Pink Lemonade

White Flour

"Well...I don't know what in the world you should do if your first date is inside that lemonade shop Natsu." Says Gray, my best friend. I lean against the brick wall of the factory , my eyes closed. It smells musty in here. Dust settles on the old machinery. "Mm." I murmur. "That doesn't help me whatsoever." I say back. "Well I wasn't trying to help!" "Maybe you should because your best friend needs it!" "Oh! So now it's all about you! Well what about m-" Gray looks up. "L-look!" He says, then I stare up at it too. 

There is a cake in a windowsill of the building. It seems to be glowing. Saliva gathers in my mouth. Only the window is about 15 feet up. "Aww. We're never going to get that cake." Says Gray, a disappointing look crosses his face. "Who says anythings impossible?" I say back to him. I walk towards a humongous gear and then grip onto the rusting metal. "Are you crazy?!" A voice says behind me. "Yes. Yes I am. Now push me up if you want breakfast."

I climb over all of the metal gears and machinery to the very top of the biggest machine. But I can't reach it. "Gray! Get up here!" He pouts to the beginning of the huge metal pile and hoists himself up. It takes about 15 minutes of slipping and bad comments before he gets up to the top of the pile where I am standing. The metal creaks as Gray makes his final step to beside me. The cake lays diagonally above us. Our eyes bulge. Especially Gray, who hasn't had a thing to eat in the last 3 days.

"You got a plan?" He finally asks. "We get the cake." I say. "How?" "I don't know." I shrug. "I guess I'll have to make one as I go." I add. So then I jump up and outward and land my hands at the bottom of the window indent. 1 inch away from the cake. I look closer. Now I can see little strawberry chunks in it. I pull myself up and cram my body into the little crevice. I grab the cake and hold it out to Gray who is extending his arms to me trying not to fall 27 feet downwards.

"Gotcha Erza!" Yells a blue-headed guy that jumps through a huge crack in the roof onto the cake. Me and Gray watch in complete disbelief as he smashes the cake and sends us tumbling to the ground with him. We land on a couple of old flour bags with a thud and the flour goes everywhere. The blue headed guy in nice clothes sits up and looks at us with confusion. "Where's Erza?" He asks us. 

"Who's Erza?" Asks Gray as we both get up and shake the powdery white stuff off of us. "My friend...and who are you?" He asks. "Um...nobody." I say, and give the cue to run to Gray. We bolt out of the factory and down the wet streets. A thick paste forms over my skin and clothes. Just as I'm about to pass the lemonade shop, Gray pushes me into someone. "Enjoy your lunch!" He yells, then runs off with a small smirk on his face. 

"Gray!" I yell, then go after him only to be pulled back by a small hand."Gra-." I spin around and take off my hat. "y?" She asks. Her purple hair stands in clumps. In her hands is a black umbrella with my best friend's face sewn on. "Juvia?" I ask. "Juvia is surprised!" She says, then frowns. "Uh...sorry." I rub the back of my head. "Juvia says it's ok. Do you know where Gray is Natsu?" She asks, puzzled. "Oh, um...you should find him over there...." I say, then point over to the black-headed figure staring from out behind a building. "Thank you!" Says Juvia, then rushes over and topples on Gray. 

Right back at 'cha dude!

In between laughter a girl with dark red hair enters the scene. "Do you go by the name of Natsu Dragneel?" "Yeah." I finally tell the lady. She seems to have steam literally pouring out of her ears.

"Erza! Did you find them?!" The blue-haired guy from earlier says, running up from behind her. "One." She says, then points at me. After the guy gets to the woman I'm suspecting is Erza and finally catches his breath he says "You and your friend have to buy her a new cake." "What if I don't want to." I say back. "It's. My. Birthday!!" Erza says through gritted teeth. She takes my hand and digs her fingernails into it while she pulls me to the nearest bakery. The guy follows. 

When we get to the store window she points to one with strawberry chunks in it. "That one." I look at the price tag and see that its 1,000 jewel. WHAT! "I can't buy this cake." I say. It would take me about a month at work to get this money. "You have no choice." Says the guy. "Jellal, I demand a cake RIGHT NOW FROM THIS GUY OR YOU WILL SEND THE PALACE GUARDS OUT HERE IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Yells Erza. Sure I can fight a few people, but the whole palace guard is something no one could do.

"Fine." I say, then pout as we walk in the shop and get the cake. 

_______()______

"Guildarts, I can't pay the rent." I mention to him as I walk out of the bathroom fully dressed in my nicest clothes. "Why?" He asks. He sits in my chair sipping jasmine tea. "Um...long story." Then I burst out the door and skid down the metal stairs. As I speed-walk to the lemonade place, I smooth down my hair and check my breath. My uncles words echo in my head. "If you find a girl by the end of the month, I'll die happy." I push that out of my mind and move on. Guildarts is just going to die unhappily then.

I get to the place and frown. This is just a waste of time. I can already predict what'll happen. After the first date we'll never see each other again. Once she finds out I'm a newspaper photographer that lives in a house without light or heating, she'll leave like the one girl that I had my heart set on when I was 16. And she flew out the door. I never saw her face again. So when I get to the shop, I just frown. 

My hair is dusted with flour, my nice jacket smells like mothballs and has a hole poked through it, and my pants are to big.  And when I see Lucy, it makes me feel really small and ugly compared to her heels and long floral dress.

"Hey."

"I thought we agreed noon! It's almost an hour after that. I was planning on going home in a few minutes."

"Sorry."

"You should be Natsu. I waited an hour in the pouring rain for this." She looks at my expression. "But that's okay. Are you alright?" 

I nod and shake off the rent on my shoulders. "Yeah."

"Well lets go in then." Says Lucy and her red umbrella.

"Okay."

Wonder what happens next? Stay tooned! Next chapter should be coming soon!