Note: It's almost over you guys! Yeay! I am quite excited to finish this story and get on with Millenium Day! ^^ Hope to see your reviews there! In this chapter, this basically just continues on with Zell and Selphie's childhood past…how they met, when they actually noticed each other…etc. etc.
Chapter 23 – Those Times
"For life…" Those were the words that echoed in Zell's head after spending that time together in the beach. He dreamt of staying that way forever, but he knew they couldn't because it was too cold and they might end up with pneumonia. A week had passed since the death of Kent and after he finally met his mother for the first time, he began to call her every day and speaking to her as if she knew her very well. He spoke about how good of a friend Kent was to him, while Naomi mentioned some wonderful things during his childhood. Sometimes, he would visit her at her house and Zell was able to see pictures of a six year old Kent taking a bath, surrounded by plastic toy boats and a rubber ducky. Every time Zell would go there, he felt like he was home again. When his parents were alive, he had received the same treatment that Kent had with his mother.
He missed that feeling…
That particular morning, however, Zell decided to bring Selphie to Kent's house and introduce her to Naomi. But in that same particular morning, Selphie woke him up a bit too early. Maybe it was the fact that Selphie was excited to finally meet Naomi (she's been eager to meet her for some reason). The bouncy brunette came into his room unannounced and opened the curtains to reveal a bright, sunshine, despite the weather being too cold. Zell, being a 'morning' person he was, moaned and turned over to the other side to keep the sun away from his eyes.
"Rise and shine, Sleepy Head!" Selphie spoke out, shaking his shoulders, but instead of waking up he covered his blanket far over his head. "Hey! Come on! I thought we were going to meet Naomi?"
Zell removed the blanket from his head and looked at her. "Are you crazy!?" He turned his head towards the clock on his bedside table. "It's six o'clock in the morning! I visit her in the afternoon! Come back when it's three or something…Good night…" He mumbled, covering his eyes again with the blanket.
Selphie sighed, pulling the blanket away from him. "It's morning, Zell! And did you forget that later in the afternoon, you have a meeting?"
The blond looked at her strangely. "Meeting for what?"
"Rehab!" the brunette replied.
"What!?" He was shocked. What the heck was she talking about?
"I booked you a meeting time for the rehab center down in Brempton. It starts at four o'clock, so that's why we can't visit her before then. We should visit her now so we can have time to get there. Come on! Get up!" She grabbed his arm and forced him to sit up.
Zell continued to glare at her. "You booked me a rehab meeting time? Why did you do that?"
Selphie frowned. "You asked me to help you so I did…"
The blond noticed the look she was giving him. Sighing, he sat up finally and nodded. "All right, all right, let's go." Zell walked over to the bathroom to brush his teeth.
"Great!" She began to fix his bed and when she was done, she sat down properly on the bed and watched as he began his way back into his room. He was suddenly shocked to see her there. "What?" Selphie asked, curiously.
Zell looked at her, then turned away, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Well um… I need to change so…"
Selphie suddenly blushed. "OH! Right! Um…sorry!" She stood up, apologized again and quickly left the room, closing the door behind her. They haven't officially started going out yet, however, they both confirmed that they WERE girlfriend and boyfriend. She was just waiting for the right moment for him to ask her, but he hasn't done that. Maybe he was waiting for her to do it?
After a few minutes, she heard the door open. Zell had changed into a navy turtle necked sweater and baggy jeans. She looked at him from head to toe. He really did look good in a blue navy color. "Boy, you're looking nice for just a visit with Naomi!" She giggled when she saw him blush.
Zell cleared his throat and absent-mindedly began picking out invisible lint from his sweater. "Well, I have to be presentable," was his answer.
Selphie giggled again. "You're so cute, Zell!" she said, linking arms with him. She wanted to mention about the date they were planning on going to, but decided against it.
"Hey Selphie…"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for setting that appointment up for me," the blond said. He cleared his throat again. "And I was also thinking that maybe after that, we can go out to dinner for our first date…How about it?"
Selphie was happy. She smiled and nodded. "That'd be great! But after your meeting, I need to change into something nice for the date."
Zell lifted up an eyebrow curiously. "Why?"
The girl shrugged. "Well, because it would be awkward for me to wear something like this yellow floral shirt and the long black pants and my hair….!" She paused when Zell placed a hand on her head. "What?"
The blond shook his head and smiled. "You don't need to do all that for me… You're fine the way you are. Besides…" He put his hand down and kept the smile on his face. "I like that shirt."
Selphie smiled back. "Oh well, if you like it, then I guess I'll wear it!"
