MC Something Happens 04

Irvine paced the floor of his dorm, hat dipped low over his eyes as his thoughts ran with him. He had already been trying to deny it for the last hour and a half and frankly, it hadn’t worked. The one word that kept surfacing in his mind was her and how close he was to tacking “her” name to it.

He closed his eyes and muttered an expletive that would have made Seifer proud. His fists were clenched and the temperature in the room was uncomfortably hot. He couldn’t be letting this happen—this wasn’t supposed to happen for at least another seven years! He still had thousands of phone numbers to charm from girls, hundreds of dates to go on, and probably best of all, millions of times to annoy Selphie with it all.

But it was close, damn it all. He wasn’t sure of anything anymore, much less something dealing with his love life. Was she really worth it? Was it just some crazy hormonal phase where a guy suddenly went for his sister figure? It had to be.

The room really was getting too stuffy. Gruffly, the gunslinger stormed out of his room and headed for the Central Gate where he could get out of Garden. Nature always cleared one’s thoughts better than buildings. He kept his head down, much to his trouble later on when he walked straight into a girl in the main lobby.

His head lifted immediately, along with some of his spirits. “Selphie,” he said quite unnecessarily, before giving her a bear hug. She stumbled back a little, bewildered at his behavior. He seemed happy to see her—maybe a little too happy.

The petite brunette in front of him loosely crossed her arms and shifted footing. “What’s wrong?” she asked almost immediately after he had settled down.

“Of course I do,” she replied, perching on a nearby bench. “You always tip your hat low over your eyes when you’re upset. Not to mention you’re actually happy to see me.” She reached for a leaf from a near planter, slowly turning it over in her hands and watching him from beneath her lashes.

He sighed quietly and sat beside her, leaning forward. His expression was solemn; even for him it seemed a bit much. Selphie straightened, concern lacing her features. She tentatively lifted her hand and let it flutter down on his shoulder. “Irvine…?”

She recoiled a little, hand still on his shoulder. The little bit of pressure was comforting to him—more so than he would have liked to admit.

“So…” Selphie began almost pertly, though not enough to ruin the moment. She resisted a grin. “What’s her name then?”

Rather than fire back her own retort, he watched as she simply smiled at him. “I know you would have told me by now,” she said quietly, but effectively. Irvine cowered a little, knowing she was right. He could tell her anything. Regardless of the pointless spats they had over his flirting and whatnot, they went deeper than what most saw. Even the gang seemed doubtful of their relationship sometimes. They tipped it off as a momentary fascination with a childhood figure—and that was the farthest from the truth one could get.

He’d waited ten years to see her again. She meant more than any momentary cute girl who just happened to give into his charms… his old charms, he should say.

But he couldn’t tell her. There was something about what he was going through now that he couldn’t quite express to her…

Instead, he draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, breathing in the pleasant smell of her hair. “I would have,” he agreed.

She didn’t feel discarded or rejected, much to his surprise. And she wasn’t going to force an answer out of him like some paranoid girlfriend. Her head buried a little more into his shoulder. “… I understand.”

Silently they sat, oddly somber for a Wednesday afternoon. What he wouldn’t tell her wasn’t the issue anymore—it was being with him, losing herself in his warmth. Why was it he always seemed so warm, even if it was negative 50 degrees outside? The night they had eaten out with the gang at the Evening Muse, he had walked beside her on the way back. She was warm just from that experience.

“I’m not anything as of right now,” Quistis said quickly, maybe even exasperatedly as she shifted the toddler in her arms. “I really don’t know what’s going on.”

“Well, honey, apparently if you’re even thinking about it, something is going on. At least for you,” Tahna concluded, casting a wary glance at the playground. “And it’s a good thing he didn’t volunteer today.”

“Yes, honey, I know you want another one,” she answered, looking around. Tahna demanded her attention once again, standing before her, hand on hip, expression expectant. Quistis sighed. “I know this isn’t the best time to be bringing things up either. There’s…” she stopped, thinking of her.

“It’s just…” Quistis rocked the boy once or twice. “Before last week, he was just like any other guy walking down the street. He’s Irvine—you just don’t go there.”

