Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Choosing Fate ❯ Call Me Crazy ( Chapter 2 )
[ A - All Readers ]
By: LadySaffir 
Junior High hits, and with it the rest of the gang is introduced. Relena makes some new friends, and develops a crush as well.
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 08.30.2001 | Pages: 5 | Words: 3.3K | Visits: 254 | Status: Work In Progress
Junior High hits, and with it the rest of the gang is introduced. Relena makes some new friends, and develops a crush as well.
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 08.30.2001 | Pages: 5 | Words: 3.3K | Visits: 254 | Status: Work In Progress
Choosing Fate
Chapter 2
By: Lady Saffir
DISLAIMER: If you know'em, I don't own'em...
AN - BIG thanks goes out to Fatima, Cindy, and Relena Maxwell for checking this over for me. You guys always manage to improve the story somehow...^_~
Quote: "Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul but I do love thee! and when I love thee not, chaos is come again."
-Othello
****************************************
I was beginning to grow frustrated with Heero. The bus ride home from school had provided me with no privacy to ask about Quatre, and Heero had disappeared when we reached our homes, claiming to have homework to do before I came over for dinner.
Dinner itself had been extremely good, with mom fixing lasagna and garlic bread. Both mom and Hitori, Heero's father, had spent the shared time teasing me about junior high, and lecturing Heero to watch out for me. Heero retaliated by recounting our meeting, then turning to smile at me sweetly before asking if he should fix my lunch from now on so my teeny little brain wouldn't have to deal with extra stress.
I replied yes, then went on to ask if he needed help picking out clothes that matched every morning, since his fashion sense was...lacking.
We continued our banter when we moved to the den. Heero was idly flipping through the channels, stopping when I gave a squeal of delight.
"Turn it back! Turn it back!"
Heero knew immediately what caught my attention when he saw the show.
"Scooby Doo on Zombie Island? Come on, we've seen this movie a million times all ready!"
He left the movie on though, and we settled back to enjoy one of our favorite childhood movies. The commercial break came too quickly though, as I tried to figure out what to ask about Quatre without looking like I was interested.
"By the way, thought you'd like to know that Quatre asked me about you," Heero threw out casually, acting for all the world like he hadn't just announced something of tremendous importance.
Which probably explains why he was so shocked when I tackled him. Our momentum carried us to the floor, where I landed on top of one very weirded out Heero Yuy.
"Jeez, Relena! What's wrong with you? And do you mind getting off me? You weigh a ton!"
I obligingly scrambled off his chest, not before getting in one good smack to the arm.
"I do not weigh a ton!"
"Could have fooled me!"
"I'm only one hundred pounds, and stop trying to change the subject! What did Quatre want to know?"
Heero opened his mouth to answer, then stopped, a strange look in his eye.
"How did you meet Quatre?"
"He's in band, stupid. We were both getting stands from the equipment room."
"You didn't plan that, did you? Quatre's getting pretty tired of silly little girls following him everywhere."
The double insult made me glare.
"What is it with you two? Get whacked in the head one too many times with a soccer ball? He asked me the same thing when I said I knew you! You two aren't god's gift to women, I'll have you know."
'Although Quatre comes pretty close', I finished in my head.
"No, I did not get hit in the head too many times," Heero mocked, wrinkling his nose at me. "Honestly, Lena, I knew girls act stupid in junior high, but the first day is a bit much."
I'd had enough of Heero for one night. If he wasn't going to help me out, then I'd just find someone else. Maybe Catherine or Mariemaia would help me.
"I'm leaving," I announced, heading for the doorway. Heero stopped me by grabbing my arm, rolling his eyes at my glare.
"Chill out, Lena. I know you aren't stalker material. All Quatre wanted to know is if you were going to the high school football game Friday. I told him you were planning on going with me and Duo."
"What?! Please tell me you didn't say it like that! It sounds like I've got a date with the two of you!"
Heero rolled his eyes again, hissing under his breath about crazy girls.
"No, I didn't say it like that. I told him a bunch of us were meeting there, and invited him to go with us."
