A/N: Hi everyone! I know it's been 4-5 months since the last chapter, and I'm sorry about that! Life's been busy! But I'm back with a brand-new chapter and I hope you all enjoy!
Also, if you follow me on AO3 I'm sure you've all seen that I've locked all of my stories there. I caught wind back in July that apparently a bot was going around scraping peoples works from here and mass uploading them to an AI learning website called rivd. They said that locking you fics was the only way to protect them, so that's what I did. And it's going to stay like that for the time being.
I don't own anything Beach related.
"What are you doing here, Meni?"
"I told you…I brought your bike back. Your umbrella, too."
"Well, you brought them back. You can leave now."
"Wait…I think we should talk about what happened last night," Meninas said, taking a step towards Bambietta.
"There's nothing to talk about," Bambietta said, taking a step back. She then started walking towards her couch.
"I think there is," Meninas said, walking out into the hall and clamping her hands together. "Where have you been? Why didn't you answer my calls or texts?"
"Why do you care?!" Bambietta snapped, turning to face Meninas with a look of anger.
"Why do I care? Bambi, you're my friend," Meninas said, taken aback.
"I am?" Bambietta asked sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.
"Wha…yes, you are…you are my friend! You're all our friend!" Meninas said.
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are!"
"I can't tell!"
"What do you mean?"
"What do I mean?!" Bambietta asked incredulously. "Meni, did you not see what happened last night?!
"Of course I did…" Meninas trailed off.
"Then you would know that what went down proved to me that we are indeed NOT friends!" Bambietta said.
"Bambi please…" Meninas trailed off again.
"No Meni! No!" Bambietta said. "Don't even try to justify what happened!"
"I'm not-!" Meninas started but was interrupted.
"She said I didn't matter, Meni!" Bambietta exclaimed.
*Flashback*
"I'm not understanding what the problem is," Bambietta said, turning in her seat at the table.
"You don't understand?" Candice said, crossing her arms. "Bambi, this is the third time you asked Meni to cover your shift this month."
"Candy, it's fine. Really," Meninas said, sitting next to Bambietta at the table.
"No, it's not, Meni! She can't keep casting off her responsibilities on you!" Candice said.
"I'm not casting my responsibilities off on her!" Bambietta said. "I have a photography session that day that I couldn't reschedule!"
"But you could've turned it down," Candice said.
"I can't just pass up on a client!" Bambietta said.
"That's what you said the last two times you pulled this stunt this month," Liltotto said from her spot on the couch. "As well as the times before that. This is becoming a common thing for you to do, Bambi. And we're getting tired of it."
"Getting tired of what?" Bambietta asked.
"Of you not pulling your weight at the café," Giselle said from her spot on the carpet in front the TV.
"Not pulling my weight?!" Bambietta exclaimed. "I do pull my own weight at the café! I'm just getting busy with my photography business!"
"If you were, then you wouldn't keep asking Meni to take your shifts," Giselle said.
"Girls, I really don't mind taking her shifts," Meninas said, trying to defuse the situation. "It wasn't a problem before and it's not a problem now."
"But it's a problem for us, Meni," Liltotto said, with Candice and Giselle nodding in agreement.
"Plus, she only asks you because she knows you'll say yes," Candice said. "She's taking advantage of you."
"What?!" Bambietta exclaimed.
Meninas opened her mouth to reply but paused. She then looked down at the ground, contemplating what Candice said to her.
"Seriously Meni?!" Bambietta exclaimed.
"You are always coming to me, Bambi…" Meninas trailed off, still looking at the ground.
"I can't believe you…" Bambietta trailed off, completely dumbfounded that Meninas would even buy into this nonsense. "You're actually questioning me about this?!"
"I'm…I'm sorry Bambi," Meninas said, not liking the look her friend was giving her. "It's just that-!"
"Meni, you don't need to explain yourself to her," Candice said.
"Candy…" Meninas trailed off.
"Why do you girls always do this?!" Bambietta exclaimed, looking away from Meninas and at the rest of her friends.
"Do what Bambi?" Giselle asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Take issue with everything I do!" Bambietta exclaimed. "I can't do anything without you girls getting in my ass because of it!"
"We do not, Bambi," Liltotto said, rolling her eyes.
"Yes, you do!" Bambietta exclaimed. "You're doing it right now with this stupid situation! You girls always cover shifts for each other, but when I do it, it's a problem!"
"We don't do it as much as you," Candice argued.
"What?!" Bambietta exclaimed. "You can't be fucking serious?!"
"Well, we are Bambi," Liltotto said. "Why can't you just take accountability for once?"
"Take accountability?!" Bambietta said incredulously. "You know what? I'm done."
And with that Bambietta got up from the table and made a beeline towards the coat closet.
"Bambi, where are you going?" Meninas asked, standing up from the table.
"I'm going home," Bambietta said as she opened the coat closet to get her jacket out.
"What? No, you can't leave. Not like this," Meninas said, making her way over to her. "Plus, it's raining outside."
"I have a hood," Bambietta huffed, pulling her jacket out of the closet.
"Bambi please…" Meninas pleaded.
"No, let her go Meni," Liltotto said, waving her hand towards Bambietta in annoyance. "She's doing what she does best, running away and not taking accountability for any of the shit she does."
"And you're doing what you do best, being an absolute bitch," Bambietta retorted as she put her jacket on. "You know? Since I'm such an annoyance to you all, maybe I should just quit working at the café!"
"You promise?" Liltotto retorted.
