Chapter Twenty-Eight: Petty Revenge

Feet pounded into the grass as Lucy marched towards the football field. She was livid. "How dare he?" She demanded at no one as she clenched her fists. The equipment shed Cana told her about came into view. That's where the girl with alcohol on her breath told her Jackal and his friends liked to hang out in the morning when they don't have practice.

She practically burst through the doors with a scowl on her face. "Jackal!"

The boy in question stepped out from the darkness, a weird looking cigarette resting between his fingers. "Oh hey, it's Blondie!" He looked behind him, but Lucy couldn't see much.

Something shifted in the darkness until she saw three other boys walk up, surrounding Jackal. "What brings you here?" He asked with a smirk, pretending as if he didn't already know.

"You know why I'm here?" Lucy could barely contain her anger, her fists shaking as she spoke. "Why would you tell people I'm a... a..."

"A slut?" He finished for her without even a slight change in his expression. "Oh come on, can't you learn to take a joke. It's just some good old humor," he laughed, then the other boys laughed with him. '

"It's not funny," Lucy narrowed her eyes. "Why would you say something like that?"

Jackal stopped laughing, then took a puff from his odd cigarette. He took a few steps forward, prompting Lucy to take a few steps back. He blew the smoke in her face, causing her to cough.

"What the hell is that?" She covered her nose, gagging at the horrid stench. She'd smelled plenty of cigarettes and cigars over the years from her father's business associates, but none had ever smelled like that. It honestly smelled like he was smoking a skunk.

"Chill out," Jackal turned back, handing the thing to one of his friends before facing Lucy again. "You're too tense." He placed his hands on her shoulders in an attempt to massage them.

She immediately pulled away from his touch. "Hands off!" She crossed her arms over her chest and placed her hands on her shoulders to protect them. "Look, just whatever you did, fix it. I'm not a sl-slut, and you know that."

"Oh," Jackal cocked his head, "I do, do I?" He jerked a thumb behind him, "then explain to me why you banged all my friends and tried to seduce me this weekend?"

Lucy's eyes widened, her arms coming down as her shoulders went slack. "But I didn't..."

"Oh, but you did," Jackal grinned, revealing those sharp teeth of his. "Don't you remember? You spent Saturday night here with my friends, then Sunday you were bent over a bed taking it from half the baseball team."

The roaring laughter deafened Lucy for a moment. "You're lying!" She shouted, but they were too busy holding their sides as they cackled.

Jackal straightened up, wiping a stray tear from the corner of his eye. "And who's gonna believe you?" He smirked, "you already screwed yourself over by-" He laughed at his own pun. "-hanging out with Natsu."

"What's he have to do with this?" Lucy's brows darted together, her body shaking with anger not only from them saying she slept with people when she didn't, but also because Jackal was dragging Natsu into it as well. Hadn't he been through enough?

Apparently Jackal didn't think so. "You made it too easy! No one believes that a chick like you would hang out with a loser like him without some compensation!"

"What are you implying?" She could barely recognize her voice. It had turned dark, matching the inside of the room.

Jackal's eyes flickered with confusion for a second. "Don't you know his reputation?"

"You must not be too bright," one of the boys behind Jackal said. "He's saying you're a whore who fucks for money!"

"Shut up!" Lucy screamed when they started laughing again. She couldn't stand the sound anymore. "I'm not! I haven't even had sex yet!"

That seemed to get them to stop. Jackal smiled as he walked up to her, cornering her easily since she was so distraught. If it weren't for her backpack, she would have slammed against the wall.

"Interesting," he leaned in, his skunk breath stinging her nose. "You want me to change that for you?"

The laughing barely started before Jackal yelled out in pain. "What the fuck! You bitch!" He fell to the ground, cupping his groin from where Lucy kneed him. "Oh, if you thought you were gonna pay before-"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Lucy couldn't help but flail her arms in anger. "I haven't done anything to you to deserve you calling me nasty names! Tell everyone the truth, or I'm going to the principal to tell on you!"

Jackal's snicker was strained as he slowly stood up, though he stayed a little hunched over from the pain. "Do it and you'll regret it."

"What do you mean?" Lucy didn't appreciate the threatening tone he used.

The boy struggled to grab his phone from his back pocket, then scrolled until he found what he was looking for. He revealed it, causing Lucy to gasp.

"Like it?" He asked, seeing the tears well up in her eyes. "I got a geek who's totally in love with me to photoshop your face onto this naked chick's body. Looks real, doesn't it?"

"Delete it!" Lucy screamed, not caring if her voice was laced with a whine. Her face was beat red, but not from embarrassment. It was pure rage. "Delete it now!"

"Won't do much good," he shook his head. "I have more copies. And I'm just itching to send this out. If I find out you ratted me out, I'll send this to the entire school."

"You can't do that!"

"Oh?" His lips curved into a wicked smile. "And who's gonna stop me? You?"

Lucy's eyes tore away from Jackal to stare at his screen again. It was clear to her that the picture was doctored, but that was only because she knew what her naked body looked like. If anyone else saw it, they'd easily mistake it for hers. She always had the option of proving her body didn't look like that, but it would defeat the purpose since the only way was to post a naked picture of herself for everyone to see.

Lucy hated admitting it, but she felt trapped.

Hot tears poured from her eyes as she pleaded, "please stop. I don't know why you want to hurt me, but please cut it out. I haven't done anything to deserve this."

