I have a quote in here that you'll recognize…maybe…but I think you'll be surprised by who says it. Let's start Chapter 13!

Chapter 13

She liked Romeo. She absolutely, incontrovertibly liked Romeo as more than just a friend. This realization gave her no comfort, though. They had parted on considerably bad terms and Wendy didn't think a simple acceptance of her feelings was going to fix things. She had rejected him and suddenly apologizing for the hurt she had caused was little more than a band-aid. On top of that, it was hard enough to deal with these new emotions swirling inside.

Wendy had never liked a boy before. At least, not like this. It was hard to come to grips with the fact that she had a crush now. She needed to talk to someone, but couldn't think of whom. Lucy? She would probably just leak the secret to Mira, who would plaster it all over the band. Natsu was a no go as well since he had a mouth bigger than the whole of Fiore. In fact, she realized that she had to pretty much rule anyone in Fairy Tail out, even if that included quiet people like Jellal, Ultear, and Erza, simply because word might get back to Romeo. Chelia was also off limits: when it came to love, the girl was like a raging tempest.

Desperation filled her as Wendy realized that she had absolutely no one to talk to about her love life. Even Carla, her constant companion, was no help since she was a cat and all. Not knowing what to do, she slammed her head into her pillow and resisted the urge to scream. When the desire passed, she decided to be more productive and get something to eat. It was almost nine o'clock in the evening by this point, anyway. She was met with a surprise at the foot of the stairs.

"You guys are back early," Wendy commented at the sight of Natsu and Lucy in the foyer. For some reason, their clothes were slightly smoking. "What happened?"

"The stupid play got canceled halfway through when one of the actors walked right off the stage, yelling about the playwright being a worthless bum," Natsu related in disgust. Lucy, meanwhile, was patting down the wafting smoke on her dress.

"We decided to get dinner, but someone got distracted by the flaming food which caused an unfortunate incident," Lucy said with a look to Natsu. "Long story short, we won't be going back to Scherezade's any time soon…or ever."

"Oh, well, I'm sorry to hear your date didn't go very well," Wendy said as she started aiming for the kitchen.

"Are you kidding me? That was some of the most fun I've ever had," Lucy exclaimed. "I'm used to Natsu being an idiot around fire."

"Hey! Anyway, we already have another date planned for Friday before practice," Natsu said.

"Maybe we can make it a double date with Gray and Juvia or Erza and Jellal."

"No way! I'm not going on a date with either of those two."

Wendy shook her head and left the once again arguing couple. Following her mother's words, she strode straight to the microwave and began heating up her dinner. It was only when she sat down to eat that Natsu's words came floating back to her. Practice was on Friday, and that meant seeing Romeo for the first time in almost two weeks.

"How am I going to deal with this?"

Wendy wasn't sure how, but she did manage to deal with it. Friday came much quicker than the bluenette had anticipated and all too soon she had joined her fellow band mates on the large field outside of Magnolia High. The first thing she noticed was that everyone seemed to be in exceptionally high spirits and all the guilds were getting along really well. Wendy attributed this to the fact that Minerva was officially gone. According to Erza, no one in the band had seen or heard anything from her since the end of camp.

Wendy then noticed Meredy and Chelia chatting with one another off to the side. The two had really hit it off when the three of them hung out. Chelia, in particular, was in a much happier mood than she was on the last day of camp. She had seemed to take Wendy's words to heart and was attempting to move on from Lyon. Wendy was about to go join them when she felt a hand sling itself over her shoulders.

"So, Wendy," came the charismatic sound of Sting's voice, "rumor has it that you have a birthday coming up."

"Yeah…" Wendy affirmed, stepping out of Sting's reach. "I turn fifteen in a week on the second of September."

"Are you having a party?" Sting sounded a little too excited at that notion. Thankfully, Rogue arrived seconds later to smack his best friend upside the head.

"Sting heard about it from Natsu and was wondering if he could get invited, but Natsu told him to take it up with you," Rogue explained. Then he leaned in close to Wendy's ear and whispered, "I think he just wants a chance for free food."

Wendy giggled at Rogue's comment but nodded her head. "Sure, I don't mind. My mom's the one planning the party so I don't really care who shows up."

"Awesome. I needed to get you a gift for helping us out at the amusement park, anyway," Sting added as an afterthought. "Oh, can we bring our cats, too? ! Lector's a bit of a jerk sometimes but he's really just starved for affection. Frosch is just plain dopey."

