Sugar-coated Lemons

Chapter One: Wrong Place, Right Time

Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own it. CCS, that is. Colour coded signs...yes...xp

Note: I'm from Canada, so I'm making the legal age 19 and not 21 like in the USA. ;D

She met him on her 18th birthday. It was the wrong place at the right time, and he seemed like the perfect distraction.

"Hey!" The young girl called out to a tall, chestnut-haired guy that passed her on the dock. The waves lapped gently on the shore in the distance.

He paused and turned around, a bottle of beer frozen before his lips. "Yeah?"

She blinked as his deep amber eyes fell onto her. "Um...think you could share a sip?"

The guy seemed to snort, and went to pass her, when she called out again.

"Wait! I just want a sip! It's my birthday, and I just wanted to..."

His amber eyes gazed down at her, as he seemed to finally consider her request. "Your birthday, huh? How old are you turning?"

The question seemed to make her uncomfortable, as she shifted slightly, her eyes falling to the wood beneath her. "Um...eighteen."

He smirked. "You're still underage then. Sorry."

Said birthday girl pouted, and glared at him with narrowed emerald eyes. "It's not like I'm getting drunk or anything. Besides, I bet you drank all the time when you were my age!"

This seemed to strike a cord, and he frowned. "Girls like you shouldn't get into the habit of drinking. It screws you up."

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying that you're screwed up?"

"Maybe."

The girl reached her hand out towards him, and motioned with her fingers. "Come on, then. Let me wallow in this temporary insanity with you."

The bottle was cold, but not heavy with half of the liquid previously consumed. Staring at it curiously, she slowly raised it to her mouth.

The effect was instantaneous.

"Agh! Gross!" She quickly sprayed a mouthful of beer over the dock, coughing as the taste lingered in her mouth. "How can you drink that stuff?"

The guy laughed as he watched her continuously spit up remnants of the bitter tasting alcohol. "You get used to it. The purpose of beer isn't to please your taste buds, anyhow."

She wrinkled her nose, and handed the bottle back to him. "You can have it. At least now I'll know better when I do come of age."

"Glad to hear it, babe."

"My name isn't babe, dude."

The guy rolled his eyes. "Touchy. Not like I know your name anyways. It's not everyday some crazy highschool kid demands that I give her my beer."

The girl's face glowered as she pointed a finger accusingly at him. "I'm not a kid! And my name is Sakura, so learn to use it."

He raised his eyebrows. "What, no last name? I wasn't aware we were so familiar with each other as to be on a first name basis already, Sakura-chan.

Sakura shrugged. "It's not like I'll see you again anyhow. Who cares about formalities?"

"Well in that case, call me Xiao Lang, Sakura."

She smiled. "You're Chinese, huh? It's nice to meet you, Xiao Lang."

He smirked, before lowering himself beside her on the dock. "So what's a girl like you doing at a place like this on her birthday? Not exactly the ideal party place."

"My dad had to work, and my older brother is off at University. They couldn't celebrate my birthday with me this year." Sakura frowned, before looking out at the water. "But it's okay."

Xiao Lang tilted his head at her before asking, "what about your friends?"

"Friends?" Sakura snorted, and pulled her knees towards her chest. "Tomoyo-chan is my only friend, and her mom wouldn't let her see me outside of school because my poor social standing might be a bad influence on her."

"Poor social standing?"

"My dad sent me to some prestigious high school, thinking that I would have a better chance at a good university that way. All the kids come from rich families though, so I'm the oddball. The ones who don't bully me are too scared to be seen with me by the others, so Tomoyo-chan is the only one I have. Her family's pretty high up and she doesn't care what other people think about her. I'm lucky to have a friend at all."

"I see." Xiao Lang gazed at me for awhile, before turning out to look at the water. "I guess being her is better than sulking at home."

Sakura smiled, glad that he seemed to understand. "Definitely. Besides, if I hadn't have come here I wouldn't have been able to experience the terrible taste of beer for the first time! You have contributed to one of my valuable experiences in life. Thank you, Xiao Lang."

His mouth tilted up a little, but his eyes remained strangely guarded. "No problem."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, gazing at the moon shining over the water. A laugh could be heard from someone walking down the street beside the beach. The dock creaked slightly as the water pressed gently against it. Sakura sighed in contentment, leaning back on her arms. Xiao Lang rested comfortably beside her, the beer laying forgotten between them.

A phone beeped loudly in the night, startling the young couple. "Oh, that's mine!" Sakura exclaimed, before digging in her jacket pocket.

Xiao Lang seemed to snap back to reality, and swiftly stood up. At Sakura's questioning look, he smiled weakly at her. "This temporary insanity has been nice, but I have to be somewhere, so..."

"Oh." Her face fell slightly, before she offered another weak smile back. "Well, thanks for your company." Her phone continued beeping in her hand, ignored.

"Sure. Happy Birthday, Sakura."

"Goodbye, Xiao Lang."

The last thing her heard her say as he was walking away was, "Hi dad. Just sitting at the beach. I'm fine. Thanks. Yes, I'll be home by one. See you."

Sakura, he thought. What an interesting girl.

A sudden impulse took over him, and he couldn't help but glance back towards the end of the dock.

Emerald eyes glowed back at him, a pale face illuminated in the moonlight.

A little startled that he had been caught, Xiao Lang quickly turned back around and walked briskly up the beach. It's alright, he told himself. You'll never see her again.

If only he knew how wrong he was.

Later that night, Sakura dreamed of bitter liquid, amber eyes, and the soft sound of waves hitting the shore as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

An almost empty beer bottle stood on her night table.

Xiao Lang.

A/N: This idea just randomly popped in my head after I finished reading Beauty is the Beast online. I know it seems that Sakura is like pouring out her soul to some random soul, but you'd be surprised at the life stories you'll share with people you may only know for a day or so. I was bored, and didn't have anything to read so I decided to write. I'm not sure if I'll continue it, but we'll see...