"There's a sophomore on my bus with pink hair."

"...Yeah, hi to you, too, thanks, my summer was totally great, even though you never called me, so apparently you don't miss me at all. How are you doing?"

"No, Lev, you don't get it—his hair is pink. Like, baby-butt pink. And he smells like cigarettes. He wears guy-liner and like, weird lizard-lookin' green contacts. Hold on. I snapped a pic." Lucy held up her phone. "Y'see?"

"Lucy I really don't care about some stupid goth-boy who rides your b— Oh."

"Yeah," Lucy said. "I told you."

"He can't actually look like that."

"Totally. I couldn't make this stuff up."

Levy took the phone and crossed herself. "And his arms...are they really as...?"

"Huge? Hell, yeah. I'm telling you, Levy, this kid was made in a freaking lab. He talks like a chimp. And did you know he eats his orange peels? Like, all of it? He says that he has 'vitamin C deficiencies'. It's so freaky to watch."

There was a long pause.

"Still, though," Levy said eventually. "You gotta admit."

Lucy groaned. "Trust me, I don't want to—"

"I dunno if it's the lighting or what, but is he always this...?"

"Freakishly hot? Yeah." She huffed. "And the photo doesn't even start. Just wait till you see him in the flesh—it's like...he's so unsexy that it really turns you on. Gah." She threw her hands up. "His hair is like cotton candy. I just want to gobble him up so bad."

Levy raised an eyebrow. "You just disturbed me enough for the entire year."

"Just you wait, Levy," Lucy said, grabbing Levy's tiny arm and hauling her down the hallway. "I know his first period, and when you meet this Natsu kid he'll disturb you enough to make you explode." Only when they turned the corner did she remember to add, "But I did miss you all summer, Lev. You know I did. And I'm sorry I never called you."

The creases in the tiny girl's forehead faded along with her anger. Levy knew Lucy loved her with all the weirdness and passion she had; but she had a temper that needed soothing. It was always nice to hear it again. You can't handle much separation, after all, when you only have one friend.

Even if that friend is a little different, like Lucy. And even if that friend had a thing for freaky handsome boys, like Natsu.

Even if that friend was stalking that freaky handsome boy across campus...like they were doing right now.

"You're like a pigeon with one foot," Levy told Lucy's marching back. "You're kind of adorable. But also pathetic. And also you can't keep your balance and you dump your shit on people's feet."

"Good one." Her back didn't turn. "I'll put it in my book."

The book, titled Lucy's Work in Progress, was a two-year, ongoing project that she wouldn't let anyone but Levy touch. Three hundred pages of elves and absent fathers. Her protagonist was a boy with a cat, whisked away by fairies. It featured an epic, star-crossed romance with loads of weeping, plus some roses and heartfelt speeches tossed in for pure sentimentality.

Overall, the book was everything that frank, levelheaded Lucy Heartfilia wasn't: fluffy. Melodramatic. Comfortable with luurrve. The two leads fell for each other in one freaking day, for crying out loud. Could you even imagine?

Oh — but not until today, Lucy.

You couldn't imagine the feeling before today.

A/N: 1. high school is super freaking weird guys.
2. this is the first fic that i'm gonna keep fluffy as hell. so if there's any dying or crying, toss me in a fire, k?
3. totally plan on making this a neat, sweet multichap, so be wonderful and give me your opinion so i can power up my writing juice? love you all - mwah