"Well, you can't very well live alone, now can you?" Her mother sighed lazily in her comfortable plushy office chair.
The pink haired girl could tell the pressure was wearing on her. Her once bright eyes dimmed with tired bags of gray-ish skin, Her beautiful silky skin gave away to wrinkles and her lips cracked from the constant nibbling on the dry skin. To say she was stressed would be an understatement.
"Why can't I go with you, Ma?" Her mother noted that she only called her that when she really wanted something. The teen leaned against the desk in front of her with pleading eyes.
"You just can't move to Africa with me, Sweetie. It's asking far too much of you." The elder rubbed her child's arm , soothing away her bristled attitude, like only a mother could.
"No, It's not!" The pinkette shrugged off the gentle hand. "Asking me to stay with that witch is too much!" She scowled at her mother with a defined glare.
"Don't call her that! And may I remind you, you're not all that nice to her either." The middle aged woman's eyes glowed with glints of amusement, recalling the events at her ex-husbands 34th birthday party. She'd be flat out lying if she said she wasn't the slightest amused when Sakura poured wine down the front of the woman's white sundress.
"She started it..." The young girl jutted out her plump bottom lip in a cute pout.
"No, she didn't. Baka!" The aged woman laughed hardily at her daughter's immature behavior that only add to her charm.
"Oh, So Saying I need 'professional help' is not starting it?" Sakura stated sarcastically plopping herself on her mothers desk, Staring at the various family photos. 'Void of my father though, of course.' Her inter self spoke sadly.
Smiling her mother stood and with grace only a mother could carry, tucked a stray lock of pink behind her delicate ear. In a comforting kind of way.
"I'm Sorry, sweetie." She was calling her that a lot recently. Sakura could really believe that she meant what ever she said after that word. "But He's picking you up on Monday, after I leave."
Now feeling rather dejected the teen looked at her feet, but mental cursed her mothers job for sending her so far way from the depressive pinkette.
"I'm going to miss you." Sakura's real emotion finally overflowed as her lip began to tremble, holding back the tears. She never imagined her mother would agree to nurse in a children's hospital in a third world country such as Africa, But that's what her mother was going to do and there was no way of stopping her once she made up her mind. The rose knew that she inherited that trait, the stubbornness I mean. So she knew full and well, that she would never change her mothers mind.
"Aw! How sad." Her mother gave her a fake and stale sniffle. "Now go get packed." The middle aged lady spoke sarcastically, rubbing the bridge of her nose. The mother was out of options, she wanted the best for her daughter, but now her decisions were shaky as ever. It was hard for her to part from her little rose too. She didn't trust her ex-husband to take care of the clearly rebellious teen.
The women's resolve wasn't helped when she saw the hurt look playing on her water obs. Before she could say a thing Sakura ran out the door with a tear trail following her.
She couldn't believe it! how could her mother treat her like that , when she was one of the only people she had left! Sighing, Sakura stomped into her bedroom across the small hallway and slammed the door behind her. In a frenzy of self pity she grabbed her phone and dialed the number of the only person she wanted to talk too and plopped on her bed.
"Ino?" The girl whispered into the phone.
"Hey, forehead! Waz UP?!" The Blonde happily squealed over the vintage looking phone still connected to the wire of Sakura's house phone modeled off of an 1800's version. "I'm moving." The pink headed girl dead planed, pulling her pillow into a death grip, staring at her white cracking ceiling, using everything in her to sound strong. "Your lying." Ino gasped across her speaker in a breath taking kind of way.
"Remember how my mother decide that she was gonna go to Africa?" Sakura paused waiting for no real answer before continuing. "Well, she decided last minute that I couldn't stay by my self."
"Where?!" She yelled nervous all of a sudden.
Frowning Sakura whispered. "To Dad's."
"But you hate the bitch he's living with!"
"Yea, I know, but mom refuses to let me go with her and staying with you is out of the question. She hates you."
"What are you gonna do?" Her friend sounded frightened and worried, only causing Sakura's emotions to soar.
