So I'm feeling a bit better and I'm on a roll with the story updates (well, sort of.. lol)!

Starting Over Again and Fairie Tales were updated just last week so you might wanna read up on those. XD

and please read important notice on the bottom...

And a huge thank you for those who greeted me via review! XD

xoxo Lexi1989

Previously:

"How about this, since you got two tickets, why don't we just make a quick appearance here and sneak out to catch Ruka and Tsubasa at the concert?" She offered.

"Sounds like a plan." He said with a smile.

He exited the vehicle and ran around to the passenger side to open the door for her.

"Thank you." She said meekly as she stepped out.

"Can I negotiate an entrance with hand holding?" He offered his hand and she took it.

"Let's go." She said with a smile.

CHAPTER 10: EVERYBODY CHANGES

Sumire couldn't help but frown upon seeing Mikan and Natsume enter the party premises hand in hand. She watched from the upstairs balcony where she was surveying the party scene, as they accepted drinks from Koko in the foyer and navigated their way around the rest of the people who were dancing to the music.

She spied Yuu, Anna and the rest of the elites at a table where Natsume and Mikan were headed over to and waited awhile before heading there herself. A plan was brewing in her mind, but she couldn't execute it just yet. It was still too early and she was lacking a few pawns to make her win this game of chess.

She had her head held high as she walked down the stairs leading to the party. Sumire Shouda was always proud of her stature. Her father was one of the biggest movie producers in the country, while her mother, a famous best-selling author of novels. They lived in a far bigger mansion than that of Reo Mori's or anyone in town. She was brought up with a golden spoon in her mouth. Most people would call her a spoiled brat, as she tended to have tantrums (during her middle school days) or bitch fits (now) when she wasn't getting her way.

She didn't used to be that way. They used to live in a different city before Sumire transferred to Alice High School. She was far kinder when she was in elementary school. Always generous with her friends. Always popular because of the nature of her parent's jobs. Everyone wanted to be near her. Boys and girls all gravitated towards her. But she learned that not everybody wants to be your friend because they like you. She eventually learned that most of the people that stuck to her was because they wanted to receive the perks of being the friend of the daughter of two famous people. And it hurt her. What's worse is she had no one to talk to about it.

Her parents were very busy people. But they also hosted a lot of parties. Anyone who was anyone wouldn't be caught dead ignoring an invitation from the famous Shoudas. They held big grandiose parties and events, not excluding Sumire's birthday. They would rent an amusement park for a day, exclusively for her. Have a giant birthday cake, mascots, and mountains of gifts. They were there, but never there. Physically present, but their minds busy on work. On the phone with publicists or agents, discussing work. Sumire had first been understanding of why her parents were almost never around or were around but couldn't spend time with her. Because without their work, she wouldn't have all that she was given.

She grew up in the company of nannies and butlers who didn't stick to the job long enough for her to know their names. She also didn't have any cousins, as both her parents were only children. She thrived in the attention of her "friends". She was in middle school when she eventually learned about how her friends only liked her because she was rich. Because she lived in a big house with a large Olympic sized pool and waterslide and had all the latest clothes and gadgets. It was no wonder that her friends always wanted to hang out at her house. But she took it all in stride, keeping it all to herself. Whenever she'd throw a temper tantrum, her friends were quick to apologize. But days after, it would be back to the way it was. It was a vicious cycle.

It was when her parents told her they needed to move that she decided she needed to shed the good girl persona she had and become someone different. A new town meant a new life, a new school, and a new personality. She became fierce and bitchy, deciding to take no bullshit from anyone who dared to defy her. She kept to herself until she became friends with Mikan and the elites, freshman year. She figured she would need to socialize to get to where she wanted to be. She wanted to be on top. And she schemed well into her high school years to ensure she got what she wanted.

The elites were like a big family, and she was one of them. They knew of her bitchy and sometimes tactless personality but they didn't judge her. She played the "best friend/sister" card towards Mikan. But down the road, she realized that Mikan was gaining more popularity than her. Her status as student council president confirmed that. Sumire wanted to be her. She didn't want to be the first runner up. And eventually she began to resent Mikan for it. Guys (pre-Natsume) would ask her out, or give her gifts, while steering clear of Sumire who was the big bitch in the group. She became jealous of Mikan. And that was why she was now scheming to take what she felt was rightfully hers.

"So, who are we nominating for Alice High Homecoming Queen and King?" Yura asked the group just as Sumire arrived.

