Dear Journal,

Today was the first day of work.

Dad offered to drive me there, but I kind, KINDLY, declined.

I used my bike to get there, and I couldn't help but feel mortified looking at the females' uniforms when I entered.

Feeling sick to my stomach, I entered Natsu's father's office, the place where Mrs. Marvel told me I would receive my get-up.

"So, uh, Luigi?"

Igneel Dragneel was an unshaven man who looked like he spent his time flipping through countless T.V. channels.

Just saying.

I blinked. Luigi? Who in the world would name a GIRL Luigi?

And why Luigi? Why couldn't he make mistaken my name as Luke…or Lucas?

Luigi…the green dude in Super Mario Brothers. I was a tall Italian dude with a mustache.

I tried to correct him. "U-um, It's actually…uh, Lucy, sir…"

"Ah, what? Lucinda? Lucas? Did I hear Lucas? Good. Lucas is a prettier name."

I wanted to bang my head on the desk. "U-um, actually no…"

"So, okay, Louis…my wife tells me you'd like to help us out?"

Did he just call me Louis?

"W-well, y-y-yes."

"She's just wonderful, isn't she?"

"E-excuse me, sir?"

"My wife. Remarkable woman, isn't she?"

Igneel Dragneel: gets my name wrong, flips through various channels, obsessed with his wife.

"W-well, y-yes. S-she's v-very pretty."

"Pretty!? I'd say she's damn HOT!"

He was getting very passionate about this.

"U-um, yes, s-sir, uh, she is."

"What is she Landon!?"

Why was he only mistaking my names with boy names?

"Uh, sh-she's, uh…"

"She's damn HOT!"

"Sh-she's damn hot."

"LOUDER!"

Heck no.

"She's, uh, she's..h-h-"

"Prettier than any hyacinth, lovelier than any rose!"

"Um…okay."

Igneel Dragneel: mistakes my name for boys' names, surfs the television, ADDICTED to his wife's…hotness.

"Hey," and he leaned closer, "don't you think my son Natsu is hot?"

Maybe I should just get up and leave. The door is closed. I'm trapped.

"U-um, w-w-well, he's certainly-y v-very good-looking."

"You llllllllllike him."

No. Oh, goodness, no.

"N-no."

"Excuse me?"

"U-um. I mean, as a fr-friend, I l-like him. Just n-not in that w-way."

"Hey, do me a favor and say 'lllllllllike'."

Somebody help me. Somebody open this office door and help me. Or maybe…just hand over the FRIGGIN' uniform!

"U-uh, c-could, I mean, m-may I h-h-have the uniform, p-please?"

He blinked. "Ohhhhhh, you came in here for thaaaaat."

"Y-yes. Sir!"

"Wells, I don't-s haves its my friends."

Why was he talking like that?

"Huh?"

"I'm just kiddin' with ya! Here ya go!"

He threw a blob of black and white towards me. I caught it without much grace.

"Have fun. It's washed and everything, by my HOT wife."

"Er, t-tell her th-thanks. And, uh, th-thank y-you t-too, sir!"

Before he could do something even scarier, I dashed out of the room, and right into…Natsu.

He stumbled back, and when he realized it was me…gave a hearty smile.

Behind him was none other than Sue herself, giving me the ultimate death glare.

"N-Natsu," I stammered, and he smiled again.

"You got your uniform?"

No. I hold a moe-maid's uniform in my hands in my spare time.

"Y-yeah."

"C'mere. The dressing room for the girls is right…here."

A girl with shoulder length black hair and big glasses walked past – sporting a maid's outfit – and hooted, "Going into the girls' locker rooms for something, Natsu?"

He scowled, and said, "Shut up, Daphne."

He then turned to me, and said, "Go in and get dressed. We got a lot to cover today."

Sue looked after me with an acidic stare, and I tried my best to ignore her.

As soon as I had entered the sanctuary of the dressing rooms, and had shut the door, I could hear her complaining to Natsu about me.

"She's soooo UGLY! You'll lose ALL of your customers!"

Natsu grunted. "I need to get dressed as well. Just wait here."

And his receding footsteps.

I sighed as I locked the door (to prevent that girl from barging in), and examined my outfit warily.

The apron had frills and the skirt kind of looked short. I was not looking forward to adorning it.

To spare the details of my dressing…let's just say, in the end, I looked really weird.

The upper portion of the outfit was a little too tight. And the lower portion felt a little too…breezy.

I pulled on the knee high white socks, and the black shoes that went with the 'costume'.

Finally, I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and slipped the black, lacy headband they had given me into my hair.

I turned to look in a mirror, and blinked. Ugh.

I threw all my things into a random locker, and unlocked the door. I stepped out, and gulped as I saw Sue's jaw drop.

Did I look horrible?

But if I did, wouldn't she be smiling her head off?

She didn't look too happy.

"Is she done?"

Natsu appeared from around the corner, and when he saw me, he froze.

His eyes widened, and his mouth opened a little bit.

"You look…wow," he said, and his cheeks became red. "But isn't the…uh...chest…part a little too tight on you?"

I blinked. Seriously?

I looked down, pulling at the upper part of my dress.

When I looked up, Natsu was blushing even harder.

I felt my face grow hot too.

"Um, I-I'll just tell mom that you need a slightly roomier…dress."

He disappeared again, and I flattened myself out against the wall, completely horrified at what had just taken place.

Why hadn't I noticed that my…uh…chest…was the problem behind the tightness?

Relief flood through my body when Mrs. Marvel appeared with another dress. She gave me a tiny smile.

"He was VERY red when he came in to my office," she whispered lowly enough so that Sue could not hear.

