Hey guys, Nikki here! I'm so sorry it's taken me such a long time to update this! To make up for it, I hope to deliver another story by the end of the week, so look out for that hopefully c: This one is a bit more focused on developing the plot more and also giving you a look into Lucy's past, as well as her issues with family. Anyway, enjoy this chapter!
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Lisanna settled down before her two friends, flashing them a playful grin. The two girls, Minerva and Flare, returned the grin and sipped at their coffees, waiting for the white haired girl to begin.
"Ladies," she started, pausing to make eye contact with both girls. "The time has come to start the early stages of Lucy Heartfilia's downfall!" Minerva raised her coffee at that, grinning wickedly. She always had held a strong disliking for the blonde beauty queen, as she liked to call her. They used to be friends, Lucy completing their small group of four, but Lucy developed a closer relationship with Levy, Erza, and Juvia and they were suddenly left in the dust with nothing but a bad memory of the beloved blonde.
"Hear, hear!" She cried gleefully, the redhead beside her snickering with joy.
"We're going to make her life in high school hell, do you hear me?" The girls before Lisanna nodded and she smirked, satisfied.
"How should we go about doing that?" Flare questioned, red eyes fixed on Lisanna's blue ones. The short haired girl's smirk turned deadly and Minerva cackled at the sight, her eyes gleaming dangerously.
"Simple, ruin her relationship with Natsu." Both girls nodded once again and she grinned. "Either that, or torture the poor dear. Both are preferable," The three girls giggled and got to their feet, pushing their metallic chairs back and sauntering off to continue shopping, coffees in hand.
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Lucy Heartfilia flopped onto Levy McGarden's soft bed after a long day at the library, the pair deciding to do a major study session before heading back to Levy's for a slumber party with the rest of the girls. Erza and Mirajane were just arriving with all the snacks and Cana was already settled on the floor, Wendy and Juvia sitting beside her.
"How's Gray, Juvia?" Cana asked, a sly smile plastered on her face. Lucy stifled a giggle and looked at Juvia's scarlet face as they awaited the blue haired girl's reply.
"Gray-sama is good," She replied, her blush not as bright as it was before. Lucy could tell she was calming herself down, having drank a lot of water before answering the question.
"How's Macao?" Juvia shot back, eyes narrowed on the brunette. She watched as Cana shrugged, grinning at her.
"How the hell should I know? We're just drinking buddies," She replied, her grin turning into a proud smirk at the blushing water fanatic before her. "Sorry to rain on your parade."
Wendy glanced at the both of them before sighing, turning to look at Lucy and Levy. The two were settled next to each other, whispering about something. Wendy, being an innocent eighth grader, scrambled up to sit by them instead of listening in on Cana's rather graphic stories of her experiences in bed.
"Lucy?" She asked, gaining the blonde's attention.
"Yes, Wendy?" Lucy raised an eyebrow at the girl.
"How are you and Natsu?" Her tone was innocent and the look on her face was merely curious, but Lucy was shocked. She didn't expect Natsu to say anything to his cousins!
"Uh... We're good, I guess..." She stammered, her cheeks heating up by the minute. They hadn't talked since yesterday and she knew that he needed space. His now ex girlfriend had been cheating on him for three months and he was just finding out now, causing a scene earlier in the week. It was obvious that he was going to take a bit of time before he decided if he wanted to pursue her or not.
"I'm glad," was all Wendy said, a soft murmur as she offered a kind smile to the blonde beside her. She nodded and ruffled the younger girl's hair, knowing just how much her cousin meant to her. They were a tight knit group, those three. They told each other everything, which wasn't too surprising unless you looked at just how closed off Gajeel was or how reserved Wendy was. Natsu was the spitfire out of the trio and naturally, he tied them together. Sure, they had their ups and their downs, but they were family and they definitely stuck together.
Lucy later recalled all the good times she had with her dad as the other girls were soundly sleeping. They were triggered by the thought of Natsu and his cousins and while there weren't many good ones, they happened to mean the world to her. Most had happened when she was little and her mother was still around, but a few had happened just a few years after Layla's passing. One, for instance, was when he had given her a romance novel because he had remembered the conversation she had once had with her mother. They had discussed the heroines in the stories and how she wished she could find love like they did, bright brown eyes sparkling with such a sincere hope.
"He really did pay attention," She mumbled to herself, reaching up with one hand to wipe the stray tears from her cheeks.
Her phone buzzed quietly beside her and she jumped, eyes wide at the sudden noise. Checking to make sure no one was awoken by the sound, she crept out onto the small balcony attached to Levy's room. She had a message, the blonde noted as she opened her phone to read it.
"Meet me in the park?" Lucy read the message aloud, smiling softly at who it was from. She threw on some shoes and a coat and silently slipped out of the house, shuffling down the sidewalk in the brisk October night in her sweats.
The walk to the park was peaceful, but cold, and as she made her way to the entrance, her lips formed a bright grin at the sight of familiar spiky hair.