A/N: Thanks for the reviews/favs/alerts people! :) I love you for it. haha.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the songs used in this fanfic, which are Brick by Boring Brick-Paramore. Oh and the snip it Sakura wrote last chapter was Dark Blue-Jack's Mannequin.

Here's the thing about me:

I have guy friends, sure. I've dated a few guys, nothing too serious, mostly casual juvenile relationships. So I find it perfectly acceptable to drool over a guy and want them to flirt with me. I'm not like Tenten who enjoys looking at guys but thinks getting involved is ridiculous. Tenten hates relationships.

Ino thrives off them, and they just make Hinata uncomfortable.

I'm totally fine with relationships. In fact you could possibly say that I want one.

The problem is that this guy is possibly the hottest I've ever seen.

It just doesn't help my situation that he saw me earlier that day singing "Do the ice cream and cake." As I danced a jig, and my best friends flipped him and his band off.

Or that he caught me spying on said band...

"Heh, your right Naruto. If I do recall they implied for you to fuck off." The guy speaking now was to the right of the sexy/rocker/vocalist/competition. His hair was brown and shaggy, the red hood from his sweater/jacket half pulled over it and zipped half way up, a plain black v-neck underneath. His dark blue jeans hung lower, held up by a studded silver belt, which showed from around the cherry red and black guitar he was wearing.

I glanced at Tenten who had her eyes fixed on it. No, forget the sexy boys in front of us, let's become infatuated with their instruments.

"Shut up, Kiba. They also blew me a kiss." Mr. Bana-uhm Naruto? (that seems to be his name) said. His rocker get up was an orange vintage t-shirt with a bowl of ramen on the front, black skinnies, and pair of neon green chucks (I was digging them very much by the way).

"N-Neji?" Hinata said frightened from the spot where she was hiding behind me.

The drummer looked over at her, clearly responding to the name, his dark brown hair was sweeped back into a low ponytail and all I could see of his clothes was a white polo. His eyes looked just like Hinata's but more silvery than lavender.

"Hinata?" He said clearly surprised, as the rest of us in the garage glanced back and forth between the two.

"Uhm...We're cousins." Hinata said.

"Wow, what a coincidence you play the same instrument. It's a small world after all!~" Ino sang.

"Dammit if you don't shut up I'm going to push you through a wall!" I snarled.

"It's a good song!" Ino grinned.

"That. Doesn't. Qualify. As. A. Song. The writer should be shot."

"There is just one moon and one golden sun!~"

"Ino..."

"And a smile means friendship to everyone!~"

"Ino, I'm not responsible for how violent Sakura's going to get." Tenten said stepping away from Ino to clear a path for me.

"Fine I'll shut up." Ino said giving me a hug. "I wouldn't want Sakura to explode or something."

"Can we help you?" The vocalist repeated. He appeared to have been debating whether or not to be completely rude to us, seeing as Hinata was actually related to his drummer, apparently he had deemed this relation not good enough, and opted for a mildly annoyed tone.

I decided he was probably an asshole from the start, considering his friend called him 'bastard' and all. Therefore the annoyance was probably the friendliest he would get.

When you calculate it all out, carry the ones, dot your eyes, cross some T's.

"Can we help you?" Was really just an invitation.

I assume this thought was unanimous because Ino skipped into the garage over to Naruto.

"Fender American Standard P Bass V 5-String in black and white? Nice..." Ino said crossing her arms and admiring it.

"Wow." Naruto blinked at her, and I'm sure the other guys were stunned as well. Ino looks like the girly girl type. Blonde hair, big blue eyes, stereotypical cheerleader. They don't expect her to know her way around a bass. And let me tell you, she really knows her way around a bass. I'm still blown away by her talent, and she's only been playing for about two years. "You play?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't play. Pussies play. I shred."

I smirked because Ino had just rewrote a line from Stomp The Yard (our favorite movie) and applied it to our situation. I didn't comment on it because Tenten was pointing to Kiba's guitar. "Gibson SG 61 Reissue Electric Guitar." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Tenten spends a lot of her time browsing the internet for guitars she wishes she could buy. She held out her hand. "May I?"

"Uh..." Kiba stared at his guitar and then at Tenten, clearly not wanting to let anyone touch his precious baby. I don't blame him, it really was nice. Even if I don't speak guitar like them, I can appreciate one.

