GoodGurl: HI everyone! Sorry to make you wait for the next chapter of this 'wonderful' story! ^_^ Heh heh! Anyway, so, the last time with Selphie and Zell, Selphie found out about his 'dope' in his jacket pocket. Will she really tell him now or wait until it gets worse? o_O Hm............Go ahead and read!
Chapter 8 - A Perfect World
The sunlight was just greeting her with the warmth that soothed every inch of her body. It has been terribly chilly for the last couple of days in the first two weeks of April. Everyone expected the day to be bright and sunny, instead of the winter coldness in the middle of spring. Selphie walked down the hallway, eager for lunch to come so she could talk to Zell. Last week, ever since learning of Zell's 'new habit' she has been replaying the thought over and over again on how to approach him, careful not to offend him in anyway. She was just passing people she knew, waving at them, greeting them with her soft voice, while at the same time putting one hand in her jacket pocket to make sure the 'item' she found from Zell's jacket was still in there. When she turned the corner, the last thing she remembered was bumping into something blue and white. Selphie came flying down towards the floor, but never made it there, when strong arms caught her just in time.
"Woah! Selphie, you all right?" came a familiar voice.
"Yeah, thanks, Kent." Selphie nodded and when she reached into her pocket to make sure it was still there, she was shocked to find nothing. The girl looked down and found the white tube laying there on the floor. She made a move to get it, before anyone could see it, but the person who had caught her, saw it first and was already bending down to pick it up.
Kent Marshall stared at the item in his hand and stared at Selphie curiously. "What's this? Why do you have this, Selph?"
Selphie frowned, lifting a hand to get it from him, but Kent had lifted it away from her reach. "It's nothing." She tried again, but Kent was much taller that Selphie was unable to do it twice.
Kent looked around and when no one was looking, he pulled Selphie aside, just to a corner between the wall and the lockers. "It's not nothing. Where did you get this?"
"Why do you care?" She glared at Kent suspiciously. "From Zell's pocket. Did you give this to him? I mean I can understand it's yours and Zell was just holding it for you and..." she stopped talking when Kent held up his hand to stop her.
The dark hared boy looked around again, making sure that no one was passing by to hear their conversation and frowned, still holding the pot in his hand. "It's definitely not mine, Selphie. But if you were Zell's best friend, then you would mind your own business, instead of prying into his. I mean what kind of best friend are you just taking this from his pocket without asking him?" Kent had a stern tone in his voice, which Selphie has never heard from him before. True, she disliked Kent very much, because he was a bad influence on her childhood friend, but she always took the time to get to know Kent, just for Zell's sake.
Selphie said nothing.
Suddenly, Kent's voice turned soft and friendly again, though Selphie could tell he was just trying to get into her good side so she wouldn't say anything to the principal that Kent was the one who had put the marijuana in the first place and was the one who influenced Zell to start the habit. Selphie simply refused to accept that Zell was doing these things. If he did, she would be the first one to know and he would tell everything to her. "Look Selphie, just be a good girl for once and be quiet with this. Zell's going through some things that's hard for him to tell you, that's why he never told you anything."
The girl shook her head. "What are you talking about? He's not doing it... I mean, he would tell me right away and-" She stopped suddenly, when Kent's hand slammed against the wall behind her. Selphie winced, holding her breath and looked hard into Kent's eyes. There was something in them that frightened her, but she didn't want to show it to him. He knew better than to hurt Zell's best friend.
He leaned closer, his breath tickling his ears. "You don't get it do you?" Kent whispered in her ear. "Because you're living in such a perfect world, you don't see anything that he's going through. If you were his best friend, then you would have been able to read inside the pain and guilt he's going through right now. I think it's time that he think twice on who he should consider as his 'best friend!'" With the last word, he slammed his hand hard on the wall and left for good, carrying with him the item that he took from Selphie. He stuffed it in his pocket and left the building.
Selphie exhaled. For those minutes that Kent had her trapped in the corner, she was holding her breath the whole time. She could have died then and there just by doing something simple to get away from, but she didn't. She would have died to something more horrible than an easy breath... her death could have been result of Kent's fists against her face. Perfect world? she thought. Why would he think that? She didn't live in a perfect world. Not one bit.
