A/N: Thank you for all the positive responses! I hope you enjoy what's to come.

Standard disclaimers apply.

026: Writer's Choice

"You want one?"

Kaoru, at fourteen, stared at the cigarette with a hint of disgust. She paid attention in health class – she knew the effects. But Yumi Komagata was actually paying attention to her.

There was only one right answer.

"Yeah."

When Kaoru coughed (how typical), Yumi laughed her tinkling laugh, embarrassing Kaoru to no end. But after the second drag, impressively done, apparently, she's asked if she had any plans this weekend.

She did, but obviously said no.

Kaoru is smoking in the courtyard during her free period because she has nothing else to do.

The first days of school never have homework, so she's left with very little things to complete. Although she was assigned a paper in history yesterday…but she wrote one last year on the same topic, so she thinks she'll just edit it a bit and change the teacher and date before handing it in.

She's halfway through her cigarette before it's plucked out of her fingers.

"What the fuck?" She whips her head around to find a very predatory-looking teacher holding her cigarette.

What the fuck.

"No smoking on school grounds," he informs her.

She scoffs. "I'm outside," she says, as if it explains everything, which it does.

"You may be, but it's illegal to smoke on school property, which this courtyard is."

She clenches her teeth. Can this school be anymore retarded? She was allowed to do this at her old school.

Then to her horror and complete annoyance, he takes a long drag off her cigarette before squishing it under his shoe. Ew.

"I'll also have to confiscate your pack."

She stares at him.

"If you hand it over, I may lessen your punishment."

She looks away from him. "Fine. I'm not giving it up. It's my last one."

To her surprise, he chuckles. "Fine. Give me half and I'll let you off with a detention."

She rolls her eyes. "How is that fair?"

"Because normally we'd give over a week's detention. Take it or leave it."

Without looking at him, she reaches into the pocket of her dress and slowly takes out nine. What a waste.

He grins rather wolfishly before taking the cigarettes and adding them to his own pack. She wants to tell him to fuck himself, but she kind of respects the guy, at least a little.

"You'll serve detention after school in the library," he informs her.

She doesn't acknowledge him and simply waits for him to fuck off and leave her alone.

As soon as she hears him leave, she hears, "He definitely likes you."

She doesn't bother turning around.

"When he caught me smoking he gave me a month's detention and I was just on the edge of the soccer fields."

She rolls her eyes.

"Ah, yes, ignore me. Pretend that I'm scum beneath your Chanel shoes."

She gives him a highly affronted look. "They're Jimmy Choos."

"Like I give a shit."

She hates him. She really hates this random ginger kid who sits in the back of classrooms, acting like he's such a rebel.

"Just so you know, if you want to smoke, you're better off parking your car in the south lot and doing it there," he informs her before crossing the courtyard to enter another wing of the school.

"Thanks," she finds herself saying.

He doesn't say anything back, annoying her again.

This school is just so fucking irritating. And she really wants a cigarette. Ugh.

Kaoru spotted her. She reminded her of herself when she was a stupid freshman: naïve, scared, and oh-so easily manipulated. She was curious to see if this girl had what it took to raise to the elite.

"You want one?" she asked the girl, who actually jumped at being directly addressed. Aw, how cute.

With shaking fingertips, the girl plucked a cigarette from the pack.

When the girl coughed, Kaoru smiled a twisted one. It was nice being in this position.

A/N: So, the shorter the updates, the shorter amount of time between them. That's fair, yes? :)

Please review!

MissGoalie