CHAPTER 1

Living is a curse.

I sometimes wonder if the world we live in actually is Hell. A sphere compact with the greediest, most selfish and corrupt human beings. That all we are, are tortured souls stuffed into a hollow shell, expected to live out our sins for a century until finally we're released from this sentencing.

I do believe there's good in the world.

But the bad just seems so much greater.

"This part of your essay was fantastic." Mr. Clive spoke, holding a paper in hand, "I just worry your words come from a deeper scale than just your imagination."

In front of his desk stood a young, timid blonde. Lucy Heartfilia. She seemed to be looking around the room quite uncomfortably; her body locked into a tense and squeezed position.

Gildarts stared at her, awaiting a response yet none came. He let out a sigh and let the morbid literature fall onto the wooden surface. "Listen," He leaned forward, causing the girl to step backwards. "I understand High School is hard, but it'll get better. Okay?"

Lucy nodded with a swallow. Her fingers picked at the strap of her bag nervously, "Can I… go?" She asked with an almost inaudible voice.

The teacher pursed his lips and nodded, leaning back in defeat, "Yes." Without delay, Lucy walked toward the door and he gave a long breath, "Please shut the door on your way out."
Slam!

Gildarts stared at the ceiling of his quiet and empty classroom. His eyes turned toward the window where he saw the football field and the bleachers surrounding it. "High School." He shook his head, sitting up straight as he looked down at his papers. "Poor kids."

. . .

During the hours of Lunch, one could find the smell of smoke and the sound of Led Zepplin blaring from underneath the bleachers. It was the home place for what everyone knew as the "delinquents" of the school. Or the so-called cool kids with their all-black attire and band t-shirts.

"My mom was going fucking nuts last night." Cana said, tapping the ash off of her cigarette, "Said she found all the liquor I'd been stealing from her in my room or whatever."

Levy wrapped Gajeel's large arms over her small torso, "So what'd she do?" The bluenette giggled as her raven-haired boyfriend cupped her tiny breasts. "Call the Priest?"

"Believe it or not, yeah." Cana sucked in a large black cloud, blowing it between her lips. "They got this whole bullshit 'meeting' for me after school. They say 'Jesus can help you.'" The brunette chuckled, "Little do they know I gave that priest a nice ol' handy right before the seminar two weeks ago."

The group vibrated with laughter. "Hell's probably got a special place for you, Cana." Gray snickered, propped up against one of the metal poles.

"You and that blue-haired whore of yours will join me." Cana bit at him.

Juvia wrapped her arms around Gray's stomach with a laugh, "Aw don't be so sour because you constantly have to go searching for dick to quench your thirst." Juvia smiled as Gray turned to face her. He leaned down and lightly pressed his lips against hers. "We can't all be so lucky to be satisfied with just one."

"Natsu, you get me don't you?" Cana turned her eyes to the pink haired male leaned up against a pillar.

His onyx eyes looked up to view his group of friends as a lit cigarette rested between his lips. He took out the white stick and gazed at it, blowing out a breath of smoke. "What the hell are you guys talking about?"

"You and Natsu are totally not on the same level." Levy snickered.

"While you go out beggin for dick," Gajeel spoke, taking his cigarette out and putting it in his girlfriend's mouth. "Natsu here's only gotta sit and look pretty and the bitches come runnin."

Cana hissed at their laughter, "Not all of us were born with stupidly great genes."

Gray grinned at the brunette, "Aw don't be upset, Cana." He wrapped his arm around Juvia's neck, "You've still got shit goin for you." He cupped his chest and winked.

The brunette threw her cigarette at the teasing boy, "Fuck off."

The group laughed at the fuming girl. Gajeel's eyes wandered over to the fence that blocked them from the track and saw an unfamiliar sight. "Looks like someone got lost." The raven-haired male snickered, gaining everyone else's attention.

Levy narrowed her sights onto the blonde intruder, "Oh." She leaned back into Gajeel's chest, "That's Lucy Heartfilia. Harmless but a little weird."

"Yeah I know her. The bitch is fuckin' creepy." Gajeel sucked in one last breath of smoke before diminishing the lit stick beneath his feet. "I'll go mess with her a bit."

Levy frowned as he began walking away, "Gajeel stop." She hissed though her metal-faced boyfriend did not obey. "God why do you go around looking for fucking trouble?"

The buff male slowly approached the shorter female who seemed to be in a daze. She was just staring forward even though there was nothing in front of her. Gajeel lifted his brow at the strange behavior and slowly waved his hand in front of her blank face. After a few seconds, her body bounced back into reality and she stepped back fast.

