen, more so today; the bitch was picking a fight with her friend.
"Listen to me Johnson, you don't fucking call Tifa Lockhart a bitch or a whore and you most definitely do not call me filthy if you know what's good for you. I don't give a fucking damn about 'your Cloud' so get your scrawny ass away from me before I do something we both regret" Tifa said, in an icy tone; her eyes seething with an angry flame.
Kathleen attempted to shove Tifa away from her, but Tifa anticipated it and caught her arms. She twisted them sharply. If Tifa twisted her hands a mere centimeter more, the sickening crack of a broken bone would have been heard.
"Don't fuck with me Johnson" Tifa said in a voice so cold, if it were possible would have frozen an ocean. She let go abruptly and shoved her forcefully back to the direction of her 'crew'
Kathleen screamed, "You broke my nail! You are so going to pay for that!" the air headed slut exclaimed.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Did I break your 'oh-so-expensive' plastic nails? Well guess what, I broke another one" Tifa said, sarcasm dripped from her voice. She swiftly grabbed the slut's hand and snapped another long stalk of the polished plastic in two.
"Grow your own nails, nail extensions are so last year," with that, Tifa left the locker room with Ana, Yuffie and Joanne.
"Frigging bitch" Tifa muttered as she left the summerhouse.
"Tifa, I had no idea you were so aggressive! Kathleen had that coming for a long time; sluts like her have no right to accuse you of that crap. Damn, girl I would never want to get into a fight with you" Ana exclaimed, as soon as the fact was established that Tifa was okay.
"Nobody would want to get in a fight with me Ana, nobody" Tifa muttered darkly.
"Note to self: don't ever piss Tifa off" Yuffie said aloud.
"Don't worry Tif; we back you all the way. I personally think that you should have punched her lights out. She is so nasty - trying to call you a whore when she is the slut who sleeps with ten guys in two days. I'm glad it wasn't me, I would have stabbed her to death, gotten expelled and get sent to juvenile court" Joanne said, flashing her knife out, "I'm glad I still walk with this, experience tells me to have a weapon with me all the time"
"Yeah, I was going to throw these in her eyes," Yuffie said, she too flashing her weapon.
"Thanks guys. Promise me something?" Tifa said gratefully, putting back on her smile.
"Anything," the three girls replied.
"Don't tell my parents about this"
"No way! I would never let my mom know about that, so why should your parents know?" Yuffie exclaimed, "As long as you remain the same Tifa you are, nothing will go wrong"
"Ditto," said Joanne and Ana.
"Thanks guys"
"Hey!" Serena yelled towards them.
"Yo Serena!" Yuffie and Ana returned the greeting.
Serena ran up to Tifa and Joanne and tackled them into a hug. Serena had taken a great liking to them; they were the older sisters she never had.
"Someone's in a good mood," Joanne said, while walking with the younger girl, "Let's get something to eat"
"Sure! Let's go" Serena said, while she brought Tifa beside her, so she was sandwiched between her 'sisters'
"Wait - where is that boyfriend of mine? Where is his sidekick? We can't go anywhere without them, now can we?
Without warning, Alex snuck up behind Joanne, grabbed her by the waist, and tickled her relentlessly.
"Looks like somebody missed me," he said, dropping a kiss on her forehead.
Chris sauntered casually towards Ana and ruffled her hair, only to be threatened playfully by his best friend.
"Oh yeah, guys - don't forget dinner tonight" Tifa said as they headed out the school gates.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world Tif" Joanne replied, the two were slowly developing a good friendship.
Tifa smiled.
"Hey Tif, I heard the commotion from outside the locker room. You're okay right?" Alex asked, concerned about the newest member of the group.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, ruffling Serena's bangs.
~*~*Later in the Evening*~*~
"We're going to cook up a storm Tifa," Lea Lockhart told her daughter, as she rolled up her sleeves and put on an apron.
"This should be fun," Tifa said, smiling as she caught the apron her mother tossed to her and put it on.
"Yes it should be - with this menu I have in mind. Tifa how does this sound? Let's see, for out appetizer, we could have cream of mushroom soup and croutons. Then for the main course, maybe pork chops in Creole sauce with mashed potato and tossed salad. For dessert we could make chocolate cheesecake and serve it with ice cream"
"Sounds wonderful, let's get started" Tifa said, as she got out the cream cheese and graham cracker crumbs for the dessert.
Her mother took out three packets of pork chops and the cooking began.
~*~*Dinner at the Lockhart's*~*~
The doorbell rang.
Tifa descended the stairs. She was dressed in a red silk top - the bottom of it was cut diagonally, exposing a little of her flat abdomen. She wore a pair of black jeans with it and matching red boots.
She ran to the door and opened it. The first person she saw was Serena - she was decked out in a baby yellow sweater and a pair of dark blue jeans, yellow flip-flops adorned her small feet.
Alex and Joanne were arm-in-arm, smiling in a cute way. Joanne wore a baby blue top that had an interesting design and a pair of tight, dark blue jeans. She wore blue and silver Adidas sneakers.
Alex wore a T-shirt was a baby blue similar to Joanne's top - only a shade darker. It was a No Fear shirt with the phrase "DRIVE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT" on the back; he wore a pair of baggy blue jeans. A small silver hoop was in his left earlobe; he wore navy and baby blue Adidas sneakers.
Yuffie came dressed in a violet long sleeved jersey and a pair of white capris. Her sneakers were a soft purple color with tinges of silver and white. She was smiling nonstop.
Ana wore a green sleeveless top, decorated with flecks of darker green glitter. She wore a long dark green skirt. Her boots were black and came up to her ankles. The green outfit she was decked out in accentuated her hazel eyes.
Chris was wearing a navy blue button-up shirt; a silver dragon embellished the back of it. A silver cross was around his neck. He wore heavy blue jeans and matching navy blue and silver Nike sneakers.