***********************
"Garrett?" An eight year old girl poked her head through the opened door and looked inside. She saw her older brother hunched over a table, with his back towards her. Selphie couldn't tell what he was doing. She stepped inside and made her presence known, by calling his name again. Garrett didn't respond. Frightened that he probably stopped breathing because of his asthma, Selphie approached him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Garrett?"
Suddenly, his head sprung up. The boy turned around, but it wasn't Garrett staring at her. It was his best friend, Alex Whitcomb. "Oh, hey Selphie! What's up?"
Selphie looked around, hoping to find her older brother getting out of his bathroom, but after a couple of seconds or so, he didn't come out. She gave Alex a wondering look. "Where is Garrett?" she asked in her small voice. She looked pass Alex to see what he was doing on the table, but he moved to the side, just enough so she couldn't see what he was doing. Selphie, however, possessed fast eyes that she was able to see what was on the table. There was something white and powdery on a piece of paper ripped from a newspaper on the table and she also noticed two straws beside them.
Alex laughed. "Oh, he's probably still at the store getting something to eat."
"But... Our mom told me to get him for dinner. Why would he get something to eat now?" Selphie asked. "What are you doing?"
Alex smiled and shook his head. "Nothing. Your brother and I are experimenting something."
"What are you experimenting?" Selphie moved closer, but Alex had quicker hands. He folded the piece of paper with the powder on it and stuffed it quickly inside the drawer beside him. He turned around and shook his head again.
"I don't think you'll be interested in it anyway."
Selphie stared at him suspiciously. "Hey squirt, what are you doing in my room without asking for permission?" The girl felt a hand patting her head. Selphie looked up and saw her brother smiling down at her.
"Mom told me to get you for dinner," the girl replied.
Garrett joined his friend by the table and he turned to look at his sister. "Thanks, Selphie. We'll be down in a minute, okay?"
Selphie nodded, took one look at Alex and left the room, closing the door behind her. She heard her brother's voice on the other side of the door and Selphie couldn't help but stay there to listen. Her curiosity growing rapidly, Selphie pressed her ears against the door and listened.
"Did she see anything?" her brother's voice rung in a hushed whisper.
Alex's voice later came. "I'm not sure, but she's just a kid, what does she know?"
What does she know what? Selphie wondered.
"She may just be a kid, Alex, but my little sister's a smart girl. Next time, don't do this here while my sister's around the house. She reads a lot of books you know." Selphie heard paper being rumpled, a grunt, then silence. For a moment it was quiet, but then the girl heard the footsteps... which was coming closer and closer. Selphie looked around, hoping to find a hiding spot, but all she could think of was her room next door. She silently and carefully opened the door and stepped inside, closing it as quietly as possible, just the same moment the two boys opened the door to Garrett's room. She heard the same footsteps walk pass her and heard the same ones as it descended down the stairs. With a sigh of relief, Selphie made sure the hallway was clear and stepped out.
****************************
The warm weather was a relief for him. For the last couple of days, despite the frigid winds and rainy weather, the Coach ruthlessly took them out for practices and kept them for many hours after school at the field, doing scrunches and laps. There was only a week left for the championship and for the first time in five years, the Balamb Lions were finally able to play in it. After a couple of games, after so much hard work, the news that reached the Balamb Lions coach just a couple of days ago increased his influence to work his players harder in the field.
Zell took a deep breath. It was almost six and for three long hours, all they have been doing was going over the drills of tackling their opponent or practicing their kicks to make sure it reached the goal. "Damn the championships," he hissed quietly, making sure the coach didn't hear. "Why do they have to make a big deal out of it?" He was itching for some smoke right now.
"Because it's the championship, Dincht!" Kent answered, slapping a hand on the blonde's back. "I mean this is the first time we've actually made it in the championships, or so what I've heard from Micheal."
