Lai Ama pulled back her cropped, chocolate hair, checking out herself in the hallway mirror. Her older sister Tenten scooted past her, grabbing their backpacks and pulling Lai out the door. "Come on, Lai! The bus is here! Were gonna be late!"
The longhaired girl sat up in bed, she was sure she would be late. She climbed out of bed, her black hair a mess. She went to the mirror to check out the damage, she smiled at herself. 'Nagasaki Akiko, freshmen in high school,' thought the girl to herself. 'I like that..' She brushed her hair, changed, grabbed her backpack, a piece of toast and dashed out of the house, shutting it. She ran to the bus stop and skid to a stop, falling backward on her butt. "Akiko-chan.. Are you okay?" Asked a timid voice, of none other than Hyuuga Hinata. "Yeah I am!" Akiko said happily. "Clumsy as always.. Summer hasn't changed you at all Akiko," Said the low voice of Hinata's cousin, Neji. She glared up at him with her golden hues. "Shut up Hyuuga..."
Neji smirked lightly as Hinata extended her hand to help up Akiko. "I see your attitude hasn't improved either." Akiko frown as Neji lead the three onto the bus as Lai and Tenten arrived, slightly out of breath behind them following them onto the yellow bus. "We are OFFICALY high school students!" Lai cheered. Tenten shook her head at her junior and took an empty seat to herself, which Hinata took as well. Lai smiled as she noticed an old friend, "scoot over Shika-kun!" Lai laughed. Neji took a seat to himself, leaving Akiko no choice but to sit with him.
Akiko crossed her eyes at the back of Neji's head as he got on. Shikamaru smiled at Lai as she sat down. "Hey Lai," He said in a bored tone, resting his forehead on the back of the seat in front of them, he was tired for getting up early. "How was your summer?" He asked. The long black haired girl scowled at everyone's choice of seat, she thought she would sit by her best friend Lai. She rolled her eyes and sat down next to Neji. She tugged the red short skirt down; it was too high for her opinion. Then she felt eyes on her legs, she looked around and then to Neji, who was the one staring at her. Akiko narrowed her eyes and cleared her throat. "Hello? Pervert much," She said to Neji rolling her eyes.
"Amazing!" Lai giggled to Shikamaru, half at her answer and half at his laziness. "I spent most of it teaching dance! How about you? Spend your summer in bed?" Lai asked, lightly blowing upwards, blowing her short bangs out of her large forest eyes, not noticing Shikamaru's faint but present blush. Lucky Akiko and Hinata seemed to. Neji smirked wildly, "Not quite…" Neji stated, reaching down to the hem on Akiko's uniform skirt and plucking up something black. Something black and crawling, a spider. Lai, gasped and burst out laughing in spite of herself, Akiko's face was just too funny. Lai pulled out her handy camera and quickly snapped a few pictures. Smiling contently she turned back to Shikamaru, smiling almost devilishly.
Akiko looked horrified, she hated spiders. She shivered and put her hands in her lap, trying so hard not to get up screaming. "My summer was.." Shikamaru tried to tell Lai but she was too distracted so he gave up. Akiko was shaking slightly from the encounter with the spider and where Neji had grabbed it. She hoped that he wouldn't do anything with it to scare her, she just sat there tense with her eyes squeezed shut. Everyone knew she's deathly afraid of spiders.
Neji smirked; he could easily see that Akiko was embarrassed. He dangled the spider close to his face, planning on placing it near hers but his conscious stopped him. Akiko wasn't embarrassed, but scared. The older Hyuga sighed, blushing lightly and tossed the poor creature out the window. "It's gone…" Neji commented, waiting for the younger girl to open her beautiful golden orbs. He held back a smile when she did. Lai turned back to Shikamaru, "I'm sorry Shikamaru-kun. What were you saying?" she asked, forest eyes flashing, her hair blowing slightly from Neji's open window.
The pineapple headed boy sighed. "Never mind.." He murmured, sighing. He looked at her as she turned her head again, blushing softly at how pretty she looked, he had been quiet about his crush for her since they were in fourth grade, he still wasn't sure if he should tell her. "Thanks Neji…" She muttered softly, sitting up again and putting her hands next to her on the seat. She looked away from Neji, her long hair gently swaying in the breeze; most of it was under her. "So Lai you're excited right?" Akiko asked her best friend, with a smile on her lip glossed lips.
