[ Chapter 4 : Thinking Ahead? ] Squall and I made our way out of the classroom towards the cafeteria, hand in hand. I had a short break before my prerequisite. I wanted to quickly grab something to eat before I left. We watched as most of the class overtook us in excitement. Zell and Irvine walked together, whispering things to each other. I automatically assumed that they were still planning their mischief for the Pageant. I smiled. "W-what's so funny?" Squall asked. "Oh... Just wondering what mischief those two are planning," I laughed. I watched Selphie walking by herself, sneakily following Irvine and Zell at a fair distance. She looked disappointed that Irvine was walking with Zell instead of her. Quistis quickened her pace and caught up with Selphie. She probably noticed what was going on too and decided to cheer up Selphie. Squall and I continued walking in silence. I had the urge to want to start a conversation with him, but I dismissed it. Sometimes it's best when we don't say anything. When we and I finally reached the cafeteria, we sat down at the closest table. Squall sat across from me. Angelo lay down underneath the table. "I've got about fifteen minutes before I have to meet Quistis at the front gate," I announced, breaking the silence. Squall didn't say anything. He just nodded in response. "Do you want me to get you something to eat?" I asked. "I-I'm not hungry..." Squall answered. "Ok..." I replied. A few seconds later, Selphie enthusiastically skipped towards us, clutching a large stack of paper in her arms. "Hiyaaa guys!" Selphie chirped. "Hi Sefie!" I answered, trying to match her enthusiasm. She took a sheet from the top of her paper stack and handed it to me, looking as if she were going to trip over and drop the whole pile. I giggled a bit. Selphie struggled to regain her balance. "Heeeere ya go!" she bellowed enthusiastically. I took the paper from her and examined it carefully. "It has some more information about the Pageant. It has the criteria on it. I'm sposed to be pinning them up around Garden, but since you and Squall my best buddies, I thought I'd give you a copy first!" Selphie explained. "Thanks Sef!" I exclaimed. "Well... Gotta scoot! I have to pin these babies up all around Garden by the end of the day!" Selphie added. With that, Selphie took off. I waved to her just as she left. I started reading the sheet again, eager to find out more details about the Pageant. It seemed like a fun thing to do. It'd give me a break from all the hard work and training I've been doing lately. As I continued to read on, I found myself less enthusiastic about entering the Pageant. "I don't know if I want to enter this..." I told Squall. He looked at me blankly. "W-why?" he asked. "I just don't think that I could fulfil all their requirements," I replied. I handed Squall the sheet. I no longer seemed as eager as I was before to enter the Pageant. I seemed to have lost all of my self-esteem within a matter of moments. Squall remained silent for a few moments as he skimmed through the sheet, studying the Pageant details. "... The Pageant will be judged on poise, elegance, and professionality of a talent, which must be presented. Audience response and looks will be considered as a minor category in the criteria, but the winners will not be judged solely on that," Squall read out. "See? I don't have all that. Poise? Elegance? It's not me. And as for talent... What talent could I possibly possess that would be good enough for the rest of the world to see?" I replied. Squall put the sheet down on the table. It landed close to the edge of the table, looking as if it were going to fall off. Squall merely dismissed it, stretching out his hands towards mine and grabbing hold of them. The sheet finally fell of the table and floated towards the freshly polished floor. "... You have lots of talents to show!" he said reassuringly. "Ok then. Name one," I said, sounding unconvinced. "... Angelo," he replied. Angelo's ears shot up. The dog sat up and listened attentively. "Huh? What about Angelo?" I asked, puzzled. "You trained Angelo. Do you realize how hard it is to train a dog to do anything? Let alone, training a dog how to defend you and heal you when you're fighting!" he informed. I was about to break into a fit of giggles at his suggestion, yet I managed to restrain myself. Instead, I looked into his greyish-blue eyes. They looked sincere. I could distinctively tell that Squall was being serious. I didn't want to hurt him by laughing, as he was trying to be as supportive as he could. "... But how am I supposed to use Angelo in the Pageant?" I replied. Squall remained silent for a few moments. I could tell he was deep in thought again. I was getting good at reading his body language now. I could tell what he was thinking by the way he moved and acted. Kind of like Quistis could a while back. Or maybe Squall was just very predictable?! No. I doubt that highly, otherwise everyone else would know what he was thinking too. "... Teach Angelo some tricks that are unique. Things that no one else has attempted before," Squall answered, finally breaking his silence. "... I guess so. It'll be tedious, but I guess it's worth a shot. Thanks Squall!" I said. I got up, leaned over the table and gave Squall a big hug. " Hmmm. Now for some food. I'll be back in a sec, Squall. You sure you don't want anything?" I asked him. He shook his head. With that, I got up and headed towards the smell of the yummy food. I could see Seifer and his posse approaching from the corner of my eye. A few seconds later, they stopped in front of me, blocking my way to the food. "Ummm... Hi everyone," I greeted. Fujin and Raijin just stared at me blankly, as if they were some kind of hypnotic spell. But then again they're like that from time to time. It's all apart of being in the 'posse.' Seifer approached me as if he were trying to keep our conversation discreet. "... Rinoa. Instructor Trepe is looking for you. Better get over to the front gate before she goes mental," Seifer informed. "Oh no! I forgot about my prerequisite! She's gonna kill me!" I bellowed out in shock. I slight feeling of dread had settled over me as I wondered what Quisty was gonna do when I got there. Would I be in trouble? "Thanks Seifer," I said appreciatively. He nodded. He and his posse then stormed off again. I quickly ran over to Squall. "Squall, change of plans. Too late for a snack. I have to go to my prerequisite. I forgot about it," I announced. Squall nodded approvingly. Angelo stood up. "We'll talk later ok? Meet me at the Quad," I instructed. I gave Squall a quick kiss on the cheek and dashed towards my dorm room. Angelo ran behind me, practically nipping at my heels. I quickly grabbed my Blaster Edge from our room and dashed off again towards the front gate. Quisty was waiting there patiently, with her arms crossed. "Rinoa. You're late again," Quisty informed. I stood there for a moment, catching my breath. Angelo seemed to be doing the same thing. "... Sorry Quisty. I kinda... Forgot all about it," I said apologetically. "It's ok. I'm getting used to it. But you have to learn how to be on time. Sometimes, time is essential," she explained. "I'm sorry. I'll try being on time though. I promise," I replied. "That's alright... Okay. Let's head towards the Fire Cavern..." she instructed. With that, we headed towards the Fire Cavern for my prerequisite. As nervous as I was, I still had Squall and the Pageant swimming around in my thoughts. I guess all of that would have to wait until later... ( To be continued... )