Author's note: Hola! So, this fic is loosely based on the defunct tv show Veronica Mars. And about the title, I couldn't think of anything else and I was listening to The Killers' Mr. Brightside over and over while writing this and thought that it kinda-sorta fit the story/character, so there. I might change it if a better title comes to mind. Reviews are loved. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice and Veronica Mars.

elle emina

Chapter One

Alice Academy.

A school dominated by the snotty kids of the wealthy people of Tokyo, Japan. If your parents are no millionaires, you would either try to be as invisible as you could possibly be, or be the rich kids' plaything whenever boredom gets to them.

It's either you love it here or you hate it.

My name is Mikan Sakura; and in my case, it's the latter.

I used to hang out with them rich kids. Emphasis on the words 'used to'.

It's not that my parents meet the minimum net worth requirements to gain the millionaire status; my dad didn't own an airline company like Andou Tsubasa's or serve as an ambassador to Belgium like Anna Umenomiya's, but my dad is the vice principal of the school and that has a certain prestige.

But to be honest though, the only reason I was able to hang out with the rich kids of the school was because I was best friends with Luna Koizumi, considered the queen of Alice Academy. Again, notice the use of past tense?

Anyway, Luna Koizumi was the daughter of software billionaire, Jun Koizumi. I first met Luna and Luna's twin brother, Luca when we were only ten years old. Luca, the golden boy of Alice Academy, was also my boyfriend. Now, ex-boyfriend.

Having a close relationship with the Koizumi twins gave me a certain edge. Nobody at our school tried to mess with me. It's not that popularity really matters to me, no. Well, maybe a little but not to the point that I'd die if ever I get to the bottom of the food chain, or so to speak. I just want a happy, memorable high school life with my friends.

Aside from the Koizumi twins, I was also good friends with Luna's on-and-off boyfriend and Luca's best friend, Natsume Hyuuga, the son of movie stars Shin Hyuuga and Kaoru Hyuuga.

The four of us: Me, Luna, Luca, and Natsume were the 'fab four' of the school, or at least something like that. The four of us were inseparable. Luna and I, we do everything together. Almost every weekend, we attend parties thrown by the other members of the elite.

But now, me being part of the "elite" seems like another lifetime ago.

Because, you see, after the untimely death of Luna Koizumi, everything went downhill.

It was almost nine months ago when my best friend died. Her death was caused by an accident, but everyone, or rather the students and our friends in school, blamed me for it. And sometimes, I couldn't blame them for blaming me because the night Luna died, I was with her. I almost died that night, too.

For some reason I do not know, Luna seemed to be mad at me that night. We were at a party and she was persistently ignoring me. I tried to come up and talk to her, but every time I get too close, she would go the other way and pretended I wasn't there.

Natsume was nowhere around while my own boyfriend that time, Luca, was out of town for a camping trip with his father.

Later that night, when I finally had the chance to corner my best friend, I confronted her and asked her what was wrong. Luna, who already had a lot to drink, started shouting at me angrily and calling me names. She said she regretted being my friend and that she hated me. Everyone at the party witnessed it while I, on the other hand, was so shocked I couldn't rebut her. I didn't even have the faintest idea why she was so mad at me.

Luna then ran off from the party and went straight to her car. I ran after her to try to clear things up, and to stop her because I knew she was too drunk to drive. But she couldn't be stopped so I quickly got inside her car as well.

As Luna drove off, she just cried and cried.

I don't think I will ever forget that night.

"Luna, please talk to me! I don't get why you're being like this! I don't know what I did wrong to you!" I pleaded desperately.

Luna with her tear-stained face ignored me as she shifted the gear for a faster pace and increased the pressure on the accelerator of her car.

"Luna, slow down! You shouldn't be driving, you're drunk! Luna, listen to me, please. Stop the car and let's talk—"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up—!"

The traffic lights turned red but Luna continued driving fast and didn't stop for the red light.

"Oh, my god! Luna—!" Before any of us could do anything else, the car crashed onto the cab crossing the intersection.

Luna didn't make it to the hospital. I was almost dead when the ambulance came. I had to take an immediate surgery while the cab driver was barely alive when he made it to the emergency room, but he died, too, hours later.

For four days, I was unconscious. When I woke up and learned from my father that Luna didn't make it, I almost wished I had never woken up. The physical pain I felt was nothing compared to the pain I felt when I learned that my best friend was gone.

I was confined in the hospital for one month. During my stay there, nobody from my friends and classmates in school came to visit me. Not even my own boyfriend, although I can already understand why.

I wanted to attend Luna's funeral and see her one last time, but I was still in casts and fully disabled and the doctors didn't allow me out of the hospital.

