Hi guys! If you were wondering what's taking me so long to update CLARITY, well then this was the reason. Here it is, a new chapter of a new story. Hope you'd enjoy.

DISCLAIMER; I don't own Gakuen Alice

WRAPPED

BY – SUE CHAN

Chapter one

It was Friday morning. A usual school day for the high school students in class 2-B, Alice Academy. Some of them were excited about how to spend their weekend in a special way while some others just prepared themselves for the morning lessons. Yet the atmosphere was fairly energetic compared to the gloomy atmosphere around the aburn haired girl with hazel eyes. She was sitting in a corner of the classroom, hitting her head on her desk a couple of times while mumbling something to herself. Normally you'd think that she just hated coming to school in the morning or something like that, but her best friend knew better.

"Now what's wrong this time, Mikan?" The athemist eyed raven asked the brunette.

"Oh, Hotaru!" Mikan yelled and suddenly threw herself on to the raven, but the raven managed to dodge it pretty well. "Meanie!" Mikan yelled again.

"I just don't want my clothes wrinkled early in the morning, idiot" Hotaru said while she took a seat in front of the brunette indicating her to spill the so called news.

"It's just terrible Hotaru! Simply inhuman!" the brunette went on.

"No it's not. If you were talking about that thing, it only means that you'd be richer" the brunette's so called friend answered stoically. Hotaru still couldn't see what was there to rant about.

"How can you say something like that Hotaru!" Mikan yelled again. Yet she wasn't that surprised of her friend's reaction. This was Hotaru Imai after all.

Hotaru blankly stared at Mikan while saying; "I still don't see why you're making a big deal out of it"

Unbelievable. Here she was stating how unfair her life was and her friend still seemed calm and reserved about it.

"Hotaru" she went on. "I have been – she lowers her voice – engaged since I was six years old for twelve freaking years and I was just told about it yesterday! Moreover to a stranger whom I've never seen"

"Who also happens to be the CEO of the wealthiest company here in our country and who's rumored to be drop dead gorgeous." Hotaru finished for her like it was the most obvious thing.

"It doesn't matter! It wasn't supposed to be this way. It was supposed to be: love, engagement, marriage not engagement and marriage without love." She whined. The raven sighed.

"How can they not even tell me anything about it until yesterday? Urgh! How the hell did this happen in the first place! This is the twenty-first century for god's sake! " she kept on ranting while hitting her head on the table again.

Hotaru meanwhile stared at the brunette who seemed to have lost her sanity.

"What's going on here?" came an energetic voice from behind the girls. They were then greeted by a pink haired girl, Anna and a dark blue haired girl, Nonoko.

Hotaru smirked before answering; "Mikan's PMS-ing" And immediately the brunette's head shot up before yelling, "NO I'm not".

"Okay, then why don't you tell us why it's gloomy around you." Said Nonoko while giving the brunette a curious glance. "Yeah, it's starting to creep me out" came Anna's ever so energetic voice with worry etched all over it.

Even before Mikan could open her mouth to share her dreadful news with some friends who actually might understand her sorrows, the homeroom teacher Narumi-sensei's voice was heard from the background. "My beloved students do take your seats! I've got a lo–vely surprise for you" He said giddily as he made his way to the front of the class.

"Unfortunately, Mr Jinno is sick so he won't be attending classes for a while" and the whole class suddenly roared with cheers. Jinjin was actually a scary person to deal with and having a free Mathematics period was like being in heaven temporarily. Just imagine having no homework as huge as Mount Everest for a few days. Things just couldn't get better, until Narumi-sensei opened his mouth again, that was.

"Don't worry my dear children" he started completely oblivious to their happiness. "You'll be having a substitute teacher for a while" and everyone sighed with a dull look. And as on cue, in walked a tall young man with square spectacles and messy raven hair. Almost everyone gaped at the sight in front of them. There were exceptions of course. Mikan was still thinking a way to get out of her engagement nonsense while Hotaru was busy glaring at the newcomer.

Finally when Mikan seemed to notice the uncomfortably silent environment around her, she looked around only to catch her friend still frowning and her fellow classmates mesmerized. It took her a while to notice the unfamiliar figure beside the teacher's table.

"I'm your new Math teacher Hyuuga-sensei, I expect you all to be in your best behavior." She heard him say. "Any questions?" He asked again while his gaze wondered randomly around the class. He paused for a while as his gaze met with a pair of hazel eyes which belonged to Mikan who decided to follow her train of thoughts. And within a minute, more than a half of the students in the class had their hands raised.