"Of course!" Lai cheered enthusiastically, "Were high school students! Where older high school aged guys go to school! And have high school students only parties!" Tenten rolled her coco eyes, tutting at her year younger sister. "What about," Lai asked her best friend and Shikamaru. "You guys are excited too, right?" Lai pulled out her camera as the bus opened its door, allowing several more students on the bus. Lai set her camera to video mode turning to Shikamaru first, filming him. "Tell me, Shika-kun. What are you most excited for this year or anything you'd like to accomplish before the years through?" While waiting for Shika to answer, Lai failed to notice Gaara and Sasuke hop onto the bus and take the two seats in front of her. "Tell me Shika-kun!" She encouraged as she giggled. Neji ponder out loud. "So oh great one whose deathly afraid of spiders, what do you want to see happen this year?" Neji asked the black haired girl.
Shikamaru blushed at the attention brought on him. "Passing without doing much," He muttered shrugging. Gaara stood up and walked to the seat in front of Lai and Shikamaru, he sat down and turned around, smirking. "Hey Lai-chan," He said, shooting a glare at Shikamaru. "Nara," He said in a low hiss. "Gaara," Shikamaru responded back, a hint of anger in his expression. Lai looked confused, turning off the camera. Akiko snapped her head towards Neji. "I want to see a certain male beat up and shoved into a locker," She hissed angrily. Her golden eyes narrowed and her lips set in a slight frown. She put her backpack on her lap and opened it, fishing out Chap Stick. She put on her lips and smiled, putting it back in her bag. It was cherry flavoured, Neji's favourite flavour. She felt Neji staring at her again, she sighed and looked at him. "What?" She asked deeply annoyed.
Lai smiled at Shika, placing a hand on his should. "Of course you're going to pass! Shikamaru-kun you're the smartest guy I know!" Lai turned her camera back on and pointed it in Gaara's direction. "So Gaara-kun. What do you what to accomplish by the end of this year, Hun?"
Neji frown, "Well I can see your brilliant personality is shining through again, who said I was looking at your face? There are much more attractive woman on this bus. Besides I am quite amused watching Shikamaru's reaction to Lai-san calling Gaara "Hun"
Gaara smirked more. "Getting the girl I've wanted for a few years," He said, gently touching Lai's hair. Shikamaru looked angry at the motion. He crossed his arms and looked out he window, ignoring Gaara flirt with Lai.
Akiko rolled her eyes and looked at the back of Sasuke's head, blushing softly. "And don't worry Neji you're the ugliest guy on the bus right now," She muttered, looking at Neji. She leaned over his lap and put up the window. "God that was annoying.." She said sighing. She pulled out a brush and brushed her messy hair. She turned to Lai and brushed her hair. "You're hair was everywhere Lai-chan!" She said giggling.
Lai blushed deeply and looks down when Gaara removed his hand; Lai slowly slid down her camera and turned it off, as her best friend fixed her hair. "I know, my hairs always a mess!" Gaara continued to smirk as the bus pulled up in front of the large high school. "Hey...Shika-kun?" Lai asked, pulling out a small sheet of paper, "My lockers in the same hall as Akiko-chan, Where's yours?" She asked getting off the bus.
"So your interested in Uchiha?" Neji inquired following the dark haired beauty off of the bus. "Good luck with snagging him, with your wonderful personality." Neji disappeared after entering the school, finding his locker and making his way to his first class. "I'll see you guys at lunch" he said before leaving. Walking up in front of the school Lai pulled out her schedule. "What is your guys' time table?"
Shikamaru was silent as he got off the bus and walked into school, ignoring Lai. Gaara smirked and stayed back with Lai. "Mine's in the same hall," He said smirking.
Akiko rolled her eyes. "Well don't expect to get any girls with your looks," She countered before he disappeared. Akiko turned to Lai. "Hold on," She murmured, searching in her bag. Dread filled her chest. "Oh no.. I don't think I have my time table.." She murmured. "I have to go to the office to get another, I'll see you guys later!" She called before running off. Akiko ran into someone and fell over, landing on her butt yet again. Her stuff luckily didn't fall out. "Sorry," She said looking at the boy, a blush appeared on her cheeks. There was the cutest boy she had ever seen, dare she say it? Cuter than Sasuke. He had brown spiky hair, dark eyes, and red paint on his cheeks. Why did he have that? His school windbreaker was moving, the longhaired girl looked puzzled until a white dog's head popped out of the top. She almost squealed at how cute it was. She got up and stuck out her hand to the boy. "Sorry again for running into you, I wasn't paying attention," She said nervously.
"Oh…Alright" she said, smiling slightly and headed up the stairs the red head, heading towards their lockers, "Wow! We have most of our classes together, lunch too, Gaara…kun!" Lai asked, almost loudly as she past Shikamaru only to stop and realize both her and Gaara had past their lockers.
Lai stood wide-eyed as she looked at the locker numbers. Her locker was in between both Gaara and Shikamaru! Lai sighed and opened her locker, placing her beloved camera in her back pocket and grabbing her books for her first class, art. "I'll see you guys in class…" She said a little sadly, why wasn't her best guy friend talking to her?