Everybody cries...'cos the truth hurts.

By Carlie.

I had been my room for hours...or at least it seemed that way. I was trying to console myself by looking at some old photos. I held up a real funny picture of me, Selphie,Irvine and Zell where we had dressed up as pirates. We had taken a break on the west side of Devil's Island, it had all been re vamped, which meant no monsters, which was heaven to us! That day had been really hot, I had got a tan for once! Me selphie Zell and Irvine had been playing volleyball on the beach, it had been cool..but where had Squall and Quistis been? I couldn't remember, which was really frustrating. I closed the photo album with a snap.

"Damn pictures" I mumbled.

I sat on the bed and sighed. It annoyed me that I was so...helpless, caught up in what may be an affair, I knew that Squall and Quisty liked each other.....but did they... .?...I couldn't think it.

I sprawled my legs out and yawned when....

*knock*

"RINOA!!!"

*thump thump*

"ARE YOU THERE??",

It was Selphie...but why was she banging so loud? I started to walk to the door, a little annoyed at her thumps...

"what is it Selph?" I asked.

"LOOK!!"

By this stage she was hysterical, I looked out of my door to see Squall run for the elevator, he turned and smiled to me.....

"RINOA!!!"

Selphie squealed and shoved a piece of moist paper at me.

"What's this?" I started to read, "Dear Whoever... when you find this I'll be dead?, I can't make any more out.." the paper was wet and the pencil marks had run terribly, making anything below the first few lines impossible to make out.

She pulled me out of my room and forced me down the corridor. We got to the elevator when a familiar voice came from behind us.

"What's going on?"

Selphie whirled around to see Quistis.

"You...you BITCH!" she ran to Quistis hands out, ready to hit her....I swerved and caught Selphie in between her and Quistis.

"Would someone like to tell me what the hell is going on?" Quistis demanded.

"Someone's killed themself.....for some reason" I told her, shakily. Selphie butted in-

"ALL BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU INCONSIDERATE LITTLE SLUT!" Selphie boomed. My jaw dropped open, I had never heard Selphie say a bad word to anyone...she was always so happy, she wouldn't say boo to a ghost, or hurt a fly....what the hell was up with her?

"Okay Selphie?" I tried to calm her down "What's going on?" "THIS IS WHAT'S GOING ON!" Selphie shoved the wet letter at Quistis, she turned pale as she read it silently "Selphie" Quistis looked annoyed "What is this about..really"

"YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW!" Selphie paced up and down, she looked like a monster, a big scary monster as she interrogated Quistis, "About five minutes ago, you were talking with Squall. You held his hand...correct?" Selphie eyed Quistis angrily, I folded my arms. What the hell was this?

"Um..." Quistis looked to me, she must have realized I had no clue as to what was going on. She smiled. "Yes, we were holding hands, but for a brief period, for about 1.2356 seconds." she moved her hands as she spoke, my lips quivered slightly, but not much.

Selphie looked to me, as her face softened she mouthed a sorry to me, I nodded my head, eager for her to go on, maybe now I'd find the truth. "And Quistis, Irvine is much cooler and a lot more interesting than you, so don't dare ever shrug him off....cos it was YOU" she pointed to Quistis which made her jump slightly, "AND HIM" she then pointed upstairs, I assumed she meant Squall and not the teenage acne filled trepe fan who had adoring posters of Quistis on his wall. Believe me, half of the pictures had been doctored, very badly.

"THAT MADE HIM DO THIS! SQUALL REALIZES IT, DON'T YOU?" Selphie flashed an evil smile. Why was it that everyone else knew something and I didn't?

"Ok ok...." I broke the tension and stepped at Selphie's side. "Would anyone at all like to tell me what the hell is going on?"

I eyed Quistis carefully "No...nothing at all." Quistis smiled. "Okay then..." Selphie came off hot head mountain and lowered her tone a little "I'll tell Rinoa what the hell is going on..." I saw Quistis shake her head, in embarrassment maybe, then turn away...Ok now I was getting really pissed off.

"Okay, Selphie tell me, it must be big.....so lets hear it" I sat on the SeeD sofa and Selphie sat next to me.

"Rinoa I can't say this softly..but QUISTIS LOVES SQUALL AND THEY HAVE BEEN GOING BEHIND YOUR BACK FOR SURE AND IRVINE PICKED IT UP AND THAT'S WHY HE'S KILLED HIMSELF, COS HE DOESN'T FEEL LOVED AND IT ISN'T FAIR, COS THE LITTLE SLUT OVER THERE AND YOUR GUY RUINED EVERYTHING." Selphie caught her breath for a second, and for that single second I snapped...What?.......what the hell was happening? talk about the eye of the storm, his was the eye of a never ending cyclone, the love that me and Squall shared..this was just not right......

