Lisanna trickled a slim finger down my arm, making the hairs on my neck stand on end. "Natsuuu," she whispered in my ear, carrying out my name with a long whine. "I'm hungry."
"So," I said, already beginning to turn our car around. "I assume that I'll be taking you back to the same restaurant for the third time to spend even more money?"
She shook her head. "No. I want to go wherever Lucy is going." Her words were so casual, like something a normal sister might say, and even so I could feel my heart beating fearfully in my chest, muscles beginning to tense.
Where Lucy was.
~
(Flash back to where I left you off at last chapter, Natsu's P.O.V.)
"LU-CHAN!"
Lucy jumped, startled, as Levy charged toward us, leaving Mirajane in the dust. "We were all waiting for you!" She cried, nails digging into her arm. "I thought, like, a serial killer had kidnapped you or something! But--"
"She was with Natsu?"
My head turned to come to face the familiar voice. Mirajane stood tall and elegant, right arm firm on her hip, portraying the model she was. Levy turned toward me too, at last acknowledging my presence.
Mira applied a thick coat of gloss before continuing, "So, do tell me, what have you two been up to as we were waiting for our scandalous little friend here to show up, or send us a text at the very least?" Mira's words held a suggestive tone and a quiet anger that hid behind everything she said or did. I saw Lucy's face flush as she was called out.
"We were just hanging out! Y'know, I didn't realize it got so late--"
Mira let out a low whistle, smirking. "They say time flies when you're having fun, LuLu," she mused, poking her friend playfully in the ribs.
"You guys are terrible." She murmured.
"We know!" They chanted in unison, as if this wasn't the first time they'd been called out.
Meanwhile I sat quiet, observing this..."girl behavior." It really was interesting. "Natsu!" Lucy whined at last. "Help me!"
I stroked my chin, deep in thought. "Do you think it'd be possible for me to be able to study Girls?"
"What."
"The."
"Hell."
I don't even have to turn around to know who's behind me, who's eyes, concealing a deep, sickening hatred burn my backside.
Laki, Kiana, and Lisanna. Their voices were nearly identical, each having that sharp girly pitch you'd hear all of those cliché stuck-up high school girls have. Reluctantly, I turned around, and as soon as I did so, Lisanna broke into heaving sobs, her two friends quick to comfort her.
"N-Natsu! I came all the way out here, our baby still inside of me, to hear that you want to study girls?" She hiccuped. "Am I...am I not good enough?" She spat the words out, still struggling with the tears that had suddenly erupted.
I could feel the questioning stares from Lucy, Mira and Levy on my back, as if they were wondering if this was for real. But although I could feel those, Laki and Kiana's hateful glares seemed to pierce me, guilt running through every bone in my body.
I really should spend more time with Lis.
"Oi, oi, it was just a joke, Hun," I promised, words carefully chosen. "You're perfect." I bent down to rub Lisanna's back, and slowly I felt her muscles begin to relax. She wiped her tears, and soon enough, there weren't any. That was fast.
She looked up to meet me, our faces inches, maybe centimeters, apart. "Really?"
I pulled her into a tight embrace. "Really."
She gave me a quick, modest peck on my cheek before standing back up. "I love you," she grinned. "Now let's go back home. I have dinner ready and steamy." Lisanna said with a wink.
~
(Time skip back to where Natsu is)
Lisanna nuzzled against my arm, until I could finally feel her breathing steady, signaling she was asleep.
So here I was, driving aimless through the dead of night.
~
(Lucy's P.O.V.)
So here I was, shopping with friends that made me want to rip my hair out.
"Levy! I have the perfect outfit for you!" I heard Mirajane purr. I groaned, but Levy's head shot up, scouring Kohl's for Mira, meaning she didn't get her sarcasm. Already I felt embarrassed for her.
Even more so when she pulled out a laced purple lingerie, with wide rimmed glasses. The price tag clearly read $78, and although I didn't doubt that Mira could easily afford it, I saw Levy's face go pale at the sight of it. "Don't yah wanna be a Sexy Nerd for Gajeel on your nights?" She said, suppressing a giggle.
"M-Mira..." She could barely squeak, and even then her voice was strained, raspy. I just shook my head, pitying the bluenette and wondering how I was still friends with Mira.
