Field Day (Alternative Title: Just Another High School Fic)
I rush down the almost-empty main hallway of Konoha High School, past the few and scattered stragglers who are taking their time to reach their third period, and take a left to the side corridor where my own third period Biology class is situated. Crap, I think to myself. I forgot to do the homework. Iruka-sensei's gonna get mad at me for slacking again. Or maybe just talk to me after class and make me feel guilty. Bluh. Reaching the doorway of classroom 401-A, I barge in noisily just as the bell signaling the end of passing period rings, marking me tardy. Attracting stares from curious classmates and a slightly disappointed look from Iruka-sensei, I make my way to my desk near the back and sit down with a quiet thud. Ugh. That complete bastard! Why can't he just leave me in peace, for once?
Don't worry. I'm not talking about Iruka-sensei. He's cool.
I'm talking about the most popular kid at this school. The most popular, but also the most arrogant and aloof. I kind of don't get why someone like him would even become popular, seeing as how anti-social and condescending he is, but let be what is, I guess.
I'm talking about Uchiha Sasuke, if it wasn't already obvious. He seems to take a special pleasure in personally making my life absolutely miserable. He also happens to be in most of my classes, including Bio, so combined with passing periods, such as the just-ended one, he has ample opportunity to antagonize me. He never does it in any sort of obvious way, oh no, but will "accidentally" trip me or bump me and make me drop something in the hallway and the like. It's actually the reason I was late to Bio today.
I have no idea why he does these things to me, but I can definitely say that I hate him.
I loathe him; I utterly despise him.
And he detests me likewise.
Suddenly, I am jolted out of my thoughts by Iruka. Oops, I've been zoning out again.
"Naruto-kun? Could you please answer the question?
"Can you repeat it, sensei?" I ask.
"The question was, 'Which domain consists of prokaryotes whose cell walls lack peptidoglycan?'"
"Uh..."
Crap. This is ninth grade stuff and should be easy, but I've never really had a head for remembering scientific facts. I resume my speaking. "Uh... Is it... Bacteria?"
"Incorrect. The correct answer is 'Archaea'", Sensei replies. Quiet snickers from around the room echo and reverberate inside my skull. I glance around, and, completely accidentally, make brief eye contact with Sasuke. He smirks at me. I frown back and sharply turn my head away from him.
The noise of the classroom door opening ends the moment as a short girl carrying a stack or green papers steps inside. "Sumimasen," she says politely. "I've been sent by Tsunade-sensei to pass out these fliers to each of the third period classes, with instructions for the teachers to brief their students on the information written on them."
Tsunade is the principal here at Konoha High. She's really big on school theme and competition days.
Iruka smiles. "These are for Field Day?"
"Hai. These are the info and event sign-up sheets."
"Thank you, Miyako-chan."
Stepping forward and taking the papers from her, Iruka turns to face the class. Miyako exits the room, presumably to get more papers since Iruka-sensei took them all?
Sensei begins passing out sheets. They have a couple paragraphs of information on the front, and a sign-up sheet for different events on the back, which kind of defeats the purpose of saving paper and stuff because to turn in the form on the back you have to cut off part of the info on the front. But I digress.
Suddenly, Iruka-sensei has a brilliant idea.
"Hey, who wants extra credit?"
Head perk up around the classroom. I pay attention, 'cos I need all the credit I can get.
"I will give ten points extra credit to all who participate in Field Day. Twenty to those who who do three or more events."
I'm so totally in.
Iruka begins to elaborate on Field Day, explaining the need-to-know information and how each event works. I don't really pay attention, but what I gather from his briefing is that it basically consists of normal track-and-field events such as high jump and the hundred-meter, and it's in two and a half weeks at the end of the month. It's open to all students who have at least a 2.7 GPA. That's normal for school events, but I have a slight problem. With a 2.6, my GPA is not quite high enough.
Well, I guess going to Field Day has been shot up in flames. I glance ahead over at Sasuke's paper (he sits two rows in front of me and a seat to the left) just to see what he's written down. It appears that he has signed up for the triple jump (funny, he never really struck me as a jumper), hurdles (also kinda strange) and the four-hundred meter. I copy them down on my paper even though I can't participate. If, through some twist of fate, I actually am able to go to Field Day, it'll be my chance to get back at him: I will simply beat him in all of his events. I'm pretty athletic, so it shouldn't be too difficult, right? If I'm especially lucky,
Sasuke notices that I'm staring at him so I quickly look away. If this works, it'll be epic.
The bell signaling the end of class and the start of passing period rings. People around me begin gathering their things and heading out the door to their fourth periods, but Iruka holds me back for a few minutes.
"Naruto, I want to talk to you about your performance in this class lately. Don't worry about fourth period; I'll write you a note for your next teacher. Naruto, your grade has been dropping steadily over the past semester. As your teacher, I care about you and want you to succeed in my class. I can tell you want to participate in Field Day. Do you have any ideas as to how I can help you better understand the curriculum?"
I falter for a second. "Uh... I don't know."
He scrutinizes me for a second, and then replies. "Okay. Have you tried tutoring?
"No," I admit.
"It might help. Here, I'll set you up with a student tutor and give you the information tomorrow, if it works for you. How does that sound?"
"That's fine," I say. "Thanks."
"It's nothing. Here, I have your note. Have a good Wednesday."
He hands me a sticky-note with his name written on it. I take it and exit the classroom just as the end-of-passing-period bell goes off. Good thing Iruka-sensei doesn't have a fourth period, I think. As I walk to the end of the hallway and slip inside my math class, handing Ebisu-sensei my note, I sit down in my seat with a new confidence in my head.
So? What do you think? Should I continue this? Please review ^^