AN: Chapter 10

So I would have had this up waaaaay way way sooner, but there are a lot of things that have gone down so here it is. Longer than my normal chapters, and also pretty sad. Funny moments, but sad. It needed to happen caz it's very important. I rushed it a little bit towards the end, and I honestly am not completely pleased with the chapter, but my friend thinks it's good so I'm posting it. I may change it later but we'll see. I really want to get to the next chapters to come because they are going to be better :)

Nyma: be prepared. That's all I'm going to say lol.

'I can't believe this is happening… Lily and I are going to prom together! I mean what are the odds… once in a million I guess. Man I'm getting so nervous thinking about this. I don't know why. I mean, I do, but… it's Lily… and me…' Finn clenched his fist tightly in determination. 'I have to make my move tonight! I have to tell her how I feel and just lay it all out on the line. She did say she was over Chrono… for the most part….'

Finn looked at himself in the bathroom mirror, adjusting his dark navy blue tie around his neck, and giving himself one more look over. The ice mage smiled as he smoothed out his dark tuxedo. Solid blue eyes looked up to his blue hair, frowning slightly as he brought the comb up to it, trying to smooth it out to one side. Once the spiky blue hair was neatly combed out, Finn grinned as he stepped out of the bathroom, content on the way he looked. He made his way down stairs, smiling as his mother and sister stood up from the couch, smiles over their faces as well.

"Oh Finn… you look so handsome." Juvia said as she cupped Finn's cheeks in her hands. "Lily is going to be so lucky to have you as her date tonight."

Finn laughed slightly as Juvia planted a kiss on his cheek, turning his attention to his sister who smiled slightly at her older brother, handing him a small white corsage. Finn wrapped an arm around Rains' neck, hugging her lightly and thanking her.

"You do look pretty handsome Finn."

"Yeah… I'm pretty nervous right now. Do you think Lily will like this corsage that I picked out? I mean, I know it's different from her usual favorite colors, but… I just thought it would look really good on her tonight."

Rain laughed lightly as she ruffled Finn's blue hair. Finn moved away from his sister and laughed himself. "Hey! I worked hard on getting my hair to stay down!"

"You look better with it spiking out. Trust me. And I think the corsage is fine. Lily probably will still love it. She's a girl after all."

Finn turned back to his mother who held out her hand with a set of car keys. Finn looked at the keys then back to his mother. "I can have the car tonight?"

"As long as you are back home before one, and don't drink."

"Mom… I'm sixteen. You know I don't drink." Finn took the keys from his mother and headed for the door, turning around as he held up his hand. "Oh, and… is it ok if Leo tags along with me?"

Juvia looked at her son in slight surprise. "Leo is going to prom too?"

Finn turned his head slightly as he looked down at the white corsage in his other hand. "Yeah… I guess some senior thought he was pretty cute. So… is it ok?"

Juvia walked back over to Finn and kissed his forehead. "Of course sweetie. Just be careful with that many people in the car."

"It's just going to be the three of us mom. Promise."

"Have a good time, and make sure everyone gets back home safely! Including yourself!"

"I got it mom!" Finn said as he extended his arm to the front door. As soon as his hand began to turn the knob, Gray stopped Finn with a tight grip on his shoulder. Finn turned his head towards his father.

"Maybe if you stopped worrying about this girl so much, perhaps your magic would be better. That girl doesn't like you the way you like her. I'm tellin' you… don't do this… she's only going to bring you down further."

Finn brushed his father's hand away from his shoulder, lowering his eyebrows angrily. "I know what I'm doing, dad. And she's not the reason why I can't get my magic to improve. I'm going to this prom."

Gray glared at his son as he walked out of the house, stepping into their smaller car and driving off to pick up his friends. As Gray shut the door angrily, he raised his gaze over to Juvia who had her arms crossed over her chest, shaking her head slightly.

Gray held his hands out at his sides slightly. "What?" he said annoyingly.

Juvia moved her head to the side, speaking to Rain lightly. "Rain… please go to your room now." Rain looked to her mother then to her father. Worry was over her face as she hesitated leaving the room. "Please sweetie." The young girl turned quickly and sprinted to her own room, closing her door quickly behind her. Juvia's angry blue eyes were back on Gray in an instant.

