KASELEHLIE! (that's how you say "hi!" in my language) This chapter was beta'd by SilenceIsTheKey, so if there are any mistakes... BLAME HER! LOL! Jokes ;D Thanks Manni!
DEDICATION: THE SECOND CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO xAlternativexMusicxGirlx FOR BEING THE FIRST PERSON TO REVIEW THE REVISED CHAPTERS! THANKS VANESSA! :D
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
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Chapter Two: Sasuke's Secret
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SASUKE'S P.O.V. (Monday: Morning)
"Hey, teme!" I heard Naruto call out.
Closing my locker with one hand whilst slinging my backpack's strap over my shoulder, I turned around to see my three best friends (not that I'd ever admit it) approaching.
"Ready for the soccer game on Friday?" I asked Neji. He nodded. Neji was the captain of our high school's soccer team. The four of us had been in the school's soccer and basketball team since freshmen year.
We started walking towards our first period class, which was calculus. I saw Shikamaru roll his eyes and mutter, "Troublesome...," when everyone in the hallway moved out of our way. We were all used to being stared at, but it got annoying sometimes; that was the downside of being popular.
"Sasuke!"
The four of us turned around to see our soccer and basketball coach, Gai-sensei, coming towards us. Gai-sensei flashed us a blinding smile. "Hello my youthful basketball captain!" I glared at my demented coach. I wanted to break his neck whenever he referred to me as 'youthful'. Gai-sensei continued, "I just wanted to tell you that your team will be playing against Mist High next week, on Wednesday."
"Hn."
"As team captain, I expect you to help your teammates prepare for the game." With that said, Gai-sensei friggin' skipped down the hallway. Why they let that freak show become a teacher, I'll never know.
"This sucks! I can't believe they overlapped soccer and basketball season!" Naruto complained. The blonde seventeen-year-old's whines increased as the four of us continued on our way to calculus class.
"Shut it, dobe." I smacked him over the head. He hurled curses at me in response and continued to pester me. I sighed in annoyance.
"I swear, if you don't shut up, I'm going to tell Hinata that you—"
"I DO NOT LIKE HER!" Naruto immediately cut me off, his ears turning bright red.
"Who said anything about you liking her?" Shikamaru, Neji, and I gave him leveled looks.
He instantly shut up, ducking his head to hide the fact that he was blushing badly.
We reached our classroom and each of us headed towards our assigned seats. Naruto and I sat next to each other in the second row. Neji and Shikamaru sat somewhere in the middle of the classroom.
I heard high pitched squeals from behind. Peering over my shoulder, I saw some giggling girls huddled together. They were all staring at me. I glared daggers at them, but that just caused them to squeal even louder and blush. Some even had the audacity to blow kisses my way.
Bile rose to my throat, but I resisted the urge to puke in disgust.
A lot of girls tend to be... attracted to me and I don't really understand why. I'd never given any signs that I would reciprocate their feelings. I don't talk much and I've been deemed as anti-social by my three friends. My so-called 'fangirls' always annoy me and get on my nerves. I wish they would just leave me alone. No matter how much I ignore them or glare at them when they come too close, they just keep on coming and pissing me off! Apparently, acting like a jerk and saying, "Get away from me or else I'll get a restraining order," is a turn on. Girls are weird... How come they can't just get it through their heads that I'm just not interested?
I fiddled with silver ring that was attached to the chain around my neck, observing it.
Everyone tells me how lucky I am. I'm popular (though I couldn't care less), I have the money, the so called "looks", skills on the court (hell yeah), the brains, and I could get any girl I want.
Well, almost any girl...
I have a secret. I sort of have a... crush. My three best friends would give me the 'what the hell?' look whenever I claim it's just a crush. Naruto would say, "Teme, what you're feeling isn't just a simple 'crush'. I think you're in love."
