Difference between Crush and Love
Chapter 1. We're Best Friends!
Haruno Sakura is just an ordinary high school student. She has many friends but her one best friend was Yamanaka Ino. They met when they were still very young. Their friendship lasted for many years. And now that they are fifteen years old, they are still the best of friends. They shared their deepest secrets together and the bond that they shared was so strong that they could be mistaken for sisters or twins. You couldn't see one without the other. One couldn't separate the both of them. Not even their parents. But of course their parents approve of their friendship.
They even went to the same school just so they could be together. There, they made a lot of friends because of their personalities. Ino was quite outgoing — the total opposite of Sakura. She was also cheerful and a bit talkative but friendly all the same. Sakura, on the other hand, was quiet and reserved. Still, they make a good team. Ino stands up to anyone who bullies Sakura while Sakura calms her down when she gets really angry.
Ino likes to dress sophisticated. Sakura likes to dress simple. Sakura wears glasses because her favorite pastime is reading books. They also have long hair. Ino's hair was tied back by a ponytail while Sakura's was bushy and tangled. She doesn't bother to fix it because it's hard to manage. And it looks really oily. To put it shortly, her hair was hideous.
Their school was the Gakuen Tohoku. It was just an average school but a fairly large one at that. It was rectangular in shape and there is a courtyard in the middle. This is where the gardens were located. The students go there for breaks. The school was beautiful. There were trees all around. Its location was perfect.
The halls were wide. The floors were spic and span. The janitors do their jobs well. There were bulletin boards along the corridors and the doors were well kept. Everything was in order. You could assume that this particular school is prestigious and had high standards of education. And this is where our story takes place.
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Ino walked up to Sakura's front door. She knocked. It was opened by Sakura's mom who was wearing an apron. She was probably washing the dishes for the morning.
"Good morning, Ino. Sakura is just upstairs. You could go up if you want to," said Sakura's mom.
"Arigatou gozaimasu. I'll just call her 'cause we're going to be late for our first day," replied Ino.
Ino ran up the stairs to Sakura's bedroom. She opened the door and saw Sakura combing her hair. She was already dressed up for school. Their uniform was composed of a white blouse with collar, a maroon necktie with a slash of light gray in the middle, and a light gray pleated skirt.
"Hey, Sakura. If you're going to keep on combing your hair that slow, we're never gonna reach school on time! Look, it's already 6:30 and we still have to walk to school," said Ino.
"Okay, Ino. I'll just grab my bag and we're off. So just wait for a few moments," said Sakura. She wants everything to be clean and organized.
Soon, they were out walking briskly in the direction of their new school. It was rush hour. Cars were driving down the road at great speed. People were on the sidewalks hurrying to get to their offices. So as to keep themselves from getting bored, they started a conversation.
"Ino, what do you expect of our new school?" asked Sakura.
"Well, I expect it to be very nice and I wish to join the cheerleading squad! I also think that there will be more cute guys there compared to our other school!" said Ino excitedly.
"Ino…" warned Sakura.
"Fine, fine. I should give priority to my studies first, I know. Don't start with the lecture. But what about our social lives! I don't think that we even have any because of you. You always are serious. Gee, Sakura. Don't you want to socialize with other people except me and our other friends that are all girls!" said Ino loudly.
"Ino! You don't have to shout. I'm not deaf, you know," said Sakura.
They reached the school at 6:45. They went to the registration and office and were given slips stating their homeroom. They have the same, of course.
Class Schedule:
7:20-8:40 – Science – Nikura Keio
8:40-9:40 – Gym - Maito Gai
9:40-10:00 - Recess
10:00-10:50 – Home Economics – Yuuhi Kurenai
10:50-11:50 – English - Hatake Kakashi
11:50-12:30 – History - Sarutobi Asuma
12:30-1:20 – Japanese - Mitarashi Anko
1:20-1:30 - Study Period
1:30-2:30 – Mathematics - Gekkou Hayate
They went around and looked for it. They came upon First Year – B. they entered the room and saw students scattered around the room. Some were sitting on the tables; some were leaning against the wall; some were on the chairs. They were all talking to each other so the room was very noisy. They quickly took the seats near the window in front of the teacher.
