AN: Hello! :D This is my very first AU nalu story! :D First off, I want to say that this is partly inspired by MissyPlantina's Texting Fire (such a great story btw). Anyways, hope you all enjoy! Please leave a review! :D

Chapter 1

It was a bright and sunny morning in Magnolia. Birds were chirping their melodious tunes while luscious, green grass swayed side to side. Morning dew- which was sure to evaporate soon- was sprinkled upon each blade of grass, giving them well needed moisture. It was here in this small town where a blonde, teenage girl woke up with a frantic heart.

Lucy Heartfilia was a new resident in the town of Magnolia. She had spent all of her prior school years in a private all-girl school until a recent tragic event occurred. Now here she was, getting ready for her very first day in a public school. The girl was finally going to meet real people rather than the ones she used to be forced to affiliate with- the ones that were too obsessed with money and materials. While the teen was eager to begin a new life, she was undoubtedly nervous. What if people didn't like her? What if they just used her for her money?

Lucy pushed the negative thoughts aside and let out a sigh as she rummaged through her closet, looking for her new school uniform- which she had somehow already misplaced. The girl pushed past the boxes that were in the way- she still hadn't unpacked everything- and eventually a dark brown piece of fabric caught her eye.

"Alright, there's the skirt," she thought, "now I just have to find the rest of it."

In the end, Lucy managed to find the rest of her uniform, which was tucked away in one of her boxes, most likely misplaced when she was unpacking some of her clothes. Throwing it on, the girl began to admire her appearance in her mirror. She admired the calming brown color of the uniform rather than the bright red of her last uniform, which was just a way to show off that they had money.

Grabbing her hairbrush, Lucy then began to brush through her long locks of golden hair. She recalled when she lived with her father when she was forced to have one of their servants do her hair every day. Though he was a kind man- who for some reason had a weird habit of repeating the word "shrimp"- Lucy always wished to do everything herself. Too bad she had to suffer a great loss in order to do so.

Glancing at the clock, Lucy took in a deep breath. It was time to go. Thus, she grabbed her keys and finally left her quaint apartment, her heart beating faster and faster with each step.

"Well, it's time to see what a public school is like."

Lucy stared at the building in front of her with bright eyes and a beaming smile. It was nowhere near the size of her old school, and for some reason that seemed to excite her. It wasn't in the best of condition and she could swear she saw people fighting on the side, yet she already felt much more relaxed here than she ever did in the preppy school she used to attend.

"Wow, how exciting!"

Suddenly, the girl felt somebody run into her, causing her to fall to the ground with a thud.

"Oh, shit! My bad!" Lucy heard from behind. She turned around to face a boy with dark hair and equally dark eyes, holding a hand out to her to help her up.

A faint blush appeared on the girl's cheeks as she took his hand and stood up to face him. She had never had any real experiences with a boy and had never even spoken to one besides the servants at the mansion she used to reside in or the boys she was forced to meet by her father for possible future husbands.

"Sorry about running into you! I was just trying to get away from-"

"LOVE RIVAL!" a new voice cried out. Lucy turned to face a girl who appeared her age with long, wavy locks of blue hair.

"Shit. Well, gotta run!"

And with that, the two ran off, leaving Lucy to wonder what just happened.

"So this is what public schools are like."

"Why hello there," a short, old man greeted Lucy as she entered the main office.

"H-Hi," Lucy replied, bowing to the older gentleman. "My name is Lucy Heartfilia and I just transferred here. I came here for my schedule. Are you the principal?"

"Indeed I am! You may call me Principal Makarov! And this is my wonderful secretary, Mirajane!"

"Hello there," a younger woman greeted with a wave of her hand. She looked to be only a few years older than Lucy with long, wavy locks of silver hair. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of blue. "You can call me Mira!"

"Wow, she's pretty," Lucy thought as she returned the secretary's wave with a smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"Here is your schedule! I'll be the one to show you to all of your classes!"

"Okay!"

And with that, the two were off to find Lucy's first class, which was apparently math. Lucy inwardly sighed as math was always her least favorite subject. Sure, she had always gotten good grades, but it was still a horrendously boring and hard subject. When the two girls finally approached the classroom, Lucy's breath hitched. It was time for her very first class in a public school.

"Here you go!" Mira exclaimed as she opened the door. "Just introduce yourself to the teacher and let him take it from there! I'll be waiting here after the period ends in case you need help to your next class. Good luck!"

With that said, Lucy slowly brought her shaky hand up to the door and opened it, her insides turning into jelly from sheer nervousness. Walking in the room, the girl could hear hushed whispers of questions or statements. The girl was too shy to look at any of her new classmates and instead made her way to the teacher.

"Hello, I am Lucy Heartfilia. I'm a new student," she said with a bow.

"Nice to meet ya! My name is Wakaba! Just take a seat at that empty desk over there!" the teacher replied with a welcoming smile.

Lucy did as she was told and took her seat, which was in between a boy with orange hair and glasses and a girl with dazzling scarlet hair. She tried to pay attention to Wakaba's lesson, but found herself dozing off easily. Not wanting to fall asleep on her first day and make a bad first impression with the teacher, the blonde decided to doodle in her notebook as an attempt to stay awake.

