1ST PLACE ISN'T EXACTLY THE BEST

-CHAPTER THIRTEEN-

Temari's threat and curiosity towards the suspicious Sasuke!

Sakura snapped.She hated being ridiculed for the size of her forehead or being called a slut.What she hated the most was being called both at the same time.Sakura threw the last dart as she turned around and sped out into the hallway.The dart had hit the center of the dart board.

"Sakura-chan!"

"Just leave her alone Temari-ko…she won anyway."

Sasuke's head: Yeah…she already won the game…and my affection…what!What the hell am I saying!I have Temari-ko…so who cares about big forehead!

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Sakura found herself under a Sakura tree on her school grounds.She recognized it as the tree that she and Sasuke where under when Sasuke tried to kiss her.

"I'm such a fool.I should've let him kiss me…and then punch him."

-No actually,you shouldn't have.-

"Why?"

-Because now,you can save your first 'boyfriend kiss' for a guy that you want to share it with.-

Sakura smiled to herself.

"I've kissed Gaara,remember?Well…I'm not including him anymore.But,it's funny,you know?I have these hordes of guys after me,and I haven't even had my first 'boyfriend kiss' yet."

"No,it's not funny."

Sakura automatically knew who it was without turning around to look at the person.

"Go away,baka teme.I don't need you're company."

"Fine,then I'll go talk to Temari-ko!"

'Stupid Sasuke!'

"Then go.I don't need anyone's pity.Much less yours."

Sakura got up from under the tree but Sasuke stayed.

"What do you want,Uchiha?You've already heard my deepest darkest secrets…and I don't have any cake today."

"No,it's not that."

"Then what the hell is it?"

"Uh…nevermind."

"I thought so."

Sakura finally turned around to look at Sasuke and saw that his face still had that cold look on it,but by the looks of his eyes,there was something bugging him.

'It's amazing how I can easily read him like a book.Even now…'

Sakura started walking away but bumped into someone.She fell to the ground and rubbed the spot on her back that had hit the hard earth.

"Uh…gomen?Ow!"

"What are you doing with my Sasuke-kun?"

Sakura looked up and expected to see Rika.But instead,saw her best friend.

"T-Temari?"

"What!"

Sakura didn't really want to get on bad terms with her best friend,so she tried to get back inside the school.But Temari stopped her.

"Where do you think you're going!"

"Going inside…"

"No you're not!Thanks to you,my Sasuke-kun is all sad!"

"No I'm not Temari!"

Sakura looked over at Sasuke,who was still looking like something was eating at him.

"Yes,you are.And there's no reason to hide it from this loser!"

Inner Sakura: What the hell is wrong with Temari now?She was all peachy keen before!

"Loser?"

"Yes,you are a loser!"

Inner Sakura: (sigh)Why does she have to act bitchy at a time like this!

While Temari started yelling at everything in sight,Sakura drew back her fist and punched Temari.She almost fell flat on her back but Sasuke had caught her.Teamri started smiling at Sasuke and started kissing him for such a 'heroic act'.Then she turned back to Sakura.

"YOU!"

"No,my name's not 'you'.It's Sa-ku-ra."

"UGH!Just stay away from Sasuke-kun!"

"Whatever,bitch."

Inner Sakura: Damn…I'm sounding more and more like Sasuke!

Sakura entered the classroom and took her seat next to her blonde seatmate as the lesson started.This was automatically 'brooding time' for the pink haired girl.

'Hm…so Sasuke's actually troubled because of me.How good is that!'

-Very.Now,how are we going to turn it against him?-

'I think that we should challenge him to an arcade game and then just laugh at him when he loses.'

-So,we're being evil now,eh?-

'(sigh)I don't know what's wrong with me.So you better enjoy it for now.'

-Okay…how about we get Temari first?-

'Actually,I don't feel like it anymore.So leave me alone,okay?'

-Okay…fine.-

Sakura started taking notes from the teacher until there was a knock at the door.Kakashi opened it and a student gave him a note.

"Er…excuse me class.I have some important business to attend to.Please remain seated."

Right after the teacher closed to the door behind him,everyone got up form their seats.Sasuke took this as another stab at getting Sakura to talk to him.He walked over to her table and found that Sakura wasn't there.She was in the usual corner where her and her friends were all the time.Sasuke squinted a bit to see who she was holding hands with.He took a step forward and saw that her hand was intertwined with Nara Shikamaru's.((I know…Shikamaru and Sakura are such a weird pairing.))

Where Sakura and her friends are talking…

"I can't believe that you and Shikamaru are going out!"

Sakura smiled at Ino.

"Yeah,well…we are now."

Naruto nudged Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru my friend,you have struck gold!"

"Naruto!"

TenTen socked Naruto and they got back to talking.

"Hm…I thought that it would be you and Sakura,Naruto."

"Really,TenTen-chan?"

"Yeah,really!"

"Well,I thought that it would be you and Neji!"

Naruto smiled mischievously at TenTen and Neji,who were seated beside each other.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah,Neji?"

"We are together you baka!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head.

"Really?"

"Of course you dobe!"

Every single person within their little group looked at Sasuke,who had just interrupted their conversation.Sakura was the first to talk.

"What do you want,Uchiha?"

"You're not going to call me Sasuke-kun anymore,are you?"

"Why should I?You told me not to call you that anymore!"

Sasuke paused to think for a bit,then replied.

"Yeah…I did.But anyway,Sakura?"

"What?"

"I hate you!"

"Is that the way you try to impress a lady?Well,I'm not impressed!"

Sasuke's head: Really?I thought that she loved it when I said that I hated her.Whatever…

"Me hating you isn't supposed to be flattery anyway!"