I almost knocked us to the floor again when I hugged Heero.
"You're the best! Ack! Now I don't know what to wear!"
Heero snickered.
"Clothes. None of us want to see you without them. Although that might get Quatre's attention," he teased, ignoring my sputters of outrage.
"Come on, I promised to make sure you didn't disappear between here and your house."
Heero watched as I crossed our backyards, waving back at me when I reached the patio doors.
****************************
Duo and I share second period together - pre-algebra with Ms. Lucas. The woman was a bit crazy, but if she liked you, a person could get away with murder. Which was what I was about to do to Duo. I should have known Heero would say something to him. Duo took the opportunity to add his two cents before class started.
"Say, Relena, you're still going to the game, right? I've got the perfect outfit to wear."
The smirk on Duo's face told me I was about to be teased and harassed.
"And what is that?" I asked warily, checking to make sure no one around us was paying attention.
"This."
With a flourish, Duo pulled a tee shirt from his backpack, handing it to me.
I opened the shirt, only to give a small squeak when I saw what the shirt said.
"I'm in love with Quatre Winner"
I could feel my eternal blush rising once more, as I reaching over to pull on Duo's hair.
"I cannot believe you two! You think that after all the time we've known each other, you could be a bit more helpful!" I hissed, stuffing the offending shirt into my backpack.
"I am trying to help, Rel."
That innocent look Duo was trying to pass wasn't working. For seven years now, I've watched as Duo used this puppy dog look on his parents and family. My immunity is now quite high, thanks to that repeated exposure.
"Just you wait till you fall in love. Then we'll see if you like the tee-shirt I make you," I threatened, getting in the last word before class started.
************************************
I was pleased to find that I shared third period with Catherine and Mariemaia, although Mariemaia insisted I call her Marie. Third period was history, with Mr. Frist. Frist is in his forties, with these big glasses and a bald spot starting on the crown of his head. The man does know his stuff though, I'll give him that much credit. Seventh grade history focuses on the Renaissance period, and our last project is actually kind of cool. We have to dress up in period style clothing, and we're having a fair, complete with food and games.
Anyway, Catherine waited till Frist left the room before beginning her interrogation.
"So, what's up with you and Heero? Are you two a couple?"
My jaw dropped.
"Where do you get these ideas?! He's my best FRIEND. I couldn't date him,it'd be like dating my brother or something!"
Catherine stared at me for a moment, as if deciding whether to believe me or not.
"So...if he's not yours, can I have him? He's hot," she whispered.
Mariemaia decided to get in on the act.
"Yeah, Relena, how 'bout having us over one night and you can invite Heero and Duo...he's not yours either, is he?"
My two new friends were aliens. They had to be. They were asking me to hook them up with my childhood playmates, and they thought they were hot.
Looking between the two of them, I could only sigh and shake my head.
Both were looking at me expectantly, but my luck returned with Mr. Frist, who then announced a pop quiz.
Ah, the ironies of life.
******************************
Wednesday afternoon, as we were getting off the bus in front of our houses, Duo pointed to the unfamiliar car sitting in my driveway.
"Hey, Rel, you expecting company? Or did your parents get a new car?"
Shaking my head no, realization dawned when I say the plates.
"Milliardo!"
I sprinted up my drive, barely remembering to wave good-bye to the guys.
Slamming the front door, I ran through the house, ducking my head in each room to look for my brother. Dumping my bags in the hallway, I skidded into the kitchen, almost knocking the table over.
Instead, I fell, and when the shadow loomed over me, I didn't need to look up to see who it was.
"Don't say anything. Just don't say a word," I muttered, taking the hand that came into my vision.
Milliardo laughed, hauling me up to give me a bear hug. I returned the squeeze, glad to have my brother back for at least a day.
"Same Relena, always tripping over air," he teased, turning me so that I could see the attractive woman seated at the kitchen table.
"Rel, I'd like you to meet Lucrezia Noin. My fiancé."
Smiling, the dark haired woman extended her hand, smiling as she spoke.
"Call me Crazy."
