By: Southwest Eggroll
Chapter Two: Boys Will Be Boys
Push me away, make me fall,
Just to see another side of me.
Push me away, you can see,
What I see, the other side of me.
--- 'Downfall' TRUSTcompany
THE NEXT WEEK OR SO went as Seifer had expected. Nearly every student in Garden was with seething with hate for him, and a few let him know it. Traitor had been written on the door of his dorm in a bright pink color. When he saw it, he grinned and looked around. A group of students passed by him. They all had smug grins on their faces. Seifer wondered, would they would grin if he took the time to show them how deadly a recent upgrade made Hyperion? He knew he could never find out, as much as the thought pleased him.
After his discussion with Cid, before his run in with Selphie, Cid had curtly reminded Seifer that any miscondunt would be punished more harshly than with normal students. In other words, he would be thrown out the moment he screwed up. The smallest infraction would land him outside the front gates of Balamb Garden on his ass. And he would not be able to return, he knew that much. Seifer glanced around...maybe if no one was looking, he could just-
No.
He unlocked his door, pushed it open and walked inside his dorm. He collapsed onto his bed. Seifer hadn't worked since then, hadn't done anything useful with his life. There was a point when he became just another homeless guy, when he was at the lowest Seifer Almasy could get. You learn humility on the streets, and Seifer learned it well. He made the decision to turn his life around. To become something greater than himself. To do that, he would need to return to Balamb Garden. So he swallowed his pride and did it. Now he was back, and it seemed he had forgotten how busy student life was.
Quistis had welcomed him back to her class without so much as a raised eyebrow. He was just another student to her, and he was eternally thankful for that. When he was in his SeeD uniform at the induction party next year, he would make sure to thank her.
LUNCH WITH ZELL, RINOA AND Quistis was a kind of tradition for Selphie. Since the Sorceress War ended, they had made a point to eat together. Squall had been involved the first few weeks, but his job as Commander gradually became more demanding, and he ended up eating in his office, alone or, occasionally, with Rinoa. The four were sitting around a huge plate of hotdogs.
Quistis was picking at a salad, but Rinoa and Selphie("We like real food...") were chowing down on hotdogs, right along with Zell. Of course, he inhaled them at a speed that would impress anyone, whereas both girls favored chewing their food. Selphie stopped a hotdog halfway to her mouth, in order to observe Zell's eating habits. It was purely disgusting. She followed a large lump down his throat.
"What?" Zell asked, his mouth full.
Selphie set down her hotdog on a plate and pushed it toward him. "You know what? You can have mine. I'm not so hungry."
"'Sa'matter?" he asked, taking the hotdog anyway.
The spunky brunette shook her head. "You eat like a pig, is all!"
He ignored her, and ate the hotdog she had given him with relish. Rinoa giggled beside him and elbowed him lightly in the ribs. Apparently a little harder than she had expected to, because the muscles in Zell's jaw stopped moving quite suddenly. His face got red, and he was trying to say something. His mouth was so full, though, no one could make anything out.
"Zell?" Quistis said, alarmed. "Are you okay?"
"Holy gummybears!" Selphie exclaimed. "He's choking! Somebody help! He's choking!"
Quistis panicked. "Does anyone know the Heimlich?"
Rinoa and Selphie stared dumbly at her, shaking their heads. Zell's face was beginning to turn an odd color, and he was groping at his throat. Just then, though, Seifer walked by. He looked down at Zell. Almost lazily, he smacked Zell on the back with a resounding thwack. A chunk of something launched out of Zell's mouth and landed a few yards away. Selphie giggled.
"Right on! Nice distance," she said. "I give it a 10!"
Rinoa was rubbing him on the back, furiously asking him if he was okay. Sucking in deep breaths of air, Zell spun around to see who had pretty much saved his life. Seifer was standing there, reguarding Zell with a raised eyebrow.
"Uh...tch, thanks, man," Zell said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. The area around them had grown quiet. Half the people in the Cafeteria expected to see Seifer retort with some kind of insult.
And I would hate to disappoint my audience..."Any time, Chickenwuss," Seifer said, tilting his head back a little.
