This took me almost all night because I was busy playing Plants vs. Zombies and men...i tried to forget that the free trial version has just been expired. I got addicted to the game! I had really fun! I still want more plants vs. games! I swear i'm going to buy a full version! PLANTS VS. ZOMBIES ROCKS! *enjoy the chappie*

The next morning, all juniors and seniors were in the gym to start decorating for the Valentine's Day Ball. Zoe deliberately stayed as far as possible from Takuya. She didn't want to put herself in her path off too much temptation and end up being suspended by the principal. Getting in the gym, she fumbled with her day planner and fell it into the floor. As she bent to get it, a hand flashed out and grabbed it before she could. She jerked upright. Takuya Kanbara was right next to her, leaning casually against the gym's door.

She scowled at his perfect face. His eyes were light again today, a deep, chocolate-brown color. Then she had to look down, to reassemble her now-tangled thoughts.

"Why the traffic jam last night?" she demanded, still looking away. "I thought you were supposed to be pretending I don't exist, not irritating me to death?"

"That was for Ivan's sake, not mine. I have to give him his chance." He snickered.

"You…" she gasped. She couldn't think of a bad enough word. It felt like the heat of her anger should physically burn him, but he only seemed more amuse.

"And I'm not pretending you don't exist," he continued.

"So you are trying to irritate me to death? Since Ivan didn't do the job?

Anger flashed in his tawny eyes. His lips pressed into a hard line, all signs of humor gone.

"Zoe, you are utterly absurd," he said, his low voice cold.

Her palms tingled—she wanted so badly to hit something. She was surprised to herself. She was usually nonviolent. She turned back and started to walk away. She checked those who were control of the tables and chairs.

"Wait" he called. She kept walking, sloshing angrily through the gym. But he was next to her, easily keeping pace.

"I'm sorry, that was rude," he said as they walked. She ignored him. "I'm not saying it isn't true," he continued, "but it was rude it anyway."

"Why won't you leave me alone?" she grumbled.

"I wanted to ask you something, but you sidetracked me," he chuckled. He seemed to have recovered his good humor.

"Do you have multiple personality disorder?" she asked severely.

"You're doing it again."

She sighed. "Fine then. What do you want to ask?"

"I was wondering if, tomorrow—you know, tomorrow—"

Are you trying to be funny?" she interrupted him, wheeling toward him. Her face got drenched as she looked up at his expression.

His eye severe wickedly amused. "Will you please allow me to finish?"

She checked the disco lights: left, right and up. She bit her lip and clasped her hands together, interlocking her fingers, so she couldn't do anything rush.

"I was wondering if you wanted me to be your date at the Dance."

That was unexpected. Before she could reply she checked the stereos.

"What?" she wasn't sure what he was getting at. "With who?" she asked, mystified.

"Myself, obviously." He enunciated every syllable, as if he were talking to someone mentally handicapped.

She was still stunned. "Why?"

"Well, I still have no date, and, to be honest, I'm not sure I'm not going to get any except you."

"I'm just fine without a date, thank you very much for the offer." She started walk again., but she was too surprised to maintain the level of anger.

"But will you say yes if I give you the three roses and the one love letter you want?" He matched her pace again.

"I don't see how that is any of your business." Stupid Takuya, she thought.

"The wasting of finite resources is everyone's business."

"Honestly, Takuya." She felt a thrill go through her as she said her name, and she hated it. "I can't keep up with you. But do whatever you want I don't care."

"Deal."

"Oh, thanks, now that's all cleared up." Heavy sarcasm. She realized she had stopped walking again.

"It would be more…prudent for you act as my best friend," he explained. "But I'm tired of trying to stay away from you, Zoe."

His eyes were gloriously intense as he uttered the last sentence, his voice smoldering. She couldn't remember how to breathe.

She couldn't speak yet, so she just nodded.

He smiled briefly, and then his face became serious.

"You really should play nice for me," he warned. "I'll see you later."

He turned abruptly and walked back out of the gym.

"Way to go, Takuya!" Koji cheered.

"Hey, guys," Zoe greeted Koichi and the others halfheartedly.

"Hey, Zoe," they said without looking away. Zoe smiled to response, their grins was so impish. When she did, Koji winked at her.

"Koji—what did you do this time?" she questioned.

"Nothing," Koji answered holding out his hand.

