Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Be friendly ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Title: Be friendly

Author: Yorda

Rating: R

Status: WIP

Couples: Seifer/Squall

Warnings: Yaoi, AU, OOC, fluff, stupid school bullies

Disclaimer: Some of the characters belong to Squaresoft.

Summary: AU fic, takes place in a normal senior high. Squall's the bullied one, and Seifer the popular one. A story about the
two of them forming a relationship of some sort ^_^

**AN: Thank you SO much for all the reviews! They really inspired me and gave me a desire to continue the fic this soon ^_^
It makes me kinda sad to hear that some of you guys can relate to Squall's situation and him being bullied. Bullying is SO
wrong and SO childish!!! I myself have never suffered from it, and I'm not sure if I should even tell this...I think some of you
will despise me for this. But I used to be a bully myself when I was younger, about 13 or 14 years old. I'm so damn ashamed of
myself...I was so awful back then ? But now I'm good friends with the girl whose life I made a living hell. But anyway, bullies
are stupid, I was stupid.**

Chapter 2:

Rinoa took a few running-steps to catch up with Seifer. "Hey wait for us!" She called after the blonde who kept walking
towards the parking lot, spinning his car keys in his long fingers. "Your legs are way longer than ours you know!" the girl
whined. Squall kept his distance and walked behind the two of them. The school yards were empty of students by now. Who
would hang there anyway on a Friday afternoon. Squall lift his gaze up to the clear blue sky. His dark clothes were feeling
slightly too hot on a weather like this, but he wanted to keep his style, even if it was unpractical. Squall wore a tight black shirt,
not caring if he didn't even have a body to show with it. His dark jeans were kinda worn out and slacky, but they were his
favourite pair. As they neared the parking lot, Seifer narrowed his eyes. There was a silver-coloured Volvo parked right next to
his shiny red Porsche. "God dammit! If there's even a tiny scratch on my car, I swear that idiot MacKenzie's gonna get a
whipping!" the blonde growled and hurried to check his car. Rinoa rolled her eyes as a litany of swears escaped Seifer's lips.
"He's kinda short-tempered! I mean, talk about a short fuse!" She spoke and turned around to face Squall. Together they made
their way over to Seifer's scratchless car.

"Ok, everybody in." Seifer ordered, unlocking the doors. The brunette boy let his eyes roam on the shiny car before him. He had
seen it before, but never thought he'd get to ride it. Seifer was one of the rich kids and Squall knew it. He wasn't sure if it was
Zell or Selphie who once told him that Seifer's dad owned a big company or something. In any case, the blonde lived in the
town's elite zone, which was pretty far from Squall's neighbourhood. Rinoa sat down on the passenger-seat and closed the door
after her. She fastened her seatbelt the minute she was in the car. Squall met Seifer's sharp eyes, and opened the backseat door
as carefully as he could. Judging from the older boy's earlier reaction, it was best to leave the car undamaged. He sat down on
the soft, clean seat, meeting Rinoa's friendly eyes from the rear mirror. It smelled like some sort of deodorizer inside the car.
For some reason Squall liked the scent. He leaned back and inhaled deeply. 'I can't believe this...I'm sitting inside Seifer
Almasy's Porsche...' Squall was both doubtful and curious at the same time. He knew Seifer had stood up for him in the locker-
rooms, but also had troubles in trusting the older boy. Rinoa's presence however, eased the tension.

Seifer sat down on the driver's seat and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his peige jacket. As he lit the smoke,
Rinoa immediately gave the boy a disapproving look. "Seifer! Do you have to do that inside the car??" she complained and
opened her window. "My car, my rules." came the blonde boy's answer. With one swift move, he backed off from the parking
place and into the road, leading onto the highway. He turned on the CD player, and the car was filled with loud trance music. As
the blonde speeded up, and Squall pressed against the seat, the brunette boy decided it was time to fasten his seatbelt. Seifer
observed Squall from the rear mirror. A smirk spread onto his face, as he saw Squall try to get the seatbelt on with shaking
hands. He was about to go even faster, but received an angry glare from Rinoa. "Slow down! I don't wanna puke on my new
skirt Seifer." She hissed. For some time they drove in silence. Every now and then Squall's eyes met with Seifer's through the
little mirror. Just by looking at the younger boy, Seifer could tell he was feeling very uneasy. Rinoa too noticed this and decided
to lighten up the mood.

"So Squall, what are you gonna do this weekend? Gonna hang out with your friends? Got a date maybe?" the girl inquired,
meeting the brunette's eyes in the rear mirror. Squall blinked at the question, not really knowing how to answer. His
embarrassment however, was quickly replaced with anger, when Seifer's mocking laughter filled his ears.
"Squall on a date!? Oh please..." the blonde chuckled and immediately received a blow from Rinoa's elbow. "Seifer!!" the girl
hissed through clenched teeth and gave the boy a death-glare. Seifer shut his mouth and became serious. "Um...sorry.." he
mumbled and met Squall's narrowed eyes in the mirror. The brunette boy just turned his head to look out of the window,
regretting he ever even took Rinoa's offer. Once again the car went silent. Seifer inhaled his smoke for one last time and threw it
out from his window. He popped a breath-mint into his mouth and began to sing along with the song, sounding from the CD
player. Rinoa's eyes went wide and she turned her head, giving Seifer a questioning look. The blonde met her eyes and stopped
singing. "What? I have a beautiful voice!" he defended himself. Rinoa just rolled her eyes and concentrated on her neatly done
nails. Squall too thought the situation was a bit amusing, this causing a faint smile to tug his lips upwards. Rinoa decided to try
and make a conversation for one last time.

