Disclaimer: (See Part I.)

A/N: Chayn is a character that I made up; I own nothing else but the plot of this story. If the weekend goes good, the next scheduled update is Monday. Enjoy!

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Zell sat in his second period class, bored out of his mind at the review that the instructor was covering. Since he had already decided that the class wasn't even worth trying to pass anyway, Zell let his mind slip into a dream world. Besides, what was one failed class? He could take it again during the summer in less than half the time that it was taking up now.

"So if is Blizzarga your enemies element, what element should you use when attacking..." the instructor looked around the room at all of the students' bored faces. They were all either on their way to dreamland, or had already made it there. "Zell?"

Zell, who sat by the window, was staring out it at the azure sky and didn't even hear the instructor call his name.

"Zell, what is the answer?"

He remained staring out the window. Normally, Irvine would have elbowed him in the side, but at the moment Irvine's head was down on his desk, hidden by his text book.

The instructor calmly walked over to Zell's desk, though there was nothing calm about his expression. "Zell Dincht!" he took a nearby student's textbook and slammed it down on Zell's desk so hard that it nearly cracked the desk in half.

Zell, and nearly all of the other students, including Irvine, jumped out of their dazes and quickly sat up straight.

Zell stared at the instructor with confusion. "I'm sorry, I was just-"

"Zoning out completely during my class," the instructor answered for him.

"I was not! I was looking at-"

He was cut off again. "And now you are talking back to your instructor." The instructor pointed a finger angrily at Zell and stared deep into his eyes. "I'm warning you, that's two strikes Dincht. Is there anything else you want to add?"

Zell thought a moment. 'Well...' he thought, 'I'm not going to pass anyway.' He looked over at Irvine.

With a pleading looking in his eyes, Irvine shook his head and mouthed the word 'no'.

"Yeah, add this," Zell said, giving his instructor the finger.

Gasps came from a few students around the room and Zell smiled wickedly.

The instructor began to shake violently, and his face became red and blotched. "That's IT Dincht!" he roared, "OUT!"

Zell stood up, glared at the instructor, and walked to the door.

Irvine watched as his best friend went to the door. Maybe he could get the instructor to reconsider. "Sir, he was just-"

"And you, Irvine Kinneas, sleeping in my class? You will go with Zell to the headmaster's office where he can deal with the two of you."

Irvine's mouth dropped to the floor. "What?"

"Pack your belongings," the instructor spat.

.-.-.-.-.-

"I can't believe you did that, Zell," said Irvine in an impressed tone on the way up the elevator to the headmaster's office. "The only problem is, you somehow got me into this."

Zell smiled with pride. "No, you got yourself into this with me. If you hadn't have been dozing, you wouldn't have gotten into trouble. In fact... if you hadn't have been dozing, you would have been able to get my attention back from the window and into the class! Oh well... the old man had it coming."

Irvine's expression became more serious. "Yeah, but did you ever think that this might be the end of the line for your career as a SeeD?"

Zell leaned against the wall in the elevator and dug his hands into his pockets, avoiding eye contact with the taller boy. He didn't say anything to Irvine, but perhaps he had acted so rudely because he did see it as a way to get kicked out of the Garden. What did it matter anyway? He was nearly failing. Now his wish would come true.

The elevator dinged as it reached their stop. Both boys stepped out into the hallway and walked into Headmaster Cid's open office.

"I've been expecting you boys," said the headmaster before he had even seen them. "Have a seat."

Irvine and Zell looked at each other before sitting in the chairs on the opposite side of the headmaster's desk.

The headmaster was sitting slouched down in his large chair, rocking it slightly back and forth. His elbows were on the armrests of his chair and his hands were folded as if in prayer, with the tips of his fingers touching his top lip. He remained silent for a long while, merely peering at the two troublesome students over the top of his glasses.

Zell shifted his weight in the uncomfortable silence and Irvine's leg was bouncing up and down restlessly.

Headmaster Cid finally gave a heavy sigh and propped himself up properly in his chair. "I'm very disappointed in you boys, especially you Zell." He narrowed his eyes in Zell's direction and shook his head. "Do either of you have a good excuse for yourselves?"

Irvine shook his head. He should have known better than to fall asleep in class, but it was a particularly boring topic. He would tell that to Headmaster Cid, but he decided that it wasn't exactly the best excuse that he could muster up.

Zell gave the headmaster a blank stare and racked his brain for something that he could say to explain his behaviour, but now he couldn't even remember why it was they were there. He could feel his face become hotter under the stare of the headmaster. All he could think of now was, 'What if he calls Ma?'

"I didn't think so..." Headmaster Cid leaned to the left, placed his elbow on the armrest, and rested his chin in his hand. Then he looked at them with a hopeless expression. "What am I going to do with you two?"

