A/N: Hey, hey, hey~ Did you guys miss me? Huh? Well, Im back! And I have this new chapter for you guys to read.
But before I leave you to your reading pleasure, I have to make a quick announcement. (Grabs a megaphone from the shelf). Ahem.
This is for animefan24 in regards to a lack of an FF account. So can you please...GET YOURSELF A DANG ACCOUNT ALREADY? I've already had this problem with Chibylove for the same reason (no offence, Chibylove ^_^ ). I dont want to go through this again with you too. If there's anything I enjoy just as much as getting reviews and writing fics, it's replying to those wonderful reviewers. But I can't do that with you, now can I? So unless you want me to steal all your precious junk food, I suggest you get yourself an account made ASAP so that I can properly thank you for the reviews. Got it? Oh, and sorry for the delay of chappie 6, she said meekly. Hehe...school...what can you do about it?
Ahem.
And as for everyone else that's going to be a frequent reviewer, I suggest you make yourselves an account also! You know who you are...cough-chu-cough. So do it. Do it nooooow...(eerie music playing in background).
Phew. Well, now I'm done ranting. And one last thing, I put up a link on my profile to two RataMarta vids I made on YouTube. Go check it out and tell me how I did.
So now I'll leave you guys to read this chapter. Thanks.
Regular dialogue
Dream state
Chapter 6: From Pink, To Green, To Pink
"Marta! Hey, Marta!"
"Huh?" My ears immediately perked up when I heard his voice.
I turned around to see Ratatosk excitedly running towards me from the locker room (he took a little longer than I did to get dressed). I tried my hardest to ignore the few curious and angry looking glances I received from the students around me as I waited for him to near my locker. But it was really hard to ignore the blush that crept onto my features, burning my cheeks like a hot rod.
(The memory from a week ago was still fresh in my mind.)
He stopped a couple of inches from me, panting wildly and looking flushed. And even in an exhausted state, he looked...so handsome.
Gah! Stop thinking like that, Marta!
(Insert mental slapping across the cheek).
Ratatosk had this huge smirk on his face, holding a piece of paper in his hand.
"W-Whats all the commotion for?" I asked him. It felt really awkward talking to him after revealing the insecure side to myself. And that would explain why I stuttered at the beginning of my question.
Gah! Darn my emotions! And darn my involuntary reactions!
Ratatosk, on the other hand, appeared the same as usual. Jerk.
"Just one of the greatest news of all." he proudly said.
I looked down at the hand with the folded paper in its grip and averted my gaze back up to his bullion orbs in question.
"And what's that in your hand?" I asked, a little suspicious of it.
He waved the paper in my face and smirked even wider at the question. "This here paper?" he replied innocently (not). He kept dangling the turned over paper in front of me ever so slowly, tempting my curiosity even more than necessary.
It sounded like he wasn't going to answer my question. So instead, I decided to humor him by taking hold of the paper and reading what was on it.
"Read it out loud." he told me. I gave him a suspicious stare before turning my gaze back to the paper.
"For this year only, and thanks to the generous donations from numerous families, we will be holding the first ever Halloween Bash. It's an event in school that'll feature booths of fun, food, music, art and prize earning. Every student is to participate in either area of entertainment to cater to students from the neighboring middle school and parents there. The proceeds earned will go towar-."
"Skip that part and just read the last sentence at the bottom."
I scanned the bottom for the last sentence.
"The class that has the most successful booth will get to enjoy a free trip, courtesy of the school principal, to the Shimbuya Amusement Park for the whole school day."
Huh. So the school decided to hold a festival?
"Sounds great, huh?"
I raised an eyebrow at his comment. "I didn't think you even liked this kind of stuff?"
"I don't." he said, shrugging his shoulders. "But this is the perfect opportunity to get a day off from all this homework crap. And also?" he smirked deviously. "We can ditch whenever we want without worrying over the teachers finding out."
Oh. So this was the angle he was working at. Can't say I'm surprised.
He leaned back against his locker with an annoyed expression. "Why are you giving me that look like I just said something bad?" he pointedly asked.
