Author's Note: Hi! So this is my first time writing a fanfic and I'm really excited. I first posted this chapter with the second one included but I decided it was too long so I split them up. Sorry that I kinda dropped the story for a while there but I just got really busy. I'm on break now so I have plenty of time for updates. Also I'd like to note that the school isn't a Japanese one because I don't know too much about them and I don't want to mess it up. Anyways hope you enjoy the story!
Lucy runs her fingers through her golden hair as she waits for the woman at the counter to finish putting in her personal information into the computer system. She shifts from foot to foot nervously listening to the gentle tapping of the lady's fingers on the keyboard.
"Everything seems to be in order," says the woman as she turns in her chair so that she's facing Lucy instead of the computer.
"Here's your schedule and if you have any questions at all please come and ask me, I'd be happy to help."
"Thank you so much," Lucy says as she takes the schedule from her.
"Good luck on your first day, I hope you'll settle in well here at Fairy Tail High School."
"Me too," Lucy replies with a warm smile.
She picks up her backpack and textbooks lying next to her on the floor and then walks out of the office. She heads along the corridor trying to balance her books in one arm while reading her schedule with the other.
Today is her first day at Fairy Tail High and she's so nervous she can't stop her hands from shaking. She's been worrying about it ever since she got her dad to agree to let her study here. She's trying her hardest to be brave but this is her first time going to a school. She used to be home schooled by her father's librarian and he was a great teacher but Lucy always longed to learn with other kids her age.
So, she researched schools and picked out Fairy Tail High. She looked on the school's website and no boarding home was listed so she knew she'd have to rent an apartment. Then She asked her father about the school but he saw no need for her to go since she already had an excellent education. She finally got him to agree on the conditions that he only pay for the school tuition and her living expenses but she would have to pay for an apartment on her own. She knew he was only letting her go because it would actually get her out of his way. Lucy didn't mind, she'd be glad to get sometime away from him. She didn't have the best relationship with her father.
He also said the second her grades dropped she'd be on the first train back to the mansion. Lucy wasn't too worried though; she had always gotten good grades. Also, she had been saving up money for years now and knew she'd be able to pay for the apartment for a while. She had already found the perfect apartment for only 70,000 jewel a month! She'd have to think about getting a job eventually because she was never going to live in that mansion again.
Lucy had lived in that stuffy old mansion for years. Before her mother died, the mansion was a happy place but once she was gone, her father turned cold and so did everything around him. Lucy is finally going to be free of that life, though she is already missing everyone who worked at the mansion. They had been her companions when she had none. Now she will finally be able to make friends her age and she is beyond excited but just really, really nervous.
Lucy scans over the schedule and finds that her first class, which has already started because she had to go to the office, is Biology in classroom A3.
"Now where could that be?" she thinks to herself as she scurries along the corridor, "the school is pretty big and it could take her ages to find the right classroom, maybe she should go back and ask the woman at the front desk where the classroom is?"
She sighs and tries to not let herself get frustrated, it's her first day after all and her teacher will just have to cut her some slack for being late. Lucy then turns the corner and sees, for a split second, someone running full speed down the hallway straight at her. It's too late to get out of the way and a blur of pink smacks into her. Pink?!
She falls backwards and hits the floor hard, her books scatter around her.
"Ouch," she wines unhappily.
"Hey! You should be more careful," says a voice she doesn't recognize.
Lucy lifts her head to find the owner of the voice. She see's him, a boy, around her age, sprawled on the floor in front of her. He has pink, spiky hair that's messily arranged just right and tanned skin. He's wearing the boy's uniform so he must go to school here and a white scarf?
"It's August, it's super hot. Why's he wearing a scarf?" she asks herself.
"You're the one who was running in the hallway!" she shouts angrily.
"I guess you're right," the boy laughs.
She'd be lying if she said she didn't find him really cute. Kind of hot actually. Focus Lucy!
