Sweetheart

110

"Hey Aina, can I talk to you for a second?"

Said girl turned around from her conversation with the rest of the trio. After casting an unsure look to her friends, she stepped closer to the girl standing behind her.

"What's up?"

"So are you, like, actually dating?"

"As opposed to what?" Lucy butted in, completely ignoring the faces that she was getting from the girl. "What's she doing, fake dating?"

"It's just that you're so different."

"Yes they are," Lucy continued.

"Luce," Aina tried. "It's fine--"

"Being different doesn't mean anything."

The girl rolled her eyes and argued, "Well it does when I know that she won't do anything with him. Don't you think he's gonna get sick of just cuddling? I mean he's not even the type to like it in the first place."

"Lucy, Levy, Aina!" Sting called. "C'mere for a sec."

The three excused themselves from the (mostly hostile) conversation with the girl and made their way over to the shouting blond. Lucy threw one last look at the girl before turning her attention to Sting.

"Hey Sting."

"You looked like you needed an out," he laughed.

"I definitely did," Aina sighed. "I just don't get it."

"They're used to getting what they want, A," Lucy brought up. "Now they can't and they think you're to blame."

"Well I mean...I kinda am, right?"

"Who cares? It's none of their business."

"Lu is right, A. It doesn't matter how they want it to play out."

"Where is that loser anyway?"

"His shoulder was really hurting him earlier, so he went to the nurse for a break."

Aina caught the stares of her fellow classmates as they passed the small group of friends in the hall and groaned, leaning her head on Lucy's shoulder and closing her eyes. The bell rang, signalling that it was time for Aina's free period, so she tightened her hold on the straps of her backpack and waved her friends off before weaving through the growing flood of students to get to the library. As soon as she got there, her books were taken out, and a few minutes later the salutatorian was deep in concentration. Her tongue stuck out in concentration as she worked on the group of calculus problems that she was assigned. So concentrated that it took her approaching classmate tapping the table to catch her attention.

"Hey Aina," she started. "Do you have a minute?"

"Uh, yeah sure."

"It's just, well, you and Natsu don't really--"

"On second thought," Aina quickly interrupted, "I have a super amount of homework that I need to do before I go to work after school, so I'm trying to get it done during the period. Maybe lunch would be a better time?"

The girl narrowed her eyes, but nodded and retreated back to the opposite side of the library. The salutatorian immediately dove back into her homework, and she was about finished with her calculus work when the familiar tap sounded on the table.

"What now?" She snapped.

"Damn sweetheart. Remind me not to interrupt your homework time again."

Aina let out a breath and leaned back on her chair, stretching her arms out in front of her and closing her eyes.