EDIT: 06-October-2011. Removed author's notes, fixed grammar and spelling errors.

I'm so sorry for this extremely late update. I totally forgot about it until now. Thank you to everyone who sent a review! Forgive me for being unable to reply to you guys, but please know that I love all of you.

Warning: Extreme OOC-ness.

"There are two kinds of worlds: the one you dream about, and the real one. The challenge is not to choose, but to make both worlds meet."

All The Right Moves

Chapter 8

A Problem Resurfaces

RUKIA was sitting on her bed, bored. It was a Sunday, and she was supposed to be resting. She looked at her cell phone for the nth time, itching real badly to send a text message to a certain someone. Maybe she could ask how the game went... After all, she wasn't able to finish the championship game. When she woke up (after passing out at the clinic), Kaien decided to take her home and let her rest while he himself went back to finish the game. He told her the results, and that Tōshirō scored two goals for the school and was carried off the field by his teammates after the game. So yeah, she actually knew the results. That fact wouldn't hinder her from using it as an excuse to send Toushirou a message, though. The raven-haired girl took a deep breath, gathered all the courage she had in her petite body, flipped open her phone and punched in 'Hey, how are you?' She paused for a while staring at the blinking cursor on her phone, deliberating her next course of action.

a. Should I send it? He might think I'm assuming we're close friends already!

or

b. Should I not send it? The chance to know how he is might slip away! And it's eating me alive!

Rukia buried her phone in her chest, biting her lip as she stared at the ceiling. She couldn't send it. She just couldn't find it in herself to send the message. She couldn't risk Tōshirō freaking out! She heaved a sigh as she prepared to erase the message, but she had been so absent-minded that she pressed the wrong button! She accidentally pressed the send button and immediately started panicking, staring wide-eyed as the word "Sending" continued to taunt her. She frantically pressed the End button numerous times, hoping to cancel the command, and then covered her phone with her pillow, hoping to intercept the reception—hoping against hope that the signal would miraculously drop.

It didn't. Rukia stared anxiously as an animated envelope flew away in her phone, the words "Message Sent" grating on her nerves.

The minutes ticked by. Questions had been swarming in Rukia's mind for the past few minutes. What if she got the number wrong? What if when her number appeared on his phone, he didn't know who it was and thus wouldn't bother reply? What if he was so freaked out at receiving a message from her and wouldn't even reply? Rukia tried to focus on other things—homework, upcoming exams, the school ball—but she just couldn't concentrate on anything else. The wait was becoming too much. A few more minutes passed, and still there was no reply.

The minutes added up to half an hour, and by this time, Rukia was so tempted to send another message, making some kind of excuse. Something along the lines of, 'Sorry, mistext'. Was that lame? She plopped down on her bed and stared blankly at the ceiling once more...

Two hours later, Rukia's phone finally beeped, and it was from her one true love.

Tōshirō's reply read: 'Hey, sorry, I was sleeping and I just woke up. I'm great. I was thinking how you were. What's up? Need to ask you something. Meet me tomorrow dismissal at the field?'

Rukia's stomach twisted and turned as she read the message over and over again. What could it be that it couldn't be asked over text? She shrugged the thought off and replied, 'OK'. She immediately informed Rangiku and Momo of this, who in turn told her that she should have let Tōshirō come to her if he wanted something. Rukia reasoned that it would be strange not to grant such a simple request. And as a matter of fact, she couldn't wait for tomorrow...

At the field, there were lots of students milling about—Tōshirō's teammates, upperclasswomen hanging around giggling, waiting to catch the guys' attention, and other onlookers. Rukia's eyes met his as Tōshirō spotted the raven-haired girl, but waited for a few more minutes until some people left before he waved and walked over to her. Rukia could tell that he was shy, and true to his reputation, he didn't like making conversation with girls when there were too many people around.

"Hey. Glad you could come," he said as he smiled at her.

From the school's parking lot not too far away from the soccer field, two pairs of eyes silently watched the exchange.

"Say, Kaien...You like her, don't you?" Rangiku bluntly asked.

Kaien merely glanced at the strawberry blonde, then smirked. "As if anything I say would change what that mind of yours had already concluded."

"As if anything you say would change the fact that my conclusions are correct," Rangiku retorted haughtily.

Kaien raised a curious eyebrow at this. "Then why ask?"

"I was wondering why you never made a move on her."

Kaien chuckled and shook his head, looking back at the conversation happening in the field. "Nah. I can tell that Tōshirō kid likes her, too. Contrary to what people think of me, I don't really make a move on girls when I know I'll hurt someone in the process. I don't like competition."

"Then why not before? When Tōshirō didn't know her yet?" Rangiku asked, genuinely interested.

"She was still a kid then. It's a wonder how one person can transform from a child to a lady in a year's time."

Rangiku smiled softly. "But really, Kai, it was you who initiated the bet in the first place. If you knew that would ruin your chances with her, why did you even do it?"

Kaien shrugged nonchalantly, although the wistfulness in his eyes betrayed his real feelings. "Heh. I didn't know it would. I thought she'd lose. Who knew that girl had it in her? I honestly didn't think she'd take it seriously, and look where it got her now."

"I don't think she did, Kai. She doesn't even talk about it. I think she doesn't remember the bet anymore."

Kaien smiled. "Well that makes the attraction between the two of them all the more stronger, huh?"

"Yeah. Soooo, you made a wrong move, ne?" Rangiku smiled teasingly as she playfully nudged him with an elbow..