He stares at her through one squinted hazel eye as his other is squeezed shut in over exaggerated pain.
Lucy picks herself up and begins smoothing her uniform, a crisp white button up shirt and a navy, blue skirt. The pink-haired boy jumps up and stretches off the fall.
She feels his eyes on her as she kneels down and begins picking up her books. The boy doesn't help; he just stares at Lucy as she picks up all her books. Her cheeks begin to burn with embarrassment. She stands, her books all safely back in her arms and then musters all her courage. She directs her eyes so that they're staring straight back into the boys' and asks fiercely, "what?"
"It's just are you new or something because I've never seen you at school before," the boy says.
"Yes, actually. I'm Lucy," she replies feeling a little guilty for snapping at him.
"Natsu," he says with an enormous grin, which then fades off as he's struck with realization, "crap I'm late, I gotta go."
"Wait," Lucy calls "do you know where classroom A3 is?"
Natsu smirks at her as he replies slyly, " turn around."
"Huh?" Lucy says as she looks around. Her mouth falls open as she reads A3 on the sign above the door behind her. She turns around to thank Natsu but he's already sprinting off down the hallway.
"Nice to meet you too," she mumbles to herself before heading towards classroom A3.
The door creaks loudly as Lucy opens it, causing the whole classroom to stop and stare.
"U-um I'm Lucy Heartfilia, sorry I'm late but I was in the office and-" she stammers out before being cut off by the teacher, "It's no trouble at all, I'm sorry! Please take a seat, my name is professor Aries."
Her new teacher is petite with soft pink hair, styled in an odd sort of fluffy fashion at the ends. Lucy moves to take the seat in the back of the classroom that Miss Aries directs her towards. She plops down next to a blunette with big, bright eyes and short hair with an orange headband. As Miss Aries continues the lesson, the girl next to Lucy leans over and smiles before saying "Hi, I'm Levy."
"Nice to meet you, my name's Lucy."
"I know," Levy giggles.
The girls continue to chat quietly as Miss Aries stutters through the lesson. They find that they have a lot in common and by the end of the period they feel like they've know each other for years.
"I'm so glad you love to read too, Lu-chan," Levy says as she exits the classroom, using the nickname she already came up with for Lucy.
"I know!" Lucy replies, relieved that she's already made a friend.
"Hey, let me see you're schedule, I hope we have all the same classes," Levy says excitedly.
Lucy hands over the piece of paper to her new friend and watches as she studies it.
Levy leads Lucy along with her on the way to their next class as she continues to check the schedule, "yep, we have most of them together except for Math and English."
"How come?" Lucy says a little disappointed.
"Well I take advanced Math and since I'm taking three other languages they let me drop English but I still have to take the final exam."
"Wow, you're really smart Levy!" Lucy exclaims, proud of her intelligent friend.
"Not really," the girl says shly, "here we are."
Lucy and Levy get through their next three classes by passing notes back and fourth. Finally the bell rings and the girls couldn't be happier to get out of class.
"Lunch time!" Levy says happily.
"Really," Lucy asks, "it's already lunch?"
"Yeah, we have four classes in the morning then lunch, then two more classes and then we get to go home!"
"Oh my gosh, this school is awesome, what time do we end?"
"two o-clock, it is a really great school. Hey Lu-chan want to eat with my group and me?" Levy asks.
"Yes," Lucy replies eagerly.
The two girls walk out of the buildings and out onto the lawn.
"Look at all the beautiful cherry blossom trees," Lucy says, her chocolate eyes filled with awe.
"This is where most of the students eat lunch. It is very pretty isn't it?" Levy says smiling as she watches her new friend take in the trees.
It's a grassy area, surrounded by neatly planted cherry blossom trees. Some students lounge in the shade while others bask in the sunlight as they all enjoy their lunches.
