DISCLAIMER:
Naruto is copyrighted to the creator, Masashi Kimimoto. This story is purely fan-made and is in no way associated with the anime company or the artist who created it.
Yeah, sorry it's so short, but that's the way life goes.
"Uh, Gaara." I answer, slightly dazed.
"Okay Gaara, so what are we doing today?" I then launched into a basic explanation of today's assignment. Soon after, we were finished, long before anyone else.
"So," he began, obviously uncomfortable with silence. "Why were you staring at me earlier?"
My jaw tightened. So he had seen me staring… damn.
"Oh!" I chuckled, attempting to laugh it off. "I was trying to place a name with your face, you know, see if I recognized you."
He blinked, obviously confused. "But… I'm new. You wouldn't know my name."
"I know that now," I reminded him sternly. "But I didn't know that then. I thought maybe you were just a student I hadn't noticed before."
"Oh." He let it drop, but I could tell there was something he hadn't said.
Before long, the teacher came by to check out work, (which was of course, correct) and complimented us.
"You two make great partners." He commented. I flushed bright red and lifted my hand, running it through my hair, hoping to shield my face.
Other students were slowly finishing their projects too, and the room was soon filled with chatter. Mr. Aburame cleared his throat, instantly silencing the young freshmen.
"Alright, homework for tonight. Read chapters 1-3 of 'Legends of the First Hokage' and tomorrow, we'll discuss sources and their credibility." A loud bell cut him off, sending students rushing off in all directions.
As I was putting my things in my bag, expecting to be the last one to leave (as usual), I heard the shuffling of feet behind me. Startled, I looked up to see… Naruto. He was smiling down at me, and I sat there, staring at him like a moron. His look became puzzled, and I'm sure he was wondering why I was staring at him… again. I forced myself back to reality.
"Uh, yes, Naruto? What is it?" He blinked and his smile returned. I was confused still, though. Why was this guy here?
"Oh, I wanted to know which lunch you have." He smiled eagerly, and I had to wonder, why did he care? He doesn't… want to be friends with me, does he? There's no way... I thought stubbornly. It didn't matter either way, and I knew that. I would never let him into my life anyways. But since there were only 2 lunch periods, it wouldn't do much good to lie since he would just find out on his own anyways.
"2nd." I replied, keeping my expression blank and my tone concealing. "Here, let me see your schedule." I replied warmly, extending a hand to reach for the paper he held in his. He handed it over gladly, and our hands brushed lightly. I doubt he noticed, but I did. I was not used to human contact, accidental or not, and I shivered involuntarily. But something deep inside me told me that if it had been anyone else, it would not have made me shiver. Only Naruto…
I compared the two schedules.
Gaara...x...x...x...x...x...x...x...x...x...x...x...x...Naruto
1) Mr. Shibi Aburame – History...x...x...x...x..Mr. Shibi Aburame – History
2) Mr. Kakashi Hatake – Health...x...x...x...x.Mr. Iruka Umino – Science
3) Mr. Might Guy – Writing...x...x...x...x...x...Mr. Kakashi Hatake – Health
4) LUNCH...x...x...x...x...x...x...x...x...x...x...LUNCH
5) Mr. Hayate Gekko – Core Math 2...x...x..Mrs. Kurenai Yuhi – Core Math 1
6) Mrs. Anko Mitarashi – Counseling...x...x..Mrs. Anko Mitarashi – Counseling
7) Mr. Iruka Umino – Science...x...x...x...x...Mr. Asuma Sarutobi – Literature
"Looks like we have 1st, lunch, and 6th together. Wait, you're in counseling?" I looked up, surprised. This boy seemed so, normal, so average. Maybe he was not all that he appeared to be.
"Oh, yeah. Anyways," I noted that he seemed desperate to change the subject, and let it drop without argument. "See you at lunch." And he dashed off to his next class; Science with Iruka. Iruka always liked students to be on time, and sometimes came down very hard on those who were late. The exact opposite of my 2nd period teacher, Kakashi, the copy ninja himself. I could take as long as I wanted to get to his class; he was almost always 5 minutes late, if not ten. But, Mr. Aburame did have a 2nd period class waiting, so I obviously had to be out before the final bell or Mr. Aburame would write me up.
I had finally collected my books and left the class, taking my sweet-ol-time getting to Kakashi's room. It was a quiet walk, (the late bell had rung, and the halls were empty) and I allowed my thoughts to wander. And when they were finally set free, they immediately drifted to a certain blonde ninja.
I wondered if he had made it to class on time, and I wondered what Mr. Iruka was preaching about this time. Also, I thought about where he might sit, and if he had found anyone to sit by him. I found myself worried. Worried that he might find someone else to sit by, and then forget about me at lunch. I immediately banished the thought, reminding myself that trusting people led to nothing but disaster, and I had had enough of that for one lifetime. So it was with a heavy heart that I reached Mr. Hatake's room, still thinking about that one person who had shown an interest in my friendship. Why am I torturing myself like this? I asked myself over and over again. He and I could never be friends. Not because of him, or anything he's done, but because of my own damn fear. Fear of being hurt, fear of being thrown aside, fear of being… unwanted. Rejecting people was my little way of saying, "I'll hurt you before you hurt me. I win." But as I suddenly saw how much it really hurt me to have to push everyone away, I had to ask, "What am I really winning?" I froze, in the middle of the hallway, as I suddenly realized: I wasn't winning anything.
I was loosing everything.
Okay, I hope you liked it. I know, my stories move really slowly... but that's the way I am, sorry. When I try to make things go faster... it gets really bad.
Anyways, please review. Compliment if you liked it, criticize if you hated it, or just drop in to say, "Hey, I'm still out here and I'm still reading." Why? Because it makes me happy.
Much Love, Suna.Tenma
(PS) Sorry for the horrible schedule setup, but the site kept editing my typing so that the words bunched together. That x and dot pattern was the only thing I could get to work! Sorry!!!
