I am really happy that I've garnered 20 reviews. :D Keep them coming, please!

And here's Chapter 4 for you.

Groaning to myself, I stretched my arms and sat up on my bed. Yesterday was an eventful day at the mall, what with Noctis and his sleep, Stella and her boots, and Vanille and Serah...with their men. Ugh...

It was 6:47 A.M., and I needed to take a shower so I could get to work. Yeah. Work. On a Sunday. Big whoop. I thought that by being the older sister, I should do something to support the- ahem -family that I have. How I miss Mom and Dad so much... Now I'm stuck here with Snow as our guardian, Serah's fiancee. I still wonder why she decided to get engaged.

Though I did hate having to wake up on Sundays, I gotta say; I liked my job. I worked at the NORA Seaside Bar & Grill. Pretty nice place. Met some friends there. Snow used to work there too, until he had to quit since he was going to college the next year. The night before he went off to college, Serah, Snow, and I all went down there for dinner...where they announced their engagement and almost ruined my appetite. Without Snow to help us with our family issues, I was left standing alone. I asked him. How do we plan on keeping alive now? He said I'd have to get a job to get by, and he recommended I'd apply at the restaurant, since of course there'd be a spot since you quit the job. At first I wasn't very comfortable with it, but then I found out about Lebreau, about how her father owned the grill. She helped out on the weekends, so it was all good. There I met some other people, who also happened to go to the school.

Gadot, one of Snow's pals, still works there. He's been pretty friendly, joker of the house, and sort of like a big brother to the whole work crew. Yuj, a tall, blue-haired dude, who looked seemingly flamboyant with his sense of fashion, was just as much as a lugnut as Gadot. Just smaller. And last but not least, Maqui. The little, blonde-haired, Snow fanatic who just seemed to be as clumsy as he is energetic. I can't remember how many times he's dropped dishes or spilled juices. It's a wonder he's still with us. Oh, and he's one of Serah's good friends. Together, it's pretty much like one big family. Which is exactly why I love my job.

So, enough of my drabbling; it's time to get to work.

...I'm in front of my door, ready to grab the doorknob, when a Post-It on the chrome frame with minimal scribbling on it caught my eye.

Light, Sorry cant really bring u to work 2day. Got sum srs bsns at college. Snow, ur best buddy! Instantaneously, the tame blue piece of paper crumpled in my fist. Argh, I can't be late for work... Think, Light, think!

...Aha!

"Haha, so you need me for another errand again?" I smirked as she pleaded over the phone, her voice a bit louder than the comic violence I was watching on the television. "...You're going to be late for work? You actually work?" Hm. I sit here on my ass, Sunday morning, watching cartoons and gobbling down a bowl of cereal, complete with milk and blueberries, while my father spends all his time traveling across Cocoon, dealing with the company. I feel so stuck-up, it's disgusting. Might as well give her a hand...

"Alright, I'll be headed over there...as soon as I finish my cereal." I nearly let out a laugh as I hear the irritated whine streaming through my cellphone.

"So where do you work?" I sat quiet in the familiar seat, slowly inhaling the crisp, clean scent of the sedan. "...By the beach. NORA Seaside Bar & Grill. Popular place on the weekends." Brushing away stray pink hairs that blocked my view, I looked over to Noctis, who didn't seem to be as annoyed as he was yesterday.

"...So we just stroll by the beach until we spot a building with a crowd of people?" He joked with me, and I could tell by the way his mouth curved mischievously.

"The restaurant doesn't open till 11, dumbass." I rolled my eyes at him, but he didn't seem bothered.

"...If the restaurant opens at 11, then why come so early?" He took a second to glance at me, and somehow I found myself a bit intimidated.

"Well... We have to come in early to make sure all the fish are skinned, all the bacon smoked, all the crabs shelled, and you get the idea. Basically, we have to have the freshest food in time for opening. One reason why we're the best seaside restaurant on the beach." My eyes traveled down to my gloved hands, something I've started wearing since all those scars and cuts from the heavy workload.

"Must be tough, huh? I can stick around and help, if you'd like." My mindset was caught a bit off guard with this act of kindness he was offering. I gave him another glance, and his face remained unreadable under dark blue locks of hair. His amber colored eyes held a calm ambiance which was unusual to me.

As much as I'd love to get some work off my back for once, I can't let the others spot him with me. Rumors spread pretty fast around here, and I'd hate for him to turn on me by ruining his...um...image. Plus, I'd get worse attention if they think we're dating. Oh hell no.

"N-No! You can't! I mean, um, it's so nice of you to ask, but..." We stopped at a red light, and his head immediately turned to face me, an expression of suspicion replacing the calmness. "...I am pretty sure you better things to do than to...um...scrape fish scales, or crack open crab shells." I gave him a forced grin, but he didn't seem very convinced.

"C'mon... I'm pretty sure I can help you with something." Haha, I've just cracked an idea that should help my slowly fading dilemma.