Finally, a loud bell rang throughout the school, signaling that class was over. Lucy hurriedly packed her things so as to not keep Mira waiting when she felt a warm hand grab her own. The girl looked to find it was the boy that sat next to her holding onto her.

"Why, you are the most magnificent woman I have ever laid eyes on," he said, pushing his glasses up more on the bridge of his nose. "My name is Loke. Yours is Lucy, correct? Ahh, what a spectacular name! It brings my heart such joy hearing it-"

"Loke, leave her alone so she can get to her next class without being late," the red-headed girl chimed in, giving a serious aura. "It is nice to meet you, Lucy. My name is Erza Scarlet."

"Wow, her last name is the color of her hair, that's cool!" Lucy thought.

"It's nice to meet you too!" she finally replied, nervous but also joyed to be talking to someone on her first day.

"What class are you going to next?"

Lucy looked at her schedule and replied, "Umm, it looks like I've got creative writing next!"

"Oh, splendid. I have a friend in that class, I will walk you and introduce you to her."

The girl beamed at the red-head in front of her and eagerly nodded her head. Once they exited the classroom, Lucy explained to Mira that Erza would be walking her instead and the two girls made their way towards their destination, all the while chatting. Apparently Erza was the Student Council president and was the captain of many sports teams, her favorite being kendo. Lucy was amazed at the girl's impressive feats and considered joining some clubs herself.

When the two made it to the classroom, Lucy followed Erza as they walked towards a petite girl with a bright shade of blue hair.

"Levy, this is Lucy Heartfilia. She just transferred here. Can you show her to her next class after this?" Erza politely asked.

Levy nodded her head and shooed the president out so she wouldn't be late to her next class. Then she focused all of her attention on the blonde in front of her.

"Hiya!" she greeted with a cute wink. "My name is Levy! Do you like writing stories!?"

"E-Eh? Why do you ask?" Lucy inquired, her face gaining warmth by the second as her secret was being revealed.

"Because everyone that takes this class loves to either write or read! Or they're just here for an easy credit. But you don't look like that kind of person!"

"I-I guess I like writing…"

"Great! Since we're friends now, can I read some of your stories!?"

Lucy's eyes widened as a smile crept to her face. "F-Friends? I haven't finished my story, though!"

"Then let me be the first to read it when you finish! I'm a terrible writer but I love reading!"

Lucy beamed at the girl and replied, "Deal!"

The two girls then chatted about anything and everything. Apparently Levy wasn't into any sports, but was a part of the most elite students of the school with a magnificent 4.0 GPA. Even Lucy couldn't compete with her intelligence. Lucy then caught Levy getting distracted from their conversation as her gaze went towards the back of the classroom. Lucy followed her gaze until her eyes landed on a scruffy looking boy in the back of the class with long, unruly black hair and a bunch of metal piercings.

"Do you like him?" Lucy asked with a smirk, the answer to her question being painfully clear.

"W-What are you talking about, Lu-chan!?" the petite girl replied, frantically waving her arms in the air. "Don't be stupid!"

"Whatever you say, Levy-chan!"

With that, the bell rang and class began. Introductions were short with Lucy's teacher, Virgo. Lucy could tell she was an eccentric teacher, the most noticeable clue being her pink hair. Unlike her previous class, the girl found herself able to stay awake and fully function. Writing was her passion, her dream. It was what she had aspired to do since she was a child. The blonde always loved to read- especially since there wasn't much to do when she was locked away in that horrid mansion- and eventually reading wasn't enough for her so she picked up a pen and went to work on writing her first novel at the age of nine, though it was horrendous.

When creative writing ended, Lucy was beyond relieved to find that Lucy had chemistry with Levy next. They got to class quickly and hurriedly finished introductions with their teacher, Macao. Looking around the room, Lucy saw that the boy that bumped into her earlier was also in this class, along with the girl that labeled her as "Love Rival." Shrugging it off, the blonde went to her seat by Levy and talked to her new best friend once again.

The rest of the school day was a blur, as Lucy didn't have any more classes with Levy. She hadn't made any friends besides Erza and Levy, but that didn't matter. These two girls were the only real friends she's ever had, and she's only just met them. It didn't matter how many friends one has as long as they are real.

Thus, Lucy found herself walking home with a bright smile plastered on her face. She was undoubtedly exhausted from her first, long day at school, but it was fun nonetheless. Stepping into her new apartment, the girl was once again bombarded with loneliness. Walking towards her bed, the teen picked up a picture frame off of her nightstand, next to which was her bed. In the picture was her along with her parents and an old doll she used to have. Picking up a pen and a piece of paper, Lucy began to write a letter.

"Hello, Mama," she wrote, "it's been a short while since I wrote to you last. I just attended my first day at a public school! I used to always ask you and Dad to let me go to a public school, but you guys always said no. Anyways, it was really fun! I finally made my first friends today, Erza and Levy-chan! Levy-chan is going to read my story when I'm done with it! I wish you could've done the same. Anyways, give my regards to Dad. I love and miss you both."

With that, Lucy hopped into bed with a wistful smile, missing her parents but also happy with her circumstances. Sure, it was lonely when she came home to an empty apartment, and she would trade anything to be a happy family with them all once again. But for the first time since their deaths, Lucy finally felt happy. She could only hope that happiness would last.

AN: Don't worry, Natsu will be joining the story very soon, so stick around! :D