Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Playing it by ear ❯ Part 2 ( Chapter 2 )

"Playing it by ear"

Part 2

Squall didn't take Irvine's advice about zipping up his jacket. He was so self-conscious about the dampness on his crotch that he didn't want to leave it up to chance, so he removed his jacket and carried it before him as he hurried to the dorms. Chance still got the last laugh. He was halfway to the dormitory when he came across Rinoa.

"Hey, Squall. Are Quistis and Irvine still going to the Quad today? I thought I might help them with their Festival work."

~ Shit. Just act casual. ~

"Yeah, they should be in there right now."

She smiled and almost started off, but she paused and looked at him with her head tilted. "Are you okay? You look like you just ran a race. Your face is flushed and you're all sweaty." She glanced at the bundled jacket that he held in his hands.

Nervously, he tried to formulate an excuse. "I'm fine. I…played a game of basketball in the quad a little while ago. I'm just heading to my room to have a shower."

~ Hmmm, ~ Rinoa thought with a frown, ~ an extended explanation, from Squall? Normally he would have just said, "I'm fine" and left it at that. What have you been doing, cutey? ~

Though she was dying to ask more questions, she knew him well enough to understand that no answers would be forthcoming. She'd have to do her own investigation, if she wanted to figure this out. Shrugging, she gave him a bright smile. "Okay. You should join us when you're done."

"I've got some things to do," he said softly, averting his eyes. He wouldn't be able to handle being near Irvine with the others present, after what just happened in the fire escape. Normally he was pretty good at pulling a poker face, but the passion he had just experienced was new to him, and he wasn't sure he wouldn't give himself away. Plus, he was sure the sharpshooter would be throwing suggestive leers at him everytime a back was turned. "I've gotta go. See you later." He hurried on without looking at Rinoa.

~**********************~

"Did anyone notice Squall acting a little funny today?" Rinoa watched their reactions carefully as she began to measure out some crape paper.

"I haven't seen him today," Quistis said absently.

"Funny how?" Irvine inquired. He had paused for the space of a heartbeat, but it could have been for any reason.

Rinoa narrowed her eyes. Her gut feeling was that something weird was going on, but she couldn't figure out what that might be. "I don't know…nervous, I guess. I ran into him on the way here, and he looked like he had just run a marathon. His jacket was off and he was all sweaty and out of breath. There's that, and when I asked him if he was okay, he sort of stammered. It's not like him."

Irvine's lips thinned as pressed them together to control them. "Did you smell any alcohol on him? Maybe he snuck some and got sick." He grimaced and wanted to kick himself for saying that.

~ It's bad enough that I practically raped him, but now I'm taking advantage of his problems to cover it up. Smooth, Irvy. Real smooth. ~

"No, that's not it. He was very sober. You know, I'm not an expert, but I could almost swear he had just finished making out. I've walked in on enough students trying to find little nooks and crannies to do it in. But, he would have to be dating someone for that to be it, wouldn't he? Squall's never been the type to just pick some random stranger and go make out with them, is he?" Rinoa bit her lip and gazed up at Irvine, because he always seemed to know what was going on with everyone, and her own words made her imagine her ex with another girl. She was surprised by the jealousy that stabbed her. She thought she was over him.

Irvine set aside the banner he had been stretching out and looked at her thoughtfully. "I haven't seen him hanging out with anyone besides us lately…have you?"

Quistis had stopped cutting out paper flowers and looked up at Rinoa curiously, just as interested to hear where this was going. How could Squall be dating someone all the sudden? She agreed with Rinoa that it was completely out of character for him to fool around with someone he wasn't already committed to, but then, it was out of character for him to drink heavily, too. This latest suspicion made the blond SeeD worry. What was going on with Squall, these days?

Rinoa squatted down and picked up one of the paper flowers from the little pile Quistis had built up. Studying it without really seeing it, she said, "No, I haven't seen him with anyone but us, either. It's just that he wasn't acting like himself at all, and you know how hard he can be to read. Like I said, if it had been anyone else, I'd think they had just finished making out with someone." She looked up at Irvine, trying to read something in the tall sniper's expression that might give her a clue.

