The Drunk List [Gratsu]

sixteen

Warning: Double update.

I cranked out this chapter while my brother and dad were arguing/crying downstairs, oh...

Natsu's POV

In the car ride home, I was completely silent.

"Thanks for supporting the movement, Chelia, darling!" My mother said with a closed-mouth smile as Chelia unbuckled her seatbelt. She and Wendy shared a short, fakely-platonic side-hug before Chelia shimmied awkwardly out of the side of the car, standing in her driveway.

"No problem, Grandine-san! Today was oodles of fun, I'm glad I came! Thanks for the ride! See you at school on Monday, Wendy!" Chelia tugged at her satchel nervously as she shot an undetected look at Wendy. Wendy stared back, forgetting everything for a moment before snapping out of her hazy reverie and waving again shyly.

The window was rolled up, the tinted glass hiding Chelia's face as she padded across her driveway and up the steps. We remained in the driveway, Mom confirming Chelia got into the house safely before waving at her mother and speeding out of the drive.

We drove home with occasional small-talk radiating through the car. Mom and Dad were discussing the successes of the event, telling us they raised almost $1500 today from donations.

I wasn't sure if that was an impressive number or not, but Mom explained it was a lot more than last year, because this year was a more massive turnout, and the funds would be placed to good use for the environment protection.

My head fell against the side of the car and my eyes began to close. It was only around 8:30, but today was so long that every bone and muscle inside of me begged for rest and recovery. Don't worry, bed, I told myself. I'll be there soon.

My eyes lazily travelled down to my hand. My hand, which had gone from an innocent, unnoticeable pinkie touch to his hand softly resitng on top of mine within the star-gazing event, was still shaking slightly. Heat flooded throughout my body as the memory kept replaying inside of my head.

God, it just wouldn't leave. It was so incessantly nagging, like my mind wanted to torture me with this possibility of me and Gray like that. I had nothing against boy and boy, hell, my best friend was crazy for his drama partner, but me? It simply wasn't going to happen. I was going to live a normal life- get into a normal college, acquire a normal job, marry a normal girl, settle down in a normal house, and have two normal kids. That was the way it was supposed to be, and that's always what I expected of myself.

It seemed like everything was changing way too fast, and it was spinning me around and taunting me, and I didn't like it, not one bit.

"Natsu, everything alright? You're awfully quiet," Dad eyed me through the rear-view mirror.

"Igneel, he's probably just exhausted. He's been going full-speed for twelve hours straight," Mom explained to him, not allowing me to speak for myself.

Straight. I cringed at the word. It was like I was compelled to hearing it, like it stood out more than it should have. You're straight, Natsu, I told myself repeatedly.

We pulled into the driveway of our own home, and I yawned as I quietly got out of the car with the rest of the family. We all seemed to wordlessly kick off our shoes into the linen closet and head into our own bedrooms, pooped from the crazy day and ready to recharge. I padded up the stairs, dragged my feet down the hallway, and locked myself in the bathroom.

I stared at my reflection. My lips were chapped and my hair was mussed up in the back from lying down on the quilt just minutes before. I crossed my arms and glared at myself, mouthing words at my symmetrical reflection. You're not gay. You are not gay. No. NO. You. Are. Not. Gay. Stop thinking about this, you're making yourself worse. You're being crazy and irrational, don't you get it? Your mind won't shut up because you don't want it to shut up, and now you're getting upset. See? Quit worrying, everything's going to be okay! Nothing happened, plenty of friends do that sort of thing, ...