Sorry for the late update, but as afore-mentioned, I have started school! Well, actually, I've started for weeks now, but was too lazy. I read so much online scanlations that my head's spinnin. Homework's pilin' on and all. Anyway's, Rufus's blackmail and Zack's proposal shall be explained here. And again, I'll try for longer chapters!!!

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Chapter 3:

I glanced over my shoulder. No one was there. Good. Well, that was humiliating. I wonder how I'll be able to face the rest of the world from now on. I don't even have to worry about Rufus blackmailing me, anymore. Or never seeing another cherry-monogrammed Louis Vuitton clutch for as long as I live. But it didn't matter anyways, right? There was only one year of high school left before college. Apparently, even the worst students in this school could get into Duke or John Hopkins without even a waiting pool letter. The best, of course, went straight to Harvard scholarship. It wasn't even funny how easy it was.

I turned around at the end of the corridor and found a welcoming seat to catch my breath on. Luckily, after lunch hour, a lot of kids decided to leave so I was safe. It was the perfect time to plan my current position. I had just run out of a cafeteria for no particular reason as long as everyone but the Shinra group and I was concerned. Well, this meant humiliation and trouble.

Goddamn it, I'm in a deep hole.

Well, to be truthful, I didn't actually do that much of damage to Shinra 3 years ago (but I shudder to think about it). It was as afore-mentioned, three years ago. I remember well that on that fateful day, I was sent to find my father as he, being the poor excuse of a father he was, forgot his keys, and I was sent t deliver them. Boring right? Well, when I got there, he was in the middle of a busy testing which involved reading enough files to fill twenty years' worth of court records and then mixing strange, unnatural powders together with oils, and KABOOM-ing them. Daddy dearest, with his gloved hands full of jars, asked me to go and fetch another twenty years' worth of court-record filling papers after giving me a kiss on the cheek. However, he did not notice leaving any chemicals on my very new white sheer blouse. So as I stumbled into the specified document room, I noticed a small jar of strange oil lest callously on the table. At first, I ignored it, until I noticed a small label with J. Lockhart on it. It was my Dad's. Being the good ol' Tifa, I gently picked it up and along with the documents, carried it precariously out. Everything was going OK until my father suddenly ran into me and well-you guess it…

KA-BOOM!

As I was later told, this destroyed twenty years of minor records on different accounting cheques made by Shinra like, a billion years ago. I was lucky it was a billion rather than ten thousand (Shinra is so anal!!! I swear!!!!) as they had a banking conference the next day. Tifa the analyst will now conclude that since no one in this school ever went near Shinra, let alone entered it (as it was so tacky unless you were the President of it.), Rufus had an incredible amount of information to discredit me.

Again, goddamn it, I'm in a deep hole.

Well, that was all. I hopped along and spotted a safe, clean bench to check out my probably hideous appearance. I reminded myself to take it easy….calm down… and not… freak…

And then I heard a sinister voice say the dreaded word: Lockheart

Evidently it was Rufus, surprisingly alone and more looking ridiculously sophisticated. I gritted my teeth and replied the obvious answer: what?

"Hmm… let's see…" he began, " everyone at this school scorns anyone who works under me…so….what should I tell them? The truth about you? (By the way, everyone at this school thinks I'm a super genius who got in through, say, an English scholarship and has 234IQ, oh and, screw Rufus!!!)

"You'd better keep it to yourself!" I screamed, suddenly tense. "Or..or..I'll punch your nose into your-!!!"

"Hey, chill," he said calmly. " I have an idea. Why don't you do me a favor?"

"Why the hell should I?!!"

"So I won't tell anyone about your incident," he did really irritating air-quotes and flipped his hair.

I pondered over this. If I agreed, he would have immense power over me, but if I didn't…..

"Fine!" I said at last. "One thing only."

"Get me Scarlet, and you get off the hook. Oh and, by the way, we didn't have this conversation."

He turned, flipped his hair and strolled away.

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How the fuck was I supposed to "get Scarlet" for that son of a-

Nevermind. He probably wanted to sleep with that tramp or something and just forgot to mention it. What the fuck was I supposed to tell Scarlet. Well, that's why ad-libbing was invented. On the bright side, though, this wasn't a huge request like, kill my father so I can be the real president or something. Asshole.

I composedly walked back to the school smiling bright as a supernova at all stares but quickly glared at them too. Luckily, there was still around twenty minutes of break time for me to find Aerith and the gang.

"Tifa?"

I jumped and almost killed the person behind me. Reluctantly I turned around. It was Cloud.

"I was just wondering what happened to you during lunch. Did you know that Rufus?"

Damn, the first time I saw him, he looked a bit strange, but now I could definitely tell that he was cute. Lucky Aerith. But wait, where was Aerith? I thought of Zack immediately. Could she be cheating.

"Tifa?"

Oh yeah, Cloud was here. I quickly explained something about having extreme stomach aching conditions.

"You're lying. I just saw you talking to Rufus. You looked afraid."

Oooh!!! So cute of him to notice. Maybe if Aerith was cheating, so could Cloud. Gah! I've just met them and already I'm thinking of a love quadrilateral?!!!

"Hello..? Tifa, I know something's bothering you."

I didn't answer. That Rufus…I'll personally murder him someday. I noticed Cloud staring and turned away.

"That has nothing to do with you."

I turned away and ran. I can't explain to these narrow-minded rich kids right now. I gotta find some way to hook Scarlet up with Rufus. I gotta get to-

BAM!

…someone's chest?

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Zack was staring down at me when I looked up. How many times can a girl be surprised in one day?

"Tifa."

"Zack! Are with Aerith? I'm looking for her!" I improvised quickly.

"Actually, I've been meaning to ask you the same question."

This was the time to pounce.

"Do you…do you have a…crush…on Aerith?" Approach the subject timidly and results I shall get!!!!!! Mwahahahahaha…haha?

Zack bowed his head, " that was exactly what I've been trying to ask you."

"You do know that I'm not a lesbian, correct?"

"Do you like Cloud?"

That was really a breach of privacy. But then again, hadn't I just approached him the same way?

"Well, he's cute but-"

"Do you want to date him?"

Really, there's something wrong with this guy. And here I thought that Vincent was the crazy one.

"I guesss…?"

"Well, I may have a plan."

Zack quickly laid out the plan. He gave me sufficient evidence that Cloud and Aerith were not lovers, but in fact, dating for benefits. With extreme skill and precision, he marked out the exact number of times that Aerith has kissed him on the cheek: twice. According to Zack, this was not the result of a healthy relationship and it was our duty to help them out, by separating and the dating them. We were now part of a club called GACA (get Aerith and Cloud apart.)

Briskly, he sauntered off, like nothing had occurred. He's got issues, but this may just work.

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YAY!!! LONGER!!! This one's a little too fast-paced, but I haven't updated in forever and I plan on writing the Full Moon story (see my profile). Well, how do you think this story is? Which direction should it lead to? RR!!! Sayanora!