Almost like the world was on fast forward, Selphie saw the fight that would inevitably take place, the bruises that would be on Zell's face the next morning, the gunblade wound he would have somewhere on his hands or arm and Seifer walking out of Garden slowly, his chin in the air with a few bruises to call his own. She had to do something, if not for Seifer, then for Zell.
"Gee whiz, Zell, that thing covered half the Cafeteria," Selphie said, stepping between the two guys. She pointed. The defensive position Zell had fallen into loosened up, and he looked at the chewed up lump she pointing at. "Who taught you how to eat?"
"Yeah, well, if Rinoa hadn't stabbed me with her elbow..."
Rinoa giggled. "Wimp," she snorted playfully.
SEIFER WAS AT SOMEWHAT OF a loss. His tactics had never failed to upset Zell, to provoke some kind of action from him. He was looking forward to unraveling the little runt, like he had always done in the past. But Selphie, the tiny brunette he had never much paid attention to, stepped between them and stopped the whole thing. She must've sensed what would happen. He smirked at the back of her head, and walked out of the cafeteria, silently and unnoticed.
QUISTIS HAD ALWAYS BEEN A great Instructor, but Seifer found his attention wandering through out the whole period. His days as a Sorceress Knight had taught him a lot, and her class was nothing but review for him, no matter how advanced it was for the others in her class. He spent most of the time messing around the message boards on his study panel. He was causing quite a bit of an uproar, Seifer noted happily. He smirked down at the latest forum that a student had created.
I can't believe they let Seifer back in. Did they forget what he *did*?
-- JACK@$$
I don't see how. There must be something wrong with the Headmaster. Maybe Seifer threatened him? I wouldn't put it past him. He's about as low as low goes. If I were Cid, I would have chucked him out of Balamb Garden the moment he set his dirty foot on the grounds.
-- K.P
Seifer's got access to the message boards. You two should watch out. He's dangerous.
-- NICEguysFINISHfirst
Seifer supressed a laugh. He typed up this:
No kidding. I heard he drilled holes into some guy's heels because he smudged his boots. That's not all, man...
-- Strangely_Psychotic
He posted it and anxiously waited for a reply. The fact that half the students at Balamb feared him greatly amused him. Not one would have the gall to do anything about it. And those who did...
Quistis was flipping through a slideshow on GFs. Her room was the largest of all the Instructors at Balamb, because so many students requested her class. Seifer knew from experience- she did her job and did it well. He leaned back and took a look at the next slide. It was a picture of the infamous Gilgamesh. Seifer smirked at it. He had once junctioned Gilgamesh. That was a subject he needed to discuss with Quistis...He wanted Gilgamesh back, and if not Gilgamesh, then any GF, because he didn't have one. Without his gunblade, he was defenseless.
A reply to his post showed up, and Seifer clicked the forum.
Seifer is *not* like that. *I'm* not afraid of him, and neither should you be!
-- Eternal_Sugar_High-per
Now that surprised Seifer. He studied the screen name and clicked on it for a profile. A picture of Selphie with her arms in the air and mouth formed into a great big smile loaded on the screen, and beneath it was a short biography and list of likes and dislikes. 'Sir Laguna' was first on the likes list, followed by 'Gummybears.' 'Evil Sorceresses' was first on the dislikes. This time he did laugh, and heads turned his way. Quistis gave him a scolding look. Seifer smirked back at her, closing down the message board window as inconspicuously as he could.
So the little Messenger Girl isn't afraid of me? It was highly amusing, and he decided to bring it up with her later.
SELPHIE WAS STUCK IN A class she hated. It was on junctioning GFs, and Instructor Homan was terrible. He talked about GFs like they were stupid, inferior beings. She had to disagree, and she told him so many times. Without the GFs, we'd all be powerless. If they're so dumb like this idiot Instructor says, how come we're so dependent on them? she mused one day. He was sitting behind his desk, laughing at joke that Selphie didn't find funny. Instead of listening to him, she focused her mind on the stupid posters in his classroom and made fun of each one. They said really stupid things, like Don't let them control you! and Show your GFs who's boss!