"No, I'll be fine!" Her tone was starting to seem desperate and a dirty smirk decorated my face. I couldn't help but smile at her horrified look, icy teal eyes widening with desperation. My gaze fixated on a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead, under a flurry of rose-colored strands.

She shuts up for the rest of the drive, shown exactly by the way she was slumped against the window, with an obvious pout. Man, Lightning looked vulnerable...

For someone who looked to be so rowdy and rebellious, she looked pretty...standard today. She was wearing a white shirt that had broad, blue stripes going from the shoulder to the waist. The words NORA Seaside Grill & Bar were printed across in big, bold, purple lettering. Her trademark miniskirt- this time black -adorned her legs, and so did a pair of red deck shoes.

"...What are you looking at?" Flashing her a swift glare, I returned my focus to the parking lot next to the beach, looking for a spot next to the restaurant.

"I'm not leaving until you give at least one errand." She slapped a hand to her forehead as I kept grinning at her. We walked over to the sidewalk as soon as I heard my sedan beep.

My eyebrows went up in awe as the restaurant came in view. It was large building, with patios and the 'tropical shack' thing going on. NORA Seaside Bar & Grill was plastered on the roof in neon lettering. "Wow. Nice place. You must be pretty lucky to be working here." She gave me a blank look as I stuffed my hands in my pockets.

"Yeah..." I noticed her tone was serious and she strode briskly ahead, leaving me behind. Feisty.

We stepped up to the glass doors, and immediately a bulky, dark-skinned man opened the doors with a friendly grin. I couldn't help but stare at his fiery, spiked hair.

"Lightning! Man, you're late again- wait, who's this little guy here?" I nearly cringed hearing little from someone who was only about, say, four inches taller I'm guessing. With the exception of his hair.

"He's...a friend, Gadot. Might be our first customer, eh?" I looked to Lightning, whose expression had turned quite nice with the man.

"Hehe, sure. Friend. Well, nice to meet you man. Name's Gadot. You?" Eyeing the guy nervously, I pulled a hand out of my pockets and shook his weakly.

"...Noctis. And yeah, we're friends alright." Lightning let out a low growl which made me chuckle a bit. This plan is working pretty fine. "I was hoping I could help some stuff actually. Lightning here filled me in. On the basics." A quiet 'ugh' emanated from the pink-haired terror as she slapped her forehead again.

"...You okay there, Light?"

I sat on a barstool, groaning to myself, slumped over the counter. Noctis was already the annoying little twit he was, and I didn't need him to be making friends with my own friends. Next thing you know... Dude, Noctis invited us to a party! Dude, Noctis hooked us up with concert tickets! Dude, you should totally get with Noctis! Oh the horror.

"Light? Yoohoo?" I felt light pokes against my head, and judging from the voice I heard, I'm guessing it isn't Noctis.

"Huh? What?" I lifted my head to see Lebreau standing there, with a sly smile on her face, and her hands on her hips.

"Is that Noctis I see over there?" She nods her in his direction, where he seems to be wrangling open a crab shell without the safety gloves. And succeeding. Oh damn.

I nod my head slowly. "...Y-Yeah, that's him." I continue to stare at the way he rips the open the crab shells like shelled peanuts. He gently sets the defiled arthropod down and wipes his brow. For a brief second, the blue-haired jerk turns to me and gives one hell of a wink.

Oh crap.

My eyes widen and I blush horribly, red like a ripe tomato. Immediately turning my attention to the glass windows, I try to clear my thoughts by staring at the slow, rolling waves by the beach sand outside. Lebreau just explodes into giggles.

"...You look a little shy there, Light!" I could only look back and flash her a really mean glare. "Just sayin'..." She held up her hands in defense as a growl was let out. Her mischievous smirk almost set me off.

"Hngh." I sank my head into my arms as the whimsical brunette giggled.

"We both know you love him like sheep turn purple. But maybe it's been long enough that you haven't given him a chance." My teal eyes peeked out from behind my pale arm. "Yes, you know exactly what I'm thinking. Now let's go!"

"Lebreau!" Before I could retaliate, she had already yanked me off the barstool and was dragging me across the polished wood floors.

Again, I set the crabs down in a bucket, and I could hear Gadot's faint whistling from the smoke room. "Hey, Gadot, got anymore for me?" I yelled out.

"Done already? Damn!" He strode back behind the grill, where I smirked calmly, directing my attention to the fresh crab meat. "Well, I guess I have nothing else you can do. Wait, actually..."

It was at that moment that I heard fussing and arguing and squealing, and then Lightning crashed into me. Glancing at the flustered girl, she shot me and intimidated glare and looked away.

"Lightning! Just who I need! Maybe you can help your buddy here carry these buckets of crab into the fridge. Kay, thanks..." After hearing what the tall man requested, I sneaked a look to Lightning, who rolled her eyes in frustration.

I leaned back onto the counter top as I watched Gadot walk back to the smoke room, and Lebreau- a girl from school that worked here -whisper something into Lightning's ear. The pink-haired devil briefly glanced at me, her eyes filled with nerve-wracking terror. This day could not get any better.

