Authors Note:

As promised, this is the skeleton of my next chapter. Obviously, it hasn't been cleaned up or well-written or placed in first tense; it was going to be my longest chapter, but I never really found the motivation to continue. You can critique it if you want, but it isn't really a piece of writing per se. It's more like a jumble of ideas I scrawled down while reliving the story in my head. Maybe in the future I'll rewrite it as an homage to my younger author but until now, this is what you get.

On the OTHER HAND, I have a new story coming out on Wattpad in the summer! It's in its working stages but I'm really into it. I won't be uploading it until I have at least most of the chapters done. I want it to be cohesive.

For now, I'll just give you a brief title and a very vague summary of what's to come!

It's called, "Saving Annabeth." It'll be a thriller/horror/action genre. There's no zombies but it is post-apocalyptic; it's more to do with social issues. It'll feature a bisexual female lead known as Annabeth. Obviously, it'll have some romance, but it won't be the ridiculously annoying kind where it's oh my god, love at first sight. Blah blah blah. I'll be better ha-ha. I took a lot of feedback from this story and it was actually pretty fun working on it. Either way, see you on the flip side. I don't really care if my skeletons are unfinished but to those who hate when authors don't finish their stories, this is for you.

The Golden Girl by the Peonies: Part 2

I'm fine.

Natsu

I used to wait by window-sill for hours.

I'd wait to hear that deafening roar of your rusty old Chevy again, revving up the driveway during rain showers.

I'd wait to see its fiery red paint that matched the cherry red lipstick mom wore after you came back from a successful police raid.

I'd wait for you grow a pair and meet the baby girl you strayed.

I'd wait for the throb in my chest to die.

I'd try to stop the tears from trickling from my eye.

I thought making you a monster, would set me free.

Turns out the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

They needed passport ID or a driver's license. I curse silently underneath my breath as a billowy spire of vapour gusts out of my mouth. The icy breeze tinges my cheeks with a grainy red hue and irritates my nose. I bury my balled fists deep into my trench-coat pockets, staring lividly at the liquor store.

1. Natsu's alcoholism progresses to a point where he's a carbon-copy of his mother years ago. Unable to get his alcoholic fix after the store begins IDing youth, Natsu decides to kick it back on a park bench once again. He describes how the streets are filled with young concertgoers, walking to Beta Recreation center to see the Weeknd. The movement reminds him of the running faucet and his eyelids turn heavy. His head churns and the slight tremor in his left hand gives away his ache for another bottle; he was addicted and didn't want to admit it. He holds down his left hand to stop it from trembling and then pulls out his phone, looking for distraction. Shocked, he discovers that the famous YouTube dancer, Devon, has updated his snapchat story. All the air escapes his lungs. Much to Natsu's chagrin, he watches Lucy appear in the video and she's happily gyrating her body on Devon. Her lips are pulled up into a vibrant, toothy grin. The lighting illuminates her golden tresses making her seem ethereal. Devon busts out a few goofy moves eliciting a symphony of giggles from Lucy. The caption read, "Thank you for bringing my groove back baby." What the fuck does that mean? A million scenarios flit through his mind. Lucy's turned Devon straight. They're dating. They're working together? The more he thinks about it, the more his mind aches. He sits there silently and heaves, trying to quell the dark emotions he felt inside. He gets up and decides to try another liquor store in vain hope. He ends up walking down a narrow neighbourhood and recounts all the memories he's shared with Lucy. Each step materializing a certain one of her faces. How did she look right now?He sees some children walk hand-in-hand with their parents, giggling. The noise dissipates as they disappear behind him. He remembers how much he wanted to be like them. How much he wanted to be normal and not this fucked up mess with daddy issues. He stops and stares up at the crescent moon, glistening despite being slightly eclipsed by the sun. He recalls all the times he's wanted to talk to Lucy about what was going on. But the truth of the matter was, he was a coward.

