High School Reunion

Chapter 11

"Hey guys!" Lucy greeted the group in front of her. They each in turn welcomed the blond beauty that they missed so much. After several minutes of small talk and catching up Lucy began to wonder why they were still waiting outside. "Everyone's here, shouldn't we go inside now?"

Most of the girls turned away from her but she could see the unease upon Levy's rounded features. Lucy's brown eyes narrowed and scanned over the group in front of her, each seemingly trying to avoid eye contact. What is going on here?

"Alright, fess up. What are you all hiding?" Silence ensued as several of the girls began fidgeting, this causing Lucy to panic. Why weren't they talking to her? What were they hiding? This is their first get together in ten years yet this is how it starts off? Things were confusing and she didn't know what to think anymore. Her brown eyes landed on the deep blue eyes of Mirajane who seemed more nervous than the rest. "Mirajane, what's going on?"

"Um, well Lucy." Mirajane took a step closer, still avoiding locking eyes with the blond. No one in the group was certain how she would react to their plan, knowing that they haven't been around each other in a long time. Lucy might get mad, scream and shout at them for doing something like this behind her back. Or she could run off and cry because she wasn't ready for this.

The sound of footsteps could be heard coming from behind the blond and they were in a rush. The groups eyes all landed on something behind the blond making her curious as to who they were looking at. The footsteps stopped just a few feet away and the sound of panting could be heard. Lucy turned and found her own eyes widening at the sight.

"Sorry I'm late!" The silver haired beauty spoke before her. Her scorching blue eyes met with Lucy's own brown ones and softened slightly. It was apparent that she knew she would be here. So was Lucy the only one that was left out? "H-hey Lucy."

"Lisanna." Lucy's voice wouldn't give way to what she was feeling on the inside. Mild panic, confusion, hurt, curiousness, and surprise. She remained stoic on the outside, this wasn't what she had wanted but this is what her friends were known for. Stepping in and trying to fix a situation that in her opinion was a little too early to fix. Even if Lucy knew that none of this was Lisanna's fault, it didn't make the confrontation any easier.

"Why don't we go inside before the mall gets to crowded?" Mirajane asked trying to ease some of the tension surrounding the two girls. Lucy nodded before turning away from Lisanna. She heard the sigh that escaped the girls lips and felt a pang of guilt. Lucy wasn't the only one suffering from this ordeal.

Lucy hung towards the back walking next to the wobbling Levy but Lisanna walked alone, her eyes on her feet and a distant look in them. Levy watched as Lucy peered back at the girl and smiled warmly. There it was, that same look Lucy used to hold in her eyes. The one that was always forgiving, loving and never held anything against anyone. And she was looking at Lisanna.

Lucy stopped, allowing the girls to walk further ahead. Levy nodded towards the blond before continuing to walk and catch up with the others. Once Lisanna caught up, Lucy began to match her pace next to her. Her blue eyes shot up once she noticed the pair of feet next to her. Shock evident on her face, she gaped at the blond next to her who just smiled. Before Lucy could react, Lisanna had jumped towards her and engulfed her in a large hug as sobs wracked through her body.

"Oh Lucy! I am so sorry!" The silver hair girl cried into the blonds shoulder and she returned the hug. The initial shock had worn off and now she found herself trying to sooth the crying girl. This definitely wasn't how she thought their confrontation would be like. The girls watched from a distance, each with a smile adorning their lovely features.

"It's okay Lisanna, it's not your fault." The blond soothed. She actually felt relief flood over her as she realized that Lisanna wasn't upset that Natsu had cheated on her with Lucy, she was actually sorry herself for something that wasn't her fault to begin with. If anything it all narrowed down to being Lucy's fault.

"How can you be so calm about this? So forgiving? I took him away from you, and didn't give it a second thought about how either of you felt." Lisanna's blue eyes leaked tears steadily down her flushed cheeks. Lucy gazed into her eyes and saw the sincerity of her words. "All I wanted was to have him for myself. I was being selfish and inconsiderate."