"Good! And you don't need to fix your hair…" He began playing with her brown locks and he suddenly laughed. "I like it bouncy! It reminds me of you!"
"What?" She looked at her hair and began whipping her head right and left wondering what was so 'bouncy' about it? "Is it really THAT bouncy?"
Zell nodded. "Yep! It has full of energy! Just like you!" He touched the tip of her nose with his right pointer finger and grabbed her hand. He both grabbed their jackets hanging from the coat rack near the front door and handed Selphie hers.
Suddenly…He wasn't tired anymore.
He put his coat on, while Selphie put on hers. Zell dragged her out of the house and they began their journey down the driveway. His car waited for them by the sidewalk, but as soon as they neared it, Zell suddenly turned around and began walking away from the car. Selphie looked up at him curiously. "We're not taking the car?" she asked.
The blond shook his head. "Nope. It's too nice of a day to be driving in the car. Besides…I haven't walked around this neighborhood since we were kids." The hand that was intertwined along with Selphie's, began to swing back and forth.
They traveled in the neighborhood. Zell greeted some neighbors who were already awake in the early morning to get ready for work. They watched cars go by, waving at them, pretending as if they knew them. Selphie stopped in front of a house to pet Mrs. Hatcher's Daschund dog, sitting outside the porch. Mrs. Hatcher had a little seven year old girl whom Selphie often babysat whenever the widowed mother was away. Their journey eventually led them down the road, pass some houses and towards a small park that they played in when they were both six years old. When they arrived, the first person to recognize the park was Selphie. "OH!" Excitedly, she ran to the monkey bars and began playing, as if she was six again.
Zell watched her. The way she hung on the monkey bars, moving from one bar to the other with her lithe hands, made her look like she had wings. Like an angel. When they turned fifteen, as soon as Selphie began climbing the monkey bars again, even after eight years, as usual, he sat on the swings beside the monkey bars and watched her move. His eyes followed her swing back and forth, even hanging upside down with her legs curled up around the bars. She swung and lifted herself up all the way on top and she smiled with satisfaction when she realized that she had made it at the top. That was the first time that Zell actually noticed her. It seemed like she was floating on air. He could actually see wings sprouting out from her back and she flew so high in the sky and landed on top of the clouds. When she looked down, it seemed she was looking down on earth from heaven, watching him with a bright smile.
"Zell?"
The blond blinked and looked up. Selphie was looking at him curiously. "Huh?"
She suddenly smiled. "Why did you bring me here?"
Zell shrugged. "I thought we should look back at our childhood and think about what led to this…"
"What do you mean?"
Selphie, despite her energy and happiness, was quite naïve. "Well um…" He rubbed the back of his neck again. "Well for me, I thought I'd try to remember the first time how I fell in love with you."
Surprised, Selphie stared at him, eager for him to continue. "And do you remember anything?"
The blond nodded. "Most definitely," he replied, smiling. He stuffed his hands in his pocket and walked over to the swings. He sat down in the middle swing, the spot where he usually sat and began to swing. He was silent for a moment, while Selphie patiently waited, until he continued. "When you were on the monkey bars, that's when I realized how passionate you were in whatever you do. That's when I realized that I was in love with you. What about you?" He looked up and stared intently into her green eyes.
Selphie blushed and turned away. "Um…well…I don't think I should tell you this."
Zell frowned. "Why not?"
The young brunette looked back at him and noticed the disappointment on his face. "Well…" She bit her lip nervously and said, "It's just too embarrassing. How about I take you to that place this time?"
Zell nodded. "Sure."
"Great!" With a smile on her face, Selphie landed expertly on the ground and grabbed Zell's hand. "I remember that place…I hope you do too!" She took him away from the park and back up the street once again.
When they arrived, Zell found himself standing in front of the football field. For Zell, it felt really odd to be back in the field after three weeks of suspension. Another week and he would be back in class, but not in football. He stood there, remembering the first time he kicked the ball for a touchdown. That kick led the Balamb team into the Regional Championships and Zell was later praised as Balamb football's 'Player Of the Month.'
"You're remembering it, don't you?" Selphie suddenly said. Zell looked up and noticed her standing there with her hands behind her back, smiling at him. She looked down and began playing with the ground with her foot. "When I first saw you kick that ball with so much power and so much courage, that's when I knew…" She approached him and took the good hand in her hands.
Zell looked down at their hands intertwined once again. "That was the time?"
Selphie nodded. "I know…stupid huh? I know that many girls would have felt that way, but for me, personally, I knew that I was in love with you."
The blond shook his head and smiled. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in for an embrace. "It's not stupid…" he whispered in her ear.
