Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
*EDIT: Again, I went back several years later and did my best to improve grammar, wording, etc. I did not change the plot but I added much more depth to the characters and imagery.
Chapter 2: Confusion
Sleep was the only I time I could be me. It was the only time I could get away from everything - daily hassles, social anxiety, stress... yet it felt like such a short period before my alarm would go off and bring me right back to the hell that was life. From that moment, I'd have to go through it all again.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The loud noise rang in my ears, awakening me from a peaceful state of sleep, and I knew this is when hell would start. The morning was always the worst. My arm stretched out from under the blankets, as I slapped my hand onto the snooze button just like they do in the movies. Grumbling, I swung my feet over the side of the bed and scratched my bare shoulder in a daze. I scanned the room for a random shirt, grabbed it, and lazily lugged myself to the bathroom to begin the day. I let my thoughts wander as I turned the shower faucet. If it weren't for that damn job, I could've finished my paper earlier and gotten more sleep.
Then started the same never-ending routine; I would go to school, everyone would avoid me, and I'd get a shitload of homework from my snobby teachers. Nothing was new, but I did notice that Kiba kid for the first time since school started, and he only sat a couple of seats away. Not that it mattered. I always stayed within the confines of myself and the lesson. I mean, what else was I supposed to do? When I went to a school filled with people who hated me and whom I also hated, I kind of had no choice.
Finally, when the nightmare of school was over with, I moved on to the nightmare of work. Yay... The moment I arrived, the café was already crowded. This was about the time people got off of work and wanted to stop to get coffee. Kiba was already there - his shift was a little earlier. I got dressed and rushed to take people's orders. Same as yesterday. Apprehensive stares from customers. How annoying.
"Hey, Gaara. Do you mind taking these Frappuccinos to the bookstore staff?" asked Kiba when there was no one in line. He held out a tray of plastic cups filled with chocolate-flavored ice and whipped cream drizzled with chocolate syrup. I grabbed the tray without a word and headed the opposite direction while Kiba went to the back room. Thinking about how much I hated my job, my arm bumped the counter's side and - PLOP!
Everything fell on the floor, causing all eyes to turn my way. My own eyes widened. Shit! And it's only been my second day! I turned my head to see if Kiba had witnessed my accident, but he was still in the back room. My non-existent eyebrows furrowed in frustration. Kneeling down, I began picking up the plastic cups which the Frappuccinos were no longer in. As I did this, I felt a presence bending down in front of me.
"D-do you need help?" I heard a soft, quiet voice... almost inaudible.
Looking up warily, the first thing I saw were a pair of large, lavender orbs. It was that girl I saw sitting next to the window, yesterday. What did she think she was doing? Normally, a person wouldn't just come up and talk to me. My eyes cautiously studied her doll-like face, yet I didn't see a hint of hatred or ruthlessness in her eyes.
I glanced back down, expressionless, and let out a cold, "I've got it." Things were better if I did them myself. I just couldn't trust anyone - especially someone who acted all "kind and innocent." She remained there, kneeled in front of me, so I returned my gaze back to her. "You're the customer, so. . ." I trailed off, waiting for her to leave.
"I don't mind helping." Her melodic voice replied as she slightly tilted her head and smiled gingerly. Who was this girl? I guess in the end it didn't really matter, I just let her help me clean the floor, anyway. She stayed silent, and seemed a bit nervous. Just as I thought. She was scared.
"Thanks," I turned and brought the rags to the sink just as Kiba came out from the back room.
"Did you deliver the Frappuccinos?"
"...I dropped them." I quietly growled, avoiding his look.
Anxiously, he said, "O-okay, I'll make some more and I can just take it to them myself."
I glanced over at the girl again, who was sitting in the same spot as yesterday, working on homework for school most likely. She seemed unfazed, leaving me confused. I didn't get why she willingly helped me like that. No one's ever done anything like that to me before. I shook those thoughts from my head so I could continue my job at the cash register. Around 6:30, it was already dark and I told Kiba that I was leaving, proceeding to the doors. He gave an "okay" as I left.
The orange streetlights glowed above me as I made my way down the sidewalk. The old brick buildings I walked by were dark and lifeless. The biting cold caused me to shiver; I only had my light gray hoodie. I really need to get a thick jacket. I thought, putting my freezing hands in my pockets. The only sound was the soft tap of my shoes on the pavement. The sky was clear, and while looking up at the stars, I wondered what it would be like to live in the sky, free, without any worries.
Too bad I wasn't living in the sky… At school, the next day, I found myself on the way to the principal's office with a guy named Sasuke. So what, if I punched him in the face for dumping his soda in my backpack? It was his fault. We glared at each other while walking down the hallway, a teacher behind us, making sure we didn't get into another fight. He had tissues stuffed in his nostrils and I carried my sugary, soda-soaked bag.
"Here they are, Principal Tsunade." The teacher had called the office and told her everything. This is exactly what I need right now. I couldn't fathom why the world decided to put me in this situation with all the shit I was already experiencing.
