Chapter 4

"OH MY GOD LUCY WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!?" Levy's shriek travelled down the hallway and everyone turned to look what the ruckus was about. I was standing near the locker putting away my textbooks from the previous class. I smiled weakly and did an awkward hand wave. I turned to glare at Levy whose eyebrows were knitted in a worried expression and Natsu with a really amused smirk. I groaned and clutched my head in pain.

"What in the WORLD happened to you? OH MY GOD, your hair's like a bird nest! A-and your face! You look hideous, Lucy! What happened? And damn, girl, you obviously wore your bunny slippers to school." Levy was gawking at me as if I wore my pajamas to school-which in fact, I might. Well, what's wrong with sweatpants? Besides, they're not that baggy…

"Man, Lucy. I swear you never fail to make my day." Natsu grinned widely as he and attempted to land a pinch on my cheek. I swatted his hand away and hissed at him.

"I had this quiz today so I had to study till one in the morning." I frowned and struggled from his embrace.

The quiz was a way to earn extra credits and would do wonderful things to my GPA. So, last night, I had isolated myself from the world in my room and challenged myself by going through the entire course guide. As a result, I had overslept and my alarm clock's battery had miraculously died and I woke up with my heart rampaging inside my chest telling me that it's time to drag my behind out of bed and go to school.

"And let me guess, you forgot to set the alarm?" Natsu had that grin on his face and I knew he was on the verge of bursting out into fits of laughter. I shook my head and told him the batteries had died in the middle of the night. Natsu laughed out so wildly that several girls walked pass him, eyeing him suspiciously. He cleared his throat and tried to get hold of himself. But his eyes were rimmed with tears from laughing too much.

Yes, I was the source of entertainment for those two.

Levy wasn't too pleased with my sense of shoe fashion. She smacked her head repetitively mumbling what she had to do with me. "Mind explaining the shoes?" She folded her arms and gave me an explain-this look. I shrugged and hummed lightly.

"I was sure I had put on a pair of converse." I giggled and wiggled my toes in my bunny slippers. I don't see the fuss over wearing those shoes. I mean they're cute, fluffy and –

.

"Morning, Cupcake."

.

Someone whispered in my ears and I swear I felt my skin crawl. Especially I found out that this deep voice belonged to the person I had been praying not to run into at school. Especially when I'm wearing mismatched clothes.

I yelped and jumped back in surprise as Fullbuster had been way too close for my liking. I exclaimed.

"Stars, my darned!"

.

"Oh man! HAHAHAHA. DAMN HAHAHAHAH. OH MAANNN." Fullbuster gawked at me and was probably rolling over the floor laughing. I couldn't mask the horror descending on me as he made weird noises that suspiciously sounded like a walrus choking. Moreover, he was gasping about my "Bunny shoes" between his series of laughter. I wanted to pull my hair out.

.

"This is the most terrible morning of all mornings!" I whined and stomped my foot childishly. Not only had I worn totally bizarre clothes and bonus, a pair of fluffy bunny shoes, I had made such a grand entrance where people noticed me in the hall and Fullbuster was now clenching his stomach, laughing so hard that I thought he might have contracted rabies.

.

"Do you have rabies?" I grimaced.

.

Fullbuster took this cue to stop laughing and clear his throat. "Nice talking to you too, Lucy," He mused and studied my mismatched clothes with a smirk etched onto his face. Then he edged closer and grinned rather derisively.

"You look great, cupcake."

.

I was going to say something back but my system has wholly refused to cooperate with me. I was left gawking at him.

.

Behind me, I heard someone grumble and grunt. Right then, I remembered- HOLY PANCAKES.

Levy stood beside Natsu completely flabbergasted and when I finally met her gaze, the glint in her eyes told me that I had some explanation to do and I better not sweat it. Natsu stood completely still and his nostrils flaring. His gaze was fixated on Fullbuster and I saw his jaw tensed and his fists clenched.

Uh-oh.

