Summary: Michelle and Lucy are catching up, but Lucy can't shake the feeling that's there something wrong with Lucille, Michelle's mother. Also, Lucy made a decision to tell her guidance counselor, Ms. Strauss, about her letter that is beginning to haunt her more and more. After a talk with Ms. Strauss, Lucy finally decides to take charge of her life, but she's soon going to realize why a friendship with Natsu Dragneel might not be worth the price.

Note: Hello again my lovely readers! I know I haven't updated in a while, but I've been trying to map out this story to see how exactly it's going to go. Like I said, it's only going to get crazier from here. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

CHILDHOOD FRIENDS

When I mean trashed, I mean Michelle's house looked like Sharknado went crazy in it. It was obvious that there was some attempt to clean the place, like the neat bookshelf and the stacked magazine on the extremely tiny coffee table in front of a pale, yellow couch. The walls were a very pretty soft green, with strange colored stains. The colors matched Michelle's energy, but clearly not Lucille's, who was absent from the room, but I could hear odd TV cheering from behind a door next to the couch.

I'm extremely sure that Michelle saw me checking out her practically destroyed apartment-was that an used condom?-but obviously decided to just avoid the issue by waving me inside her stingy apartment. I swear I'll end up being the first person to catch HIV airborne. Yeah, I said it.

"I really can't believe it's you," For once, Michelle actually seemed to mean it. Like as if I was a terrible human that never took the time to contact her, ever. Oh wait. Shit.

"Well, it's me. Lucy. Of the Heartfilia family," For absolutely no reason, I said that in a British accent while looking towards the ceiling, as if all the answers to life were there.

"Wow, you're exactly the same as a kid! That's so cute!" Am I the only one that thought she meant that in a bad way? Because let me educate you on how as a kid, I once purposely bit off the head of your Barbie and blamed it on you in front of my parents, and they believed me. Therefore, you're saying I'm a Barbie killer who enjoys the pain of little kids.

"Really? You haven't changed a bit either, Michelle," And she hasn't. She was exactly the same. A big ball of sunshine was Michelle, even as a kid. I wasn't a crazy Michael Myers kid, but I was definitely more mischievous that she was. She was basically the perfect little angel while I was the little demon. I wasn't even badass enough to be a demon, I was more like one of those evil assistants, rather than a villain. My life is never going to amount to anything, is it?

"Ha, I can imagine! Well, please take a seat. I'm really sorry about our apartment, it's just that mother decided to have a little party last night. Would you like some tea? Or coffee?"

If there's one thing I remember my aunt from my dad's side saying (before she got married to some asshole that owned a bunch of irrelevant companies) was that all mischievous people had to be observant and clever. And I, thankfully, share those traits with my fellow terrible human beings. So I knew exactly what Michelle meant by "little party" and how she instantly tried to distract me with tea. Say one thing in a British accent, and suddenly you're the Queen of England.

"Oh, no thank you. I don't want to burden you! You seem so busy cleaning. Speaking of, where's your mom?" I asked as casually as I could, hoping Michelle couldn't understand what I was trying to hint at. No matter how long we were friends as kids, she never truly understood my humor or sarcastic remarks.

"She's in the next room. Can't miss her Dr. Phil, y'know." Hm. Ironic. "Well, what brings you to my home? Not that you're not welcome, Lucy, it's just weird to see you after so many years."

"Actually I came for advice." No I didn't, I just felt extremely guilty about not seeing you after years, but I'm going to pretend it's for advice. I'm totally a good person…somewhere…

"Oh! What about? Is everything ok?" With unmoving concern, Michelle sat on the couch, patting the seat next to her. It was actually the only thing that seemed completely clean. I was still cautious when I sat next to her though, making sure there wasn't any cigarettes or beer bottles, because when I was ten, my school made us watch a bunch of anti-smoking videos with a dancing cigarette in the background.

"Uh, well, actually…" Do I have time to make something up? Of course I do! "I got a letter in the mail a couple of uh, months ago and I don't know what to do about it…"

And that wasn't even a lie. I did, in fact, get a letter in the mail, but I did know what I was going to do about it…sort of…I was going to find the person and punch them in the face then declare myself victorious, while imaginary credits roll.

"Huh? What's so bad about a letter? Unless it's cruel, or something."

"Well, the things on it, for a start. It was really cruel." After I said this, it seemed that Michelle was uncomfortable and even didn't make eye contact with me. "And there's also no return address."

"Maybe you should just ignore it? I've written letters before, but it seems silly to get worked up about it, don't you think so Lucy?" Michelle asked, putting a comforting hand on my knee.

"I don't know. This person is obviously out for blood. Mine, especially. I just think that something worse might happen if I don't do something now," I explained carefully, watching her face pale slightly.

"Uh, maybe you should tell an administrator? It seems strange that you're getting such mean letters, your life seems so perfect!"

"I guess so. But actually it's not that strange," I laughed nervously, while Michelle's eyes hardened, and then went back to their joyous look.

