Chapter 20:

I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, but at least summer is coming up so maybe I can update more than usual! I'm glad people enjoyed chapter 19 seeing I got a lot of hits on it. Now for a question that was asked by a viewer has asked me:

Q: Do you plan on making more LenxRin fanfics after this?

A: Of course! In fact, I'm working on another story right now, though it won't be published until I finish this one.

Jessi-chan9867: I'm glad you reviewed! I don't care if it's short or not, I'm just glad you did! Yes I made the ending with a little heart squeezing, haha! I wish I had an older brother, but sadly I'm the oldest sibling. Oh well I can make up for all of that with Rin and Rinto in this story! xD

MizuneMinamiki: haha we all know what goes on at school stays at school xD! I feel kinda bad for making Len start drinking, but it's part of the story plot :/ and your welcome! I didn't drop a review on the last one I'm sorry! I've been meaning to drop reviews on Jessi-chan's story as well but my laptop has been acting up lately and I just now got it fixed…well its hopefully fixed!

Megaotaku98: lol xD I so thought about putting it like that, but then it would be too soon! Don't worry; it shall definitely get into more of that in the next chapter!

Haruhi-chan125: Haruhi has appeared once more! She helped with the song in this chapter! Tokyo Teddy-bear is an awesome song in my opinion! :3

Guest: I won't be revealing anything xD sorry your just going to have to keep reading :3

IA-K1002: Don't worry about it and I know sometimes I don't get story alarms and I'm all like "Crap!" and yes Rin's reason isn't the best reason in the world but it's part of the story! And sadly, yes I do have siblings, but they drive me crazy so I choose not to talk about them very often because then that would put me in an annoyed mood ehe and thank you for wishing me a happy birthday :3 and yes I'm finally free of exams as well! So yay! xD

~*Rin's P.O.V*~

The morning air was freezing when I woke up on the ground in front of Dad's headstone; the dew drops had frozen to form frost, which was now a thin layer upon my body. I realized that there was a jacket over my shoulders and realized that it wasn't mine. I clutched the jacket to my chest instantly and looked around, trying to find the person who might have put it on me. Once I saw that no one was around, I picked the jacket up and folded it neatly, setting it over my arm as I began to walk back to the cemetery entry gate. I saw two dark figures ahead of me at the gate and realized it was Haruhi and Jessi.

They were wearing dark jackets and their cheeks were slightly rosy from the chilly air. I jogged towards them, trying to get rid of the stiffness in my legs. They looked up once they saw me coming and both held their arms out, ready to embrace me in a tight hug. I instantly came into those arms, needing comfort and support of my friends.

"How did you know?" I murmured, knowing that they understood.

"Rin, you've been doing this since the day your dad died. Of course we figured you would be here since you didn't come home last night." Haruhi told me and Jessi squeezed me tighter, sharing her body warmth with my cold skin. I wanted to just go crawl up in bed with my friends and stay there, not going to school or anything, but I was pretty sure Mom wouldn't let me do that, or maybe she would. As we slipped out of the embrace, we locked arms and began to walk towards my house along the almost deserted sidewalk.

I still had the jacket in my arm and I began to wonder where it might have come from, but I was stumped. The cemetery had been empty when I had arrived and I didn't think the grounds keeper would come until around maybe eight in the morning; right now it was seven thirteen. I decided not ponder over it, already having enough on my plate and I certainly did not want to add more. We passed through my neighborhood, seeing the neighbor's houses and shrubbery as we reached our destination in front of my house.

The porch light had been kept on by, I assume, Mom. I walked up the porch steps, followed by Haruhi and Jessi, and pulled the spare key from the fern pot; sticking it under the mat was too original and I didn't want my house to be robbed anytime soon. I pushed the key into the lock, turned it to the right and back, and pushed on the door handle, opening the door. I motioned for Haruhi and Jessi to come inside and once we did, the lights flickered to life.

