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‑ˏˋ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 ˊˎ‑
"𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 do you think you're going, mister?" Jellal leaned against the counter with his arms crossed, but a dorky grin was spread across his face. I just pretended to not hear him, trying to focus on counting the two hundred dollars in my wallet.
I don't know how many times I counted the dollar bills, but there was no way that after two weeks of saving my paychecks, I would show up to pay Lucy back and end up missing a few fives. I pinched my sweatshirt between two fingers to try and get cool air on my skin. The only time I had ever been this paranoid was when I had gone to the interview at the cafe.
A couple of weeks had passed since Gildarts had basically told me to stop being a coward when it came to Mirajane and Elfman. And it was that very day that I made a vow to myself. It had been multiple vows, to be honest, but there was one that was the most important to me: I was going to start making amends.
I had been procrastinating on that aspect for over two months. I've had so many ups and downs where I keep saying that I'm going to get better and then five minutes later, I've shut down and felt like doing nothing. I know I'm tired of not being ― well, me. And even though I've said it a thousand times, I will get through this and that first step is making amends.
Having still not responded to Jellal, he walked over to me and pulled my ear. My eye clenched shut in response as he repeated: "And where are you going, mister?"
"To Lucy's! Now let go!" Because I had been pulling away from Jellal, the second he let go had me wobbling in my chair. I grasped at the table's surface, trying to regain my balance. I let out a sigh of relief when I heard all four legs back on solid ground. Swiping the money off the table, I pushed my chair back. Jellal just grinned at me and I shook my head. "I'm leaving now."
"You sure are!" Jellal gave me a thumbs up and the dorkiest grin I've ever seen. I slipped on my shoes quickly, huffing under my breath. "Whatever."
But no matter how hard I was trying to keep my smile non-existent, it was still there. I was grateful to have that whacky person as a friend.
――――
It was almost right after I knocked on the door when someone shouted. I stepped back, not quite hearing as the voice was muffled. Rocking back and forth, I watched the door handle, trying to see if it was turning. Five minutes passed before I knocked again; footsteps then shuffled towards the door. It was thrown open by Lucy, who turned right back around and ran off into the apartment.
