People can be scary. Teenage girls, especially. We've all got this 'darkness' or whatever inside of us and let me tell you, I saw it a lot in my friends, particularly the crazy fangirl ones, like Neru and Luka. The way they were looking at me was similar to the way a kid eyes a piece of candy that they just can't get. They were hungry for me, but not in a nice way, expecting an answer that would somehow be honest and that would please them, as well.

"S-See, it was sort of...um...," I stammered and squirmed, trying to get out of their tight holds, "I didn't know, I swear I didn't!"

"You played basketball with Kaito," Luka scowled. She wasn't a bad person. She was actually very nice. Usually, at least.

"I played basketball with Len, Oliver, Gakupo and Piko," I tried to change her perspective, "Kaito just happened to be there."

"Was he hot?" Neru burst out suddenly, pinning me against a wall. I blushed. What kind of a question was that? Of course he was!

"She's blushing," Luka mumbled before I could state the obvious answer to Neru's question, "She likes him."

"I don't like him!" I pushed Neru back and scowled. They were being, I have to say it, assholes.

"She loves him," Neru crossed her arms. I briskly hurried towards my desk, "Isn't that right, Gumi?"

"Leave me alone," I snapped, "I don't like him. He's one of Len's friends, okay? He just happened to be there. Trust me, I don't care about him at all."

I was spewing lies. I knew that I liked him. This was what it felt like. Wanting to see him, wanting to speak to him...feeling breathless every time someone mentioned him. This was the 'love' everyone talked about, but I wasn't ready to fall in love just yet. I wanted to get to know him better.

"He bought you a replacement book, huh?" Neru went on. Her tone was softer than before but I was still angry. She was a freaking rabid fangirl.

"Yeah, he did," I answered, sitting down, "But I don't..."

Luka strutted past me. I took a deep breath and held back the urge to yell at her. They acted like Kaito was everything.

And maybe some part of me thought he was, but...

"I'll...I'll tell you about him," I said, "If you want."

They squealed suddenly. Everyone turned to look at us. The teacher walked in and raised an eyebrow.

"Later," I said.

These girls are so bipolar. They went from borderline murderous to excited and bubbly in a second.

Neru and Luka just wouldn't calm down. All throughout class, they sent notes back and forth, asking me questions. I gave them the obvious answers, but I made sure that it didn't look like I was interested in him.

'Was he cute?'

'Yeah, I guess.'

'Does he play well?'

'Yeah, he's pretty good.'

'Was he on your team?'

'No.'

I figured that, since they didn't know about the whole ice cream part of the story, I'd pretend it didn't happen. Better to let sleeping dogs lie, I decided.

After school, I was walking with Miku, Neru, Teto, Len and Oliver, as usual. That was when Neru told Miku about what happened at lunch.

"See, he wasn't there 'cause he was playing basketball!" Neru pouted.

"You all should seriously stop blaming Gumi," Len put an arm around my shoulder. I had told him a bit about what had happened with Neru and Luka. It had made him angry but there wasn't much he could do about it.

"If you don't like him, it should be fine," he had said.

I had nodded silently. The problem was that I did like him. I couldn't tell Len, though.

Neru scoffed at Len and he rolled his eyes. I observed Miku for a reaction. Her response surprised me.

"I think, maybe...," Miku was quiet, "Maybe Kaito likes Gumi..."

"Huh?" Neru's eyes widened. I stumbled and nearly tripped on my feet. Len held me up.

Miku shook her head. "I don't think this is right," she said, "We can't all have Kaito, right? Maybe I should start shifting my focus. You know, broadening my horizon. I don't think I'll get Kaito..."

"B-B-But...," Teto grabbed Miku by the shoulders and shook her back and forth, "Miku! What're you saying?"

"I still like Kaito," Miku said, pushing Teto away, "But I'm going to let him go. I might like someone else, you know."

My jaw just about dropped. This didn't sound like Miku at all. Neru looked like she was about to faint. Teto kept blabbering incoherent sentences.

"M-Miku...can't...you...p-please...fangirl...," Teto stammered. (A/N: I just put a bunch of random but applicable words together. Looking over it, I realize what Teto says....)

Neru took a few slow, deep breaths. "Okay," she said to herself, "Okay..."

"Miku's growing up," Len said softly, chuckling.

