Surpassing Standards

AN: These guys don't know each other. A new high school opened up near Konoha High, called Willow High, and these guys were transferred here. But Karin and her guys still go to Konoha High.


TOMORROW WE SEE BOOKS, DESKS, AND TEACHERS.
We don't care about the past, just our present and our future.

-Yamanaka Ino


/Sunday


-Tsunade-

I guess you could say I own Willow High. I'm the new VP, but the staff tells me position doesn't matter, it's how well you work.

I work pretty well. ("No fucking in the computer lab, please," is an example of my dedication and perseverance.)

My two best friends from my childhood are in Konoha, I've just found out. They haven't budged, even though we once promised each other we'd live anywhere except Konoha. I had the decency and courage and balls to move to Suna.

It's Monday tomorrow, and the start of my second week at Willow. I'm eating a Big Mac on my couch when my phone rings.

"Hello?"

"Tsunade? It's Kurenai, the Math Analysis teacher?"

"Ah, yeah. What's up?"

"Just wanna say hi and to welcome you to Willow. I doubt anyone else has..." Kurenai laughs, maybe thinking about a good memory with her fellow staff members. It's not hard to miss that the staff are close. (I've made sure of that...)

"That's rather nice of you. You're right, it was only Maito Gai, the Gym teacher. Hehe. So... have you given the agenda to the others?" I lower my voice, even though there's no way anyone could hear me.

"All except Asuma." Kurenai catches on and takes up a more serious tone.

"You understand it, of course?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama. Only Jiraiya doubts it, he says he wants to speak to you personally."

"Hm, what a moron my best friend is."

"Best friend? Wow," Kurenai chuckles.

"Oh yes, you wouldn't mind if I told you how?"

"Not at all, Tsunade-sama."

Ah, I couldn't resist anyway.


-Tenten-

"I wanna party," I tell Lee.

"But it's not your birthday!" My friend's eyes twinkle, here under the stars. This isn't the first time we're "star-hunting". At first, I wanted to correct him, tell him it's "star-gazing". But this is how we bond, and there's no way I'm messing up Bonding Time.

"No, you're right, but you know. Parties are fun."

Lee's confused expression morphs into an exuberant grin.

"True, Tenten! So, who, what, where, when, why?!"

I grin. Lee is very focused when it comes to parties.


-Shikamaru-

"Yo." I squint my eyes, a bit (It's quite bright today) and see Choji charging up this hill.

He skids to a stop in front of me and brandishes out Tenten and Lee's party invitation in my face.

"Do you know what the hell this is?!" His round face is shining with excitement.

"'The biggest party of the year.'" I quote.

Choji smiles. "You got it too!" He shows it to me anyway.


THE BIGGEST PARTY OF THEY YEAR!!!1!!!!!!!11

who: Everyone, bring whoever you want!!1!
what: A party, duh!
where: Neji Huyga's home! (If you don't mind, Neji.)
when: This Saturday, starting at 5 PM
why: To let go, to forget, to live!

YOU HAVE TO COME.
lee and tenten


"Guess Tenten let Lee do most of it, huh?"

"An excess of exclamation points," I reply dully.

"So you gonna come? Are you are you are you??"

"I dunno..."

"'YOU HAVE TO COME.' See, Tenten will kill you if you don't!"

"How do you know it's Tenten, not Lee?"

Choji stares at me. "You're kidding right? You better be. I would have thought it was obvious..."

"But Lee's an actor. You never know."

Choji won't stop staring. Then a minute later, he decides I'm not serious.

He grumbles to himself as he walks down the hill. "Can't believe I fell for it... Shikamaru..."


/Monday


-Kiba-

"Another party, another gathering, another social event," I greet Sakura as I enter her room. She is fully dressed, in orange skinny jeans and a bold red t-shirt, and is straightening her pinkpinkpink hair. The effect is overwhelming, all these colors, and they sort of clash.

She sets down her straightener. "How did you get in, how do you know where I live, and don't tell me I clash. I know I do, and I like it."

Amazing, she's on fire, to match her outfit.

(If an outfit is defined as something you'd wear out of the house, then an infit would be jammies, or at least something you'd wear in the house? Why is fashion such a big deal anyway?)

I sit on her bed, not wincing a bit.

(I can tell Sakura is watching me out of the corner of her eye, maybe checking if I did wince. She doesn't know me still, our outing in Nuyo was just basic information, like favorite color, birthday, hobbies, and things like that. Personally, I think such trivial facts are lame. I don't know why, I just do.)

"Alright, alright. I won't. Your mom let me in, apparently she's familiar with Inuzuka Pets." I grin. "How do I know where you live? Well, HARUNO is written in chalk on your driveway."

Sakura continues doing her hair, and her reflection smirks. "Yes, I had some time last night and some chalk. So, you were saying... party? Is that Tenten and Lee's?"

"Yeah, this Saturday. You got it?"

"Yup, but I'm not really a fan of parties." She's done, and is now tidying up her room.

"Why is that?"

"It's very... human. I like being... unorthodox. Does that make sense?"

"Not really." Sakura snags her white Jansport backpack from her dresser and bounds downstairs. I wonder if she worried about getting her backpack dirty when she bought it. It looks spotless today, though.

"A party like this gives Party Man adrenaline, I think?" She looks at me as we stop at the dining table.

"You know my nickname?"

"Everyone does."


-Sasuke-

"To let go, to forget, to live!"

What the hell?


-Hinata-

"To let go, to forget, to live!"

It wouldn't matter if I went anyway. I have nothing to forget. I have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. Funny, I don't mind being alone 99.9% of my time. It's soothing.

But I think I'll go. Even though Tenten's going. Most likely Neji is too. It is in our house.

Oh, damn. It's in my house.

I won't go. I'd rather jump in a crocodile's swamp.


-Gaara-

"To let go, to forget, to live!"

How cute.

Temari and Kankuro will end up dragging me along. So fucking social. Hah.

But I love them.


-Suigetsu-

"To let go, to forget, to live!"

Well, this oughta be fun.


Be nice and tell me how cool I am.