"Yeah..." Kaien sighed in defeat. "Wrong move."

Rukia smiled at Tōshirō, and replied, "Of course. So what is it you wanted to ask?"

"Oh, yeah. Well...the soccer team is...throwing a, uhm, huge party this coming Friday, and I was wondering if you'd like to come…with me."

Rukia blinked in surprise and thought for a moment. Friday...wait a minute. Oh shit! That was the day of the year when her relatives come for dinner with her family! And she already promised her mom that she'd be there to help. Rukia wanted to hit herself in the head. How could she blow a chance like this? Was it even happening or was she just imagining things? She looked up and saw emerald orbs staring expectantly at her. He was really there, truly, sincerely asking her to go with him to the party. She looked away guiltily before speaking.

"I...I'd love to..." Rukia swallowed the lump in her throat before continuing. "But I can't. You see, my relatives are coming over this Friday and I promised my mom I'd help her with the preparations. I'm sorry."

To her astonishment, Tōshirō smiled. He really appreciated how sincerely sorry she was, add to that the fact that family matters were important to her...just like it was to him. "Oh, that's okay. No problem."

"Y-yeah. I-I'll go ahead then." Rukia walked dejectedly towards the parking lot where Rangiku and Kaien had been waiting. Momo soon arrived.

Although Rukia said she couldn't come, she still couldn't push Tōshirō out of her mind. He didn't seem too sad—actually, he didn't seem sad at all—that she couldn't go. Her family dinner seemed like a perfectly valid excuse to him. Maybe, he didn't like her like she thought—wished—he would. First, she thought, maybe Tōshirō was finally beginning to like her back. After all, he asked her to go with him to the party. Then all of a sudden, he didn't even bother asking her to find a way to still go with him. Rukia recounted everything to her friends in the car. Momo, who was thinking the same way Rukia did, concluded that maybe he didn't like Rukia enough. Not yet.

The next day, still somehow disappointed about not being able to come to the soccer team's victory party, Rukia glumly walked towards her classroom. When she entered, everyone who was too noisy before she came in suddenly became deathly quiet. She vaguely wondered what was wrong with them, but she was still too distracted about the whole victory party thing that she didn't think too much of it.

A movement of something bright from her peripheral vision caught Rukia's attention. Renji stood up from his seat and casually strode his way to Rukia.

"Hey," he started. Rukia heard their other classmates snicker and giggle. They all seem to know something she didn't...

"Will you let me take you to the ball?"

Rukia, who was still wondering what her classmates were snickering and giggling about on top of her problem with the party, barely registered the question in her disoriented mind. All she managed to say was, "Huh..."

And the simple-minded Renji took that to mean yes. He replied, "Cool, I'll call you." He walked away and slumped back in his seat, and before Rukia could say anything else, the teacher arrived.

Rukia, finally registering what just happened, thought to herself: Uh-Oh, what have I done? She didn't like Renji that way at all. She was not in the least bit interested with someone who was so convinced that he was so great even if his jokes really give her a headache. At the Drama Club, only Momo laughs at Renji when he starts his stand-up comedy act.

In addition to not being able to come to the party on Friday night, Rukia's got another problem: Abarai Renji.

And thanks to their big-mouthed classmates, the news about Renji and Rukia going to the school ball together had spread around the whole school come lunch time. Rukia wanted to tear her hair off her head out of frustration. There was just no way she was going with him to the ball!

As she made her way to the library, she saw Tōshirō walking by himself.

"Hey! Tōshirō!" Finally, Rukia thought, at least something good is happening.

Tōshirō stopped walking and gave her a sideways glance. "Yeah?"

Rukia was taken aback by this. Weren't they like...close friends already? After all that happened in the outreach, the soccer championship... And didn't he just ask her to the party yesterday? Shouldn't he be a little...warmer towards her?

"Well... That is, uhm…"

Tōshirō turned to face Rukia fully. He heard the rumors about her and Renji. He couldn't believe it took him this long to figure out that his own teammate had the hots for this girl...and that he was standing in their way.

"What is it?" He asked, more gently this time. He was frustrated, but more at himself than at anything else.

"I was just...just..." Just what? Rukia thought. She didn't know why she called him. Maybe it was just a natural reaction to seeing friends in the hallway. But what could she say now?

From the corner of the hallway behind Rukia, Tōshirō saw Renji walking. He didn't want his teammate thinking of anything funny about them.

"Hey, I'm sorry, but I have to go." Tōshirō hurriedly left without another word, much to Rukia's disappointment.

That afternoon, Kaien—who had nothing better to do—offered the girls a ride home even if it wasn't a Monday. Rukia sadly told them about the events of the day. Momo was surprisingly quiet, just looking out the window; Rangiku looked thoughtful, twirling strands of her hair in her fingers. It was Kaien who decided to break the stifling silence.

"Well," he started, "Renji is on the same team as Tōshirō. He'll just assume Renji likes you. When a decent guy finds out that another guy likes this girl, he wouldn't try to make a play for her until it's crystal clear that he won't be hurting anyone. So in the remote possibility that he even notices you, that kid won't do a thing. Trust me, I'm a guy. I know these things."

Rangiku glanced meaningfully at Kaien, who just smirked back at her.

"But I'm not interested in him at all," Rukia whined.

"Then you have to do something to make sure he knows," Kaien said.

Now what could Rukia do?

Next chap will be up in a few days~! Thanks for reading! Have an awesome day!