Walking into school felt like walking off a cliff. I couldn't escape the unbearable feeling, and what made it worse was the constant harassment Sasuke and I received from the paparazzi. Somehow, they'd managed to break into the school during school hours, which makes me question the "security" we have in this place. Not only that, but students were harassing us too. Some of them didn't even go to our school! A few desperate souls from the all girls school across the street decided to play hooky to get a look at Sasuke. Sickening.
The amount of chaos was so bad that the principal called for a lockdown drill. Action was taken a little bit too late, but if I were him, I wouldn't really know what to do either. I just wish I didn't have to spend an hour trying to fight off news reporters and fan girls with only Sasuke and Kiba by my side. I ended up getting hit in the face four times. I'm pretty sure none of them were "accidents".
To make the day worse, the police came. You'd think that I'd be grateful for that, but it only made the day feel longer as they asked a shit load of questions that I was not in the mood to answer. To put an end to the chaotic day, my mother finally came to the school to pick us up. Police officers had to escort us out. The amount of people outside our school had doubled since this morning, some were even protesters. They held rude signs, telling Sasuke that he didn't deserve an education.
"He's not human!"
What hurt the most was looking up at him as we walked through all the madness. He had the same look on his face when I thought he wasn't capable of love; when I thought he was just a robot, a lab creature, something, but not someone. It was a look I hadn't seen in a long time, and one I hoped I'd never have to see again.
That night I stayed in my room. I didn't want to be bothered by anyone after today, but surprisingly, someone knocked on my door.
"Oh", I say when I come face to face with Sasuke. As always, he looks bored and slightly irritated, yet calm.
"I need to talk to you"
Nobody likes to hear those words.
"Fine", I say dryly. He walks in as if he deserved to be in my room, which I found irritating. I wanted him to leave, but I assumed that whatever he had to say was important.
"You were in my room weren't you?"
I wasn't sure what to say to that. Part of me wanted to say "Hell yeah I went into your room and now I can expose you for the pervert you are" but the other part of me wanted to play innocent like I didn't know anything. My origional plan was to tell my parents about the books, but clearly they've got bigger issues to deal with.
"What proof do you have", was all I could reply with.
He scoffs at me like I'm an idiot, and to be honest, I sort of feel like one. I didn't know I'd be caught so easily.
"I know when things are out of place"
My mouth goes dry and I lick my lips nervously. The way he's looking down on me makes me feel uncomfortable, like a fly caught in a spiders web. All I could do was hope that I could outsmart him.
"And how do you know that I put your things out of place. Other people live in this house too you know", I say in defense. There's a hint of panic in my voice, and I know he picked up on it. I'm trapped.
"You're a horrible liar", he says with a smirk. He begins to move closer to me, but my feet are glued to the floor and my bones feel heavy. Each step makes them heavier, and at any given moment I'm sure my legs will give out.
"D-don't...g-get away from me!"
"I just want to talk to you"
I can tell he's taunting me by the way he's speaking. He knows I'm scared of him. He knows I'm not as strong as him.
"Why were you in my room?", he says before grabbing my wrists.
"I-I don't know! I was uh...looking for a shirt that I...couldn't find and so I thought that maybe...somehow...it ended up in your closet and so I..."
The more I talk the dumber I feel, so I put myself out of my own misery by closing my mouth.
"About time you stopped talking", me mumbles.
"Wait...so are you mad or not?"
"I'm not mad"
That was unexpected. I know if I found out he was sneaking around in my room, I'd crucify him. So why isn't he mad at me? I invaded his privacy, yet he's so...relaxed about it. Maybe I don't have anything to worry about.
"Because I know you through a party this weekend while everyone else was gone"
Fuck.
"W-what?! How did you find out about that!?"
"It's not that hard dobe. Despite all the craziness that went down today, do you really think I wouldn't hear about it somehow? Your friend Kiba is a total loud mouth"
With each second that passes I begin to feel more and more foolish, and just when it couldn't get anymore awful, he begins to...chuckle. It's not a full blown laugh, but a soft, ridiculing noise that escapes his lips. Sasuke's laugh or smile is something I'm not familiar with, since the bastard rarely ever shows any feeling besides boredom. But this is not how I imagined seeing him smile for the first time. I've never felt so stupid.
