I could never wish for happiness. Happiness is something I have to earn, something I gain from hard work. Everyone else seemed to have some, and didn't feel like sharing. I have worked hard. I want some.

When I descended down the staircase for a nice breakfast and a lounging on the couch Monday morning, I nearly shat myself. It was 10:30 in the morning, and at first glance it looked like Lisanna was sitting with her legs crossed on the couch next to a buff, mean-spirited blonde who clearly had no interest in being here. On the loveseat sat Erza and Rosemary, who both had wide smiles across their faces. My goal was to walk past them without being noticed and get to the kitchen, because my appetite at the moment waited for nobody.

It had been a few days since anybody came knocking at my door, which was slightly relieving and worrisome at the same time. Were they already tired of me? I finally got the house to myself, which wasn't as fun as I'd hoped it to be. I got to be alone, sulking around in my pajamas, eating anything I want from the pantry without the fear of judgement. It was lonely, to say the least, because now I was trapped in that group of friends' drama, personalities, and inside jokes. I didn't want to escape this particular trap, though. They made me genuinely laugh, a phenomenon that hasn't occurred since before the incident.

My heart raced with fear as I attempted to tiptoe out of Erza's sight to the kitchen, which was a failed mission from the start. The wooden floor that promised my safe waltz to the kitchen deceived me, as the pitter-patter of my toes was evidently louder than intended. Erza locked her brown eyes with my navy ones, and gave me a short, super fake smile. "Juvia, good morning! This is Mirajane Strauss and Laxus Dreyar." I took a seat next to Erza and Rosemary, and gave a small awkward wave.

"Erza, you didn't tell me you had any relatives in town!" Mirajane exclaimed excitedly with a wide smile stretched across her face.

"She's Jellal's cousin, and she's going to be here for the summer." or longer. She forgot to say that I should be here for the summer, but there's an extremely large possibility that I might be stuck here until I graduate in spring.

"Then she has to come to the wedding! Any family of yours is a family of ours!"

"Wedding?" I ask, as I was clearly left out of the loop of what this informal meeting was about. Mirajane's electric blue eyes widened with surprise.

"Laxus and I are getting married at the end of July at Kardia Cathedral, and you've just been invited! Right Laxus?" Mira patted his leg, and he let out a bored and forced grunt.

"How sweet. I'll be sure to come." I took this time as a chance to stare at the bride and groom to-be's totally opposite and backwards personalities. Mirajane, who wore a red sundress and had her white bangs pinned back, looked totally excited for the wedding. She almost seemed impatient, like she could have it tomorrow if she wanted to. She was clearly the planner for the event, while Laxus was a completely different story. Laxus, who wore a violet button-up short-sleeved shirt with grey jeans and his blonde hair was spiked back and tossed around, seemed disinterested. I could tell he loved her, however, as he would peer over to Mira and give a small secret smile. He probably picked the flavor of the cake and the song they were going to dance to.

"So Rosemary's all good for flower girl?" Laxus spoke up, finally seeming to put a hint of interest in the matter.

Erza grew a large smile. "I'd have to walk with her, since she's only three and will probably try to eat the petals."

Laxus nodded and looked to Mira. "That's fine, right babe?"

"Absolutely!" She was probably picturing the scene now, Erza and Rosemary, mother and daughter, going down the aisle in matching outfits, smiling and throwing petals in different directions without a care in the world. I was picturing it, too. I was the flower girl for my parents' wedding, as they had me before my dad even proposed. That was a great day.

Erza set Rosemary on the ground and stood. "Anyone want coffee?"

"One, please, and a bagel with cream cheese." I said, mostly as a joke, and partly because I was starving and tired. To my surprise, Erza shouted "on it!" from the kitchen. That meant I was alone with Mirajane and Laxus until my bagel was done.

"You're going to be a senior this upcoming school year, right?" Mira asked me with a light smile. I nodded. "My little sister, Lisanna, is going to be a senior too! You should meet her, I feel like you'll like her." I didn't want to tell her that I already have met Lisanna, and it was everything but desired. Her sister was a complete bitch to my knowledge, but Mira was her sister and most definitely saw Lisanna in a different light.

"I should." I replied with the most superficial smile I'd ever done.

"I'm sure you've met Natsu and Gray and them, they're all really good friends with Jellal. She hangs out with them when she's not with Bixlow." Did Mira not know that the group basically shunned her? This was news to me. Was Lisanna ashamed to have no friends? I almost felt bad for her. Then I remembered Cana's golden speech by the stretch of trees.

Are they still going to be married? I really hope so, so that I can sit in the back pew with tears in yours eyes because your sister's leaving you alone, like you left us.

Lisanna had left them, and in whatever language or context that word is in, it's not delightful. Lisanna chose something or someone over another, and that is an action that's hard to forgive. I would know what it's like to be unforgiving towards a person. Erza eventually came to my awkward time in need with my bagel and coffee, which I set on the coffee table. I sipped at the brew with hopes of not having to speak any longer, because I didn't have the heart to tell Mira that Lisanna didn't hang out with "Natsu and Gray and them". They shunned her before my time, new time, in Magnolia.

