I will try to type up chapter five this weekend but i may or may not get it done I have a tournament tomorrow and some other plans on sunday but regardless I will try to.


"Today we're going to move everything out of storage and into the new restaurant!" mom announced when Lucy and I got home from school. "Call some friends."

'Hey I need some help moving some stuff do you think you could help?' I texted my to closest friends, Jet and Droy in group chat

Droy: 'sure when?'

'Today in an hour.' I replied.

Jet: 'I'll help too!'

'Great see you both in an hour!'


Lucy invited her friends Natsu and Gray who brought his girlfriend Juvia. I'd met them once before but it was brief. "C'mon put yer back into it!" my mom encouraged jet who was struggling to lift a box into the truck.

"I'm so tired I can't feel my face." Natsu complained.

"We still have to unload everything y'know." Lucy said, in unison our whole group groaned.

"Once we're done I'll treat everyone to ice cream!" mom said shutting the back to of the truck with a loud slam and waving for us to pile into the truck. Our groans quickly turned to cheers.


We pulled around back of the new restaurant; it's neither a large building nor a small one. It's a brick building and it had a, for now blank sign over the door perched on an awning. "Alright gang let's get 'er done!" my mom said taking the keys out of the ignition and jumping out of the truck.

My mom directed us telling us where to put boxes and where their contents belonged once unpacked, doing very little moving herself. With all the people we had we knocked all out in a little over two and a half hours. Like she promised mom took us out for ice cream.


"You two certainly have some fun friends." Mom commented once we had returned home. "And I was worried you'd have trouble adjusting and making friends! But now I see you'll do just fine." She pulled us into a warm embrace.


Two months later the restaurant was due to open in a week, so mom sent Lucy and me to take flyers to nearby business for them to stick in their windows. I had already covered about three blocks east of the restaurant; Lucy had gone the opposite direction. I pushed open the door to a shop with a sign saying MEAT in big letters over the door.

I rang the little service bell on the counter, I looked around as I waited for someone to come. They had a large array of meats displayed in sliding glass cases under the long curving counter. The walls an off white color and sparsely decorate with framed newspaper clippings and other awards and accomplishments. "Coming! I'm Coming!" a man called from the back room of the shop. A middle aged man appeared through the door, he was tall and strongly built. He struck me as familiar even though I had never seen him before. He wiped his hands on an already stained rag.

"how can I help you, lil' lady?" he smiled his eyes creasing at the corners.

"My mom is opening a restaurant about three blocks from here and I'm handing out flyers. So could you please put one in your shop window to help us advertise?" I smiled.

"Sure!" he pushed back strands greying dark hair of his forehead, and took the flyer I was holding out to him to look it over.

"My mom also wanted me to give you this." I pushed a small folded slip of paper over the counter. "She was wondering if you would be interested in being her meat provider. She prefers to buy local."

"Thank you, miss." He smiled again. "Will that be al for you?"

"Yes that's all."

"Have a nice day!"

"You too!" I waved as I walked out the door.


"You can go on break now, Gajeel." My uncle called from under the car he was currently working on.

"Alright, I'll be back in fifteen minutes." I grabbed a rag out of a bucket sitting on the ground near the door and went out to sit on the stone curb of the building. I glanced down at my oil caked hands and forearms. "Fun." I said sarcastically under my breath, as I got to work scrubbing it off.

"G-Gajeel?!" I looked up to see who had said my name; Lucy stood in front of me holding a stack of papers. "What are you doing here?"

"I work here." I flashed her my oil coated hands as proof. "If you couldn't tell."

"Well it would explain why you're always covered in oil and smell like sweat and metal." She tapped her chin in mock deep thought.

"I'm not always covered in it and I don't smell that bad." I raised my voice slightly but it was enough to make her take a small step back.

"Yes you are." She quickly recovered her courage. "But I came here to give this to you to stick in your shop window." She handed me a paper from the top of the pile. "My mom's opening a restaurant not too far from here. So if you could stick that somewhere where you're customers will see that'd be great!" she turned to leave.