"What did I do now? What do you want to yell at me about now, Juvia? Huh? What is it? Am I supposed to ignore the fact that our son will never get better with his magic the more he involves himself with that girl? It's her-"

Juvia began to step towards Gray, holding a finger up in front of her. "Before you start playing the blame game, look to yourself first! I've told you, no, I've been telling you, that you need take it easier on Finn! He won't learn anything the harder you push him!"

"He's not getting anything I am teaching him! Rain seems to get it just fine!"

"It's because you want so much more from that boy! What are you trying to achieve?! Push him until his bones break?! And now you're telling him that there's no chance in hell for him and Lily?! What father says that to their son to their face?" Juvia stopped in front of Gray, shaking her head lightly as she stared into his eyes. "Why won't you just let him have a bit of fun for once?"

Gray raised his voice as he spoke. "Because! Have you seen the way he looks at her? And then the way she treats our son?! It's ridiculous! That boy is stupid and can't take the hint that she doesn't see him like that! He needs to open his damn eyes and I'm trying to help him realize that before he gets his heart broken further!"

Juvia started to match Grays' tone with her own. "That isn't your job as a father! I told you that Finn can go after anyone he wanted. So what if he likes Lily?! I think she's a bright, beautiful girl that might be able to help him."

"Help him how?! Help him find out what lies underneath girls clothing?! I don't see how she could ever help him with his magic! All she can do is distract him from learning."

"Did you honestly just say that about Lily?" Juvia asked as she leaned back, looking Gray over in disgust. "Is that how you truly see her?"

Gray turned around, throwing a hand up in the air. "Well look at her! She's out of Gajeel's control, and if she was my child, I would have taken care of that spoiled brat attitude long ago!"

"But she's not our daughter! Rain and Finn are our children. And you're not exactly father of the year either, Gray."

Gray turned around and glared at Juvia. "It's just like you to say something like that. I know that I'm not perfect, but neither are you!"

"I never said I was! My point is that you are blaming everyone else for everything! You can't man up and own to your responsibilities!"

Gray moved back to Juvia quickly, pointing a finger to his chest. "I do own up to my responsibilities! I'm doing my best to keep this family together!"

Juvia stepped back and shook her head, raising her hands lightly and letting them fall back down to her sides as she looked at Gray. "Are you?"

Gray stood up straight as he stared back at Juvia, speechless. Juvia kept going after a moment of silence between the two. "Do you even still remember why you love me Gray? Why you married me? You could have just told me to give the baby up or left me alone to raise Finn by myself… but you didn't. You told me once that we could do this. That we could raise a happy family together, that nothing could tear us apart. But look at us now. We are constantly fighting, you're pressuring our kids to their limits, you're drinking and you've picked up smoking again, and… we're unhappy."

Gray looked away, clenching his fist lightly. "I… I can make things better again."

"Can you? Can you look at me, in the eyes, and tell me that you can make things better around here for us?" Juvia asked softly.

Grays' silence gave Juvia a clear answer to her question. The water mage sat down on the couch slowly, her blue eyes still on Gray. "It's come down to this then…"

"We can't…."

"Gray…we talked about this. I don't want to either, but… this isn't working, for anyone. I still love you… very much. I just… I can't do this anymore."

Juvia watched Gray for some time as he stood facing away from her in the short distance between them, silence taken over him.

"I can't keep going from day to day, acting like everything is ok between us, or forcing a smile when we go somewhere, pretending we aren't really going through this day and night."

"…What about the kids?" Gray asked softly.

Juvia raised her voice as she spoke once more, tears forming in her solid blue eyes. "I'm doing this for the kids! I don't want to do this! This is what you're making me do! You're not happy, and I don't want to stay with someone who's not happy and… someone who doesn't feel the same way I do…."

Finn and Leo grinned widely as Lucy held the camera up to her eye, snapping the picture of the two young boys dressed in tuxedos. Lucy brought the camera back down as she looked at both of them, her eyes tearing up slightly. "Look at you two… so handsome. Leo, give me those sun glasses, you're not going to need them tonight." Lucy said as she motioned to the blue-tinted glasses on Leo's blonde head. The young boy looked up at groaned at his mother.

"But mom… they are part of the look I've got goin'. Girls like the way they look on me."

Lucy raised a brow as she held her hand out. "They like the way they look on top of your head?"

"Listen to your mother, Leo. Those shades aren't meant for your hair." Loke said as he put his hands in his pockets as he stood next to Lucy. Leo sighed as he reached up and took hold of his glasses, handing them off to Lucy.