"Oh Lisanna, it's not like that. You had no way of stopping what had happened. If anything I should have said no. So please, don't blame yourself, this is far from your fault." The silver haired girls grip tightened on the blond, her tears staining Lucy's shirt, but she didn't care. She was happy to have another of her friends back, and that's all that mattered to her.

"You know you really are too forgiving, but you wouldn't be you if you weren't." Lisanna had let go and smiled at Lucy. She returned the smile, knowing that things would only start to get better from here on out. "Can I ask you something personal though?"

The group of girls found themselves leaning in just a little closer wanting to hear what Lisanna wanted to ask. Each having their own ideas in their head. Lucy thought it over, somewhat worried about what she was going to ask, before nodding.

"Are you still in love with Natsu?"

Lucy's eyes widened as her heart began to race. What was she supposed to say? How was she supposed to answer that? Her brain was running a mile a minute as she thought this over. On the inside, she knew that she still loved him, but was she willing to speak it out loud just yet. To openly admit that she still held such feelings for the man that not only hurt her but her friend as well to the point where it caused a rift between all of them.

"I never stopped." Was Lucy's answer. Her voice was low, almost a whisper as she looked down at her feet with a small smile on her lips. The girls strained their necks wanting to hear her reply but she said it so low and they couldn't hear her leaving them disappointed. Lisanna reached out and put a gentle hand upon the blonds shoulder.

"It's okay, Lucy. But do you know what you plan to do then? I heard about what happened at the reunion." Lucy's head shot up once more in surprise. But in reality she shouldn't be shocked, these were her friends and she knew them well enough to know that they couldn't keep news like this a secret. Lucy pondered over her thoughts, still unsure herself how she wanted to react to Natsu's vow.

"I don't know, Lisanna."

Lisanna smiled at the girl. She could understand the fact that Lucy was confused. Heck, she would be too if she was put in the same situation. It would be hard to trust once again, especially him. Lisanna wasn't told right away what had happened until she inquired about why Lucy was absent for so long. She remembered that once the question left her lips, all eyes turned to Natsu. Some were glared while others were pained. She didn't know what to think at that time.

"Why don't we continue walking and enjoy ourselves, no point in dwelling on depressing things right now." Lisanna said to Lucy. Lucy nodded and followed the Strauss sibling down to where their friends were waiting. She knew that they were there the whole time listening but she didn't care. If they didn't hear what happened then they would find out eventually.

Lisanna watched as Lucy mingled with the girls, laughing and having fun. She was truly enjoying herself and you could see it in the smile she wore. It was that same smile she used to have all those years ago. Before everything happened. Maybe all Lucy truly needed was her friends there for her, and she felt bad that she wasn't.

She herself was upset at that time and knew that she wouldn't be of any help to the blond even if she tried. Finding out that your boyfriend cheated on you with your close friend and broke her heart wasn't easy to swallow, especially after she had to realize on her own, his reasons for everything.

Natsu had never told her how he truly felt, and she always wondered about that. She knew that he cared for her but never once did she believe he loved her. After graduation, things started to get worse. They began to fight all the time, her always wondering why he stayed with her even though it was clear that he didn't love her. She had come to the realization when she brought up Lucy one time.

He had snapped and demanded that she never speak of Lucy again. It wasn't like she was saying something bad about the girl, to the contrary, she actually admitted that she missed the blond but Natsu wanted to hear none of it. At that moment is when she realized his feelings. He didn't love her because he was already in love with someone else and it hurt to discover such a thing. But then it began to eat away at her. If he truly loved Lucy then why was he with her?

It's painful to know that you will never be loved by the one you want most. Eventually, Lisanna couldn't hold it back any longer. During one of their fights she had asked him. She told him to come clean and just admit how he truly felt for Lucy. She found him staring at her wide eyed as if he couldn't believe she knew.

