3
Knock, knock! Now what? Who could possibly be at my door at 8 in the morning on a public holiday? There was no school and thankfully no play business to take care of. This was my day off and someone was ruining it. I pulled the cover of my blanket over my head and hoped the person would go away. No such luck. They continued to knock repeatedly on my door. I clinched my fists together and slowly got up. I did not like to be forced awake. I yawned as I walked over to my door. I was angry.
'What!' I screamed as I pulled open my door and a small fist knocked against my chest. I blinked blankly, surprised to see Levy staring back at me with a red face. I looked down and saw her small hand against my bare chest. I wasn't wearing a shirt! I stumbled back with a fright and Levy turned her back on me, her eyes closed shut.
'I'm sorry, I'm sorry!' she kept shouting and I grabbed a shirt thrown over my couch. I looked around my little apartment and realised that it was a mess. I never cared before, but I didn't want Levy to see this. It doesn't matter! It's just some girl. I felt angry at myself for thinking that, but I quickly shook my head and regained my senses. I pulled the shirt on and put my hand on Levy's head. She wouldn't shut up.
'It's not like it was bad,' I muttered, annoyed and tired. I forced her to turn to look at me and wasn't prepared for it. She stared up at me with her big, hazel eyes and a slight blush on her cheeks. Her hands were gasped together in front of her and her blue hair waved softly against the wind from outside. Darn she was cute. Stop thinking that!
'What do you want?' I demanded. I didn't wait for her to respond as I turned my back on her and walked further into my apartment.
'I wanted to know if you would like to come help me do some running around at the mall for the play,' Levy answered and I looked at her with every intention to say no. I stopped. Her big eyes looked so hopeful and I couldn't say it. Just say it! N...O. I opened my mouth, but the word wouldn't come out.
'I thought today was your day off,' I pointed out with a frown. That wasn't what I wanted to say.
'The director doesn't get to rest, especially when the play is next week,' Levy responded with a smile. I rolled my eyes.
'If you're not careful, you're going to wear yourself out,' I told her – not that I cared. Levy shrugged.
'There will be plenty of time to rest after the play is finished,' she assured me and I looked at her doubtfully. She was a stubborn, little thing.
'Now are you coming with me or not?' she asked with her hands on her hips. She was trying to be demanding. She was succeeding at being cute. I sighed. I really hated that word. Every part of me was screaming for me to say no.
'I haven't even showered,' I mumbled. This was my best way of saying no to Levy. It was pathetic.
'I'll wait,' she shrugged and flopped down onto my couch. I wanted to tell her to get out, but she looked so comfortable. It suited her sitting on my couch. What was I saying? I stepped away from her quickly and ducked into my room. I locked my door and slammed my body against it. I was safe here. She couldn't get to me in my room.
'I'm going to take a look around if that's okay,' she called out to me. Darn her sweet voice! I didn't want her going through my place, but I didn't want to open my door either. I stood still for a very long time, just listening to slight noises coming from the other side of my door. I still didn't move. It felt like hours before I actually climbed into my shower and got dressed for the day. I looked at my clock and was surprised. It had only been an hour. I wondered if Levy was still waiting. It sounded quiet. I doubted she was still there. I opened my door and walked out, convincing myself that I was happy she was gone. I was wrong.
'Surprise!' Levy cried happily with a duster in her hand. I didn't even know I owned one of those.
'Do you like it?' she asked eagerly. I couldn't speak. I was shocked. My apartment was...was clean. It was never clean.
'Did...you...' I tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. Just what was she playing at?
'You're not a very easy person to read you know. I can't tell if you're happy or...' she began, but I immediately cut her off. I didn't want her owing me any favours. I wasn't some charity case.
'You don't owe me anything for helping you with the play,' I said grudgingly as I folding my arms and looked away from her. She stared at me, surprised before folding her own arms. She wasn't impressed.
'I didn't do this to pay you back,' she told me sternly. She was a feisty little thing, 'I don't owe you anything.'
'Then why did you do it?' I demanded. I didn't need any more reasons to think highly of her.
'Because I wanted to do something nice for you!' she retaliated, surprising me. 'Because believe it or not Gajeel, people don't always need a reason to be kind!'
'And...because...' she hesitated and the tip of her cheeks turned red. Was she blushing?