The blond looked at him. Kent barely talked about his older brother to him and this was the first time he's heard his name being mentioned from his lips. "Yeah, I can't believe it...five years and not being able to win a trophy in the championships." He remembered when his Uncle was seventeen. He played for the Balamb Lions and even with the best players in the team, they weren't able to make it for the third time in a row. When Zell joined two years ago in the team, two years were wasted on trying to get into the championship, which was now five times altogether. During his Uncle's time, before he started joining for the team, Zell was able to hear from his point of view, that Balamb had the best football team in the district. Ever since the team started playing, they won many championships, but for some reason, they had 'lost their touch.' His uncle refused to believe that the reason why they lost was because their best players, Owen Lake, Mark Janssen and Steven Cole graduated and immediately left for college when he started joining. When Zell asked what the reason was of them losing after they left, his Uncle simply said, "We lost because we don't have enough practices." It was those words in the first place that his teammates blamed him for saying, because ever since he mentioned that to their coach, they have been practicing three times a day, during and after school. Zell didn't want to ask his Uncle for a reason on why they lost ten times in a row in the playoffs against the Galbadian Wolves. Ten times they lost against the Galbadian Wolves, but Zell had a feeling that this year, it was different. He felt more confident this year. The Balamb Lions were going to win this time.
"Yo, Dincht! Are you just going to stand there or hurt yourself with the ball that comes your way?" Kent was already out in the field, holding a football. He approached the blond and leaned closer towards him. "Hey, after we can go out for smoke if you want." He knew Zell was eager for a little smoke.
Zell nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yeah and it will be my last time. After this, I have to tell Selphie and then I'm done."
Kent shrugged. "All right, whatever you say. Remind me then not to hand you anymore of them. Come on let's start!" The dark hared boy ran back to the field to join their other teammates, each passing their own footballs to their partners. Some were simply throwing the ball to each other, trying to see how far they can throw. Some were practicing their kicks, each taking a turn on kicking the ball farther into the field.
The blond nodded. He joined Kent in the field and they began their practice.
******************************
"Zell? Can you promise me one thing?" She looked up into the boy's eyes and gave him a worried look.
The blond nodded. "Sure, what is it?" The boy turned so that he was completely facing the girl as they sat on the roof of the Tilmitt residence.
The girl took a deep breath. "Can you promise me that you won't do bad things?"
The boy was confused. "Bad things?"
"Yeah. My brother... Garrett... he's doing bad things..." She paused, unsure how to continue with the conversation. The twelve year old girl looked up again, this time, with so much desperation in her eyes that Zell couldn't take his eyes away from them. "He's doing bad things that's hurting him and my mom and dad."
"What is he doing?"
Selphie took a deep breath and shook her head. "Just don't do bad things okay? Will you promise me? I don't want you to lose anything..." Tears began to form in her eyes. She suddenly turned away, ashamed to show her best friend that she was crying. She never cried this hard in front of him before. She felt someone's arms surround her small body. The girl looked up and found Zell pulling her in for an embrace. The tears that she has been trying so hard to hold back, soon fell down her face rapidly. She buried her face in his chest and wept.
"I promise..." he whispered in her ear.
******************************
She gasped excitedly and found herself staring at the letter she has been waiting for months from. It's been five months now since Garrett responded. It was the best news she has gotten so she didn't have to think about what happened between her and Kent Marshall in school today. Selphie grabbed the rest of the letters from the mailbox and went inside, looking through the rest of the letters, which consisted mostly of bills, bills and more bills. The girl giggled at the looks her father gave her the moment she handed him the phone bills, the credit card bills and the cable bills. She joined him at the dining room table while her mother prepared an early dinner for them. Selphie unfolded the letter from her brother and smiled, showing her father.
"Dad, I got a letter from Garrett!"
Her father looked up from the food he was eating and his eyebrows lifted up curiously. "Really? What did he say?"
Selphie looked down at the letter, read it quickly, going through certain sentences that she couldn't quite understand and a couple of minutes later, while her lunch stayed untouched, she looked up and smiled. "He says he's doing fine and he's asking how everyone is doing. He only has two months left until his program and he says he's allowed to visit during the summer!" The girl looked up hopefully towards her dad and smiled. "So is he allowed to come visit here?"
Her father smiled and nodded. "Of course! He is your brother after all and he is still our son!"
"When did he say he was coming here for sure?"
The girl jumped up and down excitedly and folded the letter, putting it back inside the envelope. With that done, she finally started eating her dinner that her mother has been anxiously waiting for her to eat. "He said at the end of May or something, just in time to see me graduate!" she answered to her mother's question. This was her chance to ask her brother about a certain 'drug' what Zell was handling. Although she believes it wasn't him, she was doubting it now. What if Zell was actually doing it? Why?