"Yeah, right," she muttered.

Koichi smiled a shy smile and shoved his hands in the pocket of his jeans.

"Alright guys, we've got work to do!" she snapped.

Before Lunch

"Okay, guys," Zoe announced. "We could have our lunch break now…be back here at one o'clock…okay?" they agreed. "Great job."

Everybody left the room except for Koji and Zoe.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Koji asked.

"I'll catch up on you."

"Do you know where Takuya is?" Koji asked and the trickle of words halted for a second.

"I don't know. I don't care," she snapped.

"Well, I bet he's looking for the three red roses you want and writing a love letter."

Zoe smashed her fist on the table. "Not that there's any excuse for what he left to face. When Takuya heard what I announced at the classroom—what I saw and heard myself—when I realized the immature, volatile competition—I had no idea of any of this. I feel sick, sick to my core, I am the most miserable excuse—and then his going to walk in the gym with dozen roses and then serenade me with his guitar—tell me, am I crazy?"

They were very hard words to say. He didn't know if she could get them out without breaking down. But he had to try to do it right. He didn't want to be a source of guilt and anguish in her life. She should be happy, no matter what it cost Koji.

He'd really been hoping to put off this part of their last conversation. It was going to bring things to an end so much sooner.

"Zoe," Koji said. "What if Takuya's walking into the gym with one heart-shaped balloon, one heart-shaped chocolate, one love letter, three red roses and a guitar…kneeling behind you…to be your date on the Dance."

"What?" Zoe mouthed. Then Koji pointed at her back. As she turned around she met Takuya's brown eyes. While Zoe's not looking at Koji, Koji snuck out of the gym to give Takuya and Zoe some privacy.

Takuya gave Zoe the balloon with and chocolate attached to the string and a love letter.

"Sorry if it's only three, at least you've got a balloon and a chocolate and your song," Takuya stood and started playing his guitar.

I've got an angel

She doesn't wear any wings

She wears a heart that could melt my own

She wears a smile that could make me want to sing

She gives me presents

With her presence alone

She gives me everything i could wish for

She gives me kisses on the lips just for coming home

She can make angels

I've seen it with my own eyes

You got to be careful when you you've got good love

'cause them angels will just keep on multiplying

But you're so busy changing the world

Just one smile and you could change all of mine

We share the same soul

Oh oh oh ohh

We share the same soul

Oh oh oh ohh

We share the same soul

Oh oh oh ohh

Oh oh oh ohh

Mmm mmm mmm mmm

Zoe glanced behind her, but the huge room was crowded now. Boys and girls were cheering and clapping.

"Say yes already!" someone yelled.

"Yeah, he gave you what you wanted, also added a balloon, chocolate!" someone added.

Zoe was on the edge of losing it. She stopped to take a deep breath, hoping to calm herself.

"Izumi Orimoto, he said her full name, the strangest expression crossing his face. "What do you say?"

She could feel the blank incomprehension on her face. "Yes."

"Finally!"

Everybody jumped and shouted for joy they went back to the cafeteria to continue their lunch, Takuya, Koji, JP, Zoe and Koichi stayed at the gym.

"Then…do you still guilty?" Koji asked.

"Didn't I?" Zoe raised an eyebrow.

"You're a genius Koji, you made it more official!" Takuya tackled Koji with a hug.

"Anything to make Zoe happy," Koji said, voice soft, eyes fierce.

"Well, it did made my day"—Zoe shuddered—"even I was in the bad mood, you still made my day. Obviously, I was touched."

"Ex plus ex equal…," JP muttered then, distracted. His voice was so low Zoe wasn't sure he heard it right.

"Lovers." Koji and Koichi said at the same moment.

"What are the odds?" Takuya puts his hand on Zoe's shoulder.

"The odds are always stacked against us. Mistake after mistakes. I'll never criticize Takuya again." She responded as she put down Takuya's hands down.

"But I still understand," Koichi said. "Why were you so furious when Takuya ignored you for two days?"

"Two days?" JP repeated.

"That's my whole point. So what?" Zoe replied.

"Excuse me?" JP responded.

"So what if I was mad?" Zoe snapped.

They stared at her dubiously for a long moment before answering. "You still love Takuya, don't you?" Koji pointed out.

"I don't remember anything saying that." Including the words that had negated all the rest.

