Chapter Eighteen

Dangerous texts

"I think he just ate a couple of bites tonight, so the alcohol went to his head too fast," Takashi said, sighing.

Between Sakura and Takashi, they laid Syaoran down on his bed.

"I'm sure the teachers heard the knocking. It won't be long before they come upstairs and search the rooms," muttered another of the boys who stayed in the room, going to peek out the door with Takashi.

Sakura looked at her best friend, who was now laughing his ass off.

"Why were you punching the wall like you were crazy?" she asked angrily.

Syaoran stopped laughing and frowned.

"Because I hate him. I want to go after him and hit him," he growled through his teeth.

"Who?"

"Haruko."

Sakura opened her eyes wide in surprise.

"And why do you want to hit Tomoyo's cousin? You don't even know him," she answered.

"Because I know what he's up to with you."

"What?"

"I've seen the way he looks at you, it's the way I look at girls I'm just interested in for a quick shag... and I won't let him do that, you're not a one-night stand," Syaoarn said, clenching his fists.

"You're drunk and you're talking nonsense," Sakura replied.

He snorted in annoyance.

"It's not nonsense. I know perfectly well how those kind of guys are, because sometimes I'm like them. He wants a crazy night with you and nothing more."

Sakura folded her arms.

"You're wrong, we talk more and more and I think he really likes me."

"I hope you're right and I'm wrong, but I'm quite sure about it," Syaoran sighed.

"You don't have to defend me. If he really tries something like that, I'll be able to set him straight, don't worry," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I hope so, or I'll have to kill him," he growled, pissed off.

Sakura couldn't help but chuckle.

"How silly you get when you drink... you look like a little boy."

"Yee leek leek e lettle bey," Syaoran repeated in a high-pitched voice, mocking Sakura.

They both laughed loudly, until Syaoran stopped and stared at Sakura.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, giggling.

"You're beautiful...you know that, don't you?"

Sakura rolled her eyes again and tapped her friend on the shoulder affectionately.

"Stay calm and don't get upset over stupid things, okay?"

He nodded, smiling.

His phone rang, he had a new message. Syaoran took it out and started to read it while Sakura got up to leave the room.

"It's Meiling..." he mumbled under his breath.

Sakura turned to look at him.

"Be careful what you do, Syaoran. She's been drinking too, and since you're answering her messages, she thinks you're willing to go back to her."

Syaoran grimaced.

"What? No, I don't want that."

"Then stop answering her."

"I don't know what I'm doing... Can you take my phone tonight? I don't want to do something that I'll regret later," Syaoran asked her, sighing.

Sakura approached him again.

"Sure, I'll keep it for you if you want. Won't you go crazy when you wake up and can't find it? You're so drunk, you won't remember any of this tomorrow," she said, chuckling.

"Then write me a message and remind me."

Sakura covered her mouth to keep from laughing.

"Syaoran... if I'll have your phone, how do you plan to read that message?"

He hit his face with a hand and started to laugh.

"Oh, Yes... I'm so drunk."

Sakura put her friend's phone in her trousers pocket and smiled.

"Try to sleep. See you tomorrow," she said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you for coming to take care of me," Syaoran murmured, hugging the pillow.

"Sakura, go away! the teachers are coming!" Takashi shouted.

"You always take care of me, it was my turn to return the favour," Sakura replied before running away.

When she returned to her room, Sakura saw that Meiling and Chiharu were arguing.

"What's wrong?" she asked, walking towards them.

"I want to call Syaoran, but she won't let me!" Meiling growled.

"It's not a good idea. if he hasn't answered your messages, there must be a reason. Don't grovel, Meiling," said Chiharu, who was holding her friend's mobile phone and raising it in the air so Meiling couldn't take it.

Sakura tensed. If she called Syaoran, the phone in her pocket was going to ring and that would be really hard to explain. She ran into the bathroom while Meiling managed to retrieve her phone, closed the door and pulled out Syaoran's mobile phone, unlocking it and hitting the off button.

She sighed in relief when she saw the screen go completely black. Sakura put it back into her pocket and went back out into the room, walking over to her suitcase and slipping the phone into it slyly.

