Well, here I am everyone, in case you wondered! I can't believe how long it took me to update this...has it been a month yet? Very possibly. Anyway, I'm completely finished with this fic now, and thanks to BatousaiX, I can start posting it! (You are my Australian angel! Thank you SOOOOOOO much for reading/reviewing/commenting on the ending!) There are three more chapters total, including this one.(Thank god) They are all rather lengthy, but I figured that would be better than making it up to ninety chapters...so XXXVII seems sufficient. I need to do some minor tweaking on the last chapter and I'm gonna wait to post the next chapter as well, so that's why this is only a one chapter update. Thanks for all of you who have stuck with this story, it really means a lot to me. Okay...please enjoy! Happy Holidays to you all as well in case I don't update again before then! (Work owns me!)
35. The Unsent Laugh
"A-one and two, three and-a four and—No! For the love of Yevon!" Rikku shrieked at the cheerleading squad when they couldn't get the right steps in for their new routine. Although they just started to learn it that day, Rikku was already impatient with their ignorance. She threw her pom poms down hard on the ground for emphasis and placed her hands on her hips. "How many times do I have to explain to you that—"
She trailed off when the doors to the gym flew open and Yuna stormed in. Rikku looked at the clock that was on the wall and noticed that Yuna was about ten minutes late and wasn't appropriately dressed.
"Well, Yuna, it's about time you showed up to rehearsal, especially when it's the week before the Homecoming game," Rikku said with a scowl as Yuna walked right up to her with a smug look on her face. "Next time you do this, we're kicking you off the squad, you know."
"No need for that threat." Yuna scoffed as she threw her pom poms down at Rikku's feet. "I quit."
"Tch, awww," Rikku said in mock sympathy as Yuna turned on her heel and started to walk toward the exit. "Can't handle the fact that your boyfriend needed to move from the Kindergardians onto the big leagues?"
Yuna froze in her tracks and clenched her fists by her sides. Her face flushed crimson in rage as she slowly turned around to face Rikku. "Look, Rikku, I'm not in the mood for you right now. If you want me to deck you, then keep up the snide remarks. If you would like to keep your face the way it is, then it would be wise to shut the hell up."
"Oooh, big talk from innocent little Yunie," Rikku continued to taunt as she inched closer to Yuna. "You just don't understand the friendship that Tidus and I have."
"Oh, heh, friendship? Hm, I didn't know that friends ended up naked on top of each other years after they've had sex. Maybe I've just been doing the whole 'friendship' thing wrong all these years." Yuna crossed her arms and sarcastically pretended to act like she understood Rikku's reasoning. The other cheerleaders gasped at Yuna's statement and they watched how Rikku's eyes flared in anger.
"Where the hell did you hear that?" Rikku snapped as she started to tap her foot.
"Tidus told me," she replied simply, tapping her fingers against her arm. The cheerleaders started to gather by each other, almost as if they felt that being around each other protected them as they watched Yuna and Rikku argue. "So, um, how does Gippal feel about this said friendship?
"Hey, how 'bout we leave my boyfriend out of this!" Rikku replied calmly as Yuna's eyes started to brim with tears.
"Well, at least you still have your boyfriend!" Yuna shouted as her face started to transform from the light crimson color to a dark maroon as her anger shot through the roof of the gymnasium. "Does he even know what happened? Does he even know that you're a whore and that's why Tidus and I broke up?"
"I am not a whore!" Rikku said as she stomped her foot. She let out a little laugh when she realized how worked up Yuna was over this, so she decided to calm down play it cool. She moved her hair out of her face and gave Yuna a frigid smile as she continued to speak. "I was just playing with Tidus, that's all. It's not my fault that he can't handle a little seduction."
"Ha! Seduction?" Yuna said as she let out a forced laugh.
"That's all it was, Yuna. Apparently things haven't changed over the years; I worked him up a little and he couldn't keep his hands off me." Yuna's fury continued to grow as Rikku soaked it all up. The more of a scene Yuna was ready to cause, the happier it was going to make Rikku. Rikku pretended that Yuna's problems weren't her concern, and that made Yuna simply explode at her.
"You planned it, Rikku! You called me and asked me what I was doing that night and then when you found out that I wanted to visit Tidus, you went over there to make the moves on him! Then I walked in to see it in mid-action!" Yuna was shocked how the tears hadn't started to fall yet. As livid and devastated as she was, she still didn't want Rikku or the other cheerleaders to see her cry.
"However, you are aware that he was in the action too, right?" Rikku pointed out as she looked at her perfect nails. "So that means that it's not all my fault."
"Have you realized that I haven't talked to him since that day? He's not off the hook either, and I'm assuming he will never be. Neither will you." Yuna and Rikku both looked over at the other cheerleaders, who all had dropped jaws.
