Sakura Haruno set her luggage down in the entranceway of her dorm room 301 and looked around. The room was exactly as she, Temari, and Tenten had left it—except for the lack of empty Smirnoff bottles, ash filled ash trays, and the sound of laughter. Last fall, because they'd only been sophomores, Sakura and her two best friends Temari and Tenten, had been assigned the best room in the whole dorm. It had nice beds and light red carpeting. It had casement windows over looking the Hudson River and it was close to the trellis (good for sneaking out). Tenten hadn't arrived back at school yet, and Temari had been expelled at the end of the school year. They had gotten caught drunk and sneaking back in their room around 1:00 am. They had been called into the headmaster's separately—first Temari, then Sakura, then Tenten—but the only one who got in trouble was Temari.

Sakura caught a glimpse of herself in the big standing mirror, by the white oak bureau and straightened her blue flowered Jill Scott shell top and short white Tocca skirt. She'd lost a few pounds over the summer and wore her Chanel shades, because her eyes were red and baggy, from stress. She had also gotten freckly and a little too thin. Her long pink hair was stressed and loose and her emerald eyes were surrounded by red puffiness. She shrugged her shoulders and began to unpack her things.

All this summer, she and her friends had not talked. Her summer had been a disaster. Following the Yamanaka way of partying Temari and Sakura also had been published and embarrassed. First, there'd been the article of her in Starz magazine. She was at Club Compound, dancing on a table holding a vanilla martini in her hand. First it started off with "is this acceptable behavior for the mayor's daughter?" and then followed by "imitating Ino Yamanaka's crazy ways." She had been sort of jealous that she was being called a follower, but she soon had consequences to face: like getting her credit card get cut in half and having the liquor cabinet locked. Due to that Sakura flew to her family's villa in Barcelona. Her father, the mayor of Pennsylvania reinstated her credit card and opened back the liquor cabinet. She hoped that spending time alone on the estate would be the perfect back drop for a romantic getaway with her boyfriend, Sasuke Uchiha.

"Hey," said a gravelly voice behind her.

She wheeled around. Sasuke. There he was; six feet tall, slender but muscular, standing in her doorway.

"Oh, hey." She felt her cheeks turn pink.

"So how are you?" he asked, scratching the wall with his thumb, not even looking at her. His gelled blue black hair had grown and reached down his neck. His eyes looked so gorgeous and deep, with his creamy white skin. He could make any girl drool.

The last time she had seen or spoken to Sasuke was when she had dropped him off at the Barcelona airport. They hadn't even kissed goodbye and they didn't even really talk the last day of his visit.

"Fine," she replied cross. "How did you get in here? Did Kurenai see you?" Her dorm mistress, Kurenai Yuhi, was really strict about allowing boys in the girls' dorm except during "visitation," which was only for an hour between sports practice and dinner.

"You look too skinny," he said emotionless, ignoring her questions.

She frowned. "Do you want to get in trouble on the first day of school?"

"Your boobs are going away," he continued.

"God didn't seem like you noticed anything," she muttered in annoyance. The truth was, she hadn't been hungry all summer—not even for Barcelona-style paella, her favorite. She was too stressed and nervous to do anything. The last few weeks in Spain she'd spent on the couch, looking like an unstructed slob, wearing her slightly ragged white and blue stripped Dior bikini with a long light blue beach scarf tied around her waist. She was The Simple Life for hours and hours.

"Why are you here so early?"

Sasuke was usually fashionably late to Leaf check-in—with his best friend Shikamaru Nara.

"Shikamaru's coming next week, so there's no reason for me to be late."

He looked at her. They'd been together since last fall, but he had a hard time getting psyched to see her back at school after his parents received an angry note from Headmistress Tsunade saying she'd be watching Sasuke carefully. Apparently there were rules to uphold, and just because he was a legacy didn't mean he could bend those rules. His Grandfather, father, uncles, and aunts had all attended Breckwidge. It had been an Uchiha tradition to donate money to the school or build a wing. After all the Uchiha's owned one of the most prospering business. So instead of heading up to school a week late with Shikamaru, Sasuke had flown from the Hamptons to Rhinecliff with leather reclining seats and unlimited champagne. Sounds great right? Except it wasn't what he had in mind.

