"I can't believe it, I haven't been to a dance in years." Quistis said nervously.
"We need to start getting ready, we've only got 2 hours until lunch." Selphie said, ready to help do hair, put on dresses, etc.
Rinoa walked out of the bathroom with her dress on looking absolutely stunning.
"Rinoa, you look gorgeous…" Selphie said in awe.
"Why, thank you." Rinoa said flattered.
"Selph, why don't you go change and I'll do Rinoa's hair." Quistis stated. Selphie nodded.
"Quisty, will you put my hair up, in a bun or something." Rinoa asked politely.
"Sure, but just wondering, why?" Quistis asked.
"I wanna see what I look like with my hair up." Rinoa said matter-of-factly.
Quistis had been working with Rinoa's hair for about 10 minutes when Selphie emerged from the bathroom. Rinoa and Quistis looked in Selphie's direction.
"Oh Selph, you look so beautiful…" Rinoa said fawning over Selphie's dress. "I'm so excited guys." Rinoa couldn't contain her excitement.
"Your hair looks so beautiful!" Selphie said complimenting Rinoa's hair.
"Thank you." Quistis said, putting the finishing touches on Rinoa's hair. She'd forgotten how much fun it was when the three of them just got to hang out and have fun without the guys.
"Hand me a mirror." Rinoa asked. Selphie handed her the small mirror from the bathroom. "Oh, Quistis it looks great, thank you." Rinoa said hugging her friend.
"You look different, older, you look older than me." Quistis said laughing slightly.
"Well, why don't you go change and Rinoa and I will get ready to make you look perfect when you get out." Selphie said bubbly.
Quistis entered the bathroom and slowly started to change.
"Knock, Knock." Rinoa and Selphie heard someone saying outside the door.
Rinoa went to the door and whispered, "Zell, is that you?"
"Yeah, let me in." Zell whispered back.
"No, you can't see your date and your date's friends dresses until lunch." Selphie said barely making sense to herself, let alone the others.
"What do you mean my date?" Zell asked curiously.
"Quistis, of course." Rinoa responded.
"What about Quistis?" Zell asked, feigning confusion.
"Quistis is your date, duh." Selphie said mockingly.
"No, she's not. She's going with Seifer." Zell muttered.
"What do you mean, 'she's going with Seifer'." Rinoa asked worried.
"Exactly what I said." Zell replied. Zell could hear the door unlock. The door opened and he was faced with two girls he didn't recognize. Zell's jaw dropped.
"What are you staring at, Dincht." Rinoa said jokingly.
"You two…you…you look…stunning." Zell stuttered.
"Zell, why is she going with Seifer?" Selphie asked concernedly.
Zell stopped staring and snapped back to reality. " 'Cause I told her to." Zell mumbled.
Selphie slapped Zell's arm. "Why in the world did you do that?" Selphie said frustrated.
" 'Cause that's what she wanted…she didn't want to go with me, she wanted to go with him." Zell faltered.
"Zell, that's not true and you know it." Rinoa said, gently rubbing his arm.
"It doesn't matter, either way she's going with Seifer as of now." Zell said indifferently. "I just came by to tell you guys to have a great time and make sure Squall and Irvine behave themselves." Zell said as he gave Selphie a hug and then proceeded to hug Rinoa.
"Hey guys, I'm coming out." Quistis called from the bathroom.
"I'll go stall her, get out of here quick Zell." Selphie told Zell urgently.
As Zell started to walk towards the door, Rinoa caught his arm and pulled him back.
"Zell, I'll be saving a dance for you." Rinoa said benignly and softly smiled. Zell nodded softly.
Rinoa slowly pulled Zell into an affectionate embrace. Zell fought the urge to just cry right there. After the embrace, Zell opened the door and left.
Quistis finally made it past Selphie and asked, "Was someone just here?"
"No…" Rinoa said and had to fight to not say anything about Zell.
Rinoa put on a big smile and said "Let's do your make-up."
They applied Quistis' makeup, and she looked exquisite. After Selphie and Rinoa got their make-up on and all their hair was done, they were ready to meet their dates at the cafeteria.
* * *
Seifer fidgeted slightly as he walked towards Irvine and Squall, he was worried if they would accept him.
"Hey guys, mind if I join you?" Seifer asked, trying to mask his nervousness.
Irvine and Squall were taken aback.
"Sure, but if you don't mind answering, why would you want to join us?" Squall said, still shocked.
"Well, I'm taking Quistis to the dance so I figured we'd be hanging out as a group." Seifer replied.