"Hey! Don't you dare insult Frosch!" Rogue challenged and the two boys began a back and forth argument. Wendy shook her head and walked away towards her friends. She turned slightly and noticed Romeo to the side, staring at her with a frown before he turned away. Wendy blushed but continued onward to her friends, inserting herself naturally into the conversation.

Before long, Director Makarov was calling the band to order and they all took their positions for the first song. It was a strange feeling during the practice that evening. All of the animosity that had existed between the guilds just a few weeks prior, particularly between Fairy Tail and Saber Tooth was gone. What remained was a cohesive marching unit that was executing its show perfectly. Wendy felt by their third repetition that there was hardly a need for them to practice, but she also know that the program didn't place first by slacking off. So she kept going with gleeful exuberance.

Only when the field was becoming too dark to see and the mosquitoes had adequately gnawed at the band members' legs did Makarov finally let them go. He reminded them of both daily and weekly band practices (since it was a class, after all) causing some people to groan but one of them wasn't Wendy. As the band students left the field, Chelia latched on to Wendy.

"You better come early to school on Monday," she insisted. "I have to give you the grand tour."

"I already took a tour when I registered," Wendy informed her. "Found my locker, my classes and everything."

"That sounds boring. I'll give Chelia's Tour of Love, which is far more exciting. You can bring Meredy along, too, and we'll be Chelia's Angels!"

"I'm not going along with being named after some old TV show that my parents watched," Wendy challenged. Chelia laughed aloud and it brought a smile to Wendy's face. "Besides, Natsu's the one driving me, so I have no control over that."

"Whatever, just be there!" Wendy nodded as Chelia split from her. The bluenette then headed for her brother but stopped when she saw him talking to Romeo. She couldn't hear what they were saying, though she could tell that Romeo was impassioned about something, judging by his wildly gesticulating hands and fierce expression. Natsu, surprisingly, was standing there calmly as he soaked in Romeo's words. At some point, the black haired boy threw his hands into the air and walked away. Wendy finally approached her brother.

"What did Romeo want?" she asked.

"Nothing," Natsu answered quickly. Wendy narrowed her eyes at him but he took no notice. "Just some teen angst stuff. Let's head home."

She knew his stubborn streak wouldn't allow anything else out so she just followed him and pushed the incident from her mind. The weekend that followed practice was so frantic that the issue never resurfaced thanks to all of the last minute preparations for school. When Monday morning came, it was just as frantic. Igneel had already left for the newspaper office meaning that Grandine (who was currently off shift) was the only one to see Wendy and a sleepy Natsu off. Of course, seeing as Wendy's birthday would be that weekend also meant an eternal stream of questions from her mother as they were leaving. Wendy was grateful to be in the car on the way to school.

As soon as they had reached the bustling building, Natsu gave her a hug and dashed off to greet Gray and Gajeel who were chatting lazily with Elfman. Wendy scanned the entrance courtyard and quickly spotted Chelia. It wasn't that hard given the pinkette was bouncing up and down while waving furiously at her. It attracted a few odd looks and laughs, making Wendy incredibly nervous as she walked over.

"All right! Time for Chelia's Tour of Love, girls!" Chelia exclaimed. Wendy noticed that Meredy was already attached to the girl's side with her own nervous expression. They gave each other a quick wave before they were whisked into the bowels of the school. "There's the cafeteria. Fridays are the only good days to get food, otherwise bring your own. If you didn't today, that's okay. I'll share."

Wendy's head whirled as Chelia dragged her and Meredy all over the school like a sack of potatoes. The hyper pinkette showed them everywhere. Literally, everywhere. Every hall, nook, and cranny was shown to the two girls in the space of fifteen minutes. From where the gamers gathered to where the drama kids met (Ultear was here so Meredy tried to abandon ship, but Chelia wouldn't let her). Wendy had seen the roof, the basement, the janitor's closet (for some strange reason Max had run away as fast as he could when he saw them approaching it) and was currently standing outside her and Meredy's Honors Geometry class which was to be taught by a cantankerous old teacher named Org.

"And here we are for your first class," her best friend had announced. "Remember that we're hanging out at lunch, and don't be late to practice this afternoon. The director usually announces the first competition today, so that's important."