"Why hello there, Fullbuster," Natsu did a tight smile and the slight corners of his mouth was curving into a grimace. His eyes were dangerously slanted and narrowed into slits. And if you squint, you'll think that his eyebrows had somehow found a way to be knitted or joined in the middle of his forehead which is nearly impossible.

Weird what anger can do to you.

Fullbuster on the other hand, remained calm and I could tell how egoistic this person was. He was dressed up in a blue navy-knitted jumper and ripped jeans that looked suspiciously good onto him. Now I felt overly-conscious of the way I was dressed. I tucked my jumper sleeves and wished that I could somehow shrink and vanish in this old cozy jumper.

His black hair stuck out in different directions and I got a tad smell of aftershave near him mixed with a soft scent of mint breath. The strands of his hair were wet and I noticed that he had just got out of the shower. There was a scent of his shampoo lingering on him...

I mentally slapped myself.

"Oh hey, mate." Fullbuster's onyx eyes flickered from me towards Natsu. And there was a mixture of irritation and amusement. He had that smug smirk on his face and casually placed his hands in his jeans pockets which seemed to have an effect on Natsu. His face contorted in a way I thought was impossible.

.

I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. The guys were engaged in, what I would call a staring contest.

.

.

.

"Guys, Guys. I need to get to class. So hello nice to meet you, Gray Fullbuster! I've heard so much about you from Lulu here. I'm Levy McGarden by the way." It was Levy who broke the eerie silence settling upon them and I have never ever felt this much graceful towards her. She gave Fullbuster a friendly smile and dragged me along with her to Sociology. I willingly tagged along with her and gave Natsu an apologetic smile.

.

"Don't forget to come after school today, cupcake!" Fullbuster chuckled and walked away in a really carefree and in a swagger way while the rest of us were left gaping at him.

"CUPCAKE!?"

I was fiddling with the loose thread of my sweater, obviously nervous from all the glances and stares the people were giving me. And Natsu's tantrum wasn't helping much.

Levy rolled her eyes at Natsu who was furious. He set his tray on the bench and began pigging out. And look! His plate was literally overflowing with food. I wouldn't be surprised if Natsu could eat a whole turkey without gagging or throwing up. Did he have an extra stomach to digest them or-

"Down to Earth, Lucy," Natsu snapped his fingers in front of me and my mind which have been wavering before jolted back into my system. I let out a small groan.

"Why is he calling you cupcake?" Natsu demanded, pointing me with a fork and I edged closer to Levy who was busy counting the seeds in her apple, letting out a small yelp in the process.

"Can you put that fork down, Natsu?"

Natsu's gaze shifted to Levy.

"NO."

.

Levy yanked away his hand and the fork flew out of his hand.

.

"Levy!"

Natsu whined and went to retreat the fork which had landed a few tables away. I could hear the angry jeers of girls as it landed into one of the girl's plate with a loud "clunk!"

"You were going to assault Lucy with that fork!" She retorted back and resorted back to counting the seeds in her apple. I looked down at my chocolate cereal submerged in a bowl of milk. A smile tucked on my lips as I welcomed the divine taste of chocolate chips with milk-

My eyelids fluttered and my cheeks became rosy.

Ooooh myyyyyyy

"Can you stop moaning whenever you eat your cereal, Lucy?" Levy shot me an irritated look and I nodded embarrassed while shoving another mouthful of cereal in my mouth.

Looked like I was the only freak eating breakfast at school during lunch and this was a special occasion. Usually, I would eat my bento in the library but today, Natsu had dragged me along to the canteen where the cool kids hanged out (Natsu, exactly) and bribed me with the special takeout (according to Natsu) Ko Ko's Krunch Cereals in milk. Praise ye the Lord!

Levy on the other hand stuck to her fruit diet.

.

.

Fair enough, Natsu came back with a sore ear.

"She almost pulled my ear off!" Natsu groaned and caressed his sore ears with a bottle of iced tea. Levy just rolled his eyes and I did a small laugh.

.

"Who's she?"

.