A merely shrugged my shoulders in response. "Because what you said was completely like you. That's all." I told him.
"Like you'd rather spend seven hours with a couple of teachers and students from class?" he countered.
"No. But I don't think our teachers would appreciate us leaving their sights to go elsewhere."
"I didn't say we'd leave right away. You have to play the part first and get them thinking that you won't do anything before doing something."
"But that doesn't change the fact that you're still thinking about ditching the class for pizza."
"You know me so well." He smirked back, head tilted to the side, his golden hair...falling over his eyes...with his arms crossed over his chest in that way...
Stop it. Stop it. Stop it!
Ahem. Ok.
"Whatever..." I grumbled. I had to turn my head away so that he couldn't see the huge blush marring my face. And believe me when I say the last thing I need is for him to make fun of me. Or worse, accuse me of thinking perversely.
For if he only knew what ran through my head when I saw him.
(AND NOT LIKE THAT! GEEZ! IM NOT THAT PERVERTED!)
I turned back to my open locker (successfully covering my flustered face) and hooked the lock on it to close it.
I heard him snicker behind me, but paid no mind to it. Whether it was about my face or something else entirely different, I wasn't going to bring it up for discussion. I'll let him have his fun...for now.
"Was the bean just blushing right now?"
I felt myself twitch.
"Was it something...naughty?"
Ok. On second thought...
I turned around, shaking all over in anger with my eyes burning fire through him. Or to put it better, I was attempting to turn him to ash with my look.
(Good thing those few girls from earlier left already.)
"What's the matter, little bean girl? Did I guess right?"
Snap.
And there goes one of the veins on my head.
"You...you...YOU JER-!"
Ring. Ring. Ring.
It was time for lunch.
I stopped my fist (begrudgingly) from touching his arm and looked at the hoard of students leaving their classes, breaking out in laughter and excited chatter. He kept smirking, so I stuffed my fist into my skirt pocket and swiftly turned my back to him.
I heard him let out a chuckle as I marched towards the cafeteria.
"Are you mad at me?" he taunted.
"No." I grinded my teeth together from his obvious mirth.
"Yes, you are."
"No. I'm. Not."
"Your voice says it all."
"And why do you think that is, huh?"
"Don't know. I was hoping you'd tell me."
"Well, figure it out yourself!" I spat out. That dumb jerk knew better than to call me a bean and fluster me like he did. Grr! He is soo insuffera-!
"Ah!" I felt myself being pulled back by the shoulder till my back collided with something warm and hard. I looked back to see Ratatosk's chest, his scent invading my system the second I got a whiff of it. Oh, boy.
"You're going the wrong way." he said with a chuckle.
I felt the vibrations of his voice coursing down his chest and causing a tingly sensation to my cheek. With his arm draped around my shoulder, I could faintly feel his steady heartbeat as his warmth was causing my eyelids to droop and my mind to go a little hazy. It felt really good to be pressed up to him. So warm...
"Hey. Are you ok?"
I felt myself immediately snapping out of the trance I was in and whipped my gaze to his in shock.
"Uh, well..."
"You look kind of feverish."
He looked genuinely concerned for my well-being. And I felt more embarrassed because I was blushing from the close contact, while he assumed it was from an illness.
"N-No. I-I'm ok. Really! Hehehe..."
One of his eyebrows raised upward in question. "Are you sure?"
"Y-Yeah. Of Course." Come on, blush. Go away. Go away, now. Pleeease!
"Hmm..."
He didn't look convinced in the least.
"I-I wouldn't lie to you about something like t-this. Theres n-nothing to worry about. Honest."
Gah! I'm trying to hard to convince him and I think he knows it, too! Ugh! Why isn't he believing me?
"I don't know..." he drawled out suspiciously.
Ok. I need a new distraction. Come, on...think, think, think!
Um, uh, uh...aha! It's perfect!
Now all I had to do was present him with a convincing proposition.
I mustered the best look of confidence (to the best of my ability) and stared him straight in the eye, gulping momentarily from the look on his face.
