A Push in the Right Direction...or Several
Chapter 21: Cana's Way, Part 1

"Thanks for giving me a ride, Evergreen! Sorry you had to come back to school, though." Mira laughed, thanking her brother's girlfriend in the driver's seat next to her.

"No problem! I figured your brother owes me dinner if I pick him up and drop you off, right?" Evergreen winked. She slowed her car to a stop in the parking lot.

Mira giggled. "I like the way you think!" She looked out the window, studying the cars around them. She grinned once she saw the one she was looking for.

"What did you need to do, again? Elfman said you had a party, so why are you at school?"

"Oh, just seeing one of my friends. Actually, he's right over there!" She pointed at a car parked outside the school doors, where Natsu was sitting, on his phone. He hadn't noticed her yet. Perfect.

"Is that Natsu? I should say hi- "

"I'll let him know! Be right back!" Mira stepped out of the car and shut the door. She calmly approached Natsu's car and knocked on his window, giving him the sweetest smile she could.

Natsu jumped in surprise. Mira's smile grew when she saw the color leave his face. She pointed to his passenger door, motioning for him to unlock it. Natsu hesitantly clicked the button. She entered and shut the door behind her.

Evergreen watched intensely as they exchanged polite conversation. Mira's smile was unchanged, as was Natsu's look of fear. She barely noticed that Elfman had arrived, opening the door to the passenger seat.

"Hey, that's my lady! Picking up her man, like a real ma- " He cut himself off as Evergreen waved her hand at him, shushing him instantly. "Jeez, what is it?" He followed her gaze, confused. "You spying on someone?"

"Yes! I'm trying to see what Mira's doing." She moved around Elfman, still studying the interaction in Natsu's car.

Elfman squinted his eyes. "Is that Natsu? What's he up to?"

"That's exactly what I'm- " Just then, Mira's entire demeanor changed. Instead of conversing calmly, she was now towering over Natsu, who was backed into the corner of his seat. The expression on her face darkened as she spoke intensely to the other boy. Her body language was equally intense as she began pointing in the air, clearly laying out some sort of logic that Natsu was forced to follow.

"What the- are they fighting?! That's not very manly, Natsu!"

Evergreen silently giggled to herself, seeing Mira's hair rise with her temper. "I don't think Natsu is the instigator." She leaned forward, trying to make out their words. "Why have I never learned to read lips?!"

The conversation turned as Mira stopped shouting. She stared at Natsu, who was staring back in fear. The pink haired boy looked like he said something, but was so small Evergreen almost missed him moving at all. In response, Mira sat back and smiled- just as soon as it started, the atmosphere returned to how it was at the beginning of their conversation. Mira gave Natsu's arm a pat, before exiting the car just as calmly as she entered.

Evergreen's jaw dropped in awe. "Wow. I'm impressed," she gaped. "She's terrifyingly cute!"

"You're telling me. I grew up with that devil." Elfman shuddered.

Mira returned to their car, humming cheerily as she opened the side door. "Okay, ready to go!" she declared, buckling herself into the back seat.

"Are- are you sure?! And is Natsu okay?!" Elfman asked, pointing at the boy's car. Natsu was in the front seat, slumped back with a wide-eyed expression.

"Of course!" Mira replied. "Now, to Lucy's, please!"

"You got it!" Evergreen agreed. She leaned towards Elfman, lowering her voice. "Now I know who to call if you ever mess up."

Elfman grimaced. "Trust me, I know."

Mira was happily sitting in the backseat, smoothing her hair down. She sent a text to Cana: natsu has been taken care of~ on my way!

Lucy was seated in front of the vanity in her room, concentrating intensely as she applied her eyeliner. She was about to finish the wing with a swift flick, when she heard a loud thump from downstairs.

"SORRY!" Cana called from the living room. "Nothing broke!"

Lucy grumbled. "THAT DOESN'T MAKE ME FEEL BETTER!" she called back. She grabbed a q-tip from the side of her desk, delicately erasing her skewed line. "Ugh, I suck at this. And I was really hoping for a cute look."

