Prussia x Hungary: Liza, Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX_

Bella made me agree to help her drive Antonio "in the right direction," as she put it, and in return she promised she'd keep an eye on Gilbert when we went for pizza so she could put in her opinion.  She stayed most of Saturday, until after dinner when her mom called and said she had to come home.  After waving goodbye to my friend as she drove away, I went upstairs and sat down at my desk.  I told my mom I'd do homework as soon as Bella left, but honestly I didn't feel like it.  She liked to think that if I did my homework and studied, I'd get good grades.  But I hadn't gotten a "good grade" in school since my dad left—like I told you, I lost a part of myself when my parents divorced: the part that cared about success.
I jumped into my bed.  I wasn't planning on telling mom anything, so for now she could just live in ignorant bliss.  I went to sleep.  
The rest of the weekend passed without much impact on my life, and to be honest I don't really remember it.  
What is important is Monday.  After having stumbled through the day without any of my homework done, I ended up at Bella's locker by three o' clock.  My hair was, as always, held in a low ponytail and I was dressed in our girls' school uniform: a blue plaid skirt that fell to the knees as well as a white cotton shirt and blue sweater.  (If I'd had the choice, I'd be wearing an X-tra large gray sweatshirt, my favorite one that advertised the Rainy Day Café.  I didn't care what Bella or Gilbert said—I was comfortable in big clothes.)  
In the flood of students exiting their final class of the day, I saw Roderich hurrying between two jocks with a sullen look on his face.  I snagged him by the sleeve, craftily stealing him away from the flow of traffic.  "Hello, Rod!" I chirped.
He grimaced and squeezed his eyes shut.  "Don't speak so loud.  I'm still recovering from Friday night."
I raised my eyebrows.  "Friday night?  But it is Monday!"
"Shh!" Roderich hissed irritably, pinching his nose between his fingers.  "You know how sensitive my ears are to loud noise.  Topped off with Toni's party, my poor head has barely been able to handle any loud volume at all since then.  I don't know how long I will be able to put up with this."  
I pursed my lips shut, stopping myself from telling him how truly pathetic he was.  I suddenly felt a lot less lame from having a headache the day after the party.  
"And you?" Roderich asked half-heartedly, looking at me with weary eyes.  "How are you holding up after Friday?"
I shrugged, frowning.  "Fine."
"The albino idiot did not try anything funny?"
"Funny?  Well—"
"You should not hang out with him," Roderich said suddenly, stopping me short.  
"What?" I stuttered, unable to believe he'd just said that.  What was he thinking?  If he thought that I was going to change my friends now…
"He is so mean to me," Roderich whined.  "And he says and does the most insulting things.  The fact that he touched your waist—" I sighed heavily, realizing he was just being typical Rod.  I should have expected this.
"You are just overreacting."
"I am not!  Gilbert's a demon douche and you should never see him again."
"That's a pretty tall order for someone who lives in the same neighborhood and goes to the same school as him."  
"You know what I mean!"  
"Hey guys.  What are you doing?"  We both turned to see that Bella had joined us and was now punching in her locker combination.  "Creepily waiting for me by my locker, huh?"
"I was just leaving," scowled Roderich, shifting his backpack on his shoulders.  "Tell Elizabeta she's being stupid."  He strode away among the crowd of students without a goodbye.
My mouth hung open as I watched him go.  "What the hell is his problem?"  Bella asked, stuffing books and binders into her locker.  
"He is…just grumpy," I said, partly to make myself feel better.  "He is still not 100 percent after Toni's party."  Why else had he randomly decided to take me out like that?
"Oh?  Wow, that's lame."  Bella closed her locker shut with a bang.  "Come on, let's go find Toni."
I didn't want to say anything else, so I silently followed Bella through the school halls until we met up with Antonio.  Together we made our way off campus and down the street to the restaurant plaza where we'd meet Gilbert and Francis.  It was a beautiful, clear October day: the sky was bright blue and the trees had almost lost all their leaves.  We needed to cross the road in order to get to the plaza, so we waited on the curb until the traffic held up for a moment and then we dashed across the street together, our scarves flying in the brisk wind.  I noticed, as we crossed the road, that Bella linked her arm into Antonio's and laughed playfully, screaming, "Moose crossing!"  I followed a little less enthusiastically.
Breathless, we arrived at our restaurant, which was a small little brown brick building with a neon green and red sign that flashed Nonno Rome's Pizza.  Antonio tugged open the door and we stepped into a warm haven of baking pizza, tomatoes and garlic.  
Empty booths and tables were scattered about the room, and there was a large chalk menu sitting up on the wall with little red tomatoes drawn in all four corners.  A teenage boy—maybe about four years younger than us—was sitting at the cash register, an utterly annoyed look on his face.  When Antonio saw him, he cried happily: "Lovi!"  The boy's eyes rolled and he swung out from behind the counter, coming over to us.
"Hi, bastard."
Antonio's face was lit up in a delighted smile.  I wondered if he'd heard that Lovi had just called him a bastard.