Lucy turns to Levy, eyes glowing, "It's amazing here, I'm so glad I picked Fairy Tail"
Levy gives the blonde girl a knowing smiling before saying, "come on, the group sits over there under that cherry blossom tree."
She leads Lucy over to what may be the biggest of all the fluffy pink trees. It towers over a cluster of six students, shielding them from the bright afternoon sun.
As they get closer Lucy spots a familiar pink among the others, Natsu. He's got his head nearly pressed against a raven-haired guy's as they argue furiously.
"Guys! This is Lucy, she's new here," Levy says turning everyone's heads their way.
"U-um," Lucy sputters, embarrassed by everyone staring at her.
Natsu immediately recognizes her voice and whips his head in her direction.
"Oi! Flamebrain pay attention when I'm insulting you."
"Shut up you annoying icy bastard," he replies giving the guy a hard shove before turning back to Lucy and waving excitedly.
"Hey! Luigi, how's it going?" Natsu calls out.
Lucy stares at him for a moment in disbelief.
"It's Lucy," she yells angrily.
"Geez, you're loud," he says annoyed, as he slaps his hands over his ears.
Everyone becomes dead silent and stares at the fuming girl.
Lucy laughs nervously before adding, more quietly, "It's Lucy, h-hi it's nice to meet you all."
"Lu-chan do you know Natsu?" Levy inquires.
"Yes, he crashed into me in the hallway this morning," she says and then adds, "he didn't even apologize or help me pick up my books," she then glares at the boy who only shrugs in response.
Suddenly a ferocious voice to match a ferocious girl yells, "He what?!"
The gorgeous red head who owns the terrifying voice, jumps up from where she was sitting with a pretty brunette with purple eyes. Who's oddly enough cradling a barrel of something Lucy assumes is booze from the smell of it.
"Do they allow that here?" she wonders to herself.
The girl with flaming red hair marches straight up to Natsu who mutters a quick "oh shit!" as he tries to escape.
However the girl is far to fast and catches him by the ear twisting it.
"Ow, o-ow ow Erza, let go," Natsu whines in pain as the raven-haired boy howls with laughter at the sight of his struggling peer.
"Apologize now!" Erza barks at him.
"Fine," Natsu mumbles.
Erza releases his ear and gives him a bit of a push so that he stubbles towards Lucy.
Natsu looks at his feet while Erza glares daggers at him and Lucy stands in front of him with a smug, triumphant look on her face. She likes this Erza girl a lot.
"I'm sorry I knocked you over and didn't help you pick up your books," he recites, "but I was only-"
"No buts," Erza snaps at him as though she's his mother.
Lucy begins to feel guilty for getting him in trouble, "it was nothing, really. Thanks for apologizing," she says giving Natsu a kind smile.
He returns it with an enormous grin that causes his eyes to squint shut, "no problem Lucy. Hey, Gray," he shouts at the raven-haired boy he was arguing with earlier, "I'm not done with you."
Natsu's too late though as a girl with ocean blue hair clings to Gray, saying, "Gray-sama, Juvia missed you so much!"
"Juvia, we've been together all day."
"It doesn't matter Juvia still missed you."
"Ok, that's a little weird," Lucy thinks, "she talks in third-person?"
"Hi Lucy, I'm Erza," the redhead says, bringing everyone's attention away from a now struggling Gray to get Juvia off him.
Though he says so, he doesn't seem to be bothered, in fact it seems he enjoys her attention.
"This is Cana," she gestures towards the brown-haired girl, "those two are Gray and Juvia and that's Gajeel."
Lucy's eyes widen as they fall on Gajeel, who's leaning against the trunk of the tree. He has long wild, black hair, a scary essence and a face full of metal piercings. Lucy is definitely afraid of him but cute, little Levy isn't. She skips right over to him and gives him a big hug.
Her eyes nearly fall out of her sockets as Gajeel's fierce expression softens and he leans down to kiss the top of the short girl's head as he says, "how ya doin' shrimp?"