Irvine and Squall looked at each other, they were puzzled.
"Um…sure…Seifer." Irvine said hesitantly.
A smile crossed Seifer's face and his body relaxed, he sighed heavily.
"So where's chickenwu…I mean, Zell." Seifer asked.
"We don't know actually…" Irvine started.
"I think he was tired, he wasn't up to a dance. You know Zell, he's gotta recharge his batteries." Squall said chuckling nervously.
* * *
Quistis, Rinoa and Selphie elegantly entered the cafeteria. The cafeteria was eerily silent as the three "Queens" of Balamb Garden entered. Seifer, Irvine and Squall's eyes drifted to the entrance.
It was as if all the air in Seifer's lungs had been forced out, he couldn't speak, hear, think, all he could do was look at the breathtaking woman before him. She was radiant, a fiery beauty burned in her eyes.
Irvine immediately stood up and took off his hat from it's usual perch and lowered it to his chest. He couldn't resist letting a whistle, and for once he couldn't think of anything to say.
Squall just stood up slowly, a huge grin plastered on his face as he saw the object of his affection walk in. For a moment in time, she was ethereal, not human, but not quite an angel.
Squall stepped forward and took his girlfriend's arm and walked her to their table. Irvine stepped forward and Selphie grabbed his arm and lead him off to the table where Rinoa and Squall were already seated.
As Seifer stepped forward, Quistis looked into his eyes and Rinoa and Selphie forgot about Zell and Quistis. Seifer and Quistis looked so perfect there, like two lonely children who had finally found a companion, a second try, a chance for redemption of their sins.
Seifer put his arm out and Quistis gently slipped her arm around his, smiling her sweet, soft smile. He walked her over to the table and sat her down, pulling a chair beside her.
Then the whole cafeteria burst into applause, cheering wildly for the couples.
* * *
Zell heard the clapping and he knew what it was for. He stopped himself for mental prep. (Listen Zell, don't make a big deal out of it. Walk in, get something to eat, don't look around and leave.) Zell sighed. "Okay, let's do this." Zell mumbled to himself.
Zell entered, walking towards the lunch line, that was still open, despite the fact that there was a banquet being held right in the same room. Zell guessed it was for people who weren't part of the banquet, which he decided, was only him.
* * *
"Toast, Toast, Toast, Toast!!!" The cafeteria had broken into a chant, calling for Squall to give a speech.
Squall stood up smiling, "Okay, Okay, quiet down." The noise stopped. "This is going to be a great night. I just want…" Squall then noticed him, Zell was standing there talking to the cafeteria lady. Rinoa followed Squall's gaze and saw him as well. She gasped, she had totally forgotten about Zell.
* * *
"So, Zell, why aren't you dressed up?" Darlene, the cafeteria lady, asked.
"I'm not going to the dance." Zell said indifferently.
"Oh Zell, what about that pig-tailed girl, the one in the library?" Darlene suggested.
"Actually, she's going with Nida." Zell said matter-of-factly.
"Well, Zell, you're in luck, I saved you your favorite." Darlene said smiling widely.
She handed him a huge tray of hotdogs.
"I knew you wouldn't let me down, Darlene you're the best. One of these days, I'm gonna get you something special. That's a promise." Zell said winking at her." Zell started to walk away, towards the exit of the cafeteria.
"Zell." Darlene called. Zell turned around. "If you ever need anything, I'm always here darlin'." She said trying to console him.
Zell's face became very serious. "Thank you." Zell said and started walking towards the exit again.
* * *
Quistis had noticed Zell and was hurting inside. She finally realized had deep she had stabbed him. Selphie turned over to Irvine and he wrapped his arms around her.
Squall looked around at the crowd, he cleared his throat, and started again.
"Well, I plan to have a good time tonight. I hope you do too. I want you all to dance your hearts out and guys, make sure you treat your ladies right. As I'm looking around, I see a cafeteria full of beautiful girls, and girls, this your night, so have fun. Anyway, I propose this toast to fun, family, friends and the good health of us all."
"Here, Here." Irvine mouthed silently as the rest of the crowd said it aloud. Irvine swigged his glass of champagne.
The dinner was fantastic, everyone enjoyed the meal, and everyone enjoyed the company of friends. The dance was ready to begin.
Zell sat quietly on the balcony, a hot dog in his hand as he silently chewed. It was peaceful up here, a place where he could enjoy being alone. Also, he could look at the giant, beautifully decorated platform that was setup on the beach and the huge speakers surrounding it. It was a masterpiece of a dance floor. Zell took another bite and sighed.