Bambietta paused as she hooked her jacket zipper together. She closed her eyes, taking a moment to process what Liltotto just said, and sighed, zipping up her jacket, "Yeah…I promise."
"Bambi stop! You don't mean that! And Lil didn't mean what she said either!" Meninas said.
"I sure as hell meant what I said Meni," Bambietta said, looking up at her.
"What?" Menina asked as she watched Bambietta go to put on her shoes.
"You heard me," Bambietta huffed. "I'm tired of being mistreated by all of you!"
"Mistreat you? We don't mistreat you!" Meninas said, growing frustrated.
"Yes, you do! All of you!" Bambietta exclaimed. "And right now is just another example of it!"
"Another?" Meninas said confused.
"Another!" Bambietta repeated as she went to go put her shoes on. As she was putting them on, she looked up at her friends with a glare, "The rules always apply differently when it comes to me and I'm tired of it. So, I'm just going to leave and end things right now because I obviously don't matter to any of you!"
"Oh, look at that. You actually can figure things out. Took you long enough," Liltotto said snarkily.
Bambietta opened her mouth to say something but stopped. Realizing what Liltotto said, she leaned back a little, eyes widening in shock.
"Lil!" Meninas exclaimed, shocked that she would say something like that.
Liltotto didn't respond; She just turned her head away from Meninas. Meninas turned her attention back towards Bambietta and saw her friends face scrunched with hurt, eyes filling up with tears.
"Bambi…" Meninas trailed off, taking a step towards her.
Bambietta took a sharp breath in, shaking her head slightly as tears started streaming down her face. She took two steps back before bolting towards the door.
"Bambi, wait!" Meninas shouted.
But Bambietta didn't wait; She ran out of their apartment and slammed the door behind her.
*End Flashback*
"Bambi, you know Lil didn't mean-!"
"Bullshit! Lil meant exactly what she said!"
"No, she didn't Bambi! You know Lil is sarcastic!"
"Sarcastic?! Bullshit!" Bambietta exclaimed. "She means everything she says and uses sarcasm to cover it up!"
"No, she doesn't, Bambi!" Meninas exclaimed. "She said that out of anger!"
"Of course you take her side over mine!" Bambietta exclaimed.
"Bambi, I'm not-!" Meninas started but was interrupted.
"Yes, you are!" Bambietta exclaimed. "I'm sick of this Meni!"
"Sick of what?" Meninas asked.
"I'm sick of you all mistreating me!"
"And like I said last night, we don't mistreat-!"
"Yes, you do! You have been for a while now!"
Meninas blinked at her confused, "A while now? Wha…what are you talking about?"
"What I'm talking about is that ever since I moved back here from the states, you guys have treated me like I wasn't really your friend! Almost as if I was a stranger!" Bambietta exclaimed.
"Stranger?! Bambi what?! We all welcomed you back with open arms! We even let you crash on our couch as you were looking for a place to stay!" Meninas exclaimed, shocked at what she just heard.
"When you didn't really want to," Bambietta said, shaking her head.
"Of course we wanted to! We would even let you live with us if we had a fifth room!" Meninas exclaimed, growing frustrated.
"I don't believe you!" Bambietta exclaimed. "You girls don't even want me around!"
"Where did you get that idea?!"
"I'm always the butt of you girls' jokes, you girls come at me over any little thing, you girls ditch me all the time, the energy shifts whenever I'm around…the list goes on! It's become increasingly obvious that you girls don't like me anymore!"
"Bambi, this is insane! Of course we like you! We never stopped!"
"Bullshit!"
"Bambi!"
"I don't know why I'm even arguing my case with you!" Bambietta said, raising her arms in frustration. "It's not like you're going to take my side!"
"Huh?!" Meninas said indignantly.
"When stuff like this happens, you never stick up for me! You just fuck around and watch! And sometimes you even engage in the bullshit; Just like you did last night!"
"What?!" Meninas exclaimed.
"And don't even try and tell me that's not the case because it is! And it hurts Meni! Especially from you because we were close!" Bambietta exclaimed.
"Were? What do you mean?" Meninas asked softly.
"You know exactly what I mean Meni…we're not close anymore. Honestly, we haven't been ever since we stopped talking every day after you moved back first. I was just in denial of it until after I moved back myself," Bambietta said.
"Bambi…do you really think that?" Meninas asked, her face turning into one of hurt.
"…I do," Bambietta said. "Listen…it's fine okay. Grows grow apart all the time; I wasn't bothered by that too much. But what did bother me was you taking a part in the mistreatment towards me. You of all people…my best friend…"
Meninas didn't say anything. She just looked at Bambietta in disbelief.
"But you know…it doesn't really matter anymore," Bambietta said, shrugging her shoulders. "Because I'm done."
"D-Done?" Meninas said confused.
"Yep…last night was the last straw for me. On Monday I'm handing in my resignation letter, my keys to the café, and the keys to your apartment," Bambietta said.
"Bambi…" Meninas trailed off, not knowing what to say.
"No Meni! I'm done!" Bambietta said. "I'm tired of feeling left out by you girls! I'm tired of feeling like crap! I'm tired of feeling like I don't matter!"
"You don't matter…" Meninas trailed off. She looked at the ground, head completely spinning at everything Bambietta just told her. After a moment she frowned and looked back up at Bambietta, "Why am I just hearing about this now?!"
"What?" Bambietta asked, turning back to face her.
"If you've been feeling like this since you moved back here, why are you just now telling me?!" Meninas asked. "I'm not a mind reader, you know!"