"Here, let me help you!" Levy answered, grabbing the pen from Lucy.

"Thanks, Levy. You're probably the only sane one here, and it's keeping me together." Lucy sighed, closing her eyes as she leaned her face towards the blue haired girl. "Mira just got here. Erza's been oddly quiet. And it doesn't help that I keep hearing Cana drop things."

"I'M DOING MY MAKEUP!" came Erza's shout from the bathroom down the hall.

Levy giggled. "We'll see who's sane at the end of the night. Besides, your wings are the least I can do."

She expertly flicked the pen in her hand. "What's got you so nervous, anyway?"

"Aside from the possibility of eighty people being here?" Lucy laughed, but sighed again. "I don't know. I hope everyone has a good time. But it's mostly…"

"Natsu," Levy inferred. "Has he reached out?"

"He texted that he was excited to see me, but that was way earlier."

"Oh? Well that's a good sign, at least he's not moping!" She added another even flick to Lucy's other eyelid.

"I know, but…" She pursed her lips. "I want to tell him today. All of it. But what if he doesn't like me back? What if it's all thrown away, but completely this time?"

Levy capped the eyeliner in her hand. "Luce, you've been holding onto this for years. So it's going to be tough. But you can't expect the story to change if you don't start writing something different." She squeezed Lucy's hand. "Take it from me. Even if Gajeel didn't return my feelings, I wouldn't regret telling him."

Lucy raised her eyebrow. "That ended up being one of the best turns in your life, huh?"

Levy laughed. "Shush. You look so pretty, by the way."

Lucy smiled. "Thanks, Lev. For everything."

"Hey! You two ready to party?!" Cana asked, now in the doorway.

"I don't know about ready," Lucy answered, "but at least my wings are good."

Cana clapped her hands, sitting on Lucy's bed. "Perfect. Now let's get everyone in here. ERZA! MIRA!" she called over her shoulder.

Moments later, both girls appeared in the doorway. "What is it?" Erza asked seriously.

"Come on, let's take a picture!"

Mira laughed. "This isn't prom, Cana!"

"You're right, it's our first party, so it's better! And we look hot as fuck, if I do say so myself." Cana waved everyone over, positioning her phone above them. "Everyone look cute!" She exclaimed, snapping several photos. The girls laughed, changing poses with each tap.

The doorbell rang, interrupting them. "I think that's Gajeel and Loke!" Levy announced, already running out of the room. "I'll get it!"

Cana glanced at Lucy. "You good?"

Lucy gave her a nod, nervous excitement filling her chest. "I think we're ready!" she declared.

Gray faced his club locker, getting dressed. It was post club game, and despite being on the winning team, he didn't feel like celebrating. He checked his phone, seeing a few texts from Cana and Lucy, but nothing from Erza. Nothing new, that was- she had texted him the other day with a vague apology from their moment at the track. He meant to respond, but the words never came. He sighed, running a towel through his damp hair.

"Yo, Natsu meeting us there?" Lyon pulled up a locker away from him, reaching into his soccer bag.

"Yeah. I'll probably ask Loke for a ride. You coming with?"

"Isn't it a bit early? Shouldn't we be fashionably late?"

"Nah, Cana will bust our balls if she doesn't see us within the hour. You ready?"

"Yeah, I just need to get dreeeeee-YEEP!" Lyon's eyes were wide with fear as he jumped in surprise.

Gray held his ear. "Jeez, that's on par with Lucy- " He followed Lyon's gaze, seeing Jellal behind them. He scowled. Although he regularly interacted with Jellal on the club team, seeing him didn't exactly fill him with joy. "What do you want?"

"Yeah! What do you want!" Lyon repeated, uncharacteristically backing to the corner of the locker room.

"Relax. Just here for a friendly chat." Jellal responded, eyes locked on Lyon.

Lyon gulped. "I don't feel relaxed at all."

"Lyon, chill." Gray frowned. He turned to Jellal. "Did something happen?"

