Okay, Okay! I didn't know there was a "Guy Code." I looked it up on the Internet, and yes, there is such a thing. My bad, but hey. It's all part of the plan. You'll see what I mean.
Disclaimer: As usual I don't own Final Fantasy VIII. I do, however, own Bryce, Drag (which stands for Devin Riley Alexander Grant III for anyone who wants to know), Zion, and a certain song, but you won't see that for a while yet.
Life Less Ordinary
Chapter Fifteen
"Frustrated"
Bryce returned to the house in higher spirits than when he had left. Squall found his brother's behavior rather suspicious, and as his happy brother ascended the stairs to his room, Squall turned to Seifer.
"What's with him?" he asked.
Seifer's face displayed obvious nervousness, and he shook his head. "believe me, you don't want to know." He opened the door to the basement and headed down with Squall in tow.
"No I do! Tell me! He was miserable when we left!" Squall demanded being told.
"Trust me!" Seifer turned to him in all sincerity. "You don't want to know. It'll just cause the biggest family dispute of the year, and I don't think Bryce wants to die just yet."
"What'd he do?" Squall demanded, not letting up at all now that Seifer had revealed that piece of information.
"What part of 'trust me' do you struggle with?" Seifer asked, jumping onto a couch and grabbing the remote before Squall could. "And I don't want to be the one to tell you."
"All of it. Now tell me." He was determined. "It's not going to hurt anything."
"Oh, yes it will." Seifer was flipping through channels trying to find something good with not much lick. Snow was falling outside, and there was nothing but Christmas Specials on every channel.
"Just tell me. This is the time of universal brotherhood. I won't hurt him." Squall said sincerely.
Seifer sighed. "Fine, but you're not going to like it, and you didn't hear it from me." Squall waited impatiently. "Your brother asked Rinoa to the Formal and since you said you weren't going, she said yes." Seifer spoke as quickly as possible in hopes that Squall hadn't heard it all, but he did, every word.
And his jaw hit the floor. "What?" he was praying that he had heard him wrong, too.
"I told you that you wouldn't like it." Seifer focused on the TV and avoided looking at Squall. "You should've listened to me when I said to trust me."
At first, Squall was silent, then, as if one literally see it, his top blew. "Why would she go with me? Why?" he demanded, slamming a pillow from the couch into the nearest wall.
"Because you said you weren't going, and also as a way to get back at Quistis. If she knows as much as you say she does, then I'm sure she's going to try to stop it, too. I mean, it wouldn't surprise me." Seifer concentrated on the TV still. He didn't even try to calm Squall down.
"But I am going!" Squall protested, feeling his own rage get the better of him. He felt like the Incredible Hulk, calm at one moment and then raging mad and destructive the next. At least he wasn't green.
"No, you're not. You said you weren't! You said that you and I were going to Esthar for the weekend! And plus, the only reason why you would ever go would be to get the better of Quistis, not to go and have fun like normal people." Seifer finally found something worth watching.
"Yeah, so. You're going to help me , anyway." Squall demanded, tapping his foot impatiently.
Seifer shrugged. "So I am, but I'm not the one making a big deal out of this, now am I?"
"Whatever." Squall muttered, flopping down onto a couch. He was now the Incredible Sulk. He frowned.
Seifer broke his attention away from the TV to look at his buddy. "Oh, lighten up, ya big baby. It's not that bad. She's just going to the dance with him. It's not like she's going to marry him. Sheesh!"
"Yeah, well. I'll make sure of that." Squall muttered under his breath.
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Rinoa sighed as she sat at the kitchen table doing the one thing she didn't want to do. Her laptop sat before her, and she was browsing through songs to put on a CD for the Winter Formal, now four days away. She had wanted to avoid this, but that was no longer an option. They couldn't use any of the bands that had tried out, and they couldn't hold auditions again. There was just no time.
Julia watched her daughter from the door with a sad expression. "I told you I would sing if you needed me to, sweetie."
"I know, mom, but that wouldn't be right. Don't take offense, mom, but I just wanted this to be perfect, and I don't want to cheat by using my mother as the music entertainment. I have to at least make an effort." Rinoa replied as she continued her wrongful task.
"And is making a CD any different?" Julia demanded. "I'm not taking offense, but I still think that if you want this to be a success, then you should try just a little harder, sweetie. You're taking the easy way out, and you're not helping yourself in doing so."
"But I did try! And so did Selphie and Quistis! We tried and failed!" Rinoa exclaimed.