"Levy!" she exclaims, "You have a boyfriend?"
"Yes," Levy replies blushing intensely but smiling all the same.
Lucy's heart warms at the sight of the two. Though at first glance they're an odd couple, they seem perfect for each other.
Levy drags Lucy down to sit with the funny group of teens as they all eat the lunches they brought from home. They talk and talk until soon lunch is almost over.
"Hey Natsu, you have English next right?" Levy asks the boy who's still stuffing his face.
Lucy has never seen one person eat so much and so messily.
"Yeah," he sputters out through a mouthful of food, "why?"
"Well Lucy has it next too and everyone else has it at a different time. Could you show her around for the last two lessons?"
Lucy's face immediately heats up, she barely knows him. She has no idea what to say to him.
"Levy, what're you doing?" she thinks.
"Yeah, alright," he says swallowing his last gulp of food and standing, "let's go Lucy."
She gets up and follows, trying to match her small strides with his larger ones. Levy winks at her as they walk off and Gajeel gives her a sarcastic thumbs up. Or at least she thinks it's sarcastic, he wasn't smiling so…
"Where are you from?" Natsu asks suddenly, breaking the silence.
Lucy's caught a little off guard and takes a moment before answering "the country."
It's not a lie, the mansion is in the country but she's not being specific either about the fact that she lives on the Hearfilia estate that is more like a town than a home.
"Hm," he says.
"S-so, why were you in such a rush this morning?" Lucy asks, trying her best to make conversation.
The boy laughs before answering sheepishly, "I slept through my alarm. I do that a lot. Erza almost killed me because I nearly missed the whole first period. She's class president, so I guess she feels like she's gotta keep us all in line. She's scary," he adds.
"She's beautiful," Lucy says.
"I guess," Natsu replies.
"Are you kidding she's so pretty, I wish I was like her."
"What, pretty?"
"yeah," Lucy replies softly.
"You're weird," Natsu says.
Before Lucy can retort and say that he's way weirder than her, he adds, "but nice."
Lucy's cheeks blush furiously as she looks away so he won't notice.
"Here's the class room," Natsu says entering with Lucy.
They're a little early and so they get first pick of seats.
"Let's sit in the back!" he exclaims.
Lucy smiles at his excitement.
"Maybe we can be friends," she thinks, "I don't really know how to talk to boys but Natsu's pretty easy to talk to. "
They sit down and Natsu begins to tell Lucy all about Fairy Tail and the group.
"Really? Gray has a stripping habit?" she asks blushing a bit.
"Yeah, it's hilarious but it gets a bit weird when Juvia goes all 'Gray-sama you're so daring!'" he replies in his best Juvia impersonation.
Lucy laughs at his terrible impersonation. She smiles brightly, how long has it been since she last laughed like this? It had to have been before mom died.
Students start to fill in as they continue to chat. Class begins but Natsu occasionally whispers to Lucy throughout class, causing her to try and stifle her giggles at his funny comments. Natsu doesn't pay attention at all, he's either whispering to Lucy, doodling or staring off into space.
"Class we'll be working on a project for the next month," professor Gildarts says, "you will need to partner up in groups of no more than two."
Lucy listens intently as her teacher explains the project, she must do well on all her assignments or she'll lose this new life she's made for herself.
"Alright, for the rest of class find your partners and start discussing the project," professor Gildarts says as he pulls out his phone and starts scrolling through it.
"Lucy," Natsu says, snapping her out of her trance, "lets be partners!"
"Ok! Wait, why me?"
"I already told you because you're nice," Lucy's cheeks once again turn scarlet at the compliment, "and besides there's not really anyone else to partner up with."
Lucy gives Natsu a powerful punch on the arm and frowns at him.
He rubs his arm and says, "you look small but you have one hell of a punch. We should work on the project today after school."
"Ok," Lucy says, glad that he's taking the project seriously.
"Want to come over to my house?"
"Sure," she says.
