.::Spilling Stars::.
By Fantasiimaker
~Chapter Eight: Meilin's Lament
"Syaoran! Syaoran!" cried Sakura happily as she sailed closer to the entrance of school. In the distance, Syaoran stopped walking and turned around, smiling. Sakura's heart filled to the brim when he waved to her. Giddily, she pushed off and skated as fast as she could toward the waiting brown-haired figure, who was growing closer and closer by the second. Attempting to go even faster, she leaned forward. Wrong move.
Letting out a yelp of panic, Sakura flung out her arms to try and keep her balance. But it wouldn't work...she was going way too fast. She was going to crash...
"Gotcha!" A hand caught her arm and confidently pulled her in until she slowed to a stop. Sakura's heart skipped a beat when she looked up into the smiling face of Keichii. He was so close, and she couldn't tear her eyes away from him...
When Sakura realized that Keichii still hadn't let go of her, she blushed and looked down. "Thanks," she mumbled, and he finally dropped her arm, also looking a bit uncomfortable. When had this strange sort of tension developed between them? Up to now, everything had been normal. Until...
Shaking her head to clear it of those confusing thoughts, Sakura flashed him a bright smile of thanks and continued on her original path. Impulsively, she threw her arms around Syaoran and cried, "Thank you so much for the rollerblades! I love them!"
To her surprise, Syaoran returned her hug, squeezing her tightly and burying his face in her hair. "I can tell," he laughed, his voice sending pleasant chills down Sakura's spine. He was so close to her that she could feel the vibrations in his chest when he spoke. "Oh, and I was going to save you back there, but seems like Keichii got to you before me." His tone of voice was light, but Sakura could hear something else in it.
"Ohohohoho! Jealous, are you?" The two hurriedly pulled apart to see Tomoyo and Eriol standing nearby, grinning.
"Tomoyo!" protested Sakura, leaning down to replace her rollerblades with sneakers. "C'mon, let's go to my locker. I've got to put these away." Grabbing her friend by the arm, she started off, but Tomoyo didn't budge. Eriol was holding onto her other arm with an expression Sakura had never seen before. Her eyes opened wide when she saw him quickly brush a soft kiss across Tomoyo's lips. "Bye," he whispered and went off to find Syaoran.
Sakura stared speechlessly at Tomoyo. "You... He...?" she gestured hopelessly.
Tomoyo nodded, blushing scarlet. "I guess we're...officially together now," she answered Sakura's unasked question, her dark eyes sparkling with merriment.
"Oh Tomoyo! I'm so happy for you!" squealed Sakura, hugging her friend. "Of course, I never would have guessed it would be Eriol before, but now, you guys are just perfect together!"
"I know. Now that he's here, it's like that missing part of me has been filled," said Tomoyo with a dreamy sigh. "Oh, but what about you, Sakura? How're things going with Syaoran?" She winked.
"Well, we're really good friends now. You saw, just a moment ago," said Sakura thoughtfully. Heaving up her rollerblades, she thrusted them into her messy, paper-filled locker and closed its door.
Tomoyo smiled mischieviously. "I'd say that was a lot more than just being friendly back there. And did you hear what he said about Keichii?"
"Yeah, but... Why would he be jealous of Keichii?" Sakura frowned in thought.
"Have you ever said anything to Syaoran about liking Keichii?" asked Tomoyo shrewdly.
Now that she thought about it, Sakura realized she had. Also, when the two of them had met up with Keichii and Meilin on their date, she had been too quiet and stiff for him not to notice. "Oh no!" she exclaimed, turning to her friend suddenly. "What if he does think that I like Keichii?"
"Well, do you?"
Tomoyo's question caught her by surprise. "He's a really good friend too," said Sakura slowly. "And I've known him for a long time...and he's a nice person..."
"And he always seems to show up around you, have you noticed that?" Tomoyo cut in. "When you were hugging Syaoran a minute ago, he looked really pissed for some reason."
"What...? He did??" Sakura looked at Tomoyo in surprise. "But why?"
"Sakura, you're so dense," laughed Tomoyo, shaking her head. "All I know is, you'd better choose one of them soon. Let's hurry up and get to class, we're gonna be late."
Three lockers down, Meilin took in all this information. Slamming her locker shut with a satisfied smirk, she watched Sakura and Tomoyo walk away.
*****
At lunch, Sakura was carrying her tray to where she and Tomoyo usually sat when she heard a soft sob from near the hallway. She stepped closer to see who was crying. There, crouched at the bottom of the stairs with her head buried in her arms, sat Meilin. Her shoulders shook, and she seemed to be trying to stifle her weeping. She looked so miserable by herself that Sakura hesitantly set down her lunch tray and went to Meilin's side.