"Did you examine all the options? Did you look at everything for what it is and not face value? There is a lot you can still do. Don't give up just because the odds are against you. You'll find that things are much easier to handle once you've looked through both sides of the glass." With those last riddling words, Julia left her daughter alone. She couldn't win her battle for her, but she could put a little more fighting power in the camp. She headed to the den with the phone in hand and as she closed the thick mahogany door behind her, she dialed Raine's number.
Rinoa still sat at the table, staring at the computer screen but thinking about her mother's words. What could she do with four days left to go? Her eyes landed on the pile of papers containing information on the bands that had auditioned. She grabbed the first five, which were the better of the rest. She and Quistis hadn't returned any calls yet, so maybe, it wasn't too late. She jotted down the numbers of each band, and just for backup, clicked the burn icon on her computer. She grabbed her car keys, left her mother a note, and left the house to find Quistis. They had a lot of work to do.
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"Bryce!" Squall yelled, pounding on his brother's bedroom door. Seifer had left, and the war was just now beginning. "Open the door! Now! I have a few words for you and so does my fist!" he would break down the door if he had to.
Luckily he didn't have to. Bryce opened the door with a cocky smirk. "I was wondering how long it would be before you came." He couldn't hide his smirk. For once, he'd actually won.
"Yeah, well, I have a few words to say to you, so let me in." Squall said, then within a split second decided not to wait and let himself in, shoving Bryce out of the way in the process.
Bryce shut the door and turned his attention to his brother. "So what can I help you with brother?" he stressed the title as he flipped his long, black bangs out of his eyes. His smirk still remained on his cute features.
"Wipe that smile off your face before I do it myself." He threatened, snarling. By now he was pissed beyond all reasonable measure. Fuck universal brotherhood, he was going to kill his brother. No question about it. "You know why I'm here."
Bryce's smirk only got bigger. "I have a pretty good idea." He almost laughed, but his brother was clearly not amused.
"I want to know what you game is." Squall was speaking through clenched teeth and his handsome features reflected his rage.
"What game?" Bryce asked with innocence but a hint of suspicion. He raised an eyebrow and again, increased his smile only to the agitation of his brother.
"You know what I mean!" Squall hissed. He was severely close to beating the crap out of his brother right then and there.
"No, I don't. And I also don't see what you're so crabbed about. It's just a dance." Bryce crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the door, unafraid of his older. For once, he was taking his own stand. Unfortunately, he had picked the wrong way to go about doing it.
"With my girl!" Squall exploded. His voice literally shook the whole house.
"I don't see your name on her anywhere!" Bryce yelled back.
They continued into a loud, deadly argument that disrupted the entire house. Downstairs, Raine entered the front door with her husband, Laguna and his two aides and best friends, Kiros and Ward. Laguna was home for the holidays, taking a much-needed vacation from running the country of Esthar.
"What is that?" Kiros asked.
"That would be squall and Bryce." Ellone replied, entering the room to greet her parents. She had come home from college for her own relaxation.
"Oh, what are they fighting about this time?" Raine demanded, glaring up the stairs at the sound of something (probably valuable) breaking.
"You mean they actually have moments when they're not fighting?" Laguna asked, laughing. "That's an improvement!" He threw his head back and laughed harder at his own joke. Needless to say, he was the only one laughing. Ellone only chuckled at her father's silliness while her mother, Kiros, and Ward frowned disapprovingly.
Upon hearing the other commotion, Drag and Zion appeared from the basement. "Uncle Laguna!" They yelled and both went to greet their favorite uncle.
"hey, boys!" he hugged and shook hands with them both. "So how long has this been on-going?" he pointed put o the ceiling to indicate the fight.
"Not long." Zion answered. "But that doesn't mean it won't end." Laguna laughed again. Raine was about to interject and scold her husband but never got the chance.
Upstairs, they heard the obvious voice of Squall, "Damn you to Hell!" followed by the slamming of a door. Squall appeared at the top of the stairs, a permanent scowl plastered onto his face. He was snarling like a rabid animal as he descended the stairs. He didn't make eye contact with any of them but proceeded straight to the basemen. He slammed the door, shaking the house, and they could hear him stomping down the stairs to his bedroom.
"That can't be good!" Drag said, breaking the uneasy silence that had settled in.
"Okay, who wants to help play make-up?" Raine asked, sighing.
"Not me!" Drag said, going into the kitchen.
"Count me out!" Zion agreed, following his brother quickly.
"Sorry, honey, but I'm on vacation! I'm done settling disputes for a while!" Laguna grabbed Kiros and Ward and pulled them into the den before they could say anything.
"Looks like it's just you and me, mom." Ellone said with disappointment.
"As usual." Raine agreed. "Which one do you want to take?"