"You're an idiot"
I couldn't take it anymore. I wasn't going to sit here and listen to him degrade me. So I did what I usually did when I was upset. I got violent. Although my wrist were still in his grip, my legs were still free. I kneed him in the balls, and he fell to the ground. The rush of adrenaline and the feeling of success had never hit me so hard, but that feeling is soon taken away when my mother walks in. She looks at me, and then looks at Sasuke, who is on the ground holding his crotch in pain. I'm sure you all know what happens next.
"What is going on!", she yells at me. Not us, just me, cause he's the one in pain and I'm the only one who could've caused it.
"Nothing, he's fine. It was just an accident"
Sasuke doesn't say a word.
My mother looks at both of us suspiciously before mumbling something to herself and walking away. That ended a lot better than I expected it, but probably because she had bigger things to worry about.
"You little shit", Sasuke growls at me.
"Get out of my room"
The next day at school was still chaotic. Although we had a lot more security, and the school was easier to get into, people harassed me more than usual.
"I saw your brother today. He's in my math class"
I ignored Lee's rambling and tried to concentrate on what was on the board. My patience was running thin.
"He looks so youthful and beautiful!", he said as if he was the dreamiest boy he'd ever seen.
"I know. A lot of people have told me that", I grumbled before scrunching my nose.
"Shut up Lee", Kiba barks.
"There's no need to be so aggressive", Shikamaru reminds him.
"I'm sick of people harassing him about his brother! It's not like he's capable of telling everyone to fuck off himself!"
"Sit down Kiba"
My english teacher, Kakashi couldn't stand Kiba. In fact, most teachers hated him. He always caused trouble, talked too loud for his own good, and tended to be a bit overly aggressive. But out of all the teachers in the school, Kakashi hated him the most.
Doing as he was told, Kiba sat down and stayed quiet. It was almost impossible to focus in class, and to make matters worse, Gaara was sitting in the seat next to me. He'd just recently moved into my psychology class, and every time I catch him staring at me, I want to cover my face. He's mysterious, quiet, kind, and pretty much unreadable.
Once class ended, he dropped a note onto my desk. I didn't say a word, only raising an eyebrow at him before he walked away without looking back. My mouth went dry as I began to open the note, and after reading, the feeling I had in my stomach were not butterflies. It was stronger, and much more violent. They were wasps.
You look nice today.
Four simple words written on a small piece of ripped notebook paper made my day a lot brighter. Could I possibly...have feelings for him? I stare at the paper for so long that the words don't look like words anymore. Confusion was the only thing I could feel after I shoved the paper in my pocket and went to my next class.
When lunch time rolled around, I headed to my usual hiding spot. The library was awfully crowded, and noisier than usual. As I headed closer to the back where most people studied, I soon found out why. Sasuke was in the library. I couldn't see much of his face, but I recognized his spiky black hair. Next to him sat Neji and Kabuto. I would assume that these are his new "friends" given the way they were talking to each other as if they weren't complete strangers. It looked like they weren't doing any work, only trying to get the group of people around them to go away. Finally, a group of security guards broke up the commotion, telling everyone to quiet down and leave the new student alone.
"All this commotion. I only wanted to study. What a drag", Shikamaru complained.
"I don't get why people are so fascinated with him", Kiba said loud enough for my "brother" to hear.
"Would it kill you to speak at a reasonable noise level", I hissed at him.
"Sorry, it's hard for me"
I roll my eyes, ignoring the whispering and rude stares from Sasuke and his friends.
"Of all the people he could've clicked with", I grumble.
I was beyond pissed off, so pissed of that I wasn't really watching where I was going. I was too busy staring at Neji's table. That's when I bumped into Gaara.
"I'm sorry! I need to watch where I'm going", I say clearly flustered by his presence.
"Don't worry. It's not a big deal", he says calmly.
He's holding three books, his hair is a darker red color in the libraries dim lighting, and his mint green eyes are cool and forgiving. I feel like a total idiot for bumping into him.
"No, I really need to watch where I'm going. I should've been paying attention"
I could hear snickers from Kabuto's table, and I try not to think about how horrible I look. Even Kiba and Shikamaru were holding back laughs. They know how clumsy and awkward I get, especially around guys that I find attractive. I didn't tell them about how I felt about Gaara, but by the looks of things, they could tell there was something going on between me and him.
