Wewt! Chapter 2! I'll try not to do so many time skips in this chapter. I don't want to finish it before it ever begins, if you get what I mean.
There's a flash back or two here, by the way. Did I mention implied yaoi-ness?
Also, I know, this is really short compared to the other one, but I update daily, so eh, you guys won't really have much to be disappointed with about it. This chapter is mainly about Sakura and Naruto's friendship, which I think will be a key part in the story later on . . . Well, atleast for a chapter or two. Sasuke will actually appear sooner or later, so you Sasu fans will have something to look forward to.
Ino and I walked to our Biology class . . . Well, it was actually pre-biology, but that counts, right? We sat in our seats, which were marked with our names via a small yellow card. I sat right behind Ino.
"Great. He just had to make you sit behind me, didn't he?" Ino flipped her blonde ponytail, tugging at her purple top and plopping down into her desk, looking bugged, to say the least.
"How wonderful Ino, now I can see you AND smell you!" I said, sounding sarcastic, but still meaning what I said.
"Sakura, you know, I was actually going to TRY to be your friend again, but now, I'm having second thoughts." Ino frowned.
"I was serious about that." I frowned as well, taking my seat.
"You're crazy Sakura-chan." Ino said.
"I told you not to call me that." I furrowed my brow.
"You just have to ruin everything, don't you?" Ino said.
"Don't you know me anymore?" I asked, changing the subject.
"How am I supposed to? You're like a freaking recluse! My dad even said you were sta- never mind."
"That's ridiculous Ino, I'm practically a social butterfly!" I lied. I had changed nearly completely from the year before. The Sakura who always smiled and wore the black shorts and the long red shirt was long gone, replaced by a sarcastic freak in tight black jeans, converse, and tight black shirts, the only exception was for white dress shirts, which was a new style in my subculture, dubbed the 'Emo' people.
Ino laughed wryly. "Sakura."
I watched as she looked down, not replying. I sensed she was about to say something else, and my intuition proved right.
"Sakura, you and I know that that's a lie. Ever since you and I stopped talking, you haven't been the same. You're- You're . . different and I don't care how many times you try to act tough, I know you, and I know that you're not okay."
"And you somehow get the idea that you can play psychiatrist with me, why?" I asked, genuinely annoyed at her correct assessment of my mental state. My eyes betrayed me, as usual, however, and my true feelings were revealed. Deep down, I was relieved in a way that she didn't seem to show any signs of her normal aggression towards me. I was sort of happy, in a way, that Ino knew. At the same time, I was also worried. Had she found my weak spot?
"Look, I'm worried about you, ok?" Ino said, softening her expression. "The Sakura I know is better than this."
"Okay, Ino, I give. You got me, you win, I don't care anymore. Whatever it is that you're trying to prove, you win. If this has anything to do with Sasuke, you can have him for all I care, ok?! I quit!" I yelled, "So stop FUCKING with my head!!" I balled my fists as I stood there, tears forming in my eyes. I was so close to telling her just how I felt, spilling every little detail of my fantasies to her. I wanted us to be together, as friends, maybe more, now more than ever.
Quite a crowd was starting to gather around us now. It was about normal. Ino and I fought nearly all the time now, and I could just picture each one of them standing around us, passing popcorn and soda around, watching us like we were the hottest drama to hit the red carpet.
Ino looked shocked. It wasn't like me to be so brazen. I hoped I didn't hurt her too badly with the outburst, but then I realized we had both done much worse to each other. I remembered it so clearly. It seems like just yesterday, we were in the bathroom, clawing and beating one another madly.
She had been the one to throw the first punch. She missed. The mere suggestion that she was willing to strike me, however, was like she had taken my own heart, rended it from my chest, and smashed it before my eyes. She had a right to be angry. I had been so cruel to her. I got so angry. I couldn't control myself. I hit Ino that day.
"Sakura."
I was yanked out of my flash back. I immediately looked down. I felt depressed. 'She hates me, I know she does,' I thought. I couldn't bring myself to speak to her, still caught up in my memory.
"I'm sorry." Ino said, sounding ashamed. An apology was something that you rarely got from Ino. I would cherish those bittersweet words. Words that symbolized victory, victory that I knew I didn't deserve. Cowards don't deserve to win.
"What?" I said, taken aback.
Most of the crowd was now leaving. They knew that the brief argument was over. It was a good thing, since Guy Sensei was just now entering the classroom. We all took our seats.
"I'm sorry." She repeated, whispering.
"You're apologizing to me?" I mumbled, asking, as if to see if the moment was really real. 'Did I really hear that right?' I thought.
"Yeah, and you better appreciate it. I'm not saying it again, Forehead-Girl." She glared at me.
