I'm sure you haven't heard yet, so let me break it to you.

Little miss golden have been spotted setting her long lean legs on New York soil for the first time since her disappearance act. I'll refresh your memory. Ino was sent away roughly ten months ago in order for her mother to save face. If you can't handle to problem you remove the problem, Upper East Side style.

So what do you do now? You lock up your boyfriends, you confess to your crush before she does and Sakura? She's coming for you

Ino was dragging her suitcase behind her. Nothing much had changed. This was still New York. Life had gone one like she never had been missing. It was she loved about the central station. Everyone was too consumed in themselves to notice you.

She didn't have to stomach to face how everything had changed. She wasn't just a New Yorker, she was from the Upper East Side. Where they were all groomed to perfection. Where saving face was more important than personal fulfilment and happiness.

So when Ino had up and left without a word she might as well killed herself. Socially that is. Betrayal was of the last sort in her circuits and she had betrayed everyone. Friends and family. She had taken the wrong choices for their environment, but the right ones for herself.

She wanted to forget all about what was waiting for her. Get a driver to drive home her luggage and go straight for a drink. She had already had two on the train over. They sat there in her stomach like two rocks churning against her insides.

Her phone buzzed. She couldn't even remember when and why she had turned Gossip Girl back on? Hadn't Gossip Girl been such a big reason for her disappearance? The anonymous blogger who seemed to know more about them than their own parents knew. The one who always got a hold of their deepest most darkest secrets.

That's why Ino had gone away, before Gossip Girl found out what she had done. Before she would be done for. Now their whole world knew she was back. The questions would start, and the lying would begin.

"Sure, whatever. I've missed you too."

High heels and custom Louis Vuitton made their way to the sidewalk to hail a cab. New York life was easy for Ino. With her appearance she had surfed through and it wasn't long before a cab spotted her. An agitated man threw his arms in the air when he saw that Ino had gotten a cag before her. It wasn't her fault that people had always wanted to help her.

"So where are you going to miss?"

Ino knew she would have to answer that for the cab to be able to get driving. Either she went home or she went to Sakura. Could she put out this fire? Was there even hope for redemption for their friendship? She'd be damned if she didn't even try.

She wondered if Sakura had changed at all, if she was still the controlling perfectionist. She probably was. She had been so all her life. Ino let out a sigh. She wasn't sure if what she was doing the right thing. Wasn't sure if she just should have stayed at the school for another year. She couldn't even if she had wanted. Truth was that Ino had been kicked out of school. She could not put it off any longer, she needed to face her demons and make up for her sins. She would start with Sakura.

Ino paid the taxi driver and watched him take off. Heart in her throat now that she was so close. She was just a small elevator ride away from Sakura but all she wished for was for the cab driver to turn around for her.

She didn't feel as secured by coming back as she had stepping off her train. Rocks still churning in her stomach and heart in her throat she heard the elevator "pling" letting know she had made it to Sakura's apartment.

She had stepped out of the elevator countless times. None of those times had felt like it did now. She left her luggage in the hallway and took in the hectic mood of the place.

Ino had expected Sakura to be nose down in some school work, watching one of her classical movies or dolling herself up in her bedroom.

Sakura wasn't alone, far from it. It seemed like there was some sort of event going on. Ino had not expected it. She was halfway back towards the elevator when she was spotted.

"Is that, it certainly is!"

Sakura's mother yelled out in utter surprise of the sight. Sakura's mother looked like she always had. Ino could almost swear that her breasts had gotten bigger if that was possible. They were soon pressed tight against Ino.

Sakura's mother looked regal, but there was always something so common about her. Like she could walk in to the Buckingham Palace and go to the bar after. It was hard to explain and it was hard to put your finger on why she gave off those vibes.

"I did not know that you were coming. It's such a pleasant surprise. Sakura will be thrilled. Things have been hard without you..."

"Ino! You were supposed to go straight home! I hope she's not being an imposition, Tsunade."