"Welcome back." Gajeel grinned widely, "Do you know where you wandered into?"

Lucy clenched her teeth and looked down. She shook her head with no audible response.

The raven haired bully sighed, "This area ain't a place for creepy shits like you. Get me?"

The blonde nodded, her eyes shut tightly.

Gajeel seemed to find her unwavering fear rather amusing and empowering. "I'm not gonna hurt cha." His hand slapped down onto her books, causing paper to fly everywhere. "Oh man." He tilted his head, "Sorry it slipped."

Lucy bent down and started to pick up her stuff immediately. She attempted to grab her textbook but her trembling hands caused it to slip right through her fingers. Her ankle bent and she fell onto her knees. Gajeel let out a loud laugh at her mess, "Damn it's really as they say." He put his foot over her textbook before she could grab it. "You're a fuckin clutz."

The blonde averted her fearful gaze and kept her hands on her textbook. Gajeel frowned at her lack of response. Slowly, he removed his shoe from the book and she immediately brought the literature back into her arms. Lucy stood up, not bothering to pick up the rest of her stuff, and walked away at a noticeably quick speed.

Everyone witnessing the scene started to chuckle at the pathetic girl. Except Levy. The short bluenette sighed in annoyance at everyone else's cruelty. She walked quickly up to Gajeel who was laughing the loudest. Levy bent down and started picking up the rest of her boyfriend's timid victim's things. "You didn't have to do that." She stood up with Lucy's items resting in her arms. "She's just as strange as the rest of us. Don't go around acting like a fucking prick."

Gajeel snickered at her anger, "Aw c'mon shrimp." He attempted to reach out but she violently slapped his hand away. "Levy! Nobody likes the bitch anyway. What're you acting all admirable for?"

Levy rolled her eyes and walked past him, "Nobody liked you either." She started turning the corner of the bleachers, "But that didn't fucking matter to me."

Gray whistled at the scene as Gajeel was left standing stunned. "Damn." He wrapped his arms around Juvia's shoulders. "Levy's pissed."

Gajeel gave Gray a vicious glare, "Shut up."

. . .

Levy walked through the hallways as the bell rang for class. Students flocked from every corner of the school, instantly flooding the corridor. The short girl made her way through the crowd and found her steps stopping at a classroom. She opened the door and looked around the room where very few students were present. Then her sights set onto a familiar color of gold sitting in the very back corner of the room.

The bluenette sucked in a breath and straightened out her back before walking in the blonde's direction. Slowly, her tiny body slid into the desk in front of Lucy's and she placed the rest of the girl's things onto her table. Lucy's brown eyes met Levy's almost immediately. The blonde seemed to wince at Levy's growing kind smile and she looked away, her hair covering her face.

"I'm sorry about Gajeel." Levy spoke softly, leaning in closer as Lucy backed up into her seat. "He only picks on people because he's insecure. In reality, he's only bullying himself. But I know shit like that can hurt so I'm sorry."

Lucy nodded slowly, picking at the wood nervously. Every motion she made seemed so anxious, so full of fear and unease. Levy softened her gaze at the incredibly timorous blonde. The bluenette looked to the stack of books and lifted her brow at the top one. "Finnegans Wake, huh?" She picked up the piece of literature, "They say this is one of the hardest books to read. I finished it in 7th grade." She smiled a bit and looked up to Lucy. The blonde seemed to stare at the short bookworm with an awed gaze but immediately averted it when their eyes met. "I haven't met a lot of people who voluntarily read this."

Lucy shrugged, bowing her head low so Levy could see nothing but the top of her blonde head. Levy leaned in, "Can you talk to me?"

Hesitantly, Lucy nodded, "… Yes."

"Y'now, I'm not like those guys." The bluenette leaned her arms onto Lucy's desk, "And I know they all seem harsh but they really do mean well. They're all just a little…" She sighed, "… Strange."

Lucy's eyes glistening with a blessed innocence immediately looked up at the sound of that word. "Strange." She whispered. "… I see."

Levy looked around a bit and then back down to Lucy who seemed to be staring at the book Levy was still holding. The bluenette smiled, "Hey." She put the book down, "Do you want to hang out?"

Lucy seemed as though she didn't know how to react or respond. Instead she stared with almost fearful eyes. "N-No." She said instantly, shaking her head. "I'm… sorry."