'Perhaps she doesn't hate me after all.' I thought, relieved, as our Sensei began going over the project we would be assigned to for the next month. I paid no attention to him, and I had no intention of doing so either. I had a certain beautiful blonde to be focused on, rather than him and those bushy black brows and bowl cut. I couldn't help but think of how much better Ino was than me. She was pretty, honest, strong . . . everything a man could want.
I was totally different. I was ugly . . Nothing would ever change that, no matter how hard I tried to cover it up. I was always the ugly one, with the scrawny figure and the loose tongue, dark atrocities flowing from my lips with each word I spoke. I didn't even notice the difference between anything anymore.
Before I realized it, class was over, and this was the way of things until it was time for lunch. Again, as always, I had to sit with Ino. She was across from me. Our seats weren't assigned, so I guess I didn't have to sit by her really, but rather, I was too lazy to move. I didn't mind sitting in front of her at the small two person table, but I didn't like the idea much.
"Do you really have to follow me everywhere?" I asked, feigning annoyance being a custom of mine since the forming of our rivalry. I was more of a loner now that we weren't exactly on the best of terms, and while her presence was welcome, I felt like I had to at least make it look like I was putting up a little distance between us to keep her from discovering my true feelings.
"I just thought that since, well, you know, that I would try to spend a little time with you . . I guess. If you really don't want us to be friends, just say it. It's not like you haven't done it before." Ino said.
"I never said I didn't want to be your friend, Ino. You were the one who started it, remember?" I toyed with the food on my lunch tray, stabbing it with my fork.
"You were the one who stopped coming to my house." Ino took a bite of the pitiful excuse for a ham and cheese sandwich furnished by the school cafeteria, making a face.
The realization hit me. I had in fact stopped seeing her, but that was only because I couldn't bear how we would argue and fight when I did stay, or she would talk about Sasuke the entire time, while I fought a seemingly unending battle against the salty water droplets forming in my eyes. Even while we slept, I couldn't escape them. I cried for her, every night, without fail.
The fact that I stopped going to her house, however, didn't allow me to escape the tears. Stalking seemed to make it worse, but it was the only way I could console myself. The sight of her cute face, resting in her pillow, that was enough to keep me alive.
I looked down.
"Sakura?"
I jumped. "I need some space."
Ino nodded and I got up to threw away my tray, staring at my black converse shoes and close fitting black jeans as I did so. I glanced back to Ino, who I noticed was staring at me. I blushed. I needed to get some air, so I left the lunch room and headed for my locker, which was placed next to Ino's. Assigned lockers were so ridiculous, almost as ridiculous as the idea of me being a social butterfly.
Surprisingly, Naruto was on his way to his locker as well, which was unusual, since he was almost always eating ramen this time of day, sitting by Sasuke in the cafeteria. He was attempting to open his locker, with minimal success. Finally, he managed to open it.
"Naruto? Of all people, why are you here?" I asked.
"Going to my locker." The blonde answered.
"That's obvious. I mean, what are you going to your locker for?" I clarified, opening my locker as well.
"I'm getting the book for my next class. Why are you here?" He asked, looking a bit worried. He may have been a little on the stupid side, but he knew something was wrong. "You look red. Are you okay?"
"Trying to get away from Ino for a while. I'm fine." I said. It was true, I was fine. I just felt like getting out of there before the mood soured between us and I made a screw up.
"Oh. You guys get in a fight again or something?" He asked. I got the feeling that he knew about my obsession with her. In fact, I was pretty sure that everyone except for her knew about it, and just how far it went. Most people thought that it was because I wanted to slit her throat, but Naruto knew different. He knew how much it hurt me to know that she and I weren't friends anymore.
"No, I just had to get a little air before I fucked something up." I replied, sighing.
"Oh. Well, I have an idea. Take these." He said, offering a handful of paper slips to me, "I was saving these for someone else, but you can have them."
"What are they?" I said, skeptical.
"They're concert tickets."
I handed them back, "Come on, Naruto, these belong to you. Use them on that special someone you were talking about. I'm ordering some next week anyway."
"Well, okay." He smiled.
"Thanks for the offer." I said, "I'll see you later!" I slammed my locker and locked it. Naruto was really a nice guy. Too bad nobody really seemed to notice him all that much. He and I had become friends when we found out that we had a common enemy. It didn't take too long for us to warm up to each other, after all, we were both out casts, and despised Sasuke equally.
"Later Sakura!" I heard him yell from behind me, "Good luck with Ino-chan!"
I rolled my eyes. He was sweet, but he just hadn't a clue about how to handle talking to girls. He was insensitive and stupid sometimes, but charming, in a geeky, obsessed kind of way. He was the Prince of the Nerds. Not many people knew that he was bisexual though, despite all the times he would hang all over guys and stuff. He had told me, after he and I had brushed over the topic of my feelings for Ino a couple times.
Naruto was head over heels for Rock Lee, and I for Ino. We agreed never to tell anyone of our feelings. Ever. How Naruto fell for Lee, I had no clue, and I was pretty sure I didn't want to, but in my sea of despair, I knew I could lean on him, even if he didn't know I was doing so.
