Mikan pov

"Do you know where he is?" I said into Natsume's ear, thankful that I didn't need to shout and damage my vocal cords even more. "Nope." He took another swig from his beer.

Sighing, I sipped mine too, not liking it much any longer. I grimaced. Natsume suddenly took me by the wrist and pulled me into the kitchen. He placed his beer down on a counter, popped a can of soda, then lifted the bottle out of my palm and replaced it with the Sprite, closing my fingers around it. "You shouldn't drink beer," he said in a stern tone.

"Especially not in this place." Yeah, I didn't want to end up someone's groping puppet, like most of the other drunken girls. Thankful for the Sprite, I washed away the bitter aftertaste of the Corona in my mouth.

"You did really well today." A smile slipped to his lips. "I was lousy. And you know it. I still don't get why you chose me to play in your team." Shrugging, he drank from my discarded bottle. "I don't know. Maybe I just want you there." Jeez, the teasing in his voice made the hair on my arms stand on end. "Do a little endurance training every day, and you'll be a capable player." I screwed up at athletics. I even tried jogging a few mornings at the beginning of this summer to get in a better shape, but it didn't work for me.

Half a mile was the most I could manage before trudging back home, panting and frustrated. "I guess I'm lacking motivation to do that. I'm like a lame duck at running." "What you need is a personal trainer." That made me laugh. "You want the job?" Natsume pursed his lips and studied me for a moment as though I had just offered him good money for stinking work.

He shrugged. "Sure, why not? If you promise to show some enthusiasm, I promise to be there." That sounded like an interesting offer. After all, I had to work on my endurance if I wanted to last during an entire soccer game. I certainly didn't want to give redhead any more ammunition to use against me, especially if I broke down after the first half.

Her satisfaction would ruin me. And Ruka needed to see I was fit for more than just playing stupid video games with him. Yeah. Training, it is. Strangely enough, the thought of having Natsume coaching me sent a shiver of anticipation through me. He was the captain of the soccer team. It felt like an honor to personally train with him, and it sure would lift my status at school from average to super cool. "Okay, deal."

He gave a slow nod. "We'll start Monday morning." Great. That meant suicide was delayed one more day. His gaze locking with mine promised I wouldn't entirely regret my decision. Someone shouted his name behind me.

"We're starting a game of pool. Are you in?" Natsume pushed away from the counter. "There in a sec." Then he ran the cool mouth of his bottle along my cheek. "Enjoy the night. And whatever you do, stay away from the strawberries."

Dumbstruck, I stood rooted to the spot as he brushed past me and walked away, chuckling. I swallowed a huge swig of Sprite to cool down. Anna came in at that moment. Her face lit up when her gaze fell on me. She rushed over. "Hey, what do you say? Now we're both on the team. And honestly—" She paused, and her eyes darted left then right to make sure we were alone in the room. Her voice dropped a notch, too.

"I've never seen a prettier house than this. I wanted to come to Hyugga's parties for ages, but he never noticed me in school. I think he didn't even know my name until I told him at the tryouts." "Yeah, me too."

Or so I thought until I found out he actually knew my name yesterday.

"Will you wear your sports clothes for training or get a real soccer jersey?" Anna seemed so excited, I couldn't understand her enthusiasm. What girl would voluntarily play soccer? Well, if there wasn't a guy on the team she wanted to recognize her anyway.

I shrugged. "No idea. Think I'll start with what I have. Just shorts and a tee. Anything else is too expensive to buy with my allowance." And no way would I wear those horrible shoes with spikes on their soles. But the outfit was nothing that really concerned me. "Listen, did you see Ruka anywhere this evening?"

"Not after you came in with him earlier. Why?"

"Haven't seen him much. I just wonder where he is." I threw my empty soda can in the trash and pulled an apologetic face. "Mind if I go looking for him?"

Anna was cool. "Do that. I'll find you later."

I went back into the hall and wandered around the ground floor, hoping to find Ruka somewhere. But the shoving and bumping of sweat-drenched people soon got on my nerves, and I kept closer to the walls instead. When I reached an arch leading to another room, I peeked inside. No blond caught my eye. My shoulders slumped with disappointment. But then a few guys shifted to the side, and I spotted a pool table and someone leaning over it in an eye-catching way.

