Sweet Music
Chapter Three: Concert Going
By PasifiKStaR
All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy or anything associated with it.
"AHHH!" Selphie screamed once more as Rinoa handed her the backstage pass, making Quistis, Zell, and Rinoa all wince at the volume. "OhmiHyne! I can't believe it! I can't believe it! I'm actually... OHMIHYNE!"
Her friends and roommates cringed as she screamed once more. Quistis let out a tired sigh. Ever since Rinoa called an hour earlier, Selphie couldn't stop talking. She had been in the kitchen, digging through the fridge for her fruit punch when she picked up her phone on the kitchen counter. From where they were sitting in the living room while eating pizza, Zell and Quistis jumped out of their seats as soon as Selphie screamed.
She was jumping up and down, yelling into the phone and blabbering something about what to wear and how she couldn't believe something. Zell tried to calm her down while Quistis snatched the phone from the jumpy brunette, only to discover that Rinoa was on the other line. Ever since that call, Selphie had been running a mile a second, doing everything from running into her room to look over her clothes for tomorrow night to trying to decide which poster of Irvine to bring with her.
Selphie ran her trembling fingers over the precious backstage pass before slowly lifting it up to her face. She closed her emerald eyes and inhaled.
Zell leaned over to Quistis. "Is she SMELLING the pass?"
"You should've seen what she did with her new CD." Quistis replied as she smiled weakly.
"Rinoa..." Selphie said as she looked over at her friend with tears in her large eyes. She was clutching the plastic pass against her face lovingly. "I never tell you this enough...but I love you."
Rinoa chuckled and nodded. "I love you, too, Selphie," Rinoa replied. She held the other backstage pass and turned to look at their two blond roommates. "Well? Who else wants to go? Zell? Quistis?"
"No thanks," Zell said. "As great as it must be being squeezed into tight groups lunging forward at three men, I'll pass."
"You'll pass?" Quistis asked, frowning. "Zell, I know it doesn't seem like it, but are you forgetting why you are here?"
Zell looked down at the wood paneled floor. "Because Hyne created me?"
"No," Quistis stated, rolling her eyes. "You're her body guard remember? Now, normal every day activities she can go to and handle by herself, but these concerts can get kind of wild. Don't you think you should go with her?"
"Oh yeah..." Zell looked down and sighed deeply. He looked quite hesitant and Rinoa's face softened.
"It's okay, Zellie," Rinoa assured him. "You don't have to come. I won't tell daddy."
"Are you sure, Rin?" Zell asked curiously. "I mean...Quistis is right. It is my job. That's why I came to Esthar with you."
"I know, but don't worry. Selphie is there with me." Rinoa told him brightly. Quistis raised an eyebrow.
"Selphie isn't a black belt in numerous martial arts." Quistis stated.
"But she's a grandmaster at the art of fan girl. If anyone will know how to get through tomorrow night smoothly, it'll be Selphie." Rinoa assured them.
"You guys! You guys!" Selphie shouted as she darted back into the living room. She was holding two shirts on hangers in either hand, her backstage pass already around her neck. "Which one should I wear tomorrow? The black mesh or the metallic silver mesh?"
"I'm not very reassured right now..." Quistis sighed. "All right, fine. No Zell."
"Great! Thanks guys!" Zell beamed. He blushed and looked away shyly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Besides...I have a date that night."
Quistis and Rinoa snapped their heads back to look at him as the spiky haired blond looked down at his feet and flushed tomato red. "Zell..." Rinoa cooed softly. "You're going on a date? Congratulations!"
"Thanks..." Zell gushed as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"So...whose the lucky lady?" Quistis asked with a grin, ignoring Selphie dancing around with the backstage pass behind them.
"She works at the bookstore-"
"Oh, the one you've been stalking!" Rinoa asked cheerfully. Zell frowned and gave her a dull look.
"I haven't been stalking her!" he insisted. He blushed furiously. "It's not like I'm standing outside her house or anything..."
"So you're going out with the bookstore girl. That counts you out," Rinoa said as she looked over at Quistis. "Well, Quisty? Looks like you're going to the Scars concert tomorrow night."
"Sorry, but I have an previously planned engagement." Quistis told her. She slid off the arm of the couch and headed towards the hall way.
"What? Where? What is it?" Rinoa pouted. "Can't you cancel it?"
"I'm sorry, Rin, but it's a banquet with the firm. I can't miss it," Quistis sighed. "Perhaps next time I can come along with you guys."