"As I told you before Squall, I just moved here..." Once again, Squall met the girl's brown eyes in the rear mirror. "Um...H-
have you lived here long?" she asked. "All my life." Came Squall's answer in his usual monotonous voice. "Oh, that's nice.
Well, do you have any brothers or sisters?" Rinoa continued, glad that she was finally getting a reaction from Squall.
"I have a sister. I live with her and dad...my mom...died six months ago." The brunette boy spoke, the look on his face serious.
Seifer narrowed his green eyes and watched Squall from the mirror. He never knew the boy had lost his mother. Actually, he
didn't know anything about Squall. Rinoa swallowed as she realised that once again, she had chosen a bad topic. "I-I'm *so*
sorry to hear that! I--I wouldn't have asked if I'd known." She apologised. Squall met her eyes and gave her a reassuring nod.
"It's ok. There's no way you could have known. I...I haven't really told anyone about it." The boy whispered, lowering his face.
Both Seifer and Rinoa could see Squall was trying to keep his composure. Seifer coughed and informed that they were almost at
Rinoa's house, breaking the tension..

The house that came to view, was like a typical house from any movie or TV show that portrayed the perfect life of a perfect
American family. It had its white picket fence, green lawn, rose bushes and a swing on the backyard. It even had a happy-
looking kid, driving a three-wheeled bicycle. Squall presumed she was Rinoa's little sister. "I'll park over here. Is it ok if you
walk the rest of the way Squall?" Seifer asked and drove the car in front of the girl's home. "Yeah..." Squall gave Seifer an
approving nod, and was about to get up from the car. "Wait!" Rinoa stopped him. Squall gave her a questioning look and sat
back on the seat. "Go on, ask him now!" the girl hissed, poking Seifer in the arm. The blonde boy tried to avoid Rinoa's gaze
and just looked out of his window. "Seifer! Ask him!" the raven-haired girl demanded. "Ask me what?" Squall suddenly
interrupted from the backseat. Two pairs of eyes met with his narrowed ones. "Nothing." Seifer said with a firm voice. Squall
just shrugged and opened the door, but was once again stopped by Rinoa. "No, wait. Seifer has something he wants to ask you."
The girl explained. "...But he obviously can't get over his damned pride!" Squall didn't say anything, but watched Seifer through
the small mirror.

"Squall...I umm..." the older boy began, avoiding Squall's gaze. "I have a favour to ask..." Rinoa gave the boy a pleased nod, as
Seifer finally decided to speak. Squall waited patiently, noting how uneasy the older boy suddenly looked. "You see, I have
these big exams coming up next week and if I fail...well the outcomes won't be positive..." Seifer spoke and kept his eyes on the
steering-wheel. "...The guys tell me you're a real brain---umm...they tell me you do well in your studies...so...could you maybe
help me study and get prepared?" Squall blinked his eyes, genuinely surprised. 'He's actually asking for my help??...*My*
help?' Seifer was watching Squall through the mirror again, a faint blush covering his cheeks. "I don't really know if I can be
any help. I mean, you're one year older than me Seifer..." Squall finally spoke from the backseat. "You're further in your
studies." The brunette saw the desperate look on Seifer's face, and for some reason, finally gave him an approving nod. Seifer
let out a relieved sigh. "Great! I'll...I'll pick you up at seven, ok?" Squall got up from the car, Rinoa doing the same. "Ok, I'll see
you then." He closed the door and took a few steps back on the sidewalk. "Thanks for the ride Seifer." Rinoa waved at the
blonde boy as he speeded away with his Porsche. She turned to face Squall, looking serious. "Squall, I just want to say that what
you're doing for Seifer is really nice. Even if he doesn't admit it, his situation is more than bad!" the girl explained. "If he fails
the tests, he won't be able to graduate!"

"Things are really that bad?" Squall asked and received a faint nod from Rinoa. "And sometimes uncle John can be really hard
on him, so his reaction probably won't be a positive one, if Seifer fails." She continued, playing with the tassel of her thick
braid. Squall narrowed his grey eyes. "Wait a minute...did you just say *uncle* John? You guys are cousins?" he asked, looking
surprised. "Yeah...What? You thought otherwise?" Rinoa asked, an amused smile on her face. "Well...I thought you were his-"
Squall began. "Girlfriend?? Eww!!! Gross!" the girl exclaimed and shook her head, her brown eyes wide. Squall said nothing,
just gave a little nod. There was an awkward silence between them. Squall stole a glance from his wrist watch. "Well, I'd better
go. It's already past five." Squall spoke and took a few steps away from the sidewalk. Rinoa gave him a nod and opened the
white gate of her house, stepping in. "See you around neighbour!" she smiled and waved her hand as Squall was already
crossing the street.

:::To be continued:::

**AN: I still have the energy to write, but this chapter is already so long that I think it's best to end it here. But I think I'll start
to write the third chapter right away ^_^ Once again, I'd love to hear your thoughts of the chapter. Your comments can be really
helpful! And I'm sorry that Squall was so quiet in this chapter, didn't even do any of his internal monologues ^_^ But just wait
for the next chapter! I hope you're still interested!

-Yorda