Note: OOOOHH I am so glad many of you reviewed the first chapter! I feel so special! Heh heh, I know my grammar sucks, but don't get me wrong, I love to write, even though I'm not best at it,. but u know, some of the best writers out there make mistakes and weren't that good before either, but overtime they improved! Anywayz, you can probably guess whos story is coming next! That's right! My one and only Seifer baby! ^_^ hee hee! Seifer's story is obviously different than Quistis' because it deals with his parents and his personality. Enjoy! ^_^
Chapter 2 - Through His Eyes
"I'm home! Mom? Dad?" He closed the door behind him and looked around an empty living room. Normally he wouldn't care how quiet the house was, but he felt that there was something different about this day than any other days and he couldn't help but feel this negative feeling in his heart.
"Son, we're in the kitchen," came his father's voice.
With a curious expression, the tall, fifteen year old boy walked across the living room, leaving his backpack on the floor by the front door and made his way into the kitchen, where his parents were. His mother was sitting across from his father, their faces filled with so much sadness. At the same time, they both looked up at the sound of his heavy footsteps entering the kitchen. His mother, a beautiful woman in her early thirties, blond and blue eyed, attracted so many of his male teachers when she first came to the parent/teacher interviews at school, while his father, a balding, yet gentle man in his early forties, did not. Both of them had decent jobs- Lynette, was a jewelry store owner down near Olympia, so she drives there almost every two hours every morning. His father, Bryan, was an engineer for an oil company located in downtown Seattle.
The young blond looked at both his parents, fearing the worse. "What's going on?" he finally asked, finding his voice after a couple of seconds.
Lynette was the first one to speak up to her son. She pulled a chair beside her and patted the seat for her son to sit. Seifer obeyed and sat down, his eyes still holding that curiosity. His blond mother wrapped an arm around him and looked at his father. "You're father and I, Seifer are... we're getting a divorce."
Seifer felt his blood run cold. That's impossible! "No way... what are you talking about? You and dad love each other," Seifer said, glancing at his father.
Bryan shook his head. "No, we don't Seifer. Not anymore."
"But that's impossible!" The blond boy stood up quickly, looking at his parents. "You both fight all the time! That's natural for parents to do!"
"Arguing all the time doesn't really mean we love each other, Seifer," Lynette replied, taking his hand in hers. "We..."
"NO!" Seifer yelled, interrupting his mother. "You're lying aren't you? This morning, you were hugging and kissing! I saw you two! I saw it with my own eyes!"
"That's because we didn't want you to worry about it too much before you went to school. We wanted to tell you when you got home," his mother said.
Seifer shook his head. Was it possible to have a really bad news like this?! He jerked his hand away from his mother and backed away from the table, shaking his head in denial. "No, this is a dream... I'm going to wake up and..." He looked up and saw his parents shaking their heads. It was no dream... He was getting confused. They were happy! They're a happy family! Why did it have to come to this? "I hate you!" Seifer yelled, his voice, stern and weak at the same time. The blond closed his mouth finally and ran out of the kitchen, hearing the cries of his parents calling his name. Seifer ran through the living room, ignoring his parents' pleas for him to stay, picked up his backpack and ran out the door, without hesitation.
Outside, he ran... and ran... like there was no tomorrow.
He ran, hoping he was dreaming.
He will wake up and find it to be a dream.
Yes... it was a dream.
A dream.
He'll wake up and find himself in bed in the early morning. He will find his parents sitting in the kitchen, laughing at each other's jokes, just having a time of their lives. He will find them eating breakfast together and he will join them and he will enjoy breakfast together... just like a perfect family.
Seifer ran, taking a turn towards an alley that led to his hideout he used when he was just a boy. Him and his best friend, Wade would hide in that old, large tree where its base, with a large hole in the middle could be used as a fort. They would hide there and wait until dark, until they had to go in for dinner. It was also their salvation to the problems they were facing at school or at home. Wade's parents were divorced when he was six and he would still reminisce that time his father left, leaving him behind to stay with his mother. His father later came back and asked for the custody of his son. Eventually, his mother won, but it didn't mean his father didn't have a chance to spend time with him. He saw his father every other weekend or on holidays, but Wade was never used to the idea since the beginning. It was really hard. At times, his mother wanted him at holidays or weekends when she needed him and it resulted to his parents fighting all over again, just like before.
"You're lucky, Seifer. You have parents who love each other," Wade once said.
Seifer smirked at that thought, running faster now. "Yes, they really love each other all right," he spoke outloud to himself. He believed that for the longest time, until now... until that news hit him like a disease, gnawing at his chest. No matter what his parents say, he will never come home. He will never say good bye to what he knew as a 'perfect' family.
When he arrived, the tree was still there. It has been five years since he last visited the fort. The tree was still dying, but it was still holding itself up, as if it knew that he was coming tonight. Seifer paused on top of the dirt that collected itself like a large hill and stared at nothing, thinking about what happened today. Angrily, he looked up, his attention still at nothing and clenched his fists. With one, unthinkable act, Seifer lifted up one hand and punched the tree as hard as he could, his right fist starting to bleed. But, it didn't matter, as Seifer punched the same spot with the other hand. He punched again, alternating between his fists, tears bursting out of his eyes like a water dam.
"I HATE YOU!" he yelled at nothing in particular. With every punch he took, he chanted, "I HATE YOU!" over and over again. He imagined the tree to be his father or his mother, or just anyone who was the cause for their unhappiness. He even saw his own face. Maybe it was his fault they weren't happy.
Again, he punched, his hands starting to bleed faster.