"W-Well! Are we just going to stand in the middle of the hall arguing this OR?" I quickly averted my eyes around the halls. Luckily, everyone set out for lunch. And I can't believe myself, for a second, for wanting to suggest this. But it had to be done.
"Or...do you want to eat out at the Pizzeria today?" I whispered to him. Better to be cautious in case anyone was listening in from a corner.
And just as I expected, I saw the thin line of his lips turn upward and his eyes gain a certain gleam common to him. Oh, here it comes.
"I like the way you think, Lualdi. I'm starting to think that all my influence is finally rubbing off on you."
I puffed my cheeks out in annoyance, wagging a finger at him. "W-Well, don't get used to it. Got it?"
He smirked proudly. "Of course."
He slung his arm around my shoulders again (cue mild dizzy spell) and led me out the front doors where we ventured towards the Pizzeria.
And its such an amazement that I can't properly stay mad at him for long.
After spending some time at the Pizzeria, eating and engaging in light chatter (to which I only had to hit him on the arm once for bringing up the hallway incident and how I, and I quote, "Enjoyed being in his big, strong arms." Like I'd ever admit that to him), we headed back to school unnoticed. We carefully slipped through the entrance doors a minute before the bell ending lunch was scheduled to go off and made our way to the lockers to retrieve our books.
We have science with Ms. Rain today. And that's always an enjoyment.
I quickly stuffed my science and English language book into my backpack and turned to see Ratatosk already zipping up his.
"Ready for the wonders of dissection?" he says with full-on sarcasm.
Hearing him say this caught me off guard, though. Because I think my mind went into a brief state of blankness.
"W-What? We have to do dissecting today?"
"Yeah. Dont tell me you forgot?"
"Ah! N-No. Wha-why would you think that?" I tried to play it off like nothing. But deep inside, I was a nervous wreck. I really, REALLY hate dissecting things. The sight of organs makes me nauseous and the smell definitely throws me for a loop...when I fall to the ground in faintness.
Good thing he doesn't know that. I can't imagine the endless mocking from him if he did know...
"Are you...scared of dissecting animals?" he asked with a wide grin.
I felt another round of embarrassed blushing coming over my face and I mentally fought against it happening, putting my thoughts on dangerous territory- dissection, to be precise- to avoid such a reaction. It helped a little...well, enough so that I felt the heat as a small patch on my cheeks. Unfortunately, it was still noticeable by the smug look on Ratatosk's face.
"I-Im not scared." I told him hesitantly. I pretended to maneuver the books inside my backpack with my head down in utter desperation to conceal the fear that I was sure had been showing on my face. Not sure if that made much of a difference, though, considering the snickering coming from above me. "Really!" I exclaimed in frustration from his laughter.
"Really now?"
I whipped my head up to glare at him. "Yes!"
He slung his backpack over his right shoulder and walked closer to me, leaning down so that we were at eye level. My heartbeat spiked up a few notches. "Ok, then. Lets see how you do on the experiment. I mean, since you're not scared of cutting up a poor little froggy who's already dead...and fresh for dissecting." he said, emphasizing every syllable on the last word- the dreaded word.
I could only grimace at what he said, picturing the dead amphibian with its limbs pinned down to form an 'X' of the body and the familiar odor of death lingering around its carcass. Or how the smooth blade would pierce through the rough texture of the dulled skin, through the thin layer of fat and muscle, puncturing a tiny heart as a spread of body fluids clings to the metals edge like slick syrup. I felt faint just thinking about it.
A chill runs up my spine and jolts me back to reality, where Ratatosk is giving me a knowing look that says, "I know you're scared to do it" and I'm all too aware of the awkward silence that I fell into.
"Thinking about how you'll keel over from the sight?"
I give him my best pointed look, inwardly cringing again from his words, as I force out a firm, but slightly hesitant, "No."
He walks past me with a smug look, turning his head back with those gleaming eyes of his. "Well, then. Lets get to class and see how brave you really are."
Grr.