“And then suddenly,” the blonde’s voice turned melancholy, “you see him volunteering at a church daycare, and you’d think it’s a twenty-four karat gold bracelet that he’s handing you on Friendship Day considering how much trouble he’s gone through just to give it to you… and you know, you just know, that he was this close to doing something else last night during the meteor shower-”

Quistis rolled her eyes. “I’m trying to figure out why it’s different between us now. It was nothing before Ultimecia.”

Tahna sighed, throwing a hand up. “What is it with you young folks these days? Can never really grasp how much time you don’t have left.” With that, she turned her attention to the screaming children on the swing set, their cries seeming to echo to the ends of the Earth.

Quistis shook her head as the boy in her arms placed a small hand against her cheek. She smiled at him, blue eyes radiating kindness as opposed to coldness. He was cute, the little guy, though heavy on her arms. She gave him a small kiss on the nose before following behind Tahna.

“Irvine Kinneas,” Selphie replied glumly, seating herself in the black metal chair and hitting her head on the cafeteria table. “I don’t know anymore, Rin.”

“You don’t know what?” the sorceress asked warily, observing the brunette’s depressed state. She was glad she had been the only one sitting at the table when Selphie had arrived. “Whether or not you like him?”

“Rinoa, you know what he’s like. Sure, those girls he chases after don’t mean anything to him, but it’s like… he’s turning in his badge, you know?” Selphie tilted her head. “I really don’t know which side of him I like better. Or maybe I’m just not familiar with this new one.”

Rinoa shook her head, throwing up a hand. “What is it with you people these days? Tell you good truth, I thought you guys had something during Ultimecia.”

Selphie shook her head. “Not then—we were just close, mindless of the flirting. He did that with everyone though. So why is he different now?” she couldn’t help but ask, even if she knew Rinoa didn’t have the answer.

The sorceress contemplated the situation for a few silent moments. “Are you sure he doesn’t feel anything for you?”

“Well then get sure!” Rinoa near shouted, earning the attention of every Garden student within a twenty-foot radius. They turned from their dinners in question, expressions bewildered.

“Maybe I will with all this foreplay going on. Why can’t you just tell him?” Rinoa leaned back in her seat. “Sure, I’m not one to talk because it took forever to get through to Mr. Ice King himself, but Irvine’s different. You guys really have something, romantic or not.”

Even as she was saying the words, Rinoa couldn’t help but scream ‘hypocrite’ to herself. The scene at lunch the day before kept playing in her mind. She had only been looking at the two because they sat straight across from her. There wasn’t anything suspicious about the way they had been talking until he lifted his hand and let it linger against her temple. And she hadn’t been the only one watching them.

Selphie had too, apparently letting more emotion escape her features than she would have liked to admit. Rinoa could have sworn she saw something else in the brunette’s eyes than just casual observance…

Not being able to draw any conclusions, Rinoa frowned and took another sip of her drink. Across from her, Selphie remained silent.

How she liked hearing her name in that deep voice. It seemed to resonate through her head, day and night, night and day. So she had been feeling a bit out of mind, for some reason that she wouldn’t admit. The day before, when she had confessed what little part of her thoughts to Rinoa, she hadn’t counted on seeing her “best friend” again. Yet when he showed up at her dorm just before curfew hours, begging her to take a walk with him, she couldn’t help but kick herself. She wasn’t the most reserved and secretive person, but situations brought out new sides in her.

She could tell, mentally and physically, but she wouldn’t. Just like he couldn’t tell her whatever it was that had been bothering him yesterday. A part of her wanted it to be the same feeling she had… a part of her knew that wasn’t true.

The walk outside had done little to ease her conscience. He loomed beside her, silent as Squall had been once upon a time. If he was one to talk it was usually to slip a line or two, maybe a flattering comment. It wasn’t so with her. And so he said nothing, letting silence answer her equally silent questions. Neither knew the storm brewing within each other.

And then he turned to her, enlightenment highlighting his features. He would be playing basketball with “the guys” tomorrow; would she come? Certainly she would come, straight into her insanity she would come. She was crazy enough without his presence; with it, she was invalid. But of course, she only smiled and agreed to meet him after classes in the first floor gym.

He called her name, catching her in mid-stance to leave. She froze, messenger bag full of textbooks still at her side, other hand tense around a bottle of water. Her green eyes closed and she discreetly counted to three before turning around.

“You’re gonna stay, aren’t you?” he turned his chocolate brown eyes on her and she nearly stumbled. He grinned. “We’re staying here until they kick us out.”

