SAKURA'S POV

Senior year. I can't believe I am in my senior year now. The last year of high school. Holy shit. Just one year before I can drive away to Harward on my dream wagon. I tapped my pen on the table as a small smile graced my lips. I have been working really hard this past year so I can gain a scholarship to my dream University. I just have to stick to my routine for three hundred and sixty five days more and everything I ever dreamed of will be in my grasp.

I glanced up as I saw few students attending and taking the seats at back. Typical. Most of the teenagers hate school. They were more fond of partying and getting laid. I would never understand why. I loved my classes. I loved studying. I felt no shame in admitting that I was a certified nerd. I always stayed at top of the class. My parents made sure of it when I was young that I have to be the best student. They always told me that booze and boys were an unnecessary distraction. I have stuck by their word for the last seventeen year. No boyfriend, no late night parties nothing. I was an idol student. I was the girl who parents and teacher used as an example for others my age.

"You gotta be kidding me. First seat! Really?"

I looked up into the blue eyes of my best friend Ino as she scowled. I shrugged as she sat down with a humph beside me.

"I am glad someone is excited for the boring lecture."

Ino yawned as she laid her head down on the table. She was evidently tired as I raised my eyebrow at her.

"It looks like someone had too much fun this weekend."

She rolled her eyes before giving me a smirk.

"Of course. Kiba plus me plus his farmhouse equals hot sex all day long."

"Gross!"

I made a face as she stuck out her tongue childishly at me. Ino and Kiba has been dating for past few months but their honeymoon phase was yet not over. Kiba was a varsity player and Ino was the head cheerleader so they were one of the high profile couple of our school.

"Hello Ladies."

We were interrupted by the cheerful voice as I didn't have to look to know who it was. Naruto and Hinata made their way side by side as they walked by our seats. Hinata gave us a small smile of acknowledgment while Naruto grinned. They both settled down two seats behind us. Naruto gave the shy girl a peck on the cheek. Did I mention high profile couples? Naruto and Hinata were also one of them. Hinata was the daughter of the CEO of Hyuga corporation. They were one of the royal families in Tokyo. Naruto's dad was the mayor of our city and he was the vice captain of our varsity team. Those two were the example of fairy tale couple. They had been dating for over a year and their relationship was really sweet. It was funny how someone as quite and reserved as Hinata got along with a loud mouthed like Naruto so well. Opposites do attract I guess.

"They are so sweet they make me gag."

Ino mumbled as she saw Hinata blushing at something Naruto whispered in her ear. I nudged her with a stern look as she looked away. Shikamaru and Choji entered a minute later followed by Kiba and Shino.

"Hey babe."

I averted my attention elsewhere as Kiba and Ino engaged in a makeout session. They were the opposite of Naruto and Hinata. Woah slow down. I mentally yelled as I saw the tongue action. This was really awkward.

"I guess they forgot they are in the classroom."

I heard Amy speak as I was surprised to find her talking to me. Amy was one of the popular cheerleader and the it girl. I usually stayed as far from these girls as I can. Ino was the exception because we have been friends since kindergarten. Not to be rude, I gave her a small smile as she twirled her hairs with her manicured finger.

"What are your plans this year Sakura? Do you intend to lose your v card now?"

She asked me playfully but I can judge a hint of mockery in her voice as I shrugged.

"You know me. I only date my books."

She gave me a once over as I became conscious of myself. I was dressed in jeans and a simple halter top which was appropriate for the school unlike her low-cut top which showed too much cleavage.

"Not everyone is a designated slut like you Amy."

My blonde friend piped out from behind me as Amy gritted her teeth at Ino.

"You are the one to talk bitch. Weren't you fucking Nara a week back?"

"I dated him an year back. You might wanna update your calendar dumbass."

I groaned as I realised this was going to turn into a big cat fight now. I wasn't an expert in this situation as I stayed away from the teenage drama most of the time. I had no clue what to do.

"You can talk what you want blondie but soon I will be the queen bee of the school. "

"Oh yeah? How you gonna do that with your pint size brain?"