Mom was on the couch in her white robe, her eyes slightly red and puffy from crying earlier and there were dried tear stains along her cheeks. She looked up and smiled, though I knew she was just as heart-broken as I was. She was holding a matching locket, except hers had her initials on the back instead of mine. The intricate designs were also different; hers was a rose sweeping across the locket, making her look mysterious, while mine was a butterfly on a flower, making me look innocent and naïve. Both were white gold and been worn ever since the day dad had brought them home.

"Mommy, why is Daddy so late? Do you think something happened at the office?" A small blonde towhead asked clutching the white rabbit she had received the week before, the yellow ribbon around the rabbit's neck was big and poofy just like the one on the short blonde's. A blonde boy looking just like the girl appeared, holding a basketball in his right arm.

"Yeah Mom, where is Dad? He promised to shoot some hoops with me once he got home." The older blonde said, looking somewhat pouty, his eyebrows squished together.

"I'm sure your father will be home soon. He probably had some extra work to do or maybe it's just traffic." A young woman with similar blonde hair said, trying to smile, but there was a slight frown in her eyes. The lock turned on the door and in came in a light hair man around in his early thirties holding boxes and two bouquets of flowers. The little girl instantly ran up to him and grabbed onto his leg, hugging it tightly.

"Daddy! Daddy! Up Daddy, up!" She squealed in delight, her cerulean eyes twinkling. The man chuckled and set the boxes on a nearby cabinet. He picked her up and set her on his shoulders and the boy came up frowning.

"Dad, you said you were going to play hoops with me after you got off work!" He said and crossed his arms over the basketball. The man smiled at his son and ruffled his hair.

"We can go play here in a minute, unless you want to open your gifts later," He said, smiling up at his wife who had come over and was now pecking his cheek."

"Welcome home, sweetheart." She said and adjusted the blue nightgown on her daughter.

"I'm glad to be back." He told her and swept her up in his arms, hugging her tightly. He picked up the boxes and handed them out, passing the first one to his wife and then the other one to his son, saving the last box for his daughter. He lifted the small child off his shoulders and set her on the counter-top, letting her kick her feet back and forth as he brought the box to her face, a silk ribbon tide daintily on top.

She simply gazed at it a minute before wrapping her small arms around her father's neck.

"Daddy, you didn't have to get me anything! I'm just happy you came home!" She told him and he hugged her tight, burying his face into her short blonde hair.

"Daddy wanted to get bunny-chan a present, so bunny-chan shouldn't worry about anything." He replied after pulling back and gave her a toothy smile.

The young girl simply stared at the man for a minute before looking down at the small white box in her hands. She tentatively tugged on one of the ribbons ends and pulled the thin ribbon loose. After pulling off the lid, the child stared down at the object inside the box.

The shiny surface of the white-gold locket gleamed brightly and reflected the blue eyes of the girl. She gasped and lifted it up with her small fingers, staring at the butterfly engraving on the locket. She turned it around to see her initials also engraved on the back.

"It's really pretty! It must have cost a lot…" She said, her voice going low at the last part. She hopped off the counter, much to the man's surprise, and walked to her room, disappearing behind her bedroom door. She then returned with her white piggy-bank that was covered in pink flowed and handed it to her father. Her father flashed her a look of confusion, unsure what his daughter's motives were.

"Here, Daddy. I saved up my tooth fairy money and my birthday money so that I can you some money back." She told him, crinkling her eyes when she smiled at him. He smiled and shook his head, handing her back the glass pig.

"Don't worry about it Bunny-chan! I still have a lot of money left!" He told her before turning to his son and pulling out a new basketball for him.

"Now let's go play some basketball!" He told him and his son cheered, leaving the Mother and her daughter laughing as the two males walked out into the driveway to play.

"Are you okay?" I heard myself ask Mom, my voice slightly raspy from the fact I had been outside in the cold.

Mom simply nodded, but she held her arms out for me to hug her. I went over to her and came into her arms, hugging her tightly and trying to force back the tears that were trying to spill. Crying wouldn't help my mom and I knew it; I had to be strong for her. She leaned back onto the pillows, her eyes closed, but a weak smile was on her lips as she fingered the locket around her neck.

"…you need to stay home today and rest…Rinto needs to do the same." She finally told me and wiped her eyes. I didn't argue, but I was being selfish by asking:

"Can Haruhi and Jessi stay with me?"