2. Lucy enters the mess-hall carrying a tray of poutine and a mango/guava smoothie. Devon trails after her, scrolling through Grindr for a bad life choice for the night. She'd opted to wear a striped boat-neck t-shirt with a high bun. She'd DIYed some acid wash jeans and wore the classiest red heels she could find in her closet. The whole ensemble had cost her about $20 but didn't look like it. Devon had joked and called her a baller on a budget. She grinned, liking the sound of that. Devon and her chat about RuPaul's drag race until Lucy sees Sebastian from across the room. She waves at him excitedly, bouncing on her toes. He looks at her with surprise and flashes her small lopsided grin. She skips over to meet him and strikes up a conversation about her ferret, Plue. Plue had escaped his cage this morning and it was a shit-fest. Quite literally; who knew such a tiny body could take such a big dump. Sebastian laughs but then trains his eyes on Devon. Something fiery consumes his eyes but it isn't fury. Devon was hot; not Greek god hot but more bad-boy Latino hot. Inked olive skin, rich black captivating eyes, chestnut hair with honey undertones; he was a package. He'd decided to clean-up today and wore a sexy green button down that shows off his light scatter of chest-hair. "Sebastian, see anything you like?" she teased, winking at him. He flushes knowing she'd caught his gaze. Devon laughs, and everyone joins in. She's about to tease him again but catches another blonde giving the group a stink-eye. Her mood plummets. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me. I thought Regina George got hit by a bus, not recruited into Mean Girls rehab edition," she groans, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Jenny. An ex," Devon admits, shrugging his shoulder. Lucy arches a perfectly groomed brow. "She didn't take me being gay and my heartfelt explanation that well. Guess she couldn't see how a dick surpassed her 'platinum vagine,'" he snorted. Bitchacho must've caught the gist of our conversation from the furtive glances we'd cast. She decided to sashay her way up to the group. "Fuck me if I'm wrong-if you'll even have a problem with that-but why's the new girl hanging out with homo and geek homo erectus…unless you're gay too," she taunted, throwing her head back to tip her chin up. I never understood how every mean girl had that trademark sashay and awesome hair-flip. Pantene? Lucy folds her arms over her chest and counters, "Bzzt. Wrong. Guess you're going to have to fuck me and find out." Lucy rolls her eyes and Devon snorts loudly, trying to contain his mirth. A red hue diffuses across Bichacho's face, but Sebastian is the one to shut her up. He walks over to her and cups her cheek. Her eyes widen into giant orbs and he leans down to press his lips against her sweetly. She sinks into the kiss, but he pulls away all to quickly. Her lips are flushed, and she lets out slightly ragged breaths. He then walks over to Devon. Sebastian rubs his thumb over Devon's lips and Devon stiffens, holding his breath. Entwining his fingers in Devon's hair, Sebastian's lips smash erotically into Devon's. Devon pauses momentarily before returning the kiss with equal force. It was fucking hot. The kiss goes one for several minutes before Sebastian breaks away heaving. He cocks his head towards Jenny over his shoulder. His chest falls and rises. "I can see why he chose boys; I'd swing too if I got a wicked kiss like that," he states as a matter-of-fact. Sebastian pulls his over his shoulder and then meets the husky gaze of Devon. They hold each other's gaze in challenge and then Sebastian walks away. Own the floor. I grinned. I loved this place.

