If you like the chapter, just like always, I'd really like a little R&R. Spare a review?

~Lucy~

"Pick up, Gray. Pick up, Gray. Pick up, GRAY!" I said as my phone relentlessly beeped. This was the third time I'd called him and he still hadn't answered yet. I was starting to panic. What if he'd tripped and hit his head on a rock and was now lying dead in a ditch somewhere? No. Lucy, stop worrying. He's not dead. His phone just ran out of battery. Yeah, that was it.

Click. "Lucy? Has that been you the whole time?"

"You idiot!" I yelled. A few kids in the hallway looked around, but it was so crowded that they couldn't find the source of the shout. It'd have been bad if they had seen my outbreak.

"Whoa. Calm down. Why are you yelling at me?"

"This is the third time I've called you, jerk," I said, slumping against the wall.

"Uh...sorry. I was buying food," he replied, "Speaking of which, you want anything? I'm coming to your house later. Sorry, but you'll have to smuggle me past your dad again."

"He's not going to be home for a while. I'm not hungry. Wait, so I take second priority to food?"

"No?"

"Liar!"

"Ok, yeah. But, seriously...you can't blame me."

"...good point."

"I gotta go. I'll bring you something anyway. See ya' later," he said.

"WAIT!"
"Jeez. Stop yelling."

"I have something to tell you. Something really, really horrible."

"Ok. Tell me when I jump through your window later." Click. Gray, I'm going to kill you when you 'jump through my window later.'

I growled and snapped my phone shut. I crossed my arms over my chest and shook my head. "Lucy? You look...scary."

I looked up and saw Levy staring at me, tilting her head to the side. I whimpered and immediately latched onto her, "Leevvyyyyy!"

"What's wrong?" she asked, patting my head, (of course, she had to reach up to manage such a feat).

"I'm doomed," I mumbled into her hair.

"Why's that?" asked a deep voice. I looked up and saw Gajeel looming over me. I narrowed my eyes and stood up, still holding Levy's head.

"Do you actually care?" I asked him.

"Mmhm. Curious."

"Fine, I'll tell you. I have to tutor someone."

"And?" he asked.

I frowned, "That's the worst part. The person I have to tutor is Natsu Dragneel!"

Gajeel laughed, (or at least I think that was a laugh), and nodded, "Now I get why you look like you're about to either start crying or murder someone."

"Right!" I whined.

"What's so bad about Natsu?" Levy asked, her voice muffled by my chest; that's about where her head level was.

"Everything," Gajeel and I both said at the same time. We made eye contact and a silent bond rippled between us. He nodded and I grinned.

"I like him more now," I said to Levy as I pointed at Gajeel.

"That's good, but seriously...I don't see what's so bad," Levy said.

Gajeel grimaced, "He's a pretty-boy who thinks he can get all the ladies."

"Actually, what's more annoying is that he can get all the ladies," I mumbled under my breath.

"You don't like him because he's a player?" Levy asked. I released her head so she could talk normally and readjusted the strap of my bag. I put all my weight on one foot and sagged my shoulders.

"Oh, you heard that?"

"Yeah, I heard it. Is that the only reason why? I haven't even seen him talk to another girl but you…"

"That's so not true. I saw him hitting on Lisanna Strauss during lunch," I said, "They looked close."

"Seriously?" Levy asked, leaning forward.

"Well, he is a pretty-boy," Gajeel said with a shrug.

Levy and I nodded, "Pretty-boy."

"What's pretty? Because it's certainly not your attendance record at the student council, Lucy." My heart sank to my stomach. I turned around slowly.

"Erza," I said, taking a step back. Erza had her arms crossed over her chest and was staring at me with killing intent. I blinked, waiting for her to start yelling. Suddenly, Jellal slung his arm over her shoulder and smiled.

"Don't worry, Lucy. She's kidding. You've still got a perfect attendance record! The meeting was cancelled!" he said with a smile. All the tension in my shoulders relaxed and I frowned.

Erza smacked Jellal in the arm, "Seriously? Why'd you ruin it?"

Jellal grinned, "I couldn't stand the look on her face. She looked like you'd shot her through the stomach."

"That could've been great," Erza grumbled.

"That was cruel!" I said, snapping out of my daze.

"But you'll still love me because we're friends," Erza said.

"You're lucky I love you," I said with a small grin. She tapped my shoulder as she and Jellal headed down the hallway.

"I know! Oh, and same to you. It's getting late. You should head home," Erza said. I waved as she disappeared around the corner.