"The fork which you threw landed on Erza freaking Scarlet's plate. I thought my ear was going to come off!" Natsu shuddered and glared at Levy who shrugged before choking on her own laughter. I was grinning widely at the mention of Erza's name.

Erza. Scarlet. Without a doubt, the living legend.

Before I actually met her, I had fantasies about her being a really vicious, hideous monster that roamed through the halls of Magnolia High with a steel pipe ready to pounce on and strike her victim.

As my absurd imaginations led to, I fantasized her with horns, yes-horns with fierce claws that could tear away any flesh and such a horrendous temper that was easy to provoke and the incarnation of Satan itself.

But when I actually met her in person, I realized she was nothing like my imagination. She was a pretty decent person; except for her easily-provoked-temper, hot-headedness and her vicious militant personality. It was no wonder that she was able to tame a group of hounding wolves (delinquents) by a mere glare. And there was the magic done which sent the entire delinquent population at Magnolia High worshipping her.

If you ever anger her, there is a procedure to make her like you again.

Bribe her with a cake. It always works.If one doesn't work and you end up ruining her cake, pray that she never ever finds you.

Note: There are some more tips in Magnolia High's GuideBook about How To Handle A Man-Hating, Vicious, Monstrous, Inhuman Erza Scarlet.

No wonder, Fullbuster had cringed at the mention of Erza's name. Erza Scarlet was the woman who greatly held the title, "President"-no wonder and held the captaincy in the woman's softball team. Rumours had it that she was actually a demon in disguise, in the skin of a beautiful woman with her unruly scarlet hair that reached down her waist and mesmerizing purple eyes.

She was one of Natsu's childhood friends and shockingly, also Gray Fullbuster's childhood friend.

.

"So you started tutoring Fullbuster yesterday?"

Natsu had recovered from his shock over his ear and was now eyeing me carefully. I suddenly felt vulnerable. I inhaled deeply.

"Yeah…" I trailed. Levy had stepped out of her trance and now was waiting eagerly for me to speak. I, for all, wasn't fond of such great audience.

"So how did it go?" Levy asked inching closer to mine and nudged me. Natsu, however, wasn't pleased by this gesture. He scowled and waited for my response.

.

"He didn't come." I finished and let my breath out. It was true, as expected; the bad boy didn't show up. I had gone home and celebrated by watching back to back episodes of Adventure Time. However, Natsu didn't seem pleased by this.

Natsu let out a snort and rolled his eyes. "That bastard! Why am I not surprised?"

Then our chattering subsided and we ate the rest of our lunch in silence listening to the noisy jabbering and purposeless dialogues of the students in the canteen. I clenched my tiny fists disliking the eerie silence and then…

.

.

"NATSU!"

Surely, Erza Scarlet was making her way towards our table and unfortunately, she wasn't in the best of moods. Natsu gulped and cupped my hands in his large hands. The tension earlier had completely disappeared and I found it hard to conceal a smile creeping up my face. He let out a shaky breath.

"Lucy, if I ever get killed by Erza Scarlet, I want you to pass my deeds to a reliable source-EEEEPPP."

Erza plopped down on the vacant seat beside Natsu and flashed a dazzling smile at me. She was dressed up in a red cardigan that colour-coordinated her hair and a mini skirt.

"Hello, Lucy, Levy and Natsu."

She glanced side-wards at Natsu which made the helpless boy inch further away from her, raising his hands in surrender.

"Hey Erza, how are you?" I was now grinning very wide that my cheeks actually ached.

"That's a creepy smile, Lucy-oaf."

.

Natsu helplessly held the side of his arm where Erza had hit her with her elbow and gently stroked it.

"I'm fine, Lucy. Kicking as always," she winked and swung an arm around Natsu's stiff shoulders. The poor boy's breath hitched.

.

"I heard you're tutoring Gray." Erza added casually but however that did not have the similar effect on me.

.

I froze on the spot.

How the pancakes did news travel very fast?! Slowly, I nodded and swallowed down a mouthful of cereal which at the moment had become tasteless inside my mouth. Where had the heavenly chocolate-y favour gone? I had completely lost my appetite.