Jackal wasn't moved by her tears. "Nope! I'm just gettin' started."

"Please!" Lucy begged, not caring that the other guys were laughing and making fun of her in the background. Right now her entire focus was on Jackal.

"Well... There is one way to end the rumors," he gave her a devilish grin, "but I don't think you're gonna like it."

"What is it?" She couldn't believe she was being blackmailed again. At least with Loke he had cracked without much effort. Jackal seemed to be standing firm with his decision to make Lucy's life a living hell.

"All the rumors will go away if you do one simple thing," Jackal paused a few seconds to build anticipation. "You have to fuck my friends."

"Wh-what?!" Lucy recoiled back, shocked by his request. "No!"

"That's too bad. If you just fuck them then the rumors won't be rumors anymore. They'll be the truth." He used Lucy's shock to his advantage as he grabbed her waist, leaning in to steal a kiss.

Lucy reacted faster, hand moving to slap him hard across the face to free herself. "Get the hell away from me you ass!" She jolted back until her backpack hit the wall of the shed.

"Oh, you're definitely going to regret that," Jackal's eyes turned dark as he started walking towards her.


Natsu tried to keep his pace between a walk and a run. He was excited to see Lucy today, but he didn't want to get caught sprinting up to her. Yesterday had been great. He spent the whole afternoon with Lucy, finished his homework, and got an awesome meal. Needless to say, Natsu was in a great mood.

His mood only slightly dropped when he reached the picnic tables by the tennis court. All his friends were there, except Lucy and Juvia -but he knew the latter was at swim practice. Even Gajeel was there, not that Natsu gave him any attention.

"Hey guys," he greeted, exiting out of his Pokémon GO app. He wanted to show Lucy the Rhyhorn he was planning on evolving since he finally got enough candies. He knew he enjoyed watching them evolve for the first time, so he wanted to see if she would too, but it looked like she wasn't at school yet. "What's up?"

"Not much." Erza glanced up at him. "Have you talked to Lucy this morning?"

He cocked his head. "No... Should I of?"

Levy spoke up, her tone on the nervous side. "She said she would meet me here, but she hasn't shown. I'm a little worried."

"She's probably just running late," Gray said, transferring a Meowth for candy.

"That's what I said," Gajeel grunted, his arms crossed over his chest, trying to look as nonchalant as possible. Natsu could see right through the act. The slight ticking of his cheek showed he was concerned as well, but Natsu didn't know why. As far as he knew Lucy and Gajeel only talk because of Levy, so he doubted the brute was worried too.

"Oh," Jellal perked up, finally joining the conversation. "Isn't that her over there?" He pointed behind Levy to a blonde girl walking in the distance.

No... Walking wasn't the right word. It looked more like she was storming away from something.

Natsu was the first to start heading to the girl. For some reason he had a gut feeling that it was Lucy, and the closer he got to her, the more his suspicions were confirmed.

"Hey Luce!" He shouted, but she kept walking off, further away from the school and picnic tables. "Wait up!"

As Natsu ran to catch up with her, the others followed, curious about the girl's behavior. When the pink haired boy almost reached her, she stumbled, falling hard on her knees. He panicked, but before he could see her face to see if she was alright, she bent down, letting her hair act as a curtain as her body started to tremble.

"Lucy!" He put his hands on her arms to try to pull her up, but she instantly flinched away from his touches, shouting at him to leave her alone.

Natsu backed up, shocked she would scream at him. "Lucy?"

That's when he heard it. A sniffle, followed by a sob. Lucy was crying, and he had no idea why. "Lucy, what's wrong?!"

She only shook her head, burying her face in her hands as she cried, not caring who saw her.

"Lucy!" Levy rushed up beside Natsu, then fell on her knees to get to her friend's level. "Lucy, what's going on? Are you hurt?"

She slowly sat up until she was resting on her shins. Lucy wiped her eyes and nose with her hands, then looked at Levy. Her eyes were puffy, her face a deep shade of red. "I'm f-fine," she lied, barely holding back the urge to weep. "Wh-what did you want t-to talk to me a-about?"

Levy blinked, then shook her head. "That's not important right now. What happened? And don't say you're fine. That's obviously a lie."

Everyone gathered around Lucy, waiting to hear her answer. It was hard to understand through her shaky breaths, but Natsu heard her loud and clear.

"J-J-Jack-kal, s-said I... I sl-slept w-... with a-a l-lot of g-g-guys!"

Natsu's mind blanked for a moment before blind fury took over. "WHERE IS HE?!"

Everyone flinched at Natsu's out burst. Erza tried to put a hand on Natsu's back to calm him down, but he just shrugged her away. "Lucy. Where is he?" This time he managed to keep his tone a little more under control, but they could still hear the anger boiling beneath the surface.

She shook her head, mumbling something about not wanting him to do something stupid. Then she said something that broke Natsu's heart.

"I-I'm n-not worth i-it any-anyways."

His fingers twitched as he tried to hold back his temper, but it was getting the better of him. "Of course you're worth it! Now tell me where he is?"

"Natsu," Gray started, trying to get through to him. "Control yourself!"

He didn't take that advice, instead he bent down to Lucy's level. "Lucy, tell me where he is." As if to soften his demand, he added, "please."

Lucy's eyes locked with his, her body still shaking as she said, "f-f-foot...ball f-field."

That was all Natsu needed before he dropped his backpack, then sprinted towards the field as if his life depended on it.