As soon as Lebreau left, I decided to move in.

"...Planning to help me anytime soon?" I asked slyly, grabbing two bucketfuls of crab meat.

"Yes, I'll help you..." Rolling my eyes, I proceeded to carry the two buckets, filled with soft meat. I looked back only to see her dragging two heavy ones. I stared intently and laughed as she struggled to carry both. "Hey! Help me at least!" I shook my head happily and took one of the buckets.

After stocking all the buckets in the shelf, I leaned back onto the fridge door, wiping some sweat off my forehead. Now I could see why Lightning needed help in the first place... I opened my eyes looked around, and I spotted the pink-haired terror sitting on a stool. "Wow. Nice workload you got here, huh?"

As soon as I caught her gaze, it certainly was made obvious that she didn't wanna talk. Of course. It's Lightning, for God's sake.

"...You already know I hate you, but why the hell do you have to come here and make friends with them? I don't want you to be hanging around them and influencing them, and I don't want them to think that we're dating either!" Her harsh whispers were believable, but of course, I had other plans...

"What? So just because of that I can't hang around with them? Pssh, drama queen." I crossed my arms and smirked down at her, to which she only stood herself up and walked away. Then a soggy towel on the ground caught my eye, which about one step in front of her. Immediately taking action, I caught up to her. "Lighting, wai-"

"AAH!" ...Too late.

When I opened my eyes, I was on the ground...with a pair of arms around me. I looked up to see Noctis staring down at me, with a cute shade of pink on his cheeks.

...Did I say cute?

"...You, um...slipped." He gave me a sheepish grin as his cheeks turned a slightly deeper shade. I've never noticed how bright his amber eyes looked...

Oh my God, Lightning! Snap out of it! Perhaps a mental facepalm would be essential at this moment.

"...You, alright?"

I rubbed my forehead as I came back to my senses rushed back to me. My eyes caught a damp, brown towel slung onto my ankle. My hand reached out to a piece of crab meat that littered on my calf as Noctis gently set me down on the tiled floor.

"Hey, what happened! We heard screaming-"

I turned around to see Gadot and Lebreau standing in the doorway, with their own share of smirks and wide-open jaws. Dammit.

"Well, you know what they say. No dating the customer, eh Lightning?" My onyx-haired friend stood there giggling, totally oblivious to my death glares.

"...I-It's nothing, really. Lightning here slipped on one of the towels. Hehe." I looked up to see my blue-haired savior flashing my co-workers a sheepish grin. This day's not going so well...

I stared out the glass windows as the raging chatter inside the seaside shack bombed my ears. Wow, lunch time must boom in business here, I'm betting. My eyes reverted back to the beach outside the restaurant, watching people getting toppled over by waves of salt water. I chuckled to myself, not noticing someone sitting at my table.

"...What are you staring at?"

"Huh?" My head snapped back to see Lightning looking blankly at me, her face slightly scrunched from the way things happened earlier. "Oh. Nothing." I looked down by her arms to see a colorful looking sandwich sliced in half laid on top of similarly colorful plate, reflecting the summer-themed look of the shack.

"Before you ask, I'm on my lunch break and I thought I'd make a sandwich for both of us...because you helped out this morning and thought you might need a snack or something." She looked down at the warm-looking snack, a tint of red coating her cheeks.

"...Really?"

"Yeah. Take it as my apology for how I acted against you. Hopefully, you like a grilled panini with tuna, shredded crab, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomatoes, and bits of clam, with an olive on top." She flashed me a weak smile and separated the sandwich, directing a piece towards me.

"...Wow. Thanks, Lightning. I guess...bottoms up!" With some playfulness returning, we both bit into our sandwiches simultaneously, like some slightly idiotic game I've been playing since I was seven years old.

My eyes widened as the flavor hit me. I licked my lips, savoring the moment intently.

"...Is there something wrong?" I shook my head, giving her some nice feedback.

"It's nice. I really like it. Thanks." I swallowed the delectable crumble and smiled at her, to which she only blushed, her eyes going wide.

"Wow, your day is busy."

"Of course, Mr. Caelum Corporation Heir."

"In case you forgot, I worked my ass off ripping open those crab shells." I gave her a smirk as we approached my sedan.

"It didn't seem like it since you ripped them open like bags of chips."

"Oh so you were staring?"

"Oh, uh..." I chuckled at her as she bowed her head down, blushing like the many times she already did today. My eyes stared at the setting sun as I entered my car, the distorted rays reflecting onto the rippling water.

"You're so in the zone sometimes. And I wonder how you get fast mile times and over-the-top grades..."

"It's all in the head." I replied, leaving her to wonder what I meant. We pulled out of the driveway and off we went.

So yeah, that's the fourth chapter everyone. I really appreciate the positive feedback, and I do apologize for the two(?) week delay. Been a lot of family problems lately, but it's all good now.

Please review, or else you'll slip on a towel, or choke on seafood.

...I'm kidding. :D