"This isn't a show, you guys!" Rikku snapped and they all looked away, but they still had intentions of listening. Rikku went to face Yuna again, but Yuna already left the gym and was on her way to her car. "Well, there's a loss," she said sarcastically under her breath as she turned back to her squad to finish practice.
"Hey, I really like this one on you, Ti!" Rikku exclaimed as she straightened the tuxedo jacket that he was wearing. Tidus was skeptical about going tux shopping without a girls' opinion, so he decided to ask Rikku to go with him. Although he was still pissed at her for screwing up the relationship that he had with Yuna, he knew that he was to blame just as much as she was. I did let my hormones take control of my actions…He thought to himself before he approached her at school earlier that day.
He also felt guilty that they weren't talking due to the fact that they never spent more than a day away from each other since they first met in grade school. Approaching her and talking to her was the main way that he could let her know that everything was okay between them. But things aren't okay…He kept saying to himself over and over. He tried to stay happy and keep a smile on his face, but he couldn't help but continue to contemplate, which was keeping the smile off his face.
Rikku, on the other hand, was purely gleaming with delight. She knew she had won Tidus' affection over Yuna and that was her goal to begin with. Her cheeks were a rosy pink out of cheerfulness and a grin was permanently pasted on her face.
"I don't know," he said as he uncomfortably shifted his shoulders under the thick material. "I admit, I am probably the biggest prep in Zanarkand, I can't deny it. I would wear a button down shirt and khakis every day if I could get away with it. However, I'm not a big fan of tuxes."
"Why not?"
"First of all because they're binding; I feel like I can't move. Secondly, they're extremely hot and itchy and I'm going to sweat my ass off in a hall of 3000 students from A-East for homecoming." Rikku smiled as she walked over to grab the cummerbund that was on the table in the dressing room. "Now, what the hell is that thing?" He asked her as she placed it around his waist.
"Wow, you really don't formally dress up, do you?" She asked as she flipped her blonde hair out of her face. "Anyway, you look great. You're gonna knock 'em dead when you're announced Homecoming King."
"Yeah, I guess so." He said as he made a face at his reflection. Homecoming King…Rikku better not be the queen. But then again, if Yuna is announced queen, we'll have to share the first dance together…"So, did you tell Gippal yet? Or maybe I should ask, are you planning on telling him anything?"
"About what?" Tidus shot her a glare and she softly giggled. "Well, he'll find out eventually, but I'm really not worried about it. It's not the first time that I've cheated on him, as we both know. He knows I'm in love with him anyway, so there's no reason to be concerned."
"You can only step on the back of a guys' heel so many times before he falls on his ass, Rikku." Tidus sighed as he grabbed the bowtie and started to fasten it on. "I can't believe you."
"I'm just that amazing," she bragged with an exaggerated smile as she ripped the bowtie out of his hands and grabbed the tie that was also on the table. "You wear a bowtie and I will disown you as a friend. Wear this. Anyway, he's stuck with me through homecoming anyway. We already have a hotel room reserved and stuff, so what's the likeliness of him dropping me before a night of awesome sex? Let me tell you, he won't. Make up sex is the best anyway."
"So I've heard," Tidus mumbled as he fussed with the tie that Rikku handed him. She watched in amusement as he tried to tie it, but failed miserably.
"How have you managed to live 18 years without knowing how to tie a tie? Honestly. Here, let me do it." She said in disbelief as she smacked Tidus' hands out of the way and started to tie his tie properly. "Anyway, what about you? Are you going to get another date for Homecoming or what?"
"I'm not sure yet," he replied as he dropped his hands by his side and let Rikku put the tie on him. "I, um, was thinking about apologizing to Yuna, grovel, and ask her to still go with me—"
"Ha! You're nuts!" She retorted as she burst out into laughter. "Seriously, you've got to be kidding me! If you ask her to go with you, I think she would try to murder you."
"Yeah, pretty insane, huh?" He let out a nervous chuckle as he fingered the stripe on the side of his tuxedo pants. It was his original plan to apologize to Yuna and tell her that it would still be an honor to go to Homecoming with her but he really didn't think about what she would say. It is the tradition for the Homecoming King and Queen to go together…He would've said to her if he gave her the proposal. He couldn't let Rikku see how much it tore him to pieces to not have Yuna around him. I just want to kiss her lips, run my fingers against her skin, hold her tightly in my arms…
"Well, it is you that we're talking about, so I'm sure you can ask anyone and still get a good lay out of it at the end of the night," she said as Tidus shook his head to erase his thoughts of Yuna from his mind. "I mean, you already reserved the hotel room in one of the best hotel suites in Spira, so you might as well get some use out of it."