"It's not that late, is it?" I asked no one in particular, checking my phone. My eyes went wide. "Five? How is it five!?"

"Um, Lucy. Calm down. It's only four thirty. Your phone is off again," Levy said. She showed me her screen and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Still, I have got to get out of this place," I said, turning to run down the hallway. I paused and turned to the lovebirds, "Remind me to ask Mr. Dreyar about that essay tomorrow! I totally forgot to today!" Gajeel nodded and Levy grinned widely.

"I'll remind you, but you'll just forget again!" She waved me off and I ran down the hallway. Hey, I wasn't going to argue with her. I had so much on my mind that it was all starting to blur together. I was seriously going to have to start writing things down. I doubted that my brain could take much more of this.

I sprinted down the steps outside of the school and hopped onto my bike. My house wasn't too far away, so I would be able to make it there on time. I had about ten minutes left. I'd squeeze in a shower before Gray commenced his usual trespassing. I didn't have to buy dinner tonight because Gray was bringing me some type of sustenance, (though I wasn't sure how appealing the aforementioned food would be).

The ride home felt shorter than usual. When I stepped inside, I let my bag slide off of my shoulder and it landed on the wooden floor with a thunk. That probably wasn't good for my books, but I didn't really care all that much at that particular moment. I slipped off of my shoes and yawned. Man, it'd been a long day.

I rounded the corner and immediately headed for my room. There's something you should know before I tell you about my room. My dad is a pretty wealthy guy, hence his lack of presence in my home and his strict nature. That's why my room was as huge as it was. By 'huge' I mean huge. My room was really, really big. That was also the reason why I had my own proportionally giant bathroom with a divine shower. I was extremely grateful for possessing such a shower.

When I got into my bathroom I stripped down and stepped into the water. I could feel the water working out the stress that had formed knots in my muscles throughout the day. My shower was pretty much heaven, to be honest. After a long day, showering off my worries was the best. For a moment, I almost forgot all the things that were troubling me. Almost.

When I finally stepped out of the shower, I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around me. I wrapped another around my now dripping hair. I paused to look at myself in the mirror. I'm not happy to admit this, but I looked tired. Still, I felt like the shower had given me back a bit of my stolen life force. I still needed to get some homework done for my AP courses, so I still had to gather up as much energy as I could. I had no idea how I was supposed to tutor that guy and get my own work done, but I'd have to manage it. And I would. I was tougher than most people gave me credit for, and I wouldn't let this drag me down any further.

I sighed and walked away from the mirror. I pulled the door to my bathroom open. What awaited me on the other side was nothing less than terrifyingly surprising. I jumped backwards and almost fell on the slippery floor. "Damnit, Gray! I could've broken my head open on the floor if I'd slipped, you idiot!" I yelled.

Gray was laughing hysterically like what'd just happened was the most hilarious thing he'd ever seen, "Sorry."

I whipped him on the arm with a nearby towel, "No, you're not!"

"You're right, I'm not. That was priceless. I mean, the look on your face!"

"Jumping out at people right after they shower is your hobby, huh?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"What? I didn't jump out at you! I was just standing there!" he insisted.

"Whatever, Gray. I seriously don't have the patience for this right now. I'm already tired enough, and the day's not over yet," I grumbled. I pushed past him and grabbed some comfortable clothes out of the drawer. I walked back into the bathroom and glared at Gray as I slammed the door. I quickly slipped on my clothes, some sweatpants and a t-shirt, and finished drying off my hair.

I stepped back outside and saw Gray lying on my bed, his arms crossed behind his head. "Comfortable?" I asked, coming to sit beside him.

"Yeah, so what was it you wanted to tell me?" he asked, "The really, really horrible thing."

I groaned and plopped down next to him on my bed, "I have to tutor Natsu Dragneel."

Gray bolted upright, "You what!?"

"I know, it's bad," I said, curling up into a ball on my bed and resting my head on my knees.

Gray's face was serious, "Say no."

"I can't say no! Mr. Dreyar asked me personally! Do you have any idea how horrified my dad would be if he caught wind of me refusing a request from the Board of Directors themselves!?"

"Of course I do, but this might just be a good enough reason to suffer your dad's wrath," Gray said, "Dragneel is seriously bad news."

"Yeah, well you're not the one who has to 'suffer his wrath,' though."

"So I'm just supposed to stand by and watch as Natsu sexually molests you while you're trying to teach him elementary school level arithmetic?" Gray asked, exasperated.