"He's turned it off," Meiling shrieked angrily.

"You see? That's because he doesn't want to talk to you, stop insisting," Chiharu said.

Sakura lay down on her bed and looked at the ceiling. Too many things had happened that night. Her four friends also went to bed and turned off the light.

The next day, they were all together in the hotel dining room having breakfast. When it was over, Sakura got up and walked over to the table where Syaoran was sitting with his friends.

She leaned close to his ear and whispered "I have something for you."

He turned and gave her a smile.

"I think I suspect what it is."

She responded to his smile and pulled Syaoran's phone out of her trousers pocket, making sure Meiling and the others didn't see her do it.

"Thank you for last night, Sakura. And I'm sorry for the show," Syaoran whispered, looking into her eyes.

She shook her head, smiling.

"It doesn't matter. Do you really think Haruko only wants me for a night?"

Syaoran pursed his lips, nodding.

"In that case, he'll have nothing from me," she added, narrowing her eyes.

Her friend smiled mischievously.

"If it turns out the way I think it will... I'd love to see his face at that moment."

"I'll describe it to you," Sakura said.

They both laughed and Sakura said goodbye, returning to the table with her roommates.

The teachers were pissed because they had caught several students out of their rooms the night before, and they had also found some bottles of alcohol in their things, so they had punished them all to return early to Tomoeda and not to spend that day visiting Kyoto.

They all packed up their clothes and left the hotel, amid complaints. They got back on the bus and Sakura waited for Syaoran, who sat with her again. She used him as a pillow like the day before, and the two slept until they reached Tomoeda.

As they got off, they saw that on one side of the square was Eriol, riding his motorbike. Sakura and Syaoran approached to greet him, followed by Tomoyo, Chiharu and Takashi.

Sakura smiled at Eriol and he smiled back. They were finally comfortable being around each other again, even though they weren't as confident as before. Eriol raised a helmet towards Syaoran.

"Come on, I've been waiting for you for a while now," he growled, feigning annoyance.

"Not like I'm the one driving the damn bus," Syaoran replied, putting on the helmet.

"Where are you going?" asked Tomoyo curiously.

"I'm going to have lunch with this prat, and this afternoon we're going to party. Are you coming later, Takashi?" Syaoran asked.

"Of course, but I'll leave the flirting to you guys," he answered, holding Chiharu by the waist.

Chiharu blushed, smiling. The two boys waved at them and the motorbike drove away.

Sakura and Tomoyo went home together. The first one was surprised that her friend was so quiet.

"Tomoyo, did something happen?" Sakura asked her in a confused voice.

Her friend pursed her lips, looking away.

"I don't know if you're going to like it if I tell you, but... I've had feelings for Eriol for a long time."

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise.

"Of course I like it! You know that I wasn't in love with him or anything... and I'd love to see you two as a couple," she replied, smiling.

"We get along and sometimes we text each other, but... today he's going to go looking for a girl with Syaoran."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Those two are a pain in the ass when it comes to girls, but they don't flirt as much as you think they do. Besides, Eriol isn't like Syaoran. As far as I know, he's still a virgin," she said, nudging her friend a little.

"Are you sure?" Tomoyo asked.

Sakura nodded.

"If you're really interested... you have to drop a hint, otherwise he'll never notice. I'll try to find out what he thinks about you, I'll ask Syaoran," she muttered quietly.

"I don't want Eriol to know!" her friend protested, frightened.

"Don't worry, Syaoran won't tell him anything if I ask him to," Sakura replied to reassure her.

Tomoyo smiled.

"Okay, thank you. But if Syaoran says anything to Eriol, I'll kill him, and then you."

They both laughed.

"Threat received," Sakura said, giggling.

The two continued walking together to the corner where they always said goodbye, and each left for home.

The last days of high school passed quickly, the summer began and Syaoran went back to Russia. Before leaving, he was able to talk to Eriol, and now Sakura knew that he thought Tomoyo was a pretty and very nice girl.

Sakura was very excited because Haruko had asked her for her phone number on the last day of school.

He was also spending the summer away, and he promised to call her when he came back from his holidays.