"But what if there isn't a next time?" Rinoa argued. "What if this is a once in a lifetime chance? I mean... this could be your last chance EVER to meet Scars."
Quistis put her arms across her chest. "You know just as well as I do that I don't even listen to Scars. I might know who they are, but I'm not familiar with their work."
"That's nothing I can't help you with!" Selphie piped as she skipped past Quistis with her backstage pass. "By tomorrow's concert, you'll be able to recite all of the valuable information, including lyrics and birthdays."
Quistis grinned, but shook her head. "I'll have to pass. I've already RSVP and everything. Sorry, girls."
"All right, but you don't know what you're missing..." Selphie cooed. She continued to flutter around the living room as Rinoa looked at her extra ticket and backstage pass.
"Then who else are we going to bring...?"
"Oh! We can bring Xu!" Selphie gushed as she stopped and looked at the other ticket and pass. "She's a big fan of Scars. She has a ticket already, but I doubt they're this good. And I KNOW she doesn't have a backstage pass!"
"Come to think of it, why don't you have a ticket?" Quistis asked as she looked at Selphie curiously. "You're the biggest fan I know so far...why don't you have a ticket?"
"What do you mean?" Selphie asked. She dashed back into her room and came back out, holding a white envelope in her hands. "Ta-da! I was in line since 4:30 AM last month to get these!"
"4:30 AM?" Quistis asked as she took the ticket and examined it. "Is that even legal?"
"Apparently it is...so what are you going to do with this extra ticket?" Rinoa asked as she held it up.
"Well, since we're bringing Xu and she won't need her ticket...Zell? Do you and the bookstore girl want to come?"
"Spill, Kinneas. What are you hiding?" Seifer demanded as Irvine's proud smile finally got the best of him. Ever since they picked him up at the front of the record label's building, he had been grinning like a mad man.
"Why do you think I'm hiding something?" Irvine asked, trying to frown and failing. Seifer rolled his eyes.
"Don't lie to me. I know you're hiding something. You've been smiling like a lunatic since we picked you up. What the hell did you do this time? Let me guess, you're going out with a super model?"
"No."
"Two super models."
"No."
Seifer leaned forward slightly, this time looking intrigued. "Three?"
"Nope," Irvine grinned from ear to ear. "But I appreciate the assumptions. Actually, while you and Squall were in the limousine waiting for yours truly, I happened to spot a certain dark haired girlfriend of a certain anti-social guitarist at the edge of the crowd."
Seifer snorted. "No way...you saw puberty boy's girlfriend?"
"Yeah...she was probably looking for him." Irvine shrugged.
"And?"
"And?"
Seifer rolled his eyes. "What did you do, idiot?"
Irvine grinned from ear to ear. "Sent her the Irvine special."
"What the hell is the Irvine special?" Seifer cringed. He almost was afraid to ask.
"I sent three backstage passes and tickets her way. Tomorrow night, Prince Charming is going to meet his Princess. For the...um...second time." Irvine added.
Seifer sat up straight in his chair. "So wait a second. At this very moment, Mr. Personality is wandering the streets of Esthar looking for a girl that he'll very well see tomorrow night? Why the hell didn't you tell him! Damn, Squall's going to kick your ass when he finds out."
"IF he finds out," Irvine insisted. "Besides, he wouldn't have believed me. He'd think I'm joking or something."
"Kick your ass hard," Seifer smirked. "Your funeral."
"Trust me on this. Everything will be sorted out by tomorrow night."
"Yeah," Seifer said as Irvine handed him a glass of red wine. "So long as Squall doesn't blow it. And let's face it...he doesn't exactly have a way with words."
He looked up at the paper in hand and checked the address with the one on the building. He looked up at the glowing sign above the glass doors. Esthar University Student Teacher Program
Squall stood across the street and peered through the windows. The lights were still on, despite it being a Friday night. There were students still inside, still dressed in their uniforms, being lead into their studies by education students and new teachers still gaining experience before they got hired.
It had taken him a while, but he managed to find out where she worked after typing her name on a search engine and finding her listed as one of the new teachers that volunteered after school hours at the University's tutoring program. He took a deep breath and tucked the piece of paper in the back pockets of his jeans before looking both ways and running across the street.
He took one last calming breath to relax his nerves as he put his hand on the metal door handle and pulled it open. Immediately, he was greeted with the energetic smile of the student volunteer receptionist.