"Selphie, are you all right?" her mother asked.
Selphie looked up and found both her parents staring at her worriedly. "Yeah, I'm fine!" She hadn't realized that her hand, holding the spoon, paused in midair just above her plate. She thought about writing her brother back and asking him on the letter instead of waiting for him to come. The longer she waited, the more she was anticipating the moment to ask Zell about his 'habit.'
The sixteen year old girl frowned, remembering that time she asked Zell to promise her never to do anything bad. He promised of course.
But then he broke it...
Selphie remembered that night they were on the roof, just staring in the sky, looking for a shooting star and when they did, they would wish of happy things. Selphie had asked Zell then and there for him not to do terrible things that will hurt him and everyone he cared about and to promise it. She started crying and Zell had wrapped his tiny arms around her lithe body.
She stirred in his arms and smiled as she looked up to meet his eyes. "Do you really promise, Zell?" Selphie asked, hope in her eyes.
Zell nodded again, confirming what he had said. "Yeah, of course. If I break my promise, remind me okay? Remind me..."
Selphie giggled and nodded. "Okay!" she replied, stifling her giggles.
"Why are you laughing?"
"I'm laughing, because I know you won't break your promise! You never do!"
And she was wrong. Selphie knew the truth. He had broken his promise and it was hurting her really bad. She suddenly felt tears in her eyes. Selphie wiped them away quickly, hoping both her parents didn't see, but it was too late. Her father had seen it.
"Selphie, honey? What's wrong?" His attention was suddenly focused on his daughter as Dylan Tilmitt put his fork down on the plate and looked at her worriedly. His words brought attention as well on Selphie's mother, who was just finishing cooking the last ounce of food and was already at her daughter's side.
"Selphie?" she called.
The girl shook her head, hastily wiping away the tears with her arms from her eyes. "I'm fine mom...dad... Uh... I'm kinda full now, so I think I'm gonna go study. See ya!" Without giving her parents a chance to talk, Selphie got up and left for her bedroom. There was no point in staying longer and making her parents worry more.
GoodGurl: Awwwwwww, poor Selphie! :( I hope things turn out better for her soon, but don't worry, it will. Will she have the courage to tell her best friend or now? And dang! Kent is very threatening ain't he? Heh heh! We gotta have an antagonist sooner or later right? ;)
Chapter 8 - A Perfect World
The sunlight was just greeting her with the warmth that soothed every inch of her body. It has been terribly chilly for the last couple of days in the first two weeks of April. Everyone expected the day to be bright and sunny, instead of the winter coldness in the middle of spring. Selphie walked down the hallway, eager for lunch to come so she could talk to Zell. Last week, ever since learning of Zell's 'new habit' she has been replaying the thought over and over again on how to approach him, careful not to offend him in anyway. She was just passing people she knew, waving at them, greeting them with her soft voice, while at the same time putting one hand in her jacket pocket to make sure the 'item' she found from Zell's jacket was still in there. When she turned the corner, the last thing she remembered was bumping into something blue and white. Selphie came flying down towards the floor, but never made it there, when strong arms caught her just in time.
"Woah! Selphie, you all right?" came a familiar voice.
"Yeah, thanks, Kent." Selphie nodded and when she reached into her pocket to make sure it was still there, she was shocked to find nothing. The girl looked down and found the white tube laying there on the floor. She made a move to get it, before anyone could see it, but the person who had caught her, saw it first and was already bending down to pick it up.
Kent Marshall stared at the item in his hand and stared at Selphie curiously. "What's this? Why do you have this, Selph?"
Selphie frowned, lifting a hand to get it from him, but Kent had lifted it away from her reach. "It's nothing." She tried again, but Kent was much taller that Selphie was unable to do it twice.
Kent looked around and when no one was looking, he pulled Selphie aside, just to a corner between the wall and the lockers. "It's not nothing. Where did you get this?"
"Why do you care?" She glared at Kent suspiciously. "From Zell's pocket. Did you give this to him? I mean I can understand it's yours and Zell was just holding it for you and..." she stopped talking when Kent held up his hand to stop her.