"Fuck!" Gray shouted, ditching his backpack to follow his friend. "Jellal?!"

"I'm right behind you!" The blue haired male ran after them.

Gajeel merely snorted, saying they were gonna get their teeth knocked in at that rate. Levy rose to her feet, then jabbed a finger in his chest. "Go after them. Make sure Natsu doesn't get hurt."

That caused Gajeel to glare down at his girlfriend. "And how is that my problem?"

Levy ignored the cold voice he used towards her, her own anger bubbling up. "Because he's your family! Now go!"

Gajeel recoiled from her shout, then grumbled something before taking off in a light jog towards the football field. Levy returned to Lucy, rubbing circles on her back while she chanted that everything was going to be okay. "It can't be that bad. Can it?"

Lucy only cried harder, her vision blurred as she fought with herself to keep it together. She felt Levy moving her hair to get it out of her face, but that caused Lucy to jolt away, screaming to be left alone.

Erza widened her eyes, recognizing the warning signs Lucy was demonstrating. The redhead gently moved Levy to the side, then slowly sat beside Lucy. The girl was still crying, so Erza spoke as calmly as she could. "Lucy..." When said girl's head tilted towards her, she continued. "Did someone hurt you?"

There was a pause before Lucy nodded, another sob racking through her body. Erza's hands curled into fists as she asked, "did someone touch you?"

Lucy's reply was immediate, but it also made Erza's stomach twist. She nodded, too ashamed to look the redhead in the eye.

"Did Jackal touch you?"

She nodded.

"Inappropriately?"

Another sickening nod.

"Where?"

Lucy tried to swallow, but her throat felt like it was sealed shut. A headache was already forming from all the pressure building up in her sinuses from crying so much. Her hand came up, trembling as she brushed her hair to the side. Erza had to hold back a curse when she saw three red marks on Lucy's neck. They were clearly hickeys, and it was obvious Lucy didn't want them.

Through clenched teeth, she muttered, "he will pay for what he's done."

Erza didn't allow Lucy to curl up on herself again. She took a hold of the girl, hugging her tightly against her chest as she told Lucy she shouldn't feel bad about herself, that she didn't do anything wrong.

Lucy had no idea if Erza was reading her mind, because that was exactly what she feared. She felt like it was her fault for stepping into that shed without any protection. She felt like she should feel ashamed for letting Jackal take control of her like that.

Back in the shed, Jackal had pinned her against the wall. He left no space between them, not allowing her to try to kick him again as he went in for the kill. He had bit her neck repetitively, essentially marking her as his own, but she would never be his. Even if he threatened to expose that picture to the entire world, she would never willingly allow herself to be touched by that vile boy.

Lucy was just lucky that was all Jackal wanted. Once he was done, he let her go, telling her to think about his offer, which she knew she wouldn't do. If she wouldn't even kiss Loke -who now looked like prince charming compared to Jackal- there was no chance in hell she would ever consider his 'offer'. It made her sick just thinking about it.

Lucy cried into Erza's neck, messily swearing that she didn't have sex with anyone. Levy sat next to Lucy, rubbing her back while Erza spoke gently to her. "I know, no one thinks you did."

Lucy bawled her eyes out as she promised she'd never even had her first kiss. That surprised Erza a little. Even she had been kissed before, though that was a secret she was keeping from the group until a certain someone was ready for a relationship. She pushed her own personal stuff aside to comfort the girl crying in her arms.

In a whisper, Erza said, "Natsu... You better punch him extra hard for me."


"JACKAL!" Natsu yelled as he threw the door to the shed open. He was immediately greeted with the smell of marijuana. He wasn't even surprised, knowing that these guys liked to smoke to pass the time when it wasn't football season . However, Natsu barely thought about that as his eyes darted around the shed, looking for the boy that made Lucy cry.

He found him sitting on a sideways blocking dummy. Jackal jumped to his feet, a feral grin surfacing on his face as he took in the sight of the riled up teen. "Natsu! So good of you to join us!"

"You bastard!" Natsu growled, charging forward to strike Jackal in the face, but something grabbed him, hauling him backwards. "Let me go Gray!" He squirmed, feeling those cold hands restraining him.

"No way!" Gray pulled the flailing teen away from the group of laughing boys. "I'm not letting you get in trouble."

"But that asshole made Lucy cry!"

Gray pulled Natsu to the doorway, trying to whisper in his ear so the other guys couldn't hear. "What are you gonna do? Punch him? Then what?" Natsu continued to struggle as Gray tried to knock some sense into him. "With your luck you'll probably get suspended, and he'll get away with it anyways."

Natsu ground his teeth together, eyes still glaring at Jackal as he finally thought about what Gray was saying. It was true. In the past, every time he stood up for himself he got in trouble, and somehow the bullies got away with barely a slap on the wrist. It wasn't fair, but it was expected at this point.

As if to cut deep, Gray added, "and if you're so pissed about him making Lucy cry, look at yourself! Instead of comforting her, you came out here! You just left her crying, idiot!"

Natsu's eyes widened, realizing he was absolutely right. He had just left Lucy there, blinded by rage and a need to exact revenge for her. He hadn't even thought about it. He just wanted to make Jackal suffer for putting Lucy through that. Natsu felt awful for abandoning her, even though he told her she could talk to him when she needed to, but he didn't even give her the opportunity.