Selphie smiled and closed her eyes. She wanted to stay in his arms forever and be in his scent for the rest of her life. "You miss it, don't you?" she suddenly asked.
Zell pulled away and looked at her. "Miss what?"
"Football," she replied. "When we got here, you were remembering practicing for football every Saturday."
"Sometimes I do, but sometimes I feel like there's a reason that I can't play anymore," Zell said. He walked pass Selphie and looked out into the field. Up ahead, he noticed two kids passing a football to each other. "Maybe it's a sign that I should spend my time with you and spend my time into studies." The blond looked at her and smiled.
Selphie felt warmth when he said those words, but she knew he was lying. "Of course you can still play," she assured him. "They said you're suspended for four weeks, they didn't say anything about you not playing football forever."
She was right, but Zell was still doubtful. "Well, true. But even with this arm…" He pointed out his right arm on a sling with a nod. "I can't play yet until another month."
"Well then, during those months, you can continue to heal your arm and be back healthy again so you can play football," Selphie said, linking arms with him again.
"Hey Mister!" a voice yelled from a distance.
Zell looked up. A football was rolling down towards him and it suddenly stopped by his feet. "Mister! Could you please pass the ball?" the same voice asked. The blond noticed the same two kids he saw earlier waiting for him to pass the football. The one approaching him had short, blond hair. Zell bent down and picked up the ball with his left hand and passed it as hard as he could towards the blond boy. Caught off guard, the boy was astonished at the amazing throw, though he was able to catch it. "Woah!" The boy yelped, his eyes widening in excitement. "How did you do that!?" Surprised as well with the throw, the other boy with dark hair approached his friend. Selphie looked at him, shocked.
Zell shrugged. "It takes practice kid, but sooner or later you'll be able to throw it with your good arm," he replied, winking at them. He wrapped his arm around Selphie's shoulder and led her out of the field. When they neared the parking lot, he turned to look at Selphie. "You know, that kid reminds me of myself."
Selphie smiled. "Yeah, he does remind me of you," she replied, giggling.
"HEY!" Startled by the call, Zell and Selphie turned around and noticed that the same blond boy was running towards them now. He stopped in front of them, giving himself time to breathe and straightened himself up. "Can you teach me how to do that?" he asked with a pleading look in his eyes.
Surprised, he looked at him in silence and finally nodded. "Sure thing, kid. I'll be back to school in two weeks. Until then, meet me after school in this field."
"Two weeks? Why?" the boy asked.
Zell patted the boy's head. "I made some stupid decisions and I hope that you don't make the same mistake as well. What's your name?"
The boy smiled. "Zane," he replied with a small voice.
Zell nodded. "Well, Zane, since it's Sunday tomorrow, how about you meet me tomorrow at three o'clock…deal?"
Zane's smile grew wider. "For real? Thanks uh…"
The older blond winked at him. "Call me, Zell," he replied.
The boy smiled again and nodded. "Okay, three o'clock!" Excitedly, he ran back to his friend in the field and continued to pass the football with him. It seemed Zane was telling his friend what he was doing on Sunday and Zell could see the disappointment in the other boy's face.
Zell sighed and waved his hand in the air.
"What are you doing?" Selphie asked curiously.
He ignored her question and said, "Hey kid! You want me to teach you football too?" he called across the field.
The dark haired boy looked up and nodded hopefully. He grinned and pointed to himself. "My name is Trent!" he replied.
Zell watched as his green eyes glowed his excitement. For a moment there, he thought he saw Kent's eyes. In fact, the little boy reminded him of Kent. Watching the two boys reminded him so much of himself and Kent, except for the fact that they were much older than the two boys. Football was their favorite sport and that was how they first met…in the football field.
"Zell? Is something the matter?" The blond must have been staring at the two boys playing for so long, because Selphie was looking at him worriedly.
"No, nothing's wrong." He took Selphie's hand in his and began their journey down the same path they took getting to the field. They were silent for a while, maybe it was because Selphie was disappointed that Zell didn't tell her that something WAS wrong. Zell felt that, but if he told her now, the memories of that first time he started smoking pot with Kent would come back to haunt him. It was better off unsaid.
They arrived a few minutes later on Penders Street as Zell led Selphie around the corner and down towards Jackson Avenue. Silence still consumed the air and still none of them would start talking. After a few more times of silence, Selphie decided to break the barrier. She took a deep breath and looked around the nice houses in the neighborhood. "This is a nice place."
