Best Friends or More?
.::Chapter Eight::.
"You alright?" Shuyin asked skeptically as Yuna slammed the door to his car. She buried her face in her hands for a minute and then decided to look up at him.
"No, I'm fine," she assured with a tiny smile, "Let's go."
"Okiedoke," he said as he drove away from the building.
Sighing, Tidus watched Yuna and her new roommate - not to mention boyfriend! - drive off together. He turned toward his sofa, collapsing on to it tiredly. Dona had basically wiped him out by dragging him to go shopping with her. He felt the vibration of his phone in the pocket of his jeans and took his time taking it out to look at the caller ID.
Dona.
Man, does she ever know when to quit!? Tidus thought, groaning inwardly. It took him some time to decide whether to answer it before he finally flipped it open and held it to his ear, only to jerk it away again when his girlfriend's voice blared through the speaker.
"Hey, baby, how come it took you so long to answer me?" Dona asked. "You're not with that Yuna girl, are you?"
"No, I'm not with that Yuna girl," Tidus sighed into the phone in a bored tone. Though, I wish I were...
"Good," Dona replied, satisfied, "I was wonderin' if you wanted to go out tonight for dinner or something?"
"Dona," Tidus started, obviously annoyed, "I spent the whole day with you doing something that was horribly boring for me. I'm exhausted. I don't wanna go anywhere right now."
"What? You mean spending a day with your girlfriend is boring!?"
"When she completely ignores you to talk with her gal pals and makes you carry her bags and trail behind like a bell boy," Tidus snapped, "Then, yes, it is boring and tiring."
"I swear, you're such a baby sometimes," Dona said, rolling her eyes.
With that being said, Tidus hung up, turned off his phone, and stuffed it back in his jeans. "Yevon, I can't stand her..." he groaned to himself, closing his eyes and beginning to doze off.
"Yunie, you've gotta be kidding me," Rikku protested into her cell phone, "How can you move in with Shuyin?"
"Rikku," Yuna sighed, "He's my boyfriend. Tidus... isn't even my friend anymore."
"YUNIE!" Rikku practically screamed. "Don't say something like that! You and him have been best friends since, like... forever! You can't just toss him aside like that!"
"Why not?" Yuna asked, "He did it to me. He tossed me aside for that stupid slut."
"What am I gonna do with you?" Rikku groaned.
"Absolutely nothing," Yuna answered firmly, "I don't want you interfering with this. Don't try to break me and Shuyin up or Dona and Tidus. 'Cause I know you'll try something like that. Just... go with the flow with things."
"Yuna, it isn't that easy," Rikku said quietly. She sighed. "This type of change isn't something that easy to handle, y'know?"
"Wow, Rikku, I never knew you were so wise," Yuna replied sarcastically. She almost immediately regretted acting so arrogant and exhaled. "Listen, I'm really sorry, but I guess Tidus and I were never... meant to be. Even as friends." She wiped away some tears from her eyes before they could fall.
"Yunie, don't say that," Rikku said sadly, "I'll find a way to fix it. You'll see! You just watch!"
"Rikku, wait! Don't-" Yuna sighed and looked at her phone. 'CALL ENDED' flashed across the screen.
"Hey, you all settled?" Shuyin asked poking his head into her new bedroom.
Yuna jumped, startled by his sudden appearance. "Oh, yeah. My unpacking is basically all taken care of!"
"...Well, good," Shuyin said in a different tone of voice, approaching her slowly and leaning in for a kiss.
She pulled away from him and sighed. "I-I think I'm gonna go take a shower," she said hastily. "I'm all sweaty and tired anyway." She rushed past him and into the bathroom down the hall.
"Yuna-" He sighed when he heard the door to bathroom close.
"I can't believe this!" Rikku cried to her friends, who had come over her house to hear of something 'important', which was obviously the fact that Yuna had abandoned Tidus for Shuyin. "Can you guys believe this?"
"You called us all the way over here for that...?" Paine asked in a bored tone. "Listen, Rikku. We all know Tidus and Yuna are having a bad relationship right now, but what do you expect us to do?"
Rikku frowned and furrowed her brow in thought. Before she could open her mouth to say something, Lulu spoke up.
"Paine's right," she agreed, "We know you're worried, Rik, but there's not much we can do..."
"Why are you guys all worked up about this anyway, ya?" Wakka asked, "It's just a few mishaps with them. They'll be back together in no time, ya!"
Baralai sighed, "Well, if that's the case, then isn't this little 'meeting' pretty much a waste of time?"
Rikku shook her head. "I just wanna come up with a plan to get them back together... It's too weird without having them around with each other. They've been inseparable since they were toddlers. Attached at the hip! We can't let some Tidus-look-alike and dark skinned whore steal them away from each other!"
"But if they're dating different people," Wakka started thoughtfully, "...then why would they wanna go out with each other?"
"Yevon, Wakka, are you that naive?" Lulu asked in a humored voice.