As he thought it over, Jellal and Gajeel showed up, wondering if things had settled down. They watched as Gray slowly loosened his grip on Natsu, then said, "now go comfort Lucy!"

Natsu grumbled, his fists still wanting to smash something. "You're right," he sighed, trying to force the anger to leave him without much luck. He could still hear the laughter coming from the group as they watched him struggle with his decision. "Let's get outta here."

Natsu hadn't even turned around before he heard Jackal shout, "do me a favor? Ask Blondie if she's still charging twenty bucks for a blowjob?"

"Fuck you!" Natsu's vision blurred as he ran straight up to Jackal, decking him hard in the face as the smug asshole was in the middle of a laugh.

"Natsu!" Gray shouted, but it was too late. The fight had already started, and he had no choice but to join in, otherwise the group would easily outmatch Natsu since it was four to one.

Jellal and Gajeel didn't need to be asked. They joined as well, making it so that everyone had an opponent. The fight was over quickly since the football coach came to check on the shed, but the damage done to the boys was noticeable.

The football coach was a little outdated, believing problems could be solved with fists instead of words, so he didn't try to write them up. He just broke it up and told them to finish it later, off campus and away from his equipment.

Natsu and his friends walked back to the girls, their hair a mess and their clothes dirty. Natsu took the worst damage, but he wore his bruises proudly, happy that he gave Jackal a black eye and reopened the wound on his chin he caused a few days ago. He didn't mind that his cheek was swelling up, or that his stomach was sore. He felt like he got a little revenge for Lucy.

That was until he saw the hickeys on her neck, causing him to try to race back to possibly stab Jackal if he got the chance. Gray and Jellal had to both hold onto the boy to keep him from charging off again.

Natsu only saw red! He wouldn't allow anyone to touch Lucy without her permission. He didn't even care if he got suspended or expelled. He wanted to make Jackal pay for touching her!

The only thing to finally calm him down was when Lucy stepped in front of him, eyes puffy and watery as she weakly stretched out her arms for him. Gray and Jellal let him go, seeing him throw himself into her arms to hug the trembling girl.

Everyone gave them space, leaving behind only Natsu and Lucy's backpacks as they walked back to the picnic tables. Natsu held her while she cried, gently stroking her hair as he told her he was there for her. "I'm sorry I left ya. I won't do it again."

Lucy swallowed thickly, then asked, "pr-promise?"

Natsu's heart broke as he hugged her tighter. "I promise. I'm here whenever you need me."

As horrible as it sounded, he was glad Lucy confided in him. It reassured him once again that he had her trust, or at least some of it. He just had to make sure he didn't abuse it by rushing off again, even if he was trying to defend her honor.

"I pa-pa-promise I didn't sleep with anyone," her voice was muffled, her face pressed against his scarf.

"I know." He closed his eyes, wishing he could take away her pain. He knew very well how hard emotional pain could be on a person. Especially when it came to people spreading lies.

She sniffled, probably getting snot on his scarf, but he didn't mind. "I-I don't know w-why he's being so m-mean."

Natsu gritted his teeth, wishing he knew the answer to that question as well. "That's just what bullies do..."

Apparently that wasn't the answer she wanted, because she only cried harder. Lucy's mind alternated between having too many thoughts to sort out, or being completely blank. She couldn't believe it. She thought Levy was just exaggerating when she spoke about bullies. She never thought it would hurt this much. The things Jackal said about her were completely untrue! What did he stand to gain from spreading lies? She just couldn't understand. She refused to understand.

After several more minutes of openly crying into Natsu's scarf, she pulled back, eyes still lined with tears but otherwise she seemed to be getting better. "I swear, none of it's true..."

Natsu's eyes fluttered open as he cupped her face with a warm hand. He briefly wondered if he was overstepping her boundaries, but she wasn't pushing him away, so he continued. He pushed a strand of blonde hair that was wet with tears out of her face and behind her ear. "I believe you."

That simple sentence meant the world to her. "I was in Crocus all weekend... I couldn't have-"

Natsu's thumb brushed over her lips, silencing her. The action was incredibly intimate, but he was more concerned with keeping her calm. It actually helped in a way, breaking down walls so they could get closer. "You don't need an alibi. I would've believed you no matter what."

Just before the tears in Lucy's eyes could spring free, she lunged forward, wrapping Natsu in a tight hug as she said, "thank you. Thank you for being here for me..."

Natsu felt his heart flutter as he gently ran a hand through her golden locks. "Like I said, the offer always stands. I'm here to talk whenever you need it." He closed his eyes again. "Even if you don't wanna talk. I'll still be there... I don't like seeing my friends suffer."

Lucy felt a pang in her heart from that word. 'Friends.' She cast away those negative thoughts, counting herself lucky to have a friend like Natsu. He was not only willing to go beat up someone for making her cry, but he was also willing to let her cry on him despite how embarrassing she must look.

Lucy gulped, her eyes still stinging from crying so much. Just as she was about to tell him thanks again, they heard the warning bell in the distance.

"Shit," Natsu muttered, knowing Lucy wasn't ready to go to class yet. She surprised him, pulling away to wipe the last of her tears away.

Without a word, she went over to collect her backpack, then grabbed Natsu's to hand it to him. In the blink of an eye her heartbreaking frown was turned into that fake smile she wore. For some reason, it really pissed him off.

"You shouldn't do that," he muttered, his voice disdainful.