He was riling me up all too quick, that jerk. But I wasn't about to back down like some coward. For whatever reason, he's always able to pull out this rebellious part inside of me and make me frustrated beyond belief. I was never like this. But something about Ratatosk changes the way I feel and act.
And lets not forget: this is Ratatosk were talking about. He's a natural at making a person's blood boil.
So I take a better grasp of my backpack straps and march confidently past him and towards the science room. I'm NOT gonna let him one-up me this time around. He's going down!
Ha! Oh, yes. I'm feeling quite confident about this, about proving him wrong. I can almost imagine swiping that smug grin off his perfectly good fac-
Blah! I've gotta stop doing that.
I ignore that last thought and march down the hall with the utmost confidence that I can show him otherwise. I feel like I can really do this. Heck, it'll be a breeze to do. I mean, all there is to it is cutting up skin and doing a worksheet on the different parts to the frog anatomy. Nothing more than guts, flabby skin, organs, some blood...and intestines...and...deathly odor...
Mmph. And there's that sandwich from last night trying to come up. Hopefully, Ratatosk didn't notice my hand fly up to my mouth.
Ugh. I don't feel so good.
"We're almost there." Ratatosk said all too pleased.
I think I just got sicker from listening to the arrogant tone of his voice.
And as fate would put it, my nausea didn't stop there. We were but a few feet away from the door that would ultimately lead to my defeat. A picture of an animated frog with the words "Dissection: Today!" was written in bold letters under the drawing and taped neatly in the middle of the metal door. The frog was taunting me. I was sure of it. The X's for its eyes were practically screaming "Murder" in my face. And in a few seconds, I was going to be sitting at my seat with a dead frog laying before me, with its uneven focus and pasty skin color.
Ok. Why was I going through with this again?
Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no! I can't do this. I'm not ready for this project. I can't possibly go ahead and pretend that I'm not going to be cutting up some dead animal.
Breathe, breathe.
I think I'm hyperventilating.
Breathe. Breathe. Breathe, Marta. You have to concentrate. You can't let Ratatosk have his way. He'll make fun of you for life!
But this is impossible. How am I going to cut it up without fainting first? And what if I throw up before that? Will I make a big fool of myself?
Ugh. All these questions, but no answers. I'm losing it here!
Ratatosk quickly walked past me to open the door, the same smug look on his face.
(So much for being a gentleman.)
"After you."
I gulped, looked at him, gulped AGAIN, and clenched my fists together as I entered the brightly lit classroom. And just as I expected, it smelled strongly of dead frog. I walked to the back of the class, with Ratatosk in tow (he's my science partner, after all), and placed my backpack around the high stool as Ms. Rain began writing stuff on the board.
"Ok, class. As you know, today we start our dissection experiment. I'll be passing around a worksheet that lists all the different body parts of the frogs anatomy. You and your partner's job is to locate and label these individual parts with the flags provided at your table, along with a scalpel, pick and two pairs of gloves. Write what the organ or vein is on the flag and I'll be coming around to check your progress. This project is worth 5% of your grade. So I'd take it seriously if I were you. You will be given the whole class period to work on this. I also wrote some suggestions on the board for aiding you in locating certain parts that need more prodding of the inside to find. Now, are there any questions you may have before we start?"
Several students in front shook their heads while the others aimlessly stared off into space.
Ratatosk gave a small chuckle as Ms. Rain handed a student up front a pile of papers to pass around. One by one, the students took a paper and handed it to the person beside them.
Ms. Rain entered the backroom as we did this. And several seconds later, she emerged with a cart full of covered trays.
She looked ready to serve cafeteria food. Or in this case, chemically preserved frog carcasses.
Ugh. My stomach is doing backflips in the nausea pool now. Can this day get any more worse?
"Alright, class." she said loudly, placing a tray in front of these two girls with enthusiasm. "The frogs are ready for a go at inspecting. So lets get started!"
She quickly placed trays in front of each pair of students, taking attendance as she passed each row and marking them off on her clipboard. I felt jittery and ready to flee at any given moment. But to my misfortune, I couldn't escape doing the project without some sort of repercussion afterwards. Not to mention she said it's worth five percent of our grade. My main priority, like always, is to earn good grades so that my mom didnt have a reason to hurt me. I had no choice but to stay and do it.
