Hi guys! Here is chapter three-this one really closely follows Gatsby-at least, I think it does. I actually left my copy of Gatsby at my parent's house and haven't been able to get a new copy yet!

I played around with the idea of changing some things in this chapter, but I ended up keeping it pretty straightforward and similar to F. Scott's Gatsby. I did skip out on one of my favorite parts though.. (the part where Myrtle Wilson is talking to someone at the party and talks about when she first met Tom... it's one of my favorite parts because I feel like it gives Tom and Myrtle's relationship some actual, real substance... that said, I skipped out on substance! Not important for this story. :))

Okay, enough of my Gatsby ramblings. Here is chapter 3-enjoy!

III. Baralai

Work was frustrating. It was a small firm located on the stuffy 11th floor of a 12-floor building. The attorneys were all ancient—the youngest of three partners had just celebrated his eightieth birthday. None of the attorneys used computers so it was my job to type things up. Let's just say reading the handwriting of an eighty-eight-year-old man was not how I'd expected to spend my entire morning.

At lunch I went for a walk, glad to be out of the office and enjoying the fresh air. I took a seat on a bench outside of my building and pulled out the meager lunch I had packed for myself consisting of just a PB&J. After all the shrimp and mussels and steak I'd eaten yesterday, the PB&J was actually almost a welcome sight.

"Rikku?" I suddenly heard a voice say. I looked around and sure enough, there was Baralai, smiling and waving at me. He walked quickly over to me and took a seat on the bench next to me. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

I finished chewing the bite I had just taken and pointed up at the building behind me.

"This is where I work," I said.

"Wait, which firm?" Baralai asked.

"Firion, Gordon, and Joseph," I answered.

A strange smile was suddenly on Baralai's face.

"You know, you should take the afternoon off!" he said, looking excited. "Hang with me. Come on, we'll get a real lunch!" He pointed to my PB&J and laughed.

"Um, I can't just take off for the afternoon," I said, staring at him as though he was crazy. "It's my first day, Baralai. They'll fire me."

"Oh, come on, just call them. I've done some work with them. They're just a bunch of old bafoons. In fact, I'll call them myself."

Before I could stop him, Baralai suddenly pulled out his fancy phone (I hadn't even seen anything like it) and seemed to be looking at something on his screen. Then, he tapped his screen and held his phone to his ear.

He looked at me and grinned as he said, "Yes, hello? This is Baralai. Mm-hmm, yes, I'm glad you remember me! Anyway, your new assistant, Rikku? She's a dear friend of mine and I'd like to take her to a long lunch. Yes. Right. So she won't be in until tomorrow. Alright. Yup. Bye."

He hung up and gave me a broad smile.

I simply sat there, staring at him, my mouth agape. Had he really just done that?

"Now come on," he said, standing up and pulling me along with him. He even took my sandwich from me and threw it in the garbage. "Lunch on me," he said.

"No, Baralai, honestly, I can't—"

"Hey now, I just did you a favor!" Baralai said, suddenly looking incredibly angry. "You would completely embarrass me if you were to walk back into that building after I just asked them to let you have the afternoon off."

I knew this mood of Baralai. I silently cursed him. He'd used these manipulative tactics on me many a-time when I was just a mere freshman in college.

"Now are you coming or not?" he said in a demanding tone.

I sighed and said, "Fine. But I can't keep doing this."

"Hey, they know you're friends with me, now," Baralai said, leading me away from my building. "You should really thank me."

"Thank you," I said, although my tone was anything but thankful.

It seemed to please Baralai though, for a smile suddenly lit his face and he said, "How lucky for me to run into you like this!"

I was not thinking it was "lucky."

Baralai led me just to the end of the block and then to a small restaurant. We were seated and he told me to order anything I wanted.

Once our orders were placed (I went ahead and ordered myself a steak, figuring I was probably soon to be unemployed so I might as well have my fill while I could), Baralai smiled and me and said, "We understand each other, right Rikku?"

"Of course," I answered without giving it much thought.

"Rikku, I'm serious," Baralai said, and I realized he was trying to get me to look at him.

"Well, so am I," I said, looking at him and shrugging.