"We need to start getting ready, we've only got 2 hours until lunch." Selphie said, ready to help do hair, put on dresses, etc.
Rinoa walked out of the bathroom with her dress on looking absolutely stunning.
"Rinoa, you look gorgeous…" Selphie said in awe.
"Why, thank you." Rinoa said flattered.
"Selph, why don't you go change and I'll do Rinoa's hair." Quistis stated. Selphie nodded.
"Quisty, will you put my hair up, in a bun or something." Rinoa asked politely.
"Sure, but just wondering, why?" Quistis asked.
"I wanna see what I look like with my hair up." Rinoa said matter-of-factly.
Quistis had been working with Rinoa's hair for about 10 minutes when Selphie emerged from the bathroom. Rinoa and Quistis looked in Selphie's direction.
"Oh Selph, you look so beautiful…" Rinoa said fawning over Selphie's dress. "I'm so excited guys." Rinoa couldn't contain her excitement.
"Your hair looks so beautiful!" Selphie said complimenting Rinoa's hair.
"Thank you." Quistis said, putting the finishing touches on Rinoa's hair. She'd forgotten how much fun it was when the three of them just got to hang out and have fun without the guys.
"Hand me a mirror." Rinoa asked. Selphie handed her the small mirror from the bathroom. "Oh, Quistis it looks great, thank you." Rinoa said hugging her friend.
"You look different, older, you look older than me." Quistis said laughing slightly.
"Well, why don't you go change and Rinoa and I will get ready to make you look perfect when you get out." Selphie said bubbly.
Quistis entered the bathroom and slowly started to change.
"Knock, Knock." Rinoa and Selphie heard someone saying outside the door.
Rinoa went to the door and whispered, "Zell, is that you?"
"Yeah, let me in." Zell whispered back.
"No, you can't see your date and your date's friends dresses until lunch." Selphie said barely making sense to herself, let alone the others.
"What do you mean my date?" Zell asked curiously.
"Quistis, of course." Rinoa responded.
"What about Quistis?" Zell asked, feigning confusion.
"Quistis is your date, duh." Selphie said mockingly.
"No, she's not. She's going with Seifer." Zell muttered.
"What do you mean, 'she's going with Seifer'." Rinoa asked worried.
"Exactly what I said." Zell replied. Zell could hear the door unlock. The door opened and he was faced with two girls he didn't recognize. Zell's jaw dropped.
"What are you staring at, Dincht." Rinoa said jokingly.
"You two…you…you look…stunning." Zell stuttered.
"Zell, why is she going with Seifer?" Selphie asked concernedly.
Zell stopped staring and snapped back to reality. " 'Cause I told her to." Zell mumbled.
Selphie slapped Zell's arm. "Why in the world did you do that?" Selphie said frustrated.
" 'Cause that's what she wanted…she didn't want to go with me, she wanted to go with him." Zell faltered.
"Zell, that's not true and you know it." Rinoa said, gently rubbing his arm.
"It doesn't matter, either way she's going with Seifer as of now." Zell said indifferently. "I just came by to tell you guys to have a great time and make sure Squall and Irvine behave themselves." Zell said as he gave Selphie a hug and then proceeded to hug Rinoa.
"Hey guys, I'm coming out." Quistis called from the bathroom.
"I'll go stall her, get out of here quick Zell." Selphie told Zell urgently.
As Zell started to walk towards the door, Rinoa caught his arm and pulled him back.
"Zell, I'll be saving a dance for you." Rinoa said benignly and softly smiled. Zell nodded softly.
Rinoa slowly pulled Zell into an affectionate embrace. Zell fought the urge to just cry right there. After the embrace, Zell opened the door and left.
Quistis finally made it past Selphie and asked, "Was someone just here?"
"No…" Rinoa said and had to fight to not say anything about Zell.
Rinoa put on a big smile and said "Let's do your make-up."
They applied Quistis' makeup, and she looked exquisite. After Selphie and Rinoa got their make-up on and all their hair was done, they were ready to meet their dates at the cafeteria.
* * *
Seifer fidgeted slightly as he walked towards Irvine and Squall, he was worried if they would accept him.
"Hey guys, mind if I join you?" Seifer asked, trying to mask his nervousness.
Irvine and Squall were taken aback.
"Sure, but if you don't mind answering, why would you want to join us?" Squall said, still shocked.
"Well, I'm taking Quistis to the dance so I figured we'd be hanging out as a group." Seifer replied.
Irvine and Squall looked at each other, they were puzzled.