I must have dropped my spoon because I was grasping at thin air with my jaw wide open. I could see the growing concern on Erza's face. If I only my brain would start functioning again. I stared at her for the longest second at that moment. She blinked and blinked.

"Errmmm…" Situations like this left me speechless and dumb. My brain was refusing to function correctly and my mouth wasn't collaborating as well. I whacked my dysfunctional brain for a good respond.

.

.

"Yeeeeerrgghhh." I said which suspiciously sounded like the neigh of a horse. Natsu's face had gotten red and I knew he was trying so hard to contain all the laughter in as he watched my priceless expression. Erza had a hard time interpreting what I just said.

.

"Did I just hear you neigh?" Erza cocked an eyebrow at me incredulously. Sadly, my vocal chords failed me miserably and I flailed my arms trying to get the mouths out of my mouth.

.

It was a matter of moments before I spoke up.

.

.

"Nooo! Not at all, Erza! I'm completely fine with it. In fact, he doesn't seem so bad! I-I mean, he isn't half-that scary. Scary he is, a-al-also nice! W-we've somehow become fri-acquaintances! Y-yes! T-there's nothing g-going on between us. N-nothing futile, although he has this nickname cupcake coming for me…" I rambled on and on.

.

.

Natsu had this bored look on his face and somehow, in the middle of my ranting, he had gotten a cherry coke for himself.

Levy on the other side, had her Calculus papers spread out in front of her and was now fiddling with the sums. I was the only one ranting on and couldn't control my mouth. Erza was sitting there, trying to decipher what I was trying to say. I'd say Poor Erza.

"Wait. He calls you cupcake?" The redhead had this doubtful look on her. I immediately shut my trap.

Had I sprouted out something about cupcakes?

.

"And why is that?" Erza's demand for my answer wasn't very comforting and I could tell she wanted answers not a dumbstruck, stuttering wacko. So here I thought I would be rambling on about hypothesis and theories.

"Cupcakes? D-did I tell you that h-he calls me c-cupcakes? O-ooh, silly me! I'm sure there's no hidden meaning behind it. G-gray's pretty straight forward and I'm almost positive that there's no riddle or secrets behind it! Besides, G-gray's a delinquent, r-right? I-I'm a small, petite b-blonde and eehh, cupcakes are defined to be a small cake designed to serve one person, which may be baked in a small thin paper or aluminium cup and the frostings and the sprinkles are applied on the top and t-they taste g-good!" I rambled. Erza's lips were pressed into a thin line. She was probably thinking how to deal with an eccentric person like me.

.

.

"So what are you implying?" Natsu pursed his lips. He too wasn't getting anywhere with my ramblings.

"He wants to eat me?" I theorized. I could see the startled amusement on Natsu's face. And the urge to roar with laughter was growing. I squirmed.

"He wants to eat you?!" Erza grimaced. Levy was having a hard time catching her breath while she choked on her own laughter, constantly hitting the table with her knee. That made me even more uncomfortable.

"W-what I mean is t-that! Gray Fullbuster is a delinquent, r-right? Y-you can't tell that he m-may belong to a cult which practices cannibalism. I mean, it c-could be a possibility, r-right? The probability might be one out of ten but h-hey, you can't tell, r-right?"

.

.

.

"Lucy. Gray's not a cannibal." Erza folded her arms across her chest and stared blankly at me.

.

.

"I know."

.

The silence was suffocating and it made me sweat like a pig. Erza was examining me closely which even made me sweat worse. I bet I stunk a little.

.

.

"Right. Me and Lucy have our calculus. We better go, Erza. Bye Natsu." Levy, my heroine, said farewells to the red head and Natsu.

I murmured an apology to the red head who was eyeballing me and Natsu who was already erupting in laughter. I could tell this was going to be a really long year.

Only for the sake of my college papers.

Heyyy. This is Chapter 4. :) R&R. Thanks for reading! I'm sorta in a rush so I'm sorry if you spotted any mistakes! I deserve to face Erza's wrath. B|

THANK YOU.