The bell rang, and Selphie was out of there faster than anyone else. Her free period was up next, so she decided on visiting the Quad and starting work. She had an essay she needed to catch up on, but it could wait until later that night. She bounded off to the quad, singing a song she had heard on the radio the day before.
"My friend the communist! Holds meetings in his office! I can't afford his gas! So I'm stucking here watching TV!" she sang, ignoring the strange looks she was getting. "Take a picture!" she said to one student who stopped and gawked at her. "You can sell it when I make it big!"
FROM THE MOMENT HE HEARD her voice down the hall, he was hooked. He hadn't ever seen her before, didn't know her name, but he was already in love with her. She was singing a popular song, skipping/prancing/running down the hallway to the Quad. He stopped and stared at her. She flashed him a big grin. "Take a picture! You can sell it when I make it big!" she said.
He was quite suddenly in love, and deep in it.
SELPHIE WALKED INTO THE QUAD, wondering why the lights were off. She flipped them on as she let her messenger bag slide down. Her eyes went big as she took in the scene before her.
Seifer was leaning into a tall blonde woman who was sitting on the table. They were making out. And, Selphie noted, they were doing it in a very disgusting fashion, right on top of the banner she and Jordan had worked so hard on! She stomped her foot. The couple didn't notice. It was sick. Their hearing was probably drowned out by the gross sound of their spit smacking together. Selphie stared at them in disbelief. Didn't they even notice the lights? She looked away as the blonde stuck her hands down Seifer's pants, and Seifer grabbed her bottom.
"Uh! Hello? Excuse me? Selphie to porn freaks! Hello over there? DO YOU GUYS BREATH?" she shouted.
Finally, Seifer broke away from his woman and turned to her. He rolled his eyes at her. "Hey Messenger Girl- butt out."
The blonde giggled and gave Selphie a too smug look.
"Uh, Lapdog? That's my poster you're porn slapping each other on."
Seifer grinned at her. "This isn't porn slapping. Though if that's what you're interested in, I'd be happy to-"
"Look! Get off my poster and out of the Quad, before I-"
"Before you what?" Seifer unwrapped his arms from around the girl and sauntered to Selphie. He towered over her, smirked down at Selphie.
She kicked him. Hard. And with that, she left the Quad, practically oozing anger and frustration.
SHE RETURNED A FEW MINUTES later, with Zell at her side. He was pumped up, ready for an excuse to smash Seifer's face in.
"In there," Selphie said, pointing to the Quad. "But, uh, they were pretty much sucking each other's tongues off. It might have gotten a little deeper."
"Man, the nerve of that guy," Zell muttered as he walked into the Quad. Sure enough, the blonde was on the table, and Seifer was slowly unzipping her jeans, placing a kiss at the newly uncovered skin.
"Yo Almasy!" Zell shouted, his chest swelling. "Ya wanna clean up and get outta here?"
Seifer froze. He turned around and glared at Zell. Then he started laughing. The blonde looked pissed off, and she zipped her jeans back up.
"Look Seifer, I'm sorry. I have a class in a few minutes," she said. She waved goodbye and walked out. Seifer let his head fall, where his chin was touching his chest. Then he slowly approached Zell.
"I see, I see," Seifer said. He lowered his voice so Selphie could not hear. "I get it- it's good ol' Zell to the rescue, huh? Trying to impress Selphie, or what?"
"Nah, it's nothin' like that," Zell said, crossing his arms over his chest. "But she asked you to leave-"
"And I didn't. So whatcha' gonna do about it- Chickenwuss?"
Zell clenched his fists. "Don't call me that-"
"In front of Selphie? Ha ha...She must have somethin' hiding under that jumper, then..."
Seifer looked over at Selphie. He smirked. She was standing, quite obviously pissed off, with her fists clenched beside her and her chin up defiantly. She was kind of cute, and she had nice legs. He imagined her in something a bit skimpier.
"Look man-"
"Now that I think about it, the Messenger Girl would make a nice peice of ass-"
Zell decked Seifer. His fist met Seifer's jaw with a loud thwack! that seemed to echo through the Quad. The blow sent Seifer doubling back, and he would've fallen on the floor had a table not been behind him. He gave Zell a look so cold, Selphie thought Zell might just turn to solid ice right then and there.
