First, thanks to Juwels21 for being my first reviewer! I always appreciate it when people take time to comment on something I've written when they like it. It encourages me to write. So again, thank you, and this chapter is for you.
Second, this chapter isn't as long as I wanted it, but the next one is going to be longer, so I'll consider it a compromise.
Disclaimer: FFVIII and characters are not mine, nor am I making any profit off this.
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"Zell, we need to talk," Selphie announced as class got out. Zell turned around, eyeing her curiously.
"What about?" He asked as he waited for her to join him at the front of the room. The two left the classroom together, stopping to wave to a few of their classmates before heading to the cafeteria for lunch.
"About last night…" Selphie started, not sure how she wanted to broach the subject. She hadn't slept at all the night before. She couldn't after seeing what she did in the secret area.
"Is everything alright? You don't look so well. Kind of pale. Did you get enough sleep last night?" Zell frowned, pushing a hand against her forehead to see if she had a temperature. "You're a little warm. Maybe you should go to the infirmary."
"No, I'm fine, really."
"Then… what is it?" The two stood, staring at each other a moment before Selphie brightened, smiling.
"Ah, nothing. It's really nothing. I gotta get going, I'll talk to you later, Zell!" Without another word, Selphie took off running in the opposite direction.
"Hey!" Zell called, watching as she rounded a corner. "But… weren't we going to lunch?" Frowning, he could do nothing but shrug and continue down the corridor.
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Selphie sat on Quistis' bed with her legs tucked under her, staring at the floor. "What was so important that we couldn't talk in my classroom?" Quistis asked, seated at her desk with papers in front of her. Idly she shuffled through them, wondering, as Zell had, what was wrong with Selphie.
"People come and go in your class, and I needed to talk to you in private."
"What's so important?"
"It's… about Zell…" Selphie started. Quistis turned from the papers to face the girl on her bed. Now she had her attention.
"What about Zell? Did something happen to him? He seemed hurt yesterday, said he got it while training. Did he not go to the infirmary?"
"I don't know about that. I didn't know he came to see you."
"Is he in trouble?"
"I… I don't know. It's kind of hard to say. I thought he was at first. He said Seifer was giving him a hard time. Or it seemed that way. I mean, he was coming out of Seifer's room the other day, right before we had class with you."
"Oh, so that's why you were late?"
"Yeah. He said he was in trouble, and Seifer made him do work. I don't know what he made him do though, but he seemed tired. Worn out."
"I'll have a talk with Seifer then. Not that it'll do much," Quistis said, sighing. "He picks on Zell so much."
"Um, that's not all…" Selphie said, looking away. The instructor eyed her carefully, watching as her demeanor became more cautious. Not like her at all.
"There's more?"
"Yeah. Last night… I was going to the secret area to visit some friends, when I ran into Raijin and Fuujin guarding the entrance. I was pissed about it, but they said Seifer was busy. Well, I wanted to know what he was doing, so I managed to get by them, and saw Seifer and Zell talking…"
"They were talking? Was Seifer harassing him again?" Selphie's face turned bright red.
"Well, I thought so at first. Seifer had him backed into the railing. But… I don't think Zell minded much. In fact… he looked like he was enjoying it."
Quistis was almost afraid to ask, but she knew she had to, if they were going to get to the bottom of whatever was happening. "What… did it seem like he was enjoying?"
"Seifer was kissing him. On the neck I think." Selphie stared at her friend as the other's jaw dropped slightly. Quistis was at a loss for words.
The silence hung heavy in the air for a moment. The only sound was that of a student yelling for her friends to wait. Selphie cleared her throat, and Quistis turned back to her desk, shuffling through papers as she soaked it in.
Zell and Seifer… Seifer was kissing Zell… and Zell didn't try to kill him. Was that right? Was that what she'd just heard?
"Selphie… are you sure that's what you saw? I mean, it was late… it could have been anyone…" Selphie leaned forward, looking Quistis straight in the eye, serious.
"The taller male was wearing a long, white trench coat. The smaller male was pretty much hidden, but the left side of his face was covered with a tattoo. The same tattoo that's on Zell's face. I know my friends, and I know no one else has Zell's tattoo."
"I can't believe this…"
"Quisty, we have to do something! Seifer has to be using Zell somehow…"
"But if Zell looked like he liked it…"
"There's no way! He has to be blackmailed or something. Why would he let that creep touch him! Besides, Zell is not gay. There's no way!"
"Maybe we should talk to Squall. They're friends. He might know something." Quistis suggested, standing. Selphie jumped off the bed, nodding.
"Yeah, you're right. Zell tells him everything, even if Squall doesn't care."
The two left Quistis' room and started their search for Squall. It took awhile for them to finally track the elusive teen down. They finally found him as he left the training grounds, gunblade over his shoulder.
"Squall! We have to talk to you."
"… I'm busy," came his short reply as he tried to brush past them.
"This is serious. It's about Zell. We think he's in trouble," Quistis offered, walking beside her friend and student. Squall didn't say anything, but glanced at them. They assumed that was him trying to say, "go ahead."
"Has Zell said anything to you about Seifer?"
"Seifer?" Squall shook his head. "He was looking for Zell the other day, though."
"Really? Did he find him?" Selphie asked. Squall nodded. "What did he do?"
"I don't know. Picked him up and carried him off with Raijin and Fuujin."
"Carried him off?" Quistis looked alarmed. "He didn't hurt him did he?"
"I don't know. I went the other way." Selphie punched his arm and he looked at her, bored.
"You let Seifer just carry your friend away? He might be in trouble!"
"Isn't he always?"
"This might be a bit more serious than that," Quistis started, with a small sigh. She and Selphie pulled him aside, out of earshot of other students and filled him in on what they'd both learned. Squall was quiet as he listened to this.
"Zell can handle himself." He finally offered. Selphie stamped her feet and bounced.
"Didn't you hear what we said! Squall, you have to talk to him!"
"Why do I have to?"
"Because, you're his friend, and a guy. Look, you have trouble with Seifer too. Maybe he'll tell you what's going on. Squall, he's your friend, isn't he?" Squall looked at them for a moment and sighed.
"Fine. I'll talk to him." He wasn't going to voice it, but they were right. That didn't seem like Zell at all.
The three of them walked back towards the student dorms together, the girls laughing and talking animatedly. They were almost at Squall's dorm when Seifer came down the hall, Raijin and Fuujin in tow. Selphie and Quistis grew quiet and watched. Squall and Seifer made eye contact as they passed. A grin broke out over Seifer's face and he leaned closer to Squall.
"What's wrong, Squally boy? You seem a bit… uptight." Seifer laughed.
Quistis turned to watch the three members of the Disciplinary Committee move further down the hall, and waited till they disappeared around the corner before turning back to her friends. "I don't like thinking he might have some sort of hold on Zell. Squall-"
"I'll talk to him tonight. I told him I'd let him train with me this morning before class," he said softly, and entered his room. The two girls were left outside, frowning.
"I hope he actually talks to him," Selphie muttered.
"I just hope everything's fine, and we're wrong."