Mom nodded and then got up, stretching her back as she returned back to her room.

"As long as they don't eat up all of our food."

I smiled and led them up to my room. The minute I opened my door though, I was immediately embraced. Rinto was holding me tightly, much to my dismay as he was hugging the remaining life out of me.

"Rinto…to…tight!" I gasped and he loosened his grip.

"Are you okay? You stayed out all night…" He asked me, searching my face for any sign off sickness or pain.

"Yeah…I'm sorry for worrying you." I told him and he hugged me again.

"Bunny-chan you worry me every day." He muttered, his words though light and joking, were filled with hidden worry. Before I could respond, he walked out of my room, leaving three bewildered girls behind.

We all plopped down on my bed, Jessi's iPod was playing throughout my room, mostly rock, and we hadn't said anything yet. Truth be told, I was comfortable with the silence and I'm pretty sure they were to, but I knew we would have to break it soon. I got up and pulled my electric guitar out of its case and begin to tighten the strings. I nudged my old acoustic to Haruhi, knowing that's her type of guitar and Jessi had gotten out my old portable piano keyboard. I realized it was Len's old keyboard that he had given me after he received a new one.

"Here Rin! I received a new one so…I want you to have this one!" Len told me, smiling sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. I had simply tilted my head to the side, giving him a confused look. I was rather unsure if I should honestly accept it, knowing this was a prized possession of his. Len had a slight pink tint to his cheeks as he gazed at my expression.

"Len you don't have to give it to me! I know how much you love it so you should keep it in case your new one breaks!" I told him, grinning. Len looked rather hurt for a moment before he pulled the keyboard from its bag that hung around his shoulder. He sat down in the grass and patted the spot beside him. I sat down obediently; making sure my yellow sundress was not being wrinkled. He hesitantly began to play a song. I began to feel lured into singing to the notes, but I didn't want to make Len deaf from my terrible voice, so I simply hummed instead.

When Len was done, he looked over at me. The face he was giving me was almost completely blank, except his eyes had this odd twinkle in them.

"Rin…please just take the keyboard. It would make me really happy to give something I really love to someone I care about."

Those last words kept ringing in my head. I realized that Jessi was frantically waving her hand in front of my face.

"Hello! Earth to Rin!" She said, giving me this odd look.

"Uh-huh…wha?" I said rather dazedly. Jessi threw a pillow at me, causing it to go wham in my face.

"Oi!" I exclaimed, giving her a wide eyed expression. She smirked and stuck her tongue at me teasingly. I growled playfully and threw it back at her. Jessi dodged and the pillow hit Haruhi in the back of the head.

"Hey! What did I do?" She said and before we knew it, we had begun a pillow fight. We squealed and whacked each other upside the head. After nearly destroying my room, we collapsed again on the bed, gasping for breath and laughing hysterically.

"Oi, Rin…I'm hungry!" Jessi said, rubbing her growling belly. Haruhi whacked her with a pillow one more time before we headed down stairs in search of food. I opened the cabinets and saw that we only had cereal, poptarts, marshmallows, and popcorn. I made a mental note to go grocery shopping later. It didn't take long for Jessi to pick the marshmallows. Once again, we head back up the stairs and grabbed our instruments, now heading towards the shack in the back yard. I admit the shack wasn't really a shack. Sure, it was kind of small, but my mom let me reconstruct it. I put in the combination on the lock, hearing the click sound of it and opened the unlocked door. Since the door didn't have a door lock, we had to put an actual lock on it.

Inside was a small desk with a computer surrounded by many other gadgets, a few comfy chairs, a small couch, and a mini fridge. Flash drives were scattered all over the place, holding every song I had recorded here. As I put in a fresh Flash drive, I saw Jessi immediately get up on the drums. That was her style, even though she took piano lessons, she was definitely a drummer. Haruhi played a few notes on the guitar, making sure it was well prepared.

It was just like good old days, where we would record and hang out and laugh. Len had even made a few songs with us. Jessi twirled her drum sticks before clacking them together, signaling for us to begin. I prepared my guitar, already deciding on a few lyrics. It was one of those songs where you come up with the lyrics as you go, not something all big and complicated.