"Mother!"

There was no warm welcome from her mother. There was no welcome back and warm hug. There wasn't enough room for a single maternal bone in the lanky Kurenai. She was equally as cool as her daughter.

The same tall and lanky body, but her face was stiff with Botox. What really and naturally separated mother from daughter was the hair and eyes. While Ino had blond hair and blue eyes, handed down from her long gone father, Kurenai had dark brown hair and brown eyes.

Sakura's mom is already gushing over the daughter she never had. Isn't it great to have Ino back?

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Sakura had mere minutes ago attacked her boyfriend and taken him to her room.

Sakura would often pretend like her life was a movie to amuse herself. Play out different scenes and stories in her head. In her fantasies she could do whatever she wanted and there would be no scandal.

It was so much more exciting inside her head than being the good girl she was expected to be.

She had her boyfriend up against her bedroom door, tumbler with whiskey in one hand. The third glass had gone straight to her head, she hadn't needed a fourth.

She had it all planned out.

How she was going to lose her virginity.

On her seventeenth birthday. She had it all planned out, from the sheets to the amount of lighting in the room.

That was until a certain Gossip Girl gave her a reason to alter her plans.

Her boyfriend was none other than the infamous Deidara.

Golden boy.

Captain on all the school teams that mattered. He did well below average at school, but he hadn't been held back at school yet. Money does that for you. He was more interested in smoking weed in the park than reading about some strange African war he would never care about.

He, like Ino had long blond hair and blue eyes. The difference was that his eyes were deep and his hair golden.

Golden boy.

Sakura didn't have the time to wait anymore. She had gone through this scene in her mind a million times. Difference was that now this wasn't a scene, this was her life. Zippers were opened and mouths kissing. She was suddenly pushed down on the bed. To her utter surprise it was not in a romantic, feverish I have to have you now kind of way."

"Sakura! Sakura! Come down! Ino is here!"

"Did you hear that? Ino is here?"

Sakura didn't care. She was busy. She was finally going to have sex for the first time in her life. She wouldn't let her mother and definitely not Ino get in the way of that.

"Don't you want to go see her?"

Deidara had already started getting dressed again, his zipper was flying up.

Sakura admitted to herself that she had already lost one battle against Ino. She would have to step up her game again. She followed Deidara down the stairs buttoning her cardigan. Her emotions very evident on her face. She hadn't even seen Ino yet and she was already getting in Sakura's way.

Sakura noticed Deidara's eyes as he ran over Ino hugging and kissing all over her face. He never looked at her that way anymore. She didn't even bother to greet Ino yet and instead walked over to Sasuke and some girls from her school.

Sasuke.

Sasuke Uchiha.

Second generation of money, second son.

He and Ino were the only one in their group who had siblings. Upper East Siders often stop with the one too afraid another will ruin their physic or will burden the nanny.

Sasuke had an older brother and Ino a younger brother. Sakura's mother hadn't wanted to destroy her body any further with a second child. Deidara's mother was even worse. She hadn't even given birth to him. They had paid a Thai surrogate. It had totally paid off; his mother was flawless.

Sasuke was, without debate, the group's harlot. He woke up with a boner at the age of nine and had been broken since then. The boy was scandalous and infamous for his libido.

Sasuke let his hand run through his short jet-black hair, dark eyes circled the room. Sakura would never admit but she was jealous of his long and perfectly sculpted legs.

"A thousand dollars says she was kicked out of school."

Nobody wanted to take Sasuke up on that bet. They all knew they would lose.

"And look at her face, she has a sex glow. A glow of one that's been thoroughly fucked."

"Look at her eyes, is she on heroin,"

Another girl butted in.

"No, she's definitively, if anything, on uppers. Coke or E,"

Sasuke would know.

"I didn't know it would happen so fast,"

Sakura said in a mysterious way, more to herself than the group.

She contemplated telling them the truth. That she hadn't had much contact with her best friend since she left. She had the chance to change the script and make it seem like Ino had confined in her. Sakura knew as little about Ino as they did.

