My Girlfriend's Friend, Lucy. (NaLu)

"38"

Yikes. Guys be prepared for the next rollercoaster ride of chapters. Because from here the story gets to a deeper point. Again, thanks for reading and commenting. You make me laugh sometimes!

I had the worst time on the plane. I was nearly stuck in the bathroom for twenty minutes puking. And when I back to my seat I puked some more in a bag. Everyone was grossed out but Lucy was worried for me and kept comforting the whole way. Erza sat a few seats away from us with Nashi. So I was glad Nashi was away from her puking pathetic papa. I fell asleep on Lucy's lap until she shook me awake and we got off the plane. Which yes filled me with great relief.

"Take this." Lucy handed me a water bottle. I took it gratefully, drinking it down. She rubbed circles on my back and that honestly helped me feel a lot better. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just my motion sickness. It'll wear off soon." I grinned.

Erza turned around, her cellphone in her hand. "Gray just called. He said he wanted to come."

"Well. It's too late now." Lucy adds. Well Captain Obvious, I guess I didn't see that.

"I mean, he said he's coming. It's only a two hour flight after all. He just bought his tickets. He and Juvia are coming. She wanted to tag along."

"Of course she did." Lucy said with a smirk.

We checked in an expensive hotel. But man was it worth it. There's a great selection of food delivered right to your door. And the windows are huge and you could see the great scenery of the beach from up here. Lucy and I share a room while Erza decided to check her own room out. But she's right here with us anyways. I have to get to the amphitheater in an hour. But I'm meeting up with Gildarts at the gym for some intense warming up. "You kick ass out there, Natsu. Do what you can. Think of a strategy. Use a tactical approach. Or you know what." Erza says. "Do what you do. And that's your passion for using your skills."

"In conclusion, Natsu. Go, just do it. Blood, sweat and tears. It's your time to shine!"

"Lucy, please don't go cheesy on me. You know I'm lactose intolerant." I say, wincing.

Erza laughs for a minute, Lucy joins in. "Hold on! You ate something right?!"

"Yeah, of course I did!" I called back. When I got to the gym. There was a ton of stares. Well mostly. But there was some who lifted weights and didn't even notice me come in. Gildarts threw a small towel over his shoulder and called me over with a wide grin on his face. He's got a dark black tank top on that shows off his muscular upper body. His orangy hair looks greasy. And his tan skin glows with sweat going down on the sides of his face. He has faded gray stubble that makes you right away tell he's a middle aged man.

"Natsu! You've made it!" He squeezes my hand and does a rough handshake with me. Almost head butting ourselves at the same time.

"Why wouldn't I?" I said, with a quick frown. "So, where should we start Coach?" I pat him on the side of his arm playfully.

"Well, someone's very eager. First of all I've got some information you must know on who you're dealing with. Acknologia. He's almost twice your size, Natsu. But I wouldn't let that scare you. You're the same weight range. His arrogance and constant egotistical smirks is what makes him seem bigger."

We both grin at this, and he ruffles my head up like we've always had especially when I was little and had a rough day. We start warming up with some lifting, some dodging and bag punching. I have great stamina already so this training was going to be the usual stuff I've been working on the past year. After a long time, presumably felt like hours. I decide to wash my face off and hydrate in another workout room where the bathrooms are located.

I'm sitting down on a patted bench. Just wearing some orange gym shorts and a sweat drenched burgundy red tank top. I feel the rush of relief as I swallow down fresh water incredibly endlessly. Resting my forearm on my knee. There's a few guys in the room. Just talking and struggling with pants to lift up some weights. There's a guy doing push ups on the floor even. I don't even notice a group of yoga girls until a short girl with turquoise eyes stands directly in front of me. She's got shorts on and an athletic purple dry fit with a style of a tank top?

"Hey, oh my god. Natsu! It's me! I'm the girl you saw at the twin sister's party! My cousins, Lisanna and Mira." She puts her hand on her flat chest. Where her heart is. "Touka. So it's so great running into you like this! Say, what are you doing here?" She doesn't even ask, she just sits right besides me and uncomfortably doesn't peel her eyes off mine at all.

"Oh, I'm a professional boxer. Well sort of. But I mean that's all you really have to know." I say, dryly.

"Oh you are!? That's amazing. So you like go against opponents? That's your career? Wow, and you're so young too. I mean you've already have a little baby, and a career. You've moved really fast, huh?" She frowns a bit, this time leaning back and not looking at me. She fixes up the high ponytail of silver. She sighs, like she's had a bad day. Her hands fall to her laps with a slap. "Well, I'm here because of yoga. My mother says I have to do it. I mean, she's really strict. She thinks she can distract me with things so I won't have to end up pregnant like she did—"

"Woah, there kid. I've got to go. I've got more training to do." I make up an excuse. "You know I've got a big match to prepare for. Good luck with your—yoga crap, kid." I say, with a blank face. Maybe I've hurt her feelings because she looked down at her lap and frowned deeply to the point I thought she was about to cry. But then I left as soon as possible so I wouldn't have to see that mess. I don't think I was being that rude. Was I?

Great, now I might have to apologize next time I see her.

After several more intense exercises Gildarts buys me a protein shake. It's green and tastes like total crap. But if it makes me stronger then so fucking be it. I've drunk almost half of the shake when it's almost time for the match. The amphitheater is incredibly large even though mostly amateur matches take place here. I don't see Lucy and Erza until they've changed and fix things up in the ring where I'll be out there giving my all. Lucy and Erza wear matching outfits that are way to skimpy. I know everyone in the audience of 2,000 plus people aren't going to believe that she's even a mom.

Erza's confident smiling at the audience as they fix things up. Lucy's the opposite. she trips over something and she plays it off with a smile. But I already knew right away she whispered: "fuck this outfit." under her breath by just reading her lips. She noticed me grinning with a chuckle. And she smiled at me. "Good luck, just be careful, alright?" She mouthed. I nodded, still grinning at her. I love how she thinks there's such a thing as being careful in a sport like this requiring punches and all.

I took everything Gildarts told me about my opponent. Even though I didn't have to know. I would've observed quick enough to learn to take him down.

The audience was incredibly loud. Gray and Juvia had already made it and were recording everything on their phones. "Don't fail us now, you punk." Gray shouted.

I grinned at him. "I won't!"

No matter what I was going to take my opponent down and I was going to win the prize money. The 100k that would make our lives turn for the better.

This is for you, Nash, Lucy.