I went back to the cafeteria, which was now nearly empty. I was glad, in a way. I hated big crowds. The noise reminded me of my life at home all too much. I bit my lip and glanced around, looking for Ino. To my surprise, she was still at the table, staring blankly across the room. I walked over and sat down in front of her. I noted that she hadn't so much as touched her food since I left.
'I wonder if she's trying to go anorexic on me . . . ' I thought, 'Hmm . . Nah, she's not that dumb now, is she?' I wondered. I looked at her, still staring out the window like she was a minute ago. Her body was there, but her mind sure wasn't. 'Wonder what she's thinking about,' I thought, 'Is she thinking about me?' My pulse quickened at the mere suggestion of it.
"Hey you." I said, "Earth to Ino-chan."
"Huh?!" She said, nearly jumping out of her seat, "When did you get here?!"
"I've been here for three minutes." I said gravely.
"Oh."
"It's time for us to go back to class." I said, pointing at our Sensei, who was leaving.
Ino nodded and went to throw her tray away.
We came back to the classroom and grabbed our things, heading to our next class when the bell rang. The rest of the day went by rather quickly, between the slow return of our friendship. By our last class, seventh period, we were almost back to our usual selves. The awkwardness remained, but I could feel our old bonds awakening. I knew it would never be the same though. How could it be? We were so close, but that was years ago . . . before Sasuke happened.
Ino wasn't ready to give up on him yet, I just knew it. It was still going to be a daunting task to survive this year. I frowned without realizing it. I looked to Naruto, whose desk was just to the right of mine. He gave me his usual happy grin before winking. It was his silent way of saying, "It's okay Saku-chan, I'm here for you. I'll drop by your house later if you want."
I smiled at him, wordlessly nodding, "You always look at the bright side don't you? How cute. I'll see you after school, about four or five in the afternoon."
He looked away, now beaming his toothy grin at Lee, who merely sweat-dropped and chewed at his ragged nails. In a way, it was cute, seeing those two interact. I turned back to the matter at hand, staring at Ino's back and thinking of ways to get rid of Sasuke.
Soon, school was over, and I thanked the heavens that it was finally over and done with. Now I would finally get the break I deserved, even if it was only for the weekend. Still, two days away from that horrid mental-ward of a educational institute was enough to lift my spirits. I had at least an hour before I was due to arrive at Naruto's house when I finished walking home. I took the time to put on some of my favorite clothes.
As usual, I stuck with my usual boyish look and grabbed my ripped up black jeans, covered in chains, writing, and lots of shiny buttons. They even had zippers. Next, I took a pink and black striped shirt, and an equally ripped up black jacket with three quarter length sleeves and threads hanging from it that seemed to flow a mile long. I shoved my feet into my converse shoes, giving myself the once over in the mirror. I so looked like a boy, with the exception of my hair, of course. I grabbed my hat to cover it up.
I was just about to leave when I remembered something. I grabbed my cell phone and headed over to Naruto's house. Luckily, it was only a block or two from mine. When I got there, Naruto was fidgeting and fussing over the zipper on his hoodie. He didn't notice me come in.
"Need help?" I asked.
Naruto perked up, "Sakura, thank God! I thought you'd never get here. Can you help me zip this thing? It's stuck.
"Idiot, how did you manage to get it this hopelessly stuck?" I asked him, yanking on the zipper hard.
"I was just putting it on a couple minutes ago and then it got stuck there!" His eyes were wide.
I huffed, finally managing to get it un-stuck. "You better be glad I was here, or your little black and white striped hoodie would've been history." I remarked, pointing at the thing and grinning. "What did you really call me out here for anyway?" I asked, changing the subject.
"Well . . . I was thinking . . Could we go to the mall tomorrow?" He asked, hope in his bright blue eyes.
"Absolutely not. There's no way I'm going to swim in a sea of preps again. Ugh, I hate preps!" I said, growling.
"But Sakura! Come on, everybody loves the mall!" He pleaded.
"I don't."
"I'll buy you those pants you like at Hot Topic, and we can go see Bullet for My Valentine and Korn!" He bargained, clasping his hands together.
"Okay fine, you win, but if you fuck up, I'm seriously going to kill you." I was a sucker for good deals, even if it meant suffering through each push, prod, and poke that I just knew I would be faced with.
"YESSSSSSS!" Naruto pumped his fists wildly through the air with victory. God, he was starting to get on my nerves. I just knew that tomorrow, something very bad was going to happen . . . but that could've just been because I ate raw bacon before I decided to get dressed and waltz over to Naruto's. Annoying little bastard . . .
End Chapter
What do you guys think? insert review whoring here
Tell me what you like about it! I'm still thinking about the plot. Also, I credit the idea for making Sakura and Naruto go to the mall to Lostnomadgirl.
