Pink Lemonade

Something To Smile About

(Many people might get where the title is from. I just had a Big Mac so...)

"There is one thing about someone that you know them for. Sometimes they are good, sometimes they are bad, but there is always at least 1 thing no matter what. So for heavens sake, when are you going to find a girlfriend!?"

"Umm...I don't know."

"Remember the promise?"  

"Not really."

Guildfarts (I'm just gonna leave the typo alone XD) scoots his chair closer to me. "Hmm." His stern face suddenly disappears. "Well I intend on meeting a girl sometime." Then he smiles. "Tomorrow night."

"Uh, wait but I haven't even spoken any more than a paragraph to any one of them!"

"Well then find someone worth my time by freaking tomorrow!"

I get up and grab my camera. "Sure." Then I walk out the door, kinda mad with myself. I haven't told my uncle that I've used all of my earnings and savings for strawberry cake this month. Plus how am I supposed to find someone by tomorrow night? That's impossible! And I've done the math for our future life. We are going to get evicted in less than two weeks if I can't bring up the income for my job. Ugh. I'll think about this later.

I head for a brick building at the end of Gloom street. The blueish gray doors open to reveal a lobby and some stairs. I walk up the stairs to the second floor and into a room full of typists. The keys of their computers hit their fingernails every millisecond and it bothers me. A lot. 

New stories of global warming and murders are written very precisely on each computer as I walk down the one row of free space in the middle of chaos. Metal doors open automatically when I get close to them and behind them is a woman about my age with diamond earrings and a ton of plastic surgery going on.

"Hey Natsu!" Says my boss while her white teeth shimmer in the dull light. "Hey Ms. Strauss." (Dun Dun DUN!! Lasagna is back)

Sometimes I wonder why she even got plastic surgery. She was prettier without the nose job and permanent makeup. "I've got some pictures for you to see." I hand her some finished pictures that I've taken of different sights and places along with a few stories too. She takes one glance at the first one and hands me the stack of photos. "Perfect! I'll make sure to put every one of them in the newspaper this week!"

I fake-smile, put the stack on her desk and walk out of the room with the smile fading. Just as the metal doors close, she screams at the two other photographers that have beautiful and wonderful photographs better than mine and tells them that the pictures are trash. She thinks I can't hear her. 

Lisanna Strauss has liked me for as long as I can remember. In 2nd grade (Year 3, I think that's what they call grades for all you British people out there) she made everyone sign a paper saying that me and her should get married. In 5th grade (Year 6) she tried to sit next to me for lunch everyday, in 7th grade (Year 8, I think I can stop now.) she tried to set me up with her for the cheesy school dance, and all throughout high school she tried to be my girlfriend. That girl was determined. And she still is.

So sometimes I'm scared for my life inside of that building. At least I have like the highest raise imaginable or I would be out of there. 

I feel rich. I have 55 jewel in my back pocket. Yay! But not enough for the rent. 

And of course, I see the blonde-haired Lucy girl. But the only thing is, she's pinned up against a wall purse in one hand, high heel in the other in an alleyway. This doesn't look very good. Another man appears as I walk closer and he is inches from her face while his bloody hand is held up to his cheek. 

This makes me fill with rage. I have no idea why. 

"Give me the money or I'll tear every single piece of clothing from your body." He says. "No! Leave me alone!" She knees him in the stomach but that's not enough. "Okay then." (And no people. No story of mine is going over that line at the most) Just as he is going to touch crying Lucy, I bolt out of nowhere and punch him in the face, knocking out a few teeth. He falls to the ground and Lucy takes a few swings to his stomach with her high heel before I stop her.

Then she comes towards me and hugs me. "I tried and tried but it wasn't enough!." She says through muffled tears that are being soaked into the shoulder of my shirt. "No need to cry. You're okay." I say as I wrap my arms around her too and pat her back. I let her have a moment before she gently pulls apart. 

"Thanks Natsu. I won't forget it." And like that, she disappears around the corner. 

I smile. Her golden hair flying from her shoulder is surely something to smile about. Especially after a girl's tears are still drying on your shoulder. That surely feels like the best thing in the world. At least it does to me. 

(I'm so sorry guys! I promise I'll update more. Hope you enjoyed this quick little plot-twisting chapter!)