Disclaimer: I do not own the Inuyasha fandom or its characters. I make no money from this. This is inspired by an original piece I did a while back and I do own this plot line.

XOXOXO:

Kagome stared at her reflection on the lake surface and sighed. 'Why do guys have to be so interested in cheerleaders?' She twisted her finger in the ends of some of her hair and blew up at her bangs.

'Is it because they are bubbly? Or maybe because they are so easy?'

She watched Inuyasha flirting with Kikyo and felt her stomach churn. 'She's such a cruel person. Why can't he see that?' She watched his hand brush Kikyo's hair back.

'Is it because she has pale skin?'

She stared at her tanned skin and frowned. 'I'm going to get a darker tan soon.' She reached over and picked up her sun block. She popped the lid and poured some of the creamy mixture into her palm. She covered her arms, legs, neck, the top of her chest and her face. 'I don't want to peel like last time.'

Kikyo's shrill laughter grated on her nerves, like fingernails being raked down a chalkboard. She shivered. 'Just last weekend she was flirting with Miroku while Inuyasha was out of town.'

She watched Inuyasha reach over and kiss Kikyo. She swallowed to keep the bile from rising in her throat. She chewed her bottom lip and turned her attention back to the water. She stared at her face a moment and then pushed her hand into the water trying to erase the image.

Her eyes burned with the sting of tears gathering in them. 'Two weeks ago I was good enough to go to his parent's barbecue and we even went fishing afterwards.' She stared at the fishing pole beside her and sighed.

Her hand lovingly stroked the pole she'd had since she was eight. All her life she'd loved fishing, it was an escape. Her lips formed a small smile as she remembered all the times she and Inuyasha had gone fishing with their fathers.

'When it comes to fishing I'm the one he asks to go with him, but I guess I'm just not good enough for him to date.'

She closed her eyes trying to hold back the unwanted moisture. She took a deep breath and moved her fingers through the water.

'I guess a girl who enjoys doing what she loves, like fishing, just isn't good enough for him.' She unbuttoned her shirt and pulled it off. She was wearing her green one piece swimming suit.

She stared over at Kikyo in her red two piece bikini. 'How can she have so little respect for herself to wear something so skimpy in public?' She shivered. 'I'd never do something like that. Then again her chest does almost spill out of her top.' She stared at her smaller chest and sighed.

She shook her head and her chin fell to her chest 'Sitting here bemoaning what I can't have won't change anything.' She pinched the bridge of her nose and I exhaled. 'It isn't going to catch dinner either.'

A tear slid down her cheek and she wiped it away. She took the fishing pole in her hand and baited the hook with a worm. She stood up and cast the line into the water. She set the reel and slowly sat down in the small boat waiting for a bite on her line.

'I've wanted to tell Inuyasha how I feel for some time now... but it won't do any good. I'm a good girl, not an airhead. My chest is small, not popping from the seams. I'm not a cheerleader, just the girl next door.'

She focused on her pole in the water trying to drown out Kikyo's shrill voice. She cringed as she laughed again. She stretched her legs and rubbed her sore left thigh. 'I guess I might have overdone it a bit at swim practice yesterday.'

The pole jerked. She stood up and pulled back, slowly reeling it in. The boat rocked slightly. She held her net under the squirming fish and grinned. 'Alright! This lake trout must be at least twenty three inches.' She plopped it into the bucket and pat herself on the back.

"Between this one and the twenty inch one I caught earlier, Papa and I should have a decent meal tonight."

She reeled the pole in and started rowing towards the shore. 'I'll cook some rice and carrots and then I can fry these fish up.'

She unloaded her bucket onto the shore.

She heard a loud splash followed by a louder shriek. She whipped her head around to see Kikyo flailing in the water.

"Somebody help me! I can't swim!"

Kagome dropped her pole and dove into the water. She swam over to Kikyo and wrapped one arm around her.

"Don't worry, I've got you."

She winced as I felt nails digging into her arm. 'That's going to leave marks.' She swam over to the shore.

Inuyasha ran over. "Kikyo, are you okay?"

Kagome watched her nose go into the air.

"I will be after wash the stench of that disgusting smell off my skin." She glared at Kagome. "How dare you touch me with fishy hands?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. 'Typical Kikyo.'

Inuyasha stared at her. "Kiki, can't you be a little nicer? I mean she did just save your life."

Kagome shook her head and walked over to the boat staring at the broken pole on the ground. 'My pole...' She picked it up and bit her bottom lip.

Inuyasha walked over. "Sorry about your pole Gome. I know how important it was to you. I'll get you a new one."

"Don't worry about it."

She turned around wanting to bury herself in his arms and cry, but I stopped herself. She watched Inuyasha holding Kikyo to his chest.

'He'll never hold me like that.' She ran home with her fish.

XOXOXO:

A/N: That's it for this one everyone. Enjoy and remember I always love to hear my reader's opinions. XD