A/N: This is my second story (yay!) Be nice, because I kinda just started typing... and confused myself by the end of this, so just tell me if it's worth going forward with. (I still will, but it's nice to have support!)
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Warnings: ... Bet you thought I was gonna write something juicy didn't ya?
Chapter 1: I'm Stupid
Gaara
Clocks were only useful for one thing; telling time. Clocks were also useless because time always seemed to move slowly if you stared at the bloody contraption for too long. So why Gaara couldn't stop looking at the clock was beyond him, as it struck 1:20 p.m. He'd been waiting for that old man to show up in his own office for twenty minutes now. The red head flexed his hands briefly, mentally preparing himself for the leap he was about to make out of the chair if Kabuto didn't show up in five seconds.
Five…four…three…two-
"Lucky bastard." Gaara muttered under his breath as Kabuto slammed open his office door and stiffly walked over to sit behind his desk, all before Gaara had finished his count down. Clearing his throat loudly, Kabuto pulled out Gaara's file and slapped it on the desk.
"Do you know why you've been called to my office?" Ugh. Here we go with the stupid pointless question every principal asks before they themselves answer the obvious question. Thinking along those lines, Gaara just shrugged and leaned his head against his elbow. Kabuto glared at the attitude he displayed before clucking his tongue in disapproval.
"Alright then, shall we start with your failing grades? Or maybe your bad attitude with the teachers? Or rather you getting into your fifth fight this semester!" Gaara winced slightly as Kabuto's voice got louder with each sentence.
"Mr. Sabaku, I know you're smarter than this because your grades were admirable when you first began attending here, but I'm afraid you've fallen past where we can help you. Your father has requested that we transfer you immediately to Bijuu High School in Konoha." Jaw dropped in outrage, Gaara opened his mouth to interrupt, but Kabuto abruptly cut him off.
"This is non-negotiable! This is no longer up to you, seeing as you've blown all of your chances-"
"That doesn't mean you have the right to ship me off to some other school! What the hell makes you think I'll do any better there than I did here? They're nothing but a bunch of rich snobs!" Allowing Gaara to finish his rant, Kabuto briefly adjusted his glasses before looking sternly at Gaara.
"That is where you are mistaken. Yes, that school is known for its elite group of students, but they also have a new program in place for students who have potential but need extra guidance with finances, social stability, behavior, etcetera. In your case its all of the above." Gaara sneered at that, slouching further in his chair. Half hoping he'd break the legs by accident.
Kabuto continued, "Your father recommends this for you to get back on track, and if you have any more complaints, please take them up with him instead. Have a good day, Mr. Sabaku." Clearly being dismissed, Gaara stood angrily from his chair fully intending to take the principal's advice and confront his father.
Naruto
"Maa, Naruto, wake up. You should be paying attention, not sleeping in class!" Ino bristled when all she got was a swat of the hand from one very tired blonde.
"Ino, its computer applications, no one is ever awake in this class," said a very bored voice from the computer across from her. Ino couldn't see his face, which annoyed her even more.
"Funny, I don't remember saying Shikamaru when I was speaking to Naruto!" She couldn't see from where she was sitting, but she was pretty sure he rolled his eyes when she heard a muttered 'Troublesome' float over the space between them. Ignoring the brunette completely, Ino turned back to Naruto, attempting to wake him up once again.
"Naru, if you don't feel well enough to at least pretend you're listening to Kakashi then just go to the nurse." She snorted, when she saw Naruto's ears perk up; figures he'd be awake enough to here that. Finally, Naruto lifted his head and blearily peered out from under his eyelids, revealing deep ocean blue irises.
"Nah, Kakashi wouldn't fall for it. Plus the bastard would jump at any chance to make fun of me." Ino nodded her head, only half-listening when her eyes caught sight of said bastard. Mr. Bastard was listening intently to whatever Kakashi was babbling about, and neatly taking notes on his small notebook pad. Naruto felt the heat grow in his cheeks, when he caught Sai's hand sliding up Sasuke's thigh, but quickly looked away before the raven caught him staring.
When Naruto was pretty sure Ino's attention was somewhere else and not on him at all, he laid his head back down, giving up on explaining his reluctance to the airhead.
Fifteen minutes later, the bell rang ending sixth period thankfully, but sending him to his dreaded seventh period class which was Japanese History. Sitting down in whichever seat was less visible by the teacher, Naruto began to make himself comfortable for his second nap of the day when the leg of his chair was kicked roughly.
Snapping up, Naruto first took note of the body leaning on his desk and hovering above his head, the next thing his noticed was the crisp blazer only one person in the whole school was known for keeping so clean and perfect.
Sasuke Uchiha.
"What're you doing in my seat, dobe?" His normally smooth voice always took on a tone of acid when speaking to him. It was no wonder they hated each other.