"Oh, Meni please…" Bambietta said.
"No, no! You're acting like all of us are the bad guys here, but you aren't innocent Bambi!" Meninas exclaimed.
"Don't you dare turn this around on me! I am not the one to blame here!" Bambietta exclaimed.
"Well neither are we! Not completely!" Meninas exclaimed.
"What do you mean by "not completely"?" Bambietta asked.
"Bambi…have you ever considered that maybe you're the one that pulled back from us?" Meninas asked.
"What?!" Bambietta exclaimed.
"Ever since you moved back to Japan, you've been distant. Distant from all of us," Meninas said. "I've asked you if everything was alright multiple times and you've said you were fine or brushed me off. It got to the point where I just decided to stop asking because I knew you were never going to tell me."
Bambietta just stared at her incredulously.
"And it's not just that. You've also gotten really snippy with us. And you've given us more attitude than normal. Like you're angry at us or something when we haven't done anything to you. We don't get it and it upsets us."
"…You're really trying to flip this on me."
"No, that's not what I'm doing!"
"Then what are you trying to do here, Meni?!"
"I'm trying to get you to understand is that something has been upsetting you at your core and you're taking it out on us! I've noticed this for a while now! And you won't talk to us about it! Not even to me! You're best friend! How can we help you if you won't talk to us, Bambi?! How can we be there for you?! How can I be there for you?!" Meninas exclaimed.
Once again, Bambietta stared at her incredulously.
"Please Bambi!" Meninas said, basically begging Bambietta to talk to her.
Bambietta clenched her fists and looked down at the floor, contemplating everything Meninas just said to her. No…no she can't do this. She can't even think about anything that Meninas said. It didn't have anything to do with anything, so she doesn't know why Meninas even brought it up. She had done nothing wrong…right?
Bambietta sighed, closing her eyes as she unclenched her fists, "Leave Meni…we're done here."
Meninas gawked at her, "Wha…B-But Bambi…"
Bambietta turned her back to her, "I…I need to take a shower. Please just…just go."
She then started walking towards the door. Once she reached it, she grabbed the knob and started walking through the door frame but stopped. She then turned her head back slightly, "Thanks for bringing back my bike."
With that, she walked back out into the hallway, closing the door behind her. She then made her way back to her room to get a pair of underwear and pajamas. Once she gathered her clothes, she left her room and hooked a right into her washroom/bathroom. She walked in and closed the door behind her, but instead of going to turn her shower on, she leaned back against the door with closed eyes. She inhaled and exhaled, trying to keep her breathing under control.
Thoughts of the encounter she just had with Meninas then came crashing down on her and soon her breathes started to become shaky. Tears started pooling behind her closed eyes with her face scrunching up with despair. Her hand lets go of the clothes she's been holding as a cry escapes from her lips, sliding down the door. Once she was seated on the floor, she hugged her legs to her chest and just sobbed, resting her head on her knees. She really cried and cried, mentally kicking and cursing herself for how weak she must look in this moment.
God, she really hated crying.
Bambietta sighed as she walked out of her bathroom. Unlike when she took a shower at Uryu's place the night before, this shower did not make her feel any better. She felt just as shitty as she did before stepping into the shower as she did coming out of it. And it sucked. At this point, all she wanted to do was crawl into her bed and hide away from the world underneath her covers. She walked into her room, kicked her door closed, threw her dirty clothes into her dirty clothes bin, and proceeded to crawl in her bed and under her covers. However, just as she got comfortable, she noticed how dry her throat was.
Letting out an aggravated sigh, she threw her covers off her and climbed out of bed. With zer4 pep in her step, she walked out of her room and towards the common area. She noticed a light coming from the bottom of the door and rolled her eyes, thinking that Meninas didn't turn the lights off before she left. Imagine her complete and utter shock when she opened the door, walked in, and saw Meninas still inside her apartment standing in front of her bookshelf next to her dining room table. She seemed to be staring at a picture frame on it, but Bambietta honestly didn't care.
"Oh God Meni, what are you still doing here?" Bambietta asked tiredly.
"You framed it…" Meninas trailed off, still looking at the picture frame.
"Framed what?" Bambietta asked, confused.
"The picture we took when we first moved into our college dorm room," Meninas said, her mouth forming into a small bittersweet smile. "It's one of my favorite pictures of us."
Bambietta only stood there in silence as she watched the tall pink-haired girl in front of her.
"We used to be so happy back then…starting college careers in the states without a care in the world…wondering what the future held for us," Meninas said with a shaky laugh.
"What are you still doing here?" Bambietta repeated, crossing her arms.
"You were crying…" Meninas said softly as she turned to look at Bambietta.
Bambietta raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"
"I heard you…" Meninas trailed off. "I heard you crying…"
Bambietta's eyes widened at that, "W-What?"
"I was making my way out and as soon as I walked out into the hallway, I heard you crying from your bathroom. I haven't seen or heard you cry in…well forever," Meninas said sadly.
Bambietta looked away from her, "Yeah…and what of it?"
Meninas looks down as she grips the front of her skirt, "I hate hearing you cry…it breaks my heart. But knowing that I'm the cause of it breaks my heart even more.
Bambietta shook her head slightly before walking towards her sofa, her arms still crossed. She walked in front of it and took a seat on it, the back of her head now facing Meninas. Meninas watched her do so and after waiting a moment, she walked over to the sofa and sat next to Bambietta, making sure to leave a good distance between the two of them,
"Bambi…" Meninas trailed off.
