I decided to post another chapter since the story is so new. I hope you continue to enjoy. Please review to let me know what you think!

Chapter 3

Monday morning, I tried to get ready for school calmly. My plan failed, as every few seconds, I'd stop what I was doing to think about toned muscles and dripping sweat. I kept trying to shake the thoughts, knowing they were unnatural. It was only a matter of time before Lisanna and I became an official couple. It was expected and normal.

What wasn't normal was thinking about the abnormal family that moved to Magnolia. I wasn't supposed to be thinking about their nerdy son who had hidden muscles that were oh my.

"Natsu, honey, are you okay?" my mother, Sherry, asked.

I tried to give my most convincing smile. "Of course, Mom. I'm just a little worried about school today," I said. "It's still weird seeing new students, and I can't help but worry something bad will happen."

Sherry smiled sadly and hugged her son. "Why would something bad happen?" she asked. "Do you think those kids are dangerous?"

"Come on, Mom, you know this town is weird," I said.

Sherry's face went hard. "I told you I don't want you talking about that anymore. This town is completely normal, no curse," she said.

I dropped the topic, and so did she.

On my way to school, Lisanna and I stopped at her parents' grave, just like every other Monday morning. While Lisanna, Sherria, and I were waiting in front of the school for Erza and Jellal, we saw the Fullbuster family approach. They hadn't arrived at school at the same time twice in the one week they had been at school, and it just showed how spontaneous and unnatural their presence was.

"Can I go talk to Wendy?" Sherria asked me. Wendy was Gray's younger sister, and the two girls were in the same grade.

Lisanna looked at me with a sad look, probably anticipating the disappointed Sherria was going to face. Of course, I wouldn't let her go talk to the new girl, right?

"Go ahead," I told her. Sherria's face lit up, and she ran off to see her classmate. When I looked at Lisanna, she had a shocked expression on her face. Before she could respond, I said, "I'm actually going to go see Gray."

I jogged to catch up with Gray, not looking back to see the terrible glare I was probably receiving from Lisanna. Gray was just at the front doors to the school, and I leaped forward to get the door first. I held it open and smiled.

"Oh, hey," Gray said. I couldn't tell if he was happy or disappointed to see me. "Shouldn't you be waiting for your friends with your girlfriend? You seem to do that every morning."

"Lisanna isn't my girlfriend," I quickly defended. I had never corrected anyone over the mistake. I usually let them say we were dating. We all thought it would happen eventually, anyway. I use to think so, too, but now I wasn't too sure that Lisanna was right for me.

"Cool," Gray said. He didn't care whether I was dating Lisanna or not. It oddly stung a little.

We reached our lockers, and I, without thinking, I blurted out, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Gray's eyes widened. He was clearly shocked by the question. "I don't have time for people," he said quickly. He grabbed the books he needed from his locker and ran off to Homeroom.

"Did you get what you wanted?" Lisanna asked, popping up beside me.

"What do you mean?" I asked. I was finished with my locker, so I shut the door. "I didn't want anything."

Lisanna hummed and grabbed my hand. We had held hands a few times, and I never particularly cared. This time, though, it felt awkward. Her hand seemed too small, too soft. "Let's get to class," she said. We held hands the whole way down the hallway.

X

"The math test was so hard today!" Erza said, leaning into Jellal's shoulder. "We should all go to the Stone Monkey."

"That sounds so nice," Cana agreed. "What about you two?" She turned to Lisanna and me.

"I actually have to go help out anyways," Lisanna said. "Mondays Mira is usually a little busy. You'll come, Natsu?"

We had all just stayed after school to help the basketball team blow-up basketballs for their game that night. The coach was the math teacher, so we were hoping that we would get some extra credit. Sherria had helped so she could walk home with me.

I smiled and agreed. I told my friends to meet me there, and I'd catch-up with them after I took Sherria home. We were only a few house away when she asked, "Can I hang out with Wendy tonight? I really like her."

