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"Um… my… my name is Lucy Pendleton. I… I hope that I can make friends with you all..."
Giorno listened intently as the trembling girl standing in front of the chalkboard introduced herself to the class at their teacher's insistence. She was playing with the thin cord that was attached to the white cowboy hat sitting loosely upon her blonde locks, while her eyes were firmly planted on her white western boots as she stumbled over her words. In some ways, she reminded him of himself. He wasn't one to enjoy being put on the spot either, but at the same, he never got as anxious as Lucy seemed to in those situations.
His blue-gray eyes followed her as she sat down at the table directly next to his own, and he watched blankly as Lucy nervously smiled and nodded at the other kids around them that were introducing themselves to her. Giorno turned his attention back to the reptile themed book he borrowed from the class library before she arrived, finding far more enjoyment in that than potentially making a friend. After all, a new student only meant someone new who would bother him, and he had no intention of fueling those flames so soon.
Soon enough, he felt someone staring at him– or rather, at his book. He frowned slightly, lifting his head to meet Lucy's curious ocean blue eyes. They both blinked at each other in surprise at her close proximity, before Lucy immediately backed away from him with a quiet apology and a bright flush covering her lightly freckled cheeks.
"I'm… I'm sorry. It's just… your book looks really interesting…" She said hastily, once again playing with that string that kept her hat from falling off as she looked away. Giorno couldn't help but raise a dark eyebrow at her, intrigued by her overreaction. Did she think he'd get mad at her over something so minor? Was she used to apologizing over stuff like this? Maybe he was just overthinking her actions too much.
"...It's okay. You can read it with me if you want." Giorno muttered, immediately returning to his book. If the worst she was going to do was quietly read alongside him, he could care less what she did. After a moment passed, he could hear Lucy shuffling closer to him again once he flipped the page to something on lizards. She soon pressed a thin finger against the page, reading the short sentences to herself beneath her breath. Giorno found himself following along with her, even if he'd personally prefer reading at a faster pace than this.
"Oh, Lucy! You don't want to talk to him."
Lucy flinched upon hearing her name being said so suddenly, staring up at one of the girls who'd previously introduced herself. Giorno quietly scooted his book back towards himself once her attention was drawn away from him. This was how it almost always began; someone who showed even the least bit of interest in being his friend would either start ignoring him like most of his peers, or they'd join in on the teasing and name calling that his much crueler classmates enjoyed. He considered himself lucky that he wasn't attached enough to Lucy to care whether she did those things or not.
"Why not?" Lucy asked, tilting her head as she held down her hat with a hand to keep it from shifting too much. He could see the gears beginning to turn in her head as a frown appeared on her face. What was she thinking right now? Something about how annoying this situation was? Or maybe how she'd come to agree with this girl?
"He's just super creepy and weird. He's always staring at people and he never talks!"
Lucy looked back at Giorno, considering the girl's words as she scrutinized his face. Her eyes held an intensity that didn't match the more timid personality she's already shown them all. He recognized she was only trying to read his intentions before speaking, something he often did too. Most people would be put off by that since it was considered rude to stare, but Giorno easily met her gaze without fear or hesitation. He noticed there was a sense of empathy in her expression, though it could just as easily have been pity too. He wanted nothing to do with the latter.
Once she decided she was finally done trying to figure him out, Lucy broke their connection and addressed the girl once again with a short shake of her head, "I… I don't think he's weird... he's nice." She said softly, before she stared down at her messily painted nails. They were an eye-searing neon green that severely clashed with the rest of her pastel colored outfit, but the look somehow suited her.
"C'mon… you don't want to start off on the wrong foot, do you?" The girl huffed, smacking her hand down on the desk out of frustration, "No one's going to like you because of him."
"I'm… sure that isn't true." Lucy said calmly, even if both Giorno and the girl could hear the hesitation in her voice. She wanted to believe that her new classmates weren't as mean and unempathetic as this girl was making them out to be, she couldn't know that for sure. At least, not right away.
"We'll see about that. Have fun sitting in the loser corner with him." The girl rolled her eyes and folded her arms, leaving Lucy with some parting words, before turning in her seat to talk to someone else.
Put off by the threat, Lucy uneasily scooted her chair closer to Giorno. She then tried to smile reassuringly at him as if nothing happened, but he wasn't buying it. He knew Lucy was genuinely alarmed by the girl's words, seeing how feeble her expression had become. He decided to ease her concerns instead, mostly so she'd take the girl's advice and leave him alone before she got hurt.
"You don't have to play with me. It's fine." He said bluntly, pushing the book to the corner of his desk as their teacher got ready to start her morning lesson. Lucy's frown only grew deeper as she tried to protest his words.
"But what if I want to?" She asked, fixing him with a pleading gaze. He was surprised by her persistence on the matter, but Giorno refused to dwell on her words for much longer. It was probably all just an act to make him feel better anyway. He found that when it came to being liked by others or risking potential popularity for just one person, people typically chose the former. He couldn't say he blamed them, as it was a normal thing to want to be liked by others.
"Will you at least tell me your name?" Lucy's quiet voice cut through his thoughts as she looked at him expectantly.
He sighed, deciding to humor her just so she'd stop bothering him, "...It's Giorno."
It was mid-afternoon when Giorno found himself heading to the playground not too far from his house. It was a welcome respite from both his stepfather and his mother, and it helped that there were plenty of scattered trees and bushes for him to get lost in until the sun finally went down for the night.