'...because you're my friend,' she muttered. I was taken aback. I didn't expect that. I didn't hear that word very often. I almost never heard it. I stared at her. Her hazel eyes showed no signs of doubt and I realised she really did consider me a friend. But why? I had done nothing to earn her friendship. I pushed her away as much as I could and fought against everything she asked of me. Why didn't she just resent me like most people? Why wasn't she scared of me? I couldn't understand why this tiny blue haired girl before me would ever consider me a friend. But she did.
'But if you don't like it, I'll just put it back the way it was,' Levy snapped and turned towards my little kitchen. She started to unpack the now tidy cupboards and I saw her little hands tremble. She was upset. I looked at her more carefully and saw tears in her eyes. I had hurt her. Something inside of me moaned and I didn't understand why. It was another feeling unfamiliar to me. I kept feeling things around this girl that I had never felt before. I wanted the feeling to go away. I quickly reached out for her hand and gently stopped her. This surprised her. It surprised me too.
'Um thanks,' I muttered hesitantly. This was uncomfortable. I didn't want to say more, but Levy looked unsatisfied with just that one word. This was torture.
'And sorry...I'm not an um people person,' I finished off, swallowing my pride. This was hard. Levy gave me a long, hard stare before she slowly began to smile. The smile suited her better. I didn't like the look of tears on her.
'I know worse,' she whispered and put down the plate she was holding. I remembered I was still holding her arm and quickly let go. We both stepped away for each other and looked around for a change of topic. My face felt hot and I kept hearing an annoying drumming noise in my ears. Was I getting sick?
'Shall we go?' Levy eventually asked and I was grateful for the distraction. I nodded my head. I watched her grab her bag and jacket and walk to my front door. She seemed so happy now. I didn't even try to argue against going. She had won this battle. She always did.
Shopping at the mall with Levy was different from before. It was a whole new experience. I was very aware of the closeness between us when we walked and the touch of her hand on my arm every time she saw something she liked or needed. It bothered me because I couldn't stop thinking about it. I noticed when guys looked her way. I didn't like that. I saw her struggle with her bags and felt a sudden need to carry them for her. I never did that. This was all new to me. Levy didn't seem different though. She was her usual, happy self. She smiled everywhere we went and always introduced me whenever she stopped to talk to someone she knew. I wasn't used to that. The biggest change I noticed was the smirking. I would catch myself smirking every now and then. I didn't like that. At least I think I didn't. No I definitely didn't! I needed to remember who I was. I needed to stay the same. But the more time I spent with Levy, the more this seemed impossible.
'Levy!' A familiar voice called out from inside a cafe we were walking by. I turned to look for the source of the noise and saw Levy's face light up. Oh no! I saw Lucy waving cheerfully in our direction with Natsu and Gray smiling on either side of her. I was surprised they weren't competing at something. Erza and Jellal also sat at the table with the blue haired guy's arm casually around his girlfriend. There was one more person sitting with them. She had their back to us, but I would recognise that blue hair and black hat anywhere. Juvia! I didn't expect to see her sitting there. Before I even had time to comprehend this, Levy was tugging on my arm and pulling me towards her enthusiastic friends. I wanted to fight her on this. I didn't belong here, but my voice wouldn't come out. It plain out refused. This was getting tiring.
'Hi everyone,' Levy greeted them happily and I grunted in their direction when they all looked at me. If they were expecting me to pretend to be enjoying this, they were going to be disappointed. The only person I looked at was Juvia. She smiled pleasantly at me and I smirked. I noticed Gray watching the two of us.
'What are you doing here Levy?' Erza asked, making casual conversation. Was I the only one who felt awkward?
'Gajeel and I are doing last minute shopping for the play,' she explained with her usual cute smile. Darn that smile!
'Poor Gajeel. You're always being roped in,' Lucy giggled and I shrugged. I didn't know how to act in this situation. This was all new to me. I saw Jellal look at me with a raised eyebrow.
'I understand how you feel Gajeel. The things we do for them,' he laughed and suddenly punched me on my arm. My anger rose. It didn't hurt, but he had no reason to hit me. I hadn't done anything wrong to him.
'He's just teasing. It was a joke.' Juvia whispered to me and I calmed down by the touch of her hand on my arm. The others laughed, unaware of what Juvia had said to me and she shook her head at me.
