A/N: Hi guys, just wanted to say THANK YOU so much for those of you who read me 'All of Me' Story and decided to check this story out. No worries! You won't be disappointed. I hope so.
Like I said, this is an inspired story that I got while reading other Nalu stories and decided to write this but with a twist.
Please enjoy, and see you on Monday!
A family of three rush out of a burning house envelope in flames. They ran until they reach the gates that once use to welcome to their home. Their home which is now burning. Hot. Ashes. Hard to breathe.
"Shhh Lucy, try to breathe. Go on, honey. Deep breaths now."
Hazy eye sight, and the girl starts to lose consciousness.
Luce... I love you... I'll come for you, this I promise.
*Gasp* Lucy woke up in a start yet again. This time however, it was morning. If anything, Lucy prefer she wake up in the morning then in the middle of the night.
Yesterday's events start coming back to her. She had left the Heartfilia Mansion No.2 and had moved into Magnolia Academy's dorms. Looking around, she gave out a heavy sign at the stack boxes in front of the bed.
As Lucy slowly got out of bed, she admire the room's decorations and structure. For instance, from the books and movies she's seen, dorm rooms were described as much smaller than this room she had. Lucy's bedroom was its own room, with a stationary desk for her to do homework and writing.
Walking out into the main room was the living room and the kitchen room separated by the kitchen counter. The living room had its own couch and chairs, a hanging flat scree television, and a small table in the middle. The kitchen wasn't large but just enough for a one person living there and have a couple friends over for dinner, equiped with its own oven, microwave, stove, and fridge. There was even a square dining table and chairs.
The bathroom is right next to her room, convenient for those days she would accidently wake up late. Which hopefully, she'll never have to go through that.
School didn't start until Wednesday. That means Lucy had Monday and Tuesday to explore the campus and attend orientation on Wednesday morning.
After brushing her teeth and finishing her bathroom sessions, Lucy had form a plan - more of like a schedule in her head.
She'll unpack for an hour and then spend the rest of the time to explore campus and maybe even get something to eat.
The hour that was unpacking her clothes and decorating her room was the slowest ever. Lucy had opted in bringing her fancy poofy dresses and left it behind at the mansion. It was too heavy to carry and took up a lot of space. What she did bring were neccessities like skirts, shirts, shoes, sandals, ribbons, and girly things.
But it's not like she had to really worry what she would be wearing during the weekdays since the school does have uniforms for purchases. Lucy had decided to purchase three uniforms so she can wash the ones she already one and always be wearing a fresh, clean one. Since the uniforms doesn't change no matter what year a student is, if Lucy doesn't change body, she'll be able to wear her six uniforms for all three years. Three for fall/winter semester and three other for spring/summer. But there are other things that students have to wear in order to tell the difference between each year and category.
First years are required to wear a tie. Second years are required to wear a bow. And third years wear a combination of a tie and a bow. That being said, intelligence category students receive a silver pin while academy of arts students are given bronze pins. Athletic students wear a green pin. Lucy being special, receives a gold pin. Pins are given out during the opening ceremony on Wednesday.
Magnolia Academy is a non-profit school dedicated to shape its students into growing leaders in society and also have a university attatched to it: Magnolia University where most students from the Academy are able to attend after high school.
Thus, students are only required to pay the semester health fee which is twenty thousand jewels. Since the Academy is non-profit, it also separates the school standards with other schools in Magnolia and is the top number one school to attend in all of Fiore. While every year the school receives tons of applications and students who do take the test, many fail due to not scoring high enough on the test or did not pass try outs for the sports team. The Academy of the Arts has alumnis who went on to become famous best selling authors and artists. Every year, a couple of those alumnis return to test the incoming students on whichever field the want to qualify in whether reading or theatre or even art in general.
Lucy had barely finish folding her clothes into the closet when there was a couple of knocks on her door. Not expecting anyone, Lucy grabbed her pepper spray and hid it behind her back. She opened the door to reveal two girls smiling bright at her.
"Hello! Just wanted to stop by and say ICAN'TBELIEVEWE'RETOGETHERAGAINLU-CHAN!" The blunette couldn't contain her excitement and flung her arms around the blond hair girl, immediately dropping the pepper spray soundlessly as she hugged her back.
"Hmm same reaction, Lucy. It's a pleasure to attend school with you again." The scarlet hair girl nodded while smiling and finally decided to join in on the reunion.
"It's nice to see you guys again too!" Lucy manage to breathe out once they parted. "Where are your rooms? Are you guys roommates?" Lucy peer down the hallway, hoping it was close by.
Both the girls shook their head, "No, but our rooms are across from each other!"
The scarlet hair girl smile sadly, "Although it's a bit disappointing, but I think my roommate will be interesting."