Finn turned to face Leo, pointing a finger at his friend. "We should probably get going. We still have to run over at get Lily."

Lucy looked to Finn with a confused look on her face. "I thought she was meeting you guys over here."

Finn half smiled as he shrugged his shoulders. "She was, but when I called she told me she wasn't ready and then Leviana came into her room and they started arguing while she was still on the phone with me so… I sent her a text and told her I'd come here first."

"Oh… ok then. I really would have like to get a picture with all of you together, but I could just ask Levy to get a good one for me." Lucy said with a smile. The blonde mother made her way to the two young boys and hugged them both tightly. "You two have fun tonight, and don't do anything you shouldn't be doing."

"We won't Auntie Lu. I promise." Finn said as he hugged her back lightly. Leo put his hands behind his head as a smirk appeared over his lips.

"I can promise no such thing tonight mother…." Leo's olive-green eyes were locked in a glance with his mother's chocolate brown death glare, causing the younger boy to think about his statement. As the cold shivers ran down his spine, Leo coughed slightly as he spoke. "I will behave, and not do anything I shouldn't be doing at my young age."

Lucy smiled at her boy as she walked back over to Loke. "Good. Now get going and don't forget to tell Levy to get a picture of all three of you together!"

Leo and Finn waved goodbye as they headed for the door, smiled dawning over their faces as they made their way outside to Finn's car.

"Leo! Wait!" Loke called out as he rushed to catch up with the boys. Finn watched as father and son talked quietly, Loke's arm was wrapped around Leo's shoulders as he spoke.

The blue haired boy raised a brow as he waited patiently for Loke to leave his sons side. A minute later, Loke turned to face his son, patting him on the shoulder and wishing him luck. Leo thanked Loke as he entered the small car.

"So… what was that all about?" Finn asked curiously. Leo grinned brightly at Finn, pulling out his blue tinted shades from his pocket and placing them on top of his head.

"I thought your mom took those!"

"Yeah.. well… my dad can be pretty sneaky when he wants to be."

Finn looked over at Leo in a serious look. "He had another pair, didn't he."

Without looking at his friend, Leo quickly responded with a straight face. "Yes. Yes he did."

"So, what else did he give you?"

"Oh, some money for food and gas… and something else if I just so happen to get lucky with my date."

"Seriously Leo? You think it's gonna go that far tonight?"

Leo shrugged his shoulders as he buckled himself in. "I have no reason to doubt it won't. Now let's get going! Dragon lady is probably ready to go by now!"

Finn let out a sigh as he started the car. "Please don't call her that tonight…. I really just want to go to prom and have a good time."

Lily groaned as she sat back down in her chair in front of her mirror, cursing having a younger sister as she finished up getting ready for the dance. She moved her head slightly to the side, pulling all of her dark hair over to bring it into one braid. "Leviana is such a brat… I mean does she realize what all I have to do to get ready for this thing?! I can't just have her trying to butt in on my conversation with Finn."

Pantherlily let out a soft puff of air as he watched Lily moving her hands quickly down her hair. "She's just excited to see Finn and Leo. Don't take it too much to heart. She's still just a child."

Lily glared over to Pantherlily, her hazel eyes matching his red eyes. "She's twelve Lily. She's not a kid. She's just jealous of my date tonight." Lily's eyes shifted back to the large mirror, looking over her black hair in the newly made braid. The girl turned her head back and forth, checking each side of her head. Once pleased with the turnout, Lily stood, walking a few steps to her bed and looking over the dark, forest green dress she had picked out for the dance.

"Perhaps she just looks up to her older sister. And maybe you should set a good example while you still live in this house." Pantherlily said as he walked across Lily's bed, picking up the dress and handing it to Lily.

The dark haired girl looked to Pantherlily once more. "If she looked up to me so much, they why is she such a brat to me all of the time?"

The exceed smiled as he turned around, facing away from Lily. "She's just imitating what she sees from her big sister."

A few silent minutes had passed before Pantherlily found himself being lifted by the girl standing behind him. Lily turned him around and glare into his red eyes. "I'm goin' to forget that ya said that… now… tell me how I look." Lily set the small cat back down on the bed and stepped back a few steps, holding her hands out from her body and turning around slowly. Pantherlily smiled once more as he looked on to the very grown up girl before him.

"You look very pretty Lily. Finn will be lucky to have you as his date tonight."