"Hm?" Bambietta hummed, looking down at her lap instead of at Meninas.
"I'm…I'm so sorry," Meninas said, looking down at the free space of sofa in between them. "I've been such a horrible friend to you."
Bambietta didn't respond, but she did give Meninas a side-eye of curiosity.
"Everything you said about me…you were right. I have just stood along the sidelines watching you and the other girls go at it while never sticking up for you. And I have joined in on it sometimes…" Meninas trailed off.
Again, Bambietta didn't respond.
"But please know my intention wasn't to bully or gang up on you!" Meninas said, looking back up at Bambietta. "It's just that…well…"
"Was this your way of getting back at me?" Bambietta asked.
Meninas blinked in surprise, "Huh?"
"After everything you told me earlier…did you do what you did to get back at me?" Bambietta asked. "And I'm mean just you…not the other girls."
Meninas looked down again, "After thinking about it…I think I was unconsciously trying to get back at you…"
Bambietta closed her eyes and sighed, bringing her hand to her face.
"And here I was telling you that you were taking your anger out in us instead of talking to us about it…to me…when I was doing the same thing," Meninas said softly. "I had no right to tell you that when I can't even take my own advice."
Bambietta slowly slid her hand down to her mouth and kept it there, giving Meninas a sideways glance.
Meninas sat in silence for a moment before speaking again, "And I have no right to ask you what I'm about to ask you…I really don't…but…Bambi, can you give me another chance?
Bambietta said nothing. She just continues giving Meninas a sideways glance.
"I wouldn't be surprised if you said no because I honestly don't deserve another chance. I messed up bad…we all did," Meninas said, still looking down. "But…I want to make things right. I want to gain your trust again. I want to be a friend that you deserve."
Bambietta looked straight ahead at her TV as Meninas spoke her case to her.
"Please Bambi…" Meninas trailed off, finally looking up at Bambietta with begging eyes. "I want to make things right."
Bambietta continued looking straight ahead, mind racing. She couldn't believe what she just heard. The normally stoic Meninas just gave her an emotional and sincere apology. Something she was not expecting at all. But she would be lying to herself if she said she didn't care about it or want it because honestly…she did. An apology was something that she wanted from her friends for a while now…and she's now got that from at least one of them. But…it still doesn't make the hurt go away.
Tears began pooling her eyes as she began shaking her head, contemplating on what to do. She fully intended on ending her friendship with Meninas tonight, but now she doesn't know if she wants to do that anymore. Meninas told her she wanted to make things right, and half of her believed her but the other half didn't trust it in fear of being disappointed and hurt again. It was all becoming too much, and she honestly couldn't take it anymore.
"Bambi?" Meninas said as she looked at Bambietta cautiously.
Tears streaming down her face, Bambietta whimpered as closed her eyes and covered them with her hand, "I can't do this anymore…I'm tired…"
She proceeded to cry softly as Meninas looked on with a broken heart. With tears pooling in her own eyes, Meninas impulsively moved forward and wrapped her arms around Bambietta in a hug. At first, Bambietta didn't do anything about that, but after a moment, she slowly brought up her free hand to take hold of Meninas' arm in a soft grip. She wasn't necessarily returning the hug, but Meninas didn't care. She's just glad that Bambietta was allowing her to comfort her in a moment where she desperately needed it.
There was a light breeze in the night air as Bambietta and Meninas stood on the sidewalk waiting for Meninas' car to arrive. They both stood in silence, looking anywhere but each other.
Meninas checked her Go app on her phone, "It says my car will be here in five minutes."
"Okay," Bambietta said, nodding her head.
"You know…you didn't have to come out and wait with me," Meninas said softly as looked down at her feet.
"My mom taught me that I should always watch company I have leave," Bambietta said, she, too, looking down at her feet.
"Oh…" Meninas said.
Silence erupted between them once more.
"Listen Meni…I-!"
"I meant everything I said earlier, Bambi."
"Meni…"
"Every word," Meninas said as she turned to her with a look of determination.
Bambietta, sensing that Meninas was looking at her, turned her head slightly to look at her back.
"You and I…we're best friends. Or at least…we were…I don't have the right to call you that right now," Meninas said. "But…I'm going to make things right. I'll gain your trust back. I'll be more vocal when the girls are being unfair to you. I'll make more of an effort to try and understand your feelings about things. I'll…I'll be a better friend; One that you deserve."
Bambietta said nothing as she looked at Meninas with soft eyes.
"I don't want to lose you as a friend, Bambi," Meninas said. "So, I'm going to do whatever I can to earn your trust back. No matter how long it takes."
Bambietta still didn't say anything. She just continued looking at Meninas, with Meninas staring back at her with that same look of determination. She really meant what she said, which made feel a sense of relief. But…was it enough? She still hadn't given Meninas a clear answer before when they were inside her apartment. She honestly didn't know what she should do. Her head is telling her to just end things like she planned but…
Bambietta sniffs and looks back down at her feet, "Yeah…okay…"
Just then a car rolls to a stop in front of them. It must be the car Meninas called to get her back home. She walked over to the passenger door as the window rolled down and the driver asked if her name was Meninas, to which she replied yes to. After confirming that the driver is indeed her driver, Meninas opened the door to get into the back seat but stopped mid motion. She then looked back at Bambietta with nervousness and slight hope.
"I'll…I'll see you at work on Monday? Bright and early?"
