Heh, heh, heh. I hear some of you guys are mad at me, huh? That's amusing, but you really shouldn't be. The cliffhangers was only for added effect, and if you guys hate me now, just wait until the chapter after this one, then you guys will be coming after me with the pitchforks and knives. Uh, maybe I shouldn't mention that just yet. Anyway, no more cliffhangers, I promise. Here's the next installment. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Final Fantasy VIII. I promise.

Life Less Ordinary

Chapter Nineteen

"Party Time!...Again"

"Alright, so several of your friends wished to get you together with another student. I fail to understand how this could be relevant to your statement that you completed this task out of revenge." Principal Kramer rested in his chair with elbows propped up onto the desk. He watched Squall through those large, tacky glasses, which magnified his dull, old eyes. he occasionally would glance up at the three parents who still remained standing behind the boys.

"That's not all of it." Squall replied. He'd never intended to tell this story to anyone, let alone his parents or the principal. It all seemed so silly now so juvenile. "There's still more."

"Well, I have all night, Mr. Leonhart." The Principal stated. "Please continue." His temper had finally died down, and for the time being he was calm. he was somewhat impressed by the almost enthusiastic support of the two boys, not to mention the fact that one of them was willing to take the blame for this whole thing.

Squall sighed. He was only telling this story to get Seifer off the hook. he didn't need to try to claim his own innocence. He was guilty and he knew it. He shrugged and told more to the Principal, who seemed more intrigued by the whole incident than he led them to believe.

As he continued to speak, Seifer watched him. He couldn't believe that Squall was going to take all the blame, even after he had told him he would go along with him. He knew Squall was just trying to protect him, but he said he would take whatever the Principal and the school board would throw at him by his best friend's side. He was hurt, yes, that Squall wouldn't let him take some of the blame, but if Squall took it all, then he'd be facing almost certain expulsion, and who knows what would happen to him! He couldn't let this happen but was afraid that there wasn't much he could do now.

The Principal sat and listened to Squall speak. he never wavered in tone but remained confident. Principal Kramer was insistent that Squall was determined to be the hero. he was somewhat proud of the young man, who was willing to sacrifice himself and take responsibility of his actions to protect his friend. Unfortunately, he had to give him a punishment. He had to set an example, but Squall didn't seem upset. It was almost as if he was willing to take the punishment on a silver platter.

"Alright, then what happened at the dance? That's the only thing you have yet to explain." Principal Kramer asked.

Squall nodded.

At the dance...

Squall was standing, reluctantly, on the stage with Rinoa. Quests had just announced them as the Formal King and Queen. Squall was keeping his eyes peeled, watching for anyone who might go near the string. Quistis forced him down into the throne finally, and Rinoa stared at him strangely. He glanced around the Gym. So far, there was nothing, no one even remotely close, but then, something caught his eye. Someone was moving toward the string to release the net!

He jumped to his feet and ran to the edge of the stage. "NO!" His voice echoed off the walls as the music stopped and everyone stared at him.

Seifer ran across the Gym. Upon getting closer, he dove, stretched out, and arms first like Superman. He threw the guy to the floor and blew out a sigh of relief. Gasps from surrounding people were heard along with Professor Fitzgerald demanding to know what was happening, but Seifer's attention had been diverted, and the person returned to his feet and pulled the string.

"NO!" Squall yelled again. It was hopeless now; he dropped to his knees.

Rinoa walked out behind him and looked up, just in time to see the net come down.

Screams erupted as the net hit the floor, releasing ink-filled water balloons, glue-covered confetti, and fixed oatmeal. A string, a separate string, was attached to the net and as the trap fell down, it was attached to the fire alarm, turning on the sprinklers.

Water, ink, glue, and oatmeal hit the defenseless students, permanently staining expensive dresses and suits. The screams, yells, and even bursts of laughter continued, drowning out other students and attempts by some to calm others down. Squall was still on his knees, cursing under his breath. He and Seifer had purposely put more stuff on the side where the King and Queen would be standing/ He was now covered in his own devious trick and irate beyond all reason. He was more afraid, however, to turn around and look at Rinoa.

Through the chatter and confusion among everyone else, a high, piercing scream, louder than anything else in the room, erupted out and over through the Gym. Sudden silence filled the Gym as the scream died down. All eyes were on Rinoa in shock as the water poured down everywhere, ruining hard work and preparation. She was panting, eyes bright and glaring at one individual: Squall. Rage filled her face as she focused on only him. Her dress was ruined, her night was ruined, and more importantly, her hard work was all ruined.

