Chapter 3

oOoOo

After their last class for the day, which ended around 12 noon, Rufus had to ask for Tifa's mobile number just in case he would think of contacting her regarding their project.

After exchanging numbers, the two parted, with Tifa watching Rufus as he walked away with Sephiroth. She had a faint smile on her face as she did so, and when he and Sephiroth finally descended the stairs, she turned away to walk going to the opposite direction. She decided to do some touring around the campus by herself. Trying not to mind the curious stares coming from the other students as she passed by, she tried to act as naturally and as calmly as possible. "They're all staring at you because you're new and you've been spotted with Rufus." She was telling herself quietly.

Aside from noticing that the food was too expensive in the cafeteria and that all classrooms were airconditioned and each student desk has electrical sockets where they can plug their laptops, she also noticed that the students and the professors all have this snobbish air around them. "I guess I can't make too much friends in this place…" she thought with a pout before turning to her mobile phone upon feeling that it was vibrating inside her bag. She got it and checked the caller ID. She blinked and answered it. "Yes?"

oOoOo

"Where do you want to have lunch?" Rufus asked Sephiroth as he drove out of the school campus.

"What? Hey, you should've asked that question to your new friend." Sephiroth told him with a sly smile on his face.

"She's not a friend. I'm just working with her for a major project. She's a transferee from Nibelheim which makes her really stand out among the rich snobbish crowd." Rufus answered.

"I think it's nice that she's from Nibelheim. How do you think she's different from all the other chicks in your class?" Sephiroth asked, smirking.

"She's nicer, she's not arrogant, and she seems to be so innocent about a lot of things about wealth and money." Rufus answered. "Would you believe she hasn't been to Midgar before?" he asked.

"Well, not everyone can afford to go to Midgar…" Sephiroth said.

"But she's smart, that's why I've decided to work with her in that project anyway." Rufus said.

Sephiroth was about to say something but he was interrupted when his mobile phone began to ring again. He answered it with a gruff tone. "Yes?"

Rufus wondered who it was but did not bother to ask anything as he continued to drive going to a seafood restaurant by the bay.

Sephiroth just smirked and then hung up after a few minutes.

"That was a fruitful conversation." Rufus remarked sarcastically

"It's just my dad telling me to watch over you. Mwahahaha." Sephiroth laughed.

Rufus cringed. "Blimey. I wonder why I'm so precious to everyone." He said with a sarcastic tone.

"You're the only heir to Shinra, man. That's what makes you precious." Sephiroth told him.

"So that's my only purpose in life that's why everyone's fussing about my safety? Bloody hell." Rufus remarked in annoyance.

Sephiroth just kept quiet as Rufus made his way to the restaurant's parking lot. He could not tell Rufus what Vincent had told him: death threats had been received in Shinra HQ in Midgar regarding the young heir.

After lunch, the two decided to have some coffee in a coffee shop just a block away from the restaurant where they ate their lunch. While driving to that coffee shop, Rufus spotted Tifa who was walking on the sidewalk going towards the opposite direction. He slowed down and honked.

She turned to his direction just as he sounded the car horn and swerved carefully by her side and put the car into a complete stop. "Where are you going?" he asked her.

"Home." She answered, smiling.

"Where are you staying?" Sephiroth asked.

"Junon Mansions. My stay there is being sponsored too." she answered.

Rufus raised his eyebrows. "Whoever is sponsoring you must have so much money in their hands." He remarked with an amused tone. He was aware that that condominium has the most expensive units in Junon.

She just smiled. "Er… yeah." She said softly.

"Care to join us?" Sephiroth chimed in. Rufus's eyes widened when he heard his friend say that.

She raised her eyebrows as her eyes widened a little. "Uhm… no, thank you." She answered.

Silence.

Rufus cleared his throat. "Alright then. I guess we'd better get going. I'll see you tomorrow in school." He told her before zooming away.

Tifa turned around and followed his car with her gaze. She had a slight smile on her even as she bowed down her head and proceeded to leave.

Meanwhile, Sephiroth had been teasing Rufus about turning red in front of Tifa.

oOoOo

Later that evening, Rufus was seated on his bed with his laptop and marketing books by his side. He has been doing advanced reading and reviewing for his classes ever since he arrived home that afternoon.

While in the middle of reading tips on putting up a restaurant on the internet, his mobile phone rang. Interrupted, he frowned as he picked it up from his bedside table and checked the caller ID before answering. "Yes?"

"Hey, how are you doing?"

Rufus blinked. "I wonder why you're calling me." He muttered with a sarcastic tone.

Then his door opened and Sephiroth stepped inside with his mobile phone against his ear and laughing. Rufus ended the call. "You wasted airtime for a useless call." He told his friend. Then he noticed that his friend's left cheek is red.

Sephiroth shut the door and placed his mobile phone in his pocket. "Just checking on you." He said as he plopped down on Rufus's bed. "Aaah. I envy your luxury." He said, minding the softness of the cushion.

Rufus eyed him in disgust. "Get your filthy boots off my bed! I just had maintenance change the sheets!" he told his friend in annoyance.

