Chapter 12: I Said Yes

Aha! Almost 100 reviews! Yay! Anyhow, like I said, I got back from Taiwan and my bug bites itch.

Sigh. I dunno why this story isn't getting as many reviews per chapter as my other one. Maybe cuz my other one has humor and stuff. Sniff. I worked so hard to make this one sound not stupid... Anyhow, I'm going to try to make this chapter extra long for the reviewer "IT'S ME". If it's not this chapter, then it will be the next. Sorry!

But I...I suck at romance. Sorry. :D Ahhh! Someone help me! I've never written romance before!

Many many many many apologies.

-

Kagome had never saved up so much money. She had never been so cheap before.

She had never eaten a meal made up of Costco samples. She had never pretended to work on an airplane just to take some airplane food and drinks. She had never walked into a store acting like she wanted to buy something when in reality she went in for the air conditioning. She had never looked into soda machines for extra change either.

And the bills she had to pay had never been so low.

-

As Kagome was heading for her daily shower at the gym (well, it's cheaper than using her own water) she smelled the grossest thing she had ever smelled. Two guys with leather jackets were smoking.

Ugh.

She could barely breathe. Holding her nose, she fanned the air in front of her frantically.

The two guys were pointing at her and laughing. Probably because she was acting like a little kid.

She glared at them, disgusted. Idiot smokers. "You know," she said loudly. "Smoking harms yourself, people around you, animals around you, and the environment. What worse combination is there?"

Then she spun on her heel, leaving the two guys gawking with their mouths hanging open.

"Oh, by the way," Kagome smiled sarcastically, facing them again. "Close your mouths. You wouldn't want your cigarettes falling out, now would you? They might make a fire. Oh boy does smoking stink—literally and figuratively."

The boys blinked closed their mouths.

-

Sango sighed. She was in charge of the decorating committee for the end-of-the-year dance. Even though that was four months away, she and Miroku—another committee member—were to go to the mall and buy the decorations.

Why Miroku of all people? Why the pervert? Especially since she got unexplainably nervous and tongue-tied around him.

But of course, it's not as if she liked him.

Grumbling, she got up before she confused herself further and went to call Miroku.

-

Sango peered at the decoration store. According to the commercials, it was supposed to be the very best, but all she saw was some outdated Halloween kids party stuff.

Blech.

Miroku shrugged. "Different store?"

Sango agreed in a hurry.

As soon as they got outside, they were bumped and pushed aside by three blond girls with snooty expressions. They had on the latest styles and wore makeup by the ton.

Sango grimaced. She turned to Miroku. "Ugh. Look at those snots. They think they have the right to push us aside?"

No response.

"Miroku? Miroku!"

She looked at him. He was making his way to the girls, looking so innocent that anyone who saw him would know that he was up to something.

Sango didn't wait to find out what he had planned. She already knew. Steaming with jealousy—wait, rage—she stomped up to Miroku and hit him on the head, sending him tumbling onto the floor.

"Wait, no, Sango dear," Miroku protested, while being dragged onto the elevator, "I didn't mean it! I was just...er...having fun?"

"Having fun?!" Sango demanded, her eyes turning dangerously red.

"Yes, yes," Miroku continued, oblivious. Then, seeing Sango's scowl, tried to get himself out of the mess and only ended up making things worse (for Sango). "I...uh...only did it cuz they thought I was cute? Don'tcha think?"

Sango raised an eyebrow. "They definitely did not think you were cute."

Miroku's face fell and Sango immediately felt bad.

Then he looked up again, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "But do you think I'm cute?"

Sango's eyes widened. She looked down at her feet and mumbled something.

Miroku smiled smugly. "Yes?"

Sango's face was as red as a tomato, maybe even worse. "I said yes!"

-

"Okay," Kagome said to Inuyasha. "Remember when I told you that writing and getting published is another way to earn money?"

"Yup," Inuyasha said, his gaze super glued to the TV at his house.

Oh well. Forget him.

She had come home one day to find her mailbox flooded with letters from random magazines. She didn't know that she had even written that many. And Kagome was waiting for Inuyasha to see them before she had opened any.

But whatever. She was just going to start now.

Ten letters in total (Reader's Digest, Time, The Mercury News, and such). Each for fifty dollars.

"Inuyasha! I made five hundred dollars!" Kagome yelled.

Inuyasha didn't look up.

"Inuyasha! Your house is on fire!" Kagome tried.

Nope, didn't work.

"Inuyasha! Look! They're handing out free video games!" she hollered.

Inuyasha jumped up. "Where, where, where?"

Kagome looked at him. "Okay, now that I have your attention...you got a letter too!"

Inuyasha frowned. "No free video games?" With a disappointed sigh, he hopped back onto the couch to watch TV.

Kagome rolled her eyes. She tore open the letter.

Inuyasha,
Thank you for your submission. We are happy to announce
that your poem is going to be published in the next edition of
Highlights! We are including your $50 check.
Thank you,
The
Highlights Team

Kagome blinked. Highlights? As in, the magazine for children?

"Oh look. His poem. I wonder what he wrote. He told me that it took him two weeks to write, and that he slaved over it and edited it for three hours. Must be good."

She began to read:

"There once was a dog named Ben,
Who screamed as he sat on a hen.
He jumped so high,
He touched the sky,
And couldn't get down again."