(A/N: Have you people noticed that I'm in a very descriptive mood?)
"You guys look great! Come on in and meet my parents," Tifa said, gesturing for them to come in. She gave Serena a hug.
Alex and Chris both looked a little disturbed about meeting girls' parents, their fathers to be specific. Alex ran his hands nervously through his spiky black hair and just before Mr. Lockhart entered the room, he remembered to take the small silver hoop from his earlobe. He deftly removed it and slipped it into Joanne's bag. Chris was nervous too, he wouldn't stop running his fingers through his hair. Already it was already a constant habit - now it had seemingly gotten worse.
"Good evening kids"
Alex and Chris gulped, "G-good evening Mr. Lockhart," they both stammered. The girls greeted him smoothly.
"Well, guys, let's go to the living room" Tifa said, smiling radiantly ay her friends.
They went towards the direction of the living room and took their seats all over the place. Mr. Lockhart sat in the large armchair while Tifa stood beside Yuffie and Serena; they both sat on one sofa. Alex and Joanne, Ana and Chris took their places on the other sofa.
"Dad, this is Serena," Tifa said, indicating to the small Chinese girl beside her.
"Hello Serena. Tell me a bit about you," Mr. Lockhart asked the little girl in a kind voice.
"Well, my name is Serena Yee, I'm thirteen years old. I'm in eighth grade and I like to play the violin and piano," she said with a smile.
"Tifa plays the piano too, maybe you could come over and practice with her or let her teach you something," he suggested kindly.
"I would like that," she replied, still smiling.
"I'm sure you're a budding musician," he said to Serena before turning to Yuffie.
"And who are you?" he asked Yuffie.
"I'm Yuffie Kisaragi, I'm sixteen years old - I'm in the same class as Tifa and I like sports and cars," a cheerful Yuffie said.
"That is nice, you and Tifa have some of the same interests as well; what is your favorite car?" he asked, in a friendly manner.
"The Mitsubishi Eclipse sir," she answered quickly.
"Mitsubishi eh?" he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Yes sir . . . umm, Mr. Lockhart, do you mind me asking you a question?" Yuffie asked.
"No, I don't mind - go right ahead" he replied.
"Can an RX-7 out power an Evo7?" she asked, smiling at the others.
"Yes, an RX-7 can out power an Evo7" he replied. Yuffie's face fell; she very well knew the answer but she was too defiant to admit it. "Is that all Yuffie?"
"Err . . . um, yes sir"
"Dad, this is Joanne Cheng," Tifa said, walking over towards her, indicating her 'sister'
"Tell me a bit about yourself, Joanne"
"Well, I'm in the same class as Tifa, I like swimming and I want to become a marine biologist."
"Swimmer eh? What is your fastest speed?
"Fifteen seconds for thirty-three and a third meters" she answered, smiling. Tifa's father was a pleasant person.
"Impressive, I hope you attain all your goals and become the best marine biologist you can be"
"Thank you sir" she replied, still smiling.
"And who is this young lady?" he asked, looking at the tall girl with wavy brown hair and tanned skin.
Ana smiled, "My name is Annemarie Jackson - Ana for short, I'm sixteen years old and I like designing. I'm in the same class as Tifa"
"Interesting, designing can be successful career, do the best you can in it"
"Dad, this is Alex Yee," Tifa said, slightly pulling Alex forward.
"You are Serena's elder brother, am I not correct?" Mr. Lockhart queried the nervous looking boy.
"Y-yes sir" he stammered.
"Tell me a bit about yourself, Alex"
"Uhh . . . I'm seventeen and I want to become an aerodynamic engineer. I like cars, sports and music," Alex said, feeling a little at ease with Mr. Lockhart's pleasant tone.
"Aerodynamic engineer eh? I wanted to be one at one point in my life - if you really want to be one, put yourself to it and be the best there is. Then, when you're all famous for your designs, I can tell all the executive members of my company that I know you" Mr. Lockhart said with a slight smile.
"Thank you for your kind encouragements Mr. Lockhart sir. I'll remember that," Alex said, as he too began to smile.
'Maybe he's not so bad after all,' was the thought that ran through them both.
"And who is this fellow here?" Mr. Lockhart asked, tilting his head towards Chris' direction.
"I'm Christopher Allen - everyone calls me Chris though," was Chris' speedy reply.
"Okay, Chris - tell me a little about yourself"
"I'm seventeen, the youngest out of three. I love cars and basketball. I want to become an aerodynamic engineer too. I grew up around cars so I guess that's why I like them so much"
"Interesting . . . you are all pleasant youngsters. You all share the same interests. That is good. Keep striving for your goals and ambitions. As I said to Alex, when you're all famous and rich, I can tell my execs that you are friends of my daughter and that I know you," Mr. Lockhart said, while rubbing his chin.
"Dinner's ready!"
"That's our cue kids, let's go and see what's up on the menu," Mr. Lockhart said, getting up from his chair.
The seven teenagers and one adult got up and filed into the large dining room. It was elegantly decorated and the table was neatly arranged with crockery and utensils. Tifa gestured for them to have a seat. They sat as Tifa left the room and went to the kitchen. Minutes later, steaming platters of food were being brought in by Tifa and Mrs. Lockhart. Introductions were made and they began to eat. Positive remarks about the meal were constantly made to Mrs. Lockhart and Tifa. They talked of many random topics, peals of laughter resounded through the mansion.
~*~*~*~*~
"Thanks for a great evening Mr. and Mrs. L, I had a great time" Yuffie said, beaming as they were leaving the house.
"No problem Yuffie, it was a pleasure having you all over - maybe we can do this again some other time, right Alex?"