Seifer stopped suddenly and looked at his hands. It wasn't blood. It was the old tree. It was the old tree's tears, crying for him- for the unhappiness that began this day. The blond backed away. He could hear the cries of the tree, asking him, 'Why are you blaming me?' He backed away some more, until he felt another tree against his back. He slid down until he felt the cold, mud touching his rear and he sat there, his mind still on his parents. Without second thought, Seifer buries his face in his hands and wept.
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"Seifer, where are you going?" She must have heard him come down the stairs. Seifer paused and turned around, noticing his mother and a stranger coming towards him. "Don't go anywhere. I'd like you to meet someone." Lynette turned to the man and smiled. "This is Robert, Seifer. He's a friend of mine from work."
Seifer looked up, his face serious, but his mother was unaware of it. The older man held out his hand to shake his. Lynette's son examined the stranger in the house standing there in front of him. He was attractive for his age yes, but he knew Robert McFadden was much more than a 'friend from work.' The man looked to be in his early forties as well, the same age as his father and he was tall and had auburn, wavy hair. Seifer noticed the shirt he was wearing used to be what his father wore. It took him a few seconds to study him and Robert waited patiently to shake his hand.
"Hi, Seifer, your mother told me a lot about you!" Robert spoke.
"Seifer? Aren't you going to shake his hand?" his mother spoke.
Lynette's son looked at the man straight in the eyes this time and when he could no longer look at him anymore, Seifer turned, rebuffing the greeting and left without a word. His mother called after him, but Seifer just ignored her calls and by the time he made it to the front door, Lynette had already given up with him. The seventeen year old closed the door behind him and paused by the front door, then leaned his head against the cold wood, hoping to hear his mother walking towards the door to make an effort to get him, but he heard none. Angry at her for not caring, Seifer gritted his teeth in annoyance and walked away, kicking their old mailbox made by his father when he was young in the way and walked away. He glanced at his watch. It was eight in the morning, just few minutes before his school started. He was going to be late, but his mind was still on that man who was staying at his house. He was the third man to ever visit his house, his mother's third date and the third man to ever sleep with her. Seifer clenched his fists at his sides, kicking another rock out of his way and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Since the divorce two years ago, his mother had given up on her work, instead she's been sleeping with most of the men she either meets on the street, or from bars or just from the new jewelry store she works for. Robert was her third parking. Before that, there was Clyde McFadden, whose daughter happened to be Brandy McFadden, the bitchiest girl ever to live on earth, or in the universe for that matter. Before, they never knew each other, until his mother started dating her father and when Clyde and Lynette broke off their relationship, Brandy has never been annoying. She kept telling Seifer that his mother was to blame for her father's unhappiness. But after a few months, Brandy never bothered him again. He figured her father must have found someone else.
Seifer turned towards Haley Street. A black oldsmobile, that looked like it needed repairs, drove by him. It was the first car he's never seen around this area, so that knowledge jump started his curiosity. The blond broke his mind from the recent man who was now banging his mother and looked through the back window of the car as it parked to the driveway of a house he's seen a couple of times when he walked to his school and back. Travis Meyers lived in that house, with his single mother, who babysat him when he was little. Because of that, when Charlotte became pregnant with Travis, her and his mother became close. Lynette would give advice to Charlotte and offered to help her with his birth. Seifer was only two when Travis was born at four o'clock in the morning on October 3rd, 1987 at the Almasy resident. Charlotte was still babysitting Seifer then when her water broke. He had called the ambulance and then his mother from work and it resulted in a commotion in the house. But Charlotte pratically became his own mother when Lynette and Bryan got a divorce, leaving their bewildered son to run away to the Meyers house. Charlotte was the one who convinced the pissed off fifteen year old Seifer to go home to his family, despite his protests.
Charlotte was already outside, waiting until a girl with blond hair and a grown man, probably her father, got out of the car. He could hear Charlotte's excited voice, "My, Quistis! You've grown a lot the last time I saw you!" Seifer watched as the girl gave Charlotte a hug. She looked at be around his age as well, but from where he was standing, she looked tall and skinny and was wearing a cute baby blue sundress. He glanced at the man. The father had no reaction to the greeting, but Charlotte didn't seem to care much about him. The woman took the girl's hand and pulled her along inside the house, followed by the man. Seifer watched them leave and when he didn't see them anymore, he sighed and turned to the direction of the school. Ms. Fisher was going to have another fit, he thought. He better go.
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He woke up once again with the same noise from downstairs. He heard heavy footsteps beneath him and a lighter one. He also heard voices, one of a deeper tone and one of a high pitched tone. The deep voice did not sound like 'Robert' from yesterday. Seifer rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand lazily and waited until the noises died down. He glanced at his watch. He only had ten minutes until school started. He wanted to go back to sleep and forget about going to school, when his mother's high pitched voice alerted him from his thoughts.
"I told you to leave me alone, Fred! It's over!"
"You stupid bitch! You think you can just sleep with me and then kick me out the next day?!"
Then, he heard it. A hard slap on the face. He could hear the heavy footsteps advanding to the lighter ones and his mother trying to calm him down. Seifer got up quickly, dressed only in his white t-shirt and boxers and ran down the stairs to find his mother trying to ward off the advancing Fred, his arms around her, attempting to...rape her! Seifer ran quickly, pushing Fred with all his might off of his mother and threatened him with his fists. "You back off asshole!" he yelled, pushing his mother aside.
"Seifer, it's all right, I'm fine," Lynette told her son.
Seifer ignored her request, his eyes trained on Fred. Fred grinned, locking eyes with his lover's son. "Well, aren't you the brave soldier to stand up for your mother." The man looked younger this time, maybe in his late thirties, the only one of the three men so far to be the same age as his mother and had dark, dark, messy hair that looked like it hadn't been combed for centuries.
