Here's Part Two <3

Just ignore me, pretend I'm invisible, you thought, cringing.

"Hey, you."

Quickly, you feigned ignorance and continued to speed walk down the hall, desperately trying to escape.

"Excuse me? I'm talking to you!"

"Don't think you could just leave!"

You heard their footsteps gradually growing louder and sighed, stopping in your steps. If you tried to outrun them, they would surely give you more trouble in the future.

You turned around and smiled reluctantly. "Were you talking to me?"

"I'll be direct," one of the girls proclaimed, squinting at you. "What's your relationship with Natsu Dragneel?"

"I honestly don't see how that's any of your business," you retorted, taking another sip of your drink.

"Watch your attitude!" another snapped, scowling. "You're just another freak trying to get close to him!"

You cocked an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're not the ones trying to get close to him, instead?" you reasoned.

Immediately, you regretted your words as you mentally cursed.

"What did you say?" a girl growled, stepping forward as she glowered at you. "You're acting so arrogant—you even forced Gray to stoop down to your level and speak up for you!"

You blinked in surprise as you thought back to that day back in the library. He did say he would do something about the girls, you recalled, suppressing a smile. Did he actually speak up for me?

You quickly snapped back to reality when one of the girls got all up in your face, hovering over you. "Listen here," she snarled. "You think you're some sort of big shot because you see Natsu all the time, but do you really think someone like him would even glance at someone like you if he had the choice?"

"Yo, it's not like I forced him to look at my face, either," you spat back. "He's the one who asked me to tutor him."

"You'll never be anything to him," the girl declared, smirking confidently. "You're merely a nuisance in his life."

You stared at her and deadpanned, "A nuisance that helps him raise his grades?"

She flared her nostrils, clearly irritated by your words as she reached forward and grabbed the front of your shirt, pulling you closer. You flinched and gasped silently as your eyes widened, staring at her in shock.

Well, crap, you thought, mildly panicking, I didn't think she'd go physical...

"You only have one choice," the girl threatened, her voice as sharp as a needle. "Stay away from him, if you don't want trouble."

Your thoughts were all over the place at the moment. God, is there nobody else in this hallway except for us?!

You tried your best to hold your ground, though you were quivering internally. "And..." you muttered, "what if I don't?"

The girl released you, shoving you back as you stumbled. She reached forward and yanked the drink out of your hand before thrusting it in your face.

You gasped as the rest of the girls behind her giggled. "More of this will happen if you don't," the girl answered, sniggering as she dropped the empty cup on the ground. "Honestly, if you'd listened, it wouldn't have turned out that way."

With that, the girls left you standing in the hallway, cold and drenched. You tried to wipe some of the sticky liquid out of your eyes, glaring at the backs of their heads.

"Perfectly good (f/d), wasted..." you grumbled, looking down at your ruined outfit, "and my stupid shirt is—"

"(Y/n)?"

You whirled around at the familiar voice and saw Natsu staring directly at you.

You suddenly felt the strongest urge to cry, but your pride refused to let you do so as you bit your lip. I will not cry in front of Natsu Dragneel, of all people, you thought.

"Yo, perfect timing," you greeted with a sarcastic smile. "You come right after the freaks leave, and right when I'm at my most ugly moment. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Natsu's jaw was slack as he stared at you for a moment before moving forward. "How did this happen?" he demanded.

You shrugged, hiding how upset you were by wiping your forehead with your sleeve. "Ah, well, your lunatic fans came up to me and got jealous because I was making you smarter," you said matter-of-factly, rolling your eyes. "One thing led to another, and then she splashed my delicious (f/d) on me. Sorry, your money went wasted."

Natsu sighed. "That's not important, idiot."

He slid off his jacket and draped it over your shoulders as your eyes widened; quickly, you attempted to hide your bewilderment.

"That's disgusting," you protested, scowling at him. "Not only do you stink because you just came practice, but your jacket's also all sticky now from the drink."

"Do you really think I care?" he asked, rolling his eyes as he grabbed your wrist. "We're leaving."

"Leaving school?" you asked, raising an eyebrow. "I left my backpack with (F/n). I have to go grab it."

"No, we're leaving now," he insisted, tugging you forward. "You can't go back to class looking like this."

You sighed—leaving school sounded much better than staying. It was a given that you wouldn't be able to focus in class, and others would continuously stare at you and interrogate you once class ended.

"Fine," you relented, nodding. "I'll just text (F/n) later."

Natsu nodded before the two of you walked toward the exit.

***

As you entered your address into the GPS on Natsu's car, you admitted, "I knew they would confront me, but I didn't think they'd go this far."

Natsu started the engine and mumbled back, "I knew they were crazy, but I didn't think they were this insane."