"Accidents happen"
I try to calm down and play it cool.
"I guess you're right", I say before awkwardly scratching the back of my head.
"Care to introduce me to your friends?"
I look at Kiba and Shikamaru nervously, who are giving me the I-know-you-think-he's-cute look.
"Kiba, and Shikamaru", I say pointing at the two of them.
"Nice to meet ya!", Kiba says with a mischievous grin.
"You're the new kid in our psychology class right?", Shikamaru asks.
Gaara nods his head and smiles faintly, before turning his attention back to me.
"How was the book"
It takes a while for my mind to process what he's talking about. Then it hits me. Oh right. The book…
"Oh, I'm only half way through it"
My friends know I'm lying, I can tell by the looks on their faces. They know I hate reading. I just don't have the attention span.
"What part are you at?"
"Um… close to the middle"
I know what me meant by "what part", but what was I going to say to him? He must've found my stupid response amusing because he gave me a small smirk afterwards.
"Good to hear"
His voice is low, and to me, arousing to hear. I can't get enough of it. I'd spend hours talking to him about stuff I'd find boring just to hear his voice.
As I glance back at Sasuke's table, I see that they are walking over to me. This can't be good at all.
"Hello Gaara", Neji greets him.
I groan internally at seeing them interact. Clearly, they were aquaintences or friends of some sort. He looked happy to see the arrogant bastard.
"Hello Naruto"
I look at Sasuke, and struggle to sound enthusiastic about his greeting.
"Hi", I say back flatly.
Kabuto and Shikamaru are having a who can give the most intimidating stare contest, and Kiba looks like he's ready to punch Sasuke into next week. Seems like we're all just enemies here.
"So you're Sasuke Uchiha", Gaara says.
"Yes I am", he replies smoothly.
Bastard.
"And Naruto is your…"
"Brother"
Kiba scoffs, and I fold my arms across my chest, showing him I wanted him to go away. Why can't they all just go away!
"Care to fill us in on the discussion you were having? Knowing you, it was probably about a book, yes? I know that you're an avid reader", Neji says almost boastfully.
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. It's like he knows that I like him, and is bragging about how "close" they are. Another thing that pisses me off about Neji. He always has to show off, no matter what the situation is. No wonder he and Sasuke are friends.
"We were discussing Catch 22. He's currently reading it"
"Ah, a sophisticated piece of literature", Kabuto comments.
"I didn't know you were into reading", Neji says with a smirk.
"I am", I grumble.
"I've heard of that book. Hopefully I can read it once you're done with it. Like my brother, I enjoy reading as well"
I know Sasuke's mocking me. He knows me well enough to know I'm not into books, especially if they're complicated. This conversation needed to end now.
"Well, I've got work to do", Kiba says to help me out of the awkward situation.
"Oh yeah, same here", I say quickly. Before I am able to walk away, I hear Kabuto's voice.
"Wait, Naruto"
What could he possibly want to ask me.
"Would you like to tell me what the book is about?"
I turn around and stare at him blankly, trying to think of a decent, but vague, response.
"Ask Gaara. We've got work to do", Shikamaru says before dragging me away.
"Nice save guys", I say once we're far enough from them.
"You needed it"
After school, my mother decided that we all eat dinner together as a family. So the first time in a decade, my mom decided to cook. Sasuke being the kiss up that he is decided to help, while my father and I watched a hockey game. It was...weird. I can barely remember watching a game with my father because it was so long ago. Have we really been that disconnected?
"Dinner's ready!"
The table was set, the food looked perfect, and it was so unreal that even my father looked shocked.
"It's been a while", he says as he fixes his plate.
"A while is an understatement"
He chuckles, like he always does when I say something that points out the wrong in our family. I know most families don't eat together every day, but at least three times a year would've been fine by me. I'm pretty sure last year we didn't have a thanksgiving meal together. I had to go over to Shikamaru's house to eat. It was a pretty pathetic moment in my life, and I could tell his parents pitied me.
We all sat down, eating quietly and peacefully, until my dad started talking.