Sephiroth got up. "I didn't notice. You always have white sheets. Your room's like a freakin' asylum or something." He told Rufus.

"Well I like white." Rufus stated flatly. "And I can tell you're bored. Why don't you bother Jillian or something? I'm studying." He told him.

Sephiroth smirked. "I just did and she slapped my face." He told him with a silly smile on his face.

"Figures." Rufus muttered, looking away from the redness of Sephiroth's left cheek.

"And aside from that, I want you to turn on the TV and watch the news." Sephiroth told him.

"I can't watch the news. I'll just read the newspapers in the morning." Rufus muttered mindlessly as he continued to read write-ups on bars and restaurants. "Or maybe you can summarize the news to me? I'm sure you've seen them." He decided.

"Alright. On channel 7, they are discussing your first day of school. It turns out that after you left school today, reporters were inside the Dean's office, interviewing school officials and your professors." Sephiroth told him.

"At least they didn't attack me in the middle of the hallway and do an ambush interview." Rufus answered.

"And I also wonder what those newscasters on other TV stations are thinking because they're discussing about your future." Sephiroth continued.

"They're bored." Rufus muttered.

"Come on, aren't you the least bit bothered by what they're saying about you?" Sephiroth asked.

"I've no time for those." Rufus answered half-heartedly. Just then, his mobile phone's message alert tone sounded. He flipped it open and found one SMS. He read the message. "Hello, Rufus. It's Tifa. Do you happen to have the readings for our marketing class?"

Rufus blinked before deciding to call her instead. She answered after the second ring. "Hello, Rufus. Sorry if I disturbed you…" she said.

"No, it's alright, Tifa. But yes, I have the readings. It's in my laptop though. I can email them to you. Just text me your email address." He told her.

"Alright. Thank you, Rufus." She said.

"Oh, by the way, Tifa, would you like to meet up tomorrow after our class? I'd like to discuss our project." He told her.

"Sure. No problem. I'll see you tomorrow then." She said before hanging up.

Rufus put down his mobile phone and turned to Sephiroth. "Stop nudging me!" he snapped impatiently.

"Mwahahah!" Sephiroth just laughed at him.

oOoOo

They only have one class every Tuesdays and Thursdays, and it starts at 9:00am up to 10:30am.

After class, just as they were on their way out of the classroom to meet with Sephiroth, a group of girls went ahead of them and turned to face them as they totally blocked the doorway.

Rufus kept a straight face but Tifa eyed the girls suspiciously. She seemed to have acted a little defensive and Rufus and Sephiroth noticed it.

The group of girls had three members in it and two of them had blonde hair while the one in the middle (whom Tifa had assumed to be their leader) had red hair. "Like, hello, Mr. Shinra." The redhead greeted with a wink.

Rufus neither moved nor mentioned a word. He just stared at the redhead coldly.

"We would like to invite you to our sorority party on Friday night." The redhead said, handing a pink scented invitation to Rufus.

Rufus hated the smell of the invitation; it smelled like cheap perfume and his first reaction was to cringe and fan the air before his nose. "No, thank you, ladies. I have to do some important things." He said as he took a step backward.

"But it's going to be a fun party!" one of the blondes told him with a flirty voice.

Tifa stepped forward, "Pardon me, ladies, I'm sure you can understand simple English? Rufus says he has other things to do." She told them sternly.

"Oh, if it isn't the poor girl from the province." The redhead said mockingly. The two blondes laughed together with her.

Sephiroth felt like he was watching a chick flick where the popular girls make fun of the good girl, but he did not say anything.

"Well at least I was raised in the right manner by my parents." Tifa answered haughtily.

The three girls stopped laughing at her and eyed her, feeling insulted. The redhead snorted. "We were definitely not raised in a pigsty compared to you, so what do you have to say about that, huh?" she asked.

Tifa's eyes widened, but before she could say anything, Rufus grabbed her wrist.

"Let us through." He said sternly.

The three girls slowly moved aside, sensing the sudden anger from Rufus, although his face remained stoic. With that, he and Tifa walked away from the three with Sephiroth following after them.

"Feels like high school, huh?" Sephiroth asked Rufus and Tifa.

"Those girls have no breeding no matter how rich they claim themselves to be." Tifa muttered miserably.

Sephiroth snickered. "Rufus, you should definitely invite Tifa to one of your dad's big socialite parties." He told him.

"Whatever for?" Rufus inquired.

Sephiroth just looked up with a smug look on his face.

"And I'm surprised you still remain courteous to those disgusting females." Tifa told Rufus with a frustrated look on her face.

"It's for his image." Sephiroth told her.

"What image?" she asked with a confused look on her face. "I don't get it." She told them.

"I am the son of the President. One day, I'll become President and I'll have to deal with more people like those. I can't just lose my temper every now and then or avoid those sorts of people. As much as possible, I have to be courteous and respect everyone even if I don't particularly like them." Rufus explained with a low voice.

"Well that sucks. If you can't express yourself to those people, what's the point of being real?" she asked.

Rufus did not answer. He just kept on walking with her and Sephiroth to the parking lot.

He remained silent even as he drove to the coffee shop where he and Tifa could have their discussion regarding their projects away from the nosey people in their school.

