"I heard you made quarterback. Congratulations." Her words dripped sarcasm.
He sighed. "Come on. Outside." He started walking toward the door.
She considered just walking away, but she followed him, fists clenched.
"What could you possibly have to talk to me about?" She asked, trying to keep outright anger out of her voice. It was just barely hostile, right now.
"Why are you ignoring me?" He said in a low voice, more of a statement than a question.
She couldn't hold it back. "Well, It definitely has nothing to do with the way you just left all of us, three years ago, and dropped off the face of the earth."
"Are you still mad about that goodbye?" She couldn't tell what it was in voice.
Sakura laughed humorlessly. "Seriously? You think I care about what happened on the bus stop? I care about the fact that you left Naruto, me, all of your friends, just cut all of your ties. Without a second glance."
"I had no choice." Sasuke was still unnervingly emotionless. That hadn't changed.
"Really." She said, not bothering to phrase it as a question.
"Yes." Sasuke said. "You wouldn't understand."
Oh, really. Still going to treat me like that, is he? "Why don't you fucking try me, Sasuke, because I'm not the same idiot you left at that bus stop."
Sasuke blinked at her words, the first sign Sakura noticed that showed her words were having some effect on him.
"You still wouldn't understand it." Sasuke said, though something in his tone made Sakura think he was thinking about something.
Despite her careful control of her emotions, now she was getting angry. "Of course I wouldn't have understood what you were feeling. But you want to know something, Sasuke-kun?" Her use of his old childhood nickname lost all of its affection in her mocking voice. "When you left, I changed. I fucking grew up. Because little, whiny, naïve Sakura fucking died, that's how much it hurt. But I don't care. I'm glad. I wouldn't change it for anything, because now I can fucking stand myself."
There was a release of emotion that made her feel so good for a second. She had finally said it. She turned and started walking away.
"Sakura!" For once, Sasuke's voice was loud. She heard him walking fast to catch up with her. She didn't turn around. They were in the parking lot, her car wasn't far away.
She turned around. "You're back, and you think that automatically makes up for everything. I don't care if Naruto's forgiven you, he's always been too good for you. But I'm not like Naruto, I'm not like Kiba or Shikamaru or whoever else is fine with you now. I don't want you to apologize for anything, I don't want some fucking chase. I'm not expecting one, because you are Sasuke Uchiha, after all, and nothing matters to you except yourself. I just wanted an explanation, but now that I can't expect that, there's nothing left to say to each other."
Sakura kept walking. She was almost to her car.
"You don't know what happened, Sakura." Sasuke said from behind her, that familiar irritated tone in his voice.
"Of course I don't know what happened. I don't care anymore." That wasn't true, but Sakura's goal was to dig the knife as deep as she could. She didn't care if it was warranted or not, whether or not Sasuke had some miracle story that would make up for anything. "I don't care if you're friends with Naruto now, or whatever. But don't expect anything from me." She got in her car and started it. Sasuke was just standing there, eyes slightly narrowed, but he didn't attempt to make her stop. She drove away, leaving him standing in the parking lot.
When Sakura felt the tears coming down her cheeks as she drove, she was furious with herself.
"Come—ON!" Sakura threw her weight into her hand as it slammed into the punching bag. She felt a satisfying ache in her knuckles as she pulled off the black boxing glove. She was sweaty, tired, and aching, and it was the best feeling in the world. Only when she was punching things did she really feel normal.
"Done yet?" Sakura turned to see Ino sitting on one of the benches outside the ring, looking extremely bored.
"When did you get here?"
"Like a minute ago. I tried texting you after you didn't show up at practice. I even called your house." Ino watched her. "Then I realized you'd probably be here. When were you going to tell me?"
"Tell you what?" Sakura pulled off her other glove and let it drop on the floor.
"That you and Sasuke…talked."
"How did you know?"
"Naruto said something. He was annoyed because Sasuke was annoyed. Honestly, the two of them."
"Sasuke was annoyed?" Sakura took a sip from her water bottle. She hadn't seen Sasuke at school that day. She couldn't care less what he was feeling, she decided.
