So the jerk was nothing more than a player after all. It hadn't even been three days and already he had already moved on…and in too, as his hands slipped down the back pockets of her mini skirt. Ritsuko didn't know which was worse: the fact that she'd been so easy to replace or that he'd chosen such a barbie instead. To see him tilt her chin and part her lips with his tongue to kiss deeply destroyed her. It felt like her heart was ripped out and stomped on. How could he? Why would he? This was the guy she wanted to spend the rest of her life with? Had she been nothing more than a bad nightmare to him? Was she really so easy to forget about?

Kisame watched as she silently stared at the couple. He frowned thoughtfully, what was going on? He reached out to touch her shoulder and she jumped. "You ok?" He asked. She looked at him over her shoulder; devastation was etched on her face. His breath caught in his throat as he saw tears well in the corner of her eyes. His hand rose to rest against her cheek. "Hey, what's wrong?" He murmured as he instinctively drew closer. It was hard to explain, especially since he really didn't know her, but he didn't want to see her cry. He wouldn't bear it if she did. She flinched away and turned to climb out of the pool. She hung her head as she snatched at her shirt from off the ground. "Ritsuko wait!" Kisame cried out.

That made Kankuro turn and he saw her yank her shirt back on. "Suko?" He asked. Her cheeks flushed with humiliation as she bit hard on her bottom lip. She stood there looking pathetic as water dripped all around her.

"That's her!" The girl pointed an accusing finger. "She's the jerk who was so mean to me!"

"I don't doubt it," He smirked with eyes colder than ice. "She always was nothing but trouble."

His cruel words were reminiscent of his father's the night he introduced Ritsuko as his girlfriend. "Girls from broken homes are nothing but trouble," he had said. "Walk away now before you regret it for the rest of the life!"

"So what are you doing here anyway?" He drawled. "This party is pretty exclusive."

His taunt spurred her to anger. "Are you saying that I'm not good enough to be invited?"

He chuckled as he wrapped an arm around barbie's shoulders. "You said it, not me."

Kisame frowned at that. He didn't understand what was going on but he didn't like the condescending manner of that guy. Just who did he think he was? Also why was Ritsuko taking it? Her hands curled into trembling fists but they remained still at her sides. She loved him, she trusted him…she'd given him everything! "Why are you treating me this way?" Her voice cracked with emotion. "After everything we've been through…"

"What is she talking about baby?" The other girl cocked her head curiously.

Kankuro rolled his eyes. "I dunno, she must be drunk or something."

Her fragile heart shattered. All slender hopes of reconciliation were gone. Not only had he found someone else, but he now seemed determined to pretend that they had never been together. How could he harden his heart and forget the tenderness they'd shared? How could he be so cruel and unfeeling? Was this the jerk she used to dream about at night? The one boy she'd ever dared to open her heart to? The sight of his smirking face when surrounded by his buddies made her wonder if she'd really ever known him. Had it all just been an act? Tears welled up in her eyes but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

"Just go home," he said as he turned to leave with his girl. "A freak like you doesn't belong here."

The crowd snickered and muttered insults about her punk clothes which looked gaudy compared to their designer labels. She didn't hear them as she just stared after him. He walked away without looking back, his hand slipped into the back pocket of barbie's mini skirt. She couldn't believe what had happened. It had to be some kind of nightmare. Kisame approached and rested a hand on her shoulder. "You ok?"

She flinched at his touch and shrugged him off, refusing to look at him. "I'm just fine," she said tersely and then stormed off. She ran into the house and looked for Shizako. She couldn't stay here any longer; she'd had enough and wanted to go home. Even the song that blasted throughout the house seemed to mock her:

I said no more teachers and no more books
I got a kiss under the bleachers hopin' that nobody looked
Lips like licorice, tongue like candy
Excuse me miss, but can I get you out your panties?

In the back of the car
On the way to the bar
I got you on my lips (I got you on my lips)
At the foot of the stairs
With my fingers in your hair, baby this is it...