"That would be cool Mr. L, thanks for the offer - I wouldn't miss it," Alex said, smiling slightly.
The six left, cheerful and laughing.
~*~*~*~*~
They would all be having a pleasant sleep tonight. Dinner with a friend, jokes and endless laughter, could enable a peaceful night's sleep to anyone.
A/N: I hope you liked that - I hope the language wasn't too harsh. (My favorite part was the catfight that almost happened.) Guys, I'm SO SORRY for not being to update in a while, I've been sick . . . I just recently found out that I have serious anemia, low blood pressure and low blood count and I had to go to the doctor often, so I haven't been able to update fast enough. Thank you SO much for the overwhelming support, the reviews mean much to me. If anyone is interested in proofreading this fic, please let me know. You can IM, email, review - whatever. PLEASE review, let me know how it was, whether you liked it or not. Ideas, comments, suggestions can be either reviewed or emailed. Big thanks again to the reviewers. The next chapter should be out by next Saturday, DO NOT count on it though; it depends on how much time I get. Even though I am on holidays, I don't have much time to do pretty much anything. Please forgive any grammatical errors if there are any; I didn't have time to check.
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7; it belongs to Squaresoft, Sony and other associated groups, don't sue, and even if you did, you wouldn't get anything, I'm a flat broke student, suing me would make no sense at all. I may not own Cloud and Tifa, Yuffie and Vincent, but all original ideas and characters are mine to claim. Any brand names, places, or any other similar entities do not belong to me; I use them for the sole purpose of writing this fanfic and I make no profit from them.
A/N: Thank you so much for the support by putting up with that extra boring chapter. I apologize for all those terrible mistakes in chapter four; I had absolutely no time to check for that. I think I need someone to proofread my fic, if anyone would like to do this for me, let me know in a review or an email. EXTRA long chapter to make up for the uhh . . . weeks I didn't update. By the way, the OOCness began last chapter and it continues. Anyway, this chapter should be better than the last. Oh yes, YUFFENTINE ALERT!
Warnings: Do NOT read if you are sensitive to obscene language and violence.
Here it is:
Chapter 5
With much difficulty, Cloud averted his eyes from Tifa. It just seemed like every time he was near her, he was an entirely different person. A person who hated her, he didn't know how he could possess so much hatred for her yet love her so much.
"Jerk," Tifa whispered almost incoherently, venom laced her voice.
"Bitch," Cloud's equally venomous tone spat back.
Cloud mentally kicked himself for forgetting what his mother had told him. The two turned their backs to each other and resumed the broken off conversations with their friends.
~*~*~*~*~
"Hey guys, my mom invited you all for dinner at my place tonight," Tifa informed them while she idly etched her name into her geometry set.
"That's cool, what time do we go?" asked Alex, who was playing with a lock of Joanne's long ebony hair.
"Dinner starts at six-thirty, you should be there by six" Tifa's replied.
"What kind of clothes do we wear? Your parents aren't the whole formal suit and gown type of people right?" asked an interested Yuffie.
"They wouldn't care about what you wear. As long as you don't look like a pimp or a slut, they're okay with you" Tifa replied with a laugh, "Jeans and a T-shirt or top is good"
"Your parents sound cool" said Ana who was sitting on Chris' desk. Even though Chris and Ana weren't together or dated, they had an undeniable connection. They were the perfect description for best friends. The others all agreed that one day, the best friend thing would give way and the two would start dating.
"Yeah, they are" replied Tifa.
"People, this is your class prefect. Her name is Tanya Williams" Mr. Wilshire's voice broke the buzz of voices as he pulled forward a girl with long dirty-blond hair. She looked like a teacher, the people that already knew her groaned. She was the worst prefect one could get . . . she was so . . . strict.
They acknowledged her and the chatter continued. Yuffie swung the conversation around to a topic they all loved: CARS . . .
~*~*~*~
"Uh-uh, the Evo7 can way out power an RX-7," argued Yuffie.
'I'm telling you, the RX-7 and the Evo7 are basically the same," Chris calmly stated to a protesting Yuffie.
Everyone knew that when it came to cars, you could not oppose Chris. His dad owned a garage and Chris was the best employee they had there. If he says it goes, it goes. However, today Yuffie felt antagonist. Today she wanted to defy everything; which explained the reason why her normally slicked back hair, was now spiked up, defying gravity itself.
"People, I'm telling you, I set up an eleven-second Evo7 in GT," Yuffie pressed.
"I set up a ten-second RX-7," Chris' calm reply came.
"Dammit Yuff, you can just listen to a RX-7 and know that it can beat an Evo" an exasperated Alex put in. He was getting bored with this argument.
"You too 'Lex?" a shocked Yuffie screeched.
The bell rang, signaling that the long homeroom period was up and that Math had begun. Alex, Joanne and Ana sighed loudly in relief. Tifa and Chris rubbed their temples in frustration. Tifa had put up with a whole fifteen minutes trying to convince Yuffie that the Mazda did indeed out power the Mitsubishi. She had given up and Chris had begun TRYING to drill the fact through Yuffie's extremely thick cranium.
At the sound of the bell, all conversation ceased and the students of 11/56 rummaged into backpacks for the dreaded Math books. The annoying click of high heels neared the classroom and a short woman entered the room. She wore a crisp white collared blouse and a navy blue skirt; she looked like misery itself.
They all stood up and awaited her salutation and introduction.
"Good morning class" she greeted them in a serious, monotone voice, "My name is Ms. Francis"
A greeting was muttered in return.
"Sit please"
The sound of scuffling feet and furniture echoed through the classroom.
"Okay people, I'm going to give you a quiz. I expect a hundred percent from every one of you. The purpose of this quiz is to test your abilities - so I can know where to start with you," she explained as she slid out a sheaf of paper from a file jacket, "Please get out your instruments and begin as soon as you receive the papers"
Incoherent muttered curses were audible as the papers were handed back and forth the room. The scratch of pen on paper with the occasional groan and sigh, were the only sounds heard.
