In Pursuit of Perfection | Nalu | Collab with ofthefeels

| Chapter 6 |

Good Times, by Owl City Ft. Carly Rae Jepson

| Previously on Chapter 5 |

"Come on, we have to practice," I said, abruptly, tearing myself from my gaze. I walked into our private studio with Natsu behind. Resuming my arabesque position, Natsu went into his beginning pose, arms raised. We practiced and danced, the room ironically quiet and uncomfortable. I didn't bother to speak to him and he didn't either.

Time flew by and once both hands of the clock hit twelve, we quickly packed up and left without another glance at each other. It wasn't much, but though tension and distrust still consumed us deep, deep down inside, it was at least a start.

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| Chapter 6 |

"Lucy! Wait up!" I turned and saw Erza and Levy coming towards me. "Hey, you wanna come to the mall with us? We wanted to get supplies for the show and then maybe we can grab some lunch together!" Levy said, her eyes shining.

I bit my lip. "I don't know, I'm suppose to go and practice at the studio..."

Their faces dropped. "Oh...ok, that's fine, maybe some other time," Levy said, turning around.

"See you, Lucy," Erza said, waving goodbye.

"Wait! I guess I could skip practice, just once..." I said, surprising myself as the words came out. Natsu's voice rang in my head. You should learn to have fun sometimes. I shook the thought out of my head and back to reality.

"Yay!" Levy squealed, jumping up and down with joy. Erza just smiled at me and I smiled back.

Erza, Levy, and I walked to the Manhattan Mall, but I couldn't help the uneasy feeling stirring within. While the two friends chatted with ease, the thought of missing my daily practice and father's reaction if he ever found out kept popping up in my mind, giving me no rest of the guilty feeling within.

We walked in and a busy atmosphere greeted us. Not to mention having my breath stolen. It was one of those modern, loud, and eye-catching sort of mall with people everywhere, scurrying from one store to another, going up and down on the escalators, and chatting with one another or the store workers. A large JC Penny's sign hung from the ceiling, three floors above.

"Wow," I said, blinking.

They laughed. "So," Levy said, looping her arm around mine, "do you want to eat lunch first or go shopping?"

My stomach rumbled. "Lunch it is," I said, grinning. Although the churning feeling never left, it was already disappearing and being replaced by excitement and giddy. Lunch? Shopping? When had I ever done those activities?

"What about the Cheesecake Factory?" Erza asked, her eyes shining. "It has the most exquisite, delicious, and beautiful selection of desserts ever...especially their cheesecake."

"What a wide range of vocabulary," Levy teased, rolling her eyes. "Erza's obsessed with Cheesecake Factory, in case you didn't notice."

"I've never been there, actually," I admitted. "I'm more of a sushi type of person."

"Well, then let's go," Erza said, taking us by our arms and dragging us towards the restaurant.