Giorno froze once he reached his typical place nestled beneath an old oak tree at the corner of the park, noticing a shock of platinum blonde hair lurking around. He shouldn't have been surprised that someone else managed to find his hiding spot, but he did feel a slight hint of annoyance creeping through his veins. Just as he was about to leave and come back a bit later, the person stood up with a satisfied sigh.
"...Lucy?" He questioned, staring at his classmate in surprise. She'd switched out her typical hat for a simple gingham headscarf, which was enough to make him do a double-take. Most of the time, that hat was practically glued to her head. Whenever someone in class tried to take it off, her eyes would get watery as if she would burst into tears on the spot. From what he'd seen of her since they first met, he wouldn't be surprised if she did someday.
"Hi, Giorno," She gave him a quick wave as she tucked a thick green book beneath her arm, giving the park a once-over. "I wish you got here a bit sooner.. I have to go."
"You can stay if you want, I don't mind." Giorno said before he could stop himself. He had to keep from pulling a face as Lucy shook her head apologetically, wondering why exactly he suggested that. It wasn't as if he was looking to spend time with her when he didn't have to.
"My little brother gets cranky when he's played outside for too long, so I really can't stay much longer. It's impossible to put him to sleep when he's in a mood." Lucy walked past Giorno to head back to the main path, and he found himself walking alongside her. Outside of class, he noticed how much different she seemed. Her words were noticeably less stilted, and she wasn't as tense either. In fact, she looked rather comfortable talking to him.
"You have siblings?" Giorno asked curiously. He couldn't remember a time that she mentioned having any in the past, but it was likely that he wasn't paying attention if she did.
"Um, yeah! A big brother, a little brother, and a little sister. Mama's having another baby too, but we don't know what it'll be yet." Lucy paused after that, before shaking her head, "Ah.. sorry.. I'm sure you don't want to hear all of that."
The idea of a family as big as Lucy's living together harmoniously felt foreign to Giorno. He once tried to imagine himself having an older brother or sister to depend on when he was a bit younger, but it only ended up making him feel much more alone. But seeing how much more cheerful talking about them seemed to make Lucy made him want to hear more about them, oddly enough.
"Actually, I do want you to tell me about them. If you don't mind, of course."
He watched as Lucy's eyes widened in surprise, but she gave him a small smile in return.
"If you're sure. My big brother's name is Tom, and he brought me and our little brother Will here. I think they're still doing drills over at the football nets. Liza's only three, so we couldn't bring her along." She explained, looking over at Giorno a few times as if she was trying to make sure he was still listening to her. The more attention he paid to her little mannerisms and tics, the more intrigued he was by what they might imply about her or her home life. Some part of him wanted to keep studying her and figure out why she did the things she did, but the other part of him didn't want to get too close to her for fear of getting burned.
"And you don't want to play with them? It sounds fun. Not really my thing though."
"I don't really like sports that much either. I'd prefer looking at the pretty scenery around the park."
While Giorno didn't mind briefly stopping to watch a match here and there while his stepfather was distracted yelling over his favorite teams, he personally vastly preferred being outside admiring both the flora and fauna around the city much like Lucy. Whether it was hunting for frogs in babbling brooks or sitting peacefully amongst a bed of wildflowers in the park, he found enjoyment in it all.
"What's your favorite flower?" He asked, "I like orchids. I know it's a random choice, but I like how elegant they look."
He watched as Lucy's eyes lit up in joy, and she tapped her chin as she gave her own answer, "There's so many I like.. hibiscuses, lilies… but maybe roses are my top favorite. Dark pink ones, not red. Did you know that they mean something really sweet when you put them in a bouquet?"
He immediately nodded at her, fighting down the urge to crack a small smile. It wasn't everyday you met someone else who knew the symbolism behind plants too. "Gratitude and appreciation, right? I read that somewhere once. It's a cute thought."
As Lucy led Giorno to the football goals, they found themselves talking about the other plants they adored for most of the trek there. The conversation ended up taking a turn into a completely different territory once Lucy mentioned finding lizards in the front yard of her house, and soon Giorno was telling her facts about other reptiles he was fascinated with. She listened with rapt attention, pitching in a few times with her own fun facts too.
He was almost disappointed when Lucy's brothers came running up to her with red faces drenched with sweat.
"We're gonna make a star player out of you yet, Willie." The taller of the boys said, ruffling the younger one's hair a few times. Will scowled at that, wrapping his pudgy arms around Lucy in a tight hug. He clearly wanted to be picked up by her, but she only gently nudged him back to Tom.
"Do you mind if I stay out here a bit longer? You two can go on ahead of me." Lucy asked, hugging her book to her chest. Tom looked ready to ask why, until his eyes landed on Giorno. He smiled knowingly at Lucy, who seemed about ready to protest whatever he was thinking.
"I mean, ma and pa want us back home before dinner so… just keep an eye on the time, yeah?"
"We will! I promise. Just tell them I saw one of my school friends, alright?" Lucy gave her older brother a quick hug before turning back to Giorno, tugging gently at his wrist, "May I show you my book? I've been keeping track of all the plants I've found since we moved here."
As Lucy pulled him back to that spot beneath the tree and behind the bushes, Giorno thought about how quickly she claimed they were friends even in spite of their lack of interaction up until today. While he didn't see himself calling her one anytime soon, he didn't mind the idea of being a little bit warmer towards her going forward.