"I wonder who our adviser will be. I hope it will be Kakashi-sensei. He is really cool," said a boy.
"Well, I want Kurenai-sensei to be our teacher because she is so smart," said a girl.
"Gai-sensei is the best! He is so cool! I want to be like him someday," said a boy with thick eyebrows dreamily.
The teacher entered the room. It was a woman. She looked young but was old enough to be a teacher. She had kept her hair long enough to reach her waist. It was of a light shade of brown. Her eyes were hazel. And she was also of fair complexion. As soon as she had entered the room, the class became quiet and went to their seats. Sakura, realizing that they still don't have a class president, stood up. Everyone noticed her and followed suit.
"Good morning, everyone. You may take your seats," said she.
"Thank you, teacher," chorused everyone.
"As you can see, I'm a new teacher here so I will state my expectations from you. First of all, I do not want you to interrupt me when I am speaking. Second, even though I tend to joke around sometimes respect must always be there. I could also be your friend here in school. When you have problems, you could always come to me and I'll help you. I will listen to your problems may it be personal. So, any questions?" said the teacher.
A girl raised her hand. "Sensei, I was just wondering if you could tell us your name?"
"Oh, I forgot."
The class sweatdropped. The teacher wrote her name on the board.
"I am Nikura Keio. But you could call me 'Kei' for short. Is there anything else you would like to know about me?"
"How old are you, madam?"
"Well, I am 25 and still single."
The class laughed. The teacher continued.
"But not available."
A series of 'oohhh's were heard from the class. The teacher chuckled.
"You don't have to be disappointed because I found him," said Keio mysteriously.
"Who! Who!"
"Tell us, please!"
"Nuh-uh. I want to keep it a secret from you," said she, smiling.
Some students pouted. Keio decided to get down to business.
"I can see that your class is made up of about twenty students. Let's start with the introductions. Now, get a one-eighth sheet of paper and write your name on it. Fold it lengthwise and pass it in front."
The class did as they were told. When Keio received all the papers, the class waited for whatever she is planning to do.
"Okay, I will randomly pick a piece of paper and whose is called will stay in front and tell us about himself or herself."
The teacher picked a piece and the boy with thick eyebrows went in front.
"So, tell us anything about yourself," said Keio.
"I am Rock Lee. And my idol is Gai-sensei. He is the best teacher in the whole wide world! That's all."
"I-I a-am Hyuuga Hi-Hinata. And, umm…" said a girl who looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown.
"Hi! I'm Yamanaka Ino. I just transferred here and I hope that we could be friends!" said Ino.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I am going to become the best athlete here in this school!" said a blonde-haired boy.
"I'm Nara Shikamaru," said a bored-looking boy.
"My name is Tenten. I like weapons of all sorts," said a girl with her hair fixed in two buns.
"Hi! I'm Haruno Sakura. Ino and I just transferred here. We came from the Gakuen Ritsumeikan. We are best friends," said Sakura with a bright smile. She adjusted her glasses before going back to her seat beside Ino.
"I'm Hyuuga Neji. I prefer to be alone," said a boy with long hair and white eyes.
"Uchiha Sasuke," said a raven-haired boy with emotionless eyes. As he looked at the class, girls screamed and giggled. Some whispered to each other. Very few kept quiet. Boys glared at him.
The introductions carried on. The adviser gave them time to get better acquainted. Ino, followed by Sakura, rose from her seat to look for people. She spotted Hinata sitting on her desk alone so she told Sakura to come with her.
"Sakura, look. There's a girl who is by herself. Let's go and befriend her," said Ino to Sakura.