"Nothing I guess, You wanna come over and help me pack up?" Sakura played with the fringe of her pillow, hoping, praying that her faithful best friend would say yes.
"Hella yea! Just give me some time to think up a lie to tell my mother. Remember to keep the window un locked!"
"KK, Love you." The pinkette's voice broke softly.
"Love ya." Then the line went dead.
Sakura fell back into her bed connecting the dots on her ceiling's texture to create mental pictures as her mind wondered from thought to thought, pushing away unwanted tears. Till she laughed, consumed with memories. She saw 12 year old Ino and her causing trouble and raising hell. As long as she could remember her blonde friend and her where inventing new ways to do the same old crazy, stupid things. She could still hear her mother screaming, instructing for her never to speak to the girl again. She smirked at the thoughts. 'Well that didn't last long.' She muttered to her self. As far as Sakura was conserved her mothers words were empty ones, cause no one was going to keep them apart. No force of nature was strong enough to break their bond.
Sakura had already pulled her self from her bed and began to layout clothing, when she heard a knock on the window. Whipping her head over to the large glass window, she saw a shinning bright girl on her fire escape on the side of her apartment building. Her blues glowing in the moon light and blonde hair tied in a side braid with her bangs shading one eye.
Sakura watched as the cheeky blonde made stupid faces through the clear wall. Sakura pranced over to the window before swinging it open.
"Hey Ino, Pig."
"Hey, Billboard brow."
The two friends shared a sad smile.
"So are you really leaving me?" The blonde snuggled into her shoulder.
"Unwillingly." Sakura gave her a short laugh, that sounded more like a huff of air.
"I'll tell you what," Ino pulled away and looked at the beautiful rose. "I'll pack some insanely cute close to go with you, at your new school. You never know what cute guys mite be larking around!" The bubbly yellow haired girl skipped her way to the bed weeding through all the shirts and pants to choose from.
Sakura followed close behind, before holding up her favorite Nirvana tee with a questioning look.
"It's a little faded, but I has a charm about it. I kinda just reminds me of you." Ino smirked before putting a pare of black lacy underwear in the large suitcase that Sakura laid out a few minutes before.
"What about this?" The pinkette held up a ripped and worn army canvas green jacket.
"Definitely!" She beamed in response. "Turn on some music so your mom can't hear us talking." Ino mumbled looking at Sakura's combated boots with the utter most hatred playing her cute face.
Walking over to the stereo, Sakura popped in Toxicity (Album by system of a down) Turning it up she looked back at Ino. "Okay?"
"Great"
Returning to the pile Ino folded up some more cute things in her bag, packing them always neatly.
"Doesn't that bitch have a kid?" The blonde asked behind a pair of socks.
"Yea, two boys out of school." Sakura sighed not wanting to think of her Step-mother.
"Are they hot?"
The question was such an Ino kind of question that she couldn't help but to make the rose laugh.
"I Don't know yet. Haven't meet them."
Ino gave her a surprised, overly shocked look.
"What?!" Sakura asked annoyed as ever.
"There your Step-brothers and you haven't even meet them yet?!" She looked through her disbelief. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing! I just have zero interest in meeting the spawn of the demon." The pinkette shrugged. "I'll send you a picture of them when I get there."
"You better, forehead!" The airheaded girl gave her a toothy smile. "So When are you officially leaving?"
Sakura sighed shifting through a box of shirts, she recalled her mother telling her that wasn't going to bring a lot because she wasn't sure quite sure how much room they had at her fathers. She found it slowly getting harder to actually get rid of things.
"Monday, That's when their picking me up."
Once everything was packed up the girls sat on the bed enjoying their music. When an idea popped into Sakura's pretty pink head. "Ino," The blonde looked up from the computer that she was messing with to see a very excited Sakura.
"What?" She knew her friend was planning something by the evil glint in her grassy orbs.
"What do you say about scaring the total shit out of my dad and new wife?" looking at the rose, Ino sat there confused.