Her smile faltered slightly as she cocked her head. "What do you mean?" Just like that, her voice had changed. It was still hoarse, but it lacked the sadness she expressed a minute ago.

"That," he said, waving his hand at her as if that would explain it all. He cringed when he realized he was being a little harsh. "Just..." His hand dropped. "You don't have to hide your emotions. Not with me anyways..."

"Natsu?" She took a step forward, causing him to avert his eyes, a slight blush coating his cheeks.

"I'm not gonna judge you or anythin'. Just don't feel like you gotta pretend to be happy if you're not." Natsu's eyes stayed on his backpack still in her hand. "I want you to trust me..."

Lucy's shoulders went slack as she soaked in his words. A moment of silence passed between them, both vaguely aware that at this rate they were going to be late for class. Her fake smile cracked until her frown emerged, her walls tumbling down once again by this strange pink haired boy. "I'm sorry," she dropped her head, now looking at his shoes. "I'm just not used to that..." She had let her emotions take control of her, completely forgetting about her years of training to keep her feelings in check.

Natsu swallowed hard, feeling odd since he was in new territory. "That's fine," he finally reached out, taking his backpack from her hand. "I shouldn't pressure you into stuff..."

Natsu put the backpack on, feeling his heavy books weigh him down, just like his heart. "You can hide your emotions if you want..."

"No," she shook her head, "I... I want to trust you, so... I guess I can try to be a little more open..."

The idea scared her, but it also sparked a little hope in her heart. She was criticized by her father for allowing herself to show how she truly felt, but Natsu had never once done that. It wasn't just him though. Levy had told her to be herself, giving her the strength to open up to make new friends. She hadn't allowed herself to get emotional in front of her other friends before today, and she didn't see their reactions to her crying besides Erza. Even then the redhead surprised her, comforting her as if she was truly part of their group.

It made her feel safe.

It made her feel loved.

"Thanks," Lucy said before Natsu could speak.

"For what?" He looked up at her, seeing her slowly tilt her head up as well. Their eyes locked, green on brown as they paused, trapped in those seconds as the world passed them by.

Lucy smiled, but this time he could see it reach her eyes. "I'm just glad I finally have friends," it was all she said, but it was all she needed to say.

Natsu understood the value of friendship. So, without another word, he reached his hand out, grinning like a fool when she placed her smaller hand in his. He pulled her towards the building, listening to the tardy bell ring just as they entered the front doors.

They parted there, sharing a quick hug before they faced their punishment. With any luck they'd only get scolded for being late. With their track record it wasn't expected, so Natsu anticipated detention at the very least. He was almost in shock when he found out luck was on his side, his teacher merely telling him to take a seat as they went back to talking.

He sat down, feeling his heart beating a little faster in his chest as he thought about how close he got with Lucy in such a short amount of time. It was still terrifying, and part of him still feared that maybe Lucy was just an amazing actress and was planning the biggest joke of the school year, but he cast that thought away for now.

Natsu let her words circle in his head, keeping his smile on his face.

"I want to trust you."

So Natsu made it his mission to gain her trust, just like he would allow himself the opportunity to trust her. He could never move on with his life if he constantly let the past creep up, swallowing him into a sea of darkness that left him feeling alone and frightened.

Lucy was different.

She was nice, smart, and above all, a person who deserved his trust.

As scary as it was to open up to her, he decided he would try. He would start off small, testing the waters in a way before completely letting her in.

So that's what he did.

Natsu and Lucy spent lunch outside at the picnic tables. She had no protests, wanting to get away from the unwanted attention and to keep Natsu's temper under control. She told him about how people stared at her in class and in the halls. She even told him how a passerby called her a hoe, but she shrugged it off, saying it didn't bother her.

When Natsu asked her if she was telling the truth, she cracked.

"Okay, so it bothers me a little bit," Lucy admitted as she viciously stabbed her plastic fork into her slice of fruit. She had already sneaked away to cry in the girl's bathroom twice so far, and that was just before lunch.

Natsu made a mental note to never tell her bad news while there was a potential weapon nearby, not wanting to suffer the same fate as the severed pear slice. Carefully, he said, "it's okay to feel upset."

"I know," Lucy mumbled before chewing on her food. After she swallowed a bite, she asked, "how do you deal with people spreading rumors about you?"

Natsu nearly choked on his drink as he sputtered, "wh-what do y-you mean?"

Lucy sighed, then set her fork down. She crossed her arms and placed them on the table, giving Natsu her full attention. It felt a little intimidating staring at such a handsome guy head on, but she felt like he deserved to know the truth, especially if she wanted to open up to him as well.

She raised a brow. "Let's skip the part where you deny knowing what I'm talking about?"

Natsu's hand began to shake as he set his drink down. It rested next to his burger, a little bit of hot sauce dripping from the meat. Both hands went to his lap, gripping on his thighs while he said, "o-okay..."

Lucy's eyes softened as she explained. "Levy told me the basics. She didn't get into too many details, so don't worry. Besides," with an honest heart, she said, "I don't care about your past. You're my friend now, and that's all that matters to me."

"D-do you know about-" His throat closed up, not allowing him to utter a name.

Thankfully, Lucy shook her head, the smallest smile coming to her lips. "I won't let anyone tell me." When she saw his brows furrow, she added, "if I hear it from anyone, I want it to be from you. And that's only if you want to tell me. I won't force it out of you."