3. Gray comes home to find Natsu sprawled out on the floor, chugging a bottle of Heineken while perusing through a sport's catalogue. Gray is sick and tired of Natsu's bullshit and his shoulders push back, and he cracks his neck muscles. Gray darts past Natsu and snatches the bottle out of his hand. Natsu yells and swings at Gray but Gray is one step ahead and smashes the bottle on the roof of the trash-can, spilling the contents into the trash bag. Natsu looks horrified. "What the hell man?! They're IDing the stores and that cost a whole lot of money," he screeches. Gray is unfazed, and moreover, looks slightly pissed off. Natsu continues cursing at Gray; Gray takes it…until he can't anymore. "Shut up," Gray bellows, the sound resonating off the wall. "Stop trying to push everything good in your life away from you so you can wallow in self-pity over shit you can't change," Gray yells, throwing his hands up in exasperation. Natsu notices tears in Gray's eyes and turns concerned. They never pried until they had to. "What's wrong, Gray?" he asked, with sudden vehemence. Gray quiets and looks out the vista, staring at the towering edifices that darkened under the crepuscular light. "I lied about having a mom," Gray confessed. Natsu is taken aback and he can feel his own heart rate begin its slow ascent. "I had a stepmom. Her name was Ur. She died shortly after seventh grade," he laughed mirthlessly, shrouding his eyes with his hand. "I guess it was Karma," he said, flatly. Natsu detects the faint tremble in his voice and gently staggers to his feet. He walks over to Gray and pulls the guy onto his shoulder. He can hear the silent sobs and he begins to realize how similar they were. The stay like that for what seems like hours. His body stops trembling soon after and they just stay like that, in each other's embrace for however long Gray needed. "I have to go visit her today. I was wondering if you'd come with me," Gray whispers softly. Natsu hums and affirmative. *** They end up buying flowers and wading around gravestones in the dark. It was 4:00 AM. They could've waited till sunrise, but Gray had wanted to be alone. Natsu talks briefly with Ur and then decides to give Gray some space. He wanders through the expansive park. The crisp autumnal air frolics in his unruly salmon locks. The gentle hiss of a ravine dances with the whistle of the wind. The bright green lawn caresses his ankles as he treks through the wilderness. He ends up reaching a secluded area basked with cherry blossom trees. In the center of the clearing, there's an ornate golden gravestone. He peers down realizing it's Layla Heartfilia. His heart comes crashing down. He had no right to be here after everything he'd done. He begins to walk away but some inexplicable force draws him to sit down. A leaf flits through the air and lands on his shoulder, trembling. Natsu lets out a tired sigh. He lies down in the grass, taking in the welcome sounds of nature; the calm before a storm. He begins talking to Layla about everything that has happened. He half expects her ghost to reply. Silence follows. But this was reality. When things die, they're truly gone. Goodbye, Natsu.