"Do you see my flattered?"

"No!And who would want to flatter you?"

"Uh…you did,remember?When you started being nice to me on that day?"

"What day?The day when Gaara rightfully picked you up then dumped you?"

"No…the day that you tried to kiss me,but then you got denied!"

Every girl that was interested in Sasuke was listening in on the conversation and they came up with a big shock when they heard of what Sasuke had tried to do.Especially Temari.

Sasuke on the other hand felt slapped on the face.

"You…promised that you wouldn't mention that again!"

"I only keep promises for my friends!"

"..."

Sasuke walked away defeated and Sasuke's fanclub looked at him with pity.They were all gathering around him and patting him on the back as they gave Sakura dirty looks.

"Yeah Sakura!"

"Way to show him who's the boss!"

"I wish that you would've been less harsh on him."

"Ino-chan,just because you like him,doesn't mean that I'll be really nice to him."

"Fine!"

Kakashi walked in and everyone sat back in their seats.But before he could start the lesson again,it was lunch.Just as fast as the students sat down,they had left out the door.Except for Sakura.She was packing up her books and highly expected Sasuke to try and talk to her again,but found that he was nowhere in sight.

"Oh good.He must be in the cafeteria already,At least he won't be here to hassle me!"

In the caf…

The pink haired girl grabbed her lunch tray and sat down at an empty table.She had refused to sit with her friends since she had to test something out.She had to see if Sasuke would still try to talk to her or not.It was a little exam that she had thought would prove if Sasuke had liked her or not.

Sasuke was making his way to the cafeteria when the evil voice in his head started to speak up.

-It's her emerald eyes,am I right?-

'Hn.'

-Or is it the way she kicks your ass at video games?-

'Hn.'

-Come on!You know you like her!-

'Do not.'

-Then how come you tried to kiss her and you were thinking of giving her that stupid rose that's still in your bag?-

'I can't believe that I'm thinking of beating up myself over a girl!'

-…-

'Silence suits my anti-social self well…'

Then,he saw Sakura sitting alone at a table.

'Might as well go sit with her.It's the only seat available anyway.'

Sasuke sat down at Sakura's table uninvited.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke took note of the absence of his usual name extension that he was christened with when Sakura first met him.He looked up at her and saw that she seemed her usual self.

"I-"

"You hate me?Yeah,I know."

"No.What I'm trying to say is.I'm sorry."

Sakura looked at him through narrowed eyes at him as if she was trying to examine him.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

She put her hand to his forehead and butterflies seemed to be fluttering around in his stomach.She pulled her hand away and smiled at him as he turned beet red,

"Yeah well,me and Shikamaru really aren't going out.It was a plan to get you jealous."

Sasuke almost let that comment slip until it was his turn to ask her if she was okay.

"Sakura-chan?Are you okay?"

"Huh?Why?"

"Because…why would you want to make me jealous?"

Sakura found herself trapped in a corner as she searched her thoughts for an excuse.Then something occurred to her…

"Well…because…you tried to make me jealous!"

"Hn…just because I'm going out with Temari…"

Inner Sakura: OH YEAH!I HAVE STUMPED THE ALMIGHTY MASTER OF GETTING THE LAST WORD!

"Since you're not mad at me,and I'm not mad at you…are we friends again?"

Sasuke thought it over in his head,'Hm…Uchiha Sasuke…having a friend?Seems kinda weird to me.'

Sakura held out her hand,expecting Sasuke to shake it,and surprisingly,he did.

Inner Sakura: Wow,Sasuke's finally getting a friend for once.How amazing!

Sakura patted herself on the back for finally making amends with Sasuke after their little argument yesterday.Then,as if right on time,Temari showed up.

"Sasuke-kun!What are you doing over here with this trash?"

Sakura looked at Temari with distaste.

"He's not sitting beside you,so he's obviously not sitting beside trash!"

"Oh now you're gonna get it!"

"Temari…be quiet."

Temari stared in complete horror at Sasuke's sentence.

"B-but…Sasuke-kun!"

"Do you want to be my girlfriend or not?"

Temari pouted and ran off to some unknown place.

Sakura looked over at Sasuke and blushed when she saw that she was staring at him.

'What's wrong with me?Me and Sasuke are just friends now.'

"Were you really bent on my destruction when you beat me in the arcade?"

Sakura snapped out of her trance as Sasuke spoke.

"No,I wasn't."

"Then why-"

Sakura interrupted him blandly.

"It was because I have this weird affinity to be in first place at everything.I've never been beaten before,so I'm usually going to the arcade in every town that I visit to find the cream of the crop."

"So you can beat that boy or girl?"

"Yeah.But so far,I haven't met any girl gamers in any place I've been.It's pretty weird to me."

Sasuke nodded and stole the uneaten piece of cake from Sakura's lunch tray.Sakura didn't seem to mind as she began to talk again.

"You know what?"

"What?"

"The reason why I've been playing arcade games is because I wanted to beat the guys who used to tease me a lot when I was a kid.They always said that a girl could never beat them.I proved them wrong!"

Sasuke nodded again and started to think.

'Hm…she's been teased as a kid too,huh?Pretty ironic.'

"Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke shook himself out of his little thinking session.

"Yup?"

Sakura leaned closer to him and he went stiff.Her face was nearly half way to his when she reached out and fumbled with something at the back of his shirt.

"What did you do!"

Sakura sat back down.

"Oh…you're tag was showing."

"(asd)…oh."

"See how thoughtful I am?"

Sakura smiled and tilted her head to the side as if to make herself look cuter.

"Hn…"