"You know I never tried to…" Baralai trailed, as though trying to think of the right word. "You know…"

"Are you talking about the end-of-the-year party?" I asked. "Forget about it, Baralai. That was four years ago. And we had both had a bit too much to drink."

"Okay," Baralai said, nodding. He put on a bright smile, then, and said, "I'm glad there's no bad blood between us."

"Me too," I said, and I actually felt a little bit guilty, because even though I had just told him that I'd forgiven him for leading me on at the end-of-the-year party, I knew that I really hadn't. I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to toss aside the feelings that he had left me with.

"Anyway, look, Rikku… I don't know what Yuna's told you about me, but…" He stopped and looked at me and then shrugged and said, "Everything between us is fine. You understand that, right?"

"Honestly, Baralai, Yuna hasn't said anything," I said. I didn't tell him that Gippal had suggested he was having an affair. But Yuna certainly hadn't said anything.

"Well, she gets upset sometimes and makes things up in that mind of hers," Baralai said, shaking his head as though he was discussing a tragedy.

I didn't know what to say, though, so I just stayed quiet.

From there Baralai started talking about our school days, talking about different classmates we'd had and the fantastic successful things they were now doing. I suddenly felt like a failure.

The truth of the matter was, the only reason I'd been accepted into the poly sci honor society (more commonly known as Pi Sigma Alpha) was because, in part, I had been recommended by a few professors. But I'd always had a weird suspicion that the real reason I'd been allowed into the society was because Baralai thought I was cute. I blushed at the thought now. Who ever could have predicted that he'd marry my cousin?

Additionally, I was also the only scholarship student in the honorary society—the rest of the society was made up of people with comparable wealth to Baralai. So of course all of the fellow members went on to do fantastic things with themselves—money could, after all, buy all the important pieces to put together a success story: money could buy connections, money could even buy jobs!

I had planned on going to law school. I had even been accepted into Bevelle University Law School. But by the time I was done with undergrad, I was suddenly disillusioned by the legal profession and realized that my only real hopes of getting a job in the legal field without the proper connections was to go back to Bikanel and use my father's connections. And while this was exactly what my father was hoping I would do, by the time I graduated, I decided to take the plunge and instead go to Luca.

And as I was sitting across the table from Baralai, eating a fifty-dollar steak. Despite the awkwardness of being with Baralai again, I decided I'd made the right choice.

Luca was an adventure. That much I was sure of.

And after lunch, what happened next only confirmed that.

"So, I kind of have a little flat here in the city," Baralai said as he paid the bill. "What do you say we hop over there and have a little party?"

"Um, okay…" I said. "Will Yuna be there?"

"Rikku, Rikku," Baralai said, again looking at me as though I was only a child. He put his arm comfortably around me. "Yuna and I tend to, well, live separate lives."

"Oh," I said. I suddenly felt as though I should try to get out of this. But Baralai's arm was still around me and he was ushering me to a parking garage and eventually into his car.

And before long, we were suddenly zipping through the city in Baralai's custom-made Porsche.

Baralai suddenly turned sharply down a street though, and the city instantly seemed dimmer. It was almost as though the sun was no longer shining, but I realized that the buildings were just suddenly so scrunched and tight and tall that they were blocking the sun from the street. I knew without asking that we were in an older part of the city.

Baralai pulled up to a full-service gas station, but when I glanced at his fuel gauge, I noticed his tank was almost full. Still, a tall man with smudged glasses and dark brown hair came out.

"Well hello there," the man said, and he began to fill the car. "How are you doing today, Mr. Baralai?"

"Doing well, Nooj. Yourself?"

"Can't complain," the man—Nooj—said. "Business has been a little slow, though."

"Oh yeah?" Baralai asked, but Baralai wasn't looking at Nooj, who was now standing by the tank. I followed Baralai's gaze and noticed he was looking into the small, rather rundown garage where a woman was standing. She waved at him and he gave her a nod.

"Your tank was mostly full," Nooj said then, closing the lid to the tank.

"You know how I am, Nooj," Baralai said. "I like to keep it full at all times. How much do I owe you?"

Baralai paid Nooj and then he headed off, driving quickly right back into the city where we had come from.

"Um… what was that all about?" I asked, despite the fact that the wind whipping around us made it difficult to communicate.