"Thanks," he whispered, feeling his heartbeat double. Despite not having any caffeinated beverages today, he swore it felt like he just chugged an energy drink. After taking a deep breath, Natsu admitted, "honestly, I'm not dealing with my rumors very well..."

"What do you mean?"

Natsu's nails dug into the material of his pants. "I'm doing that whole avoiding it thing... So far it's been working out pretty well... But..."

"But," Lucy finished for him. "You're not actually dealing with them?"

"Exactly," he nodded, feeling oddly relieved but anxious to be talking about it. "Having friends like mine helps. They're always there if I need them..." He wanted to add, "well... almost always there," but he didn't. It wasn't their fault. It's not like they could be with him twenty-four/seven.

"Plus you have your family," Lucy added. The way he described his family made them sound amazing. She wished her eyes would light up when she spoke about her dad or Michelle, but sadly that just didn't happen. Even when she talked about her mom her eyes seemed to dull, reminding herself of the simple fact that no matter how highly she spoke of her mother, she wasn't coming back...

"About that..." Natsu rubbed the back of his neck, accidentally grabbing part of his scarf in the process. "They don't really know..."

"They don't?" She cocked her head, finding that a little unbelievable.

"Not really," he shook his head, hand dropping down to his leg again to squeeze at it. "I don't tell them about those things. It would only make 'em worry. They have enough to think about without my drama."

Igneel spent most of his time either at home with his family or at the shop with his 'brother'. Grandeeney was always overworked at the hospital, and Wendy was busy with school and friends. Natsu didn't want to burden them with his issues.

"Oh," Lucy felt a twinge of doubt strike her. If Natsu couldn't even talk to his family about his problems, what chances did Lucy have to talk to her own father about this?

Earlier she considered speaking to him, asking if there was anything he could do, but she dismissed the idea when she realized he would yank her out of school. He'd been itching for a reason to do so already, and this would give him the perfect excuse.

Still, she liked holding onto the hope that maybe he could be like the dad he used to be before her mother passed away. He used to be caring, loving, even affectionate. Now Lucy couldn't even remember the last time her father hugged her, or even told her he loved her.

It was a cold home in the Heartfilia estate, and she was glad to be free from that life, even if the life she was living now was only temporary until her father took her away once again.

"What's on your mind?" Natsu asked, snapping Lucy out of her thoughts.

"Nothi-" She stopped, sighed, then said, "I don't know what I'm going to do about these rumors..."

"You can always try to ignore them," Natsu pointed out. "Avoidance sometimes works."

She gave him a pointed look, drawing out a smile from the boy. "Okay, so maybe my way isn't the best..."

Without thinking, Lucy's hand came up, brushing her fingers through her hair, pushing it to the side to expose the marks on her neck. Thankfully they were already fading, showing that Jackal clearly didn't understand how to leave a lasting hickey. As much as Natsu was pleased to see them disappearing, he was still incredibly pissed that the rat bastard put his mouth on Lucy.

Jackal was just lucky he hadn't run into Natsu again today, otherwise he might strangle him.

Natsu started tugging on his scarf, letting it come loose. It caught Lucy's attention, prompting her to stop brushing her hair. "What are you doing?"

"You should really cover those," he pulled the scarf away from his neck, revealing a rather large scar adorning his tanned skin.

Lucy's eyes widened, but before she could ask what the heck a scar like that came from, he held out the scarf, causing her to blush. "I couldn't..."

"I insist," Natsu smiled, his sharp canines exposing with the action. He felt insecure giving up what some might consider his security blanket, but this would hopefully strengthen the friendship growing between them. He didn't know why he wanted her to trust him so badly. It might stem from his lack of self-confidence, or the fact that he had a crush on her. Either way, he wanted Lucy to like him back, even if it was just in the platonic sense.

Lucy's blush only intensified when her hand rubbed against his as she accepted the scarf. She brought it closer to her body, feeling the warmth radiating off the material from Natsu's body heat.

She pushed her hair to the side as she wrapped the scarf around her neck twice, letting the ends hang lower than how Natsu wore it. She pulled her hair out, fanning it around the soft material. Lucy was surprised it felt so fluffy even after she cried into it that morning, but she wasn't complaining. In fact she let out a content hum as she allowed herself to enjoy simply wearing something of Natsu's again, his scent now all around her.

"Thanks a lot," she told herself she needed to remember to take a selfie of her wearing it for a keepsake, but then she dismissed the idea when she realized that might look creepy if anyone were to see it.

"Not a problem," Natsu grabbed his drink, taking a swig before relaxing. He had handed over his scarf and she accepted it, filling the boy with an odd joy he hadn't expected to feel. His throat almost closed up as he said, "it uh.. looks good on you."

"Thanks," Lucy didn't think her cheeks could get any more warm, but there they were, set ablaze from his simple compliment. She toyed with the ends, smiling at him as she said, "I kinda like it. I think I might keep it."

Natsu had to laugh at her playfulness, deciding that he'd much rather have her like this than crying. It almost felt like she was trying to flirt with him, but that was just silly, so he let it slide. "If it wasn't so important to me I might've let you."

Lucy dragged her hand down the scarf, feeling the soft dips from the scale pattern. "It's important to you?"

"Yup," he nodded, taking a shaky breath before saying, "I never take it off if I can help it."

