A spin on the SSmonth 2017 Day 20 "Déjà vu" Prompt
Flirting With Death
3. Ancient History
Sakura was one of those kids that was friends with everyone in high school. She didn't pick fights (except with Ino, who she only fought with the way best friends fight), she didn't speak badly about anyone, and she was always willing to help a friend in need.
Consequently, she had a wide range of friends from the archetypal popular kids to their antithesis, and everywhere in between. Right now, she was thinking of her handful of friends that dressed in shades of black and declared a fascination with death, and what they would say if she told them that Death could be a huge dork.
Especially when she was trying to study.
Sakura put down her book and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Please tell me you aren't going to sit there all night."
She spun in her swivel chair, glaring at him, but he didn't look up from her history text book. He was a ridiculously incongruous figure on her cheery bedspread, propped up against her headboard with multiple pillows, his long legs crossed at the ankles
"This is inaccurate," he turned another page, ignoring her question. "That isn't how any of this happened. For starters, Gengis Khan -"
"Will you give me that," she snatched her history book away.
"Just trying to help," he shrugged.
"Yeah, well, they are going to test me with what is written in here," she waved the book back and forth in irritation, "not what some incarnation of death told me the night before a big exam and don't!" – she held up a finger imperiously – "because I can't afford to be confused right now."
"Fine," he shrugged again. "Regurgitate their nonsense ad nauseum. Little good it will do you."
"It does me plenty of good," she put the book to the side and returned to her open notes. "It gets me excellent grades which secures my scholarships which means I can go to University and Med School."
"All on the backs of misrepresented history."
"Look," she swiveled around, jabbing her finger on the battered cover of the history book. "If this book says that Genghis Kahn wore a tutu into battle, passed out peanut brittle, and shook hands with Elvis, it's going in my notes and on the test, and anywhere else I need to put it to ace this class."
"Well, suit yourself," he reached for another book.
"Sasuke," she warned.
"Mathematics," he opened the book and scanned the first few pages. "I have nothing to rewrite here."
"Thank goodness," she muttered, and turned back to her notes, memorizing the origins and insertions of muscles.
"Mmm, that Eratostenes always was clever," he murmured, turning a page. "Obelisks and shadows, yes, yes…"
Sakura's eyebrow twitched, and she took a deep steadying breath.
"It's just math. How much can he tell me about math? He will read and be quiet and I can study, and-"
"The ancient Greeks were crazy about this stuff," he tapped the page. "Did you know…"
Sakura let her head thunk on her desk with a groan.
I thought about repurposing the quotation from 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' that described how he was liked by all demographics in his school... but it is just to iconic to alter. For your nostalgic pleasure:
"Oh, he's very popular Ed. The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, waistoids, dweebies, dickheads-they all adore him. They think he's a righteous dude."
I don't think Sakura ever led a parade through Konoha or tried to undo the mileage on Inoichi's sports car by putting it in reverse, but I suspect she was still pretty universally liked. ;) And how many of you babies aren't even old enough to have seen this in re-runs? In fairness, I was not old enough to see it when it came out... but I was alive.
With love, friends. Always with love.
- GL
