Disclaimer: Do I really have to do this in every chapter?? You all know I don't own it… XD

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For Now or For Real?

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Ch 2

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Big, Big, Big Dilemma..

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"I want you to be my girlfriend."

My eyes widened. "WHAT?!"


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Was this some kind of a joke?! Is he serious? Nah, he can't be. But what if…?

"I want you to be my girlfriend." He repeated coolly.

"Very funny, Hyuuga." I said in a yeah-great-joke-I-was–fooled-way-to-go tone as I rolled my eyes.

I stood there, waiting for those loud, bursts of laughter. But none came. Weird.

Instead of rolling on the floor and laughing their heads off, like they always do everytime they manage to pull a stupid prank on me, Natsume and my brother just stared at me with those serious faces.

"Come on guys! Knock it off!"

Silence.

I gulped. Okay, maybe they are serious. But..…

"F-for real??" I asked, my heart beating faster (as if it was still possible). I think I'm going to faint! Can this really be true? Does Natsume really like me too?

"No," he replied.

"Huh?" I replied, confused.

"You know, like a pretend girlfriend." My brother said.

I stared at them in utter shock.

What?! P-pretend girlfriend?!

Pretend.

Pretend

PRETEND

To make false appearance or representation; to feign or make believe.

"What?! No way!!" I exclaimed as the words finally sunk in.

"As I expected. Of course she'll say no." Ruka said, nodding at Natsume with an 'I-told-you-so' look.

Natsume glared at my brother. "This was your idea remember?"

My brother gulped. "Oh yeah. Right."

Oh so this was my precious brother's idea? Great. Just great. I turned to Ruka and glared at him too. I mouthed a 'you're dead.' He gulped again.

Anyway, I know you think I should be rejoicing now, right? Can you imagine? I'm given the chance to become my longtime crush's girlfriend, even though it's only pretend. This is a very wonderful opportunity and I know I should grab it. But… I'm just not sure Natsume's cuteness factor PLUS the fact that I have the biggest crush on him was high enough reason to make me agree to be his pretend girlfriend. I've never even had a boyfriend, let alone a pretend one! How the heck am I supposed to do this?! I'm not really 'girlfriend material' you know. Sadly, I am a full pledged member of the never-had-a-boyfriend-since-birth club. Yeah. Pretty tragic, huh?

"Why?" Hotaru, who was silent all the while, suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Natsume said and we turned to look at her.

"Why did you ask Mikan to pretend to be your girlfriend, anyway?"

Natsume rolled his eyes and placed his head on his hands.

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FLASHBACK

normal p.o.v.

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"Hey there!" a sickeningly sweet voice called out.

Not again, Natsume thought as he turned to see who that annoyingly sick voice belonged to and saw Luna and Sumire saunter by, side by side, on their strappy sandals, heads proudly held up high.

He glared at them and said in a very cold voice, "What do you want?"

Normally, upon hearing this kind of tone of voice from Natsume, people would be smart enough to back down. You wouldn't want to mess with Natsume Hyuuga, don't you? However, Luna wasn't fazed a bit. Instead, she smiled sweetly. "I'm giving you the biggest opportunity of a lifetime."

He raised an eyebrow.

"You'll have the wonderful chance to become my boyfriend."

Seeing Natsume's shocked expression, she smirked and prattled on, "Seriously, I think we should hook up. We're perfect for each other. We have a lot of things in common. You're the hottest guy in school, I'm the hottest girl in school, and both of us are extremely popular, unbelievably good-looking, rich, smart…"

Wait. Did she just say smart? Haha. Is she serious?! Mikan's way much smarter than her and Mikan's already an idiot. Which means, she's way below idiot-level, Natsume thought, trying to suppress a laugh as Luna kept on blabbing about their 'similarities' and how perfect they are for each other.

"….Your mom works at my dad's law firm. We look absolutely good together, we come from prominent families, our parents are good friends," She sighed dreamily. "We're just… meant to be." She smiled again, batting her eyelashes.

Natsume just smirked. "Thanks, but no thanks, bitch."

Luna's perfectly made-up smile instantly wiped off from her face. She was insulted. No one. NO ONE ever dares to cross her or refuse her. But she managed to pull her supershiny lips back into a sickeningly sweet smile, albeit with much effort. "We'll see about that," She purred. "I know you want me."

Natsume just stared at her. Man. This girl's unbelievably nuts.

"Well, see ya at the country club, hon! Mwah!" she said as winked at him seductively and blew him a flying kiss. Then, she and her sister, Sumire, floated away to the direction of the mall, giggling abnormally.

Natsume rolled his eyes. "Tch."

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"Oh……. I get it!" I exclaimed, raising my right hand in the air dramatically for effect.

Silence…

"Really?" Natsume asked.

"Yeah! Of course I understand! I'm not an idiot you know!"

Silence…

All three of them raised an eyebrow at me.

Well…. Uhm… maybe I don't quite get it yet.