"Her name is Selphie," he said, his voice low but firm. Selphie heard the tone in Zell's voice, recognized it, and she immediately ran out of the Quad. She knew the guys were going to fight, and she knew she wouldn't be able to stop them on her own.
Seifer smirked. "Or what? Ya gonna hit me again?"
"If I have to, Almasy."
"Then do it. Come on, free shot."
The shorter boy dropped his arms. "Tch, fuck you," Zell snarled. He turned and walked out.
"MAN SELPHIE, WHY'D YOU HAVE to go tell the Headmaster?" Zell asked in a cranky tone. He was ticked off. When Selphie had left the Quad, she ran to get the Headmaster. She figured it was the only thing that would stop Seifer and Zell once they got started. She knew that Seifer would most likely be chucked out the moment he stepped out of line. And she knew he probably didn't want that. But since it was Zell who hit Seifer, Zell had also been punished. He was stuck cleaning out the men's shower for a week. When Zell left the office, Cid and Seifer were still discussing Seifer's punishment.
"Do you know how dirty that shower gets?" Zell asked, putting a heavily topped hotdog in his mouth and dropping a little bit of relish down his shirt. They were in the Cafeteria, eating dinner. He reached for a napkin.
Selphie looked at the relish-stain on Zell's shirt. "No, Zell. No idea...Where's Rinnie?"
Quistis giggled. "She's having dinner with Squall. She wants it to be romantic."
"I thought they were having...uh...you know...problems," Zell said, as if he were relaying some secret that held the world in balance.
"They are. That's why Rinoa wants this dinner to go so perfectly. She's hoping to talk it out with Squall."
"Talk? With Squall?" Selphie quizzed, looking confused.
Everyone laughed.
A deep voice came over the PA system. " 'Will Selphie Tilmitt please report to the goddamn--' 'Seifer!' 'Sorry sir, will Selphie Tilmitt please report to the Headmaster's Office? Selphie Tilmitt to the...Headmaster's Office, please.' "
Selphie laughed. "Um- is it just me or- was that- that was Seifer, wasn't it?"
Quistis nodded slowly, staring up at the intercom. "He didn't sound too happy though..."
SELPHIE KNOCKED ON THE DOOR a few times, before it opened. Seifer was standing behind it, and he greeted her with a glare that could make flowers wilt. She stuck her tongue out at him.
"Lapdog," she muttered.
"Brat," he replied under his breath.
"Selphie!" Headmaster Cid called, looking happy. He waved the two of them over to his desk. "I've got good news for you!"
"Really? Anything to do with the Garden Festival?" Selphie replied anxiously. She clasped her hands in front of her and waited.
"Yes, actually. In light of....recent events...Seifer has decided to volunteer his spare time and work with you on the Garden Festival."
If Cid had told her that Sorceress Ultimecia had returned to apologize to everyone, Selphie probably would have been less surprised. She looked at Seifer. The muscles in his jaw were working, and he looked absolutely ticked off. She smiled a great big smile at him. "Really?!"
Cid gave a meaningful look at Seifer, and Selphie caught it. He nodded and in a rather clipped tone, said, "Yeah. I thought I could...help out."
At that moment, Selphie really wanted to laugh. She would've if the Headmaster hadn't been sitting right there. Instead, she hopped up and down.
"That's terrific! When can you start?"
"Whenever you need me to." Same clipped tone.
"Woohoo! Okay then, 7am SHARP, tomorrow morning!"
This chapter is dedicated to IsidraC, who was the first person to review this story. I spent like half an hour refreshing the reviews page, half expecting to see a flame. And then Is's review showed up, and I almost started crying...Thanks a lot, girl! Oooh and thanks to everyone else who reviewed! I got seven, and my goal was three ^_~*
Sorry for the long time no update, but I was stuck with my dad all weekend, and I don't think he can tell the difference between a computer and a TV, so I was kind of without means to post. I managed to write up to chapter five, though!