The dark hared boy looked around again, making sure that no one was passing by to hear their conversation and frowned, still holding the pot in his hand. "It's definitely not mine, Selphie. But if you were Zell's best friend, then you would mind your own business, instead of prying into his. I mean what kind of best friend are you just taking this from his pocket without asking him?" Kent had a stern tone in his voice, which Selphie has never heard from him before. True, she disliked Kent very much, because he was a bad influence on her childhood friend, but she always took the time to get to know Kent, just for Zell's sake.
Selphie said nothing.
Suddenly, Kent's voice turned soft and friendly again, though Selphie could tell he was just trying to get into her good side so she wouldn't say anything to the principal that Kent was the one who had put the marijuana in the first place and was the one who influenced Zell to start the habit. Selphie simply refused to accept that Zell was doing these things. If he did, she would be the first one to know and he would tell everything to her. "Look Selphie, just be a good girl for once and be quiet with this. Zell's going through some things that's hard for him to tell you, that's why he never told you anything."
The girl shook her head. "What are you talking about? He's not doing it... I mean, he would tell me right away and-" She stopped suddenly, when Kent's hand slammed against the wall behind her. Selphie winced, holding her breath and looked hard into Kent's eyes. There was something in them that frightened her, but she didn't want to show it to him. He knew better than to hurt Zell's best friend.
He leaned closer, his breath tickling his ears. "You don't get it do you?" Kent whispered in her ear. "Because you're living in such a perfect world, you don't see anything that he's going through. If you were his best friend, then you would have been able to read inside the pain and guilt he's going through right now. I think it's time that he think twice on who he should consider as his 'best friend!'" With the last word, he slammed his hand hard on the wall and left for good, carrying with him the item that he took from Selphie. He stuffed it in his pocket and left the building.
Selphie exhaled. For those minutes that Kent had her trapped in the corner, she was holding her breath the whole time. She could have died then and there just by doing something simple to get away from, but she didn't. She would have died to something more horrible than an easy breath... her death could have been result of Kent's fists against her face. Perfect world? she thought. Why would he think that? She didn't live in a perfect world. Not one bit.
***********************
"Garrett?" An eight year old girl poked her head through the opened door and looked inside. She saw her older brother hunched over a table, with his back towards her. Selphie couldn't tell what he was doing. She stepped inside and made her presence known, by calling his name again. Garrett didn't respond. Frightened that he probably stopped breathing because of his asthma, Selphie approached him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Garrett?"
Suddenly, his head sprung up. The boy turned around, but it wasn't Garrett staring at her. It was his best friend, Alex Whitcomb. "Oh, hey Selphie! What's up?"
Selphie looked around, hoping to find her older brother getting out of his bathroom, but after a couple of seconds or so, he didn't come out. She gave Alex a wondering look. "Where is Garrett?" she asked in her small voice. She looked pass Alex to see what he was doing on the table, but he moved to the side, just enough so she couldn't see what he was doing. Selphie, however, possessed fast eyes that she was able to see what was on the table. There was something white and powdery on a piece of paper ripped from a newspaper on the table and she also noticed two straws beside them.
Alex laughed. "Oh, he's probably still at the store getting something to eat."
"But... Our mom told me to get him for dinner. Why would he get something to eat now?" Selphie asked. "What are you doing?"
Alex smiled and shook his head. "Nothing. Your brother and I are experimenting something."
"What are you experimenting?" Selphie moved closer, but Alex had quicker hands. He folded the piece of paper with the powder on it and stuffed it quickly inside the drawer beside him. He turned around and shook his head again.
"I don't think you'll be interested in it anyway."
Selphie stared at him suspiciously. "Hey squirt, what are you doing in my room without asking for permission?" The girl felt a hand patting her head. Selphie looked up and saw her brother smiling down at her.
"Mom told me to get you for dinner," the girl replied.
Garrett joined his friend by the table and he turned to look at his sister. "Thanks, Selphie. We'll be down in a minute, okay?"
Selphie nodded, took one look at Alex and left the room, closing the door behind her. She heard her brother's voice on the other side of the door and Selphie couldn't help but stay there to listen. Her curiosity growing rapidly, Selphie pressed her ears against the door and listened.
"Did she see anything?" her brother's voice rung in a hushed whisper.
Alex's voice later came. "I'm not sure, but she's just a kid, what does she know?"
What does she know what? Selphie wondered.
