Author's note: Have you ever read a book, understanding the deepest of its meanings only after reading it twice? I just read Love, Stargirl today for the second time since six months ago when I first bought it. It was gathering dust in my huge book case, so I pulled it out to clean its cover. I was worried that the pages would yellow. I opened it, and I saw a small piece of paper wedged unwittingly somewhere between page 182 and 183. I read the piece of paper and I found myself crying. Written on the piece of paper were two initials: M and A, with a small pink heart drawn between. It was a bitter sweet moment.

The next day, I read the book the whole day. :D And I fell in love with it; its meaning, its story, and its soft innocence. Only when I got to read it twice did I feel it's meaning resonate in me, and it humbled me completely.

That's why I want everyone to read that Stargirl and Love, Stargirl. It's definitely a slap in the face for every teenager in the world.

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WARNING:This chapter contains a swear word that most children would not appreciate. Please, cover their eyes.

Scherherazade: Ah, I see I need to explain some things. Her father being ill is a big and significant part of the story, and you will see why in chapter twenty-seven. Haruhi was willing to work for the money, but NOT for the whole shebang. After all, I already mentioned in the past chapters that she has enough pride to fill a country. She won't work at the Ootori Group as said in chapter nineteen:

"I certainly wouldn't like to work for you, senpai," I said, undeniable amusement in my tone. He smirked at me.

"If you do decide to work for me, Haruhi, I would have to fire you immediately," he said. I raised my eyebrows.

"And why is that?" I asked fiercely. He stopped and turned to me, releasing my arm as he did.

"Because I am quite sure that if you did, I wouldn't be able to—"he stopped. His eyes contracted and he sighed.

"You wouldn't be able to… What?" I asked, willing for him to finish. He cleared his throat and shook his head.

"It's nothing," he said. I scoffed.

Danielle Winters: That Momo guy isn't going to appear in the fan fic ever again. He was just a nice extra to show everyone Kyouya's jealous side.

AH, crap, wish me luck, guys. I'm going to take the entrance/ admissions test to UP or University of the Philippines later. And I think I need to hurl.

REVIEW!

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TWENTY-FIVE

"We need to talk."

I looked up, surprised to see manager—Takemoto Ayatsumi-san—towering over me as I bent to arrange the beauty products near the counter. Her face was unreadable, and yet her arms were crossed in a disappointed sort of way.

"Ah, manager, what is it?" I asked after I finished pricing the bottle of lotion—it was 700 yen, quite inexpensive. I stood up and wiped my hands on the back of my jeans.

"I should have known, but really, Haruhi, I thought you were kidding…" muttered Ayatsumi-san, shaking her head. I stared, unable to comprehend her words.

"I don't—"

"You really don't want to go to college?" she asked, her eyebrows contracted. I sighed. I should have known this would pop up sooner or later.

"I do, but like I said, we don't have the funds for college," I said, and then added nonchalantly, "And by the way, all the money that I work for goes to my father's operation."

"I know, but haven't you considered going abroad for college?" she asked, grinning sadly. She looked like she wanted to say, "Just let Kyouya pay for the operation, and use the money to go abroad to study!", but held her tongue. I told her about Kyouya-senpai's offer a few days ago. When she asked why the hell I didn't take his offer, I told her the same reason that I gave everyone else: I didn't want it to be an act of charity.

"Abroad? I can barely get through a different city anymore," I said tempestuously. Ayatsumi-san put a hand on my shoulder, and I looked up at her. She grinned at me.

"Haruhi, are you stupid?" she asked. I raised both of my eyebrows, surprised.

"No, I don't think so—"

"Are you an idiot?"

"Well, I try not to be—"

"Do you want your father to die because of my stupid idiotic pride?"

"Hey, that's below the belt, manager," I whispered, even though her words stabbed me right in the heart. She was right, but I couldn't bear to admit it.

"But you know I'm right," she replied to my comment. I didn't answer as I looked away, so she sighed and lifted my chin so that I couldn't look away. And then, without warning or even the slightest second of chance, she slapped me right at the side of my cheeks. I stared at her, jolting shock etched on my face. Ayatsumi-san didn't look away, but neither did she look sorry.

"Haruhi," she said, crossing her arms, her usual look of stern annoyance returning, "Why do you let your pride get in the way? Can't you see? That answer to all your problems, the antiphon to your hard work, the justification that indeed, you do not need to be alone… is Kyouya."

"But…"

"Just shut up, Haruhi, and let the boy help you! I haven't seen him face-to-face yet, I haven't heard him speak, but somehow I can tell, this 'Kyouya' of yours is head-over-heels in love with you! And the fact that you don't let him do this would only mean that you are rejecting his love. And obviously—you are just too fucking dense to see it—you are head-over-heels in love with him too," she said, pointing her long, lizard green painted nails ate me. I blushed crimson and shook my head quickly.

"No, no, it's not like that—"

"Please, just think about it, Haruhi. It's for your own good too, use your money to get a full-time scholarship abroad and let the boy pay for your father's operation. I gather he doesn't even need to pay, since he owns the hospital," said Ayatsumi-san crossly, almost angrily. I sighed and shook my head; there was obviously no reasoning with her.