"Honestly, I'm considering just hanging with Ultear at lunch by this point," Meredy mumbled in Wendy's ear. Wendy would have nodded but she didn't want Chelia to catch it.

"Oh, look, Romeo's in your class, too. I forgot that freshmen and sophomores can share this class," Chelia said. Wendy gave a start and peered inside the classroom. Sure enough, Romeo was setting his bag on a desk before he turned and saw Chelia. He raised his hand in greeting and began making his way over. "So, you made it into an honors class after all."

"Very funny, Chelia," Romeo said with a fold of his arms. Then he caught sight of the other two girls, nodding in their direction perfunctorily. "Wendy. Meredy."

"R-Romeo," Wendy stuttered out, her head inclined down so she wouldn't have to look at him. He nodded again before heading back inside the classroom.

"Okay…you two have problems," Chelia commented. Wendy shot her best friend a glare before pushing into the classroom. Meredy happily followed. Ignoring the presence of Romeo in the room, Wendy sat herself in the front row with her fellow Fairy Tail member seated next to her. Thankfully, she couldn't see Romeo from here. It would be hard enough to deal with him just being in the same class.

"Uh…don't look now, but I'm pretty sure Romeo's staring at you," Meredy observed. Wendy frowned.

"Not surprising," was the response she gave. She was grateful that Meredy chose not to pursue an inquiry. For her part, Wendy turned her attention to the front of the class and sought to completely block out all other things from her mind.

She was successful and was able to get through Honors Geometry and all her other classes (pretty much all Honors) without running into Romeo any more. Meredy was in practically all of her classes except for an elective that they didn't share, and Wendy was grateful to have the pinkette by her side as a freshman facing the world. The two stuck together with Chelia during lunch as they people watched from their corner of the cafeteria. Wendy noticed that a lot of the groups that hung together during camp also hung together in the cafeteria, though it was a little harder to tell amongst the swirling sea of students.

When the last class of the day arrived, Wendy picked up her books and she and Meredy made their way to the band room. The bluenette departed from her friend once they had arrived and sidled into the clarinet section only to find herself right next to Romeo, who spared her only the briefest of glances. Chatter cascaded around the room as the two teens stayed still and silent. Eventually, Wendy decided that she could no longer ignore the boy.

"Hey…" she uttered softly. He turned to look at her silently while Wendy gulped down some courage. "Do…do you want to come to my birthday party on Saturday?" Romeo didn't answer and she started to understand how he must have felt when she had a hard time answering him.

"I have to help my dad at the bar," he answered while spinning his clarinet in his hands. She hung her head in slight defeat. "But I'll see if I can put in an appearance."

"Okay, then." Wendy smiled at him and he offered a small one back. The tension between them had eased. Moments later, Director Makarov had stood to make an announcement.

"As you brats should already know, we have our first competition lined up. For the freshmen who are unfamiliar with the process, this is how our marching season works. Each band must take part in at least three competitions prior to Nationals and must have obtained the top five in one of those competitions in order to qualify. As such, our first competition will be two weeks from Saturday on the sixteenth in Shirotsume. The founder of the competition, Everlue, may be a creep but his competition is a good litmus test for our band.

"Oh, and don't go making plans for the Fantasia parade the week after either. You're all expected to perform in it. Now, let's head to the field and practice."

The entire band, buzzing with anticipation over their first competition moved as one unit out the doors. Romeo offered a parting nod to Wendy once they had reached the field and Wendy opted for a simple wave, feeling lighter than she had the whole day. The hour long practice was light and fun as well, the band showcasing their best talent in preparation for the sixteenth. They each left the field in high spirits.

"Wendy, could I speak with you?" called the director from practically right next to her. She jumped but calmed down a bit as the rest of the students moved off. "Porlyusica tells me that you have a birthday coming up on Saturday."

"Yes…" Wendy enunciated tentatively, unsure of where this conversation was going. Although, she did have a pretty good idea once she saw the director's gleaming eyes. "Did you want to come?"

"Will there be cake?"

"Ice-cream cake, I think…but I'd have to check with my mom."

"Then, yes!" Makarov yelled exuberantly. "I haven't had cake since Laxus put me on that infernal diet for my health. I'm a spry man in his eighties. I don't need that."

"I'll tell my mom, then." Makarov nodded happily before skipping off with a whistle. Wendy smiled after him. She was really starting to look forward to Saturday.

