Mended

Love is life,
and if you miss love...
You miss life.

II.


My alarm clock violently vibrated and shattered the peaceful dream I was having—but it didn't really matter, considering how I'll probably forget the whole thing in a few minutes.

I ran a hand through my hair after I turned off the buzzing alarm and yawned loudly, stretching.

Slowly, I got out of the toasty comforters, yawning again and started to make the bed, because if my mother came home and found my room a mess, boy, I'll get an earful.

Bright red numbers flashed: 6:30 AM which quickly became 7:45 AM when I was already beginning to straighten my hair.

I sprayed another spritz of heat protectant on the last section of my hair and finally finished. Looking at myself in the mirror, I contemplated wearing makeup or not—and decided against it for a moment before getting my makeup bag that was under my vanity.

Quickly, I coated my eyelashes with some mascara just to make my eyes pop in color and brushed some cover stick concealer paste on the dark circles that were slightly visible. Being honest, every college girl usually wears some sort of colored powder on their face to go to school, so it's hard to resist not doing the same.

Rubbing in the paste, I did a slide-glance at the clock and decided that it was time to go.

While walking down the hall, I turned off the lights that were still on, grabbed my car keys that hung on a key wall near the kitchen door and slipped on my beige Toms and snatched my tote bag that was hidden in a corner behind the couchprecautionary steps.

Well, the only danger that could come to my bag is if my mother searched through it again for a pen and accidentally tore up a few sheets. It's been done before.

It was somewhat already fall so it was fairly chilly and I could just hear my mothers voice ringing in my head: "Wear a jacket! You'll get a cold!"

I opened the closet that was by the exit of the house and slipped on a short trench coat. Truthfully, I wasn't fond of the long coats that went past your knees, so I just bought a mid-thigh version of it.

On the bright side, it was a deep khaki color so it sort of matched my Toms.

I entered the Community College a few minutes after I parked my car, and headed for my first class. Like always, Tenten was seated right in the middle of the classroom and had saved a spot for me next to her.

I went around a couple desks and greeted the people who were nice to me on a daily basis. It wasn't that I had enemies, it was just that I didn't really know too many of the students in the class.

Tenten and I had actually met the first day of College, and like a cheesy romance novel, I'd gotten lost and bumped into someone, however, the person I bumped into wasn't a boy who'd sweep me off my feet sooner or later, it was a girl who kept apologizing to me nonstop.

It turned out that we had the same class and both of us talked for a while at lunch break where we stopped to get something to drink at a place called Desu's Cafe—apparently, the shop was also a bakerywhich she later told me was her father's store. Then I told her about me wanting to go to a better college, but how I had to pay tuition and she offered me a job which was briefly passed on to her dad who let me work there.

"So, did the letter come in yet?" She asked me when I sat down.

"No." I replied with a sigh, shrugging off my jacket.

I had sent out a letter to the college I wanted to go to, just to see if they'd accept me there, or if my hard work would go down the drain. But I'd sent in the application form about a month or two ago when Tenten kept pestering me about it and I still haven't heard back.

"That sucks, maybe their rolling admissions are slow... Well, at least your shirt is cute!"

My eyes trailed down to my striped tee. It was a shade lighter than my trench, whichwithout me realizing it, had produced a color scheme for my whole outfit.

"Hah, thanks..." I muttered but it felt like a brick had dropped into my stomach as I wondered why I hadn't gotten a letter back from Konoha State University.

Konoha State University, KSU, is a prestigious Ivy League school that only accepted the best of the best, if that made sense. Their classes ranged from studying to be in the law firm to becoming a star in theater. That college has only gotten Five Star reviews from everyone and the profession I'm currently studyingdoctorhas a woman named Tsunade as a teacher. Tsunade's a world renowned medic, and nobody knows how badly I want to meet her!

Tenten opened her mouth to say something but the professor entered, smiling at us.

I hated the lunch rush.

It was always bells ringing, snobby teenage girls, and the occasional stocking up on sugar packets. I never remembered anything that happened in lunch rush, since it was a constant blur of people entering and leaving.

"Order up!" Ring-ring.

Tenten reached over my shoulder and took a to-go plain milk coffee to the register and rung up the customer whilst I carried a silver oval shaped tray with a few hot drinks on them.

The other reason I hated lunch rush is because... Well, it's lunch rush! There's way too many people coming in the shop for coffeedon't they know that coffee can make you stop growing?but I'm happy at the same time because the store is getting popular! Sometimes I think that we need a new plague to balance out the amount of people in the world.

Bells jingled just as I put down the last cup that was on my tray on a person's table and placed the separate receipt by the mug.

"Sakura!"

I turned to see Kiba advancing towards me and I gave a little wave before slightly hurrying to the kitchen window when the cook kept hitting the little golden desk bell. The smell of warm cheesecake wafted into my nose and I'm pretty sure my stomach rumbled when I gave the dessert to Tenten who walked around the counter to serve to a booth.

"Hey," I smiled at him and wiped my hands on the forest green apron of the cafe. "What's up?"

It was now some sort of habit for Kiba to come in during my shift hours, and I didn't really mind because he was now company that I desperately needed when Tenten was too busy with playing cashier.

"Nothing much, just got out of school." He didn't bother looking up at the menu above my head and sat down on the counter bar stool. "Get me the usual."

My pen moved swiftly across the notepad in my hand and I ripped out the small paper before sticking it on the spindle. "One iced mocha and a red velvet slice!"

I knew his order by heart now, and that was only because he came back-to-back every weekday for the past week.

