Hey, I hope I still have some people out there who remember my story, chapter 3 is here at last; sorry, it took a while. Just a little problem called 'computers are too hard to use!!!!' Anyway, enough from me… eat your heart out!

Chapter 3: Rumours

The murmur of the class was more then usual. It was my first day back on the job.

"Class, please class, quieten down now."

They kept talking. This was not a good start to the day. I turned around and scraped my fingers down the blackboard, it sounded like a scream of torture. The class put their hands to their ears and shut up. Good, they got the message.

"Now that I finally have your attention. Could you please turn your books to page 64? Now on this page you'll see a picture of a tonberry…" A boy called Henry's hand shot up in the air.

"Miss Trepe? Why were you in the sickbay?" Henry had always been a curious type.

"I…" I started to tell him why, but did I really want to say 'because I was mucking around and fell in the water'? Before I could answer Natalie butted in.

"I heard that you were mucking around with Mr Leonhart and accidentally fell in the water." Smart arsed little brat! I thought but before I could tell her off Victor added,

"I heard you were just wearing a nightie." The classroom went wild with giggles, chatting and whistling, stupid kids! Was I the only intelligent thing in the room?

"Enough class, that's enough!" I could hardly hear my voice over the noise. I took out my whip which I still kept in my belt, just to make me feel safe, I guess. I made the loudest crack that I could manage and the room went into a sudden silence.

"Now, we are going to read through chapter 35 on page 64 in silence, and if anyone even thinks about talking, I'll whip their butts!" I shouted at them, they all looked so scared that for a second I felt sorry for them.

"B-but Miss Trepe, that's child abuse." Natalie piped up.

"Would your arse like to be the first example, Miss White?"

She shook her head.

"I don't bluff. Now get to work." The class went smoothly after that.

The class emptied out very quickly when the bell rang and Rinoa walked in, looking as lovely as ever.

"Mrs Leonhart." I said smiling at her.

"Miss Trepe." She too smiled and I walked over to her and hugged her, the smell of expensive perfume mingling with my own scent.

'It's been a while." She said.

"Yes… it has. Want to go for lunch?" I asked.

"As long as we don't have hotdogs."

"Agreed!"

We went out the door laughing.

*

The cafeteria was too noisy for our liking, so we took our salad rolls out and sat on a seat out the front of the garden.

"So how was Fisherman's Horizon? Everything settled there now?" I asked, bitting into my salad roll and hoping the filling wouldn't plonk all over my lap.

"Oh, good yeah! It was pretty boring stuff, but at least everything's running smoothly now. What'd you get up to?" Rinoa asked.

"What didn't she get up to?" Zell said walking towards us. "I thought you two wouldn't be talking coz, you know…"

"Why? And what's that supposed to mean, 'what didn't I get up to?' I was being stupid and fell in the water," I explained.

"Oh… yeah that's what happened… right." Zell said with a touch of sarcasm.

"Yes Zell… that's exactly what happened." I said rather sternly.

"Whoa Quisty… don't get ya knickers in a knot. Catch ya later." And he walked off.

"Strange…" I muttered to myself.

*

I sat up and checked the clock, it was 2 o'clock am and I still hadn't got a wink of sleep. I kept thinking about what Squall had said had happened, it just wasn't adding up. Everyone else seemed to think something different happened… and I was the only one who thought otherwise.

I had to find out answers.

I got up and pulled on my silk dressing gown and headed for Zell's room. I was guessing he wouldn't want to be woken up at this hour but frankly, I didn't care.

*

Zell's hair looked, if possible, even more like a roster's crow then usual. He was wearing his Action Man boxers, I knew I hadn't seen them before, but they seemed strangely familiar.

"This better be good, Quistis," He said, giving me a cup of hot chocolate and sat himself on the other easy chair with his own, which was over flowing with marshmallows. The smell of the sweet hot chocolate mingled over my skin as I put the cup to my face and took a sip.

"Can you promise me the truth Mr Dincht?" I asked, Zell looked taken back no one called him by his last name. Good, I had gotten his attention.

"I swear I only ever tell the truth." He said holing up his hand and doing the scout's salute.

"Good." I took a deep breath. I didn't know if I really wanted to find out but I hated being left in the dark. "Why did I end up in the water?"

Zell looked surprised. "You don't know?"

"The story Squall told me was a lie, I would like to know what I did since it was me who did it."

"Oh…" Zell said and took a gulp of his hot chocolate. "Well, first tell me what he told you."

I told him. He shook his head.

"He should have told you the truth to start off with. Well if he's too much of a chicken to tell you then I will…" he took a deep breath before starting like he was trying to figure out what to say. "I-I caught you and Squall… let's just say, having a very good time… you were telling his lips something very interesting and apparently the pyjama top he was wearing you didn't like."

"Oh my God… you mean we were…" I started.

"No, no… not that, just kissing." Zell assured me.

"But he's married to Rinoa…" I said.

Zell looked at me, and whispered. "I know. You were so distraught that when you came to your senses, y-you tried to drown yourself." There was a long silence only the ticking of a clock that was on the wall could be heard. I was the first to break the silence.

"Does Rinoa know?" I said avoiding eye contact.

"Not as far as I know," Zell said quietly. I let out a huge breath I didn't know I'd been holding.

"Do you think she should know...?" I asked, still looking at the cream carpet.

"It's up to you, but I think she'll find out sooner or later." Zell said. His hand went under my chin, forcing me to look at him.

"Everyone makes mistakes Quistis. What's done is done and we have to move on."

They were very wise words to come from Zell.

I thanked him and left the room wishing they would have let me drown.