CHAPTER 4: ACCEPTANCE

When Aisha entered the principal's office, it dawned on her that the simplicities of Velder High were on the inside. However, despite being a very clean, normal-looking office, the person it belonged to looked quite the opposite. Sitting on a big leather chair was Principal Stella – the iron lady of Velder High herself. Her propped up neatly into a tight bun. She wore a chestnut-colored blazer that pretty much hugged her figure. She was young, hair was and good-looking. One glance at her and you would mistake her for someone else entirely.

"You're a bright kid," Stella stated as she scanned a paper containing valuable records of all of Aisha's grades. "I'm not surprised Sandtilus Corporation offered you the scholarship. Your grades are excellent…"

"Thank you," Aisha stated, fidgeting.

Principal Stella looked up. "You're friends with Elsword?"

Aisha made sure to cast her eyes toward the redhead who was standing lazily near the exit. "Yes, I am."

"He's one of our best students in terms of physical education. He's not exactly a bright star in other subjects. Maybe you should teach him a thing or two," Principal Stella dropped the papers on her desk. "Welcome to Velder High, Aisha. I hope you'll enjoy your stay here. If you have any problems feel free to report to me at once."

"Thank you again, ma'am," Aisha reached out across the table and took Principal Stella's hand. Her grip was firm despite her skin being so soft. The handshake was short and brief… Kind of awkward really… But it was symbolic. Aisha tried to muffle the sigh of relief she let out when it was over.

…

"I'm a student of Velder High now," Aisha stated, clutching a bag that contained her uniform and student handbook. "I can't believe this."

"Yeah, yeah, welcome again to Velder High," Elsword said. "How many times have you mentioned you're going to study here?"

"This is a big deal for me El-diot. Unlike you, I couldn't afford to study here."

"Sure you could… Money can't pay for intelligence," Elsword said.

"So you're admitting I'm smart."

"You're a chicken, but yes, you're the smartest person I've ever met."

"Thanks," Aisha blushed and turned her head so that Elsword won't see. "And I'm not a chicken."

"You couldn't even enter the campus earlier!"

"I was just nervous!" Aisha looked around. "Look, I could prove that I'm not a scaredy cat. Are there bullies here? I'll beat them up for you!"

Elsword laughed. "You seriously think someone would bully me?"

"Yeah. You're pretty skinny for a guy."

"Doesn't matter. I could lift you easily," Elsword looked over at Aisha.

"Sure you can," Aisha mentioned sarcastically, rolling her eyes in the process.

Suddenly, Aisha was swept off her feet. Realizing she was being lifted off the ground, she screamed. Her fingers curled tightly around the handle of the bag she was holding. When she held her head up, Elsword was staring back at her with a smirk. And since she was so vulnerable given that he could drop her in an instant, she held on to his shirt in panic.

"Oh my freaking god, Elsword! Put me down! Don't drop me!"

"I won't drop you," Elsword stated. Then he laughed. "Your face is all red."

"That's because I'm terrified as heck. You didn't have to do this, idiot!" Aisha grappled for the rest of the fabric of his shirt. The moment she felt she was losing her balance, she panicked and allowed her arms to wound around Elsword's neck.

"You're just looking for an excuse to hug me," Elsword laughed again.

"Excuse me?! You're the one who carried me like this!" Aisha said. "Now let me go! Someone could see us!"

Elsword suddenly fell silent. Aisha could feel him lowering her. When her feet touched the ground, she felt very relieved. Her quickening heartbeat was slowly losing its pace – until Elsword wrapped his arms around her into a very loose hug. It was friendly and familiar – like a proper welcome from a child. "I really missed you, Ai. Make sure you don't go away again."

Aisha couldn't muster the proper words to say. She had planned on leaving the moment she graduated. And for the nth time, she was even more afraid of what could happen. Elsword was the key to making things even more difficult for her. And then she remembered something vital – something that would make things easier for her once again.

Elsword was already in love with someone.

