Fairytale | Jerza | AU

14. Gray Knows.

Next Day

Jellal's POV:

     I sat in my homeroom, waiting for the teacher to come. A light breeze entered through the window beside me. The class was pretty noisy. I pulled out my Japanese literature book and started reading.

     For some reason, I couldn't concentrate. 'I saw her. Three times!! Her beautiful hair... I couldn't help but smile when I saw her in the corridor after two weeks... And then at lunch... And after school...'

     Someone poked me in the side. I turned to look at the person. The whole class was standing, so I stood up too. The person who poked me was a guy I didn't know. He was sitting at the desk next to mine. He chuckled and said, "You were so engrossed in that book, you didn't even notice the teacher come in.." He sat down.

     I too sat down, shaking my head. The teacher started to take attendance. I put my book down and held my head in my hands. 'What's wrong with me? Why do I keep thinking about her? Damn...'

     "Jellal Fernandes?" A loud voice boomed. "Present!" I replied, raising my head out of my hands. I pulled out the required books and waited for the teacher to start teaching.

Lunch

Jellal's POV:

     As usual, I sat with Natsu, Gajeel, Gray and Laxus. Natsu and Gajeel were bickering and Laxus was caught between them. A few tables next to us, was another group. The one with the red haired girl. I stared at her. 'Beautiful face... Beautiful hair... Beautiful smile... Ahh...She's perfect... Wait, what? Damn it, Jellal... Stop thinking about her. She's just a .... Distraction. Another person who is gonna hurt you. Stop it.'

     I tore my eyes off her. Natsu and Gajeel had stopped bickering, but now Natsu was eating as if he was starved for months. Pieces of food were flying in every direction as he ate, especially where Laxus was seated. Gray and Gajeel chuckled and even I couldn't hold back a laugh. Laxus looked like he was about to murder Natsu.

     Natsu finally stopped eating when the bell rang. Laxus went to the bathroom to get the food out of his face. Gajeel and Natsu left for their class together. I too, was about to leave, when Gray called me.

     He said, "Hey, Jellal! Meet me after school. At the gym. I'll tell the others to go ahead. I need to talk to you." I nodded. He patted me on the shoulder and went to his class.

After School

Jellal's POV:

     I walked towards the gym. Students were walking in all directions against me, trying to get out of the school while I was trying to go deeper into the school. I finally reached the gym door after some struggle.

     There was no sign of Gray. I started to wonder if I should have never come. The crowds started thinning slowly and I decided to leave if Gray didn't come in the next five minutes.

     I waited for five minutes. No sign of Gray. I had only lifted my foot off the ground when I heard him, "Hey! Jellal! Sorry, man... Thanks for waiting." He walked towards me, grinning. He put his bag down and rested it against the gym doors. He leaned against the wall, folded his arms, looked at me, and said, "You like Erza, don't you?"

     "Who?" I asked him, confused. "Erza. Erza Scarlet. The girl you were staring at during lunch." Gray replied. I stared at him for a couple minutes. 'The red haired girl! Her name is Erza... Erza Scarlet. Scarlet like her hair. Wait.. why does Gray know about this?!'

     "Why do you know who she is?" I asked him. Gray chuckled and replied, "It's funny that you don't know her name. I mean, it's you who is crushing on her for goodness' sake." I sighed. "Look, Gray, I don't like her. If that's why you called me here, I'm leaving." I said.

     Gray grabbed my shoulder and stopped me. He said, "Don't kid yourself, Jellal. It's very obvious that you like her. You were staring at her during lunch. You have stared at her before a couple of times too."

     "I don't like her! You cannot convince me to like her! Let me go." I said and tried to walk away. But Gray gripped my shoulder harder. "Jellal." His tone was serious now. "I have known you from a long time. We have been together since kindergarten. We have been together through everything. You know that."

      "So what if we have? That doesn't mean you can force me like her!" I retaliated. Gray replied, "Stop lying." He took a breath and said, "I haven't seen you look at any other girl that way, Jellal. If you don't want to admit it to me, it's okay. But don't lie to yourself. You like her. That's the truth. If you ever want to confess or need someone to talk to, I'm there."

     He patted me on the back and bent down to get his bag. He then left me standing there and made his way to the entrance. I slowly made my way across too. I couldn't help but think about what Gray had said.

     'Do I really like her? She's beautiful, agreed. But so are many other girls... Then why do I keep thinking about her?..' I sighed. I stepped out onto the school grounds and walked slowly, watching the school football team practicing.

     'Why do I want to see her? Why do I like her even when she is cold to me? It's pretty obvious she was angry when I placed my bag on their table yesterday...'  I chuckled to myself. I exited the main entrance and took the road towards my house.

     'When I feel happy while thinking about her... When I want to see her.. When I want her to talk to me... I am crushing on her, aren't I? Damn it...' I sighed and looked up at the sky. It was blue and there were no clouds. Birds flew through the sky, probably returning to their homes, to their families.

     'Family.. Jellal, you are going to hurt yourself. Love is gonna hurt. Stop liking her.. Lest it should turn into love..' I hung my head. 'What do I do?... Should I ask Gray? He's pretty popular... Nah... Maybe I should..? He wouldn't understand.'

     I was standing in front of my door. How I got there, I have no idea. I put the key into the lock and made my way in. Little did I know, my life was going to be in shambles from then on.

__________________________________

Next Update: ???