Lily smiled as she looked over to her desk, a picture of the two of them playing together as kids. "Yeah.. he's really a great guy. I owe him so much for taking me to prom tonight."

Finn and Leo sat on the couch quietly, both waiting for Lily to come down from her room. Levy and Gajeel sat across from them on a separate couch, Levy smiling at the two boys while Gajeel's crimson orbs darted back and forth at the two of them. Leo sat with his arms out wide over the back of the seat; legs crossed over each other. While Finn sat nervously clutching onto the case that held Lily's corsage, he stared at the small coffee table in middle, not taking a chance to meet Gajeel's' hard gaze. Leviana sat next to Gajeel, kicking her legs out quietly as she smiled at the two boys sitting just feet away from her.

"You two look very handsome tonight. And I honestly don't know what's taking Lily so long." Levy said.

Leviana sat up slightly, quickly explaining the situation to her mother. "It's caz Lily took way too long in the shower, and then when I went up there to help her she yelled at me and told me to leave her alone, and then Finn called and I tried to say hi to him and then she yelled at me more and told me she wasn't going to be ready in time if I stayed in her room, so she kicked me out and then yelled at me to not listen in on the conversation she was having with Finn. Oh and then Finn and Leo got here too early and she wasn't ready so now she's makin them wait! She told Pantherlily it keeps guys on their toes to make them wait. I don't get it, but it sounds really smart when Lily says it."

Levy stared at her youngest child for a long minute. "She said… all of that, Leviana?"

The small girl smiled brightly as she spoke. "Yep!"

The script mage let out a sigh as she hung her head down. "I don't know where that girl gets those crazy ideas from. Maybe I should go check on her…"

"Oh my god, please do!" Leo said quickly.

"It's ok! Just give her another minute or two!" Finn said as Leo spoke. The two boys looked at each other, Leo clearly looking annoyed.

"Dude… did you forget my date is waiting at the dance? I can't sit here all night caz your date is playing the waiting game with us."

Finn's cheeks flushed slightly as he looked down at his corsage for Lily. "Look, she'll be down in a few minutes. That won't kill you to wait that long will it?"

Leo groaned as he let his head fall back onto the couch. Leviana quickly jumped out of her seat and ran to the front of Finn, her hands cupping in front of her body as she blushed slightly at the older boy. "You know Finn, if my stupid sister doesn't come down soon, you could always just take me to prom."

Gajeel stood up quickly and grabbed Leviana, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder. "Ok little missy! You are not goin' to follow the path of your sister. Time for bed."

The young girl kicked at the air as she began to whine. "Buuuut daaaaddy! Finn won't have a date for the prom and I love him! He's my future husband!"

The iron dragon slayer rolled his eyes as he mumbled to himself. "You don't know what love is…. Not to mention you're way too young to find out what that is."

Levy watched as Gajeel took Leviana up the stairs, stopping at Lily's room and knocking on the door roughly. "Hey! Princess! Your date is here and you've kept him waitin' long enough."

"Yeah Lily! Making Finn wait this long is totally wrong and not cool! Daddy said I can go in your place if you don't come out soon!" Leviana chimed in from over her father's shoulder.

Gajeel growled as he continued to walk to Levianas' room. "I did not! Quit puttin' words in my mouth kid!"

Finn laughed slightly at Leviana, not noticing Levy looking at him with a smile.

"She sure has taken a liking to you Finn. And let me just say, thank you for taking Lily to prom. Tonight means a lot to her. Personally, I couldn't have asked for a better date for her! Gajeel thinks otherwise, but he doesn't understand the whole prom thing."

Finn looked up to Levy, his cheeks bright red. "Y-yeah well… it's the least I could do. I mean…she deserves to be happy and have a good time. I just thought this would be a good way for her to get over Chrono if I agreed to go with her tonight."

"Can we not ever mention that name ever again?"

Finn's heart began to race as he heard her voice coming down the stairs. The boy quickly turned around in his seat to see Lily walking down the stairs. She looked like an angel that was floating down the stairs from heaven to him. Her long, dark green dress showing off every curve she had, along with quite a bit of tanned skin. Finn watched as she made her way over to him, her beauty knowing no bounds to him. The dress she wore was strapless that formed into a V on the backside. It came all the way down to her ankles and dawned a green ribbon in the front that was stitched just below her chest that seemed to wrap around her backside and tie in the front.

"So?"

Finn shook his head as his eyes went up to Lily's'. "What?"

