Chapter 4: How I Know Gray

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL!~(sadly)~

I'M SORRY. O.O IT'S BEEN OVER A MONTH SINCE I'VE UPDATED. SORRY. SORRY. SORRY. DON'T KILL ME. T.T

Previously

They both looked up at the blond girl and broke the silence, asking, "How do you know Gray?"

Lucy's POV

I froze, my gaze stuck to the ground. How was I supposed to tell them?

Suddenly, I felt overwhelmed. The same feeling I always had when I didn't cry for a long time. I began to take deep breaths, each one shaking a bit. I tried to stop the trembling of my lip, trying to keep the tears from trailing down my face. Don't cry...Don't cry...Don't cry...

Suddenly, I couldn't take it anymore. I started to cry.

Normal POV

Lucy's wails filled the room, her shoulders shaking, tears cascading down her pale cheeks.

Natsu wasted no time in pulling the girl into a warm, comforting hug. His top priority was to comfort his friend. Levy came over, box of tissues in hand, and sat on the other side of the blond. She rubbed soothing circles on Lucy's back, trying to calm her.

After what seemed like ten minutes, her crying slowed to occasional sniffles.

"It's okay, Luce...Stop crying. I hate it when my friends cry. Please stop," Natsu whispered to her.

Levy handed the girl a tissue, staring at her worriedly at her friend.

"T-Thanks..." Lucy sniffled after blowing her nose.

"No problem," Levy responded.

Still hugging Lucy, Natsu asked, "Are you okay? You know, enough to tell us about the Stripper?"

Lucy giggled a bit, hearing Natsu call Gray 'Stripper', but it quickly stopped.

"Yeah...I think I can tell now," Lucy said, taking a deep breath.

Lucy's POV

"Gray and I, we were childhood friends. The closest friends. He was my best friend. He cared for me and we had plenty of fun together," I began. "We've known each other since we were seven years old. He comforted me when I got sad, when I was bullied, when-when my mother died, and my father..." I closed my eyes. "Committed suicide. He comforted me. Gray was a great friend. He was kind.

"Things began to change. In seventh grade, he made new friends. We grew distant. I wanted to keep being friends with him...But..." I sighed sadly. "It just wasn't working. He'd ignore me when I would try to speak to him. Gray was even my neighbor. One day, I had enough. I went over to his house...And slapped his face really hard. It stunned him. You know what he said after I slapped him? 'What as that for?' Gray didn't even know what he did wrong! Can you believe him?! So..." I paused to take a breath.

"After that, he would keep asking why I did it. I wouldn't tell him. I wanted him to figure it out himself. Eventually, he stopped asking, but he never figured out why. In our first year of High School, he pretended not to know me. Gray began to hang out with new people, leaving me alone. At least, until Levy came." I gestured towards Levy. "I guess...Gray has ignored me for so long, he's actually forgotten me? I don't know. All I know is we are not friends anymore," I finished. "And I don't think that will change."

Levy and Natsu had remained quiet during my story.

Finally, I got a reaction-From Natsu. "That bastard! Do you want me to kill him for ya, Luce?! I really don't mind," Natsu offered, still hugging me.

I was grateful for the hug. Natsu was warm. And comforting. I didn't want to leave his hug. "N-No. It's fine, Natsu. Really!" I declined, my tone grateful.

"Should we get revenge?" Levy wondered out loud. Natsu and I looked at her and she blushed faintly.

"I said that out loud, didn't I?" Levy said, embarrassed.

Natsu grinned. "But the revenge part isn't a bad idea..."

I looked at Levy. "Let me think about it...I mean, we would need to get revenge without getting in trouble ourselves, right? Let me think about it, okay?" Levy nodded in response, and Natsu stopped hugging me, sending me a thumbs-up.

"From now on, I'm gonna hang-out with you, Luce," Natsu declared firmly.

I waved my hands in front of me. "Y-You don't have to do that! I mean, hanging out with me would lower your popularity, right?"

Natsu waved it away as if it were nothing. "Don't worry. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't? You cannot refuse." Natsu flashed me a grin. It made me happy, I started to cry a bit.

"Eh?! Don't cry Luce!" Natsu began to panic.

I giggled a bit. "Natsu! These are tears of happiness. Don't worry!" I told him, wiping my eyes. I hugged Natsu. "You're the bestest friend ever," I whispered in his ear.

He hugged back. "I know...Luce, if you ever need to talk about something, you have Levy and me. No worries, 'kay?" He told me. "It's not good to keep your problems and feelings inside when you have friends."

"Natsu's right, Lu-chan! Come to us whenever you need to talk about something!" Levy agreed.

I broke off my hug with Natsu and hugged Levy. "Arigatou, minna."

In unison, Natsu and Levy whispered loud enough for me to hear, "Your welcome, Lucy..."

Did you enjoy my very late update? Er...At least I updated, right? *laughs nervously*

Eh...R & R, minna! Ja'ne!