"Obviously trying to sleep, jerk." Naruto said, giving up on ever getting the full rest he deserved and settling a harsh glare on the raven. Not one for confrontation especially when tired, Naruto grabbed his bag and made to get out of the Uchiha's precious seat, when he was shoved back into it.
"I'm waiting for my apology." Sasuke said evenly, narrowing his eyes at the blonde when he looked back at him with infuriated shock. Closing his gaping mouth in favor of gritting his teeth, Naruto ground out an unapologetic 'sorry' and Sasuke allowed him to leave the seat, but not without making the blonde stumble awkwardly.
Claiming the now only seat left, which was right in front of the teacher's desk, Naruto sighed as he slid into it. This was pretty much how every day went. He'd come to school, either pay attention or sleep, get picked on by Sasuke, laugh with his friends, and pretend that their lack of defense didn't bother him at all. They were his friends yeah, but when it came to crossing Sasuke, no one even batted an eye.
The thought used to make him angry, but he soon grew used to the treatment. It was all an unspoken acceptation within their circle of friends. Sasuke doesn't always play the role of the bastard. At school he never breaks out of character, unless they're alone. That's when he loses the snide comments and remarks, the acid in his voice and the coldness in his eyes. He becomes human and opens up, which is why Naruto knows more about Sasuke than even Sasuke does about him, yet the moment someone else is thrown into the picture, his masks slips right back into place.
Laying his head on his arms and ignoring Kurenai's sharp glance from behind her desk, Naruto began to drift between sleep and alertness. He failed to catch all the worried looks his friends threw him in favor of catching some shut-eye.
After about five minutes, the school bell rang again, officially beginning seventh period classes. Kurenai stood from her desk albeit unsteadily due to her six-month bulging stomach, with a stack of papers.
"Class, I've graded all of your tests from last week. And though some of you still failed to grip the concepts, the overall average of the class exceeded my expectations." Some students cheered, while others stayed guiltily quiet, knowing for a fact that they were the one's contributing to the lowest section of the class's average.
"Can someone please come up and pass these out? Ah! Thank you, Sasuke." Naruto, though still out of it, made no move to lift his head to receive his paper. He was pretty sure the bastard would 'accidentally' drop it on the ground anyways, so it came as a shock when Naruto felt his quiz nudged under his arm enough so it wouldn't fall on the floor.
Lifting his head to peek at the raven, he watched as Sasuke carelessly tossed everyone else's wherever they would land. Shikamaru lazily scrambled to catch his before it hit the ground, Kiba had little success dislodging his from under the legs of his desk, and everyone was pretty much in the same predicament. Kurenai smiled stiffly at Sasuke, before directing him back to his seat.
The class was filled with chatter as everyone compared grades, some complaining, others surprised at their high marks. Naruto pulled his from sight before anyone could notice his full marks and one-hundred percent grade. He thanked the lords that every Bijuu High teacher made students pass out papers upside down without their grades visible. Everyone thought he was an idiot, and he preferred to keep it that way in favor of everyone, or his friends at least, treating him as an equal. There was no doubt Sasuke would scoff in absolute disbelief if word ever got out that Naruto maintained straight A's all throughout high school despite the fact he slept through everything, much like Shikamaru.
The Uchiha glanced in Naruto's direction briefly and scowled when he found Naruto's gaze on him. Immediately stuffing his head back into his arms, Naruto huffed loudly, frustrated with the Uchiha's constant mixed signals. If he was gonna put up with that bull shit, he'd do it in his dreams. As he dozed off, Kurenai announced something that would change the rest of his senior year drastically.
"Class, before you are dismissed, we'll be having a new student amongst us from Sunagakure. Please treat him with respect when he is introduced to you tomorrow morning. Have a good evening class." Right then the bell rang loudly and everyone except a still sleeping Naruto and a slow-moving Sasuke packed up and left.
Naruto jolted awake the second time that day, when his desk was violently kicked. Pulling himself into a sitting position, Naruto glared at the seemingly innocent retreating back of Sasuke as he left the classroom. Picking up his bag, Naruto left the school and got into his rusty orange truck. Slamming the driver's door, Naruto leaned his head up against the wheel and sighed loudly.
"What the fuck is his problem with me?" Naruto fumed while he sat there finding no answer in his steering wheel. He hadn't done anything to deserve the bastard's precious attention for the last three years. Why he hadn't stood up for himself at all was the bigger mystery. Was he waiting for someone else to take care of him? Knowing the answer to that, Naruto sighed loudly in frustration.
"I'm so sick of this shit." Turning his key in the ignition, Naruto started his car and yanked the gear into drive. No one besides the faculty's cars was left in the parking lot, so he was free to swerve through all the empty spaces until he exited the school grounds.
Sasuke
"Itachi get out, now." The only thing that answered Sasuke was the sound of a page being turned. Growling softly, Sasuke snatched the book from his older brothers hands, which earned him an irritated look from eyes just as black as his own.