I was happy that Sherria made a friend since she didn't seem to have many. "That'd be fine," I said. "Mom is still at work, and I think Dad is at the hospital for treatment for a few more hours."

Sherria smiled a great big smile that showed all her teeth. "You should invite Gray to the Stone Monkey with you!"

I tripped a little on the sidewalk. Did she know?

"He seems like he needs a friend," Sherria went on, not noticing my reaction. "I know that he sits with you all at lunch, but seem doesn't seem really there, you know? It'd be nice. You could probably invite Lucy, too."

When we arrived at the Fullbuster house, Wendy and Layla were sitting on the porch. Silver came around the side of the house. He dropped the whistle from his lips, and the string caught around his neck. "Natsu, right?" he asked.

"Yes, sir, and my sister, Sherria," I said.

"Sherria!" Wendy said, jumping up from her seat. She turned to Layla. "Is it okay if she hangs out with me? She's my friend from school."

Sherria didn't wait for Layla to respond. She ran up the porch steps, and Wendy happily took her inside. Layla smiled at the two, clearly happy her daughter was making friends. She turned to me and said, "I'm sorry, Lucy isn't here. She said she was hanging out with some friends from school tonight."

Layla was truly kind, and I wished I could tell her that Lucy was talking to a group of boys after school, and they all seemed a little too flirty. I wasn't going to be the one to break the news, though, especially if her parents thought she was a perfect angel.

"I was looking for Gray," I said. "Is he here?"

Silver looked at the watch on his wrist. "He better be in twenty seconds," he said. "Those pull-ups shouldn't take that long."

A few seconds later, Gray came running from the same side of the house that Silver had come from. He was wearing basketball shorts and a muscle shirt, and he was breathing very heavy. He bent over to put his hands on his knees.

Silver blew his whistle. "Gray, don't stop now!" he yelled. "Go around back and give me fifty more!" He smiled at me and said, "The old owners of this house had a playset, and we are taking full use of those monkey bars."

"Speaking of monkey bars," I said, watching Gray run around the house again, "I was wondering if Gray would be able to come to the Stone Monkey. I'm going with a few of our friends."

"Of course!" Layla said quickly.

"No, he can't," Silver said. "We only just started. He hasn't even done his sprints yet."

"Silver, he can take a break," Layla said. She gave him a look that left no room for arguments. "Blow your little whistle and let him go shower."

Silver rolled his eyes and blew the whistle. Gray came a few seconds later, a confused look on his face. He probably wasn't used to being interrupted. "Gray," Silver said, "Natsu wants to take you to the Stone Monkey. Go get ready."

"Okay," Gray said. He started walking in the house. "Are you coming?" he asked me.

"Oh!" I said, running in after him. I followed him up the stairs. He grabbed a change of clothes, then went into the bathroom. I assumed he was going to shower, so I walked down the hallway and found Wendy's room. She and Sherria were looking at different nail polishes.

"You should go with the sparkly blue, Wendy," I said, startling the girls. "It will bring out the blue tint in your hair."

"Natsu!" Sherria laughed, throwing a pillow at me. I caught it and tossed it on the bed. "What are you still doing here?"

"Gray is showering," I said. I sat down beside the girls. I grabbed the pink polish from the floor and started painting Sherria's hands. "Why does Silver make Gray work-out so much?"

"Gray wrestles," Wendy said. She held the sparkly blue nail polish up to the light, smiled, then took the cap off. "He was a huge deal at our old school." She started painting the nails on her left hand. "When he was little, he used to get picked on a lot. My dad told him that he would need to be tougher so other kids wouldn't mess with him. He joined the wrestling team the next day. Mom was so mad! After she saw his first meet though, she knew he liked having a physical sport to let off some steam. She told him that he was so strong, and she was so proud of him. He told her that he would get super strong until he could protect her. It was cute, of course, because he was so little. He did believe it, though, being a little kid. It hit him hard when-"

"Wendy," Gray said sharply. We turned and saw him standing in the doorway. He was wearing a pair of worn-out jeans and a plain black shirt.