I was unlucky enough to be dragged to the Magnolia Mall by Levy and Lucy, who after hearing that I'd been invited to Mira and Laxus' wedding, were urgent on getting me a dress for the occasion immediately. The mall was extensive, and was a giant loop of stores surrounding a very large food court full of the only items I ever plan on buying, food. The two other girls, on the other hand, felt the need to go into dress stores and hand me items to try on that ranged from really ugly or the wrong size. Levy wore a cute, orange dress with some sandals, and Lucy was in a turtleneck cropped tank and a black skater shirt with black booties.

"Why are you guys dressed so fancy for the mall? Did I miss a memo or something?"

Lucy stifled a laugh as she shoved a hideous green dress into my hands. "We have to go to work at three for the closing shift."

"Must be a really nice book store, then."

Lucy giggled and gave Levy a stare of which I didn't understand. Levy's face went the shade of the red dress she was looking at. "There may or may not be cute boys who work the late shifts with us." Levy whispered as she sifted through the racks of dresses. Lucy smiled bright at just the thought of the mystery boys who work with them.

"They're bad boys who live in the bad parts of town, but they're such sweethearts. I swear I can see Codename: Shadow's abs through his shirt." she beamed with her cheeks turning rosy. I thought about Natsu, and his confused mental state. It was my civic duty to get Natsu and Lucy together, and I will not let Codename: Shadow get in the way.

"Codename: Shadow?"

"We don't want to say their actual names in case we want to talk about them while they are around. I called dibs on Lnt. Blacksteel." Levy stated proudly. "Now go try those on, and we'll critically access on which is the best." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and storm out of the mall, and quickly made my way to the nearest dressing room.

Spoiler alert: all of the dresses were awful. They either didn't fit or weren't my style at all. I felt ugly in all of them, and honestly didn't see the point in looking for a dress. The wedding was in a month and a half, so I had about 45 days to look for something to wear. Levy and Lucy claimed that each dress looked ravishing on my body type and gave off an elegant aesthetic. I knew they were lying, because my body could never be ravishing or elegant in any type of clothing. I was my own critic, therefore my opinion is what mattered the most.

One last attempt was a dress Lucy saw in the corner of her eye as we were leaving one of the stores. It was a light blue sundress covered in pretty floral designs with spaghetti straps. She shoved it into my arms and pushed me to a random dressing room, urging for me to try it on. I agreed, mostly because my stomach would not stop grumbling and I knew that we weren't going to leave and get food until we found a dress.

It was the one.

There were rare moments where I felt pretty. I had gone to homecomings and my junior prom looking pretty and feeling elegant, but those dresses were made to show more of my body than intended, and the pound of make up my mom would give me dragged my face down. I looked fine then, yes, but it doesn't mean I felt pretty. I couldn't help but stare at myself in all directions of the tri-fold mirror. I didn't believe that it was I staring back at myself. The dress fit my waist beautifully and gave a youthful look to my bust. I was flat, and the dress excepted that and worked around it. The dress fell to just above my knees; a perfect length. I exited the dressing room and showed it off to the girls. They squealed, as expected.

"Juvia, you're beautiful." Lucy said softly.

"Are you sure?" I tended to question compliments. In Hargeon, compliments were like being stoned. People would throw them without meaning, almost like backhanded insults. I would ignore them, because I wouldn't believe them. Only two people I left in Hargeon were aloud to give me compliments, and one of them was dead.

"Of course we're sure!" Levy responded tenderly. I decided on the train from Hargeon that my time in Magnolia would be different from my past life. I wasn't going to let myself get close to anyone or have any relationships with anyone other than family. I was going to isolate myself from society until I graduated high school, which is farther away than it seems.

Today I decided that breaking rules is better than making them. Screw Hargeon and my past life. It doesn't define me. A small smile formed on my lips.

"Thank you."

And I accepted their compliments.

It was three AM, and a mysterious tapping noise had woken me from my rest. In reality, I was having a hard time sleeping anyway, but the tapping noise made the sleep deprivation less bearable. I ripped my black bed sheets off of me and slowly got to my feet.

Tap Tap Tap

It sounded as if it was coming from my bathroom, and I assumed it was the faucet dripping from my careless self not fully turning the nozzle after a shower. I slipped on a pair of hamburger slippers that I, shockingly, stole from Jellal's closet. My floors were wooden and cold, and the bathroom floor was tile and even colder, so I felt the need to wear slippers more than ever. I quietly made my way to the bathroom door and slowly opened the door. I checked the sink and the bath, and no drips were found.

Tap Tap Tap

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. I looked to the window, which had pink curtains covering it, and ripped the curtains to reveal a shadowy figure standing carefully on the roof outside of the window. Instinctively, I turned to flick on the lights and run for Jellal and Erza to call 911. Then when my eyes focused on the figure with great balance and climbing abilities. It was someone I recognized.