"Well, he's always annoyed, but he was more annoyed than usual, apparently. He left before practice." Ino looked at her. "Like another person I know."
"What about it?" Sakura snapped.
"What did you say to him? Because you're both clearly upset about it."
"I'm not upset about it. I told him everything he should've heard from Naruto. And more. That's it." She picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder.
"Well, good." Ino stood up when Sakura reached her. "But why did you skip practice?"
"I had to..."
"Hit some stuff?" Ino asked with a grin.
"Yeah."
"Forehead, I'm pretty sure you're the only person who skips cheerleading practice to go pound the living daylights out of a poor punching bag."
Sakura grinned. "Well, I'm very unique."
"Psh. Yeah, that's for sure."
"Enough with the sarcasm, Pig. You know it would take hours to list all of your weird fetishes."
"Ew, what are you talking about? If by weird fetishes you mean my love of makeup and espresso, that's completely uncalled for."
"I was more thinking along the lines of glitter and bubblegum toothpaste. And butts."
"Shut up. The bubblegum toothpaste thing stopped when we were like ten!"
"Sure it did."
They drove each other crazy, but Sakura didn't think she'd have been able to get through everything without Ino's humor (and their constant teasing of each other). No one understood her better than Ino.
"Come on, Pig," Sakura said. "Let's go get dinner."
"You want to?" Ino looked genuinely surprised.
"Yeah, just let me change first. I'm disgusting right now."
"Yes, you are."
Sakura showered quickly in the gym bathroom and changed back into her clothes from school. She squeezed her hair over the sink to get the worst of the water out. Then she rejoined Ino, who was examining her nails.
"Ready? Your hair's soaking wet."
Sakura waved a hand dismissively. "Doesn't matter. There's a breeze out, it'll dry." Normally she cared more, but right now she couldn't be bothered. Boxing had put her in a good mood.
"Whatever you say." Ino stood up. "Shall we?"
The two girls walked out to Ino's car.
"Where do you want to go?" Ino asked as they drove, Sakura letting the wind ruffle her hair through the open window.
"I don't care, you choose. Just not Ichiraku, the boys always go there on Fridays after practice."
"Hidden Leaf it is, then." Ino did a sketchy parallel parking job down the street from the Hidden Leaf Café, her favorite restaurant.
The restaurant was packed, but the girls managed to get a table in the back.
"Sakura! Ino!"
The two girls turned to see Tenten, a friend of theirs who had graduated the year before, coming up to their table.
"Tenten! What are you doing here?" Ino asked.
Tenten held up a little pad of paper with a sheepish smile. "I'm working here weekends. I want to transfer to Suna University next year, but I need the money first."
"Neji's at Suna, right?" Ino asked with a mischievous smile.
Tenten sighed exasperatedly but smiled. "Yeah, he is. That's not the only reason I'm going, though, they've got a great Criminology program there."
"You guys are…still together, right?" Sakura asked.
"Yeah, of course! He's doing some sociology courses right now, but I think he'll end up in private investigation or something."
"That would be cool. Seems like something he'd be good at." Sakura said.
"Yeah, I know." Tenten grinned. "He sees way too much."
Ino coughed dramatically.
"Do you see much of Lee?" Sakura asked, changing the subject and shooting Ino a glare before the blond could say anything suggestive.
Tenten rolled her eyes. "He always texts me wanting to know if I've seen you. I never see him, though, he's too busy overachieving in every class."
Sakura smiled. Lee was a classmate of Tenten and Neji who had had a crush on her since they were young. He had asked Sakura out when they were about twelve, and she had turned him down (gently). Honestly, back then he had creeped her out. A year later he had made a this ridiculous speech to her, saying it was alright if his love was always unrequited. They had been friends since then, though Lee was always too busy trying to be the best at everything for much else. He was also always trying to beat out Neji, one of his best friends, and there was universal agreement that Neji Hyuuga was one of the best athletes and students to come through Konoha Academy (but actually: Neji was naturally gifted at just about everything, except for maybe small talk).
"Of course he is. Well, tell him I say hi, if you ever see him."
