High School AU. Entirely Lucy PoV. Lucy's parents are alive in this one. Multi-Chapter. I hope you enjoy this story!

BEEP BEEP BEEEEEP

Mornings. They are my absolute worst nightmare. Seriously, why can't we wake up when we want to? It's Monday... Again. I absolutely hate Mondays. Why? Because I stay up late on the weekends and I wake up dead tired on Mondays.

I feel super drained today. I made my way downstairs after I managed to get out of my bed. Trust me, it wasn't my choice. If I had a say in it, I'd be right back in there. When I got downstairs I poured myself some cereal. I look out the window. At least it's sunny today. Especially after such a bad night I had. My stupid ass now ex-boyfriend Sting cheated on me! We were going out for four months! I mean I know some people break up after going out for like two years, but four months is a long time! And he didn't even seem distant during our relationship either. I guess all men are pigs. Oh well.

Thankfully the cereal restored a bit of energy in me. I'm not feeling like absolute shit anymore, but I still want to go up to my bed and sleep my issues away. Except my father would have none of that. He's loving and sweet, but if you're lazy around him or don't do what he says, he becomes super annoying. Thankfully my mother keeps him in check. I don't know what'd I do if it weren't for her.

Finally, I finished getting ready for school. I hear downstairs and tell my parents I'm going to school. The drive is only twenty minutes and thankfully I got my driver's permit last summer. I'm a junior at my high school, so I have to park on the street or in the really awful junior lot. The senior lot is so much nicer, but I'm not a senior so I don't get that privilege. Thankfully the street is pretty clear at this time of morning so I park there.

Why do I have to get to school so early? It's not going to start for another thirty minutes. I guess it's because my parents need me to get those stupid driver hours so I can get my license. Driving isn't the reason I get here so early though. It's the fact that there's such limited space.

I wouldn't be able to bear it if weren't for my best friend Levy. Apparently she's stuck in the same boat as me. Getting here so early so that you can park somewhere. It's stupid, they should just expand the parking lot, but I don't have a say in it. We usually meet at our lockers. We're in the same home room this year, so our lockers are pretty close. By the time I got up there, she was already at her locker.

"Hey Levy! How was your weekend?" I greeted her.

"Good. Nothing special. How about you?" Levy asked.

"Awful. I found out Sting was cheating on me last night. He's such a bastard." I said. "I mean what the hell! I bet he was just dating me until I would agree to have sex with him!"

"Ouch, that's a tough weekend. You probably didn't get much sleep last night did you?" Levy asked.

"Not at all! And now I have to suffer the consequences in here! Couldn't he have told me Saturday night? At least I wouldn't have been dead tired today." I said sighing.

"Yeah, well if you want to grab some coffee during our free period then sure thing." Levy suggested.

"I could definitely go for that. When's free today?" I asked.

"2nd period." Levy said.

"You think I could stop by your house later today or tomorrow? My parents wouldn't mind." I asked, hoping to find a way to relax for a bit.

"Sure. Anyways, have you heard the news recently?" Levy asked.

"No, boyfriend issues kind of took all my attention up." I admitted.

"Yeah well, apparently the Dragon's Roar Gang was caught vandalizing an old apartment complex." Levy said. "Nobody was hurt, but the damages were pretty severe. Unfortunately, all of the gang members got away though."

"Wow! Those guys are back at it again? I don't see what they gain by doing that. It's a good thing they stopped picking on kids at school last year. But I doubt the leader Natsu Dragneel would do something like that without having an escape plan." I figured. Hey, they're only the most fearsome gang in the state! I mean not even the police can catch them. The only person identified from the gang is Natsu Dragneel, he's the leader. Even then he was only found out last year. I bet he's some kind of drug addict asshole who seeks pleasure by hurting people. Yeah, sounds like a gang leader to me.

"I'm a little afraid to say that name, Lucy." Levy said. "What if he's watching us? He's a very powerful person and I don't want to be on his hit-list."

"He's probably too busy wallowing in his pride, Levy. You worry too much." I said.

"Yeah but the gang is incredibly strong! I don't want to be on their bad side!" Levy defended herself with.

"They're not invincible." I said.

"They basically are! Did you hear they took down the Oración Seis Gang easily two years ago! Don't you remember how awful they were?" Levy said.

"Yeah but Dragon's Roar isn't much better. I mean for the longest time they picked on children!" I reasoned. "What kind of gang does that?"

"I don't know, but it'd help if we knew who was in the gang." Levy said.

