(note: use "Maybe smart is the new sexy?" somewhere in this fic!)
High School Sweet Hearts
The day started as any other for Meliodas. Hands clasped with his "girlfriend" Zaneli. He had been dating her for a while now and while he cared about her, something never really felt right between them. She was head over heels for the shorter than usual blonde haired senior student, but he just couldn't bring himself to feel the same for her. He would humor her though and act as her boyfriend when in the halls of the school, though at home it was a different story.
"Why didn't you text me back Meli? I missed you like crazy yesterday, but you never answered any of my calls!" She whined out squeezing his hand harder.
'Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you called me 6 times in a row?' He rolls his eyes while thinking to himself. Zaneli shrugs when he doesn't answer her question and gasps as the late bell rings for class.
"O god I'm going to be late again! I just can't help myself though, I love holding your hand Meli!" She giggles while kissing him gently on the cheek and he tries not to flinch in front of her. She waves at him while running down the hall to get to her class and he waves halfheartedly back at her. Hanging his head and sighing in exasperation, he turns to make his way to his class, however he doesn't notice the junior high schooler who isn't paying much attention to where she is going either. They end up colliding in the halls and the papers she had been carrying go flying all around them, knocking each other to the ground.
"O god I'm so sorry!" Meliodas rubs his head as he hurries his apologies quickly into the air. But his voice doesn't land on deaf ears and the girl now looks up, rubbing a similar bump to his forming on her forehead.
"O it…it's ok." She squeaks quietly and begins collecting her papers, blushing a deep shade of red. 'He is adorable!' Her thoughts are burning her ears with the warm blood that is rushing into her face. Her voice coaxes Meliodas to look up and in her direction, noticing her school papers scattered across the floor. The shape of her body catching his eye as she crouches over to pick them up.
'Picking up papers? O I should probably help!' Meliodas mentally slaps himself for noticing her physique before helping her with the mess he made. He begins quickly picking up most of the papers with a speed that seemed humanly impossible, but the pickup comes to a halt when his fingers rub against hers and he firmly grips the hand without thinking.
'So soft!' His first thought rushes into his head like water in the rapids of a river. She quickly pulls away and his heart sinks a bit, he gulps down a lump in his throat and slowly stands to his feet as she rises to hers. Their eyes meet and he slowly hands her the papers he managed to collect, not breaking his gaze for a second. 'so blue, how beautiful.' His thoughts melt his tongue and roll down the back of his throat. He chokes them down and fights the urge to blurt them aloud. He finally musters up the courage to talk after staring her down for several seconds.
"Sorry again, I was kind of distracted by my thoughts so I didn't see you there, I hope I didn't bump you to hard. Does that hurt?" He says simply, reaching out to touch her forehead, but she blocks his advances by placing her hand to her temple and rubbing it quickly.
"O no, I'm quite alright, but I'm very late for class, so I should be going. Thank you for your help, I'm also very sorry. I didn't catch your name though, I'm Elizabeth." The girl smiles as she reaches out to shake his hand. He takes it from her and places a kiss on the back instead and she gasps with the other hand against her mouth, not expecting the sudden exchange of pleasantries.
"My name Is Meliodas." He says coolly with a wide smile, both eyes gently shut, but still sending an oddly calming yet thrilling feeling of panic into her as if he was staring her down. He opens his eyes to catch a glimpse of her face and notices she is stammering, looking for more words to say, but not finding any since she was still fairly shocked by his boldness.
"Sorry about being so forward, it's kind of something I'm used to doing around beautiful ladies like yourself since I'm a successor to a big company and all." He says rolling his eyes and blowing the bangs from out of his face. Elizabeth stammers some more, but nods and quickly turns, gaze still focused on Meliodas with her head turned.
"Well it was very nice to meet you! I'll be seeing you!" She smiles as she waves goodbye, rushing down the hall towards her class and Meliodas sighs once more, this time with a hint of satisfaction creeping into his composure.
'Man she was sexy, I wonder if I'll have any classes with her this year, it would be nice to have something to distract me from these boring classes once in a while. I should get going too though, can't be late on my first day of school. It probably won't look good on my father.' Meliodas bitterly thinks to himself walking to his own class now, but he almost seems to have a light step as he walks, a bit happier after his run in with the new girl he met. 'I wonder if I'll see Ban in class today. Classic senior Ban would probably be skipping the first day.' He continues to ponder thinking of his good friend as he walks and almost as if on cue Ban comes creeping around the corner, throwing a free arm around Meliodas with his other hand crammed into his pocket.
"Hey Cap'n!" Ban hums out as he walks alongside his best friend.
"Ban, I told you not to call me that anymore. We were in the eighth grade and it was the stupid robotics club. Just call me Mel or some shit, k?" Meliodas drones on as he crushes Bans hand with his, other hand also jammed into one of his own pockets.
"Ow! Fine! …..some shit it is than!" Ban laughs hysterically while wincing and blowing on his sore hand. "Anyways Mel, what has you in such a good mood? When I rounded that corner I swore I could see you skipping." Ban continues to laugh as he picks on Meliodas and his brain for an explanation.
"It's like you're begging me to kill you Ban, I swear. Anyways if you honestly have to know it's probably because I can't get her face out of my head." Meliodas sighs again like he did when he was exasperated with Zaneli.
"Ohoho Cap'n you thinking about some girl while you already have such a cutie following you around all day?!" Ban cries out with excitement and disbelief.
"Ban for fucks sake I'm not saying it again. M.E.L.I.O.D.A.S. Say it with me. Meliodas! And also Zaneli is sweet and all and I really care about her don't get me wrong, but when I'm around her I just don't feel like she's the girl for me. I know it sounds stupid and I should be happy just having a girlfriend since every girl is extremely intimidated by me for some reason. It's almost as if I have some sort of demonic aura that sends all the girls running for the hills, but when I met Zanelli she was almost obsessed with me and I thought it would be nice if the both of us had someone to call our own. Then I bumped into Elizabeth just now and,"
"Elizabeth? As in the new girl Elizabeth Liones!?" Ban shouts loudly into Meliodas' ear, interrupting his thoughts.
"How the hell should I know?" Meliodas digs a pinkie into his ear and flicks the earwax he pulled out into Bans direction.
"Well what did she look like?" Ban inquires trying to dig up more information about Meliodas chance encounter.
"She had silver hair, and big blue eyes. She was sort of tall for a woman, but most women are taller than me anyways." Meliodas chuckles jamming an elbow into his friend's ribs.
"That's Elizabeth! I heard she's super smart and she graduated Jr. high school when she was just 10 years old! She waited until she was seventeen to join high school though so she wouldn't be judged for her age. She's really focused with her school work and she's already taking college level classes. She seemingly doesn't have a boyfriend and has no interest in boys, most of us are intimidated by her anyways so none of us will approach her. Not like I'd want to. I've got Elaine now. She's the cutest piece of ass in this joint." Ban rambles on watching Meliodas alfalfa bouncing as he walks towards their class.
"Well I guess smart is the new sexy." Meliodas mumbles out under his breath.
"Hmm what's that Cap'n?" Bans eyebrows lift as he misses the gist of what Meliodas just said.
"Nothing. Let's get to class, yea?" Mel sighs as he continues to walks down the hall, friend trailing behind.
