Chapter 6: Jude Heartfilia
Edit 12/8/15 – So this is the new chapter. I know, completely different than before. Little bit of suspense at the end. But tis punishment for those who read this fic even with the warning.
WARNING: SOME OF THE CHAPTERS WON'T MAKE SENSE BY NOW, SINCE I HAVE SUCCESSFULLY REWRITTEN HALF OF THE FIC NOW. ONCE AGAIN, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK
Thanks for the AMAZING reviews!: FriendsForevaa, Nalu4evr, Guest 17/5/13, natpereira, kjayanimefan, Mirajane S and Erza S
Lucy was on her bed, counting up the expenses for the month. She was given a specific allowance from her father, and she had to make do with that money for the entire month. Luckily, the "Allowance" was usually big enough that she would have some leftover for entertainment purposes.
She sorted out her expenses in three different categories. One side for college funds; she had forced her dad to accept the idea that she wanted to try and save her money for it instead of letting him pay for it in full. Another side was for rent and groceries, which was a decent amount considering she lived in a higher side of the city. Any extra would be used for entertainment purposes, like hangouts and movies.
Another category had opened up recently. This section was used for basketball purposes. Whether repairs or equipment, it needed quite a lot of money. It was fine at first; she would use some of her entertainment money on it. But then the expenses kept growing, and soon she had to take money out of the college funds and the rent. In today's counting, there was so much expense for the court that she only had half the money needed to pay her rent. This worried Lucy.
"Oh no!" She groaned and slammed her head onto the oak tabletop. "This is really bad." She was going to have to ask her dad for more money.
That would be a first, she thought worried. He would be suspicious, and I haven't even told him about the team yet.
Lucy's dad was a busy person; she could only see him once in a few weeks. He was always traveling to different cities, even countries sometimes. Lucy always thought he wouldn't care for the fact that she joined a sports club. He'll probably not be suspicious at all, Lucy reasoned, After all, he always insists on giving me more money. And if he doesn't, I'll just have to get a job.
"What?!" Lucy shrieked. "Today?!"
Lucy was on her bed, still under the covers with a telephone receiver on her ear. She still had to get up and get ready to go to school, but remained frozen in spot.
"Is there a problem, Ms. Lucy?" The voice on the other end asked.
"No, no." Lucy insisted. "Everything's fine, Capricorn. Tell him he can come around seven this evening."
"Mr. Heartfilia insists that he is only available at five."
Lucy gritted her teeth. Sure, it was a rare occasion for her father to be free a week before planned, but she had practice to get to. "Fine," she spat. "He can come around then."
"I shall notify him. Good day to you, Ms. Lucy." Capricorn said and canceled the call.
"Good day to me, indeed." She sighed as she got up to get ready for the day. Lucy quickly showered and ate her breakfast, which was the leftover pasta from last night, and headed to school. There, Levy and Lisanna met her at the entrance. "Come on, Lucy!" Levy yelled, "We're going to be late!"
The three girls hurried to their lockers and put their bags inside and got out their books for the next few classes. They managed to arrive at their homeroom five minutes before the bell though. "Levy, you could have unpacked before me. I'd hate to be the reason you're late to class." Lucy scolded.
"What kind of friends would we be if we didn't wait for our friends?" Levy asked.
Lucy smiled, happy at her new friend's words. Lucy looked around the classroom. Gildarts was dutifully sleeping on the desk again, and everyone was chatting. Natsu and Gray, who were sitting in the desk next to the girls, seemed to be arguing again. As their argument went on, Lucy could see someone sneaking up behind the boys.
"Look out!"
Lucy's cry fell on deaf ears as the bickering continued. Suddenly, the both of them got hit on the head by a 400 page Chemistry book.
"Which idiot just signed his death wish?" Gray threatened. He could have pulled out some choice words, but those quickly died in his throat when he realized exactly who stopped their verbal spar. His mouth opened adn closed like a fish out of water.
The person was right behind Natsu, and so he didn't realize it just yet. "What's up, ice queen? You look like you've just seen the devil himself." he taunted.
The person behind him cleared their throat, and Natsu turned around. His reaction was comically similar to Gray's. "E-Erza! W-What are you doing in our homeroom?"
"Checking to see if you two were causing mischief. Sadly, I know how well Gildarts does his job." The scarlet haired girl berated sardonically, as she averted her eyes to the napping teacher. "Somebody has to keep you two in line."
Natsu was feeling extra brave today. "But what can you do? It's not like you can give us detention." He taunted. Gray stomped on his foot, which made Natsu jump a little in pain. He glared at the captain. "What was that for?"
"Watch what you're saying." Gray muttered. "Do you want to be hanged?"
Erza promptly pulled both of their ears, earning a string of curses from both of them. "For your information, I can give both of you detention for two days on your behavior alone."
"But what about practice?" Lucy protested. Gray and Natsu both gave her thankful smiles, before wincing at Erza's tightened hold on their earlobes.
The student council president shrugged. "It'll have to be cancelled then." The two boys stood speechless and cowering. It was such an amusing sight that both Levy and Lucy starting giggling. A shrill ringing echoed throughout the whole school, signaling the end of the class. The students got up from their seats and hurried over to their next class. For Lucy, Erza and Levy, that meant their English class.
The three girls opted to walk to their class together. Lucy was smiling. That's one problem out of the way.