I was about ready to, especially after Milliardo's announcement.
"Crazy?" I asked hesitantly taking her proffered hand.
Milliardo and his...fiancé exchanged a look, breaking into laughter.
"Lucy, I told you she wouldn't get it. She's a bit slow; you have to spell things out."
Whapping Milliardo in the arm, I turned to flash a brilliant smile at Ms. Noin.
"Yeah, as I'm sure you've realized, it runs in the family. It really affects the male children though, so if you want semi-intelligent kids, I suggest you dump my brother and save yourself before it's too late."
"Ouch! Relena, you know you're my favorite little sister," Milliardo smiled, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
"You've been hanging out with Duo too long I think. Like I was saying though, this is Lucrezia Noin, you can call her either Lucy or Noin, and we're getting married. When are mom and dad going to be home so I can have an ambulance on stand-by."
I punched Milliardo's arm once more for good measure.
"You're out of luck. Dad's out of town on business and mom's been working late this week. I've been eating with either Heero or Duo. There's a really good steak place on the edge of town though. I bet Lucy would like it," I hinted, drooling at the thought of going to my favorite restaurant.
Milliardo looked between Lucy and I, then threw his hands into the air when he saw our expressions.
"All right, I'll treat my two favorite women to dinner out. But I'm not always giving in, so don't get too used to this," he warned, looking pointedly at Noin.
"Whatever you say, sweetie," she replied, laughing at his expression.
*************************************
Friday came entirely too quickly.
I was in my room, frantically tearing through my closet, with Mariemaia sitting on my bed. I was giving her a ride to the game, and both she and Catherine were spending the night afterwards.
An indignant 'hey!' sounded behind me, and I turned to see the shirt I had just tossed covering Mariemaia's head. She pulled the shirt off, shaking her head.
"Relax, Relena. Just wear a pair of jeans, and the blue tank top you just bought."
I chewed on my lip, wanting to take Marie's advice, but not wanting to appear too casual.
"You're sure?"
"Absolutely," came the reply, Marie's head bobbing up and down emphatically.
"Okay."
Two minutes later...
"ACK! What shoes do I wear?!"
***********************************
I almost had another heart attack when I learned that not only would Milliardo and Lucy be driving us to the game, they were going to stay and watch.
"No. Absolutely not. I can't be seen at the high school football game with my big brother! What will my friend's think? What will Quatre think?!"
Milliardo sighed, twisting a strand of hair in his fingers.
"Look, Relena, this is Lucy's old high school team. And I went to Riverview, so we're going. Nostalgia, if you will.
"But if you want," he continued, tone patronizing, "Lucy and I will sit far, far away from you and your boyfriend."
"He's not my boyfriend!"
Sighing once more, Milliardo stood, snagging his keys from the coffee table.
"Whatever. Not get in the car so we won't be late."
******************************
Scanning the crowd for Heero or Duo, I tried not to feel intimidated by the crowd pushing around me. We had arranged to meet by the concession stand, but there were three of them, and the people milling around them made finding anyone I knew difficult.
"There!"
Whipping my head, I looked in the direction Mariemaia was pointing, barely able to locate Heero's dark head moving towards us.
"About time," I muttered, moving to meet him.
"What took you so long?" He asked impatiently, turning to wave at someone.
"Never mind. Come on, we were beginning to think you'd chickened out," Heero muttered, grabbing my wrist to drag me along.
Weaving in and out of the crowd, I almost lost Mariemaia, and finally had to snag her hand to help her keep up with us.
Heero lead us into the stands and down the long pathway to about the forty-yard line. Mounting the bleachers, I saw that the entire gang was already there.
Duo was sitting beside Trowa, who had Catherine next to him. Wufei was seated in front of them, with Dorothy leaning close to murmur something in his ear.
My attention focused entirely on Quatre though, who was seated behind and to the right. Heero still had hold of my wrist, so I had no choice but to follow him as he pulled me upwards, seating me between himself and Quatre. Mariemaia choose to sit on the other side of Wufei, who looked slightly uneasy at having two girls on either side of him.
