-Revenge is Sweeter than You Ever Were-
Disclaimer: I don't own any recognizable content.
-Chapter Six-
-Extra-curriculars-
So far, the girls had spread rumours about me in order to increase my reputation, without my knowledge. They'd changed my look and my entire wardrobe without my permission. I really hop they eventually fill me in on this plan.
I was awoken at a god-awful hour that morning. Normally, I turned my phone off so that if anyone wanted to text me I wouldn't be disturbed, though no one had ever texted me in the middle of the night before.
The one time I forget to flip that little switch!
Slowly, I rolled over to my bedside table, without lifting my head from the pillow or turning on my light, I reached out and began groping for the offending device. It took a couple of misplaced swats, but I eventually landed on the thin rectangular device.
'Hey girl!' the text read. Tenten, ever the go-getter had decided to text me at a quarter to six. 'Rush week starts tomorrow. It's the time of year when all clubs/ activities/ extracurriculars open themselves up to new recruits. If you want to increase your rep you'll def need to sign up for some. Meet me in the plaza at 8:00 sharp today. We'll pick some good ones!'
I had to read the text twice before my sleep-addled brain was able to retain and comprehend the words. Then, I flung my phone down and fell back asleep. I still had twenty minutes before my alarm went off and I was going to get every minute and second I could.
Well, at least they're telling me the plan before it was already in place.
I trudged into school at 7:59 am. My mood was definitely not cheery; I'd snapped at my mother for slurping her coffee too loudly. I was not a morning person on a good day, but being rudely awoken much too early and made to show up at school a full half hour before I normally would have, had turned me into a snarling beast.
Look out ye who cross the rabid beast that is my sleep- and caffeine- deprived self.
Tenten was standing in the plaza looking far too awake for my liking. Her only saving grace was the large, steaming cup of coffee she held out for me. In order to get to the school on time, I'd had to forgo my usual Starbucks stop and I was definitely feeling my lack of caffeine. There had been coffee at home, but it was not fit for consumption by anyone but my mom.
I greedily took the proffered coffee and downed the first few sips in several seconds. I definitely burnt my tongue, but as the caffeine entered my system, I didn't care.
Once I had coffee in me, I turned to Tenten awaiting instructions. I was a little surprised to see a chipper Hinata standing beside the brunette, not simply because I hadn't noticed her presence previously. I had thought it would just be Tenten and I going through the booth fair. The four of us tended to not interact at school to keep any possible suspicion at bay.
Tenten, seeing my confused expression, jumped in to explain. "Hinata decided to join us today. She was a little worried that I'd end up signing you up for far too many academic clubs and ruin our plan to grow your reputation. I told her not to worry, but Ino stuck her nose in and I was out-voted."
Wait? These girls vote on things? Why did I not know this? Stop keeping me in the dark!
"Out-voted?" I asked, tired of being left out of the decision-making process. Tenten brushed off my concern.
"It's just a figure of speech. We didn't actually hold a vote."
Sure. I totally believe you.
After the passing of an awkward moment or two, the three of us headed off into the atrium and the plethora of booths representing the myriad clubs offered at the school. It was all a little overwhelming. I'd never been a joiner and avoided such things as a club fair. For once in our strange little whatever it was, I was glad to be drug around and not have to think for myself. I wholeheartedly accepted the aid of Tenten and Hinata.
"Okay, so thinking of clubs that would help your reputation, Ino has strongly suggested *cough* demanded *cough* that we sign you up for cheerleading." Tenten spoke, focusing on the booth surrounded by bouncing, perky girls.
"It makes sense," Hinata piped in, always the mediator, "the cheerleaders are at every basketball and football game so Sakura will get a lot of face time with Sasuke. Plus, there is always the old cliché of cheerleader and athlete." Tenten begrudgingly agreed and, grumbling under her breath, walked towards the booth.
"Hello. Sakura here would like to try out for cheerleading," Tenten spoke, her tone extremely sugary. She was talking to Ino who, as cheer captain, was responsible for manning the booth. It made Tenten's behaviour a little less suspicious, but I was still on edge. The last thing I needed at that moment was more unwanted attention.