"Sexually molests!?" I asked, alarmed.

"I saw the way he was looking at you," Gray said, lying down again, "He totally wants you. I don't mean that he likes you. He just wants your body. I'm serious. That's dangerous for a girl like you. Trust me, I'm a guy. I know."

"What does that mean?" I said, a little offended and confused.

"What? I'm just saying, you're really hot. No other guy has dared, but Dragneel isn't one of those other guys. He's dangerous."

"Dangerous? And ew, don't say that," I said, grimacing.

"Say what?"

"Y-You know," I said, standing up.

"What? That you're hot? Well, you are, so…"

"It's ten times more creepy when its coming from your mouth, though," said, sitting down at my desk. I caught sight of my phone. A little light was blinking green; I had a voicemail. I picked up the phone.

"That-" I held up my hand to silence Gray as I tapped the screen of my phone. I held it up to my ear. Gray looked annoyed as he waited on my bed.

"I'll been gone for longer than I'd previously expected." It was my dad. "I've sent some additional money, you'll get it soon. Be responsible in my absence." Click.

"Wow, that was really heartwarming," I said, staring at my phone.

"Who was it?" Gray asked, hopping up to come stand near me.

"My dad. He's going to be gone for even longer than I thought," I said, setting the phone down. "'Be responsible in my absence,'" I said, mocking his deep voice.

Gray grinned, "Well, isn't that good? It means you get the house to yourself for a bit longer." I didn't know if it was good or bad. It's not like I missed my dad or anything. I barely even spoke to him when he was home anyway. Still, if what Gray said was true, being home along with Natsu was not a good idea. I made a mental note to myself to change the venue from my house.

"Hmm, I guess," I mumbled.

Gray sighed, "Alright, then. If you really think it's a good idea, you can tutor him. You have to promise to be wary, though. Be suspicious of him at every turn," Gray said, sticking out his pinky. I giggled and took his pinky with mine.

"Should I don full-body armor and wield a sword?" I asked Gray jokingly.

Gray looked serious, "If you must, but I feel that a gun would be more efficient."

I laughed, "I don't think a gun could kill Natsu Dragneel."

Gray nodded in agreement, "Maybe pest repellant would work better."

I smiled, "I wonder what he would say if he knew we were talking about this."

~Natsu~

I let out the biggest sneeze, sending my chair flying backwards. My head slammed against the floor and I groaned. Ugh, someone must've been talking about me. Something was jabbing into my back. I reached behind me and yanked a rubix cube from beneath me, "What the?" Last time I checked, I didn't own a rubix cube.

"Ah, you found it!" said a voice. I looked up to see my little brother standing over me. I raised an eyebrow and handed him the cube.

"Why was this in my room? When were you in here?" I asked.

Romeo just grinned at me, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I thought I told you not to come in here," I said, standing up and rubbing the area where the cube had stabbed me.

"Um, when's dinner?" Ro asked.

I frowned, "I don't know. I've got to get some stuff done." He nodded.

"Well, I'm hungry," he said, "So whenever you're ready, ok?"

I smiled, "Alright, Ro." Romeo ran out the door with his puzzle cube and shut it behind him. I sighed and picked my chair up, rubbing my head. I picked up the pen I'd dropped and set to work. I had to complete these transfer papers soon; otherwise, I'd be kicked out of the school. However much I hated it, school was a necessity. I wouldn't be able to get a good job if I didn't have at least a high school diploma.

Still, school seemed to be looking up recently. Not everyone hated me. I mean, I was used to admiration from girls, but that was just empty. There wasn't any real feeling there, and I knew that all too well. That's why I didn't really take any of them seriously; not of them really liked me. As much as I'd like to think otherwise, no one can fall in love at first sight like some of those girls seem to.

There was one girl, though, that openly hated me. I actually found it a bit refreshing. Of course, it was also pretty amusing. The Princess of the high school, lording her power over everyone. It really was pathetic to see the guys so outraged when I said that I'd date her. It's not like I'd actually date her. I'd never do something that required too much effort. I had enough on my hands already. I couldn't really tend to a girlfriend's every want and desire. I could barely even take care of my brother, not to mention a needy girl.

I could see a girl like Lucy being extra needy, also. She was definitely rich, anyone could tell that much. I definitely would not mind having her life. It would be easy, that's for sure. I was seriously going to enjoy this tutoring. At least I had that much to look forward to.

Tell me what you thought, because I'm dying of curiosity here! :)