Quatre smiled at me and my heart did a little flip, as I prayed that my face wasn't turning beet red.
*******************
Half-time came, and although I was starving, I wasn't about to pig out. I don't diet and I usually eat what I want, but it probably wouldn't make a good impression if Quatre saw me scarfing down corn dog after corn dog.
Several of our group had disappeared before hand in order to beat the crowd, so it was only me, Quatre, Heero and Catherine.
"I think I'm going to get something to eat. Would you like to come with me, Relena?"
I inwardly did a little dance, but somehow managed to calmly reply, "Sure, I could use something."
Quatre lead the way to the concession stand, finding a line that seemed to move fairly quickly.
Silence descended for a moment before Quatre spoke.
"Heero said he tried to teach you soccer?"
I couldn't help the blushing. That afternoon had been very embarrassing.
"Um...yeah, but I suck at it, so we gave up before we hurt each other."
The smile that I was beginning to love appeared once more, reaching all the way to his eyes.
"Do you like soccer though?"
"Of course! I can tell you where everyone goes and what they're supposed to do, but I can't get my body to do what I say," I gave a rueful laugh, forgetting that I liked the boy standing next to me.
"I can teach you, if you like," Quatre offered, not quite looking me in the eye. He suddenly seemed tense, and I had to marvel that someone like Quatre could worry over something little like that.
"Sure. I really can't play though," I warned, stepping forward to place my order. As the woman turned to relay my order I sneaked a quick look at Quatre, only to find him staring at me intently. We both blushed and turned away.
"I teach little kids."
I was not expecting that.
"What?"
Quatre blushed again, something that seemed very cute to me.
"I teach little kids. During the summer. So if I can teach a six year old, I should be able to teach you," he continued, finally looking at me. "That is, if you want to. I wouldn't want to force you into it or anything."
I flashed Quatre a smile that I had practiced for three days.
"I would love you..."
My newfound maturity crumbled into dust.
"ACK! I mean, I would love for you to teach me," I stuttered, praying Quatre didn't think I was loony.
Quatre only smiled, grabbing our combined orders.
"Perfect. Here, let me get all this, and you lead the way," Quatre instructed.
***************************
I floated on cloud nine all the way to the car, and I even had the grace to ignore Milliardo's ribbing about teen-age puppy love. Quatre wanted to teach me soccer, which meant he wanted to spend time with me, which had to mean he REALLY like me.
When we got home, Mariemaia, Catherine, and I trooped out to the backyard. We had decided to camp out since the weather was so nice. We were all in our pajamas and were sitting inside the tent, talking about the evening, when I thought I heard something.
"Guys, did you hear that?"
Catherine and Marie looked at me like I was crazy, shaking their heads after listening for a few moments.
We resumed our talk, but once more I thought I heard something.
"Guys, I swear I heard something. I'm going out there to look."
Catherine and Marie looked at me, then each other. Shrugging, they got up to follow me outside. We cautiously crept about my backyard, pausing by the large oak tree in one corner.
"Relena, you're just imagining things. You probably thought it was Quatre serenading you," Catherine teased, turning to head back.
"Come on. I wanna hear what happened when you two went to the concession stand."
I knew I had heard something, but I followed my friends back. A rustling went through the tree branches above our heads, but I put it down to being the wind.
That is, until we were drenched by freezing water.
Almost simultaneously the three of us screamed, frozen in our tracks by the unexpected shock.
"Relena and Quatre, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
I knew that voice, and I was going to kill its owner.
"First came love, then came marriage, then came Relena with a baby carriage!"
"Duo Alexander Maxwell! I'm going to kill you! And don't think I didn't recognize your voice either, Heero! You're both dead meat!" I threatened.
Two shapes dropped in front of me, causing me to squeak.
"Haha! Come on, Relena! I'd like to see you try and catch the two of us!" Duo taunted, making a face at me.
I swiped at him but he danced out of range.
"Nyah, nyah!"
"Get them!" I cried, motioning to Catherine and Mariemaia. Surprised, Heero and Duo stood there for a moment before running, with the three of us giving chase.