Zell fiddled with a loose sting on his vest, while Irvine moved his eyes away from the conversation and looked out the window. Neither of them wanted to be expelled. Being involved with the Garden was their only source of income. They would have nothing if they were expelled, kicked out, never to return again, fired.

"I think a well thought apology and a week of community service should do it," the headmaster finally concluded.

Irvine's eyes shot back from the window. "You mean... we aren't expelled?"

"You mean I'm not expelled?" Zell nearly jumped out of his seat.

"Of course not. Why would I expel two of the most important students in the Garden? But don't try me. I won't hesitate to expel you both if this starts becoming a habit."

Zell stood you and ran his fingers through his blond hair, not believing his luck.

"Oh no sir, we won't do that." Irvine stood up also leaned over the table to shake the headmaster's hand.

The headmaster stood up and straightened his vest. "Well then, I'll contact you about your community service schedule later this evening, and you will begin tomorrow. This meeting is now over."

Zell turned toward the headmaster, continuously bowing graciously to the man while walking backward in the direction of the elevator. "Thank you, sir."

Back in the elevator, Irvine pressed the button to down. I big grin occupied his face, showing that he obviously didn't believe that they would be able to get off so easily either. He gave a chuckle and turned to Zell. "Can you believe it?"

Zell wiped his eyes with his wrist and shook his head. "No," he replied in a strained tone.

Irvine squinted and took a closer look at Zell. "Hey man... are you crying?"

.-.-.-.-.-

Zell stood up from the floor where he had been trying to clear off at least a little bit of floor and moved to the door where someone had softly, but surely knocked.

It was Chayn standing in the hall with an envelope in his hands. "Ah, Mr. Dincht. How are you feeling this evening?" he asked sincerely.

Zell considered his day and how he had been expelled and replied, "Excellent, thanks, but drop the 'Mr.' okay? That's way too formal for me."

"I'm sorry, sir," Chayn apologized. "I am here with a letter for you from the headmaster. Isn't he a wonderful man?" He handed Zell the envelope.

Zell smiled widely, accepting the letter. "You have no idea... Hey, I thought you were helping out in the Infirmary, not in the headmaster's office."

"Oh, no sir. I am helping in the Infirmary, but I had a meeting with Headmaster Cid about my work and when it was complete he requested that I deliver this to you."

Zell blinked at Chayn's choice of words. "Oh." Then he noticed that the boy was holding another envelope. "So I guess that one's for Irvine?" He nodded his head toward the other envelope.

Chayn smiled. "That is correct, sir."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Zell shook his head and waved his arms around wildly, startling Chayn and making him take a step back. "Just call me Zell."

"Uh... All right... Zell."

"There you go," said Zell, feeling as if he had just accomplished a great feat.

"Well, I have to go and deliver this to Mr. Kinneas now..." Chayn caught the look of disapproval in Zell's face. "I mean Irvine."

Zell nodded and grinned like a proud mother.

"Good night then," said Chayn, turning and walking off down the hall to Irvine's dorm room.

"Night!" Zell called to his back. He closed the door, took his seat back on the messy floor, and opened the letter from Headmaster Cid. At the top it read: "Community Service Schedule". Zell read the first few assignments and nodded his head in agreement to the reasonable, almost too easy, requirements for their punishment. Then he read the next page... and the next.

The first page consisted of simple jobs like, 1. Taking the old woman in Balamb grocery shopping, but Zell noted that the second page was notably more difficult. 5. Help the SeeDs train in real battles. 'That'll be fun...' Zell thought with sarcasm. He read on. 8. Travel to Dollet to help them in the sewers. 13. Travel to Shumi Village to assist the Sculptor with the sculpture. 15. Help the Chocobo Kid find all of his missing chocobos. And lastly, 22. Help Seifer, Raijin, and Fujin with their Garden assembly? 'What?' Zell read it again to make sure that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

The list was practically as bad as being expelled from the Garden, not to mention that Zell would hardly even be in class for the next week. Week? Did the headmaster really think that all of these things could be done in a week? Zell stood up and stormed out of the room and down the hall to Irvine's dorm.

He was about to pound on the door when it was whipped open by Irvine from the inside. "Did you read this list?" he asked calmly. "Does the headmaster think that all this can be done in a week?"

"I know!" exclaimed Zell. "What does he think we are? Traveling miracle workers?"

Irvine flipped through the pages from the headmaster. "This list is like, five pages long. And check this one out: 7. Help Selphie with her 'Save the Pupu Campaign'. Does he hate me or what?"

"That's nothing, did you see number 22?" asked Zell.

Irvine glanced over his papers. "No, what does it say?" He leaned over Zell's shoulder while his friend read aloud how they had to help out Seifer and his posse. Irvine laughed to himself.

"What's so funny?" Zell demanded.

Irvine held out his list to Zell to see. "My list only goes up to twenty-one."

.-.-.-.-.-

End of Part X.