"It's a no brainer guys.." Mikan gave Anna a meaningful look. They were all grouped together at a table reserved especially for them. She sat in between Natsume and Misaki. Yuu, Hotaru, Anna, and Yura were sitting on a couch across from them. Kitsuneme and Wakako were dancing along with Yuri and Reo and Sumire had just arrived and sat on the vacant seat next to Natsume.

"Oh no, no, no." The pinkette shook her head vehemently. "You guys know that I'm going abroad for a gap year once we graduate so I won't be able to come back and crown the new homecoming queen next year if I win."

"Then who should we pick? We should at least have one from our group." Yura looked at Misaki and Mikan. She knew Hotaru wasn't interested and didn't think Sumire was too.

"I know!" Misaki said excitedly, clapping her hands, earning the attention of the group.

"Let's nominate both Mikan and Natsume for queen and king!" Both shook their heads simultaneously while their friends discussed the idea.

"I don't think it's a good idea." Natsume said much to the dismay of the group.

"What's not a good idea?" Koko who'd finished passing out drinks slumped into a chair next to Sumire. "And what are we talking about here?" He said as he took a swig at his beer.

"Homecoming."

"Cool. And what is not a good idea?" Koko turned towards Natsume who was suddenly in the hotseat.

"Me being homecoming king."

"I think it's a cool idea! Don't you think so, Permy?" Koko placed an arm around Sumire who was seated beside him.

"Don't call me that!" Sumire said while shrugging off his arm from her shoulders. She scowled at him and Koko shivered.

"Jeez, don't get your panties in a twist Sumire." He joked.

"You have no effect on my panties whatsoever, shithead." She retorted. She wasn't in a laughing mood, all the more so that the elites were considering Mikan as their nominee for homecoming queen.

"Sumi! That's mean!" Mikan scolded her.

"Ugh, whatever." Sumire stood up and walked out from the room, leaving her friends gaping behind her.

"What's her problem?" Natsume whispered towards Mikan. The latter just shrugged saying she didn't know.

"Well, whatever it is, you girls can talk it out later. We need to go if we wanna catch that concert." He whispered in her ear.

To the average onlooker, it would seem like a sweet, flirtation between the new couple. And their friends all looked at them, smiling at each other, feeling happy that Mikan had finally found someone that could make her let loose, and just have fun.

It was a far cry from the Mikan they all knew. But in a good way. She was even better now. Still studious and dedicated to her commitments but less stiff. Ever since she started dating Natsume, she got the balance that her friends thought she desperately needed. And secretly, they were relieved that she wasn't so focused on getting Reo to go out with her. Reo was their friend and relatively a good guy, but they felt like she was far better off with Natsume now that they'd gotten to know him. At least that's how they thought it was. None of them ever knew that it was only for pretend.

That's what Mikan and Natsume thought to themselves too. That it was only pretend. A scam, as intended. But neither of them had prepared for the possibility that they might fall for each other. And it was only a matter of time before one or both of them did.

Mikan stood up and told the elites that they had to get going, getting hoots and cheers from the group.

"Looks like some lucky girl is getting some tonight!" Yura hollered, making Mikan blush and Natsume grin.

"Yeah, well this lucky girl has somewhere to be with me, so we're leaving now." He said good-naturedly. He put a hand on Mikan's back and guided her towards the exit where they encountered a slightly tipsy Yuri being assisted by Reo.

"Hey man, awesome party. But we gotta run." Natsume said.

"Is she alright?" Mikan looked concerned at Yuri's state, she was slightly disheveled and still green from throwing up what she drank.

"Yeah. Just a low alcohol tolerance. I'm setting her up in the guest room tonight." Reo said with a slight innuendo in his tone.

"Oh. Okay. Well, we gotta go now." Mikan hastily said goodbye to the couple, her mind preoccupied with what Reo said.

She was quiet on the ride to the concert which didn't escape Natsume's observation. She was gazing out the window, her mind lost in thought.

"You alright?" He asked, taking a quick glance at her before taking his eyes back on the road.

"I'm fine." She said with a smile, trying to dismiss her thoughts.

She couldn't help but still feel jealous of Yuri being Reo's girlfriend. But at the same time she felt guilty when she looked at Natsume. She was supposed to be his girlfriend. Well, at least to the eyes of those around them. She couldn't quite explain why she felt guilty when they both agreed it was all for show. So that she wouldn't look like a fool, dateless during the Gold Homecoming Ceremony.