"The only person they've confirmed to be in the gang is Natsu Dragneel. Even then he's the leader, so his name would probably be known amongst most gangs." I said. "But I bet they're all selfish. They probably don't care about anyone but themselves. I wouldn't be surprised if they're all drug addicts." Just thinking about them made me angry. Seriously, the gang has had a horrible effect on the town! They've vandalized so much, and when they used to pick on kids I had to hide in the bathroom so they wouldn't get me!

"Wow, you sound really angered by them." Levy said. "Hey well if you do find this Natsu Dragneel guy, I guess you can give him a piece of your mind."

"Oh I'll do that and so much more." I said angrily. "He's an asshole who deserves what's coming to him."

The warning bell just went off. Thankfully my class is just down the hall so I don't have to worry about being late.

"Oh shoot! That's the bell. Meet up at lunch?" I asked.

"You know it!" Levy said before heading off to whatever she had first. I think she has Chemistry, but I'm not sure. Oh well, not my concern right now. I guess talking to Levy helped me forget about that horrible breakup last night. It probably helped that I directed a lot of my anger on someone else, even if they weren't there to receive it.

I got into class pretty early. I sit in the front and center. Even though I usually like to go to the back so I can talk to friends during class sometimes, I don't know anyone in my math class yet. Sitting in the desk as I watched people come in, I sometimes wonder what it'd be like to be that kid who squeaks in at the last minute. It probably feels awesome to just barely make it. But I wouldn't know, since I have to drive and get here so early!

Waiting for that second bell to ring, I look around the class. I've been in it for about a month now, but I still don't know everyone. Most of the people in here look normal, and probably half of them act normal. There's this one kid though, he's really really weird. I don't mean to be offensive, but his hair is pink! Like holy crap dude! That's not something a guy usually does, dying their hair pink. I'd feel really bad if that was natural. I don't think anyone would ever take him seriously when he was angry.

The pink hair is weird. But that wasn't what was odd. It was his name. Salamander. Who the heck names their kid Salamander? And why no last name? Is that his last name? Is Salamander even his real name? It's just so dang confusing! Couldn't the guy have a normal name? What am I supposed to do if I want to ask for help on a problem? It's just weird.

I never really thought about it though. He only goes by Salamander. Usually that would mean it's a nickname. And if it was, what's his real name? If Salamander isn't his name, he's obviously trying to hide his identity. And he's doing a damn good job at it too! All of the teachers call him Salamander and he can even turn in tests with that name. What's even weirder, is that on the class lists his name is registered as Salamander as well! He's probably trying to hide something, but what would be worth hiding that he went through ALL of that trouble to have everyone in the school call him something else? It's both intriguing and a little scary at the same time.

It doesn't look like his classmates have thought that far in advance though. They just seem to be content with his presence. Maybe I should just do that. After all, he's not so bad a guy. He acts weird in class, but he's actually pretty nice and helped me with my homework a few times before. We've talked a couple times on occasion but not entirely.

I heard the long, drawn out beep that echoed throughout the school. There goes the second bell. It's time for class to start and me to stop sticking my nose in other people's business. I just can't wait until lunch when I can vent the rest of this pent-up anger I have.

Fourth period just ended, and I couldn't be happier. It was probably the most boring lecture I've ever heard on the law of conservation of mass. It's not a hard topic, why does the teacher need to spend forty minutes going over it! Thanks to the coffee I got with Levy during second, I managed to stay awake for the rest of fourth. But that doesn't mean I'm not tired. Actually, I really wish I could go home right about now. Though I bet everyone else does too...

Finally! I get to see my friends. We always sit together at lunch, me, Cana, Levy, Erza, and Juvia. We've been in the same school since Juvia transferred in third grade. I'm just about down the stairs and I can see my friends. I wave and look to see them wave back but I only catch a glimpse before I lose my footing and fall back. Wincing, I brace for impact. Thankfully, I never hit the ground. I look up to see who caught me and I really wanted to laugh.

Why did it have to be so cliché?

Seriously, falling and expecting to hit the ground, only to be caught by someone is so cliché! Why doesn't he just ask me on a date and confess his undying love to me? But I guess I should be nice, he just saved me a few curse words and minutes of pain.

"Jeez, Lucy you're so clumsy. Didn't you see that 'Wet Floor' sign that's right next to you?" My savior said.

"Oh sorry about that Salamander. I wasn't watching where I was going. Thanks for catching me." I said, truly thankful.