Shoulder bag in her hands, Quistis walked slowly up to the double doors of the gym and looked in on the basketball game. She had just run into Rinoa moments ago, and that had been when the brunette let slip the whereabouts of everyone else. She couldn’t help but feel left out of the group at times, and the previous proved no different. She figured she would never truly fit in with any group—maybe just an individual…

A few SeeDs, still in their uniforms, passed by her as they walked through the doors, and she quickly moved out of the way as she noticed her position blocking the entry. A little shyly, she scanned the half filled gym before her blue eyes caught sight of two figures she was getting used to spying on…

Could it really have been called spying? She had only been coming back down from the office the day before when she saw them sitting in the lobby, their position nothing short of what any passerby would identify as a couple. A strange stirring had unstilled the waters of her heart and she found herself blinking away reality after a few moments. She had no right to be looking in on them as if she were a bodyguard. Even as she mutely turned and walked away, she couldn’t deny the fluttering, the disturbance in her. For what reason she was experiencing those emotions, she wouldn’t admit.

Now, staring at them again as Irvine tapped his much shorter best friend’s nose and grinned at her, the same churn of her heart returned. She liked him—she might as well have admitted it now. Inwardly rolling her eyes at herself, Quistis loosened the hold on the strap of her bag and took a deep breath. There had to be something she had missed while on the mission—Irvine never held so much ground with her until recently… too recently.

He joined in the game again as Selphie settled on the front bleacher, eyes following his every move. Quistis’s expression softened as another thought crept into her mind. She wasn’t blind. Selphie had more to her than the bubbly personality and hyperactive charm everyone was so familiar with.

The blonde stood at the door a few more minutes and watched the play with one eye, her other fixed on her friend. Finally, after a three-pointer, she made her way down the sidelines and reached Selphie’s sitting figure within seconds.

The brunette turned at the touch upon her shoulder. “Oh, hey Quistis!” she greeted brightly, genuinely. “Come to see the game?” Selphie watched as she looked out over the court and took a seat beside her.

“Hm,” Selphie agreed before looking back to Irvine. The opposing team had called a time out, and he now stood in a circle with his buddies, trying desperately to listen. He looked to the bleachers to find that Selphie had a companion now, familiar indeed. He signaled to his best friend and winked at the blonde beside her.

Neither female missed the wink directed at the former instructor. Both shifted uncomfortably and looked at each other with a hesitant smile. After a breath, Selphie waved her water bottle again. “Water?” she called out again, louder this time. But Irvine turned away suddenly, lending an ear to his teammate as they discussed, most likely, strategy. Then again, with Irvine, one just never knew.

“Sometimes I feel like we’re the same person,” her friend answered, earning a small smile from Quistis. Selphie’s eyes softened a little as she tilted her head. “What I tell most people, and what I feel is closer to the truth than anything is… I’m Irvine’s best friend, not the other way around.”

In those emerald eyes where all she had ever seen was joy and happiness there settled a confusion, bewilderment, wonder… maybe even a sense of violation. Selphie stared at Quistis, her mind flying through the possibilities of answers she could give. She was so shocked her mind didn’t take into account that the longer she hesitated, the more she gave the older female an answer. But how had she known? Was she really that easy to read? Did she look at Irvine with some sentimental gleam in her eye that gave away every hidden emotion that she couldn’t even sort through at the moment?

Time slowed as Quistis stared intently at her, waiting for an answer, a revelation. Neither were prepared for the familiar figure that dropped between them, excruciatingly ignorant of what he had interrupted.

“Hey! So how are my leading ladies?” Irvine questioned, looking back and forth between the two women. They broke eye contact, smiling at him through the tension.

“Thanks,” he complied, handing the half-full bottle back to her afterward. He turned to Quistis. “So are you going to stay?” he asked, subtly on the soft side, as if he didn’t want Selphie to hear. Ridiculous goal.

Selphie placed her arm between them, pushing her best friend back. “Irvine, leave her alone,” she near commanded before smiling weakly at the blonde. “We promise we’ll tell you all about it, okay?”

“No, she has somewhere she needs to be and that’s that,” she cut him off quickly. “We won’t leave anything out,” she continued to Quistis, who by now was looking back and forth between the two rather knowingly.