I'm not sure if I'm in love, but I know that I have feelings for her. You must be wondering who the girl is, right? She's none other than—
"Haruno Sakura!" yelled Kakashi-sensei, who was taking roll call. My stomach flipped.
"Present," the sixteen-year-old pink-haired teen answered.
—Haruno Sakura, the school nerd. She was ranked number one in our class (me being ranked second). Sakura is a year younger than me, and most of the class, because she had started school early. She always had her head buried in a thick book and tends to be accident prone. She's kind of shy and a little quiet, but she can't seem to shut up when she's with her best friends: Yamanaka Ino, Kunai Tenten, and Hyuuga Hinata.
Sakura is known as the 'geek' of school, but I never did understand how she fits under that stereotype. I think she's dedicated, hardworking, smart, beauti—Uh... I... Um... Ahem! Anyways...
Sakura was the ONLY girl that didn't try to get my attention. To be honest, I think my attention is the last thing she wants... That fact just makes me wanna punch something. I mean, COME ON! Why does Sakura, the ONE girl whom I actually wish was a fangirl, shows absolutely no signs of liking me? It's beyond frustrating. Life is cruel...
I know what you guys must be thinking. You guys think that my feelings for Sakura aren't real and I just see her as a challenge. You think I'm just a spoiled brat who wants what he can't have.
But I swear, if you ever—I mean EVER put 'Sakura' and 'just a challenge' in the same sentence: I. Will. Kill. You.
I've known Sakura since the time we first met at the playground swings in kindergarten. Ever since the first time we met, I always felt... weird around her, but I had no clue why. Later on, I realized I had feelings for her, but I finally came to terms with those confusing feelings in high school.
Sakura and I actually used to be friends. The two of us didn't exactly qualify as best friends, but we were close. She was actually my first female friend. I would even invite her over to my home to play video games and vice versa. She was a really kind girl, who was too nice for her own good. Sakura was one of the only people I could open myself up to. I got to know her over the years and eventually fell for her... Hard.
I stopped hanging out with her in seventh grade because I noticed that whenever she was around, I felt... strange. Whenever she gazed at me with her bright, green eyes, I felt like there was a swarm of butterflies in my stomach. All she had to do was look my way, and my face would get all hot, and my cheeks would burn. When she smiled at me, my heart felt like it was trying to escape because of how hard it was slamming against my chest. You don't even want to know how my body reacted when she stuck her tongue out...
There was also another very important reason why I stopped hanging out with her, but I'll explain that later. (1)
Just to set the record straight: I do not want to like her. I still don't, but apparently I don't have a say in the matter. If I didn't develop these stupid feelings for Sakura, I would still be friends with her and none of this bull would've happened. She made me feel awkward, with all the confusing and frustrating feelings she stirred within me, so I did what I thought was best; I started to avoid her. Naruto, Neji, and Shikamaru dubbed it as my "denial stage". During that time, I just wanted to get over her. I needed to get over her.
My plan didn't work at all! After I stopped hanging out with her, my feelings grew even stronger. Plus, the absence of her presence in my life made me more... temperamental than usual. So, after years of denial, threats from my friends, and building up my courage, I was finally going to confess to her about my feelings.
Lifting my gaze off of my necklace, I looked up to stare at the pink-haired girl who sat directly in front of me. For some reason, the teachers always seated her near my desk. I don't mind. That just gives me an excuse to check her out without her knowin—Err... Uh... I mean... that way I could... watch over her? Yeah, that's what I meant. Sakura tends to be picked on by most of the girls in our class. Tch, they're just jealous that she's smarter than them.
I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked to my right where Naruto was sitting.
"So how's operation G.S.T.T.S.S.H.C.F.T.H.H.H.F?" Naruto inquired, only speaking loud enough for me to hear. Operation 'Get Sakura To Tutor Sasuke So He Could Finally Tell Her How He Feels' or 'G.S.T.T.S.S.H.C.F.T.H.H.H.F' as Naruto had named it, was a plan Shikamaru came up with for me to finally confess to Sakura.
