Miles
summary—I just need some time to figure out my life.
disclaimer—No!
first version; unedited.
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notes—Here's to the end of winter break. :|.
Holy. Shit.
Ino felt down the sides of (not) her body, noting the lack of flesh in rather necessary places. Sakura was probably a zero, B-cup, and a butt girl. Ino was at least a two, thirty-six C, and her butt wasn't the most amazing. It wasn't nonexistant, but it sure wasn't J-Lo's.
She turned on the sink, waiting for the water to get cold enough before splashing a nice amount on her face. If this was a dream, she needed to wake up—fast. When there wasn't any sudden flash back to her comfy bed, Ino hid out in a stall. The bell rung, students pouring out into the hallways like normal, and after five minutes, the tardy bell rung as well.
Deciding she was afraid of being alone, Ino wandered back into the hallway. The only other person there was a coach, looking plenty normal, which was something of a relief to Ino. She was just about to ask him for help when he turned to her and said, "Get to class, Haruno."
"Wait," Ino said. "I...I'm not Sakura Haruno."
The coach rolled his eyes. "The way you and your friends dress, it's easy to tell you apart from each other and the rest of the student body. Now get to class." he pulled out his radio, asking the office what Sakura's next class was supposed to be.
Ino was escorted to a classroom, where she stood awkwardly in the doorway. The teacher told her to sit down, and the blonde unsurely made her way to the only empty seat in the class. She sat and stared, having no backpack or notebooks while everyone else worked silently on an in-class assignment.
"Sakura?" the teacher asked. He had brown hair in a ponytail, with some kind of scar running across his nose. "Where are your things?"
"I...um, I don't know."
"This isn't like you." he remarked, writing down a hall pass. The yellow piece of paper was torn out, and handed to Ino. "Go get your things."
"Y-yes, sensei."
He smiled. "Remember, I told my class to call me Iruka, you included."
Ino nodded, walking out of the class. She ambled around the halls, wondering just where Sakura's locker was. She went to the office for help.
The secretary looked up from her computer. "Hello, how can I help you?"
"Can you tell me where S—my locker is?" Ino bit Sakura's lip.
The secretary rolled her eyes, typing away at the keyboard. "It's second semester and you don't know where your locker is?"
"Oh, I know where it is," Ino laughed nervously, waving it off with her hand. "I just...need my combination."
"Right." the older woman's nails clicked away on the computer. "Name, please?"
"Sakura Haruno."
"Okay. Locker D seventy-seven, combination one, sixteen, twenty-four." she told Ino, jotting it down on a piece of paper to hand her.
The teen went to where she knew the D lockers were, took out Sakura's notebook and shut the thing before the bell rang. It had taken so much time to get the locker number and combo that she had missed the class she was supposed to get the notebook for.
Someone tapped her shoulder. The blonde jumped a little, and saw Shizune, the school guidance counselor.
"Don't forget our appointment this period." she chirped.
"A-appointment?"
The brunette woman nodded. "I can't believe it's been a month already! I'm going to get some coffee, and then I'll see you in my office in five, alright?"
Yay, Ino thought. Another counselor.
Okay, if Ino was going to walk around as someone else, she could at least do it while looking good. She walked right back into the bathroom, washed every bit of Sakura's ridiculous liner off, and applied some shimmery brown eyeshadow that came from a compact she'd taken out of her own locker.
The blonde took the red bandanna out of her hair, instead pulling all of Sakura's hair (choppy, eye-obscuring bangs included) into a ballerina bun. Her forehead was kind of wide, but she looked prettier when you could see her eyes, rather than hiding behind all that hair like some kind of sheepdog. Good thing Ino had a purple scarf in her locker as well, because she wrapped it around Sakura's thin neck, creating the perfect accent to her gray-scale outfit.
As she sat in Shizune's office, Ino tried to wrap her head around what was going on. So far, she only remembered going to sleep in her own bed, then waking up in a class, as Sakura Haruno. Unfortunately, this was not a dream, which ed to some questions. If Ino was Sakura, then where was real Ino's body? Where was subconscious Sakura? Was she in Ino's body? Did she know this was going on? Or was she still herself, but in a different place?
Shizune flopped down into a chair. "So, how's your progress Sakura?"
"Fine?" Ino offered.
"Just fine?" Shizune's dark eyes regarded Ino curiously. "What have you done since our last session?" she asked.
"Uh...homework?"
"I'm glad to see you've pulled your hair away from your face and ears today, Sakura. Come closer." Shizune waved her nearer, and she inspected Sakura's ears and face. Her thin eyebrows rose as she came across something in Sakura's ear.