She suddenly thought of the kiss she and Natsume shared at the beach. She'd meant it as a way to help him back then, but she'd felt something when he kissed her back. A spark. She wondered if he felt it too and was tempted to talk about it with him. But then she reminded herself that he was doing this to make Luna jealous. And that eventually he would try to win Luna back. She wondered why even just the thought of him going back to Luna made him jealous. She wasn't supposed to feel this with him, right?

The party was getting boring. Reo had brought Yuri upstairs since she wasn't feeling so hot after drinking. Sumire had walked out after acting all bitchy and Natsume and Mikan had left a few minutes ago. The rest of the elites had partnered up and were either dancing or still drinking. Hotaru felt bored and logged on to FRIENDCHAT on her phone.

Somehow she felt disappointed that there wasn't any message from Lapin Garcon. Granted, she didn't know the guy, but somehow talking to him seemed to put her at ease. She entered the general chatroom and was bombarded with greetings from the regulars she had known. She searched the list of users only to find that Lapin Garcon was offline.

She wanted to slap herself for getting so attached to a specific person. And worse, to someone she didn't even know personally. She wasn't really a person known to have such deep emotional attachments to her friends. She cared about them, yes. But she was nicknamed in school as the "Ice Queen" for a reason. Maybe it was the fact that he didn't know who she was that made her so impulsive in being so open with him. She even told him about her suspicions about Mikan and Natsume sans names. But the fact that she had brazenly told him that was something she knew she wanted nobody would expect. She didn't even expect it herself.

She stood up and went to the food table, piling up some seafood appetizers on her plate. She looked calm and collected on the outside but deep inside she was conflicted. She tried to rationalize her actions but couldn't come up with a logical explanation except for the anonymity that made her so attached to this guy.

And as if just thinking about him made him aware, her phone beeped, indicating a message had come in on the app.

Lapin Garcon: Hey guys!

She restrained herself from being the first to reply. She let the others greet him first and made it appear like she didn't care that he was online.

Miss_U: Hey LG!

SkaterDUDE: Duuuude.. Wer u at?

She hastily typed in a "hi" in response. She figured he knew this "SkaterDUDE" since most of their general chats gave off the impression that they knew each other in real life.

Lapin Garcon: I'm just logging in to find SkaterDUDE. SD you doofus. I'm at the entrance.

Her observation was on point and for the moment, her seafood platter remained untouched.

Miss_U: Awww, you guys make such a cute couple… XD

SkaterDUDE: Eeeeew Miss_U how could you say such a thing. I would never hook up with LG. I am a straight man! We just going to a concert tonight. LG over here wanted to buy something from the souvenir shop and got lost in the throng of people.. sheesh

This spiked up her interest so she waited for LG's response.

Lapin Garcon: Hey, I'm not the guy that said "Duuuude, there's some hot chicks over at the concession stand. Let's go there!" *Rolling eyes emoji*

Chantage: So you two know each other in real life, yes?

She didn't know why she had to ask such a stupid question with an already obvious answer. She really wasn't thinking clearly.

SkaterDUDE: YES!

Lapin Garcon: NO. I don't like people who ditch me for girls.

SkaterDUDE: Dude, that's so harsh, :( and like so gay… Are you really that in love with me and N?

Chantage: Who's N?

Lapin Garcon: Another friend of ours who ditched me for a girl. And In your dreams, you doofus, hurry up and get to the entrance, concert's about to start.

Chantage: So you guys are all together right now?

She kept on telling herself that her curiosity just got piqued. There was nothing special about her asking.

SkaterDUDE: No, N had boyfriend duties so it's just me and LG here for boy's night!

Miss_U: Which concert are you at?

She let out the breath she was holding when Miss_U asked the question. She was that close to typing it herself.

SkaterDUDE: Babymetal! \m/

Miss_U: Really?

SkaterDUDE: Yep, it's LG's favorite band!

Lapin Garcon: Dudddeeee.. not cool..

Chantage: Why not? It's a rock metal band right?

Miss_U: Well, it's kinda Metal meets Jpop… lol LG, you got some weird taste in music

SkaterDUDE: It's his guilty pleasure. The tickets have been sold out for months!

Miss_U: Omigosh, for real? Those tickets must've cost a bunch.

Lapin Garcon: Yeah, well SD & N bought tickets for me for my BDAY. Anyways, I gotta run. Chat w/ u guys later! SD I'm at Gate 3 with the tickets. If you don't hurry up imma leave ur behind behind XD

SkaterDUDE: Noooooooooo. Wait 4 me. Almst there. GTG Miss_U, Chantage, it's been a pleasure chatting. TTFN!

