Chapter Nineteen

The last year

September came and the last year of high school began for all of them. The following year they would either enter university or start looking for a job.

Sakura almost screamed when the first week she received a message from Haruko, asking her to meet that weekend. Syaoran frowned when she told him, but didn't say anything other than ask her to be careful.

That Friday, on her way out of school, Sakura was surprised to see Eriol at the door. Tomoyo, who was next to him, smiled at the boy and walked towards him.

She was also going to approach to say hello, but someone pulled her arm, pushing her away. She glared hatefully at the one who had grabbed her and found Syaoran.

"Leave them alone. Eriol is going to tell Tomoyo something important," he whispered with a smile.

Sakura made a surprised face and followed him. They walked a little away and watched them from behind some bushes. They saw Tomoyo blush, and then she started to kiss Eriol.

"He did it," Syaoran murmured happily.

"Did you know that today he was going to come to tell her how he feels about her?" asked Sakura.

He nodded.

"And you didn't tell me?" she grunted, hitting him in the chest.

"I wanted to see your surprised face," Syaoran replied with a chuckle.

She rolled her eyes and started laughing too.

"I knew this was going to happen... but I didn't imagine it would be so soon."

"They make a good couple," Syaoran commented, coming out of hiding.

"They really do."

"It looks like you'll have to go home alone today," he added as he saw Tomoyo getting on Eriol's motorbike.

"If it's for that reason, I don't mind," Sakura replied, grinning.

She kissed her friend on the cheek and went up the street, on her way home.

The next day, Sakura was quite nervous outside of the cinema, waiting for Haruko.

When she saw him, her heart nearly leapt out of her chest. He was so handsome, with those deep green eyes, a year older... Sakura couldn't like him more. He smiled at her and they went to the ticket office together. He bought the tickets and Sakura insisted on paying for the popcorn and the drinks, she didn't like to be invited.

They sat in the last row and, at first, she was wringing her hands nervously. She only saw about half of the movie, then Haruko moved closer to her and kissed her without saying anything. They didn't stop kissing until the lights came on.

While they were leaving the room, Haruko grabbed Sakura's hand, making her blush. She really liked him, surely she could have a relationship with him... but all her illusions were shattered when he started talking.

Outside the building, he hugged her and kissed her again with great intensity. When they broke apart, he reached down to touch her bum and looked up at her with a mischievous grin.

"There's no one at my place. Do you want to come?"

Sakura blinked with confusion.

"What?"

"So we can be alone together and... you know," he muttered, slipping a hand inside her shirt.

Sakura pulled away, feeling her heart break a little. She had thought she was starting to fall in love with Haruko, and she didn't expect to find out that he wasn't like she thought he was.

"What kind of girl do you think I am, Haruko?" she asked angrily.

"One who wants to have a good time with me. Don't play hard to get, you've been lusting after me for months."

Sakura widened her eyes in shock.

"Lusting after you? I've liked you for months, yes... but all of it just disappeared right now."

"Are you really going to turn me down? You won't get another chance, think about it," Haruko replied, raising an eyebrow as he smirked.

"Goodbye, Haruko. Don't ever write to me again," she said with annoyance, walking away from him.

"You don't know what you're missing, you brat!" she heard him yell angrily. It was the first time he'd ever been told no.

Sakura clenched her fists and kept walking, controlling her tears and the urge to go back and punch him in the face. After she had walked a few blocks, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number she knew by heart.

"You guys are disgusting," she said as soon as Syaoran picked up on the other end of the line.

She heard her best friend's laughter.

"Sometimes, yes, but not always. What happened with that stupid boy?"

"Well, we kissed at the movies and then he was trying to get me to go to his house and sleep with him."

Syaoran snorted.

"I warned you. I knew that's what he wanted," he growled with anger in his voice.

Sakura stifled a sob. She was quite hurt by what had happened.

"And I told you he'd have nothing from me."

"I bet he thought you were just going to fall into his arms," Syaoran mumbled, amused.

"Well, let him sit and wait, because I'm not going to sleep with someone like that... what a disappointment."

