Sweetheart

50

Aina and Natsu sat in the car outside Aina's house.

"So like, are we telling my mom?"

"Tell her what?"

She rolled her eyes and flicked his forehead.

"What?"

"We should really tell her what's been going on lately."

"But why?"

"Because that's what you do."

"Can we just wait a little longer?"

Aina knitted her eyebrows together and questioned why. Natsu shrugged it off by saying that he didn't think it was the right time.

"We should wait until after Friday night."

"Why are you being so specific? What's happening Friday night? Aren't you headed to parties Friday nights?"

Natsu nodded and got out of the car to end the conversation. Aina looked on confused before following him to the front door.

-------

"You got a new chair," Natsu commented.

Melanie looked up from her notes and smiled at him, saying that her chair was getting worn out from the years she had it. She motioned for him to sit down as she organized herself. She walked over from her desk to sit in the chair across from him.

"It's the end of the school week. So how has your week been?"

"Pretty normal. I went to see a doctor for a physical or whatever."

"And how bad did they end up torturing you?" Melanie joked.

"They took labs and I got like six shots and then he had them do an x-ray because it hurt when he was pressing on me but I mean it was super hard so I don't get how it couldn't hurt."

"He's just making sure everything is fine. You shouldn't have to worry too much about it."

Natsu shifted in the chair so he was more comfortable before changing positions a few seconds later. Melanie laughed when he moved for the third time.

"It still needs to be broken in. Why don't we sit on the floor?"

Natsu shrugged and sat on the carpet. Melanie handed him his coloring book and pencils before opening her own.

"Anything change since the last time I saw you?"

"Uh, yeah but..."

"What is it, Natsu? You know you can talk about anything here."

"You're just gonna go and tell--"

"I can't tell anyone anything. And even if I could I wouldn't betray my clients' trust with me."

"Yeah but--"

"Spill it, Dragneel."

Natsu laughed nervously and colored in silence. Melanie pushed him to talk a little, so she asked more questions that weren't necessarily about what he wouldn't tell.

"How has school been?"

"Boring and gross. Justine hates me more and more each day."

"Have you ever tried to change his view of you?"

"Why would I? It's not like that's gonna happen anyway. It's just easier to leave it."

"You would rather be pushed off then? To have no one care how you were doing?"

Natsu's silence answered it all. Melanie handed Natsu a blue pencil as a trade for an orange one.

"Natsu, you have to be honest with yourself. You don't want people to throw you away, and you think that it won't happen as long as you push them away first. It's not healthy to think or live that way. Even if it's just one person that you can let in."