I opened the window and let them in. "What the actual fuck Gray?!" I whisper yelled. I sat myself on the tiled flooring of the bathroom to let myself calm down. My heart raced with fear, as I thought Gray had been an intruder. I was lucky, however, because I'd rather have Gray Fullbuster than a robber come through my window any day.

"Shit, sorry I didn't mean to startle you. Instagram said you were last online five minutes ago, so I knew you were awake." He apologised instantaneously and went to join me on the bathroom floor. Social media had failed me once again. I took a minute to calm my nerves and start to relax.

"It's okay, just let me know before -" I went to meet his eyes and noticed a busted lip and some bruising around his right eye. "- holy shit, Gray what happened?" He let me lift my hand to touch it, and he winced in pain.

"I'm fine, it's fine, everything's fine." He tried to brush it off as nothing.

I looked to him flabbergasted. "It is not fine, Gray. Who did this?"

He paused and closed his eyes to think. Was he going to tell the truth? Or tell a lie that, knowing myself, I would find out as false later? I trusted Gray a bit more than the others, and seeing him beat up worried me. "You have to promise not to interrupt me. I trust you to not flip out, or tell anyone else. The only other person who knows is Loke, and that's only because I knew it wouldn't freak out and go crazy when I tell them." My stomach did a frontflip. He trusts me, and I obviously trust him back.

"I promise." I held out my pinky for a pinky promise.

He sucked in a shaky breath. "Lyon has this… Problem. It typically occurs when my older sister, Ultear, is working the late shifts at the Magnolia Health Center. It started his junior year when he was invited to a senior party and someone handed him a nice, cool beer." He paused and looked up to meet my eyes. "That was the day Lyon's innocence was stripped away and he learned how to drink away his troubles and problems. I try to stop him, but he gets super pissy while intoxicated, and starts to fight me. I let him win, because if he was sober, he wouldn't come close to getting a hit in.".

"He beats you?" I question once I can tell Gray is done explaining.

"I guess? I hit him back and leave him a few bruises as payback." Gray laughed awkwardly and brushed some raven hair out of his face. I noticed some small scars above his eyes and trace them with my index finger.

"You have scars, Gray." I whispered sadly. He politely took my hand from his face and lowered it to my lap. Gray shut his eyes miserably and ran a hand through his mess of raven hair again.

"There's really nothing I can do. I try to stop him but he doesn't listen."

We sat in silence for a couple of minutes on the bathroom floor. I think we were enjoying each other's presence and the lack of noise. None of us wanted to speak up and shatter the stillness in the air.

It was bound to happen eventually, however. "Why did you come here? I know the gist, to escape Lyon and stuff, but why to my house? You barely know me."

He sucked in, and a small smile formed on his face. "Because, out of all of us, you're the most innocent."

"But I'm not, I have a past, like everyone else does." I quickly say, hoping to skip past the backstory bit before being questioned. It's crazy to think that at this very moment, I am living my past. As minutes go by, everyone's backstory is being made, and people are being shaped as time goes on.

"Exactly, Juvia, everyone has a past. I told you mine, I know you don't want to tell me yours. You're curious, you want to know how last summer differed from the current, you want to know what changed in everybody to dislike the people we dislike. You're inclined to solve this mystery of Lisanna. I don't want you to hate Lisanna, simply because she hasn't done anything to you yet. You probably don't even expect to last the summer in Magnolia-" I cut him off.

"I'm in Magnolia until they tell me I can leave, and that might not happen at all."

Gray paused, and anxiously pulled me into a nice, warm, bone-crushing hug. His hair smelled of french vanilla shampoo and broken dreams. I don't remember being hugged this tight since the incident happened, and Gray's hug felt tender. My mom's felt forced, like she was obligated to hug me. When we finally broke apart, he followed me to my bed. I wrapped myself around my blanket and leaned against the wall. He sat in the corner where the walls meet.

"So we have to get Natsu and Lucy together ASAP. I can't take the sexual tension." Gray spoke up with a chuckle.

A smile broke out onto the face. "Tell Natsu to go to Lucy's work place and watch out for Codename: Shadow." I giggled into my comforter. My eyes were drooping, and I was using all of my energy just to keep them open.

"What the fuck?"

Sleep deprivation and depressing flashbacks lead to nose diving toward the bed I was sitting on, and letting out a muffled groan. I was so tired that I didn't care that Gray was still in my room, I didn't feel like answering and explaining that I also didn't know who the fuck Codename: Shadow was, and I didn't even close my bathroom window. I feel small pats on my head.

"Goodnight, Juvia."

A/N

This chapter is all over the place, but I'm glad I finished it. Every character is basically OOC but OH WHALE. It's also the shortest chapter so far, which is annoying, but again OH WHALE I've stopped caring. School is ending so I might be able to post more no promises. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh (Me screaming)

Also all of the backstories only like half fit the character, but some make sense? ehh?

~ abby (the author it me)