"Mother, Father, my apologies to you. My knees are trembling; I'm sucking on my thumb." I began, letting my mind loose with lyrics as I continued on.

"Brother, Sister, I'll see you later. I'm reckless in these worn-out shoes. With vanity spreading with size, take the pattern paper. If it's alright, I'll substitute them." My voice rang out, and I closed my eyes continuing to strum my guitar alongside Haruhi.

"I grumble that I wanted to be loved. If only I could find a tougher pair of scissors, I would cut off that face. Hear the words of the almighty omniscience." The pumping of my heart beat was accelerating as Jessi drummed, keeping a steady tempo.

"All I need is a clear mind. Why not? I don't know!" I opened my eyes and somehow I felt like I was seeing differently. Like my world had been hazy, but now the fog was gone. As song finished, I felt my phone vibrate. After the last note and a drink of diet coke from the fridge, I tentatively checked it. I was a text from Miku.

To: Rin K.

From: Miku H.

We made cheerleading! Though there was a tie between two people so we have ten cheerleaders instead of eight: You, Me, Gumi, Miki, SeeU, Neru, Teto, Aoki, Merli, and Luo. First practice is tomorrow. We have a game Thursday.

I instantly typed up a reply.

To: Miku H.

From: Rin K.

Great! See you tomorrow.

I put the orange phone in my pocket and began working on the recording. Haruhi and Jessi left after sometime and I realized it was almost dinnertime as my song was being uploaded to my iPod. Dinner was quiet as we ate, though no one broke the silence. I washed my plate and set it on the drying rack, hoping for some reason that I could just be alone.

I walked upstairs for almost the fifth time today. My chest felt heavy with an awkward longing for someone. I heard a doorbell ring and I heard Rinto's voice. A few minutes later, Rinto walked into my room, his arms full of flowers.

"…what the hell?" I inquired, feeling my eyebrows rise as I stared at the amount of plants. Rinto chuckled softly and set them on my desk. There were four vases total; each filled with different assortments. One arrangement was filled with orange blossoms and daisies. I picked up the card and read it.

We hope your day gets better! We miss our Rin-Rin!

Miku, Gumi, Kaito, Luka, Meiko, Gakupo, Yuuma, Piko, Miki, & SeeU

I laughed at how small everyone had to write their names and moved onto the next one. The other arrangements were roses; one light blue, one yellow, and one red. I read the light blue roses next, seeing it was from Mikuo.

I love you. Call me if you want me to come over.

Mikuo

I held that card very dear to my heart and reminded myself to call him later and let him know I was okay. I looked over at the next two, unsure who they could be from. I picked up the yellow roses, seeing they looked friendlier than the red ones. This card though made me clench my teeth.

I still remember you liked yellow roses.

Len

I crumbled the small card up and threw it into the trash can by my desk.

"Stupid…" I muttered; closing off any emotion I might have at the moment. I stared at the red roses, feeling almost frightened off them. That's silly; their just plants, I thought to myself and forced myself to chuckle at my paranoia. I reached over and gently picked up the card, opening the envelope carefully. This card caused me to stop breathing.

I'm always watching dear Rin. I must congratulate you on your performance in cheerleading, as it was remarkable according to all of the rumors. Can't wait to see you in the act at Thursday's game.

There was no sender's name, but I knew that would be too easy. I always had my blinds shut, even when it was bright and sunny. They hadn't been open since the texts started coming. I walked numbly to my bathroom preparing for school tomorrow.

Date: Wednesday, October 7th

Time: 6:34 a.m.

Location: Kagamine Rin's house

~*Teto's P.O.V*~

I was standing in the foyer of Rin's house as we waited for her to come down and walk with us to school. Normally, I would have taken a taxi, but Miku suggested we walk with Rin-chan to school since yesterday was a pretty bad day for her. I felt saddened for Rin, not knowing what it was like to not have a dad. My left butt cheek started vibrating, letting me know I had received a reply from Ted-kun. Of course, I had to give him this cute contact name for whenever he texts me.