"I'll go talk to Squall." Ellone headed for the basement.
"I'll go to Bryce, then Good Luck!" Raine said to her daughter as she climbed the stairs to her youngest son's bedroom. She was getting way too old for this.
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Ellone opened the basement door, only to step into complete darkness. If she hadn't grabbed the railing, she was sure she would've fallen. She proceeded to descend the stairs, feeling like she was in some sort of demented fairy tale, making her way into the depths of the monster's lair, preparing for battle.
She laughed at her overactive imagination. It was one thing to imagine a fairy tale, but it was another to compare her brother to an evil monster. He wasn't that bad. He just had a little temper.
She reached her brother's bedroom door and almost opened the door when she heard something from inside the room. She heard the sound of strumming on a guitar, starting soft and then gradually getting louder. She closed her eyes and leaned against the door, listening to her brother.
"Stab me in he back, see what I have left to feel inside. There's nothing here for me, and I have nothing to hide." Squall sang, echoing he last note on the guitar. The distress in his voice was more than obvious. In all of this, Ellone was afraid that maybe her brother had been hurt the mos. She pushed aside her emotions and knocked lightly on the door. There was no answer, so she let herself in to find her brother lying on the bed with an arm over his eyes and his guitar resting across his lap.
"Hey," she said, struggling to keep her voice from wavering.
"hey, Elle." He didn't move. She frowned and moved across the room to sit beside her brother. She tapped his arm with a single finger, signaling that she desired his attention.
"You want to tell me what's going on?" she asked in her big-sisterly fashion.
Squall shrugged. "Nothing."
"Oh, really? So then screaming at your little brother to go to hell is just a new trend? Did I miss the memo?" she asked, trying to humor her brother but he just glared. She frowned again. "What happened? Let's start with that." She prodded him with a finger in the rib cage, attempting to get him to talk. He grunted and pushed her hand away.
"Nothing." He repeated, revealing not a thing.
"I'm your sister, Squall, and I'm here to help you. If you can't trust me, then who can you trust?" Ellone demanded, trying not to be impatient. Her brother, unfortunately, was a very difficult person with a security system around his emotions worse than the country of Esthar.
"Easy. No one." Squall replaced his arm over his eyes, shutting her out.
"You know, I'm just as stubborn as you are, and I'm not leaving until you tell me." She turned her back to him, sitting erect, arms crossed over her chest, one leg over the other. Determination was written all over her face.
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Raine knocked on the bedroom door of her youngest son. He appeared moments later, cracking the door just enough to see whom it was then, opening it all the way. Raine smiled warmly at her son.
"Hi, sweetie. Can I come in?" she asked. He nodded and let her enter, returning to his computer at the desk. Raine took a seat on the bed. "We heard a commotion downstairs. What happened?"
Bryce stared at the computer screen and shrugged. "Not much. I just have a spawn of Satan for a brother." He shook his head.
"Now, now. It can't be that bad, now can it?" Raine stood and rested her hands on his shoulders. He didn't look up at her or say anything. "What happened, Bryce?" she gripped his shoulders tightly.
"I think I did something I wasn't supposed to do." He hung his head, victory now no longer so sweet.
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Ellone and Squall hadn't said anything or moved in ten minutes. The silence was deadly, not to mention seriously annoying. Ellone turned finally and looked at her brother, who met her gaze.
"Are you ready to talk?" Ellone asked.
"Nope." Squall replied with a smirk. Ellone sighed and returned to her previous state.
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Raine listened to Bryce explain everything, and she couldn't help but feel that both boys had gotten in way over their heads.
"Do you think I was wrong to ask Rinoa to the Formal, mom?" Bryce asked her. He'd been careful not to mention the plans by both parties and other fine details that his mother would disapprove.
"Sweetheart, all I have to say is: All is fair in love and war." She smiled at Bryce's confusion. "It's silly for you and your bother to fight. I know you two haven't been that close, but you are still family, and more importantly, you're brothers. Try to talk to him when he's bit more calm and see what happens." She patted his shoulder lightly.
"He won't listen. He's too mad." Bryce objected.
"That's why I said talk to him when he isn't fueled by anger. People who are calm can function much more rationally." Raine stood and walked to the door. "But, sweetie, one more thing: Don't let your brother win. You deserve a victory once in a while. Stand up for what you believe in, and don't let anyone take it away from you." She kissed her son on the forehead and opened the door. "Oh, and don't forget to some downstairs and say something to your father." She disappeared out the door, and he heard her footsteps down the stairs.
"dad's home?" Bryce jumped up and ran out and downstairs to find his dad.
