Hey, guys! That last chapter was pretty funny, wasn't it? Well, wait till you read this one. I have a feeling that several jaws will hit the floor. Just don't shoot me, kay? It's all part of the master plan, and I don't mean Quistis'. Mwuahahahahahaha!

Disclaimer: Don't own Final Fantasy. Stop asking.

Life Less Ordinary

Chapter Fourteen

"Completely Unexpected"

The decorating was coming along nicely for the Formal Committee, but there was one little problem: there were still no decisions on the band situation. Quistis had held the auditions several days ago, but they still didn't have a band, and the Winter Formal was in five days. Rinoa was now in a severe state of panic. They still had to have music entertainment! She didn't want to have to resort to making a CD like the seniors did last year. She had made a promise that this year would be great, and now she was afraid that she would have to break that promise.

"OH, this is bad! This is so bad!" she exclaimed, sitting at a table with Selphie and Quistis. There were five pieces of paper in front of them, displaying five of the bands that had auditioned, and each was just as bad as the rest. Not a single band had been worthy enough to perform at the dance. Heck, some of them weren't even worthy enough to perform to an empty room.

"We have to choose one of them. We have no other choice." Rinoa said sadly.

"But they were all terrible!" Selphie declared in protest.

"What if we hold another audition? Maybe we can still find that perfect band." Quistis suggested, refusing to admit that she had failed.

"With the Formal five days away? There just isn't enough time!" Rinoa was so close to having a complete breakdown.

"Well, there's got to be something we can do!" Quistis protested, slamming her fist down on the table.

"Like what? The Formal is in FIVE DAYS!" Rinoa couldn't see how they could find a remedy to this disaster. She would be the most hated person in Balamb High! She'd be even worse than last year's seniors!

"Listen, a lot can happen in five days. We'll figure out something, okay?" Quistis tried her best to encourage Rinoa, but it didn't seem possible. "I mean, if nothing else we could always ask your mom to sing, right?"

"I don't think she'll do it." Rinoa dropped her head onto the table, hiding her shame.

"We have to try, Rinoa! We have to try!" Selphie patted Rinoa on the back lightly. She looked to Quistis with a worried expression, who returned it with a shrug. Maybe they really were doomed.

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"Wow, the girls don't look too happy." Squall observed as he and Squall entered Joe's and laid eyes on the three distraught girls. "I wonder what's up?"

"They don't have a band." Seifer replied getting a soda from Joe.

Squall turned to him. "Oh, so you actually have been doing your homework." He was referring to Seifer watching Quistis and getting more info on her plan.

"Yeah, well, don't get too excited. She hasn't said anything about another plan." Seifer told him.

"Then let's assume that she's going with the original one." The two guys walked over to their usual spot.

"Don't assume." Seifer grinned as Squall glared at him.

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"What about the guys?" Selphie asked Quistis after Rinoa had gotten up to get a soda.

"What about them?" Quistis asked. She drummed her fingers on the table, annoyed that she had failed. She needed that perfect band, and it was nowhere to be found!

"Can't they play at the dance?" At this point Selphie was desperate.

"Do they even know how?"

"Yeah, Bryce said something about it a while back."

"They won't do it." Bryce answered, joining them at the table. "Squall said he's not even going to bother to come."

"WHAT?!" Quistis shrieked, jumping to her feet. "He has to!"

"He says he has plans." Bryce shrugged. As far as he was concerned, Quistis' plan was stopped dead in its tracks.

"Ooh! This isn't fair! He has to come!" She felt herself getting madder and madder.

"Well, good luck getting him to change his mind. He seems pretty set on it, and so does Seifer." Bryce hated to be the bearer of bad news.

"Wha?" she gasped upon hearing those last few words. "No!" she slowly sank back into her seat, devastated.

"Yeah. He and Squall have something planned and aren't coming." Bryce was reluctant to tell them this, but he figured it was better now than later.

Rinoa had come up behind them just in time to hear Bryce say that Squall and Seifer weren't coming and that they already had something planned. She didn't take what Bryce said for face value. She knew better than that. He was plotting something, and by "he" she meant Squall. She didn't stick around to hear the rest of the conversation but turned around and headed through the crowed room to find Squall and demand some answers.

She found him sitting on a couch with Seifer, deep in conversation. She sat across from him and waited patiently for him to finish and take notice of her sitting there. Lucky for her, it didn't take long. Squall stopped in mid-sentence and looked across to Rinoa who sat with her arms over her chest and one leg over the other, waiting. He whispered something to Seifer, who nodded and excused himself leaving Rinoa and Squall alone.