She won't ever get enough
Once she gets a little touch
If I had it my way
You know that I'd make her say
Ooooooooooooooh
Ooooooooooooooh

But her friend was no where to be found. Or rather, Ritsuko didn't check the one place she just happened to be: Itachi's bedroom. The blushing…and half naked Nara was deliciously pressed into his bed. Itachi's caress was gentle but made her pulse skyrocket. His lips ran along her neck as his tongue outlined its contours. She arched into him with a soft groan. "Oh Itachi," she murmured as her hands massaged his defined abs. Her fingertips then drifted downward and she zipped his pants, letting his hardness extend and press against her. They both groaned at the mutual pleasure that created. Passion burned in his eyes as he grabbed hold of her panties at the same time as she pulled at his pants. Once the rest of the clothes were thrown aside, she wrapped her arms around his neck, embedding her fingers in his soft ebony hair. Her heart burst with emotion as he deepened the kiss. She loved it when he dropped his calm demeanor and acted on his feelings. It was love that went beyond words, it ran soul deep. She gasped as she felt him slip inside of her. He slid in and out, slowly at first as her body adjusted to him. "Faster," she whispered as her fingertips now dug into his shoulders. He grinned at her request and readily complied. He thrust in long and hard, enjoying how she trembled with desire in his arms. Her blue eyes were half-closed, her cheeks flushed, her mouth open as she panted softly. His breathing was just as labored and he hungrily kissed her, drinking in the taste of her sweet mouth. His every nerve was on edge as he knew he was close to climaxing. But he didn't want to ruin things by releasing first. He would wait…though he didn't know for how long he could hold back. Then she threw her head back against the pillows as she gasped and let out the breath in a long pleasurably moan. Euphoria spread throughout her body as she tingled with pleasure. Oh it felt sublime. He felt her squeeze around him, signaling her release and he followed soon after. It was a high unlike any other. He groaned as he dropped down to his elbows, weak from exertion. He continued to twitch inside of her as she pulled him in for a soft, lingering kiss. "I love you Itachi," she whispered into the corner of his mouth. "I love you so very much."

He chuckled softly as he kissed her back. "I love you even more."

Upset that she couldn't find her friend, Ritsuko did something very stupid and desperate. She grabbed a beer from one of the coolers and opened it. She gagged at the bitter taste initially. A few more swallows made her stomach turn over and she nearly threw up. But she pushed past the revulsion and chugged the rest of it down. She staggered back and the empty can slipped out of her hands. She leaned against the wall to steady herself, taking slow breaths to keep the nausea down. She felt light-headed but she could clearly remember Kankuro's cruel words. She grabbed another beer and snapped it open. She would forget it all even if it killed her.

Kisame meanwhile was bored out of his skull. He didn't bother looking for Itachi and his moment with Ritsuko was ruined. He doubted she'd be interested in their little game now. So he played a little Halo with some sore-loser freshmen until he got sick of their whining. He drank a little more, his expression blank as he stared off into nothing. What a waste of an evening. He never should have come here. As the party started to run into the wee hours of morning, most of the crowd had left. Those still remaining had either passed out or were well on their way. Itachi called several taxis to pick them up. Shizako sat beside Kisame on the couch and smiled sweetly. "Itachi tells me that you two have been best friends since you were kids."

He smirked gently. "Yeah, we've been pretty close."

"That must be really nice."

"Is the same true with you and Ritsuko?" He asked, not that he really cared but he humored her attempt at casual conversation.

"No, I only met her a few years ago. She's…well…moved around a bit." She said with down cast eyes. "She's been in foster care for a long time and it's been hard for her to fit in."

Now he was interested as he felt a pang of sympathy. "Are you two good friends?"

"Best friends," she emphasized with a grin.

He chuckled in amusement. "I find that a little hard to believe. She's got real attitude."

"Yeah but that's just a wall that she puts up to protect herself. Deep down, she's really sweet." Kisame had a hard time picturing her being nice…let alone sweet but he took her word for it. "I saw you guys talking earlier. Looks like you two had some fun."

He shrugged. "Yeah until some killjoy called Kankuro came along."

She gasped in horror. "Kankuro was here?" He frowned and nodded. "That's her ex-boyfriend; they just had a nasty break up a few weeks ago. She's been taking it really hard so I brought her here to cheer her up." So that explained the awkward scene at the pool. She looked around. "Where is she now?"

"I don't know," he said as he felt something gnaw away in his stomach. Something was wrong. "She went inside in a huff but that's the last I've seen of her."

Shizako jumped to her feet. "I've got to find her!"

"Alright, calm down, I'm sure that she's just fine," he said though he didn't really believe that himself. He'd seen the heartbreak on her face and that kind of pain can drive people to do some really stupid things. Shizako wasn't convinced either. "You look around here and I'll look down stairs."

She nodded and he went down into the basement. There were a few people still down there, singing some Vocaloid karaoke. He asked them if they'd seen her and someone thought he'd seen someone matching that description in one of the rooms in the back. He went through them, finding each one empty until the very last one. There was a figure crumpled in the corner. He hurried over to it and recognized Ritsuko as she lay surrounded by empty beer cans.