"A tragus and stretching? My, Sakura, you seem to be pushing it lately. Any fights you have been involved in lately?"
Ino's mouth dropped open. A tragus piercing? As in, that little tiny thing that sticks out in front of your ear canal? Talk about painful. And never, in a million years, would Ino dream about stretching her ear lobes. That was just gross. And then, as it turned out, Sakura was a fighter. Man, Ino knew she was weird, but apparently messed up too.
"I don't think so." the teen answered.
"I understand there was a confrontation between you and Ino Yamanaka the other day."
"Who told you that?"
"We don't have to worry about that now. What's important is that you stood up not only for yourself, but for someone else. I also heard that you used your words, and not your fists, to solve this problem. That's a very big step for you."
"Uh...I guess." Ino said.
The dark-haired woman placed her hand on Ino's knee comfortingly. "Sakura, it's perfectly okay for adolescents to crave attention, and I understand that that is very difficult for you to get with your family situation. The methods you have used in the past weren't the best, and it's good progress to see you begin to grow out of them, although I am concerned about your piercings."
Hm. So that's why Sakura looked the way she did; it was ploy for attention. What, mommy and daddy were too busy with what Ino was sure were older, more successful siblings to pay attention to poor Sakura? Typical.
"Remember, Sakura Haruno is the only one who can control Sakura Haruno, and it's up to her to make the right decisions, yes?"
Ino nodded in response. Shizune checked the clock hanging above the door to her office.
"Well, it's almost time for lunch, so I will be seeing you next month, okay Sakura? I am very pleased with your progress so far, although you weren't all too talkative. Why would that be, if you could tell me before you leave." the brunette inquired.
All Ino could do was shrug. Maybe the guidance counselor would take as a sign that she just wasn't feeling chatty today.
Shizune smiled. "All right then, have a good day!" she opened the door for Ino, and the blonde rushed out to the cafeteria. She hoped Sakura at least had some money in her account, Ino was starving.
After getting her tray of fries (Sakura was skinny enough to take the salt) and a strawberry smoothie, Ino looked around to where Sakura might sit. A smattering of black and neon hair at a table near some windows caught her eye. She made her way over there, and began to eat right after setting down her tray. None of the others seemed to pay attention to her anyhow, so hopefully she wouldn't have to worry about playing Saki during lunch.
One guy with straight white hair looked at her. "Who are—oh shit! It's Sakura. Damn, didn't recognize you w'all that prep makeup on ya'." he said, his lips pulling back in a smile.
"Oooh, someone's going Barbie!" remarked another guy, his face striped with purple.
A blonde girl sitting to the left of Ino nudged her. "You've got L'Oreal, 'cause you're worth it!" she winked one of her blue-green eyes.
Ino rolled her eyes. "Get bent," she muttered, digging back into her fries.
"What?" white-haired guy held up his hands. "You're the one trying it out."
Ino was definitely in no mood to handle this right now.
"So, in trying to apparently not conform, I still have to conform to you guys?" she pointed to them with one of her fries. "I can't look like them," she gestured to the popular table (her table) on the other side of the caf. "But I still have to look like you. Is that how your little 'individuality' scheme works? Conforming to the non-conformity?"
"God, Saks, you on the rag or somethin'?" he said.
"Lay off, Suigetsu." a redhead sitting a little bit separately from the others spoke. His eyes were a light sea-foam green and heavily lined, just like Sakura's had been. "Sakura's just saying what's up."
"Gaara's right." the blonde girl sipped her Coke. Her hand had Temari scrawled on it with green Sharpie. "Hey, anyone seen Juugo today?"
Suigetsu shook his head. "He told me he wasn't feeling good today and was gonna stay home. Good thing he didn't come, 'cause when he ain't in top condition, guy turns into a freakin' beast. Real scary shit, amirite?"
Everyone at the table laughed.
"Speaking of homes," the one with purple on his face said. "You guys wanna come over tonight? My mom finally lightened up and got Netflix."
"Ooh," the one Ino decided to call Temari replied. "Tell mom that I won't be home right after school today. Photography Club meets today."
"Okay, what about you Sakura?"
"Idiot, Saks works today, don'tcha remember?" Suigetsu slapped him on the arm.
Seriously? In addition to terrible hair, makeup, piercings and family problems, Sakura Haruno also seemed to have a job.
Just what Ino needed.
notes—Okay, there goes chapter 4 of Miles! Thank you guys for reviewing and favoriting/following last chapter, I really hope to see more of those this time around! Also, if y'all could please vote on my poll, that would be awesome :)
Thanks again! Love!