Principal Tsunade sat in her large chair and seemed to be looking into our souls over her desk. Her office was small which only made it more uncomfortable. "Come in, you two." Her voice was stern as she motioned to the seats across from her. "So, do you want to tell me what happened?" She already knew, so why bother asking?
Sasuke was the first to speak, "I accidently spilled my soda on this guy's bag, and he punched me!" Lies. He most definitely did it on purpose. I remembered that smirk as he tilted the soda over my stuff. Sasuke - the popular guy - was so confident that he could get away with messing with the school's freak unscathed. I had no problem punching him in front of all those girls who idolized him. I hoped it embarrassed him.
Tsunade began to lecture me. "Gaara, you need to think before you act. Did it not occur to you that it may have been an accident? And punching other students is not the answer to-"
"The asshole did it on purpose. Now my stuff is ruined and is going to attract ants, dammit." Obviously not what the principal wanted to hear.
So it turned out that both Sasuke and I were given gym clean-up duty. That means washing sweaty towels and putting away basketballs . . . with him. We walked out of the principal's office and I gave Sasuke a piercing look that said, "I'm going to kill you." When we went through the gym doors, we were met with a large, bright room with basketball baskets and shiny, wood floors, like any ordinary gym. My head turned and I totally did not expect to see that girl from the café. She had already started sweeping the balcony. So she did go to this school. Sasuke also noticed her.
"Hinata? What are you doing here?" he asked. So that's her name. Apparently she's friends with this asshole.
She jumped with a squeak, because she had not seen us come in. Her face flushed and her posture shrunk.
"U-um, Ino asked me to take her place for clean-up duty th-this week." There was the familiar, gentle voice from the day before. Then she looked at me in shock. "You're the guy from the cafe. I-I didn't know you went to school, here. . ." I could hear the apologetic tone in her voice. Sasuke turned to me with a look of dismay and his eyes suddenly became even colder.
Hinata fidgeted with her fingers looking at the ground as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. She seemed to have quite the shy personality. "So… why are you guys here?" The two of us made a 'hmph' noise and looked away from each other after the reminder of what had happened earlier. It was this idiot who got us into this mess. The thought of having to get a new backpack made me angry. That means money from my paycheck... that asshole. I started picking up basketballs, Sasuke went to the gym closet to get the basket, and Hinata went back to sweeping. It was just the three of us cleaning in that giant gym. All was silent.
After we were finished, Sasuke said goodbye to Hinata, gave me one more deathly glare, and left. Hinata grabbed her backpack that was leaning against the wall and then walked toward me, timidly. What is with her? Is she afraid of me or not? Once she approached me, she looked at her feet and played with her fingers again. She was really small, compared to me. I would say she barely made it to my shoulder. What could a girl like this want from me?
"Y-you're going to the café now, right?" I nodded, impassively. "Do… do you want to walk with me?" This unexpected question hit me in the face.
After recovering from this blow, I asked, "What?" even though I heard her clearly.
She repeated a bit more hesitantly, "Do you . . . want to walk with me?" Light pink painted her cheeks and she avoided eye contact.
I can't trust this girl. This has happened before... It didn't matter how sweet she seemed. That's what people do when they want to get close to you - they tell you what you want to hear. But you can never truly know a person based on how they appear on the outside...
"You want to walk with me… why?" I asked in my usual flat tone.
Her expression was full of surprise, then she spoke again, "Don't you think it's better to walk with someone than to walk alone?"
"Not really." I replied.
"Oh… well I'm going that way, anyway. So, is it okay if I walk with you?" My brows furrowed in confusion. Is this some sort of bet? Is she mocking me? "We don't have to talk," she added as if she could sense my unease.
After a long pause, I gave in. "...fine."
As long as I keep my distance… I'll be fine. I can't let myself believe she's actually doing this out of the kindness of her heart. That's never the case for me. And it doesn't help knowing that she's friends with Sasuke.
Before we left the school, I had to go to my locker, and when I opened it I remembered that my backpack was soggy with soda. I took all of my soaked things out and threw the bag in the nearest trash bin.
"W-what happened?"
I turned to see a concerned expression plastered on Hinata's face.
Don't pretend to care.
"Uh. . . nothing important."
". . . oh," And with that, we left the building.
"Oh! I forgot to introduce myself, I'm sorry! M-my name's Hinata Hyuuga. W-what's yours?" Now she wants to know my name, huh? I'm sure she already knows. I'm the talk of the school.
Hinata looked nervous, her face tinted pink and her hands fidgeting. I wondered why she was talking to me if she was so uncomfortable around me.
"Gaara Sabaku."
Staring straight ahead of me as I walked, I imagined what her face probably looked like at that moment, but I didn't turn to see it. I got ready for her to run away or something.
"Nice to meet you,"
Trust isn't an easy thing to gain when someone's been hurt so many times…
Gaara thinks everyone is this way, but maybe Hinata will prove him wrong :)
Edit: I changed the wording, added depth, and made it flow better. Some of the dialogue has been changed but the overall story is the same as it was.