"Yeah not a problem. It's probably good you didn't fall in...that. I don't know what it looks like, but it definitely doesn't look like water." He said. I looked down, and yeah, it didn't. Then I saw a pipe leaking... Oh jeez I could only imagine what that was.

"Wow I really owe you. I didn't want to have to go around smelling like pee all day. And who the heck leaves a leaking sewage pipe but decided to leave just a 'Wet Floor' sign?" I asked, not really expecting an answer.

"Beats me." Salamander said, "Anyways... I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me today after school. I have the day off and no one to spend it with. So whaddya say?" He asked. He sounds so nervous.

"Of course that sounds great!" I said, cheerful that I found a way to spend my day. As much as I wanted sleep, I didn't want to explain that I broke up with my boyfriend of four months last night to my parents.

"Alright, wanna meet at three outside the school?" He asked.

"Sounds great!" I said. I'm not sure if I sound too cheerful. Is this a date? I doubt it. But I don't think I'd mind if it was.

"Oh and one more thing?" Salamander asked.

"Yeah?"

"I don't mean to umm... be rude, but could you stand up? My arm is starting to get sore from staying in this position for so long." He said. It was then I just realized, I had been lying back supported by his arms throughout that whole conversation. That probably looked so awkward! I quickly stood up.

"Uhh... Sorry 'bout that. Anyways, see you at three?" I said.

"Not a problem, Lucy! See you at three!" Salamander said.

Let's just hope my friends didn't see all that. Oh wait, I waved to them before it all happened. Of course they did. And they weren't ever going to live it down. It was Cana who spoke up first. She went through boyfriends faster than the rest of us, so it made sense she'd speak first.

"Ooooh Lucy, you're already back in the dating world? Jeez you got over Sting fast!" Cana exclaimed.

"No that's no-

"Well she looked absolutely entranced in Salamander's arms." Levy said dreamily.

"I'm telling you it's just-

"Juvia didn't know Lucy was into mysterious people." Juvia commented.

"I'M NOT! It's-

"Not what? What was that about meeting at three?" Erza joined. Oh no. Erza usually didn't take sides during this, but if she did, it was never fun to be the other guy, or girl in this case.

"Would you just please listen!? Just because I slipped on some... whatever that was... doesn't mean that I'm dating him! And he just asked to spend the day together! It's not like it's an actual date." I explained.

"Suuuuuuuuure~!" They all said in sync.

"Isn't that what a date is, Lucy? Spending the day together?" Erza asked.

"Yeah, sounds like a date to me!" Levy said.

"Juvia thinks this is good for Lucy to forget about Sting. Juvia hopes that Salamander is nicer to Lucy." Juvia said.

"You people..." I said, trailing off. I don't even know anymore. I should've seen this coming. "Whatever. Anyways it seems you know about me breaking up with Sting and what just happened up there. So-

"Oh we most definitely know what happened up there!" Cana said.

"Would you please let me finish!" I said irritatingly. "Anyways," I took a deep breath, "I was just going to tell you that I was going to be hanging out with a friend. But since you've all gotten so excited over it and you all know I broke up with Sting, I don't have much to talk about anymore. So does anyone have anything particular to talk about?" I asked, hoping to change the subject. Maybe I hoped a little too much.

"Your date today? That'd be a nice thing to talk about!" Levy suggested.

"Juvia agrees." Juvia said.

"As do I." Erza added in.

"Count me in." Cana said.

And just when I thought I could change the subject. Oh well. This is going to be a long lunch.

Though the girls were absolutely annoying and exaggerated hanging out into a date, I did wonder what he was going to do. I'm pretty much up for anything, but if this is a date, which I hope it is, I don't want him to freak out. I hope he knows I'm rich so I don't really care for the fancy stuff. In fact, I'd just like to get out of the high formalities. They're so unnecessary!

My date is in two hours, I'm currently sitting in on a boring class thinking about what I'm going to do with him after school. I didn't think I'd put that much time into thinking about this. Really, what if he didn't think it was? And he was the one who asked me, so it's really his call!

I hope he's not an annoying womanizer, but from the few times I've spoken to him, he doesn't seem like that kind of guy. He's pretty nice and even a bit childish so I don't think I have to worry about him trying anything on me. And who knows, maybe he'll tell me his real name, if Salamander isn't it. I doubt it though, because it's such a big secret to everyone. I shouldn't worry about that yet.

Hopefully my date goes well! Until then, back to English class.