Levy lifted her brows, not expecting that response. And then she chuckled a bit, "No, huh." She let out a sigh, "I'm not gonna force you to hang out with me then. You probably have your own friends."

"No." Lucy responded immediately. Her fingers were picking at her nails as her eyes were focused on the harmful activity. "I don't have friends."

The blue-haired student blinked softly at her response. Then she tilted her head a bit, "How about this." Levy swiped Finnegans Wake and put it into her own bag. "If you want this back, meet me under the bleachers after school. And then maybe… if you just happen to change your mind," Levy started standing up as other students started filing into the classroom, "We can go get some lunch."

Then the bluenette disappeared, the tardy bell rang, and Lucy was left stunned.

Gildarts saw Lucy in the corner and watched as Levy left the classroom. He smiled a bit at the events and saw Lucy staring at the window.

Perhaps this was the start of something good for her.

Though, as soon as the final bell of the day rang, Lucy was forced into her panic mode oncemore. Many questions boiled in her brain as she'd never been confronted with such a situation before. The possibility of Levy tricking her rolled over her mind several times.

People were scary.

She wasn't sure of what they were thinking but they all seemed to be mean to her at one point. Lucy knew it was probably her own fault. She'd learned quite a few times she was much different than those who surrounded her. Growing up she was always weaker, always weirder, always lonelier, always the one who played an easy victim.

Perhaps it was her own fault for being so timid. But she couldn't help it.

As she said time and time again…

People were really scary.

Though, for some reason, the blonde found herself giving into the bluenette's kindness. She walked toward the bleachers, heart racing and palms sweating. Levy was probably waiting there with her friends. They would probably laugh at her. There would probably be a reason for it that she'd never come to understand.

Then she turned the corner seeing nothing but one single entity. Levy. The short bluenette was propped up against one of the poles, smoking a cigarette as her eyes were focused on the football practice. In her hand was Lucy's book.

The blonde didn't speak, she just walked forward and stood there. She didn't want to say anything wrong. She was scared.

Levy looked to her side and then did a double take, caught off guard by Lucy's sudden and completely silent appearance. "Oh." She took the stick out from her mouth, letting out a final gray breath before smashing it beneath her foot. "I actually didn't think you were gonna show up."

Lucy widened her eyes at the sentence and immediately looked down. "I-I'm sorry… I'll go… I-"

"No, no. That's not what I meant." Levy snickered, "You rejected me easily before. I thought maybe I was being too pushy." The bluenette smiled and held out the book, "Though, its not everyday you meet someone who's into the same books as you. So I suppose my curiosity got the best of me."

Lucy reached out to grab the literature but before her fingers to could grip onto it, Levy pulled it back. The bluenette grinned, "Lunch. Then book."

The blonde stared at Levy, nearly crying. "… But…"

"Do you not want to?" The bluenette blinked at her teary eyes, "Hey, you don't gotta cry about it. I was just teasing a bit."

"I-I'm sorry…" Lucy shook her head.

Levy pursed her lips at the sniffling blonde, "Hey, no it's okay. Look I should be sorry." The blue-haired girl held out the book again, "I really wanted to make up for what Gajeel did before. And I got an interest in you. Thought we could talk a bit." Levy snickered, "People say I'm weird because I'm too friendly and pushy with people I don't know."

Weird. The familiar word repeated itself in Lucy's head. "I'm…" She grabbed onto the book and pulled it into her chest. "… Weird too."

Levy hummed a bit at the growing reactions. She grinned, "Yeah but y'know, I think it's a compliment. It just means we're not like the rest of this shitty and fake society." The bluenette stared at the sky almost inspired, "In the end, we're the ones livin life to its real potentional. We're… the unique ones. Yeah, unique and fuckin badass."

The blonde stared at Levy for a moment.

The bluenette turned and met her brown gaze. And for once, Lucy didn't turn away. Well at least for a solid 6 seconds. "I can't tell what you're thinking." Levy snickered, "It's actually driving me fucking insane. I'm pretty good at reading people."

Lucy was looking away, not at anything in particular, just anything but solid eye contact. "I'm so-"

"You gotta stop apologizing." Levy yawned, stuffing her fingers into her jacket. "I'm not saying it's a bad thing. It just makes you more interesting."

The blonde nodded timidly. Stop talking. She yelled at herself. She always just seemed to say the wrong thing.

Levy sighed through the awkward silence and slowly came to a full stand, kicking a pebble on the ground. "So listen," She nudged her head to the side, "There's this cool joint not far from here. They've got some good food and nice music." The bluenette stepped closer, "It's my treat?"