"Welcome to Esthar University Student Teacher Program. May I help you with something?" the receptionist asked cheerfully.
Squall tugged his hat over his head and kept his eyes downcast. "Yeah," he said, avoiding eye contact with the swirl eyed receptionist. "I'm looking for Rinoa Heartilly."
"Oh, Rinny? She's not working today," the girl beamed. "Did you want to leave her a message?"
"Uh...no..." Squall stammered. He mentally kicked himself. He should've called first instead of coming all the way down. But he had tossed his cell phone the other week, so that would've meant going all the way back to his pent house. He ran his hand down his face. "Is there anyway to...um...contact her?"
"Is it an emergency?" the girl asked, a worried look briefly crossing her pretty young face.
"No," Squall shook his head. "I'm just trying to get hold of her. We seem to keep missing each other."
"I can call her. She should be at home right now," the girl said as she looked at a list of phone numbers taped on the wall beneath the counter top where Squall stood. "Give me one second."
Squall nodded and looked around. He tapped his fingers on the wood counter top as he listened in one of the tutors explaining Esthar history to one of the high school aged pupils. Squall frowned. 'I definitely do not miss that...'
"Hi, this is Rikku from EUSTP," the girl in front of him piped loudly. He turned his head and saw her sitting up straight, listening intently on the phone she was holding against her ear. "Is Rinoa available?"
Squall leaned forward slightly. "No...she's kind of busy at the moment." a male voice said hesitantly. On the other side of the line, he looked over his shoulder as three girls screamed over which movie to watch. Back at the front desk, pale fingers that had been tapping on the wood counter top began to grip it's edge tightly at the sound of a male voice answering Rinoa's phone.
"Oh okay," Rikku said. "Hold on a sec," she looked up at Squall. "Did you want her to call us back or leave a number?"
"No," Squall said sternly as he pried his fingers off the counter. "Never mind."
Rikku nodded, her blond hair bouncing around her. "Okie-dokie," she lifted the phone up to her ear once more. "Never mind! No, no need to call back. Okay...bye!" She hung up the phone and looked up at Squall once more. "Sorry about that."
"It's fine," he stated, rather rudely. "Who was that?"
"I think that was Zellie," Rikku told him, still cheerful and smiling. "The guy she lives with."
The door slammed and Seifer looked up from the bar he was hanging from, doing sit ups on. Irvine looked up and over the couch to see a pissed looking guitarist slam the heavy door and practically throw his leather jacket aside.
"Squall?" Irvine asked with a frown as he looked at his friend and fellow band mate. "Are you okay?"
Squall merely shot him a deadly look before marching to the kitchen and opening up their fridge. He reached in and grabbed a beer. "Oh, shit, he's drinking," Seifer told Irvine as he jumped down from the bar. "I take it something bad went wrong."
"Squall, man..." Irvine said as the shorter man walked into the living area and fell into comforting arms of the plush leather arm chair to the left of the couch, where Irvine was reclining.
"What the hell is your problem?" Seifer sneered as he wiped his sweaty face with a towel and stood to the side. "You're sitting in my chair!"
"That's the least of my fucking problems right now!" the blue eyed brunette growled. The other two jerked their heads back, shocked at the response they got from him. They exchanged concerned looks.
"What happened." Seifer stated in a calm voice. They watched as Squall lifted up the bottle and took a nice long swing. He frowned as the burning ran down his throat.
"She lives with a guy." Squall spat out as he slammed the bottle on the table next to the chair.
"Who?" Seifer asked. "Your girlfriend?"
"Don't CALL her that!" Squall hissed.
"How'd you find out she lives with a guy?" Irvine asked as he moved his legs over the edge of the couch and leaned forward.
Squall shook his head. "I went to where she works and the front desk girl called her home and some guy answered."
"So, it could've been her brother or something," Irvine shrugged. "No big deal."
"I asked the girl who answered and she said it was the guy she lives with. Not her BROTHER. If it were here brother, the girl would've said 'oh, that's Rinoa's brother'." Squall spat out, obviously annoyed.
"Well...I guess that settles this," Seifer said as he sat on the other arm chair across from Squall. "We'll have to tell Nida that the girl already has a boyfriend."
"At least that means you don't have to worry about it any more, Squall." Irvine added.
They observed him as he sat there, his jaw locked as his hands turned into sheet white fists at his side. Seifer and Irvine glanced at each other once more. "So...what's the problem now?"