She shoved the new outfit into my arms, and I quickly hurried into the room again.

When I emerged from the room, Natsu was standing there. Sue was gone, and so was his mother.

He had returned to his normal peach color, but his cheeks looked a little pink.

"Hi," he said awkwardly. And he dared look at me. "You still look amazing…well, I mean, not that the tightness from before made you look more amazing, I mean…not that, you know, that small outfit made you look extra hot, or anything…well, no, I mean, you still look hot, but, urgh!"

I surprised myself as I giggled. He looked at me, and then he smiled, as well. We both stood there, chuckling like idiots, before Natsu gestured for me to follow him.

He led me to where all the guests were, and said wisely, "I'll show you how to take orders, first."

"Okay."

He took me to a table where a couple was sitting and chatting happily.

"Hi, are you guys ready to order?"

The girl, whose long brown hair was pushed back with a white headband, smiled. "Yes."

"What would you guys like?"

The boy took one more glance at the menu. "Could I have a…latte and two chocolate donuts, please?"

"I'd like a raspberry donut with hot chocolate, please," said the girl, still smiling brightly.

"Would you like whip cream with that?"

"Nah. I'm on a diet."

I eyed her waist, and decided that if she went on a diet any more, she'd be as thin as a piece of paper.

I looked down at myself, which was a little less perfect.

"Be right back."

Natsu turned to leave, and I scampered after him.

"So…that's it?"

"Basically."

I smiled. "I-I think I-I'll b-be able t-to d-do it."

He looked at me, and said, "You'll have to lose that stutter first…maybe you should focus on bringing the food to the tables."

"A-All right."

He promptly showed me how to gracefully bring orders to the designated tables, and left me to my work.

Sue emerged from the bathroom, and scanned the area for Natsu.

She made eye contact with me, scowled, and traipsed off to the kitchen; as she passed me, she bumped into my shoulder.

It didn't hurt. I don't why she just didn't cuss me out if all she's gonna do is bump into me.

"Luuuucy!"

I jumped, and headed into the kitchen.

Natsu was standing casually next to a plate of waffles, and coffee. He was laughing with Sue, and almost didn't notice me until I was standing right in front of him.

"Could you bring this to Booth number seven, please?" he asked me with a tiny smile.

"Um, yeah, sure."

I took the plate in my hands, and rushed out of the room.

I was extra careful about not tripping over my shiny, shiny shoes, so I managed to get to Booth 7 in one piece.

"H-here y-you g-go," I said quietly.

The guy I had just served looked like a teenage pervert.

He had silvery hair that was cropped lose to his head, and a thing mustache was sprouting out of his upper lip.

He looked to be about sixteen or seventeen – older than me by about one or two years.

His thick spectacles slipped down his nose as he waggled his eyebrows at me.

I held back the urge to gag.

"U-um, enjoy!"

I turned, eager to get out of his presence, but his sickly arm grabbed onto my wrist.

"Why the hurry, prettyface?" he asked in a low, creepy tone.

I was very close to him, and I struggled against his grip.

He was surprisingly strong.

"P-please l-l-let go."

"Is this what you wear most of the time?" he asked.

Uh, yeah, I just walk around in my freaking maid's outfit in the freaking streets!

I could feel his other arm wrapping around me. Booth seven was way out of the line of vision of other customers.

In other words, no one could see us.

I felt like screaming, but my voice had suddenly decided to go on vacation.

"L-let go," I whispered. My right fist was clenching.

Even though I stutter when I speak to strangers, I'm not hesitant when it comes to disfiguring them.

"I can't here you," he muttered.

"I said-!"

"She said let go, you bastard."

I yelped as I was tugged forward. The teen's arms immediately fell from me.

Natsu.

He had come to save me.

The pervy teen sneered. "Dragneel, just because you beat my school's football team, you think you're so HIGH and MIGHTY."

Natsu scowled. "Don't ever touch Luce, again, Ross."

"I won't. She's pretty ugly anyways."

I started to think that the napkin holder looked hard enough to knock someone out.

"Get out."

"What? You can't just kick a customer out. I PAID for this food-!"

"Read our motto, dumbass."

Ross looked confused.

"'You don't treat our employees right, you're out of here.'"

"Not very poetic," the other boy snorted.

"Doesn't have to be. It gets the point across. Now, get out of here before I get the whole f*****g female student population on your ass for harassing a girl."

Ross gave Natsu a glare – which was returned with a withering stare – before he got out of his seat and left.

"Sorry, Luce. That guy's uncontrollable. He has no sense of sportsmanship, and he's a huge f*****g pervert."

I blinked.

"Oh, uh, sorry…I mean huge…pervert."

"Oh, no. That's alright. If you hadn't come, I would have ended up punching him sooner or later, anyways."

He looked at me, and busted out laughing.

"The first time you talk to me without stuttering, and you say something like that! You're a riot, Luce!"

I blush, and mutter, "Luce?"

He stopped, and asked, "You don't mind if I call you that, right?"

"Uh, no!" I said, flustered.

"That's good then."

He looked around the room awkwardly. "Uh, hey, you wanna go grab some ice cream after this?"

I stare at him, and say, "I'd love to."

Natsu smiles. "Great!"

I watch as he walks away.

What flavor ice cream did I get you ask? Good question.

Vanilla.

Yum.

I can't wait to see how the next job shift works out.

I can't even tell if that's sarcasm or not.

Signed,

Lucy

I'm glad to see that all of you like this story so far! (And for those of you who review for That Unrequited Childhood Love, thank you so, so, so VERY much! I have so many reviews for it now! I promise I'll try to update that one soon. Just need to plan out the next chapter!)

Thank you readers!~