Bambietta looks at her for a moment before sighing, "Yes Meni…"
Meninas lets out a small sigh of relief and nods her head. She then proceeded to get in the back seat, closing the door behind her. Bambietta looked on as the car then drove off down the road, her eyes following it until it was out of her sight. Only then did she make her way back inside.
Bambietta walked back inside her apartment silently, locking the door behind her. She then leaned her back and head against the door, her eyes closed and hands behind her back, contemplating everything that just transpired with Meninas. And after a moment of standing in complete silence, her face scrunched up and she let out a whimper. Bringing her hands to her face, she slid down her door and into a fetal position on the floor, crying softly.
"What did I do? What did I do?"
Her head told her to go on and end things with Meninas. She should've listened to her head. She really should've…but her heart told her to cling to that smidge of hope she felt at Meninas' declaration to her. And in the end…she went with her heart. And because of that, she just opened herself up to get hurt all over again. Even worse than before. Why couldn't she just let her go? How could she even want to possibly mend things with Meninas after everything that happened? How could she be so stupid?
Sniffling, Bambietta stood up from the floor and took her shoes off, placing them in the shoes rack. She then went to go turn off the lights in her common area before slowly making her way to her room. Swinging the door closed, she walked over to her bed and climbed in, curling up underneath her covers as she continued to cry softly. And she stayed in that position for what felt like an eternity. Eventually she poked her head from under the covers to give herself some fresh air and laid there staring off into space for a little bit. She then sat up and reached for her bag she placed at the foot of her bed and got out her phone. Once she got it out, she immediately hooked it on its charger and placed it on her nightstand, checking the time as she did so.
"It's only 9:00PM…"
And that's when an idea hit her. Grabbing a tissue from her tissue box, she wiped her face and tried to calm herself down as best as she could, taking a few deep breaths. She then went to the contacts in her phone and searched for the most recent number she saved to it and called the number, placing it on speaker.
"I hope I'm not bothering him…"
The phone rang three times before the person she called answered.
"Hello," Uryu answered in a sing-song voice.
She couldn't explain it, but the sound of her voice almost instantly filled her body with joy, "Hey Uryu."
She then hears noises in the background, "What's that noise I'm hearing?"
"Oh, I'm in the car heading back home," Uryu said. "I went and picked up some more Hamburger Steak and Rice."
Bambietta smiled, "You really like that stuff, don't you?"
"I sure do," Uryu said, and she could just hear him smiling.
Bambietta let out a shaky laugh in response, and that did not go undetected by Uryu.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"Your voice was shaky just now," Uryu said. "Actually, you've sounded horse this entire time. Is everything alright? Did something happen?"
They've only been on the phone for a minute or so and Uryu already figured out something was wrong. Are he and Cang Du twins or something?
Bambietta opened her mouth to speak but nothing would come out. Instead, the feelings she was trying to keep under wraps started to peak through. Feeling her eyes tear up once more, she covered her mouth and let out a small whimper.
"Bambi?" Uryu said, slightly alarmed upon hearing the whimper.
"I'm…I'm sorry…" Bambietta said, sniffling as she whimpered again.
"Bambi, what happened?" Uryu asked.
"I…it's just…a lot…" Bambietta said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Do you want me to come over?" Uryu asked.
"No, no, no you don't have to do that," Bambietta said. "I don't want to inconvenience you more than I already have."
"Don't say that. You haven't inconvenienced me at all. It's not a problem."
"No really, it's fine! I just-! I…I just wanted to hear you voice."
Bambietta's words ran through Uryu's head as he listened to her sniffles on the other end. He hated that she was in this state again. What could've happened from the time he brought her back to her place and now? He needed to do something, and he needed to do it fast.
"Hey…hey it's okay," he said softly. "Listen…are you free tomorrow night?"
Bambietta sniffs, "Yeah…"
"Okay how about this…let me take you out to dinner tomorrow. My treat. And there you can talk to me about everything that's on your mind and I'll listen. How does that sound?" Uryu asked.
Bambietta sniffs again and smiles a little, "That sounds really nice."
Giselle was sitting on the couch watching TV when Meninas arrived home. She didn't bother calling out to see who it was as she already knew it was Meninas since both Liltotto and Candice are closing tonight at the café. She waited until Meninas came into view before greeting her.
"Hey Meni."
Meninas didn't respond. She just walked past her towards the hallway that led to all their rooms, her head down the entire time.
Giselle frowned, "Meni? Hey, did you hear me?"
Again, no response, which prompts Giselle to get up and walk down the hallway after her. She entered her room (Meninas left the door opened) and saw Meninas slowly sitting down on her bed with her head down.
"Meni? Giselle said worriedly as she walked towards her. "Hey…what's up? What's got you so down?"
For the third time, Meninas didn't answer her. She just looked down at her lap sadly.
"How…how did your talk with Bambi go?" Giselle asked. "Was it good?"
Meninas was silent for a moment before shaking her head no.
Giselle sighs, "I expected as much. Bambi can be really stubborn and not listen to reason. She'll get over it so-!"
It was then Giselle took a good look at Meninas' face, "Wait! Meni…have you been crying?"
Meninas cringed slightly before looking up at her friend. She was hoping Giselle wouldn't notice because it would only cause more problems. So much for that.
"Listen Gigi-!"
"Did…did Bambietta make you cry?!"
"What? Gigi, no. It's-!"
"She did, didn't she?! I can't believe her!"
"Gigi, stop! It's not like that! Bambi…she-!"
