Grahhhh my Kami-sama this story is SO boring to type. SO boring. Which is why I hate updating this. Or maybe it's because I don't like Yuki now. Rin and Haru equals life. I'm just trying to get this done so I can get Haitoku no Jounetsu up soon, which I am very, very excited about. I just don't want to get too caught up and post a million stories at once like I'm currently fighting down right now. I should've waited for Ichirin no Hana too, but that was my stupid mistake… grr…

But I think the reason I keep typing it is CuteCrittersGang. They always leave such nice comments.

You should join The Black Parade. Heck yes. Word.

And you should read Juste (invisible gnomes ate my ramen)'s new story. 'Tis vurry funny.

Secret Eleven

Secret Number Eleven: I really don't like arguing with people. I really don't.

I'm bad at it too.

I couldn't persuade a fat kid to eat some cake.

My persuasion skills suck.

After spending all of gym in the nurse's office pretending to be sick on Monday, and after avoiding Yuki for the rest of the day, it was time to go… home.

"Eri!"

I was almost out of the school when I heard my name being called.

Yuki.

"Oh… hi… I'll bring Tohru her uniform back tomorrow, if that's what you're wondering."

"Oh, okay," he smiled. "I'll tell her. Can I walk you home?"

"Sure… thanks…" I replied, and we began the stupid walk to my stupid house.

"Are you going to be in trouble? For being gone the whole weekend?" Yuki asked, his eyes fixed on the pebble he was kicking along the ground.

"Oh, no. I bet my mom didn't even notice," I answered, honestly.

"I'm glad you stayed over," Yuki blushed. "I was glad we could talk to each other."

"Me too. Normally there's…"

"…nobody," we said at the same time.

"And my… secret… still doesn't bother you?"

I shook my head.

"Okay… then… do you think… maybe… doyouwanttobemygirlfriend?"

I blinked at him. "What?"

"Do… you… want… to… be… my… girlfriend?" he said, slower and quieter. "You don't have to… I just…"

I answered by stopping and kissing him quickly.

"I take that as a yes?"

I nodded, and then I heard…

"ERI!"

Both of us looked up. We were in front of my house, and Chang was running toward me from the doorstep.

"CHANG!" I yelled with a laugh, and he gave me the biggest big-brother hug, picking me up and swinging me around.

The commotion ended when Chang set me down and stared Yuki in the eye. "Who are you?"

"Yuki Sohma," Yuki replied, not intimidated even though Chang weighed at least 70 pounds more than him.

"Who… Eri… is this your boyfriend?"

"…Yeah," I replied, blushing.

Chang stopped laughing long enough to glare at Yuki again. "If you're my sister's boyfriend… you better take good care of her!" Chang decided.

"Yes, sir," Yuki replied, still unafraid.

"Ah well. Come, Eri-chan. Into the house with you. We have lots to discuss before mom comes home," Chang decided, pulling me by the arm.

"Bye, Yuki!" I called over my shoulder, considerably happier. "Thanks for everything!"

"Yeah, yeah, come on, Little Miss Eri," Chang rolled his eyes with a smile, and we entered the house. "So… where were you?"

"Last weekend?" I asked, putting my school books down and getting myself a glass of water from the kitchen.

"No duh."

"I stayed at a friend's house."

"Who? Twig Boy?"

I rolled my eyes. "That's not his name."

"Close enough. I'm glad you're back though. Mom… she…"

"Did she hurt you?"

"No…"

"Did she get hurt?"

"No… well… she's at work… but… she cried all weekend."

It felt like I had just dumped the glass of water on my head. Mom? My mom? The one who never shows any emotion but anger? "Why?"

"She thought you had run away from her, like dad did."

Like dad did.

"I wanted to run away… I never wanted to come back. I was so afraid to even call and tell you where I was."

"Well, I'm glad you're here now. You did the right thing. Maybe all you needed was a weekend away."

"Yeah. I guess so. And… thanks for trying to help me out on Saturday."

"That's what big brothers are for, right?" Chang smiled, ruffling my hair. "And… that Twig Boy didn't do anything dirty to you, did he?"

"No!" I flicked him, laughing. "He wouldn't do that! And that's not his name!"

"By the way… how's your dance group thingy going?"

Eh.

"Chang… I'm never dancing again."

"Eri?"

I looked up, and there in the doorway was my mom.

She looked like a mess; her eyes were swollen and puffy, her hair looking like it hadn't been combed in days, and her nurse's outfit hanging limp, loose, and dirty.

I felt… sorry for her. I felt sorry that I had left for so long…

"Mom!" I yelled, and we ran toward each other, meeting in a tight embrace.

"I'm so sorry, Eri… my baby… you're back… I'm so sorry for scaring you…"

'I can't imagine how sad it must be to never be able to hug your mother,' I heard Tohru Honda say in my mind, and a tear rolled into my mom's hair, which smelled of cigarettes and sadness.

"I love you, mom. Thank you for never leaving me."

That's a tear-jerker.