"What do you mean 'problem'?" Squall asked, narrowing his eyes at the two.
"Well, I would think that you'd be happy to know that she has a boyfriend," Seifer smirked. "I mean, now you can just tell the record label about it and tell the public it was all a misunderstanding. No one's feelings were hurt, no one gets used, and you won't have to talk to her ever again."
The last sentence hit him as he stiffened in his seat. Irvine's lips slowly curled into a knowing smile. "Oh...I see..." Irvine leaned back against the couch and crossed his arms over his chest. "That's the problem...you WANTED to talk to her again."
"I just wanted to straighten all this out," Squall growled as he sat up straight. "It's just...I spent a damn WEEK trying to track her down and suddenly I found out that we don't even need to talk about anything since she HAS a boyfriend and therefore CANNOT act as my girlfriend."
"Then why are you being so butt hurt about it?" Seifer asked coolly. Squall froze and slowly lifted his icy glare up to meet's Seifer's challenging emerald eyes. "Are you pissed because you wasted all your time?"
"Or are you angry because she HAS a boyfriend and therefore have no chance with her?" Irvine offered.
For a few moments, the trio sat their, unmoving as Squall mulled over their words. Seifer looked confident, Irvine looked interested, and Squall looked annoyed. Finally, the shortest of the group slammed his hands on either side of the arm chair and pushed himself up.
"I don't have time for this," he grumbled as he rounded the chair. "I have to practice. I don't have time for your stupidity."
"I knew it!" Irvine bellowed. "You do like her!"
Seifer was laughing. "And she's taken! Man, you have the worst luck! Even when you DON'T try, you're a loser, puberty boy!"
Squall growled and rolled his eyes as the two laughed behind him. "You know what - WHATEVER!" Squall yelled as he whirled around, just a few steps from his bedroom door. "For all I care, I'll never see her again! Actually, that's what I'd like! I never want to hear, talk, or SEE that...Rinoa Heartilly again! Got it?"
He turned on his heel and disappeared into his room. The sound of it slamming echoed in the living room as Irvine's laughter died down. "Hehehe...wait..." Irvine groaned and ran a hand down his face.
Seifer was still smirking as he looked over at the drummer. "Oh yeah," Seifer grinned as he stood up and headed for his room. "He's going to kick your ass HARD."
Rinoa stood in front of the mirror, carefully going over the clothes that she had so painstakingly picked out for that night. 'I've never been to this kind of concert before...I hope this is okay...' she bit her lower lip and turned around, examining her backside. 'Hyne, when did my butt get so big...?'
"Rin? You ready in there?" a voice asked as a knock sounded from the door. Rinoa turned around and headed towards the door.
"Just a second! Let me get my shoes!" She swept down as she ran past her closet and grabbed her boots. She pull the door open and revealed Selphie standing there, wearing a short yellow dress that had two straps going over her shoulders. "I thought you were wearing mesh?"
"I changed my mind!" Selphie piped energetically. "Ready?"
Rinoa laughed. Selphie was practically jumping up and down. "Just let me put on my boots," she bent down and tied the boots before straightening her short black dress and the baby blue duster. "Do you think it will get really hot? Should I leave the duster?"
"Yeah," Selphie nodded. "You'll be jumping and dancing! And you know with so many people there, it'll get really hot."
"I guess so..." Rinoa nodded. She unbuttoned the front of her duster and tossed it over her bed before following Selphie outside.
"Whoa, Zell! Nice!" Selphie beamed a proud smile as she held up a thumbs up sign at the blond man. Zell was dressed in crisp black pants and a nice dress shirt.
"Think it's too much?" he asked, honestly wanting their opinion as girls.
"Nah...aren't you two going to get something to eat first anyway?" Rinoa asked. Zell nodded.
"Yeah, I better get going. I'll see you guys there!" He grabbed his keys form the key hold on the wall and darted out the door.
"What about you girls?" a mature female voice asked. Quistis stepped out of the hallway, dressed in a strapless red gown. Her golden hair was pinned back and fell in large curls around her face as she put dangling red stoned earrings on each ear.
"Now!" Selphie told her cheerfully. Rinoa laughed and grabbed her car keys.
"Have fun at that stuffy firm banquet, Quisty!" Rinoa told her teasingly. The blue eyed lawyer rolled her eyes.