"I was thinking of cutting my hair, dying the tips black, and perusing my lip, how about it?" Sakura grew close to Ino anxious of an answer.
"What about your mother? She'll kill you, then blame it on me.." Ino Sat aside the computer giving the rose a terrified look.
"She leaves early tomorrow, remember. A day away from Monday." Sakura spoke sounding rather impressed with her self, for thinking up something so clever.
"But you love your long hair." The blonde wined.
Rolling her eyes, Sakura got up and strolled over the bathroom with her friend watching her curiously and nervously. Ino's face turned to horror as the roses grabbed a pair of scissors.
"Sakura.." Ino whispered calmly, approaching her friend carefully. "Don't-
Snip.
Sakura cut a large strand of her waist length, light red hair down to her chin in a choppy looking mess.
"You didn't."
"Seeing is believing." Sakura replied dumbly. " I want you to do the rest." The rose stared with determined eyes, handing the scissors to the blonde.
The girl handled them softy in her pale small hands. "This is crazy, correction. YOU'RE crazy." Ino always wanted to become a hair styles and the pinkette knew that full and well.
'why not let her have some fun?' She thought with a scoff.
"Fine, but don't get mad if it's all fucked up."
"That's the point." Sakura smiled pulling a chair her way and sitting on it in front of the full length mirror that took her forever to putt in only two weeks ago.
"You sure about this?" The blued eyed, blonde asked one last time.
"Very." Was the only word she received before diving in cutting more hair, as they fell like feather to the awaiting torn up wood floor.
Once done Ino stepped back and looked at Sakura.
"If She though you were gothic before, she sure as hell will now." She laughed referring to Sakura's step-mother.
She studied Sakura with her now jagged hair that was choppy and uneven every which way, her eyeliner smuggled black around her increasable bright green eyes that shined and her worn ripped tee with ripped skinny jeans.
"What about the black tips?" Ino asked teasing her hair.
"I'll do it tomorrow, when mom's gone I'll go buy some hair dye."
"lip piercing?" Ino cringed at the thought of her having to pierce her friends pump beautiful pink lips.
"I'll do that after you leave, I know your kinda weak to blood..." Sakura laughed at the queasy look the goofy blonde gave her.
"Thanks.." She whispered weakly.
-Sakura's Point of View-
After Ino left I carried my larges bag down the narrow stair case, making my way to our tiny living room and placing it on the couch.
Everything about my mother and I's apartment was small, the kitchen was like a hallway with a mini-fridge and my bedroom was like a closet, barely big enough for my bed. Then my mother's office witch is her room but refuses to sleep in there and prefers the couch. But what do you expect when your husband divorces your mother and leaves you with nothing? My father was always the carefree type, never wanting to stay in the same place to long. I got that he wanted his freedom because I'm the same way, in that I enjoy my independence and alone time. Although I did not receive the trait that forces me to be an absolute asshole, that he's been for the last few years. With that said I don't hate my father, I just think he should of tried harder, or even pretended to try harder on his marriage. That's all, not pissed off.. totally.
Sighing I walked up stairs and studied my self in the mirror, playing with the now spiky locks that fell around my face. I found my self feeling so happy that my mother was already asleep and though I was asleep.
"I think she would kill me."
I could almost invasion her screaming asking if I was lesbian. God, I swear that ever time she catches Ino and I together she asks that.
I stared blankly at the large glossy green doe eyes that where surrounded by thick black smudged black eyeliner and eye shadow, with pale skin and bubble gum, plump small lips. Plus, now short light red..hair. I closed my eyes, breathing deep, feeling suffocated by the clamping in my heart. I can't believe I cut all my hair off. MY HAIR. My one beauty. I never though that I'd ever cut it.
"I was going to start a brand new life and I don't even look like my self anymore, on top of things she's going to be there the whole time to laugh when I fall..." I curled my lip and scrunched my nose, with a growl crawling his way up my throat, all with a deep snarl.
"I Hate Her."