Too bad it involved cutting up an animal, of all things.
And Ratatosk's stupid breathing exercise isn't working right now. Why isn't it working? WHY? WHHHHY!
"Here you go, Marta, Ratatosk. Enjoy." she told us with an enormous smile on her face.
She really loves her work...a little too much, huh? I think my left eye is twitching.
"Whats wrong, Marta? You're not even looking inside the tray and already you look sick." Ratatosk said in his ever mocking voice.
I gulped and slowly turned my head to the side. And by the look on his face, it looked like the Cheshire Cat has his work cut out for him.
"W-W-Wh-What?" Was the only response that came out, albeit it was meekly said.
I couldn't get the words out of my mouth for the life of me. I tried. Really. But why the heck can't I stop stuttering?
"I-I-I'm, uh, I-I-."
His grin widened as he said, "You're so scared."
"N-N-N-N-No."
"Ok, then. Open the lid."
My eyes (unfortunately) were lured by the magnetic pull of the item sitting an inch away, roaming over the aluminum wrapping that held death beneath it. I could feel sweat roll down the side of my face from the mere thought of a rotting frog laying inside. I wanted to lurch...real badly. I landed my eyes back on him, hoping with all my might that the fear I was experiencing didn't show on the surface.
"Uh, um, uh, well...I-I think you should do it." I picked up a pair of gloves from the table. "I-I still have to put on my gloves. You know?"
"Uh huh?"
"Y-Yeah. An-And I don't want to get any of...the liquid on my skin."
"Riiight."
"S-So I think y-you should open the lid instead."
"Nope."
I felt my body tense. "Nope?"
"Nope."
"R-Really?"
"Yeah."
"B-But why?"
He leaned his head on the palm of his hand, stretching lazily across the table with his famous smirk. "Because." He slowly pushed the tray closer to me. "You told me in the hall that you weren't scared to dissect an animal. I just wanna see how true those words were. So go ahead." His head neared mine, peering up from lush lashes and a wicked grin. "Open the lid."
W-What?
Why doesn't he just punch me in the gut while he's at it? At least that's less painful than being persuaded by Ratatosk to look death in its blank and rolled back eyes.
I averted my eyes between his smug face and the tray in front of me. I did this for several seconds before staring him straight in the eye, letting out a strangled breath as I did this.
"O-Ok. I don't mind doing that."
"Then do it."
"I-I will."
"Of course you will."
"Yeah."
"So why are you hesitating?"
Um, lets see. Because I'm terribly SCARED to do it?
"I hope you're not frightened by a mere frog?" he taunted.
I tilted my head down a little, feeling the nausea and my embarrassment getting to me.
"...en it." I mumbled under my breath.
I swear, it's getting harder by the minute to hold conversation with him...and with a dead animal sitting not too far from my arms. I sneaked a quick glance upward, peering through my bangs, to see the expression on his face.
Ratatosk's left eye slanted in a way that made him even more mischievous at the moment as he leaned his head more forward. His breath tickling the surface of my cheeks.
"What was that?"
"...en it." I mumbled again.
He cupped a hand to his ear in mock-deafness (to my irritation). "I didn't quite catch that. Mind running that by me again?"
Mind if I slap that pretty smile off your face? Ugh!
"F-Fine. I said I'll open it. Happy?" I huffed out, snapping my head up in the process. Now I was scared AND frustrated. And it was all because of him.
He, on the otherhand, looked like he wanted to laugh. "Yes I am. Now lets see that courage of yours, Marta."
"Fine." I said with my best glaring face. I turned to the tray, hovering a hand over the lid separating me from the dead frog and quickly yanked the top off.
And other than the blurring of colors and Ratatosk's concerned voice calling out my name as I felt myself sway about, I don't remember what happened after I opened the lid.
"Daddy! Daddy!" a young Marta called out, running over the field of flowers and grass to her father sitting by the bank of water.
