AN- This is a modern, college, semi coffee shop AU all rolled into one. It's chock full of cliche's and lots of fluff (although note, this fic will be rated M for a reason). This is not meant to be taken seriously. It's just something fun that popped in my head one day so hopefully, you'll have as much fun reading it as I've had writing it so far! Enjoy!

PROLOGUE

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Shizune's desk was always a cluttered, yet organized mess that never failed to amaze Sakura. The stacks of papers and folders, the pair of pencil holders packed full of various pens and highlighters, it was all part of an intricate system that only her advisor seemed to be able to operate. Anytime she needed something specific, the woman would give a slight "hmm" as she tapped her chin and like magic, what she needed would be only under a few papers or just hidden behind her date book. This time, she had pulled Sakura's file out from under the keyboard of her computer as if that was exactly the place she had put it. They reviewed the classes Sakura had already taken and as her advisor looked up the fall semester course list, she smiled.

"Well, it looks like none of the classes you asked for are filled. So, that won't be an issue."

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief and felt her shoulders relax. She always dreaded the day she chose her classes for the next semester. Being pre-med, her semesters were pretty set in stone. Any hiccup could set her back an entire year and she was more than ready to graduate and start her residency. She tucked a strand of pink behind her ear and flipped her schedule book open. "That's great! I've been so worried that-"

"Unfortunately, you can't take Bio-Chem with Professor Hiruzen." Shizune said with a small scowl across her lips. Sakura felt her heart almost skip a beat and she sat up, leaning forward with a frown to glance at her file on Shizune's desk.

"Oh. Why is that?"

"He retired this past semester. The only Bio Chem class being offered this fall is with Professor Hatake on Mondays. I think it will still work with the rest of your classes." She turned to the computer to key in the course number, sealing Sakura's fate with one stroke of the 'enter' button. The pre-med student didn't know exactly how to feel and a little bubble of panic rose quickly in her gut as she tried to imagine taking a course under Professor Hatake. She didn't know much about him as he usually only taught classes that she never would take. But, biological chemistry now fell under the medical degree plan and she had heard horror stories from the students who had taken his course.

They had all warned her to never take his class. Professor Hiruzen was much more understanding, nicer, and actually wanted you to succeed. Hatake was a tyrant who didn't care for anyone unless they were specifically a Chemistry major. He was going to make Sakura's life hell, she could feel it. Swallowing down her trepidation, she quickly thumbed through the fall course list, searching for anything else to take in it's place. "I...uhm, I'm not sure I can do Monday's…" She wracked her brain for any excuse to not take this course. Maybe if she waited a semester or two, they would hire a new instructor who wasn't rumored to be so harsh that he made a girl cry on the first day of class and drop out of college altogether.

"I know what you're thinking. I've heard all the rumors and I've got to say, they're not true. Professor Hatake just expects you to come to class, do your work and study. If he failed everyone that came through, how would anyone graduate? You're smart, Sakura. And a good student. You'll be fine." Shizune flashed a confident smile as she turned back to the computer and entered the rest of the classes Sakura had picked out for the semester. In less than five minutes, her future's fate was sealed and it all hinged on one class and one particularly nasty professor.

Outside, Sakura took a deep breath of the warm, afternoon air but still felt like she was being smothered. She was more annoyed with the situation than anything else, annoyed that no one had told her Professor Hiruzen was retiring, that there were no other options for her, and annoyed that one dick headed professor was now standing between her and graduation. With a heavy sigh, Sakura dug through her purse for her cell phone and turned it on, hoping for a new text message or voicemail. But, there was nothing. Just as there had been for the past two months.

She decided to call Ino before making her way to the bookstore to spend all of her summer savings on textbooks. On the third ring, the blonde answered the phone with a sleepy 'hello'.

"Really? It's 1:25 in the afternoon. You're still asleep?" Sakura tucked her course catalog under her arm and looked both ways down the street before crossing from the medical complex toward the bookstore. Ino yawned on the other end of the phone.

"Hey, classes don't start for another week. Technically it's still summer break."

"Speaking of classes, guess what I just found out." Sakura tried to hide her annoyance but it was very evident in her voice. She hurried up the sidewalk and sat down on an empty bench to situate herself and take a minute to chat.

"They canceled this semester and everyone passes automatically?" Her best friend joked and Sakura gave a roll of her eyes.

"Hiruzen retired and I'm stuck with a sadist Professor for the entire semester."

"Yikes...who is it? And what makes them a sadist?" Ino was sounding a bit more awake by now, always interested in a bit of drama or gossip. Sakura switched ears with her phone and glanced around to make sure no one was within ear shot. She didn't need anyone hearing her bad mouth her professor before the class had even started.

"Hatake. And I heard he made a girl cry on the first day of class last year. She was so upset she completely dropped out. Like, the guy is infamous for being a prick for no reason."

On the other end, Ino scoffed and Sakura could hear the sound of the coffee machine turning on. "Well, maybe it's just a rumor. I doubt he'd be an asshole if you're a good student, which you are. Don't worry so much."

"Easy for you to say." She mumbled and sat back on the bench with a slump. She hated it when Ino was being reasonable, especially when she wanted the outraged, explosive blonde she could be. But, she was right. There was no use in judging the guy before she had even stepped foot in his classroom. It would only make her nervous and stress out about it for no reason. Besides, both her best friend and advisor were right; she was a good student.

"So…" Ino started and Sakura knew exactly where she was headed. "Heard from lover boy?"

Lover boy. That made Sakura want to laugh. He was hardly a boy and hardly her lover. She had spent one night in Sasuke's bed after his graduation in May. They had been drinking a bit at the after party in his dorm and for one night, or six brief hours, her two year crush on him came to an end. Of course, being a bit drunk, it was hard to remember what had exactly happened but she had been sore the next morning and had woken up with a huge grin in his bed. It was easy to put all the pieces together. Two months had passed since that night and they had only shared a couple of polite, platonic texts that never seemed to go past 'how are you?'. It was frustrating. Especially so when her friends referred to him as her lover.

"Not in a few days." She lied, hating that she had to lie, and hating that she wished it was true. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she hoped Ino couldn't tell that she wasn't being honest.

"Ugh." Was all she heard on the other end and she knew it was time to end the conversation before Ino could start on her 'you're too good to wait on some dumb boy' tirade. Her friends had tried the past few weeks to get her to go out, let loose, and find a rebound but she just couldn't let it go that easily. Especially since he had been her first. The thought made a blush creep up on her cheeks and she stood from the bench.

"I've got to get to the bookstore before it gets too packed. Come by later. I close tonight so you can get some free, day old muffins if you keep me company." She offered to the girl before shouldering her purse and making her way back across campus.

"Well, how can I resist that offer?"

They said their goodbyes and Sakura cursed as she shoved her phone into her bag. The line at the bookstore was already out the doors. Her shift at the coffee shop started in less than two hours and she still wanted to get home to shower before. By the looks of the crowd, she definitely wouldn't be able to keep her plans and she blew a strand of hair from her eyes in frustration. It seemed that the theme of the day was having her plans completely ruined by circumstances beyond her control. She just hoped that the rest of the semester wouldn't follow this trend.