When they arrived at the coffee shop, Rufus requested Sephiroth to order for them while he and Tifa look for seats. He handed him 1,000 Gil before proceeding to a secluded area with couches and a big glass window with a view of the Junon Bay. It was like an exclusive area where Rufus would regularly spend his time in whenever he is in that coffee shop.

As the two settled, sitting on opposite couches facing each other while he plugged in his laptop on the electrical socket available by the floor and she was just staring at him, wondering what was on his mind.

While waiting for his operating system to load, Rufus leaned back on his couch and rested his elbows on the armrest. "Do you want the answer to your question earlier?" he asked.

Tifa was surprised. She thought it never really bothered him, but it turned out that Rufus had been thinking of the answer ever since she asked the question.

He eyed her carefully. He wondered why he felt so drawn to this girl whom he had just met yesterday. Still, he tried to be nice to her. "In the world where I grew up, I was taught to be plastic at times if it means maintaining good relationships with those people, even though obviously, those people were being plastic too." he told her.

She was quiet, her eyes wide and they looked like she had something more to ask, but before she could, he interrupted her flow of thought, "You're a smart girl. I know you understand." He told her.

She held her breath for a moment as she watched him turn his gaze back to the screen of his laptop. Lowering her gaze to her lap, she clenched her fists. She still could not comprehend the logic behind being fake towards people.

"You hate those kind of people, I know. I do too." he told her, interrupting her thoughts.

She looked at him again with a surprised look.

Sephiroth arrived carrying a tray with three slices of chocolate cake just before she could comment. "I do hope you're not on a diet." He told Tifa with a smirk.

She eyed the cake and blinked. "Oh, no, I'm not. Don't worry." She said lightheartedly.

Sephiroth placed the tray on the table. "Well that's good; otherwise, Rufus will end up eating your share. Mwahahaha. Anyway, I'll get our drinks." He said before leaving again.

Rufus eyed his friend in annoyance before looking at Tifa when he heard her say, "You're best friends, aren't you?" she asked.

Rufus smiled slightly as he turned back to his laptop and began to navigate through his files. "I've known him ever since I was a little boy. He's older than me though." He paused for a moment to count in his head. "…around 10 years." He continued.

"How old are you anyway?" she asked.

"21." He answered simply.

"You mean he's 31? He doesn't seem like it." She exclaimed in awe.

He smirked, wondering how Sephiroth would react if he was there. "It's his lifestyle, his JENOVA cells and his exposure to Mako." He explained.

"Are you kids talking about me?" Sephiroth asked, barging in with a tray of their mocha frappes.

"You're too paranoid." Rufus remarked coldly.

Tifa just smiled softly and proceeded to read her notes. She now has three projects to do with Rufus as her partner.

"So, Tifa, you're from Nibelheim, right?" Sephiroth asked, interrupting her.

She looked at him curiously. "Uhm… yes." She answered.

He took a sip of his own drink. "Rufus's mom was born and raised there. The Shinras even had a mansion built there." He said.

"Yes, I'm completely aware of that. It's just a couple of blocks away from my house." She answered.

"What's your point on telling her that, Sephiroth?" Rufus asked airily.

"Nothing, I was just trying to strike up a conversation with your new friend because you're too quiet and all you ever talk about with her is business. It's beginning to bore me listening to you blab away about how money grows and how to make it abundant!" Sephiroth answered with a mocking tone.

Rufus smirked at Tifa. "Forgive Sephiroth over here, for he doesn't know when to stop talking sometimes." He told her.

She chuckled lightly. "I noticed that." she said jokingly.

Sephiroth's left eyebrow twitched but he just ignored the remark. "Anyway, got any boyfriend, Tifa?" he asked, wanting to change the subject.

Tifa shook her head. "Like, no." she answered simply.

"Oh that's too bad. Rufus doesn't have a boyfriend either." Sephiroth pointed out with a mean smile on his face.

"What does that supposed to mean?" Rufus demanded in annoyance, eyeing Sephiroth angrily.

Sephiroth laughed at him. "I was just joking!" he said.

Rufus snorted and turned back to his work.

"And what's so bad about not having a boyfriend?" Tifa asked, eyeing Sephiroth.

"I was kidding." Sephiroth repeated.

Silence.

"Oh. Alright." Tifa muttered. She hated it when people expected her to have a boyfriend.

Sephiroth began to eat his cake. "When's your birthday, Tifa?" he asked.

"…May 3rd." she answered half-heartedly, wondering what's on his mind all of a sudden.

"No wonder the two of you are so serious! You're both earth signs!" Sephiroth realized.

"Since when did you get interested in astrology?" Rufus asked with a ridiculous look on his face.

"Ever since I got bored waiting for you class after class. I had to read something and the only book available lying around was a book on astrology in the Lost and Found area." Sephiroth answered with a grunt.

"I never knew a man like you could be interested in astrology." Tifa told him with a slight smile on her face, meaning to make fun of him.

"You'll be surprised what other interests the Great General Sephiroth has…" Rufus muttered.

"You two are really ganging up on me, huh?" Sephiroth asked airily.

Rufus and Tifa just exchanged discreet smiles.