"You hit her again or I swear I'll kill you!" the blond spoke.
"Seifer, really..."
"Stop this mother! Don't defend an asshole like him! You've gone far enough already with these men."
Lynette looked down on the ground shamefully. "I know... Seifer, I want you to go. You'll be late for school."
Angrily, Seifer tried to grab the man's shirt collar, but Fred was quick enough to notice his move and he was able to get away from his threat. Fred advanced forward, but Seifer noticed that as well. The older man was only able to take hold of his shoulder and squeeze it. Seifer retaliated by slapping his hand away from him, then grabbed the man by the shirt collar, this time, overpowering the man with his taller form. He pulled the man closer to him so he could tell him straight on in his face. "I tell you again, you bastard! If you touch my mother ever again, I'm going to run you over with my gun that's sitting in my room!" he whispered in his ear. With his last ounce of strenght, Seifer pulled the man towards the door and pushed him out of the house as hard as he could. Fred fell hard on his butt on the ground, but he quickly stood up and casually brushed dirt from his shirt.
"Well, I guess our date is over. Sorry about what I did to you, Lynette. I guess I got carried away," Fred spoke.
"I'll bet!" Seifer said, sneering at him, standing by the door and blocking it.
Fred looked at him, turned and walked away, Seifer's threat working. The blond man stood there until he was sure Fred was gone and when he was, he turned around to find his mother with an angry face, but Seifer did not tolerate that kind of behaviour from her. She was acting like a naive high school girl sleeping with any man who charmed her. "Mother, what the hell are you doing defending him like that?!"
"You have no right to butt in my personal life Seifer! I knew how to handle men like him!"
"YOUR personal life?! You're my mother! Why wouldn't I?!"
"I didn't butt in yours so why should you butt in mine?!" Angrily, Lynette turned and walked away without another word. Seifer watched her enter and kitchen. Sighing, he walked back up the stairs to get ready for school. There was no point in him trying to reconcile with the stubborn woman. School was the other thing he held close to him. It didn't cause him any problems, even though he was failing in it. At least the teachers and the friends he knew there would understand him better than his mother ever would.
********************************
School had already started by the time he made it inside the building. All the students were already inside their respected rooms, getting ready to start class. The halls were quiet once again, but he was used to that. He saw it every morning he came to school. Seifer walked through the quiet hallway and watched rooms go by as he passed each and every one of them. Math was his first class of the day and even though it wasn't his favorite subject, it helped him forget the problems he had at home. He used to be smart in that class. When he started high school, he used to get at least a B average in all his Math classes, but when he was told two years ago, that night he came home from football practice, that his parents were getting a divorce, his thoughts were always on that night and he lost all his concentration from Math and his grades went from an average B to a low C-. His teachers asked him about what was going on at home, because they assumed that that was the result of his falling grades and they were right. Seifer didn't answer them, however. He would just walk away from their questions and ignored the requested appointments the math teachers wanted to set him up with. He was always late, always getting into trouble for loitering in the halls when class resumed and he always had detentions after school. That was his only way keep himself from heading home. He didn't like going home. He always went home late, close to midnight and his mother wouldn't care. His father wouldn't even care either, to what he was told by his mother. Apparently, Bryan Almasy got married to a rich woman down in Cincinatti about a year ago and has a baby with her. That news reached his ears when there was a message on the telephone left by his father. Seifer thought about that. He would rather live with his father, than be with his sex-crazed mother who wouldn't give a damn about him. He was angry with his mother when he found out that his father did actually write to him. He found the letter in the trash can when he was ready to throw out the garbage. It was addressed to his mother, but his father also wrote something for him on a different kind of paper, one that was written with thought and love. Seifer hadn't had a chance to read the whole thing, because the rotting banana in the garbage can had already smudged some parts of the letter. He hadn't been able to forgive his mother about that since then and despite his mother's protests not to write him, Seifer wrote to his father anyway. He kept his last name as Almasy, because he refused to be called Lynette, the 'whore' Walker. Besides, Almasy suited him well.
Seifer paused by the doorway outside his classroom, took a deep breath and opened the door. Ms. Fisher looked up from reading a math question and all the students present stared at him as he entered the room. "Seifer Almasy, glad you could join us." The blond ignored the stern words by his teacher and walked to his usual desk by the corner of the room. He heard whispers from somewhere, but he ignored that. He knew it was Rinoa and Selphie and that new girl that he didn't get a chance to take a good look at, because he was too busy with his own thoughts to notice. He heard a giggle from one of the girls, but he just ignored that as well.
"Is there a problem Ms. Tilmitt?" came Ms. Fisher's voice. Seifer glanced at the three girls, taking a chance on examining the new girl that he missed in the first few minutes of class. The girl looked shy and she seemed familiar to him somehow. Selphie and Rinoa turned back to their books, trying not to laugh as Ms. Fisher continued with her lesson. The blond girl looked around, waiting for something and when she glanced up towards him, their eyes met. Seifer was trying to place the memory in his mind on where he's seen her before, but before he could guess any further, the new girl blushed and turned her eyes away from him. Seifer turned back around, the memory finally coming back to him after a couple of minutes that the new girl was indeed that girl he saw yesterday with her father and Charlotte.
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Lunch was one of his favorite hour, even if it was just forty minutes. He liked to walk around the school, just breathing in air and just imagine being alone while watching the soccer field in the distant. Just beyond that, there was a small forest, where some of the kids, who are outcasts in their lives, hang out, just putting the popular kids down for their own sake. Maybe it was their way to reach happiness, away from high school. High school was always the downfall of everyone's lives, even when ur a popular student, but for Seifer- it was different. High school was his only salvation from his broken home. The only thing he despised about high school was the division between the so-called 'popular' kids and the outcasts.
