xXx
"Hi welcome, how may I help you?" Lucy shared her fake smile with a couple of customers that had just walked in.
It wasn't that she hated her job at the bakery but...on this specific day it seemed annoying at the most.
A bunch of teenage girls came strolling in just then, "Oh my god look at those heart shaped cookies!"
"No, look at those miniature heart shaped cakes!" They all screamed as they tried to make a decision.
"I could just kill that guy for last night, who does he think he is playing his stereo so damn loud?!" Lucy whispered angrily to herself as she tried to look busy, waiting on the girls to order something.
"Um...excuse me?" A girl with beautiful blue locks came over.
"Yeah, what can I get for you?" Lucy pretended to be interested. The girl looked down at her name tag before continuing.
"Hello there Lucy, my name is Juvia...and I was just wondering if there was a way I could cancel that cake I just ordered?"
"Sure, may I ask why?"
"Um...something came up..." Juvia shrugged.
"Alright then, will do." Lucy said as she went to help other customers.
Juvia walked out of the shop with her now gloomy attire. Her whole goal today was to make an evening that was special enough...for him. But as usual something always comes up.
She wondered maybe she had seriously done something wrong this time, like how the other night she had started a fight with him.
Walking down the sidewalk she noticed a flashy flyer plastered on a window.
"Be The Dream.
Be The One.
Be Noticed.
Be The Next Amazing Star!"
"Be the next star?" Juvia said out loud. She wondered maybe this could just about fix all her problems. She ripped the flyer from the wall with the details and continued on her way.
Rushing down the street she accidentally bumped into another girl; making her drop the book she was engulfed in.
"I'm so sorry!" Juvia stopped and picked up the girls book, on the second page it said "Property Of Levy."
"No it's my fault, I'm sorry!" The girl felt nervous behind her glasses.
"Have a nice day and make sure to look up more often." Juvia smiled and waved before being on her way once more.
Levy watched the girl as she rush off.
Before Levy could continue on with her romance novel; she noticed some people cheering.
Walking up the block and around the corner, she saw some street performers that were trying to earn some quick bills.
As music set off the vibrant mood, she noticed a girl with short hair and porcelain skin controlling the crowd with her moves.
After a few minutes passing, the song ended and everyone applauded while throwing change into a canister painted with small red hearts.
All Levy wanted to do was be part of this loud scene, it felt happy and just so free.
As everyone went their own ways, Levy walked up to the performer.
"Um excuse me...I just wanted to um...tell you that you were very good up there." Levy felt shy, a trait she hated so much.
"Hey thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. My name's Yukino by the way, you might want to remember it because soon you'll be seeing me all over the place!" Yukino smiled as she gave her hand to shake.
As Levy took her hand she noticed the time on Yukino's watch.
"Is that the right time?" Levy almost shouted.
"Uh yeah, last time I checked..."
"I'm late! It was nice meeting you!" Levy ran off.
"Alrighty then..." Yukino said awkwardly.
Yukino gathered her coat along with her canister filled with tips and a flyer she stared at seriously.
"I'll show you...I can be a star!" She made an open promise.
xXx
"Lucy what are you still doing here?" Mira came from the back and found her hardworking employee wiping down the counters.
"I'm almost finished..." Lucy said as she cleaned.
"You always do a good job, why don't you go home early today and enjoy the rest of Valentines huh?" Mira smiled.
"As much as I'd like to, there's still some work to be done here."
"Lucy I'm your boss and I'm telling you to get the hell out of here at once!" Mira almost shouted.
"Alright, alright." Lucy sighed as she put up her hands in defense.
"Good, now get going." She smiled all of a sudden.
Bipolar much...? Lucy thought as she gathered her coat off the rack and headed out the door.
As she made her way down the sidewalk she couldn't help but think how today really sucked.
And it wasn't because of today's holiday.
It wasn't even because she didn't have a boyfriend at this point in her life.
It was simply the fact that she didn't understand why people gushed ever so much on just another day that seemed labeled.