"I haven't seen him for quite some time, you know, he probably isn't going to help me anymore," I said, forcing a smile on my face as an old woman who entered the drugstore grinned toothlessly at me.

"How long?" she asked after she helped the old lady with her meds. She put her hands on her hips and glared at me, though it was more of a leer.

I stared at the ground. How long exactly?

The last time I saw him was after our trip in the mountains. We all had lunch in a barrio over the beach, but I barely had time to speak with him. Somehow, I knew that he wanted to talk to me, or at least had something to say, but since the Host Club was on our tails the rest of the trip, it was almost impossible to even talk for a few seconds straight.

After the trip, they brought me to the hospital, where I stayed the rest of the day talking to the doctors and nurses. I haven't seen him since then.

So, how long was it exactly?

"Five days," I said, blushing again. Ayatsumi-san trudged on over to me, her eyes wide.

"Wait, you think five days is a long time?" she asked, her voice loud. I looked to my right to see the old woman grinning, obviously eves-dropping.

"Ah, don't say it—"I started, knowing full well that she was about to say something about the 'L' word again.

"I knew it, you're definitely in love with him," she said, smirking, and then she added, "And if you can't see it, then Haruhi, you're not as intelligent as I first thought you were."

And with that, she turned away, her butt swaying meticulously.

--

It was true, if I were to count the money in the bank, I would have enough for a plane ticket and a visa, but not enough for my father's operation. It was the 11th day, and tomorrow, should my dad wake up, the operation will be undergone. I was completely tired, and yet my final job had to be done. I swept the park at night.

It was a dangerous job, for I was spending my time alone in the almost unlit park avenues. The moon was unpredictable that night, for it peeked out of the dark clouds every few seconds. And when it disappeared, the park would soon be plunged into unimaginable darkness, and if that happens, I would stop working and I would wait, hearing my breath shudder in my throat.

Finally, I was done. I closed my eyes as I sat near on a cold metal park bench; my hands were shaking and calloused from work. The chilly air did nothing to comfort me.

I suddenly heard someone sit next to me, and I opened my eyes. I could feel an absurd feeling of hope—hope that it was a certain black haired man with a pair of eyeglasses perched sinisterly on his nose. But of course, to my disappointed, it was a woman.

She sat next to me, but her eyes too were closed. Her hair was short and deep black, falling softly below her chin in ringlets. I noticed that her skin was fairer than I. She wore a stark white dress with long sleeves that made her look illuminated in the darkness. I suddenly felt conscious of my clothes and possibly my worth as I looked down on my red cleaner's uniform.

"You can take a picture, if you want," she spoke suddenly. I blinked and turned away, flushing in embarrassment. Was I staring that long that she noticed it behind her long lashes eyelids?

"I'm sorry, I'm just surprised that someone would still be here at this hour," I said, quietly. The girl laughed and looked at me, but I couldn't see her eyes very well in the dark. But they were bright enough, as if she got just got enough rest to last her lifetime, which was not the case for me at all.

"I see," she said softly. "Well, I guess that's reasonable as it is already after ten."

I nodded and she turned away.

"Well, I think I have to get going now. I have to go see my dad at the Ootori General… Do you know how to get to the exit?" I asked, a little worried in some way that something would happen to her since it was almost midnight.

"Oh yes, my body guards are roaming the park now, and they should be back here for me in a minute or so," she said, winking at me.

I sighed inwardly. Why did people here need body guards, anyway?

"Oh wait," she said loudly as I turned away. I looked at her and she was next to me. I noticed that I was about five inches below her, and she wasn't wearing heels. "You said the Ootori General… Do you, by any chance, know an Ootori about my age?"

I blinked. She looked like she was in her twenties, so she was probably talking about Kyouya-senpai's older brothers.

"Yes, I do actually," I replied, and she grinned widely, "But I am not fully acquainted."

"Ah, alright… You see, I haven't seen him for a long time, and I wanted to catch up with him, but since that's the case, I guess I'll go look for him myself," she said gradually and then she turned to her left as a burly man—probably one of her body guards—stood near the trees. "Well, I have to go now. Nice to meet you…?"

"Fujioka Haruhi," I said, stunned as she bent to kiss me on my cheek. And with that, she left, her white dress billowing in the night air.

I sighed and turned away. I really didn't understand why every single person I knew had a limousine, a body guard and had the personality and aura of a celebrity. Was a doomed to be stuck with the rich and famous?

As I walked to the hospital, I realized that I didn't know her name at all.

But somehow, though she was a complete stranger, it felt as if I knew her from somewhere.

I just didn't know where.

Author's note: Okay, now you all might be asking, what the heck is going on with the story? What will we expect in the next fifteen chapters (yes, you read right, fifteen chapters to go!)?

Well, I won't divulge much, but I guess some would be obvious. So I'll answer you in question:

Will Haruhi finally admit that she is in love with Kyouya? Will Kyouya finally admit that he is in love with Haruhi? Will Ranka finally come out of his coma? Or will something happen to him before it's too late? Will someone get between our budding couple? Is it Koizumi, Tamaki, Hikaru or someone new?

Will there be more surprising twists? YES YES YES!

Please review!