"She may just be a kid, Alex, but my little sister's a smart girl. Next time, don't do this here while my sister's around the house. She reads a lot of books you know." Selphie heard paper being rumpled, a grunt, then silence. For a moment it was quiet, but then the girl heard the footsteps... which was coming closer and closer. Selphie looked around, hoping to find a hiding spot, but all she could think of was her room next door. She silently and carefully opened the door and stepped inside, closing it as quietly as possible, just the same moment the two boys opened the door to Garrett's room. She heard the same footsteps walk pass her and heard the same ones as it descended down the stairs. With a sigh of relief, Selphie made sure the hallway was clear and stepped out.
****************************
The warm weather was a relief for him. For the last couple of days, despite the frigid winds and rainy weather, the Coach ruthlessly took them out for practices and kept them for many hours after school at the field, doing scrunches and laps. There was only a week left for the championship and for the first time in five years, the Balamb Lions were finally able to play in it. After a couple of games, after so much hard work, the news that reached the Balamb Lions coach just a couple of days ago increased his influence to work his players harder in the field.
Zell took a deep breath. It was almost six and for three long hours, all they have been doing was going over the drills of tackling their opponent or practicing their kicks to make sure it reached the goal. "Damn the championships," he hissed quietly, making sure the coach didn't hear. "Why do they have to make a big deal out of it?" He was itching for some smoke right now.
"Because it's the championship, Dincht!" Kent answered, slapping a hand on the blonde's back. "I mean this is the first time we've actually made it in the championships, or so what I've heard from Micheal."
The blond looked at him. Kent barely talked about his older brother to him and this was the first time he's heard his name being mentioned from his lips. "Yeah, I can't believe it...five years and not being able to win a trophy in the championships." He remembered when his Uncle was seventeen. He played for the Balamb Lions and even with the best players in the team, they weren't able to make it for the third time in a row. When Zell joined two years ago in the team, two years were wasted on trying to get into the championship, which was now five times altogether. During his Uncle's time, before he started joining for the team, Zell was able to hear from his point of view, that Balamb had the best football team in the district. Ever since the team started playing, they won many championships, but for some reason, they had 'lost their touch.' His uncle refused to believe that the reason why they lost was because their best players, Owen Lake, Mark Janssen and Steven Cole graduated and immediately left for college when he started joining. When Zell asked what the reason was of them losing after they left, his Uncle simply said, "We lost because we don't have enough practices." It was those words in the first place that his teammates blamed him for saying, because ever since he mentioned that to their coach, they have been practicing three times a day, during and after school. Zell didn't want to ask his Uncle for a reason on why they lost ten times in a row in the playoffs against the Galbadian Wolves. Ten times they lost against the Galbadian Wolves, but Zell had a feeling that this year, it was different. He felt more confident this year. The Balamb Lions were going to win this time.
"Yo, Dincht! Are you just going to stand there or hurt yourself with the ball that comes your way?" Kent was already out in the field, holding a football. He approached the blond and leaned closer towards him. "Hey, after we can go out for smoke if you want." He knew Zell was eager for a little smoke.
Zell nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yeah and it will be my last time. After this, I have to tell Selphie and then I'm done."
Kent shrugged. "All right, whatever you say. Remind me then not to hand you anymore of them. Come on let's start!" The dark hared boy ran back to the field to join their other teammates, each passing their own footballs to their partners. Some were simply throwing the ball to each other, trying to see how far they can throw. Some were practicing their kicks, each taking a turn on kicking the ball farther into the field.
The blond nodded. He joined Kent in the field and they began their practice.
******************************
"Zell? Can you promise me one thing?" She looked up into the boy's eyes and gave him a worried look.
The blond nodded. "Sure, what is it?" The boy turned so that he was completely facing the girl as they sat on the roof of the Tilmitt residence.
The girl took a deep breath. "Can you promise me that you won't do bad things?"
The boy was confused. "Bad things?"
"Yeah. My brother... Garrett... he's doing bad things..." She paused, unsure how to continue with the conversation. The twelve year old girl looked up again, this time, with so much desperation in her eyes that Zell couldn't take his eyes away from them. "He's doing bad things that's hurting him and my mom and dad."
"What is he doing?"