Everyone watched her. No one had ever seen her this angry before, this enraged. For a few moments, everyone forgot about the situation around them but focused on Rinoa, anticipating what she would do.

"Leonhart!" she screamed, losing all control. All logic, reason, happiness, and enjoyment were gone, replaced by sheer, indescribable anguish.

Squall didn't move at first. He stood like stone, doing nothing. A few people wondered if he was praying to Hyne, others thought he was just soaking in what little life he obviously had left. she was lit, glowing in her own fury. The silence still lingered and eyes still watched. The winter kingdom that was supposed to be magical for all was being torn apart by a king for a jester and an enraged, sensitive queen, and she would kill the king if that were possible.

Seifer watched Squall, who remained on his knees, head bent. He couldn't see his face but wished he could. he wanted to know what was going through his mind. If anything, he wanted to know how Squall was going to get out of this one gracefully. He was tempted to go and see if he was okay, but his feet wouldn't move. he stayed where he was, immobilized on the floor with Professor Fitzgerald lingering beside him, attempting to calm down upset students with no luck.

Squall returned to his feet and turned to face the furious Rinoa, whose anger continued to grow. He reached up and removed the crown from his head, casting it aside where it hit the floor with a loud clangor. He met her eyes with a blank expression, showing no remorse or any other sign that6 he had done something wrong.

Everyone in the Gym watched the scene take place between what would've been the hottest couple in school. No one spoke a word but watched and waited, each wondering what would happen. Some feared an intense battle was soon to emerge, but a majority was waiting on the Professors and Principal to step in and stop all this madness.

The anger that was displayed on Rinoa's face was still present as she glared at Squall, demanding to know why. He said nothing but continued to look at her. His face was blank and his body language was unreadable, but she was determined to know why he would do this to her. Didn't he know that she had put a lot of time and effort into this? Didn't he have enough respect for her to back off and let her have her moment? Apparently, he didn't give a damn about her, so what of all those talks of forgiveness and friendship? Rinoa wanted no parts of that now. She wanted him to burn in Hell.

Squall watched the fire in her eyes explode and had an immediate wish that someone would ram a knife right through his heart. Anything would be better than the pain he felt right now. He had meant to stop this from happening, but when he finally came to reason, it was too late. He couldn't go back. He would if he could, though. But that was impossible. This was just another one of his failures he could tack on to his list. he had done so much to her, and this was the last straw. As the saying goes, "It's all over but the crying."

Rinoa opened her mouth to speak, but she never got the chance to utter so much as one syllable before the loud sound of a war call was heard from off stage. Everyone, including Squall and Rinoa, turned to see what the source of the sound was as Drag, Zion, and Bryce came running out. Each of them had a mic but Zion carried a bass guitar and Bryce an electric guitar.

"Yo' Balamb High!" Drag yelled. "Are you guys ready to Party?" He threw his head back and laughed maniacally as Bryce and Zion slid their fingers down the frets of the guitars, producing a nasty, rigid sound. Cheers erupted from the crowd, softly at first, then louder, overwhelming the entire room. "Yeah! You're ready for a real party, aren't ya?
People were jumping up and down now in their soaked outfits, yelling and screaming for a party.

Seifer, whose jaw had dropped to the floor by now, was called to the stage by Drag. He walked forward, slowly and unsure of what was happening. Was this some sort of erratic dream that he was in? Would he wake up soon before this turned into a complete disaster? he shook his head. They were well past disaster at this point. At any rate, he proceeded to the stage and received a mic from Drag.

"Well, we're going to pump you guys up! Ya know why? Cuz it's..." Seifer looked to Drag, Zion, and Bryce who joined him. "Grimm's Defeat!"

As Seifer rallied up the crowd, Drag pulled out the drum set, and Zion brought out the rest of the equipment. Bryce handed the guitar to his slightly confused brother.

"What are you doing/" he whispered.

"Saving your ass." Bryce replied with a smirk before going over to help Zion. Squall shook his head and looked around to see Rinoa gone. He almost let out a sigh of relief but didn't. He knew Rinoa was mad, and he was expecting something to happen. She would explode on him before long, and he would be ready to take it, too.

Seifer grabbed Squall's arm and through the overpowering noise, yelled in his ear. "What the Hell is going on?"

"I don't know, but we should make the most of it and then get the Hell out of here! It might buy us some time!" Squall yelled back. he was so clueless at this point it wasn't funny.

"Are we actually putting on show?" Seifer asked.

