Quite a lot has happened since I posted my last chapter.

First of all, I broke my toe by tripping and stubbing it. I know, I'm beyond clumsy. It still really hurts and I can't walk for long periods of time without having it swell up and ache. It's been black and blue for about a week now =/

Second, I got fish. Lots of them. It started out with two male bettas (that are seperated into two different bowls). They're gorgeous. One's a brilliant blue (I've since named him Indigo) and the other's a deep red (Scarlett, or Scar for short). Well it started off with them. And it led to me getting a ten gallon tank and attempting a female betta sorority. So as of now, I have six females. This is their first night being together and I'm currently peering over my screen to watch them and make sure they aren't going after each other (because I can type without looking at the keys). I've already had to sepreate one from the group, though the other five seem to be doing well. I'm just hoping that by morning Saphire, Amber, Amethyst, Crystal, and Ebony are all still present and not floating at the top of the tank.

So yeah. I've been doing other things, though I've just realised how much I'm rambling. Time for the next chapter!
Hope you all enjoy ;)

When the bell signaling their lunch period finally rang, Sakura let out a sigh of relief. Math had never been one of her strongest subjects, and she was fairly certain that Pre-Calculus had been developed for the purpose of making girls like her feel as though they were trying to learn a newly developed language. Her homework alone would frustrate her to tears. And no matter how much assistance she received from her teacher, she never felt confident in her own ability to solve the problems. Even her closest friends had been unable to help her understand it. At times, she felt as if she had no other choice but to drop the course because she couldn't seem to wrap her mind around the purpose of it all.

How the heck can you solve for a number that's imaginary? Why would you want to in the first place? It's freaking imaginary, for God's sake!

Now she was just pleased to have a break from all of the mathematics. She didn't understand the concept of it at all. And despite having discovered that the new student was in nearly every one of her classes, the day still seemed rather uneventful. Pre-Calc hadn't helped make it any less boring.

After gathering her books together, she turned to her right and found Tomoyo at her usual place - her cousin's side. They grinned at each other at the same moment and linked arms on their way out of the classroom, neither daring to look back. On their way to drop off their books at their shared locker they talked about the upcoming evening and the movies they would watch, laughing at each others' suggestions.

"Oh, Sakura! That isn't even a horror movie!" the raven-haired girl raved, waving her hands about for emphasis.

"That's the whole point! You know I don't do well with scary movies." The shorter girl shook her head, her sage orbs widening at the mere thought of having to sit through a long list of movies that would inevitably give her nightmares for a week.

"But seeing a scary movie now and then is always a nice change. And you know that there's no talking Naoko out of her 'Fright Night'" she made quotation marks in the air with her fingers the way they all had come accustom to doing when referring to what was in store for them that evening, "now that it's been mentioned."

The petite girl's auburn brows knit at her current situation. "I can't believe Chiharu would want to see a movie like that!" she complained, recalling how the subject of watching a bunch of scary movies had arisen. The honey blonde had run up to Sakura and Tomoyo after school had let out a few days before, exclaiming how great it would be to have a movie marathon of just horror flicks, then she'd rattled off a list of new releases. Sakura had shuttered to herself just as Chiharu mentioned that she'd already told Rika and Naoko about her idea, which they'd apparently agreed to immediately after hearing of it. "And then to tell Naoko about her idea ... she knows how Naoko can get out of hand when it comes to that imagination of hers." Sakura shuddered. Naoko was the type of person who loved a 'good and healthy scare', claiming it was good for one's heart. Though she enjoyed seeing a person go out-of-their-wits in terror even more. Sakura let out a long sigh, feeling defeated.

"Chi-chi doesn't really want to see those movies because she's interested in their plots. Yamazaki-kun told her about the movies. She just wants to know what he's talking about." Tomoyo explained, matter-of-factly, while she deposited her and Sakura's math notebooks onto one of the shelves. She grabbed her purse to check her phone, then closed the metal door behind her and turned around.

"But that doesn't make any-" Sakura cut off as soon as she noticed her friend's eyes had glazed over, distracted. She turned around in her place and discovered the cause of it almost immediately. "Any sense." She quietly finished under her breath.