That was just the thing to cause Lucy's heart to leap in her chest. "Wow..." She glanced down at the scarf. Suddenly she felt even more special wearing it. A jacket was one thing, but this? Before she could stop herself, she asked, "do you ever let other... people wear your scarf?"

Lucy was about to ask if he let other girls wear it, but she caught herself just in time. There was no way she wouldn't sound weird if she asked him that. She watched as Natsu shrugged, obviously trying to seem nonchalant, then said, "nah. You're the only one." The way he lowered his gaze to the table as his cheeks reddened made her think maybe this gesture was more than just an attempt to cover her unwanted hickeys.

Before she could ask him about her suspicions, Natsu let out a fake cough, then changed the subject. "I still don't understand why you won't go to the principal with this. He hurt you. He deserves to get in trouble."

The girl tensed, the memory of that doctored photo popping in her mind. "That's... That's not a good idea..."

"But Lucy, you should-"

"No," she shook her head, cutting him off. "I don't want to do that." Lucy gnawed on her bottom lip, her hands balling into fists around the ends of the scarf. "I'm a- I'm gonna take your advice... I'm going to avoid my problems..."

Natsu grit his teeth, not wanting to push Lucy, but also not wanting her to take the same route he did. He saw how it worked out for him...

It didn't.

Just as he was about to protest again, he heard the warning bell go off, signaling lunch was over. "Fuck," he mumbled, knowing their conversation was about to end. He looked down at his half-eaten food, then looked back at Lucy.

Natsu saw the fear in Lucy's brown eyes, the way she abused her lip with her teeth, and the way she nervously twisted his scarf in her fingers. He could only come up with one reason she was worried about tattling on Jackal, and that was because she was scared.

"Hey Luce..."

She stopped messing with his scarf, her eyes sharpening as she came out of whatever thought she was having. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry..." Natsu gave her a wane smile, reaching across the picnic table to hold out a hand. She hesitantly took it, then he gave it a firm squeeze. "I'll drop it. I just don't like seein' ya hurt is all."

Lucy's tense shoulders relaxed, her teeth releasing her lip as she squeezed his hand back. "Don't be sorry... I'm glad I have someone who cares."

"Absolutely," he didn't miss a beat. "Now, if we're done with the heavy talk, we should finish this food before we're late for class again. I don't want to press my luck."

"Me either," Lucy quickly stood up, letting go of his hand as she put her backpack on. Natsu mirrored her movements, picking up his tray to eat and walk beside Lucy as they made their way towards the school.

As he walked, he felt the air brush against his neck, reminding him that he was left exposed. He ignored the uncomfortable feeling, knowing it was for the better good that Lucy was wearing his beloved scarf.

Natsu practically inhaled his burger, then chugged his drink as Lucy scooped up the rest of her fruit. They threw the disposable trays away in the trash before parting ways.

"See you after school?" Lucy asked, one hand clutching the end of his scarf.

Natsu gave her an uneasy smile. "I have work after school... It's a Tuesday..."

"Oh, right," she felt like bonking herself on the head. His schedule wasn't that hard to remember, so she had no idea why it kept slipping her mind. Well... That wasn't true. She just wanted to spend more time with Natsu, so in her head, his job got in the way.

She mentally berated herself, calling herself selfish for even thinking that. Still, she couldn't deny how much she'd love to spend those days with him. 'Damn it... And I said I didn't want to get like this over a boy...'

"I'll make sure to say bye," Natsu promised, giving Lucy a quick half-hug before running away. "See you then!"

Lucy opened her mouth to reply, but he was already gone, lost in a sea of students. She didn't let it bother her, knowing he would keep his promise. Seeing him for a minute after school was better than not at all.

She walked to her next class, unaware of the stares and snide comments flung her way as she played with Natsu's scarf. Lucy could see why he liked it so much. It was warm, soft, and gave her a weird sense of security. Or it might have been that Natsu's scent was all she could breathe, making her groan as she realized she was really starting to sound like Juvia.

'At least she has an excuse... It's her boyfriend she's obsessed with!'

As much as Lucy would love to find out if Natsu shared mutual feelings for her and possibly wanted to go out on a legit date, she knew now wasn't the right time. Especially with the majority of the student body now thinking she was some kind of slut. It would probably make the rumors about Natsu get worse as well.

Lucy settled into her seat when she got to her next class. She hoped it would go by like any normal day, but that didn't seem likely. The first of many vibrations coming from her phone in her pocket ensured her of that.


Natsu waited in the usual spot for his group of friends to show up. His teacher allowed the class to leave a few minutes before the last bell rang, so he was finally the first at their meet up spot.

Gray and Juvia showed up next, the girl hanging off his arm as she told him all about her day. It wasn't long until Jellal joined without Erza seeing as she was in a meeting. Natsu checked his phone, seeing he had to leave soon to get to work on time. 'Where is she?'

A smile brightened up his face when he saw that familiar blonde haired girl walking beside her blue haired friend. His grin slightly dropped when he saw Gajeel behind them, but he didn't let that get him down. As long as he got to say bye to Lucy before he had to leave, he was happy.

The first thing Natsu noticed when she walked up was his scarf still wrapped around her neck. He noticed it looked exactly like it had when he last saw her, giving him the impression she never took it off. That thought pleased him more than it should, but as long as no one knew, no one could make fun of him for it.

Just as he was about to walk up to her to give her a hug, he saw the puffiness to her eyes, the redness to her cheeks, and the quiver of her bottom lip. "Hey," he said softly, trying to make eye contact but failing miserably since she was peering at the ground. "What's wrong?"

