"Oh my gosh!"

"It's him, It's him!"

"How do I look?! My hair, my hair?!"

Almost the entire female population frantically whispered and squealed amongst themselves, eyes shining in admiration as the schools heart throb passed in all his feline glory. And who, you might ask, was this amazingly popular teen that one to hearts of millions? None other than Tsukiyomi Ikuto, of course.

"I don't get what they see in an arrogant guy like that." A petite girl with blond hair cascading down her black announced, rather loudly, to her companion. She didn't care who heard her—as far as she was concerned, she was speaking truth. Her companion, on the other hand, disagreed.

"He's only arrogant because of all these girls kissing his feet. I mean... it isn't his fault that he's so... so..." Hinamori Amu began blushing, her face quickly turning a few shades darker than a tomato. Mashiro Rima, the blonde, disagreed bluntly.

"Just because girls kiss the ground you walk on doesn't give you the right to be that arrogant." She fired back, crossing her arms over her chest defensively, standing her ground, as she knew that Amu would back down. And the golden eyed, pink locked girl did just that, sighing resigned and looking away.

"Oh, so you think I'm arrogant?" A smooth voice questioned. Amu spun around to see her all-time-crush, Tsukiyomi Ikuto, standing directly behind her best friend, bending down over her and looking her in the eye. Her friend... her only real friend. Rima turned slowly, and, looking up to see Ikuto's face, she shrugged.

"No." She said quietly. Ikuto smirked at her, thinking he had won. "Thinking has nothing to do with it, hun. I'm positive that you're a filthy ease dropper with an ego far too big and I know you're arrogant." She said calmly, staring the male straight in the eyes as she loudly announced the insult. As if waiting on a mark, everyone gasped, all eyes focused on the scene now.

"Oh?" Ikuto asked, leaning up, giving himself some own personal space. He still looked arrogant with one fine eye brow raised delicately. "Why would you say that?"

Amu's mind was going on overload as she processed everything that was being said. Rima was getting herself into deep trouble—she had to do something. She had to take his attention off of Rima. Now.

Outer character automatically kicking in, the slightly-scared teen suddenly stepped in between Rima and Ikuto, looking her crush calmly straight in the eye, and raising an eyebrow at him- almost tauntingly, she smirked.

"She said it because it's true, obviously." Her exterior was calm, though a frantic storm was raging inside of her. "You strut down these hallways like you own them, your nose held so high that if we had a flood you'd be six feet under. If that isn't arrogance, I don't think I know what is." She paused. What else did Rima call him? Oh... and ease dropper… and… she said his ego was too big, right?

"—and ease drop? Well, that's quite easy to place—how else would you have ever heard Rima call you arrogant?" Amu's eyebrow raised, and she placed a hand on her hip, trying to look defiant. "And, well, as for the ego- that goes without explanation." She ran a hand through her hair, and turned, grabbing Rima's hand, and dragging her away. Over her shoulder, she called back to him, "Hope that helps the deflation process a bit." And then she was gone, off around a corner, Ikuto staring after her.

He blinked once, processing what just happened. Then again. Once more. Then a smirk slowly formed on his face. He turned on his heal, heading towards his locker, smirk still intact.

Interesting.

Definitely interesting.

—Just My Life—
Chapter 1: Just a Crush

"He's never going to like you if you keep doing that." Mashiro Rima informed her friend, who had finally stopped dragging her once they were around the corner and out of earshot. Hinamori Amu glared up at her, but then dropped her eyes and sighed, defeated.

"I know." She groaned, overly annoyed at herself. "Just don't say stuff like that anymore around him so I won't have to do that."

"You didn't have to do that; I could've handled him myself." Rima said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Amu looked up from the floor at her and raised an eyebrow, as if to say 'Yeah and pigs can fly.'

"Just don't say stuff like that around him." She repeated. Rima puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms. This amused Amu, seeing as when they had met she would have never dared to do this in front of anyone in fear of being embarrassed.