~*~*~*~*~
"Okay people, you've been at it for three-quarters of an hour, round off your last answer, look over, ensure your names are on it and pass it up. I hope that every last one of those answer sheets has every problem correct" the teacher's voice broke the chorus of groans. This only brought more groans.
Some frantically scribbled in random answers. Others lazily flipped through the binder sheets that contained unintelligible scrawls of numbers, letters, signs and a lot of whiteout. Some neatly stacked their papers together and passed them up, while some sent up blank answer sheets along with the question paper.
"I will begin to correct these papers now, please do pages forty-five to forty-seven in your text," the teacher's monotone voice cut through the low murmur of chatter.
Yuffie swore something under her breath about teachers trying to kill her before her time came. The others smothered their amusement and began the work.
~*~*~*~*~
Ten minutes later, the sweet sound of the bell ringing was a relief. It was so relieving because the class has grown restless and had already come to hate Math class. The scramble for the door was a mad dash of teenagers, eager to get away from the strange new teacher.
"Whew! Thought her class 'd never end!" a boy with messy brown hair exclaimed while he opened his locker.
"Got that right Jay" agreed Yuffie as she too went to her nearby locker to get out her English Language text and left to go to 10/46, a tenth grade classroom on the second floor.
She met up with Tifa and they walked towards the classroom; Joanne, Alex, Chris and Ana had a different teacher so they went down the ninth grade block towards 9/36.
"Yo Tif, what do you say about that math teacher?" inquired a bored Yuffie as the two sauntered towards their class.
"I think she's weird, her attitude irks me. She expects too damn much from us, I hate teachers with overly high expectations"
"Yeah, she's freaky . . . don't know how to dress either" Yuffie said, then muttering something like 'red lipstick on one lip don't go' and 'her outfit makes her look like a security guard'
Tifa laughed heartily.
The two entered the classroom and took seats in the far corner end if the room. Tifa slung her bag across the back of her chair and sat down abruptly; Yuffie did the same.
The rest of the class stampeded in like the devil was after them. Reason for doing so: the principal was on the corridors, blank suspension and detention slips in hand.
When Cloud ran in, Tifa's heart skipped a beat. His face - slightly flushed from the sprinting. She hadn't took real notice of what he was wearing but now she found herself engrossed in the intensity of the rich azure he was decked out in. She found it difficult to tear her gaze from him. Luckily, her bangs were swept across her eyes making it almost impossible to tell that she was looking at him.
A tall, male teacher entered the room and as usual, the pandemonium came to a sudden halt.
"Good morning class, my name is Mr. Jonas, please be seated," he said in a smooth voice.
They sat down quickly; he seemed interesting.
"Please reply to your names as I call them," he said as he took out a large sheet of paper with neat writing. He proceeded to call the names.
When he had finished, he spoke, "Well, this term we will be doing a book of poetry. Yes, I know that poetry falls under the category of Literature but I am looking for something different. I want you to be able to write beautiful essays, short stories and poetry. You, you are the future of this nation, I wish to see some famous authors come from this very room," he said with much feeling as he handed out copies of the poetry text they would be using for that term.
"Please, read the first poem and answer the questions that follow"
The classroom was silent as the eleventh graders got down to work.
~*~*~*~*~
The bell signaling that the double period of English Language had ended and the lunch hour had begun rang clearly above the pulsating sounds that the teenage vocal cords made.
"Okay, please do the next two poems for homework. It's to be handed in on binder sheet for our next meeting," Mr. Jonas said while he swiftly arranged his belongings into a neat pile before him.
"Yes sir"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Tifa and Yuffie left the room and met up with the others on the corridor. They exchanged greetings and high-fives, moved towards the school cafeteria, and scrambled for a place in the line. As soon as they got their lunch, they slid through the railing by the side of the cafeteria and cut through the lawn and down the pathway.
"Whew! I don't think that I'm going to like Tuesdays in this class. Math for the first double period, hell naw!" said Yuffie as she sat down and wolfed down her sandwich.
"Damn straight," was the instantaneous agreement from Ana and Chris.
"I hope we get a cool History teacher, our English teacher is cool," said Yuffie.
"Yeah, he seems interesting" Tifa agreed while she drank some water.
Tifa told Serena that she had been invited to have dinner at her place tonight; the little girl was delighted. They spent the remainder of the lunch hour talking about any possible thing that came to mind.
~*~*~*~*~
"Let's go, we have to line up to go back to class," Joanne announced while she put her Discman back in her bag. Alex took her hand and gently helped her up.
"We have to line up?" a confused Tifa thought aloud.
"Yeah, we line up according to form and class in different locations. We eleventh graders line up in the corridor by the eighth grade block. We didn't do it yesterday because there were no sixth formers or prefects at school yesterday - the prefects are in charge of that, they came back today. Prefects wear a little gold badge with their name on it. It's the only way you can tell them apart from the student body. Unless of course, you know who's a prefect from who's not. There are a few sneaky ones though, they don't wear the badge, when you tell them off, they flash the badge in front of you and then you get an order mark or a detention . . . evil prefects, this year's are the worst" Ana explained while she ruffled Chris' hair - just to annoy him.
"I see . . . this school is interesting, a lot different from all the other schools I've been to" Tifa noted.
"Well people, let's go. Our prefect is Tanya . . . God she's annoying," Chris said while he mercilessly tickled Ana to get her back for ruffling his hair while muttering a 'don't mess with the hair . . . this is what you get for messing with the hair'
"Yeah, let's go"
The six eleventh graders went by the eighth grade block while the single eighth grader went towards the path by the cafeteria to the already forming lines.