You smiled weakly, clicking your seatbelt into place. "Sorry, I may get your car seat sticky," you told him regretfully.

"I'll get someone to clean it later," he replied nonchalantly, waving it off. "I thought Gray told me he handled the girls?"

You tilted your head thoughtfully. "I actually have no idea what he did, but they did mention him," you recalled.

The pink-haired male hummed. "That squinty-eyes never gets anything done," he murmured. "Useless."

You snickered. He's always insulting Gray, you thought in amusement.

As he drove onto the road, you remarked, "So, the test is in three days and your championship is in a week. Are you ready for both?"

Natsu sighed. "I can't believe you're talking about this instead of what happened to you," he said with an eye roll. "You're crazy."

"Look who's talking," you countered with a chuckle. "I'm just glad we left school...I really didn't want to stay there any longer."

He nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's why I told you to leave. If need be, I'll take your backpack to your house later, too."

You peered over at him curiously. "You're surprisingly nice today."

He paused for a moment. "...I feel sort of responsible for what happened," he confessed, "so you need to shut up with these annoying comments."

You laughed as you tugged his jacket tighter around your shoulders, suppressing a shiver. "Sorry, sorry. It's not your fault—it's not like you deliberately asked those girls to spill my drink on me."

Natsu reached over and directed the AC away from you, and you blinked in surprise. He noticed that I was cold? you thought in disbelief. Since when did this guy become so observant?

"Anyways," he said, his onyx eyes flickering toward the GPS, "you don't have to worry about me. I've been actually looking over the stupid notes you gave me—"

You scowled and interrupted, "Stupid notes? I spent a lot of time writing—"

"—and," he continued, cutting you off, "I think I mostly got it."

You paused, pondering over this. "How surprising," you commented. "I thought you would've been lazing around at home instead of studying."

Natsu rolled his eyes as you laughed. "God, (Y/n), didn't I tell you how important this test was?" he asked, a tiny smirk gracing his lips. "If I don't do well, the tutoring lessons would all be wasted."

You nodded in agreement, humming. At least he's smiling again, you noticed with a grin. It's almost like he was more upset about the girls than I was.

Maybe this guy isn't as stupid as I thought he was.

***

It was the day of the test; you, yourself, were nervous because of how much this test would affect your grade in the class. You heaved in a deep breath, trying to rid yourself of all the nervous jitters as your (e/c) eyes scanned over your detailed notes.

As you murmured some important things to remember, something blocked your vision. You blinked as your eyes focused on the object, and you realized it was your favorite drink directly in front of you.

"(F/d)?" you gasped as you grabbed it with a bright smile, glancing up at the pink-haired idiot. "Perfect timing."

"Oh, so even someone like you gets nervous?" Natsu asked with a cheeky grin.

You scoffed, though your smile didn't falter. "I mean, my IQ is higher than yours, but it doesn't mean I'm all-knowing," you joked.

As you sipped your (f/d), Natsu rolled his eyes and patted your head, much to your surprise. "You'll be fine," he reassured you, closing an eye uninterestedly. "You're a nerd, so you'll get 100%."

You shot him a deadpan look. "Yes, because all nerds get 100%," you said with a snicker. "I'm not Levy, Natsu."

He laughed boisterously. "Yeah, Levy's on a totally different level than us!"

As he continued to laugh, you couldn't help the fond smile that spread across your lips. This idiot was capable of annoying you to no end, but he was also capable of alleviating your stress and negativity in your worst moments.

The bell rang, and Natsu perked up. "God, the test," he groaned. "Wish me luck."

You chuckled as you showed him your notes, pointing to the most important things to remember. "Make sure not to forget these," you warned. "There will probably be lots of questions about them."

"Yes, ma'am," he drawled nonchalantly.

You smirked and patted his shoulder. "Go to your seat before the teacher yells at you again."

He nodded, saluting you. "Good luck," he told you. "I'll see you on the other side of the war."

"I'll see you on the other side of the war," you agreed with a laugh.

***

The day you got your test scores back was upon you.

You were a nervous wreck.

As much as you tried to calm yourself, your leg wouldn't stop shaking and your fingers tapped restlessly against your desk. Huffing, you turned on your phone and scrolled through some playlists to try and distract yourself from your anxiety.

"(Y/n), (Y/n)," (F/n) called, leaning her head against your shoulder. "You look like you're having a panic attack."

"I may be," you answered, sighing in frustration.

"Relax," she reassured you with a smile. "You'll be fine."

"Well, we both know you did better than that hot-headed pyro," a new voice chimed in.

Both you and (F/n) turned to see that Gray was hovering over you two with a smirk.

"Oh, hey, Gray," (F/n) greeted with a tiny wave. "Don't mind us, just that (Y/n) cannot stop worrying."