"Just wanted to check in with Mr. Vastia. Since I talked to Meredy the other day, and she had some…less than agreeable things to say about him." He narrowed his eyes at Lyon. "Care to fill me in?"

"I fucking told you he's like this, but you guys said I was crazy!" Lyon reminded Gray, swatting the navy haired boy with his shirt. He turned to Jellal, putting his hands up guiltily. "I don't know what she told you, but I know I messed up. You and Ultear don't have to tell me."

"Wait, I'm confused. I was with you and Meredy. Did you not talk it out?" Gray interrupted.

Jellal crossed his arms. "Not quite. This guy led her on, and then went and dropped her."

"You ghosted Meredy?!"

Lyon shook his head. "I didn't! Or at least I didn't mean to…"

"So explain to me how she went from head over heels happy to down in the dumps." Jellal pressed.

Lyon put his hand on his temple. "Look, I know I fucked up."

"That much is obvious. Did you even care about how much she liked you? Or was this just another one of your flings?"

"Of course it wasn't! I knew she really liked me, I just- "

"-Just played her for another girl, huh?"

Gray stepped in. "Look, Lyon may be stupid, but he does care about Meredy."

"He certainly has an interesting way of showing it- "

"OKAY!" Lyon interjected, stopping the other two boys. "I really liked her. Seriously. I just didn't realize how much I did."

"How does that explain anything?"

"Because I didn't think that far ahead!" Lyon answered, the words already leaving his lips. Whether it was Jellal's surprise attack, or the fact that Lyon had been avoiding the topic, it didn't matter- the dam he had built over the past two weeks suddenly burst, the pressure making him a babbling mess. "I thought I liked someone else. But I didn't, I liked Meredy. She's literally so great, and incredible, she literally is like a pink-haired sun. Do you know what that's like?! Well, let me tell you, it's amazing. But then Ultear started talking about how she wanted me to ask her out. And I did want to. But I also wanted to do everything right- because do you know how much pressure that is?! To date the sun!?" He continued pacing. "And then I was getting really worried if she'd even feel the same, because did she even? Why would a sun like a small planet? So I was being super careful about everything I did, and then I realized I was just pushing her away- "

Jellal put a hand up, cutting off his rambling. "Get dressed. You're coming with me."

"What? Why?"

"We're going for a drive."

"Not that! Again!"

Jellal walked towards him, pointing at him intensely. "You're going to fix this. You're going to explain it to her, just like you did here. She deserves that."

"Well, maybe a slightly more coherent version…" Gray muttered.

"But we're going to Lucy's- " Lyon protested.

"Great, then we can go together." Jellal turned to Gray. "You coming, Fullbuster?"

Gray shrugged. "Sounds entertaining."

"It's set, then. I'll be in my car."

"WHAT?! We're just going with you?! And what about Loke?!" Lyon reminded.

"I'll tell him we'll meet him there." Gray responded, already texting the other boy.

"Five minutes." Jellal enunciated, before walking out of the locker room.

As soon as he was out of sight Lyon exhaled loudly, leaning heavily against the wall. "So now you know what I'm talking about, right?! He's fucking crazy!"

"I saw nothing." Gray denied.

"What?!"

"You better hurry, or he'll make you leave by force."

"I'M GOING!"

Jellal pulled up to a blue house, parking his car in the street. He tilted his rearview mirror, glaring at Lyon. "We're here."

Lyon avoided his gaze. "I still don't know why I had to be in the back…" he mumbled, fiddling with the seatbelt.

Gray turned around, giving him a pointed look. "Hey. You gonna fix this, or are you gonna sit here grumbling?"

"I'm going!" Lyon stepped out of the car, smoothing his shirt out. He nervously walked up the path until he reached the door, ringing the doorbell. He heard it sound through the house, but nothing else.

He walked back to Jellal's car, looking sheepish. "No one's home."

Jellal leaned forward as he looked up at the house, noting the light on the side window. "Looks like she's home."

"But no one answered."

"So? Her room is the one on the side."

"And?"