"Sure." His friend replies following him down the hall with a wide grin on his face, happy to be back in school with his pal again.
"Meliodas!? O no, no, no, Eli you can't be serious. Don't let Diane find out he kissed you!" Elizabeth's older sister Veronica sits next to her in their homeroom and gushes over her hallway drama from earlier.
"He didn't kiss me sister! Also, why can't Diane know?" Elizabeth whispers back to her sister trying not to get caught in the middle of class.
"Because she likes him of course! Also a kiss is a Kiss Eli even if it was the back of your hand. O my gosh! Also he may be adorable, but just keep an eye on him k Eli? He is a bit of a flirt and he has a girlfriend. But I can't believe he kissed you like that! Gah!" Veronica resists the urge to squeal out loud.
"Sister please just leave me alone so I can study, I regret telling you any of it now. I surely wouldn't have if I'd known you were going to make such a big deal out of it." Elizabeth huffs the bangs from her face and continues to write the formulas from the board into her journal.
"Hey, what are you two talking about?" Diane whispers, tapping Elizabeth on her shoulder with her hello kitty pencil.
"N…Nothing!" Elizabeth blushes as she shouts aloud, trying to keep her big secret from spilling out and hurting Dianes feelings, but now all eyes have made their way towards the girl's direction, including their teacher who doesn't particularly have a big old smile on her face.
"Elizabeth I'm sure you'll be able to find whatever this "nothing" is out in the hall!" Her teacher barks pointing a finger towards the door.
"Y…yes Ma'am." Elizabeth nods as she picks hers supplies up from her desk and makes her way out into the hall. She sits against the wall of her class and lets out a heavy sigh as she begins to finish the problems from her text book. She was determined to learn something even if her high school drama was more important to her sister. As she doodles in her notebook she hears the sound of footsteps approach her, but decides to ignore them thinking it's nothing out of the normal. What isn't normal though is when the footsteps come to a stop and a body slides down the wall next to her. She moves her eyes slowly to peek over without moving her head and almost jumps out of her skin.
"M…Meliodas! Shouldn't you be in class?" She stammers as she stares his big emerald eyes down with her sapphire ones.
"I was on my way to the can when I saw you sitting here with your nose crammed in that book. So I guess it's true what they say about you then huh? You really are serious about this school stuff." He grins patting her head like a child. She flinches from his touch and stares at him like he was about to explode.
"What makes you think you have any right to touch me?" She blurts out furiously and he chuckles again.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean anything by it. Remember I told you I kind have a problem when I'm around pretty girls." He mutters, picking himself up off the ground.
"I guess what they say about you is true too." Elizabeth says stopping him from moving any further away.
"What's that?" He grins, this time not as friendly, but almost as if he'd jump her and pin her down if she wasn't careful about the next things that she'd let slip from her mouth.
"They say that you have a girlfriend, but you're a bit of a player. Any smart girl can see that though; you don't have to pass Jr. high at the age of ten to figure out you're no good." Her words are cold and his heart sinks back into his chest, no longer beating fast with nervousness.
"You say I'm such a player, then how about we go on a date? I'll pick you up at seven and then maybe you'll feel differently about judging someone you don't even know." He says calmly at first, but then bursts into laughter as her face which is frozen in shock makes it harder for him to stop.
"M….maybe, but I'll need to be home by at least ten." Elizabeth demands shyly and waits for his laughter to ring echo down the halls once more. She is shocked when instead his hands find hers once more and he pulls her to her feet.
"Well I'll be there even if you are ready or not, so you better be ready!" He grins as he leans in to kiss her cheek before running off down the halls. She stands alone in shock and places a hand to her cheek gently.
"Uh-oh. What am I going to do now?" Elizabeth sighs as she slides down the wall and returns to her studying. She tries her best to complete most of her work, but can't push past the hundreds of thoughts racing around in her head. She sighs again and decides to take a break from her studies and slowly nods off on the walls of the school hallway.
"I can't believe you dozed off like that in class Eli! That is so unlike you!" Veronica tries to stifle her laughter towards her sister's anguish, but fails miserably and bursts into side stitching laughter.
"Sister that isn't funny at all! Mrs. Miller was so upset that I got a detention slip! I've never had a detention slip! Luckily our principle, Mrs. Able, was nice enough to tell Mrs. Miller that it obviously was not incidental since I've no record of being a hindrance to my previous teachers and they both agreed not to give it to me." She whines her sisters ear off before her thoughts distract her again.
'Especially since I have a date tonight with Meliodas and I really don't want to miss my first date with a boy ever!' Elizabeth thinks silently to herself fearing her friends would read her thoughts. As the girls chatted amongst themselves, Meliodas sat with his girlfriend Zaneli who was "lucky" enough to get the same lunch as he and his agony was seated obvious on his face.
"What's wrong Meli-poo?" Zaneli poked his cheek and his emerald eyes slowly open in response, catching of glimpse of Elizabeth who was sitting just a few tables away.
'So she has A lunch too? This is an extremely interesting day after all.' He thought alone watching Eli play with her long silver tendrils and laughing with all her friends. He wanted to leave his table so bad and walk right up to her, slam his fist down causing her to jump and chuckle as she scolded him for scaring her. Unfortunately, his girlfriend was always glued to his side like a button sewn to the hem of his pants.
"Zaneli, I think you and I need to talk about something." He moans pinching the bridge of his nose.
"What is it?" Zanelis eyes begin to shimmer and grow wider as she fears the worst and this causes another deep sigh from Meliodas who can't bring himself to hurt the poor girl. He struggles with his thoughts, teetering on the boarder of breaking her heart or just flaking on their plans. He makes his decision and turns to face his pestering girlfriend, looking her in the eyes with his reluctant gaze.
"I can't make it to your Grandmothers birthday. My father has some big corporate meeting he doesn't want me to miss and he will ground me if I'm not there." Meliodas grimaces as he lies, waiting for her to start whining and crying all at the same time.
"O….ok Meli, I'll miss you though you know?" She smiles and pats his head like he did Elis moments earlier, making his teeth and fists clench in anger. He watches Zaneli walk out the lunch room doors and a smile reappears on his face where a frown had been and when she's finally out of sight he launches himself off the lunch table. His feet hit the floor and he takes off, running straight for Elizabeths lunch table. His paces slow as he approaches the table and he slams a fist onto the surface causing the girls to jump and scream. His laugh echoes in the cafeteria and everyone looks to see what all the commotion is about. His gaze stops at Elizabeth who he grins foolishly at and she's almost mesmerized by the deep green color of his stare.
"Hey Meliodas, Meliodas? MELIODAS!" Diane howls snapping her fingers in his face. "I'm talking to you you jackass! that wasn't very funny!" Diane seethes as she notices he still isn't looking at her and waves her hand between Meliodas's and Elizabeth's faces. Elis head snaps away and a deep red blush rushes into her cheeks as Mel chuckles and look in Diane's direction.
"Calm down Diane, when is this crush of yours gunna stop anyways? That was elementary crap remember?" He says still grinning and his cheek is met with closed fingers punching their way into his face.
"I don't have a crush you jerk!" Diane chokes on her words as tears begin to form in her eyes, causing Meliodas to sigh.