"Why wouldn't I want to say stuf—" Rima's question was interrupted by the warning bell. People in the hall scrambled around them, trying to find their first classes—the first day of the new school year was always the most hectic. Amu sighed, and whispered a goodbye to Rima, walking away to her first period.

The two girls had every period but first and fifth together, so during those periods they would just be loners. The 'Cool and Spicy' since elementary school Hinamori Amu and the 'Passive Beauty' since middle school Mashiro Rima. Ah, how they hated the dumb titles—just because they didn't always show who they were didn't mean they could just be labeled… right?

A pathway cleared for her as Amu made her way to first period. This was as normal of an occurrence as any, only this time there were much more whispers going around—more rumors spreading.

"I heard she stood up to Ikuto-sama!"

"She is so brave. But she must really hate Tsukiyomi-kun!"

"I heard her parents kicked her out because she was getting into so much trouble with hot guys like Tsukiyomi-sama!"

That last one hit a nerve. But Amu pushed all the comments to the back of her mind and continued to her first period, Math. Her second best subject. Inwardly, she hummed a short tune to herself, but outwardly, a hand was on her hip as she flipped a piece of hair over her shoulder and entered her classroom.

Upon her entrance everything went quite, until a group of girls started squealing and making up more rumors. Amu listened to what they would say as she walked to her seat, deciding it would be the second to last one on the first row, the seat right beside the window.

"That's Hinamori Amu! I heard that her mom and dad got a divorce and neither of them wanted her so they left her on the streets!"

That's a lie. Amu pulled a sketch pad, a dull pencil, and a sharp pencil from her bag.

"Really, I heard that she scared the principal into letting her do whatever she wants by getting blackmail on him!"

That's not true. She opened the pad to the first clean page and her hand began to dance across the page.

"I heard that she and Tsukiyomi Ikuto were dating but then broke up and now they hate each other!"

Just another selfish rumor.

The door slid open and the girls immediately seized talking. Amu glanced up to see who (or what) could have that effect. First she looked at the girls. All of their mouths hung wide open and they were gasping for air—they looked as if they were fish on dry land. Amu followed their wide eyes to see what the commotion was about.

And there stood, at the door, Tsukiyomi Ikuto, his midnight hair pushed back messily and his shining blue orbs scanning the room's occupants. Amu kept her face composed as he scanned the room, but she almost fell from her chair as his eyes locked with hers with such intensity she had to look away, back down at her sketch. A picture had formed. It was a girl that couldn't be older than six on a beach, looking out past the water, onto the sunset. Though you couldn't see the girls face, you could feel how lonely she must be, with an abandoned bear on the shore next to her, only one buttoned eye still sewn on it. She sighed inaudibly and shut the pad, closing her eyes before opening them again.

One moment the sketch pad was there, the next it was gone. She blinked at the empty desk, and then looked up to her side. And there stood Tsukiyomi Ikuto, smirking down at her, sketch pad in hand. Her mind processed everything on overload.

My sketch pad. With pictures no one could ever see. Embarrassing pictures of my family with animals for bodies and their head for faces. Pictures of my best friend, Rima. Pictures of my two best friends who abandoned me by moving in second grade. Pictures that showed my feelings. Pictures of everything that I ever thought about. My pictures.

Tears swelled in her eyes. She immediately jumped up, as he was about to open it, and snatched it away. She had obviously caught the other teen off guard, because she had no trouble getting her most prized possession from his hands. She stuffed it in her bag and zipped it away, then sit back down and acted as if nothing had happened, wiping away the tears from the brim of her eyes so they didn't get the chance to fall.

Ikuto POV

I walked into the room and everyone stopped what they were doing. That was normal. I looked around the room coolly to see who all was in it. My eyes landed on the girl from earlier. The girl in the hallway. I smirked as she withdrew her honey colored orbs from my blue ones, looking away.

