Talk To Me

Chapter 3

A/N: After finally getting tired of World of Warcraft, I decided it was time to start doing something more productive with my spare time...like writing this fanfic!

---

Jayden pushed her Guardian Forces and You: A Study on the Benefits and Side Effects of GF Usage textbook aside and banged her head against the table, before finally letting it rest there. Heaving a sigh of frustration she mumbled, "My brain hurts."

Nic looked up at her from across the table, his own study materials spread out before him. "I guess it does sweetie. You were banging your head against the table afterall."

"It's not hurting from that...smartass." She lifted her head and placed her book back in front of her. "I hope to Hyne I pass this exam. Could you imagine having to go through this again?"

"Oh c'mon, it's not that bad," he paused, "not that bad compared to what we were doing in Esthar."

Jayden nodded in agreement. Sure they were amongst the best in their profession, but look at where it had led them. They were lucky they weren't stuck in some Estharian prison.

"Good...now get back to work!" He leaned forward, a mischievous look in his eyes. "Besides you've got a sexy instructor just waiting for you to finally become a SeeD so that you can really be rewarded for all your hard work."

"Hmph...", she simply grunted and went back to studying. Why did he have to rub in the fact that she'd been tortured for the past couple of months now? Sure her and Quistis had made out quite a bit, but she was getting tired of quick kisses in secluded areas of the quad, and she was way too familiar with the layout of the large janitorial closet on the second floor. She couldn't help but think it sucked that she agreed to wait until she became an official SeeD to take their relationship to the next level.

For the last few months both she and Nic had been pushing themselves. Almost all of their spare time was spent studying materials for the written portion of the SeeD exam, only two weeks away, and extra training sessions in the Training Center. They and the few Trepies that were going to be taking the exam had volunteered themselves to help with controlling the Grat population; apparently Grats were quite the breeders.

Those training sessions were paying off. Abandoning the use of the gunblade as a primary weapon due to it's sluggishness, Jayden opted to go with the scimitars to make the best use of her agility. The only time the gunblade was useful was when they were fighting larger monsters such as the occasional T-Rexaur.

"Have you talked to Matt lately?", Nic asked quietly.

"No. Have you?"

"I've tried. Last time I spoke to him he pretty much brushed me off, saying something about me being a 'traitor', and just walked off." He paused for a moment, shrugged his shoulders, and continued, "If me talking to you makes me a traitor, then so be it. You're like a sister to me, Jadie-kins."

Jayden snorted at the overly affectionate name. "You're like a brother to me, too, but the next time you call me that there will be reprecussions."

"Sure there will be."

"I'm serious."

"Mmhmm." Nic looked up from his books long enough to show her that he wasn't threatened in the least. "I just don't understand why he's taking this bet so serious. It's never come between the two of you before, why now?"

Jayden leaned back in her chair and sighed. "I don't think it's the bet that's really the problem. I've been thinking about this for a while now."

"What do you think it is then?"

"Honestly? I think it's because the two of us aren't having any problems with adapting to life in the Garden." At the confused look she was getting she leaned forward and whispered. "Think about it Nic, Matt has never been in an enviroment where he's had to obey strict rules, or follow any kind of regiment. He's used to having absolute freedom to do what he wants, whenever he wants."

Nic nodded in agreement. "I see where you're going with this, but I thought he was doing fine in all of his classes. I don't know if you've noticed, but he's become one helluva magic user. He rarely ever has to engage in melee combat anymore."

"I've noticed, and that's another thing that worries me, but that's for his instructor's to deal with. I think he's well, pissed, that they gave the two of us a little leeway as far as our probation goes."

"Oh..."

"Yeah. When was the last time someone had to lock your door at night? They still lock his. From what Miri tells me, he's started hanging around with Teric and his gang."

Nic nodded his head. "I know. I saw him sitting with them a couple days ago in the cafeteria."

"Speaking of Miri, we're supposed to meet her and Herald in the cafeteria. They want to grab some lunch before we head to the Training Center."

"Ugh...I still can't believe I let you guys talk me into helping you with that. Seriously, I'm tired of walking up on Grats while they're mating. It's disturbing, what with the whole tentacle thing."

Jayden snickered at that while stuffing her books in her backpack. "Really? I would have thought that you, the gay boy, wouldn't be disturbed by tentacles."

He faked a shocked expression at Jayden's attempt to get a rise out of him. "Puh-lease sweetie. Considering you're a lesbian, you shouldn't be talking about me being disturbed by tentacles."

Jayden laughed and nodded her head. "Fine, you win that one. Now c'mon, let's go get something to eat."

