The Notebook
Entry 88
Title: Happy
Written By: Sigh
And they all lived happily ever after.
They were happy. They knew where they were going. They knew who they were. They always knew what they were doing with themselves, not with others. They were truly in love. Anyone could see that they were happy. They glowed.
They all lived happily ever after.
They won. They spill Gatorade on the coach's head. They jump. They scream. The crowds erupt in the stands like a volcano once dormant for years, it seems, centuries. They are very happy. They are happiness in the light of loss's gray shadow. They ignore the slumped shoulders. The empty threats are over. For now.
They all lived happily ever after.
They are alive. They are injured but not done. They look tired. They are alive, nonetheless. They walk. They roll. They look awkward and unadjusted to the casts, the slings, the thickness around what is broken. They look protected. They are happy to be celebrating; they are happy to be celebrated. They laugh at the jokes, but don't, for they don't laugh. But they almost do.
Because they all live happily ever after.
Sigh
Entry 89
Title: Broken!
Written By: RedHot4
I feel so totally, like, bad for Sasuke-kun. He was so broken!
And, like, even though I hate that little slut he has a tendency of carrying around, err, scratch, dragging around, I can see through her and just see Sasuke and he is so incredibly sad. It's almost sad looking at him, you know? Okay, yeah, it's in the sport or whatever but, my Kami, he is in a wheel chair!
I can't even pay attention to the little party we're having. I feel so...detached from myself. I just cannot fathom my Sasuke-kun hurt so badly that he can't even walk, okay? And, yeah, like, it's totes probs just because he's still in the hospital and the doctors are still trying to figure out how to get him fixed up in time for—
LE GASP!
What if, what if, what if Sasuke can't go to Homecoming? OMG, I can't even—I can't handle it. I am going to cry. Cuz now, along with his dreams, he's bringing down mine, and then, like, most logically, ours. This is our dream here, okay? So what you're injured, baby, get up out of that mechanical, metal, torture device and ask me out! I've been waiting oh so patiently but, uh, NO.
The dance is tomorrow, big boy.
Who ya taking?
RedHot
Entry 90
Title: Alright.
Written By: RamenGod10
GTFO. You can't be serious right now. Nope. You can't.
...
What is your problem!
You are frigging ridiculous! Can't you see that we're doing this, this whole fancy little shindig, for them? They're hurt for Kami's sake! Hurt, and for a helluva long time. And you're worried about your stupid date?
You...ugh...YOU HAVE ISSUES! Neji's whole arm is fucking kaput! Did you not take the time to care, to care and notice that; or are you way to busy being an obsessive skanky ho that—?
UGH. I can't stand people like you. You are so selfish. I don't believe it. Don't you have a fragment of compassion in your body that can even half-way recognize how much pain Sasuke is in? And it's not just physically. His dreams are crushed, his reason for living, for trying, for getting back up is demolished, and you're worried about a date to a high school dance?
I can't believe...I can't believe it. You know? The guts some people have.
Just let it go. I can't tell you to give up on that dream, that's wrong. But, really, really, really rethink it. You're honestly wasting your energy, and all that you're doing is embarrassing yourself.
Please. Just forget about your personal goals; just for tonight. See the big picture and see who it's for.
RamenGod
Entry 91
Title: Update
Written By: NH73
Right dislocated shoulder blade. Three months.
Torn ACL. Left leg. Eight to ten months.
Three broken fingers. Pointer. Ring. Pinky. 4 to 8 weeks.
73
Entry 92
Title: Be Okay
Written By: BandGeek1o1
I want to tell myself that I have no reason to feel so upset. This is what I wanted to happen all along. I wanted this all. It couldn't have happened better, really. This is perfect, I think. Everyone is so somber, though. No one is really happy. The anxiousness? You can touch it. Smell it. Taste it in the air.
But I paid for this to happen. I wanted him to get hurt. Not both. Not for this long. But I...but I did because I wanted this to happen. I know what happens when egos are more than broken, but actually caged in and forced to shrink. Relationships sink and shrivel, and I wanted it to happen.
