OK Then

Chapter 4

Juvia woke up. Shaking. She was cold, dripping in sweat, the bottom of her eyes had obsidian rings that bore deeply and hung tiredly, her hair was a mess, her breathing was fast and shallow,  and pulse was erratic. She trembled out of bed, checking the clock as she made her way to the dresser and closet. Juvia pulled out her uniform, buttoning up her clean ivory shirt and pulling up her thigh-highs. She put away her homework in her backpack, going over to her bed, reluctantly, to pull out her box of protein bars. She didn't really have a kitchen, so she stored her food under her bed in case of midnight hunger or a quick study snack. The box was unusually light today, though. Juvia shook it, hearing nothing. She groaned. Loudly. No food after a nightmare meant she was going to have to buy breakfast today, something she would rather not do for the rest of the quarter. Long lines, angry chefs, irritated morning people, etc. 
Juvia puffed out her cheeks, smoothing down her wild hair and wiping the sweat off her forehead. She pulled her backpack straps over her shoulders, left her bed unmade, took her room keys, and walked out the door.
"'Morning."
Juvia jumped, turning her head anxiously. Gray was leaning against the wall, one hand in his pocket, the other holding an apple. He took a bite out of the fruit, prompting Juvia to wish to the extreme that she went out to shop the other day. She looked at it with as much want her stomach could expand to. "Good morning..." she said, emptily.
"You look like hell, you know." he said, casually looking over the girl as he chewed. "Are you OK?"
Juvia furrowed her brow, half of her mouth tilting into a frown. "Yeah. Thanks, Gray. You really know how to compliment."
"I try."
They started walking, Gray eating and munching and making all the glorious sounds people make when they eat and Juvia just watching him. Well, she watched the apple. Intensely. Juvia looked annoyed, praying for that fruit to be in her hands or for him to at least chew quietly before she smacked it out of his hands. Not enough sleep makes her psycho. A very, very hungry psycho.
Gray turned to her, mouth stuffed and speech barely coherent. "Have you ever heard of this game?" 
"What game?"
"It's this fun thing. Really great. It's where you act happy and smile for as long as possible, and the prize is people like you more."
Juvia turned her head, quick and upset. She opened her mouth, readying a retort to put Gray in his place and make him stop fucking eating. Juvia took a deep breath, only to be cut off by her rumbling stomach. Crap. Damn apple woke the sleeping monster.
Juvia flushed red, wrapping her arms around her belly as hunger pains came over her. Gray chuckled, looking at her as though she'd told him a joke. Juvia frowned at him, patting her belly and exhaling as the boy did nothing but smile at the disheveled, starving girl as he took even slower bites out of his apple. Juvia tugged on her backpack straps, releasing a hmpf as she hunched her shoulders. Damn Gray. Juvia went on fuming like that for a good minute before she felt something softly strike the side of her head. She turned a bit, seeing Gray extend an energy bar toward her. He kept his arm out like that, snack perfectly still in front of her. Juvia took it, unwrapping it quickly. She took a large bite, tasting blueberry and chocolate and the glorious triumph of gaining sustenance for at least a fraction of the day.
"Thank you... Gray-sama." Juvia whispered.
Gray shrugged, face stoic. "You needed it. Looked like you were about to pass out."
"Can't you just take the appreciation?"
Gray pushed out the door, exiting the dorm building and not bothering to hold for her. 
"Never."

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Juvia sat down at her usual desk, waiting for Lucy as she took out her notebook and pencil case. Lucy busted through the door 10 seconds before the bell rang, quickly sliding into her seat and dropping her(surprisingly) pristine backpack next to her chair. "Hello." Juvia said, smiling a bit at the messy, unkempt girl. Lucy pulled on her sleeveless, v-neck sweater over her white shirt, waving at Juvia and giving a muffled "morning, Juvia!" from inside the fabric. Lucy popped out her head, putting on her tie as Mr. King walked in, boasting a loud voice as ever.
"Good morning, students!" their teacher radiated. "I do hope you prepared your theoretical papers on how the position of stars affect Celestial Power, as well as your assignment on Spirit Solstice."
The teacher turned to the board, scribbling down their topic while looking down at a book, the text looking dwarfed when in his hand. "Please open up your notes to our last topic, the birth of pulsars vs. quasars. Underneath where you ended your bullet points or paragraphs--I don't care where you stopped-- please start a new heading: Zodiac Universe. This new chapter will talk about the importance zodiac signs play in maintaining balance, and why they are ever so important in the formation of new astral bodies." Mr. King exclaimed, tapping the tip of his chalk against the words on the board. 
Juvia scribbled down their teacher's speech, catching the key facts and important "to-be-on-test" info. Lucy raised her hand at a few questions, arguing with the teacher over whether or not a zodiac will "die" if their constellation were to dissolve. Juvia noticed her friend smelling suspiciously like ashes, the scent rolling off of her when she bent down or re-did her ponytails. Even some pages from her notebook were charred, black residue and singed edges. Juvia leaned in as soon as Mr. King turned his back, chatting on about navigation with the stars and such. "What happened to you? And where's your paper? He's collecting it in a few minutes, Lucy."
Lucy sighed, wiping a bit of sweat off her cheek. "Natsu and I were studying, Juvia." Lucy's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, "He got a little too excited and burned my essay. I didn't shower this morning, thinking that the scent would go away on it's own, but I still smell like charcoal..." she whined. Juvia rolled her eyes, smiling lightly. "I never knew you hung out with Gray, Juvia." Lucy said, switching topics.
"Yeah, you did. Erza confronted Gray about it."
"Yeah, but..." Lucy shrugged.
"I never knew you hung out with Gray. How long have you two known each other?"
"Oh! Well, I came here as a freshman. I originally lived off campus, but they had an opening in the Fairy Tail dorm building, and Natsu recommended me. I met Gray the same day I moved in."
"You've known Natsu longer?"
"No... Well, we did meet two days before school started."
Juvia jotted down something Mr. King said, nodding to Lucy as her pencil skimmed the paper. "You guys seem really close..." Juvia said, absent-minded. Lucy shrugged, short-handing something their teacher said about stellar nurseries. "Yeah, but it's always great to have another member in the group!" Lucy cheered. Juvia perked up at this, putting down her pencil and turning to the blonde. "I'm your guys' friend?" Juvia whispered. Lucy nodded her head, intensely smiling as Mr. King drew out a graph on the blackboard. "Yeah! Of course! You're all nice and stuff, really. Everyone likes you, and, honestly, you're super awesome." Lucy ranted. Juvia blushed slightly, nodding her head repeatedly. Lucy giggled, patting Juvia's palm as their attention refocused on Mr. King. Only for their teacher to look at his watch(ironic, considering there were clocks everywhere), telling the students to pack up their stuff and wait patiently for the bell to ring. Lucy groaned, annoyed with herself. "I didn't even get down a few sentences! My notes are always total crap."
"Well, I'll share my notes with you at break." Juvia said, smiling. She stood up, looking down at the dazed blonde before her. "You mean it?" Lucy asked. Juvia nodded sincerely, "Of course!"