"What?" Wakka protested, "Whaddaya mean?"
"They have that 'we're just friends' relationship," Rikku explained, "Where they use that excuse to mask their undying love for each other."
"Okay, maybe that's going a little far," Gippal commented, "'Undying?'"
Rikku rolled her eyes, "Crid ib."
"Syga sa," Gippal countered.
Ignoring him, Rikku sat down with a huff and thought for a minute. "I think we should break them up! And then have Tidus and Yuna conveniently bump into each other."
"Ugh," Paine groaned, "You've gotta be kidding me, right?"
"Actually, it sounds like one of the most exciting things I've heard in a long time," Baralai put in. When Paine gave him an odd look he said in his own defense, "Well, you've gotta remember how I've been raised - like a complete gentleman. I was supposed to become praetor of Bevelle, so..."
"That's what I like about you," Paine said, pecking him on the cheek and making him blush. "You're not like most guys." Baralai smiled modestly.
"Okay, so here's the plan..." Rikku announced, gathering everyone closer together, despite their protests.
The next day at school had been a weird one indeed for Yuna...
Shuyin and Yuna stepped out of his car and started toward the school in awkward silence. Yuna spotted Lenne across the parking lot and as they neared her, she felt Shuyin wrap his arm around her shoulders. She raised her eyebrows in surprise, but didn't say anything. As Lenne passed them, she glared enviously.
After Shuyin had left for class, Yuna stood at her locker, gathering her books for her own class.
"Hey, Yunie!" she heard a familiar voice chirp.
She jumped in surprise and clutched her chest. "Yevon, Rikku, don't do that!" she complained, slamming her locker shut. When Rikku stood there smiling widely and staring at her, she asked, "Is there something you need?"
"Actually, yes," Rikku said nodding, "I need to talk to you."
"Look, Rikku, if it's about Tidus, I-"
"Yunie, it's important!" Rikku interrupted dragging her down the hall. She stopped at a distance from Tidus' locker and pointed at him. "Look!"
Yuna watched as Tidus rolled his eyes when Dona approached him and starting to talk to him. She noticed the way he slammed his locker angrily and talked through clenched teeth.
"Okay, and?" Yuna asked in exasperation.
"They're bound to break up soon!" Rikku observed, "That's when you have your chance to nail him!"
"Rikku, I'm not sure you understand, but Shuyin and I are dating," Yuna explained. She was tired of having her stupid blonde cousin and her attempts to get her to be with Tidus. "I know it's hard for you to accept this change, but it's true." With that being said, Yuna whirled around and stepped away from her.
"What happened?" Lulu asked, appearing from a stairwell.
Rikku sighed hopelessly. "She's obviously not jealous... Or maybe she's just good at hiding it... I dunno, but it's time to go spread rumors about Dona and Shuyin cheating, alright?"
"I hear ya," Lulu responded. She actually shocked herself. She wasn't used to doing something so rebel. She usually stuck to the rules and was respectful. Maybe Rikku was getting to her...
"Well, we're off!" Rikku cried, turning around and bolting down the hall.
"Yevon, she's such a caffeine fueled girl..." Lulu grumbled.
Yuna's eyes drooped tiredly as she stared at Shelinda who was writing something on the chalkboard. This class couldn't have gotten more boring. And even when she tried to pay attention, she was too annoyed at the teacher's loud, high pitched voice. Sighing, she began to doodle in her notebook absently when she suddenly heard some rather loud whispering.
"Have you heard about Shuyin and Dona?" a blonde a few seats away from Yuna whispered. Leblanc, of course. Leave it to her to spread gossip with her big mouth. "They've been seeing each other secretly for the past week and a half!"
"Really!?" Belgimene whispered back, "But I thought he was dating that girl, Yuna. And isn't Dona with Yuna's former best friend, Tidus?"
"Yeah, but I heard that he was seeing Dona behind her back," Leblanc explained quietly, "And that they were recently seen kissing in that park near the lake. Y'know, the one down the street?"
"Oh," Belgimene said, nodding. She then glanced at Yuna and said sympathetically, "Poor sap... I remember when my boyfriend..."
Yuna stopped listening at that point, her eyes so wide that it hurt. Had Shuyin actually cheated on her with her best friend's - oh, former, sorry - girlfriend!? She felt her heart sink so far, that she almost felt it in her stomach. Would Shuyin honestly do that to her?
The bell soon rang after the news had found themselves to her ears and her sadness had quickly turned to anger in that period of time. She stomped her way over to Shuyin's locker and waited until she was him jump out of a stairwell. He saw her and waved cheerfully, but quickly lost the expression when he saw the look on her face.
Oh shit... he thought as he walked up to her. "H-hey, Yuna," he greeted meekly. He leaned in to peck her on the lips, but she backed away.
"Shuyin, we have to talk," she said tersely, pulling her boyfriend into a nearby supply closet. He ran his fingers through his air nervously and swallowed so loud, he thought Yuna could hear it.
