53rd: Fooled

Summary: All her life was a huge lie and despite knowing this, she still tried to convince herself that she was doing the right thing.

"You are unhappy," the blue-haired teenager said softly. "I … I am sorry to see this."

She scoffed as she brushed away a hint of dust from her dress. "I have no time for your mind games, Mystogan," she snapped at her friend. "You see, some of us actually have to-"

He hugged her tightly and patted her shoulder. "I know, Erza, I know," he muttered. "He broke up with you, didn't he? That's why you are so … irritated."

She wrapped her arms around him. "I am really so ugly?" she asked silently.

"Ugly?" he asked with wide eyes. "Erza, you are beautiful. Don't you have a mirror? You look amazing – unless you cry. No one can be pretty when he cries."

"Just look at my hair … I look like my head's aflame most of the time," she muttered.

"That is what makes you so beautiful," he replied. "You can walk around and you can think that you are ugly but I can see that you are beautiful. And I am always right."

She snorted. "I hate this life," she whispered.

"I know," he replied as he patted her shoulder. He knew her better than anyone else knew her. He knew about her hidden tears when someone snapped back at her and made a cruel remark. True, she was Erza Knightwalker and it was ridiculous that she would be anything but absolutely perfect but sometimes, the pressure was too much of her. She was a girl before everything else and people tended to forget about this. They only saw her ambition and her drive to be better than anyone else. She wanted to be loved and he tried to give her the love she wanted but she never saw him and instead she saw other guys – guys who didn't deserve her. Guys who hurt her – and who ended up with broken noses because she wouldn't accept things like these.

"I mean … why can't I get a decent boyfriend? Even Ashley got someone by now…"

"Maybe she drugged him … or blackmail - personally, I would say that she blackmailed him into being her boyfriend. That's the same I expect between Gajeel and Levy-san."

"Well, she did walk up to him with an expression that tolerated no rejection…" the red-haired girl mused as she hugged her best friend. "We should get you a girlfriend too."

"I … I have my eyes set on someone who doesn't see me this way."

She patted his head in a sympathetic manner. "I told you not to go and fall for Cana-san," she sighed. "You know that she's dating Laxus."

He rolled his eyes. "No matter how lonely I am, we will get you a boyfriend first," he promised. "How's your twin, by the way?"

"Scarlet?" she snorted. "Bratty as always and probably making out with your twin, Mystogan … she will never let go of him at this rate."

It was a nearly ridiculous anecdote. Erza Knightwalker and her twin Erza Scarlet had been separated after birth and both adoptive parents had named their daughter Erza because it had seemed to be the only fitting name for the girl. Erza Knightwalker had been shocked to hear this because in her perfect world, there was only one Erza: herself. And so she had grown to shun her sister wherever she could. She had been happy before she had found out about Scarlet and now, all her life was a huge lie and despite knowing this, she still tried to convince herself that she was doing the right thing by being the worst bully ever.

Maybe this was the only way she could stand the pressure and everything else.

"You need to accept her," he said softly as he patted her head. "But I won't force you to do anything you wouldn't like to do. I'm not that kind of guy."

"And that's why you are so perfect," she smiled as she kissed his cheek. "C'mon, break is nearly over and I don't want you to get in trouble, Mystogan." She wrapped her arm around him and dragged him back to the school building. "You are Mr Perfect after all."

Kain, the school's residence playboy, smirked as he saw them passing, "Hey, Mystogan, have you been making out with Knightwalker or why is her hair so red?"

"Kain, shut up," Mystogan said as he rolled his eyes. "And grow up, will you? We are friends, understood? You might want to become a little bit more mature, hell."

Erza hissed at the slim boy before she looked around for someone to yell at.

"Knightwalker, Mystogan, hey there," Zeref, the always cheerful class president, said as he threw Kain a glare. "Please don't bother them again, Kain, or you will get into trouble."

"Shut up, Zeref," the other boy sighed.

"Oh my gosh, there's Zeref-kun!" one of the black-haired boy's obsessed fangirls yelled and the aforementioned teenager disappeared into thin air.

"Pathetic brats," Ultear said as she kicked Kain's shin. "And now, get away," she snapped before she smiled brightly. "I heard from a reliable source that you guys are dating now."

Erza who was sick of all the rumours nodded. "Yes," she said. "Mystogan and I are dating."

The blue-haired boy had merely half a second to realise what was going on before she nudged him and he nodded hastily.

"Hah, I totally called that one, Mira!" the girl grinned as she dashed away.

"So, we are dating now?" Mystogan asked silently.

"Yeah," she said. "It will spare us the trouble of searching partners and I can stand you more than most guys I dated."