Disclaimer: I don't own G.A. or any of its characters.

Okay, so the title of this story is from one of my reviewers. Since I lack in imagination, someone else had to think of another title for me. :) anyway, here's the summary:

Girl-next-door, Mikan Sakura's life is perfect. She's the student council president of her school, always the top of her class and got accepted to her dream colleges which are in the US. Although she isn't a cheerleader or part of the popular crowd, everyone likes her. But when a certain famous movie star, Natsume Hyuuga, visits their school to research for a part, things start to go not the way that she planned it. Will Mikan finally realize that being perfect is impossible? And why is perfection so important to her anyway? Will she be able to find true love at last?

1

"Oh, thank God," Hotaru said when I got to the student council's office after school, "you're here."

"Yeah," I said, closing the door behind me. "Where is everybody?"

Hotaru rolled her eyes. "Well, apparently the others didn't get the memo that there was a meeting today."

"What?" I said, surprised. Because I was sure I sent everyone that memo last week. A hundred percent sure. "But today's meeting is important."

"Tell that to them."

I sighed. "Well, I don't see why we should proceed with this, since there's only the two of us. How about Wednesday?"

"Fine. Wednesday. But if the others aren't here by then, we're taking them off the student council."

"Hotaru," I said.

She raised her hands defensively. "I'm just saying."

"Wednesday," I repeated.

"Okay," she said. "I'll make sure they get the memo this time."

I smiled at her. "Thanks. I'll be going now."

She nodded. "Okay, bye."

When I got home, I placed my car keys in the bowl right beside the door, and removed my shoes. Our house was quiet as usual, since it was only me and my mother who lived here. And most of the time, my mom isn't even home.

"Mom?" I called. But it was only silence that followed. Well, it was only four o'clock anyway. I knew she doesn't get home until eight or nine in the evening.

So I headed upstairs to my room and did my homework and student council stuff. I didn't why or how, but it was really shocking to have won the position of student council president, this year. I mean, Hotaru could've won, since she had more potential in becoming a leader than me, but the people picked me. Well, maybe because I was always nice to people. And Hotaru, well, had a low patience when it comes to people. So now, I'm stuck with this position until I graduate. Well, at least this was my senior year already. So that meant that I'll only bear it for a few months. At least my mom was happy when she found out that I won. "Oh, this is so fantastic," she'd said. "This will definitely look good in your college application." Oh yeah, which reminds me.

I raced downstairs, then outside to our mailbox. God, how could I have forgotten something so important? I never forget things. There was no time to get mad at myself now, since right now, I was holding my future in my hands. The return address said, University of California, Los Angeles. The truth was, this was my mom's idea. She told me that studying in The University of Tokyo would be a waste (because ever since Junior High, I was always the top of my class) of my "smartness" as she said it. So, she urged me to apply to collages in America, and see how it goes. So during my junior year, I worked my butt of essays and filled out applications (courtesy of my mom's friends from the US, who so kindly mailed us applications from Harvard, Stanford, Yale and UCLA). I already got accepted in Harvard, Stanford and Yale. But to be honest, I really wasn't sure if I wanted to go to those colleges, no matter how prestigious they are.

I opened the huge manila envelope.

Dear Mikan Sakura,

Congratulations! It is our great pleasure to offer you admission to UCLA for the Fall Quarter 2011.

You were selected from the largest pool of university candidates in the nation—more than 55,000 applicants. Your academic achievements and personal talents are exceptional, and your intellect and imagination will thrive at UCLA. We want you to join us in the Class of 2012—

Oh. My. God. I can't believe it. I got accepted! I didn't know what I did next, but it sure wasn't the student-council-president Mikan, or the best-daughter-in-the-world Mikan. Or the-girl-next-door-Mikan, which everyone knew. It was just me, Mikan. I jumped up and down across our front lawn, and I knew a lot of neighbours were watching, but I didn't care. It was funny, though. When I got my acceptance letters from Harvard, Stanford and Yale, I wasn't this happy. But whatever, I was going to UCLA!

After I got my acceptance letter from UCLA, I was in a good mood to cook dinner. Usually, me and my mom just order something, and since she was the mother, it was her job to cook. But since she wasn't even home at all, the job turned over to me.

"Oh wow," my mom said, as she sat on the dining table. "Did you make these?"

"Yup."

She inhaled one more time. "It smells so good. What's the occasion?"

I smiled. "Well…"

Suddenly, her phone rang from the dining table. This was usually normal for us. Since my mom was Yuka Sakura the best lawyer in all of Tokyo, her cellphone always joined us for dinner. Or breakfast.

She answered it immediately after, two rings. "Yuka Sakura. Yes… wait, I thought that was on Monday? No? Well, okay… see you then." She smiled at me. "Sorry about that. What was-"

Her phone rang again. She gave me one apologetic look before answering it. "Yuka Sakura… oh… I forgot all about that… don't worry… I'll take care of it. Okay, bye."

"Sorry," she said again. "What was it you wanted to say?"

