Yikes! I put after class, when it isn't! Sorry about that. Ok, so I've consulted the 3 people who really matter: me, myself and I, and have decided that her admirer is….

The rest of the period passed quickly, and soon it was time to leave for our next class. Mr. Tiramisu had mentioned we would only be getting the 'results tomorrow, so I guess I wouldn't know yet. Still, I'd circled a yes, so that my admirer would know I appreciated it. Meanwhile, as I gathered up my books (which I had no idea why I brought, we didn't even use them today), I thought about who it could be. I drew a mental list.

Ren - possible

Yoh- with Anna. I doubt it

Hao- possible

Ji- Hyun- new student from Korea? He seems to be shy around me…

So there were 3 possible choices. Hmm… distracted by trying to figure out just who it could be, I accidentally knocked over a book I wished I hadn't brought: 'The Idiot's Guide To Getting Your Crush To Notice You'. I'd only brought that to school for fear of boredom. Either way, I was desperate to grab it off the floor and hide it, but Ren beat me to it. Smirking, he picked it up and held it out to me. I began to blush, and felt as though I could actually see the crimson coloring my cheeks. 'Thanks,' I squeaked. He snorted. 'Like you need it. That book, I mean. Your crush definitely noticed you already.' I looked at him, confused. What did he mean? 'You know who my crush is?' I asked him, scared to hear the answer. He nodded, and then shot me a smile I could never forget. 'It's Hao, right? Lately when I talk to him he's always asking about you. Like if Horo- Horo would be okay if he like, went out with you or something. And you DO blush when he's around.' Uh… Hao? My jaw dropped with surprise. He thought my crush was Hao? Could he be any more wrong? 'That is so not the point! I blush when ANY boy is around!' I argued, angry yet disappointed that he hadn't figured out that it was he I liked.

'You do?' He asked, just as we reached the door of our next class. 'Even me?' At this, I blushed even more furiously. Yes, even you, I wanted to say. I blush around you more than I do anyone else. But instead I shyly nodded.

After THIS class

I quickly strolled out of the classroom, not wanting to talk to Ren. I'd already embarrassed myself more than I should have. Besides, it was already the end of school. 'Aah… hey, Pirika! ' I whirled around, and saw Ren beckoning for me to go over to him. 'Yeah, what's wrong?' I asked, the minute I stepped into place in front of him. 'Do you – do you, you know, want to go to the Vanilla Bean for a drink? With me?' He purposely averted his eyes to meet the ceiling, but he couldn't disguise the fact that he was blushing. I grinned. 'You're on.' And we walked to the bus- stop slowly, talking about school and the 'dumb' Christmas crush idea… and that was when I realized something was on my hand. No, it was as if someone's fingers were laced through mines. Oh, no…was he holding my hand? I gulped. I hated that yucky feeling in my stomach. Oh, come on, hurry up bus…. Hurry up and just come already!

'Two vanilla milkshakes, please. ' Ren ordered, and then sat down on a plushy pink stool at the order bar in Vanilla Bean. Feeling uneasy, I sat down anyway and happened to see Ji- Hyun at a corner booth, engrossed in his textbooks. Did I mention he loved to study? Well, either way, just at that moment, he decided to look up. Our eyes met and he gave me a weak smile, but a genuine 'I'm- glad-to- see-you' one. I smiled back, and he went back to reading. 'So, Pirika, do you like anyone in our school?' Ren asked slowly, as though he were unsure of how to phrase it. 'Uh-' I could imagine thousands of his fan girls attempting to murder me. Thank God they hadn't seen us holding hands. 'No,' I lied, and then silently scolded myself. 'I mean, not reall- really,' I stammered. 'Oh.' He went quiet for a second, like he was thinking of something. 'Maybe if you stopped acting cute, someone might like you?' he suggested, smiling a little. But it wasn't a smile. It was a mocking sneer. 'I don't act cute,' I calmly informed him, though inside I was more than miffed at his words. 'Or maybe you're just naturally cute,' he told me in an unnerving voice. This wasn't like him. Not at all. Had someone possessed him? 'But whatever. I'll never like you; no matter how hard you're falling for ME. So give it up already, you pathetic FAN GIRL.' The newly made vanilla milkshake shook in my hand as I bubbled up with rage. Pathetic fan girl, huh? Never like me, HUH? He was smiling. The jerk was smiling. 'Well, milkshake's here, ' I said a little too cheerily, before soaking him in the white frothy liquid. Then I stormed out of the Vanilla Bean, but not before meeting Ji- Hyun's curious gaze and hearing him tell Ren loudly, 'I think that little Ainu girl has strong feelings for you.'

Yay! Ji- Hyun, Hao or Ren? Well? Remember the first chapter? It means Pirika still likes Ren. But it IS possible for her to like the other two, too. So who could it be? And why is Ren being so mean? Keep on reading…