“Yeah, okay, bye Quistis.” Selphie pushed her protesting best friend in the general direction of the court. “Go on, dufus, your team’s waiting for you,” she told him firmly. “And no more slip-ups, you hear me!” she shouted after his form.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Quistis turn and look over her shoulder once more at the players on the court, particularly one, before disappearing through the doors. Selphie closed her eyes momentarily and shook the hanging question out of her thoughts. She didn’t know she would have to face it sooner than she thought—was she in love with Irvine?

“Women,” he grumbled, stepping down from the small ladder once the air conditioner had been fixed. “They’re only good for yelling.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little late to be telling me that?” Therise ran numbers in her head at lightning speed. “Thirty-six years, to be exact.”

Therise, 52 years old and going strong, stared at him through her eyes, the way she had for so long. Every aspect of her life since her twentieth birthday had dealt with Solan, her husband… and true love if one wanted to get technical. They lived in their pleasant home in Trabia, running on thirty some years now, and they most likely weren’t going to leave until they crossed the line between death and life.

“We’re old, dear. Try to accept that,” she patted him lightly on the back. “Oh, and the Schmidt’s wanted us over for dinner tomorrow. Their son’s coming home from college for fall break.”

“Oh I know, they can run their mouths a mile a minute,” Therise continued, walking into the kitchen. “But don’t worry; I’ll make a quick getaway at… eight? How does that sound?”

“Don’t argue with me now,” she said passively, waving him off. “I’ve already told them we’d be happy to come, just as long as we don’t stay until the wee hours, like they would like us too--”

The hospital was white and purple, though not a dark, menacing purple. It was a lavender purple, reflecting off the walls with a serene glow. The halls were empty, scarcely occupied by nurses and doctors and they walked busily with their clipboards clutched to their hearts. The third floor was carpeted and the heavy doors of the hospital rooms stood open, their occupants sleeping soundly.

In the hallway outside her husband’s room sat Therise, gray head of hair hung in silence. Beside her sat another elderly lady, her sister, younger by only a few years. They were quiet, just as the rest of the building was. A nurse came by every hour or so to check on him—refill the needles and syringes, press a few buttons on the complicated machines he was hooked up to… things like that, Therise thought somewhat bitterly.

All her life, she had only known Solan. She had been orphaned at the age of six and friends were scarce. She was twenty when she made the decision to spend the rest of her life with that certain man, and twenty three when she decided to add another person to her life. This someone would make her complete as a woman… as a mother.

Therise blinked suddenly, remembering her small gift of life. How could she have forgotten? It had been too long since they had last spoken. Only when situation came to did she remember the little girl with the never ending joy in her features. Slowly, the old woman swallowed and looked her sister in the eye. “Selphie…”

Her companion drew back a little, surprised at the answer. Then, nodding with understanding, she rose and went to the phone at the nurse’s desk.

“Do you know,” Irvine said, “that for every unhealthy thing you eat, you have to balance it out with something healthy? Like a fruit or something,” he shrugged.

Selphie smiled a little at him, then looked at the ice cream cone in her hand. “Haven’t had to do it in 17 years. Why start now?”

“You won’t have that body forever, you know,” he shot back, ducking when she threw the wrapper at him. He grinned afterward, tilting his head at her as if he were trying to decipher the features of her face. “But you’ll still be beautiful.”

Irvine pondered her comment, walking over to her. “Actually, I shouldn’t say that because I’m your best friend.” He winked and walked away smoothly, jumping to touch the frame of the door to her dorm. He performed a brief pull-up before dropping to the ground again and watched her as she straddled her desk chair, calmly eating her ice cream.

Selphie turned in her chair, sitting correctly this time. “Overused. By now, I think Cid’s beginning to see that SeeDs don’t actually study on the days they claim to. Maybe if he got out of his office every now and then, he would know.” She hadn’t said it unkindly, just thoughtfully.

Irvine was opening his mouth to respond when the ground beneath him jolted suddenly and he stumbled across her dorm, incidentally knocking right into his sitting best friend and her half-finished ice cream. He was only able to stutter out a surprised “W-whoa!” before crashing into Selphie, knocking her chair over and sending them both to the carpeted floor.

A sudden coldness splashed across her shirt, not to mention Irvine’s figure atop hers in a strangely intimate position. Had they “done the deed” he would not have fallen any different.

His genuine concern touched her, but she had other thoughts to process. “I’m fine, but-” she cut off, looking down at her shirt. “My ice cream sure couldn’t take it.”