Besides, Tenten will rip your head from your neck and stick it on my microphone stand French Revolution style, for so much as breathing within a five foot radius of her guitar.

But considering that she correctly labeled his guitar, he knew they shared a mutual respect for it. Reluctantly he pulled the strap up over his head, delicately transferring it to Tenten.

We all watched as she placed her fingers gingerly on the strings and closed her eyes. Then she opened them and let her fingers fly.

Tenten is the definition of shredding.

The rest of Acrylic Kiss' faces were cracked in half by huge grins of pride.

Tenten turned towards me and started to play the intro to one of the more recent songs I'd wrote.

Ino nudged me slightly and I just nodded along with Tenten's playing my eyes locked onto her fingers, dancing across the strings so fluidly.

"She lives in a fairy tale
Somewhere too far for us to find
Forgotten the taste and smell
Of a world that she's left behind
It's all about the exposure, the lens, I told her
The angles are all wrong now
She's ripping wings off of butterflies."

I stopped singing and Tenten distorted the last note, letting it drown in the air before it finally faded out.

"Holy shit." Kiba said looking at Tenten and then me. "Hey bastard, we should kick you out and get her as our singer." He said walking towards me as he spoke and slung his arm over my shoulders.

"While your at it you should hang up your guitar." Sexyface said, rolling his eyes.

"So you girls...like a band?" Naruto said unplugging his bass from the amp and setting it on an old brown couch I had just noticed was pushed up against the back wall, next to the drum set.

"Acrylic Kiss." Ino said in a sweet tone used to win over men.

"Well, there isn't anyway your taking Sakura from us." Tenten smiled at me. "Because she's our ticket to fame. I can't write songs for shit."

"Tell me about it, plus there isn't anyone who could replace her awesome singing abilities...and general awesomeness." Hinata added.

"You write?" The sexy bastard said to me in a careful, measured tone. Apparently we had proved our worth and our permission was granted to stay in the garage.

"Well..." I trailed off, I didn't always feel uncomfortable about talking about music. It was just my music. I suppose I was a bit insecure about it, like maybe it wasn't good enough or no one would like it, but the thing is songs are personal.

I write my emotions and stories down and sing my heart out for the world to hear.

You can understand why it's sort of not a subject I would like to discuss even with my band mates let alone a stranger.

"Heck yeah she does! She has these crazy epiphanies all the time! Like we'll be doing something and she freezes and has to scribble some lines down, it's the coolest thing." Ino chimed in.

Crazy epiphanies? Why did she have to use that adjective, I'm not insane or anything...Is it that weird that it happens to me like that?

How does anyone else get their inspiration then?

"God Ino, make me sound like a freak, thanks." I grumbled.

"Uh no! I didn't mean it like in a bad way." Ino said shaking her head and waving her hands animatedly. "It's a good thing! I mean all the stuff isn't some cookie cutter bullshit. She gets inspiration and then she's on fire! We get the best songs because of it."

"So, Acrylic Kiss, eh? What were you up to sneaking around outside while we were playing?" Kiba said wiggling the arm that draped over my shoulder.

I couldn't tell what he meant by that by his tone, which made me nervous. Actually the whole guys and his close proximity was making me nervous.

I have to admit, we were spying on them.

"Oh you know, checking out the competition." Tenten said nonchalantly and I was surprised she told the truth. Not that Tenten doesn't tell the truth, or any of us for that matter.

We just tend to...bend it around a bit.

"So you were trespassing and stalking us? That's illegal." Hinata's cousin said in an official tone, from his place at the drums. I labeled him as arrogant right away.

In case you were wondering I labeled Mr. Banana as the dork of the group and Kiba as the player.

I was pretty sure their singer was just an asshole.

"Psh, you say 'stalking' as if we knew who you were. All we did was hear you." Tenten said irritated by the accusation.

"Hear? I'm so sure." Neji rolled his eyes. He obviously wasn't that smart, you do not roll your eyes at Tenten.

"It's true." I spoke up, regretting it when the guys turned to look at me. "We followed the music."

There was a silent moment, while everyone let the statement soak in. I thought at first they were going to laugh and say I took it to seriously or something. They didn't.