The first week of school positively flew by. Sure, high school meant an increased workload when it came to doing homework, but Wendy was far more capable of handling it than her brother, who was struggling under the further increase of work that came from junior year. Wendy was able to easily get in the swing of things, made all the easier by Meredy's presence in her classes. On top of that, her and Romeo's relationship seemed to be taking a turn for the better. They weren't quite on speaking terms yet, but at least the awkwardness that pervaded the room when they were around one another had diminished. All in all, this meant that Saturday came quicker than expected.

"So…fifteen year old girls like bounce houses?" was the first thing she heard on the day of her birthday that wasn't from her family. Naturally, this meant it came from Laxus.

"Actually, I think the bounce house was Natsu's idea," she responded. Laxus snorted, patting Wendy on the top of her head kindly.

"Happy Birthday, Wendy," he said afterwards. "Sorry the Strauss family couldn't make it. Anyway, Gramps brought your gift. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to stop those idiots from breaking the bounce house."

"Oh, don't worry, mom and dad had it insured for that eventuality," Wendy admitted with a glance into the bounce house where Natsu and Gajeel were already roughing it up. Somehow, Gray had snuck in without her even noticing. Wendy's information didn't stop Laxus from heading over there.

"Have a drink with me, Wendy," Cana called as soon as she entered the backyard, her bottle in one hand and a poorly wrapped package in the other. A sudden voice rang out from inside the bounce house.

"She has a drop, you die, Cana!" Natsu and Gajeel yelled at the same time. Cana just giggled at the boys.

"She's legal now," the brunette waved off.

"Sorry, Cana," Wendy apologized, "but alcohol doesn't really agree with me."

"Meh, more for me, then," Cana said with a shrug and a sip of her drink. Seconds later she foisted the package she was holding into Wendy's hands. "I know you probably won't open presents until later, but I'm not one for tradition. So, go ahead."

Wendy stared at the package oddly for a moment before daintily taking apart the wrappings and revealing what was inside. It was a fancy plaque with a picture of Wendy during the sectionals competition. Emblazoned on the surface was a huge and gold plated "3rd Place" with a description about Wendy's performance that day following it. Wendy looked to Cana with shining eyes. "This is really nice, Cana! Thank you!"

"It was the least I could do for our rising star," Cana answered, pulling her into a hug. "I also wanted to get you some sexy clothes, but I had a feeling that Natsu, Lucy, and Gajeel would kill me for that."

"Damn right, we would," Lucy said as she came into the backyard. Erza and Levy were with her, both of them also looking as though they disapproved of the notion.

"I'm only joking," Cana elated them with a wink. "Besides, Wendy needs a bigger rack to pull most of them off."

"Cana! I-I won't stand for that kind of talk!" Erza said to the girl. Wendy looked down, her face flushed red at Cana's comment. Why did she always have to bring that up?

"Don't worry about it, Wendy," Levy said kindly. "You're bigger than I was at your age, and you're still growing, so it's okay!"

"Yeah, and some guys like girls with smaller boobs," Cana taunted. "Look at Gajeel." Levy frowned at Cana, and Wendy decided that this was the best time to exit the conversation.

In the meantime, numerous people had arrived, completely populating the Dragneels' backyard. Juvia had shown up to say her greetings before trying to stop Gray from stripping with the other boys. Ultear and Meredy had also shown up together with Ultear taking a bottle of beer while Meredy pouted that she was still too young (it didn't stop her from trying to steal one). Sting and Rogue also came together, said their hellos, and then jumped into the bounce house at Natsu's behest. It appeared they had brought their cats with them as Wendy could see Gajeel's cat, Pantherlily, leading a group of four around like they were armed forces. Milliana had soon arrived and waylaid that group of kitties.

"Are you so busy that you don't have any love for your best friend?" Chelia called when she arrived. Wendy ran to her and the two hugged. "Sorry I was late, but my mom made me do extra chores."

"It's okay. Nothing much has happened. I think we have some tag-team competitions planned, then presents and cake."

"Three-legged race?"

"Yup. And the two of us will definitely beat Natsu this year." The two gave a high five and continued to chat amicably until Grandine called for the competitions to begin. There was nothing to win at these competitions but Wendy (and, of course, her mother) knew that most of her friends' competitive spirits would make things interesting. There were four competitions: three-legged race, a water balloon toss, tag-team volleyball (which took most of the afternoon), and, once again, an eating contest. Most of the girls sat out of the last one mostly due to the boy's impressively piggish behavior, particularly Natsu, whose team-up with Gray resulted in an overwhelming win.