"It would appear that way." Squall shrugged. The crashing sound of a symbol echoed off the walls and was soon accompanied by a rhythm on the drum and a rift from the bass guitar. Squall shrugged again and added his own rift to the impending rhythm.

"Let's give 'em Hell, boys!" Drag yelled over the noise, barely heard. "Esthar-style!"

They began a song, showing their hard rock style, appealing to the mass crowd. A mosh pit appeared at the front of the stage. This was the new face of the four guys from Esthar, adding to their Bad Boy images. The crowd loved it, and they heard the cheers and laughter and soaked it in.

On the outside of the excitement, looking in, Rinoa watched in complete disbelief. squall and Seifer had ruined the dance, and what were they all doing? They were celebrating them! She was outraged. Why on earth would they celebrate the guys who destroyed all her hard work? She suddenly hated them all, but she was the only one. Everyone else was having a good time, which was what she had wanted in the first place, but this was definitely not how she planned it to be. She had imagined that everything would have gone smoothly and perfectly, but this was far from smooth or perfect. This was nothing short of a disaster.

Rinoa looked at the corsage on her wrist and was recharged with utter loathing. She ripped off the thing and threw it towards the nearest trash can. not caring if she made it or not. She was seething, grinding her teeth at the two guys on the stage. She actually wasn't that mad at Seifer, but the fury she held inside for Squall was stronger than anything she had known. He'd been stupid before, but this just went over the top.

Selphie looked over to where Rinoa was hiding and frowned. She slipped through the crowd, making her way over to the still fuming girl. She didn't understand why Rinoa was upset. Everyone was having a good time. Isn't that what she had wanted in the first place? So why wasn't she enjoying herself too?

"Hey, Rinny?" Selphie approached her slowly, afraid that she wouldn't want her to be there. Rinoa turned to her and shook her head.

"Why are they celebrating them?" she asked, returning her gaze of hatred to the band. She fought tears as she remembered how much time and effort she had put into this.

"Because they're having fun, Rinny. Maybe you should, too. After all, if you can't beat them, join them." Selphie replied. She pulled the wet hair behind her ears. the sprinklers were still going. Either no one could figure out how to shut them off or they were being left on for added effect.

"Selphie, this isn't how I wanted this night to happen!" Rinoa argued, no, longer caring if she cried. there was no point in fighting the inevitable anymore. "In wanted this to be perfect. It was supposed to be perfect. Why would they do this to me? After knowing how much work I put into it, why would they ruin everything?" Tears slid down her face.

"I don't think they meant to hurt you, Rinny. I think they just wanted everyone to have a good time. Maybe by breaking the bonds of tradition they could do that. I Really don't think it had anything to do with you." Selphie hugged her friend, but Rinoa didn't return the hug. She just stood there, her eyes becoming red from the tears.

"I hate them, Selphie." she sobbed on her shoulder, and Selphie could do nothing to calm her down.

Up on the stage, the guys were in the midst of an upbeat song, jumping all over the stage, driving the audience crazy. All of them had discarded their jackets and were playing in their dress shirts, pants and ties. Even soaking wet, they looked good. the water from the sprinklers was collecting on the stage, making mini puddles, and every time the three guys jumped, water would splash everywhere, adding to the effect of the whole image. As for Drag, every time he hit a symbol, water flew off it. The whole picture looked cool and just added to the excitement of the event.

As Squall stepped back into place after playing a fast and tricky solo, he caught a glimpse of Selphie and Rinoa. More importantly he saw the state of Rinoa and was overcome by immediate guilt. She was upset and it was all his fault. But he tried to stop it. He had changed his mind, but unfortunately, it had been way too late. His eyes locked on her, and he could see everything he had worked for out the window. But then, that made him think of Rinoa. How did she feel? All her planning and decorations were completely ruined, and it was his fault. Yes, everyone was having a good time, but he knew this wasn't the type of "good time" that she had planned.

He shook his head and went back to the song. He'd figure out what to do later. He knew he'd have to make it up to Rinoa somehow. That is, if she'd even speak to him after this. He blew it. That was obvious.

Of course, he couldn't help but feel, in a way, that she deserved this. It was a horrible thing to say, though. No one deserved this much torture. Especially not after so much time and effort had been put in to make it perfect. But she had said yes to going with his brother, even after she knew there was something between them. She had crossed a line. That was the only reason why he had done this in the first place. But who was he really mad at? he couldn't be mad at Rinoa. There was no possible way he could be mad at her, but Bryce he could be mad at. Or could he? It seemed that the only person worth blaming and being mad at was himself. Only one person was left once the dust had settled, and that person was him. he was the only one at which a finger of blame could be pointed.