"Have a good time, girls. Don't get too crazy," Quistis looked at Selphie. "And by that I mean you."
Selphie smiled from ear to ear. "Bye-bye, Quisty!" The two exited the apartment and Quistis heard the door lock. Quistis put her arms down and slowly walked over to the window. She stood in the shadows of the darkened corner and looked outside. She saw Zell's car pull out from the parking lot under the building.
A few minutes later, Rinoa's car followed and Quistis let out a relieved sigh. She lifted her arms and took the earrings off. Quistis walked over to the couch and placed the earrings gently on the table before kicking off her red heels and falling back against the soft cushions. She reached out and grabbed the remote just as the cellular phone on the coffee table rang.
She glanced down and picked it up, glancing at the screen briefly to identify the caller. She grinned. "Never fails...Hello?" she asked as she lifted it to ear.
"So you are home...I take it you're not going to come tonight?" a deep voice asked. Quistis shivered as the masculine voice coursed through her ear.
"Not tonight...maybe next time." she replied coolly, sitting up slightly and brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Mmm...that's too bad. I'll miss you," he mumbled thoughtfully. "Next time then."
"Good luck tonight," Quistis told him with a slight smile. "Break a leg."
"I'll break my body if it makes you happy, baby," the voice said. Quistis blushed, just imagining the smug smirk plastered across the caller's handsome face. "And I mean in any way you want."
"Oh please," Quistis rolled her eyes, yet unable to keep the smile off her face. "Don't you have a concert to perform in?"
"Just waiting for people to get here," the man said. He looked up as he heard footsteps approaching. "Ah...and here they come. I'll call you tonight."
"You mean early tomorrow morning."
"But I will call you," the man insisted. He paused just before he said good-bye. "Have a good night, Quisty" he told her softly as the footsteps got louder and he could hear talking outside. "...Love you."
"I love you, too...bye..." The phone went dead and he closed his phone and shoved it into his bag just as the door opened.
"Hey, man, that's where you went," Irvine smirked as he walked into the dressing room with a glaring Squall behind him. "I thought we left you behind."
"It took you two long enough to get here." Seifer said as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"I'm excited for tonight, aren't you guys?" Nida asked as he came in, trying to look happy despite the fact that Squall was glowering in the corner. "This tour will kick off your Discipline tour! Aren't you guys excited?"
"Ecstatic." Seifer stated with a smirk.
"Um...well...the party afterwards has all been prepared!" Nida added. Irvine nearly choked on his bottled water as Seifer grinned from ear to ear.
"Oh yeah, I can't wait for that." Seifer grinned.
Squall rolled his eyes. He was leaning back against the couch, his guitar over his stomach as he silently went over the finger movements of one of their songs. There was a knock on the door and the four men looked towards it. "Pre-show will begin in thirty minutes!"
Nida clapped his hands together. "That's an hour before you guys head up there. Break a leg, guys!" The manager smiled and exited the room.
"Okay, let's get ready for a great show guys!" Irvine said. He lifted up his bottle of water. "To a great show!"
Seifer lifted up his bottle of water and smirked. "To a great party." Irvine shot him an annoyed look.
Squall sighed and lifted up his bottle of water weakly. "Whatever."
Rinoa looked around the crowded smoky arena as everyone jumped up and down and screamed the words to the song that the band on stage was playing. Selphie was jumping up and down next to her energetically while screaming and Rinoa found herself jumping up and down and yelling and clapping as well, even though she had no idea what the lyrics to all the songs were.
Sweat glistened on her forehead. All that movement had made her and everyone one else around her hot as they were out of their seats and cheering. The entire arena, which held a medium amount of seating as far as arenas went, seated thousands. However, because it the was start of the Discipline tour, it was completely sold out and now swaying with bodies.
The heat from all the bodies made her glad that she left her duster back at the apartment. The bright lights on stage flew across the musicians as the opening act finished up their last song. As the guitarist finished with a final movement over his guitar, everyone began to scream and clap.
"Thank you, Esthar!" the lead singer shouted as everyone clapped for them. They began to head off the stage and the lights dimmed, allowing the stage crew time to get on stage and prepare everything for the main act.
"Wasn't that great?" Selphie shouted over the crowd at Rinoa. The brown eyed girl nodded, barely hearing Selphie despite the fact that they were right next to each other. "That's how I first saw Scars! They were an opening act at a concert I went to!"
"Cool!" Rinoa shouted. "Now what?"