Lucy remembered that the three of them were still in the hallway and invited the girls in. "It's still in the process of unpacking but yeah, this is it."
"Woaaaah your room is huge Lu-chan! It's like your own apartment. My room is probably about the size of this room." Levy refer to the living room, "Did you bring your books and novels?"
"Of course! But they're still in one of the boxes. I was thinking of exploring the campus first. Have you guys gone to pick up your uniforms?"
"No. But this is good. Let's go together." Erza led the way out of Lucy's room and waited for Lucy in the hallway so she can set grab her keys to lock up.
"Our rooms are on the way we're going, Lu-chan. Let's stop by really quick so you can see it too!"
Lucy nodded, excited to see what kind of rooms Levy and Erza had.
Levy hurry to open her rooms, revealing another blunette girl unpacking her things. Startle by the door opening suddenly, she stood up quickly, pointing her index fingers.
"H-Hi..." Levy let out a suprise sigh.
"Hello, Juvia is my name. Are you my roommate, by any chance?"
"Yes! My name is Levy." Levy held her hand out to shake. Once Juvia shook her hand, Lucy and Erza introduced themselves as well.
"Juvia, we were on our way to explore the campus and pick up our uniforms. Would you like to come?"
At the mention of the last part, Juvia brighten up and nodded eagerly.
"Let me check my room. Maybe my roommate is he-"
The three girls stared at Erza's so-called roommate mixture of shock and suprise... And for Lucy and Levy, terrified for the roommate.
"Ehh... Huh? What are all you staring at?" The brunnette started at the three girls while bringing a flask up to her mouth and taking a deep sip.
"What do you think you're doing in my room drinking that which I don't even want to say it." It wasn't a question Erza was making. It was a statement. A terrifying statement for Lucy and Levy who had witnissed Erza's angry side before.
Taking a few steps back quietly and slowly, Lucy shut the door and scurry over to Levy's side of the hallway.
"Ummm Juvia does not understand...?"
"Ah Juvia, one thing we should mention about Erza is that you should never ever get her angry." Levy shook her head while crossing her arms.
"Yeah... You wouldn't want to be on Erza's blacklist. She'll do things to you... Unpleasant things." Lucy said while leaning against the wall. "We should just wait it out. It'll probably only take a couple of minutes."
True to Lucy's words, Erza and her roommate appear outside the room after a few minutes.
"Lucy, Levy, Juvia, this is my roommate." Erza said, stating the obvious.
"What's up? My name is Cana. Nice to meet ya. I need to drink to wake up in the morning." The brunette said, rubbing her arms.
"Nice to meet you! We're on our way to explore campus, would you like to come with us?" Lucy asked politely, still not sure what kind of person Cana was.
"Sure! Thanks for the invite. Do you think we can also find a bubble tea place along the way?"
"Yeah! Wait... Did you just say 'bubble tea'?" Lucy asked in bewilderment.
She had always known there was another term for it but had never actually met another person who referred to it as that.
"Yeah... Wait. How do you guys pronounce it." Cana asked suspiciously.
The three girls simultaneously, "Boba."
"Ugh! You guys are all from the city, aren't you? I'm from the outskirts of Fiore. The country side."
"Ohhhh it's Juvia's first time hearing someone refer boba as 'bubble tea'." The girls giggle at the term.
"Nevermind, let's just go and find a place that sells good bubbl- I mean boba."
The academy's campus is a very green and wide open space campus with large shady trees and fresh green grass. It's a perfect campus for relaxation even during midterm and finals week. The quad, which is the center of the campus is where the fountain is decorated with plaques of all the alumnis names who went on to do bigger and greater things after university. The quad is also where the student cafeteria is. But just because there's a cafeteria on campus doesn't mean there's not streets of top restaurants recommended by college students around the university. Most of the restaurants like Starbucks offer their store 24hours to support the students who needs caffeine and free wi-fi.
Lucy tries to memorize the map of the school and the direction their heading so she wouldn't need to look at the map so often. But it was kind of impossible since she wasn't the other three fourths of the school buildings and locations. The quad is the center and the girls dormitory is East of it. That means that the boys dormitory is west of the school; opposite side of the girls. Right now they're heading South to explore downtown Magnolia where all the restaurants are. And that was all she had memorized as of now.
The streets to downtown is lively with children dancing in circles with each other, their parents watching from afar. As the search continues for a boba shop to satisfy Cana's cravings, Lucy and Levy stumbles upon a bookstore that they refuse to leave without a quick peek inside.
Once Erza walked in the store, with a quick glance, Lucy and Levy were out of the bookstore faster than Erza with promises of their return.
Luckily there wasn't anymore distractions like a bakery or else Erza would have never left not that they would really mind though.