A handsome young man was making his way toward the pair, a shy smile playing across his lips. He was quite tall, towering over the girls by at least a foot, though wasn't at all lanky and uncoordinated. His hair shown a midnight blue in the fluorescent light and fell to his ears neatly. His eyes were nearly the same color, flashing the shade of the North's oceans from behind a pair of wire-rimmed glasses. Though it was the way that he carried himself that separated him from the rest of the student population and caused most girls around him to visibly swoon. He had a presence to him that was almost comparable to royalty. He was like a young aristocrat.

"Hey Sakura-chan. Tomoyo-san." He smiled warmly to the two girls, his gaze staying on the latter for a moment longer than what was necessary.

"Hi Eriol-kun!" Sakura responded, beaming. Tomoyo gave a small wave, blushing.

"You mind if I join you ladies for lunch? The library's closed today for that extension that they're adding on." It was widely known that the taciturn senior spent his lunch time in the library, reading to himself or doing his homework rather than socialize in the noisy cafeteria. Eriol enjoyed the silence and was very much a loner. He was a quiet person and could easily be mistaken for being distant if one wasn't acquainted with his habits. Though he had made a strange connection with Tomoyo on her very first day of her freshman year.

The two had noticed each other while entering the building. A tiny Tomoyo had been holding a rather large cake box for her first class and he'd held the door open for her out of politeness. She'd adamantly thanked the then-sophomore and promised him a piece of her homemade cake in exchange for him walking her to her first class. He'd agreed without sparing a moment to think it over. And then he'd helped her find the rest of her classes throughout the remainder of the day and had opened up to her in a way no one had ever thought possible. Most students had already marked him off as being 'the extremely smart antisocial kid'. Tomoyo and Eriol had kept in touch since then and, three years later, were in a habit of texting throughout the day and calling each other nearly every night.

Truth be told, Tomoyo-chan was head over heels for Eriol-kun - and had been for quite some time. Though, she wasn't exactly sure of how he felt for her. And so she'd only ever told her closest friends, swearing them to secrecy to avoid rejection.

Eriol shrugged at his current predicament in an 'oh well' fashion, not even noticing the difference in the girls. He took delight in the raven-haired girl's pinkened cheeks, believing that she'd never looked more lovely, and laughed inwardly at Sakura and her high spirits.

"Like you have to ask!" Sakura scorned playfully.

"Of course you can sit with us." Tomoyo finished her cousin's sentence, smiling shyly up to the boy whose dark eyes were currently boring into her own.

The young man whispered a quick thanks and together the trio made their way to the cafeteria; the girls with their arms linked and chattering about happily, and the boy staring longingly after the taller of the two and smiling unconsciously to himself in contentment.

Sakura stopped, mid-step. Her, Tomoyo, and Eriol had just entered the cafeteria, and she'd caught sight of the new student. The interestingly dark and brooding young man had just paid for his lunch and had taken a few steps forward, only to pause and search the room. The corners of his amber eyes tightened in what she thought to be realization. He doesn't have anywhere to sit. The petite girl looked back and forth from her friend's that had continued walking and the empty lunch table that they usually sat at. He must feel so unwelcome. And he's shy, so that doesn't help. The tiny cheerleader frowned at her own thoughts.

"Sakura? Aren't you going to get your lunch?" Tomoyo questioned, concern taking hold of her delicate features. She was a few meters ahead of her friend, being tugged at the arm by the midnight-haired boy.

Sakura shook her head in response, auburn strands waving from the movement, and gave her friend a reassuring smile. "I'm not really hungry. All that math really killed my appetite. I'll meet you at the table, though, okay?"

Tomoyo's brows knit and she seemed like she was about to press the issue. At the last second, Eriol spoke up. "Sounds good. We'll see you there!" He gave her a warm smile before placing a hand on the small of Tomoyo's back, leading her over in the direction of the lunch line. Tomoyo turned back as they walked, she all-seeing gaze questioning.