"I will be the head cheerleader this year and I will be the girlfriend of the quarterback. "

Ino snorted as she circled around our bench and stood face to face with her. I looked back asking for help from someone as I saw Naruto Kiba and Shikamaru ready to pipe in if necessary. Shikamaru might be her ex but they parted on good terms and he always had Ino's back.

"Did you forget about Karin? She was the one dating the captain last time I heard."

Karin Uzumaki. If you think Amy was worst you haven't met Karin. She was the spoiled rich girl who got everything she wished for. Boys wanted to date her. Girls were envious of her. She had an ugly personality and a beautiful face. If someone ever messed with her she made their life a living hell. She and Ino were always at war for the head cheerleader position. Ino barely won by margin last year. I am sure Karin won't let her win for the second time.

"Who's the one behind time now? Didn't you hear? They broke up in the summer break. Karin won't be the varsity girl anymore. Neither will you."

My eyes widened as I heard her. They were the most famous couple of the school. In the typical teenage world this was a breaking news.

"Why you little.."

I held Ino's arms before she can attack the pompous princess and be detained on the very first day. Kiba and Naruto rushed and managed to drag her back to the seat as I sighed. Amy had this cocky smile on her face as she flipped her hair. Bitch. Ino finally cooled down as I looked at my watch. Only five minutes were left for the class to start and most of the student have already arrived. I saw some new faces from other sections too. My eyes darted towards the door just as it opened and the person I last expected to see in our section stepped in.

Sasuke Uchiha.

The most popular guy of our school. Captain of the football team. Smartest guy of our class. I was always neck to neck with him in the grades. I heard whispers and sighs as he entered. He was every girl's dream. He was like a Calvin Klein model with his six plus height, pale complexion, strong jaw, high cheekbones and a muscled body. Every girl in our school wanted to date him and now that he was in the market again I am sure they will flock all over him. Not like they didn't do before.

"Hey bastard! I saved a seat for you,"

As much as it was hard to admit, Naruto and Sasuke were best friends. They were worlds apart in personality. I didn't know Sasuke personally but he appeared very aloof and stoic most of the time unlike Naruto who was a big ball of energy.

Sasuke ignored Naruto as he settled onto the front seat just next to me. Even though we were few feet apart I felt uncomfortable. He was like a celebrity figure of our school and now he was seating here like a normal guy. I was never placed in the same section as Sasuke before so it was really weird for me.

"Good morning Sasuke"

Amy purred as she gave him one of her sexy smirk. To her disappointment Sasuke ignored her as he took out his textbook. Ino chuckled as Amy shot her a dirty look before finally going back to her seat.

"Who would have thought Sasuke will be taking classes with us one day?"

I nodded silently at Ino as I took out my textbook too. I snuck a small glance at him again when his eyes darted in my direction. I felt shivers run through my body as he gave me a soul piercing gaze. It seemed like a very long time as we both stared into each other's eyes before the corner of his mouth lifted up and I saw a dimple appear on his left cheek. Was he….smiling? Heat crept up my neck as I looked away. I never blush. This wasn't me.

"Forehead what's wrong?"

I saw Ino looking at me with concern as I shook my head. Nothing. Nothing can go wrong now. This is my senior year.

/

SASUKE'S POV

I changed into my varsity uniform as we all headed out for the practice session. Seasonal games were in a month and we need to be in our best form by then. I got out of the locker room as I trotted down the stairs.

"Hello Sasuke."

I closed my eyes in irritation as I heard the annoying high pitched voice. Just what I needed.

"Karin."

I said nonchalantly as she crossed her arms over her chest. She was still the same. Pompous and selfish.

"You are going to regret breaking up with me."

She stated as a matter of fact as I resisted the urge to laugh. I didn't spare her a second look as I walked past her. I wanted the senior year to be drama free and I only wanted to focus on football and my studies. Karin wasn't in my mind now. Never has been.

"Took you long enough."

Shikamaru said once I got on the ground as he stretched. He was a lazy guy but when it came to football no one could doubt the effort and the energy he brought to the game.

"Get everyone together. I have some pointers to share."

He nodded as he called out the players to huddle up near the benches. I frowned as I saw a familiar face missing.

"Where's Naruto?"

