Second Place

Chapter 2

Inuyasha smirked. Did Kagome the geek think that she could actually get Kikyou into trouble?

Obviously, this was her first year here.

Kikyou had never been in trouble. Not since kindergarten, when she had accidentally forgotten to tie her shoelaces.

Her teachers had liked her. They always had. They appreciated her gifts, her endless compliments...next to her, the other students didn't stand out as much.

Inuyasha had been trying to get her in trouble for years. He had hidden her homework sheets and tried blaming her for everything.

But nothing had ever worked.

Her teachers made sure of that.

Inuyasha stopped thinking...he was getting distracted from his card game. Besides, he didn't care for Kikyou. Not the least bit. Not really.

Miroku smiled at the girls on his right, dropping his cards onto the table. Inuyasha immediately focused again. He would not lose to a crazy pervert.

Inuyasha innocently peered over and picked Miroku's cards up, memorizing them.

Who says cheating doesn't help?

-

Kikyou smiled. An A-Plus. Yet again.

She was lucky. She was smart. She knew what had to be done.

All you needed to do was to make a good first impression. Then, after that, you could slack all you want, while the teachers favor you and shove A's down your throat.

Some school system. How corrupt.

-

Kagome sighed. She had finished setting things up for their stupid "Entertain the little kids" fair, otherwise known as "The Children's Festival." Or something like that.

This is what I get for volunteering, she thought to herself.

She had tried to untie thick rope for an hour, making her fingers blister and turn a very unpleasant shade of purple and red. Then she had tried to bring bags filled with junk over to the garbage can. That junk, though, happened to be extremely heavy. And her arms happened to be extremely weak.

Lucky her.

Slumping down to the floor, Kagome frowned. All the emotion and the pain of losing that had been bottled up for so long finally exploded out. And she was already in a terrible mood.

She wanted to yell, to scream, to stomp on the floor, and slam a door until she was satisfied.

Yet she couldn't.

All she could do was to talk. Inside her head. In her mind where no one could hear. Where no one could hurt her. Where no one could reach her.

I can't do anything. I can't untie rope. I can't carry heavy things. I can't blow up balloons. I'm pathetic.

I'm not good at anything. I'm just average. Average grades, average height, average looks...average, average, average...

I can't win anything. I've been trying...trying so hard for years...yet no matter how much I try, I can't get what I want...

I'm worthless. So completely worthless.

-

After sitting down for about five minutes, Kagome got up and dusted her pants off.

Enough of wallowing in self-pity.

She walked back to her decorating committee, accidentally bumping into someone.

Someone who was no other than Kikyou.

Sometimes I'm just so lucky, Kagome thought grumpily.

Kikyou curled her lip in disgust. "Watch where you're going, okay?" she asked in a snotty voice.

Kagome's mind whirled with comebacks. She bit her lip, stopping. That girl wasn't worth it. Kagome wasn't going to lose her self-control over some snob like Kikyou.

Ignoring her, she stalked over to the other side.

However, she didn't need to worry, for, as Inuyasha sauntered over, Kikyou's tone changed completely. Her face, which before looked like someone had stuffed manure next to her nose, changed into an expression of well-rehearsed nonchalance.

Kagome was fuming. Did Kikyou really think that she could have any guy she liked just by setting her eyes on them? Um...that would be a yes.

Inuyasha however seemed to not notice.

Kagome smiled. That would serve Kikyou right.

"And now," Sango, who was the committee leader, was saying. "I'll call your name and you tell me how much you're getting done."

Kagome admired her best friend. She was good at taking charge. Kagome sure wasn't. Or maybe that's because no one listened to her.

Kikyou was whispering loudly to her posse, or friends or whatever she called them, about how snobby Sango was.

"Sango is such a control freak," Kikyou was practically yelling.

"Yeah, I know," one of them nodded in agreement. They agreed with Kikyou for everything. Kagome was sure that Kikyou only put up with them because of that.

She rolled her eyes. What were they doing? What did they have against Sango? Or maybe they were trying to impress Inuyasha?

"You know," Kagome said loudly, matching their voices. "If you're trying to annoy Sango it's not working, okay? She's not even looking at you." She stopped, surprised and impressed with herself. Normally she would've never spoken up, especially if she had something bratty to say.

Kikyou had a mock-innocent mask on. Well, it wasn't even a good one. She just looked stupid.

"Whatever." Kagome turned away, looking at Sango.

"So, Kagome, what have you gotten done?" Sango asked her after seeing her, scratching something down on her notebook.

Kagome was embarrassed. She was too busy moaning to herself about what a loser she was. And what kind of loser talks to themselves?

"Well, I got the rope, tied some balloons, and supervised some other groups," she said, hoping Sango didn't expect too much from her.

"Good." Sango scribbled a few phrases down.

"Oh please," Kikyou said, disgusted. (How dare someone compliment anyone but she?) "Big deal. I've done twice as much as her. I've blown up balloons--"

"Oh, for God's sake," Sango muttered. "Would you up?"

Kagome laughed but soon stopped when Kikyou gave her a death glare.

Kikyou noticed this too and snuck a casual glance and Inuyasha. He wasn't looking at her. In fact, he was staring at the ceiling, probably wondering why he was here.

Kagome smirked. She could imagine Kikyou sobbing to her friends in a high pitched tone, "Gasp! He thinks the ceiling is more important than me!"

Inuyasha could have any girl he wanted. Kikyou could have any guy she wanted. Except for Inuyasha. Which was the only guy she did want.

And Kagome couldn't get any guy at all.

Why was life so unfair? she moaned to herself.