"Meilin? Are you okay?" she asked. The dark head snapped up at her voice. When she saw who it was, she threw her arms gratefully around Sakura, sobbing even harder. Sakura patted her back awkwardly, trying to comfort her. "What happened? Tell me, Meilin."
When she still wasn't able to talk, Sakura asked, "Was it Keichii?" She was bewildered when Meilin nodded vigorously and finally looked up at her with tearful eyes.
"W-we had a fight," she managed tremulously. "It wasn't even his f-fault...I guess I'm just not...g-good enough..." With that, she bursted into fresh tears again.
"No, don't say that! You're good enough for anyone! No, better!" Sakura defended her at once. She couldn't stand to see Meilin so sad, even if she hadn't been exactly nice to her. Meilin had been her friend. And she still was her friend, Sakura decided. She wouldn't abandon her. "But what happened? I thought everything was going fine for you two."
"Hah! Everything wasn't fine. I always had to be the one to start everything. I was the one to ask him out for the first date. When we talk at school, it's always like he wants to get away as fast as he can. I guess there never really was anything between us," she finished angrily.
Suddenly, Sakura felt a surge of relief, which she immediately beat down with a wave of guilt. How could she feel happy when Meilin was suffering like this? But this meant that the bond between Keichii and Meilin wasn't really that close after all!
As if reading her thoughts, Meilin said, "I think you're the one he's liked all along, Sakura."
Sakura was speechless.
"I mean, he's always asking about you or saying random little things about you. And whenever he sees you, he always has to talk to you. It fits, it really does."
"N-no, it couldn't be," Sakura laughed nervously. Could it? "We're just good friends, that's all."
Meilin just shook her head sadly.
"He's the one who turned me down," said Sakura in a lower voice. "You remember that, don't you?"
"I know," Meilin said, her eyes shining with understanding. Suddenly, it seemed like Sakura had gotten her old friend back. Meilin had been there for her.
"But that was then," she continued. The tears had disappeared like magic. "Maybe he's changed the way he looks at you. Maybe he looks at you now and sees...something more than just a friend."
"Do you think so...?" mused Sakura. Keichii. The one boy to whom her heart had belonged for almost three long years. The one who always made her laugh, who had always been there when she needed him. But then he had said no, and everything was different now. Now that Keichii was finally able to turn around and see her, could she really go back to him just like that? This feeling she felt for him now, was it still the same? But Meilin's next words made her forget about that almost completely.
"Sakura...I think I'm in love with Syaoran."
*****
"Where is she?" exclaimed Tomoyo in frustration.
Eriol grinned lazily. "Maybe she got lost."
"Yeah right! She got lost in her own school!" She gave Eriol a hard shove and made him fall off the table. "Do you know where she is?" she asked, turning to Syaoran.
"No," he said simply, his mouth full.
"Erghh... Where can she be? I'm gonna go find her!" Bursting up from her seat, Tomoyo started to circle around the school and scan for Sakura. Had the girl taken her advice and finally gone to make her choice? "Dumb Sakura! You'd better not be with Keichii when I find you!" she muttered under her breath.
The two boys were trailing behind her. "Can't even take a joke, crazy woman," Eriol was grumbling as he stalked after her. Tomoyo immediately stopped in her tracks and whipped around to fix him with a piercing glare.
"What did you call me?"
"Nothing," Eriol smiled sweetly. "Ow!" He clutched his foot in agony when Tomoyo decided to take a page out of Sakura's book.
"Now I see why she likes to stomp her brother!" she laughed.
They all came to a halt when she spotted Sakura sitting on the stairs with-
"Meilin?" Tomoyo narrowed her eyes.
"Gotta go! Bye Sakura!" said Meilin. She walked off, giving Syaoran a cheerful wave.
"What was that all about?" asked Eriol, coming up next to Tomoyo. She shrugged, equally clueless. Her eyes fell on Sakura, who was still sitting frozen on the stairs. There was something odd in her expression, and when Tomoyo called her name, she looked up at them with a start as though she had just realized they were there.
"Syaoran, I need to talk to you," she said.
Tomoyo stared after them wordlessly as they left.
"This doesn't look good," murmured Eriol.
*****
Sakura's heart pounded dully in her chest, clamoring like a rusty cowbell that was sure to fall apart after a few more rings. What Meilin had said to her was too much to handle alone. She needed some consolation, some hope that there was still order in the world. Flopping down on an empty bench, she stared at the brown, cracking leaves beneath her feet.
"What's wrong, Sakura?"