This was the first day of our practice and that idiot was already late. Tch. We were already behind the schedule as it was fourth day of the senior year and I don't want to miss out on another day because of my idiotic friend.

"I am here!"

I heard a loud noise from the sideline as I saw Naruto rush towards the field. But he wasn't alone. His girlfriend Hinata had accompanied him. She used to come and watch him practice sometimes. It wasn't a surprise. No. It was the girl who was with her in the stand.

Sakura Haruno.

The day I first laid my eyes on her in the class I had decided to stay away from her. She was trouble with a capital T. I got odd feeling in my chest as I looked at her that day. I hated it. I always liked to be in control of my emotions. But when she looked at me with her innocent big jade eyes I broke down. I gave her a smile for goodness sake. I hardly smile at anyone, well except my mother. So I decided to stay away from her. I didn't glance at her or sat next to her in any of the class. It worked until now. Why was she here anyways? She wasn't dating anyone. As far as I have heard about Sakura from Naruto she was a geek. She was too wrapped up in her studies to date anyone. So what was she doing here?

Her eyes snapped towards me as I felt that stupid tingling again and looked away. Annoying girl. I pushed her at the back of my mind as I focused on the game for the rest of the evening.

/

SAKURA'S POV

"Hit me up."

"I think that's enough Ino."

I warned my best friend as she glared at me before trying to snatch the bottle of beer from my hand. I moved my hand and got up before she could snatch it away from me. Although it wasn't possible because she was far too drunk to move.

"I can't believe that slutt got my sspot."

She slurred as I got back from the kitchen. We both lived in a decent two bedroom flat in the city. We moved out from our house at the age of sixteen and decided to share this flat. It wasn't too lavish but it was pretty good for the two of us. Ino wanted her independence while my house was on the outskirts of the city so we made this decision. Ino was on the verge of passing out so I helped her up before settling her in the bedroom. She weighed more than me but I was pretty strong as I regularly did martial arts and gyming to keep me fit. I draped the blanket over her as she snored softly. Poor girl. She just lost her first cheerleader position to Amy of all people. I guess she wasn't bluffing that day. Ino had slacked out in her dance routine as she spend her summer camping and partying in the countryside. Well atleast Amy was better than Karin. Hopefully.

I closed the door behind me and walked back to my bedroom. After an hour of studying I decided to relax a bit. It was only 10 pm and I never slept before 1. I browsed through our school webpage as I checked the upcoming events. My eyes lit up when I saw the annual singing competition which was to be held in four months. I have always been fond of singing and I have a very good voice as told by my friends and grandmother. I scrolled past it as I knew I couldn't enroll. My parents never allowed me to enter into any curricular activity unless it was debate, extempore or science quiz. In their words all other things were a distraction from my goal.

I was supposed to join the medical school of Harvard and practice medicine and become a high profile doctor. I wanted to become a doctor and save lives since I was six year old but nowadays I felt like it was huge burden rather than my passion.

I shook my head as I tried to get rid of those traitorous thoughts. I kept scrolling until my eyes fell on the upcoming event. Seasonal football games were starting in a month. I wasn't much into soccer and sometimes went to them with my girls Hinata and Ino who both went to cheer their boyfriend. It was the biggest game of our school and it always seemed like a festive season when the matches begin. Their were eight schools who competed and Konoha always managed to emerge victorious. The only two schools which were a competition to us was Suna High and Iwa High. I opened up the article and then took a look at the team members. My heart fluttered as I looked at the picture of the team captain. This was ridiculous. I wasn't the type to gush over someone because of their looks. No. It wasn't that. I was curious. Unlike the picture everyone painted of him being an arrogant and cocky person he was quite the opposite. He always sat silently in the class and focused on the lesson. He didn't entertain the girls who swarmed at his table and simply rejected their advances. He didn't seem like a womanizer at all.

One thing I know for sure was that he was a hard worker. I had to tag around with Hinata for an hour as Ino was going through her trials and I couldn't simply leave without her. This was the first time I saw the practice session of the varsity team. They were all focused and determined. I was impressed. No matter how much I tried I couldn't keep my eyes off of Sasuke. He has this charismatic aura that draws everyone. He was truly a team captain as he paused in between to correct his teammates technique and always gave others chance to work with the ball. I remembered how his eyes had darted towards me once and I felt that burning sensation again. Maybe it wasn't me. Maybe it was him. He drew such reactions out of everyone.