**********************
Two weeks later, I received the biggest shock of my life.
***********************
Mwhahaha...aren't I evil? ^_^ Guess you'll just have to wait and see what the shock is, huh? Lemme know what you think, and who you think Relena should end up with...who knows, I might even listen and ignore my muse! ^_~
Chapter 2
By: Lady Saffir
DISLAIMER: If you know'em, I don't own'em...
AN - BIG thanks goes out to Fatima, Cindy, and Relena Maxwell for checking this over for me. You guys always manage to improve the story somehow...^_~
Quote: "Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul but I do love thee! and when I love thee not, chaos is come again."
-Othello
****************************************
I was beginning to grow frustrated with Heero. The bus ride home from school had provided me with no privacy to ask about Quatre, and Heero had disappeared when we reached our homes, claiming to have homework to do before I came over for dinner.
Dinner itself had been extremely good, with mom fixing lasagna and garlic bread. Both mom and Hitori, Heero's father, had spent the shared time teasing me about junior high, and lecturing Heero to watch out for me. Heero retaliated by recounting our meeting, then turning to smile at me sweetly before asking if he should fix my lunch from now on so my teeny little brain wouldn't have to deal with extra stress.
I replied yes, then went on to ask if he needed help picking out clothes that matched every morning, since his fashion sense was...lacking.
We continued our banter when we moved to the den. Heero was idly flipping through the channels, stopping when I gave a squeal of delight.
"Turn it back! Turn it back!"
Heero knew immediately what caught my attention when he saw the show.
"Scooby Doo on Zombie Island? Come on, we've seen this movie a million times all ready!"
He left the movie on though, and we settled back to enjoy one of our favorite childhood movies. The commercial break came too quickly though, as I tried to figure out what to ask about Quatre without looking like I was interested.
"By the way, thought you'd like to know that Quatre asked me about you," Heero threw out casually, acting for all the world like he hadn't just announced something of tremendous importance.
Which probably explains why he was so shocked when I tackled him. Our momentum carried us to the floor, where I landed on top of one very weirded out Heero Yuy.
"Jeez, Relena! What's wrong with you? And do you mind getting off me? You weigh a ton!"
I obligingly scrambled off his chest, not before getting in one good smack to the arm.
"I do not weigh a ton!"
"Could have fooled me!"
"I'm only one hundred pounds, and stop trying to change the subject! What did Quatre want to know?"
Heero opened his mouth to answer, then stopped, a strange look in his eye.
"How did you meet Quatre?"
"He's in band, stupid. We were both getting stands from the equipment room."
"You didn't plan that, did you? Quatre's getting pretty tired of silly little girls following him everywhere."
The double insult made me glare.
"What is it with you two? Get whacked in the head one too many times with a soccer ball? He asked me the same thing when I said I knew you! You two aren't god's gift to women, I'll have you know."
'Although Quatre comes pretty close', I finished in my head.
"No, I did not get hit in the head too many times," Heero mocked, wrinkling his nose at me. "Honestly, Lena, I knew girls act stupid in junior high, but the first day is a bit much."
I'd had enough of Heero for one night. If he wasn't going to help me out, then I'd just find someone else. Maybe Catherine or Mariemaia would help me.
"I'm leaving," I announced, heading for the doorway. Heero stopped me by grabbing my arm, rolling his eyes at my glare.
"Chill out, Lena. I know you aren't stalker material. All Quatre wanted to know is if you were going to the high school football game Friday. I told him you were planning on going with me and Duo."
"What?! Please tell me you didn't say it like that! It sounds like I've got a date with the two of you!"
Heero rolled his eyes again, hissing under his breath about crazy girls.
"No, I didn't say it like that. I told him a bunch of us were meeting there, and invited him to go with us."
I almost knocked us to the floor again when I hugged Heero.
"You're the best! Ack! Now I don't know what to wear!"
Heero snickered.
"Clothes. None of us want to see you without them. Although that might get Quatre's attention," he teased, ignoring my sputters of outrage.
"Come on, I promised to make sure you didn't disappear between here and your house."