'You really don't get it,' she muttered. I really didn't. I looked around, trying to understand. Erza was looking at Levy knowingly. Levy was blushing. Natsu was clueless and Lucy was rolling her eyes at him. Gray was focused on Juvia's hand on my arm and Jellal was smirking at me. I slowly understood. 'The things we do for THEM.' I didn't do things for Levy. This was my punishment. There was no them. There was no us. I started to retreat. Juvia noticed. She yanked on my arm and forced me onto the seat next to her. I glared at her, but she simply smiled. She looked away from me and spoke cheerfully to Erza next to hear. Gray watched them with his hands casually behind his head. I watched Levy sit down next to me and start a conversation with Lucy and Natsu. She was very close. Her elbow touched my arm and it made me feel weird. I tried to ignore this and saw Jellal grinning at me. I looked away and frowned. I didn't like this. I wanted to leave, but I was trapped between the girl I cared about and the girl I tried not to care about. Would this nightmare never end?!
'Can I get you something to drink?' a smiling waitress came over to ask. I was grateful for something to distract my thoughts.
'I'll have a chocolate shake please,' Levy responded kindly. The brunette waitress wrote down Levy's order and then looked towards me eagerly. I shook my head. I didn't have money to spend. She walked away and I looked for another reason to not think about a particular blue haired girl next to me.
'The costumes for the play are really pretty,' I heard Lucy say to Levy who nodded in agreement.
'And the set designs look amazing,' Erza added, speaking a little louder so that everyone at the table could hear.
'You did a really good job Juvia,' Jellal told Juvia and she smiled with gratitude. She had done a great job.
'That's why I asked Juvia to do it. I know how talented she is,' Levy said and Juvia blushed.
'Thank you,' she muttered shyly. I nudged her playfully and she laughed at me. I looked at Gray watching us as he stood up and stretched.
'I have to pick up a jacket for the play at the dry cleaners quick. I'll be back a little later,' he told everyone before looking only at Juvia.
'Do you want to come with?' Gray asked her and she was surprised by the question. She looked like she was about to burst, but she managed to control whatever emotion she was feeling and slowly stood up with a nod while Gray waited for her. They walked away together. Juvia beaming and Gray with folded arms. I sighed. I didn't understand those two.
'They're making progress, slowly, but it's getting there,' Erza said with a satisfied smile and her boyfriend nodded next to her.
'And Levy and her play is the reason why,' Lucy added cheerfully while Levy laughed. Natsu looked from Lucy and Levy with a confused expression and I tried to act uninterested.
'Huh? What are you all on about?' he demanded and Lucy rolled her eyes.
'Honestly Natsu you are so clueless sometimes,' she muttered and Natsu frowned at her.
'Don't worry Natsu, you're next,' Levy told him with a wink in his direction. I didn't like that and Natsu didn't understand. He sat back sulking while Erza and Jellal laughed at his expression of displeasure. Lucy blushed next to him while Levy watched on knowingly and I...while I wanted to disappear. This was torture. I turned to the open seat next to me. Juvia was gone now. I had space to leave and I inched forward eagerly. I was wrong. My exit was blocked by the waitress showing up with Levy's drink. She reached over me to give Levy her chocolate shake, said some words to her I chose to ignore and left with what seemed like a forced sweet smile. This was my chance. Again it was taken away from me when I felt her soft touch on my arm.
'This is really good,' Levy said to me and she pushed her shake in front of me. I looked at her confused.
'Try some,' she offered sweetly. I wanted to say no and leave like I usually would do, but again her big hazel eyes kept me in my place. I just couldn't shake her off. This was getting out of control. I felt my body stiffen when her hand remained on my arm. Did she know it was still there? Did she want it to be there? Why did I even care?
'It won't hurt you,' she teased and I looked at the others to see them all distracted in their own conversations. I leaned forward and took a quick sip. It was really good. I looked away grudgingly. I wasn't up to admit that to the smiling girl next to me. I heard her giggle softly and looked at her again. I was surprised to see her cheeks go red.
'Thank you,' she spoke softly. The others still did not acknowledge our exchange. I preferred it that way.
'For what?' I asked stubbornly and she looked down at her lap timidly. I was thinking that word again. Cute. Darn her!
'I know this isn't your kind of thing and that you don't like being here. So thank you for putting up with it. Being around my friends, and that includes you, helps me to feel calm and not to be overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done. I appreciate your patience,' Levy whispered her response and it stunned me. Great! Just great! Now I definitely couldn't leave.
