A World Apart
Chapter 16
Chinese Menu: Confounded Chicken
"Hey man! It's Zell. I was just wondering if maybe you would like to go to the movies with me. There's a great action flick playing over at the cinema."
"Movies? Oh, I don't know Zell," Squall said quietly.
"Please? I know I'm asking a lot, but I really want to see this movie and it won't be any fun without you there."
Squall sighed heavily. He knew that the theater was going to be packed and there was also Seifer to consider. But Zell asked so little of him and put up with so much that it would be a near insult if he didn't take him up on his offer.
"Alright Zell. I guess it can't hurt," he said.
"Cool beans man. Be at your house in about five!" he exclaimed enthusiastically.
Seifer raised an eyebrow as Squall hung up the phone. "Movies?" he asked.
"Yeah, Zell wants us to go see this new action flick with him."
"He specifically said both of us?" Seifer asked skeptically.
Squall looked down at the floor a bit sheepishly. "Well, maybe not specifically…" he trailed off.
Seifer shook his head and reached for his pants. "Squall, we didn't exactly hit it off, you know that."
"Yeah, I know, but Seifer… he has been my friend, my only friend, since Kindergarten. I can't turn my back on him just because I found you. Please try to understand that. I know he can be a bit overzealous and even a bit childish, but that's just Zell."
Seifer sighed. "If you think that he isn't going to blow a gasket when you tell him that I am coming too, I will promise to keep my tongue on a leash. But, if he so much as pouts about my coming with you, all bets are off!"
Squall smiled in spite of himself. "Seifer, he might be a bit upset about it, but Zell won't say anything. That's just the kind of person he is. If I want you to come along, then Zell will accept that. No questions asked."
Seifer wasn't so sure about the no questions asked part. He saw Zell a bit differently than Squall. In his minds eye, he was almost sure that Zell had been jealous, and if that was the case, things may not go over as smoothly as Squall thought they would.
Zell's frenzied knocking on the bedroom door startled the boys into action. Seifer quickly slid on the pair of jeans he had been holding, all the while smirking at Squall's frantic efforts to do the same. He wanted to laugh out loud as Squall hopped over to the door, quickly buttoning the top button of his jeans before turning the knob.
"Hey man! What took you so long to answer the door?" said Zell as he filled the doorway with his boisterous presence.
"Uh… I was in the closet," muttered Squall, taking a quick peek at Seifer to make sure he was at least presentable. To his surprise, Seifer was doubled over laughing hysterically.
"What's so funny?" asked Squall
Seifer waved his hand at Squall, tears streaming down his face. "Nothing… nothing, don't worry about it."
Squall quirked an eyebrow and shook his head, as he moved out of the way for Zell to come further into the room.
Zell cast a confused look at Squall then at Seifer guessing he had just missed the joke, but felt better knowing that apparently Squall didn't get it either, until suddenly Squall jerked up his head and blushed furiously at Seifer, which made Seifer erupt into a fresh bout of hysterics.
Zell scratched his head, amused by the chagrined look on Squall's face. It wasn't often that someone got to laugh at Squall's expense, and what made the event even more special was that for once, Squall wore an expression other than bored indifference. This, more than made up for the fact that Zell hadn't gotten the joke.
Quisty sat behind the wheel of the car thinking about what she had heard upstairs. Either Squall was having way too much fun with Rosie Palm and her five sisters, or he had been having sex with someone, and the only other person in the house was their strange houseguest.
Could it be that she had misjudged Squall all of these years and the reason he acted the way that he did was because he's gay? It would certainly explain a lot about his behavior, and why she had never heard of him having a girlfriend. She had always assumed that he had one but was just quiet about it, like everything else in his life. That just didn't seem to be the case anymore. She made a mental note to watch their behavior more closely. Maybe she could confirm her suspicions.
The boys arrived at the multiplex cinema and Seifer was as good as his word, he hadn't said one sarcastic comment to Zell the entire way. Zell had been busy talking non-stop about a show he had seen on the History Channel about the Spartans and their sexual practices. Seifer snorted contemptuously on several points but remained silent. Squall nodded appropriately though his thoughts were not on the subject. He was worried about how things were going to work out. So far everything was okay, but that could change in a moments notice.
They got in line at the ticket booth and bought their tickets for the next showing and stepped inside the lobby. They had made good time getting here and didn't have to wait long before the line started to form for the movie that they were here to see.
All three boys were quiet as they entered the dimly lit room. They chose seats in the middle row, Seifer and Zell sitting on either side of Squall.
Seifer grimaced and pried his foot off the sticky floor. "Hey Squall, ever wonder just what makes these floors so sticky?"
Squall chuckled and without missing a beat said, "Must be all those triple X midnight shows that no one ever admits going to."
Zell quirked an eyebrow, "They have those here?" he asked innocently, which sent both Seifer and Squall off into hysterics.
Zell scratched his head and wondered what he had said that was so funny. He shrugged his shoulders as the lights dimmed and the audience quieted.