I sighed. Really, this was getting old real fast. "Mom I-"

Then, her phone rang. Again. She looked at me in a I'm-really-sorry-but-I-really-have-to-take-this-and-I-hope-you-understand way. She answered her cellphone again. "Yuka Sakura. What case? Oh, the one with the murder-" she stood up from the table and went to the living room to talk. Something told me that she won't be joining me for dinner anymore, so I also stood up, covered me mom's plate with plastic wrap, put it in the refrigerator, and ate by myself again. Oh well, it's not like I wasn't used to this. Because I totally was. I think.

My dad died three years ago. That was the reason why it was only me and my mom left. Well, if my sister, Misaki, hadn't married right after college, it could've been the three of us. But my sister and I were different. When she was in high school, she was this crazy, hormonal teenager who would sneak out at midnight, to go to some party. It was crazy during that time.

While it was her and my mom who were close, it was me and my dad who were the best of friends. We always went out on weekends. Instead of my mom, he was the one who I was usually with when I had to do some shopping. And ironic as it was, he was the one who I went to for advice. When I got to junior high, it was usually about boys. I didn't know why, but I wasn't embarrassed to tell him those things at all. My mom was already busy back then. But not as busy as she was now. When my dad died, she freaked. Like, she gave away all his things, threw out his pictures in the house. It was painful to watch. Mostly because, even though my dad died, I never wanted to forget him. But my mom did. Back then I thought it was just her way of grieving. But Misaki didn't think so. She thought that Mom just didn't want to grieve, so that was why she was throwing all things of Dad. But then, Misaki met Tsubasa, and I guess she needed him at that time, so she married him, just after three months. My mom didn't mind, though. She just found the wedding preparations an excuse to do something and worry about something. Now that my sister left, I completely wanted to be okay for my mom, so she wouldn't have to worry about anything else. After my dad died, I did everything I could to be the perfect daughter for her. I got good grades, took part time jobs, studied my SAT's even though I was only a sophomore back then, ran for student council president, and actually won that position. Oh, and applied to a dozen colleges abroad. And let's add getting accepted to all of those schools I applied to, especially UCLA, even though she didn't know about that yet. UCLA, I mean. But she will. I hope.

I read my acceptance letter one more time, wishing my dad was here. I'm sure he would throw a huge party just for it. I knew my dad. He would take me out on dinner just for getting a high mark on my latest algebra test. So it was a pity that he wasn't here when I was succeeding in almost everything. I didn't know how long grieving was supposed to be, but for me three years still isn't enough. I still miss you, Dad.

"Really, is that true?"

I nodded for like, the hundredth time. It was lunch, and I was sitting at our usual lunch table with my student council friends. Also, I needed to remind them that there was a meeting later, after school.

"Wow, UCLA," Anna, my pink-haired friend said. "You are so lucky."

I shrugged. Although I was jumping with joy the other day, I gave some thought about it. When I went to UCLA in the fall, did that mean I had to leave my mom? Alone? Well of course it did. And I really didn't want that. I was the only one she had, and here I was, leaving her. A part of me wanted to go so much. But, another part wanted to stay beside my mother, and be the-perfect-daughter-Mikan for her. Although, to be honest, I was getting a little tired of it. Sure, it made my mom happy and contented, but three years of striving to be perfect, well, it was getting old already. I just wanted to be Mikan. Whoever she is, I haven't found out yet.

"Okay," Hotaru said, opening her mini-notebook. "If any of you guys forget today's meeting, I will literally push you off the student council."

"You can't do that," Tobita Yuu, another member of the student council, told her. "You're only the vice president. And besides-" he nodded at me. "-even Mikan couldn't do that."

Hotaru gave him the evil eye. "You know what I mean."

"No," he said. "Actually, I don't."

Hotaru just rolled his eyes at him and turned to me. "So, UCLA, huh?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

"So what, you're staying in America for good?"

Even I didn't know this myself. "I don't yet. My mom still doesn't know."

"Really?" Nonoko, another member of the student council, with blue hair, said to me, her eyes wide.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"But didn't you also get accecpted in Harvard?" Hotaru asked me.

"Yes."

"And you're choosing UCLA over that?" she sounded surprised.

I didn't know what came over me, but suddenly my head started to spin, my heartbeat got faster, and my hands started to get clammy. "Look," I told her, my voice even. "You don't run my life, okay? No one does. If you don't like what I'm doing in my life, then just stay out of it."

Suddenly the whole table became quiet. Then, Hotaru stood up, put her bag over her shoulder, and held her tray. "You know what," she told me acidly, "I will." Then she stormed out of the cafeteria.

A part of me wanted to follow her and apologize. But I really wanted to just let her be. It was about time Hotaru realized that she wasn't in any place of controlling me. No one was.

Sooo. How'd you like the first chapter? Tee hee. Well, in case you haven't noticed yet, the story sounds just like The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen. It's like my favourite book of all time. So, yeah. :)

Anyway, classes here just started that's why I may not be able to update that fast. Maybe every week, I would be able to. Oh yeah, please read my other story. It's not done yet since I'm also working on this one. :) don't forget to review!