As soon as Tanya gave them the signal to go, they filed towards the class.
Yuffie slung her bag across her chair and rummaged for the huge History text and her notebook. She sat down and slammed the books down. The others did something similar - only a tad more refined than Yuffie.
~*~*~A Half Hour Later~*~*~
"I am sick of these damn teachers not coming to class now. For crying out loud, I'm in the year I consider most important - eleventh grade, the year I take the most important exams of my life and these damn teachers ain't showing up to teach their damn classes. Couldn't they have done this when I didn't need them as much as I do now - like in ninth or tenth grade?" an overly exasperated Yuffie screeched.
"Got that right," Joanne agreed while she turned the page that she was reading. Since no teacher had come, she had decided to read ahead, devouring the information paragraph by paragraph and page by page.
"Kisaragi, I need to talk to you," a smooth deep voice said, a voice belonging to none other than Vincent Valentine.
Yuffie froze.
"Go on Yuffie, maybe it's your chance," Ana whispered encouragingly to the smaller girl. She knew how much and how long Yuffie had liked Vincent.
"S-sure" she stammered in reply as she walked towards the back of the classroom.
"That's an amazing hairstyle," Vincent said while she approached.
Yuffie could have sworn that she felt herself heat up to the ears. Vincent complimented her bizarre hairstyle.
"Uhh . . . thanks Vincent. Err . . . what do you want to talk to me about?"
"Look Yuffie, I've known you since third grade and I have always felt the need to try and get to know you better. I find that I don't know much about you - nothing other than you are a beautiful Shinobi. I want to change that, I want to know you better," he explained, while he cupped her chin into his fingers.
Yuffie could have fainted on the spot.
"I berate myself for not realizing sooner how much I wanted to get to know you" he continued, "Yuffie; will you accompany me to dinner on Friday night at the Chez Pascal?"
"Err . . . Friday night? S-sure I'll go" Yuffie stammered, her voice sounded like her tongue had been dipped into a vat of peanut butter. The others would have laughed at the high squeaky pitch of her voice until their sides stung.
Vincent smiled reassuringly at her.
"Thank you for accepting my offer Yuffie, I promise you won't regret it," he said as he slowly grasped her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers. "I'll need your address. Is eight good?"
"Eight is perfect," Yuffie said, relieved that her voice had returned to its normal tone. Vincent let her fingers go and she tore a neat square of paper from a sheet she pulled from her pocket. Yuffie neatly wrote her address and telephone number:
Yuffie Kisaragi -
Address: 165 Queen's Crescent Telephone: 397-4629
She handed him the small slip of paper. He smiled at her again and thanked her. Yuffie gave him a nervous smile and a soft 'you're welcome'
"Hey Yuffie come here for a minute!" a voice broke through the uncomfortable tension that was building up between the two.
"Uhh . . . Vincent, I guess I'll talk to you later," Yuffie said.
"Sure, I'll talk to you later Yuffie," he responded, savoring her name on his tongue.
He watched as her small frame turned and went in the direction of her other friends.
"What did he want to talk to you about?" Ana asked in a soft voice so that only Yuffie could hear her.
"Vincent asked me out on a date," said a still-surprised Yuffie, as she sat down on her chair, next to Ana, trying to catch her breath.
"It's about time" Ana said with a sisterly smile and an embrace. She was happy for her friend.
Yuffie told Ana the details of the short conversation that Yuffie had waited years to happen.
"Oh my gosh! Yuffie, what are you going to wear? Today is Tuesday; your date is on Friday, we can't go to the mall in the week. You're going to the Chez Pascal, you need to dress formally - all you ever wear is shorts and tank tops. We have a major problem," Ana said in a mad torrent of words as she realized the major problem.
"What do you think I should wear?" Yuffie countered, while playing with her ever-present shuriken key chain.
"Okay, how about you come over to my house after school on Friday, I get you ready and we can have Chris carry you home for Vincent to meet you?" she suggested.
"I don't see why not," Yuffie agreed, forgetting her earlier vow, to defy everything for one day.
"Great! I have the perfect outfit, you are so lucky that we both wear the same size. Maybe we could have Tif, Jo, and 'Rena come over to help us," Ana said, eager to give Yuffie a makeover, with the others over, it would make it more fun.
"Sure, I think it's a great idea" Yuffie said, a wide smile adorning her face.
"Hey, you never know, maybe you and Vincent could get together; after all, he said he wanted to know you better," Ana said with heavy emphasis on the 'know'
"Hah! Fat chance - Vincent Valentine wants to go steady with Yuffie Kisaragi, as if!" Yuffie said.
"You never know Yuffie, you never know," Ana said.
~*~*~*~*~
"Damn, school is so boring," Chris said as he flipped through his History text and ran his long fingers through his hair.
"Damn straight," Alex agreed.
"Whoa, 'Lex . . . what did you do to yourself man?" Chris asked as he saw Alex sitting on the most contorted position in his chair.
"Nothing," was his simple answer.
His back was on the chair's seat and his right leg was folded under his left one. He had his book on his chest and had the most pitiable look on his face. Chris thought he looked like a professional bum.
"Jo, your man looks like a professional bum," Chris voiced the thought, laughing off his head.
"Well, he's got to be just about the cutest bum ever," she retorted, smirking deviously at Alex.
The only thing Chris heard after that was his own jaw snapping shut.
Tifa and Joanne doubled up in laughter.
~*~*~*~*~
"We have gym now!" exclaimed an excited Yuffie as the bell for the final double period sounded.
The whole class seemed to behave in a similar outburst at the bell. There was a scramble to get to the lockers in the hallway; frantic teenagers shoved each other out of their ways to get to their gym bags. Minutes later, they seemingly appeared out of thin air into the locker rooms up at the distant summerhouse, each fighting for a stall.