"What's up?" Squall asked, moving to sit on the coffee table closer to her.

"I think I should be asking you that." Rinoa said coldly, her body stiff along with her expression.

He raised his trademark-questioning eyebrow, confused to what she was saying.

"You're not coming to the Formal? Why?" she demanded.

"I have better things to do." He answered, matching her cold tone.

Rinoa's face tightened and she leaned in closer to him. "okay, listen, punk. I'm not stupid. You're up to something, and you had better start talking."

Squall decreased the distance between them even more until their noses were nearly touching. "What makes you think I'm up to something? I could just have other plans on Saturday. I'm not as guilty as you seem to think I am." He gave her a cocky smirk.

"Tell me what's going on. I don't trust you." She whispered, returning the smirk. She would not let him get away without telling her what she wanted to know.

"There's nothing to tell, Rin." He stressed her old nickname in sarcasm, revealing that he wasn't telling her all that there was to tell.

"Rinoa." She rolled her eyes. "I know you better than that. You've got something up your sleeve, and something tells me it has something to do with the Formal. Now either you start singing or I will force it out of you in a very painful way."

Squall was actually surprised at her sudden hint at violence but kept his cool. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Rest assured, Rin. There's nothing that will endanger your precious Winter Formal. Seifer and I won't be anywhere near this place on Saturday." He smiled and stood up. She followed him and grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving. He looked at her in shock.

"Do I look stupid to you?" she demanded, her temper flaring. "Tell me what's going on!"

He shook his head, trying to tell her that there was nothing, but she took it as his determination to keep his plans secret from her. Her face-hardened, and she became even angrier. They stared at each other for several long moments; one on shock while the other in anger. Finally, Squall broke the connection and pulled himself away from Rinoa.

"There is nothing. I promise." With that he left her standing there, angry and even confused. He also left her with even more determination to find out what he really had planned. She was fuming in that spot when someone appeared at her side.

"Wow! You look like you could kill someone with that look." Bryce spoke. He let out a low whistle. She turned to him in shock, not expecting to find him there. He smiled at her, which she tried to return; naturally it didn't work the way she wanted it to. Bryce's face fell, and he looked into hers intently. "What's wrong? You look miserable."

Rinoa shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. She didn't have time for this. The Winter Formal was in five days, and she needed to make sure that nothing went wrong. But to do that she needed to find out what Squall was up to. She didn't trust him, and their brief conversation hadn't given her any reason to either. She hated having this kind of doubt on someone she thought she knew well, but at this point she knew it couldn't be helped. Rinoa turned to realize that Bryce was still waiting on answer from her. She sighed deeply.

"The Formal is in five days, and I have a feeling that your brother is planning something, but he won't tell me what." She told him, paranoia obviously getting to her. She felt her face get warmer and she muttered quickly. "It's nothing. Never mind."

Embarrassment having gotten the best of her, she attempted to remove herself from the conversation, but Bryce stopped her much in the same fashion that she had done to Squall only several moments before.

"Wait. Please." He didn't want to let her walk away just yet. "I have to ask you something."

Rinoa realized that Bryce no longer wore his happy, goofy expression but had replaced it with a serious, down-to-earth one. She stopped and waited for him to continue.

"I know this may seem a little awkward and all, but I gotta ask anyway. You don't have to answer right away or anything, but.." he trailed off, getting more nervous by the second.

"What is it?" Rinoa had never seen him like this before.

"I…I…I want to know if you'll go to the Winter Formal with me." He finally managed to get it out. He was relieved but soon fear appeared at the thought of what she might say.

Rinoa's jaw hit the floor. She couldn't hide her shock. Bryce was honestly the last person she'd ever thought of to ask her to the dance. She was flattered, and maybe if her emotions hadn't been scattered all over the place, she may have been able to think a little bit better.

Bryce didn't like her reaction; it made him nervous. He cracked his knuckles and shook uncontrollably. He felt like such a fool. He'd never been so nervous in his life as he was right now. It was a 50-50 chance of what she might say that would be of a benefit to him.

"Uh, don't worry about it." He waved away his question along with his dignity and started to walk away.

"No wait, Bryce!" she ran and stopped him. The frown on his face was terrible. "I," she took a deep breath. "I would love to go to the Formal with you."

His face immediately lit up, and he grinned broadly. Rinoa returned the smile genuinely and hugged him. She then bid him goodbye and retuned to join Selphie and Quistis.

"Yes!" Bryce punched the air in excitement and happiness.

A/N: Don't kill me!!!! R&R. I concluded that I had better not say anything right now so it can have time to sink in. Lol. Later Days!