Lily giggled slightly as she ran her hands down her sides. "How do I look?"

The ice mage could feel his cheeks burning as the redness came back to his pale face. "Y-you look…. Beautiful."

Lily smiled as she looked at Finn in his tuxedo. "You don't look half bad yourself there Finn."

Leo wrapped his arms around the two of them and turned them towards Levy quickly. "Yes, yes. We all look great. Let's get our pictures taken and get the hell outta here!"

Lily glared at the boy in between them. "I still don't see why you couldn't get your date to pick you up."

"Oh just shut up for two seconds! We can fight about this in the car!"

Levy hesitantly brought up her camera to her eyes and waited for the three of them to smile. As soon as she took the picture, Leo rushed his two friends out of the door, waving goodbye to Levy.

"Bye Aunt Levy! We'll be back later! We promise to be good! Oh and Lily, Finn got you this corsage, so you better wear it caz he hasn't stopped worrying about it. If you will like it or not, if he should have gotten a different color, if the flowers were the right ones he picked out-"

"Shut up already Leo!" Finn said as he was rushed out the door.

Levy shook her head as she walked to her front door and closed. "That kid is something else."

Hours later….

Finn sat at the table next to Lily, Leo and the blonde haired boys date. The music was loud and thumping loudly into his ear. He glanced over to Lily and imagined how much louder it was for her, since she had the dragon slayer senses. She didn't seem too affected by it as she looked ultimately bored.

'Should I ask her to dance? But I don't know how to dance very well… I'd probably end up embarrassing her… but I should do something… I mean, what's the point to coming to this thing if all we are going to do is sit at our table all night.'

"So this is what prom is really like? I thought it would be more exciting…." Leo said gloomily as he looked around.

"What are you talking about Leo? This is fun!" Lily said as she pointed out to the large crowd dancing behind her. "WE are not doin' anything besides sitting her, thus no excitement to be had." She said as she leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest.

"She's right Leo! Come ooon! Let's go dance!" Said the girl pulling on Leo's arm. Leo looked at Finn as he stood. "You coming?"

"I... I don't know. I don't usually dance like that…"

"Oh come on! Quit being a downer and join Lily in a dance!" Leo said as he wrapped his arm around his date, disappearing into the crowd.

Finn's blue eyes glanced over at Lily who let out a soft sigh as she watched everyone else enjoying their night. "So… are you disappointed that you are here with me and not Chrono?"

Lily turned her head to Finn, lowering her eyebrows in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Finn's eyes darted down to his drink in his hands, his thumbs rubbing the outside of the small cup full of punch. "I-I'm just saying… if you're not having any fun with me… I could try dance to some of these songs… I may look really stupid and embarrass you in the process but…I know this night means a lot to you and all, so I'm willing to at least try."

Finn listened to the pounding sounds coming from the speakers in the large room as Lily said nothing for a long minute. The girl sitting beside him smiled as she reached over and placed her hand over one of his. Finn's eyes widened as the looked up into hazel.

"You are doing me a huge favor by being my date tonight, Finn. I know you don't feel comfortable dancing to these kinds of songs, so I'm not going to pressure you, or leave you just because you don't want to dance to a few songs." The older girl leaned in close to Finn's face and planted a soft, warm kiss on his cheeks, making Finn feel like he was melting on the spot. "I am the one who owes you. All I ask is that you dance with me to a slow song."

Finn nodded his head, finding it hard to form words after the sudden sweet touch from her lips on his cheek.

'A slow song, huh?... I think I can do that.. Sounds easy enough. I mean, I know how to do that. Maybe then I can tell her…'

Lily watched on as the song went on, waiting patiently for a slow song to come on. Meanwhile, all Finn could think about was how to tell his best friend how much he liked her. He kept tossing scenarios around in his head, debating if any of them would truly work. His thoughts were suddenly taken away from him when he felt the familiar pull of Lily on his arm. He looked down at her hand then up to the girl.

"Come on! A slow song is starting up!"

"O-ok…"

Lily led Finn to a small opening in the crowd, pulling him lightly in front of her as she placed her hands gently on top of his shoulders. Finn gulped slightly as he placed his hands on either side of Lily. She was just a short distance away from Finn, but her eyes were on him the whole time, a sweet smile over her face as they began to sway back and forth to the slow song playing.

"Who would have known I was going to take my best friend to prom with me…" she said softly.