Zell nodded. "Yeah, it is. I like this place even more every time I go through here. You know this is where my parents met?" He stopped and pointed towards someone's backyard in front of them. "That was the backyard where my mom first saw my dad walking down the street. She was sitting on that tire swing when she was sixteen years old and my dad was just delivering some newspapers when they saw each other."
Selphie listened to him talk. It must be really hard for Zell to go back down the road in the past and remember his parents who died in a car accident. However, for some reason, as she watched his face, there was no such pain or sorrow etched in his eyes. There was just peace and nothing more. He looked calm and tranquil just standing there explaining to her about his parents' past. He suddenly smiled. Startled, Selphie watched him as he turned to look at her. "Do you want to see the house where my dad lived?"
"Sure," Selphie nodded, smiling.
Zell squeezed her hand gently and led her further down the street and excitedly turned a corner down a quiet path towards the park. Another street appeared before them. They passed about five houses and when the sixth house appeared, they stopped right in front of its doorstep. The house was large and very beautiful with a blooming garden in the front yard. "This is it!" the blond said, after a few moments of silence. He glanced at Selphie. "What do you think?"
Selphie stared at the house in awe. "It's….big!"
Zell laughed. "Hah! Hah! Of course it's big! Well, when my dad lived here, it wasn't THAT big. It was quite small, but that was a long time ago and things change. I hear that a Doctor lives here now, but I wished I saw it even before it changed."
"Why don't you go ask to see the place and find out how much it changed in the inside?" Selphie suggested. She squeezed his hand back and smiled.
The blond looked at her and shook his head. "Nah, I think it is better off that the past is left behind. Besides, I already have my memories in my head. I only visited this house once to see my grandparents when I was three and I can't quite remember it anyway. I just thought I'd show you exactly what spot it was."
Selphie nodded and smiled. "Well, I'm glad you showed it to me."
Zell sighed. "Okay, well I guess we better get back to where we came from and see Naomi." He glanced at Selphie curiously. "Why do you want to see her anyway?"
The brunette shrugged and linked arms with Zell. "I guess I feel guilty."
"Guilty about what?" Together they walked down the right street towards the Marshall home.
"That I was too angry at Kent to really get to know him in person. I guess I just want to apologize to her for being terrible towards her son."
Zell wrapped his arm around her. "You weren't terrible towards him, Selphie. He did threaten you."
"Yeah, but…" She was cut off when Zell pulled her in for an embrace. "Selphie, please stop worrying. It'll only add white on your hair…"
Selphie pulled away and looked at him curiously. "What is that suppose to mean?"
He laughed and took a strand of hair from her head in between his fingers and showed it to her. "See? This is white hair for being worried all the time!" he teased.
The young brunette frowned. "That's not funny!"
He gently pulled the strand of hair and began dancing around with it. "Hah! Hah! Selphie's getting old!"
"Hey! Stop that!" she yelled. He ran and she chased. They did that for a couple of seconds, until they heard a familiar voice calling them. "This is no playground children…" someone said gently.
Selphie and Zell stopped and both looked up. Naomi stood there, her eyes gentle and her lips curling into a sweet smile. Zell nervously rubbed the back of his neck, his face blushing, while Selphie looked away, digging her feet into the ground, also blushing with embarrassment. "He-he said I'm old."
Naomi looked at her, then at Zell. "Did you really call her old? Why…" She glanced back at the young girl. "She looks pretty young to me! I take it you would much rather have an older girlfriend, Zell?"
Zell's eyes widened in shock. "O…of course not!" he replied, shaking his head vigorously. "I mean…" Nervously, he glanced at Selphie's disappointed look. "I mean… Aww, come on Selph! You know that's not what I meant! Geez…" She must've thought he meant that he wouldn't want to be her boyfriend. He was screwed…
Naomi laughed. "Now, now, Zell didn't mean what he said, Selphie. I was only teasing! Come, would you two like some tea?"
Selphie suddenly smiled. "Sure!" She walked pass Zell and joined Naomi inside the house. Zell followed the two women inside, still quite confused about what happened just now. When he was inside, Selphie was already seated on a chair in the kitchen, across from where Naomi was sitting. The blond made his way into the kitchen and sat down Selphie. He was still worried that Selphie was still mad at him for the comment he made earlier, because he was still staring at her, wondering that she was thinking.
The young brunette noticed this. She turned and smiled, placing a hand on top of his. "I know you didn't mean it Zell!" she assured him.
Zell sighed a breath of relief, his head drooping until he felt the cold surface of the table. "Oh thank goodness…."