"Yeah, sure. So how's the football team this year?"
"Well, obviously your boyfriend left a big hole," Ino said, "but we got a new quarterback."
"Oh, who?"
"Sasuke Uchiha." Ino said, with just the slightest glance toward Sakura.
"Sasuke? He came back?" Tenten's mouth was wide open in surprise.
"Yep. Came back Monday, was quarterback by Thursday."
"Well, he was always really athletic wasn't he? He was almost as good as Neji in middle school." Tenten said.
"And that says a lot." Ino quipped. "Neji is Mr. Perfect, after all."
"Oh, shut up, Ino." Sakura said.
"Is he still as…brooding…as he was?" Tenten asked. "I never knew him that well, but still."
Ino shrugged. "We haven't really talked to him."
Tenten frowned and was about to say something else when they were interrupted by a woman who looked to be in her early thirties in a waitress's apron, walking briskly toward them with a glare. "Tenten! We pay you to do your job, not talk to your friends!"
"Sorry, Suzume." Tenten said.
"Don't apologize. Take their orders." The woman said before turning around and marching away.
"Ouch." Ino said.
"Yeah, that's my boss for you." Tenten shrugged and then readied her pencil. "So what can I get you guys?"
"Caesar salad, to share. You okay with that, Forehead?"
"I'll have it with chicken," Sakura told Tenten. "I'm starving."
"She was boxing like a man all afternoon," Ino told Tenten.
"You mean she was boxing like a pro all afternoon?" Tenten said, at the same time Sakura hissed "Sexist pig."
"Hey, come on, Forehead. It's just jealousy. Except not really. I'm perfectly fine with cheerleading and track."
"Well, thanks for the support, anyway, Tenten." Sakura said, rolling her eyes. "See how supportive Ino is?"
"Oh come on. I'm a great friend." Ino said.
"Alright," Tenten was laughing. "I'm gonna go put your orders in. But if I come back to this table Suzume will probably fire me, so…See you guys soon?"
"Yeah, it was great seeing you, Tenten." Sakura said with a smile.
"You too. Don't get up to any trouble with the boys, either of you."
"I don't think you need to worry about me." Sakura said. "Ino's the one to worry about."
"Excuse me?" Ino fumed.
Tenten laughed. "Oh, I know. Alright, well, I'll see you both around." She turned and took their order back to the kitchen.
An hour later, Sakura and Ino left the restaurant and walked back to Ino's car in the darkening street.
"Want to stay over?" Ino asked.
"No, my dad's getting back tonight. He's probably expecting me to be home."
"Alright. See you tomorrow then? We have practice and you'd better not skip again."
"I'll be there, don't worry." Sakura said, rolling her eyes.
"Good. I can't handle the freshman without your presence. Shizune just yells, and that does absolutely nothing."
"You handled them fine when you were playing dictator."
"Yeah, but if I do that all the time I'll be kicked off the team for misusing my power."
"True. Well, now they know what to expect if they disobey us. And they're really not that bad when the football team's not around."
"Yeah, you're right."
Ino pulled into Sakura's driveway several minutes later. "See you. Call me if you wanna talk."
"Yep. See you tomorrow." Sakura got out and waved as Ino drove away, then walked up to the house that had lights on in the windows, meaning that, for once, one or both of her parents were home. And even if she wasn't very close to them, it gave her a slightly warmer feeling.
A/N: And I present the confrontation. Sorry, no storybook love confession for these two. Sakura's changed (in this and in the actual Naruto universe) and I don't think her taking Sasuke back that easily is believable (at all). I like the idea that Sasuke's the one who's going to have to prove himself to her over time (except this is Sasuke Uchiha we're talking about, so who knows what'll happen...).
As for the long conversation with Tenten: a lot of the fanfiction I've read kind of ignores Team Guy, so I wanted to bring them in a bit.
Anyway...Review! (or PM me, or whatever) I really want to hear feedback. Also thanks to everyone who's favorited/followed this story, I was honestly shocked that anyone even read it (and liked it?) in the first place. You guys are awesome :)