"They're going to come out any second now!" Selphie yelled back gleefully. "Rin! Thanks for the tickets! This is so exciting!"
"Yeah, thanks, Rinoa!" Xu shouted from where she was standing next to Selphie. She was wearing dark blue clothes and her head was also glistening with sweat. "Man! Even after everyone stops moving, it's still hot here!"
"I bet the air conditioning is on full blast, too!" Rinoa agreed. "How long until-"
The lights turned off suddenly and everyone began to scream. "This is it! This is it!" Selphie screamed, gripping the metal railing that stood between her and the stage. "OHMIHYNE! THIS IS IT!"
"AHHH!" Xu and everyone else was screaming and Rinoa looked up towards the stage, unsure of what to expect.
Then she heard the guitar. The screaming escalated as the stage lit up and revealed three men rising from the stage. They crowds began pushing forward and reaching for the band as they rose out of the stage.
They band hadn't said a word yet as the two guitarist played the same note over and over until they were completely visible. The lights dimmed slowly and as the note was struck one more time, the stage flooded with lights and the blond lead singer went up to the microphone while playing his guitar.
"I tear my heart open," he began and the audience went nuts. Rinoa lifted her head in awe. She'd heard that song before. "I sew myself shut. My weakness is that I care too much. And scars remind me that the past is real. I tear my heart open...just to feel."
"WHOOOO!" Rinoa cheered, drawing to the energy of the audience as Selphie and Xu shrieked like rabid fan girls next to her. The blond lead singer was wearing black pants and a dark shirt beneath a silver gray trench coat with red crosses on his sleeves. In the back, the black cowboy hat wearing drummer was shirtless and appeared to be wearing brown leather pants.
"I LOVE YOU, IRVINE!" Selphie screamed at the top of her lungs. Rinoa struggled to stop herself from laughing.
"Good evening, Esthar City!" Seifer shouted into the microphone as he and his band mates kept playing the melody and beat of the song. He broke away from the lyrics of the song just to introduce the band. "Thanks for coming out tonight! I'm Seifer! That's Irvine," he added, moving aside and pointing with his chin as both hands were on the guitar. "And Squall!"
Rinoa's eyes turned and fastened on to the young man that had been standing just a few feet from her. Clad in tight black jeans and a plain white T-shirt beneath a black jacket he was playing a bass guitar and moving his hands along their strings. His movement was casual and he looked relaxed, yet concentrated at the same time.
"Squall..." she whispered.
"Let's get this thing started!" Seifer yelled. The audience screamed as he played the beat once more. "I'm drunk and I'm feeling down!"
"And I just wanna be alone!" Selphie and Xu sang along with the crowd. Rinoa laughed as she the chorus began once more and she found herself chanting along with the crowd.
"I tear my heart open! Just to feel!" As they sang, Rinoa lost herself in the song, screaming and jumping with the best of them, yelling out the lyrics enthusiastically as the band played before them. Squall looked up to acknowledge the people and immediately his eyes were drawn to the brown haired girl in the front row.
His hands automatically continued to play as his mind whirled with emotions.
I'm pissed that you came around. Why don't you just go home?
Rinoa lifted her eyes, a wide smile on her face, and was caught in his gaze.
Cause you channel all your pain.
And I can't help you fix yourself
His eyes went from shocked to cold and Rinoa froze in mid verse.
"You're making me insane
All I can say is...
I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut
My weakness is that I care too much
And our scars remind us that the past is real
I tear my heart open just to feel!"
All around her, she could hear the people's voices as they jumped and screamed. All the heat emitted from their bodies suddenly didn't effect her as Squall sent her the coldest glare ever. Her heart stopped and the excitement died from her eyes.
"I tried to help you once
Against my own advice
I saw you going down
But you never realized
That you're drowning in the water
So I offered you my hand
Compassion's in my nature
Tonight is our last stand."
She suddenly felt so confused. What happened the warmth? The gentle voice that soothed her after he kissed her hand... "My mother used to say that a kiss makes it better...I hope it gets better..."
"Squall?" She lifted her hand to her chest and clutched it protectively.
He tore his eyes away from her, unable to hide the anger and frustration he had. 'What the hell was I one that night, anyway? She was just a distraction. We made our peace and that was it...'
"I'm Rinoa Heartilly."
Squall swallowed and closed his eyes to shut out the memory as his mouth moved along to the words.