I slowly approached her, but she didn't seem to notice. She was looking down at something. I was close enough to hear a light sigh as she closed the pad of paper and placed it down on her desk. She closed her eyes, and I snatched the pad off her desk.

A second later she opened her eyes and blinked at the empty desk, processing what had happened. Then she turned and looked straight at me. I smirked down at her, and then began to open the pad. Suddenly it was out of my hands. I blinked and looked back at her to see her stuff it in her bag and zip it away. Then she sat down and wiped some tears from her eyes that I hadn't noticed before. She stared down at the desk, and acted as if nothing had happened.

The door opened again and a stern looking lady walked in. Probably the teacher. Then I remembered what subject it was. Math. I almost groaned. But didn't. I took a seat behind the other teen. A smirk slowly resurfaced on my face. Maybe this class wouldn't be too annoying. After all, I had a perfectly good target to annoy directly in front of me.

Amu's POV

I stiffened upon noticing that, instead of leaving me alone, Ikuto sat directly behind me. God kill me now. This is going to be pure torture—everyday I'll have to deal with him with my 'Cool and Spicy' attitude, and he's going to hate me. Correction: Hate me more.

Once the teacher entered, everyone practically ran to their seats. She was a stern looking lady that wore silver rimmed glasses, squaring in her murky eyes. Her black hair, which was in a neat bun, left down a few strands of lone hair which danced around her rounded face in the breeze produced by the slightly opened window two seats ahead of me.

"I will be your 'homeroom' teacher, Miniko-sensei. First, we'll go around and introduce ourselves. Tell your name, what you like or dislike, and a hobby. Then we'll proceed to see if you can do some simple Algebra." The teacher announced a frown seemingly implanted on her face. "You first." She pointed to the person at the front of my row. Great. That meant I was going to have to go soon! Unless she goes sideways, of course. And with my luck, I found that strangely unlikely.

"My name's Saaya Yamabuki," A girl with red ringlets and golden eyes said, standing proudly. "I like long walks on the beach," That sounds like something you'd tell on a bachelors show, doesn't it? "And I hate Mashiro Rima." She glared at the name. "My hobby is looking in the mirror and brushing my long beautiful hair—one hundred strokes a night." She sat after flipping her hair once, as if to prove how much she cared for it. I held back a bitter giggle as the boy behind her stood—I knew my luck sucked. He stuttered as he introduced himself, looking slightly embarrassed by the fact that all eyes were on him.

What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to say?! Okay, I'm obviously panicked. But, you know what, who wouldn't be in my situation? This was my one chance to drop the title—to be me. But… but who likes plain old boring me, anyway? They all like me better as the thing they made me be, anyway. …Right? The boy had finished and she was after the standing girl, who was already moving onto her likes and dislikes. Now she was on her hobby. And now she was sitting.

I stood, clenching my trembling hands and attempting to look cool and composed, despite the storm brewing on the inside. All eyes were expectant on me. I placed a hand on her hip, and began.

"Hinamori Amu. I don't really like anything, and I dislike annoyances." Hobby? What should I say? Pretending to be something I'm not? Ha… that'd be a good one, huh? "And my hobby isn't really anyone's business but my own." Nice cover… I guess. I sighed in my mind as I took a seat—all eyes stayed plastered on me for a second, before the teacher cleared her throat.

"Next." She croaked.

Ikuto's POV

Amu was fidgeting in the seat in front of me. Her face didn't hold any expression, but it was obvious that she didn't want to stand. The girl in front of her sat down and she stopped moving at all, becoming completely composed, she stood, clenching her fist.

"Hinamori Amu." She said in what sounded like a bored, annoyed tone. "I don't really like anything, and I dislike annoyances." Hmm. She dislikes annoyances? Too bad for her that makes her the better target for me. She paused for a long second. I guess she was thinking of what to say for her hobby.