Her cousin smiled that reassuring smile again, and mouthed 'I'm okay.' The raven-haired girl nodded, finally seeming convinced. She smiled and her amethyst eyes danced. And then she was skipping away alongside her crush, happily talking with him. Even from where she still stood, the tiny girl could still make out a faint blush that adorned her fair cousin's cheeks. Sakura's lips curled into a smile as she watched the two of them, finally assured that the coast was clear. She spun around to face the new student's back, relieved to find him just a few paces from where he'd last been before she'd been distracted.

She let out a long breath, trying to calm her nerves. Here goes nothing. And with that, the auburn haired cheerleader dashed off in the direction of the young man's back, praying for anything but rejection.

Meiling Rae scowled, her perfectly plucked brows puckering as she sat down at her normal lunch table and vaguely listened to those around her. She was still put out that the new students hadn't even bothered to talk to her. Most guys that she took the initiative to pursue would be hers in a matter of a few flirty hair-flips and well timed glances at them through her dark lashes. It was different with the new student. She didnt' understand how he seemed immune to some of her best tricks. Maybe she was losing her touch?

"Hey Meiling, I'm getting a pedi after school today. Want to come with?" one of her 'reflections', Miki, questioned as her and her boyfriend sat across from the infamously popular girl. Miki was dark-haired and fairly pretty, though she was just a replica of who she admired. That was how she'd been dubbed a 'reflection'. Her hair was cut about the same length as Meiling's and her makeup was done nearly the same way, though she lacked the attitude needed to pull off the look and had swept her bangs off to the side of her face. She seemed soft and gentle compared to the bold original.

No, I don't 'want to come with'. You bore me entirely too much. "Soccer practice today, Ryuu?" she questioned Miki's boyfriend, completely ignoring the girl. She flipped a pigtail behind her shoulder and smiled across the table to the thunderstruck young man. Just like putty. She smirked happily at the thought.

"Y-yeah. You g-gonna watch?" he nodded as he replied, stammering uncontrollably. His girlfriend sat next to him and sent him death glares, completely forgotten.

"Of course." she faked a giggle and winked. "Make me a goal?"

The boy was helpless but to nod again. Her lips curled into another smile. Losing my touch, my ass.

And that was why it was her table, herschool. She went by her own set of rules and amused herself by messing with other peoples' lives. And her peers allowed it, revelling in the drama she created nearly as much as she did herself. And the best part of the whole arrangement was that no one ever blamed her for being the way she was. She knew that only minutes would pass before Miki would be back to chattering away alongside her, trying to gain her approval again.

Moments later, she was flirting with another guy. Sora Nishimura, her long-time plaything, had sat beside her and was now attempting to gather her attention. He spoke urgently, though she just pressed her mental 'mute' button so she could take in his handsome appearance in peace. Moments passed. His oh-so-kissable lips ceased moving. And then what he asked her finally sunk in.

"Wait, what did you say?" she'd tensed as she comprehended his words, her nails acrylic nails tapped against the table impatiently.

"I asked if you knew anything about the new kid." His fair brows were pulled together in a stitch and she noticed that a muscle in his strong jaw had ticked as he finished his sentence.

"But why would you want to know about him?" She spit the last word venomously, still irritated with the dark-haired young man.

Sora just turned in the direction of the cafeteria's exit and glared. Meiling's scarlet gaze shifted from the light-haired male next to her to where he was furiously staring. Her face darkened when she finally found what he'd been looking at, her cat-like eyes narrowing at the sight.

Just a few yards away from the double doors, stood the person she believed she loathed most in the world - even over the grotesque old hag that was her grandmother - conversing with the new student. Sakura Kinomoto was chatting with him so familiarly, as if they'd known each other for year, and even gained a genuine smile from the devilishly good-looking teenager. She gasped loudly when he followed after the 'Kinomoto-parasite' and her eyes widened when he sat next to the cheerleader.

Her face twisted into a snear as all the hatred she'd felt for the girl over the years boiled over in that instant. Her eyes burned with the intensity of her emotions, and when she turned to the boy seated next to her she found that his expression mirrored hers.