Selphie took a deep breath and shook her head. "Just don't do bad things okay? Will you promise me? I don't want you to lose anything..." Tears began to form in her eyes. She suddenly turned away, ashamed to show her best friend that she was crying. She never cried this hard in front of him before. She felt someone's arms surround her small body. The girl looked up and found Zell pulling her in for an embrace. The tears that she has been trying so hard to hold back, soon fell down her face rapidly. She buried her face in his chest and wept.
"I promise..." he whispered in her ear.
******************************
She gasped excitedly and found herself staring at the letter she has been waiting for months from. It's been five months now since Garrett responded. It was the best news she has gotten so she didn't have to think about what happened between her and Kent Marshall in school today. Selphie grabbed the rest of the letters from the mailbox and went inside, looking through the rest of the letters, which consisted mostly of bills, bills and more bills. The girl giggled at the looks her father gave her the moment she handed him the phone bills, the credit card bills and the cable bills. She joined him at the dining room table while her mother prepared an early dinner for them. Selphie unfolded the letter from her brother and smiled, showing her father.
"Dad, I got a letter from Garrett!"
Her father looked up from the food he was eating and his eyebrows lifted up curiously. "Really? What did he say?"
Selphie looked down at the letter, read it quickly, going through certain sentences that she couldn't quite understand and a couple of minutes later, while her lunch stayed untouched, she looked up and smiled. "He says he's doing fine and he's asking how everyone is doing. He only has two months left until his program and he says he's allowed to visit during the summer!" The girl looked up hopefully towards her dad and smiled. "So is he allowed to come visit here?"
Her father smiled and nodded. "Of course! He is your brother after all and he is still our son!"
"When did he say he was coming here for sure?"
The girl jumped up and down excitedly and folded the letter, putting it back inside the envelope. With that done, she finally started eating her dinner that her mother has been anxiously waiting for her to eat. "He said at the end of May or something, just in time to see me graduate!" she answered to her mother's question. This was her chance to ask her brother about a certain 'drug' what Zell was handling. Although she believes it wasn't him, she was doubting it now. What if Zell was actually doing it? Why?
"Selphie, are you all right?" her mother asked.
Selphie looked up and found both her parents staring at her worriedly. "Yeah, I'm fine!" She hadn't realized that her hand, holding the spoon, paused in midair just above her plate. She thought about writing her brother back and asking him on the letter instead of waiting for him to come. The longer she waited, the more she was anticipating the moment to ask Zell about his 'habit.'
The sixteen year old girl frowned, remembering that time she asked Zell to promise her never to do anything bad. He promised of course.
But then he broke it...
Selphie remembered that night they were on the roof, just staring in the sky, looking for a shooting star and when they did, they would wish of happy things. Selphie had asked Zell then and there for him not to do terrible things that will hurt him and everyone he cared about and to promise it. She started crying and Zell had wrapped his tiny arms around her lithe body.
She stirred in his arms and smiled as she looked up to meet his eyes. "Do you really promise, Zell?" Selphie asked, hope in her eyes.
Zell nodded again, confirming what he had said. "Yeah, of course. If I break my promise, remind me okay? Remind me..."
Selphie giggled and nodded. "Okay!" she replied, stifling her giggles.
"Why are you laughing?"
"I'm laughing, because I know you won't break your promise! You never do!"
And she was wrong. Selphie knew the truth. He had broken his promise and it was hurting her really bad. She suddenly felt tears in her eyes. Selphie wiped them away quickly, hoping both her parents didn't see, but it was too late. Her father had seen it.
"Selphie, honey? What's wrong?" His attention was suddenly focused on his daughter as Dylan Tilmitt put his fork down on the plate and looked at her worriedly. His words brought attention as well on Selphie's mother, who was just finishing cooking the last ounce of food and was already at her daughter's side.
"Selphie?" she called.
The girl shook her head, hastily wiping away the tears with her arms from her eyes. "I'm fine mom...dad... Uh... I'm kinda full now, so I think I'm gonna go study. See ya!" Without giving her parents a chance to talk, Selphie got up and left for her bedroom. There was no point in staying longer and making her parents worry more.
GoodGurl: Awwwwwww, poor Selphie! :( I hope things turn out better for her soon, but don't worry, it will. Will she have the courage to tell her best friend or now? And dang! Kent is very threatening ain't he? Heh heh! We gotta have an antagonist sooner or later right? ;)