The plan was simple: I purposely dropped my grade and showed my parents my midterm slip. My parents contacted the school and demanded that the teacher assign me the top student (who, coincidently, happens to be Sakura) as my tutor.
Now, all I needed to do was to make sure Sakura agreed to be my tutor.
I had my doubts about this plan. The last time Sakura and I had spoken was last year, when we had been paired up to do a school project. A lot could change in a span of a couple months; what if she's not the same girl I used to be friends with? What if she's not the same Sakura I fell in love wit—Um.. I-I mean... If she's not the same Sakura I cared about?
When I voiced my concerns, Shikamaru said that this plan is perfect, because: A) If get to know her again and don't like her (which I desperately hoped would happen), I could just raise my grade back to its usual standard and never regret not telling her my feelings and B) If I get to know her again and she's still the same girl I knew and cared about, then I could finally let out my pent up sexual frustratio—I mean... I could finally confess my feelings.
I glanced at Naruto. "It's all set up. All I need to do is to get Sakura to agree to tutor me."
My eyes flickered to the pink-haired girl sitting in front of me. She was hunched over her desk, studiously working on the calculus assignment Kakashi-sensei wrote on the board.
She always looks so hot when she's concentrating...
A loud, "Psst!" abruptly pulled me out of my reverie. I let out an irritated sigh and faced the blonde idiot, raising a brow in question. Naruto whispered, "Dude, if you want your secret 'crush' (Naruto did air quotations) to remain a secret, I'd stop giving Sakura that complete 'love-struck idiot' look you always give her, when you think no one's looking."
I felt heat creep up on the back of my neck.
"Dobe, shut up!" I hissed. I buried my head into my folded arms that rested on my desk, trying to hide my blush. The dobe just laughed like an idiot and slapped my back.
Remind me... Why am I friends with the likes of him again?
Naruto leaned over to me and said quietly, "Teme, I guess today is your lucky day! Sakura is staring at you."
That statement made me bolt into a sitting position. I nearly got whiplash from jerking my head upwards so fast. I choked on my own spit when my eyes locked with Sakura's green orbs.
Shit! Sakura's staring at me! What the hell do I do?
'Look away! Dang it! Don't look at her!' I screamed at myself, though I couldn't find the will power to tear my eyes away from hers. Hey, it's not my fault her eyes are pretty!
During my internal panic attack, I failed to notice that my face had turned an even brighter shade of pink. Sakura shot me a confused look (though I couldn't really see her face, because it was covered by her bangs and glasses) before turning away. I mentally sighed in relief. That was close.
"Sasuke and Sakura, please come to my desk. I need to discuss something with you two," Kakashi-sensei announced. Naruto, Neji, and Shikamaru started snickering and giving me knowing looks. Those idiots... I ignored everyone else's reactions.
Sakura and I stood in front of Kakashi-sensei's desk. Sakura's head was bowed and she was fiddling her sweater. I tried not to think that she looked cute. I stood next to her, with my hands in my pockets.
Kakashi-sensei started speaking, "Sasuke, your calculus grade is extremely low. If you continue to do poorly, you will have to be dropped from the basketball and soccer team. Your parents notified the school, requesting I assign you a tutor. Since Sakura is my best student, I thought it would be best if she was your tutor." Kakashi-sensei's unmasked eye zoned in on the nervous pinkette. "Sakura, are you willing to be Sasuke's tutor? He desperately needs your help."
Sakura didn't respond for a while and I started to go into panic mode. What if she said no? Then my whole plan would be ruined!
I bent my head and whispered in her ear, "Sakura, I can't afford to get kicked off of my teams. I need you."
I was fighting back a blush at the double meaning of my words. If only she knew...
Her gaze flickered towards me, surprise etched onto her face. My composure slipped a little as I looked at her pleadingly.
"F-Fine, I'll tutor U-Uchiha-san." She stuttered.