Seifer walked through the quiet forest and listened to the birds chirping somewhere on one of the trees. The usual people that hung out in there was not present a the moment, but for one, Seifer was glad he was alone. He needed time to think about what to do with his mother and her 'pride.' Maybe he shouldn't be part of her life. Maybe she didn't need him anymore, after all... he was turning eighteen soon and he was going to graduate... IF he ever graduates. The words from Ms Fisher came back into his mind. "You need this tutorial if you are to pass this class, Seifer," she had told him before class ended. "I will ask one of the students to help you with your problems." Ms. Fisher glanced over his shoulder, looking at someone who was still in the room, but Seifer didn't want to know whom she chose to be his tutor. Having one was just a waste of time. He knew how to get out of situations and he always got out of them with no complications.
"Thank you for your concern, Ms. Fisher, but I don't think I need anyone's help with math," he had replied to her then.
"I understand that you don't want this, but I insist that you take this chance. Don't you want to apply to a good college?"
The blond sighed deeply. This was the same conversation over and over again, but this time, the young teacher was persistent. She must have thought of someone who will tutor him already and must have been thinking this was his last chance. "I'll think about it," he finally said.
"I think you should take this, but I don't want to push you. I'll give you until after school and then you can come to this class and let me know before three."
Seifer nodded. He left the class quickly, without saying good bye to his teacher or taking a short glance towards her, wondering if she wanted him so bad to take the tutorial after school. Maybe it would be a good idea. After all, what was he going to do when he graduates? His father offered a room for him in Cincinatti... maybe he can apply to a college there. If his mother didn't want him to butt in her personal life, maybe she didn't want him in her life anymore? It would be good for both of them to stay away from each other just for a while and blow off some steam somewhere else. The blond sighed, stuffing his hands in his trenchcoat pockets. A chill wind jumped his from his thoughts and forced him to think about leaving the forest and walking back inside the warm building. His stomach was also warning him to go back inside and get something to eat. With that thought, he quickly marched out through the small wooded area and jumped down from the high ground and into lower ground. He walked casually through the back terrace and through the doors that led to the cafeteria.
The cafeteria was packed as usual, with students and some of the teachers who would rather eat with the kids than with other teachers at the lounge. The long tables were full of noisy eight graders and ninth graders, who were in that stage where they hung out mostly with people their age and would chat endlessly.. girls about boys and boys about girls. Seifer found it annoying sometimes to think about women. Some of the women in high school were either too stubborn, high strung or just plain stupid or naive for him. Some girls from the younger grades already took highly of him. He noticed girls looking at him with dreamy eyes, but he would ignored them. Some girls, however, looked at him, scared and they would end up hiding behind their friends everytime he passed by. He couldn't really remember the first time people started running away from him. Maybe it was that time when he threatened Bobby Hill to keep away from James Kyle who was being mistreated. He took the scared Bobby Hill behind the school and 'chatted' with him. Those who were watching them leave the hallway must have thought he beat the young boy badly and that rumor spread like wildfire when Bobby Hill stopped going to school. The truth to that was... Bobby Hill just moved away because his dad found a nice job down in California.
"Did you catch that on film, Gerri?" came Brandy's irritable voice. Seifer frowned, wondering what kind of trouble Brandy was in now? He pushed his way through the crowd that gathered around a table where Brandy and her friends sat. He noticed a young woman sitting on the floor. Seifer gritted his teeth, knowing full well who it was on the floor. He hated it when people pushed others around just because a person topped the other with their stupid math marks. No one seemed to notice him watching, so he continued to stand there, until he found the right moment to butt in. "The Great Quistis Trepe has fallen. So, you think you can show me off now?" Seifer grimaced when Brandy kneeled down beside the girl and stared her down with her cold eyes. "You and your stupid math mark..." There was a roar of laughter from Brandy's friends and those who want to be her friend.
Seifer couldn't take it anymore. He pushed a young man out of the way roughly and walked through the crowd. Those who saw him coming, whispered to each other and backed away from the crowd, giving him room to walk through. "Not everyone is stupid, McFadden," he spoke outloud. The wave of people began to diverge from each other, while Seifer began walking towards the commotion.
Brandy looked up quickly, knowing full well who it was. Seifer neared the two and he held out his hand towards the blond girl. The girl looked up shyly and took his hand. He quickly glanced at Brandy and glared at her with his green eyes. It was as if a shock of some sort penetrated through the auburn haired girl when she began to stand up. The blond girl mumbled a 'thank you' to him, but Seifer didn't take the time to focus on the girl, because he wanted to leave right away. He didn't want anyone to watch him. He hated it when everyone watched. It was stupid of him to help the girl. He didn't know why he helped people. Frankly, he didn't give a damn about the people he was helping, but the one thing he hated were bullies picking on weaker kids. He used to be one of those weaker kids, one who was usually picked on during elementary school. He was scrawny and had lots of hair, but as he grew up, he learned to be tough so those who picked on him could see how tough he was now. If he stayed longer in the cafeteria, people will start rumors about it. So, he turned around and walked out of the cafeteria, giving cold glares to those who dared to stop him from leaving. He glanced behind him, wondering where Brandy was and found her leaving the other way with her friends, whom he preferred to call, her 'dogs,' because they followed her around like the four legged creaturs. Smirking, Seifer walked pass a blond jock who was sitting alone in the hallway, doing something that Seifer couldn't tell what, but the blond just ignored him and decided to go home first and come back later...
For the math tutorial.