Heero watched as I crossed our backyards, waving back at me when I reached the patio doors.
****************************
Duo and I share second period together - pre-algebra with Ms. Lucas. The woman was a bit crazy, but if she liked you, a person could get away with murder. Which was what I was about to do to Duo. I should have known Heero would say something to him. Duo took the opportunity to add his two cents before class started.
"Say, Relena, you're still going to the game, right? I've got the perfect outfit to wear."
The smirk on Duo's face told me I was about to be teased and harassed.
"And what is that?" I asked warily, checking to make sure no one around us was paying attention.
"This."
With a flourish, Duo pulled a tee shirt from his backpack, handing it to me.
I opened the shirt, only to give a small squeak when I saw what the shirt said.
"I'm in love with Quatre Winner"
I could feel my eternal blush rising once more, as I reaching over to pull on Duo's hair.
"I cannot believe you two! You think that after all the time we've known each other, you could be a bit more helpful!" I hissed, stuffing the offending shirt into my backpack.
"I am trying to help, Rel."
That innocent look Duo was trying to pass wasn't working. For seven years now, I've watched as Duo used this puppy dog look on his parents and family. My immunity is now quite high, thanks to that repeated exposure.
"Just you wait till you fall in love. Then we'll see if you like the tee-shirt I make you," I threatened, getting in the last word before class started.
************************************
I was pleased to find that I shared third period with Catherine and Mariemaia, although Mariemaia insisted I call her Marie. Third period was history, with Mr. Frist. Frist is in his forties, with these big glasses and a bald spot starting on the crown of his head. The man does know his stuff though, I'll give him that much credit. Seventh grade history focuses on the Renaissance period, and our last project is actually kind of cool. We have to dress up in period style clothing, and we're having a fair, complete with food and games.
Anyway, Catherine waited till Frist left the room before beginning her interrogation.
"So, what's up with you and Heero? Are you two a couple?"
My jaw dropped.
"Where do you get these ideas?! He's my best FRIEND. I couldn't date him,it'd be like dating my brother or something!"
Catherine stared at me for a moment, as if deciding whether to believe me or not.
"So...if he's not yours, can I have him? He's hot," she whispered.
Mariemaia decided to get in on the act.
"Yeah, Relena, how 'bout having us over one night and you can invite Heero and Duo...he's not yours either, is he?"
My two new friends were aliens. They had to be. They were asking me to hook them up with my childhood playmates, and they thought they were hot.
Looking between the two of them, I could only sigh and shake my head.
Both were looking at me expectantly, but my luck returned with Mr. Frist, who then announced a pop quiz.
Ah, the ironies of life.
******************************
Wednesday afternoon, as we were getting off the bus in front of our houses, Duo pointed to the unfamiliar car sitting in my driveway.
"Hey, Rel, you expecting company? Or did your parents get a new car?"
Shaking my head no, realization dawned when I say the plates.
"Milliardo!"
I sprinted up my drive, barely remembering to wave good-bye to the guys.
Slamming the front door, I ran through the house, ducking my head in each room to look for my brother. Dumping my bags in the hallway, I skidded into the kitchen, almost knocking the table over.
Instead, I fell, and when the shadow loomed over me, I didn't need to look up to see who it was.
"Don't say anything. Just don't say a word," I muttered, taking the hand that came into my vision.
Milliardo laughed, hauling me up to give me a bear hug. I returned the squeeze, glad to have my brother back for at least a day.
"Same Relena, always tripping over air," he teased, turning me so that I could see the attractive woman seated at the kitchen table.
"Rel, I'd like you to meet Lucrezia Noin. My fiancé."
Smiling, the dark haired woman extended her hand, smiling as she spoke.
"Call me Crazy."
I was about ready to, especially after Milliardo's announcement.
"Crazy?" I asked hesitantly taking her proffered hand.
Milliardo and his...fiancé exchanged a look, breaking into laughter.
"Lucy, I told you she wouldn't get it. She's a bit slow; you have to spell things out."