"Your… treat?" Lucy tilted her head at the unknown phrase.

Levy fought back the urge to laugh at this chick's obliviousness. "I'll pay." She said, "Whattdya say?"

The immediate response that popped into Lucy's mind was to say no. But she thought about it for a moment and curled her fingers around her book. 10 seconds of courage. The words echoed in her brain. 10 seconds. Slowly, the blonde nodded.

Levy lifted her brows at the acceptance and she let out a laugh, "Yeah?" The bluenette glistened with excitement, "Alright cool!" She smiled walking toward the front entrance, "Follow me then."

Lucy did as told. The two were brought to the parking lot where Levy seemed to lead her to a beat up, junk car. The short student looked up and saw an absolutely terrified expression on her blonde companion's face. She snickered a bit, gaining Lucy's attention. "Don't worry, I've been driving it for a year now." She opened the car and slid in, opening Lucy's door. "Come on in."

Awkwardly, the blonde bent down and squeezed into the creaky vehicle. Her whole body tensed as she sat down, sitting in an obviously anxious position. Levy noticed the behavior but decided to ignore it. Her fingers went though the cd case underneath her seat as Lucy struggled to close the car door.

"How about David Bowie? Or are you more of a Grimes type of girl?" Levy question, looking through the circular items.

Lucy looked around nervously for an answer, "U-Um…" She looked to her knees and started scratching at the pale flesh. "I-I don't know what that is."

Levy lifted her brows at the confession, "Alright." She nodded, "Okay, that's cool. That's cool." Her fingers slipped out one of the cds and forced it into the car's player, "Bowie it is then."

As the blue-haired girl started the car, Lucy was hit with a wave of music. Instantly, the blonde covered her ears at the loudness and vibrating bass. Levy took no notice and started driving, singing the words as she tapped her fingers on the wheel.

Lucy looked out the window to the passing city and then back to the pretty blue-haired driver. She watched the girl rock her body to the beat of the music. The blonde watched the movements carefully and tried to repeat them. She awkwardly attempted to copy Levy's actions but ended up completely off beat.

The bluenette looked to her side and saw Lucy plugging her ears, intensively trying to move her body to the music. As though it were some sort of extreme equation. Levy chuckled a bit at the girl, "So cute." She hummed watching Lucy obliviously moving, trying to copy her own movements. Levy reached out and turned down the music, "You know, it's harder to dance when you can't hear the music." She yelled.

Lucy blinked and removed her hands at the sound of Levy's voice. She looked to Levy, "What?"

Levy looked to the road and then back to Lucy with a chuckle, "I was just saying… well…" She looked at the road and came to a stop at the light. Levy turned to Lucy, "Have you never listened to music before?"

"Well…" Lucy bunched up her sleeves and started squeezing them, unsure of what response to give. She didn't want Levy to dislike her or be mean to her. "… I…"

"Hey relax." Levy smiled, "I'm not gonna judge you for anything alright. So don't look like I'm bullying you."

Lucy nodded quickly like an obeying dog. The blonde looked up at the street, "My… my dad doesn't like music. So I don't listen to it."

Levy nodded slowly with a whistle, "Sounds like grouchy guy."

The blonde looked at the bluenette, nearly shocked. Levy looked to Lucy and saw her stunned expression, "What?" Levy raised a brow.

"Um…" Lucy scratched her cheek, "… I was just thinking… Nobody's said that about him before. And… I just… I agree."

Levy looked at Lucy, "Yeah?" She chuckled, pressing onto the gas, "My old man is a pain in the ass too. He hates Gajeel so he's always on my ass about it. Telling me I'm a delinquent and shit." The bluenette sighed, "The teenage angst is real."

Lucy didn't know how to respond so she simply stayed quiet and nodded silently, her eyes awkwardly peering out her window. Levy could pretty much feel the anxiety flaming off of her new acquaintance.

Didn't seem like the blonde was lying.

She really didn't have friends.

Or perhaps wasn't used to confrontation with people she didn't know.

But it was Lucy Heartfilia. She was that one weird kid at school everyone knew but nobody actually talked to. She was the person always made fun of because their reactions were funny or simply since they had no friends, it was easier to pick on them and receive no back lashing. Levy doubted she was used to this kind of friendliness. She actually wouldn't blame the blonde if she said no all together. People were mean. Lucy probably thought she was setting her up, being the girlfriend of her previous bully and all.