"I'm drunk and I'm feeling down
And I just wanna be alone
You shouldn't ever come around
Why don't you just go home?
Cause you're drowning in the water
And I tried to grab your hand
And I left my heart open
But you didn't understand
But you didn't understand
Go fix yourself!"
Rinoa closed her eyes and bit her lower lip. Why did it suddenly hurt so much? She had been getting nasty looks from women the entire week. Suddenly, she was thrust into the eye of the public without her knowing. Her own students had wasted valuable time questioning if that was her in the newspaper. She had spent an entire week getting kicked out of buildings, studios, radio stations, and being hung up on. That entire week had been nothing but one big head ache.
So why did an action that would end all rumors and give her back her simple, private life hurt her so much? She shook her head. 'What's wrong with me?'
"I can't help you fix yourself
But at least I can say I tried
I'm sorry but I gotta move on with my own life."
'That's it...he doesn't want to have anything to do with me,' Rinoa felt her chest rising and falling quickly. 'Oh, Hyne...I'm such an idiot...I...' Her thoughts went silent as Squall looked at her once more as he sang a lyric that seemed directed at her.
"I'm sorry but I gotta move on with my own life."
"I have to get out of here..." Rinoa gasped as she tore her eyes away. "Selphie!" Her arm flew out and grabbed Selphie's skinny, flailing arm. "Selphie...I...I have to get out for a second!"
"Rinoa?" Selphie stopped singing and turned to her friend. Her bright smile was wiped out of her face and replaced with worry as Rinoa turned her back to the stage and began looking frantically for a way out. "Rin? What's wrong?"
"I...I just need some air!" Rinoa gasped as she swallowed nervously. Her highlighted bangs fell over her face and Selphie frowned.
"Rinoa? Is it the crowd?" Selphie grabbed her friend by the shoulders. "Rinoa, are you okay?"
"Yes!" Rinoa gasped. She pulled herself away from Selphie violently, almost knocking a few people down behind her. They completely ignored her as Rinoa gave herself a mental shake and turned her head away from Selphie. "I'll be back!"
"Rinoa!" Selphie yelled. "Wait a second! Let me come with you!"
"I'll be fine!" Rinoa shouted as she dove into the crowd, her arms in front of her, parting bodies to make her way through. "I'll be back! I promise!"
"Rinoa!" Selphie screamed, her voice drowned out by the yell of the energetic crowd.
"Where's she going?" Xu asked as she looked over at Selphie.
"I don't know!" Selphie shrugged. "She said she needed air!"
"Okay, if that's all!" Xu nodded.
Rinoa ran through the crowd, desperately squeezing herself through the audience as the music sounded behind her. She could still see his glare as she wove through and she big her lower lip to keep from crying. 'You barely met him once!' her mind screamed. 'There's no reason you should be crying! You don't even know him!'
Rinoa saw the door ahead of her and she began to cry. "Then why does it hurt so much to know that he hates me?" she cried out to herself.
Her mind ran through events that happened barely a week ago. The feeling of her hand being grabbed suddenly. She was confused, not afraid. She didn't feel scared with him, despite what her mind was telling her. She was confused, curious, but she never found herself fearing him. She felt completely safe. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she remembered her warm lips against the back of her hand. He had such a warm smile...Selphie said he never smiled. The papers said he was antisocial. The magazines said he was stoic and unemotional.But he had looked at her with genuine concern and warmth. And he had smiled. "He smiled for ME..." she whispered as she ran past a group of people and pushed through the doors.
"Rinoa?" she didn't hear a voice call her name behind her.
"Isn't that your friend?" a young woman with brown hair in pigtails asked her blond date. "Is she okay?"
"I don't know..." Zell frowned. "If she's not back in a few minutes...I'm going to check on her."
"I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut
My weakness is that I care too much
And our scars remind us that the past is real
I tear my heart open just to feel."
A crash sounded from the dressing room within the inner halls of the arena and the body guards standing outside the heavy metal door cringed behind their sunglasses as they heard a furious voice screaming from within. From the moment they had gotten off the stage for their mid-concert break, Squall had been seething. It took only a few seconds from the time that the door closed and they entered that he began to lash out.
"What the hell was she doing here?" Squall yelled in the room. Irvine was cowering on his seat while Seifer reclined in his, silently watching the drama unfold. "Whose idea was this?"
"How do you know it was one of us?" Irvine retorted bravely. "You don't know! Maybe she's one of those hardcore fans that always gets front row seats!"