"Yeah well… what Chrono did to you wasn't right. You deserve way better Lily…" Finn said with a blush over his cheeks, his eyes shifting back between hers.

Lily smiled as she looked back into his solid, navy blue eyes. "You're right Finn. I do deserve better." The dark haired girl leaned in and wrapped one arm around Finn's neck, leaving one hand in place as she rested her head on his shoulder now. Finn hesitantly moved his hands further over Lily's body, resting them over her bare back where her dress didn't cover. Finn let his chin rest on her dark hair, his heart beating rapidly in his chest.

'Why can't I just say it?! This is the perfect time to tell her… she should be with me…'

Without moving her head, Lily smiled and jokingly asked Finn, "Are you ok Finn? Your heart is beating really fast… and I don't need to use my senses to tell you that."

"Lily… I… I want to tell you something…. I don't know how you are going to take it, so I'm just going to lay everything out on the line." The ice mage pushed Lily away slightly, his hands cupping hers lightly. Lily's hazel eyes watched him intently as he stood before her, shaking slightly.

"Finn?"

"Lily… I… I wanted to tell you, that I—"

"Excuse me, but what are you doing with my girlfriend?!" Both Lily and Finn looked over at Chrono now standing next to them as they danced, his muscles tightening in his suit as he looked to Finn.

Lily scoffed as she held Finn closer to her once more. "Leave us alone Chrono… you broke up with me remember? I asked Finn to take me to prom tonight as a favor."

"That's bullshit Lily! I never actually said it was over between us!"

Lily grabbed Finns wrist and started walking away from her ex. "Come on Finn… lets go."

Chrono quickly moved through the swarm of people to catch up to Lily, stepping in front of her and holding up his hands. "Wait. Lil, please… let's talk. And I mean talk, not fight and bicker until one of us storms off."

Lily crossed her arms over her chest staring at Chrono up and down. "Why should I even listen to one word you have to say to me?! You have no right to come here and ruin this for me."

Chrono cupped his hands together, his face softening as he got down on his knees. "Please… I'm begging you…. give me ten minutes to talk to you. That's all I'm asking for."

Lily let out a sigh as she looked back to Finn. "What do you think?"

Finn looked to Lily then to Chrono. Everything in his gut and head was telling him to say fuck it, just take the girl of his dreams and forget about Chrono ever showing up. Why should he let Chrono get another chance to win Lily back when he hasn't even tried? This was the opportunity Finn had been waiting for, for so long he had waited for a time to tell Lily how he felt about her. And now Chrono was back, pleading with them both to have ten minutes alone with Lily.

Finn's heart began to fight with him as well. It would be the right thing to do to let them talk if they didn't end things well in the first place. The younger ice mage tried desperately to think of an excuse to tell Chrono no, but deep down, he couldn't bring himself to say it. Finn looked to Lily and half smiled. "He only wants ten minutes with you. I could just go get us some punch and come find you in ten."

Lily gripped his wrist lightly. "Are you absolutely sure you are ok with this?"

Finn waved a hand as he shrugged his shoulders. "Why not? If you didn't end things on a good note, it'd be good to talk for a few minutes."

"Ok… only if you are ok with this…"

Finn slowly took his hand back from Lily's grip, waving it slightly as he turned his body to head to the table with the refreshments. "I'll see you in ten minutes."

Finn stood at the end of the refreshments table, sipping his punch as he looked up at the clock for the fourth time since he left Lily. Leo came up from behind his friend and roughly wrapped his arm around Finn's neck, causing Finn to push his drink further into his face and all over his tux.

"Yo! Finn! Couldn't help but notice you've been sitting over here for the past hour now… where did Lily go?"

Finn lowered his hand away from his face as he glared over at Leo, his drink running down from his nose to his suit. Leo raised a brow as he looked at Finn.

"What happened to your face? You get a little too excited there?"

Finn grabbed a napkin and began to wipe off his face and suit. "For your information, when you came up and surprised me, I accidently spilled my drink all over myself… and as for Lily… I don't know what happened to her. She went to talk with Chrono for a few minutes and I haven't seen her since."

Leo took his arm back and looked at his friend seriously. "Wait… you let her go with that asshole? On prom night?"

"Yeah… he wanted to smooth things out because he didn't like the way things ended between them or something like that."

Leo let out a long sigh as he put his hands behind his head. "Oh man… you are such an idiot."

"What? What did I do now, all-knowing-one?!"

