Chapter 7
A Bud of Truth
"You remember when I told you my feelings about…." Lettuce began, but paused, thinking that this was ridiculous. If Ichigo didn't know what she'd done, then she wasn't the person Lettuce believed her to be.
Ichigo, however, had a feeling about where the conversation was heading and finished the sentence for her. "About Ryou?" She asked.
Lettuce's eyes blazed for a minute, but let the feeling pass and nodded silently.
"Are you acting like this because of what happened at the Café when we got back?" Ichigo asked, the truth finally dawning on her. Again, Lettuce nodded and looked down at her comforter, tears from the memory barely concealed behind her bangs. When she looked up again, she was surprised to see the expression on Ichigo's face. Her friend was actually smiling. Once more, the slow burn of anger began to resonate in Lettuce's core, but before she could say a word, Ichigo burst out laughing.
"Oh, Lettuce!" Ichigo said when she had contained herself.
"What?" Lettuce replied, confused and annoyed by the reaction.
"I'll tell you what," Ichigo said, her eyes glittering, "I'll explain what happened if you come to the Café next Friday at seven in the evening. And not till then!" she finished, and got up to leave.
"What is this really all about Ichigo?" Lettuce asked, hoping to at least get some answers tonight.
"Bye Lettuce!" Ichigo said, ignoring her friend's question. "And don't forget! Friday at seven!" She called as she ran down the stairs, said a hurried goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Midorikawa and went out the front door.
As each day in the week passed Lettuce become more and more nervous. She couldn't even think about what was going to happen when she set foot in the Pink Café that she once considered her second home. Would all the other girls ignore her? Or laugh at her? Or even worse, would Ryou laugh at her? She began to dread the end of the week, and even considered not going to Café Mew Mew a few times, but her curiosity got the best of her, and on Thursday she decided she would go no matter what.
Friday dawned clear and cool, but the cheery weather did not lift the feeling of anxiety Lettuce felt. She carefully got dressed in her school uniform and said good bye to her parents as she usually did. On her way to school, she thought about taking an alternate route that led closer to the café, but then she remembered the deal to stay away from it until seven that night. So she stuck to her usual route and gazed at the peach blossoms overhead. The sight of the little flowers raised her mood a little, and she arrived at school with the first smile on her face in a while.
Throughout the whole day, she tried to keep her mind on her studies, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't focus. By lunchtime, her mind was wandering freely over possibilities of what would happen that night. And when school got out, she could barely control herself as she walked home and up the stairs to her room. Once she had locked the door, she threw her book bag on her desk and took out some of its contents. Going through her assignments was a tried and true method of keeping her mind off of things, and so she worked diligently until five o'clock. She then went down to eat dinner and talk with her family around the dinner table. During dessert, her mother asked if she had plans later on, she nonchalantly said that she was going to Café Mew Mew at seven.
"Oh really?" Her father asked, his eyebrows raised. "Good for you."
"You'd better finish up then." Her mother said, looking at the clock which read six thirty. Lettuce nodded, finished her food and went upstairs to change. She emerged ten minutes later in a light green jacket complimented by a pink tank top and a lavender layered skirt. She also chose to wear her hair down again, so the girls would not expect her usual appearance. With a quick kiss to her parents, she picked up her purse from the counter and stepped out into the night.
Sorry for yet another cliffhanger ending, but I really wanted the next chapter to be one of its own-I'll take bets as to what happens if anyone has them. :)