"Elizabeta, this is Lovino," said Bella, her arm still (very noticeably) intertwined with Antonio's.  I held out my hand to Lovino with a smile and he took it, his dark expression turning to one of kindness.  His little nametag on his black-and-white uniform confirmed it: Lovino Vargas.  He, like Antonio, had beautiful bronze-tinged skin.  Like his younger brother Feliciano—who I used to babysit—he had short auburn hair with a single, prominent curl flipping out enthusiastically, and his eyes were big and golden brown.  All around, he was really attractive.    
"I am pleased to meet you," he said in a thick Italian accent.  "Bella has talked a lot about you."
"It is nice to meet you too," I responded kindly.  "How come you are here so early afterschool?"
"I don't go to Gakuen," Lovino replied.  "I am a freshman at my school.  It lets out at two o'clock, so I can always get here in time for my shift."  That explained why I hadn't seen him at all in school.  At that moment, the bell over the entrance door jingled.  
"Ohonhon, if it isn't Elizabeta!" came a very recognizable voice tinged with a heavy French accent.  We all turned to see Francis and Gilbert as they came into the restaurant, their faces red from the autumn wind.  Francis was very tall, with shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes.  He had a light scruff on his chin, a feature he liked to call his "most beloved beard."  I'd known him almost as long as I'd known Gilbert.  
After last Friday, it was strange to see Gilbert once again dressed in a preppy plaid uniform.  He wore his slightly different from the other guys'—the white cotton shirt was unbuttoned so you could see his collarbone.  He totally did that on purpose too, like he knew we'd all think he was sexy.  Showoff.    
I mentally shook myself.  What, I'd seen him for five seconds and already I was thinking these things about him?  I needed to shut my thoughts up, seriously!  
"Hi, Francis."  I wondered for a moment why Francis had seemed so satisfied at seeing me here in the pizza place, but I put it out of my mind.  He tried to pull me in for a kiss on the cheek but I wouldn't let him—Francis had a reputation of being a bit of a pervert.  I avoided it by burying my face in his fuzzy blue sweater as I hugged him.  He smelled of roses like always.   
"Guten tag, Liza," Gilbert slung at me in German as soon as I stepped out of Francis's arms, and I realized that I probably ought to hug him too.  Before I realized what was happening, Gilbert stepped towards me with his arms outstretched and I almost choked.  I let him wrap his arms around me.  It wasn't the first time we'd hugged, but now I was aware that he smelled so good that I couldn't stand it.  I clutched him to me perhaps a little bit tighter than I should have, and the hug was over before I wanted it to be.  My face felt a little warm as I pulled away from him, and I stared at the floor in order to hide it.
"Lovi, fix us up with a table," Bella commanded, breaking my frantic thoughts.  
"Sit wherever you want," replied Lovino half-heartedly.  
"How will we ever decide?" asked Antonio innocently, and Lovino glared at him with a look of hatred.
"Fine.  I'm not a fucking waiter though," he growled.  His sudden vulgarity caught me off guard—he'd seemed so sweet when I met him that I hadn't thought he was the type to swear.  Lovino reluctantly led us to a booth.  Antonio slid in on one side and Bella made sure to grab the seat next to him.  Before I could sit next to her, Francis pulled me in next to him on the other side of the booth.  Gilbert sat down on the other side of me and my heart rate shot up.  Perfect.  Just great.
"Lovi-chan, where're our menus?" Francis called out sweetly, earning himself a death glare from the Italian.  
Lovino tossed five menus onto our table with a scowl.  "I'm not a fucking waiter," he repeated stubbornly, and Toni laughed as if it was a witty comment.  His green eyes were practically sparkling with affection as he looked at Lovino, which I found a bit interesting.  Were they best friends or something?  Was Lovino's sour mood all just an inside joke that I'd failed to pick up on?
"Good to see you again, Liza," said Gilbert softly, his elbows propped up on the table as he glanced over his menu.  "Didn't know you'd be coming with us today.  It's a nice surprise."
"Thanks," I responded, faking huge interest in the veggie pizza selections.  "I'm full of surprises."  Okay, maybe that was a lame attempt of mine at flirting.  
"I know."  When I glanced over at him in shock, he was completely immersed in his menu, but the slightest hint of a smile tugged at one corner of his mouth.  
"Omigod, you guys are never gonna believe what my chemistry teacher said to me today!" Bella piped up suddenly, earning the gaze of everyone at the table.  "I was sitting in class, and when she walked by I complimented her on her outfit because I'm really nice like that.  And it was really cute too."  For someone who wasn't a native English speaker, Bella was awfully chatty.  "And then she said—'Thanks, Bell, you look great today too!'  Isn't that so nice?  I did not even know I looked that good today.  It must be because I'm wearing my new shirt.  What do you think, Lizzie?"
She turned her shining green eyes on me expectantly, and I realized it was my turn to add to the story.  "It looks awesome," I told her hesitantly.  "Um…it is...nice colors."  What?
"You always look pretty, Bell," said Antonio kindly, and Bella giggled and squealed like an idiot.  There—mission accomplished, I thought.  Suddenly I felt someone touch my knee underneath the table, and begin sliding their hand up towards my thigh.  I kicked and yelped at the invasive touch and automatically hit Francis as hard as I could.  