"uhm… uh…. What do you mean??" I asked, scratching my head. I am NOT an idiot, I tell you. I just can't understand certain… things or rather 'Confusing incidents', as I prefer to call them.

They all sweatdropped.

"BAKA!" a humungous metal fly swatter came crashing down on me and hit me straight in the head. WHAT THE?!

"How idiotic can you get?" Hotaru said impassively, picking up her dear fly swatter as if comforting it.

"There, there" she muttered, stroking it dearly. What the heck?! Is that damn fly swatter more important than me?! I'm supposed to be the best friend here! Usually, best friends are supposed to comfort each other!

"Ooow, it's heavy! Hotaru, you meanie! Don't you ever get tired of hitting me?!" I cried, rubbing my head, where a humungous, red bump had already formed.

"Don't you ever get tired of being an idiot?"

"Waaaaaaah! What kind of best friend are you?!" I wailed, crying waterfalls.

"Let's just say, I'm honest," She replied bluntly.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! You're so harsh!"

"I'm not harsh. I'm just stating the obviously obvious truth."

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" But as you can clearly and sadly see, Hotaru is NEVER known for being the usual best friend.

"Shut up, idiot. My ears are bleeding. Just sit down and listen. Don't speak a word," Hotaru said as she threateningly raised her dear fly swatter again.

"H-hai.."

BAM! The fly swatter hit me again. "I-itai! What did you do that for?!"

"I said don't speak a word, idiot."

"Oh. H-hai.."

BAM! "What part of don't-speak-a-word can't you understand?"

"H—"I quickly covered my mouth so as to save myself from further concussions. I've had more than enough blows from that damn frying pan, thank you very much. I still want to live, for crying out loud!

When the whole house was finally fully bathed in an eerie silence, Hotaru then started her vital explanation for the eager idiot-in-denial that was me.

"Luna asked Natsume if he would accept the wonderful opportunity to be her boyfriend," Hotaru paused to see if I understood what she said.

I nodded.

"Natsume clearly doesn't want her but he can't just reject her because his mom works at her dad's law firm and knowing that ugly, spoiled hag, she'll get back at Natsume and ask her daddy dearest to fire his mom, which would be a major problem. So, Natsume asked you to be his pretend girlfriend so that he can turn that bratty hag down without incurring her wrath…" Hotaru sighed. "Got it, idiot?"

My eyes were as wide as saucers. I turned to Natsume, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"

"No. I'm not serious," Natsume replied, not bothering to look up from his PSP. I gave him a confuse look.

"I'm just DEAD serious." He added with a smirk, eyes still glued to that PSP of his.

Hm. Jerk. I stuck my tongue out at him. Geez. It really annoys me whenever he does that! And really, how can he act so cool at a time like this?! This is his problem not mine! Yet I am the one acting all panicky and worried while him, he's acting as if it's just a simple children's quarrel over some stupid lollipop and will just be okay by tomorrow! God! We're talking about the Koizumis here. They're not just big talk. They're actually capable.

Seriously, all this stress in my miserable life is making me look uglier and…. well, stressed, not that I already am. Hey. Waaait. Maybe that's Natsume's secret to his super hotness and drop dead gorgeousness. By not having a care in the world, you avoid all the stress. Yeah. Hmmm… Maybe I should try that… no. wait. We are seriously getting out of topic here. Forgive me for my blabbing.

"Oi, polkadots." He had already looked up from his PSP and his mesmerizing ruby orbs were looking intently at my chocolate brown ones. I could just lose myself into those eyes. "Look. I AM serious. You really need to help me."

Awwww. He looks really serious.

But still.

"No. Freaking. Way." I said firmly, shaking my head. Even though I'm head over heels for him, I know and I'm certain that this whole 'pretend' thing will just make my life a living hell, not that it already is. It's bad enough that I am already in their black list because I am the twin sister of one of the hottest guys! What more if I am the girlfriend of the Natsume Hyuuga?! Me! A very ordinary and plain-looking girl! They might literally pull my head off like they used to do to their Barbie dolls during kindergarten!

I shuddered at the thought.

"Come on, Mikan! You're our only hope!" My stupid precious brother said desperately.

I glared at him. "Ruka!! What kind of brother are you?!" This big traitorous idiot of a brother is not helping at all! Doesn't he know what might become of me incase I agree to become Natsume's pretend girlfriend?! I'll be worse than toast! Those two psycho bitches will clearly make my life a whole lot worse than hell! This will just earn me a promotion on their black list.

Moreso, if I agree to be Natsume's pretend girlfriend, I might act all awkward around him and keep on blushing like crazy and that might eventually end up in the discovery of my deepest, darkest secret of all time which I have kept hidden from everyone, even from Hotaru, with much difficulty!