GoodGurl: Well, that wraps it up with this chapter! Coming up for them will be…the deep relationship titled: His and Her Circumstances. To those who read Japanese graphic novels (mangas), such as Kare Kano will understand what it's going to be about! Stay tuned for Seiftis! ^^
Chapter 23 – Those Times
"For life…" Those were the words that echoed in Zell's head after spending that time together in the beach. He dreamt of staying that way forever, but he knew they couldn't because it was too cold and they might end up with pneumonia. A week had passed since the death of Kent and after he finally met his mother for the first time, he began to call her every day and speaking to her as if she knew her very well. He spoke about how good of a friend Kent was to him, while Naomi mentioned some wonderful things during his childhood. Sometimes, he would visit her at her house and Zell was able to see pictures of a six year old Kent taking a bath, surrounded by plastic toy boats and a rubber ducky. Every time Zell would go there, he felt like he was home again. When his parents were alive, he had received the same treatment that Kent had with his mother.
He missed that feeling…
That particular morning, however, Zell decided to bring Selphie to Kent's house and introduce her to Naomi. But in that same particular morning, Selphie woke him up a bit too early. Maybe it was the fact that Selphie was excited to finally meet Naomi (she's been eager to meet her for some reason). The bouncy brunette came into his room unannounced and opened the curtains to reveal a bright, sunshine, despite the weather being too cold. Zell, being a 'morning' person he was, moaned and turned over to the other side to keep the sun away from his eyes.
"Rise and shine, Sleepy Head!" Selphie spoke out, shaking his shoulders, but instead of waking up he covered his blanket far over his head. "Hey! Come on! I thought we were going to meet Naomi?"
Zell removed the blanket from his head and looked at her. "Are you crazy!?" He turned his head towards the clock on his bedside table. "It's six o'clock in the morning! I visit her in the afternoon! Come back when it's three or something…Good night…" He mumbled, covering his eyes again with the blanket.
Selphie sighed, pulling the blanket away from him. "It's morning, Zell! And did you forget that later in the afternoon, you have a meeting?"
The blond looked at her strangely. "Meeting for what?"
"Rehab!" the brunette replied.
"What!?" He was shocked. What the heck was she talking about?
"I booked you a meeting time for the rehab center down in Brempton. It starts at four o'clock, so that's why we can't visit her before then. We should visit her now so we can have time to get there. Come on! Get up!" She grabbed his arm and forced him to sit up.
Zell continued to glare at her. "You booked me a rehab meeting time? Why did you do that?"
Selphie frowned. "You asked me to help you so I did…"
The blond noticed the look she was giving him. Sighing, he sat up finally and nodded. "All right, all right, let's go." Zell walked over to the bathroom to brush his teeth.
"Great!" She began to fix his bed and when she was done, she sat down properly on the bed and watched as he began his way back into his room. He was suddenly shocked to see her there. "What?" Selphie asked, curiously.
Zell looked at her, then turned away, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Well um… I need to change so…"
Selphie suddenly blushed. "OH! Right! Um…sorry!" She stood up, apologized again and quickly left the room, closing the door behind her. They haven't officially started going out yet, however, they both confirmed that they WERE girlfriend and boyfriend. She was just waiting for the right moment for him to ask her, but he hasn't done that. Maybe he was waiting for her to do it?
After a few minutes, she heard the door open. Zell had changed into a navy turtle necked sweater and baggy jeans. She looked at him from head to toe. He really did look good in a blue navy color. "Boy, you're looking nice for just a visit with Naomi!" She giggled when she saw him blush.
Zell cleared his throat and absent-mindedly began picking out invisible lint from his sweater. "Well, I have to be presentable," was his answer.
Selphie giggled again. "You're so cute, Zell!" she said, linking arms with him. She wanted to mention about the date they were planning on going to, but decided against it.
"Hey Selphie…"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for setting that appointment up for me," the blond said. He cleared his throat again. "And I was also thinking that maybe after that, we can go out to dinner for our first date…How about it?"
Selphie was happy. She smiled and nodded. "That'd be great! But after your meeting, I need to change into something nice for the date."
Zell lifted up an eyebrow curiously. "Why?"
The girl shrugged. "Well, because it would be awkward for me to wear something like this yellow floral shirt and the long black pants and my hair….!" She paused when Zell placed a hand on her head. "What?"
The blond shook his head and smiled. "You don't need to do all that for me… You're fine the way you are. Besides…" He put his hand down and kept the smile on his face. "I like that shirt."
Selphie smiled back. "Oh well, if you like it, then I guess I'll wear it!"
"Good! And you don't need to fix your hair…" He began playing with her brown locks and he suddenly laughed. "I like it bouncy! It reminds me of you!"