"Diane, can't you take a joke? It's only funny unless it's about you, right? Just like you." He says in a disgusted tone while shaking his head. Diane's mouth drops and the fresh tears finally begin to drip down her face as she turns to run.
"Meliodas?" Elizabeth calls for his attention and he gladly give it to her with a big grin. Her finger coaxes his ear to her lips, signaling that whatever she had to say was to stay between the two of them now.
"If this is how you treat my friends, don't bother showing up at my house tonight." She hisses to him before knocking him off the chair next to her and running after her classmate.
"Woah! You ok Meliodas? You should have seen that coming. Eli has no tolerance for bullies and rich kids who don't know how to act like civil human beings. Also," Veronica kneels down reaching her hand out to him as she speaks. "Stay away from my little sister!" She pulls him to his feet just enough to let go and drop him on his ass.
"You Liones girls are starting to become a real pain in the ass." He chortles, anger biting the back of his throat which spills over into his voice while he rubs his backside, but her warning falls on deaf ears and Meliodas feels no more deterred from getting closer to Elizabeth.
"I mean it Meliodas, if you hurt her or any of the girls in this school like you did before you'll regret it!" Veronica shouts out to him as he walks away with his hand up in the air waving back at the girls.
"Hey Cap'n what was that about? What did she mean like before?" Ban sneaks up behind his friend grabbing his shoulder before hoping onto his back for a way to weird and disproportionate piggy back ride.
"Damn it Ban I'm not some carnival ride for you to be amused by!" Meliodas huffs as he plucks his friend up with ease and drop kicks him across the hall already having left the cafeteria.
"Well are you at least gunna tell me what she meant!?" Ban whines as his friend walks past him and pulls his hands from his pockets to cover his ears in an immature fashion.
"Lalalala I can't heeeaar yoooou!" Meliodas sings out with a smile as he ignores his friend.
"Come on cap'n!" Ban continues to cry out and Meliodas finally snaps, slowing his footsteps so that Ban might catch up to him.
"Fine you really wanna know what kind of friend and guy I am?" Meliodas hung dropped as his friend walked up from behind with excited hands flailing all around eager for a good story.
"Well ok, let's just say I had a girlfriend once before and not a lot of people knew about it. Just a few friends Liz and I hung out with, Veronica being one of them. Anyways, she's obviously not my girlfriend anymore." Meliodas spits out as he starts walking from his friend who just stares back confused.
"What happened? What did you do?" Ban calls out racing to catch up with Meliodas whose pace seems to be getting faster with each step.
"Come on tell me." Ban starts to whine again still chasing Meliodas down the halls. Stopping to turn and face his friend, Ban can see his face is red and wet with tears that had started to fall down his face.
" She's dead Ban, ok!? Fucking drop it!" The crowded halls freeze as he shouts and all eyes turn to look at the two friends standing face to face with knees spread apart and fists clenched.
"Fight, fight, fight, fight, fight." The chanting of the crowd starts slowly and softly, but begins to grow as Meliodas lifts his fist, almost as if the chanting had been controlling his movements. Instead of throwing it towards Ban however, his fist lands into a locker beside him and bends the metal inward, making the cubby inaccessible now.
"Aw come on! First Diane comes to me in tears crying over you and now you trash my locker!?" A little redheaded boy walks towards his cubby now with his arms folded over his chest. He moves them to his face covering his eyes and glares out from behind them towards the bickering besties.
"Sorry King." Meliodas spits again before pushing past him and making his way towards his class.
"What the hell was all that about?" Ban stammers as he watches his friends walk down the halls in a furious trot.
"It's your fault you know, he told you he didn't want to talk about it. I don't blame him. If something like that ever happened to Diane and I could have saved her, but didn't, I wouldn't want to talk much about it either." King sighs as he pats Ban on the back and pushes him off towards their class.
"Come on let's get going. Our teachers are going to kill us if we don't show." King huffs as he forces his classmate down the hall.
"But what the fuck happened to her! And how come everyone else knows!?" Ban protests as king continues to shove.
"Just let it go man! Let's go! Move your ass!" King shouts angrily now at the taller boy blocking his path who is sighing heavily and folding his arms in a pouty fashion.
"Fine, Let's go! No body tell Ban what's going on it's not like he doesn't need to know anything!" Ban groans rolling his eyes and pushing off the ground with his feet to begin walking without Kings help.
"He'll tell you when he's ready. He always tells his girlfriend's anyways." King giggles at his own joke that was directed as an insult to the taller boy.
"Oi you calling me and the Cap'n queers!? Also does he really tell all his girlfriends?" Ban tilts his head in confusion as he speaks his mind.
"Well the only girlfriend he has had since Liz is Zaneli and I'm guessing he told her. I mean why wouldn't he they are dating after all." King puts his finger on his chin looking up at ban as he speaks.
"Yea, but according to the Cap they don't really click, at least she doesn't click with him, but she's gaga for him." Ban hums softly as he sets his eyes on the blonde who can still be seen walking just feet away.
"Poor Meliodas. I wonder if he will ever be ok after that." King sighs walking next to his friend as they head towards their classes together, watching their fellow classmate walk alone and sad.
Class continued for the students as usual. Nothing much to report of the first day of school. Not much drama and the teachers went easy on they homework seeing as the students were still a little rusty from the long summer vacation. Elizabeth gripped her school bag tightly and skipped happily down the halls to her bus.
"Almost home free! Hopefully I can escape the school before I run into anybody rude." Elizabeth chants to herself as she skips, but before she can burst through the school exit doors a hand slams itself against the molding and blocks her path from the fresh air outside.
"O Eli, I hope you aren't referring to me!" Meliodas grins as he leans against the door his hand was just recently pressed into.
"I hope you know I was very serious this morning. I don't go on date with boys who don't know how to be nice to girls, because if that's the way you treat women how do I know I'll be treated any better! And look at you right now! Zaneli is steps away and you're wasting your time with me. You should go talk to her!" Elizabeth exclaims as she pushes him out of the way before racing out the doors and into the bus. But just as the bus doors close she can hear him calling out to her.
"I'll be there at seven! I'll see you then so be ready!" He grins as the doors close, leaving Elizabeth standing on the other side with her face frozen in shock.
Elizabeth reached her home a little after three and when she finally arrived she raced upstairs and threw herself onto her bed. She almost made it home without any more distractions for the day until Meliodas had to show up and force himself into her lovely evening she had formerly uninvited him to. She sobbed into her pillow for a good half hour before finally getting ahold of her thoughts and starting her homework. She works most of the day away until her stomach began to rumble and forcing her to look at the clock.
"five thirty hmm? I guess if he's serious about taking me on a date I should be at least decent. I don't have to enjoy it, but I don't have to look like a slob either." Elizabeth sighs as she gets up from her chair and heads towards her beautifully decorated personal bathroom. She starts her beauty routine with a fresh shower and then continues to brush her teeth and hair. She finds her best make up and covers whatever blemishes she can. After her makeup she returns to her room and find her cutest little sundress which is yellow and covered in a pattern of daisies. She looks over at her clock and notices it has taken her more time than she realized to get ready.
"seven O' one! O gosh he is going to be here any minute!" Elizabeth says almost excited, but catches herself when she remembers who is taking her out.
"O right, not that I care." She frowns almost feeling bitter and depressed, but her sour thoughts are broken when she hears the door open and her father's boisterous laughter echoing throughout the house. She races down the stairs to greet her father and ask him of his opinion on her dress.