I retracted my memories back to the day I first met her.
-flash black-
Ino and I just got done tagging an broken down building not to far away from the party that was being held at my father's house in kohona for his after wedding party. Her and I where running late so we didn't have enough time to clean our hands off from the bright colored and beautiful blues and greens. I love art and found my self always hanging with Ino and grafting some random building, making it ours. Our own building.
So when Ino and our guy friends dropped me off, I cursed my self for not cleaning my hands, but was thankful that I was able to remember to dress in a tight red dress with my beat up combat boots. At least I didn't look too bad, in fact I though I looked rather nice. Oh! But not Mikoto! Oh, no.. She took one glance at my hands and scoffed with the most beautiful face I'd ever see. "You're filthy." She spoke with sugar sweetness. "What young lady comes to a formal party such as your Father's wedding party, with paint on your hand and combat boots barely holding together. I can't believe I'm marring into a family with a daughter such as you." She gave me a soft smile, but her eyes narrowed with distain. I wanted to punch her at lest, at most cut her up and but it in my Father meatloaf that he always raved about. I can still feel the anger raising up inside of me. I was so shocked at the time, I just stood there quietly, looking from my mother's equally shocked face to my father's non-caring one.
What could I say? My Mother and Father were right there with five or six other bystanders, most likely from my fathers side of the family. She had embarrassed me enough without me saying something rude and causing a scene, so I just left. Without a word to anyone and my hands shaking with the most intense anger since I beat up that guy that screwed over Ino in 8th grade.
-End of Flash Back-
"God, I need a cig." I pulled my self from the painful memories to find that glorified little red toxin filled box. I clawed through my dresser to find my hiding place where I had them, Before slipping threw the window onto the fire escape and claiming on to the roof. I sat on the edge enjoying the air, and stars that shine above me, illuminating the clouds. I breathed loving the feeling of the wind clawing at my face, with each whip of wind leaving only a sting to remain.
Looking down at the sidewalk, thinking how easy it would be to just stop.
You know how you get that feeling that something big is happing or changing and you just don't have a choice in the matter? Or like the older you get the less control you have over your life? Well, right now, on this god awful roof, that's how I feel. And no amount of cigarettes, revenge on a innocent Step-moms, or cutting of my hair can make me feel any better. I just want everything to slow down.
I pulled out my zippo and lit the cig with care, before taking a long and comfortable drag, letting the smoke burn the inners of my throat.
I have this feeling in the pit of my stomach, like I was reverting back to my 8th grade year... You know, how everything just happens all at once. Then your all stressed out and freaked out about how your suppose to be. Like the whole world just turned against you and there's no where to just relax and take a breather. All of a sudden you have a job, guys are now in the equation and your having these things that are popping up out of no where! Like Zits! and Periods! On top of all that school just got harder, harder then it already was! And your dad left with a women you don't even know the name of.
Then Poof!
Your life magically turns to shit.
And I'm reminded of my 14 teen year old self, in the night sky with the moon glowing shyly in a side-ways smile. I took another long drag relieving the stresses of the day.
"I left with out even meeting her kids, I just now thought about that."
I breathed in the black smoke once more faster this time, feeling the small buzz kicking in making me feel slightly light headed, but in a weightless nice like of way.
I know what your thinking. That smoking is terrible for you. Well, I've had enough people tell me that. Enough people to make me completely annoyed with anyone brave enough to say it to my face. Plus it's too late to quit I've smokes since I was 13, when my parents first started fighting.
I recalled my Father telling me over a dinner we had two years ago, saying that Mikoto though I needed counseling because the divorce was 'wearing' on me. I also remember me wanting to know who is this person that my father fell so deeply in love with instead of my mother?
Apart of me hates her because she stole my dad from me, the other part of me is too prideful to admit it. Although It really doesn't help that she acts like a bitch 90% of the time and controls the hell out of my father.
It took in one last breath of air and smoke before flicking the bud down to the waiting sidewalk before making my way back to the my bed room.