But hey, such was life.

"We're here." Levy spoke, turning her car into a parking spot. With a creaky stop, Levy put the car in park and shut off the ignition.

Lucy felt her heart racing. Why did she agree to this? What if she said something wrong? What if she messes up? She was stupid and weird. This was the first time someone was this nice to her.

No. No what if this was a set up? What if she was just being mean?

No, she didn't want that. She would be called stupid again. For falling for it.

"Hey." The bluenette's voice chimed through Lucy's raging demons, "Are you okay?"

Lucy looked completely pale, sick almost. She was breathing heavily, her fingers clutching hard on the seat. The blonde shook her head, "I want to go home."

Levy went silent for a moment, "… Okay." She spoke awkwardly, looking around, "Are you sure? You might feel better if you eat something."

"… I…" Lucy shut her eyes, "… I don't understand why you're nice to me."

Levy lifted her brows, fully expecting this moment but not this soon. "Well…" The bluenette shrugged with a sigh, "Do I need a reason to be nice to you?" She looked to her keys, "Look, I don't want to make you uncomfortable. So if you want to go, I'll take you home." She grinned, "But this place makes really good milkshakes. And I think it would be cruel if I didn't introduce you to them."

"… I um." Lucy slowly released her grip on the seats. She looked to Levy who seemed to have a genuine expression. "I don't want to go in."

The blue-haired girl nodded slowly, "Okay." Her fingers picked up her keys, "I'll take you home then."

"I don't…" Lucy spoke but lowered her voice almost immediately, "… I don't want to go home."

Levy rubbed her lips together, not quite understanding Lucy's train of thought. "That's fine." She nodded, "We can just hang out here if you want."

Lucy nodded timidly, "I'm sorry."

Levy snickered at the 50th apology, "It's okay, it's fine." She moved the lever to her seat back, lounging as she removed her seatbelt. "So…" She looked up to the ceiling of her car, raising her feet up onto the dashboard. "What do ya want to talk about?"

No response.

Levy looked to the blonde seeing Lucy was looking out of the window, clearly very out of her comfort zone.

Figured, Levy chuckled.

The bluenette looked to Lucy's papers and folders on top of the dashboard beside her feet. Levy focused onto one of the papers sticking out, an essay entitled, "Fear beyond Control." She was interested. Without asking, the short girl leaned out and grabbed onto the item.

Lucy widened her eyes at the action and looked to Levy as the pushy girl started reading it. She wanted to shout 'no' but what if she got mad? The blonde stayed silent.

After a couple silent seconds went by, Levy's eyebrows lifted. She started nodding slowly, "Damn." She blinked, looking up to Lucy, "This is really good. I remember Mr. Clive correcting this when I was at Cana's. I didn't know you wrote it though." She looked back down to it, "I'm really impressed."

"Thank… uh thank you." Lucy stuttered, erupting in a pink blush. She looked away and had the urge to cover her face. How was she supposed to react to such a compliment?

"You should try voicing your opinions." Levy said, "You're real smart. A lot smarter than you put off."

Lucy swallowed and nodded. Was that an order? But she couldn't. Would that offend Levy if she couldn't? No. No she didn't want to make her mad.

"Y'know, I think I really like you." Levy said, seemingly shocking the blonde greatly. "What do you say we do stuff like this more often?"

Lucy tried to open her mouth and say words but none would come out. The blonde swallowed and looked down, nodding. It started out as a slow nod but then got faster. And faster. Until it almost seemed desperate.

Levy stared at the blonde for a moment with a soft smile. The girl probably had a lot of problems. But Lucy seemed like fun. And if anyone would be able to really get to know the infamous Lucy Heartfilia, it would be her.

"Tomorrow then?" Levy sat up with a smile, "We could go get those milkshakes for real."

Lucy swallowed, clearly overwhelmed. She hadn't had a so-called "acquaintance" in a long time. Levy knew she clearly didn't have her newly founded friend's trust. And by the looks of it, it would take a long time before she could even taste it.

But Levy was determined.

She would get it.

"This was fun." Levy continued as she picked up her keys. "I'll take you home now then."

No response, as usual. The bluenette twisted the key in the ignition, getting a start up but no full response. She tried again, but to no avail. "Fucking hell." Levy hissed under her breath at the faulty vehicle. "God this is some horrible luck."

Lucy flinched at the agitated female, pressing her shoulder into the window as she tried to get further and further away from the anger. Levy pulled out her phone with a long irritated sigh and pressed a few numbers before placing it next to her ear. She continued trying to turn the car on but there was no winning result.