Wendy and Chelia managed to win the three-legged race mostly because their competition sucked at it. Natsu and Gray fought, Erza practically dragged Milliana, Ultear and Meredy didn't care, Laxus refused to work well with Gajeel and Lucy and Levy's team wasn't that fast. The only real competition they had was from Sting and Rogue. Juvia and Cana had sat that one out, but much to a drunk Cana's surprise, the two of them won the water balloon toss. The following volleyball game resulted in a complete victory for Erza, but Wendy just had fun.

"All right, everyone. Time for the birthday girl to open her presents before we get to cake," Igneel called with a hand around a camera.

Wendy was all too happy to oblige, given the very large assortment of gifts she had received. From Natsu was a small, but likely expensive, dragon figuring since her entire family had been obsessed with dragons since birth. Gajeel had made her a metal bracelet with a dragon charm to accompany it. Lucy had gotten her sheet music that she had been looking for, while Levy got her a book. Erza gave her a gift card for her favorite cake shop along with coupons. Sting and Rogue collectively gave her a music collection while Milliana gave her a beautiful accessory for Carla (the white cat glared at it vehemently). Gray gave a snow cone machine and Juvia, a smoothie maker. Meredy had given her a matching shirt with the words "Woodwind Buddies" on it and Ultear got her a nice watch. Chelia topped it all with a brand new stereo and, somehow, Makarov and Laxus had pitched in with her aunt to get her a laptop.

It was a pretty good haul and Wendy was feeling absolutely euphoric when the cake was brought out and everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to her. It made her so grateful to be surrounded by the people she loved. The only one that was missing was Romeo. There was a part of her that was extremely sad that he hadn't shown, and this part led to her leaning against a wall alone as the others chatted and she ate her cake. She wasn't alone for too long.

"Hey, did you like the present me and Rogue got you?' Sting asked, leaning against the wall next to her. Rogue was off having a conversation with Gajeel. "Natsu told us you're a big fan of Vivaldi."

"Yeah. I can't wait to listen to it," Wendy thanked him before going back to stare at the remnants of her ice-cream cake. Sting shifted uncomfortably next to her.

"I know it's not really my place to ask this, but is there something on your mind? I'm a good listener when I want to be," he offered.

"It's nothing, really. I was just hoping someone would come that didn't."

"Romeo?" Wendy looked at him with wide eyes and Sting chuckled. "Let's just say that Mirajane's Rumor Mill reaches Saber Tooth, too."

"That makes me feel so much better," Wendy sighed sarcastically. "I mean, the two of us haven't been speaking a lot lately but I had hoped he could show up for at least a few minutes."

"You really like him, huh?" Wendy saw absolutely no point in denying it. "You could make him jealous."

"That's just mean," Wendy scolded the blonde. "Besides, I don't think it would help."

"Then you are definitely smarter than me," Sting confessed. "Last year, both Rogue and I had massive crushes on Yukino and it led to the closest time that our relationship splintered. Rogue pulled the whole 'silent but manly' strategy while I tried to make her jealous by pretending to date other girls. I was kind of an asshole back then. Anyway, she chose him because I was pretending to be an abhorrent man-whore."

"Do you still like her?" Wendy asked, finally seeking to finish her cake.

"A little, but it's not like I hate Rogue or anything. Though it did take some time for me and Yukino to repair our relationship after such a huge falling out." Wendy nodded in understanding. "Well, just keep at it. I'm sure you'll work things out with Romeo."

That's what everyone seemed to be saying, but Wendy was starting to have a hard time believing it. Soon after her conversation with Sting, the party began wrapping up and everyone started going home. Wendy was on the receiving end of numerous hugs and high fives before she helped to clean up the mess, which did include a broken bounce house. Lucy stuck around to help, but both Natsu and Gajeel were nowhere to be seen. It was very late in the evening when Wendy returned to her room with her presents. She was putting them all away when she came across a still unwrapped one.

Opening it carefully, she saw it was a small and thin black box. She took the lid off and gasped in surprise at what was inside. It was, quite honestly, the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen with beautiful gold links that met up in the center, the Fairy Tail insignia hanging from it and studded with a single blue sapphire. Wendy held it up to herself in the mirror and couldn't help but think of how gorgeous it was. Inside the box was a single note that read "Happy Birthday". Wendy had absolutely no doubts about who it was from.