He quickly retreated from her, helping her to a standing position. “Here, I’ll get some paper towels,” he said, heading for the door.

“No, Irvine, it’s okay. I’ll just change,” she said quickly, stopping him in his tracks. Grumbling a little, she picked her way over to her closet and rummaged through the hangers for a shirt.

Selphie pulled a red V-neck from her clothes, making a face. “Believe me, I wouldn’t ask you for help changing.”

Accordingly, Irvine turned his back and stared intently at the wall. Behind him, he could hear clothes shifting as Selphie wormed out of her shirt, and the most indecent of pictures flashed in his mind. He shook his head with a little smirk. This was Selphie; come on. He was confused enough as it was—didn’t need his best friend complicating things.

“Okay, I’m decent,” her voice cut into his thoughts, and he turned around just in time to see her ball up her ice-cream covered shirt in one hand and toss it in the back of her closet where her hamper stood. When she noticed him staring at her, she recoiled a little. “What?”

Irvine looked around the room at all the shifted objects due to the jolt. “So where’s Garden going? We’ve been grounded for over a month.”

“Hey, planning takes a while. You can bet we’ll probably be grounded outside Esthar for a week or so while Cid does his political stuff with Laguna and the government and all that fun stuff.” Selphie sat Indian-style on her bed. “Rinoa told me about it yesterday. So now Garden’s on the move…” she trailed off as she figured Irvine understood the event. When she looked closer, he seemed to be in deep thought.

He smiled at her and waved a hand. “Didn’t even cross my mind,” he assured, and he was telling the truth. His best friend looked as if she didn’t believe him. Regardless, he put on his hat and crossed her dorm. “I’ve got homework. See ya at dinner, okay?”

“Okay,” she confirmed, smiling to him as he walked out her door. After the panel slid closed behind him, her face fell a little and the sparkle disappeared from her eyes. As she stared at her hands, her thoughts returned to the hanging question put into her mind the day before. A thoughtful whisper escaped her lips.

Quistis drew aside her curtain and watched as the ocean passed beneath Garden. Cid had come on the intercom a few moments after the unexpected jolt that had most likely sent every standing person to the floor. They would be departing for Esthar on occasion and staying grounded outside the city for a week or two. Quistis remembered looking at the PA speaker in the hall and asking herself, ‘So you couldn’t tell us that before you decided to move this great, big hunk of a school and make us think there was an earthquake?’

She had discovered with glee that she did not have to attend the celebration banquet, even if she was one of the six to put the sorceress to rest. The occasion was for show. And so, it meant a full week of city life for the blonde, and that was more interesting than small town Balamb for a change.

It was night now as she looked out her window at the tossing waves of the ocean below her. The moon shone brightly on the water and reflected its white light across the walls of Garden. Quistis lay her head on her folded arms and wondered silently why she couldn’t fall asleep.

It was only an hour until the new day and she had crawled out of bed to watch the scenery pass. It usually served her interests but she was uneasy tonight. She was tired, but not sleepy.

Sighing quietly, she lifted her head and moved away from her window to turn the light on. What she needed was coffee—her favorite friend in the morning and now, the night. It was after hours, however, and she would have to sneak her way into the instructor’s lounge upstairs in the main office.

“So be it,” she said determinedly, poking her head out her door and looking down the hallway. The coast was clear so far. On slippered feet, she shuffled quietly through the halls and even checked behind her every once in a while. When she reached the main lobby, the lights were still on, the water still trickling beneath the bridge-like entryways into the different areas of Garden. Mounting the stairs to the elevator, Quistis pushed the button for the second level and was in clear sight of the office within a few minutes.

The instructor’s lounge was off-limits to students and SeeD, but she was past caring. The SeeD lounge downstairs didn’t have coffee—it was as simple as that. Sighing her triumph, Quistis turned the handle of the heavy door and walked in the familiar room.

Soft piano music drifted into her ears almost immediately as she realized she was not the only occupant of the lounge. For a terrible moment, she feared being caught by a curfew watcher and being penalized a point or two on her SeeD record, but when the man turned from the piano bench to see who had come in, her fear dissipated.

“… H-headmaster,” she returned politely, trying to hide her surprise with a respectful nod. She heard the door close behind her.