By now I was pretty good at recognizing Natsume's black hair.

He held the cue low over the green felt, aiming the tip at the white ball. Some colored balls fanned out on the table too, but as it looked he was going for the black eight.

"Come on, Natsume, give a friend a chance. You can't hole the ball just yet."

I pivoted to the left to see who was pleading with Hunter. I didn't know the tall boy's name, but the look on his face was hilarious. One would think his life depended on Natsume's hit or miss.

"What's your problem, Kie?" Still working on positioning the cue perfectly, Natsume grinned. "Afraid, your mama's going to find out you're playing for money?"

Just then I noticed the stack of dollar bills at the edge of the table. They seemed to have a sum of about one hundred bucks in the pot. My jaw dropped. Fifty from each? I didn't get half as much pocket money in one month.

"My mama doesn't give a damn. But I really, really need this Spiderman comic. It's an original," Kie whined.

I felt really bad for him. Intrigued how the game would end, I moved around the edge of the wall and stood facing Natsume across the room. Narrowed eyes and knitted brows gave away how tense he was. The cue moved backward just a couple of inches. He'd shoot any moment.

But then his dark eyes looked up…and remained fixed on me. His body froze, only his chest moved with each breath. Heads turned in my direction. My heart drummed a little faster, and with all the attention, my cheeks warmed uncomfortably.

I grimaced. "Is something wrong?"

Natsume didn't answer, but Kie victory-punched the air as he rushed to my side. He laid his arm around my shoulders, grinning like a loon. "You just saved my life, hun."

"Ah…yes." My gaze switched back to Hunter. "And how so?"

He started grinning, too, but didn't seem as happy as the guy next to me. More like he knew crap was about to fall.

"He can't play when someone's watching him," Kie almost sang into my ear. "Totally screws up then."

"But you all are watching him," I pointed out.

At the back of the room, someone laughed. "Yeah, but we're not girls."

Chuckling, Natsume straightened and chalked the tip of his cue, lips tight, eyes set on me. Although my being there obviously amused him, I didn't want to trouble him, especially where money had a hand in the pie.

"Sorry," I croaked. "I'll leave you guys alone then."

"Uh-uh, no way, hun!" Kie's arm remained firm around my shoulders. "You're my insurance to get that comic book. You stay."

His antics made me laugh, even though I felt like a traitor.

Natsume, who hadn't said one word in all that time, slid his tongue over his bottom lip, then the left corner of his mouth tilted up. He took a deep breath and leaned over the table once more. Everyone kept silent. Kie crossed his fingers next to my face, no doubt praying for Natsume's miss.

I never thought a single shot could get an entire room this tense. Including me. Natsume cleared his throat, his gaze moving back and forth between me and the white ball. Suddenly he dropped his forehead to the edge of the table and laughed. "Take your money, Kie. I give up."

The room cheered as though the unthinkable had just happened. Kie pressed a kiss to my cheek and hurried to grab the bills. I stood rooted to the spot, staring at Natsume, who now braced his palms on the pool table and hung his head. But when he looked up, there was a flash of amusement in his eyes again.

"I'm so sorry," I mouthed, not even trying to raise my voice over the other guys' celebration.

"You are banned from this room," he mouthed back, a smirk on his lips. Then he walked around the table, slowly, measuring me with each step he took. I pressed a little harder against the wall, welcoming the coolness seeping through my top.

He stopped right in front of me, the cue in one hand, the other placed against the wall next to my head. "You just cost me fifty bucks," he drawled with a smile.

"Yeah, I know." I put on a sad puppy look. "But he really, really needs this comic book."

That made him laugh. "Siding with the enemy. I should have known." With his hand on my back, he ushered me through the arch in the wall, back into the main hall. "For tonight, this room is off limits for you."

"Oh why?" Playfully pouting, I glanced up at his roguish eyes. "It's so much fun to watch you…screw up."

He didn't let his smile slip as he leaned in a little closer. "Off you go."