"I'm not going to be so easily fazed," Neru exhaled, glancing at me and then looking at Miku again, "Just because Gumi befriended Kaito doesn't mean that I'm going to stop chasing him!"

'Befriend', I thought, grimacing, that makes me sound like some sort of horrible, scheming person or something.

"S-Same here!" Teto yipped, "He'll take his pick, won't he?"

"But Gumi doesn't like Kaito," Len said. The girls looked at him. I looked down at the ground.

"Yeah, but Kaito likes Gumi!" Neru replied, "Besides, how do you know she doesn't like him?"

"He doesn't like her," Len said, "Trust me."

My chest ached suddenly. It felt as though someone had skewered my heart and a sort of deep, penetrating, sinking stone of dread had been dropped into my body. It was like dropping an ice cube into a glass of water, the way it plunges deep before slowly floating to the top. I had told Len that I didn't like Kaito, but Len knew Kaito better than I did.

"Gumi?" Len looked down at me. My legs were shaking and there was nothing I could do about it, "Are you okay?"

"I'm...I'm fine," I lied, "Just...haven't played basketball for so long..."

"Oh," Len helped me stay upright, "That makes sense."

Neru rolled her eyes. She was still my friend but I was angry with her. "I'm still chasing Kaito. Gumi can..."

"You guys don't get it!" Miku snapped suddenly, jolting us all, "This has nothing to do with Gumi, so leave her alone!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Teto was finally speaking normally now.

"I was already thinking like this," Miku shook her head, "For a few weeks now, I've been thinking...we can't all get Kaito! We're obsessed!"

"I am not obsessed!" Neru yelled.

"Yeah, neither am I!" Teto joined in.

"Well, maybe you're not, but I was, okay?" Miku screeched, "And now I'm not, okay? I'm not! I don't care anymore! If...If one of you ends up with Kaito, I'm happy! I'm moving on!"

"Arghhhh!" Oliver roared suddenly, "All this is making my head hurt!"

Miku sighed and walked over to me, clasping my arm, glancing up at Len and then at me. "It's not your fault, Gumi. I'm not angry nor am I jealous."

"I...I...," I couldn't say anything. The words were stuck in my throat. Miku nodded, as though to say that she understood what I was trying to communicate.

"Len says that Kaito doesn't like you," Miku said. The pain in my chest started up again, "But even if he does, that's fine. It's his choice. I think somebody should be allowed to love whoever they want. Besides, it's not like we really have a handle on feelings, right?"

Len nodded for me. "I'm glad someone understands," he muttered, tousling my hair, "But you know what really ticks me off?"

"What?" Neru asked. She was still angry, I could tell. Her fists were clenched and her brow was furrowed.

Len exhaled slowly before speaking again.

"Everything was fine last year," he said, "When we were all still in middle school, before Kaito. Now, I'm not blaming Kaito or anything; he's my friend and he hasn't done anything wrong. Luka used to like Gakupo before Kaito showed up, and now that's all screwed up. Everything is screwed up because ninety-nine percent of the school's female population is fawning over one freaking boy, and they don't even know him. It..it makes me furious."

I looked at Len's expression. He was done his ranting and with a soft sigh, he pulled a smile onto his face.

"Whatever," he smirked, "Not my problem, right?"

Neru and Teto frowned at him and silence draped our little group. We kept walking. Neru started texting and Teto dragged her feet along the pavement. Miku had her head down, walking beside me. I was between her and Len. Oliver had his face in a book.

"Bye," Neru mumbled as we arrived at my bus stop. She looked at me apologetically but the apology didn't leave her lips, "We're still going to the mall on Saturday, right?"

I nodded slowly and offered a small smile despite my still simmering anger. "Yeah," I said. I gave Miku a quick hug and the girls began walking away.

"You're going to be okay, right?" Len asked, staying by my side. He looked down at me and I looked up.

"I'll be fine," I said, "Don't worry."

Len opened his mouth to say something but he stopped. I looked at him curiously.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Nothing," he shook his head.

"Len!" I wailed, "Tell me!"

"It's nothing, okay?" He smirked and ran a hand through my hair. I froze. The way he ran his fingers through my locks felt different than usual, "I'll see you tomorrow, Gumi."

And with that, he pulled his hand back and walked away. I watched as he disappeared into the distance. I slowly took one hand, pressed it against my flushed, hot skin, and then I whispered my reply.

"Bye."