Taking a deep, she focused her eyes on his. She searched the amber depths and found such strength, assurance, and gentle warmth that she found it difficult to keep going. This moment was something she wanted to preserve forever, just being next to him peacefully and being shrouded in his healing aura. When he took her hand, she didn't feel nervous or even uncomfortable at all. The only comprehensible thing she could make out right now in her nebulous tangle of emotion was the desire to stay close to him, to be with him.
"I'm just kinda confused right now," said Sakura in an oddly strangled voice that sounded not at all like her own. "I don't know what to do. This is so silly, isn't it?"
"Sakura." Syaoran kneeled down in front of her so that their faces were level, his eyes never leaving hers. Slowly, he reached out a hand and touched her cheek. Sakura closed her eyes, leaning slightly toward his touch. He was close enough that she could easily reach out and hug him if she wanted. But instead, she waited; their noses were inches apart.
"I want you to know that you can always tell me anything," he whispered. "And I'll always be there, as long as you need me. Don't be afraid to let me know. I'm right here."
"Thank you," murmured Sakura. So close now...if she leaned forward just a little bit, then...
Meilin's words echoed in her mind.
"I think I'm in love with Syaoran."
Feeling as though a knife was tearing a gash into her heart, Sakura pulled back. A second later, the bell rang and Tomoyo's voice called out, "Sakura!" at the same time.
"I'll wait for you after school," said Syaoran.
"Okay," Sakura said, and she managed a weak smile. "See you then." Though it was the last thing she wanted to do, she let go of his hand and walked over to where Tomoyo was waiting.
"What did you want to talk about with him? And what did Meilin say?" she asked at once.
"Nothing, and I'll tell you later," replied Sakura wearily. Tomoyo opened her mouth, but closed it again when she saw the troubled look on her friend's face. They walked silently to their next class, each pondering their own thoughts.
Sakura was flipping restlessly through the history chapter she was supposed to be reading when something bounced off the back of her head. Glancing around, she spotted a small wad of paper on the ground and scooped it up quickly. A note.
Stay away from Syaoran, or he'll know before school ends today that he's not the only man in your life.
Sakura snorted. She really couldn't take it anymore. The nerve of those Yumiko girls! How stupid could they get? Threatening her, no less! Did they really think that Syaoran would pay any attention to them?
Holding the note in plain view, she scrunched it up into a tiny ball and let it fall to the ground. There, that ought to get the message across. She didn't care if those girls did go to Syaoran; she knew he wouldn't listen to a word they say.
Syaoran was waiting for her right outside her last class of the day. See, he didn't listen to them, Sakura reassured herself. Without even realizing it, she had been extremely tensed while waiting for school to end, a growing doubt expanding larger and larger inside her with each passing minute. But now, she thought with relief, it would be okay. She had nothing to worry about.
Several minutes passed before she realized it was unnaturally quiet. "Where's Tomoyo and Eriol?" she inquired.
"Eriol had a test he wanted to finish, and Tomoyo must be with him. They said we could go ahead and leave if we wanted. Do you want to?"
"Umm...I'd rather wait for them," said Sakura.
"All right."
Sakura turned to look at Syaoran. He had so little to say now, it felt weird standing next to him so silently again after what he had said to her at lunch. He looked to be thinking deeply about something. Had something happened? A bubble of dread rose up in her stomach.
"Sakura, are you sure you're completely over Keichii?" asked Syaoran quietly.
"I knew it!" she flared up at once, glaring into his eyes filled with surprise. "How could you believe that horrible Yumiko girl? I thought you knew she was full of crap!"
"Calm down, it's only a question. No use getting so worked up over it," he said in a maddeningly calm voice. "It's just that- well, the first night when we met, you described him in such detail."
"Because I've known him for years!" retorted Sakura.
"And that afternoon when we met him and Meilin at the food court, you didn't say a word until he left. You didn't look very happy to have them sit with us."
"I-!" she began, but she realized that she had nothing to counter this with. Her head throbbed painfully. Was she really having this conversation with Syaoran? Or was it just a nightmare? She closed her eyes, suddenly feeling very drained and dizzy.
"Look Sakura, I don't want there to be any doubt between us."
"You make it sound like I'm your girlfriend or something," she spat. "I thought you didn't make any friends. No wonder, they probably just couldn't stand you. Why don't you hurry up and move again so you can forget and move on?"
Horrified at the awful words that had just escaped, Sakura clapped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes met his, and for a fleeting instant she saw the shock and hurt in them. The shock and hurt that she had caused.
She knew at once that she had made a mistake.
*A/N- Wow, I can't believe all the reviews I received this time! Thank you to ALL of you for your support and ideas! Especially those who wracked their brains for ideas (silver_dragon, your idea isn't bad. I might use it in some form yet! And thanks for reading my other story!) You've all inspired me beyond measure, with each and every comment. Thanks! ^_^