GoodGurl: Wooh! There, finished! Yeay! Hail to Seifer Almasy!!!!!! Hah hah! Isn't he so cool in this fic? I mean he still has that 'don't touch me or i'll kill you, look,' but still has the kind, rebellious guy whom we know and love! ^_^. U must be wondering who's next? Well, you're just gonna have to wait and see!!!!!
Chapter 2 - Through His Eyes
"I'm home! Mom? Dad?" He closed the door behind him and looked around an empty living room. Normally he wouldn't care how quiet the house was, but he felt that there was something different about this day than any other days and he couldn't help but feel this negative feeling in his heart.
"Son, we're in the kitchen," came his father's voice.
With a curious expression, the tall, fifteen year old boy walked across the living room, leaving his backpack on the floor by the front door and made his way into the kitchen, where his parents were. His mother was sitting across from his father, their faces filled with so much sadness. At the same time, they both looked up at the sound of his heavy footsteps entering the kitchen. His mother, a beautiful woman in her early thirties, blond and blue eyed, attracted so many of his male teachers when she first came to the parent/teacher interviews at school, while his father, a balding, yet gentle man in his early forties, did not. Both of them had decent jobs- Lynette, was a jewelry store owner down near Olympia, so she drives there almost every two hours every morning. His father, Bryan, was an engineer for an oil company located in downtown Seattle.
The young blond looked at both his parents, fearing the worse. "What's going on?" he finally asked, finding his voice after a couple of seconds.
Lynette was the first one to speak up to her son. She pulled a chair beside her and patted the seat for her son to sit. Seifer obeyed and sat down, his eyes still holding that curiosity. His blond mother wrapped an arm around him and looked at his father. "You're father and I, Seifer are... we're getting a divorce."
Seifer felt his blood run cold. That's impossible! "No way... what are you talking about? You and dad love each other," Seifer said, glancing at his father.
Bryan shook his head. "No, we don't Seifer. Not anymore."
"But that's impossible!" The blond boy stood up quickly, looking at his parents. "You both fight all the time! That's natural for parents to do!"
"Arguing all the time doesn't really mean we love each other, Seifer," Lynette replied, taking his hand in hers. "We..."
"NO!" Seifer yelled, interrupting his mother. "You're lying aren't you? This morning, you were hugging and kissing! I saw you two! I saw it with my own eyes!"
"That's because we didn't want you to worry about it too much before you went to school. We wanted to tell you when you got home," his mother said.
Seifer shook his head. Was it possible to have a really bad news like this?! He jerked his hand away from his mother and backed away from the table, shaking his head in denial. "No, this is a dream... I'm going to wake up and..." He looked up and saw his parents shaking their heads. It was no dream... He was getting confused. They were happy! They're a happy family! Why did it have to come to this? "I hate you!" Seifer yelled, his voice, stern and weak at the same time. The blond closed his mouth finally and ran out of the kitchen, hearing the cries of his parents calling his name. Seifer ran through the living room, ignoring his parents' pleas for him to stay, picked up his backpack and ran out the door, without hesitation.
Outside, he ran... and ran... like there was no tomorrow.
He ran, hoping he was dreaming.
He will wake up and find it to be a dream.
Yes... it was a dream.
A dream.
He'll wake up and find himself in bed in the early morning. He will find his parents sitting in the kitchen, laughing at each other's jokes, just having a time of their lives. He will find them eating breakfast together and he will join them and he will enjoy breakfast together... just like a perfect family.
Seifer ran, taking a turn towards an alley that led to his hideout he used when he was just a boy. Him and his best friend, Wade would hide in that old, large tree where its base, with a large hole in the middle could be used as a fort. They would hide there and wait until dark, until they had to go in for dinner. It was also their salvation to the problems they were facing at school or at home. Wade's parents were divorced when he was six and he would still reminisce that time his father left, leaving him behind to stay with his mother. His father later came back and asked for the custody of his son. Eventually, his mother won, but it didn't mean his father didn't have a chance to spend time with him. He saw his father every other weekend or on holidays, but Wade was never used to the idea since the beginning. It was really hard. At times, his mother wanted him at holidays or weekends when she needed him and it resulted to his parents fighting all over again, just like before.
"You're lucky, Seifer. You have parents who love each other," Wade once said.
Seifer smirked at that thought, running faster now. "Yes, they really love each other all right," he spoke outloud to himself. He believed that for the longest time, until now... until that news hit him like a disease, gnawing at his chest. No matter what his parents say, he will never come home. He will never say good bye to what he knew as a 'perfect' family.
When he arrived, the tree was still there. It has been five years since he last visited the fort. The tree was still dying, but it was still holding itself up, as if it knew that he was coming tonight. Seifer paused on top of the dirt that collected itself like a large hill and stared at nothing, thinking about what happened today. Angrily, he looked up, his attention still at nothing and clenched his fists. With one, unthinkable act, Seifer lifted up one hand and punched the tree as hard as he could, his right fist starting to bleed. But, it didn't matter, as Seifer punched the same spot with the other hand. He punched again, alternating between his fists, tears bursting out of his eyes like a water dam.
"I HATE YOU!" he yelled at nothing in particular. With every punch he took, he chanted, "I HATE YOU!" over and over again. He imagined the tree to be his father or his mother, or just anyone who was the cause for their unhappiness. He even saw his own face. Maybe it was his fault they weren't happy.
Again, he punched, his hands starting to bleed faster.
Seifer stopped suddenly and looked at his hands. It wasn't blood. It was the old tree. It was the old tree's tears, crying for him- for the unhappiness that began this day. The blond backed away. He could hear the cries of the tree, asking him, 'Why are you blaming me?' He backed away some more, until he felt another tree against his back. He slid down until he felt the cold, mud touching his rear and he sat there, his mind still on his parents. Without second thought, Seifer buries his face in his hands and wept.
