Chapter 8: Drift on a Dream
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the FFVIII Characters.
From inside his room, Seifer wiped his eyes as he finished laughing to himself, 'Wow, that was so damn amusing.' He rubbed his jaw, 'She's got some power in that fist, though.' He laid back on his bed and put his hands behind his head, 'I wonder what would have happened if she wouldn't have protested. She's energetic…so I'm sure it would've been fun. Hmm…maybe I moved too fast.' He sighed to himself, 'Nothin' I can do about it now…God, I hope she's not crying. I hate making girls cry…It makes everything harder. I hate feeling like shit just because I made a girl cry…'
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"You're not a fool, Selphie."
Selphie's eyes scanned up the figure who had helped her up until she met the concerned eyes of Squall. He gently let go of her hand and put his hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes.
"Then…how come I feel like this..?" she asked him as the tears continued to pour down her cheeks, smearing her make-up.
"Because…you didn't listen to what other people said, probably. Or you knew inside that he wasn't any good, but didn't even listen to your instincts…something like that," he told her.
She nodded silently. "Come on, your room is right here," Squall said and opened the door to her room, letting go of her shoulders. Selphie lowered her head and entered her room, slumping down on her bed. Squall quietly shut the door behind him and pulled her chair out from under her desk, setting it in front of her and sat down, facing her. Selphie stared towards the ground, sniffling softly. Squall reached behind him and grabbed a box of tissues. He set it down next to her. Selphie reached over and took one, wiping her cheeks, only it didn't matter because the tears kept flowing. Squall watched her with a frown, furrowing his eyebrows. "Selphie….you shouldn't beat yourself up over this," he told her quietly.
"I-I know…I just feel so stupid. I fell for it, when I knew I shouldn't have.."
"Maybe you should talk to him about it," he suggested, although he didn't want her going anywhere near Seifer," Don't let him get away with it…"
"But…I don't know if I can. Talk to him, I mean. It hurts…a lot. But, I hit him back in the room. I don't think it did much good, though," she said dejectedly.
"You should try at least…I'm sure you can do whatever you put your mind to. You usually do…"
"I guess…I just can't believe what I let him almost--"
"Wait, what did he try to do?" Squall asked sternly, interrupting her.
"Well, he took me to his room a-and he tried to do stuff that I really wasn't ready for…not after one date, anyway."
Squall clenched his jaw, "That piece of shit. I should beat the living hell out of him. I can't believe he tried to take advantage of you like that."
Selphie reached up and wiped her eyes with her hand, "I know…I can't believe I let him almost…" she shook her head, "I don't understand this…why would anyone do that?" She looked at Squall, "Are all guys like this? Would you do that to someone?"
He looked hard at her, "Of course not. What…do you think I am?"
She put her face in her hands, "No…I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry, Squall. I don't know what I'm thinking right now. It's just…Seifer said all guys are like him in that way. And well…" She looked back to him, "I haven't had a lot of…experience, I guess you could say, so I just don't really know."
"I see," he said, nodding a little. "…Not all guys are like that. I would never do that to someone…especially not someone like you."
She tilted her head slightly, wiping her eyes again, "What do you mean?"
"I…" he began, "Well, you're too nice of a person to be used like that. I mean, this made you really upset, right?" She nodded. "Yeah…and I don't like seeing you upset because you're my friend, Selphie. When you're not happy, something isn't right…" He didn't really know what he was trying to say. He was never one for consoling upset people, even his friends. He wasn't too sure as to why this was any different. He scratched his head for a moment. Selphie watched him intently. She had never heard Squall speak like this. "I can't help but feel….sadder when you're not happy. You seem to help me feel…less depressed all the time, if you know what I mean." She felt a small smile forming on her lips as she listened to him. She never knew her usual demeanor actually affected anyone, it was just how she normally was. She never knew it had such an impact on Squall. "And…your smile is always helpful. So, with you being sad lately, I think it's hard for everyone…We need you to smile…"
Selphie's smile was fuller now, "Thank you, Squall….I didn't know that I had such an impact on your feelings." He nodded, feeling a little embarrassed for having said so much. She then realized how her make-up had mostly washed away and had stained her cheeks, but she barely realized she had stopped crying. She reached up and covered her cheeks, "I probably look horrible right now after crying so much."
"Actually, when I first saw you, I was going to tell you how…beautiful you looked," he said, almost inaudibly.
She smiled at him, 'That was the word I was looking for,' she thought to herself as she lowered her hands, "Thank you, once again. I feel like I'm repeating myself, but I really do mean all the 'thank you's."
"I know, Selphie," he said, "I can tell…" Her smile remained, until she yawned quietly. Squall stood up, "I'll let you get some rest, now. I'm sure you're tired."
"Yeah, I am. Really really tired to be exact," she bent down and took her shoes off, then scooted herself backwards, laying down onto her bed. Squall was heading for the door, when she paused and looked at him, "Squall?"
He stopped and turned his head to look at her, "Yeah…?"
"Um," she started, biting her lip for a moment, "Could you maybe…stay in here tonight? I don't know…I just don't want to be alone, even if I'm sleeping."
He nodded and walked back over to the chair, taking off his jacket and draping it over the chair. He looked at the hard uncomfortable looking chair, "This looks fun for sleeping…" he said to himself.
"Actually…" she said as he turned to look at her, "Could you stay here…?" she touched the bed beside her. He paused. She suddenly felt tears brimming her eyes again. She didn't even know why, she just had an overwhelming feeling as though she were alone. She needed someone next to her. She needed to feel someone she trusted and cared for by her side. She wiped her eyes quickly and looked at him, "Could you just…hold me while I sleep..?"
Squall didn't say anything. He moved to the bed as Selphie scooted over closer to the wall. He sat down, then moved his body down so his head was leaning against the wall above Selphie's pillows. She watched him and then moved over, letting her head rest against his chest. He looked down at her and brought his arm around her, resting his hand carefully on her side. She curled her arms into herself and closed her eyes. She smiled a little, then let reality drift away as she felt safe in his arms. Sleep took her and Squall watched her. He leaned his head down and gently placed a kiss against her head. He felt a small smile forming on his lips as he watched her sleep quietly. He closed his eyes after a while and drifted into a dream.
--To Be Continued--
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