Syaoran had had one hell of a day. He was mentally exhausted, having had to absorb so much in such a short time. While he was lucky to have learned Japanese at a young age (along with English, Korean, and Vietnamese), he still felt as though he was behind. Before leaving his life-long home in Hong Kong, his mother had told him and his four older sisters that this move would be for their benefit. He'd complied, wanting nothing more than to escape all of the things that reminded him of his lately deceased father. Saying goodbye to all of the people he'd known over the years had been easier to do than what he'd imagined. By that time, though, he'd become silent and sheltered. A shell of the happy young man he'd once been. In a way, his family was forced to mourn the loss of his father, as well as the man's only son.

Memories of his father still played like home movies when he closed his eyes. He could still smell his sire's favorite collagne when he got lost in memories of his childhood, something that was happening more and more frequently. Moving hadn't done what he'd hoped it would, and only isolated him more. Even if he'd wished to speak to someone, he knew no one other than his family in tiny, closely-knit community. And it wasn't like he could tell one of his light-hearted sisters or his already wreck-of-a-mother how he felt. He was alone in a sea of bodies. Irony was cruel.

He paid for his lunch and pulled his pair of head phones over his ears, allowing the load strumming of guitars and shouting to swallow him up whole. After stepping out of line and taking a few paces forward he was struck with an uncomfortable realization. He didn't know these people. And so he was unwelcome. Not that he'd blame any of the student body for wanting to avoid a moody and antisocial new kid. He was like the poster kid of misunderstood and troubled teens. And they knew about as much concerning him as he did them - zilch.

So he was walking toward the exit with his lunch, planning to eat outside by himself. Because it's not like I'm going to go around and talk to complete strangers. What would I even say? 'Hi, I'm Syaoran Li. New kid here. You mind if I sit with you?' He shook his head at his lousy attempt. A second later, he was being tapped on the shoulder.

He turned around only to see the green-eyed girl from most of his classes, smiling up to him genuinely. Suddenly his pulse was pounding in his own ears and he was lost to do anything but stare down to her, mesmerized. Her eyes twinkled and her auburn tresses swayed, as she bounced lightly on the balls of her feet - out of habit, he assumed. She's like a little ball of energy. He smiled at the thought. Her lips moved, then, but he was unable to hear anything else but the song that was currently blasting into his ears from his iPod. As he pulled his oversized headphones from his ears, allowing them to hang around his neck, he smiled sheepishly and muttered a "Huh?" Only to quickly add, "Sorry, I missed what you were saying."

She giggled. "I said," she began, teasingly re-enacting the facial expression she'd had before, "Hi, Li-kun!" Syaroan laughed at the petite girl. She held out her hand. "I'm Sakura Kinomoto. We have-"

"Hold your hands into the sky
Pray for mercy, instead of time
You are the massacre, the masochist, the tease
And you're captivating, standing in front of me"

The lead singer of Evans Blue belted out the chorus which sounded through Syaoran's headphones, still playing loudly around his neck.

"A lot of classes together." The young man cut her off, laughing to himself as he took her hand and quickly pecked the top of it before bowing slightly.

The girl stood frozen for a moment, eyes wide. Just as the song came to an end she unthawed herself and let out a shaky, "Yeah." Her head nodded in agreement as she continued. "I was wondering if you'd mind sitting with me," She blushed, tearing her gaze from his to stare at her shoes. "You see, I'm not really hungry, though I do get lonely quite quickly." Her lips pressed together, as if she were searching for the right words. Syaoran couldn't help but smirk when he caught her glance up to him only her gaze to her ballerina flats once more, her cheeks growing a darker shade of crimson. "And it would be nice to have some company while my friends got their food."

It finally dawned on him what she was attempting to do as she finished, gratitude causing him to smile down to her. She was trying to invite him to sit with her without tarnishing his pride. Make it sound like I'm doing you a favor.

"You want me to keep you company?"

She nodded again, returning his smile.

"Okay."

She blinked, taken aback by his answer. Had she expected him to do anything but agree to her every whim? "Really?" she questioned, still surprised.

He laughed again. "Really."