He spread his arms wide open and welcomed the small body that launched into his chest. He smiled widely at the giggling child with rosy cheeks and small pigtails held together by matching flower pins.
Marta pumped two fists against her chest, smiling brightly up at her father. "Guess what, daddy?" He opened his mouth to ask, but she talked over him before he could get a word out."...got me a doll for an early birthday present. She's so pretty!"
"Really, now?"
"Yup!"
"And did you tell...thank you?"
"With a big hug and kiss to the cheek."
He let out a humorous laugh. "Aren't you cute?" he said while nuzzling his nose over the top of her head. "So are you ready to go home?" he asked her.
"Uh huh. Mommy is making stew for dinner. So can I invite...and...to eat with us?"
"Only if their parents are ok with it."
She threw her small arms over his neck in appreciation. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Hahaha. You're welcome, princess."
She lifted her face from his shoulder and gazed up into his eyes, the setting sun beginning to shadow the man's face. "I love you, daddy." she said sweetly.
A cold ran down her spine and her chest constricted from the change of mood displayed in the older man's face.
His eyes slanted downward and gained a glazed look to them, darkening much like his face. His smile disappeared right after.
And he looked like he wanted to cry.
He hugged her tighter to his body, a slight tremble passed between them. "And..and I love you too, princess. Always...and forever." He kissed her forehead gently, the warmth swept over her face and caused drops of tears to spill over her cheeks.
She wasn't sure if it was his or not. But the burning sensation in her eyes said otherwise.
"Please...don't leave me." she pleaded.
A comfortable warmth surrounds me. It tingles the tips of my fingers and crawls ever so slowly to my toes. The effects of waking from sleep pull at me and I can't fight the nerves springing back to life and beckoning me to join the real world outside my dreams.
My eyes felt heavy and I could feel a small headache pounding away. I was momentarily blinded by the amount of light hitting my eyes when I cracked them open, pulling my arms across them like a shield to block it out.
I tried opening them again, only to be met with more light. But I picked up on something gold in my blurred vision. It shined brighter than the light invading my irises. Maybe I'm still dreaming.
Am I dreaming?
I don't know.
I tried to focus my vision again, letting my sight get adjusted to the brightness. It took a while. But eventually, I was able to see more clearly. And that's when I came face to face with Ratatosk's head barely an inch away from mine.
"Eh!"
Out of shock, I pressed my head further back into the pillow and brought the covers over my blushing face.
WHAT THE HECK WAS HE DOING JUST NOW? EEEK!
My nerves, once in a state of calamity, were now shaking uncontrollably. My cheeks felt like they were on fire, instead of the comfortable heat from before. And would it have killed me to have been blinded by the light instead of his bright red eyes and golden hair close up to my face?
And why am I lying in bed? Who brought me here? Is this the nurse's office? But why am I in here? What happened?
In my fit of hysteria, I almost didn't notice the large hand resting on my temple. I looked up into Ratatosk's eyes again, seeing the mirth, but hidden concern, etched into them as he spoke up.
"I guess you're doing all right." He paused, looked intently at me, and spoke again. "You gave me quite a scare there." he said in a softer voice, retracting his hand and sitting back on a chair beside the bed.
I wanted to smile from the sincerity in his voice. I really did (and good thing I had the blanket covering my mouth, in case). But my confusion outweighed everything else. I wanted answers.
"What am I doing here?" I muffled through the thin, white cloth.
His face remained in seriousness.
"You fainted after seeing the frog." he simply said. No trace of humor or mock evident in his voice.
"Oh..." So that's why I don't remember anything after opening the top.
"But I rushed you in here as fast I could." he continued saying. "Ms. Rain was very concerned. She called for a nurse. But I figured it would take too long, so I brought you here myself."
...Wha? Ratatosk brought me here? He did?
So that means...he carried me...in his arms...
H-Huh?
"The nurse said you just merely fainted. But you looked a little feverish, so I had her check you over again."