4. The second week had been uneventful. Lucy was on her 9th therapy session. Today's discussion topic was about inner demons and better sleeping habits. Lucy describes how she hates the concept of dreaming because whenever her eyes close, the monstrosities that occurred years ago, haunt her. She relives each experience whenever she's not tired enough to immediately fall asleep. They continue their discussion until the buzzer rings, ending the session. Kaia ends the appointment with a question. "What do you define as a demon?" Kaia asks gently, putting away the clipboard in her bag. Lucy purses her lips and furrows her brow in concentration. "Someone who's sole purpose in life is to harm others?" she tried, shrugging her shoulder. Kaia gives her a small smile. "Today, I encourage you to rethink your definition of a demon and try to contemplate whether or not, your inner demons meet the description anymore." Lucy looks down thoughtfully and begins to revel over the idea. "You also talked about how you didn't have any dreams. Well, I suggest that you take some time to explore what the world has to offer, take a few risks, and live through some dream-like experiences in real life," she reasoned happily. Lucy smiled, loving the contagious happy feeling she got around Kaia. She remembered a quote in one of her mother books. Undo the rotten and bring about the aurora. *** Lucy is at a quiet intersection in her neighbourhood. The bright sunlight bathes the entire neighbourhood in a golden light. It's raining, and she has a clear umbrella over her head. She watches as the warped water droplets snake to the ground and burst upon collision. She's wearing an oversized red raincoat with her iPhone buried in her pocket. "Sleeping at Last by Saturn," floods through her headphone speakers. She glances to the side to see Gray. She notices his disheveled appearance, the flat indifference in his eyes, and the sick paleness in his cheeks. Undo the rotten and bring about the aurora. Gray seems to be totally oblivious of her existence. She coughs. Startled, he shifts his gaze towards her and freezes. She takes a shaky breath and then softens her features and nerves. "Would you like to go to a carnival with me today?" she asks hesitantly. The rain continues to cascade down the umbrella. *** The carnival was abuzz. The rain had ended, and a cool coastal breeze had made the weather more temperate. Lucy had taken off her red raincoat, revealing her floral sundress. The entire time, Gray had gone out of his way to pay for everything despite my vehement protests. He'd acted like a gentleman and Lucy begins to start having some fun after getting over the initial awkwardness. She refuses to give him any satisfaction by admitting that though. Yet, she doesn't seem to get satisfaction from him going out of his way to serve hair. Lucy feels almost relieved that she gave up her conquest for revenge because this wasn't as awesome as it had seemed to be. They walk by a booth giving out goldfish as prizes. There are 3 goldish. 2 are colliding with the wall in sad attempts of escape while the other goldish floats around lifelessly on its side. Lucy frowns. Gray watches as she wordlessly approached the old man with the game. It was one of those rigged ball-and-cup carnival games. Lucy whips the balls at the cups with colossal force, but they refuse to fall. After 12 more unsuccessful tries, Gray takes over and manages to knock the cups down. He catches a glimpse of the old man clicking a button, causing the cups to giggle. The old man grins widely. That sexist pig. "You win! Which fish would you like for the pretty lady," he crooned, wiggling his brows suggestively at Lucy who seemed completely disgusted. "All of them," I demanded angrily, feeling my own ire pique. "Sorry sir, no can do. One per win and one per person," he sneered. My hands ball into fists. Lucy's hand touches my forearm and she shakes her head. We take the goldfish and sit at a bench near the Ferris wheels. It's quieter here. The gentle hum of carnival music and wind create a tranquil stillness. "You know…it's normal to take a goldish home from a carnival still. To put it in this tiny, tiny fish bowl-if you even have that much-and have it die the very next day from choking in its own ammonia," she murmurs quietly, staring at the blinking lights on the rollercoaster. The navy-blue gradient is clear tonight. Gray looks at the fish bobbing its head up out of the water and then swimming around frantically in the tiny bag. "Gray…," she whispers, "You can't rectify or reverse the past and I know you know that much." Gray hangs his head in shame. "But that doesn't mean you can't change and maybe I couldn't fathom befriending your former self but I'm willing to give you a shot to show me you in a new light." She looks up at him, the light glimmers in her sepia irises. Gray feels a million things-so many things. She looks at the fish. "You fucked up, yeah. You're supposed to live with the consciousness of your actions. But hey, you also need to stop and look at the progress you've made," she murmurs, the edges of her lips quirking up. She pokes the bag gently. The little fish pushes its nose against her finger. "This little escapade, even if it was short-lived, it made me happy in this moment. You made me happy in this moment. Keep moving forward, Gray." She looks up at Gray and flashes him the warmest grin she can muster. *** Gray's POV: I always, always, always wanted to change. Gray zips around the pet-store, buying a square massive fish-tank and ransacking the shelves for fish food, real plants and not that synthetic bullshit, pH regulators, a safer filtration system, sands, rocks, treats, everything; he buys everything. He gets home and begins to assemble the aquatic environment after feeding the goldfish come treats. He tries to get the fish to slowly acclimate to the conditions inside the tank by adding little portions of the water into the plastic bag to slowly change the pH. After a couple of hours, he slips the fish into the tank and turns on the blue aquarium light which lights up the dark room. He smiles, watching the fish swim about so cheerfully. The blue light illuminates his cheeks and dances on his forehead. He silently watches the beautiful golden creature glide through the veneer-clear waters, dancing like a rhythmic gymnast. The light lulls him into a deep slumber. He begins to dream about the little fish swimming happily. He giggles and swims through the cloudy white waters with the fish, springing off bubbles and playing in the kelp. He hugs the little and then watches it wriggle out of his hands to move up towards his eyes. He treads in the waters and watches the little fish open and close its mouth….as if to say…. thank you. The little fish swims away into the vast oceanic sky and the blinding light causes his eyelids to flutter open. He reads the digital red font on his wrist. 5:00 AM. He stares at the tank and realizes the golden beauty is floating on the top of the water. Ugly tears rip through his stomach and tear out of his eye sockets. Even if it was short-lived, it made me happy in that moment. Keep moving forward. *** Lucy's POV: Lucy picks up her phone which is blinking in the dark from incoming messages. She sees the notification. It's a text from Gray. It's two words but they're enough to make her feel raw with his emotion. "He died." She decides to call him. "Gray," is all she says. "She was swimming around so cheerfully. I got her tank. Everything," he sobbed hysterically. "I did everything I could, but I let him down." Lucy listens to his loud sobs and says nothing. She just silently listens to him cry and slowly begins to realize how human he is. He wasn't anything like the monster she'd morphed him into in her head as a kid. "It'll be okay now Gray. Thank you for everything you did for her," she said softly with genuine warmth. "You're forgiven. I bet she believes that."