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"Seifer, where are you going?" She must have heard him come down the stairs. Seifer paused and turned around, noticing his mother and a stranger coming towards him. "Don't go anywhere. I'd like you to meet someone." Lynette turned to the man and smiled. "This is Robert, Seifer. He's a friend of mine from work."
Seifer looked up, his face serious, but his mother was unaware of it. The older man held out his hand to shake his. Lynette's son examined the stranger in the house standing there in front of him. He was attractive for his age yes, but he knew Robert McFadden was much more than a 'friend from work.' The man looked to be in his early forties as well, the same age as his father and he was tall and had auburn, wavy hair. Seifer noticed the shirt he was wearing used to be what his father wore. It took him a few seconds to study him and Robert waited patiently to shake his hand.
"Hi, Seifer, your mother told me a lot about you!" Robert spoke.
"Seifer? Aren't you going to shake his hand?" his mother spoke.
Lynette's son looked at the man straight in the eyes this time and when he could no longer look at him anymore, Seifer turned, rebuffing the greeting and left without a word. His mother called after him, but Seifer just ignored her calls and by the time he made it to the front door, Lynette had already given up with him. The seventeen year old closed the door behind him and paused by the front door, then leaned his head against the cold wood, hoping to hear his mother walking towards the door to make an effort to get him, but he heard none. Angry at her for not caring, Seifer gritted his teeth in annoyance and walked away, kicking their old mailbox made by his father when he was young in the way and walked away. He glanced at his watch. It was eight in the morning, just few minutes before his school started. He was going to be late, but his mind was still on that man who was staying at his house. He was the third man to ever visit his house, his mother's third date and the third man to ever sleep with her. Seifer clenched his fists at his sides, kicking another rock out of his way and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Since the divorce two years ago, his mother had given up on her work, instead she's been sleeping with most of the men she either meets on the street, or from bars or just from the new jewelry store she works for. Robert was her third parking. Before that, there was Clyde McFadden, whose daughter happened to be Brandy McFadden, the bitchiest girl ever to live on earth, or in the universe for that matter. Before, they never knew each other, until his mother started dating her father and when Clyde and Lynette broke off their relationship, Brandy has never been annoying. She kept telling Seifer that his mother was to blame for her father's unhappiness. But after a few months, Brandy never bothered him again. He figured her father must have found someone else.
Seifer turned towards Haley Street. A black oldsmobile, that looked like it needed repairs, drove by him. It was the first car he's never seen around this area, so that knowledge jump started his curiosity. The blond broke his mind from the recent man who was now banging his mother and looked through the back window of the car as it parked to the driveway of a house he's seen a couple of times when he walked to his school and back. Travis Meyers lived in that house, with his single mother, who babysat him when he was little. Because of that, when Charlotte became pregnant with Travis, her and his mother became close. Lynette would give advice to Charlotte and offered to help her with his birth. Seifer was only two when Travis was born at four o'clock in the morning on October 3rd, 1987 at the Almasy resident. Charlotte was still babysitting Seifer then when her water broke. He had called the ambulance and then his mother from work and it resulted in a commotion in the house. But Charlotte pratically became his own mother when Lynette and Bryan got a divorce, leaving their bewildered son to run away to the Meyers house. Charlotte was the one who convinced the pissed off fifteen year old Seifer to go home to his family, despite his protests.
Charlotte was already outside, waiting until a girl with blond hair and a grown man, probably her father, got out of the car. He could hear Charlotte's excited voice, "My, Quistis! You've grown a lot the last time I saw you!" Seifer watched as the girl gave Charlotte a hug. She looked at be around his age as well, but from where he was standing, she looked tall and skinny and was wearing a cute baby blue sundress. He glanced at the man. The father had no reaction to the greeting, but Charlotte didn't seem to care much about him. The woman took the girl's hand and pulled her along inside the house, followed by the man. Seifer watched them leave and when he didn't see them anymore, he sighed and turned to the direction of the school. Ms. Fisher was going to have another fit, he thought. He better go.
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He woke up once again with the same noise from downstairs. He heard heavy footsteps beneath him and a lighter one. He also heard voices, one of a deeper tone and one of a high pitched tone. The deep voice did not sound like 'Robert' from yesterday. Seifer rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand lazily and waited until the noises died down. He glanced at his watch. He only had ten minutes until school started. He wanted to go back to sleep and forget about going to school, when his mother's high pitched voice alerted him from his thoughts.
"I told you to leave me alone, Fred! It's over!"
"You stupid bitch! You think you can just sleep with me and then kick me out the next day?!"
Then, he heard it. A hard slap on the face. He could hear the heavy footsteps advanding to the lighter ones and his mother trying to calm him down. Seifer got up quickly, dressed only in his white t-shirt and boxers and ran down the stairs to find his mother trying to ward off the advancing Fred, his arms around her, attempting to...rape her! Seifer ran quickly, pushing Fred with all his might off of his mother and threatened him with his fists. "You back off asshole!" he yelled, pushing his mother aside.
"Seifer, it's all right, I'm fine," Lynette told her son.
Seifer ignored her request, his eyes trained on Fred. Fred grinned, locking eyes with his lover's son. "Well, aren't you the brave soldier to stand up for your mother." The man looked younger this time, maybe in his late thirties, the only one of the three men so far to be the same age as his mother and had dark, dark, messy hair that looked like it hadn't been combed for centuries.
"You hit her again or I swear I'll kill you!" the blond spoke.
"Seifer, really..."
"Stop this mother! Don't defend an asshole like him! You've gone far enough already with these men."