I didn't want Sakura to be happy with him, because she did me wrong. But now I just feel petty.
I can't go through with it anymore. Not with all this guilt on my shoulders.
Geek
Entry 93
Title: Do You Want a Tissue?
Written By: PurplePenguin18
Oh, shut the fuck up. Get a mop. You happened to cry a river all over my shoes.
You can't opt out of the plan now. So what it hasn't been going your way, the way you planned it? That happens. Roll with the punches. Reorganize yourself. Blow your snotty nose and move on.
We're not done.
Purple
Entry 94
Title: Interesting
Written By: TheWise1
I'd really enjoy watching this plan of yours fold out. You act as if we don't know. As if we don't care. Well, we do. I do. I know how to handle you. You and your little minions.
Try me. Try us.
I'm sure there's nothing left that is truly shocking. Nothing you can do that won't reveal who you are, anyway.
Meanwhile, I'm tired. Seriously. It's like two in the morning and if one more nurse tells us to shush one more time, I might have to drive myself to jail.
Naruto is so stupid. He brought red solo cups just to look suspicious. They're filled with Hawaiian punch. Nothing else. The nurses stopped us for that, too. I don't necessarily judge them for that, though. Everyone's acting pretty drunk with tiredness. Kiba and Ino are making out behind a plant like they're truly hidden. I don't know why I'm the only one that seems to notice. I don't really know why I care. Why I want to rip them apart and push Kiba into a wall, tell him to stop being such a dog for once in his life.
She deserves better. Really.
Naruto's playing beer pong without the beer with Lee and whoever else who joins in. Neji sucks so bad with his free arm; not his dominant, obviously. TenTen is funny about it, laughing when he manages to 'accidentally' nail Sai in the middle of his forehead. She kisses him lightly every time he skims the rim of a cup. It's like a reward for not doing that terrible, despite the handicap.
I think it's nice that everyone is so nice. No one purposefully brings up what happened. No one excludes them either. Or tries to, anyway. Sasuke's always been standoffish, especially around people, but I'm not shocked that he and Sakura have created their own garden just for wallflowers that play checkers amidst all the other craziness.
They're made for each other like that.
Wise1
Entry 95
Title: Wonderwall
Written By: BlondeBomb31
Sasuke's parents just got in and successfully hushed our little party to a complete mute. The Uchihas just have that aura to them that can quite crowds. When you see Itachi, Fugaku, and Mikoto together, a hurricane will calm.
I'm not even exaggerating.
They all walk through the crowd, Mikoto pausing to hug Naruto. I think I hear her say something about calling the police if she sees even one drop of alcohol. Fugaku is all stony face like he always is; totally Sasuke-kun times thirty-six. Itachi's hot as a Brazilian summer.
So delicious.
No one really has to ask why they're here, you know, with Sasuke scooting around in his very own personal two-wheeler. They beeline two his little table he'd set up with Sakura-chan and, like, everyone breathes in at the same time and it's so quiet a pin could totally drop and be embarrassed to make a noise. So it wouldn't.
We all want to hear what Fugaku has to say. But they're quiet too, Fugaku just gesturing for Mikoto to grab the handles on Sasuke's wheelchair and wheel him wherever he leads. Itachi taps Sakura's shoulder as they leave, and she jumps in at the end of the line, packed up checkerboard tucked under her arm.
"Direct me to my son's room. And I wish to speak to his doctor," he orders the poor little nurse. She looks like her eyes are millimeters from popping out as she skitters around the desk for information. She tells him the room before hooking herself to the phone. Calling the doctor, probably.
I kinda want to follow them. Just in case Sakura screws up in front of Sasuke's parents.
Like burping. Or accidentally dropping the F-bomb.
She'd do something like that.