Lucy shifted her eyes, but only enough so she could see his chest. She glanced over, seeing Levy and Gajeel join the others, giving her some privacy with Natsu. The girl slowly opened her mouth, but when she spoke, he could tell she was trying to keep herself from crying. He only recognized it because it was the same technique he used when he tried to do the same.

"Hey... Natsu. I'm just, not feeling... well..." Lucy gave him a broken smile. Before he could ask, she said, "I... d-don't want... to lie, to you..."

Natsu's eyes widened, his heart speeding up as he asked, "but?"

"But..." She stepped up to him, whispering to make sure he was the only one who could hear her. "I don't w-want to... to talk, about it..."

Natsu felt her arms wrap around him, but the hug was loose and her body was slightly trembling. His heart sunk, wondering what the hell happened to this girl between lunch and now. He thought Lucy was shutting him out, but then she said a word that sparked hope.

"...Yet..."

Natsu hugged her back tightly, trying to stop her from shaking. "Okay," he said as softly as he could, trying to be understanding. "Tell me whenever you're ready."

Lucy nodded, surprised in herself that she managed to hold it together this long without crying. After a few more minutes of hugging, she finally pulled away. Natsu let her go immediately, trying -and failing miserably- to give her a genuine smile, but she saw right through it. "Text me later?"

He noted her subtle flinch, but it was gone in the blink of an eye. "S-sure."

They parted with another quick hug, then Lucy tried to give Natsu his scarf back. He told her no, saying he could get it when those marks on her neck were gone. When she finally accepted his terms, he asked her what she planned to do when he left. That's when Levy stepped in, telling him Gajeel and her were taking Lucy straight home. They didn't give any indication they knew what was going on, so he didn't press. Instead he ran as fast as he could away to make up for lost time. He really couldn't afford to be late, even if his dad was his boss.

Lucy felt like she was on auto-pilot as she followed Levy and Gajeel to the parking lot to the boy's car. She didn't remember climbing in the backseat, or the ride to her house. All she really remembered was mumbling, "goodbye," to Levy and, "thanks," to Gajeel.

When she went inside her house, she told Virgo she wasn't feeling well, and that she was going to go to sleep early. The maid didn't question it, instead only asking if Lucy would like her to bring up some food later.

Lucy declined, then went to her room. She had homework to do, a test to study for, but she did neither. The girl laid in her bed, her clothes from the day still on as she curled under her covers.

Her phone vibrated again, causing her to crack. Tears welled up in her eyes as she slowly pulled her phone out, staring at the screen as she saw she got two new messages. One was from Levy, the other from an unknown number.

She had been getting a lot of those...

Lucy swallowed, beads of liquid dripping down her face as she read through the text messages she received that day.

The ones she received this morning:

Levy: I'm here.

Levy: Where are you at?

Natsu: We should go outside for lunch today. What do ya say?

And the messages she received after lunch... The ones that broke her heart and shattered her soul, causing her to wonder what the hell she did to deserve such treatment.

Unknown: How much 4 a quickie? I have $$$

Unknown: Are you available after school? My friend said you give nice blowjobs.

Unknown: Your fucking disgusting

Unknown: U couldn't pay me 2 sleep with U. Why the hell R U even charging?

Unknown: Figures. blond hair & big tits. should had known u'd be a slut.

Unknown: I can't believe I actually asked you out.

Unknown: Can u send me a pic of urself? I'll show u mine in return.

Unknown: if i were u i wouldn't even come back to skool. no 1 likes u skank

Levy: Hope you feel better.

Unknown: WHORE! !

Lucy didn't respond, not wanting to aggravate them more. She just wanted it to end, so she turned her phone off, then tossed it on the floor. The damaged girl hid under her covers, only the darkness present to comfort her as she slowly and painfully cried herself to sleep.

She didn't realize people could be so heartless, but she was quickly figuring it out.


I truthfully cringed for the misspellings for the text messages, but I wanted it to look more realistic. Not everyone texts with proper spelling and punctuation marks. Also about the text messages, are they too much for a rated T story? I really don't know exactly where the line is drawn between T and M.

Thank you for the support! Favs & follows are awesome, and so are the people who reviewed: agrestive, Snavej, Grizzly98, FlameDragonHime, SakuraStar1862, Animemama328, ToastedWeirdBrain, LovingmyOTP's, Leahcar-Soutaichou, Ashnmarley, quite-a-riot, Crimsonlink310, Argo0, MystpopGIRL, Anon, Patsuan, MissyPlatinum, Abdltf, Eliza Flamekeys, ElementalMiko12, Zaxa, lucyhiguroshi, and fanficlove2014!

Up next, Chapter Twenty-Nine: Call for a good time

Let me know what you thought of this chapter, or if you have any predictions for next chapter! I think I made it a little obvious what's going on now. :)

*If anyone ever sexually harasses or assaults you, seek help! Tell a parent, a teacher, or a trusted adult. Hell, or just call the cops! I wish I had better advice, but for now all I can say is seek help. Please.

*A guest asked me on my other story if "Home Alone Tonight" and "Fairy Tail GO!" are connected. The answer is no, they are completely different stories with different plots. If you need any assurance, remember in "FTGO!" Layla passed away when Lucy was younger, but in "HAT" Layla passed away recently.*