After we got settled into the beach house that was not much better on the inside, it was around 5 in the afternoon. Ino had collapsed in the bedroom that us three girls were sharing, and was currently snoring as loud as a chainsaw, and Sasuke and Sakura were going on walk on the beach. I was sitting on the splintery front steps reveling in the fact that I was finally at the beach. Behind me the screen door opened and slammed shut. Somebody jogged down the steps and stopped next to me.
"Want to get some groceries at the store with me?" Naruto asked.
"Sure," I said. Naruto took my hand and pulled me to my feet.
"Let's go."
Naruto and I walked into the grocery store and a cool blast of air conditioning hit us. We grabbed a shopping cart.
"Okay. Hinata! Ready to do some heavy duty provisions shopping?"
"Hell yes!" I pumped my fist in the air. That was a totally un-me-ish move but Naruto's enthusiasm was contagious. It spread like wild fire.
"Alright! Glad you're excited. Take a seat!"
"What?"
"Right there," He motioned to the shopping cart like duh, grown people sit in shopping cart EVERYDAY.
"I think I'm a bit too...big for that."
"Naw! You're petite! You know how little kids always sit in the cart and chill while their parent's shop? Now you can chill while I shop. It'll be fun!"
"This is absurd…" I mumbled as I climbed into the cart and sat cross-legged. The things I do for Naruto.
While Naruto pushed the cart around, I read off our grocery list. It was actually pretty fun. All the weird looks we got were totally worth it.
As we went about the store we began to chat about the University of Konoha and our future plans.
"Yeah, I'm actually graduating a year early. Saves some money. You didn't know I was doing that?" Naruto asked as he picked up a couple oranges.
"Truth be told, I hardly know a thing about you, Naruto." I took the bag of oranges that Naruto handed me. "It's kind of sad...I don't even know what you're majoring in. What are you majoring in?"
"Culinary arts."
"What!? No way."
"Yeah," Naruto smiled as he pushed the cart down isle seven. "I've got a really good job at the restaurant downtown in Konoha. I'm also studying business and that sort of stuff, cause I need to be good at that when I start my own restaurant."
I watched as he took the grocery list to try and decipher one of his scrawls. His blonde hair fell over his eyes. How had I not known about Naruto cooking? Of course I had never talked this much to him I guess.
"This is so cool. You're a chef."
"Yeah heh." He looked at me and looked back down at his grocery list. "It says fudgesicles."
"Oh my gosh. Well you're gonna have to cook for us this week." I said as I took the box of fudgesicles he was handing me.
"Sounds like a deal," he said as he grinned.
When we got back to our humble beach abode, the sun was beginning to hang low in the sky, and we quickly set about to making some quick grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. Before long we had a little AM/FM radio set up on the counter and the five of us were in the cramped kitchen eating our dinner. Somehow Naruto had turned a regular grilled cheese sandwich into something worthy of being served at a five star restaurant. Or maybe I'm just biased.
"Sakura and I found some bikes stored underneath the house," Ino said, "Along with the two bikes we brought with us (which are still in the bed of the truck) there's a perfect amount for us all to go pedaling about tomorrow."
"Well actually one has a bent tire, so somebody's going to be up a creek," Sakura shrugge her shoulders.
"Naruto can have that one," Sasuke said as he cracked open a can of beer.
"I don't like how you automatically give me the shitty bike, Sasuke. I find that offensive," Naruto said as he munched on some chips.
I had already finished my dinner and was standing by the sink, washing the griddle while I watched my friends banter back and forth.
"It's just the way the ball bounces," Ino said jokingly.
"That is so dumb."
"By the way it also has pink tassles and says Barbie Girl on it," Sakura sniggered.
"No. Way."
Just then my cell phone started ringing. I dried my hands off on a towel and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hinata? Where the hell are you? I hope you're not lying in some ditch somewhere."
"Dad! I'm fine; we're at the beach house," I said as I tried to unlock the screen door that led from the kitchen to the back deck. I wouldn't budge, so instead I signaled at my friends to keep it down.
"I thought you were going to call me. I read an article about some girl who was swimming at some beach and got tired. She was pulled into a riptide and died."
"Oh God, that's horrible."
"So don't do anything stupid," Hiashi said. My dad has a weird way of getting his points across.
By this time, those nimrods I call 'friends' started saying somewhat inappropriate things really loudly.
"Did you get CONDOMS AT THE STORE?" Ino yelled in my direction.
Naruto nearly choked on his drink, laughing.
"HOW ABOUT SOME CRYSTAL METH?" Sakura added.
I put my hand over my phone and mouthed "Shut the Fuck Up!"
"What's all that brouhaha, Hinata?" My uptight dad, thankfully, couldn't make out the exact words.
"Oh that's nothing. Just the TV," I widened my eyes pointedly at my friends. Ino was doubled over in laughter as Sasuke and Sakura started making loud moaning sounds. And I thought Sasuke was somebody I could rely on.
"Sounds like some sort of orgy, Hinata," Hiashi said. "What the hell are you watching on TV?"
"Uhh, it's like...Downton Abbey," I said the first thing that came to my mind. This has got to be the weirdest conversation ever with my dad, thanks to my
"LORD GRANTHAM PUT YOUR TROUSERS BACK ON." Sakura yelled.
And then Naruto came up behind me and tickled my spine, and I let out a shriek.
"Hinata what's going on?"
"Nothing! Well actually, I just was really shocked, cause one of my favorite characters just died...on tv. Wow, didn't see that coming." I am such a liar. But right now, that doesn't really matter because 1) my father cannot know that there are guys at this beach house (he'll immediately expect the worst; like I'm running a brothel or something), and 2) Naruto just tickled me. That is seriously flirty physical contact if I'm reading the situation right. Wow.
After I convinced my dad that all was cool and legal (which it was. I promise I wasn't lying about that) at the beach house, I hung up.
"You guys are horrible friends."
"Aww, c'mon. 'Twas all in jest," Ino said.
Yeah, whatever. Ino would probably light a house on fire and have the same excuse.
The first day of my spring vacation I was stuck in a truck next to my crush for an unprecedented amount of time, I got mad about a box of granola bars, I rode about in a shopping cart, had an awkward phone conversation, and got tickled by Naruto. This is going to be an interesting spring vacation.
When was the last time I even updated this story? I feel like this chapter was ehhh, so so. But, do comment! It'll motivate me to update faster :) Thanks for reading!