The fight then turned towards a discussion, where he finally admitted the true reasons behind what he did and what caused all of it to happen. It was hard to take in. The fact that your boyfriend not only used you to see the reaction of another girl but then as a last resort. He only asked her out when he was certain that he couldn't have Lucy. And then to find out that the only reason he was still with her was to prevent her from getting hurt, her only comment to that was that he was an idiot. For the fact that he never realized that a relationship like that could never last.

She lost count of the amount of tears she shed not only for herself but for Natsu and Lucy as well. They were all living in their own hell one way or another. Lucy, the girl who was in love with her best friend and was betrayed and left alone. Lisanna, the one who was used and then taken as a last resort and a way to atone for his sins. Then there is Natsu, who used Lisanna to punish himself and was afraid to hurt her and in the end all of them ended up hurt. It was a crazy mess that at the time Lisanna couldn't see a way to fix this.

After Natsu's confession of what really happened, their relationship took a turn for the worst. They couldn't hold themselves together after that. Lisanna also felt that she loved Natsu, but she began to question if she was truly was in love with Natsu or not. Only a month later did they finally call it quits. She had to admit that she was scared. She was afraid of just how much it might hurt to lose him but once he was gone, she was surprised that the tears no longer came. That she actually felt better.

Why things turned out this way, she would never know. But fate is unpredictable and what is meant to be will find a way. And she knew that if Natsu and Lucy truly love each other, then it was only a matter of time.

Over the years, she watched as her friends and family slowly began to settle down. Each one finding their one person to love then getting married. And some even had kids. That was the kind of life she wanted, that kind of love and she realized that it was not possible with Natsu. Not only did he not love her, but she found out that she didn't love him. It took them four years of dating, two during school and two after, and a mutual break up for her to truly realize that all she had was a long term crush.

And then that just made her feel worse. Here she was thinking she was in love with this man and keeping him to herself only to find out that she didn't. And that meant that she had kept two perfectly suited people apart from each other. Put a wedge in between them that she might never be able to remove again.

It seemed like breaking up with Natsu was the best thing for both of them. At least for her. She never understood why Natsu never tried to get in contact with Lucy again. It had been eight years since they broke up and he never tried to call her or see her even once. She wasn't sure what was going through the pink haired mans mind at that time but it seems that he has finally come to his senses.

And of course, after the break up, she finally realized what she wanted to do with her life. She had moved away for a while and decided to go to a culinary school. After graduating, she finally opened up her first restaurant. Eventually it grew and grew to the point where she was able to expand and opened several ones all over the nation. But her most recent one was right here in her home town. The grand opening was the day that Lucy had run into her in the bathroom.

She was shocked to see her there. She wanted to talk to her, explain what really happened but the girl took off so fast, she couldn't find her. And she couldn't leave the restaurant either. She felt bad but there was nothing she could do. But throughout everything, the thing she was the happiest about was the fact that she finally managed to find love herself.

She had found love in the most unlikeliest of places. Bixlow. She never once thought of him as more than that but when he finally asked her out, confessing his feelings to her she couldn't help but give him a chance. And that proved to be the best choice she has ever made. She was extremely happy with him and truly in love for the first time. But when she thinks of her happiness, she once more begins to feel bad about the happiness that Lucy and Natsu were never able to achieve.

So that's why she decided to do what she can to help them. She could see it in Lucy's eyes the love she still felt. Lisanna knew that it was her duty to help them since she was the reason why Natsu never went to her. Why he never apologized and asked for her back. Even if she didn't directly do it herself, she was the reason behind what Natsu did. And so now she was determined to make it up to the blond and pinkette, and to do all she can to repair the damage that was done all those years ago.

I don't know whether I should be happy that you wonderful readers know what is going to happen next or if I should be worried that I am losing my originality. So many of you guessed what I had planned that it's not even funny! Am I becoming predictable? I purposely didn't hint at a surprise guest there simply for that reason, to surprise you guys yet you all still knew what I was doing! Lol, but that just makes you all that much more interesting! I hope that I never become so predictable. I want to keep you guys on your toes! Anyway, thank you all for your continued support. For the reviews, all the follows and favorites! You all make me sooooooo happy! Thanks again! Love you guys, Angel.