Just so everyone's clear, this story contains adult content. It is not intended for children. Read at your own discretion 3
Chapter 1 – Fail.
Tenten closed the transcript and quickly locked her phone. Ino and Sakura returned from the counter and sat down across from her.
'Maybe there was some sort of database problem. I didn't think it was that bad.'
"Hey Tenten, are you okay? You look like you're going to be sick." Ino remarked, gulping at her no-doubt sugar free iced tea.
Sakura felt for her forehead. "Did you get enough sleep over the exam period?"
"I-uh yeah-no, you know I really didn't. You know what it's like, we'll sleep when we're dead, right?" she laughed nervously.
Ino scoffed loudly. "At least it ends for you after undergrad. Med school is going to suuuuck."
Sakura hummed in agreement. "Sometimes I worry that we'll actually die. Like, fall asleep at the wheel or something."
Tenten rolled her eyes. "Actually, I'll probably end up doing a PhD."
"Well yeah but it'll be a PhD in archaeology." Ino quipped.
"Oh please, not this 'my degree is the only true degree' crap again. And it's anthropology not archaeology."
"Whatever. We both know you'll spend half your time at some exotic locale looking at mummies and the rest of your time napping you lucky bitch." Ino poked out her tongue.
Tenten snorted and rolled her eyes. "I study weapons, Ino."
"Mummies had swords. So you admit you're basically majoring in HBO documentaries?"
"Ino, quit it. I'm sure Tenten's field has many valuable applications." Sakura interjected.
"Here comes Ms. Condescending to save the day."
"On behalf of the humanities, I humbly thank you." Tenten mock-bowed.
"You know what? You're on your own." Sakura raised her hands in defeat. "I have to go start packing. I can't believe I get to spend all summer listening to my mother tell me to clean my room."
"At least you're not being used for slave labour. Did you know there are over 26,000 accepted varieties of orchid?"
"I did not." Tenten replied.
"Well I know it and I will never be allowed to forget it." Ino sighed. "Well I'd better get going, too. Wait up Sakura!" Ino called out to the pinkette who was by now leaving the coffee shop. She turned to Tenten, her face softening.
"So are you sure you're okay? Did you get some bad marks back or something?"
She and Ino had only known each other for a year but the blonde had a talent for getting into peoples' heads.
"O-oh no I'm just having trouble finding somewhere to live, you know? The scholarship doesn't cover me for the summer!"
"Oh that's right, smartypants. Well… call me if you need any help I guess?" Ino gave her a genuinely kind smile and left.
The distraction of her friends gone, the lump in Tenten's throat returned. 'The scholarship might not cover me at all anymore…'
STAT121: FAIL.
The mid-term should have been a warning sign. She hadn't done as well as she would have liked but wrote it off as a bad week and told herself she'd make it up in the final. It was only a first year statistics course, right? Just a box she had to tick to be on track to graduate at the end of next year. Only, the scholarship she was on would drop her like a hot pan with a fail on her transcript.
She knocked on the door of the head of the course and waited. Iruka was supposed to be a soft-touch, although after the exam she wasn't so sure that that was true.
The door opened and the friendly face of her lecturer greeted her. "Tenten, come in."
She followed him in and sat nervously in the standard issue wheelie chair next to his.
"So I'm assuming this has something to do with last semester's final exam?"
She took a deep breath. "Yes. I was wondering if it's at all possible that there was maybe some sort of error? Like, with the marking?" Her voice came out too squeaky for her liking.
He sighed. "We can review it with you but it's highly unlikely."
"Oh."
Her face felt numb. That's it, a fail would nuke her GPA and cut off her scholarship. She avoided his gaze and tried to keep from openly grieving her lost career in front of a teacher.
"You'll have to repeat the course next semester. Lots of students have trouble with statistics."
She shook her head and opened her mouth to reply but no sound came out. She felt the tears start to well up and looked at the ceiling to keep them from slipping out.
"It's going to be okay, Tenten. It's not the end of the world." He offered her a tissue.
She took it and pressed it to her eyes. Her voice returned to her shakily. "I'm going to lose my scholarship. I-I can't afford to c-come back next semester."
"Oh. I see."
'That's it, no point in crying about it.' She forced her emotions back into a hole until a wave of calm washed over her. She removed the tissue from her eyes and stood. "Well, thank you for your time." She turned to leave.
"Wait, hang on."
