6.1.2014 Author's Note: Hiya! Sorry I didn't update on Friday! I was busy for school activities to celebrate our promotion. This Friday's chapter might be postponed for a while. That being said, enjoy chapter seven!

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and it's characters belong to Hiro Mashima

Chapter Seven

Anyone with a working brain could sense the tension was high and the atmosphere was awkward. Jude was in front of the door staring at the salmon-haired teenage boy across him.

In his house.

Next to his daughter.

Awkward.

Lucy pulled out her phone and her typing filled the short silence. She showed her father a message.

Dad. This is Natsu. My friend from school. He dropped me off and I helped him study.

A blonde brow was cocked and the older man eyes his daughter's companion. He didn't look like a delinquent. Maybe another rowdy teen, but not a full-on troublemaker.

"Hello, sir. Nice meeting you. I'll just take my leave now." Natsu walked forward to shake the hand of the man, but was cut off.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"Dinner, sir?"

"Mr. Heartfilia, if you please. And yes dinner."

"I'd be intrudi-,"

"It's already past dinner time, might as well eat here."

"Alright. Thank you, si-Mr. Heartfilia. I'll just inform my sister..."

Natsu walked outside and past the elder man to call his sister up. Jude looked at his one-and-only with watchful eyes.

"Friends, huh?" Lucy gave a curt nod.

"Who'll cook? You or me?" Lucy raised her hand and stalked to the kitchen. I guess our steak will be shared tonight.

The two men sat at the dinner table as Lucy finished up dinner. Jude looked stiff as ever and Natsu looked so nervous. There was a tension between the two. A fatherly instinct against a hormone-filled teenager. The elder blonde leaned forward, elbows on the table and hands rested below the chin then asked,

"When did you and Lucy meet?"

As if on cue, Lucy walked on in with two dinner plates in her hands. Natsu got up and set down the plates before Jude and himself.

"Well sir, I work part time at a near by mall and happened to run into Lucy. I spilled her food, so I took her out for a treat."

Lucy sat down with the other two men and began to eat with the rest of them. As they ate, Lucy had to listen to the painfully tense conversation between the two. Her father was throwing questions at Natsu in an intimidating manner. His glare would make anyone sweat. When dessert- strawberry cake Jude bought- came around, the mood lightened. Natsu chatted delightfully and Mr. Heartfilia listened with mild interest.

Before you knew it it was already eight and her companion was heading out. At the door Natsu threw Lucy a smile and wave, which she returned. He then turned to the elder man.

"Thank you for having for dinner." He said. Jude smiled at him warmly.

"No problem. Next time you decide to drop by make sure to have Lucy tell me. Have a safe drive home."

Jude closed the door on Natsu's retreating figure, the turned to his daughter sitting on the staircase.

"When I first saw him, I didn't like him. But he seems nice enough." He commented and Lucy shrugged. She got off the staircase a headed up.

"Bath?" She nodded and went off.

Monday reached again and classes went by in a breeze. The week wouldn't be tough considering it was short week due to the Games. (School roughly ended near 2 two in the afternoon.) Around 5 p.m., the opening ceremony would start. As soon as the dismissal bell rung, the committee rushed to their meeting place.

They'd have two hours to set up, meaning they should be over by four and it was already three. The float they'd made to represent Magnolia was amazing. It was a ice and water based kind of float, although some touch-ups were needed. The float was set in the front of the school on the pavement where the parade-like ceremony would start.

Lucy speculated the float before her. Clad in gym shorts, she walked around the float with a satisfied expression on her face. From under a tree, Natsu waited for her and "guarded" her bag. The teams didn't have any practice and he wanted to ask her for something. Maybe to go out for a snack before the ceremony. No she'd probably be busy. An idea ignited within him and he got up from his cozy position under the tree.

"Hey Luce!" His voice called. Lucy turned around and strands of blonde flew in her face. Her face was scrunched up in concentration as she gave him a curt nod.

"I'll be back in a minute! And I'll be taking your bag!" He was yelling at her as he walked to his car. The engine whirred as he drove away, leaving Lucy to wonder about his whereabouts. She pranced near Meredy, who was reading off a list.

"Mermaid's on campus...Pegasus is checking the cafeteria...Saber hasn't come although..." A light tap on the shoulder broke her committee captian's concentration. With a startled jump, Meredy turned around.

"Hiya, Lucy! Didn't see you there." She greeted. The blonde waved, then pointed at the list on her clipboard.

"Oh this is an attendance list. Tells how many schools had shown up to drop off their floats. Most schools have already shown up. Except Saber..." Lucy mouthed an 'Oh.' while nodded slowly. A member of the committee, Ultear Milkovich , came up to the duo and placed her arm on Meredy. "Speak of the devil, here they come."

"Nice seeing you again, Fairies." A handsome blond greeted.

"Always a displeasure seeing you, Eucliffe." Ultear mumbled.

"I'm just here to drop the float off with our comi- oh hello there." The guy referred to as Eucliffe turned his attention to Lucy. Lucy jerked her thumb in her direction.

"I don't think I've seen someone this pretty in awhile. I'm Sting Eucliffe." The blonde girl was taken aback by the sudden acknowledgement. "So I have it you're a Fairy? You've already swept me off my feet." She was desperately trying to make eye contact with Meredy and Ultear behind Sting, hoping they would save her from embarrassment. However, it was no avail and Sting tried to carry a conversation with her. Lucy snaked her hand to her pocket to grab her phone, when she realized it wasn't there. Crap. It's in my bag. Natsu has my bag.

"So, you're the silent type? I think that's pretty cute." Sting beamed a smile at her and she felt her heart thump a little harder. Lucy ignored the feeling as she walked to the colorful float to inspect it, Sting following behind. He watched her move around the float, her eyes trailing the decor. Her silky blonde hair was swishing this way and that. A sudden urge to hold her washed over Sting then promptly turned red.

Lucy turned around to give the other male a paper with an inspection pass, only to find that he was covering his face with his big hands. Tapping him lightly, Sting peeked from behind and stared at the paper in front of him.

"Thank you!" He chirped. Lucy began to walk away when he called back out to her. "What? I'm not going to get a name from the pretty girl?"

He'd caught her attention and her face was aflame. She still wasn't used to compliments. Lucy was panicking inside and didn't know how she could possibly respond.

Meanwhile, Natsu was getting out of his car with a paper bag in his left hand. He saw his blondie with another blondie and ran up to the two.

"Let's go eat, Lucy!" Natsu exclaimed as he grabbed her arm and dragged her to a tree. Farther away from the other blond guy.

Sting stared at the new figure that dragged the girl away in annoyance.

Well nice to meetcha Lucy...

A Rival?

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"Natsu!" Wendy called as she walked down the hall. She and Romeo were doing math homework, when Romeo heard the front door open and close.

"I'm home!" He called back. Lucy was analyzing everything. The inside was as small as it looked outside. However, there were things astray and wasn't very tidy looking. Nonetheless, it gave off a very homy feeling.