"What?" She looked at her hair and began whipping her head right and left wondering what was so 'bouncy' about it? "Is it really THAT bouncy?"
Zell nodded. "Yep! It has full of energy! Just like you!" He touched the tip of her nose with his right pointer finger and grabbed her hand. He both grabbed their jackets hanging from the coat rack near the front door and handed Selphie hers.
Suddenly…He wasn't tired anymore.
He put his coat on, while Selphie put on hers. Zell dragged her out of the house and they began their journey down the driveway. His car waited for them by the sidewalk, but as soon as they neared it, Zell suddenly turned around and began walking away from the car. Selphie looked up at him curiously. "We're not taking the car?" she asked.
The blond shook his head. "Nope. It's too nice of a day to be driving in the car. Besides…I haven't walked around this neighborhood since we were kids." The hand that was intertwined along with Selphie's, began to swing back and forth.
They traveled in the neighborhood. Zell greeted some neighbors who were already awake in the early morning to get ready for work. They watched cars go by, waving at them, pretending as if they knew them. Selphie stopped in front of a house to pet Mrs. Hatcher's Daschund dog, sitting outside the porch. Mrs. Hatcher had a little seven year old girl whom Selphie often babysat whenever the widowed mother was away. Their journey eventually led them down the road, pass some houses and towards a small park that they played in when they were both six years old. When they arrived, the first person to recognize the park was Selphie. "OH!" Excitedly, she ran to the monkey bars and began playing, as if she was six again.
Zell watched her. The way she hung on the monkey bars, moving from one bar to the other with her lithe hands, made her look like she had wings. Like an angel. When they turned fifteen, as soon as Selphie began climbing the monkey bars again, even after eight years, as usual, he sat on the swings beside the monkey bars and watched her move. His eyes followed her swing back and forth, even hanging upside down with her legs curled up around the bars. She swung and lifted herself up all the way on top and she smiled with satisfaction when she realized that she had made it at the top. That was the first time that Zell actually noticed her. It seemed like she was floating on air. He could actually see wings sprouting out from her back and she flew so high in the sky and landed on top of the clouds. When she looked down, it seemed she was looking down on earth from heaven, watching him with a bright smile.
"Zell?"
The blond blinked and looked up. Selphie was looking at him curiously. "Huh?"
She suddenly smiled. "Why did you bring me here?"
Zell shrugged. "I thought we should look back at our childhood and think about what led to this…"
"What do you mean?"
Selphie, despite her energy and happiness, was quite naïve. "Well um…" He rubbed the back of his neck again. "Well for me, I thought I'd try to remember the first time how I fell in love with you."
Surprised, Selphie stared at him, eager for him to continue. "And do you remember anything?"
The blond nodded. "Most definitely," he replied, smiling. He stuffed his hands in his pocket and walked over to the swings. He sat down in the middle swing, the spot where he usually sat and began to swing. He was silent for a moment, while Selphie patiently waited, until he continued. "When you were on the monkey bars, that's when I realized how passionate you were in whatever you do. That's when I realized that I was in love with you. What about you?" He looked up and stared intently into her green eyes.
Selphie blushed and turned away. "Um…well…I don't think I should tell you this."
Zell frowned. "Why not?"
The young brunette looked back at him and noticed the disappointment on his face. "Well…" She bit her lip nervously and said, "It's just too embarrassing. How about I take you to that place this time?"
Zell nodded. "Sure."
"Great!" With a smile on her face, Selphie landed expertly on the ground and grabbed Zell's hand. "I remember that place…I hope you do too!" She took him away from the park and back up the street once again.
When they arrived, Zell found himself standing in front of the football field. For Zell, it felt really odd to be back in the field after three weeks of suspension. Another week and he would be back in class, but not in football. He stood there, remembering the first time he kicked the ball for a touchdown. That kick led the Balamb team into the Regional Championships and Zell was later praised as Balamb football's 'Player Of the Month.'
"You're remembering it, don't you?" Selphie suddenly said. Zell looked up and noticed her standing there with her hands behind her back, smiling at him. She looked down and began playing with the ground with her foot. "When I first saw you kick that ball with so much power and so much courage, that's when I knew…" She approached him and took the good hand in her hands.
Zell looked down at their hands intertwined once again. "That was the time?"
Selphie nodded. "I know…stupid huh? I know that many girls would have felt that way, but for me, personally, I knew that I was in love with you."
The blond shook his head and smiled. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in for an embrace. "It's not stupid…" he whispered in her ear.
Selphie smiled and closed her eyes. She wanted to stay in his arms forever and be in his scent for the rest of her life. "You miss it, don't you?" she suddenly asked.