Lynette looked down on the ground shamefully. "I know... Seifer, I want you to go. You'll be late for school."
Angrily, Seifer tried to grab the man's shirt collar, but Fred was quick enough to notice his move and he was able to get away from his threat. Fred advanced forward, but Seifer noticed that as well. The older man was only able to take hold of his shoulder and squeeze it. Seifer retaliated by slapping his hand away from him, then grabbed the man by the shirt collar, this time, overpowering the man with his taller form. He pulled the man closer to him so he could tell him straight on in his face. "I tell you again, you bastard! If you touch my mother ever again, I'm going to run you over with my gun that's sitting in my room!" he whispered in his ear. With his last ounce of strenght, Seifer pulled the man towards the door and pushed him out of the house as hard as he could. Fred fell hard on his butt on the ground, but he quickly stood up and casually brushed dirt from his shirt.
"Well, I guess our date is over. Sorry about what I did to you, Lynette. I guess I got carried away," Fred spoke.
"I'll bet!" Seifer said, sneering at him, standing by the door and blocking it.
Fred looked at him, turned and walked away, Seifer's threat working. The blond man stood there until he was sure Fred was gone and when he was, he turned around to find his mother with an angry face, but Seifer did not tolerate that kind of behaviour from her. She was acting like a naive high school girl sleeping with any man who charmed her. "Mother, what the hell are you doing defending him like that?!"
"You have no right to butt in my personal life Seifer! I knew how to handle men like him!"
"YOUR personal life?! You're my mother! Why wouldn't I?!"
"I didn't butt in yours so why should you butt in mine?!" Angrily, Lynette turned and walked away without another word. Seifer watched her enter and kitchen. Sighing, he walked back up the stairs to get ready for school. There was no point in him trying to reconcile with the stubborn woman. School was the other thing he held close to him. It didn't cause him any problems, even though he was failing in it. At least the teachers and the friends he knew there would understand him better than his mother ever would.
********************************
School had already started by the time he made it inside the building. All the students were already inside their respected rooms, getting ready to start class. The halls were quiet once again, but he was used to that. He saw it every morning he came to school. Seifer walked through the quiet hallway and watched rooms go by as he passed each and every one of them. Math was his first class of the day and even though it wasn't his favorite subject, it helped him forget the problems he had at home. He used to be smart in that class. When he started high school, he used to get at least a B average in all his Math classes, but when he was told two years ago, that night he came home from football practice, that his parents were getting a divorce, his thoughts were always on that night and he lost all his concentration from Math and his grades went from an average B to a low C-. His teachers asked him about what was going on at home, because they assumed that that was the result of his falling grades and they were right. Seifer didn't answer them, however. He would just walk away from their questions and ignored the requested appointments the math teachers wanted to set him up with. He was always late, always getting into trouble for loitering in the halls when class resumed and he always had detentions after school. That was his only way keep himself from heading home. He didn't like going home. He always went home late, close to midnight and his mother wouldn't care. His father wouldn't even care either, to what he was told by his mother. Apparently, Bryan Almasy got married to a rich woman down in Cincinatti about a year ago and has a baby with her. That news reached his ears when there was a message on the telephone left by his father. Seifer thought about that. He would rather live with his father, than be with his sex-crazed mother who wouldn't give a damn about him. He was angry with his mother when he found out that his father did actually write to him. He found the letter in the trash can when he was ready to throw out the garbage. It was addressed to his mother, but his father also wrote something for him on a different kind of paper, one that was written with thought and love. Seifer hadn't had a chance to read the whole thing, because the rotting banana in the garbage can had already smudged some parts of the letter. He hadn't been able to forgive his mother about that since then and despite his mother's protests not to write him, Seifer wrote to his father anyway. He kept his last name as Almasy, because he refused to be called Lynette, the 'whore' Walker. Besides, Almasy suited him well.
Seifer paused by the doorway outside his classroom, took a deep breath and opened the door. Ms. Fisher looked up from reading a math question and all the students present stared at him as he entered the room. "Seifer Almasy, glad you could join us." The blond ignored the stern words by his teacher and walked to his usual desk by the corner of the room. He heard whispers from somewhere, but he ignored that. He knew it was Rinoa and Selphie and that new girl that he didn't get a chance to take a good look at, because he was too busy with his own thoughts to notice. He heard a giggle from one of the girls, but he just ignored that as well.
"Is there a problem Ms. Tilmitt?" came Ms. Fisher's voice. Seifer glanced at the three girls, taking a chance on examining the new girl that he missed in the first few minutes of class. The girl looked shy and she seemed familiar to him somehow. Selphie and Rinoa turned back to their books, trying not to laugh as Ms. Fisher continued with her lesson. The blond girl looked around, waiting for something and when she glanced up towards him, their eyes met. Seifer was trying to place the memory in his mind on where he's seen her before, but before he could guess any further, the new girl blushed and turned her eyes away from him. Seifer turned back around, the memory finally coming back to him after a couple of minutes that the new girl was indeed that girl he saw yesterday with her father and Charlotte.
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Lunch was one of his favorite hour, even if it was just forty minutes. He liked to walk around the school, just breathing in air and just imagine being alone while watching the soccer field in the distant. Just beyond that, there was a small forest, where some of the kids, who are outcasts in their lives, hang out, just putting the popular kids down for their own sake. Maybe it was their way to reach happiness, away from high school. High school was always the downfall of everyone's lives, even when ur a popular student, but for Seifer- it was different. High school was his only salvation from his broken home. The only thing he despised about high school was the division between the so-called 'popular' kids and the outcasts.
