Natsu was not having the best night. While all his friends spent the summer relaxing, building their resumes, and traveling abroad, Natsu worked twelve hour shifts lifting heavy concrete to help make ends meet. His father, Igneel, could never hold a job, the damn drunk that he was. Natsu cursed at the thought of his name. It was almost a yearly tradition, right before school let out, his father conveniently loses his job, leaving Natsu and his older brother Zeref to provide for their twelve year old sister, Wendy. While Natsu spent his time lifting concrete at a construction site, genius Zeref made double his pay tutoring kids for the SAT.

It was the night before the start of his freshman year and he was wide awake seething with anger. Igneel had come home again from the bar drunk and raging. Natsu had come home from his last day of exhausting work to see Wendy crying in a corner and Zeref screaming at his father while Mavis sat there, quietly looking down. God the things that girl know about my family Natsu thought.

After realizing he would get sleep until he calmed his fury, Natsu sat up in his old creaky bed he had since he was a toddler. He grabbed his phone and texted Lucy:

Ready for school tomorrow?

He looked at the red number on his old digital clock. Lucy definitely was not awake. Natsu tossed his phone on his bed and creaked open his door. He approached an old wooden door that was cracked slightly, as Igneel had slammed it and broken it in his rage. He heard quiet sobs coming from the room.

"Wendy?"

Wendy looked up at Natsu and quickly wiped her tears.

"Ah Natsu! Ready for school tomorrow? I already have my outfit picked out!" she said smiling.

Wendy had picked out a light purple top she clearly carefully ironed. There was stitching on the top from where Wendy had patched a hole. She also had picked out a white skirt that had a not so noticeable stain on it. He remembered what Lucy had told him, the only thing on a middle school girl's mind is their appearance.

"Cmon Wendy I got some extra change, lets go get you a new outfit"

"Natsu, it's two in the morning, nowhere is open. Besides, it's fine. Putting food on the table is more important than a new outfit, ya know?"

Natsu sighed and nodded. It pained him how mature and fast she grew up. Sometimes it almost felt like she was more mature than him.

"Good night Wendy, have Zeref drive you tomorrow," Natsu said leaving her room.

When Natsu woke up that morning, his rage had melted, instead replaced by excitement, he was going to see his friends, and most importantly Lucy. His clueless friends who couldn't know how hard life could truly get.

Erza gently brushed her scarlet hair sitting at her white ivory vanity. After a while, she put down her brush and walked over to her soft cushy bed and laid down, but not to sleep. She opened her phone and began to read her class schedule, meticulously memorizing the teachers, room number, and subject. Erza was the current salutatorian of her class and planned to take over as valedictorian. She did not study out of a joy of learning like Lucy and Levy, no. She studied because she was meant to become more, a lawyer graduating from Harvard.

After setting her alarm for exactly 7:22, Erza laid down to go to sleep. After trying for a few minutes, her brain began to buzz.

No! Do not think of that now!

Erza had spent her summer working at a law firm as an intern. As it turned out, the second internship spot was filled by her nemesis and the true valedictorian, Jellal Fernandes.

Ugh Jellal

It was no secret they did not get along. Their peers know they are fierce rivals that never back down. Everything was a competition, GPA, test scores, debate club, student council, even early actions. Jellal with his sly comments, and arrogant attitude. It made Erza so infuriated every time he made a little jab.

What people did not know, is that Jellal and Erza have known each other a lot longer than they let on. They both grew up in an elitist social circle and their parents were friends. As kids they were friends as well, from kindergarten until middle school, where the pay both attended a private prep school. Their friendship deteriorated as their parents constantly compared and competed through them. The pressure got too much for Erza and she had to be pulled halfway through 8th grade - when she transferred to Fairy Middle During her sophomore year, just as she felt comfortable with her new friends, Jellal unexpectedly transferred for their IB program. He's the only one who knew who she was before. Although he never said anything, his cruel eyes and smug looks say everything.

When she saw Jellal there in the first day of her internship he was already casually talking confidently to the senior managers. The sight of it enraged her. To be forced into collating with Jellal all summer. Cue two weeks of petty arguments and disagreements. One day after everyone else went home, they were both still left trying to finish their assignment. They had wasted the whole day arguing about the paper format and were currently trying to make up lost hours of work.

Erza stood up from her desk and began pacing. She needed to stretch her legs. She had been typing for three hours straight. "I can't believe we're still here," she said leaning against the wall.

"And we wouldn't be if you had just used my original format," Jellal said annoyed.

"You messed up the last one!"

"At least I admit my fuck ups not blame them on someone else!" Jellal stood up and walked over to her. "You know it used to be funny seeing you get all mad and huffy, but right now you are really pissing me off," he said walking closer and closer.

"Damn you," she glaring at him.

"Fuck you," he said back. Wow he's really close.

"You wish," she said snarky.

"Alright," he said as he pulled her face up.

"Wwhat ?..? Are,you serious.?!" Erza stammered.

"It won't mean anything."

And he kissed her. Roughly pushing her against the wall, he stuck his tongue down her throat. What are you doing! How are you letting this happen! After a while he put her down and led her back to the chair. He sat down and she sat in his lap. Why are you going along with this? Why aren't you smacking him in the face?

After they kissed for a while he pushed her onto the ground. "You've been a major pain tonight and Imthink you should make it up to me," he said looking down at her. She glared up at him before slowly undoing the zipper.

"This won't mean anything. Except maybe that I hate you even more after this," Erza said with venom.

And that was just the first time.

And when they finally do have real sex, she doesn't tell him it's her first time. She wonders if her knew. She knew it wasn't his and didn't want one more thing he could hold over her.

She couldn't believe it - of all the people to lose their v card like that?

She was raised in a conservative household that would not have approved of it. Ezra wondered what her friends would think - no she had no plans on telling them. She thought of Jellal and shuddered. It's not like it was a one time thing either. But that was the summer, this school year, Ezra vowed to not make the same mistake again.

Meanwhile down the street, Gray was up playing the new Call of Duty on his PC. He planned to enjoy his last day of summer by gaming until he physically passed out in his gaming chair. He had his alarm set and ready to go when he inevitably fell asleep.

Gray had not done nothing all summer however, just most of it. The remainder of his time he spent at the Regional swimming championship. For the first time, Fairy Academy made it to the championship. It was the ultimate high, even when they placed 3rd.

Although he acted above school, he was excited to start on the Varsity Team.

An: More gray to come!