Whapping Milliardo in the arm, I turned to flash a brilliant smile at Ms. Noin.
"Yeah, as I'm sure you've realized, it runs in the family. It really affects the male children though, so if you want semi-intelligent kids, I suggest you dump my brother and save yourself before it's too late."
"Ouch! Relena, you know you're my favorite little sister," Milliardo smiled, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
"You've been hanging out with Duo too long I think. Like I was saying though, this is Lucrezia Noin, you can call her either Lucy or Noin, and we're getting married. When are mom and dad going to be home so I can have an ambulance on stand-by."
I punched Milliardo's arm once more for good measure.
"You're out of luck. Dad's out of town on business and mom's been working late this week. I've been eating with either Heero or Duo. There's a really good steak place on the edge of town though. I bet Lucy would like it," I hinted, drooling at the thought of going to my favorite restaurant.
Milliardo looked between Lucy and I, then threw his hands into the air when he saw our expressions.
"All right, I'll treat my two favorite women to dinner out. But I'm not always giving in, so don't get too used to this," he warned, looking pointedly at Noin.
"Whatever you say, sweetie," she replied, laughing at his expression.
*************************************
Friday came entirely too quickly.
I was in my room, frantically tearing through my closet, with Mariemaia sitting on my bed. I was giving her a ride to the game, and both she and Catherine were spending the night afterwards.
An indignant 'hey!' sounded behind me, and I turned to see the shirt I had just tossed covering Mariemaia's head. She pulled the shirt off, shaking her head.
"Relax, Relena. Just wear a pair of jeans, and the blue tank top you just bought."
I chewed on my lip, wanting to take Marie's advice, but not wanting to appear too casual.
"You're sure?"
"Absolutely," came the reply, Marie's head bobbing up and down emphatically.
"Okay."
Two minutes later...
"ACK! What shoes do I wear?!"
***********************************
I almost had another heart attack when I learned that not only would Milliardo and Lucy be driving us to the game, they were going to stay and watch.
"No. Absolutely not. I can't be seen at the high school football game with my big brother! What will my friend's think? What will Quatre think?!"
Milliardo sighed, twisting a strand of hair in his fingers.
"Look, Relena, this is Lucy's old high school team. And I went to Riverview, so we're going. Nostalgia, if you will.
"But if you want," he continued, tone patronizing, "Lucy and I will sit far, far away from you and your boyfriend."
"He's not my boyfriend!"
Sighing once more, Milliardo stood, snagging his keys from the coffee table.
"Whatever. Not get in the car so we won't be late."
******************************
Scanning the crowd for Heero or Duo, I tried not to feel intimidated by the crowd pushing around me. We had arranged to meet by the concession stand, but there were three of them, and the people milling around them made finding anyone I knew difficult.
"There!"
Whipping my head, I looked in the direction Mariemaia was pointing, barely able to locate Heero's dark head moving towards us.
"About time," I muttered, moving to meet him.
"What took you so long?" He asked impatiently, turning to wave at someone.
"Never mind. Come on, we were beginning to think you'd chickened out," Heero muttered, grabbing my wrist to drag me along.
Weaving in and out of the crowd, I almost lost Mariemaia, and finally had to snag her hand to help her keep up with us.
Heero lead us into the stands and down the long pathway to about the forty-yard line. Mounting the bleachers, I saw that the entire gang was already there.
Duo was sitting beside Trowa, who had Catherine next to him. Wufei was seated in front of them, with Dorothy leaning close to murmur something in his ear.
My attention focused entirely on Quatre though, who was seated behind and to the right. Heero still had hold of my wrist, so I had no choice but to follow him as he pulled me upwards, seating me between himself and Quatre. Mariemaia choose to sit on the other side of Wufei, who looked slightly uneasy at having two girls on either side of him.
Quatre smiled at me and my heart did a little flip, as I prayed that my face wasn't turning beet red.
*******************
Half-time came, and although I was starving, I wasn't about to pig out. I don't diet and I usually eat what I want, but it probably wouldn't make a good impression if Quatre saw me scarfing down corn dog after corn dog.