"Nonsense! Your life is amazing. I mean, you're so pretty, while you don't have to really work for anything. That would be wonderful. About the letter…maybe you should tell an administrator at your school? They wouldn't be able to get anyone in trouble, right?"

"Wouldn't that defeat the purpose, though? Not getting them in trouble? But yeah, you're right. There's no return address, and it was typed," I said, annoyed. She was right, there really isn't much I could do rather than ignore it. But then again, it was still rude, right?

"Then just tell an administrator. It might help to get professional help, y'know. If I got a letter saying I'm pathetic, I would get upset as well," Offered Michelle, with a sweet smile. I had to return it, just because of how sweet it was.

The rest of day was just catching up between us two. Lucille came out once when we were laughing loudly, but other than that, she left us alone. It felt amazing to talk to her again, once I got over the guilt. It felt like my life was making sense again. Of course, I had to wonder how long that would last.

I could not be the only teenager in the world that never got along with school staff. I wasn't rude or disrespectful, but it was very obvious that I never wanted to be in their presence. Teachers made me uncomfortable, but I still enjoyed the lessons, especially literature. Levy definitely had the upper hand on that once, considering that once she completely insulted me using Shakespeare's Greatest Works for over an hour.

All in all, I was never close to any teachers, principals, or even guidance counselors. But today, that was going to change. Well, at least I hoped so. The letter that I gotten over the summer had been pleasantly avoided, until I began to obsess over it. It had actually hurt my feelings, and made me doubt many things about myself. Was I really that hated? Did people see me that way? The rumors had gone down a bit, but I still knew what they were saying. The fake suicide hadn't been cleared up whatsoever, regardless of what Levy and Lisanna say. They've been kind about the entire thing, even when people would whisper and point. I couldn't blame them much, I did the same thing to them.

But now wasn't the time to acknowledge my hypocrisy. It was time to show my guidance counselor the letter that was written to me with no return mail.

It was safe to say that I might either get over this predicament, or make it worse. I was hoping for this to work out, because I wasn't emotionally ready to deal with many things. It took a while to accept my mom's death, which still isn't easy to this day, but it doesn't plague me anymore. It took even longer to accept my dad's coldness before he actually got his shit together himself. But for some reason, I couldn't shake off this letter.

Ms. Strauss must've noticed me standing in front of her office for the last ten minutes, because she opened the door with a curious expression. She looked every bit like a model, with her hair now in a tight bun and glasses to finish off the look. Her ruffly, white blouse matched the rest of the dreary school.

"Lucy? What's the matter?" Ms. Strauss had asked. Once, in one of our sessions, she told me to simply call her Mira since we had become "homies." I still call her Ms. Strauss in my head, and when other students are around. She had taken a liking to call me Lucy instead of my last name.

"Uh, there's something I want to show you," Said thing was clutched in my hands tightly, while I stared at my sneakers.

"The double-checking thing was a joke, Lucy," Giggled Ms. Strauss, before leading me into her incredibly cramped, small office. It seemed that from our last session, many things have changed, including the amount of posters and brochures. They seemed to have tripled. From inspiring quotes about education, to puberty, to everything. Even more so, there were tissues and hand sanitizer which you would've thought should have been there before, but no.

Out of habit, I sat in the tiny seat in front of her cluttered desk. Instantly, Mira smiled. "What brings you to my office, Lucy?"

"What brought me to your storage closet was that-"

"Office."

"Right, sorry. What brought me to the cafeteria's freezer was a letter I got a couple of months ago." That got Ms. Strauss' full, undivided attention. "It's a bit person, as you can understand."

"Yeah, yeah. I mean I heard of a letter in the report of your suicide attempt, but it was mostly vague. I never thought it would become a problem. Can I see it?"

"Yeah. Here." Giving her the damn thing, I decided to look away while she was reading it. I knew what her reactions would be, considering she's still Lisanna's sister. My theory proved true, though, when I heard her horrified gasp.

"Lucy, what is this? Did another student send you this?"

"I have no idea. No return address, nothing. Not even a Scooby Doo clue."

"Hm, you're right. This person isn't a friend of yours, though, or they just unintentionally insulted themselves. Or maybe it was one of your friends and they wrote that to keep you off track!"

"Ok, that narrows the list down to two people, one of which is scared of butterflies and the other is your sister."

"I take that back. Wow, you only have to friends? Talk about quality over quantity. In any case, I'll report this and we'll get to the bottom of it. I promise Lucy."

"Thank, Ms-I mean Mira. Thank you so much."

"By the way," said Ms. Strauss before I could even stand up. "I'm not really supposed to do this, but a certain boy came to me a couple of weeks ago talking about a beautiful blonde girl that stayed with him and Ms. Aquarius after school. He said he was nervous to talk to again."

I stayed completely silent.

"I told him maybe that blonde girl can talk to him now. Without Ms. Aquarius, of course." That's when I knew. Yes, the letter might've been extremely shitty, but there was something on it that I couldn't ignore.

Stop being such a pussy.