"Dammit Quistis..." I stammered. Quistis turned around. She had gone white

"Rinoa..that isn't how it went.....I only like Squall..." she stammered. Selphie blew up.

"WHAT??!! IF YOU ONLY LIKE THE GUY WHY ARE YOU TWO ALWAYS MAKING ADVANCES, DON'T DENY IT ITS ALL HERE!"

She grabbed the paper off Quistis and held it in her arms, slowly crying. "Oh Irvine I'm sorry..." she sobbed "I'm so sorry...."

I glared at Quistis, my anger building. She could see that I meant business. "Selphie...go look for Irvine...see if you can find him." I told her. "...Okay." Selphie nodded slowly. She waited for the elevator to come, her eyes fixed on Quistis. Mine were also fixed on Quistis. If looks could kill? Well..Quistis would be a pile of ash right now, fried by our murderous thoughts. Quistis had hurt both me and Selphie, in a way taking both our guys...slowly breaking Irvine and having her way with Squall.

The elevator came down and Selphie got in, frantically pressing the u button. What had happened on the floor I was on wasn't Selphie's concern..for now..

I shook my head and went to the elevator door, "Damn Quistis...why the hell did you have to go and love Squall??!!" I got angrier at each word, all I was playing in my mind over and over again, Quistis loves squall.......

"Rinoa.....do you think I meant for this to happen??" Quistis objected.

"WELL YOU TELL ME!!" I screamed. God! Was she stupid? Didn't she contemplate for one measly moment that peoples feelings might be hurt? No...cos' she's Quistis and Im' Rinoa...and Squall's Squall and everyone is everyone, no one thinks...

"Well what can I say?" Quistis stammered.

"The fucking truth to start with!" I shouted. The room sort of went into slow motion, with me and Quistis eyeing each other for very different reasons....Quistis cos' of fear and me cos' I was turning into an angry bitch very quickly.

"When did you start 'loving' him?" I asked.

She sighed.

"When I rescued him from somewhere, I can't remember where exactly..."

"Was it before he met me...?" I spoke clearly to her now, I was past angry...I was psycotic.

"Yes..." Quistis whispered. She didn't know how that tore me apart. I swallowed my hurt and went on.

"Do you think he loves you back?" Oh Hyne, what a stupid question, Irvine's letter and Selphie's eye witness account told it all.....Squall loved Quistis and Quistis loved Squall, I fought back tears as Quistis spoke softly.

"I think so..." She must have felt some happiness saying that, who wouldn't? If you could tell someone that Squall Leonheart loved YOU,wouldn't you get that little twinge of happiness?, I knew how that felt, once upon a blue moon.

My voice was quivering as I made for her neck. I grasped her neck and pushed her to the elevator wall.

"Now listen here, bitch." My hand wrapped around her neck tighter "You stay the hell away from me, and Selphie, and Irvine, and Zell, and I swear if you hurt anyone I know again, well..." I wrung her neck tighter and she squealed slightly "You can guess what'll happen...."

I let go of her neck as she slid down to the floor, she rested her head on the elevator wall and wept softly as she held her neck, her neck had a big ugly red hand print of where I grabbed her. I smiled evilly, as though I had accomplished something...but yet again a little voice came into my head, telling me I was wrong....that I shouldn't have done that and should be friends with Quistis and Squall. Fuck that, little voices, Squall and Quistis deserve all that comes to them.

I pressed the elevator door and waited, I heard footsteps running down the spiral staircase near to where Quistis sobbed, I ignored them and continued to wait.

"Rinoa!!!!"

Damn! it was Squall!, I couldn't be bothered with another confrontation, not with Squall anyway.... I'd started crying, I didn't want all that hard work showing Quistis I wasn't a soft touch go to waste. I waited for the elevator as Squall looked to Quistis.

"Quisty are you alright?" He knelt down to her and moved her hand away from the hand print. "What?...who did that to you?" He was mad. Quistis nodded her head to me and I looked at Squall with evil eyes. "Rinoa what the hell have you done?" Squall shouted at me. I turned my head as a single tear fell from my eye to the floor,

"Getting revenge..." I managed to stammer before the elevator chimed. I got into the elevator and pressed the button for the top level. I turned around, my back turned from Squall and Quistis..Squall helping Quistis up. I caught a last glimpse of Squall, he was white, oh yeah he knew what was going on.........they both knew........ ~Owari~