She turned back to him, a tingle of hope crept into her chest.
"I'll have a chat to the dean of studies. We might be able to figure something out given your circumstances."
"R-really?"
"Might. I'm not making any promises. Will you be staying in town for the holidays?"
"Yes. But not on campus."
"Okay, I'll email you."
"Thank you. Thank you so much. Have a great afternoon, sir."
"You're welcome, Tenten."
She left his office quickly and had to keep from sprinting down the hallway of the office building. With Iruka on her side, there was hope. She could fix this.
Dear Tenten,
I had a chat to Tsunade about your situation. The mark on your transcript is final; it reflects the amount of study you put in and we are unable to make an exception for you. However, you may be allowed to remain with the scholarship program if you complete the following steps:
1.Re-take STAT121 over the summer semester.
2.Complete every assignment with no late submissions.
3.Achieve a mark of at least 90%.
Please find attached a copy of the class timetable. Let us know your decision before the weekend. I hope you understand that this is an enormous favour that Lady Tsunade is doing you. I would advise you to send her an email expressing your gratitude.
Umino Iruka
Deputy Head of Statistical Mathematics
Tenten leapt and danced about her dorm room.
"I'm staying in school! Fuck yes! I love you, Umino Iruka!" She screamed at her laptop.
After finishing a liberally interpreted Gangnam style jig, she returned to the computer and replied to Iruka, confirming that holy fuck yes she was going to attend (minus the salty language) and composed a carefully worded thank you letter to Lady Tsunade. Finally, she opened the timetable and her spirits plummeted.
'There are three lectures per week and three class hours and I work three jobs over this summer… I'm so not staying in school…' she slumped against her wall, shell shocked. Her gaze drifted to the textbooks and folders full of photos of exotic weaponry littering every surface of her room. She felt a familiar fire well up within her. 'No. I need to do this.'
She scrolled through the contacts list on her phone. She needed someone smart who could be talked, harassed or blackmailed into tutoring her pro-bono and who wouldn't rat her out to Sakura and Ino or, heaven forbid, Lee.
'Bingo.' She called the number and waited. After the fourth ring, a groggy voice answered her.
"Mrph- what."
"Shikamaru, I'm calling in a favour."
"Heaps of students fail statistics. It's why they run it during the summer." Shikamaru was lying on the grass three feet away from a perfectly serviceable bench.
"So I hear. Can you help me or not?"
"No can do. I'm on family duty for the summer. Trust me, I'd rather spend the summer walking you through basic probability."
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
He shrugged and began chewing on a piece of grass.
"That's fucking disgusting." She flopped down next to him in defeat. "What am I going to do? All the smart people I know are gone for the summer."
"That's not my problem. You should have gone to the lectures."
"That's rich coming from a guy who only realised he'd taken the wrong course when he sat the mid-term."
"At least I passed it."
"Fucker."
"That's what they call me. Look, you could find someone to tutor you easy but you're looking for someone who'll do it for free. If the world worked that way then I wouldn't be wasting my time getting a four year degree so I can get a job where I get to sit down and don't have to lift anything." He moved to get up. "Sorry I couldn't be of much help. See you around."
Tenten shoved him hard in the chest, pinning him to the grass.
"Oof! What the fuck are you doing, woman?"
"No you won't 'see me around'. Not if I don't get 90% on this stupid course. I know you know someone who can help me, don't make me tell Ino why you missed her 20th this year."
"Jesus no." He groaned. When he finally spoke again, his tone was sober. "Okay, I might know one guy. But trust me, you won't want to spend a summer with him."
"How do I contact him?"
"I'll send you his number if you let me go."
"Right. Sorry." She sat back on the grass and contemplated this mystery man. "Hey Shikamaru?"
"What?" He didn't look up from his phone.
"What makes you think he might tutor me for free? Is he just a really nice guy?"
"Fuck no. I just heard about someone who needed a tutor for cheap and he ended up doing it. It's a long shot but he might do the same for you. Provided you don't wrestle him with your terminator arms." He rubbed his chest. "Seriously, do you have some sort of genetic thing or were you just born a dude?"
She was about to punch him again when her phone bleeped at her. By the time she looked back up he had walked off across the court.
"Thanks!"
He didn't respond. She looked back at her phone.
'Hyuuga Neji, huh?'
Ok so no booty in this chapter but come on, I'm not just going to give it away on the first date.