She let out a tiny squeal of triumph before grasping hold of his hand and leading him to one of the only empty tables left in the noisy cafeteria. It was on the far side of the room and had quite a view of the campus through a large picture window. Tables like these would have gone fast at his old school, though he noticed no one had attempted to sit at it but her. When she motioned for him to join her, he shot her a quizzical look. She giggled again in response to it.

"My friends and I claimed this table back in our freshman year. Everyone's learned not to sit here without being invited. Or else they're have to face the wrath of Tomoyo-chan." She beamed as she spoke, as if proud.

Isn't that the girl she sits next to in nearly every class? But she looks like she wouldn't dare hurt a fly. Syaoran's tawny brows came together as he looked from the auburn-haired girl seated next to him to her serene friend in the lunch line. They seemed like complete opposites. Sakura-san was filled with energy and loved to make people feel welcome, while her fair friend was quiet and a bit odd. He wondered how they'd become friends.

"Appearances can be deceiving." Sakura interrupted his contemplating, almost as if she'd eavesdropped on his private thoughts. His heart rapped against his ribcage when her lips curled into another one of her devastating grins. Syaoran was fairly certain that he was seated next to the most fascinating creature to ever grace the Earth. She was caring, and kind; clumsy, though graceful; and beautiful while still being unsure of herself. But it was her eyes that interested him the most, they held so many secrets and expressions that absorbed him completely. They fell into a comfortable silence until he noticed that while he was occasionally popping a few grapes into his mouth or taking a bite out of his over-cooked piece of pizza, she was just tapping her fingers against his free hand. Another unconscious thing for her.

"You aren't going to eat anything?" Syaoran questioned, comfortable around her. He vaguely noticed how she seemed to put people at ease - she had this calming effect to her, which allowed them to open up around her.

She shook her head, her auburn hair swaying with the movement. "I'm not really hungry. I feel sort of-" her tapping increased its tempo as her eyes searched the room, finally falling on his face. Her expression softened more. She gazed up to him as if having known him for years, it seemed slightly intimate. "Off." she finished her thought, mumbling.

"So you aren't going to eat?" Syaoran dumbly asked, inwardly smacking himself of asking such a stupid question that she'd just answered. Attempting to recover himself, he sat up straighter and masked his raging emotions with a worried expression. "Maybe that's why you feel different?"

"No, that's not it." he watched her intently as a few emotions danced across her porcelain features, she was unsure of something. A few minutes passed in silence. "It's nothing." she mumbled quietly. She'd broke the silence so suddenly that Syaoran had nearly missed her comment. When he met her gaze she smiled to him reassuringly, though the young man noticed it didn't reach the sage orbs that captured him so. Still, he let it drop. She obviously didn't want to talk about what was troubling her. And he was content with just staring at the lovely creature seated before him.

A tray slid across the table. Syaoran lowered his gaze when he felt heat rush up to his face, feeling caught in some private act.

"I got this for you." It was the girl's friend, the dark-haired one. She sat on Sakura's other side and handed her companion a bottled drink from the vending machine. "I figured pink lemonade was better than nothing."

"Thank you, Tomoyo-chan." Sakura-san smiled warmly over to her cousin as she slightly bowed her head in thanks. Her comrade smirked knowingly, her dark eyes dancing when she caught Syaoran staring at the two of them. Caught again!

Though before she could regard him, another piped up from behind her. "Syaoran?" His stomach dropped at the sound of the familiar voice.

Hope you liked it. I'm working on getting the next part up sooner. I'm working on getting the next part up sooner.

This chapter really stumped me when it came to naming it. Since I couldn't come up with anything better, and I knew that quite a while had passed since my last post I decided to name it after a song that's mentioned in the chapter - The Tease by Evans Blue. It sounds like something a tortured Syaoran would listen to while still mourning the loss of his father and trying to adapt to a new life in an entirely different country.

Originally, the Meiling part wasn't in here. But I really do enjoy writing from her point-of-view. After writing that short part, I really wanted to name the chapter after Jet's 'Cold Hard Bitch' though I thought it didn't sound very appropriate.

So yeah, feedback is always appreciated. It's always nice to know that people are actually out there reading this.

Thanks again to those that have been really supportive of my fanfic so far ;D

Till next time,
- jo