Turning up the music, I shed my clothes singing along with We Were Promised Jetpack's "Quiet Little Voices." I laid on my pillow covered bed at was basically a mattress on the floor, and looked down at the spathic scars that webbed my milky thighs. The pinkness in hideous contract with the rest of my skin. I needed pain.. To keep me grounded. I just did.
I traced the lines with my fingers, before realizing that I was going to pierce my lip. I understood that it was dangerous to do it my self and kind of painful, but I didn't really care. I wanted it to be painful. I want it to be dangerous. But that's what sucks about me. That it just don't sound that bad to me, In fact my scars don't scare me the way they do Ino or my Mother. I rather like and have come a custom to their ugliness.
I stand grapping a piercing earing and my zippo lighter, placing them on the side of the sink, before tip-toeing out of my room and snatched a ice cold bud-light from the mini-fridge. Walking past my mother on the couch, I gazed at her pale yellow hair and her long eye lashes that almost touched her high check bones. I leaned down an swept a stray lock from her forehead revealing her diamond shaped birthmark. (That I always called a beauty mark) She was always so beautiful..
I glanced at her once more before scarpering back to my miniature bedroom and escaped back into my bathroom. Once I closed and locked the door (for no other reason but out of habit) and began to chill my lip with the cold can, placing it to the middle of the skin. After I felt it go numb, I pulled out a sharpie that I always kept in my bra, hooked to the straps and drew a dot in the center of the skin right below the pink of my lip.
I looked in the mirror, It was very odd seeing your self become something else. I was scared. I am scared...and weak.
I gulped down all of the beer and didn't waist anytime in flicking my zippo and putting the perishing earing through the flame. I had a little time before the beer took any effect, but only a little. I was a light weight by nature so one beer gets me drunk if I drink it fast enough, like shotgun it or something of that kind. So very quickly I japed the earing through the skin feeling several pops from the layers of skin before putting the back on the earing. I let the pain sink in with a small squealing between closed teeth. It didn't hurt all that bad but it did sting a little, the alcohol didn't help that fact though.
When I look up again I smiled, but not without wincing just in the slightest. I my lip with a small stud in my lip shinning in the artificial light of my bathroom over head light, with me in my sports bra and underwear that were a plain white. I was numb and I rather enjoyed the lack of feeling all together. I love it.
Feeling calmer and slightly relived I fell into my bed falling a sleep to the throbbing of my lip and the guitar of John Butler.
When I woke up the sun was peering through my window making the dust partials reflect the light and dancing to where the wind takes them. I groaned and pulled my self off of the mattress that laid in a mess on the floor. With one eye still closed and the other squinting do to the light, I read my clock, it was 1:30 pm. "Well then, time to get up.." I stumbled over to one of my boxes and pulled out a shirt that said 'fuck' in big bold letters and low riding bagging pants with holes on my knees.
Catching the refection of my self in the mirror, I gasped, before relaxing again. I forgot that I chopped off all my hair, and persied my lip... which was now stinging...
"Shit." I mumbled rubbing the crust and eyeliner from my eyes.
wobbling out of my room to the living room and looked around for my mother: Empty.
I then peeked into her office: Empty.
My feet picked up pace as I looked out the window for my mothers shitty 1980's car: Gone.
Frowning I walked slowly back to the kitchen. "She left without a word of goodbye. Why am I not supposed?" I hissed sarcastically opening the fridge door. "She even emptied the fridge too." I sighed. "Well, except for beer and mike's lemonade." I snatched a bud-light and dropped my self on the couch turning on the tv.
After watching two criminal mind episodes and a dumbass reality show about a spoiled brat, I grabbed a black beanie that hung off the back of my head and decided to walk to a near by store and buy some hair dye.
I locked the door on my way out. I didn't live in the best part of town, in fact we live in the ghetto. I kind you not just walking down the street I can make out three guys in broad daylight flaming with a blunt hang from his mouth. The all had the same gang color: Green. That's right, I live on the turf of the Leafs. I think the names pretty dumb my self but Ino would kill me if I was say that considering she's dating one of the heads, Sai.