"She made you cry! That's completely unacceptable! Just wait until Lil and Candy hear about tis when they get home! They're going to be completely livid!"
Meninas scowls, "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, GIGI! ZIP IT!"
Giselle jumps back a little and looks at Meninas in complete shock. Throughout the many years that she's known her, Meninas has rarely ever yelled at any of them. So, the fact that she yelled at her just now shocked her.
"M-Meni…"
"Bambi didn't make me cry, Gigi!" Meninas exclaimed, glaring at Giselle. " I made her cry!"
Giselle stared at Meninas with wide eyes.
Meninas then looked down at her lap again and hugged herself, "We all did…"
"Wh-what do you mean? Are you talking about last night when she ran off crying?" Giselle asked. "Listen, I know things got intense last night, but that doesn't mean-!"
"No, you don't understand," Meninas said, shaking her head. "Last night wasn't the only time…"
"Meni…" Giselle trailed off.
"Bambi…we've been hurting her…for so long…" Meninas said, curling into herself a little bit
Giselle's eyes widened, "Wha…what do you mean? What are you talking about?"
Meninas looked up at her with teary eyes, "We messed up bad, Gigi. Really bad. And if we don't do something soon…we're going to lose our friend."
Sunday Evening
"Uryu, where are you taking me?"
"Oh, just a spot a friend of mine owns."
Uryu and Bambietta were walking down the sidewalk of a busy street in the Karakura Honchou district. It wasn't too far from the Karakura Shopping Center, and it was a street that contained a lot of small and medium sized restaurants and cafés for people to choose from.
"This street is even bustling on a Sunday night," Bambietta said.
Uryu chuckles, "They don't call it restaurant road for nothing."
"You got that right," Bambietta said. "That's the main reason why Lil wanted to open the café on this street."
"Oh? The Bambies is on this street?" Uryu asked.
Bambietta nods, "Mhm. We're about to pass it now."
She points at a particular unit across the street just a few steps ahead of them, with the it's sign The Bambies shining brightly in a blue light.
"Wow…I've been on this street countless times and I've never noticed that place across the street before," Uryu said.
"Really?" Bambietta said, "Well, that must've not been paying attention then."
"Guilty as charged," Uryu said sheepishly. "The countless times I've been here was mainly to go to the place I'm taking you now."
"Wow, that's an extreme case of tunnel vision," Bambietta said, chuckling.
Uryu couldn't help but to smile at that.
"Well anyway, let's keep moving. Even though we're across the street, I don't want to take the chance of anyone inside seeing us," Bambietta said, looking down as she put her hands on her jacket pockets.
Uryu looked at her a little worriedly, "O-okay…sure. We're not far from the place anyway."
And with that, they continued walking down the street, past The Bambies Café. They continued walking for just a couple more minutes before stopping in front of a restaurant named Willpower Ramen.
"And we're here!" Uryu exclaimed happily.
Bambietta looked back down the way they came, "Wow, this place isn't far from the café at all. Just a few units down the road across the street."
Uryu nods, "Yeah…small world huh?"
Bambietta nods in agreement.
"Welp! Let's go inside!" Uryu said as he walked forward and opened the door, a belling dinging as it opened.
Bambietta walked inside first, Uryu following close behind her. She gave the interior of the restaurant a quick look through. It wasn't that big and had about 20 tables for people to sit at, along with bar seating around the kitchen. She also noticed only three people seated at different tables.
"It's not that busy in here," Bambietta said. "Does the food suck or something?"
Uryu chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. He was about to answer her when a voice called out to them.
"Welcome to Willpower Ramen!"
Uryu and Bambietta turned their attention towards the kitchen as a man with medium-long brown hair wearing a black apron and bandana walked towards the edge of the kitchen right in front of the bar seating area. He was also sporting a bright smile on his face.
"Our special is-! Oh! Hey Uryu!" The man exclaimed.
"Hey Keigo," Uryu said with a smile.
"You know him?" Bambietta asked, looking up at Uryu.
"Yeah, he's a friend from high school," Uryu said as he began walking over to the bar seating area.
Bambietta watched him go, deciding to stay put for now.
"What brings you here?" Keigo asked as Uryu walked up to him.
"I'm taking a friend out to dinner and thought this would be the perfect place," Uryu said before looking back to where Bambietta was standing and held a hand out to her. "Hey Bambi, come over here."
Bambietta nodded and began walking over to where Uryu was standing.
"Keigo, this is Bambietta. Bambietta, this is Keigo," Uryu said, placing a hand on the small of Bambietta's back once she was close, removing it once she came to a stop next to him.
"Hello," Bambietta said, nodding a little.
"Hi! Nice to meet you!" Keigo said, waving.
"Nice to meet you, too," Bambietta said, a small smile forming on her face.
"Wow! You're really pretty!
Bambietta let out a nervous laugh and blushed slightly, "Thank you…"
"Keigo…" Uryu said, frowning slightly.
"Relax, Uryu," Keigo laughed. "I didn't mean any harm. I just wanted to state the obvious. So…how did you two meet?"
"We're childhood friends that reconnected recently," Uryu said with Bambietta nodding in agreement.
"Nice!" Keigo said. "Well, take a seat you two! Anywhere you want! I'll be right out to being you some water and menus!"
And with that, Keigo turned and walked towards the back of the kitchen.
"Where do you want to sit?" Uryu asked.
"This table is fine here," Bambietta said, pointing at a table close to the bar seating.
