Burst Finish My Heart: Free de la Hoya x OC | A Beyblade Fanfiction

Chapter 40: Social

Free de la Hoya felt out of place as soon as he stepped into the cafeteria with Ferox. Immediately, a heavy silence fell over all the bladers as none of them had ever seen him come to the cafeteria before. Free wondered if coming here was really a good idea, but Ferox's presence kept him from walking out.

Ferox grabbed a tray, and she noticed Free not moving to get one. "You're not getting food?" Ferox asked, feeling surprised. She knew that he had not eaten this morning.

"I don't feel hungry," Free said. He was lying, but he felt too nervous to eat in front of a bunch of bladers who were watching his every move. He was not a people person, and that would never change. But Ferox could sometimes push him out of his comfort zone.

Ferox did not question him, but as she scooped spaghetti onto her tray, she found herself taking an extra serving, and she got a second fork. She turned around, and Free followed her toward a bustling table--with Sasha, Valt, Rantaro, Honey, and Kitt.

Ferox sat in an open seat, and Free tentatively moved next to her, overwhelmed by how many people they were sitting with. He had never sat with this many people during mealtime before, and it was a lot to take in.

"Hey!" Valt mumbled with a mouthful of spaghetti.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Ferox scolded him gently.

Valt swallowed his food, and he said again, "It's great to see you!"

Kitt, Honey, Rantaro, and Sasha all stared intently at Free, wondering if he was actually there. It was bizarre to see him in the cafeteria, and Free pretended not to notice the awkward silence and looked blankly toward Ferox. Maybe if he stared at Ferox long enough, the others would stop staring at him so blatantly. 

"Pinch me. Is Free actually sitting with us?" Rantaro said.

Free pretended to be invisible, while Ferox leaned over to pinch Rantaro. She joked, "If this doesn't help, I don't know what will."

"Ouch!" Rantaro said, rubbing his assaulted arm. "Yes, Free's here all right."

Honey giggled at the weird scene, and Kitt scrolled through his iPad. He cut in, excited about some news: "You know the Raging Bulls, that American team? Well, they've got these two new Japanese bladers rising through the rankings. I was wondering if you knew them."

Kitt pushed his iPad toward the center of the table, making it easy for Ferox, Rantaro, and Valt to see the screen's contents. Ferox's eyes lit with recognition. "It's Shu and Bilizu," Ferox said with a laugh, and a sense of nostalgia overcame her. "Shu said he'd meet me again on the international stage. Looks like he's kept his promise."

"They're our friends!" Valt supplied. "Ferox and I founded the Beigoma Academy Beyclub, and Shu was a part of it. He's an amazing blader but an even more amazing friend."

"You've got that right," Rantaro agreed. "Shu is awesome."

"Bilizu is an old friend of mine," Ferox added with a smile. Her smile slightly fell, however, as a shady part of her mind wondered how Bilizu would react if she found out her father's death at the temple was not an accident. And then her smile rose again as she reminded herself not to think about that right now. She concluded shakily, "She's a strong blader."

Free, hoping to assuage his hunger, grabbed Ferox's extra fork and started sneaking bites of her spaghetti. Ferox pushed her tray toward him, and he began eating more ravenously. Free was relieved that nobody was paying attention to him anymore.

"That's so cool," Kitt said.

"You know so many fantastic bladers," Sasha said, looking impressed, and Honey nodded.