.:oOo:.

A/N: Heya's some major evilness in this chap.

DiScLaMeR

Badum Badum

you know what goes here.

phft, back off Mods and Admins.

I DONT CARE.

We are all sensible peeps are we not?

If so

then you know all the things i dont own.

and the things i do.

.:oOo:.

Obsession

By Reina Kashara

Chapter 3 -

Cafeteria Conflict

.:oOo:.

In the days that followed, I tried to be friendly to Cloud. I wanted to make up for Leon's faux pas as best I could, in other words, I was being me. Strangely, I noticed that Cloud was everywhere in school, he always passed me in the hall on the way to fourth period; he was in art club, etc. I had never noticed him before until now. But it wasn't hard not to. He was always quiet and only asked questions to the teachers, and that was seldom. I wondered what made him act like he did now. But I was still determined, even if he might not talk to me.

So one day at lunch, I was at my regular table, the one farthest from the cafeteria entry, where all punks, Goths, loud rejects, and suffering artists could speak (a.k.a. yell) their minds. I noticed Cloud. He was sitting alone, which was no surprise since he had been labeled a loner, he did everything by himself. But still, seeing him all alone sorta made me sad inside.

He was dressed all in black again, his hand holding a fork and poking his food, then eventually eating it.

I turned to Leon and Mjw, who were sitting by each other, in deep conversation about our upcoming gig. Vera happened to be in the lunch line and Riku had detention.

"Dude, we need an electric guitar, our band isn't complete without one," Leon was saying, spearing a carrot coin.

"Yeah, but there IS no one with an electric guitar, otherwise they would have played at the talent show-"

I cut her off.

"Hey, I'm gonna go sit with Cloud, okay?"

Leon's head snapped in my direction, but before he could get all bossy, Mjw shoved a tater tot in his mouth.

"Sure, go. Tell him I said hi."

"Thanks Mjw," I said gratefully picking up my lunchbox before Leon could swallow. I could hear him explode when I was a safe distance from my table.

"I don't like him!"

"Doesn't mean she can't like him, 'sides, Reina NEEDS a boyfriend. She hasn't had one since fourth grade."

"Yeah, but…"

I couldn't hear them anymore, the chatter of the students around me drowned out his last words. I reached Cloud's table and sat across from him. He looked up, surprised that someone had joined him for lunch, but his surprise quickly faded back to his "the world bores me" look. He frowned a bit, but not in an upset way.

"What're you doing here?" he said in that quiet, reserved voice of his that made my skin prickle. His tone carried a hint of curiosity.

"Hi to you too," I said fishing out my soup thermos from my lunchbox. He stared at me. I paused and looked at him.

"Have you realized, that you," I said, jabbing my spoon at him, "you are the only person at this whoooooooole table?"

"What of it?" he asked nonchalantly. As if he didn't care that there were eleven whole seats by him that could've been occupied, but were not.

"Aren't you the least bit lonely!" I asked, half astonished, half amused.

"Not that I know of," he said again as if he had not a care in the world.

"You make me sad," I said in a resigned voice.

When he didn't reply, I continued to wrestle with the cap of the thermos. After a few minutes I slammed it down on the table and huffed. Cloud reached out and grabbed the thermos and unscrewed it. He set it down in front of me and went back to his odd habit of pushing his food around like he wasn't going to eat it, but did anyways.

"Thanks," I said by habit and then picked up the spoon and dug it into my favorite soup, New England clam chowder. After a couple of spoonfuls I realized Cloud was looking at me. I looked at him as well and held out a spoonful of soup.

"Wha sum?" I asked, still chewing. The look on his face made me laugh, or rather choke on the contents in my mouth. After getting it down I smiled.

"It's not that bad, you know."

"Right," he went back to his carrot coins.

I sighed and finished my soup before he finished his carrots.

"You're going to get a stomachache if you eat so fast," he noted, working on his peas now.

"Nonsense. My stomach is well adapted to possibly potent or harmful substances."