BB
Sakura moved her red chip up on the board, head heavy on her hand, resting. It'd been such a long day and it would only be longer tomorrow. Her lidded eyes lifted when Sasuke shifted, leaning closer to the red and black checkered board, eventually turning it.
He was so beautiful, she thought, like a statue carved by careful, thoughtful hands. It was amazing how still he was when he thought. He reminded her of Shikamaru; of course, this was checkers, and not shoji, but an air of seriousness shrouded him, almost overpowering the minimal traces of disappointment, sadness, and anxiety. There wasn't any pain, not anymore. It had dulled to nothing in comparison to all the other emotions clouding him.
And yet, he remained carved and perfect, a beautiful picture with eyes that told the story. Sometimes, when it was quiet and all Sakura could hear were her own thoughts, she wished she could obtain the same level as impassiveness. She was an open-book, but one that didn't necessarily want to be read.
"King me."
Sasuke's soft smirk brought Sakura back to life, reminding her she was staring. Her face reddened when she broke her eyes away, all but forcing them back the board. She frowned when she saw his little black chip in her territory, counting two of her men missing, leaving her with one that was practically as good as gone. She flipped the board back in her direction, analyzing. "Where'd that come from?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"Put the pieces back," she laughed. "I didn't see the move."
"You think I cheated."
Sakura smiled, amused at the fact that he didn't ask questions. He didn't even raise his voice to signify inquisition. She rolled her eyes, "No. Only just a little bit. I don't lose Checkers very often, buddy."
He grunted. "Buddy?"
With a laugh, Sakura stuck out her tongue, nodding. She watched the Uchiha rearrange the pieces as they were before he overtook her and pouted, realizing that he had, in fact, won. Sasuke smirked.
He drowned out her protests and accusations of being a sore winner, instead leaning back in his wheelchair, wanting more than anything to stand and walk around but forced to sit. His leg was already itching in the cast; he wondered what it'd be like when it was locked into place with a brace but could only come up with annoying. Just annoying. "I'll be out by the morning," he interrupted, pulling the loose strings of bandages on his fingers with his free hand. The splints looked weird to him.
"You're not getting surgery?"
His eyebrows dipped, confused. He hadn't even mentioned it. "No," he answered simply, sweeping the chips off the board and onto the table. "Red or black?"
Sakura frowned, "That's weird. They must be waiting for swelling to go down. You know? So they can get the fluid out."
Sasuke heard his father speaking in that voice to Hiroshima, enraged and demanding he receive the best treatment. He demeaned the quality of the hospital; upset and blaming them on his injury. He ordered they send in the most modern braces and crutches, whatever the cost and manner.
"In about a week," Sasuke supplied quietly, placing the pieces carefully. He wished his father weren't as...loud. His eyes floated in her direction, catching hers easily. "You want to be a doctor."
"Maybe one day," Sakura shrugged. She grouped all the red chips in her hand, clicking them onto the board one by one. "I like writing, too. Like stories and stuff. How often is rehab?"
"A lot. It starts after surgery." Sasuke smirked, the suddenness of the smile making Sakura's heart jump. "You'd be a good doctor."
The rosette swirled her hand in the air, before deciding on a single piece. She let a single finger float down onto it, moving it diagonally and to the right. Her eyes skirted around his face, unable to contain her blush and smile, "I'm not good at giving people bad news. That's kind of part of the job."
"Hn. Yeah."
The maple wood door creaked open about a minute later, Hiroshima and the remaining three of the Uchiha family strolling in. Sasuke and Sakura stiffly settled into the backs of their respective chairs, popping the small personal bubble they'd created. They both realized how close they were when they were far apart.
Mikoto smiled at Sakura as she sat on the hospital bed for lack of other seats. Itachi and Fugaku spoke in Japanese in a far corner, and based on Sasuke's face, about him. Sakura glanced at him before returning Mikoto's grin. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Uchiha-san."