He glanced over the crowd. People were jumping up and down, dancing with the closest person in arm's length and smiling and laughing. It surprised him that most of everyone was having fun despite the fact that their dressed, suits, and hair were all ruined. Maybe the new generation really was sick of tradition.

Again, his eyes floated over to Rinoa. She had broken out of Selphie's comforting embrace and was standing in front of her. The curls had fallen out of her hair from the water, but her Queen's crown was still positioned on the top of her head. To him, she still looked beautiful, even though she was soaking wet with ink stains all over her. Luckily, the oatmeal had rinsed off.

What have I done? He wondered. He hated himself now.

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Rinoa's rage only increased as the minutes dragged on. By this time, she was unapproachable and remained on her own in the corner by the stage. She watched Squall with impending hatred but was filled with her own self-loathing. She had allowed him to do this to her. If she wouldn't have trusted him so much but kept her eyes open, she was almost certain that this whole disaster wouldn't have taken place. She knew that she couldn't put all the blame on Squall that she too, deserved some of it, but it was much easier to do so than admit her own traces of fault. After all, she wasn't the one who destroyed everything! The person who did, however, was standing up on the stage like this was no big deal at all.

Rinoa shivered as the cold water continued to pour around her, and she really wished that someone would cut the damn things off. Her dress and her hair were both beyond repair at this time, and she didn't even want to know what her makeup looked like. She wanted to go home and get as far away from here as possible. The bad memory of tonight would probably linger until her dying day, which didn't comfort her one bit. In fact, it only made the whole situation worse if that was even possible.

Squall, as he played, would look over at Rinoa every now and then, careful as to not make eye contact with her. He saw the distress in her face had still lingered even after the initial shock had finally worn off. He felt his own distress as he watched her. He did this; he was responsible for everything that happened to her. he wanted to just stop playing and stop time so he could go to her. Of course, he knew it would be impossible for him to comfort her. She would turn him away, keep him from harming her even more. He could already see her locking herself up, recoiling into a secluded area within her mind. He frowned and was still waiting for the knife to be stuck into his heart. He would prefer anything than this.

A break in the song allowed for the guys to breathe a little bit and for Seifer to turn and look at Squall. His eyes were focused on Rinoa in the corner who still fumed. he watched Squall struggle in a losing battle. He shook his head and walked over to him as Drag and Zion switched places.

"You okay?" He asked, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder. Squall was more than just as best friend, he was a brother to him.

"She hates me." Squall turned his head to Seifer. "Doesn't she?"

"She'll get over it." Seifer replied. "Everyone is having a good time. Once she realizes that, she'll be thanking you." Seifer knew the probability of that was slim at best. Rinoa, unfortunately, was the type of person who enjoyed tradition and was a firm practicer of it. The likelihood that she would thank Squall for breaking the bonds of tradition was impossible to even fathom, but Seifer wanted to at least try to give Squall some words of encouragement, even if they were false.

"I doubt it, but thanks anyway." Squall sighed. He looked back to Rinoa only to find her gone again. He glanced around the room frantically, but it was no use. She was gone, probably hidden amongst the masses. He cursed for allowing her to leave his sight but there wasn't much he could do from up here.

They guys reproached their positions and were about to play when the sound went down. Everyone looked around in confusion and even anger as Professor Fitzgerald appeared pushing through the crowd. She looked like a walking disaster, her black business suit ruined with ink stains, oatmeal, and water. When the students began to realize who the cause of all the commotion, they parted like the Red Sea and allowed more than enough room for the obviously enraged Professor to proceed up to the stage. She grabbed a mic, the only thing working, from Seifer's hand and gripped his shoulder with deadly sharp nails.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this party is here by over!" she snarled into the mic. "Please leave in an orderly fashion!" She then turned to the guys on the stage as the students began to leave. "But you all are coming with me!" She glared at them with her dark beady eyes.

"Drag and Zion had nothing to do with this." Squall interjected before Drag or Zion could state otherwise. The last thing he wanted to do was drag in more casualties.

"Yeah," Seifer nodded. "It was just me and Squall." He gulped nervously.

"Fine," she spat out, grabbing Squall and Seifer and pushing them both to the stairs. "Then you two are coming with me." She was rugged and shoved them again until they walked willingly.

Outside the Gym, the Principal was waiting. "Mr. Leonhart and Mr. Almasy, let's take a walk to my office, shall we?"

A/N: Oops...I lied. no comment and Later Days!

P.S Don't hurt me!