"Daddy, you're home! Do you think I look pretty? I think I look ok, right?" Elizabeth says as she runs towards her father. His eyes light up when he sees his daughter rush for him and he sweeps her up in a great big hug.
"I think you look beautiful Elizabeth! So dressed up though, are you staying in and doing homework like that?" his brows furrow as he talks and Elizabeth chuckles at her father's confusion.
"No of course not silly! I'm going on a date!" She smiles at her father who isn't smiling any longer.
"A date!? My Elizabeth! My good hearted well rounded smart precious Elizabeth is not going out on a date!" Her father cries out almost in anger, but before he has another chance to open his mouth and begin another onset of yelling the doorbell cuts him short.
"O that's him! I'll go get the door!" Elizabeth says completely forgetting her distain now as she moves to grab the knob. Her father reaches out and shakes his head, signaling for her to back away and she unwillingly does. He twists the handle and slowly opens the door towards himself, waiting to see the boy standing on the other side who, aside from the alfalfa he failed to pat down, looked very clean and slick. Her father liked this about him and decides it's ok to open the door all the way, shocking Meliodas with the impossible speed.
"So you're the boy who is taking my Eli out for a date! It's nice to meet you! Wait…. aren't you Meliodas?" The man squints as he talks realizing he has seen this boy hanging around his house before.
"Yea! How is it going Baltra!" Meliodas says shaking the man's hand and letting himself into the house now.
"It's been awhile, you used to hang with Veronica when you were younger. Eli was about the same age, but she never came down to visit when you came over because she was always studying. How did you manage to get her to go on a date with you?" Baltra laughed hysterically while wiping a tear that fell down his cheek from said laughter.
"I know right! I actually accidentally ran into her in the halls today and then again when she was sent into the hallway for being loud in class. She said that people spread a lot of rumors about me, so I figured I'd let her see if those things were true for herself. So are you ready Eli?" He holds out his arm for her to take and she peeks out from around her father who she was using as an anxiety shield.
"O s…sure. Where exactly are we going?" Elizabeth asks as she reaches for his arm.
"How does steak and shake sound? I know it's not very classy, but I'm a big fan of simple and quiet anyways. Makes for better conversation." Meliodas grins as he takes her arm with his, locking them in place. Elizabeth giggles a bit before cursing herself for liking him so much. He who made her best friend cry and hurt her feelings so much, but the feeling of his arm around hers was unbearably distracting and she couldn't even remember what she was mad about in the first place. They leave the threshold of the Liones house and Baltra closes the door on them as they leave, sighing.
"Good luck Mel, Eli can be a handful so I hope you know what you are doing." Baltra chuckles out again as Veronica steps into the room where he is sitting.
"What's so funny father? Where is Eli?" She muses as she plops down on the couch next to him.
"O nothing, your sister just left with Meliodas on a date, weren't you aware?" He asks fiddling with the couch cushions trying to find the remote to watch tv.
"What!? Meliodas?! No way!" Veronica almost jumps off the couch when she hears her father's unbelievable words.
"Yep, things are going to be a little different around here now that Eli is getting into the dating world. I just hope it doesn't affect her grades." Baltra moans as he pinches his nose. He sees Veronica rush past him into the kitchen.
"What are you doing Verona?" Baltra calls out to his daughter who is vigorously dialing the phone now.
"I'm gunna call him up and chew him out! I'm so pissed I told him to stay away from her! Daddy he has a girlfriend! I can't believe he would! and I daddy! I even threatened him! Why can't he ever listen! I hate him so much! He and I and UGGG!" Veronica stumbles on her words in a furious ramble and Baltra now has to leave his spot on the couch to cradle his child.
"Veronica, let them be. This is what happens when teenage boys meet teenage girls. This isn't to different from what happened with your mother and I, so let them figure it out for themselves and go get some sleep instead." His soft voice which is strong and loud comforts her thoughts and she slowly nods, still a bit furious. She decides he knows what is best though and gives him a quick hug back before breaking away and stomping up the steps to her room.
"It just had to be daughters didn't it Marie?" Baltra chuckles as he looks at his ceiling towards his deceased wife in heaven.
Meliodas grabs the door to a red ford pickup. Not at all what Elizabeth pictured such a short and rich boy to be driving., but It had a certain charm though and she happily climbed inside with his hand helping her up into the giant vehicle. He took one good look up and down and whistled when he finally noticed how amazing she looked.
"Wow Eli, you're so beautiful tonight." He says before quickly closing the car door for her and walking around the other side, leaving her alone with her thoughts of shock for only a second. Opening his door, he climbs in next to her in the driver seat and chuckles at her when he notices her mouth is still agape.
"A…are you going to be able to see over the steering wheel." She chuckles with a hand over mouth, pointing at the height difference of him and the controls. He smirks at her swing at him and pushes a button underneath his seat.
"This car was made specifically for me you know." He grins as he grabs a pair of shades from his sun visor in the car. He puts them on and pushes them down his face with an index finger as he clicks his tongue. She looks over at him to see his emerald eyes poking over the shades and staring her dead in the face with another one of his stupid, but adorable grins.
"You think you are so cool don't you?" She glares at him as his grin turns into a wide smile and he begins to laugh.
"A little, but I have to be when you're always on fire, otherwise someone is going to get burned." He continues to laugh as he teases her. Her loud sigh indicates he should stop and get the car moving, so he throws it into drive and pulls out of the drive way towards their destination. The car remains quiet for most of the trip until he reaches over and pulls out a CD from the glove box sitting in front of her. She jumps as he reaches across her lap and he gives her a look that almost says, 'what's wrong?', but he shrugs it off and continues to dig around for the CD he is fishing for.
"Ha there it is! American Authors! They are a great band, most people would use their Ipods to listen to newer bands, but I'm an old soul, I like CDs much better." He says as he grins again and inserts the disk into his stereo. He skips to track eleven "Go Big or Go Home" and he starts to hum the rhythm out loud, watching her from the corner of his eye behind his shades. Her head is turned out the window however and it's painfully obvious she isn't listening. He decides that to get her attention he would sing along and her gaze actually snaps from the window and onto him, causing him to smirk and sing louder.
'He has such a great voice.' She blushes as she thinks strange new thoughts to herself that she never imagined she'd ever think. Her hands begin to tap along with his singing and pretty soon she is humming along too.
"Sing with me Eli! Go big or go.o.o ho.o. !" He smiles through his singing and she starts to sing too almost laughing through her breaths. He looked hilarious when he sang, even if he had a great voice and it filled her heart to see him happy for some odd reason. She shrugged and began to clap along with the beat.
"Go big or go.o.o ho.o. !" She sang back and his eyes shut tight as he laughed at the sound of her voice. It was beautiful like his, but he'd never heard her sing and it made him so happy that he accidentally broke out into laughter.
"Wow really!? I knew you were mean, but that is kind of uncalled for you know!" She gasps as he wipes the tears from his eyes and pulls over into the steak and shake parking lot.
'Great timing Meliodas. What the fuck is wrong with you!' He thinks to himself as he hangs his head and sighs.