What prompted her to search for the band and concert dates on the internet, she had yet to determine. Much more so, when Anna noticed what she was doing and asked about it. Hotaru Imai never lies. It was against her nature to do so. So when caught in that particular situation, she chose to take the high road. She said nothing and left the party with a destination in mind. Her search results informed her that the band was in her town. Imagine that. The guy she was chatting with was from the same town and most likely from the same school. She didn't break a sweat on the short run from Reo's house to her car.

Hotaru Imai was in top form.

She was a girl on a mission.

She desperately wanted to know who this Lapin Garcon was.

Natsume looked at Mikan, gazing out the window in the passenger seat of his car. She was silent again. Lost in her own thoughts, in her own world. He couldn't ignore the look of sadness that he could see in her eyes.

"You alright?" He asked her.

"I'm fine." She said with a quick smile before turning back to the window.

He let her be, lost in his own thoughts while keeping his eyes on the road. It was still an hour to go before they could reach the stadium where the concert was being held, and they'll probably miss the opening act. But he wasn't thinking about that now. He was thinking about the girl sitting next to him. And how, for the first time in a long, long time, he was finally seeing her as she was to other people.

He thought about how Reo was a fool to let her slip through his hands. He thought about how he would feel after all this was over. Once the Homecoming Dance ended. How would he feel about not being around her again? He didn't have an answer to that just yet. But thinking about it made his heart sink. And to think he used to loathe this girl. How he used to feel like she was a highbrow, self-serving, snob with attitude.

He thought about his turning point in the summer before middle school started. Her family visited everyday even before his mother died. But seeing his mother lose her life slowly that summer changed him. He hated it. She was slowly dying in his eyes and he couldn't handle it. He loved his mother very much even if he was as stubborn as she was and never said it often. When his mom died. He just broke down. He stopped talking to his father. He stopped talking to everyone including Mikan.

Mikan would go to their house everyday and ask him if he was okay. And would tell him that she was there for him no matter what. It came to a point that the mere sight of her would annoy him. He would look out his window and see her in her yard gardening with her mother who looked perfectly healthy. And he resented her for that. He resented why his mother had to die while others had to live.

He started to distance himself from Mikan that summer. He spent most of it holed up in his room, just staring at the ceiling, letting his anger at the world fester. When school started, he started skipping classes, and his grades started to dip. A month passed before Mikan decided to intervene. She'd kept on worrying about him and told his father who grounded him.

He remembered that day when his father made him do chores in the yard and Mikan approached him from her side of the fence. He winced as he recalled how harsh his words had been to her that day.

"Natsume-kun?" She said tentatively as she watched him rake the leaves scattered in the yard.

He didn't acknowledge her presence since he was still angry at her, even more so now that she had told his dad about his behavior in school.

"Nat, I'm worried about you. Talk to me." Her voice was quivering and she was close to tears.

He turned to her, his demeanor cold and unfeeling. And then he said the words that he now regretted.

"Don't talk to me ever again. You're not my friend. Not anymore. I hate you Mikan Sakura Yukihira."

"Why are you like that Nat? What did I do to you?"

He refused to answer the question and turned away from her. And ever since that day, she tried for at least a week to speak to him. When that didn't bear any results, she stopped trying altogether. They refused to speak to each other despite attempts from both their parents.

She would barely acknowledge his presence in school. She hung out with a new crowd and so did he, and slowly, their friendship had crumbled and they became strangers to each other.

As he glanced at the brunette sitting next to him, he was feeling relieved, no scratch that, glad that they were neither enemies nor strangers to each other anymore. He couldn't explain it but the thought of going back to Luna after all this was done and going back to the life he led didn't seem to be so exciting to him anymore. If that was even a possibility. Luna seemed to have moved on with her life. And the sad thing was, it didn't bother him that much anymore.

"Mikan?" He started to say and from the corner of his eye, he saw her turn towards him.

"Yeah?" She looked at him with expectant eyes.

"I –" Suddenly his throat felt constricted and he didn't know what to say.

He wanted to say that he was happy with her right now. He wanted to apologize for his shitty behavior from before. He wanted to say a lot of things. But he couldn't. Because he was afraid.

Afraid of rejection. Of ridicule. Of being alone.