To: Bread-chan

From: Teddy-Bear

Tell Rin and everyone else I said hi.

I thought of how Kaito had sent him that video of me pole-dancing without my pajama bottoms on. I had gotten on the phone with him after I left Gumi's house.

"So you can pole-dance for anyone, but me? Even for Kaito? THAT PERVERT?" He had demanded, though jokingly of course.

"Ted-kun! It's not like I wanted to; a dare is a dare!" I whined to him over the phone. I heard him laugh quietly.

"Well…can you pole-dance for me when I get home next week?" He asked me and I blushed, though gratefully he was over in the other city with some relatives so he couldn't see me blush.

"NO!" I screeched over the phone.

"I'm kidding. Though that would be a nice birthday gift…" He said thoughtfully. I had sighed while face-palming myself.

I felt the need to face-palm myself right now, but that would have me receive a questioning look from Miku, Luka, Gumi, SeeU, and Miki. Rin hurried down the stairs, grabbing a pop-tart before dashing towards us.

"Okay I'm ready!" She told us and we walked out the door. Rin began to stuff her face with pop-tarts and Luka began scolding her. Luka was definitely going to be a mom. I pictured carrying Gakupo's baby, but instantly wanted to barf when it came to mind. Though pink and purple were complimentary colors together, Luka and Gakupo's baby just didn't look so great in my head. My thoughts drifted to Ted, picturing our baby. I smiled, biting my tongue to keep from squealing at the adorable picture in my head.

"So Rin…are you nervous about practice today?" I heard Gumi ask, though I think it was pretty obvious that Gumi was trying to start a conversation without mentioning anything about yesterday. Gumi was a smart one. Rin had to swallow her pop tart before answering.

"Not really. I'm kind of excited to be more exact." She said, licking her lips to clear away any crumbs.

"I'm glad you made the cheerleading squad! I made the flag team!" Luka said and we instantly praised Luka, much to her dismay. Luka wasn't that really big of a fan when it comes to people praising her; she says it spoils her and makes her want to be lazy. I could see the school building about a few yards away from us now and I felt a rock of dread enter my stomach. Another day without Ted-kun until tomorrow; even then he won't see me until the game. Then after that I have to work! My life just sucks.

I continued to sulk until I was hugged from behind.

"AH! RAPE! SOMEBODY HELP ME! IT'S RAPE I TELL YOU!" I shrieked and tried to pry the arms off of me until I realized someone was nuzzling my neck. I turned and slapped the person who was touching me, earning a groan from my victim and a throbbing hand. I looked won to see Ted-kun on the ground, holding his cheek pitifully.

"Surprise…ehe…ow." He said feebly, getting up and dusting off his uniform.

"WHAT THE HELL TEDDY BEAR? DID YOU WANT TO GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK? YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T BE BACK UNTIL TOMORROW!" I pointed an accusing finger at Ted. I heard people laughing, but I zoned them out and focused on my boyfriend who was lying on the cement pavement.

"I was going to surprise you, but then you screamed rape!" He told me standing up now. Ted was tall and I was a shorty, but that's what made us a cute couple in my opinion. I mean have you seen people with smaller boyfriends? It's just awkward! No offense to those types of couples. I sighed in annoyance as he held my hand, but on the inside I was dancing around my brain. We walked with my group of friends, chatting excitedly about all kinds of random things, mostly food.

"Mikuo is a quarter back on the football team Rin! You must be so proud!" Miki said and Piko appeared.

"Well Piko? Did you make the football team?" Rin asked him, a devious smirk appeared on her face. Piko scowled.

"Of course; I'm the Receiver." He said and crossed his arms with a huff, being the little shota he is. Miki smiled as she hooked her arm with his. Piko blushed and I almost laughed. My Ted-kun was a nerd who preferred basketball, so he was waiting on basketball season to arrive. We walked into the school, feeling proud of our group of friends and continued onto class.