Suddenly a woman waltzed up to us, red-orange hair tumbling down her back in tight, wild curls, face small and pinched as if she smelled something rotten. "Oh, it's Mirajane." She threw her head back in immense laughter like just saying her name was a joke itself.
I felt defensive, but before I could fire with a comeback, Mira cut me off, the lingerie now laying on the ground; dropped and forgotten for even Levy seemed angry. "Listen, Nikki, we-" she motioned to the two of us, "-are trying to have a nice time here. So, if I just throw a stick, will you leave us the fuck alone?"
Nikki didn't even look offended in the slightest, for all Mira got was an amused, possibly even pathetic, grunt. "Fail," she cooed.
"We weren't asking for your life story," Levy piped in, and although Mira and I both knew that it was a bit of an old comeback, we both smiled at her. After all, in the end, it's the thought that counts.
Nikki, however, didn't seem half as pleased. She twirled a strand of auburn between her fingers, rolling her shoulders back. "You're insults, Mira, just make you and your little pals sound like idiots." She said, obviously disgusted by just the sight of us.
Mira looked as if she was about to say something but I cut her off. "Of course we talk like idiots. How else would you understand us?"
Nikki threw her head back in laughter again, the same dry, stomach churning laugh that I'd only heard minutes before, reminding me of hyenas. "You have fun with them, Mira. And every single second you're with them, remember me, and how much-"
"Shut up," Mira hissed. "I don't want you, or your fake friendship, you lying l--"
"Do we have a problem, ladies?"
There was a short, aged woman standing in front of us now, her waist thin, rounded glasses sitting atop a hooked nose. "No, no." Nikki assured, already spinning on her heel to leave. "I was just catching up with some old friends." The women raised a brow, but made no protest as she watched us all leave, one by one.
~
I sighed, feeling my shoulders slump. "Sorry we failed you, Mira."
She smiled, rubbing my back. "I couldn't ask for better friends. Honestly." Levy smiled, her usual cheery, gleeful glint returning. "Even if my friends aren't the best at comebacks, I still love you guys. It's just something we need to work on."
"Together." We all said at the same time, even though it sounded quite corny, we'd been doing it for years.
Even though we were all smiles and giggles now, like normal, a dreadful thought creeped in the back of my mind, nagging.
Who was that girl, and what was her history with Mira?
~
"I'm hoommeee!" I cheered, juggling shopping bags from one shoulder to the next. Natsu ran to greet me. "Oi, Lucy!"
"Would you two keep it down?" Lisanna scowled, making us flinch in fear. "S-sorry..."
Before she could lay her head back down, I suddenly remembered something. "Lisanna! I got you something!"
I handed her a notebook; one for drawing. "I know how much you love you draw animals so..."
She smiled, a devious, devilish smile, sending a chill down my spine. "Actually, Neesan," she cooed. "I like quotes a lot now."
She ripped a page out, grabbed a permanent marker. What she wrote next made my stomach twist in fear and guilt.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"A drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts."
(Flashback)
Natsu chuckled, low and hollow, face still flushed in the pale moonlight. "I've always wondered why you don't love me, Luce."
My heart began to race. "Wh-what?"
"Just to make sure, you don't, right? Because I do."
He was so close. I could hear his heart beat, see each of his perfect features, each of his flaws, it would be so easy. To tell him. To tell him how much I cared for him, how much I hated everytime he looked at Lisanna with such a dreamy, love-struck gaze.
But then I smelled the alcohol on his breath. I remembered Lisanna, how she'd been crying.
And then I also remembered one last thing.
I couldn't love him.
~FLASHBACK END~
"Neesan, are you spacing out?" Lisanna giggled. "They say you do that a lot when you're in love."
My face paled. Could it be possible she knew? What would she do? How did she know? Did Natsu know?
"But then again, you could just be tired."
She ran toward a light switch, flicking it off with one quick, swift movement.
"Goodnight."
A/N: sorry I didn't update for awhile! Please comment, it gives me motivation to write! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. What'd you think about Nikki? What about Lisanna? Does she know? If so, how? What about Natsu? Just some things to think about. Happy Shipping!
||THIS WHOLE BOOK IS UNEDITED||