"Sensei, are you married?" Mikan heard Permy ask a stupid question. She was sure that the teacher would probably skip it and proceed, but she was wrong. The teacher simply lifted his hand up and waved it in front of the class while a little piece in the ring finger shone brightly. It was a gold ring.

"Anything else?" He asked. "Sensei, how old are you?" it was Wakako, Permy's friend this time. Mikan rolled her eyes. These people can't ask one decent question at all, she thought. It was true that their new teacher was smoking hot, but she was never going to admit it out loud. Plus she had other important stuff to get herself occupied with. She was also curious as to why Hotaru still kept staring or more like glaring at the teacher.

The last time I saw Hotaru actually looking at someone for more than ten seconds was like three years ago. He was a senior and three years older. He used to be known as the school prince. For some weird reason the whole school was anticipating the moment till he asked ME out! Ironic! I mean we were good friends and all. 'Why would he ask me out' was what I thought back then, but then he actually did ask me out and I declined the offer. It might seem rude, but according to my point of view Hotaru suited him more and he was like an older brother to me so, no way. I didn't manage to convince either Hotaru nor him to you know, go out with each other as they both had a well-known bad relationship. It's just that they don't see what I saw as a third person or so I believe. Was what she thought as she stared at Hotaru.

"Miss Mikan Sakura" she heard someone say and it happened to be Hyuuga-sensei.

"Y-yes?" she asked while glancing around.

"Spacing out isn't something I tolerate so detention after school" she heard his deep voice.

What the hell! Did she just get detention? NOO! She screamed in her head. "Do you understand?" She heard the same annoying voice of her new math teacher.

She gulped the saliva stuck in her throat before answering, "Y-yes sir" in a low voice. One thing was for sure, Hyuuga sensei seemed worse than Jinjin. She frowned. Now she had another thing to worry, but nothing could ever beat her primary problem; being engaged to a complete stranger for twelve years.

"Idiot" she heard Hotaru mumble beside her.

:-:

Lunch break came after a very long Math period that Mikan felt like she was there for an eternity. Oh, the torture she went through! She was told to answer half of the math problems, by that annoying substitute. He never even spared her a couple of minutes to think. And even when she was almost there and screwed up a bit he would say; "Shame on you. Even someone from a primary class could answer that properly without messing it up." And then he would flash that irritating smirk which annoys the hell out of her. She tried her best not to twitch. And by the near end of the math period she lost her last string of patience and yelled at his face saying; "Let me think properly, you JERK!"

She could still picture the faces of her classmates when she had said that. Priceless. Permy was bowling her fists and fuming with anger while Hotaru had a victorious smirk. And well the substitute, Hyuuga sensei seemed a bit surprised at first, but recovered very fast and gave her DETENTION FOR A WEEK. Just great! (with sarcasm)

She banged her head on the cafeteria table for the nth time while sighing. "Stop that Mikan" she heard Hotaru say in-between munching her lunch which contained many dishes of crab- Crab roe, baked crabs, etc.

"But I can't! I've got detention for a freaking week!" she whinned.

"Good for you" they both heard Anna say as she took a seat beside Mikan.

"NO it's not. I don't want to look at that annoying face for an hour, sitting while doing nothing." Mikan said while pouting.

"Correction dear, it's supposed to be HANDSOME face for an hour" came Nonok's voice beside Hotaru.

"Oh no, not you too!" Mikan said while banging her head again.

And the conversation about the annoying math teacher and the handsome math teacher went on till the lunch break ended.

:-:

The last bell indicating the end of school rang sooner than she expected. She was now reluctantly making her way to the detention class along with Hotaru. She didn't expect that Hotaru might say yes when she asked her to walk with her, but she did and here they were in front of the said class. She looked at Hotaru thinking that she'd leave, but she kept on standing there looking at the closed door. Shrugging her shoulders Mikan opened the door.

And there he was, the jerk, her substitute Math teacher. He had his feet on top of the teacher's table while his head rested on his right arm. "You're late" he said, still with his eyes closed. Her eyebrows twitched. She looked at Hotaru, nodded before entering the class and taking a seat near the window at the very back. At least she had a distraction now. Hotaru kept standing at the door for a while glaring at the teacher.

"Do you need anything Miss Imai?" he asked, still with his eyes closed. How did he know that Hotaru was there even without looking? No idea.

"No. Call me when you get home Mikan" Hotaru said. She was still glaring at the teacher who didn't even budge. And then she was gone.

"Well then let's get this started" came Hyuuga sensei's voice as he opened his eyes and faced her.

She gulped.

Hey, again. Hope you like it. Feel free to let me know what you think.

Until we meet again, bye.

Sue-chan