"Sorry," Wendy said. She started painting her nails with more focus as if she could pretend she never said anything at all.

I looked at Sherria, and she gave me a sad look. Neither of us knew about Gray's mom or Lucy's dad, for that matter, but something obviously happened, since know they were step-siblings.

"Let's go to the Rock Money," Gray said. He started walking away.

I quickly stood up and followed him. "It's the Stone Monkey," I corrected him.

We walked in silence until we arrived at the Stone Monkey. "It's a bar?" Gray asked, apparently surprised. He still didn't know the town well, but I had assumed he at least knew the most popular place.

"Yeah," I said. "Lisanna and Mira's parents owned it. They passed away, so now Mira mostly runs it. We always hang out here. They have great food, and Mira always makes us virgin drinks."

Gray didn't say anything, so I didn't either. We walked inside, and I led him back to the very corner, where my friend would be sitting in a circular booth.

"Hey, Natsu!" Cana yelled, waving her hands. She loved her alcohol, but she wouldn't dare get Mira and Lisanna in trouble by drinking in there. She was enthusiastic drunk or sober.

"Hey," I said, sliding into the booth. I motioned for everyone to scoot over more so Gray could sit down. No one seemed bothered by his presence, but I knew they hadn't been around just Gray before; Lucy was always there, too.

"We were just talking about the Halloween dance," Erza said. "We are trying to think of someone to go with Cana."

Lisanna came by and brought two chocolate milkshakes, setting one in front of one in front of Gray and me. She smiled at me warmly before going back to the bar. I took a long sip, loving the sweet flavor.

"I just don't think I need a date," Cana said. "Erza, you and Jellal will be going together. We all know Natsu and Lisanna will, too.

I chocked a little on my milkshake. I tried to clear my throat without attracting attention, but everyone was already looking at me.

"Are you okay?" Gray asked. His concern made my cheeks warm, which was also noticeable.

"You're burning up," Erza said, reaching over to touch my face. I jerked back.

"I'm fine," I quickly said. Gray got up without me asking, and I walked back towards the bathrooms.

My heart was racing, and I couldn't figure out why. Cana said that Lisanna and I would be going together, and the idea was giving me anxiety. I peaked out of the bathroom hallway, scanning my eyes around the room. I saw Lisanna talking to a few older men at a table, and I felt nothing looking at her. I walked into the bathroom and put my head against the wall. The plastic tiles felt cool.

"Natsu, are you okay?" someone asked. It was Jellal. I could tell by his voice and the big hand resting on my shoulder.

"I don't want to go with Lisanna," I mumbled.

"What?" Jellal asked. "You're joking, right? You love Lisanna."

I stepped away from the wall to look at my friend. "No, Jellal, I don't. I never said I did," I said. "Maybe I did before. I don't know. I just don't want to be around her anymore."

"Did she do something?" he asked.

"No," I said. "It's complicated." I let out a sigh. "I just don't care to be around her. It's just the same as Erza and Cana."

"I see," he said.

We stood in silence until the bathroom door opened again. Gray stepped inside. He must have thought he was interrupting an important conversation because he ducked his head in embarrassment. His glasses slipped off his nose, and I quickly caught them.

"You should get contacts," I said, hanging back his glasses and smiling. "You're going to lose these someday."

I looked back at Jellal, and he was giving me a weird look. I had just told him that I didn't love Lisanna, so I couldn't imagine what was going through his head. I decided not to ask him what he was thinking, so instead, I left the bathroom.

By the time Gray and Jellal came back, my milkshake was already gone. I looked at Gray's, which was half-melted. He must have noticed my gaze because he slid his cup to me. After a moment's hesitation, I took a sip.

"I don't like milkshakes," he said. "Or bars." He got up from the table and left.

He just left.