"And what do you mean, we know I did better than Natsu?" you added, raising an eyebrow. "I tutored that guy tirelessly for two weeks so he could get a good score. I'm expecting to see some great results from him--if not, I may just strangle him."

"Violence is never the answer," (F/n) mumbled halfheartedly as she scrolled through her phone.

"Well, you better get ready to strangle him, because that guy's a natural idiot," Gray commented with a chuckle.

You leaned back in your seat, crossing your arms. "It's great to see the faith you have in Natsu, Gray," you said.

He laughed. "But I know what you mean," he continued, glancing at the door. "Don't tell him I said this, but it's admirable how he's been studying so much."

You nodded, sighing. "Yeah, yeah. I'm not that worried about him--on the contrary, I'm the one who's about to die from stress."

Right at that moment, the bell rang and the teacher walked in with a stack of papers in his arms. Immediately, you knew they were the test papers as you heaved in a deep breath.

"Oh my god," you whispered.

"Chill, girl," (F/n) told you with a laugh. "Don't be so tense."

"Easier said than done," you retorted, staring at the papers anxiously.

You noticed Natsu entering the room, heading straight for the teacher. "Sir, sir," he said. "Could I see my test paper? Can I, can I?"

The teacher looked him dead in the eyes as the rest of the class quieted down, staring at the teacher intently.

"Natsu," the teacher said in a serious voice. "Let me tell you this now--your test made me lose so much freaking sleep."

A few students laughed as the teacher continued. "Usually, I lose brain cells from your...illogical, outrageous answers," he explained, "but this time...I couldn't even begin to fathom how or why you managed to score the fourth-highest score in the entire class."

At his words, everyone screamed and jumped out of their seats in bewilderment.

"WHAT?!" you screeched in disbelief.

"WHAT?!" Gray shouted in perplexity, slamming his hands on your desk.

"What?" Natsu asked in confusion, tilting his head.

"SHUT UP," the teacher called over the chaos as he pulled out a piece of paper from the stack. "Here, Natsu Dragneel. Your score is--believe it or not--91%."

Natsu accepted the paper like he was receiving a Tony Award. He stared at it with wide eyes as numerous students crowded behind him, peering over his shoulders curiously.

"Holy crap," one of them mumbled. "He really did get 91%."

You sighed as you patted your chest--at least your pupil didn't fail the test. I didn't expect him to get fourth-highest, you thought.

The teacher passed out the tests wordlessly to the other students as the room was abuzz with conversations about Natsu's achievement.

"I don't believe it," Gray murmured, staring at the ground with wide eyes. "He's always failed every test since elementary school...how could..."

(F/n) whipped out her phone and began recording without warning. "This is unprecedented," she proclaimed dramatically. "Unheard of. Extraordinary. Natsu Dragneel, the school idiot, has scored a 91% on the English test! As his magnificent tutor, what do you have to say for yourself, (Y/n)?"

Unexpectedly, she turned the camera toward you as you quickly tried to block yourself. "Don't film me, I'm ugly in the morning," you whined.

"(Y/n)!"

You screeched in surprise as a pair of warm arms wrapped around your shoulders from behind; you glanced to your right as a pair of sparkling onyx eyes stared at you in excitement.

"Are you proud?" he asked, beaming brightly like a puppy. "I got a 91!"

You couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, congrats," you answered as a blush dusted your cheeks.

He paused, staring at his paper in confusion. "But how did I get 91?" he wondered. "There weren't even that many questions. How could you get more right answers than the number of questions...?"

He sounded incredibly lost as you groaned in annoyance and flicked his forehead. "You dolt," you muttered. "You got 91%, not 91 questions right."

Natsu released his hug on you and tilted his head. "What's the difference?"

Before you could scream at him, the teacher slid your test on your desk and flashed you a smile before moving on.

You stared at the paper on your desk, which was face-down. As your heart rate picked up, Natsu placed his hand over the paper with a cheeky smile.

"What do you want?" you deadpanned, raising an eyebrow.

"How about this?" he suggested with a playful edge to his voice. "If you get a higher score than me, then I'll take you on a date."

You choked on nothing at all as (F/n) fell out of her chair and Gray spat out his water.

"WHAT?!" Gray screamed.

"WHAT?!" (F/n) yelled at the top of her lungs.

"What...?" you mumbled, head still trying to wrap around his words.

Natsu shrugged. "You don't have to if you don't want to," he quickly added, a tiny blush on his cheeks. "But if you get a score lower than me, then your penalty is..."

He trailed off, pondering intently before snapping his fingers. "You'll take me on a date instead!" Natsu declared with a beam.

"You freak, have you lost your mind?!" Gray demanded, fingers tugging at his hair. "Nobody asks a girl out like that!"

"Come on, (Y/n)," (F/n) encouraged, holding up her phone. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"WHY ARE YOU RECORDING THIS?!" you shouted, covering your face in embarrassment.