Lucy walked in her apartment complex and threw her bag absent-mindedly onto the couch. She quickly went to the fridge to grab a snack. With a packet of Twinkies in her hands, she headed to her room, where a steaming bath was just singing out to her.
"Twinkies, Lucy?" A gruff voice called admonishingly behind her. "I thought I raised you to have healthier eating preferences."
The blond whirled around to find a man sitting on the couch where she threw her bag. "Father!" she squealed and hugged her father. "You're home early!" she exclaimed, looking at the clock to find that it read three in the afternoon.
Jude shrugged. "I try. Anyway, go and get dressed, Lucy."
Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Where are we going?"
"Going?" Jude asked, mimicking Lucy's actions. "I thought you wouldn't want to stay in your school uniform for long time." Lucy looked down to find that she was indeed still wearing her school uniform. She smiled at her father sheepishly. "I'll be right back."
Lucy quickly changed her clothes, forgoing her bath and only washing her face. She then headed to the kitchen to prepare lunch for the both of them, thinking that he wouldn't have had lunch yet.
After preparing a simple baked bean chili, the father and daughter began eating. "How did your business deal go, father?" Lucy asked conversationally.
"Great." He replied. "With that company investing in us, we will be able to earn more profits."
"I see."
"But it's not about my company I want to talk about." Jude stated. "I wanted to talk about the new school you are going to." Lucy stopped eating, paying attention to what her father was saying. Jude explained. "I heard you have even joined a basketball team."
Lucy was shocked that he found out, and it sent her mind reeling. She tried to think about how he managed to figure it out. One fact stood out from her mind.
"Father, do you still have Capricorn report to you of every single place I go to?" she interrogated suspiciously.
Jude averted his eyes, caught red-handed. "Lucy, you have to understand. You live alone now. Don't you think that as a parent I should at least know more of your whereabouts? It's not like you're back home where there will always be one of the staff to watch over you."
"But that's partially your fault too." Lucy stated. "It's not like you are home a lot. If it were so, then I would call you more often too."
He took her hands in his. "Lucy, let me care for you in the ways I can for now. If not for my over protectiveness, then at least let me make up to you the time I have lost." He looked at his daughter with pleading eyes.
Lucy looked away from her father. After her mom had passed away when she was little, her dad had drowned himself in work to try to protect himself from the pain. But in doing so, he shut out his only daughter, who grew under the care of the staff. But even that couldn't substitute the lack of any parental affection. Only after a serious incident in Lucy's early teen years opened his eyes again, and since then he has been in a sort of repentance, trying to spoil his daughter who had survived her grief without her father by her side.
"You have made up for it, father." Lucy said endearingly. "It's okay now."
Jude squeezed his daughters hands in gratitude, but caught the slight grimace had settled on her face. "What's wrong, Lucy?"
"Nothing." Lucy replied quickly, trying to take her hands away. Jude looks down and the somewhat knobby and discolored fingers. "Lucy!" he exclaimed, horrified. "What happened?!"
"I told you! Nothing at all. Just my fingers got jammed a couple of times…" she trailed off.
Jude held her hand out to inspect them properly. "A few times?!" Her joints had become somewhat knobby, some even turning purple. Her nails had some chips as well. She had tried her best to treat them, but the healing process had been regrettably slow.
"It's fine, dad! All new players go through this." She assured him.
"No, I won't tolerate this." The businessman rambled. "My baby Lucy, getting treated like this! You should be treated like a princess! Instead you…"
"Father!" Lucy yelled. "Calm down!"
"How can I calm down?" He asked, exasperated. "Where are the people who are making you go through this?"
"Relax! It's just basketball"
"Then drop out immediately!" He ordered. "You shouldn't do what hurts you. Always make things as comfortable as can be. There is always a way that is more profitable than the rest."
"Father!" Lucy cried indignantly. "What would mother say?!"
That stopped the diatribe coming from the man. He took a deep breath. "I am calm. Are you ok?"
"I am completely fine." Lucy assured exaggeratedly. "These will take only a week to heal completely. It's all under control."
"Lucy, I think you should get out of the team."
"Father! You're taking this too seriously!"
"But dear, you are not treating this serious enough! Look at you! You've gotten darker; you're hands are swollen and I bet you have a few bruises and sores as well."
Lucy looked down, unwilling to meet his. Jude was close; she only had one bruise on her thigh, and her claves were semi-sore. "At least it is better than the unhealthily pallid skin I had! And my stamina is growing; things I used to consider tiring aren't so exhausting anymore. This is good for me!"
"I won't hear anything, Lucy." Jude stated. "Today you might be only slightly sore. What if tomorrow, you break something? Or worse, get accidentally punched in the middle of a game? You're in a mixed team; boys will expect you to endure their harsh pushes and shoves. It's better to prevent anything from happening at all."
Lucy tried to fight back, although she was beginning to see that it was of no use."But Father!" she cried weakly.
"No excuses!" He roared, causing Lucy to shrink back in fear. Jude, noticing Lucy's reaction, took a deep breath and calmed down. "I'll drop by your school in two weeks to make sure you're out by then. You can quit yourself earlier, or I'll have to sever the ties myself. Am I clear?" he asked sternly.
Lucy hung her head in defeat. "Yes, Father."
Please review any opinions, ideas, criticisms or anything else. I really do appreciate them, and they do kind of motivate me XD See you next rewrite.