I mentally smacked myself as I closed my laptop and lied down. I hadn't wasted this much time thinking about a boy ever in my life. It was my last year for goodness sake. I have to be focused and try to keep my thoughts from running to a certain raven haired footballer.

/

SASUKE'S POV

"Sorry guys I lost my way to the class."

"No you liar."

"That's not a proper way to talk to your teacher Mr Uzumaki."

I snorted as my Chemistry teacher made another excuse. He was always late to the class and always managed to come up with some lame reason. It has been two weeks and he still hasn't learned. I guess it was just his habit. Although Kakashi was lazier than Nara but he was very smart as his concepts were easier to grasp.

I sat silently as he shuffled through his papers. I took the moment to glance at Sakura who seemed agitated. I smirked at her reaction. She has a very expressive face and you could always tell what she was feeling by her face. Not that I observed her of course.

"Ah. I hope you all already know that you are supposed to be assigned a project which should be completed by the end of two months. "

Few nodded, few shrugged while the rest remained clueless as Kakashi ignored them and took out a spreadsheet.

"You will all be assigned a partner for the rest of the year and you will be submitting two working projects in this duration. Do I make myself clear?"

I swore silently as I didn't want some clingy girl to hang onto my shoulder for the rest of the year. Shit. I was a perfectionist. I preferred doing things myself and now I would have to depend on some airhead for my grades. This wasn't good.

"You will be assigned the partners according to the alphabetical order of your name. Starting with Amy Wattanabe and Aaron Unagi."

My eyes immediately went to Sakura as I wondered if their was someone else whose name came in between us. Ok. This wasn't good. I was screwed if it was Sakura. I was screwed if it wasn't her. Long story short I was screwed either way.

"Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha."

I snapped my head towards my teacher as he gave me a wrinkled smile and motioned me to sit next to her. I cursed as I got up slowly and settled down beside her. I didn't look at her as I glared at my desk. Last thing I wanted was to have any sort of conversation with her. Not because I hated her. No. Infact I was impressed by her. She was a brilliant student. She was exactly who I wanted to partner up with to get good grades. It was because she was a distraction. If I wasn't careful this girl could be dangerous for me. I wasn't stupid. I know what I felt. I was attracted to her. It wasn't just physical attraction. No. I was attracted to something deeper. The only thing was I don't know what I was attracted to.

"Excuse me?"

I heard her soft voice as I finally looked at her. She was looking at me hopefully and a bit of nervousness. I can't blame her. I am kind of intimidating.

I simply raised an eyebrow as I urged her to speak.

"We are supposed to select the topic for our project now. We have to submit it by the end of this lecture."

I swallowed heavily as I looked back at my notebook. For some reason my stupid brain was unable to understand words which were written onto it as I stared blankly. Fuck. I kept staring at it for a minute before I finally said.

"I can't read."

"What?"

She seemed shocked as I resisted the urge to punch myself. Great. What a wonderful way to make first impression! I have to do something before I make a fool out of myself. So I put on my stoic face and responded.

"I mean select whatever you want. I don't care."

My voice was harsher than I thought as she flinched slightly before looking away. I know it was mean but this was the only way I can talk to her without making a joke out of myself.

I waited for her to say something but she didn't as she flipped through the pages. Needless to say the next thirty minutes were the most awkward moment of my life as I kept my eyes fixed on one page.

When the bell rang she got up without a word as she submitted a page to Kakashi who gave me a look before taking it from her. Rest of the students gathered around his table too as I looked at Sakura who picked up her bag from the seat.

"You can ask for the topic to Kakashi sensei. That is if you even care jerk!"

She fumed as she gave me a cold look and walked away. This was the first time a girl has lashed out at me like that. They always worshiped me like some kind of god or lusted after me. Their was no in between. Karin also never had the audacity to raise her voice at me. Even when we broke up. I sat there in silence as a slow smile spread across my face.

Well, chemistry just got interesting.