Uryu nods and they both made their way over to the table, sitting down across from each other.
"I'm sorry about Keigo," Uryu said once he was settled in his seat. "Keigo is a pretty hyper-active person."
"It's not a problem," Bambietta said, chuckling slightly.
Not too long after that, Keigo walked up to them holding two small cups in one hand and a pitcher of water in the other.
"Here you go!" Keigo said, placing the pitcher on the table before placing the cups down. He then picked the pitcher back up and poured water in the cups. He then walked away for a moment before walking back over with two menus.
"Our special tonight is spicy seafood noodle soup with rice noodles," Keigo said as he placed the menus down on the table.
"Thanks," Uryu said as he picked up his menu to look at it. "Hey Bambi, you like Fried Gyoza?"
"Yeah," Bambietta nods, looking at her own menu.
"Can we have an order of Fried Gyoza to share?" Uryu asked, looking up at Keigo.
"Yep!" Keigo said as he wrote it down in his notepad.
"Can I also get a Shrimp Tempura Roll?" Bambietta asked.
"And a Spicy Tuna Roll for me," Uryu said.
"No problem!" Keigo said, writing that down as well. "Would you guys like anything else to drink other than water?"
"I'm good with water," Uryu said with Bambietta nodding in agreement.
"Okay, I'll get those out for you right away!" Keigo said, walking away and towards the doorway leading to the kitchen.
"What I was going to tell you before was that he opened this place not too long ago and is trying to gain more customers. We give him some business as much as we can," Uryu said.
"Ohhh," Bambietta said, nodding.
"He's wanted to open his own ramen restaurant since high school and he's so happy that he was finally able to do so," Uryu said.
"I'm happy for him. He seems very nice," Bambietta said.
"We're all happy for him, too," Uryu said. "He's a good guy."
"And you said you've been friends with him in high school?" Bambietta asked, looking up at Uryu.
"Yeah," Uryu said, taking a sip of his water. "I became friends with him through Ichigo; Orihime's husband."
"Oh, so he was originally a friend of Orihime's husband?"
"Yeah. Almost all my friends are friends I made through Ichigo."
"Really?"
"Mhm. I was a loner before I met him and didn't really have any friends at all. Except for some people I met through the sewing club but even then, I didn't consider them as friends."
"And you met him in high school?" Bambietta asked.
"Yep," Uryu nodded.
"So, you didn't really have any friends since…" Bambietta trailed off.
"Since you left…" Uryu trailed off.
"Oh…then…we're somewhat the same," Bambietta said. "Because I didn't really have any friends either after I left."
"For real?" Uryu asked.
"Yeah," Bambietta nodded. "Only difference is that it was until middle school for me while it was high school for you."
"I see," Uryu said.
They then sat in silence as they looked away from each other. Neither of them was trying to make things awkward, but they both needed to process everything that was just said.
Bambietta took a sip of her water before speaking again, "Hey?"
"Yeah?" Uryu said, looking back over to her.
"Tell me more about your friends," Bambietta said with a smile.
Uryu blinked a few times before returning her smile and nodding, "Sure."
Uryu then began talking about his friends in earnest, how he met them, his relationships with them, etc. And Bambietta listened to every word. They were so caught up in their conversation that they didn't notice Keigo walking out with their appetizers until he was right next to their table.
"Alright! I got an order of Fried Gyoza, a Shrimp Tempura Roll, and a Spicy Tuna Roll for you both!" Keigo said as he placed their food down on the table.
"Thanks, Keigo," Uryu said.
"Are you both ready to order entrees?" Keigo asked.
"Oh! We were talking so much that we didn't even look!" Bambietta said as she picked up her menu again. "We're sorry!"
"It's on problem," Keigo said, shaking his head.
"Hmmm…I think I'm going to go with the Spicy Miso with shrimp," Bambietta said.
"I'll have the same but with pork," Uryu said.
"Got it," Keigo said, writing it down in his notebook. "Coming right up!"
And with that he was off again.
"Well…how about you?" Uryu asked, turning his attention back to Bambietta.
"Hm? What do you mean?" Bambietta asked.
"I just told you everything about my friends. Can you tell me about yours?" Uryu asked as he popped one of his sushi rolls in his mouth with his chopsticks.
Bambietta looked at him for a moment before looking down at her food on the table with a sigh.
Uryu frowned slightly, "Can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead," Bambietta said, still looking down at her food.
"Has what's been going on with you have anything to do with your friends?" Uryu asked.
Bambietta looked up at him, surprised at what he just asked her. Uryu was still looking at her with that slight frown, but she could see that it held no malice or annoyance behind it. Only concern. She sighed and looked down again. She knew she was going to be completely honest and tell him everything. It just…really hurt to talk about.
"It's…a long story," Bambietta said as she picked up a piece of Fried Gyoza to eat.
"That's fine," Uryu said, doing the same. "I'm here to listen."
So…Bambietta told him everything about her friends. How she met them, how close they got throughout their middle and high school years, how they went their separate ways for college, the time her and Meninas spent together while in college together, Meninas moving back to Japan before her, and the decline in her relationship with them once she moved back to Japan. She even told him about the incident that happened Friday evening and her encounter with Meninas the last night. She spoke in complete detail and Uryu listened to every word. And by the time she was done, most of their food was gone.
"It's just…" Bambietta trailed off.
"What?" Uryu said.
"It's just so frustrating!" Bambietta said. "These girls…they're my only friends! Meninas was my best friend! And they go on and treat me like this!"