Wendy was still running on the high of her birthday by the time Monday rolled around. Adorned with the bracelet that Gajeel had given her and the watch from Ultear, she entered the school courtyard ahead of Natsu with a skip in her step. She chose not to wear the necklace simply because she didn't quite feel comfortable with it. She quickly caught up with Chelia who looked as happy as she felt.

"You seem to be in a good mood," Wendy commented. "Did something happen with Lyon, or…?"

"No. I think I might finally be moving on from Lyon," Chelia informed her, but wouldn't elaborate any further. The two girls finished catching up on the rest of their weekends before Wendy left for Honors Geometry. To her surprise, Romeo wasn't there yet, but Wendy easily shrugged it off and sat in her usual seat. Seconds later, Meredy had run up to her in a blur.

"Not exactly sure…but the rumors…" she gasped out, clearly short of breath.

"Calm down, Meredy, and tell me what's going on," Wendy pleaded, at a loss for what she was trying to explain. Meredy took deep breaths and sat down.

"Okay, so I was hanging out with Ultear and Juvia this morning and they had heard from Mira this morning that, and keep in mind this is a rumor," she said quickly, pausing for a single breath, "Romeo has a girlfriend."

Wendy felt her head go light. Romeo was already out there dating? Were Mr. Doranbolt's words absolutely correct? Or was it that she had never stood a chance in the first place? Was she just one girl in a long line of those he admired? She could only utter one weak word, "Who?"

"No idea. It is just a rumor, though."

"Yeah, just a rumor…" Wendy said, as if to reassure herself. It didn't stop her heart from clenching when Romeo walked in the room, though. He didn't look like a guy who had just gotten a girlfriend, but Wendy didn't want to focus on that issue in the first place. Reminding herself again and again that it was just a rumor, Wendy went about her day and practically forgot about it, aided by the fact that she didn't see Romeo until band practice. Not that seeing him changed anything since they were all so focused on their show that there was no time to think.

When practice concluded, Wendy quickly gathered up all her things before she saw Chelia standing around. Finding it strange for her to just be standing around, Wendy walked up to her best friend. "It's unusual for you to stick around after practice."

"I know, but I'm waiting for someone," Chelia told her. Wendy scanned the room but could only see a few remaining Fairy Tail members, Lyon, Sting and Rogue milling about the room. When she turned back to her friend, Chelia seemed to take pity and answer her silent question. "I have a date."

"That's why you said you were giving up on Lyon this morning!" Wendy said in realization. "Who's the guy?"

"Romeo."

That was when Wendy felt her world completely stop. Almost unconsciously, her hand and arms went limp and her books tumbled noisily from her grasp. She stared blankly ahead at Chelia, who was looking at her in worry. Wendy struggled to regain her grip on reality and plaster a smile on her face. "Th-that's great!"

"Yeah…" Chelia breathed, still scrutinizing Wendy before gasping loudly. "Oh my gosh…you…he…I am such a horrible friend! You like him! You actually like him!"

"When did he ask you?" she asked quietly, but somewhere inside, her tranquility was beginning to give way to that Dragneel rage. Chelia didn't answer her. "When. Did. He. Ask. You?"

"Um…Saturday," she squeaked horrifically. Wendy figured she must have looked like a demon to elicit such a response from her best friend. "I wouldn't have accepted if I actually knew you liked him but you-"

Wendy's newfound rage wasn't directed at Chelia, though. No, it was directed at the boy currently approaching the two of them. "ROMEO!"

Said boy stopped dead in his tracks. "Uh…yes, Wendy?"

"What the hell are you playing at? !" Perhaps it was her choice of words, or her tone, or even just the fact that sweet and innocent Wendy was borderline yelling in the first place, but Chelia gave a frightened squeak and backed away.

"Oh, shit…" she heard Gajeel say and he and Natsu clasped onto each other like frightened children.

"He's really done it now," Natsu concurred. "Wendy doesn't get angry, but when she does…"

"What are you talking about?" Romeo asked, drowning out Wendy's family.

"So, first you kiss me, then you want to go out with me and now you're dating my best friend? !"

"He kissed you?" Chelia asked incredulously. Wendy shot her a look that immediately told her to shut up.