"Hey." Levy suddenly spoke, moving the phone to her other ear. "My car's fucked. Could you help me out?" A couple seconds of silence and muffled muttering from the phone's speaker went by before the bluenette spoke again. "Cool. Okay, thanks. Bye."

Levy removed the phone from her ear and she stared at it with a long exhale. "Sorry." The blue-haired girl finally said, looking to Lucy, "Looks like you've got some bad luck, huh?"

"How…" Lucy looked around almost fearfully, "… How am I going to get home?"

Levy chuckled at her overwhelmed state, "Hey, hey it's all good. Gajeel's comin' to get us."

"I have… I have to get home." Lucy started breathing harder and opened the car door. "Daddy will get mad."

Levy held her laugh back at the sound of 'daddy.' The bluenette got out of the car and yelled after the a-wall blonde. "Calm down!" She yelled out as Lucy got onto the sidewalk, "Gajeel will be soon. He's literally down the stre-"

Suddenly, the sound of a running engine caught her ear and Levy looked over her shoulder to an approaching red truck. The bluenette saw Gajeel's smirk through the windshield and she smiled, turning back to the blonde who was still walking away, "Hey! Hey stop! They're here!"

Lucy turned around and saw big red vehicle. Levy seemed to be running after her, approaching in pants. "Hey." The bluenette patted Lucy's shoulder, "It's okay. Let us drive you home. You'll get there faster."

The blonde shook her head, "I don't like him." She said in an almost whisper, afraid he would hear. Her fingers curled around her small biceps, squeezing and scratching. She felt sick. She wanted to walk away. Leave. She felt trapped. So completely trapped.

Levy saw Lucy's very near panic attack seeping through her glossy-eyed expression. The bluenette let out a long and soft breath. "You can trust me." She said, holding out her hand, "Have I given you a reason not to?"

The blonde stared at the palm. She blinked for a second, her heart racing. Lucy slowly reached out and squeezed her fingers against Levy's. The blue-haired girl widened her eyes at the acceptance. And quickly she melted into a smile as Lucy averted any sort of eye contact. "You're too cute." She chuckled.

Before Lucy could question the compliment, Levy tugged her forward. The blonde nearly fell over with the force but quickly stumbled into a balanced walk. The duo found their way to the loudly running vehicle. Levy looked into the passenger seat window and was shocked to see it was taken.

The bluenette let out a long groan, knowing two complete dicks would probably be too overwhelming for her timid blonde rabbit. She opened the back door and her glare narrowed its sights onto Gajeel. "What the fuck is Natsu doing here?" Levy hissed as she climbed into the tall vehicle.

Her head turned to face Lucy who was still standing outside. The blonde had never seen a truck so big. How was she supposed to get in? What if she tripped? What if she made a fool of herself like she always seemed to do? But then, she saw the same extended hand she took before. Levy stood at the enterance holding out her grip, "I'll help you up." She smiled.

"I picked 'im up from Gray's." Gajeel answered her rather rudely toned question. "'Parrently, Juvia came in raging about Gray and some cheerleader bitch." He snickered, "Can't believe he puts up with all of her irrelevant shit."

"Hmm..." Levy rolled her eyes, pulling in Lucy with a powerful tug. "It's almost like how I constantly have to put up with yours."

"Y'know shrimp, I think a better question is," He turned around, his cold eyes attaching to the blonde stranger in his back. "Why the hell is Fiore's least like-able reject in my back seat?"

Lucy looked down. Her heart was racing. She had an urge to cry and to pass out. She didn't want to be here! Levy saw the near-to-tears blonde tighten up, "You're one strike away from a sexless relationship." She said in a tone Gajeel knew far too well. The dark tone of Satan's mistress. When Levy's finally reached her limit with him. "And two strikes from no relationship at all."

"Okay fuck." He moved his hand through his hair with a growl and pulled the car into drive. "I wouldn't have to come pick your sorry asses up if you'd get your damn car fixed."

"This is the first time it's broken down!" Levy countered immediately, as though they'd had this fight countless times. "It's not my fault my parents are cheap."

Lucy rubbed her thighs nervously. What an intense relationship. The blonde wondered if this was what it was like to have friends. Just constantly fight? Lucy couldn't fight. So then what? Was that why she had no friends?

"Can you guys save this for later?" Natsu interjected with an annoyed tone. Lucy flinched. She'd never heard him talk let alone been within 10 feet of him.