Irvine almost whistled in admiration. ~ She's a sharp one. I'd almost think she knows what's going on between Squall and I, the way she's staring at me. ~

"Well, what did he say he was doing?" he asked neutrally. He made himself hold her suspicious gaze and look as innocent as possible.

"He claimed that he had just finished playing a game of basketball in here." She turned to Quistis. "Did you see Squall come in here at all in the last thirty minutes?"

"No, but then, the quad's not a small place, Rinoa. The basketball court is closer to the entrance than the stage. He could have come in and had a game without me ever seeing him." She took her small, round glasses off and rubbed the lenses with the end of her blouse to clean the smudges off. Carefully, she asked; "Are you afraid for his well-being, or is there another reason you're so worried about what he might have been doing?"

Irvine winced and looked around for something to do, sensing a catfight on the way. "I'll just be over here, out of the way, if you ladies need me," he murmured nervously. He risked a look at Rinoa, and he wasn't surprised to see a delicate flush steal over her pale cheeks. Well, at least she wasn't focusing her attention on him, now. The girl had an uncanny knack for seeing inside of people.

"I've got my own reasons, Quistis," Rinoa said in a low, angry voice, "but if you must know, it does bother me to think of Squall with another girl. I know it shouldn't, but it does. I'm pretty sure it would bother you, too. I know you had feelings for him once."

Quistis smiled coolly. "I thought I did. As it turned out, I discovered that my feelings for Squall were more akin to those of a big sister. You remember that, don't you? And, by the way, I think it's somewhat hypocritical of you to appoint yourself as the relationship police after-"

"Shhh! Okay, you've made your point!"

Irvine's ears pricked and his eyebrows rose in interest. After what? He considered his own suspicions concerning Rinoa and a certain little brunette girl that had broken his heart, and he almost chuckled. Boy, Quistis could really go for the throat when she wanted to; if what he thought she had almost said was true. The girls' conversation died down to whispers, and he had to strain to catch what they were saying.

"…Not our business anyway," Quistis was saying, "and if he IS in a relationship, I'm happy for him. As long as he's healthy and happy, we should all be grateful and stop trying to run his life. If he's not doing something that affects his judgement or health negatively, I'm not going to get in the way."

Irvine grinned. ~ Thank you, Quisty. I knew we could count on you, at least. ~

Aloud, he said, "I hate to interrupt, but we came up with an idea for this weekend while we were eating lunch. How would you ladies like to help me organize a beach party?"

Quistis and Rinoa stopped arguing and looked up at him with identical expressions of confusion. "A…a beach party?" Rinoa stammered, as if she had misheard him.

"Irvine, it's getting a little cold for that sort of thing," added Quistis.

He shrugged. "Yeah, but we can have a bonfire, and only graduates need attend. No underage drinking, just a bunch of legal adults having fun. What do you say? One last blowout before winter comes? Come on, girls…help me get Zell off my back. If he asks me and Squall to go surfing one more time, we're both going to lose our minds."

They looked at one another, and Quistis shrugged. "I don't see any harm in it. Do you already have a list of people you want to invite, or have you even discussed that, yet?"

"Well, we were planning on each of us inviting who we want. Zell's going to invite Xu and probably Nida and his gang, and Squall's inviting Seifer, Raijin and Fujin."

Rinoa's eyes nearly rolled out of her head. "Are you serious? Is he trying to make a party or crash it?"

Irvine clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. "Now, now. They aren't really bad guys…they're just a little snide sometimes. I'm sure it'll be all right."

Quistis snorted. "I've got my doubts about that, but if you guys feel comfortable with it, who am I to judge? I can only think of a couple of people to invite, myself. I suppose you want Rinoa and I to make the invitations?"

Irvine tipped his hat to her and smiled. "You guessed it, darlin'. If any one of us tried to make them, they'd probably end up just being scribbled on notebook paper."

Rinoa sighed and rolled her eyes heavenward, but she smiled at the charming sniper. "You and that grin of yours…one of these days, it's going to get you into trouble."

"Already has, sweetheart. It already has."

~********************~

-To be continued