Leo held up a finger to Finn as he spoke. "It's the prom, man! You know what happens to couples when they leave the prom right?!"

Finn blushed bright red as he looked at his friend intently. "You honestly think Lily would do that to me?! I mean, with her ex?!"

Leo moved his head off to the side with his hands as he shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno… you tell me. You were the one who let her go with him. And from the sounds of it, you being alone for an hour and all… makes me believe that they are well.. you know."

Finn growled as he headed quickly for the door. Leo called out to him as he watched his friend push his way through the crowd. "Dude, wait! Where are you going?!"

"I'm going to prove you wrong! I'm going to find Lily and Chrono!"

"Finn! Wait!—god damn it… I need to find my date…" Leo said as he looked around the large room.

As Finn made his way outside, walking quickly to the parked cars in the parking lot of the school, he looked around frantically for any sight of Lily and Chrono. After a few minutes of walking, he saw Lily sitting on the back of Chrono's car, a smile over her face as he ran his fingers through her hair. Finn's fist clenched tightly as he made his way over to them.

Lily looked up as she heard Finn's footsteps approaching them, her face lighting up brightly as she stepped down from the car. "Finn! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! We lost track of time!" Lily stopped the younger boy in his tracks as she grabbed his hands with hers. "You won't believe this, but… Chrono agreed to change the band's name and put me in charge! And we're back together! We totally worked things out, isn't that great?!" Lily leaned in and whispered. "I was also thinking about taking our relationship further tonight after prom… I think it would be really good for us. Oh my gosh I'm just so happy right now! Oh, did you have something you wanted to tell me before I left?"

Finn was at a loss for words. His heart had fallen into a dark pit in his stomach as he fought back the urge to break down before his friend. He let his happen, had he just said no, if he had just taken Lily away from this creep, he would have had a chance. He didn't care about having sex with her after the prom, if that even was a thing that people did anymore, he just wanted to tell her that he loved her. That he wanted to be with her. How he had these feelings for her since they were younger, but was too afraid to say anything. Now it was too late. She had made up her mind who she wanted.

'Perhaps… I am nothing more than a best friend to her… nothing more….'

"Hey… you ok Finn?" Lily asked softly.

Finn looked at her and forced a smile. "Yeah. And it's nothing… just… just forget about what I was going to say. I honestly can't remember what it was." Finn gave a chuckle as he took a step back. "Pretty stupid, right?"

Lily's eyes softened, she could tell he was lying, about what, she couldn't put her finger on. "So… are you ok with me going home with Chrono then?"

Finn waved a hand as he took another step back. "Yeah. Totally. Look, I've gotta… I've got to go find Leo. Prom is just about over and I still need to drive him home so… I'll talk to you later, k Lil?"

"Ok, Finn…." The dark haired girl watched her friend turn and walk away from her, something eating at him as he left.

As Finn slowly made his way up to his car, he noticed Leo and his date making out against it. He put his hands in his pockets as he walked up to them. "Are you seriously making out on my mom's car?"

Leo pushed the older girl away from him and grinned. "Hey! Did you find Lily?"

Finn leaned up against the car beside Leo, his head hanging down. "Yeah… and she's probably about to make the worst mistake of her life…"

"She's gonna go do it with Chrono isn't she?"

"Ugh! Don't even say it… it sounds worse out loud!"

"Well… speaking of "doin' it," Leo said as he reached into his pocket of his pants, pulling out the money his father had given to him and handing it to Finn, "I'ma need to borrow your car for a while."

Finn quickly turned to Leo, yelling at him angrily. "What the hell?! Are you paying me to use my mom's car so you can have sex?!"

"Uh, yeah… that's what it looks like."

"Dude, no way!"

Leo pushed the girl away from his body, he moved so he was now facing Finn. The blonde haired boy placed his hands on Finns shoulders. "Look, we're friends right? They let each other use each other's cars for sex."

Finn glared at Leo as he spoke. "That's not what friends do."

Leo held up a finger to Finn as he smiled. "That's why we're best friends! This is what best friends do." The blonde haired boy gripped Finns' shoulder tightly, holding up the money in his other hand. "I'm giving you money!"

Finn stared into Leo's olive-green eyes as Leo tried desperately to give off that puppy dog look in his eyes. The ice mage sighed as he reached into his pocket and handed Leo the keys. "Just… don't make a mess back there…and make it quick. I just want to go home."