~*~*~*~*~
"You look nice Tifa," a boy named Gary complimented her, looking lustfully at her as he caught sight of her small baby blue tank top and navy blue tights.
Cloud saw this, he wanted to go and punch Gary's lights out for looking at Tifa like that.
"Okay, y'all are gonna run a little, when you're through running, come back to the summerhouse, I will assign your gym partner and we will do some basics" Ms. Blake said, as soon as they were all ready.
"Let's go people! Ten laps around the field pronto!" yelled the teacher.
The class of thirty-eight ran their ten laps around the field. When they were done, many were hyperventilating; they went inside the large summerhouse and awaited further instructions.
"Okay, let's find you all some partners . . ." Ms Blake said as her eyes swiftly darted through the names on the register. "Kisaragi . . . Valentine - pair up. Yee . . . Cheng - pair up. Lockhart . . . Strife - pair up . . ." she called out the pairings until everyone was in a pair.
Tifa fumed when she was Cloud's partner, she didn't want to be partners with him again, ESPECIALLY since this was GYM. She reluctantly moved towards him.
"Okay, let me tell you beforehand, next week is swimming, we will alternate swimming and regular gym each week," Ms Blake explained curtly.
Inside, Cloud was cheering and grinning like there was no tomorrow. He got to see Tifa in a bathing suit sooner than expected - was he happy or what? Tifa was horrified and wished that she could just seep through the floor.
"Okay, I want to test the girls' flexibility. I need participants for the upcoming gymnastics tournament and new members in the club. People, cooperate with each other; girls, I need you to do a crab - boys please support them"
(A/N: For those of you who don't know what a crab is, it is one of the most basic parts of gymnastics. Your legs and arms support your bodyweight when you arch your back downwards. The palms of your hands and your feet are supposed to be flat on the floor . . . well that's how I can describe it ^^)
Tifa deftly followed the teacher's instructions and slowly arched her back downwards and pressed her palms to the tumbling mat. Cloud wound his hands around her waist, giving her unnecessary support. She blushed to a crimson shade. Tifa was very flexible and didn't need the help, but she couldn't help but inwardly like the contact.
"Looking good Tifa" Ms Blake's voice praised the crimson-eyed girl. "Can you tumble?" she asked.
"Yes ma'am," Tifa replied.
"Come on, show us some of your moves," she encouraged, indicating the empty tumbling mat in front of the class.
~*~*~*~*~
Tifa did a perfect tumble down the mat and landed in a fancy stance. She came back down, doing three back flips, two somersaults and finished with another three back flips. Applause resounded through the summerhouse, some of the 'popular people' looked at her in disdain, jealous of the new transferee's talented abilities.
"Congratulations Tifa, you are qualified for the gymnastics team - you're also going to participate in the tournament"
~*~*~*~*~
"Woo! Gym is greatest class ever!" Yuffie yelled as they finished up for the day and went towards the locker room. "Well, next to lunch that is," she continued.
"Yeah, at least your partner isn't the biggest jerk in the universe" Tifa muttered darkly under her breath, remembering how Cloud had his hands on her waist.
She hated, yet loved the memory. It would have been a sweet memory if only she had held her sharp tongue. For now, it would be the single bittersweet memory the two shared - for now.
"Lighten up Tif! You're partners with Cloud in two classes - he is the hottest guy at this school - next to my baby 'Lex. Do you know how many people are dying to be in your position?" Joanne said, as soon as she heard Tifa's complaining.
Tifa never answered. She grabbed her towel and headed for the shower.
The other three girls found empty showers for themselves and they too, rinsed off the uncomfortable sheen of perspiration from their bodies. The sound of showerheads spraying water resounded through the locker room.
Tifa emerged, clad in her black T-shirt and jeans. She was brushing out the damp, chocolate tresses. Shortly, the others came out, doing something similar.
"Well if it fucking isn't the whoring bitch herself. Ms. Tifa Lockhart," a voice said, belonging to none other than the slut queen: Kathleen Johnson. (A/N: Read Chapter 2 if you don't remember her)
"Who are you calling a whoring bitch?" Tifa calmly asked.
A few more girls came out to see the brewing fight.
"None other than yourself, you're a fucking whore - clinging to my Cloud with your filthy self," Kathleen spat, emphasizing on 'my Cloud' and smirking with her 'crew' of whores like herself: Terri, Maki and Mai.
Silence was apparent. Yuffie's fingers inched their way to a hidden pocket in her shirt - she carried eight kunai with her and she was planning to aim them straight for Kathleen's eyes. Joanne's hands deftly found their way to a gaiter at her knee; she slowly drew out a small butterfly knife. She was always angry with the slut queen, more so today; the bitch was picking a fight with her friend.
"Listen to me Johnson, you don't fucking call Tifa Lockhart a bitch or a whore and you most definitely do not call me filthy if you know what's good for you. I don't give a fucking damn about 'your Cloud' so get your scrawny ass away from me before I do something we both regret" Tifa said, in an icy tone; her eyes seething with an angry flame.
Kathleen attempted to shove Tifa away from her, but Tifa anticipated it and caught her arms. She twisted them sharply. If Tifa twisted her hands a mere centimeter more, the sickening crack of a broken bone would have been heard.
"Don't fuck with me Johnson" Tifa said in a voice so cold, if it were possible would have frozen an ocean. She let go abruptly and shoved her forcefully back to the direction of her 'crew'
Kathleen screamed, "You broke my nail! You are so going to pay for that!" the air headed slut exclaimed.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Did I break your 'oh-so-expensive' plastic nails? Well guess what, I broke another one" Tifa said, sarcasm dripped from her voice. She swiftly grabbed the slut's hand and snapped another long stalk of the polished plastic in two.