Taking a turn into the nearest convent store and went straight to cosmists section for the black hair dye, when I Saw Neji, Shikamaru and Lee causing some ruckus. "Hey guys!" I called out making a beeline to them.
"What's up, Sakura?" Neji gave me his usual dazzling smile."
"Not much, what about you guys?" I looked away suddenly fully aware of my lace of make-up and also found my self happy all my hair was up in my beanie so I didn't have to explain to them why I cut my hair.
"About to crash the mall, you wanna come?" Lee asked excitedly clasping my hands in an iron grasped.
"Naw, I was gonna dye my hair before I had to leave." I gave an awkward smile and waved the box beside my head.
"Oh yea, Ino called me up and told me that this Moring." Shikamaru sighed. "Plus the mall will be a drag."
"Thanks and see you guys." I rushed off, leaving the other two with confused looks. I always felt weird around them with Ino. Ino was the only one that really made me feel like I belonged.
I quickly bought the dye and left, walking- correction; Skipping to my home, thoroughly excited about my soon to be black tips. When I reached the small apartment complex, I tore through the door, then rushed to the bathroom. I ripped into the box and yanked out the container holding the black goop. I studied the dye, and gave it a soft shake experimentally.
I followed the directions perfectly. I put the glob of black stuff on the end of my tips and waited 25 min. before rinsing it out. The entire time Ino had been texting me, begging that I'd send her a picture, although I really wanted her to see how different I looked I texted her back with 'You'll see when I stop my your house.' which she loved the idea of. So in a rush I grabbed my half drunken beer and putt a cigarette in my mouth, trying to find the phone I just sat when I heard a knock on the door.
I began to get annoyed my the lack of and non-stop knocking.
I stomped my way to the door and threw it open with a "What?"
The man that stood before me was a man with long black hair, maybe in his mid 20's to late 20's with a buttoned up white shirt, expensive looking jeans, and aviator sunglasses on. He even smelt like rich cologne. While I, on the other hand was wearing a tee that said 'fuck' and a damn cig hanging from my lips.
With one brown eyebrow cocked he took off his sunglasses and gave me a strange look.
"Sakura Haruno?" He asked with a handsome smooth voice that was calm and polite.
"Speaking." I gave him a sarcastic smile. "and you are..?"
"Oh how rude of me!" He laughed nervously. "I'm your step-brother Itachi." He gave me a toothy grin.
I let what he just side sink in and register in my head. Once it did I just stared at him blackly, void of emotion, before slamming the door in his face.
I hated him, just by the simple fact that he was my step-brother. And nothing was going to change that.
I dug around until I found my phone, in the couch. I heard him knocking once more. "Go away!" I yelled at the door.
"Can't!" he knocked harder with an annoyed tone. "Father's not coming to pick you up. The only ride you have is with me!"
I pulled open the door to an angered raven staring back at me. "What?!" I looked at him with a shocked expression. "My father has work at this time so he wasn't able to pick you up. Mom told be the address so I came to pick you up." he breathed trying to remain calm.
"No. absolutely not." I grunted out in disbelief. "I haven't even said goodbye."
"Sorry kid, but it's today or a week And dad would kill me if I left you here a week with out anyone here. So just let me in."
Opening the door all the way allowing him in as he pocked his hands with a sigh. I sadly walked back inside popping open the beer and gulping the rest of it of it down with a confused Itachi behind me.
Shaking off the weird scene he dragged his eyes over the room. "Small place." He mumbled.
"Cozy." I corrected as rude as possible. "I'm going up to get the rested of my things packed. running to my room I tried my best to hold back the tears. Was I not even important enough to be picked up my him? He was my father and he didn't even care. I though that the ride back to his town would be really nice and he would tell me he missed his little girl and everything would be okay, but as always I was wrong and everything is ruined. So I did what I knew best.
I called Ino and cried a little more.