The THX logo appeared on the screen along with the words, "The Audience is Now Listening". Seifer stuck finger in his ear, and muttered to Squall, "No, the audience is now deaf!"
This caused Squall to giggle softly in appreciation of the jest, and he reached over for Seifer's hand, which he held loosely in his own, his thumb stroking the tender flesh between Seifer's thumb and forefinger.
A preview appeared on the screen that caused Zell to sit forward with interest. After a huge explosion rocked the theater, Zell smiled widely. He turned halfway in his seat toward Squall. "I can't wait for Thanksgiving! I really want to see that!"
As Squall turned toward Zell, a new preview appeared which illuminated the fact that Squall was holding Seifer's hand. Zell's eyebrows drew together in a look of confusion making him miss what Squall said in reply. He was stunned, and an unfamiliar feeling knotted in his stomach. His palms began to sweat and his heart rate accelerated. His breathing became quick and shallow and the sting of tears burned his eyes. He didn't know what was happening.
"I'm going to go get some popcorn," he mumbled not caring if he had been heard or not.
Squall raised an eyebrow and watched Zell move out of the isle. He hadn't looked to well. Was he feeling sick? He glanced down and realized what Zell had seen. Fear, unbidden and unwelcome squeezed his intestines into knots. He hadn't wanted to have to explain to Zell so soon, but now he had no choice. He squeezed Seifer's hand once before letting go.
"I'm going to go to the bathroom, be right back," he said as lightly as he could.
Walking quickly he left the theater and scanned the lobby for Zell. He found him standing over by the video games just staring off into space.
"Zell, I know you are upset over what you saw but if you let me explain…" he started.
"Explain what Squall?" he said, interrupting him as he folded his arms over his chest.
"Well, you see… I… uhm… well there is no easy way to say this…" Squall desperately searched for the words that would make this all okay.
"Are you gay Squall?" he asked, taking Squall by surprise.
Squall paused and looked down at the floor as he toed the carpet. Finally he looked up at Zell, his eyes pleading for understanding. "Yes, I am."
A look of shock and even more confusion flooded Zell's face.
"Please understand Zell," Squall pleaded. "I know that for the longest time you were my only friend, but Seifer is…"
"Seifer is nothing but a burden on society!" Zell said caustically. Shocking both himself and Squall.
"Zell, you don't even know him! I thought you of all people would be more understanding!"
"Oh, I understand all right, I understand that Seifer Almasy is nothing but a jumped up street punk who will bring you pain and heartache!"
"No, that's not true, he really cares about me," Squall defended.
"Squall, the only thing he cares about is how much he can bleed out of you before dumping you like yesterday garbage!"
Squall's face clouded over and without thinking about it, he drew back his hand and slapped Zell as hard as he could.
Seifer had just exited the theater, wondering what was taking them so long to come back. He walked into the lobby just in time to see Squall slap Zell. A hot knot of anger formed in his chest and his hands balled into fists as he stalked over to where they were standing.
"What seems to be the problem here?" he growled.
Zell spun around, his lips peeled back into a feral snarl, "The only problem here is you asshole!" he spat contemptuously. The bright red handprint Squall had left on his cheek burned and glowed like a neon beacon.
Seifer's lip curled up into a sneer, "What's the matter Chicken Wuss, someone else scratching around in what you consider your yard?" He asked, taking a stab in the dark.
Zell's face burned so brightly that the handprint no longer showed.
Seifer knew he had hit the mark, and his smirk turned darker. "Let me tell you something Chicken, you never had a chance in hell."
"At least I have prospects that don't include a cell-mate named Bubba! You are nothing Almasy! You aren't even fit to lick the shit off Squall shoes!" Zell shrieked, causing people in the lobby to turn and stare at the three of them.
Squall could see several kids from school standing near the concession stand whispering behind their hands and knew that this was going to get really bad, really quick. He had to find a way to get them out of the theater before something was said that would be all over school tomorrow. His life was bad enough without that headache.
Without saying a word, Squall grabbed both blondes by the wrists and dragged them out of the theater. Once they were out of earshot of eavesdroppers, Squall let both of them go. Immediately both Seifer and Zell drew away from each other and squared off. Zell dropped into a karate stance and began bouncing on the balls of his feet. Seifer drew himself up to his full height and glared down at the bouncing blonde.
"Oh look, he's doing the chicken dance!" Seifer jeered as he fisted one hand against his hip. The trench coat billowed out around him in the breeze making him appear even larger and more menacing than he was.
Zell stopped bouncing and clenched his fists in agitation. His whole body shook with anger, "Shut up you muscle bound moron!"
"Would you both just stop!" yelled Squall. He had been watching the whole situation as it escalated out of control. If he didn't stop this now, the two of them would try and kill each other.
Seifer immediately dropped his arms and a guilty expression crossed his face. He knew that this was hurting Squall immensely and he wanted nothing else to do with it.
Zell on the other hand was not about to let this go. Squall was making a huge mistake and he couldn't stand by and let it just happen. As soon as Seifer dropped his fist and relaxed, Zell took the opportunity and did a spinning heel kick which caught Seifer squarely in the chest knocking the bigger blonde to the ground.