She felt like such a little girl when compared to her. Mikoto wasn't just pretty, not cute; she was beautiful, gorgeous. Sakura wondered why she decided to be a model scout instead of simply a model. She was stunning enough. When Mikoto said, "You are one of the most camera-ready girls I've ever met. And please, call me Mikoto-chan. Uchiha-san makes me feel old," Sakura's jaw dropped.
She was camera-ready? Right now? She didn't even have any makeup on. And her hair was probably a wavy mess at this point. But, Mikoto Uchiha thought she was beautiful. Her heart pounded heavily as she felt Sasuke's gaze burning into the side of her face.
"Thanks," she blushed, pulling her hair behind her ear, "Mikoto-chan. But, it is still great to meet you. I love your girls."
Sakura internally cringed. That could be taken many ways.
The rosette's face flamed red when the woman started giggling. "No! No," her eyes went wide. "Not your girls. Like boobs—ah, ugh...Sasuke and Itachi are obviously boys. Not that they aren't pretty, or anything. Or...oh, Kami, help me."
The matriarch's giggles were uncontrollable hoots of laughter by time Sakura finished. This girl was priceless! If anyone could make her little boy's face as red as a tomato and match it was a keeper. She wiped a tear daintily, "I understood you the first time, Sakura-chan. You could come by the studio for a photo shoot any time. Sasuke could arrange for his limo to pick you all up; the girls have been dying to see him recently, anyway. You both can go together."
Sasuke cleared his throat, clapping his hands over his face and dragging them down. "Mom," he groaned. "Stop it. Sak doesn't want to be a model."
"Aw, what a cute nickname!"
His eyes narrowed, neck heating. "Stop it," he seethed.
Mikoto laughed to herself, ignoring his whining. She combed her black hair over her shoulder, braiding a rope with her hair excitedly. "Would you like that, Sakura-chan? Sasuke'll take you; he's just in a mood right now."
"Ah," Sakura stuttered, hands jittery. "I mean, sure. I guess. If I have time."
The woman's black eyes glowed. She was so happy! Her Sasuke-kun liked girls! Not that she ever had any suspicion; she just feared he'd settle and choose some easy fifty-cent hooker that would ruin the family riches and the gene pool. Sakura would only add tasteful diversity.
She was practically guaranteed adorable grandchildren now!
"Then it's set," she clapped, grinning widely. "We'll exchange numbers before we leave and you just let me know. But, I've got to get to the Little Girl's Room for now."
Sasuke sighed, relieved. She was leaving. He turned to the checkerboard and started contemplating his move once again.
The rosette smiled, "Okay. I'll be sure to do that."
Mikoto waved on her way out, practically skipping in her boots. As soon as the door clicked closed, Sakura laughed airily. "Your mom is cute, Sasuke-kun," she giggled, cheeks pink.
He grunted.
"Sasuke?" Sakura asked many turns and chips later. They were alone, the rest of the family having left to pick up some food for everyone.
The Uchiha lifted his eyes.
"Are you going to be able to go to the dance?"
The question struck a note, resonating and reverberating in the silent waiting room. Sasuke ran a hand across his face, not knowing how to answer. It wasn't very hard to guess what the right answer would be; he could see it etched in the tired lines of Sakura's face.
He cleared his throat, moving his last black checker piece upward, right into Sakura's, with no defense.
"Take it if you want," he mumbled, readjusting in the rough seat of the wheel chair. Hiroshima had visited plenty of times, telling him that his brace would be here momentarily, along with his crutches. They'd needed to order them, he'd said, because they normally didn't have patients as tall as he was. Sasuke didn't think he was all that tall but nodded anyway. Whatever got him cut of this itchy cast and restricting chair.
Sakura shook her head, down to her last as well. She ran a hand through her hair, smiling, "Take mine. I don't want to win that bad, and I have to get going. My grandma's watching us; she's probably going to be worried soon."
Ino had never met a cuter old lady. Sakura's grandmother was simply adorable. She was one of the hobbly types; short and stout and round, but not big, necessarily. She just looked happy and well fed. And rosy. Definitely not sick oatmealy like her own grandparents. She'd opened the front door donned in a pair of jeans and a blue cotton sweater, a pitcher of lemonade in one hand.