Sakura was somewhat displeased with Ino's return. They had been best friends since the first time they saw each other. Sakura had considered their friendship dead and buried it in a shoebox in her walk-in closet the day she had been told that Ino had left for boarding school without telling her. The humiliation having Ino's mother tell her over the phone.

Now Sakura would become Ino's friend again. The lesser one, the shorter, small chested, fat and less fun friend. Since Ino had moved Sakura had lost her competition. She had become the girl everyone looked up to at school. The girl that set the rules and trends.

She had become the Queen Bee.

"I heard she had an abortion."

"It wouldn't have been the first one. Just look at her. Why is she back, S? Spill the beans,"

Sasuke wanted to know what had brought Ino back.

"I promised not the tell anyone, girlcode. She was pretty upset with it."

"Whatever it was or wasn't. Looks like she already found her next victim."

XOXO

Ino giggled and put her hand on Deidara's shoulder. Physical contact felt wrong, but she had to act normal around him. She knew Sakura was watching them and already talking about them. She hadn't told her best friend why she had to leave and why she was back. She had hardly stayed in touch with her.

"Sakura hasn't spoken to me yet. She's mad at me, does she know?"

Deidara shook his head. He hadn't had the heart to tell his girlfriend since kindergarten that he fucked her best friend. It isn't something that naturally comes up in conversation.

"She's not mad, she's just shy. You know Sakura."

Ino did know Sakura.

She was raging, certainly mad that Ino had left her without a word and hardly kept in touch with her. Ino knew because she was mad at herself too. She hated herself for being such an awful friend to Sakura. Ino felt uncomfortable alone with Deidara after what had happened. His look told her that he wasn't over her yet.

"Where did your pink hair go?"

Ino said standing next to Sakura by the couch.

"Oh, please don't remind me of that. Most embarrassing mistake of my life. Pastel hair is for backup dancers and wannabe Japanese Youtubers."

It was now delicate dark chocolate brown now. Her natural hair color, Ino couldn't tell.

"You have to catch me up on all the latest gossip,"

Ino said with the largest smile. Her voice sounded too happy for her own good. Sakura showed her the ring on her finger.

"Oh my god! Don't tell me that you're engaged!"

Sakura shook her head. Ino always went too high making the truth less spectacular.

"No, it's a promise ring. Isn't it sweet? A lot has changed since you ran away."

Her eyes stabbed Ino, and her smile was cold. She turned her back against her, the rather large diamonds on her ring sparkled in the light. Ino chose not to read Sakura's signs and sat down on the couch.

Sakura had wanted to know what had happened to her and why she was back. She couldn't deny it. Caving in straight away would make her seem desperate.

"Are you staying for dinner?" Sakura asked.

"I was thinking about going home so I could unpack and stuff,"

Ino said in an apologizing voice. She couldn't take if she would talk about how her boyfriend seemed to have changed, like he was hiding something from her. She couldn't take it because she knew why. It was also true that she wanted to unpack, the train ride had killed her

"Some other time,"

Ino said close to a whisper with no confidence in her voice.

"Yes, some other time."

Sakura said in defeat. Ino had turned her down again. Maybe not too much had changed after all. Ino thanked Sakura for her hospitality, hugged her shortly goodbye and left.

As another of Ino's relationship had failed her mother was doing the symbolic cleansing by renovating their home. Meaning Ino didn't really get the comfort of going home. She got to go back to another hotel room where she would sleep in a strange bed witch all her personal belongings packed in boxes by strangers.

"Drinks at six after the dinner, I know traveling, or anything else makes you thirsty." – D

She didn't want anything to do with Deidara so she debated if she should answer him at all.

"You have a girlfriend" – I

"What if I didn't?" – D

"She's my best friend! I'm not doing that to her!" - I

Ino turned off her phone and threw it in the chair. This would not be easy, the situation had not changed since she left.