A/N: Sorry for the lateness guys. The season for new beginnings has begun, and once again the "To Do" list makes itself known. I'm also gearing up for 's National Novel Writing Month is November where I'll be working on some original work. Anyways, have fun with this little chapter here!

Chapter Seven

Hope made his way to the cafeteria as soon as the 5th period bell rang. It was lunch time, and he didn't want to waste a second. He and Lightning spent so much time last night fooling around, that he didn't have enough time for breakfast. He barely even made it to his first class. While he should be embarrassed for such a thing, he couldn't help but think of himself as a bad ass of sorts.

After getting his food, Hope headed towards the track field, where Mary and Sue sat at the bleachers. There was a gym class in progress, and Sue's favorite past time was checking out the hot and sweaty "scenery" that would past her by every other minute. Right now, Hope didn't care if they met in the boiler room, he just wanted to eat.

"Top of the morning ladies," he greeted, sitting next to Mary.

"Someone seems pretty chipper today," said Sue, her eyes on the track field. "You know you were late, right?"

"Almost late," corrected Hope, who was taking a bite from his sandwich. "I got here on time!"

Mary tried her best not to look disappointed. "Again? Hope, you got to have some kind of steady schedule!"

Hope shrugged his shoulders, feeling a little irritated by Mary's motherly nature. "I usually do, it's just that this time I was just caught off guard a little..."

Sue's attention quickly snapped towards Hope. "What do YOU mean a little off-guard?"

Refusing to answer, Hope only turned away and blushed. This only continued to fuel Sue's fire to get some information out of him. Judging by Hope's reaction, she had a feeling what caused Hope's tardiness. Judging by the sour look on her sister's face, she could tell that Mary was thinking the same thing. Her sister had the hots for this kid, but unfortunately she just lost out to someone who she was no match for.

Sue closed in on Hope's face, scanning his expression for the slightest alteration. "How many times?"

Hope blinked. "Excuse me?" he asked, feeling confused.

"How many times did you do it?" Sue now had a wide grin.

"Do what?" Hope pulled away, hoping she wasn't taking this conversation where he thought she was taking it. For some reason though, a small part of him was hoping she was.

"Sue!" cried Mary, who finally realized where her sister was getting at.

Sue licked her lips and whispered in Hope's ear. "How many times did you have sex last night?"

Hope jumped back in his seat, almost falling over. "Why the hell are you asking me that!" he exclaimed.

Sue folded her arms. "You start dating this hot commando milf in which you're having this intimate relationship with. Now all of a sudden, you're late for your classes...well almost late. Hmm, I wonder how all that adds up."

Mary was flabbergasted by Sue's whispering and Hope's sudden reaction. She was probably trying to get Hope to admit he slept with his lover last night. This mysterious lover, whose name they still didn't know...

"Hope."

Hope turned to Mary, feeling relieved by her interruption. "Yeah?"

Mary tried to not to show signs of frustration. "Just who is this woman you're seeing. You told us a bit about her. Since she's a guardian corps officer, does she know Lightning?"

"Kind of...sort of." Hope couldn't decide how to answer that question.

Mary knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help but try and pry into Hope's situation. There was something funny about it. This sudden relationship with an older woman just seemed too random for someone like Hope Estheim. She wondered does how much Lightning knew about this 'arrangement'. She didn't seem like the kind of woman that would let young boys like Hope run around town with older women who was trying to reclaim their 'golden' years.

"Does Lightning know?" she asked, pouring as much concern onto the question as she could do.

Hope bit his lip, pondering how to answer such a question. "Not yet, but I'm trying to find a way to tell her..." Hope's eyes drifted across the field to a frightened freshman who was walking by himself. Not too far behind him was a couple of snickering kids, most likely juniors.

Mary, not paying Hope's new found interest no mind, continued on with her moral campaign. "You're going to have to tell her the truth eventually. She's your guardian Hope. She protects your well being! You may not know what this 'woman' wants in the end."

"Speaking of which," said Sue, following Hope's gaze. "What is her name?"

It didn't take Hope long to come up with a name. "Eclair."

Éclair was Serah's nickname for her dear sister. It was the first thing he thought of, and there was a small chance that the sisters would make the connection. That should sedate the two nosy blondes for now. Right now, he was watching the small group of bullies surrounding the freshman.

Sue almost laughed. "Eclair? You mean like the pastry!"

"Yeah, like the pastry."

Hope stood up, and made his way across the field with the twins in tow. If there was anything he hated, it was when the so-called 'strong' picked on the weak. As he grew closer to the spectacle, he could hear the random name calling, the hopeless pleading, and the pitiless laughter. Each passing moment only made Hope's anger grow.

"Hey!" he shouted, barely being able to control his anger. Once he caught the attention of the bullying juniors, he stepped a little closer, causing the group to take defensive stances.