Ino shot Tenten a glare. There was clearly a lot of animosity between the two. However, the glare was only on Ino's face for the briefest of moments before it was replaced with a plastic grin. She quickly whipped her head from Tenten to me and I felt a strange urge to smile back, even though her smile was clearly fake.
"That's fantastic? All Sakura needs to do is fill out our recruitment sheet and show up for tryouts on Friday afternoon after last bell." Ino then handed me a clipboard that I filled out. All the while, she was smiling creepily at me.
Okay, Ino. Turn down the crazy. It's starting to show and it's definitely not a good look on you.
It felt like we walked through the club fair for over an hour, but it couldn't have been more than thirty minutes. Tenten walked with a determination I'd only ever seen on like generals or dictators. She had a plan about how she wanted to through everything and it was absolutely going to happen even if it killed us all. Finally, when the first bell of the day rang, Tenten let us go off on our day.
I'm not going to make it through the rest of the day. This morning was exhausting and draining enough!
Luckily, I hadn't been overwhelmed with clubs and extra-curriculars. The girls had done a really good job of pairing it all down to a few select clubs that they thought would make the greatest impact on my relationship potential with Sasuke. Aside from cheerleading, I was also signed up for a cooking club with Hinata. Apparently, those in the club would be serving the members of the various sports teams when they practiced late or had home games. Being in the club would put me in a lot of contact with Sasuke and, as the saying goes; the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.
As well, Tenten insisted I join the lacrosse team with her. Apparently, Sasuke had a thing for lacrosse players, or so Tenten was leading me to believe. I was a little sceptical, but it seemed that part of the role I was to play in this whole scheme was as a puppet or rag doll. I needed to do what the others asked of me I order to ensure our success.
However, in a small act of rebellion, and in an attempt to maintain some of my autonomy, I also signed up for an activity completely for myself. I'd always been fascinated by photography and how to take absolutely spectacular photos. So, when I saw the club, filled with this strange confidence that I seemed to gain from the girls, I confidently strode up to the table on my own.
"Sign the sheet and fill out your information. All equipment will be provided to you, but if you have your own camera or lenses you can bring them. Have you taken a lot of photos?" the chipper girl at the table spoke. Unlike a lot of the other people I'd encountered that day, this girl surprisingly didn't annoy me.
"No, pretty new to this. Is that okay?" I asked, a little hesitant. What if this was a club for only expert photographers and I had just ruined my chances? The girl just smiled warmly at me.
"Not at all. Everyone's at a different skill level. I'm Temari by the way." I introduced myself and then turned my attention to filling out the form in my hand.
"Got any more spots, beautiful?" a silky male voice asked over my shoulder. Despite my newness to the school and its inhabitants, I recognized the voice immediately.
"I didn't think you'd be interested in taking photos of other things, Uchiha. You seem like a self-absorbed selfie person to me," Temari spat. It was strange to hear such dislike directed at the king of the school. Despite the fact that I was actively trying to begin a relationship with the boy, I couldn't help but smile.
Yass girl! Don't be enthralled by a person just because the whole school reveres him!
"Something rather striking caught my eye and I wanted to learn the best way to capture it," Sasuke responded. His voice was deep and husky. It sounded extremely alluring and I had to really fight against my desire to fling myself at the boy. Aside from the extremely sexy quality of his voice, I also felt like jumping his bones because I couldn't help but think that I was the striking thing he was talking about.
It all combined to make him extremely irresistible, but I tried my best. I focused on my form, not even really acknowledging his presence. I was supposed to be playing hard to get and following through on my desires would not fall under that umbrella.
When I was done, I thanked Temari and then turned on my heel. Thankfully, for the first time in my life, I moved coolly through the crowd of people and back to a beaming Tenten and Hinata. They had obviously seen my interaction with Sasuke and were proud with how I dealt with it.
Maybe this whole getting Sasuke to fall for my thing won't be all that hard. I just hoped I don't get drawn in in the process.
To be continued