He ran a hand across his face, pulling some of his gold tresses back, with his eyes looking pained and relieved all at once. He rested his head on his hand, propping it up with his lap, and looking down in hurt. "But I was so shocked. I didn't know what to think. One minute you were stuttering over your words. And the next...your body was falling over the seat. It just-it just fell. It all seemed so unreal for a second there. And you should have seen how pale your skin became. It was almost ghostly white." He let out a strangled breath, his fingers tensing in his hair. "And that hit me the most."
Ratatosk...
I almost can't believe that this broken guy in front of me was the same smirking, happy-go-lucky jerk from earlier. I didn't think his voice could crack like that. But apparently, it does. And it hurts me too.
"I'm just so glad that you're ok." he said in a low voice. Probably more to himself than me. "So don't you ever scare me like that again. Got it?"
I was so engrossed by my own emotions to speak. So I nodded my head, hoping that would suffice. Because in all honesty, I don't like putting him through such worry. I'd rather he make jokes about my height or tease me over my short-fused temper. Anything, if it brought a smile on his face.
He let out a short breath. "That's good to hear." he said, his lips curving up in a small smile.
I smiled under the cover.
He rose from his seat, pushing the chair back under the desk beside me. "I guess I should go now. You need your rest." He turned around, talking normally once more. "And I need to pass the test in sixth perio-."
"Wait." I gripped the end of his shirt (mentally berating myself for being so forceful like that) and pulled it back some. He turned around, giving me his small smile (it doesn't work with his personality) in return.
I gulped down the first set of words I wanted to ask him ("Why was your face so close to mine?"). "Do...do you like melon bread?"
"...Huh?"
"Well, uh...um...you brought me here to the nurse's office. So the l-least I can do is buy you some melon bread for lunch tomorrow." I was feeling more stupid as I talked, so I bowed my head in shame. "A-And I know it isn't much. But I really am grateful for you bringing me here. So...I guess that's all I wanted to say. Sorry."
My face felt like it was swimming in the sun.
Ratatosk looked really confused by the question when I asked him. Most likely he's thinking about what a dope I am. Great. Just great. Oh, I knew it was a stupid idea. I knew it! I knew! I kne-!
"Sure."
"Huh?" I looked back up to see him smiling widely.
"I'll take you up on that offer." He bent down to ruffle my hair. "But maybe we should stay away from green things for a while. I don't want you to faint from green melon." he said cheekily.
I felt my anger immediately flare up.
"I said I'm not scared of frogs!" I yelled out.
"Hahaha. I know. I know. So don't be getting your emotions in a knot." he said, ruffling my hair again. But I didn't swat his hand away.
"Hmph! You're such a jerk." I mumbled to the side.
"Fine. I won't push your buttons...as often." He turned around to walk to the door, but stopped at the door and threw me his usual smirk. "So you get better now. Ok?"
"Like I'm gonna stay asleep here all day." I told him stubbornly (slash half-heartedly, cuz I hardly ever mean it when it comes to him).
"Who'd tease you if otherwise?"
"You?" I sneered out in a sarcastic tone.
"You know it." He smirked widely. We were returning to our old ways again.
"So much for being kind to you." I purposely said, with the intention of making him smile more.
"Hah. Just get better, bean girl." he said before leaving out the door, the soft click diminishing within the silence right after.
And once again, I was left with my thoughts. In an empty room.
Wow.
I still can't wrap what happened around my head. It all seemed so unreal.
So maybe I am still dreaming.
Who knows.
But I do know that I owe Ratatosk a melon bread tomorrow. And the burning sensation on my forehead, where my father kissed it tenderly in my dream, still burns. How weird.
Maybe I'm dreaming?
I run my finger over the patch of skin, feeling flustered for some unknown reason.
I wonder why?
A/N: And there you have it. And sorry to everyone for the long delay. School has been a real itch as of late, with finals and all. But I hope this chapter makes up for it.
And in case you couldn't guess from the title name, Marta's facial mood goes from pink (blushing in front of Ratatosk), to green (sick from the frog), to pink again (another blushing scene with Ratatosk). Clever, huh?
Anyways, press that review button and leave me a kind, little review.