I stared blankly at my physics homework. Finals were in a few days, and I was starting to stress out over my classes. Since I hadn't gotten anywhere in my studying in the last hour, I glanced at my watch. She's late, I thought, feeling my brows furrow. I looked around at the other students studying around me, checking to see that she didn't sit somewhere else or not see me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone approaching my table. I turned and saw Rukia approaching with Momo and Toshiro in tow. She pulled out the chair next to me and dropped her books on the table with a loud bang, making half of the library look over at our table in shock. "Geez, Rukia. Way to be conspicuous," I said as Momo and Toshiro sat at the two chairs across from us. She just gave me a look that was somewhere in the family of a glare, and opened her physics book. Her grey eyes looked purpler today, probably because she was wearing a purple sundress.

"Okay, let's do this studying thing." She said, looking over at me expectantly. I sighed, and started to explain the concepts that we went over in lecture that day, trying not to get distracted by Toshiro whispering confidingly into Momo's ear and making her giggle. Couples. I thought. They never make any sense.

Finals week went by in a blur of deadlines and tests, with the occasional dream about missing a final. I was glad once it was over. I was packing my suitcase in preparation for our departure tomorrow morning when Ishida knocked on my door. He watched me pack for a few moments before speaking. "Is that really what you're bringing?" He asked. I looked down at the shirt I currently held in my hand. It was one of the t-shirts that I'd had since high school.

"Yeah," I said, looking up in time to see a look of disgust flit across his face. "What's wrong with it?"

"It looks like you robbed a homeless man. Do you have any shirts that you've bought in the last 2 years?"

"I don't like shopping for new clothes. It's a waste of time."

Ishida looked at me with complete horror. "Looking good is never a waste of time!"

"I look fine."

"You could look better."

"I'm fine as I am, Ishida."

"I can prove it."

"How?"

Ishida pulled out his phone and dialed a number quickly. "Hey… could you come over for a second?"

I looked at him in confusion. "Who are you calling?" I whispered.

"You'll be here in five? Okay…great. Thanks… bye." He hung up the phone and looked at me smugly.

"Who did you just call?" I asked, his smug smile starting to make me nervous.

He didn't reply. Instead, his smile became even wider. I'd never seen Ishida smile so much at once. It was downright creepy. I jumped as my bedroom window popped open suddenly, Rukia slipping lithely onto my desk. Perching there, she eyed first me, and then Ishida, still standing in my bedroom doorway. "Okay, why am I here?" She asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Bollocks if I know," I said. "He's the one who called you," I said, pointing to Ishida. She stared at Ishida with a single-minded intensity.

"Rukia, look in Ichigo's suitcase." Ishida commanded.

Rukia looked at my suitcase warily. "Why, what's in it?"

"I just need you to tell me what you think of his shirts."

Rukia looked relieved. "Oh, I don't have to look at them to tell you what I think; I know every one of his shirts by heart."

Ishida looked at me triumphantly. "That is when you know you need to get some new clothes, my friend."

"If I agree to get new clothes after this trip, will you leave me alone?" I asked, throwing a few more shirts into my suitcase.

"That's all I needed to hear," Ishida said, already turning around and heading downstairs. "Thanks Rukia!" He called behind him.

"Why do I feel like I've just been used?" Rukia asked me.

"It's because you have, hun," I said while reaching around Rukia to grab my phone charger off of my desk.

She looked at me with a confused expression on her face, flushing slightly. "I should go," she said abruptly.

"What?" I asked. "You've only just gotten here; stay and relax for a while."

She tucked her legs up underneath her and crouched on my desk, preparing to jump back out of my window. "I need to finish packing too, so I really should go."

Seeing that she was about to jump, I impulsively grabbed her wrist, causing her to give me a confused look for the second time that night. "See you tomorrow?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Of course, dummy. I'm coming tomorrow morning so that I can head to the train station with you guys."

"Just making sure," I replied. Before I released her wrist, I stepped closer and tucked one of her errant strands of short black hair behind her ear, letting my hand linger on her cheek for a indulgent moment. "Be careful on your way home."

A brief smile fluttered on her lips, and she was gone.

After staring out the window after her for a moment, I sighed and turned around to resume my packing. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't notice Noba standing in my doorway for a few moments. When I looked up at him, I asked, "How long have you been standing there?"

I reply, he only nodded towards the window and said, "You're totally screwed."

I sighed. If only you knew how much.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry for the long break in between updates. I'm going to try and get a new chapter up every week, but we'll see how crazy life gets. Let me know what you think! I really appreciate your reviews and thoughts!