"Grow your own nails, nail extensions are so last year," with that, Tifa left the locker room with Ana, Yuffie and Joanne.
"Frigging bitch" Tifa muttered as she left the summerhouse.
"Tifa, I had no idea you were so aggressive! Kathleen had that coming for a long time; sluts like her have no right to accuse you of that crap. Damn, girl I would never want to get into a fight with you" Ana exclaimed, as soon as the fact was established that Tifa was okay.
"Nobody would want to get in a fight with me Ana, nobody" Tifa muttered darkly.
"Note to self: don't ever piss Tifa off" Yuffie said aloud.
"Don't worry Tif; we back you all the way. I personally think that you should have punched her lights out. She is so nasty - trying to call you a whore when she is the slut who sleeps with ten guys in two days. I'm glad it wasn't me, I would have stabbed her to death, gotten expelled and get sent to juvenile court" Joanne said, flashing her knife out, "I'm glad I still walk with this, experience tells me to have a weapon with me all the time"
"Yeah, I was going to throw these in her eyes," Yuffie said, she too flashing her weapon.
"Thanks guys. Promise me something?" Tifa said gratefully, putting back on her smile.
"Anything," the three girls replied.
"Don't tell my parents about this"
"No way! I would never let my mom know about that, so why should your parents know?" Yuffie exclaimed, "As long as you remain the same Tifa you are, nothing will go wrong"
"Ditto," said Joanne and Ana.
"Thanks guys"
"Hey!" Serena yelled towards them.
"Yo Serena!" Yuffie and Ana returned the greeting.
Serena ran up to Tifa and Joanne and tackled them into a hug. Serena had taken a great liking to them; they were the older sisters she never had.
"Someone's in a good mood," Joanne said, while walking with the younger girl, "Let's get something to eat"
"Sure! Let's go" Serena said, while she brought Tifa beside her, so she was sandwiched between her 'sisters'
"Wait - where is that boyfriend of mine? Where is his sidekick? We can't go anywhere without them, now can we?
Without warning, Alex snuck up behind Joanne, grabbed her by the waist, and tickled her relentlessly.
"Looks like somebody missed me," he said, dropping a kiss on her forehead.
Chris sauntered casually towards Ana and ruffled her hair, only to be threatened playfully by his best friend.
"Oh yeah, guys - don't forget dinner tonight" Tifa said as they headed out the school gates.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world Tif" Joanne replied, the two were slowly developing a good friendship.
Tifa smiled.
"Hey Tif, I heard the commotion from outside the locker room. You're okay right?" Alex asked, concerned about the newest member of the group.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, ruffling Serena's bangs.
~*~*Later in the Evening*~*~
"We're going to cook up a storm Tifa," Lea Lockhart told her daughter, as she rolled up her sleeves and put on an apron.
"This should be fun," Tifa said, smiling as she caught the apron her mother tossed to her and put it on.
"Yes it should be - with this menu I have in mind. Tifa how does this sound? Let's see, for out appetizer, we could have cream of mushroom soup and croutons. Then for the main course, maybe pork chops in Creole sauce with mashed potato and tossed salad. For dessert we could make chocolate cheesecake and serve it with ice cream"
"Sounds wonderful, let's get started" Tifa said, as she got out the cream cheese and graham cracker crumbs for the dessert.
Her mother took out three packets of pork chops and the cooking began.
~*~*Dinner at the Lockhart's*~*~
The doorbell rang.
Tifa descended the stairs. She was dressed in a red silk top - the bottom of it was cut diagonally, exposing a little of her flat abdomen. She wore a pair of black jeans with it and matching red boots.
She ran to the door and opened it. The first person she saw was Serena - she was decked out in a baby yellow sweater and a pair of dark blue jeans, yellow flip-flops adorned her small feet.
Alex and Joanne were arm-in-arm, smiling in a cute way. Joanne wore a baby blue top that had an interesting design and a pair of tight, dark blue jeans. She wore blue and silver Adidas sneakers.
Alex wore a T-shirt was a baby blue similar to Joanne's top - only a shade darker. It was a No Fear shirt with the phrase "DRIVE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT" on the back; he wore a pair of baggy blue jeans. A small silver hoop was in his left earlobe; he wore navy and baby blue Adidas sneakers.
Yuffie came dressed in a violet long sleeved jersey and a pair of white capris. Her sneakers were a soft purple color with tinges of silver and white. She was smiling nonstop.
Ana wore a green sleeveless top, decorated with flecks of darker green glitter. She wore a long dark green skirt. Her boots were black and came up to her ankles. The green outfit she was decked out in accentuated her hazel eyes.
Chris was wearing a navy blue button-up shirt; a silver dragon embellished the back of it. A silver cross was around his neck. He wore heavy blue jeans and matching navy blue and silver Nike sneakers.
(A/N: Have you people noticed that I'm in a very descriptive mood?)
"You guys look great! Come on in and meet my parents," Tifa said, gesturing for them to come in. She gave Serena a hug.
Alex and Chris both looked a little disturbed about meeting girls' parents, their fathers to be specific. Alex ran his hands nervously through his spiky black hair and just before Mr. Lockhart entered the room, he remembered to take the small silver hoop from his earlobe. He deftly removed it and slipped it into Joanne's bag. Chris was nervous too, he wouldn't stop running his fingers through his hair. Already it was already a constant habit - now it had seemingly gotten worse.
"Good evening kids"
Alex and Chris gulped, "G-good evening Mr. Lockhart," they both stammered. The girls greeted him smoothly.
"Well, guys, let's go to the living room" Tifa said, smiling radiantly ay her friends.
They went towards the direction of the living room and took their seats all over the place. Mr. Lockhart sat in the large armchair while Tifa stood beside Yuffie and Serena; they both sat on one sofa. Alex and Joanne, Ana and Chris took their places on the other sofa.