"No!" screamed Squall as he moved in front of Seifer's prone form with his hands outstretched towards Zell in an effort to keep him back.
"What the hell are you doing Zell?"
The seed of jealousy that had planted itself in Zell's brain grew to such immense proportions that it overshadowed the friendship that he felt for Squall. "What I am doing is saving you from a life of hell!"
"By doing what Zell? Destroying one of the few good things in my life?" Squall asked quietly.
"No, by taking out the white trash!" he shouted at Squall. "I've only got one thing to say. It's either him or me, your choice!"
Squall couldn't believe what he was hearing. How had this fallen apart so quickly, he knew things weren't going well, but he never imagined that it could go this bad.
He dropped his arms to his sides and hung his head. "Please don't ask me to make that decision. I can't do it. You are my best friend and I don't want to lose your friendship, but Seifer and I …"
"So getting dick is more important?" Zell asked scathingly. He couldn't believe he was saying these things to him, but the words just kept tumbling out of his mouth with no regard to how much it was hurting Squall.
When Squall looked up again, his marvelous stormy eyes were tear washed. "I don't know what you want me to say. I …I'm going home!" Squall threw up his hands in frustration and started walking away from the two embattled blondes.
Seifer rose slowly to his feet and watched as Squall walked away. He turned toward Zell and ran a hand through his golden blonde hair. Taking a deep breath, he let it escape in long sigh trying to ease the urge to hammer him into a grease spot on the sidewalk, "Look Zell, I know we don't like each other very much, but there is one thing we do have in common."
"And just what the hell is that?" Zell barked out angrily.
"We both like and care about Squall." Seifer replied bluntly, as he turned to run after the retreating brunette.
The comment deflated Zell's anger and much to his chagrin, he knew Seifer was right. He also knew that his poor choice of words had probably cost him his best friend. There was no easy way for him to take back what had been said, but maybe if he admitted that he was sorry about it, Squall would forgive him in time.
He kicked a stray leaf in his path and shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. It was going to be a lonely walk home. He already missed Squall's presence, but he knew that it would be best if he let Squall cool off before attempting to apologize. Besides, he had some thinking of his own to do. Seifer made him so crazy. Why? Was it because he was Squall's lover? Was he jealous?
Seifer ran up beside Squall. He wanted to put his arm around him to comfort him, but because he had played a part in the reason for his mood, he didn't know if it would be accepted. He quietly walked beside Squall, hoping that he would say something to break the silence, but to no avail. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his trench coat and lowered his head to watch his feet.
Seifer had a lot of trouble dealing with anger issues in other people, he just didn't know how to handle it. It wasn't that he was afraid of Squall. Should he decide to be violent and vent with his fists, he wouldn't be able to do much damage, but the stony wall of silence he was getting instead scared him more than any beating his sperm donor had ever delivered.
Squall stopped at the corner and waited for the light to change, his emotions were a riot of turmoil. How Zell could have acted like that, he would never know. Zell normally was such an easy-going guy that such an outburst was unthinkable. Maybe he didn't know Zell as well as he had thought. Was Seifer right? Did Zell see him as more than a friend? He had never picked up on anything like that before from Zell, but perhaps since Seifer was an outsider, he could see things clearer than he did. Zell certainly responded to Seifer's accusation of liking him as more than just a friend, and he hadn't denied it either.
Seifer stood behind Squall, not sure if he should tell him that the light had changed. Several times he reached out to touch him, only to draw back his hand. He would have preferred Squall to yell at him, at least then he wouldn't have to guess what he was thinking. Was he going to tell him to leave his house? Had this fight with Zell ruined the fragile bond between them? The thought of having to walk away from Squall hit him like a punch in the stomach. Fear bubbled up from a place he had thought long dead, a place that Squall had reawakened. He reached out one last time and wrapped his long arms around Squall's shoulders, drawing him back against his chest.
"I'm sorry, very sorry," he murmured against Squall's hair. "I didn't mean for that to happen."
Squall was a bit confused at first. Why was Seifer holding onto him? He took pleasure for a moment in the confident strength that held him so securely, but then the softly spoken words sank in.
He turned around in Seifer's embrace so that he could see his face. "Seifer, you don't have to apologize. I'm not mad at you. I'm just frustrated over the way Zell acted. He's never acted like that before."
Relief flooded through Seifer and he tightened his hug before lowering his lips against Squall's kissing him thoroughly. "I am glad you aren't mad at me, but I did tell you that I would keep my tongue on a leash," he whispered as he laid his forehead against Squall's.
"Yeah, but that doesn't count in this case, you were just defending yourself. I can't blame you for that," he sighed.
End ChapterA/N: A huge thank you goes out to Eddie Leonhartslover. Without her this chapter would not have gotten finished. It has been sitting on my computer for quite some time now and even all the lovely reviews that I have gotten did little to inspire its ending. So thank you sweetie, you offered me a leg up when I was bogged down. Flames will be used to singe the hair off my ass. Praises will not have to watch.