"What the fuck were you doing with Dona at the park a few days ago?" Yuna asked through clenched teeth. She felt her hands curl into fists.
"What are you talkin' about?" Shuyin asked in astonishment. "I was never with that slut!"
"Don't lie to me!" Yuna shouted. It was almost too much to take in such a cramped place. "Shuyin, I swear, if you're lying to me, I will-"
"Yuna, I'm not lying!" Shuyin cried back defensively. "Even if I were to cheat on you - and I would never! - then it sure as hell wouldn't be Dona! I hate that whore!"
Yuna felt the tears rise to her eyes, but she was thankful he couldn't see her in the dark. She resisted sniffling.
"Yuna, I would never hurt you," Shuyin said softly, "I care for you. I would never go behind your back."
Yuna's voice had cracked and it even sounded like she was crying, but she didn't care. "If you're lying to me and-"
"I'm not lying!" Shuyin denied, "I would never lie to you..." He leaned into her but she pulled away.
"D-don't touch me..." she said sourly, opening the door and hurriedly walking toward her locker.
"Yuna!" Shuyin called after her, but she had already rounded and corner and was out of his sight. He sighed to himself and smacked his forehead.
Meanwhile, Tidus sat in his overly boring biology class and groaned inwardly. Why did school have to exist? He looked around for some source of entertainment before he fell asleep. Luckily, the two girls in front of him started gossiping.
"Oh my Yevon, I just heard about Shuyin and Dona's little affair," the first girl whispered excitedly.
"You've gotta be kidding me, right?" the second girl whispered in the same surprised tone. "But they're both dating someone else!"
"Yeah, I know," the first girl replied in a somewhat disturbed tone, "Poor Tidus..."
"He obviously didn't know what he was getting into when he started dating Dona," the other girl said spitefully, ending the conversation.
Tidus froze completely. The pen he had been chewing on fell out of his mouth and on to the floor. He sat there, gaping at the thought of what he just heard. He had heard Dona had a reputation for sleeping around, but she had seemed so committed to him that he was sure she wouldn't do anything. Then again, it was Dona they were talking about. A person like her seemed very likely to something like that.
The bell rang soon after and Tidus shot up and out the door. After gathering his own books, he stood next to his locker, knowing that Dona would come sooner or later. Proving him right, he soon saw Dona heading towards him with that stupid grin on her face.
"Dona, what the hell are you thinking!?" Tidus asked fiercely, taking her aback. He didn't bother pulling her to the side or anything. He could care less about who saw his argument.
"What do you mean, Ti?" Dona asked innocently.
"You know damn well what I'm talking about!" Tidus shouted, causing her to flinch. "Now you tell me what the fuck you're doing with Shuyin behind my back!"
"Tidus, I'm not doing shit behind your back!" Dona yelled back. "Calm your ass down!"
"You're a lying whore! I knew you were no good from the start!" By then Tidus' face had turned bright red.
Yuna had been walking silently with Shuyin down the hall when she heard the school's most 'famous couple' snapping at each other. She heard Shuyin's name in the argument and immediately turned to glare at him.
"Yuna, I swear, there's nothing-"
"Come here," Yuna said through clenched teeth, dragging her boyfriend behind her. When she reach Dona, she tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, slut!"
"What did you just call me?" Dona said, turning around.
"You heard me," Yuna retorted, "Now, what the fuck were doing with my boyfriend?" She pushed Dona toward Shuyin. They stared at each other awkwardly.
Dona's eyes looked Shuyin up and down. "Um, ew."
"What the fuck do you mean 'ew'?" Shuyin asked. Obviously, he had been insulted. "I look just like him," he said, pointing to Tidus.
Dona rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I didn't do anything with you and I don't want to. Ever."
"Well who the hell would wanna do anything with you, either, you non-virgin whore," Shuyin shot back.
Dona looked at him in disgust and brought her hand up to smack him, but felt another hand grasping her own. She turned to see Yuna.
"Don't touch my boyfriend," she growled, a menacing look in her bi colored eyes. She let go of Dona's hand, allowing it to fall to her side limply.
Tidus stood there, watching them in amusement.
"You're not gonna do anything, Tidus!?" Dona asked defenselessly.
"Whatever," he said, sighing, "I'm gonna go. Before I'm late to class."
Brrrrrrrring!
"Well, I'm late to class," he said, smiling sarcastically.
Yuna rolled her eyes and pushed past Dona and Shuyin, still unsure of what to think about that little 'affair' everyone seemed to be talking about. She could've sworn she saw a blonde blur in a stairwell nearby on her way to her next class, but she chose to ignore it.
"Think it worked?" Gippal asked his girlfriend quietly.
"I dunno, but that was awesome!" Rikku squealed, giggling.
"Yevon, Rikku, you are really something," Gippal said, chuckling.
Yay, another chapter has been concluded. :) Now hurry up and review and I'll give you all cookies!