Zell pulled away and looked at her. "Miss what?"
"Football," she replied. "When we got here, you were remembering practicing for football every Saturday."
"Sometimes I do, but sometimes I feel like there's a reason that I can't play anymore," Zell said. He walked pass Selphie and looked out into the field. Up ahead, he noticed two kids passing a football to each other. "Maybe it's a sign that I should spend my time with you and spend my time into studies." The blond looked at her and smiled.
Selphie felt warmth when he said those words, but she knew he was lying. "Of course you can still play," she assured him. "They said you're suspended for four weeks, they didn't say anything about you not playing football forever."
She was right, but Zell was still doubtful. "Well, true. But even with this arm…" He pointed out his right arm on a sling with a nod. "I can't play yet until another month."
"Well then, during those months, you can continue to heal your arm and be back healthy again so you can play football," Selphie said, linking arms with him again.
"Hey Mister!" a voice yelled from a distance.
Zell looked up. A football was rolling down towards him and it suddenly stopped by his feet. "Mister! Could you please pass the ball?" the same voice asked. The blond noticed the same two kids he saw earlier waiting for him to pass the football. The one approaching him had short, blond hair. Zell bent down and picked up the ball with his left hand and passed it as hard as he could towards the blond boy. Caught off guard, the boy was astonished at the amazing throw, though he was able to catch it. "Woah!" The boy yelped, his eyes widening in excitement. "How did you do that!?" Surprised as well with the throw, the other boy with dark hair approached his friend. Selphie looked at him, shocked.
Zell shrugged. "It takes practice kid, but sooner or later you'll be able to throw it with your good arm," he replied, winking at them. He wrapped his arm around Selphie's shoulder and led her out of the field. When they neared the parking lot, he turned to look at Selphie. "You know, that kid reminds me of myself."
Selphie smiled. "Yeah, he does remind me of you," she replied, giggling.
"HEY!" Startled by the call, Zell and Selphie turned around and noticed that the same blond boy was running towards them now. He stopped in front of them, giving himself time to breathe and straightened himself up. "Can you teach me how to do that?" he asked with a pleading look in his eyes.
Surprised, he looked at him in silence and finally nodded. "Sure thing, kid. I'll be back to school in two weeks. Until then, meet me after school in this field."
"Two weeks? Why?" the boy asked.
Zell patted the boy's head. "I made some stupid decisions and I hope that you don't make the same mistake as well. What's your name?"
The boy smiled. "Zane," he replied with a small voice.
Zell nodded. "Well, Zane, since it's Sunday tomorrow, how about you meet me tomorrow at three o'clock…deal?"
Zane's smile grew wider. "For real? Thanks uh…"
The older blond winked at him. "Call me, Zell," he replied.
The boy smiled again and nodded. "Okay, three o'clock!" Excitedly, he ran back to his friend in the field and continued to pass the football with him. It seemed Zane was telling his friend what he was doing on Sunday and Zell could see the disappointment in the other boy's face.
Zell sighed and waved his hand in the air.
"What are you doing?" Selphie asked curiously.
He ignored her question and said, "Hey kid! You want me to teach you football too?" he called across the field.
The dark haired boy looked up and nodded hopefully. He grinned and pointed to himself. "My name is Trent!" he replied.
Zell watched as his green eyes glowed his excitement. For a moment there, he thought he saw Kent's eyes. In fact, the little boy reminded him of Kent. Watching the two boys reminded him so much of himself and Kent, except for the fact that they were much older than the two boys. Football was their favorite sport and that was how they first met…in the football field.
"Zell? Is something the matter?" The blond must have been staring at the two boys playing for so long, because Selphie was looking at him worriedly.
"No, nothing's wrong." He took Selphie's hand in his and began their journey down the same path they took getting to the field. They were silent for a while, maybe it was because Selphie was disappointed that Zell didn't tell her that something WAS wrong. Zell felt that, but if he told her now, the memories of that first time he started smoking pot with Kent would come back to haunt him. It was better off unsaid.
They arrived a few minutes later on Penders Street as Zell led Selphie around the corner and down towards Jackson Avenue. Silence still consumed the air and still none of them would start talking. After a few more times of silence, Selphie decided to break the barrier. She took a deep breath and looked around the nice houses in the neighborhood. "This is a nice place."
Zell nodded. "Yeah, it is. I like this place even more every time I go through here. You know this is where my parents met?" He stopped and pointed towards someone's backyard in front of them. "That was the backyard where my mom first saw my dad walking down the street. She was sitting on that tire swing when she was sixteen years old and my dad was just delivering some newspapers when they saw each other."
