Disclaimer I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

The quad was teaming with students milling around. Lunch, as always was such a social event. The different groups engaging in different aspects of teen social life.

The cheerleaders practicing their high kicks and other various gymnastics while the football players watched or tossed a ball to one another. The goup of girls that watched the football players and the AV group that watched the girls. The feminist that scoffed at all men and douche bags that hit on all the girls.

Well, all except one.

Senior year.

The sun shone down bright this early in the spring. The smell of fresh cut grass permeate her senses as she put a cherry in her mouth. The soft almost crunch like feel as her teeth broke the skin and flavor washed over her tongue eased her mood. She loved them, at at this time of year they were a real treat. Not being quite in season. Her eyes darted around the grounds as she watched her classmates.

Legs stretched out in front of her, books in her lap she turned her head and spit out the cherry pit.

"Nice shot four eyes"

she tiffened. Not moving her head she let her eyes move towards the source of the voice. She knew it all to well., and cringed a little on the inside but outwardly she just sighed boredly.

Kankuro with is blonde pig face girlfriend Ino.

"She's so gross spitting on the ground like that. Such a tomboy. No wonder you don't have a boyfriend billboard brow"

On the otherside of her leg hidden from their view her fist curled around the blades og grass causing a few to break as her knuckles turned white.

Plastering on a smile she looked up at the blonde

"So Ino is it true you got plastic surgery over christmas break?"

"Yea. not that you can tell. No scars. It looks completely natural."

She said smugly turning her head from side to side while brushing her fingertips along her cheeks.

"Oh, wow. Im sorry but you should sue."

By now the rest of the group had joined them. But Sakura didn't really notice she had been focusing on Ino while trying to maintain her temper. It was something she had tried for years t keep under control. She was picked on enough. If she had been paying attention to the others she would have noticed eyebrows raised while they gave Ino's face a once over. Trying to figure out what she was talking about.

Ino just placed a hand on her hip while sidling in closer to Kankuro, a glimmer of unease reflecting her her eyes at the scrutiny of others

"And why is that forehead?"

"They made you look like a pig."

Sakura stood up gathering her things knowing the bell was going to ring soon, and started to walk off.

"They made you look like a pig"

She stated looking over her shoulder with a cheeky grin watching Ino fume as her the people surrounding her were chuckling softly

"Shut up foueyes you stupid bitch."

Sakura just smiled still looking over her shoulder at the group while opening a soda to drink on her way to class.

"Learn to love yourself Ino pig!"

She yelled as she turned while bringing the can to her lips. Just as she was about to take a drink she ran into something hard which caused her hand to jerk which in turn caused her to spill soda all down the front of her red button up collar shirt . She gasped as the cool liguid ran down her chest. She could feel the rivulets as they ran down her stomach to soak into the waistline of her jeans. Arms spread wide while she gasped blinking in surprised she looked down at herself.

"What the fuck you dumb bitch you got soda all over my new leather jacket!"

She froze but only for a minute.

It was him. She slowly looked up into angry teal eyes. She felt like a deer caught in the headlights, but she would die before she showed any fear or let the barest o f hints be revealed about how he really affected her. So she huffed indignantly and stalked off after unceremoniously throwing the soda can to the ground. As she walked away in her secret panic she heard behind her laughter and his voice barely heard over the din created by the student body in the quad that watched her leave.

"Dude Stupid bitch got soda all over my jacket."

Her hands rested on the cool surface of the white sink. Staring at her reflection in he mirror as the faucet filled the empty bathroom with the sound of running water. Angrily grabbing a brown paper towel and yanking it from the dispenser she thrust it under the torrent the squeezed the excess water out in her fist. Glaring at herself as she shsakes the towel out to its full expanse and then wiping her neck then pulling the shirt out a little to stick her hand down her shirt using the towel to clean her chest as best she can. Her mind replaying the event over and over. Thinking to herself, 'Why him? Of all the people to run into it had to be him. Now he thinks im s stupid bitch too. Ugh!'

Gaara...

Ever since she first laid eyes on him she was ..stuck. Not a very eloquent word, but it described how she felt completely. His eyes caught her in their depths and she couldn't breathe.

It had been in the middle of freshman year. Four years ago when he and his siblings had come to the school. She had been sitting in homeroom talking to her best friend Naruto. When he had walked in wearing a white cotton tee whith low slung loose light blue jeans over black boots carrying a notebook. At first thats all she had really noticed. Except his hair. It was red. Not just any red either, but a dark blood almost maroon red It was short in the back but his bangs fell a little long to the side of his face. She remembered thinking he would give himself whiplash from jerking his head to the side to get his bangs out of his eyes. He seemed just likeany other guy in her class. Lean build and probably lazy. She looked him up and down a momentthen went back to her conversation with her friend. Vaguely aware of the teacher pointing in their direction. It wasn't untilshefelt a tap on her shoulder that she finally got a good look at him. He had taken the empty seat behind her and then tapped on her shoulder and as she turned to look at him she pushed up her glasses

"Can I help yo..."

Her words broke off as soon as she saw his eyes. Teal with flecks of aqua surrounded by a dark ring of cobalt. His eyes were so deep and entrrancing that she couldn't speak and her mouth just sort ofhung open staring at him.

"Do you have a pencil I can borrow?"

His voice was dep and raspy in a way that made goosebumps erupt on her arms and send a shiver down her spine. She was stuck. Unable to speak. She just stared at him. He had raised a brow and tried again

"uh Hello? Pencil?"

But she was still imobile.

It was at this point that he muttered the word that broke her out of her dze and made her eyes narrow at the same time.

"Freak"

He said this while standing up and moving to a different dest on the otherside of the room.

Even while she glared at him through slitted eyes inside she felt at a loss. The internal battle of both hating and crushing on this new boy.

Her cheks flushing as she registered the laughter from her peers as they had heard the new boy's comment.

"Jerk"

she said vehemently a little louder than she had ment to. Which he had heard. He had looked her way and rolled his eyes cooly

"Whatever four eyes"

Thus giving her the nick name that became the bane of her high school existence

Shaking her head she pulled her pony tail out and ran her fingers through her long hair. Another source of her humiliation. It wasn't that she didn't like it. She loved her hair. The problem was... It was Pink.

And not just any pink. Bubble gum pink. It was an anomoly in her family skipping generations. Usually only manifesting in a streak or stripe . A patch maybe. dependong on your preference of explaiination. She had heard it all from her relatives. But for some reason on her it was all over. Her whole head. Sh had wanted to dye it. To save herself from the teasing and stares. Being called bubbleyum and Bazooka all through elementary had wore her down. And when she thought she was finally old enough to to dye her hair she had asked her mom. But was denied.

Her mom wouldn't hear any of her plea's.

The only other redeeming quality she could think of was her eyes. She loved the color of her eyes. They were a dark emerald green with lighter flecs of gren in them. Only problem was her glassesobscured the brilliance of her irises making them look distorted and little and bland. She was saving up for contacts. And her measly par time job at the video store was barely coverin her insurance for hercar and gas.

PUlling her hair back up in an unflattering bun and fixing her glasses she gave herself a once over and grabbed her things.

Taking a deep breath befor stepping out of the bathroom.

Looking down the hall towards her class she immediatly changed her mind about going there and ecided to ditch instead. It was enlish and they were all in that classwith her. Including him.

So instead she turned and headed out the double doors towards the student parking lot and the sanctuary of her litle blue Ford Festiva.