"Eli I wasn't laughing at you I swear; I think you have a lovely voice. It's just been a while since I have had fun like this so I couldn't stop myself and I laughed. I swear that's all it was ok?" He reaches out to take her hand as he talks, but she moves it away quicker than he can grab it and huffs.
"Fine, but can we just get inside? I'm kind of starving, I didn't eat since lunch and even then you came and made yourself rather comfortable at my table this morning so I didn't get a chance to eat that." She grimaces as she holds her stomach which now sounds like a bunch of rocks that were tossed into a dryer.
"Sure." He frowns and curses himself under his breath as he leaves the car and walks around to her side. He opens her door for her and helps her out of the truck. As she tries to jump from the car, her skirt catches her shoes and she trips out and into his arms. She gasps trying to yell, but he quickly catches her before she can hit the pavement and swoops her into the air. He chuckles and sets her firmly on the ground before looking her up and down for any injuries. Seeing she has none he lets out a sigh of relief and then another chuckle.
"T…thank you!" She cries as she throws her arms around his neck. He tenses at her touch and slowly pats her on the back.
"No problem." He says before breaking the hug. She looks down and notices him holding a nice leather jacket under his arm. Curious she asks, "What is that for?" He holds a hand out for her to take while chuckling and replies, "You'll see." She smiles and pulls his hand into hers and towards the restaurant, eager to eat.
"Wait, wait, you're telling me you, king and Ban all went fishing, but Ban got spooked by a giant fish he saw swimming around in the lake and King jumped so high that when you and Ban were the only ones left in the boat it tipped because you were both standing!?" Elizabeth tried to fight an ambush of laughter from causing her to spew a vanilla flavored shake all over the table. She almost choked and Mel thought he was going to have to preform CPR and save her once again tonight, but she forced her shake down as best she could through the tears and laughter she was still struggling to fight. He chuckled as he watched her cry from laughter and let himself relax for once in a long time. He was still a little nervous about tonight, but he felt so comfortable and at ease when they were together tonight. It felt natural to him and he completely forgot that he was actually supposed to spend the day with Zaneli. At first he felt guilty, but watching Elizabeth laugh and smile made him smile too and he liked that a lot about her. No matter how bad he felt, she seemed to make him forget those thoughts that made him uneasy.
"Hey, you wanna go to the school dance with me next week?" His thoughts stopped her laughter almost immediately and she stared at him in utter shock.
'Did he honestly just ask me that?' Elizabeth mentally screamed as she groped her mind for the right words to say.
"D…don't you have a girlfriend?" Elizabeth's shock turning into anger and confusion with eyes that slowly made themselves into a squinted pose.
"Yea, I know it's not right for me to ask you to a dance when there is a girl who obviously wants me to go with her." He frowns ashamed of himself now.
"And probably expects you to! I know I would if I was your grilfriend!" Elizabeth yells as she stands from her spot in the booth they were sitting in. He draws a deep breath before he begins to explain himself and lets it out.
"Look, it's not easy to explain. I don't feel that way about her and I know I'm probably just leading her on, but I have never dumped a girl and she isn't really my choice either. You know how I'm a "rich kid"? Well so is she and our parent's kind of expect us to be an item to make themselves look good since they are business partners, but this is why I brought YOU to dinner. If it were my choice Elizabeth, I'd bring you here every night. It would always be you even if it made my father look bad." Meliodas sighs putting his hand to his forehead and waiting for another lecture from his date. Elizabeth slides back into her seat though and just stares out the window next to her, not talking.
"Elizabeth?" Meliodas calls to her as he lifts his head looking at her now.
"I…I'm sorry I assumed you were playing her, I didn't know. But what you did to Diane was mean too." Elizabeth turns to him and gives him her best scowl making him chuckle.
"She'll be fine; I didn't do it on purpose because I actually truly care about her. She's a great friend and I'd do anything for her, but my buddy King has a thing for her so I try to put her down at least once a day just to keep her grounded and to give King a chance to get close." He smiles at her as she covers her lips with her hand in shame.
"I'm sorry." She whispers softly, but loud enough for him to hear and he nods as if to say no big deal.
"What are you going to do about Zaneli?" Elizabeth asks gently causing Meliodas to tense again and sigh.
"I don't really know. I don't want to drag you into my drama, but I don't think I will tell her until the dance. Maybe I'll lie and say I'm not going? Then I'll just show up with you instead." Meliodas grins at his terrible scheme which makes Elizabeth a little uneasy.
"I don't know about that. She'd be crushed. I don't think that it will be such a great idea Meliodas." His ears burning as she says his name so peacefully and relaxed. His chest feeling a little tight now, he stands from his seat and moves around to sit next to her, hoping the movement would help him feel better. He starts to feel worse now however, and he finds it hard to swallow a giant lump forming in his throat.
"Meliodas?" Her voice pulling him in faster now he mentally begs her to stop saying his name because every time she does he slowly loses his mind. She stares at him with worried eyes, noticing his change in behavior, and starts to panic while reaching to feel his forehead.
"Are you alright?" She asks with her hand placed gently on his brow, but as she feels his head with the palm of her hand she grasps the fact that he's scooching closer and starts to feel so much dread that she swears her fear has physically glued her to the seat and try as she might she was unable to run. He leans in closer to her and forces his lips down on top of hers causing her to gasp. As he continues his kisses, Elizabeth sits frozen in the booth, frightened. She never had a chance to picture her first kiss, but if she had it wouldn't have been like this. She had to stop him before he got the wrong idea, but she still can't fight her frozen body and she mentally screams for herself to make a move. She finally gets ahold of herself and pushes his arms away from the sides of her bare legs that her short skirt didn't cover. Meliodas silently sighs as he frowns before breaking the kiss. Elizabeth could feel the sadness in the end of his kiss and instantly feels guilty for making him stop, but she was confused and didn't know what to do about this feeling for Meliodas that was starting to manifest inside her. The silence between them begins to grow and Meliodas starts to get a sickening feeling in his stomach. He finally decides to break the silence between them and slides himself away from her body before he makes any more mistakes.
"If you still think I'm no good, then I understand. I'll go to the dance with Zaneli and I'll let you be." He says frowning as he turns his head and gets up from the booth to walk away from Elizabeth. She stares at him with a bewildered expression, still trying to make sense of everything that just happened, but notices him leaving her behind and begins to panic once again.
"W…wait!" She shouts a little too loud, causing other patrons to look at them and whisper. He turns to face her with a lifted brow and walks back over to their seat.
"Maybe you really aren't that bad, but if you really want to show me what you say is true than you have to tell Zaneli how you feel before the dance. Promise?" Her eyes pierce through his chest and grab his heart, tightening their hold until he can't breathe anymore.
"O….ok." He nods agreeing to Elizabeth's request unknowingly and she smiles in satisfaction realizing the grip on his heart and allowing him to breathe again.
"Are you two all set for the night?" A waitress breaks the new silence between them and startles them both back down to reality.
"u…um yes thank you! The food was great! Do you mind bringing us a check?" Elizabeth chirps out being as polite as she can and the waitress smiles back at her.