"I was moving on," Romeo said coolly, but his entire body language practically suggested fear. "You rejected me, so I decided to cut my losses."

"I did not reject you, Romeo Conbolt! I never said I didn't like you," she screamed, all sense of discipline lost. "I rejected the fact that you kissed me as a way of asking me out. If you thought that me saying no to that was me giving you the okay to date my best friend, then you must not have liked me all that much."

"That's not it at all!" Romeo defended. Their argument had already drawn the attention of everyone else in the band room. "It just hurt me and I thought that if I tried to move on, it might not hurt so much."

"'Move on'? In what universe does moving on mean giving me an expensive necklace before asking someone else out? !" Wendy demanded. Romeo looked down sheepishly for a moment.

"Oh…you got it, huh?"

"Got it? I loved it! It was beautiful. Then you turn around and do this!" Wendy continued to yell. "I don't even know what we really are, Romeo."

"Well, neither do I," Romeo said with a huff. He had folded his arms as he stared her down, too. "I came to your birthday party a little late but all I saw was you talking to Sting."

"Whoa, leave me out of this!" Sting tried to interject, but the two of them ignored him.

"Honestly, you've spent so much time with him lately, why don't you just go out with him? !"

"Because I like you!" She hadn't realized what she just yelled, but clearly everyone else did. They all stared at her in shock, except for Mira who was squealing happily. Romeo simply looked like he'd been hit over the head with a club.

"You…you do?" His words seemed to give Wendy the knowledge of what she just said, what she had been keeping to herself for the last two weeks and only Meredy had likely suspected. She blushed heavily before turning and walking at a brisk pace from the band room, not even bothering to grab her books. "Wendy!"

She didn't stop. She couldn't stop. It was like her legs had a mind of their own and wouldn't stop. The more that she walked, the more she realized what had just transpired and a complete sense of mortification washed over her. Had she really just yelled at Romeo in public over this? She would have buried her head in her hands if she weren't crossing the street. She had actually said it out loud…so, why did she feel that all she did was damage her relationship with Romeo further?

She had no answer by the time her feet hit the garden path of the Dragneel house. The door was locked, which meant that no one was home. So, she unlocked the door and stepped inside. Instantly, she dropped her backpack and collapsed in a chair at the kitchen table, her head resting on the table in a small state of depression. She didn't want to think anymore. She also didn't know how long she was sitting there before Natsu slammed her books on the table.

"You left your books at school," he said, taking a seat next to her. Wendy couldn't bring herself to respond. "Wanna talk?"

"Natsu, why does liking a boy have to be so complicated?" she asked. Natsu quirked an eyebrow before laughing.

"Nah, it's not really." Wendy looked at him, almost indignantly until he smiled at her. "Love is easy. It's relationships that screw it up."

"It's not love, and you've been reading too many of Lucy's romance novels," she said to him.

"No, I listen to Lucy about her romance novels. There's a difference. Having a relationship means listening to the other person. You and Romeo are definitely not listening to each other."

"I know, but…I like him, Natsu."

"You made that pretty obvious in the band room, sis." Wendy stuck her tongue out at him. "Look, if you like him, then talk to him and listen to him. I mean, look at me: I could love Lucy all I want, but if I didn't take the time to have a real and positive relationship with her, it wouldn't matter. So, just talk to him."

"But I'm worried that I screwed everything up," she confessed.

"If you really did, he wouldn't have tried to look for you after we questioned him." Wendy looked to her brother in surprise, but Natsu remained inscrutable. "I think that if you really like him that much, then you should try being friends again before moving forward."

Wendy gave that some thought. Her brother had a good point. "Thanks, Natsu. Since when did you give good advice?"

"Shut up, Wendy!" Natsu teased as he ruffled her hair. "I love you, Wendy, and I approve of Romeo, so…just do what you think is right." Then he disappeared from the kitchen. Wendy sighed to herself, but in her mind grew a firmly cemented goal: starting tomorrow, she would fix her relationship with Romeo Conbolt.

Author's Note: More drama, slight resolution. This was always planned so I hope it all works out and I did it justice. The next chapter, I think, will be happier. It's already written, too (I'm actually finished with Chapter 15 as well). Not much else to say other than the fact I posted two oneshots and would be highly grateful if you'd read and review those as well. You're all super awesome! In the meantime, please do Review and Dare to Be Silly.