And then promptly shut it, Ino's smiling cracking slowly. Did she not brush her teeth...?
The blonde turned her heard toward TenTen, looking over Hinata, lifting an eyebrow. "Did I say something?" she asked carefully, quietly, just in case Sakura's grandma could also, miraculously, hear, unlike most oldies. The sun was starting to set early, making the loose strands of TenTen's buns glimmer.
"No," she answered, tugging her makeup carrier closer to her chest. "Maybe you freaked her out. You were smiling pretty wide and we are in robes."
Ino nodded slowly, facing forward once more. TenTen was right. That was true. They'd all decided to visit the Haruno household about twenty minutes ago, half way finished with their own preparations. However, Ino wasn't worried about her makeup, her hair, or her dress, which was hanging on a golden rolling closet rack along with Hinata and TenTen's. A few others hung homeless as well, just in case.
Just in case Sakura really was returning to her introverted ways and purposefully ignoring all of her texts, calls, and Facebook messages. Just in case the rosette was laying in her bed, hair a knotty mess, pajamas wrinkly, and nails naked. JUST IN CASE Sakura was forgetting all about turning a leaf and actually trying for once in her life to be good at something other than reading, than writing, than studying.
She'd be there for her with the dress she knew Sakura forgot to buy, the makeup artist Sakura didn't think she needed, and Hinata. Because Neji's cousin made amazing cookies and, unless one wished looking fat at the dance, they'd need to be filled with something delectable before they left.
Ino set her jaw and crossed her arms, brain already buzzing. "Hinata-chan," she called, shaking the girl out of her own reverie. Ino hardly waited for her to be paying full attention before she continued, "Since your robe looks like a kimono, you stay. Look pretty or something. Me and TenTen will go to the back and you let us in from there."
"I don't think I c-can do that," the girl mumbled, biting her lip.
Ino's face plopped into a hard line. Did she ask a question? Did she ask a question that allotted any answer besides 'Yes, Ino. No problem?'. Her arms crossed tighter, eyes narrowing because she. Didn't. Think. So.
Hinata shivered and stretched out her arm, a smile plastered on her face. "You guys better head on back," she said quickly, eyes darting between the pleased snide grin of Ino and the confused, flustered expression of TenTen.
She sighed, trying to remember that this was all worth it.
This was all for a friend.
"You're going, right?"
Sasuke lifted his eyes from the floor, planting them on the bright orange blob of tuxedo that was his friend. He wanted to kill him, right then, right there. Sasuke didn't want to go anywhere because that movement required him to scramble onto a pair of crutches. He never noticed, really, how liquid he was before. Sure, people would always tell him that he had an ease to the way he walked, the way he carried himself that just seemed to come naturally, but he didn't pay much attention to those words. He brushed them off. What did it matter?
Now he noticed, crutches under his arm and a restricting brace scaling halfway up his leg, forcing it up. He almost wished he'd told his father to relax and the doctors that he didn't have to go to Homecoming. He had to celebrate with them, he was thinking. He had to give everyone that false hope that'd he'd be going, but now he didn't want to go anywhere.
And Naruto wanted him to entertain the idea of attending a dance, with people, hundreds of people watching his every move, as always, but now with a critical eye when he had crutches and a walking boot in which he could hardly maneuver to his own bathroom?
This blonde idiot.
Sasuke frowned, "No."
He didn't think he needed an excuse, but Naruto blurted out the, "Why not?" as soon as he answered, as if he was already expecting the negative response. Sasuke folded his arms, not wasting the breath to answer. The cold metal on three of his fingers made goosebumps stand on his arms but he didn't flinch.
Naruto groaned loudly, stomping his foot. "What about Sakura-chan? I know you want to go with her."