"Hm? Oh, that's just Leblanc. She'll get guests together for our party."

"Oh," I said.

To be honest, I had always gotten the wrong sort of idea when it came to Baralai. When I had first arrived at Bevelle U, frightened to death because it was the first time I'd ever left home, Baralai was assigned as my "peer advisor"—meaning that me and five other poly sci major hopefuls were put into a group with him as our leader. He showed us around and answered questions for us and his smile was the first thing that assured me that I had made the right choice by leaving home and going to such a prestigious school—even if I was just a scholarship student.

Four years later, and especially now that Baralai was married to my cousin, it was hard for me to admit, but I had honestly been quite smitten by him from the very beginning. And even now, as I rode beside him toward his flat in the city, I was having a hard time remembering why I was no longer smitten with him and why I should no longer be smitten with him.

It was almost as though my head was in a cloud, and despite being used to the heat in Bikanel, the heat in Luca was a different sort of hot. The humidity was almost smothering.

So even though it was obvious what was happening before me, I was having a difficult time understanding. I felt just as I had when I was an eighteen-year-old, fresh out of high school, riding in Baralai's sharp car for the first time.

Eventually we reached an exquisite looking building (if I was one to admire architecture, this was certainly a building I would admire) and Baralai led me inside. We went into an elevator to the fifth floor, where we then walked into a spacious apartment.

"This is lovely," I said, looking outside and admiring the view of the city.

"I'm rather fond of it," Baralai said and he looked at his watch. "The guests should be here soon. Leblanc invited her brothers, Ormi and Logos. I think you'll find them to be… charming."

The smile on Baralai's face suggested he had just told a joke.

There was a knock on the door then and when Baralai answered, three men came in dragging carts of alcohol. I felt my eyes widen as I watched the most expensive brands of alcohol being brought in. Baralai wasn't kidding when he said we were having a party.

There was another knock at the door then, and this time Baralai went and opened it. There stood Leblanc, and she smiled widely. I waited for Baralai to introduce her to me and to explain how he knew her, but he suddenly pulled her in and… began to kiss her.

I stood there, awkwardly, unable to tear my eyes away from them despite wanting desperately to do so. I suddenly felt a bit as I had my freshman year—Baralai would never choose me.

But that thought was instantly replaced with another one—how would I ever tell Yuna what was happening!

The two broke for air and then Leblanc walked away, barely giving me a glance. She disappeared into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Baralai looked at me, looking out of breath and dazed.

"Uh, you see, Rikku…" he said, brushing his hair back. "But I mean, Yuna knows. She does."

"Oh," I said. Did Yuna know? She must. Gippal had known, after all. But Gippal was Baralai's best friend, wasn't he?

There was yet another knock on the door and people began to come in, one after the other, almost as if they had been lined up at the door waiting for Leblanc to arrive so the party could start. I was introduced to Leblanc's brothers (neither of whom were the least bit attractive, but I attempted to carry conversation with them).

Music seemed to come out of nowhere and I was handed a drink. I saw Leblanc a little later, wearing a much different outfit than the outfit she had arrived in. She was standing by Baralai, and the two were laughing with some of the other guests.

"So, how do you know Baralai?" Leblanc's tall, thin brother was asking me.

"Oh, um, I knew him in college," I answered. I decided not to mention that I was also related to Baralai's wife.

"They're completely in love," the shorter brother said (I could not keep their names straight if I had wanted to). "Unfortunately, there's the issue of his wife."

"Y-You know about his wife?" I asked, feeling stunned.

"Yes. But don't worry, someday he will divorce her… but, you know, she's a follower of Yevon. And always in the public eye. And, well, she doesn't believe in divorce."

"Who?" the short one asked.

"His wife, you numskull."

I looked over at Baralai and Leblanc. It was true, Jonna's father had been a Maester of Yevon, after all. But I highly doubted that had anything to do with whether or not Yuna would seek a divorce. Did she know? Did she not know?

I suddenly felt terrible.

"Um, Baralai," I said, walking up to him. "I, um, I think I'm going to go."

"No, no, stay!" Baralai said, giving me a huge smile and handing me another drink. "Come on, live a little, Rikku!"