When I was finally allowed to return to school, I was suddenly an outcast. My so-called friends started ignoring me; everybody avoided me like a plague. But I can feel and hear their stares and whispers every time I passed by. After the last period for that day, I tried to talk to Luca but he, like the others, didn't want anything to do with me anymore. All he said was, it's over, without meeting my eyes and then he walked away.

And then there was Natsume. A couple of times, I thought I saw him glancing my way. But he never even came up to me to ask me how I've been. He was just like everybody else. I never bothered to talk to him anymore.

Since then, I became the target of the bullies. The nastiest of rumors are all about me, the subject of ridicule to everyone.

They blame me for Luna's death. They think it was I who caused the accident because a lot of them witnessed the scene at the party before Luna ran off. All they care about was that Luna was mad at me, and so they should be too.

Soon I realized these people I used to consider my friends are too shallow to even think for themselves and make their own judgment.

So then I just stopped caring. It is so much better that way.

"Sakura,"

"Mikan Sakura,"

"Miss Mikan Sakura!"

I was awakened from my nap when a stern voice yelled my name in annoyance.

I straighten up on my seat and mentally curse myself for falling asleep again in the middle of the class. Miss Serina, the English Literature teacher, is glaring at me from the front of the class while I can hear my classmates sniggering.

"Am I really that boring of a teacher, Miss Sakura, for you to sleep on me every time you feel like it?"

I was tempted to say yes but not wanting to get any more trouble, I muttered an apology.

"Detention later and I'm telling this to your father." She said threateningly before going back to her lecture.

I sighed and pretended to focus my attention to the class. I am pretty sure I'll get an earful from my dad again.

Ever since Luna's death, I became insomniac. I have trouble sleeping at night, or sometimes I don't sleep at all which results to me falling asleep in the middle of my classes during the day.

My parents had already asked me several times to see a psychologist or a sleep therapist but I decline every time. A person trying to get inside my head is the last thing I need, to be honest.

After my last class for that day, I went straight to the room where the detention is being held. Usually, the teacher would just make the students to stay there for an hour and then they are free to go. To others, it was troublesome because the one hour they waste inside the room can be spent to some place else with their friends. To me, it is tolerable since I don't exactly have a social life anymore.

When I reached the detention room, I was surprised to see Natsume Hyuuga inside. There are also other students inside the room. Through my peripheral vision, I can see Natsume lazily watching me from his seat as I walk in and take the empty seat from the other side of the room, far from my former friend.

I could not help but be a little curious as to how Natsume got himself a detention. He isn't the most perfect student but he's not also the one who would get himself into trouble. Maybe he was caught making out with some girl in the library or something. That's the most probable reason I could think of on why he is here.

Natsume is a ladies' man. One of the reasons why he and Luna had an on-and-off relationship was because Natsume is known to fool around with the ladies. But Luna wasn't exactly a saintly girlfriend either. Luna was the female version of Natsume. She liked boys as much as Natsume likes girls. That's why they seemed to perfectly fit each other.

But after Luna's death, Natsume hadn't been seen with a girl until the start of our senior year. And then he's back again with his womanizing ways.

I know for a fact that even though Luna fooled around with other guys, she truly loved Natsume. She was just a free spirit and didn't want to be tied down, much like Natsume. I know Natsume was in love with Luna, maybe the reason why he stopped talking to me too was because he blames me for his girlfriend's death, just like everyone else.

Halfway through the detention, the guy seated behind me and the local bully of the school, Hiro Akiyama, started throwing crumpled papers on my back. I tried my best not to turn around and shove the paper in the guy's mouth.

The teacher in charge of detention today, Mr. Jinno, doesn't seem to notice what is happening inside the classroom. He looks too busy reading a health and fitness magazine, which was ironic because he looks far from being a health freak.

Akiyama continues throwing crumpled papers at me. An exasperated sigh escaped my lips.

I glanced at the wall clock at the front, twenty-five minutes to go before detention ends.

After a while, another teacher came in and asked for Mr. Jinno. The latter got up from his seat and before he goes out of the room, he gave us a glare and told us to behave while he talks to the teacher outside.

As soon as Mr. Jinno was out, Akiyama leaned forward and said a little too loudly,

"Hey, Sakura, I heard you fucked Ren Kiriya at homecoming. He said you weren't so bad in bed at all. Wanna come to my place later?"

The other guys laughed maliciously. I felt my head exploding and my face getting hot.

God, how I hate immature, perverted high school jackasses.

I am about to turn around and murder the guy when I saw Natsume rose from his seat and walked to our side of the room. Akiyama doesn't seem to notice Natsume coming and continues to harass me with his foul mouth,

"You were particularly good on top, and doggy was your—" But before he could finish talking, Natsume wordlessly punched the guy hard on the face.

::-::

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