Natsu Dragneel
Did Lucy just say... yes? My eyes widen. But she would feel so uncomfortable. She told me herself that she was afraid to come to love acting again. Was it peer pressure to do the play? Probably. I stand up from my seat, causing everyone to turn around to look at me.
"Lucy," I say, my voice shaking a little. "Are you sure about this?"
I can see her body tremble, but it is barely visible.
"Y-Yeah," she gives a shaky grin. "Don't worry. It's just a play!"
The female class representative Juvia grabs Lucy's hands and holds them tight. "Thank you so much Lucy!" she says. "You have no idea what this means to our whole class."
"Mhm," Lucy says.
I slowly sit back down on my seat. Why is she doing this to herself? Even if it's for the class, she should be more concerned about herself first. I feel a lump in my throat. Will she be okay with this? I reflect those memories of her past and since we are acting together, we will be spending time after school almost every day for practice.
"We need one more guy to act as the main antagonist," the male representative Gray Fullbuster says. "This character will be part of the love triangle."
Almost instantly, Sting Eucliffe raises his hand. "I'll do it."
"Thanks for volunteering!" Gray exclaims, writing Sting's name down.
Sting looks back and glares at me. This guy... is Lucy's boyfriend right? Well, of course, he would not allow Lucy to be alone with me. At first, I feel like punching him, beating him up for stealing Lucy away from me, but.. Lucy would not want that. I have to respect the fact that... we're over.
Ah... the weight on my chest hurts, but there is nothing there. Why am I like this?
Part of me doesn't want to give up on Lucy. She was my role model for my whole life. I started my acting career to be with her. She was my motivation to continue acting, even during the worst moments to keep persevering... just to see her again.
"The skit will be done by next week! For now, let's decide on costume designers and..." The class representatives continue to speak but I am too lost in thought.
I wonder how I will get over Lucy.
"Class dismissed!" the teacher says.
Instantly, my classmates gather around me, smiling. I watch Lucy leave with Sting. I guess they are walking home together. A couple thing in movies. My heart feels heavy. I can't help but feel jealous, even though I know I shouldn't be. I need to stop these feelings.
"I can't wait to see you act in person!" some say.
"Lucy's a good actress too, right? She'll definitely match you well!"
From a distance, I hear someone whisper, "Hey, to be honest, don't you think that they'll make a good couple?"
"W-What?!" I shout loudly, pointing at the two girls gossiping. "W-What do you mean by that?" Everyone stares at me, shocked at my sudden loudness.
"H-Huh?" the girl says.
"Crap, he heard us," the other girl says.
"A-Aren't Lucy and Sting dating?" I say without thinking. "You shouldn't say things like that about a girl who already has a boyfriend."
"Huh?" a classmate says. "They aren't."
Wait, what? What does he mean?
"Well, practically the whole class knows that Sting likes Lucy," a guy says. "The only person that doesn't know is Lucy. But to be honest, it is pretty much one-sided for Sting... Poor guy. Lucy only sees him as a brother since they're practically family."
My eyes widen. Those words are like music to my ears. Lucy isn't dating Sting? Doesn't that mean that I won't have to give up on her? My heart begins to beat loudly and fast.
"I-I have to go," I say. "See you guys!"
I run out of the classroom, speeding down the stairs. I almost trip a couple of times but I continue running. At the sidewalk near the entrance of the school are exactly the people I am looking for.
"LUCY!" I shout at the top of my lungs.
Lucy flinches. "Huh?" she says, flipping her head around towards me. Sting's eyes instantly squint at me, portraying his distaste towards me. But I don't give a crap.
"I won't give up on you," I shout. "You... You will be mine again someday."
Lucy's face immediately turns red as she quickly turns away and runs out of the school with Sting.
Just watch Lucy. You'll fall heads over heels for me just like you did seven years ago.
...Was what I said before I realized how hard this will actually be. She practically hates actors like me now. How will I make her fall for me again when I am the type she despises the most? Crap. Easier said than done.
"You look troubled," I hear someone say suddenly behind me.
I instantly snap out of it and turn around. It is Mirajane Strauss, one of my co-actresses.
"Mira," I say. "You finished your shoot so fast!"
Mira rolls her eyes. "It's been three hours, Natsu. You seem spaced out. What's wrong?"
Should I tell her? Then again, she is the best with love advice kind of things. Maybe it won't hurt to at least explain the situation.
"So um... let's say after seven years, you finally find your first love again, who was thought to have gone missing and also used to have mutual feelings for you," I say hesitantly.
"Mhm."
"And you find her after transferring to a school."
"Mhm."
"But you find that her feelings have completely changed and now she hates acting more than anything."
"Lucy?"
"Yeah."
Wait. Hold on.
"WHAT?" I shout loudly.
"Hm?" Mira looks at me with an innocent smile.
"How in the world do you know?" I say, shocked. "I've never told anyone about Lucy before!"
Mira laughs. "Oh, come on," she says. "It's not like the whole world already knows because of the news."
"What do you mean?" I ask.
Mira pulls her cell phone out of her pocket and clicks a few things. Then she throws it at me. I quickly scramble my hands to catch it and stare at the screen. It is on her celebrity news app. My eyes widen when I see the headlines.
Lucy Marvell Found.
No way.
I scroll down, reading the article word for word. It describes how I transferred into the high school and spotted Lucy, immediately recognizing her as Lucy Marvell. Luckily, it says nothing about my feelings for her, or else I could have created a scandal. All it says is that I was emotional and grateful to be again reunited. I take a deep breathe in relief.
But this article... I had forgotten how every little thing I did would be reported like this. I need to be more careful about my feelings toward Lucy, or else I could create a serious scandal that could lead to an even worse relationship with her. I can't imagine what it would be like if some paparazzi heard me proclaim my feelings so loudly earlier.
Ah. Suddenly, I don't feel relieved anymore. Now thanks to me, her identity was revealed. She could never again return to her normal life. Maybe she could all this time because age had changed her enough to mask her true face, but now we were teenagers. Our faces would not change much anymore. She would be in the public eye forever.
What have I done?
I've ruined Lucy.
"Well, I had no idea you actually liked her all this time," Mira says.
I instantly run to her and cover her mouth. "Idiot," I hiss. "What if some crazy paparazzi is listening? This is a secret between me and you, okay?"
"Sorry," she whispers.
"Mira... What do I do?" I ask. I sit on the ground and hug my knees tightly. "I'm such an ass," I cry. "I ruined her. All she wanted was to be normal, but now everyone is talking about her. Because of me. Because I was so careless. I never thought about what she wanted. I just wanted her to be mine again."
Mira kneels down next to me and pats my back. "Don't worry," she says, trying to calm me down. "Even if you didn't recognize her, someone would have eventually. She couldn't hide forever. You know that just as well as I do, don't you?"
I nod, but I am not sure if I can fully agree. I remember Lucy's words again. How she was afraid to come to love acting again. Doesn't that mean that somewhere in her heart, she still has a passion for it? But because of what happened to Wendy, she can't bring herself to. And I shouldn't force her.
So why did she say yes to the school play?
A part of me hopes that... perhaps somewhere in her heart, she wanted to act with me again.
- End of Chapter 11 -
Hey guys! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! The next chapter will be in Lucy's point of view, so look forward to that~
~ Metallic Snow
