A/N-Yay! Thanks for all the reviews, guys! I'm really happy with the progress! I hope that this story reaches 100! Tee-hee! Sorry I haven't updated since forever! I haven't had much inspiration for this story, or for the game. Oh, and you guys wanted Squinoa action, you're getting it! Well, not much else to say, so let's get this story on with!

..Blue Stars/..

Chapter Three: Catch Me

                As soon as the two friends entered the busy hallway full of effervescent students, Selphie turned towards Rinoa and began chattering incessantly, as if the two had been friends since forever.

                "So let me tell you the basics around here, Rinny! Oh, cool! I just called you Rinny! Hey, that sounds way cooler than Rinoa! It's more fun and vivacious! How about it?! Ok, anyway, couples around here are me and Irvy--duh!—Zell and Rikki, Morton and Krissie, Shozen and Kara, Kevin and Vanesa—they're the cutest couple!—Aaron and Erin…" As the hyperactive brunette continued to chatter, Rinoa decided to zone out, walking towards her locker. She twisted the dial, concentrating slightly as she hastily reminded herself of the numbers. 25…10…36…Open! Damn! She mentally cursed as she pushed the lever, getting no response. I'm sure I did it right…She tried the lock again, getting the same result. Noticing Rinoa's frustration, Selphie stopped midway on her conservation about the rumor about Erick Opal cheating on Crista Carsa for Ericka Christen and grinned. "Here, this is what you do when your locker gets jammed."

                The short brunette banged lightly on the locker twice and twisted the lock back and forth. Then she stepped back and waited patiently, muttering, "1…2…3…" before kicking the wall next to the locker. And miraculously, Rinoa's locker opened, a couple of thick books falling to the floor.

                "Uh…thanks?"

                 "No problem!"

                Groaning down at the heap of books on the ground, Rinoa kneeled down, muttering incoherent things, and picked up the fallen objects, roughly shoving the material back into her locker. She quickly took out her needed things for the next three periods and slammed the door shut before the books decided to fall again. Selphie watched amusedly, waggling her right index finger in front of Rinoa's face.

                "Tsk, tsk, Rinny! You should be more organized! Tee-hee!" Selphie smiled lightly, walking forward. Rinoa rolled her eyes and grinned sheepishly.

                "I've always been like that! I can't keep anything organized, even if my life depends on it!" Rinoa flipped back her raven hair casually before standing up and readjusting her hold on her blue backpack, joining Selphie. The two friends walked quickly to their next class, the dreaded GF Theory.

                As Rinoa stepped over the threshold and got a good look at the class, she could see why everyone seemed to dread the class. The walls were plain white, lacking variety and color. The blackboard consisted of the class schedule, which was neatly written with chalk. Everything was perfect and orderly, which only made it more imperfect. The teacher himself wasn't much of a show. He was a plump man around his mid-forties, his black-rimmed glasses hanging loosely from its position around his neck. He was wearing a white collared shirt with navy blue trousers that were held together with suspenders of the same color. The bell decided to ring at that moment and the two brunettes quickly took two seats in the back of the class as the teacher took out a clipboard and started roll call.

                "Jakk Armsbury…"

                Hyne, his voice is boring! I feel sleepy! Rinoa thought as the teacher droned down the list, checking absence once in a while. His voice paused for a fugitive minute before he looked up at his class, his beady brown eyes roaming over his students.

                "Rinoa….Rinoa Heartilly…" he mumbled quietly.

                "I'm over here," Rinoa raised her hand politely, trying to stifle a yawn. The man stared at her for a while, as if contemplating the meaning of her name. After a few uncomfortable seconds, the teacher looked back down at his clipboard and resumed his tedious roll call. And so came the sudden eruption of whispers. Rinoa started to grow agitated, and she futilely tried to block out some of the cruel remarks.

                "Ignore them." Surprised by the sudden deep voice, Rinoa jerked toward the direction of the voice, and her eyes landed on a blonde teenager with stunning emerald eyes. He smirked in her direction and Rinoa smiled back.