"Um…sure…Seifer." Irvine said hesitantly.
A smile crossed Seifer's face and his body relaxed, he sighed heavily.
"So where's chickenwu…I mean, Zell." Seifer asked.
"We don't know actually…" Irvine started.
"I think he was tired, he wasn't up to a dance. You know Zell, he's gotta recharge his batteries." Squall said chuckling nervously.
* * *
Quistis, Rinoa and Selphie elegantly entered the cafeteria. The cafeteria was eerily silent as the three "Queens" of Balamb Garden entered. Seifer, Irvine and Squall's eyes drifted to the entrance.
It was as if all the air in Seifer's lungs had been forced out, he couldn't speak, hear, think, all he could do was look at the breathtaking woman before him. She was radiant, a fiery beauty burned in her eyes.
Irvine immediately stood up and took off his hat from it's usual perch and lowered it to his chest. He couldn't resist letting a whistle, and for once he couldn't think of anything to say.
Squall just stood up slowly, a huge grin plastered on his face as he saw the object of his affection walk in. For a moment in time, she was ethereal, not human, but not quite an angel.
Squall stepped forward and took his girlfriend's arm and walked her to their table. Irvine stepped forward and Selphie grabbed his arm and lead him off to the table where Rinoa and Squall were already seated.
As Seifer stepped forward, Quistis looked into his eyes and Rinoa and Selphie forgot about Zell and Quistis. Seifer and Quistis looked so perfect there, like two lonely children who had finally found a companion, a second try, a chance for redemption of their sins.
Seifer put his arm out and Quistis gently slipped her arm around his, smiling her sweet, soft smile. He walked her over to the table and sat her down, pulling a chair beside her.
Then the whole cafeteria burst into applause, cheering wildly for the couples.
* * *
Zell heard the clapping and he knew what it was for. He stopped himself for mental prep. (Listen Zell, don't make a big deal out of it. Walk in, get something to eat, don't look around and leave.) Zell sighed. "Okay, let's do this." Zell mumbled to himself.
Zell entered, walking towards the lunch line, that was still open, despite the fact that there was a banquet being held right in the same room. Zell guessed it was for people who weren't part of the banquet, which he decided, was only him.
* * *
"Toast, Toast, Toast, Toast!!!" The cafeteria had broken into a chant, calling for Squall to give a speech.
Squall stood up smiling, "Okay, Okay, quiet down." The noise stopped. "This is going to be a great night. I just want…" Squall then noticed him, Zell was standing there talking to the cafeteria lady. Rinoa followed Squall's gaze and saw him as well. She gasped, she had totally forgotten about Zell.
* * *
"So, Zell, why aren't you dressed up?" Darlene, the cafeteria lady, asked.
"I'm not going to the dance." Zell said indifferently.
"Oh Zell, what about that pig-tailed girl, the one in the library?" Darlene suggested.
"Actually, she's going with Nida." Zell said matter-of-factly.
"Well, Zell, you're in luck, I saved you your favorite." Darlene said smiling widely.
She handed him a huge tray of hotdogs.
"I knew you wouldn't let me down, Darlene you're the best. One of these days, I'm gonna get you something special. That's a promise." Zell said winking at her." Zell started to walk away, towards the exit of the cafeteria.
"Zell." Darlene called. Zell turned around. "If you ever need anything, I'm always here darlin'." She said trying to console him.
Zell's face became very serious. "Thank you." Zell said and started walking towards the exit again.
* * *
Quistis had noticed Zell and was hurting inside. She finally realized had deep she had stabbed him. Selphie turned over to Irvine and he wrapped his arms around her.
Squall looked around at the crowd, he cleared his throat, and started again.
"Well, I plan to have a good time tonight. I hope you do too. I want you all to dance your hearts out and guys, make sure you treat your ladies right. As I'm looking around, I see a cafeteria full of beautiful girls, and girls, this your night, so have fun. Anyway, I propose this toast to fun, family, friends and the good health of us all."
"Here, Here." Irvine mouthed silently as the rest of the crowd said it aloud. Irvine swigged his glass of champagne.
The dinner was fantastic, everyone enjoyed the meal, and everyone enjoyed the company of friends. The dance was ready to begin.
Zell sat quietly on the balcony, a hot dog in his hand as he silently chewed. It was peaceful up here, a place where he could enjoy being alone. Also, he could look at the giant, beautifully decorated platform that was setup on the beach and the huge speakers surrounding it. It was a masterpiece of a dance floor. Zell took another bite and sighed.