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Ellone was getting sick of this. It was now going on twenty minutes that they had sat in complete silence. They certainly weren't getting anywhere or accomplishing anything. She finally turned to her brother and pulled back his arm so she could see his eyes.
"This is childish! Just tell me what happened, you big stubborn oaf!" she tried not to yell but didn't quite succeed.
"Fine! Fine!" he pulled his arm out of her grasp. "Just don't go all Pyscho Demon on me!" He sat up and placed his guitar gently next to the bed. A long, hard sigh escaped from his lips as he readied himself for the story. Not much had really changed in his mood. He was still extremely angry with his brother.
Ellone was losing what little patience she had left, and his stalling wasn't helping matters. "Well?" she demanded.
"I'm getting there!" Squall snapped. Ellone narrowed her eyes at him, and he looked away. His sister was the only one besides his mother who could strike fear in him. "Bryce crossed a line."
"Oh, I know there's more. Speak!" she commanded sternly. She would not let him get the better of her, and she wouldn't leave until she knew the truth.
Squall glared at his sister before continuing. "Bryce asked my girl to the Winter Formal."
"Oh, so women are an item to be possessed now, are we?" Ellone demanded, completely missing the pint of Squall's anger and irrational behavior.
"You know what I mean!" Squall growled.
"So he asked her. My question is why didn't you?" Ellone crossed her arms over her chest.
Squall realized hat they weren't going to get anywhere unless she knew the whole story. He sighed, knowing that this was going to take a while. "It's a long story…"
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"So that's pretty much the jest of it." Squall said, finishing his story. Ellone's jaw had dropped, and she stared at him with wide, unbelieving eyes.
"You're kidding!" she gasped. Squall shook his head. Ellone stood up and paced around the room before speaking again. "So you mean to tell me that Quistis is trying to set up you with Rinoa while Drag, Zion, and Bryce are attempting to sabotage what she's doing, and Seifer's playing the triple agent by helping you? Oh my Hyne!" she fell back onto the bed and shook her head, dark locks whipping at her pale face.
"Yeah, pretty much." Squall replied. His gaze concentrated on the other end of the room, ignoring her.
"You're all crazy!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "Absolutely, without a doubt, completely crazy!"
"If you say so." He muttered, shrugging.
"Does mom know that any of this is going on?" she demanded. Squall shook his head. "I don't believe it!" Squall failed to see what the big deal was but refrained from speaking. Ellone shook her head again and stood. "By all means, carry on, but don't do anything stupid." She headed to the door but stopped. "I was going to say maybe you should try talking to Rinoa, but I sincerely doubt if any amount of talking is going to help." Again, she proceeded to the door, and again, she stopped. "I still stand by what I said before: you are crazy." With that she opened the door and returned up the stairs. She could hear Squall laughing maniacally the whole way. "Crazy fool." She muttered.
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The next day at school passed without much event, but it was after school when the trouble started. Squall had been in a sour mood all day, and by the end of the day, he had a few words reserved for a certain person.
He waited in the parking lot, leaning against the car, being more patient than normal. He cracked his knuckles several times and smiled wickedly as his eyes lay on his target. Rinoa appeared out of the school and approached her car. Upon seeing Squall, she smiled.
"Hey!" she called, waving to him. She pulled her jacket closer to her as the cold wind blew harder. When she was close enough to see his expression, she frowned. "What's up?"
"I have a bone to pick with you?" he growled.
Rinoa looked at him strangely. "What is it?" she felt suddenly uneasy.
"Why the hell are you going to the Formal with Bryce?" he demanded, glaring at her.
Rinoa's expression changed as anger flashed across her face. "Why do you care? You're not even going to the Formal."
"I do care because that is wrong on so many levels!" Squall growled.
"Well, as far as I'm concerned, it's none of your business!" Rinoa snapped. She turned and threw her things into her car. As she attempted to walk back to the school, Squall grabbed her arm and stopped her.
"Well, I'm making it my business, and I don't want you to go with him." The jealousy was evident on his face, and he didn't even try to hide it.
"I don't care what you want! I'm going with him, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" She ripped her arm out of his grip and walked away back into the school.
Squall glared at her retreating back as Seifer appeared at his side. "Change of plan." Squall said with the same snarl he had acquired the day before.
"Which would be?" Seifer asked, feeling that this wasn't going to blow over well.
"We're going to the Formal."
"Oh, boy." Seifer sighed, knowing what was coming.
"We're going to crash the Formal!" A smile of pure wickedness appeared as he looked to Seifer, who gulped nervously.
A/N: AAAHHH! Lol. Were you expecting that? R&R Later Days!