“Well isn’t this a nice coincidence?” Cid continued, smiling. No matter the hour, he always seemed happy. “What brings you here at this time of night?”

Joyously, Quistis realized that he wasn’t concerned with her breaking the rules. “I couldn’t sleep, sir,” she said truthfully. “I, um, came up here for coffee.”

“That will just keep you up, Quistis dear,” Cid returned, smiling. “But! No matter!” He scooted to one side of the piano bench. “Would you like to sit? I haven’t had an audience for my piano-playing in a long while.”

The headmaster ran his hand lightly over the white keys. “Oh, I had this grand piano put in here a few years ago. You remember, don’t you? When you used to be an instructor? Well, anyhow, I thought this place needed some leisure past the couches and television. So I had a grand piano put in for free use. But I don’t think it gets a lot of action,” he concluded somewhat sadly, though good-naturedly. He turned to the blonde, who still had not sat down beside him. “Do you play?”

Quistis almost laughed. “Me, sir? No, I can’t even read music. Selphie can, though. She plays the piano quite well.”

Her superior rubbed his chin and nodded, almost as if he had never heard of such a thing. “Hm. How amazing. I will have to ask her to come up here every now and then.”

Quistis nodded, smiling. Her gaze wandered to the coffee machine and the large stack of Styrofoam cups beside it. All around the machine there were places for stirrers, sugar, cream, honey, chocolate, and the like. She glanced at Cid. “I hope you don’t mind if I make some--”

The head of the Garden shook his head silently, and Quistis resumed her task. Cid began to play again, a soft melody that drew pictures of spring and summer in the mind. He was an exceptional pianist, Quistis thought as she waited for her coffee. A few minutes later, with her steaming cup of coffee in her hands, she took a seat beside Cid, facing away from the keys.

“It can seem like nothing at first—just a simple twist of fate and then it turns into your entire focus,” he continued, sounding almost as if he were discussing the weather or any casual subject. Quistis couldn’t help but wonder why he was bringing the subject up at all. It related a little too closely to… herself.

“Oh Quistis,” he came in, still playing the piano on the softer side. “The bunch of you can’t hide things from me. I see everything that goes on in this institution,” he assured. “With the help of my wife, too, obviously.”

Her blue eyes searched his for any sign that she had given away. This was Cid, Cid—the very head of the school and everything concerning it. And he knew her personal issues so well? And even if he had found out from Matron, how had Edea figured it out? Was she really that easy to read? Disappointed in herself, Quistis wondered how she had lost her touch at being the cold, sophisticated, aloof, older sister figure.

What surprised her even more was that she found a measurable solace in talking with Cid. They weren’t best friends by any means, but he proved to be a good listener and advisor. He was apart from her confusion, only a bystander who could give her a view outside her own little world. That was probably what she needed the most at the moment. It was no secret he was referring to Irvine.

“I can’t help but think…” Quistis started, making sure she didn’t tell him everything, “that I would be ruining something if I did.”

“Ah,” Cid mused, looking at the piano keys. “Not willing to take the chance of sacrificing your friendship for a relationship?”

The blonde shook her head. “No, actually…” she said truthfully, earning a confused look from Cid. She sipped her coffee and pensively observed the far wall. “I would be ruining something… between Selphie and him.”

“And only that,” Cid reminded her. “They have been ever since they were five, according to Edea. And I’ve seen Irvine look at you like he looks at no one—not even his best friend.”

Quistis shook her head. “No, Cid,” she said softly, using his name for the first time. The mood was no longer formal. “Beneath their friendship is a deeper love…” Even as she said the words, admitting them to herself, she couldn’t help the slight pain in her heart. “And I don’t want to come between that.”

“Quistis,” Cid said, lifting his hands from the piano, ceasing the music. “I think there’s a difference between the love for a friend, and the love for a life partner. Selphie is Irvine’s best friend. That’s all.”

Quistis shifted under the covers, remembering Cid’s words as she tried, once again, to fall asleep. The echo of his advice to tell Irvine how she felt about him drummed loudly in her mind, poisoning her compassion. She truly did feel something for the Galbadian gunslinger, but could she come clean with it? There was still something holding her back, and that was his best friend… Selphie.

“Are you in love with him or not?” Quistis whispered into the darkness of her dorm, wondering how Selphie would have responded the day before had Irvine not jumped between them. With some difficulty, she turned the question on herself and fought with the begging answer.