"Of course! I'll be right back!" She says before cleaning their table and leaving to bring the check to their table. They wait quietly for her to return and Meliodas pays the full bill like a gentle man of course. They get up to leave, walking to the doors of the restaurant they leave and the cold air hits them like a ton of bricks. Elizabeth shivers, causing a chuckle from Meliodas as he hands her the leather sports jacket from before. She giggles realizing this must have been what he meant when he said "you'll see" earlier. She holds her arms out to the side for him and he fits her into his oversized coat, both bursting out into laughter. A strand of hair falls into her face and his breath is stolen when the moonlight is caught in her eyes. He reaches up to brush the hair out of her eyes and trails his hand down the side of her face. She blushes before pushing the hair out of her face and behind her ear, backing away towards the car slowly. He pins her up against the truck now and she gasps in surprise before bursting out into nervous chuckling. He starts to laugh along with her before gently moving her out of the way and opening her door for her. He helps her into his car once again and makes his way over to the driver side of the car. Opening the door, he hops into the truck without looking at her and puts the key into the ignition.
"Hey Eli, I hope you had a good night. I just want you to know I…" He catches his breath while speaking, seeing her from the corner of his eyes, peacefully snoring. He chuckles and he starts the car, pulling out of the parking lot and heading for her house hoping she won't be in too much trouble when he drops her off later than he promised and praying she won't be mad at him for it. She continues to sleep peacefully as he drives her home, singing along happily with his radio and avoiding the holes in the road for a smoother ride, wanting not to wake his sleeping beauty. As he pulls into Elizabeth's driveway, he can see Baltra peeking out the window waiting for his daughter to make it home safe with Veronica in the window above him. He lets out a content sigh and leans over to softly grip Elis shoulder.
"Elizabeth, you're home now." He says kissing her softly on the cheek before brushing her hair from her face once more. Her eyes flutter open and she gently yawns before looking at Meliodas and smiling. He smiles back before turning to open his door and jump out from his vehicle. He walks over to Elizabeth's door to help her out. She staggers a bit, still tired, and grabs his hand he held out for her to take.
"Thank you for taking me out tonight Meliodas." She says groggily. "I honestly had a great time! You and your friends seem really close and very sweet." Her smile makes his heart skip as her words loudly fill his ears and become the only thought he can focus on at the moment. He finds his voice again and holds her hand tightly in his as he speaks.
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I hope you'll go with me on another date soon, ok?" He says with a giant grin before walking her up to her front door. They stand hand in hand, facing each other and a long pause starts to make things a little weird.
"Well goodnight." She smiles as she leans in to give him a kiss on the cheek. He quickly turns his face though and their lips meet before she catches what just happened. She gasps, shocked once again by his sudden actions and her shoulder tense. As he kisses her, she finally relaxes and deepens the kiss in return, causing him to sigh and grip her shoulders softly. She giggles, forcing him to stop the kiss and place a hand from her shoulder to her face. Looking her in the eyes, he sighs again, leaning towards her and whispering in her ear, "Goodnight Eli." He gives her one last kiss on the cheek before she opens the door and waves goodbye. He waves back and turns to make his way back to his truck, but not before looking over his shoulder and waving to her father and sister. Veronica looking pissed with her arms folded while her father, Baltra, waves back with a huge grin on his face. Meliodas holds his stomach as he lets out a loud chortle and then grabs his car door before jumping in and driving away. Eli watches from her window as his truck leaves her driveway and puts her hand out to wave, letting him know she made it to her room safely. He smiles and waves back and heads down her street before disappearing in the dark.
"What a strange yet awesome night tonight was. I'm glad I gave him a chance. I just hope he is genuine." Elizabeth sighs. She makes her way to her nightstand and puts on her favorite pair of Pj's before jumping into bed and falling asleep, ready for the next day of school with a big smile on her face.
The morning sounds of birds at her window woke Elizabeth from her peaceful sleep full of dreams from the night before. Her eyes flutter open and a smile blooms across her face. She jumps out of bed, eager to begin a new day and meet her friends to tell them about her date with Meliodas. She knew mentioning his name wouldn't be a good idea, so she believes for the time being that she might be able to distract her classmates with the details instead. She dresses for the new school day and rushes down the stairs to the bus that was sitting outside waiting patiently for the Liones sisters to board. Her father sits alone at the table reading his papers when the girls rush down the stairs and towards the door.
"Elizabeth wait a second, what happened last night?" Baltra chimes out to his youngest daughter who already has a foot out of the door.
"Sorry daddy I'm running late! I'll tell you when I get home ok!?" She franticly calls back, trying not to miss her bus before it left. Baltra sighs, but seeing as how his daughter was in such a hurry to get to school he assumes that it could only mean the date went well and she was excited to get the school and tell the other girls. He sips his coffee before letting out another sigh and continues to read the paper with a small grin.
"Good job Mel." He mutters under his breath and waves from the table towards the window and out to his daughters who wave back from their bus.
"So what happened Eli, spill!" Veronica pokes her sisters face while impatiently waiting for her sister to divulge the details of her date with Meliodas.
"You'll have to wait until lunch. I'm going to tell everybody then; this way I only have to tell it once!" Elizabeth sings out coolly making her sister frown and fold her arms in frustration.
"But I want to know now." Veronica puffs while she stares out of her window.
"Well you'll just have to wait." Elizabeth chirps out again as she plays with her hair, giant smile beaming from one ear to the other. The rest of the bus ride is quiet between the two sisters and it seems to be the longest ride of Elizabeths school year as she eagerly awaits to get to class and finally begin the day. She can see the school approaching into view and starts frantically searching the crowds of teenagers for the small blonde headed boy her heart was pounding for. She zeros him into her sights and notices he isn't walking to class alone. Fingers tangled together, Elizabeth recognizes the girl Meliodas is clasped hand in hand with as Zaneli, his girlfriend. Elizabeth's heart skips a beat before sinking into her chest and she swallows a hard lump forming in her throat.
'I should have known better, that snake, he's nothing but a play. Telling me not to make judgments before getting to know him, HA. He hasn't even broken up with her and he's telling me he's going to homecoming with me!? I should just go back to my studies, I shouldn't let such a low life take my success away from me. He's never had to work hard a day in his life. Spoiled little rich kid getting everything daddy hands him and breaking school girl's hearts for fun. ASSHOLE!' Elizabeth's thought scream in her head as her face deepens with the color only wrath can bring. Her sister watches her face turn a deep red and swears she can see smoke billowing from the top of her head.
"Eli? What's wrong? What did you see?" Veronica pesters as she moves her head up and down in circles like an owl trying to get a good view past her sister's head, but Elizabeth stands so swift she almost knocks Veronica down to her bottom. She tries catching herself, but before she can Elizabeth rushes past her and out of the bus causing Veronica to lose her balance and falling flat on her ass in the bus seat.
"Eli what the hell! Get back here and apologize to me damn it!" Veronica blurts out in anger only to be shushed by the bus driver.
"Mind you mouth young miss!" The driver sneers and Veronica sticks her tongue out at her away from sight. She turns to face the window again, watching her sister's footsteps stomp away from the bus and towards the "happy" couple. Zaneli giggles by Meliodas side, watching him yawn and wipe tears from his eyes, tired with sleepless exhaustion. His mind raced all night long, thinking about how to break up with Zaneli, what his father might say, what people would think, and how beautiful Elizabeth had looked that night at the restaurant. He smiled now, remembering the wonderful night he had with her and how it would make up for this upcoming uncomfortable situation with Zaneli. His wonderful memories interrupted as he catches a glimpse of an angry Elizabeth marching towards them. Pushing Zaneli into the school he rushes his goodbyes and tells her to meet him after school before giving her a quick fake goodbye kiss and waving frantically. Confused, Zaneli lifts a brow and waves back in confusion before heading off to her homeroom. Meliodas turns to face Elizabeth who is inches from his face with a glare that could slay dragons and chills race down his spine as he rubs the back of his head nervously and sweats.