Naruto smiled a 1000-watt grin at me and said, "I like you. I definitely like you."

"Dobe, you like everyone." The asshole said dragging his microphone stand to the side of the garage and leaving it there, out of the way.

"Nu uh! I don't like snobby mean people! But I know I like this chi-wait what's your name again?" He asked screwing up his face in thought.

"Sakura."

"Yeah, hey Sakura, I'm Naruto! Anyway, I know I like Sakura 'cause she gets it."

"Gets what?"

"Sasuke, this girl understands the music." Naruto said solemnly. That's when I knew it.

That I liked him too.

He understood the music.

We were instant friends.

I have this continuous dream, every so often.

It's of that coffee mug. The emerald one with the spiral of white on the handle.

In the dream I'm on a beach, and I walk through the sand to a small cottage.

Inside is a little kitchen, painted a warm sunny yellow. I always go sit down at the wooden table, in a chair painted red.

In the center of the table is the cup, and I always reach for the handle and pull it towards me.

When I look downward into it, the contents are always changing. Sometimes it's a swig of tea at the very bottom, or a full glass of orange juice.

No matter what's inside or how much, I always drink the last contents and when I'm finished, I set the cup back onto the table and slide it slowly towards the center again.

That's when my dream gets weird. All my attention is focused on the mug, so I never exactly notice that the background kitchen scene is fading away. But it isn't the fading background that gets all funny, it's the mug. It changes.

The white spiral off the handle unwinds from the mug and coils itself like a snake around it's nest.

Then the mug isn't a mug anymore, it sort of melts, into a puddle that isn't quite liquid. It's shiny emerald surface glistens at me, but it seems strangely solid at the same time.

Eventually if I keep staring, it morphs into a ball on it's own, and then the balls stretches out as if bouncy balls are jumping around inside of it.

Bouncing and bouncing. Making the emerald surface bulge out awkwardly, like it's bubbling up.

It keeps going until it's pretty large, about the size of the table top. Then the shape changes again and it becomes a beautiful emerald colored acoustic guitar.

It shimmers at me and I want to reach out and touch it but I never do.

I never play the guitar, I can't for some reason.

It clearly wants to be played though, and it slides across the table towards the white coil but that moves out of the way, it unwinds itself and falls over the edge of the table onto the floor.

I duck to look under the table, wanting to pick it up, because somehow I know the guitar can't be played with out that piece of white.

And oh my, is that guitar going to create the most beautiful sound you've ever heard.

A note that'll make your chest swell with happiness and pride.

A beat that'll make you want to stand up and sing along as you dance around the room.

A chord that'll make the song in your heart finally come flying out from the bottom of your lungs. A song so powerful it'll sear your throat as if it was the embers from a fire.

…

But when I look under the table I see nothing but bright white. The whole floor, it isn't really there. Everything is white, the vast expanse around me is only whiteness, no walls, the kitchen is gone, the cottage is gone.

When I look back up to the table the guitar is replaced with a lone emerald mug.

A mug that doesn't have a white spiraled handle anymore.

The strand I need. Because that strand is what drives me.

That strand is the music.

Always so far out of my reach.

"Uhm, we should get going." Hinata said quietly, biting her lip.

"Hm? Awww you guys have to leave?" Naruto whined.

"Well, it's 11 already and..." Hinata trailed off as Naruto stood in front of her and gave huge puppy dog eyes.

"Please don't go. You guys are awesome!" He made his lip quiver a bit. "We didn't even get a chance to talk."

"W-Well...Maybe you guys could walk us home then?"

"Yes!" Naruto jumped up in victory and wrapped his arms around Hinata, squeezing her against him in a big hug.

I couldn't help but laugh at how red her face got, but Neji growled standing up from his spot at the back. "Naruto, put her down already. Your going to kill her. And then I'll kill you."

"Huh? Oh right." He set Hinata down and she blushed again, a dazed look in her eyes. "Ha, sorry."

"Ugh, dobe." Sasuke glared at the boy. "Where the hell do you guys even live?" He said turning to me.

"East side, up near Grandville Road." Ino responded before me.

"Up by the heights? You go to KHS?" Kiba asked.

KHS is Konoha High School. Konoha has two secondary schools.