"Pervert," I scolded.  Next to me, Gilbert snickered.
"That's what you get for sitting next to him," said Bella, as if it was my fault Francis had pulled me in next to him.  "Lovi, cutie pie!  Come take our orders."
Lovino stalked over to us holding a notepad and a pen.  "What will it be?" he asked flatly.  
"Are you on the menu?" Francis asked with a laugh.  Lovino made a noise deep in his throat that sounded like a growl.  
"You ask that every single time you come here," he said.  "No, I'm not on the stupid menu.  What will it be?"
"Ask in Spanish," teased Antonio pleasantly.  Lovino averted his eyes from us.  
"I do not know any Spanish," he muttered.
"You know how to say one thing.  Remember, I taught you?"  Antonio was beaming.  
"Bésame, bésame!"  Bella sang with laughter.  "Bella-chan, give me a kiss!  Bésame!"  Lovino didn't look amused in the slightest.  
"Ha," he said.  "Really, that was years ago."  His tone was dark, but his eyes were still bright as they gazed at Antonio.  "Hurry up and decide on a pizza.  Why doesn't Elizabeta decide, since it is her first time here?"  He smiled at me.  
"I think we should all get a pizza to share!" I said, deciding it was the most grateful, communal thing to do.  "Who likes tomatoes?"
"Lovi does," mumbled Bella, and everyone shattered with laughter.  It was probably basic routine for them to tease poor Lovino every time they came here, I decided.  But I wondered why the fact that Lovino liked tomatoes was so amusing.
"We will take a medium Caprese pizza," Antonio said gently after the laughter had died down.  "Extra tomatoes, per favore."  Lovino's mouth twitched and I realized that he was fighting a smile as he wrote the order down.  
"One medium Caprese pizza, extra tomatoes.  Okay with everyone?"
"You know it," said Gilbert, stretching his arms up over his head.  Lovino left quickly, and I found my eyes wandering to Bella.  She was tugging flirtatiously at Antonio's collar.  For some reason, my head began to hurt when I saw her do it.
"Toni, your collar isn't straight, you naughty boy.  What, did you think someone would not notice?"  Antonio flashed her a grin.
"I guess that is why I count on you to notice it for me."  She batted her long eyelashes at him and I almost puked from the mushiness.  Whatever tactic she was using to get Toni to fall for her, it was definitely working.  Speaking of tactics…My mind floated to the guy sitting next to me and I felt a little woozy.  I didn't want him to be so reserved.  I wanted him to touch me and flirt with me.  Did I?  Oh god.  Why?  Stupid hormones.  I decided then that it was only natural for me—yes, that was it!—to feel attracted to Gilbert, given I'd seen him grow into this gorgeous six-foot, well-built guy who wanted my attention.  Dammit!  I should never have told him to leave me alone.  Why didn't he ignore my request like he did with everyone else?  I couldn't understand why he'd ever take me so seriously.  Didn't he know that I liked him?
Jebus.
"Lizzie, come with me to the bathroom," Bella stretched her hand across the table and took hold of my fingers.  "I have to pee."
"Why is it that girls always go to the bathroom together?" Gilbert pondered out loud.  
"Can I come?" asked Francis, and we both glared at him.  Gilbert got out of the booth for me.  I smiled at him and edged myself out, taking my bag with me just in case the guys were thinking about going through it while I was gone.  Bella and I ran to the back of the restaurant and barged our way into the girls' room, labeled: Femmine.   
"He totally likes me."  Bella grinned.  "Don't you think so, mijn lieve?"
"What makes you so sure?"  I said.  Bella frowned.
"Because I am.  See, I told you I would get him to like me!  And you?  What's going on with you and Gilbo?  You have barely said a word to each other."
I sighed and turned into the bathroom counter, leaning on it heavily and putting my bag on it.  "I think he is respecting my request a little more than I thought he would.  I told him not to touch me and he hasn't.  I told him not to call me 'baby' or 'sweet stuff' and he hasn't.  I think I ruined—"
"Honey, you didn't ruin anything.  Guys' minds are simple.  All you have to do is distract them and they forget everything they were told not to do."    
I swallowed and stared at myself in the mirror.  My green eyes were sad like always and my hair was dull.  Next to me in the reflection, Bella looked so much brighter.  There was an obvious reason why Bella was succeeding and I was not.  
"Hey, gurls, hey!"  shrieked a new voice, and we both screamed when we saw Gilbert in the mirror behind us.
Bella began swearing in Dutch, and I caught myself laughing before I demanded: "What is with you and invading female facilities?!"  Whoops.  That sounded wrong.  
Gilbert went up to the sink and washed his hands.  "Because I'm so awesome, I can get away with it.  Plus I like invading things.  What are we talking about in here?" he asked casually.  "The pizza's here, by the way.  Thought I'd let you know."
"You are such a creep!"
Gil pretended to primp himself in the mirror.  "Oh?  Tell that to Mr. Francie-Pants."   He shot me a grin and I couldn't help but smile back.  Bella coughed.