In-Between

Chapter 9

"Yes that's it."

"Isn't that place haunted?"

"No." Wendy lied. "Not really. I mean it is a little creepy but it's actually very nice to live in."

"I've heard people run screaming from that house."

"Well I'm sure it's for another reason other than ghosts and ghouls."

"Honestly if it was haunted I think someone like you would fit right in." Cosmos said. "All ghosts and ghouls are freaks like you."

"Hey!" Natsu said insulted.

"Cosmos!" Miss Strauss said. "I'm putting you down for detention."

"For what?"

"For being so rude to a new student and for disobeying me when I told you to stop twice."

"Not my fault she looks like a loser."

"One more word out of you and it will be a week of detention young lady." She said sternly. "Now Wendy sit back down and we'll begin our first lesson."

For the rest of the day none of the other students talked to Wendy and she just kept to herself. Natsu watched her and realized how difficult it was for her to make friends. She seemed like an outcast to all her peers. He could relate, he was an outcast to his peers too. Lucy, Gray, and Juvia were pretty much the only dead people who accepted him and didn't see him as blemish that needed to be wiped out.

After school she sat outside to wait for her dad to pick her up. As she waited, she pulled out a book to read. Alice in Wonderland  by Lewis Carroll. It was one of her favorite books because she felt that she could relate to the main character. She often felt that she was lost in a strange world filled with inhabitants that she didn't understand and in turn they couldn't understand her. She was on the second chapter when suddenly the book was snatched from her by Cosmos.

"Aren't you a little too old to be reading kid's books?" She said.

"I wouldn't exactly call it a kid's book." Wendy said. "It's a novel and it's one of my favorites, could you please give it back?"

"You got me in detention again."

"Look I don't want any trouble."

"Too bad because you're going to get it." She pushed Wendy down and then opened the book. "Hmm...I wonder how many pages are in here. Let me count. One, two, three."

As she counted she started to tear out each of the pages.

"Stop it! Give it back!" 

Wendy tried to take the book back but Cosmos was a lot taller than she was and the mean girl held the book up high so Wendy couldn't reach it. 

Now Natsu had said that he would only watch but he was the last person to just sit by and let a bully push around a kid especially when said kid was a lot smaller than the bully. He then spotted the school janitor cleaning the gutters of the school building. All the dirty leaves, mud, and grime he had pulled out were placed in a bucket which he was not paying attention to. A devious idea came into his mind. 

He grabbed the bucket, snatched the book from Cosmos so quick that she didn't even noticed that it looked the book had moved by itself, and poured the whole bucketful of dirty leaves, mud, and grime all over her. All the students who remained at the school to wait for their parents started laughing and pointing at the grime covered bully.

"Ahh" She screamed before running off.

"Serves her right." He said picking up the fallen pages and putting them back in the book which she handed to Wendy. "You alright kid?"

"I'm fine but you shouldn't have done that."

"What do you mean? I had to do it. The little witch had it coming besides she called me a freak."

"Technically she called ghosts and ghouls freaks."

"Well I'm a ghoul so that insult was directed at me. Anyway I can't stand a bully. It sickens me how people like that think it's fun to pick on those weaker than they are."

"While I don't think that was the right way to go about it, thank you Natsu. You know you're the first person who's really stuck up for me so this means a lot."

"Any time kid but keep this discreet you hear me? I can't let it get out that I have a soft spot. Can you imagine the teasing I'd get? Oh Gray would show no mercy."

"It'll be our little secret."

"Ha-ha. I knew I liked you the minute I saw you kiddo."

Unknown to either one of them, Lucy had arrived just a little while earlier. Her intention was scold him and drag him back to the house but she found herself feeling quite impressed with him after seeing him defend Wendy. She never pegged him as the kind of guy who would protect someone from a bully. It looked like Juvia was right. Natsu did have a good side and this was her first time seeing it. For the first time since she had met him, she now saw him in a new light.