I woke up the next morning feeling shittier than usual. Not that I was a morning person to begin with, but still. After stretching my sore limbs lazily, I finally got up to get ready for class. I was already 25 minutes late give or take, but I couldn't afford to be absent. Skipping a shower and brushing my teeth as fast as possible, I rushed out the door to Chemistry. I figured that if I took any longer Hinata would begin to worry.

I crept into class quietly. My instructor paying little mind to me as I rushed into my seat next to Hinata. I offered her a small wave before pulling out my notebook almost immediately. I felt her gaze remain fixed on me; probably wondering where I had been to be so late. Or maybe it was something else completely, but either way she eventually lost interest and turned back to the lecture.

I tried to pay attention, really I did, but nevertheless my thoughts were consumed of things that I wasn't particularly fond of. I was going to have to ask Hinata for her notes again, but not because of sleeping, no I was too busy replaying the conversation with Sakura over and over again in my head. It definitely didn't help that my next class was with her. I was dreading the thought of having to be within 20 feet of her for longer than 10 minutes. Class seemed to drag on, but it ended finally, and before I could get away, Hinata grabbed me. As if knowing exactly what I was trying to do.

"Naruto," she voiced, her tone suspiciously sympathetic. Maybe she did know.

"Hm?" I asked, reluctantly following her out of the classroom. I couldn't be rude to the sweet and shy Hinata, regardless of how badly I wanted to run and hide in the library until Art started.

"What's wrong?" She inquired knowingly. I figured that she had probably heard about the fight by now. Especially with how close our circle of friends were, and how much the girls liked to gossip. I shrugged at her anyways, not bothering to give her any insight and continued to walk forward. She stayed silent following me for a while, her pale orbs still trained on me as we went. After what seemed like hours, I presumed she decided I wasn't going to tell her what happened between Sakura and me. She said a quiet goodbye before heading off to god knows where.

Successfully shaking her off, I stalked in the direction of the library, a place that I had begun to find solace in as of late. It had nothing to do with the slight hope of seeing Sasuke every time I went there or anything. Well maybe a tiny bit, but after my last run in with him, I was beginning to lack anything that even resembled hope.

I walked through the doors, waving to the librarian and shooting her one of my best smiles, which she returned cheerfully at the sight of me. She and I had had quite a few conversations ever since I began coming here so often. It was almost ironic since I made fun of Sasuke for frequenting the library, but nonetheless I think she was really beginning to like me. At first I irritated her with how loud I was, but no one can resist the Uzumaki charm.

I was headed for the back tables when the sight of that god forsaken thread caught my eye. Stopping in my tracks I looked over to see Sasuke slumped down against the bookshelf in one of the aisles. For lack of better judgement, I walked over to him. Stepping over his legs and grabbing a random book off the shelf before sitting down next to him. He didn't bother looking up, but I didn't really expect him to.

I looked at the book I had picked out, Catcher in the Rye. I grimaced, realizing it was the book I was forced to read and annotate back when I was in high school. I couldn't forget just how much I disliked the book, it was stupid and boring. Sighing because I couldn't grab a different book, I flipped to the first page, determined to keep up the façade of just coming here to read, rather than stalk Sasuke. I read the first paragraph about 50 times before I couldn't stand it anymore. I looked over at Sasuke.

"Shouldn't you be in class right now?" I asked, remembering our last encounter vividly, and how he had walked into class to avoid me. I had trouble keeping my mouth shut, even when I knew that I really should.

He didn't even react though, instead ignoring me flawlessly. I shouldn't have expected anything different. I exhaled dramatically, turning to the next page in the book and pretending to read once again.

"I would say I'm surprised that it takes you 30 minutes to read one page, but I'm not," Sasuke drawled offhandedly. I looked over at him, the insult dull to my ears, because the excitement of him talking to me was taking precedence in that moment. He had yet to even lift his eyes from the novel in his hands. But thinking back on it, I don't think I've ever really seen him not reading. I bet he reads a book a day.

"Your insults are becoming too repetitive you know, I figured you'd have something better by now," I retorted, closing the book, and checking the time on my phone. He snorted, and looked over at me, I almost lost my resolve when I made eye contact with him. He was breath taking.

"They aren't insults," he replied ambiguously, shrugging as if it was socially acceptable to constantly point out how stupid you thought someone was. I rolled my eyes, and he looked down at the book that I was still holding, not yet ready to leave him if he was still willing to talk to me.

"I like that book," he added, standing up and shoving his hands into his pockets. I laughed, of course he did. I could smell the angst resonating from him, but before I could voice those thoughts I was watching his retreating back leave the library.

I sat there for a while longer, relishing in the fact that he actually talked to me. I was painfully aware of how sad that was, but it was progress right? I exhaled audibly, shoving the book back into its rightful place on the packed shelf. It was time to get through art.

I stormed into the noisy classroom a few minutes late. I was uncharacteristically not in the mood for my favorite subject. I was letting Sakura affect me way too much, because she was literally draining the joy from my life. I pulled out the chair at my station, noting that she was nowhere to be found, and I felt a small sense of relief. Maybe she wouldn't show up?

I pulled out my sketchbook and began drawing, nothing in particular, a lot of eyes and hands since those were my favorite things to draw, but I was upset when I noticed that the eyes had turned out way too similar to Sasuke's dark and alluring obsidian ones. I turned to the next page, trying to think of something else to sketch when the opening of the door caught my attention.

I saw Sakura and grimaced, I would have looked away but I was too entranced by the fact that the unfamiliar man holding the door open for her was connected to her by a single silvery strand. I raised an eyebrow and tried to figure out where I had seen him before. I couldn't be sure but I think he was Shikamaru's friend, someone he had brought to the dorm briefly.

Sakura thanked the man and he left, she trudged over to her seat next to me, avoiding eye contact, and ignoring my existence completely. I wasn't too bothered by it, I didn't really have anything to say to her. Well I mean I did. I had a lot to say actually, but she wasn't my friend anymore, and she didn't deserve to know that I knew who her soulmate was now. Not that she'd believe me either way. Because it wasn't her beloved Sasuke.

Sakura was truly so delusional. I was hoping that she would snap out of her ridiculous behavior soon before it was too late to fix our friendship. I didn't hate her, though I probably should, she was still a staple in my life, a constant, and no matter how stupid she was being I wasn't going to give up on her so easily. Besides what she "feels" for Sasuke isn't love. It's lust. Not that I ever even considered that my best friend could be so shallow, but I guess it's kind of in our human nature.

Noting that class was nearly over, and clearing my head of all thoughts pertaining to Sakura, I looked down at my sketchbook. Only to be met with a strikingly accurate portrait of Sasuke. I wasn't even aware of what I was doing, working on auto pilot. Under any other circumstances I would have been proud of the art that I had produced from just memory alone.

"That's beautiful Naruto. Someone you know?" My instructor inquired standing behind me.

"Yeah I guess," I said awkwardly, a blush staining my cheeks as I closed the book before Sakura could catch a glimpse of the drawing. She narrowed her eyes at me before turning back to her own work.