Sasuke actually fantasized about getting kicked out of Breckwidge—until he remembered his father's bargain. If Sasuke graduated from leaf, he could take a postgraduate year in Paris. His father even had a nig apartment in the Latin Quarter all ready for Sasuke's year abroad. Paris—how cool would that be? He'd drink absinthe, paint street scenes from his bedroom window, and ride along the Seine on an ancient, rickety Peugeot bike, a Gauloise hanging from his mouth. He could smoke his brains out and no one would give him shit for it!

"You going to the party at your dorm's lounge tonight?" Sakura asked/

Sasuke shrugged. "Not Sure." He stood just inside the door frame.

Sakura pulled a foot out of her pointy-toed Burberry loafer and rolled her ballerina-pink painted toes against the floor. A horrible feeling of dread washed over her. Why wouldn't Sasuke want to go to the first party of the year? Everybody went to the first party of the year. Was he seeing someone else? Someone he wanted to be alone with on the first night of school?

"Well, I'm going," she said quickly crossing her arms.

Neither one made a move towards each other. But with his mussed hair, broad shoulders, and deep onyx eyes, Sasuke looked irresistible. Sakura was dying to lick him from head to toe like she used to.

"Did you enjoy your summer?" she squeaked, trying to sound as indifferent as possible.

"I guess. The Hamptons was boring as usual." He pulled a toothpick from behind his ear and placed it between his slightly chapped lips

Sakura leaned against her antique white-painted wood bed frame. His visit to Spain had been tainted from the start. Sasuke been terse and gruff and had headed straight to the bar. Then when he reached the Haruno estate he passed out on the couch and didn't wake up until the next day.

Sakura tilted her hips forward and pressed her index finger on her lips.

"Well, that's nice," she responded finally. She wished she could wrap her arms around him and kiss him down to her bed, where they would have sex for the 5th time. But he hadn't even hugged her hello.

"Mr. Uchiha!" crowed Kurenai. "Do I have to report you already?!"

Sasuke turned to face her. "I'm sorry," he apologized, dazedly pressing his hand to his head, as if he had amnesia. "I haven't been here in so long, and like, I forgot which dorm I was in." He turned to face Sakura, he stared her right in the eyes. She felt tense.

"See you later?" She mouthed.

He nodded ever so slightly.

"Stables?" she whispered.

"Tomorrow?" he mouthed back.

"Why not tonight?" Sakura wanted to as. But she didn't.

"Mr. Uchiha!" Kurenai practically spat, gripping the cuff of his shirt. Her face was serious.

"Okay." He replied easily. "I said I was leaving."

Kurenai shook her head and ushered him down the hall.

Sakura turned and stared out the window. The abandoned stables were where they used to go last year to fool around or have sex. Only a few students kept horses at school, so several of the stalls were empty. She hated that she had to suggest they go meet there and not the other way around.

Droves of freshman lumbered up the girls' dorm called "Grench" steps, carrying way to much luggage. Sakura noticed how overwhelmed the girls seemed. She could relate. There were so many things about boarding school that you couldn't plan for. They'd soon discover they didn't need half their shit and that they had forgotten the really important stuff—like empty shampoo bottles to hide vodka in. she watched the throng of freshman girls part as Sasuke strolled down the Grench steps, nodding to the new, innocent faces. God, it was hard dating such a flirt.

She put her head in her hands. It was obvious what had gone wrong in Spain. The last night they'd spent together, she'd admitted something to Sasuke that was so big and scary to say/ and what had been the answer? Nothing, silence; just the sound of John Mayer playing. Sakura sighed. They'd have to talk about it tomorrow, although she hoped they'd be doing a lot more than just talking.