~*Mikuo's P.O.V*~

I was waiting before school for Kagamine. Not Rin, though I wish it was her, but for Len. The bastard hit her in the face and I wanted to beat the shit out of him for it. Though, today I wasn't going to, I'm just going to have a "friendly" chat with him. He arrived with his group of fan-girls behind him, looking like the play boy he is. That dude gives any guy a bad name. I clenched my fist, turning my knuckles white with longing to just break his nose.

I shook my head, clearing those tempting thoughts. I couldn't think straight with those thoughts and I would end up killing him if I didn't let them go.

"Hatsune…what are you doing here?" Len asked me, his eyes narrowing in a cold stare. The girls beside him hushed; their eyes big as they glanced at me. Len Kagamine was known for his gentle voice and looks, but I knew what a douche bag he was.

"Waiting on you, Kagamine." I replied, my voice low and my eyes were icy. His eyes just stared into mine, waiting on me to make my move.

"Stay away from Rin. She's not your concern and shouldn't be in your line of vision. You're nothing to her." I told him darkly, never blinking. I saw his jaw twitch and the girls around him looked unsure what to do.

"Rin isn't your property, so don't treat her like she is. Even if I am nothing to her, I'm still going to make sure she's okay." He told me, taking a step forward. I grinned back at him, daring him to hit me. The bell rang, but we stood there a few more moments before he walked away, the girls trailing behind him, some staring back at me with glares. I ran my fingers through my hair as I walked into the school building, not knowing that someone was watching from the shadows.

~*Mystery P.O.V*~

The scene that had unfolded just a few minutes ago confirmed my calculations. The plan was going smoothly and soon Rin Kagamine would be broken. I smiled to myself. I knew Rin had received the roses and that she was terrified of me. She wasn't scared for herself per say, but her friend's safety. Such a simple minded girl. I chuckled darkly to myself and felt the familiar shadow fall over me. Akaito had arrived.

"Well?" He asked me, his eyes holding the similar dark glint.

"Don't worry; the plan is going to work. You will have your Rin and I will take what is mine." I told him, tapping his chest with my finger. He grinned and we walked down the school corridor, discussing the plan.

~*Rin's P.O.V*~

I was on top of the pyramid, planting my hands on my hips with a fake plastered smile on my lips. We had done this routine five times now and my lips were trembling with soreness. There was only five minutes left of practice, so I was ready to jump into the supporting arms of the other cheerleaders and go home. Miku had ordered my uniform for me and it was a small. It was rather tight around the chest area, but I was going to have to get over it. I guess that's what happens when you get boobs.

"Okay on the count of three…one…two…THREE!" I heard Sonika say before I was supposed to jump and land in the arms of the girls supporting me. Miku, Gumi, and I were all at the top of the pyramids since we were the lightest. Teto took it as an insult to her weight.

"Are you saying I'm fat?" She asked Sonika after I had landed and everyone was now leaving for the day. Sonika eyed her while raising her eyebrows.

"Child, if you're fat then I'm a guy. Okay?" Sonika told her and patted Teto's head, before walking away. Teto pouted slightly before we all went up and hugged her.

"Yeah, let's squeeze the life out of Teto!" I heard Miku say jokingly and she cuddled the magenta- haired girl. Teto gave in and giggled before shoving us off of her. We all walked from the gym to the football field since it was just across the street from the high school. The boys had also finished with their practice and were sweating when we approached them.

"Whoa, looks like you had a nice practice." Miku told them and we giggled. Mikuo was wiping off his face with a nearby rag before he approached me. I stood on my tippy-toes, a normal routine for us now. He gently took my face into his hands before gently pecking my lips and cheeks. I smiled in satisfaction and saw Len giving us a cold glare. The new guy named Noah was beside him, looking at him concerned before Noah looked over at us with a look of realization. I looked away, causing Mikuo to look behind us before seeing Len and Noah.

Mikuo's entire mood seemed to darken as he sent a death glare to Len, causing Len turn away angrily. Mikuo took my hand and took me back to our friends. Kaito's cheek had a hand print and Miku had her arms crossed.

"…what happened here?" I asked, looking directly at Miku.

"That pervert squeezed my boob!" She shrieked and Mikuo looked at Kaito.

"…I have a helmet if you want to head-butt him, Miku." He told her, frowning at Kaito. Kaito got on his knees in front of Miku.