"Yeah, yeah..." The barista muttered and I rolled my eyes, turning back to Kiba.

"I find it so amazing that a football player likes iced mocha coffee." As I said that, an amused smile slipped onto my lips.

His original happy features melted into a sheepish one. "Shut up, it's a good drink!" He replied defensively.

"Ah, Kiba! Long time no see—and by that, I mean yesterday." Tenten laughed, placing the code in the register and it popped open. She put a few bills in different slots when he scowled, but his blushing cheeks didn't help his situation.

"You're just angry that there are no other cute high school boys like me!"

I scoffed.

"Ordeeeer up!" Ring-ring.

"Get my food." Kiba grinned playfully and set his elbows on the counter, leaning forward when I grabbed his food and put it in front of him.

"Pushy..."

"Pushy indeed!" Tenten smirked as the order up bell rang again and she took her plates, glanced at the ripped notepad paper and left us alone with a wink.

Sure, it was weird to be friends with a senior in high school—but honestly, I'm not even in my second semester of being a freshman in college, so it didn't really matter to me. However, Tenten obviously thought that something was going to stir in our friendship when it wasn't going to!

"So how's football practice?"

"Haven't gone to it yet, I have to leave in like... twenty minutes or something."

"Uhm, isn't scarfing down food bad before practice?" I asked and knitted my eyebrows together while he ate another bite of the cake.

Kiba shrugged, downing the mocha in a minute. "I have to keep up my calories y'know, unlike you girls."

Before I could say anything to the sexist comment, someone amongst the people in the lunch rush had called out: "Excuse me, waitress? Can we get some service?"

It surprised me that more people would rather sit in a booth instead of getting a to-go coffee.

"Back to work, huh Ms. Haruno?"

"Shut up."

God, I hated my hours. It was from when I got out of school to closing time, and I only got the weekends off. Yes, it was crazy but I needed the money if I wanted to get into KSU—not that I received their letter yet.

"I'll lock up, go home." Tenten demanded, rolling the forks, knives, and spoons in the cafe's green napkins.

Gratefully, I nodded and waved goodbye to the remaining workers just before heading out to my car.

The drive home was eerily quiet since the streets were empty. I pulled up at a red light and my headlights shone on the park just ahead, illuminating the playground.

The light turned green and I pressed my foot on the gas pedal, wondering what it would be like for my father to take me to a park.

Well, I would never know because my father died when I was about 3 years old. I faintly remember the day that my mother told me the old news when I was fourteen since I had kept bothering her about it, and I couldn't stop crying for some reason.

It only took about fifteen minutes to get home and when I did, the door was wide open, and I could see my mother cleaning up around the house inside from the window.

I turned off the ignition and sluggishly made my way into the house where my mother immediately stopped me, a huge grin on her face.

"Sakura, dear!"

Raising an eyebrow, I recoiled a few steps from her. "...Yes?"

"A few letters came in for you!"

My expression didn't change, it was still impassive. "Okay? It's probably from my magazine subscription."

She shook her head vigorously, the smile still evident on her face. "No, no! This one is a special letter!"

"Special?"

My mom nodded, and clasped her hands together happily. "Yeah! Here!"

A letter was shoved in my hands and I looked at it carefully. It was in a plain white envelope, nothing "special" about it. That was, until I read the address and from where it was sent.

I met my mother's eyes, and she basically shook with joy while my nerves raced. Then my gaze fell to the Polaroid camera strapped around her neck.

"KSU, honey! Konoha State University!" She yelped as if I didn't know the name of the college I was longing to go to. "Open it up!"

Slowly, I flipped the flaps up but that wasn't quick enough for my mom who tore it from my hands and opened it without a care.

"Read it, read it!"

The letter that came out of the envelope was back in my hands.

Truthfully, I didn't want to look at it. What if I didn't get in? My breath was caught in my throat and my mouth was suddenly dry. Badly concealed anxiety showed up on my features and my heart thudded in my chest.

"Are you okay?" My mother asked me, and got me to sit down on the couch, the letter in my hands shaking.

It was here, the moment was finally here. I was finally going to see if I was good enough to get into the university of my dreams.

Taking a deep breath the letter was opened and I took a moment to admire the cursive font and fancy coloring of the paper that felt like worn out sandpaper. The acceptanceor rejectionpaper was fancier than the envelope.

It would be a long shot if I got into the school but I was finally reading the letter, sentence after sentence out loud as my mother grabbed my unoccupied hand and gave it a good squeeze.

"Please accept our sincere apologies about your late letter..." I trailed off, skipping a few words.

"And we are pleased to inform you that you, Sakura Haruno, are accepted into Konoha State University on a full-time scholarship due to your past grades and credits..."

The world started spinning around me and I gaped at the letter, my body going into hibernation mode as I started hyperventilating.

Snap!

I turned to my mother who threw her arms around me and that jerked me back into reality. I could hear my ecstatic voice screaming at the top of my lungs that I had gotten into KSU, and I jumped around, grinning like a madwoman. I'm sure that if I could do cartwheeld and splits, that I would be doing those all around the house!

When I got down from my high of euphoria, I took the picture that came out of the mouth of the camera. My expression was actually hilarious: cheeks ablaze, open mouth, and wide eyes.

I bit my lip and yelled again, laughing.

I was getting into Konoha State University—on a scholarship!


Another day, another chapter.

Review so I'll continue the story!

RANDOM FACT ABOUT THE AUTHOR: I am obsessed with my hair. Haha.