"Hey, Lucy can you do me a favor?" she turned back to face me slowly and nervously.

"Uh…sure…?" she said unsure what to expect.

"You're close with Levy right?"

"Yeah of course! She's my little sister!" she chirped her face clearing of any uncertainty. Well that's definitely new information.

"Can you…" the blood in my face boiled. "Can you…possibly…give me…her number?"

"…why?" my blush deepened and I turned my head away from her. "Oh I see now." Out of the corner of my eye I saw her smile maliciously. She's no better than my family!

"I-It's not like that!"

"Uh huh sure."

"Just give me her number." I grumbled.

"Give me your phone then." I dug it out of my pocket and handed it over. She snickered to herself as she typed it into m contacts. "there." She tossed it back to me. "And don't you dare try something on her!"

"I won't, chill." I waved her off. "And don't tell her I asked you for her number…or that I work here."

"Sure, sure." She said walking off.


"My god Gajeel you smell awful! Go take a shower!" my mom shouted at me the second I stepped foot in the house.

"Gee thanks, Ma." I rolled my eyes; though I didn't disagree with her it was still rude.

"And throw away what you're currently wearing. It's completely ruined." She added on to her previous order. Ma never did sugar coat it…


I paced back and forth, back and forth, back and forth the length of my room. My cat, Pantherlily, tracked my excessive pacing with his keen eyes. I gave an exasperated grunt and flopped onto my bed, causing the cat to go flying. "Sorry lil." My voice was muffled by the pillow I had my face buried in. I pulled out my phone and stared at Levy's contact age.

Text her! No, don't text her! Text her! Don't text her! I dropped my head back into my pillow in frustration. Why am I so nervous? I don't like her THAT much. Or do I…? Man up, Gajeel! I shook my head violently talking some sense into myself. Text her!

I texted her a simple 'hey'

'Who is this?' it hadn't taken her long to respond.

'Gajeel'

'How did you get my number?'

'I have my ways'

'Lucy gave it to you didn't she?'

'No' she didn't reply. '…yes'

'-_- damn her'

'?'

'Oh well I was going to ask you for your number tomorrow anyway'

'Oh…' shewas going to ask me for my number? I think I've finally gone insane.


For a change the shrimp was late not me. I wonder if it was our conversation from yesterday. No she's not that petty.

The classroom door swung open reveling a sweaty and panting Levy. "My alarm clock…" she gasped for air. "My alarm clock broke."

"I would've never thought you'd be late Levy, dear." The teacher said recovering from her initial shock and surprise. "You're a good student I'll pretend it never happened." She winked at Levy. Levy stumbled to her seat still struggling for breath.

"Y'gon be ok, shrimp?" I asked once she sat down; she buried her face in her arms.

"I will be." She replied in between breaths. "Just gimme a minute…or ten." Her breathing slowly became less erratic until it fell into the steady rhythm of sleep. Strange child.


The bell dismissing us to second our rand; Levy had slept through the entire class. "He, shrimp wake up. Class' over." I prodded her side with my finger, she stirred but didn't wake. I poked her harder; she snorted and giggled in her sleep. Damn…why does she have to be so cute?

"Levy, get up." I shook her shoulder roughly, she snorted again ad swatted my hand away still unconscious. I would've never guessed she'd be a heavy sleeper. I sighed and hoisted her up under my arm; my heart pounded with her being so close, and the heat in my face sharply rose. I quickly looked away from her sleeping face, grabbing both our bags and slinging them over my shoulder.

This is okay right? I asked myself. I mean we do have the same class second hour. But will she be mad when she wakes up? I glanced down at her limp figure underneath my arm. Her head lulled to the right and leaned against the side of my chest, my heart rate yet again increased rapidly and my rosy appearance further deepening.

This girl is going to be the end of me…