5. The encounter with Layla Heartfilia leaves Natsu despondent. He hadn't anticipated to be the one leaving the cemetery fucked up. Gray had a small smile on his face when he'd left but Natsu was too distracted to decipher why. Natsu separates with Gray and decides to try out one of those underground dive bars that didn't really pay attention much to the law. On his way there, he ends up being stopped abruptly by the soft mewls of a street cat. He describes how it's cerulean fur is crusted with glue and dirt. The ardent torture and suffering it experienced is palpable and Natsu decides to bring the cat home. Talk about the trip to vet and Natsu going through the motions. He drinks a lot of water and begins feeding it and caring for it. First time Natsu feels happy. Names the kitten happy.

6. Sebastian and Lucy work out at the gym and Lucy's squealing about how bad ass Sebastian is. And how she kind of got turned on by that wow. They end up talking for hours and the conversation diverges. Your birthday is in 3 weeks right? Going out with the family? Lucy recalls the uncomfortable phone call she had with her dad and he apologized vehemently but he had to go to Italy for business. Lucy was fine with it. She had more birthdays to come and he'd always been there for. Sebastian stops the treadmill and says why don't you let me host it. Lucy quirks a brow. I get to pick the guests.

7. Natsu is playing with Happy when he gets an invitation to Lucy's birthday party. They're going to a private club and the card assures no alcohol would be involved. But male strippers however…that might be there. Natsu stares at the card and feels unhappy at how pathetic he's gotten. He sees that she's texted him asking if he's coming. *** Lucy POV: Natsu texts, Sorry. I can't make it. Happy Early Birthday Lucy.

8. Lucy's dressed up like some chick from Clueless: fluffy pink boa, black and red flannel with a halter-neck top. Hell, she's even wearing leather pants and red heels. They end up having a blast and a lot of people end up dancing. Devon makes the crowd clear the center of the room to form a circle. Sebastian grins and calls out to these two guys in the back. To shirtless beefy males bring in a throne and seat it in the middle. Lucy laughs and takes her seat. The male strippers end up giving her a lap dance in which she covers her eyes, flushing and giggles at the sight. At the end, High Heels by JoJo floods the DJ's speakers and Lucy gets up to work up the dance-floor. People record her dancing and post it on to social media. *** Natsu POV: Natsu flips through his snapchat stories and discovers that Gray has posted a video of Lucy's party. He wonders how he got an invite but his train of thought dies when he sees Lucy dancing on the table and having the time of her life. He feels his heart sink deeper and deeper into his chest.