Was I being a coward? I wasn't interested in him…was I? And I certainly couldn't ignore the "beautiful blonde girl" part. Was the person who wrote the letter right? Is that why I took the easy way out?

"Maybe she will."

It didn't take that long to find him, which was not surprising at all. I'm pretty sure he's the only pink haired, scar wearing teenage boy in our entire school. The world, maybe. He was surrounded by a group of people, next to Erza Scarlet and Gray. I had actually forgotten he was much more liked than normal people. On the verge of popular, actually.

Should I risk it? Risk getting humiliated in front of an entire group of people? It wasn't like I've never talked to him before. But it's been quite a while since our last encounter. And he also seemed interested in me. Worst case scenario, he says no…like I did…

Fuck it, I'm going to risk it. I'm supposed to wait for Levy and Lisanna so we can all go to Levy's house, but I needed to do this. With Ms. Strauss' words in my mind, I bravely way my through the crowd of people.

Making my way downtown, walking fast, faces pass, and I'm home bound.

Ok, serious time. I can do this. I'm going to prove my letter writer completely wrong. I'm no pussy! I'm a beautiful caterpillar, ready to become a butterfly! I can do this.

Once I actually got in front of him though was a completely different story. He was in the middle of creating some sexual tension with Gray through weird, specific insults, but my presence instantly got his attention.

"Lucy?" He asked in a way softer tone than the one he regarded Gray with. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to ask you something," Unfortunately for me, I could feel my face getting hotter, and it got worse when Gray decided to speak up.

"You couldn't be asking out this flame brain! You're way too hot!" Gray exclaimed, bursting into loud laughter. I don't think he actually meant that as a compliment, it seemed mostly to just spite Natsu. It worked almost like a charm.

"What was that, ice ass? Mind repeating it?"

"I said she's too-"

"Ahem. I came here to ask Natsu something, not to hear an argument." That, for some reason, got them both to stop completely. "Do you, uh, want to hang out sometime?"

"I should say no…"

"Okay…"

"But I'm not going to. Meet me after school tomorrow."

END NOTE: Welp, that's the chapter. Feels kinda short for the time I've had to update. Sigh. Very sorry for ending it there, but I'm like really tired right now, and for some reason, I can't nap. Like I can't fall asleep unless it's night-time, completely dark, and there's absolutely no noise. Am I the only one? Probably. Anywho, I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter. A bit of in character Natsu for your enjoyment. Doesn't matter what fic, if Gray is around, Natsu is usually always in character haha. And also Lucy finally spoke up a bit about the letter and re-united with Michelle. She's also getting closer to Natsu. So things are finally falling into place, but could her good luck turn to bad luck just as quickly? Now, onto the reviews!

UnbalancedSoul (Your Welcome? I'm glad I didn't come off too...forceful. I try not to offend, just voice my opinion, but with it being incomplete, a work in progress, its difficult for me to give my full thoughts when that could all change.

Its good to know that there's more than meets the eye with the ever expanding cast. As an amateur writer myself (working on my first at the moment, shameless plug. I'm rusty, if I'm nice about it), I can appreciate the way details are given to the audience: a bit too slow and methodical for my taste, but still enough to keep the thought of there being more to the story alive, like a fish on a line still under the water: its there, but not entirely.

I suggestion, if I may: Lisanna. She has done almost nothing except be there, save the one chapter, which was mostly flashback. She has the makings of a crazy interesting side character: so don't let that chance go to waste (like the manga/series is doing. Seriously, she is a name, an event, not a character). What you do with this chance is your choice, if anything at all (don't let me shape your story), but there is a mold for something there.

Funny how you mention you write darker tales, void of much humor, cause that is a flat out (unintentional) lie. There are plenty of moments where I chuckle, or just plain out laugh, at moments or implications.

I'll leave it at that, don't wanna give you a workout reading my thoughts, as they are exactly that, mine, and they shouldn't affect you, your preformance, or anyone else and their preformance. Unless you do take it to heart, in which I'm flattered.)

I completely understand where you're coming from with you trying not to offend. I'm glad you like to pace, because it is going to be a bit slower, but I like for my readers to fully understand and know what's going on before something different/crazy happens. I have to agree with the Lisanna thing, since she is being put off to the side a lot. I mean, it wasn't Hiro's decision to bring her back, but she's still just being there for the people that like her, and for no other reason. In my story, however, she plays a key part with the relationship between Natsu and Lucy in a different way than most stories write her out to be. Thank you so much, haha. It's actually completely true, this is my first time writing humor, but I'm very glad you're enjoying it. I take every single review to heart, especially one as long and as interesting as yours. By the way, I'll make sure to check out your story as well! With how you write reviews, I'm sure it's going to be amazing.

0GWxlf (I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! Lucy is so blunt, Natsu and Lisanna I just have no words and now I feel like Lucy is bouta get into some trouble... so keep doing this amazing work of art!)

Wow, thank you so much! She really is, and it's going to be very soon, haha. I will!

Guest (Love it! Keep it up!)

Thank you very much!