Both Levy and Gajeel swallowed the rest of their arguments irritably. "Oh!" Levy immediately changed tones, "Natsu." The bluenette looked to Lucy who looked as though she was 2 seconds from passing out. "This is Lucy."

Natsu looked into the rearview mirror and saw nothing but the top of a blonde, bowing head. Disinterested, he looked back to the car window. No response from either of them. Levy frowned. This was going to be harder than she thought.

"You need to drop Lucy off." The bluenette remembered.

Gajeel hissed, "I need to do what?"

"Gajeel." Levy scolded harshly.

"Fine." He said in a sarcastic sigh. "Where do you live?" He looked into the rearview. No response. Lucy just sat there, her face staring downwards. "Hey Levs, kinda hard to do that when the bitch doesn't talk."

Levy gorund her teeth together at her boyfriend's unnecessary cruelty. She touched Lucy's shoulder lightly, "Can you tell us where you live so we can take you home?"

"What's with that?" Gajeel shook his head, "You're treating her like a damn pet. She's not a rabbit."

Levy brushed his commentary off with a sigh, "Just ignore him."

"Next left..." Lucy said almost inaudibly.

Levy smiled at the response and turned to Gajeel with excitement, "Next left!"

The heavily pierced male lifted his brows at Levy's visible elation. Getting so hyped over a chick she didn't even talk to before he messed with her... That was so like her it almost made him grin. Almost.

The bluenette listened to the rest of the directions, giving them out until Gajeel had general idea of where he was headed. Then the car grew a bit silent with music playing at a low volume in the background. "So," Levy leaned forward, staring at Natsu. "What girl was Juvia talking about?"

The pink-haired male closed his eyes, "I don't know." He leaned further into the seat, "I left through the window before the bitch even came into his room."

Levy lifted her brows, "Do you think she was serious?"

"Who cares?" Natsu shook his head.

Gajeel punched Natsu's shoulder at his cold behavior towards his girl. "All I'm sayin is she'd do just about anything for his attention." He shook his head, "Who'd want to deal with a chick so damn suffocating?"

"Maybe that's why you've been single your whole life." Gajeel snickered, "Relationships are all about attention."

"Natsu's just cocky." Levy laughed, patting the handsome boy's shoulder. "He's never had to fight for a girl's attention before. So he just doesn't get it."

"Better than bickering about every damn thing like you two." Natsu bit back a bit more playfully.

Levy wrapped her arms around Gajeel's chair, connecting her hands at his chest. "It's okay to be jealous. Good girls are hard to find."

"And you're a good girl?" Gajeel snickered, "Yeah, say that again when your mouth is-"

"Okay!" Levy immediately cut him off and snuck a look back to her timid friend. To her surprise, Lucy seemed somewhat amused. Or at least far more than when she was head-down and shaking. The blonde was staring at them. Levy wondered what was going through her head. She could read when the girl was scared or nervous, but granted that was pretty much Lucy's entire personality. What was she really thinking? Did she like them? Or hate them? Or maybe neither?

"What about you?" Levy immediately dragged Lucy into the conversation, both boys completely forgetting about her existence. "Have you had any boyfriends, Lucy?"

The blonde swallowed and immediately looked down. Like always. She curled her fists and shook her head. Gajeel saw the action through the rearview. "None, huh?" He chuckled, "That's not shocking."

Levy slammed her fist hard into his head. "Sorry that was a pretty invasive question." She apologized, getting closer. "Boyfriends are overrated anyway." She got close. Really close and whispered, "Girlfriends are way better."

Lucy instantly enflamed in a red blush. The blonde shook her head, "I-I'm not... I! I..."

Levy tilted her head back laughing, "God Lucy you're too cute!" She shook her head, wiping a tear from her eye at her own joke. "I'm just playing."

"O-oh..." Lucy nodded awkwardly. She pressed her lips together and looked away with an insanely heated face from her own embarrassment. Of course it was a joke! God, she was so stupid! "Sorry... I'm...S-"

"Sorry? Yes I am fully aware." Levy snickered, patting her back. Lucy seemed to widen her eyes at the action. She saw Levy do that several times to Gajeel and Natsu. Slowly, her fingers wrapped around her shoulder. It felt very friendly... playful. As though Levy had just moved one step further into their relationship. What a strange thing. A single action seemed to determined Levy's level of comfort with her. "Anyway," The bluenette continued, "Tomorrow-"

"Hey Levs..." Gajeel said with a whistle, "Looks like Princess over here has arrived at her castle."