I tried to explain to Baralai that I really needed to go, but he simply turned back to Leblanc, ignoring me entirely. I walked over to the window again and looked out. I had no idea how to get to a subway station. I had no idea to get back home. I sighed and tried to remember how much cash I had. It looked like I'd be taking a taxi.

There was suddenly commotion, though as I heard something break. It seemed as if everything suddenly went silent. Leblanc suddenly stomped into the room from the bedroom, screaming something at the top of her lungs. I'm not sure if it was the alcohol that I'd consumed or the fact that Leblanc was literally shrieking, but it took me a while before I realized she was screaming "Yuna" over and over and over.

"See, I'll say her name whenever I want!" Leblanc said in a strange, taunting manner. "Yuna! Yuna! Yuna!"

And then, as if without thought, Baralai smacked her hard across the face, causing her nose to run blood.

I felt my mouth fall open. I had seen Baralai in plenty of different situations, but I had never seen him strike anyone.

He immediately turned apologetic and took Leblanc into his arms, which, to my surprise, Leblanc willingly fell into. She sobbed on his shoulder and I watched as Baralai carefully shifted himself so that no blood would get on his nice suit.

Then, Baralai exclaimed that the party was over and that everybody should leave. And, just like that, everybody did leave, except for me, because I didn't know where to go.

"Come on, Leblanc, I'll take you home," Baralai said, and he nodded at me to follow.

We rode in silence, me in the backseat. Baralai pulled up down the block from Nooj's garage and then kissed Leblanc.

"I'll see you next week, okay?" he said, kissing her again. She smiled at him and left the car.

"You moving up front?" Baralai asked me.

By this point, I didn't want to be anywhere near him, but feeling that it would be rude not to, I stepped out of the car and moved to the front seat.

"So, um, we still have that understanding, right?" Baralai asked. "Yuna doesn't need to know about any of this."

"But I thought you said she knew…"

"She does—I mean, she doesn't need to know I took you to that apartment. She doesn't need to know that this afternoon happened."

"Why did you take me, Baralai?" I asked.

"Because, Rikku, you're my friend. And I don't want to have any secrets from you."

Maybe it was the alcohol, but I almost told him that we had never really been friends. He had simply strung me along like some sort of lost puppy. I wanted to tell him that his charm over me had been broken long ago and I was no longer his puppet to control.

And yet, there I was, sitting in his car as he drove off to West Luca, wondering to myself whether or not I should tell Yuna.

It was early evening by the time I got home, and for the first time since I'd arrived at Luca, I was happy to be completely alone. I suddenly remembered how, only a few days ago, I had arrived at my lonely cottage and thought to myself how awful the summer was going to be if I had no friends. But now, sitting at my table eating a small, meager supper, I was wishing Yuna had never found out that I was in Luca.

There was suddenly a knock on my door, which frightened me, really. I hadn't managed to completely sober up and I didn't think I could handle it if Yuna was at my door demanding to know what had happened that afternoon.

I stood up, feeling rather shaky, and made my way to the door. Standing outside was a tall, formally dressed man whom I had never seen before.

"Miss Rikku, correct?" he asked me, bowing slightly as though I was someone of importance.

"Erm, yes?"

"Mr. Tidus from next door has requested your presence at his party tomorrow night."

Tidus? It took me a second, but I realized that was the name Gippal had told me about the day before—that was my neighbor.

But why would he invite me to his parties? Was he just being a nice neighbor?

The man at the door cleared his throat and I realized he was waiting for me to take an invitation that he had held out. I took it from him and he bowed at me again, making me feel as though I should curtsey, but I wasn't wearing a skirt.

"Thank you," I muttered. I watched as the man strutted off across the grass towards the large mansion that was next door. Feeling confused, I shut my door and made my way back to my table.

I opened the envelope and found a very simple invitation, saying only that I was cordially invited to a party hosted by Tidus. There was no date, no time, and no address, but I felt as though I already knew those details. Maybe everybody did.

My first instinct, though, was to tear the invitation up and not go to the party at all. After all, I needed a day of calmness. But, I had just decided that maybe I needed new friends, hadn't I?

So, feeling strangely excited, I decided that indeed, I would go to Tidus' party.

P.S. I hope you're all as excited as I am for the next chapter! I can't wait for you all to meet the mysterious "Mr. Tidus!"