"Grab some pebbles."

"Wha- " He looked between the blue haired boy and the pebbles that outlined the walkway leading up to the house. "You want me to throw rocks at her window?!"

Jellal shrugged. "You said she didn't answer the door."

Gray snickered. "Come on, isn't that your dream? Another cheesy move you can brag about."

Lyon groaned, turning around again. He grabbed a handful of pebbles from the walkway and nervously made his way to the window. Please dear god, let no one else be home. Or call the neighbors. He exhaled, about to lob one of the rocks in his hand at the glass.

Meredy suddenly appeared in the frame, frowning as soon as she saw him. She slid the glass open, unamused. "What are you doing here?" she called down.

He instantly felt his nerves bubble up as he looked at her. "Uh, hey! So, funny story. Um…" He tossed the rocks over his shoulder, silently cringing as they scattered across the lawn.

"What- were those from the walkway?" She squinted behind him, noticing Jellal's car. "Did he drive you here?!"

"No. Maybe. And yes. Can we talk?"

She glared at him, but sighed. "I'll be right down."

Lyon wrung his hands as he approached the front porch. His palms were sufficiently sweaty once the door opened. "Can I come in?" he asked.

"No." Meredy decided, closing the door behind her as she stepped in front of him. "So, what do you want? Or are you here to be weird again?"

"I…" He nervously looked over his shoulder, unable to see Jellal or Gray's expressions. He almost felt like running back. But he steeled himself, centering his nerves to the girl in front of him. "I'm sorry."

She looked surprised. "What?"

"I'm sorry." Lyon repeated. "I was having a lot of fun together, and you're just…" He put his hands on his temples, letting his nerves take over. "You're perfect, okay Meredy?! You're funny, you're pretty, you're smart, everyone likes you…every time I see you, or text you, I'm happy." He ran a hand through his hair, beginning to pace on the porch. "But then Ultear said you wanted to date, which I didn't really think about. And then I was worried if I was even good enough. Like, how can I compete? Your best guy friend doesn't even approve of me! He basically killed me for taking you out!" He shook his head. "So I started freaking out when you were around. And I thought I was covering it by giving you space. But then I realized I just pushed you away, like an idiot."

Meredy was silent, eyes round with concern.

"You don't have to say anything. I just wanted to tell you before I go to Lucy's. Or before he kills me." he murmured the last part, looking over his shoulder at Jellal's car.

"Lyon, that is…" Meredy clasped her hands together, looking at him adoringly. "That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me!"

Lyon gripped his chest, blushing. "R-really?!"

"I mean, it doesn't excuse that you really were an idiot." She slapped his arm, laughing. "I mean, how did you not think you were good enough?"

He laughed, raising his hands towards her. "Because you're way better than me!" He sighed. "I know I messed up. And we can still be cool. I just wanted to tell you."

"I accept your apology. And for the record, I think you're amazing." She smiled at him. "I'll be going to Lucy's in a bit, but I have to get ready."

"You're not ready? You look perfect to me!"

She giggled. "I still have to do my makeup and all that…so, maybe we could go together?" she asked, tilting her head towards the door.

Lyon blinked, realizing what she meant. "I…I'll be right back!" He sprinted down the walkway to Jellal's car, leaning through Gray's open window. He smiled brightly at the two other boys.

"And? How'd it go?" Jellal asked, looking at him expectantly.

"She wants me to come in." He put a triumphant hand on his hip.

"So…did you give her an answer, or…?" Gray prodded.

"Not yet. I just wanted to tell you both."

Jellal scrunched his face. "Oh. Then leave."

"Really? You don't want to hear?" Lyon leaned back and puffed his chest proudly. "Because I think I handled myself quite well- "

Jellal put a hand over his face. "Please, I don't need details. Just go."

"Alright!" Lyon gave them a thumbs up, before running back to Meredy. Meredy waved at Jellal, then closed the door behind them.

Jellal returned her wave before starting the car. "Well, that's one happy ending." He turned to Gray. "Should I drop you off at Erza's?"