It was all too overwhelming. I was already stressed enough about my test score, you thought, your heart hammering against your ribcage. Now Natsu wants me to go on a date with him?! God...

Your heart fluttered a bit at the thought.

But maybe I want to go on a date with him.

You peeked from behind your hand. "Flip the paper over already," you grumbled.

Natsu perked up instantly and did as you said. Your eyes hesitantly found the score of your test written in red ink at the top of the paper.

89%.

"2% lower?!" you practically shrieked as (F/n) burst out laughing.

Natsu ruffled your hair with a chuckle. "Looks like you owe me a date," he remarked, snickering as he held up two tickets. "Don't worry, I already got movie tickets for this weekend. You free?"

You stared at the tickets in disbelief as your cheeks flushed warmer. "Wha--have you been preparing for this?!" you protested.

(F/n) continued to cackle with laughter as Natsu leaned close to your warm face, making your cheeks even redder.

"Of course," he murmured, smiling down at you fondly. "After all, I love you."

(F/n)'s screams could be heard throughout the entire school as Natsu pressed his lips against yours.

Extra Scene

This is a special scene that the reader wasn't a part of; the girl's name is completely made up, and I'm really sorry if it happens to be your name.

The girl hummed as she pinned a few strands of her dark brown hair back, smiling into the mirror.

I feel so much better after putting that stupid (Y/n) in her place, she thought, lips curling into a cold sneer. She had it coming. Having someone like Natsu buy her drinks every day...

She rolled her eyes. Who does she think she is?

After a few more seconds of admiring her reflection, she nodded in satisfaction and shut her locker, only to jump in fear upon realizing there were two people who had been standing behind her locker door the entire time.

Her eyes widened as she identified who they were. One of them was Gray Fullbuster, who was staring at her with icy blue eyes, and those pink tufts of hair behind him unmistakably belonged to Natsu Dragneel.

"Martriana Bellamy," Gray drawled, staring at her. "Never thought I'd have to talk to you again."

The said girl ignored him and focused her attention on Natsu. "Natsu," she greeted, a smile gracing her lips. "How pleasant to see you here."

Natsu, whose eyes had been closed, peeked an eye open to gaze at her. "Cut the crap, Gray," he said impatiently.

"Shut up," Gray retorted as he shook his head. "Anyways, Martriana, I believe I warned you to cease the bullying if you wanted to keep your part-time job."

"It's not bullying," she protested with a composed smile. "I was merely informing the girl not to cross any...boundaries."

How shameless, Gray thought, rolling his eyes. "It's not bullying," she says.

"But pouring (f/d) over someone is okay?" Natsu questioned sarcastically.

"She wasn't listening, so I had to get my point across," the girl defended smoothly, her smile never faltering. "But why does this concern you, Natsu?"

"It concerns me because you're hurting those I care about," he responded, glaring directly at her.

"In any case, you broke the deal," Gray concluded, sighing. "Did you think I was joking when I said I would show your real resume to your boss?"

"Of course not," Martriana replied, her lips tugging into a displeased frown, "but I could always find another job elsewhere."

Gray pulled out his phone, nodding in agreement. "You're right," he said. "Then I suppose you don't mind if I email this to your boss."

Martriana gritted her teeth; the job paid well and it was close to her home, but if she needed to sacrifice her job in order to assert her dominance at school, then she will do so.

"On a completely different note," Gray continued, tapping at his phone, "I seem to have gotten a few pictures of you, Martriana."

Martriana blinked before she smirked cockily. "Well, of course," she answered. "Did you get them off my social media? I'm absolutely gorgeous."

"You're getting a bit ahead of yourself," Natsu muttered with a grin, raising an eyebrow. "We have a few pictures of you, taken after school on Wednesdays and Fridays."

In the blink of an eye, the color drained from Martriana's face. "Y-you..." she stuttered in disbelief. "You have what?"

Gray hummed, showing her one of the said pictures on his phone. "Very intriguing, wouldn't you say?" he asked, his eyes glinting mischievously. "With a few clicks, I could send them to, say, your boss...or perhaps your parents."

"What do you think they would say if they found out where she really went after school on Wednesdays and Fridays, Gray?" Natsu commented casually, staring at her almost mockingly.

Gray nodded thoughtfully. "Ought to be a sight."

"Definitely not going to study sessions, like they think she is," Natsu added.

Demons, Martriana thought, her mouth going dry. These two are demons.

"Y-y-you..." she sputtered, her composure faltering. "Are you...threatening me...? I could sue you--"

"It's not threatening," Natsu interrupted nonchalantly, meeting her gaze.

"On the contrary," Gray agreed, smirking, "I was merely informing you not to cross any boundaries."