"Carri...this is Lina. She's my friend. Lina... this is Carri...she's...my girlfriend."
Lina's eyes were fixed on Carri and suddenly, she was in the limelight and what a burning limelight it was. The others were now watching, waiting for her reaction--this news was big--not just your ordinary introduction. Suddenly, Lina didn't know why she'd come back to Garden. Had it really been for her room? Or had it been for him?
Lina had taken the required Drama classes back in school, but otherwise had no training whatsoever in acting. She had been told, however, that she was a natural and had once passed off an opportunity to let her potential shine; so now, here on the intangible stage unwelcome circumstances had sculpted, she would finally get the chance to act. And what a difficult scene it was. Lina very calmly laughed and shook her hand, "Cool. Hey... aren't you in my class?" That same smile was getting weary on her face already, and she struggled to keep up with it. "Yeah, the new student--er... obviously not so new anymore." Lina forced herself to chuckle.
"You're my instructor?" Carri asked a bit dully. "What about Instructor Tilmitt?"
"Selphie!?" Lina blinked, wide-eyed. They'd found a substitute in Selphie!? "Wow. Classes must seriously be a riot." Selphie, next to Irvine blushed, as the others laughed. Anything that Lina said now she knew wouldn't count.
"A what?" Carri asked, brainlessly.
"Nevermind," Lina said, and let her smile drop for just a second. She dared not look in Zell's direction. She knew he was analyzing her every move now--seeing through her act to how she really felt--how everything in her was finally crumbling, and her mentality was in the walls of her mind, ripping away at its security until she realized, from here on, she was alone.
"LINA!" Suddenly Dan and Karen jumped into the room again and stood in front of her, smiling like they had something caught in their cheeks. "We have a giiiiifftt for youuu..." Dan pulled from behind his back a helmet and slapped it on Lina's head without hurting her. "For the next time you decide to hit your head." She laughed whole-heartedly--and how good that felt to actually smile and shake this pain from her temporarily. She flung her arms around the both of them and thanked them in a whisper.
"Ah... you must be tired, Lina," Rinoa said, quickly, seeing her sister's struggle. Lina nodded, still acting. She kind of leaned her head against Karen's shoulder and smiled idly.
"We'd really better leave," Irvine said, also helping Lina. Lina smiled fully at him; usually he was never all that serious, making little jokes here and there, but now, he was putting his entire effort into protecting Lina.
"Alright then...bye," Zell was almost reluctant to leave.
"Yeah! Bye!" Karen said quickly and ushered them all quickly out. Lina was still smiling, however feebly. She waved as they left and closed the door. Finally, she let go of that smile. Everything meant nothing now. Lina was broken.
Millions of people search for love and feign affection for a thrill, for that feeling inside that tells them they have the potential to be something great, but Lina had found love, real unconditional, head-over-heels, die-for-you love. And that's what hurt the most. That she had had it. That she had lived it. And now that she was without it.
She turned around and leaned her back against the closed door. Quietly, she slid down and crouched onto the floor. No more acting--silent tears sprung out of her eyes--so painful, but so quiet that no one standing on the other side of the door would be able to hear; she kept her pain to herself.