She wondered what love was, what did it even mean? If love was a time you spent with your significant other assuming you had one, then wouldn't that just be everyday?
Unless you only used this day to pretend you loved someone just for the sake of not being alone?
"It's a stupid holiday nonetheless..." She declared out loud.
Behind her she heard a low chuckle, and finally noticed the presence of someone following her. She felt in her pockets for her key chain pepper spray.
Rounding a corner she got ready, once the figure appeared she immediately sprayed him close up.
"LUCY WAIT STOP IT'S ME!" Lucy stopped spraying as the man fell to the ground with his hands to his face.
"Sting?! What the hell are you doing playing creepy stalker like that?!" Lucy lifted her hands in the air.
"What the hell are you doing pepper spraying someone you might not know?!"
"It's called self defense, you were the one not making yourself known." Lucy crossed her arms.
"No what it's called is a felony. You should probably make sure who you spray next time, this shit is burning into my soul!" Sting began to shout in pain.
"Alright come on." Lucy helped him up.
"You really hurt me..." Sting said as they went on their way.
"Well you really shouldn't sneak up on people, then you wouldn't have gotten sprayed like that."
Sting began to cry softly as the burning increased.
xXx
"So what did you want anyway?" Lucy asked Sting as he finished flushing his eyes. They had reached Lucy's apartment.
"First off, please don't tell me you actually live in this small shoe box?" Sting squinted through his eyes and could see the bedroom was practically touching the fridge.
"Here, ice down your eyes." Lucy grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and tossed it in his face.
"Ow!" Sting shouted.
"Now get on with it, why are you here?" She crossed her arms now, leaning on the counter.
"Look Lucy, I understand you want nothing to do with your mother's side of the family. But like it or not I'm part of that side and I don't want to go on with life knowing my cousin isn't doing so well. I want you to count on me whenever you need me; let me help you."
"Let's get something straight Sting, I'm doing perfectly fine on my own. I didn't need you when my mother left me, hell I didn't even need you when my father left me. So you can go back to your rich endowment and family owned company and just leave me alone."
Next door loud banging noises appeared and a stereo began to play on full volume, making the whole apartment shake and vibrate.
"Oh you're doing great huh?" Sting said sarcastically.
"Dammit!" Lucy grabbed her bat and headed next door. Sting followed after her, ice pack still stuck to his face.
"Hikari! Hikari open up!" Lucy banged on the door. After a few minutes he finally appeared.
"Oh not you again man, the hell you want? Come to complain again? I pay rent just like everyone else, you should just appreciate that I've lowered the volume."
"COME HERE GIRL DON'T BE SHY NOW!" Lucy heard some girls giggling and guys partying from inside.
"You call that lowered?!" Lucy shouted.
"You know what? I don't need this from you every night, I'm calling the land lord to have you removed man. Always harshing my vibe, like who do you think you are?" Luca shoved at Lucy.
"Oh no he did NOT...!" Before Lucy could swing her bat, Sting stepped in and punched Hikari square in the face. Suddenly the party came to a halt as everyone witnessed the scene.
"Oh man, he got like...knocked out man." A friend from the party pointed out the obvious.
"Let's go Lucy." Sting grabbed her hand.
"Yeah, and you smell like a monkey's ass!" Lucy shouted before being pulled back to her apartment.
"I seriously might get thrown out of here for that now...shit." Lucy sighed.
"Well my offer still stands." Sting said as he stood outside.
"Yeah, okay." Lucy chuckled. Sting looked at Lucy with seriousness before his phone started to beep.
"Well I better get going," He said as he quick glanced at a text. Lucy waved to him as he made his way to the stairs.
"Why do you want to help me?" Lucy asked and Sting turned around.
"Because you're my family, and I want you to know I'd never abandon you." Sting gave a soft smile to her before finally leaving.
Lucy always hated when Sting would make surprise visits just trying to make her cave in, but something about this visit seemed different.
But it also didn't mean she wanted to step into the life of the rich and famous. She saw what it did to her mother; how it tore her family apart.