As the girls near the center of the downtown, Cana had spotted the boba shop, 'Lollicup' from afar and half ran towards the shop, not bothering who she bumped into as the girls took their time. However, just as Cana entered the shop, she opened the door fast and hard, hitting the door with a tall, muscular man with peircings in the face, causing him to fall back into his other friends.
"She's sorry about tha-" Levy bowed to the man sincerely who grumbled and kept on walking into the shop.
"Ah it's alright. Gajeel is always grumpy, so nothing to worry about." A raven haired boy gave them a friendly smile, opening the door for the girls.
"Thanks!"
As the girls walked in, they immediately saw Cana already sitting at a table with seats with her order and the man called Gajeel was in line. The four of them lined up behind him joined with the raven hair guy and a blue haired guy with a strange tattoo on his right side of his face.
"So... do you guys go to school around here?" The raven haired guy spoke slowly.
"We go to Magnolia Academy. My name is Erza Scarlet, and you are?" Erza held her hand out not for the raven haired but for the blue haired.
"Ah, Jellall, nice to meet you." The boy politely shook Erza's hand, also complimenting her, "'Scarlet' eh? It matches you." He took a strand of Erza's hair and wrapped it around his fingers.
It was Lucy and Levy's, even Gray's first time at seeing Jellal hitting on a girl with Erza nevertheless, strong will and also sometimes oblivious Erza. Yet the scene unfolding before them was like the beginning of a a love at first sight relationship.
Juvia hadn't notice the scene before her eyes because here eyes were too focused on the other boy accompanying them. Not to draw much attention to herself, Juvia squeeze through the space between Levy and Lucy to introduce herself to this man who has caught Juvia's attention.
"And what about you? What is your name? Juvia is my name."
"I'm Gray."
The introduction was short and to the point. Yet somehow, Juvia was creating some kind of atmosphere between them. At some point, the atmosphere between the two pairs had gotten too much for Lucy and Levy and they turned to focus their attention on the menu, not sure what to get.
"Ne ne Levy, what are you going to get?"
Lucy stare at the menu with widen eyes, looking at the many different kinds of things they can make with strawberry. There was strawberry flavor milk tea, strawberry slushie, strawberry smoothie. They even had their original creations on the menu like the strawberry snow bubble: a blended creamy drink similar to a slushie and smoothie combined together. Or the strawberry iced tea, using either choosing of English black tea or jasmine green tea as their base.
"Okay... I'll get the strawberry snow bubble..." Lucy mumble to herself.
After choosing the type of drink, Lucy also had trouble with deciding which add ons she wanted. She definitely wanted boba but they also had strawberry jellies and strawberry poppers... Not being able to decide, Lucy made her final decision to order everything with strawberry in it.
Barely getting out of her thoughts, she was next in line to place her order. Once the order is placed, she's given a number and she'll have to wait for her number to be called. Sitting next to Cana, across from Levy, she was suprised to see Gajeel sitting in the table next to us with his drink already in hand looking odd...
"G-Gajeel..." Levy must up the courage to speak, "W-What drink did you get?"
Without opening his eyes and in a gruff tone, he replied, "Coffee milk tea with boba and egg pudding."
Levy nodded at the his answer, unsure what to say next.
Soon, Erza and Juvia arrives with their numbers in hand and Lucy was call to pick up drinks. Once she return, she wasn't suprise to see Jellal sitting next to Erza, talking and Levy sitting next to Gajeel trying to strike up a conversation. Juvia and Gray on the other hand, well... Gray was trying to avoid any contact with her as much as possible.
She took the seat in between Gray and Cana with her drink, observing everyone's drinks before taking a sip of her own.
It was like... Heaven... Yes, heaven in a cup. Everything of the drink, the flavor, the mixture, the texture, the add ons and the boba went so well with the drink, Lucy couldn't stop herself from drinking more and more.
A bump in the shoulder interrupted Lucy time with the drink, almost causing some of it to spill.
"Oh sorry about that." The voice said.
"No no, it's alright." Lucy waved it up in which Gray captured her hands in his and shook it.
"I never got your name."
"It's Lucy."
"Lucy huh? It suits you."
Juvia was noticely pulling on Gray's other hand, trying to grab his attention again.
"Gray-sama, please remember Juvia's name! Gray-sama, say that Juvia's name suits her too!"
Lucy couldn't help but laugh at Juvia's demeanor. She was so different from the girl she met up in Levy's room. But Lucy liked both sides of her.
Thr group which was formerly known as two different groups has merged into one large group consisting of eight individuals who attends Magnolia Academy. As they left the shop some hour later, the group decided to head back up to the Academy and pick up their uniforms together.
A/N: I'll stop there for now. Anyways, I have exciting news about my life in the next chapter. I've decided to start my PLAN B. Because I honestly think the U.S. is going to change after the Nov. 2016 President election. And I as a college student must always strive to not be in debt.
Thank you for reading the chapter!