Seifer walked through the quiet forest and listened to the birds chirping somewhere on one of the trees. The usual people that hung out in there was not present a the moment, but for one, Seifer was glad he was alone. He needed time to think about what to do with his mother and her 'pride.' Maybe he shouldn't be part of her life. Maybe she didn't need him anymore, after all... he was turning eighteen soon and he was going to graduate... IF he ever graduates. The words from Ms Fisher came back into his mind. "You need this tutorial if you are to pass this class, Seifer," she had told him before class ended. "I will ask one of the students to help you with your problems." Ms. Fisher glanced over his shoulder, looking at someone who was still in the room, but Seifer didn't want to know whom she chose to be his tutor. Having one was just a waste of time. He knew how to get out of situations and he always got out of them with no complications.
"Thank you for your concern, Ms. Fisher, but I don't think I need anyone's help with math," he had replied to her then.
"I understand that you don't want this, but I insist that you take this chance. Don't you want to apply to a good college?"
The blond sighed deeply. This was the same conversation over and over again, but this time, the young teacher was persistent. She must have thought of someone who will tutor him already and must have been thinking this was his last chance. "I'll think about it," he finally said.
"I think you should take this, but I don't want to push you. I'll give you until after school and then you can come to this class and let me know before three."
Seifer nodded. He left the class quickly, without saying good bye to his teacher or taking a short glance towards her, wondering if she wanted him so bad to take the tutorial after school. Maybe it would be a good idea. After all, what was he going to do when he graduates? His father offered a room for him in Cincinatti... maybe he can apply to a college there. If his mother didn't want him to butt in her personal life, maybe she didn't want him in her life anymore? It would be good for both of them to stay away from each other just for a while and blow off some steam somewhere else. The blond sighed, stuffing his hands in his trenchcoat pockets. A chill wind jumped his from his thoughts and forced him to think about leaving the forest and walking back inside the warm building. His stomach was also warning him to go back inside and get something to eat. With that thought, he quickly marched out through the small wooded area and jumped down from the high ground and into lower ground. He walked casually through the back terrace and through the doors that led to the cafeteria.
The cafeteria was packed as usual, with students and some of the teachers who would rather eat with the kids than with other teachers at the lounge. The long tables were full of noisy eight graders and ninth graders, who were in that stage where they hung out mostly with people their age and would chat endlessly.. girls about boys and boys about girls. Seifer found it annoying sometimes to think about women. Some of the women in high school were either too stubborn, high strung or just plain stupid or naive for him. Some girls from the younger grades already took highly of him. He noticed girls looking at him with dreamy eyes, but he would ignored them. Some girls, however, looked at him, scared and they would end up hiding behind their friends everytime he passed by. He couldn't really remember the first time people started running away from him. Maybe it was that time when he threatened Bobby Hill to keep away from James Kyle who was being mistreated. He took the scared Bobby Hill behind the school and 'chatted' with him. Those who were watching them leave the hallway must have thought he beat the young boy badly and that rumor spread like wildfire when Bobby Hill stopped going to school. The truth to that was... Bobby Hill just moved away because his dad found a nice job down in California.
"Did you catch that on film, Gerri?" came Brandy's irritable voice. Seifer frowned, wondering what kind of trouble Brandy was in now? He pushed his way through the crowd that gathered around a table where Brandy and her friends sat. He noticed a young woman sitting on the floor. Seifer gritted his teeth, knowing full well who it was on the floor. He hated it when people pushed others around just because a person topped the other with their stupid math marks. No one seemed to notice him watching, so he continued to stand there, until he found the right moment to butt in. "The Great Quistis Trepe has fallen. So, you think you can show me off now?" Seifer grimaced when Brandy kneeled down beside the girl and stared her down with her cold eyes. "You and your stupid math mark..." There was a roar of laughter from Brandy's friends and those who want to be her friend.
Seifer couldn't take it anymore. He pushed a young man out of the way roughly and walked through the crowd. Those who saw him coming, whispered to each other and backed away from the crowd, giving him room to walk through. "Not everyone is stupid, McFadden," he spoke outloud. The wave of people began to diverge from each other, while Seifer began walking towards the commotion.
Brandy looked up quickly, knowing full well who it was. Seifer neared the two and he held out his hand towards the blond girl. The girl looked up shyly and took his hand. He quickly glanced at Brandy and glared at her with his green eyes. It was as if a shock of some sort penetrated through the auburn haired girl when she began to stand up. The blond girl mumbled a 'thank you' to him, but Seifer didn't take the time to focus on the girl, because he wanted to leave right away. He didn't want anyone to watch him. He hated it when everyone watched. It was stupid of him to help the girl. He didn't know why he helped people. Frankly, he didn't give a damn about the people he was helping, but the one thing he hated were bullies picking on weaker kids. He used to be one of those weaker kids, one who was usually picked on during elementary school. He was scrawny and had lots of hair, but as he grew up, he learned to be tough so those who picked on him could see how tough he was now. If he stayed longer in the cafeteria, people will start rumors about it. So, he turned around and walked out of the cafeteria, giving cold glares to those who dared to stop him from leaving. He glanced behind him, wondering where Brandy was and found her leaving the other way with her friends, whom he preferred to call, her 'dogs,' because they followed her around like the four legged creaturs. Smirking, Seifer walked pass a blond jock who was sitting alone in the hallway, doing something that Seifer couldn't tell what, but the blond just ignored him and decided to go home first and come back later...
For the math tutorial.
GoodGurl: Wooh! There, finished! Yeay! Hail to Seifer Almasy!!!!!! Hah hah! Isn't he so cool in this fic? I mean he still has that 'don't touch me or i'll kill you, look,' but still has the kind, rebellious guy whom we know and love! ^_^. U must be wondering who's next? Well, you're just gonna have to wait and see!!!!!