KHS- The public school system

and

KPA- Konoha Private Academy

We all went to KHHS because of choice, our parents could afford KPA but we made a deal with them to let us go to the private school, closer to us.

"You have a problem with that?" Tenten said narrowing her eyes. She really hated people who thought they were better than others, especially because of money.

"No, no. We're not like that." Kiba said surprised. "I was just wondering if you went around school here, because we've never met you before."

"Well we passed up KPA." Tenten shrugged and left.

I mean she walked straight out of the garage, stopping at the middle of the driveway to beckon us to follow.

As we walked through the streets lined with lamp posts that let our shadows walk along beside us, I ended up at the back of the group walking next to Sasuke.

He didn't say anything, but sulked with his hands in his pockets. I didn't care that much because I didn't feel like talking.

I normally let Ino and Tenten take care of it. Or when it was an adult, Hinata would use her manners and innocence to charm them.

It's kind of ironic though.

That I feel uncomfortable talking to people, but I can write songs and sing them like it's no big deal.

"Why did you guys pass up going to KPA?"

"Huh?" I said swiveling my head. I wasn't sure if he had been the one talking or if I had spaced out too much. Sometimes I feel like I imagine everything.

Like maybe my dreams are reality and this right here is my dream. A lucid concrete world I imagined because maybe in real life I'm crazy and lonely. Maybe Hinata, Tenten, and Ino are just parts of me. Different personalities that and in my dream they break out of me and stand on their own.

Maybe I have split personalities...

"Why did you pass up going to KPA?" He repeated clearly annoyed that he had to do this.

"Oh. We used the extra money to pay for band stuff."

"You gave up a better education for your band?" He said incredulously.

"KHS isn't a bad school. KPA isn't even that much better. I've taken a tour, it's just a mediocre school dressed up to look better. Pompous arrogant bastards give funding to the school so their kids can slack off and get good grades, while making the school look prestigious at the same time. Total bullshit fest. I'm sorry but a 'better education'? No it's just a better atmosphere."

"Right, you go on believing that and making assumptions. It is a good school, and colleges are more likely to accept students from there, than KHS."

In front of us Ino was linking arms with Kiba, they both laughed out loud, smiles glued to their faces.

"If I'm making assumptions about your school, your definitely making assumptions about mine! You think yours is so much better when you don't have a clue what it's like to go there. Colleges will accept more people from KPA because they can afford to buy their way in. KHS will get in with scholarships because of their academic levels and sports skills alone. They don't need to fake it."

"You think everyone at KPA just buys their grades and college educations? What you think they're all stupid? Or sports teams are excellent."

Tenten was poking Neji in the side repeatedly. He kept swatting her away and she mocked his moves by standing on her right foot, left leg extended and her hands above her head. She screamed "Kyah! Kyah! I'm a ninja! You can't touch me" as she kicked at him.

"Oh I'm sure not all of them are stupid, ignorant bastards. Only most of them, with their snobby personalities--thinking they're better than everyone else. Or sports teams are good too. In fact, Tenten and I play on the volleyball team and we crushed your girls' team. They were pathetic."

Naruto was jumping up and down, talking loudly with wild hand gestures hands, and pointing to the ramen on his shirt as Hinata just giggled.

"Your incredibly judgmental for someone who hates judgmental people. You'll hate them even more when you don't make it to college and they do."

"I am an incredibly truthful person. For example, your an asshole. Who said I even want to go to college, hm?!"

Oops. I shouldn't have said that. I really really really shouldn't have.

I haven't told anyone that, ever.

That maybe I don't want to go to college and become a surgeon like I've always talked about.

Maybe I wanted to make music for a living.

Maybe that's why I passed up a so called 'better education', so I could bide my time and kick off my music career.

I am being judgmental, because I'm just trying to delude myself into thinking that I made the right choice.

"I'm an asshole? Excuse me, but I'm truthful too. Frankly your being a bitch, and why wouldn't you want to go to college? What are you going to do then?"

"I hate you."

"Don't avoid the question."

"I'm not going to answer it."

"Why not?"

"Because shut up, that's why."

"Hn. Fine."

We continued walking in silence, everyone else completely oblivious to our fight.

My first conversation with him and he already gets under my skin. He already had me spilling one of my darkest secrets.

It really is a shame.

He's too pretty. What a waste.

What do you think?

Review please?