"Are you okay? Do you want me to come see you?"

Sakura sighed, still controlling her urge to cry.

"I'm not going to cry for someone like him, I'm fine. Tomorrow I'll be perfect, I just need to laugh a little bit."

"I know how to do that," Syaoran said, starting to tease Haruko until he heard Sakura laughing.

They kept laughing and making fun of Haruko until she got home and had to hang up.

A few months later, Christmas was just around the corner and they had their first term exams. Sakura and Syaoran studied together as always, although sometimes she also went to Tomoyo's house.

But... strange things started to happen.

One night, when Sakura was sleeping with Syaoran at his house, he caught himself smelling his friend's hair while she was completely asleep, her head resting on his chest. Syaoran frowned as he realised what he had done and thought nothing of it. He had always liked her scent.

But two days later, when he saw Sakura arrive for class, his heart began to beat faster. She walked over to her desk and sat down, turning around to smile at him, and that smile made Syaoran feel a knot in his stomach.

He still didn't want to make a big deal out of it, and pretended everything was fine in front of his best friend, but there came a point when he started to feel uncomfortable.

Every time Sakura hugged him, or kissed him on the cheek, Syaoran heard his heart beating in his ears and his whole body tensed up.

Sakura noticed he was acting a little strange but she didn't say anything to him, although she was very surprised one day when she was talking with Hiro in a class break and, when she returned to her desk, Syaoran was with a frown looking at Hiro with hatred.

"What's the matter? Why are you staring at him like that?"

"I told you a long time ago that he likes you," Syaoran growled in a deep voice.

"I know, but I don't mind talking to him. He knows I don't feel the same way and he won't tell me anything."

"You shouldn't go near him," he said, averting his gaze.

Sakura opened her eyes wide.

"Why do you say that?"

Syaoran looked at her and realised how confused she was by his attitude.

"No reason... Just don't listen to me, Sakura," he muttered under his breath.

She blinked several times and raised an eyebrow, still watching him. He had always been very protective, but this time it was already too much.

The teacher walked in and Sakura gave Syaoran one last confused look. He shook his head to tell her not to worry, that it was really nothing... but he spent the rest of the day cursing himself internally for opening his big mouth.

He was angry with himself when he realised that it had been a fit of jealousy.

He, jealous? Had it bothered him that this harmless boy had gotten close to Sakura? It couldn't be true, nothing like that had ever happened to him.

Two weeks later, Syaoran was furious because he couldn't stop thinking about Sakura all the time. He had even started dreaming about her.

Everyone noticed his bad mood, but no matter how much they asked him, he denied that anything was wrong.

He realised what was happening to him on the last day of high school before Christmas break. As they were leaving class, Sakura walked up to him and grabbed his arm, causing him to jump.

She leaned close to his ear and whispered "Akiho's been watching you for days."

Syaoran shivered at his friend's breath, swallowed and looked to where Sakura was pointing. A blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl in the same year as them was staring at him, a mischievous grin on her face.

"I'm not interested," he murmured, still walking.

"But what are you saying? You've always thought Akiho was gorgeous," Sakura said, surprised.

"I changed my mind. That kind of girl doesn't interest me anymore," Syaoran replied without looking at her.

"And what kind of girl interests you now?"

Syaoran glanced at Sakura and felt his cheeks blushing.

"None. I've been alone for a few months, and I want to stay that way for now."

"How strange to hear you saying that..." Sakura mumbled arching an eyebrow, but she didn't say anything else.

She ruffled his hair and gave him a hug before leaving behind Tomoyo and Chiharu. Syaoran stood, watching her go, his heart racing and his face burning.

"Shit, no way," he muttered to himself.

He ran to his motorbike and rode home, very confused. After lunch with his mother, he locked himself in his room and flopped down on his bed.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" he asked the air as he pulled his hair in frustration.

Sakura was his friend, he couldn't let himself think of her that way. But it was too late... He knew it when he left for Russia. He stopped sending her messages, but he still couldn't stop thinking about her constantly.

He had fallen in love with the one girl who would never see him as anything more than a friend.