So, okay, this isn't my longest chapter, but I personally think it's really good. I guess you'll just have to read to find out what happens, but... it's pretty good. Not to be too cocky or anything ;) I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Twelve

Lucy's P.O.V.

Nobody would talk to me. I tried talking to them all- Erza, Levy, Cana, Jellal, Gray, even Gajeel. And… Natsu. Most of them wouldn't even look my way. But Natsu...whenever I was around, I could see the pain in his eyes. He'd never hear me out. It hurt to do anything anymore.

My dad made me stay home until my bruises and cuts were healed, so it's not like they would believe me anyway.

I walked to the market after school, because I didn't have practice that day. I saw Natsu leave school with Erza. They seemed to be getting pretty close. I sighed, it wasn't like I thought that they liked each other like that, I just, I just wanted to be the one there, laughing with that pink-haired idiot.

No. I didn't deserve to call him an idiot. I mean, it was my fault that he was in all that pain. Even if I didn't do it directly, I made enemies and he got caught in the cross-fire.

I hated it. I hated everything. I hated myself.

The world had lost it's color without Natsu around. I could no longer look at anything pink, because it reminded me of everything I'd done to him. Normally, I would listen to some music and think about what I should do, but I couldn't even do that. Music reminded me of him, too.

I held back tears as I entered the market through the employee entrance. I clocked in and pulled on my apron, walking slowly to the cash register. I relieved the other girl working there, and took her spot.

It was getting pretty dull, just sitting there, scanning food and swiping credit cards. I think I might've fallen asleep if I hadn't felt a hand on my shoulder. Dad.

"Hey," I said, kind of monotone, since I wasn't really in the mood to talk to him.

"Hey?" he returned skeptically. "So, I was wondering if you could make a delivery for me?"

"Yes!" I practically yelled and jumped up and down. I was so bored of manning the register.

"Okay, okay, calm down, you're going to scare off the customers." He sighed as I settled down. "The boxes are in the back, and so is the delivery bike." He handed me the keys to the bike lock as I handed him my apron.

When I got to the back, I looked at the boxes to see where I was supposed to deliver them. Dragon Diner, A.K.A. Natsu's diner.

I pushed my feet to pedal backwards to break the bike as I hopped off. Locking the bike to a pole outside the diner, I grabbed the boxes of ingredients and hauled them over to the employee entrance. I rang the bell, praying that Igneel would open the door.

No such luck.

Natsu looked at me with cold eyes, and I swear, I almost broke down right then and there.

Biting back the tears, I said,"Where do you want me to put these?" My voice cracked on "you".

"I can take them. Here's the money." He turned to leave when I grabbed the hem of his shirt. His eyes were wide as I turned again to face me.

"Natsu, please, just hear me-"

"There's nothing you can say, Lucy. You go around calling other people pathetic for bullying you, well maybe there was a reason! How do I know you didn't lie about the whole thing? Huh? How do I know that you didn't lie about everything?"

"But, Natsu, it's not what you think. I don't know what you saw, but-"

"I saw you cheating on me, Lucy."

"I didn't do that! They staged the whole thing! They beat me up and then-"

"Yeah, I'm sure you've rehearsed a great story, but I'm just done with it. You're the pathetic one. And you know what? If someone did really beat you up, I don't blame them."

He slammed the door in my face.

I fell to my knees on the pavement and started bawling into my hands.

I heard someone laughing behind me.

"Wow, so you really tried to talk to him. He's right, you are pathetic. No, wait, that's not the right word. How about we try 'bitch' on for size? Yeah, that seems to fit." Erza was standing above me, looking down with an amused expression.

I started crying again, and she picked me up from my collar, lifting me off the ground.

"Don't ever try to talk to him again, got it?" she whispered in my ear.

I nodded.

She dropped me, and walked inside, leaving me alone. I walked over to my bike and climbed on with shaky hands.

I went right past the market. Past my house. Past my school. Past Lyra's CD shop.

Suddenly, everything was a blur of honking cars, and flashing lights. Until the world just…floated away.

Natsu's P.O.V.

I was sitting in my room crying when someone knocked on the door. I muffled a quiet,"Go away," but they didn't listen. The door creaked open to reveal a certain redhead looking down at me in concern.

She sat down on the floor next to me and started rubbing my back in slow circles.

Once I was done crying, she looked at me to start talking.

I shook my head, so she started talking instead. "Just forget about that bitch. She's not worth your time. Everything that she told you, that she told all of us, was probably just a bunch of lies. I mean, seriously? Her mom was kidnapped? I bet her mom just walked out on her sad excuse for a daught-"

I stood up and looked down at Erza. "Stop. Just stop. I'll admit that she is a bit of a bitch, but that doesn't mean that she lied about her mom. I could see it, I could see it in her eyes. She told the truth."

I started thinking about how Lucy had looked when she delivered our ingredients just an hour or so before. Her eyes. They looked the same as when she told me about her mom. She was telling the truth.

I started grinning like an idiot, because Lucy was telling the truth. Then I started getting angry, because that meant that someone had really beaten up. Then I felt guilty as I realized that she had done nothing wrong.

"I, um, I have to go!" I yelled back to Erza as I ran downstairs and out the door. I had to get to Lucy before. Just before. I wasn't really what "before" meant at the moment. Maybe I meant that I had to get to her before she really started to hate me, or before any feelings towards me washed away completely. At the time, I had no idea what "before" really meant.

What did you think? Good? Bad? Just okay? I think you can guess what happened to Lucy, but you still don't know how bad it is. *Maniacal laugh* That's for me to know, and for you to read when I post the next chapter.