---

Quistis sat at her usual table with Rinoa and Selphie, listening to the two of them make plans for the weekend. Once a month cadets and Garden staff were allowed to leave Garden to go to the town of Balamb, and that weekend was approaching. She more than likely wouldn't be going along, instead choosing to use the chance to catch up on grading papers and preparing lesson plans; the written exam for SeeD qualifications only being two weeks away afterall.

Although, it would be nice to try and sneak away with Jayden, she thought to herself. Because of Jayden and Nic's performance thus far she, Cid, and Squall had decided to reward them with a little more freedom than what they'd began with. The only difference being that, unlike the other cadets, she and Nic had to return to Garden by a certain time.

"Quisty...Quisty!"

"Huh?" She looked at Selphie, wondering why the girl was waving a hand in front of her face.

"It must've been nice, wherever you were. We've been trying to get your attention. What were you thinking?" One thing that could be said about Selphie, the girl could ramble.

As if she could tell them all of what she was really thinking. "Just thinking about the upcoming exams and all of the work I have to do." Well, at least that much was true, she thought.

"Oh no! You are not going to spend your weekened cooped up in your dorm grading papers!" Rinoa chastised her. She couldn't help but wonder if Rinoa did the same thing to Squall. "You're going to come to Balamb with us and have some fun for a change."

Quistis smiled and shook her head. "I'd love to guys, I really would, but I have so much to do-"

Rinoa cut her off before she could finish. "Nope, nuh-uh, you always say that Quisty." She looked at Selphie, then back to Quistis. "How about a compromise?"

Quistis raised an eyebrow at the word 'compromise'. "Go ahead, I'm listening."

Rinoa grinned. She knew that she would get Quistis to go along with their plan. "How about you come with us this weekend, and in return, Selphie and I will help you out with your classes. We'll help you grade papers, plan your lessons, anything you need." Rinoa stopped and gave Quistis a serious look, something the girl rarely often did. "Seriously Quisty, we're worried about you. You don't get out enough, and never seem to do anything fun. Would it really hurt for you to take a weekend off and just, I dunno, relax?"

Rinoa had her there, and she knew it. What the girl sitting across from her didn't know was that, for the past few months, Quistis had been having some fun. She loved when she could manage to steal some time away with Jayden, even if it was often spent in that ridiculously large janitor's closet on the second floor. And now that it looked like she was going to Balamb for the weekend, well, she doubted that Rinoa and Selphie would let her out of their sight for one second, but that didn't mean she couldn't accidently lose them in the crowd. Right?

She smiled at Rinoa and nodded her head in agreement. "Fine, I'll go, but remember I'm going to hold you to your compromise."

Both of her friends clapped excitedly, with Selphie punching her hand in the air for extra emphasis. "Pah-tay yeah!"

Quistis laughed at her friends' antics. Before she could say anything about Selphie's reaction, she caught sight of Jayden and Nic entering the cafeteria laughing at one another. No doubt it was due to their constant verbal sparring with one another; either one of them had enough sarcasm to put even Seifer to shame, the only difference being that they knew when and when not to use it.

"She's cute, isn't she?"

"Mmhmm..", without even thinking Quistis replied. Only after hearing the giggles coming from both Rinoa and Selphie, did she realize she'd been dooped. "I mean, uh...-"

Rinoa smiled, giving Quistis a reassuring grin. "Relax Quisty, we're not blind."

Selphie patted Quistis's arm and grinned. "Really, we can tell there's something going on. But no worries, you're secret is safe with us. Besides, there's nothing wrong with having a crush on one of your students. And you know, I think she likes you, too."

Quistis sighed in relief. She was glad that she could trust her friends, so to be fair, she could at least tell them the truth. To be honest, she wanted to tell her friends about how happy she'd been lately. They deserved to know considering how they were always so concerned when it came to her emotional well-being. "Actually guys, it's more than just a crush. We've kinda been sneaking around for a while now."

She watched the emotions on her friends faces. They went from excited, to shocked, then immediately back to excited again. Finally it was Selphie that spoke first. "Well, it's about damn time you found someone, girl! You could have told us a lot sooner though, ya know?"

"Really Quisty, I don't tell Squall everything." Rinoa grinned. "I'm happy for you, hon."

"Yeah," Selphie piped up, "and just think, in a couple of weeks you won't have to sneak around anymore."

"She has to pass the exams first, Selph."

"Psh, I have no doubt about those two. I've heard both Squall and Cid talking about all three of them to Laguna." Rinoa glanced at where Matt was sitting with Teric's group. "The only one they're concerned about is Matt. He's doing well in his studies, but his behavior still leaves room for concern. I guess they're just worried they might have another Seifer on their hands."