Takuya brushed the tip of his hot finger against her lower lip. "Zoe, actions speaks louder than words." He closed his eyes, shaking his head back and forth with half smile on his beautiful face. It wasn't a happy smile.

"But there comes a time where in words speaks clearer than actions." Zoe fought back.

Koji, JP and Koichi gave them an aww's.

"You know Zoe…" Koichi's head swam as Zoe looked for the appropriate word. "The more you hate…"

"The more you love." JP continued. That worked. Takuya and Zoe couldn't make sense of what they were saying.

Takuya stared deep into her eyes with his sincere, earnest gaze. "I do love Zoe, but as a friend."

"While I'm a good liar, Takuya, I have to be," Zoe chuckled.

Everybody froze. Zoe's muscles locking down as if for impact. The fault line in her chest rippled; the pain of it took her breath away.

Zoe shook Takuya's hand, trying to loosen his rigid pose. "Let's eat! I'm a good eater as well." She winced then they slide through the cafeteria followed by the others.

After School (at the gym)

"A clean day," Zoe stretched her arms.

"You make a pretty good organizer, Zoe," Takuya praised.

"A decorator," Koji added.

"Exactly. But I never imagined it would be so easy to do! I thought it would be next to impossible," Zoe grabbed her backpack.

"I could see our tomorrow," Takuya exclaimed.

"Then I guess we need to recharge our battery," JP yawned.

"Yeah, I feel sleepy," Koichi followed JP out of the campus.

"See you tomorrow night, Zoe," Koji waved goodbye.

And then they were two.

"I can't believe you blurted them you're a good liar," Takuya hissed. "You're a terrible liar, Zoe,, and you know that."

"I can lie better than last year," Zoe punched Takuya's arm playfully.

"Lie to me, please," he ordered.

"I'm sorry, what?"

He exhaled sharply.

"Just prattle about something unimportant," he clarified.

"Um." She wracked her brain for something trivial. "Ivan's taking me to prom."

"What?"

"Who wouldn't like Ivan?" she questioned. "He's quiet good-looking. He's not dumb. He's pretty cool. We look awesome together."

He didn't answer. She was too shocked to form a rational response.

"Jealous much?" she hissed. "I could see it in your eyes, that you honestly believed that Ivan's taking me to the prom. The most absurd, ridiculous concept—as if there were any way that I would agree for Ivan to take me to the prom!"

He was still frozen. Her words were incomprehensible, because they were impossible.

She shook his shoulder, not hard, but enough that his teeth rattled a little.

"Takuya," she sighed. "Really, what were you thinking!" she said, and she laughed once—a hard laugh, frustrated. "Here's the truth. I'm going to run over Ivan tomorrow before the dance?"

The corner of his mouth twitched.

"Why?"

"He's telling everyone that he's taking me to prom—and he thinks prom is somehow the correct way to make his ex-girlfriend jealous. So I figure if I endanger his life, then we're even, and he can't keep trying to make amends. I don't need enemies and maybe her ex-girlfriend would back off if he left me alone…," she babbled on. "If he's paralyzed from the neck down, he can't go to the prom, either," she muttered, refining her plan.

Takuya sighed.

"See, I can lie better this time."

"Not really."

"Then why were you so silent then?"

"I was…thinking."

"I'll ask you a question and you answer it directly."

"Okay."

"Do love someone more than me?"

"No."

"Do you still love me?"

"YES!" Takuya widened his eyes and blush tomato red. "As a friend," he added.

"So you still love me after all," she whispered, her face paler than her usual pale. "Why can you believe the life but not the truth?"

"It never made sense for you," he explained, his voice breaking twice. "I always knew that."

Her eyes narrowed, her jaw tightened.

"Grrr…" he groaned. "All of what's happening doesn't mean anything!"

"Why so defensive?"

"Whatever," he muttered. "See ya tomorrow night Zoe." Then he left Zoe alone in the gym.

"What was I saying?" she caught her face securely between her hands, ignoring her struggles when she tried to turn away.

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid Girl." She scolded herself. "I hate myself."

She stopped, and she climbed out of the campus and fumbled her way back home, looking at herself in the mirror when she got home.

i'm trying to forget that i'm addicted to the game 'PLANTS VS. ZOMBIES'! try it and ya'll know what i mean!