                "Uh…thanks." The teenager shrugged nonchalantly and turned back towards the front, masking a face of indifference and utter boredom. The raven-haired teenager turned to face Selphie to see that her face had suddenly turned pale, her green eyes widening marginally. "Selphie? What's wrong?"

                "…He…he…talked to you."

                "Um…'he' who? And what's wrong with 'him' talking to me?" Rinoa asked, confused. Selphie shook her head as if ridding herself of a bad case of dandruff and frowned at Rinoa.

                "That guy you just talked to is Seifer Almasy. Not actually a fun guy to hang around. Doesn't talk to anyone else besides his posse consisting of Fujin and Raijin."

                "Oh really?" Rinoa raised an eyebrow and turned to face the young man again, giving him a once-over. "He looks fine to me." The only reply she received was a strange look directed at Seifer. I wonder what that's all about. Deciding that it didn't really matter to her, she placed her chin in the palm of her right hand, hoping that she didn't fall asleep in class. The time passed by without incident. The guy named Seifer didn't say anything else and Selphie had already fallen asleep in her textbook so Rinoa had nothing to do.

                Thankfully, the bell rang and Rinoa stood up, stretching her sore muscles. Swinging on her backpack, the brunette nudged her friend awake, smiling slightly. Dazedly, Selphie blinked away the dizzy spell taking over her, mumbling strange things.

                "Selphie, the bell rang," Rinoa spoke lightly, trying to contain a laugh.

                "Oh…thanks for waking me up," she muttered, standing up slowly, "Did I miss anything?"

                "Oh, well, our homework is to write a theory in essay form on how the GF Shiva was created. It has to be double-spaced and four pages long, due Wednesday." The shorter brunette frowned cutely, glaring daggers at the teacher who had his back turned to the ladies. "Umm…Selphie?"

                "Hmm? Oh, yeah, class. That's right. What do ya have next?"

                "Lunch."

                "Oh! You're so lucky! Lunch right after second period! Man, I don't have it until after fourth!" Rinoa felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. That meant she'd be all alone in the cafeteria. Seeing the disappointed look in her friend's eyes, Selphie smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Rinny! You remember Zell, right? He has lunch with you, and so does Squall and Quistis."

                "Quistis? Who's that?"

                "Duh, Rinny! Our first period teacher!" Surprised, Rinoa tilted her head to the side.

                "You guys…call Ms. Trepe by her first name?"

                "Well, yeah. She is our friend. She's only a year older than us, and before that she used to be a student just like us. She just became an instructor three years ago when she was fifteen."

                "Wow! That's amazing!" Rinoa exclaimed, extremely impressed. Selphie happily nodded in agreement, walking down the hall.

                "Well this is the cafeteria! Let's compare schedules before I go." Selphie grabbed the Rinoa's schedule and darted her green eyes back and forth between the two papers. "Aha! I have fifth and seventh with you! Booyaka!" Rinoa laughed at her friend's energy and waved goodbye to her as she pushed open the double doors.

                And collided with someone.

                "Wah!" Surprised, Rinoa fell back onto the ground, tightly closing her eyes as she waited for herself to gracelessly crash onto the hard ground. A gloved hand came out and reached for her outstretched hand, hoisting her back up.

                "You ok?"

                The deep and slightly concerned voice made her open her eyes and she met blue-grey. His silky chestnut hair shadowed his frowning face and he silently awaited her reply.

                "Hey, it's you!" How intelligent. The teenager's eyebrow shot up, questioning. She winced at herself and pulled back her hand, scratching her head sheepishly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Umm, thanks."  Squall shrugged, looking away.

                "Whatever." Without another word, he walked away, leaving her staring after him.

A/N-I'm so sorry I didn't update since like forever! I've had no inspiration, and I've been focusing on another story, so I apologize profusely!  I hope this chapter is ok for you guys! I know it's kinda short, so I'll try making it longer next time.  I'll try updating way faster since it's summertime, but I can't guarantee it! I seriously need inspiration. sigh So make this authoress happy and review, yes? Tee-hee!

Mai