"And my hobby isn't really anyone's business but my own." She finished, and sat down immediately after the words departed her lips. Everyone was still staring at her, so I didn't bother standing. The teacher cleared her throat and called 'Next'.

All eyes turned to me, but I didn't bother standing. I didn't feel like it. Amu's eyes turned back to me, her face bored, yet expectant. I put my elbow on the desk and leaned on my hand.

"Tsukiyomi Ikuto." That's all I said. Amu arched an eyebrow, but turned back in her seat. Obviously she was smart enough to know that I wouldn't say anything else. But everyone else kept staring at me. "Next." I said. They blinked at me dumbly. The teachers eyes narrowed, but she said nothing, and nodded to the dude at the front of the second row to go.

Amu's POV

I turned to Ikuto when he didn't start right after me. He was leaning on his hand, some hair covering parts of his eyes, a small smirk playing on his lips. I forced back a blush. Was he just going to lean like that all day, or was he going to say something. I tried to look bored, but I think I was to expectant.

"Tsukiyomi Ikuto." Was all he said? I felt like asking 'and?', but I pushed the temptation away, raised my eyebrow, and turned. I couldn't expect him to answer any more. Rima was right, he did do whatever he wanted... but I can't help who I have crushes on. Really... I just want to be an average high school girl, talking to my friends, flaunting over guys. But that wasn't possible. And I couldn't show my crush to him openly. So I had to make him think that I wasn't interested.

I sighed quietly as he said, "Next.", and the teacher practically glared at him, before nodding. Slowly, the time ticked by, as the rest of the class introduced themselves. Only five minutes remained when the last male finished. Then the teacher said that there wasn't enough time to do anything to "improve your intellect", so she said it was free period, and left. I suspect that she just wanted to go get some coffee or something.

Girls got in groups and gossiped, while the guys just chatted casually with each other. And so the rumors started flying again, all revolving around me or Tsukiyomi Ikuto.

"I heard that Hinamori-sama's parents divorced, but both wanted her little sister, not her."

"Really? I heard that her and Tsukiyomi-sama were a big thing over break, but then she ditched him for some famous teen idol."

"No way! No one would ditch Tsukiyomi-sama—they'd have to be out of their mind! Maybe she needs some therapy, or something. I mean, she did try to tell him off earlier."

"Hey, she can hear you!" Another girl whispered. All of their eyes snapped to me, and our eyes connected, before I looked down at my desk.

I blocked the rest of the rumors out by pulling out my mp4 player and turning my music up enough to block out everyone's hushed voices. I closed my eyes, and sang the current songs tune in my head, careful not to speak it out loud.

Ikuto's POV

The teacher left us for free period, probably to go get some coke or something. I glanced up boredly, to see Amu looking somewhere intently, shoulders tensed. I glanced in the direction that her head was turned, and saw five or six girls, gossiping and spreading rumors.

"I heard that Hinamori-sama's parents divorced, but both wanted her little sister, not her."

I glanced back at Amu to see her reaction. I barley caught it, but her eyes seemed to harden, and her fist clenched. She was over reacting—it was just a stupid rumor. I looked back to the girls.

"Really? I heard that her and Tsukiyomi-sama were a big thing over break, but then she ditched him for some famous teen idol."

Someone standing me up? That was so funny I almost laughed. Again, I glanced at Amu, and saw her fist tighten. Weird. Not like I cared, though.

"No way! No one would ditch Tsukiyomi-sama-- they'd have to be out of their mind! Maybe she needs some therapy, or something. I mean, she did try to tell him off earlier."

Try being the key word. No one can really tell me off. At least the 'gossip girls' got that much right. That's all they got right.

"She can hear you." A girl whispered to the others. They all turned to Amu, who dropped her gaze to the table and pulled an iPod or something out of her bag. She put the ear buds in, and turned the volume up enough that I could just barely hear it. I decided this was as good of a time as any to start my 'pay back' from this morning.