What a miserable feeling. She knew she shouldn't have taken that nap in the afternoon. As a result, she couldn't get any sleep last night; playing video games with Kero deep into the night hadn't been such a great idea, either. She was paying the price for it now. Though it was time to wake up, she felt she was still short a couple of hours of sleep. That was probably because she was. Cheer up, she told herself. Once you make it through school, there will be a reward waiting for you… and this reminder brought a smile to her face.

Besides, last night wasn't a total disaster. She ended up calling Tomoyo, and ended up having a really long conversation with her: first to thank her for helping her with the math exam, then to talk about what happened during dinner. Tomoyo was so understanding, assuring her that Touya was sorry for what he had said, and encouraging her to put the incident behind her and enjoy a great White Day with Yukito. The conversation was cut short when Touya knocked on the door – and he surprised her by reiterating much of what Tomoyo said; it was so rare for him to apologize to her. Yukito probably put him up to it, but did that really matter? Now only if her brother could be like that more often…

She felt a little better now, but perhaps that was partly because sleep was returning to her. It must have been, because her brother yelled at her to get up, forcefully dragged her out of her bed, and pushed her into the bathroom – who needed an alarm clock, with a brother like that? Then, being scolded by her dad for getting her uniform dirty… spilling a good deal of her breakfast… misplacing her roller blades, and having to run to school… it was NOT a good start to the day.

The only good news was that she wasn't late, although she was still breathless from the unplanned run as class started. She was really out of it today; she didn't even notice her name being called while Mizuki-sensei was taking attendance – something that never happened in the past. She just was thankful that there were no tests today.

After a brief lesson – Sakura forgot what it was about; she'd have to ask Tomoyo during break – Takashi got up and went to the front of the class. What was this all about?

"Since today is White Day, I brought presents for everyone," Takashi announced. Wait. Didn't her brother say that Takashi's story was a bunch of nonsense? Then why was he doing this? He was now passing cards to each student in the class; there was one for her, also. She opened it up, and sure enough, there was a note written inside:

Happy White Day!

To Kinomoto Sakura:

Good luck in cheerleading club!

Yamazaki Takashi

How nice. This was definitely something worth keeping. She wondered what he wrote to others; she would have to ask her friends during break. She closed the card, looking closely at the cover – it was the picture of a snow-covered forest; Takashi was sure going all-out to back up his story from yesterday. She sighed and put the card back down, content – but this moment of peace was soon broken by a sudden commotion. What had just happened? Now Takashi was running out of the classroom. Oh, no. It must have been something awful. She was about to ask Rika what was going on, when Meiling suddenly stood up and made an announcement:

"Syaoran baked cookies last night! And he would like to share them with the class!"

Syaoran? That was a bit of a surprise. Never mind, that was typical Syaoran, she amended. Meiling probably made him do it – he could be such a pushover when it came to his cousin, though he liked to pretend that he didn't care about her. Just like how things are between you and Touya, was what Tomoyo once said.

The cookie was actually pretty good; it had a nice buttery flavor, and not too sweet. She had been lucky that she had been one of the first people to get one, because Syaoran ended up dropping the bag of cookies and stepping on it. Clumsy, clumsy, clumsy. Aye. It looked like she wasn't the only one having a bad day.

Mizuki-sensei decided to give the class an early break. She didn't seem to be feeling well today, either – she probably needed the break more than the class did. Hello, was anyone having a good day here? Hmm. How about Tomoyo? She could always count on her best friend to give her a boost.

"Tomoyo, do you remember what we learned in class this morning?" Sakura asked.

"Sorry, I forgot." Forgot? Tomoyo? She never forgot anything the teacher said. "So, Sakura, what do you think?" she giggled.

"Huh?" What was the topic of this conversation, anyway?

"Oh, Sakura. Didn't you see what happened?"

"What?"

"It was so romantic… so cute! I wish I had someone I wanted to be with forever. I think it's great that Chiharu has already found someone… oh, and did you see what Meiling did? So close…and you should've seen how Syaoran reacted!"

Sakura had no idea where this conversation was heading. She was hopelessly lost, as it was.

"So, Tomoyo, are you sure you can't come along with us after school? I'm sure it's OK with Yukito," she interrupted.

Tomoyo blushed. "No, no. I couldn't ruin your wonderful date with Yukito. I hope you two have a great time."

A date? Is that what it was? Maybe … it could be. What was she supposed to do on a date? She never thought of it that way before. What should I say, what should I do… wait, didn't I say that already? It was so confusing; her head was starting to hurt. Maybe I should invite Syaoran and Meiling again, just to make sure whether they can come or not. Wait. Didn't I already invite them? Work, come on, work! She hit her head in frustration, but it didn't seem to help. It was just one of those days…

A date. With Yukito. White Day, a day to spend with the person you love… was this the start of a new tradition? Forever? That means she would have to… ooh! She didn't know whether she could bring herself to do that. It was so embarrassing! She would never hear the end of it from Touya, if he ever found out. Please, clock, stop moving… she pleaded as the day neared an end. Wait. Hoping for the clock to stop? During school? The sheer absurdity of her thoughts caused her to laugh – and Mizuki-sensei was not amused. "Sakura! Come see me after school," she yelled out. Jeez. Just when it seemed like the day couldn't get worse, now she had detention to worry about.

Finally the end of school came – for everyone else, that is. She had been looking forward to this day for so long… and it was turning out to be a total disaster! Someone up there must've decided to pick on her today.

"Sakura?" Mizuki-sensei croaked, once everyone had left. Boy, if she looked bad before, she looked awful now… now that the mask was gone.

"Are you all right?" Sakura asked – and as if to answer her question, all remaining color drained from Mizuki-sensei's face.

"You can go, Sakura," was all Mizuki-sensei could manage, before dragging herself out.

Sakura sighed. At least she got away with this one. Maybe her luck was starting to turn around. It better, because school was over now, and… that's right! He would be waiting for her by the school gate right now. Yukito… She dashed to the front gate as fast as her legs would carry her; this was going to be a memorable afternoon, and she wanted it to start just a little sooner…

"Sakura?" Sakura heard someone call. Syaoran? Oh no, please don't tell me it's another Clow Card. Any day but today. Please…

"What is it?" she answered.

"Uh… err…"

"Did you sense another Clow Card?"

"No, it's not that. I…um…" Syaoran looked really uncomfortable. Did something bad happen to him?

"Sakura? I'm sorry I'm late. So, should we get going? Where would you like to go?"

Yukito! She had been waiting for this moment for days, and it had finally arrived. So many things she wanted to say, and do… and so little time to do it in. And this time, Touya wouldn't be there to mess things up.

"So, are you guys coming along?" Yukito asked Syaoran – and Meiling, who had surreptitiously made her way behind her cousin.

Syaoran covered his face and ran away as fast as he could. Sakura sighed. Syaoran was sure acting funny today – a simple no would have sufficed, thank you.

"I guess he didn't want to come," Yukito joked lamely. "Shall we go?" he asked, while placing his hand her shoulder.

"Yes!" she jumped. She was going to have the time of her life… she just knew it.