Levy lifted a brow at the weird sentence but once she looked out the window, she completely understood the context. Outside was probably the most enormous house she'd ever seen. For a moment, she thought it was an apartment complex until she saw the large golden gate that said "Heartfilia" across it.

"Damn," was the only word she could muster.

Lucy opened the car door and immediately fumbled down. Levy held the door open so the blonde couldn't just silently leave and be done with them like Levy knew she would. "I really liked hanging out with you." The bluenette held out a hand full of papers. It took a second for Lucy to focus but once she did, she saw those papers were actually her essays. "So if you want these back, let's set up another date tomorrow." She winked, shutting the door before Lucy could even gather up a thought.

The blonde was then left in silence as they drove away.

Tomorrow?

Lucy found it hard to believe but she was actually looking forward to it. But she really hoped those two wouldn't be there. Especially Natsu. The blonde felt her stomach churn just at the thought.

On second thought, maybe... it would be better if she didn't talk to them at all. These people... any kind of people... they were just too much.

The radio was now blasting inside Gajeel's car as they drove on the road. "So what the fuck was that?" Gajeel spoke over the music.

Levy lifted her brow at the question, "What? Lucy?"

"Yes, Lucy." Gajeel rolled his eyes at her make-believe obliviousness. "Don't tell me you're trying to befriend her."

"Why not?" Levy blinked, "She's really smart!" The bluenette held out the blonde's essays, "Look!"

"No, Levy, I don't want to look." Gajeel shook his head irritably, "If you're just doing this because of what happened at lunch-"

"That's not why." Levy immediately countered. She brought back the papers and started reading them over. "I think she's a really cool person. Well, that I have yet to see."

Gajeel subdued his desire to roll his eyes yet again at her bland explanation. "So you think she's cool with absolutely no reasoning behind it?"

"Cut her some slack." Levy said with a sigh, "I think she has some serious issues. Like a lot of social anxiety and with you constantly running your fucking mouth, it only makes her worse." The bluenette sat back into her seat, resting her feet on Gajeel's chair. "But the shit she writes is insanely interesting. She's probably thinking a whole bunch of shit but never even vocalizes it."

"So you've decided to become friends with the girl everyone has purposefully tried to avoid since Elemntary school..." Gajeel shook his head, "For her fucking essays?"

"If that's how you want to take it, then yeah." Levy said with a clearly agitated voice. "I just think her mind is really interesting. She'll be fun to be around once I pry that shell off."

"She probably needs a therapist not a pushy stoner." Natsu said, leaning on his arm.

Levy rolled her eyes, "Alright watch it." She sat up a bit, "I just think she needs friends."

"What makes you think we want to be friends with her?" Gajeel met her gaze in the mirror.

Levy had determined eyes. Ones that Gajeel fell in love with in the first place. He knew this was something she just was not going to let go. "You will." She folded her eyes, "Trust me, even Natsu's gonna be head over heels. Just you wait." She looked at them, "Who could befriend a reject better than a group of them?"

The two males shook their heads at Levy famous unwavering confidence. "Alright." Gajeel chuckled, "I'll be waiting."

They didn't have to believe her.

That just made this conquest that much more exciting.

Levy knew. She knew Lucy was far more than what met the eye.

And she'll be the first one to discover how truly great Fiore's weirdest outcast was.

So here's a new story I've been working on for a while. I have about 3 chapters done. I absolutely love this one. There's so much to come. I hesitated publishing this because I thought about making it an original story. But there's too much in the plot that specifically is in reference to Fairy Tail so I may as well bless your eyes with my (so far) favorite plot-line.

I don't think I need to warn you, especially if you've read my stuff before, but this is a little intense. It deals with drugs, sex, abuse, emotional trauma, and real shit. Most of the stuff in here is from my life. Saying that though, it's completely twisted around and pretty fictional, just inspired by stories and my friends and experiences in my life. So this story is close to me at heart.

Also, I don't think there's a lot of stories that deal with anxiety in characters. In this case, Lucy is extreme. But I thought it would be nice to have some sort of representation in that department. And all of this is totally OOC so thank you, I don't need you to remind me in the comments.

Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. There's so much left to come so I hope you stick around.

Also - thinking about coming up with a playlist of all the songs that inspired me while writing this. I feel like it'll really help with the moodlet.

But anyway, love you all and see you soon (probably in a month).

~Lovex1