9. Natsu is puking. He stumbles his dressing table and heaves on it. He looks in the mirror and looks sickening. He tries his best to freshen up and then picks up the gift he's wrapped. *** Lucy's POV: Wakes up to knocking. Natsu gets her a gift because he missed her birthday, he's kind and patient but he's a sickly pale color and his eyes are red rimmed. Lucy is concerned so she decides to coax Natsu into hanging out with her for the day. After Gray, she felt like cheering people up. It made her happy. She liked doing things that made her happy. You missed my birthday party so you're going to have to spend a day with me.

She gets a tattoo of a watercolor black wolf with its hind legs poised forward looking towards the future; but, it's head is cocked towards the side. Its snout raised as if waiting for something on the edge of my shoulder. It's coat tinged with fiery red which fizzles into golden and molten embers that sprinkle across my shoulder sparsely. The embers are like watercolor paint splotches. Natsu's getting a tattoo too. A sideview of a watercolor phoenix and its forehead rests on the curve of his shoulder. It's made from yellows, oranges, reds, golds, and warm colors. Its feathers are dredged with wispy black spires that fade. The tuft at the top of its head is long red and gold and its body contains white stars that connect to form constellations.

Does some pub singing for Natsu. Cool kids. He admires the way she sings and dances like no one is there. Natsu joins in because it's fun and ends up smiling a lot.

10. Natsu remembers Lucy driving them home and while she saw fireworks between them, he felt his heart die inside from his guilt. He lead this firecracker (Lucy) to try to drown herself. He gets home and Lucy drives back to ADAMINE. Seeing a bottle of wine, he decides to drown himself in it again.

11. ADAMINE is playing Amber Run – I Found through its speaker as Lucy signs her discharge papers. She has a bittersweet goodbye with her knew gets discharged and decides to make her way back home she comes in and out of her apartment for 4 days but never hears or sees Natsu leave and she asks Gray where she is casually, and he says he's supposed to be at home. She decides to check and realizes the door is unlocked. She picks up a metal bat and walks in. It's tense and at the last moment she sees a passed out Natsu. And he reeks of alcohol. And she realizes he's in a stupor and unresponsive she calls the hospital and she's in the ambulance. And all that's ringing in Natsu's ears is To Build a Home - The Cinematic Orchestra (Lyrics). He sees surgeons insert a tube into his mouth and flush a liquid down his throat. His vision blurs into blinding light. His eyes close and he remembers his whole life and finishes with all the beautiful moments of Lucy. Lucy reads his suicide letter.

12. After Natsu tries to kill himself he wakes up and finds Lucy sitting on the bed raking her hands through his hair. His eyes open but his jaw is slack, and he can't move it. Lucy's eyes widen and then narrow, and her mouth hardens into a tight line. She steps back and scowls. "Yeah, your cat is okay. You know, the one you nearly left behind, asshole?" Natsu's heart sinks to the ground and Lucy looks at the cardiograph to see his heart rate accelerate. She doesn't stop. "Whenever you feel upset and fuck-up, you expect forgiveness as if you're entitled to it if you work for it." Lucy runs a hand through her hair and she glistens in the sunlight. A vase of peonies sit beside his hospital bed. "You're spoiled." Her lower lip trembles. "You're heart-crushingly handsome but the biggest dumbass I know." Her chest falls and rises, and he can hear the stupid cardiograph begin to ring erratically. "You're so damn persistent that it makes it so fucking easy to fall in love with you all over again Dragneel," she whispers. His heart beat calms down and he can only stare as silent sobs rack her chest. "But I…can't love a boy…who thinks I want the people who hurt me to die." She turns to look at him and he knows he's crying. "I can't be here to pick up the pieces and I've finally been able to work on mine. You can't keep taking from me Natsu. You can't claim to know me and pull shit like this." She walks towards the door, halts, but doesn't turn around. "Goodbye Natsu Dragneel."

Author's Note:
There's like a chapter after this but WE'LL SEEEEE. See, even the skeleton was like 5,000 words. Lmao, it would turn into 25k if I were to actually get into the details of each scene. Sorry for the people who are disappointed but to the troopers, see you on Wattpad!