Yawn! These play practices were really cutting into my sleep time. I could think of a hundred things I would rather do with my time after school than be here in the hall helping with the play. But I could also think of one reason I wouldn't leave. It scared me. I had never felt so trapped before, so unlike myself. And every time I would try to break free, she would pull me right back in. It was a little easier when I wasn't around her, but Principal Dreyar was always there to make sure I showed up for things. It was irritating and it was getting to me. I sat with folded arms on a chair near the stage. Levy was on the stage talking to Natsu and Lucy. They were going through the kissing scene again. Natsu was still dense. Levy was determined to get the scene right as she said it was the heart of the play. I just wished the play was a thing of the past so I could get back to my normal, not caring life. Huh? I suddenly realised my name was being said.
'Gajeel,' Levy called again. I looked up at her and she gestured for me to come to her. This couldn't be good. I moved slowly onto the stage and stopped as far away from Levy as looked normal. I wanted to keep as far away from her as possible. But this was going to prove hard to do.
'Let's pretend we're playing the characters that Natsu and Lucy are playing,' Levy told me and she reached out for my hand. Her touch was so soft and her hand so tiny in mine. The feel of her skin against mine sent a tickling sensation up my arm and I instantly pulled away. She laughed.
'I won't hurt you,' she teased, but no one else heard her. She wasn't making fun of me, she was trying to encourage me. I shook my head.
'I don't act,' I said sternly and she rolled her eyes.
'Just like you don't try on suits or carry girlie bags or talk on the phone for long,' she pointed out and I frowned. She was naming all the things I said I don't do, that I did for her. But I didn't do any of those things, not until she came into my life.
'Now just pretend we're long time lovers,' she started to say and I tensed up. Pretend what?! She didn't even wait for a response from me. Man was she bossy! Bossy and cute. Stop that!
'Just look into my eyes...' she continued gently. I stepped back when she reached for my hand again, but stopped when I made the mistake of actually looking into her eyes. Her intense hazel stare held my attention. Her hand fit into mine perfectly and her touch sent the same feeling as before up my arm again. I didn't pull away. She leaned closer to me and I leaned closer to her. It seemed like the right thing to do. It was the only right thing at that moment. But what was I doing? What...was...I...Ring! The hourly school bell rang loudly in my ears and I was snapped out of whatever trance I was in. My lips were inches from hers. I suddenly realised what I was doing and quickly pulled away. The people around us clapped. They were pleased with our performance and that's just what it was. It was reality, but it wasn't me. This situation was a dangerous one and Levy didn't even look fazed. She turned to speak to Natsu and Lucy and explained that the scene should be played out just as was demonstrated. This was madness! I was weak and getting weaker the longer I stayed in her presence. She was dangerous. I had to get away and quick. I jumped off the stage and sprinted for the hall doors. I covered my hands over my ears because I knew she would call my name. I knew she would try to pull me back, but not this time. This time I would get away. I pushed passed people making their way home and stumbled into the outside passage of the hall. I was almost free. I just needed to do one more thing. I ran down the passage, passing door after door. There was a particular door I was looking for. There was only one person who could give me back my freedom and he had to give it back.
'You have to take me off of the play!' I demanded as I burst into Principle Dreyar's office. He wasn't alone. His son, Laxus sat on the other side of the big wooden table with Mr Doranbolt. He was a substitute teacher doing his last year of college. I heard he liked younger women. But that didn't matter now. I didn't care that they were there.
'I'll do any other kind of punishment, just not this stupid play!' I told the principal firmly and he looked at me unfazed.
'You still have a week left Gajeel,' Principal Dreyar informed me and I groaned.
'I know that, but I can't do this anymore!' I shouted at him. I wished the old man would just listen.
'And why not?' He asked calmly and I folded my arms.
'I just can't okay!' I spat. I wasn't about to tell him why.
'I'm afraid I cannot help you unless you give me a valid reason Gajeel,' Principal Dreyar told me and I stood glaring at him. I waited for him to change his mind, but he remained stubborn in his decision and I let out an annoyed groan.
'Fine!' I shouted and stormed out of his office. I slammed the door behind me as loud as I could and punched the wall outside. Stubborn old man! This wasn't over. I was going to fight it.