Sasuke scoffed dismissively, leaning into his bed's headboard. What did it matter if he wanted to go with Sakura? He...it wasn't like he'd be able to dance with her. She wouldn't have fun. He'd be a burden if he went with her. She didn't even...he tried asking her last night but she didn't get it. He should of just asked. Even if she said no because she realized he would be a bore, he'd know for sure that his knee was truthfully and completely ruining everything that he had going for him. He knew it, and that was what made everything worse than what it already was. It was the icing on the pity cake. He had tried to tell himself that he wasn't much of a dancer anyway, that he kind of sucked, actually, but that didn't change the fact that..
It didn't change the fact that no matter how much he wanted to forget how terrible of a dancer he was, crutches, finger braces, and two left feet or not, he wanted to hold Sakura close and just sway.
"You can still go, Teme," Naruto said softly, eyes not as hard. He reached in his pocket, fishing out his phone amongst car keys and ramen coupons. "Hina-chan says that Sakura doesn't even want to go anymore. Not without you."
Sasuke smirked, "That makes me feel better."
"Stop feeling guilty!" The blonde yelled, raking his hands through his hair, phone landing with a muted thump on Sasuke's comforter. He was tired of seeing his friend so distraught, so ghosted over something so trivial. He couldn't listen to him whine and smirk like it was a sick joke. "It isn't your fault. Nothing is your fault. Yeah, you could've grabbed your nuts and just told her that you wanted to go instead of whatever the hell you were hoping to accomplish with the checkers. And, sure, you're going to be rehabbing for hella long and you're probably not going to be playing any type of a sport for a while, but, guess what, Sasuke?"
Sasuke's jaw tightened. He stayed quiet.
Naruto sighed, parts of the tension leaving with the air. He picked his phone back up, slipping it in his pocket. "Life goes on," he finished. "Shit happens. But tomorrow's another day. You can't seriously believe the world is out to get you because, out of the billions of people, you really aren't that important. The world fucks people over all the time. You choose if you're gonna take it in the ass or not."
"Clever analogy, but I still don't want to go."
Naruto's blue eyes narrowed, irritated. He grimaced at the stony face of his best friend just as stubbornly. These were the times where he knew that whatever he said wouldn't make a difference. Sasuke was set. "At least see her out," Naruto provided, shrugging. "It'll look like you guys went together when you're married with kids."
Sasuke shook his head, wanting to prop his feet up on his bed but grunting, tired and unwilling to heave his casted leg up. "Fine," he muttered, out stretching his arms. "Help me up and I'll put the suit on."
Sakura spooned more ice cream into her mouth, the quart near empty and sitting in her lap. Ino ran a flat iron through her hair, mouth set in concentration. "Are you sure he wasn't trying to ask you?"
"Yeah," TenTen interjected, puffing blush onto Hinata's cheeks. She'd been listening to the conversation quietly, taking in all the information and waiting to pass judgment. "I don't know Sasuke that well or anything, but he practically did." She lowered her voice a few octaves, mimicking Sasuke poorly. "'Take it if you want'. I mean, replace 'it' with 'me' and you have the question."
"Sasuke doesn't ask questions," Sakura muttered absentmindedly. She licked her spoon clean. Her bangs were bone-straight, pillowy soft strands brushing the tops of her eyelids. Despite her requests to sweep them to the side, Ino adamantly brushed them back, saying they were way cuter that way. In Sakura's mind, it didn't matter how cute she looked; Sasuke wouldn't be there. Not with her at least. She scraped for more ice cream, whining when she hardly obtained results.
Ino ignored her, knocking he head to the side roughly. TenTen made a very valid point. Sasuke is sneaky like that. She doubted he'd ever outright and ask. Knowing Sakura, she would have guessed she would have understood, but alas. The girl was working on the ice cream quart when they'd crashed in. Now it was almost empty, and the furthest they'd gotten was picking the dress Sakura wouldn't be caught dead in. Ino sighed; they had a lot of ground to cover before seven.