"Lucy's is fine, thanks." Gray responded coldly.

"Alright. Just trying to make things easier."

"We're not friends," Gray narrowed his eyes, "so you can drop the nice guy act."

Jellal pulled down the street, starting the drive to Lucy's house. "Look, I know you don't like me. But I'm just trying to help."

"You're welcome to mess with Lyon, but you've done enough with me."

"But shouldn't you be happy now that you're with Erza?"

"You're joking, right?"

"Is that not true?"

"It's more than that. You messed her up, every time, and I had to bring her back together. And it's not like it was easy hearing Ultear went through the same thing either."

Jellal lowered his eyes. "I know I was an asshole. To both of them."

"That's one way to put it."

"I know it was my fault, at least. I'll admit that."

"You were a shitty guy."

"You don't have to rub it in."

The two looked out ahead of them, silence settling in the car.

"So why don't you fix it? You don't have to still be a shitty guy, you know. You owe it to Ultear, at least."

"I don't know. I thought there was hope, since I was able to fix things with Erza. But Ultear, she…she kinda ended things." Jellal cleared his throat. "I don't know what happened between you and Erza, but I'm sorry it didn't work out for either of us. I was hoping it would be okay, but I guess not."

Gray looked at him in surprise, but made no comment.

Jellal continued, noting his expression. "Ultear made me realize that I had done some bad things before she and I got together again. So I made sure I talked to Erza, and that we were really ok." He sighed. "Unfortunately that pissed Ultear off, since I didn't tell her. But Erza took it well. Though I sense that had something to do with you."

Gray stared at him, surprised at his honesty. He had always thought of Jellal negatively, but his awareness showed the truth behind his efforts. "That's pretty big of you," he complimented, shifting in his seat. "I guess I didn't know."

"I guess that surprises me. Since she really cares for you. Erza." Jellal spoke.

Gray grumbled, looking out the window with his chin in his hand. "Everyone keeps telling me that, but she sure doesn't show it."

Jellal laughed. "She always speaks highly of you. I'll admit, I was jealous she had a guy to talk about like that. But you always treated Erza well. God knows what Ultear says about me, with how I've treated her." He pulled into Lucy's street, next to Natsu's parked car. "You guys should really talk."

"Everyone keeps telling me that too." Gray muttered as he exited the car. "Thanks for the ride." He turned, looking Jellal in the eyes. "And Ultear doesn't owe you anything, so don't think she'll come running back." He turned to leave again, but spun around once more. "And don't think I think you're a nice guy now. I still think you're shitty. Just…slightly less shitty."

Jellal nodded in understanding, a small smile on his face. "See you later, Gray." he responded, before pulling off.

Gray approached Natsu's car, deep in thought. He locked eyes with the pink haired boy, noticing he was sitting straight as a pin and looking warily around him. Gray gave him a questioning look. "You good? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Natsu's expression changed to relief the second he saw Gray, exiting his car. "More like a devil."

"Jeez, you look like you're gonna be sick." Gray observed, face scrunched. "No need to pregame if you're already there."

Natsu looked up at him with wary eyes. "You would not believe what I've been through the past thirty minutes. I was too scared to get motion sickness. Also," he pointed in the direction Gray came from, "was that Jellal?!"

Gray nodded. "You also would not believe what I've been through the past thirty minutes." They started walking up the driveway, hearing the bass softly thumping from inside the house. "I guess they got started, huh?" he surmised, noticing the cars parked around them.

"They did. I feel like my stomach is about to drop."

"Do you need a second?!"

"No. I gotta make things right." Natsu slammed his fists together. He confidently opened the door, revealing several people already in Lucy's living room. "WHO'S READY TO PARTAY?!" he howled.

Gray smacked his face with his hand. "You're an idiot…" he muttered.

Natsu slapped the other boy's shoulder excitedly. "C'mon, Gray! Let's get fired up!" he cheered, dragging Gray to the kitchen.

Erza walked down the hallway with Mira, slowly sipping from the cup in her hand. She took in the people around her, noticing that everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. "This seems to be going well." she observed.

