Drawn to You

Chapter 6

   "Shrimp will you go to that stupid dance thing with me?" The words hung in the air like some heavy disease. One second passed. Two. Three. No response. My stupid heart couldn't take much longer. Four. Five. "Tch, whatever," I muttered, running a hand through my hair, "forget I asked."

   I turned around, ready to walk home with a rock inside my chest, but a thin hand around my wrist stopped me. "Wait, Gajeel-!"

   "What?" I asked, irritated. This moment needed to end so that I could burry it inside the back of my mind so that I would never think about it again. The heat on my cheeks and the sinking sensation in my stomach was something I'd prefer to forget.

   "I don't really want to forget you asked..." She trailed off, retracting her hand and hugging it to her book, her face turning red as she looked up at me. "Because I really want to go!"

   I blinked. Then looked around to see if everyone around us had heard that. "With...me?"

   Levy gigled, pushing me softly with her small hand. "Of course with you, you big dummy. You're the one who asked, right?" I felt a grin slide onto my face.

   "Really?"

   "Yeah. Really."

   "Cool."

~~~

  That diner with Iris had become one of my favorite places to be. It seemed like we had a lot in common, so I kind of felt like we were brother and sister. So I went there after school on most days, today included. 

   "Guess what."

   She sighed, slouching into the other side of the booth. "I don't particularly like guessing about stuff I probably don't care about." Iris looked tired, her eyes were kind of red, and her shoulders sagged. When she noticed me staring, she immediately straightened her posture a bit. "So what's up?"

   "You first."

   Her icy blue eyes wandered over my face before looking over at her boss. "Dani, can I take the rest of the day off?" Her boss, Dani, seemed to know what was up with Iris because she gave her a nod and a soft smile. "Do you mind going out with me for some air? I could use some right now."

   Before I could respond, she got up out of the booth, gripping my shoulder and pulling me out. I didn't exactly argue, but I was pretty worried. Only a couple of days ago, she was hyper and happy, her normally icy eyes sparkling like the sun as she spoke about going to a concert with a 'friend.' What had happened since then?

   "So tell me what's wrong. And then maybe I can cheer you up with my amazing news." She laughed and sniffed, putting her head in her hands.

   "I don't even know what's wrong with me."

   "There's probably nothing wrong with you."

   "Says the high school student with more piercings than that guy who lives in Austin with all those body modifications. Not that there's anything wrong with him. I've heard he's a very nice guy. I think I'd like to meet him sometime."

   "You're getting off topic."

   "Can we never get back on topic?" I gave her a look, and she sighed, leaning against the wall of the diner. "Fine. The idiot didn't know when to stop. I ended up making a fool out of myself, telling him to stay away from me forever. Pretty clichè, am I right?"

   "It's only clichè if it was raining and you were crying." She winced, turning away. "Wait, really?"  Iris nodded. "Wow... That really sucks for you."

   "I swear I'm going to punch you in the face." I laughed and held my hands up, taking a couple steps back from her angry glare. After a moment, her expression softened, and she shrugged, trying to act nonchalant, but I could tell she was hurting a bit. "Besides, it was my choice to say what he did. Despite the fact that he's an asshole sometimes, he respects my space. I'll talk to him if I feel like forgiving him."

   There were so many things I didn't know about her, but I kind of figured that now was not the time to ask for her life story. For a moment, we stood in silence, her twisting her rings and bracelets and me trying to find a decent enough segway for telling her about what Levy had said. Considering i was already bad at socializing, there was no good segway for something like this.

   "You up for hearing some good news?"

   "Anything to get my mind off that bastard." Good enough for me.

   "I asked Levy to that dance." Iris raised her eyebrows, encoouraging me to go on without saying anything. "And she said she wanted to go. With me." At the last part, she smirked, punching me lightly on the shoulder.

   "That's great. So what are you gonna wear?" I frowned, rubbing my shoulder.

   "What do you mean?"

   "Are you kidding me? You're going on a date with her to a fancy dance. Didn'y you think you had to wear something nice? Like, a tux or something?" She scoffed, rolling her eyes. Meanwhile, I had stopped listening on the word 'date.' I had asked Levy out on a date. 

   Oh, shit.

   "Meet me here tomorrow around five. We're going shopping," Iris said, giving me a wave before walking to her truck.

   So, apparently, I was going shopping. For a date.

   How is it that Shrimp is the one who started all this?

  Wow look I updated. I mean, it's pretty shitty and gives a bit of spoilers to anyone who is caught up on reading Bloody Secrets. Whoops. But yeah. You get Levy's long-awaited answer and also Gajeel's reaction. Also a lot of Iris because she is my baby and I need to believe that she keeps on acting normal after.. Stuff happens between her and her 'friend.' Also, I would've updated earlier today, but I just got a puppy who I have to look over while my mom's at work. He's a hyper one to say the least. And he likes to watch me type. Anyway, I updated and it's shitty. Whoops.

   Until next time!!!

     ~awkwardnarturtle