Several of our group had disappeared before hand in order to beat the crowd, so it was only me, Quatre, Heero and Catherine.
"I think I'm going to get something to eat. Would you like to come with me, Relena?"
I inwardly did a little dance, but somehow managed to calmly reply, "Sure, I could use something."
Quatre lead the way to the concession stand, finding a line that seemed to move fairly quickly.
Silence descended for a moment before Quatre spoke.
"Heero said he tried to teach you soccer?"
I couldn't help the blushing. That afternoon had been very embarrassing.
"Um...yeah, but I suck at it, so we gave up before we hurt each other."
The smile that I was beginning to love appeared once more, reaching all the way to his eyes.
"Do you like soccer though?"
"Of course! I can tell you where everyone goes and what they're supposed to do, but I can't get my body to do what I say," I gave a rueful laugh, forgetting that I liked the boy standing next to me.
"I can teach you, if you like," Quatre offered, not quite looking me in the eye. He suddenly seemed tense, and I had to marvel that someone like Quatre could worry over something little like that.
"Sure. I really can't play though," I warned, stepping forward to place my order. As the woman turned to relay my order I sneaked a quick look at Quatre, only to find him staring at me intently. We both blushed and turned away.
"I teach little kids."
I was not expecting that.
"What?"
Quatre blushed again, something that seemed very cute to me.
"I teach little kids. During the summer. So if I can teach a six year old, I should be able to teach you," he continued, finally looking at me. "That is, if you want to. I wouldn't want to force you into it or anything."
I flashed Quatre a smile that I had practiced for three days.
"I would love you..."
My newfound maturity crumbled into dust.
"ACK! I mean, I would love for you to teach me," I stuttered, praying Quatre didn't think I was loony.
Quatre only smiled, grabbing our combined orders.
"Perfect. Here, let me get all this, and you lead the way," Quatre instructed.
***************************
I floated on cloud nine all the way to the car, and I even had the grace to ignore Milliardo's ribbing about teen-age puppy love. Quatre wanted to teach me soccer, which meant he wanted to spend time with me, which had to mean he REALLY like me.
When we got home, Mariemaia, Catherine, and I trooped out to the backyard. We had decided to camp out since the weather was so nice. We were all in our pajamas and were sitting inside the tent, talking about the evening, when I thought I heard something.
"Guys, did you hear that?"
Catherine and Marie looked at me like I was crazy, shaking their heads after listening for a few moments.
We resumed our talk, but once more I thought I heard something.
"Guys, I swear I heard something. I'm going out there to look."
Catherine and Marie looked at me, then each other. Shrugging, they got up to follow me outside. We cautiously crept about my backyard, pausing by the large oak tree in one corner.
"Relena, you're just imagining things. You probably thought it was Quatre serenading you," Catherine teased, turning to head back.
"Come on. I wanna hear what happened when you two went to the concession stand."
I knew I had heard something, but I followed my friends back. A rustling went through the tree branches above our heads, but I put it down to being the wind.
That is, until we were drenched by freezing water.
Almost simultaneously the three of us screamed, frozen in our tracks by the unexpected shock.
"Relena and Quatre, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
I knew that voice, and I was going to kill its owner.
"First came love, then came marriage, then came Relena with a baby carriage!"
"Duo Alexander Maxwell! I'm going to kill you! And don't think I didn't recognize your voice either, Heero! You're both dead meat!" I threatened.
Two shapes dropped in front of me, causing me to squeak.
"Haha! Come on, Relena! I'd like to see you try and catch the two of us!" Duo taunted, making a face at me.
I swiped at him but he danced out of range.
"Nyah, nyah!"
"Get them!" I cried, motioning to Catherine and Mariemaia. Surprised, Heero and Duo stood there for a moment before running, with the three of us giving chase.
**********************
Two weeks later, I received the biggest shock of my life.
***********************
Mwhahaha...aren't I evil? ^_^ Guess you'll just have to wait and see what the shock is, huh? Lemme know what you think, and who you think Relena should end up with...who knows, I might even listen and ignore my muse! ^_~