"You're telling me. I'm shocked no one's broken anything yet. Although people seem plenty distracted with Lucy's old school pictures." Mira laughed as they passed Lucy's second living room, which had a wall of portraits over the years that Mr. Heartfilia insisted on hanging up. A crowd of their schoolmates were gathered around the photos, studying them with both surprise and curiosity.

"Poor Lucy. If we had a ladder, we could have- " She cut herself off, hearing a familiar voice slice through the noise. It was certainly loud inside the house, but she could pinpoint Natsu anywhere. She whipped her head in his direction, ready to scold him for shouting. But she felt herself go even more stiff as she saw Gray next to him. As if he could tell, he turned to look at her across the room.

She ducked before they could make eye contact. "Shit." she whispered.

"What is it?" Mira asked, ducking down with her.

"Natsu's here."

Mira stood and followed her gaze. "Oh, he looks better!" she giggled to herself. "So what's wrong?"

"Gray is with him."

"And?"

As if on cue, Gray looked over at them a second time. Erza immediately ducked her head down again, hoping he didn't see her. "He didn't see me, right? It must be too dark in here."

"I don't know what you're freaking out about! I'll wave him over."

"No!"

Mira gave her a look. "Are you okay?"

Erza's eyes widened. "Yes, quite alright, I just…I need another drink!" she announced, swerving past her friend.

"But you just got a refill- "

"-Be right back!" She quickly darted between people, moving to the other side of the hallway.

She looked back, exhaling a sigh of relief as she saw Natsu and Gray disappear into the kitchen, seeming to not notice that she had been watching them. Successfully avoided. She wove her way to Lucy's main living room, slipping in between the people around her. She stopped, seeing Ultear leaned against the opposite wall, talking with Bisca.

Erza beelined over, ignoring how it looked- she needed a distraction, and fast. She plastered her most cheerful smile. "Hello!"

Ultear turned to her, surprised. "Hey." she greeted, giving Erza an arched eyebrow. "This is…forward of you. You okay?"

"I'm quite alright. Never been better!" the redhead laughed, but leaned forward. "Tell me you have something strong to drink."

Ultear handed her the cup in her hand. "I just have wine. But Bisca's got something weird." She turned to the other girl. "What'd you say this was?"

The green haired girl raised her cup. "Pickleback. You're welcome to try if you want."

Ultear shook her head. "It's nasty. But it could be what you're looking for."

Erza considered the green liquid, but shrugged, taking a swig- and immediately grimaced. "Oh my god. Did you just poison me?" she coughed, handing the cup back to Bisca.

"It's all poison, isn't it?" Bisca laughed. "More for me, I guess."

Erza shook her head as she took another sip from her own cup. "Are you enjoying yourselves?"

Ultear shrugged. "It's not so bad. Aside from witnessing Sting make any excuse to flex his abs. What about you?"

"I am."

"Yeah right. You seem more uptight than you were before exams." she snorted. "You talk to Gray yet?"

Erza looked away, embarrassed. "I just ran away from him."

The other girl laughed. "Still working on that, huh?"

She tightened her lips, unsure why she was freaking out. Was it because he saw me fall at school? Or maybe because I yelled at him. Or maybe because we haven't talked in over a week… She shifted uncomfortably. "It's…temporarily paused. And it's not my fault, he's been simply infuriating lately."

"Then Bisca should help." She gestured towards the other girl. "She's somewhat of an expert in this area."

"What- I don't need help!" Erza stammered.

"Riiight. You sure you don't have anything you're dying to ask?" Ultear urged.

She puffed her cheeks, facing the other girl. "You…you and Alzack. You've been dating, right?"

"Yep." the green haired girl answered. "Over a year now."

"And you're…happy?"

"Of course. We have our moments, but he makes me happy."

"And what happens when you do everything right, and he still acts like an idiot?"

Bisca laughed. "I thought you'd ask more about…y'know. The other stuff."

"Wha- we're- I'm not there yet!" Erza's cheeks flushed again.