Selphie listened to him talk. It must be really hard for Zell to go back down the road in the past and remember his parents who died in a car accident. However, for some reason, as she watched his face, there was no such pain or sorrow etched in his eyes. There was just peace and nothing more. He looked calm and tranquil just standing there explaining to her about his parents' past. He suddenly smiled. Startled, Selphie watched him as he turned to look at her. "Do you want to see the house where my dad lived?"
"Sure," Selphie nodded, smiling.
Zell squeezed her hand gently and led her further down the street and excitedly turned a corner down a quiet path towards the park. Another street appeared before them. They passed about five houses and when the sixth house appeared, they stopped right in front of its doorstep. The house was large and very beautiful with a blooming garden in the front yard. "This is it!" the blond said, after a few moments of silence. He glanced at Selphie. "What do you think?"
Selphie stared at the house in awe. "It's….big!"
Zell laughed. "Hah! Hah! Of course it's big! Well, when my dad lived here, it wasn't THAT big. It was quite small, but that was a long time ago and things change. I hear that a Doctor lives here now, but I wished I saw it even before it changed."
"Why don't you go ask to see the place and find out how much it changed in the inside?" Selphie suggested. She squeezed his hand back and smiled.
The blond looked at her and shook his head. "Nah, I think it is better off that the past is left behind. Besides, I already have my memories in my head. I only visited this house once to see my grandparents when I was three and I can't quite remember it anyway. I just thought I'd show you exactly what spot it was."
Selphie nodded and smiled. "Well, I'm glad you showed it to me."
Zell sighed. "Okay, well I guess we better get back to where we came from and see Naomi." He glanced at Selphie curiously. "Why do you want to see her anyway?"
The brunette shrugged and linked arms with Zell. "I guess I feel guilty."
"Guilty about what?" Together they walked down the right street towards the Marshall home.
"That I was too angry at Kent to really get to know him in person. I guess I just want to apologize to her for being terrible towards her son."
Zell wrapped his arm around her. "You weren't terrible towards him, Selphie. He did threaten you."
"Yeah, but…" She was cut off when Zell pulled her in for an embrace. "Selphie, please stop worrying. It'll only add white on your hair…"
Selphie pulled away and looked at him curiously. "What is that suppose to mean?"
He laughed and took a strand of hair from her head in between his fingers and showed it to her. "See? This is white hair for being worried all the time!" he teased.
The young brunette frowned. "That's not funny!"
He gently pulled the strand of hair and began dancing around with it. "Hah! Hah! Selphie's getting old!"
"Hey! Stop that!" she yelled. He ran and she chased. They did that for a couple of seconds, until they heard a familiar voice calling them. "This is no playground children…" someone said gently.
Selphie and Zell stopped and both looked up. Naomi stood there, her eyes gentle and her lips curling into a sweet smile. Zell nervously rubbed the back of his neck, his face blushing, while Selphie looked away, digging her feet into the ground, also blushing with embarrassment. "He-he said I'm old."
Naomi looked at her, then at Zell. "Did you really call her old? Why…" She glanced back at the young girl. "She looks pretty young to me! I take it you would much rather have an older girlfriend, Zell?"
Zell's eyes widened in shock. "O…of course not!" he replied, shaking his head vigorously. "I mean…" Nervously, he glanced at Selphie's disappointed look. "I mean… Aww, come on Selph! You know that's not what I meant! Geez…" She must've thought he meant that he wouldn't want to be her boyfriend. He was screwed…
Naomi laughed. "Now, now, Zell didn't mean what he said, Selphie. I was only teasing! Come, would you two like some tea?"
Selphie suddenly smiled. "Sure!" She walked pass Zell and joined Naomi inside the house. Zell followed the two women inside, still quite confused about what happened just now. When he was inside, Selphie was already seated on a chair in the kitchen, across from where Naomi was sitting. The blond made his way into the kitchen and sat down Selphie. He was still worried that Selphie was still mad at him for the comment he made earlier, because he was still staring at her, wondering that she was thinking.
The young brunette noticed this. She turned and smiled, placing a hand on top of his. "I know you didn't mean it Zell!" she assured him.
Zell sighed a breath of relief, his head drooping until he felt the cold surface of the table. "Oh thank goodness…."
GoodGurl: Well, that wraps it up with this chapter! Coming up for them will be…the deep relationship titled: His and Her Circumstances. To those who read Japanese graphic novels (mangas), such as Kare Kano will understand what it's going to be about! Stay tuned for Seiftis! ^^