"I guess," he spoke quietly as he started to take off the formal wear. He took off the white shirt and looked at his necklace that was hanging around his neck. "Heh, I'm assuming I won't be wearing this to the dance."
"You could," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "It's not that big of a deal. If you don't want anyone to see it, you could just keep your shirt buttoned over it."
He sighed as he put on his tight black teeshirt that he was wearing all day and ran his fingers through his hair. "Do you ever think she'll talk to me again?" He asked, his mind turning back to the 'Yuna Gear' again.
"Do you ever think of anything else?"
"No. Not in the last few days anyway," he said as Rikku exhaled and rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Come on, Rikku, knock it off."
"I'm just saying that I don't feel guilty over what happened, so neither should you."
"Well, I do!" He hit the table in the dressing room with his fists in frustration and faced the wall. He could see her through the mirror that he was looking in and she had a smile on her face. "Look, Rikku, I'm sorry, but I really regret it. It was simply a fluke. It never should've happened and I'm so very sorry that it did."
"Wait, are you talking about us having sex a while back or how you gave into me the other day?" She asked, acting as if it were nothing.
He looked over his shoulder and glared at her. "Both. I'm sorry for both situations."
"Why are you apologizing to me? I don't care if you regret it or not. It's not like I actually like you or anything." Tidus whipped around with blazing eyes that shot daggers at her. He couldn't speak, he was too angry and frustrated at her to say anything. Besides, he knew that if he did open his mouth, he would say something that he wouldn't want to say. "You can give me that look all you want, it won't faze me in the least bit. I was just trying to get a rise out of you and I sure as hell got one."
"Did you have to 'try to get a rise out of me' while I was dating Yuna?" He shot at her as he faced the wall again. He could hear her softly giggle and that only pissed him off more.
"You're so hilarious," she said as she walked over to him and ruffled his hair, causing him to back away from her.
"Don't fucking touch me."
"You're making me utterly ill right now, just so you know." She crossed her arms and kept the cruel smile on her face as she laughed at his agony. "You have this 'woe is me' attitude mixed with 'pity me because my heart is bursting at the seams with distress.' Well, guess what, precious? Life is pain, you better get used to it."
"We're leaving. Now." He said as he quickly stripped out of his tuxedo pants and slipped on his jeans. Rikku leaned against the wall as she watched him tie his tennis shoes and put on his coat. "I'll come back by myself or with one of the guys to rent the tux because I can't stand being with you for another minute."
"You're such a baby," she said as she opened the door of the dressing room and started to leave.
"No, I'm just about ready to bash your head through the wall because I am that irritated with you," he replied as he threw open the door of the store to walk to his car.
"You and Yuna have both threatened my appearance today," she said with a scoff. "Maybe you two were meant to be together."
"Well, since you managed to get in between us and fuck things up, I guess we'll never know," he snapped and shoved his hands in his pockets. The chilly autumn air proved that winter was coming soon and Tidus wasn't ready for it yet. He hated winter because winter involved snow. Although he did love the sight of winter, driving in it and the end of blitz season put a big check in the 'I hate winter' column of his life. He glanced back at Rikku to see that she still didn't feel remorse, so he shook his head and faced forward again. "Let's just drop this."
"Oh darn, and I wanted to hear you bitch and moan about it some more," she stated, her voice icy and heavily saturated with sarcasm. There was a bounce in her step that annoyed Tidus and he wasn't sure how he overcame the urge to just get in his car and leave her in downtown Zanarkand by herself. Hell, I'm sure she could fend for herself by setting up a post on the corner of Pilgrimage and 14th…He thought as he arrived at his car. Just as he was about to unlock his car, he noticed a small piece of paper under his windshield wiper. He paused his action and furrowed his forehead.
"The hell?" He snatched the paper and got a closer look at it. When he realized what it was, he looked at the parking meter to see that it said, 'time expired' on it. "Son of a bitch! It's a parking ticket!" Rikku couldn't help but laugh at him some more as he unlocked his car and heatedly sat down.
"Wow, senior year of high school sure is great, isn't it?" She said through fits of giggles as she sat down next to him and fastened her seatbelt.
Tidus only pursed his lips together as he put the key in the ignition and started up his car. I want high school to be over. I'm sick of the heartache, sick of the stress, sick of being around people who I can't stand. When I get to college, I'll be able to start over; a new group of friends, a new blitz team where people actually care about blitz and not just about the popularity status, new classes, a new GPA…I'll leave everything behind. I can't wait to graduate…
Hope you enjoyed the cat fight between Yuna and Rikku...hee hee. Too bad they didn't start exchanging blows, but oh well. Okay, I have full intentions of updating soon...maybe this weekend :crosses fingers: Bye!