"Well, you have nothing to worry about looks-wise. I think that dress would cure Gray's depression, for one." Ultear joked.

Erza narrowed her eyes, but couldn't hide her blush.

"Boys can be idiots, sure. Sometimes you gotta spell it out. But sometimes they just need time." Bisca suggested, before taking a step away from them. "I'm going for a refill. You want anything?"

Ultear shook her head, and the green haired girl left. She prodded Erza's arm with her cup. "So, back to you. What's really got you so upset?"

"Where do I begin?"

"It's that bad?"

Erza shook her head. "First he acts like a fool on our date. Then he acts like nothing happened. And THEN he has the nerve to show up everywhere, wanting to talk. But when I text him back? Nothing." She took a sip of the bitter drink in her hands. "So I have nothing to say to him."

"Can you blame him, though?"

"Excuse me?"

"Look at you. You're already intense as it is, and even more so when you think he's done wrong."

"He has done wrong."

"What if you let him share his side of things, before you go off on him?" She shook her head, still seeing Erza's confusion. "You're hot. Like, angry. Hot. Gray is cool. You gotta be cool. Cooool." she emphasized.

"Sure." she conceded, but her avoidance was clear on her face. She gestured outward. "Is Meredy here?" she asked, hoping to move the conversation.

Ultear sighed, but shook her head. "It seems she's delayed."

"I bet Jellal knows."

"You think you're slick. But you're right, I should ask. If anything, to make sure I don't have to worry about her."

"I definitely approve of that." Erza shifted awkwardly. "You know, Jellal and I…we didn't really do anything, like, you know, like that, but- "

Ultear held a hand out, cutting her off. "Oh my god, stop. I'm not drunk enough for this."

"Well I'm just saying, it's not like you have to worry about my comments being weird, because we kept it very PG- "

"-Erza! Thank you!" Ultear held her forehead, trying not to laugh. "You know, if it works out for you and Gray, I'll still feel bad. It must be awkward that his family friend-cousin dated his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend."

Erza couldn't help but smile, but shook her head. "I don't know about it working out."

"Listen, quit being mad at him for two seconds, and see what happens. It's the only way, at this point. Besides," she held up her cup with a wink, "isn't that what alcohol is? Liquid courage?"

Erza's eyes flashed with determination. "That's right! So I need more!" She gave Ultear a firm pat on the shoulder in thanks, before turning to leave.

"Erza!"

She spun around, as Ultear stared at her earnestly.

"Take care of Gray, okay?"

She froze, the sincerity of her words sobering her for a moment. "Of course." she answered with absolute seriousness. But just as her seriousness arrived, she remembered her newfound objective, and immediately replaced it with a tipsy confidence. "I can do anything with a drink, right?"

"Well, that's not- " Ultear began, but sighed to herself as she watched the redhead cross the room. Doubt spread in her mind as she briefly recalled rumors of Erza's angry-drunk behavior. This can't backfire…can it? She shook her head, dismissing the thought. She'll be fine.

She walked down the hallway, pulling out her phone to text Meredy, when she heard a familiar voice nearby. She slowed, recognizing Jellal standing off to the side with a few other boys from club soccer. Feeling a newfound sense of confidence, she reached over, tugging his sleeve gently. He was in the middle of a story, but turned, almost surprised to see her. Without a second's pause he stepped away from the group and pulled her to the opposite side of the hallway.

"Hey." he greeted, leaning towards her. "I didn't know you'd be here."

She couldn't help the nerves that bubbled with how close he was, his cologne almost sending her straight into his arms. "Sorry to pull you away. Do you know if Meredy's coming?"

He chuckled, but nodded. "She's running late. But she'll be here."

"You know that for sure?"

"It's a long story." He raised the cup in his hand, gesturing back to the party. "I'll let you get back to it."

"Well, maybe you could tell me about it," Ultear offered, looking up at him hopefully. "Want to get some air?"

He raised his brows, but nodded. She smiled politely, leading him out towards the backyard.

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