"She didn't even know who I was!" Squall growled dangerously. "I KNOW it was you, Irvine!"
"Me?" the cowboy gasped. "How do you know it was me?"
"Because HE wouldn't do something so stupid!" Squall yelled, pointing at Seifer.
"Well, you spent all that time looking for her and I managed to find her and give her a ticket and pass-"
"A PASS?" Squall stressed. "You gave her a BACKSTAGE pass?"
"I can't give her tickets without the pass! That's tacky!" Irvine insisted. Squall growled, his fingers itching to get around Irvine's porcelain neck and squeeze. "Besides, I didn't know at the time that she had a boyfriend! And you should still talk to her about this!"
Squall was fuming and Seifer took a drink from his water bottle. "What's going on here?" Nida opened the door and burst in, a frown on his face. "I could hear your yelling from down the hall! What's the problem?"
"He's the problem!" Irvine said, pointing at Squall. "He's having a bitch fit."
"About what?" Nida asked.
"No one asked you to get involved, Irvine!" Squall snapped. "I said I would take care of it myself!"
"I thought Squall was the problem..." Nida mumbled.
"Don't get involved, Nida, you'll just be eaten alive." Seifer said smoothly.
"I thought I was helping! Excuse me for caring!" Irvine frowned dejectedly as he sunk back in his chair. "I honestly thought you two might have something, too. She's the first girl I've seen you even pay attention to EVER, man. I'm sorry for getting excited for you and trying to lend you a hand. I'm sorry for ASSUMING that you actually felt something, even if it was a little infatuation, with this girl. I'm sorry for trying to be your FRIEND, Squall. Really."
Squall let out a growl and threw his arms in the air. "Forget it...forget it! I need some air." he turned and grabbed the leather jacket that was hanging off the back of his seat.
"What?" Nida nearly shrieked. "Squall, you have fifteen minutes until you're supposed to be up there-"
"I'm not running away," Squall hissed in a low voice as he stopped and faced Nida with a pissed look on his face. "I just need some air," he stated beneath gritted teeth. "I'll be back before it starts."
Nida swallowed nervously and nodded. "Oh...okay..." Squall tore his eyes away and stalked out of the room. "What's with him?" Nida asked as he fixed his neck tie and looked at the other two.
Irvine and Seifer went back to drinking their water and stretching their muscles. They didn't even break their movement as they answered. "He's in love."
'What the hell was I thinking? Of course she has a boyfriend! Look at her. Those sweet eyes, that warm smile...' Squall ran his hand down his face as he walked up the stairwell to the upper level. 'Damn...I was only with her for five minutes and I'm pissed like I've just destroyed an entire decade of a relationship...' He shook his head, disgusted at his own reaction. 'A week of looking for her and I've grown way too attached. I don't even know what I saw in her...'
Squall reached the top step and saw the door in front of him. He carefully pushed it open.
"I'm fine...I just...I just needed to get some air." a female voice said warily.
"You don't look fine...you've been gone for a while," a male voice added. Squall was about to turn around and head back, not interested in intruding on the conversation, when the male said something that caught his attention. "Rinoa, you're crying."
"Rinoa...?" he whispered softly.
"I'm FINE, really," Rinoa assured the man. "Thanks, though. I appreciate you coming up here."
"Hey, no problem." Squall finally pushed the door open a little more to satisfy his curiosity and instantly regretted his decision.
Rinoa was hugging a spiky haired blond man in a suit tightly. His back was to him and Squall could see Rinoa's chin resting just over the man's right shoulder. She opened her eyes just as she was about to let go and her content smile vanished.
"Squall?" she gasped. His blue eyes widened as they locked with hers and he immediately began to retreat. "Squall! Squall, wait!" Rinoa shouted as she pulled away from her long time friend and darted towards the door.
It slammed closed and Rinoa tugged on it's handle. She screamed in frustration as she lifted one pale arm and pounded it against the door. It was locked.
A.N. - Hello again! Thank you for reading! I graciously accept all the cookies. The song is "Scars" by Papa Roach. I just thought it was fitting because...you know...the band's name...okay, fine. I'm not that creative. --;; I like just the song. I hope the concert was at least somewhat realistic and that everyone is enjoying themselves. I added my usual mini-Seiftis element, too. That's about it. Thanks, everyone! I might use another song later on, so if anyone has any suggestions, I'm up to hear them. Thank you once again!