"Please forgive me Miku! Have mercy on my ice-cream loving soul!" He begged. Miku kicked him onto his chest, planting her foot in the center of his rib cage.

"Baka! The almighty Miku has no mercy!" She retorted, digging her heel into his chest. Kaito huffed in pain.

"I'm….sorry…" He managed to get out and she removed her foot and walked away. Mikuo and I laughed as Luka rolled her eyes. Gakupo walked up to her, his hair in his normal ponytail.

"Luka, my dear, I have applied the white substance known as deodorant. It goes by the name Axe. Smell me, sweet Luka!" He told her, exposing his arm pit to Luka. Luka backed away, waving her hands in front of her.

"Uh…no, no I'm good. I can smell it perfectly fine from here." She told him, giving him a wavering smile. I clapped my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing to loudly. I looked at my watch to see it was six thirty and dinner was at seven. I would have to leave now if I wanted to make it in time for food. I waved good-bye to my friends and began to head home, unaware of the following footsteps behind me. I turned the corner and came face to face with Len. Len gave me a hard look before grabbing my shoulders and pushing me into the back seat of a car. I recognized it as Len's father's car as Len got in the driver's side. He locked us in and started the ignition.

"What the heck Len?" I demanded and pulled the lock up. I pushed on the door handle and found that it wouldn't open.

"They are childproof, so don't bother. This is the only way I can talk to you without you running away or Mikuo getting in the way." Len told me, his eyes looking at me through the rearview mirror. I bit my lip in frustration. The city lights reflected through the windows of the car and I felt my lips moving as I watched the building reflect across the glass.

"What do you want to talk about exactly?" I said, hearing my voice sound cold. Len didn't answer for a few moments.

"Did you receive the roses?" He asked me first and I huffed in irritation. Of all things he could ask or say, he asks me this?

"Yes, they were very lovely. Now will you let me go?" I demanded, pulling on the hem of my skirt. Len chuckled and I wanted to throw my shoe at him.

"Glad you think so. I know you love yellow roses; they were always your favorite." He told me as if we were having a nice conversation. The car came to a stop and we were at the edge of the woods where we used to play. Shit, I thought as Len got out and opened my door.

"Take me home." I told him and he shook his head.

"Not until you talk to for a little while." He said and flicked my head.

"Jerk…" I mumbled. We were avoiding discussion over the event that had happened weeks ago, though I knew it was on his mind. We walked a little ways in silence into the woods; the familiarity of it was engraved into my mind. At the end of these woods was a pond that we would come and swim at when we couldn't go to the beach. The crunch of leaves under our shoes was the only noise that filled the silence between us. Len had said he wanted to talk, but he wasn't even talking, which was a waste of my time. The sun was setting and once again I looked at my watch. It was now six fifty-one and I didn't have my cell-phone. My life just sucked.

The clearing was just ahead and the sun was setting along with the fact that the cold night air was beginning to set in. I shuddered involuntarily and Len glanced at me before removing his school jacket and handed it to me. I shook my head in a no, but Len put it on my shoulders. I pulled it close and then found myself smelling his familiar scent of bananas. Len always had been a banana addict so I wasn't surprised that he smelled like them. Wait…what the hell? I'm smelling his clothes! I quickly shoved the jacket back at Len, who sighed in defeat and just carried it on his arm.

I was now staring at the pond and felt my lips rise in a soft smile as I went and sat down on the familiar rocks. Len sat on the rock next mine and we simply stared at the sun setting over the clearing. I yawned slightly and felt my eyes drooping. Today had been a tiring day and it felt nice just sitting here. I felt myself lean towards Len as my eyes closed, though I tried to stay awake.

I heard an engine in the distance and felt something below my body, supporting it. I lifted my body up slowly and rubbed my eyes groggily. I was laying on the porch swing and saw Len's car turning the corner of my neighborhood. I got up and pulled the key out of the plant and pushed it into the lock. I was now walking up stairs and going to my bedroom. After collapsing on my bed, I drifted back to sleep.

I knew tomorrow's game was going to be exhausting as well.