Fairytale | Jerza | AU

44. Heartbeat.

Two months later

Erza's POV:

The end of September was coming near and with it, so was the end of the students sanity. Many of them were aiming for good Universities and Colleges. The entrance exams were only four months away.

I on the other hand, was losing my sanity quicker due to another problem. I couldn't figure out for the world why I couldn't talk about that summer night to anyone. Not even Lucy.

It felt embarrassing and awkward every time I tried talking to anyone about it. Hopefully, they must have taken my half formed sentences as me breaking under the exam pressure.

I tried my best to not let it bother me as I studied for the tests the school teachers were giving us. It worked well, for most of the time anyways.

"Hey, Erza. Can you help me with this one?" Wendy asked me as we discussed the science test papers we had got back today, in the Cafeteria. I read the question and replied, "Hmm, yeah. I'll show you my answer, I got that one right."

I pulled out my test and showed it to her. I started on my sandwich as she read through the answer. When she was done, she gave the paper back to me with a bright smile and said, "Thank you, Erza! I hope to do better next time..."

"You did great though, you only got one or two answers wrong..." I said, embarassed at my average marks infront of her extremely good ones. She waved her hand in the air, "Oh no, I need to get really good in science for the University I'm applying to..."

"Oh yeah. Well, you're doing really good. So don't worry." I gave her a reassuring smile. She smiled at me before going back to her test paper again.

I dusted the bread crumbs off of my test paper as I ate the last of my sandwich. I made corrections in my answers as I listened to everyone discuss their papers and the correct answers.

Some students from other tables came over to ask Jellal their doubts and the answers. It was probably due to them that my eyes kept going back to Jellal. He was being very patient and kind to them. 'Unsual? Hmm... I hope not any more...'

As Lunch came towards an end, the last of the students left and Jellal looked up at me, catching me stare at him. He smiled brightly and asked, "Did you have any doubts, Erza?"

"Ah.. No. I think I got all the correct answers." I replied with a small smile. He nodded and turned to Gray, engaging him in a conversation about exams.

Afternoon

Erza's POV:

The last bell rang, indicating the end of school. But the teacher continued for a couple of more minutes before letting us go. I packed my things and left the classroom with Levy as the students rushed to get out.

I couldn't see Gray and Jellal in the classroom, so we decided to go ahead. The corridors were crowded as ever and students were running, trying to leave quickly.

After weaving through the crowd slowly for a while, I realised that Levy was no longer with me. As I looked around for her, I heard loud footsteps, approaching fast from behind me. I turned in time to see a guy yelling, "Excuse me, please!"

I tried, but I couldn't move fast enough. 'We are totally going to collide.' As I braced myself for the impact, my eyes squinted slightly and arms moved forward, protecting my upper body.

But suddenly, I felt a pull towards my right and I stumbled over my feet, falling onto someone else. The guy rushed past me, as I clung onto someone for my life. I looked at my saviour, only to find out that it was Jellal.

He was looking at me, his deep, brown eyes staring at me with concern. He was holding me by my waist and I was clutching at his shoulders. My stomach gave a jolt when I realized the position that we were in.

"I'm so sorry! Thank you so much!" I said as I quickly got back to my feet. I gave him an embarrassed smile, which he returned, saying, "No worries. I just helped a friend..."

It was then that I realized that Gray and Levy were standing next to him, grinning at us. "Oh hey, I thought I lost you, Levy!" I said to her as she kept grinning at me.

"Sorry Erza, I spotted Gray and Jellal so I went towards them... I thought you'd seen them too." She apologized, grinning. Gray put his hands around Jellal and my shoulders and steered us towards the grounds saying, "Now that you've found us, let's get going!"

Levy followed us as Gray took us all the way to the gates, where the rest of our friends were waiting. It was not till then that I realized that my heart was beating fast and loud. 'Just the adrenaline...' I thought to myself.

But I couldn't forget how close Jellal was to me when he pulled me into him. I couldn't forget the warmth he radiated. I couldn't forget the feeling of safety I felt when I realized I was in his arms.

'Oh goodness, what am I even thinking?! He just helped me cause we are friends. I don't even think of him like that. Just forget it!!' I kept telling myself this as we walked home.

Juvia found me unusually silent, so she tried to make conversation. "Why was the cooking club cancelled?" I jolted out of my thoughts and replied, "Uh, yeah... The third years are going to have club three days a week. Since we need to study. The president is nice that way."

I smiled slightly, grateful that we could use the time to study. Juvia too, smiled and said, "Juvia is glad to hear that. Let's study hard and make it into our dream college!" I nodded firmly and said, "Yes!"

We parted ways at our houses as usual. I unlocked the door and entered the hall, dropping my bag on the sofa. 'Its been long since there was someone else here. Maybe I should try to call Hynhe and Juliet... If they're free..."