Leo grabbed the keys quickly and smiled at Finn. "I owe you one! This is why you are my best friend!"

Finn scoffed as he headed back inside. 'Glad to know that everyone else is getting a happy night besides me….'

As Leo and his date quickly went into the back seat of the car, Finn started walking to the schools entrance to go back inside.

"Oi! No magic boy!"

Finn stopped and turned around to face the jerk who had taken Lily away from him. "What do you want now Chrono?"

Everything happened in a split second. As Finn turned around to face Chrono, the ice mages' fist was already coming at his face, landing a successful punch in his left eye, knocking him down onto the ground in the process.

Finn groaned as he reached up to his eye, wincing as his fingers brushed against the bruised skin. He looked up at Chrono as he propped himself up with his other arm. "What the hell was that for?!"

Chrono grinned as he leaned over Finn. "That's for takin' my girl to prom!"

"She asked me to go with her!" Finn said as he started to stand back up. Chrono smirked as he quickly brought his foot up and kicked Finn in the ribs. The younger ice mage yelled out in pain as Chrono's' heavy boot made contact with his side.

"Yeah right… like Lily would ever ask a pip-squeak like you to the prom. She shouldn't even bother with a kid like you. Someone who can't use their magic, should just… uh… just stay home! Non-magic users shouldn't be allowed in this school."

"Too bad they let assholes and idiots in like you." Finn managed to say as he sat up. Chrono growled angrily as he kneeled down and threw another punch into Finn's face, catching his jaw with his knuckles.

"If I ever see you with my Lily again, I will do far worse than a black eye and a bloody jaw."

Chrono stood back up and grinned at his work as Finn laid down on the cold, hard ground, groaning in pain. Finn waited until the larger ice mage was out of sight before sitting up and assessing the damage he received. He once again brought his hand up to his face, running it over his jaw and feeling the warm blood trickling out from a small cut. The blue haired boy groaned as he looked up into the night sky.

"As if my night couldn't get any worse…"

Leo pleaded with Finn as they pulled up into his drive way. "Finn, I said I was sorry! I honestly didn't even hear Chrono coming! I mean, I'm no dragon slayer or nothing…."

Finn rested his head on his hand as his headache continued to throb. "I said its fine, Leo… just get out so I can go home… I just want to forget about this night…"

"Forget about what? The fact that Lily is having sex with Chrono for the first time, the fact that I had sex with my date, and you got your ass kicked?"

Finn looked over to Leo, sending him daggers through his gaze. Leo could feel the cool tingle down his spine as he unbuckled his seat belt. "O-ok man… chill out…. I didn't mean to make you mad, I was just playin' around. I really am sorry I didn't have you back this time."

"Just… get out Leo."

The blonde haired boy stared at his friend and slowly left his car, feeling horrible that Finn was beaten up while he was enjoying the pleasure of a woman in the back seat of his car. Finn knew Leo was truly sorry for how things went tonight, but in his mind, he just wanted to forget. He wanted to forget that his date ever happened. He wanted to move on, and concentrate on other things.

Finn's mind was completely blank as he drove to his own house, unsure about what to think anymore. The ice mage pulled into his own driveway, sitting in the car for another minute to gather himself. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain the black eye and the fat lip he acquired from just going to the prom, along with the large boot print on his side.

'Hopefully, mom and dad will be sleeping and I won't have to talk to them when I get inside… god I hope that they're asleep… I just want to go to bed….'

Finn stepped out of the small car and headed for the front door. He paused for a moment as he placed his hand on the door knob. 'I'm sure dad will end up saying, I told you so.' Finn let out a breath of air as he opened the door to his house, stepping inside and quietly closing the door behind him. As he took off his shoes, he could hear someone in the living room nearby weeping. 'Is that… mom?'

Finn lifted his head as he walked further into the room where his mother sat on the couch. He looked at his mother who had her face in her hands as she cried. Finn stepped further into the room, setting his jacket down on the arm of the couch.

"Mom… why… are you crying?"

AN: I am a terrible person to Finn…. . anywhos, like I said, rushed at the end, but like I said, I may go back and edit it later. I hope you guys are still enjoying this story, I means a lot to me that you guys are reviewing, faving, following this. And enjoying the other two stories I have written. I do want to let you guys know, I do plan on taking a small break from this story to write a chapter or two for my other story, Centaur Paradise. I promise not to take a super long break again lol