He had her now but who's to say she would understand how he felt. He didn't even understand it wholly either. He didn't know if the way he felt right now is the result of them spending time together almost all the time recently and was just a phase. Like in those TV Shows like Big Brother or The Bachelor. He didn't have the answers and he didn't want to risk something he wasn't sure of. And she wasn't giving him any indication that she wanted anything more out of this stupid scam. That thought brought him back to the reality that maybe this was all there was to it. They get together, pretend to go out, take Mikan to the dance, get Luna back, and then they go their separate ways.

"What is it, Nat?" She nudged him since it appeared like he was spacing out.

"Nothing. I forgot." He scratched his head at his pathetic excuse and she seemed disappointed but just let it go. If she'd pushed him a bit further, it would have given him hope to continue what he was starting to say.

He turned on the radio to ease the silence in the car. The song playing doing nothing to pacify his thoughts.

~So little time~

~Try to understand that I'm~

~Trying to make a move just to stay in the game~

~I try to stay awake and remember my name~

~But everybody's changing~

~And I don't feel the same.~

Both of them had loads on their minds. But neither of them had the courage to talk to one another about it. Even if unbeknownst to them, they had each other on their minds.

END OF CHAPTER 10

So to make up for my quite shorter previous chapters, this one is longer and shows how much the characters of the story have changed so far ;)

Song exceprt from Keane's 'Everybody Changes'.. not mine never will be..

YoNaMe – Thank you! Hope you enjoy this chappie!

Anilissa – Haha well yeah, I'm an "anything goes" kind of person when it comes to music. Depending on my mood. And when I saw their videos and listened to their songs I was like "Whoaaaa…" hahaha.. And I guess it's hard to imagine them as Ruka's favorite band but hey, as suggested in the chapter – everyone has a guilty pleasure ;)

newroz – Thank you dear! And I'm feeling better now :D

SunBabyBoss – That's something to look forward to in the next chappie. ;) enjoy this one though!

ToukaKaneki Ulle – Thankies! And yeah I wish that for myself too.. haha but I will try my best. With this new thing I do at work it's kinda hard to write now and when I get home I'm too tired to write so usually I do this on weekends or at free/lunch time at work ;)

Katherine Amara – Hope your lappie is ok now.

JZ56 – I know right? But will they get together? Looks like they're having second thoughts on any confessions to each other.. Haha stay tuned to find out!

Derp1Derp2 – Well the extra ticket was specifically for Luna since Natsume and Tsubasa bought the tickets months in advance, but since Luna and Natsume broke up, he's taking Mikan instead. Will Luna be there? Maybe, maybe not.. find out in the next chapter ;)

pennYnnep – Thankies! And I appreciate your patience a lot. I know you've been following most of my stories and I thank you for that too! Thank you for being an awesome follower! :*

badasschick404 – I hope exams went well and thankies for the compliments. I can relate when you say you haven't been on forever, I've been on but sporadically and writing is an even bigger struggle haha. #TheStruggleIsReal lol.. enjoy this update!

Chocoluv4869 – Thanks! And well while this chapter has a flashback of what happened that made them grow apart I may have small flashback inserts of the times they were younger and still got along. Probably in the next couple of chapters. XD

N Risa – Ruka is acting like a jealous girlfriend haha. And since the last one is short, I hope this is enough to keep you satiated for now on this story ;)

deviedra - well let's see how Ruka and Tsubasa feel once they see Natsume and Mikan at the concert ;)

Guest – Inspired by "Drive Me Crazy" .. yes.. with my own twists and turns. You may notice some familiar lines from the movie, but this has an entirely different plot line even if the start resembles a same story flow :) glad to see someone who's familiar with the 90's-2000s chick flicks on the fandom

Lychiis – the first part of this chappie answers your thoughts about Sumire, but what will happen? Stay tuned to find out ;)

IMPORTANT UPDATE:

I am deleting my latest story "Time After Time".

As much as I don't want to do it, I am actually having some issues with the story flow and realized the story isn't going the way I wanted it to be. I will be either updating/revising it or replacing it all together (I am still thinking about it but leaning towards replacing it). I'm not really good at the sci-fi stuff. I enjoy reading it but I think I'm gonna cut my losses with this one and move on. And with the limited time I have now with writing, I feel like it's a better move to make than making a half-hearted attempt at the story.

YoNaMe, don't worry I'm replacing it with a different RukaRu fic so stay tuned for that. :*

So story cycle update:

Secrets - Fairie Tales - Starting Over Again - The Scam

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Ja Ne!

xoxo Lexi1989