"I'm serious Itachi. Sai's coming over and I'm sure you don't want to be here when he arrives." Needing no further prompting, Itachi swiftly rose to his feet. Reaching his hand out in a silent demand, Sasuke dropped the stolen book back into its owner's hands.
"Are you finally going to end that disaster of a relationship?" Sasuke's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.
"Is that any of your business?"
"Drop the act, otouto. You may be gay, but even I see there's no attraction between the two of you; definitely not from your side." With a smirk, Itachi silently left the room. The minute Sasuke heard the sound of his bedroom door slamming shut; Sasuke heard a knock from the front door. He'd never admit how right Itachi was with his assessment.
Opening the door slowly, Sasuke allowed Sai to pop his head through the crack, but didn't open it any further.
"What's up Sasuke? You gonna let me in-?" Sasuke interrupted him with a glare.
"It's over." To emphasize his point, he slammed the door in his face before he could respond. Ignoring the angry knocking that lasted for five minutes, Sasuke made his way up to his room and plopped down on his bed. The silence lasted for about a second until Sai slammed the door open.
"What the fuck-!" A pair of lips smashing into his stopped the curses abruptly. Sasuke yanked Sai off of him by the hair and slammed him onto the floor of his bedroom. Standing above him, Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the brunette whose features were similar to his own. Black eyes, dark hair, pale complexion, and now a bleeding lip that contrasted sharply with his milky skin.
"What about 'It's over', did you not understand?" Sai shot a heated glare his way.
"You can't just end it like that! We've been together since the year started-"
"So what? Go buy a cat if what you need is comfort, now get out!" Seeing that he wasn't going to budge on his own, Sasuke raised an expectant eyebrow. Sai only looked away from him with a petulant pout. Sasuke stalked towards his study desk, Sai watching every stride, and allowed his hand to hover over a concealed dark blue button.
"Am I going to have to let security escort you out?" Sasuke asked softly, fingering the button in his hand as he watched Sai squirm. Different emotions went through the boy's face all at once until he finally came to a decision. Standing stiffly and ignoring the headache he was now sporting, Sai stomped out of the room and didn't stop until he was streaking out of the Uchiha's driveway.
Slamming the button back out of sight, Sasuke turned to the chuckling figure now standing in his doorway.
"You let him in didn't you?" He said with his eyes narrowed sharply. Itachi said nothing and left the fuming Sasuke to silence.
"Piece of shit." Slamming his door shut, Sasuke instead went over to his computer to delete Sai from all of his contacts. He didn't want the guy trying to reach him in any form whatsoever. While doing this, he caught sight of a flash signaling a new person was online. Noticing the familiar username, Sasuke quickly typed a message without really thinking of what to say.
Chat Room- THANAMESUCHIHA, OrangeSuitsME
THANAMESUCHIHA: Shouldn't you be doing something more productive with your time?
OrangeSuitsMe is typing a message.
OrangeSuitsMe: Why the hell do you care?
Expecting the harsh reply, Sasuke was already typing before he even read the whole response.
THANAMESUCHIHA: Because I'm writing a report on what idiots do during their free time.
OrangeSuitsMe is typing a message.
OrangeSuitsMe: …..
OrangeSuitsMe: Are you really wasting your precious time just to insult me?
That response caught him off guard. Why was he wasting the time he deemed so precious on Naruto? His actions confused even him. He'd been doing that a lot lately. Leaning closer than necessary just to sneer in the blonde's direction, pushing him extra hard just so he could feel his flesh for a second longer before the blonde would go flying into the asphalt, or even today when he'd practically cornered him in the hallway.
Leaning back in his chair, Sasuke rubbed his eyes with his palms in frustration. There was no way he was beginning to feel anything for that blonde, blue-eyed idiot! With that convincing thought in mind, Sasuke finally replied.
THANAMESUCHIHA: I honestly don't know.
THANAMESUCHIHA has logged off.
Naruto
Reading the reply with nothing but pure distaste, Naruto logged off then jammed his finger into the power off button, waiting for his screen to go completely black. Once again he found himself asking the same exact question.
"What's his damn problem!" He yelled throwing the keyboard from his lap and onto the desk table. He wasn't worried about waking anyone up seeing as he lived alone, but he did have to remind himself that he lived in an apartment complex filled with tons of cranky sleeping strangers.
Why was it so hard for them to just get along? They had more in common than they cared to admit, and Naruto swore he'd be shoved through a keyhole before he ever said it out loud. Ever since he could remember, Sasuke just acted like he hated him for no reason.
They were constantly moving back and forth and never getting anywhere! One minute it was as if they were both on the same page, and in the very next instant, Sasuke would say something that would return them back to where they started. Their relationship was just…
… complicated.
Giving up on ever understanding that son-of-a-bitch, Naruto prepared himself for bed and allowed his mind to drift off into a fitful sleep.
A/N: Whoa deja vu! Remember, I don't know where I'm going so I'm up for suggestions... anyone? ANYONE! This was really short, but as I get an idea in my head, they'll be longer (no worries). Review!