He rolled his eyes. Suddenly, Sephiroth, a senior, appeared out of nowhere, grabbed Cloud's soda and jumped on top of the table. One of his Doc Martens nearly hitting my thermos over.

I looked at Cloud in shock. His blue eyes seemed duller as he looked up at the boy on the table.

Sephiroth held his soda up in the air in front of him. "Who wants a soda? It's free!"

A few people yelled out, some raised their hands. Others jeered and smirked.

Cloud made no move to get his drink back, he just sat and stared tiredly.

"What kind of soda is this anyway?" Sephiroth yelled at Cloud so everyone could hear him. He pulled the tab off the can and took a swig, but spit it out all over the floor. "Coke? Cloud, you know I'm for Pepsi, not Coke."

Cloud still sat there, his face betrayed no emotion. And suddenly, I, being me, couldn't take it anymore. I stood up and looked furiously at Sephiroth.

"Stop it! Stop picking on him, you jerk."

"Oh, look Cloud, your girlfriend's protecting you, it's a shame, being shielded by a GIRL," Sephiroth emphasized the word. In the corner of my eye I saw Leon, Mjw and Vera (who had finally gotten out of the lunch line) stand up. I also saw Cloud clench his fists slightly.

"Why are you bugging him! He hasn't done an effing thing to you!" I continued in a rage.

Sephiroth turned to look at someone, winked at whoever it was and turned back to me.

"You wouldn't know that for sure, would you?"

One glance in the direction he had been looking at confirmed my suspicions. Aerith. He had been trying to get that girl since first semester. Now he was trying to impress her with this scene. I looked back at Sephiroth and smirked.

"At least I'M not trying to impress anyone by bullying somebody!" I pointed directly at Aerith, her face turned a color that matched her pink, frilly mini skirt.

That did it. Sephiroth turned a shade darker than Aerith's skirt and fury ignited in his eyes like fire.

"Did you hear that? She wants some soda," he yelled again to the crowd. "And what she wants, she gets." With that, he leaned over on the table and dumped the contents of the can on me.

I could have really used a teacher right about then.

There were a couple of gasps, a few laughs and some yells of outrage. Sephiroth set the can back on Cloud's tray and hopped off the table, returning to the prep side.

I stood there in momentary shock while some people laughed around me. Leon and Vera were instantly at my side. Leon grabbed me and Vera touched my wet sleeve. Mjw was busy socking the people who had laughed, but promptly stopped when she approached them.

"This is what you get for standing up for a NOBODY," Leon hissed loudly, I was sure Cloud had heard. Vera shot him a dismissive glance and turned back to me.

"You go to the bathroom and wash up, I'll go to the nurse and ask for a change of clothes." I started to object, but Leon grabbed me firmly by the arm and led me to the back door, to the girls' bathroom. I glanced back at the cafeteria for Cloud. He got up, dumped his tray and walked out.

"OBSSESION" BLOOPER by Vera-chan a.k.a. Arwen (Who also typed this)
When he didn't reply, I continued to wrestle with the cap of the thermos. After a few minutes I slammed it down on the table and huffed. Cloud reached out and grabbed the thermos, lobbing it into the nearest trash can. He smiled idiotically and jumped onto the table and started doing the Hokey Pokey.
"Wowies! Rock on Swedish brother!" Vera shouted, getting up on her table and joining in. Everyone looked at them like they were loonies. Then the school was blown up by Foamy the Squirrel. Everyone died except Vera, who was spared because she thinks Foamy is proverbial.

Notes on the Blooper: This was written when Reina Kashra's friend Vera-chan got hold of her manuscript and screwed it up. She was under the influence of sugar and should not be held accountable. The "Swedish brother" thing was referring to the fact that Cloud has blond hair and blue eyes, a Swedish trademark. Vera has Swedish ancestry along with many other European backgrounds. Foamy the Squirrel does NOT belong to either of us. He is property of Ill Will Press.

.:oOo:.

Author's Notes: So how did you like it? and Vera's blooper as well? LMAO, i enjoyed the "Rock on swedish brother" part. plz review! Thanks for reading.