"H…Hey Eli, good morning." He stutters taken back by her seething anger. Her fists clenched tight by her side as she raises a finger to his nose.
"You just stay away from me you lying cheat! You meaningless flirt! I can't believe you almost distracted me from my schooling with your trickery! You are hopeless! Yo…" Elizabeth's words were cut short by the embrace of his arms around her waist and the feeling of his lips on top of hers. Her eyes snap open and he slowly releases his grip on her as her hand meets the soft skin of his cheek. The sound of her smack echoes in the air and the students surrounding them stop to stare and whisper. He rubs his face while staring at the ground, hurt and rejected. His lips curled into a grin as he hides his heartache. He slowly lifts his gaze to meet hers and she draws her hand for another blow. He takes her fist in his hand before she lets it lose and pulls her close with the other, kissing her again. She struggles to fight him of before finally breaking free.
"Will you cut it out! I hate you I don't ever want to see you again!" She shouts and the whispers grow louder.
"No you cut it out! You think this is what I want? To play around with you like a child? You think this is fun for me? I have to break someone's heart so I can be happy? How is that fair to her! I don't have feelings for her I know that, but what would you like me to do about it?" He snaps back losing his temper, no longer able to keep his feelings under control.
"You told me you were going to break up with her! You are dating someone while you kiss me! How is that fair!? Tell her! Tell her now or you can forget about Homecoming!" She shouts before she breaks free of his grasp and stomps away. Meliodas can hear more and more students approach and whisper and his hands start to form tight fists by his side before he punches the ground below his feet.
"JUST SHUT UP!" His voice roars through the chit chat and everyone freezes. Some start to slowly walk away while others stare at the sky. He brushes his uniform off before wiping his hands together and shoving them deep into his pockets. His head hung low he slumps into the school, unaware of Zaneli hiding behind the corner of the hallway, watching everything that transpired between Meliodas and Elizabeth with tears running down her face. He turns the corner and almost collides with her, but as he looks up his heart drops like an anvil from the sky and he stops dead in his tracks.
"Z….Zaneli?" He reaches to touch her face, but she smacks his hand away and turns away, bolting down the hall towards the double doors that lead out of the school and into the parking lot. He watches her run, crying the whole way out. His heart doesn't beat and he swears he must be dead, paralyzed with fear and remorse.
'Fuck, what do I do now?' He sighs, nothing left to do but shuffle to class in a haze, wishing he could go back to last night in the car when he watched Elizabeth sleep. The school bell rings in his ears and he ignores the sound as he walks into class late and takes his seat. His teacher begins to lecture him, but he tucks his head into his folded arms on top of his desk and drift away into much needed rest. Dreaming of how to make everything right again.
Durning lunch hour, the girls all gather around Elizabeth at lunch, already aware of the situation that occurred between her and Meliodas from all the high school's hearsay, but still needing to hear it for themselves from her. Her friends pester her and bug her for the juicy gossip but all of her focus is all concentrated on giving death glares at Meliodas who sits alone and quick glances at Zaneli who is also death glaring at the short student. Man it was weird to be the victim of death glares from the majority of the girls in the cafeteria, but Meliodas wasn't to concerned with that right now. He just kept his gaze on Elizabeth while he sighed and hid his face in shame, grinding his teeth together in anger. Anger at himself mostly.
'God I'm an idiot.' Meliodas reflects as he begins to unconsciously pound his fist against the lunch table.
'I really need to do something, anything!' Meliodas thoughts crash in his head as he bangs the table he's sitting on with a closed fist, scaring Ban and King awake before walking off towards Zaneli. Elizabeth watches with bitterness and begins to eat her Pb & J furiously, never letting Meliodas leave her sight. She watches him whisper into the girl's ear before helping her from her seat and leaving the cafeteria. Elizabeth's chewing slows and a lump forms, making it hard for her to swallow her food and she has to choke it down while fighting tears back. She lifts herself from her table and Veronica tries to follow, but Elizabeth lifts an index finger and begs Veronica to stay.
"Tell the girls what I told you about Meliodas, everything. But don't make him sound like a bad person please. I'm hurt and upset, but I want to hope he's still the guy who took me out last night. Maybe he has an answer." Elizabeth works up a fake smile to convince her sister she is alright and Veronica agrees with a polite nod, mouth agape at how mature her sister was being.
"Are you going to eaves drop on them?" She nods at the door Meliodas was leading Zaneli out of and Elizabeth shakes her head quickly before running after them. Leaving behind a baffled Veronica who chuckles at her sister's behavior.
'Not growing up to fast I see Eli, that's good. Just like I taught you." She sighs and takes a bite of her applesauce before turning to the others for girly gossip.
Elizabeth follows behind the distraught couple, hoping she is being stealthy enough for them not to notice. Zaneli is very much unaware of her presence, but Meliodas knows all too well that Elizabeth is close by and sighs in relief.
'just how I planned it.' He smiles halfheartedly as his plan seems to be unfolding in just the right way. They stop just before the double doors of one of the schools exists. He takes Zanelis hand within his and takes a deep breath. He tries to speak, but Zaneli puts her finger to his lips and sighs a deep breath.
"Meliodas I know what you are going to say, it's no surprise you haven't had feelings for me. I was hoping maybe one day you would come around, but I can't wait anymore. I love you and I always will and it hurts that you don't feel the same. But I'm not trying to spend my life with someone who doesn't feel that way for me. So just go be happy. If it helps, I'll write her a note to let her know I'm not upset and that she shouldn't be upset either. I hope it helps." Zaneli exhales before handing Meliodas a note she already had prepared and Meliodas smiles before giving her a hug in return. Filled with shock, she doesn't move. Eventually the hug drags on and she wraps her arms around his waist in return.
"Thank you Zaza! You don't know how much this means to me. If I can ever do anything for you please let me know k? You are still my best friend and I will be here for whatever you need!" Meliodas grins, releasing her from his grip. She brushes herself off and clears her throat.
"Will you just answer me one thing mel?" She whispers now and he puts his note within his pocket before wiping his hands together.
"Sure what's up?" His grin still beaming ear to ear.
"Why her? It's her looks isn't it?" Zaneli wipes new tears from her eyes waiting for her answer.
"No, she reminds me of a girl I used to date. we were young and it's a similar situation to you and I, it made my father look better, but I actually cared a lot for this girl until…" Meliodas gaze grows sad as his words start to ring in his ears.
"She died didn't she?" Zaneli whispered, catching his attention.
"How?" His thoughts cut off by her answer.
"Veronica told me, it was a terrible accident. It was very recent actually, last summer right? You had texted her while she was driving and she, Meliodas?" He wasn't listening, instead he turned to walk away and said thanks one more time loud enough for her to hear. Zaneli stared after him, watching him walk away as her hands held the fabric of her dress she was currently staining with tears.