Uryu just looked at her sadly.
"I was fine being the butt of the jokes during middle and high school because we were all equally in that position," Bambietta said. "But something changed during the time I was away because when I moved back…it was like they all just wanted to come for me. And I don't know why."
Uryu continued looking at her sadly.
Bambietta sighed and looked down again, "After this past weekend…I was ready to cut them out of my life for good. But after what happened with Meni last night…I…I don't know. I just couldn't."
"Maybe your just not ready to give up on them yet."
"I should be. All I did was just open myself up to be hurt again."
"Or maybe you opened the doors for something new."
Bambietta didn't respond. She just kept her eyes fixated on her empty sushi plate. It was then she felt a hand grab her right one. She looked over at the hand and followed its outstretched arm and found Uryu looking at her with serious but gentle eyes.
"Uryu?"
"Can I play devil's advocate for a moment?"
"Uh…sure."
"You said that last night your friend Meninas gave you her and the others grievances with you, right?"
"Yes," Bambietta nodded.
"Maybe that could be the reason why they've been acting the way they have with you. This Meninas girl seems to have already admitted to that," Uryu said.
"Even so, that still didn't give them a right to treat me like shit," Bambietta said, frowning.
"You're right. It doesn't. And you have every right to be upset about it," Uryu said, nodding. "And Meninas seems to have realized this, as well because she apologized to you."
"I guess…" Bambietta trailed off.
"That being said…I can't say I don't understand their frustration with you," Uryu said. "You say that you and Meninas were best friends, but Bambi…have you even told her about what happened with your dad?"
"I…no," Bambietta said. "Why do you ask?"
"Because I think your friend was onto something when she said that you were taking something out on them," Uryu said.
Bambietta's eyes widened as it dawned on her that ever since she moved back to Japan, she was unconsciously taking her anger about her situation with her father out on her friends.
"I…I didn't…I wasn't…" Bambietta stuttered, shaking her head slightly.
"You weren't trying to take it out on them," Uryu said. "I know."
"I…I don't know what to…" She trailed off.
"You don't have to do anything right now," Uryu said.
"But…" Bambietta trailed off.
"Like I said before, you have every right to be upset about how your friends have been treating you. Even with them possibly doing so in response to what you taking out your anger on them, that's still no excuse," Uryu said. "So, just leave it alone for now. When do you see them again?"
"Tomorrow. Meni and I are opening and then Gigi and Candy will come in later to take over," Bambietta said.
"Then I suggest going in and treating it like a normal work shift," Uryu said. "And only talk to them when necessary."
"I was already planning on not talking to them much," Bambietta said. "I really don't have anything to say."
"That's good. It should stay that way until things die down and until you are ready to talk. If you want to that is," Uryu said.
"You got that right," Bambietta nodded. "What a mess…"
"Yeah…" Uryu said.
They both looked down in silence, thinking about the conversation they just had. Then, without realizing it, they both reached for the last piece if Fried Gyoza, resulting in their chopsticks colliding with each other. They both looked up at each other surprised before bursting out laughing.
"I'm sorry," Bambietta said.
"No, its fine," Uryu said. "Go ahead and take it."
"You sure?" Bambietta asked.
"Mhm," Uryu nodded.
"Thanks," Bambietta said, picking up the Fried Gyoza with her chopsticks. "You know, with all this talk about my…friends…I honestly think one of them would like this place."
"Really? Which one?" Uryu asked.
"Meni," Bambietta said, popping the Fried Gyoza in her mouth.
"You don't say," Uryu said. "You know? Even though you're going through a hard time with them, you're still referring to them by nicknames."
Bambietta swallowed her food, "Hm…yeah I guess so."
"Another reason why I think you're not ready to give up on them yet," Uryu said.
Bambietta just sat there, thinking about what Uryu just said. Just then, Keigo arrived at their table, a bowl of ramen in each hand.
"Two orders of Spicy Miso here! One shrimp and one pork!" Keigo said.
"Just in time. We were getting hungry," Uryu said as he and Bambietta stacked their sushi plates on the Fried Gyoza plate.
"I can see that with how you two cleaned your plates!" Keigo said as he set down the bowls of ramen in front of them.
Bambietta mixed up her ramen with her chopsticks a little before picking some noodles up. She blew on them and was about to put them in her mouth when she froze, feeling eyes on her. She then turned to see Keigo looking down at her.
"Uhhh…can I help you?" Bambietta asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No," Keigo said, shaking his head. "I just want to see how you like it."
"Keigo has this thing where he always wants to see how new customers likes his ramen so he can see if there's anything he needs to improve on," Uryu explained.
"Ohhh okay," Bambietta nodded.
She then took her first bite of her Spicy Miso, Keigo watching her intently. After a few chews in, contemplating the taste, she began nodding her head, "This is good."
"Yeah?!" Keigo said excitedly.
"Yeah," Bambietta said, looking up at him. "I really like this. There's something about it that makes it different from other Spicy Miso ramens I've had before. Whatever you did…you did a great job."
Keigo smiles brightly at that and looks at Uryu, "I really like her!"
Uryu just rolled his eyes and shook his head in response, but it still didn't stop the smile that crept onto his face.
A/N: Uryu is just so sweet. He just reconnected with Bambietta and already he's doing everything he can to help her. And I hope you all enjoyed Keigo as much as I did! He was really fun to write! And as you can see, I gave Meninas more of a personality here. Yeah, she's going to be out of character in this story lol.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Leave a comment if you want! :):):)