I mentally kicked myself for letting out a sigh of relief.
Kakashi-sensei's visible eye crinkled to show he was smiling behind his mask, "Okay, it's settled. In order for Sasuke to pass my class, he must ace the test that is coming up next week. Sakura, you are to tutor Sasuke every day after school. Is that clear?"
"H-Hai," Sakura agreed. I did not find her stuttering adorable.
Okay, maybe a little...
'Score!' I cheered internally.
Kakashi waved his hand in a dismissing manner and allowed us to return to our seats.
I knocked knuckles with Naruto after I had sat down, signaling that Sakura had agreed to be my tutor. Neji and Shikamaru smirked at me from their desks before returning to their homework. I pulled out my earphones to drown out my classmates' noise and closed my eyes. I smirked.
Sakura... prepare to fall for me.
Later on...
The bell rang and I quickly headed over to my next class.
'How come I feel like I'm forgetting something?' I thought to myself. I racked my brain for a while before it came to me. Shit! I forgot to tell Sakura the details about our tutoring session! I started to scan the hallway for Sakura when I spotted her near her locker. She was surrounded by her best friends. The sixteen-year-old Haruno was yelling at that Yamanaka girl that Shikamaru constantly complains about (Tch, and he says that I'm in denial...).
I quietly approached the group of arguing girls and stood right behind Sakura. Apparently, Sakura was unaware of my presence, because, she still hadn't turned around. Her friends finally noticed me and immediately stopped their conversation. Stuffing my hands into my pockets, I felt awkward when her friends started to gawk at me with shocked expressions. I got tired of waiting for Sakura to turn around, so I cleared my throat to alert her of my presence. Sakura spun around on her heel.
As soon as she caught sight of me, she quickly averted her gaze to the ground.
Okay. I was aware she didn't find me attractive, but I couldn't be that horrible to look at!
...Could I?
Ugh! She is so ANNOYING! I can't believe this girl, who's been deemed a 'walking fashion victim' by all the girls in our school, was making me feel insecure about my looks! I calmed myself down a bit before talking.
"Sakura, meet me at the school gates after classes are over," I stated while trying to keep my cool.
"S-Sure, Uchiha-san," she stammered out. I felt my eye twitch in frustration. That's another thing that irritated me immensely; she always called me 'Uchiha-san'. Why couldn't she just call me 'Sasuke-kun' like every other girl? Annoying...
"Alright, later," I backed away and headed over to my friends, who were hanging out near Naruto's locker.
I came to stand beside them and leaned against the lockers, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Dude," Naruto nudged Neji, "did you hear that Keanu is planning on asking out Tenten?"
Neji responded by punching Naruto in the face. Hard.
"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" Naruto yelled at the seventeen-year-old Hyuuga, who stormed away without a word. The blonde idiot muttered curses under his breath as he clutched his aching jaw. Shikamaru yawned and shook his head at Naruto's stupidity. I ignored them.
I started to mentally go over the preparations for my tutoring session with Sakura when I finally realized something; my parents and brother were out of the country. That meant...
I'm going to be at my house with Sakura... alone. It's only gonna be me and her... alone. If I snap and lose control, no one is there to stop me because we're...
ALONE!
End of second chapter
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Author's notes:
(1) The reason was hinted in the prologue. It will be revealed LATER on.
The revised third chapter will be posted soon. Yeah, I'm revising/editing all the chapters. I hope you guys like the changes :) It's going to be ten times more fluffy ^_^ I'm adding more scenes, but not deleting any. And don't worry. There's BARELY going to be any drama. It's still pretty plot less (just like before).
Background information:
Sakura and Hinata: aged 16 (I have a friend named Judelle who's freakishly smart. She's only fifteen and she's a senior.)
Sasuke, Naruto, Neji, Tenten, Ino, Shikamaru: aged 17
PLEASE REVIEW!
Kalahngan (Thank you),
Teddy