'he still never honestly answered my question. Why her!?' Zanelis thoughts screamed in her head as she closed her eyes tight and bit her lip. Holding back a terrible scream rising from her chest. Her sobs shook her shoulder and she feel to her knees sitting in the hallway crying alone. Elizabeth pokes her head from the corner of the hallway watching Zaneli cry on the hall floor. Her heart fills with sorrow for her as she steps around from the corner and approaches her with her hand extended. She rubs the girls back slowly and Zaneli lifts her gaze to meet Elizabeths.
'Zaneli, I'm so sorry. I had no intetions of getting involved with Meliodas. Please don't think poorly of me. I'm not very happy with what he has done either. He hurt us both." Elizabeth continued to muse on as she rubs Zanelis back, Zaneli springs to her feet pushing Elizabeths hand aside before wiping her tears.
"I know that! You don't think I do!? What are you playing at any ways? What do you want my permission to date him! He was never mine to begin with! What are you doing wasting your time here when you have a great guy trying to convince you he is being honest with you!? Go talk to him and stop wasting your time with someone who doesn't need your help. You are always trying to protect people, like you stood up for Diane and now you think you have to stand up for me too! I don't need your help! So just go be happy with him and leave me alone." Zaneli barks wiping tears angrily from her face as she walks away from Elizabeth. Elizabeth watches her leave and decides she is right. She turns to follow after Meliodas, hoping to catch up with him before the class bell rings, but she is too late and classes start all over again. She reluctantly heads to class, wishing she could have caught Meliodas and resolve this whole mess. The day drags on to an end and Elizabeth rushes out to wait by her bus, searching frantically for Meliodas who is nowhere in sight. Veronica brushes past her sister onto the bus and yells for her sister to join her, but she ignors her calls and Veronica huffs while taking her seat. The bus driver checks her watch and decides she can't wait any longer. She lets out a sharp whistle which gets Elizabeths attention and breaks her concentration. Elizabeth hangs her head as she climbs up the steps and to her seat by the window, but a flash of blonde hair catches her eye and her gaze focuses on Meliodas waving his hands above his head before cupping his lips to shout her name. The bus jerks forward coming to life and starts a slow roll causing panic to form within Elizabeth and she shouts for the driver to stop the bus. Veronica stares at her sister like she had seen bugs crawling from her ears just now and watches her race to the front of the vehicle. Hitting the brakes, the driver opens the bus doors to let Elizabeth off and she races over to the senior waiting patiently for her to greet him.
"Meliodas, about this morning I…..I just wanted to say" He interrupts her with another kiss like they shared earlier and her eyes close with relief.
"Me too, I'm sorry." He smiles, wrapping his arms around her waist and giving her a tight hug.
"Why are you sorry? I was the one who slapped you and jumped to conclusions. Also I have something to say." She begins her story, but he interrupts again with his own thoughts.
"I know; I knew you were there the whole time. I wanted you to see it for yourself so this way you would know for yourself that I'm serious about you. I don't want you to think I'm playing you. K?" He grips her hands with his as he speaks and she finally smiles for the first time during the day.
"So why didn't you tell Zaneli the answer? Why me?" She says taking his hand and heading for the parking lot towards his big red pickup.
"I'll explain on the way to your house, also mind if I hang at your place tonight? I was gunna chill at Zaza's but…." He rubs his head nervously as the topic turns to one full of awkward feelings.
"O, sure but why?" She tilts her head curiously as she questions.
"My Pops away on buisness and I don't like to be stuck in a vacant house with nothing to do alone." He grins at her opening the door to his truck before helping her in.
"Makes sense, I'm sure father won't mind. So are you going to answer that question now? Or any of them for that matter." She mutters under her breath causing Meliodas to chuckle. He closes the door to the truck and makes his way around the car before opening his door and jumping in.
"Yes, I'll answer all your questions my princess. Just give me time to put my thoughts into words ok?" He smiles, turning on his truck and rolling out of his parking spot. He heads towards her house keeping his silence through half the journey before her inpatients gets the better of her.
"Soooooo?" Her pertinence makes him giggle again and he moves his hand to grip hers.
"Fine." He sighs till smiling with his eyes focused on the road.
"I know you head most of the conversation so I'll skip to the tragedy. Veronica knows most of it, but she never liked to talk about it, just like me. We were all close friends and we hung out at your place a lot but, I guess because, like your father said, you were always busy studying you never really saw us. Stuck in your room studying all day is no good you know Eli, you miss opportunities." He says grinning while interrupting himself.
"This isn't about me Meliodas." She sneers making him laugh a little louder now.
"Ok, ok. Well anyways, she was so much like you I guess when I ran into you the other day it was like running into her all over again." He says with a whimsical look on his face as he recalls the way she looked before she left.
"Who?" Elizabeth pulls him back to earth with her soft and sweet voice. He sighs before starting up again. He pulled over suddenly, afraid his driving wouldn't be what it should if he were to tell her the story while driving.
"Her name was Liz and my father thought she'd be perfect for me. It was a very similar to the situation with Zaneli, but this time he was actually right. She was so different. She was natural and comfortable with me. She never hid anything and she never smothered me with an abundance of love. She was just Liz. I haven't felt it since her. This sense of clarity and stillness. Ike the whole world could be falling apart beneath my feet, but all I'd be preoccupied with is her. The way she smiled or laughed or joked with me and teased me. She was my best friend and she was just simply…..I don't know…splendid? Then last summer it hit me. Like a sack of bricks. They came to my house. I had no idea they needed to know that kind of crap and they had no concern for my feelings or thoughts. Only worried about the stupid fucking text I sent her before she died. What did it matter she was dead and it was pretty much my fault." Meliodas let's a quick huff of remorseful laughter slip before silent tears began falling from his cheeks. His eyes focused on the floor boards under his feet he feels Elizabeth's hand softly rub his back while covering his eyes and shaking with silent whimpers. He collects himself once more, feeling the silence drawing out for too long and wipes the tears from his eyes. He sniffles and breaths deep to clear his throat.
"The best part, you wanna know? The text says, 'Get your cute little ass over here girl, I miss you.' With the stupidest looking smiley face in the world. Isn't that ironic? Ha I miss you, well now you are really gunna miss her you dick." He cracks out in soft chuckles covering his eyes again in disbelief. Fresh tears forming in his eyes as he laughs through his tears.
"Pretty dumb huh?" He sniffles as he looks over at Elizabeth whose face is soaked in tears of her own. His eyes snap open and he rushes to wipe her face with his thumbs.
"But it's better now because when I ran into you I felt the exact same way I did when I was with Liz. At first your stammering wasn't very flattering because every girl stammers when they see me which gets a bit ho-hum, but then the way you introduced yourself and then watching you with your face shoved into your book in the hall and the night at the restaurant. All I could think was 'how serene'. It was so nice to be so relaxed and at ease. I miss Liz very much, but this is nice too. And even though I'd love to keep wiping your tears away I don't honestly like watching you cry Eli, please cheer up. Don't be sad for me. Just say you will go to the dance with me, say you'll be my girlfriend, k?" His thumbs rub the tears from her cheeks as she places a hand ontop of his and takes a deep breath, closing her eyes. She opens them again and exhales while shaking her head in agreement and he smiles in return. He leans in for a kiss which she gladly returns .