"What's the occasion?", he asks my mother.
"Wh-what do you mean?", she says getting clearly offended.
"Well, I question your motives for this dinner. You usually just order take out"
"I can cook ya know?", she hisses at him.
I look over at Sasuke, who is watching apathetically at the scene before him. I wonder what he thinks...I wonder how he thinks. Does he really think that my parents are...decent parents? Does he realize how abnormal they are? Can he pick up on the little quirks that my mother and I have? What goes through his mind?
He catches me staring, and I look away bashfully, pretending to play with my food.
"So there's no occasion?", my dad asks for clarification.
My mother hesitates, and then looks at me. I can see the guilt in her eyes, and that makes me curious. Is she going to announce her pregnancy? Am I the only one in the family who knows about it?
"None"
My father looks at Sasuke, Sasuke looks at my mother, and I clear my throat awkwardly.
"How was your day, Naruto?", my mother asks to change the subject.
"Uh..it was alright"
"Learn anything new?", my father asks.
"No"
My mother sighs, before turning the question to Sasuke.
"How was your day?"
"Better than yesterday", he says without much of a care.
"Did you learn anything new? How are your classes? Is anyone harassing you? Are you having difficulty learning anything?"
She's never asked me those questions.
"The classes are easy. No one's really harassing me, and I learned that my brother is a liar"
I almost choke, and I shoot him a nasty glare.
"What are you talking about"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about"
"What's going on? Lying is a bad habit, ya know?"
"Naruto, I hope you didn't get yourself in trouble"
"It was just a little lie", I say growing irritated with everyone at the table.
"He lied to-"
"Quiet!", I bark at him.
"Naruto, we just want to know what's going on"
"It's not that big of a deal", I say in defense.
"He told someone he likes that he's into reading, but clearly he's not. Now he's leading them on with a lie", he says dryly.
No. No. No. We can not have this conversation right now.
"Aw, my little boy has a crush", my mother teases.
"Sasuke", I hiss at him.
"So who's the pretty girl?", my father asks with a wink.
At that moment, I was probably paler than Sasuke. All I could do was pray that Sasuke would keep his big mouth shut.
"Girl?", Sasuke asked as if it were impossible for me to have feelings for one. I kick him hard under the table. Signaling him to shut the fuck up.
"You do like girls...right?", my mother asks cautiously.
"Yes!", I shout getting way more offended than necessary.
"Liar", Sasuke says under his breath.
My mother and father look at each other, and I'm ready to murder the smug bastard sitting across from me.
"Son...are you g-"
"No"
"Are you sure?", Sasuke teases.
"Yes I'm sure I'm not gay. Are you gay?", I ask with a smirk.
"Nope"
Liar.
"Are you sure? Because the books in your room-"
I stop myself from revealing something confidential, and I can tell that Sasuke is unhappy.
"What books?", my mother asks.
"Nothing. Nothing at all it was just a joke", I say beginning to grow very nervous.
"Sasuke, what is he talking about?"
"Nothing, it was a joke", Sasuke says calmly.
"Well I don't find those kind of jokes funny. Knock it off Naruto. I don't want you ruining Sasuke with perverted jokes"
At that moment I'm furious, especially when I look over and see Sasuke's twisted little smirk. Devil.
"Sasuke's hiding pornographic books in his room", I blurt out.
His smirk dies, and it felt like everything else around me did too.
"Not funny", my dad says nervously.
"What, you think I'm lying?", I snap.
"To be honest, we don't know what to believe", my mother says sounding disappointed.
"You don't believe me? Search his room! He took them from Sai's room!"
"Sasuke, is that true?", my father asks.
He doesn't say anything, instead, he takes a few sips of water.
"See. told y-"
"Naruto hosted a house party Saturday night while we were gone"
"What?!", my father shouts in surprise.
"Naruto", my mother growls at me.
"Great! Are there any other secrets being hidden from me!?", my father says to no one in particular.
"Mom's pregnant", I say to get all the skeletons out of the closet.
A/N: Yaaay longish chapter! Long update, and I'm sorry about that. Been busy with school and family and all the fuckery life gives us. Hope you enjoyed! And I'm proud to say that I finally have over 100 followers! Thanks to everyone who reviews and reads regularly!