Ten - Lucy Heartfilia
Lucy walked home with her newfound friends. They had invited her to have dinner with them at their foster home, Fairy Tail. The house was massive, but, for being home to most of the students at all three Fairy Hills schools, it seemed adequate. The dining room was bigger than the high school's cafeteria. Mirajane was already present in the kitchen.
"Do you make the food here, as well?" Lucy asked her.
"Mmhmm!" the white-haired woman smiled. "I help out Headmaster Makarov as much as I can."
"Only because she wants to be near Laxus," Gray mumbled.
"What did you just say?"
Lucy could swear a dark aura surrounded Mira as she smiled at Gray. He backed away slowly, smiling with false brightness.
"Nothing! Nothing!" he insisted.
"Where is Laxus, since we're talking about him?" Natsu asked.
"I don't want to fight you, Natsu," a deep voice said from behind them. Laxus, like Mirajane, wasn't really that much older than the rest of them. The lightning-bolt shaped scar over his right eye aged him slightly, but it mostly just made him look cool, even while wearing huge headphones. "I've had enough of that," he said, placing his palm forward as Natsu leapt at him. "Gimme a break."
"Can we have a single day without infighting?" Levy sighed, though she seemed amused.
"This place is very interesting," Lucy said.
"You should live here with us!" Natsu suggested, giving up his futile attempts to attack Laxus.
"I'm sure she has her own place, Flame Brain," Gray said.
"Well, actually," she said, a little embarrassed. "I am looking for a place to stay right now. I disenrolled myself from Era Academy and ran away from home."
"What?!" Natsu and Gray exclaimed in unison.
"You went to Era?" Natsu asked.
"So, you're a rich kid," Gray said. "Or a smart one."
"Hmm, she must be rich," Natsu decided.
"Are you saying I'm not smart?!" Lucy demanded furiously.
"Are you a scholarship kid, then?" Levy asked.
"Well, no," Lucy admitted. "My family is very rich. But I'm not anymore. I couldn't stand it there anymore." Her voice wavered as she considered her situation. "But now I'm alone and have no money to pay for rent anywhere!" she cried hysterically, the pressure finally getting to her.
Her new friends gathered around and comforted her.
"You'll be just fine," Levy assured her.
"Yeah, you really can live here," Gray said.
"Why are you crying?" Natsu asked. "We said you can stay."
"Thank you so much!" Lucy said, smiling at the group around her.
"Alright, I came in here for food, not emotional breakdowns," Laxus grumbled, turning to Mirajane.
"Of course!" she said happily. "We can all have dinner together, to celebrate our newest foster kid!"
Laxus sighed. "I'll go tell the old geezer that he's gained another one," he said. "This dinner had better be good."