"You know Aisha," Elsword rubbed his biceps. "You're kind of heavy."

"I'm going to spank you."

…

Aisha and Elsword left the school premises coldly. They waved goodbye to each other and went their own separate paths. Aisha could tell he was disappointed she didn't give him an answer despite his witty remark about her weight. He was still childish, after all.

She walked down the lengthy road back to her house. The silence was uncanny – kind of. Everywhere around her, memories played out like brief flashes of a previous reality. She remembered being happy here, then sad, then just plain furious. The twists and turns of her life seemed like a long roller coaster ride that lasted until the day her family left. And maybe she was thankful that she disappeared from this town where nothing mattered but money and fortune.

But then again, she once had friends here too. Friends who were willing to share their lunch with her, or talk to her about her problems, or tease her until she completely forgot about her own dilemmas. And Elsword – he was no exception. Then again, he was the person who drove her out…

It all happened after a small fight about travelling to other places. And Elsword happened to hear them talking about it.

"Acting all rich now, are you? Your family couldn't even afford to stay here! You seriously think you could travel the world with what you have?"

Apparently, the topic upset him, but that didn't give him the right to say such hurtful things. It damaged her pride. Even so, when her parents were packing up that night, she made no move to stop them. She just upped and left with them.

Maybe if ever she were to converse with Elsword again, the first thing she would do was to apologize.

Aisha shook her head. She definitely needed to rest.

…

"Aisha."

The morning sun stung her eyes but she made no move to open them. She could feel the keys of her laptop at the tip of her fingers. Did she fall asleep on the study table? God she should seriously stop overworking herself. Now's not exactly the right time to be stressed.

"Aisha…"

Who's that? Was she dreaming? Who the fuck would storm into her household at a time like this?

"Aisha, wake up."

Aisha opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. Her laptop was in front of her, but everything else was different. Looking down, she was wearing weird clothes and all. She was donning a long white coat and a purple skirt. Looking at her table, she realized her laptop was replaced by a long wand – her keychain. She was really dreaming!

"Aisha, you're late for our next mission."

"What? What mission?"

Elsword leered closer to her. His skin was tanned and there was a strange tattoo on his shoulder. His eyes burned red – like wildfire.

"I'm kidding." Elsword flicked her forehead. "You've been sleeping all afternoon. You should take a break from studying."

"Why are you… in my room?"

Elsword laughed. "You're spacing out, Ai. I'm allowed to be in your room."

"Huh?"

"Now you're starting to scare me," he chuckled and leaned his forehead against hers before pressing a chaste kiss on her lips. It was so painstakingly short but it was enough to elicit a burning sensation from her chest up to her cheeks. He let his fingers slip into her palm, gripping them tightly so that Aisha could feel the cool metal ring that he was wearing. "We're married, Ai."

…

The alarm blared loudly. So loud that when Aisha shot up, she slapped it down and kicked it until it stopped. Staring back at her desk, she realized she had left her laptop on but it was on sleep. She pressed on the power button for the sake of making sure the laptop was real.

When the screen flared to life, she sat herself back down to recheck her mail. The resume she sent to Grail was there. Even more importantly, there was a response.

She was accepted.

But then again, there was another message from a certain Ara Haan. Attached to it was a picture of a uniform.

"Dear Aisha,

Congratulations on entering Velder High! And thank you for your interest in applying as a waitress for Grail's.. ^^

Don't worry; I won't make you wear anything weird. But for the sake of attracting more customers on weekends, I'll advice you to try this on!

Kind regards,

Ara Haan. "

The image contained a maid costume.

Looks like Aisha would have to keep the others away from Grail's during the weekend. Otherwise, she would never hear the end of this.

…

Hi guys! I'm making terrible progress with this story, but yes. Here's an update! Thank you so much for the reviews. (10-review milestone! Wahoo!)

Yes that was a dream sequence and it's actually a driving factor for Aisha to accept her underlying feelings for Elsword. This is an ElsxAi story, mind you. ^^ Thanks for supporting Outlines!