"Dad, this is Serena," Tifa said, indicating to the small Chinese girl beside her.
"Hello Serena. Tell me a bit about you," Mr. Lockhart asked the little girl in a kind voice.
"Well, my name is Serena Yee, I'm thirteen years old. I'm in eighth grade and I like to play the violin and piano," she said with a smile.
"Tifa plays the piano too, maybe you could come over and practice with her or let her teach you something," he suggested kindly.
"I would like that," she replied, still smiling.
"I'm sure you're a budding musician," he said to Serena before turning to Yuffie.
"And who are you?" he asked Yuffie.
"I'm Yuffie Kisaragi, I'm sixteen years old - I'm in the same class as Tifa and I like sports and cars," a cheerful Yuffie said.
"That is nice, you and Tifa have some of the same interests as well; what is your favorite car?" he asked, in a friendly manner.
"The Mitsubishi Eclipse sir," she answered quickly.
"Mitsubishi eh?" he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Yes sir . . . umm, Mr. Lockhart, do you mind me asking you a question?" Yuffie asked.
"No, I don't mind - go right ahead" he replied.
"Can an RX-7 out power an Evo7?" she asked, smiling at the others.
"Yes, an RX-7 can out power an Evo7" he replied. Yuffie's face fell; she very well knew the answer but she was too defiant to admit it. "Is that all Yuffie?"
"Err . . . um, yes sir"
"Dad, this is Joanne Cheng," Tifa said, walking over towards her, indicating her 'sister'
"Tell me a bit about yourself, Joanne"
"Well, I'm in the same class as Tifa, I like swimming and I want to become a marine biologist."
"Swimmer eh? What is your fastest speed?
"Fifteen seconds for thirty-three and a third meters" she answered, smiling. Tifa's father was a pleasant person.
"Impressive, I hope you attain all your goals and become the best marine biologist you can be"
"Thank you sir" she replied, still smiling.
"And who is this young lady?" he asked, looking at the tall girl with wavy brown hair and tanned skin.
Ana smiled, "My name is Annemarie Jackson - Ana for short, I'm sixteen years old and I like designing. I'm in the same class as Tifa"
"Interesting, designing can be successful career, do the best you can in it"
"Dad, this is Alex Yee," Tifa said, slightly pulling Alex forward.
"You are Serena's elder brother, am I not correct?" Mr. Lockhart queried the nervous looking boy.
"Y-yes sir" he stammered.
"Tell me a bit about yourself, Alex"
"Uhh . . . I'm seventeen and I want to become an aerodynamic engineer. I like cars, sports and music," Alex said, feeling a little at ease with Mr. Lockhart's pleasant tone.
"Aerodynamic engineer eh? I wanted to be one at one point in my life - if you really want to be one, put yourself to it and be the best there is. Then, when you're all famous for your designs, I can tell all the executive members of my company that I know you" Mr. Lockhart said with a slight smile.
"Thank you for your kind encouragements Mr. Lockhart sir. I'll remember that," Alex said, as he too began to smile.
'Maybe he's not so bad after all,' was the thought that ran through them both.
"And who is this fellow here?" Mr. Lockhart asked, tilting his head towards Chris' direction.
"I'm Christopher Allen - everyone calls me Chris though," was Chris' speedy reply.
"Okay, Chris - tell me a little about yourself"
"I'm seventeen, the youngest out of three. I love cars and basketball. I want to become an aerodynamic engineer too. I grew up around cars so I guess that's why I like them so much"
"Interesting . . . you are all pleasant youngsters. You all share the same interests. That is good. Keep striving for your goals and ambitions. As I said to Alex, when you're all famous and rich, I can tell my execs that you are friends of my daughter and that I know you," Mr. Lockhart said, while rubbing his chin.
"Dinner's ready!"
"That's our cue kids, let's go and see what's up on the menu," Mr. Lockhart said, getting up from his chair.
The seven teenagers and one adult got up and filed into the large dining room. It was elegantly decorated and the table was neatly arranged with crockery and utensils. Tifa gestured for them to have a seat. They sat as Tifa left the room and went to the kitchen. Minutes later, steaming platters of food were being brought in by Tifa and Mrs. Lockhart. Introductions were made and they began to eat. Positive remarks about the meal were constantly made to Mrs. Lockhart and Tifa. They talked of many random topics, peals of laughter resounded through the mansion.
~*~*~*~*~
"Thanks for a great evening Mr. and Mrs. L, I had a great time" Yuffie said, beaming as they were leaving the house.
"No problem Yuffie, it was a pleasure having you all over - maybe we can do this again some other time, right Alex?"
"That would be cool Mr. L, thanks for the offer - I wouldn't miss it," Alex said, smiling slightly.
The six left, cheerful and laughing.
~*~*~*~*~
They would all be having a pleasant sleep tonight. Dinner with a friend, jokes and endless laughter, could enable a peaceful night's sleep to anyone.
A/N: I hope you liked that - I hope the language wasn't too harsh. (My favorite part was the catfight that almost happened.) Guys, I'm SO SORRY for not being to update in a while, I've been sick . . . I just recently found out that I have serious anemia, low blood pressure and low blood count and I had to go to the doctor often, so I haven't been able to update fast enough. Thank you SO much for the overwhelming support, the reviews mean much to me. If anyone is interested in proofreading this fic, please let me know. You can IM, email, review - whatever. PLEASE review, let me know how it was, whether you liked it or not. Ideas, comments, suggestions can be either reviewed or emailed. Big thanks again to the reviewers. The next chapter should be out by next Saturday, DO NOT count on it though; it depends on how much time I get. Even though I am on holidays, I don't have much time to do pretty much anything. Please forgive any grammatical errors if there are any; I didn't have time to check.