"I think he's just being his girl stupid self. Like, of course, Saki, I know you don't want to have to do everything but that was a big step you had to take. This is partially your fault, too, girlfriend. Now, you're dateless and an ice cream monster. Feel proud."
Sakura grumbled, slamming the empty carton on her vanity, "That makes me feel better."
"Oh, Kami, help me," Ino yelled, throwing her head back. TenTen and Hinata laughed at their theatrics. The blonde smiled shortly before returning to her best friend's rosy locks. "You are so hopeless sometimes," she murmured, flattening a strip. "He likes you so much."
Hinata nodded, standing up to grab to trash. "Definitely. A-And I know it's hard, but sometimes the best you can do is to just say what's o-on your mind. No matter what it is; he might be th-thinking the same thing."
As soon as Hinata's words of wisdom passed her lips, the doorbell rang, making all of the girls jump. The chime echoed in the emptiness, no one truly wanting to get the door. Three blinks passed before a door across the hall opened. Shikamaru stuck his head into the bedroom moments later. "The doorbell. It rang," he announced groggily.
Green eyes rolled when she saw Ino's eyes flash red within the mirror's reflection. He had already lit the flame under Ino's Bunsen burner and he'd just barely woken up.
"OMG, thanks for the news flash!" Ino exclaimed, cupping her face with her hands. "Now, tell me; is the sky still blue or did it finally update?"
Shikamaru sneered, "I don't know. Why don't you check out the window? Don't shout if a mighty gust pushes you out."
"No," Sakura said hastily, feeling Ino's body tense behind her. They'd be arguing about who should answer the door until long after the visitor got tired and left. She slipped out of her robe, jeans and a tee shirt underneath, as she stood. "I'll answer the door. When I get back, you can do my makeup, TenTen."
She felt pressure on her shoulders before her knees collapsed, bucking her back into the chair. Ino clapped her flat iron together, "I'm not done."
Sakura fought a growl, instead choosing to glare squarely at the girl in the mirror, because, guess what? Ino had been done for at least an hour and she honestly just liked looking at her roots and picking at her split ends. If her hair was any straighter, it'd fall out. "It's probably for me," she managed to say calmly. A smile painted her lips, "It is my house."
"Mine too," Shikamaru added, looking around the room for the first time, appalled. How could girls be so messy? The door was shut by Sakura when the question was on the tip of his tongue, eyes hard and locked on the blonde girl. His gaze fell down to a pink head when small hands bumped his chest, forcing him a few steps back.
"What?" he asked, tongue thick.
Sakura looked up at him, back against the maple wood. The doorbell rang again, but she ignored it. Her grandma would be answering it soon, anyway. "Why do you and Ino just like to argue?" she asked, folding her arms. It was funny the first few times, but now? Now they could make an argument about digital and analog clocks stretch for hours. Her eyes turned to slits when the bell rang again, Shikamaru still refusing to reply. "You're lucky this guy's persistent," she grumbled, purposefully stepping over and bumping into him on her trek to the stairs.
She took the steps two by two, practically tripping over all of the girls' strewn shoes. "I'm coming!" she yelled loudly, bouncing over more shoes—hers, admittedly—and missing the natural bounce to her usual waves. The keys left in the keyhole of her front door jangled as she twisted the handle.
Her stomach flipped flopped and popped when she saw who it was.
A/N: Thanks for all of the support last chapter! Sorry this one took so long. I'm totally missing the actual 'notebook' right about now. It's going to be back and booming soon. :D YAY!
But for now, things are happening in the 'real world' more so than they are in The Notebook, so, I don't really have a choice. Not one that would make very much sense.
Anyway, I'm ranting. LOL.
Thanks for the reviews, alerts, and faves! This story has been super fun to write. It's not over, no, most definitely not. I still have decided if I'm going to go for the sequel thing yet, but I know now that this is not over. I have too much I need to conclude to just end it after Homecoming.
But, before I go into another rant,
Review, Alert, and Fave,
Hot