Quistis nodded. She remembered that training session that seemed be the beginning of the end of Matt, Jayden, and Nic's friendship. After that day Matt seemed to have withdrawn from the trio, and a true rivalry had began between him and Jayden.

"So, have they decided on whether or not they're gonna keep the rehabilitation program going?" Selphie asked Rinoa.

"I believe so. From what Squall says, they're waiting to see how they do on the exams. If they decide to, they're going to come up with a way to evaluate candidates for the program. They also considered increasing the number of candidates eligible for enrollment. SeeD seems to be in high demand now because of all the political unrest in Galbadia." Rinoa made a disgusted noise when mentioning Galbadia.

Selphie shook her head and held her hands up in front of her. "Hey, enough talk of politics and SeeD. Let's get back to the important subjects of Quisty and her new romance, and our plans for the weekend!"

All Quistis and Rinoa could do was shake their heads at Selphie.

---

Jayden watched the three from where she was sitting. She and Nic sat across from Miri and Herald, two members of the Trepies, and all around cool people. Miri was the second tallest of them, Herald being the first, with long brown hair and green eyes. Jayden had to admit, the girl was a looker, with a personality to boot. Unlike most though, she wasn't in the Trepies because she had a crush on the instructor. She just admired Quistis for her success and her professionalism; the same could be said for Nic, except he also found Quistis's fashion sense and ability to fight in high heeled boots using a whip fascinating and, when picking at his best friend, kinky.

Herald was in the same boat as her. He'd been in Garden since he was thirteen and had had a crush on the instructor from day one. Though he kenw of her secret relationship with Quistis, he still had a crush, but assured Jayden she had nothing to worry about from him. He also had a crush on Miri, too, but was scared to tell the tall brunette about it.

Though Miri had height, Herald was the muscle of the group. Being six feet tall and solid muscle, there weren't many people that would mess with him. The fact that he wore glasses and was quite the triple triad nerd didn't make him any less threatening.

"Hey Jay, you gonna eat that hot dog?"

"Huh?" She looked down at her plate and the extra hot dog she'd gotten. "You know, sometimes I wonder if they don't put something in these things."

Miri gave her a funny look. "Why's that?"

"Well, Garden trains some of the deadliest mercanaries in the world, but hot dogs are a big part of our menu. And this is your what, third one?"

Miri shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe they do, and if so, I don't want to know. I think it's really because we're always so busy training and stuff, that our metabolisms are fast. Now are you going to eat that or not?"

She laughed and passed her plate over. "No, you can have it."

Just as Miri was reaching for it, a hand snatched it away. "What the-"

"Heya losers...and fags." It was Matt with Teric, Kael, and Siyan. Being the leader of the group Teric was naturally the largest and most menacing. Cold blue eyes peaked out from under unruly black hair and his height and build matched Herald's.

Kael and Siyan stood in the background, not saying anything. They were Teric's lackeys, the ones he used for scapegoats when it came to homework and exams; proclaiming that was what friends did for one another.

Jayden simply looked up at her former friend, an impassive look on her face. "What do you want, Matt? You kinda interrupted something."

"Heh, what are you doing? Trying to think of more ways you can kiss up to your whore?" He smirked as if certain, that by demeaning Quistis, he would get a rise out of Jayden.

Before Jayden could retaliate, Nic spoke up first. "You mean the same 'whore' you were trying to hook up with? Really Matt, just because Jay stole yet another, and let me emphasize 'another', girl from you, doesn't mean you have to get so...pissy." Nic rolled his eyes, "And people call me a drama queen."

This caused everyone at the table, and Kael and Siyan, to erupt in fits of laughter. With a glare from Teric, Kael and Siyan stopped laughing, then looked at Matt. "Let's get out of here. They'll get what's coming to them soon enough."

Matt simply nodded in agreement. Turning to leave, he glanced a look at Jayden and smirked. Soon enough he would get his revenge.

"That was weird, and what the hell did he mean by that?" Miri asked as they watched the group exit the cafeteria.

Herald shrugged, "Who knows with them. More than likely it was just a bunch of bullshit. I don't think those guys really have the balls to try anything." He turned back to Jayden and Nic, "You guys know him best. What do you think?"

Jayden shook her head in response. "Nah, I don't think they do. I think it's all talk really."

Nic nodded his head in agreement. "As interesting as that was, we better head to the Training Center. I'd like to get this little chore over with as quick as possible.", he pushed his chair from the table and stood.

Jayden chuckled as they were leaving. Before she could say something, Nic held up a hand, "Don't you say a word."

End of Chapter 3