"But.. Why me?! Why not Yumi?" I asked, desperate to find a way out. Yumi's popular and beautiful unlike me. And even though it's very painful to admit, she would be very convincing, compared to plain ol' me. Then I gasped, realizing my mistake. "Ohmygosh! I'm sorry Natsume!" I said, covering my mouth with both hands. I shouldn't have said that. Yumi is Natsume's ex. She hangs out with the Koizumis. She's a fake, flirty slut and clearly a mistake and Natsume doesn't want to talk about her.

"Hn," was Natsume's only reply but I'm pretty sure I saw his eyebrows twitch at my sudden mention of her name. Aaah! Damn you, Mikan, you careless moron!

Then, Hotaru suddenly said, "Baka. Why don't you just give it a try? It won't feel awkward at all. You two are close friends. So, it's not really going to be a big deal, right? It's not like you're in love with him or something, unless you are… are you?"

"What?! N-no!! O-of course not!" I quickly replied, stuttering. "M-me?! In love with this arrogant jerk?! Puh-lease!"

Whew. That was close.

"So, it's okay then," Hotaru said. "Besides, you'll be doing Natsume and his parents a big favor by saving them from utter humiliation and shame."

Sigh. Well, she does have a point. Oh Kami-sama. Why?! Why does it have to be me?!

I really hope I'm not going to regret this.

I took a deep breath and let it out.

"Fine."

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I watched in amusement as the idiot-in-denial talked to those two other idiots. Obviously, I'm the only non-idiot around. Duh.

"Oi, polkadots," Hyuuga said. "Look. I AM serious. You really need to help me."

I observed intently as Mikan stared at him for a long while. I narrowed my eyes. Hmm…There's really… something. Something… I just don't know what.

"No. Freaking. Way." She said firmly.

"Come on, Mikan! You're our only hope!" Ruka said desperately.

"Ruka!! What kind of brother are you?!" she glared. Then, she turned to look at the ground, her fists tightly clenched. I could tell she was thinking. Hm. I didn't know that idiot could think. Heh. Anyway, I watched as she stared at the ground for a couple of minutes, her expressions constantly changing from angry to worry to frightened then angry again. That idiot is so transparent; I can easily tell what she's thinking with just one glance.

Hm.. But I really think Mikan's hiding something from me. tsk3. I looked at her again. I'm sure she's hiding something and I'm definitely going to find out what it is.

"But.. Why me?! Why not Yumi?" Mikan suddenly asked.

I was shocked at her sudden mention of the name. Mikan, you careless idiot! I shook my head. She shouldn't have said that. Hyuuga doesn't want to talk about that girl. And did she already forget the awful things that that mean girl did towards her?! Besides, she hangs out with Luna and Sumire.

"Ohmygosh! I'm sorry Natsume!" Mikan gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, finally realizing her mistake. Hm. Took her long enough.

"Hn," Hyuuga replied.

Sensing the awkward air that's beginning to build up, I decided to change the topic. "Baka. Why don't you just give it a try? It won't feel awkward at all. You two are close friends. So, it's not really going to be a big deal, right? It's not like you're in love with him or something." Then I teasingly asked. "Unless you are… are you?"

I stared at her in interest as her pale face suddenly turned a dangerous deep crimson and stuttering, she quickly replied. "What?! N-no!! O-of course not! M-me?! In love with this arrogant jerk?! Puh-lease!"

I raised an eyebrow. My, my. This is getting suspicious.

"So, its okay then," I said. "Besides, you'll be doing Natsume and his parents a big favor by saving them from utter humiliation and shame."

She took a deep breath and let it out.

"Fine."

A tiny smirk flicked across my lips.

This might just work.

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"But.. Those two are psychos! Who knows what they'll do?!" I wailed again in dread for the nth time.

BAM!

"I-itai!"

"Idiot. You worry too much."

"B-but…"

Hotaru raised the damn fly swatter again and I quickly fell silent.

"Don't worry, Mikan. I'll be here to help you," Ruka smiled. "That's what siblings are for, right?"

I sighed. Seeing as I have no other choice, I tiredly plopped down on the black leather tufted sofa, my head aching from too much thinking.

I can't believe I just agreed to take part in the scheme to defy the most popular, not to mention, most influential girl in school.

Oh crap.

I might as well start digging my own grave…

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o.0


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GOMEN NASAI! I know it took me 35 centuries to update. Haha. Lol. I was really really busy with school and I am experiencing a MAJOR writer's block so it's been really hard for me to write. WAH! I so lack inspiration! I'm really really really sorry..

Anyway, I hope you liked this chappie! Whew. This is quite a long chapter,… well, for me, that is. I really tried to make it longer than the last one to make up for the very late update..

THANKS A LOT! Thanks to those who read, reviewed, favorited and alerted my story!! Weeeeeeeeh! I'm so so so happy! Really, thanks a lot!

Aya Akatsuki - aaahhh. demand man jud! hahahahahahahaha! amew aie!

sammae18 - thanks! i'm looking forward to being your friend too! :) :)

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and also to my cousin who used my account when she reviewed..

Thanks a lot! I really appreciate it! :) :) :)

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