One kid with curly red hair and freckles dotted across his face tilted his head to the side. "Maybe we help you?" By the tome in his voice, Hope could tell he was already looking for a fight.

The freshman locked eyes with Hope, a chaotic mixture of fear and relief in his eyes. Hope never heard anything about there being bullies, but then again he wasn't one for the social scene. Mary and Sue said nothing, waiting for their friend to make the first move.

Hope watched the red haired junior's green eyes carefully as he spoke. "I think that's enough fun for today, guys. You four should just head on out now, and everything will be okay."

The red head and his friends stared at each other in disbelief. A tall, blond kid pointed at Hope. "Is this fairy kidding! Who the hell do you think you are?"

The four kids begin to move closer to Hope, who did not waver. He received more than enough hand-to-hand combat training from Lightning to take these guys on alone. After fighting The Sanctum, Pulse monsters, and evil Fal'cie, he didn't know what the big deal was with your average school bully. The four juniors noticed his fearless behavior as well, and stopped in their tracks. After a brief stare-off, the red head gestured for his clique to leave.

"Let's get out of here," he ordered, never taking his eyes off Hope as he was leaving. There was some kind of anger in his eyes, that Hope vaguely felt familiar. Thinking about it reminded him of Operation Nora, and the events leading up him disbanding the project.

Sue wrapped her arm around Hope's and squealed. "Oh man Hope! Do you know who that was! That was Brandon Skinner! He's the captain of the wrestling team! You're the first person I've ever seen to look him in the eye and not shit his pants!"

Hope felt his 'cool-o-meter' rise up a couple of notches from Sue's reaction. "Well, he doesn't seem all that scary to me." Hope looked around for the freshman, who was already gone. "I guess someone was in a rush..." From the corner of his eye, he could see various students looking in his directions as they whispered amongst each other. Hope couldn't help but feel proud of himself, especially when he saw Mary's speechless expression. Deep down inside, he could tell there was a part of her that was fond with what he just did. That made him feel more like a hero than anything else.

"Come on girls; let's get out of here..." With both twins in his arms, Hope walked back towards the cafeteria, feeling like the coolest kid alive.

Wait till they get a load of my 'girlfriend'...

Word of Hope Estheim's bravery had spread through the school like wildfire. Before Hope knew it, kids he didn't even know were greeting him in the hallways for the rest of the day. Girls who didn't take notice of him before were now smiling at him sometimes followed by a wink or giggle. In just several minutes, Hope has become the talk of the school. Normally, Hope would feel nervous to receive such attention and would just blush the whole time, but the reality was that this kind of attention made him feel good inside, very confident. Since last night, Hope felt like he could grab the world by the horns and toss it repeatedly.

After school, Hope walked across the street, where he saw Mary and Sue talking among themselves. Sue was smiling at her sister, whose features were hard to see because of how red her face was. She seemed a little upset by something, but her expression changed immediately as soon as she saw Hope.

"Are you okay?" he asked, wrapping an arm around his friend.

"Mary's alright," Sue answered, watching her sister gather her bearings. "She's just jealous at all the attention you've been getting since lunch. You should hear some of the things these girls are saying about you man..."

"No he doesn't," sighed Mary, shaking her head. "He's too good for some of these teeny bopping bobble heads, anyhow."

Hope laughed, and scratched his head. "What are the ladies saying about me this time?"

Sue shrugged her shoulders. "Just the usual 'he's cute or sexy' and 'if I was alone with him'. Nothing too serious, but don't be surprised if some start becoming a little bold. They'll try the whole 'my friend likes you' thing or even outright seduce you."

Hope laughed, and turned his head as he heard a car beep its horn. "Well, they'll have to answer to my woman first! Which reminds me..." Hope stared past his friends, and saw a red sports car a block down. "There's my ride! My little lady friend is taking me out for dinner! I'll see you later, okay?"

Sue nodded, and gave Hope a hug. "Knock 'em dead tiger!"

Mary only waved goodbye, trying to hide her obvious jealousy. "Just make sure you do the right thing and talk to Lightning, okay?"

Hope was confused for a moment, but nodded as soon as he realized the situation. This whole white lie about his relationship was going to take some getting used to.

"I'll talk to her tonight about it," Hope promised. "She does deserve to hear the truth."

Mary and Sue watched their friend run down the block and climb into the red car that took a few moments to drive away. Mary could have sworn she saw that vehicle before, quite possibly around Hope's neighborhood. This past week has been very stressing for her, but she'll get to the bottom of this recent 'occurrence'.

She's going to find out just who this 'Eclair' is, and learn every little detail about her. After all, if one wanted to win the war, they had to study their opponent...

A/N : Next chapter- Hope and Lightning's first date!