"Yeah, she seems a bit withdrawn. Let's go," said Sakura.
The two girls went to where Hinata was sitting. They sat beside her.
"Hey, you're Hinata, ne? Let's talk," invited Sakura.
"Thank you. You two are really nice. I had studied here since my elementary days so I know my way around," said Hinata. She felt comfortable with Sakura and Ino. She doesn't feel so shy anymore when she's with them but in front of other people it's different. Maybe she could even be friends with them.
"That's cool! Maybe you could show us around sometime. We would really appreciate it if you do," said Ino.
"Sure. It's no problem at all. It will be great to have friends. You see, I don't really have friends because they think I'm so quiet," said Hinata.
"Wow. You're just like me. I was very quiet until Ino came along. Well, we quiet people should stick together don't you think?" said Sakura.
Ino cleared her throat. "Excuse me. I'm not like you two," she said jokingly.
"Except Ino," continued Sakura.
"So from now on, we will be a circle of friends! And Hinata you can tell us anything you want to," said Ino.
The three friends kept talking and by the end of the period, they know lots about each other. After that was recess. Everybody was supposed to go down and take their break in the Domestic Science Laboratory or DSL for short.
In this lab, there are two gas ranges and several big tables where all the freshmen could fit. This includes First Year - A. There are only two sections for the freshmen year.
The trio found their seats and took out their packed lunches. They eagerly ate their meal. They even shared their food with one another.
This is going to be the greatest first day I've ever had! thought Sakura.
The day passed on, uneventful. Ino took her bike, Sakura and Hinata their skates. They rode home and found that they were in the same neighborhood.
"Oh, this is so cool! We can hang out with each other and maybe even have study sessions. This is too exciting for words!" squealed Ino.
"Just when did you study, Ino?" teased Sakura.
"I can too, but only if I want to!" countered Ino.
Sakura sped up a bit, resulting in her being in the lead. Hinata was behind her and Ino was at the last and wasn't at all pleased with the order. She pedaled hard so she can catch up but Sakura and Hinata just sped up more. It was frustrating her. Unbeknownst to her, Sakura and Hinata had smiles on their faces obviously enjoying the ride.
Oh, my. This is so much fun! This is so great. I have made two new friends on the first day of classes. Who knows? Maybe I'll make more. thought Hinata.
"Hey, Hinata! If you don't watch where you're going you might miss your house," warned Sakura.
Hinata snapped out of it and realized that they were nearing her home. She waved goodbye to Ino and Sakura and removed her skates. She walked up to her front door and was welcomed home by her mom.
"So, Hinata, How was it?" asked her mom, smiling.
"It was great, Mom! I made new friends," said Hinata.
"That's good to hear," said her dad who just appeared beside her mother. He was watching television in the living room and came to see how his daughter had fared the first day.
Hinata nodded and ran up the stairs. She got to her room and quickly put her bag down. She booted her computer and got online. She checked if she had any mail that day. None. She disconnected and started to work on her homework.
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Sakura got home. Her house wasn't very far from Hinata's. In fact, Hinata was only three houses away on her right. Ino's house, however, was a bit far. It was five houses away on the other side of the street.
She opened the door and kissed her mother who was in the kitchen. She walked up the stairs and flopped down on her bed. She lay for some time then decided to change out of her uniform. She wanted to finish her homework early so she can do her chores. She was a smart girl so she had an easy time doing homework. There were times when she even tutors Ino.
As she was about to finish, the phone rang in the hall. Her mother had answered it and shouted, "Sakura, it's for you!"
She got up and took it. She heard Ino's voice. It was loud and she bet that her parents heard it from wherever they are in the house.
"Yes, Ino? What do you want?" asked Sakura.
"Sakura! I just had an idea. What about the three of us go to the bookstore tomorrow afternoon? We could see some of their books," said Ino.
"Yeah, sure. I ran out of books to read anyway. And besides, I could buy some references for our lessons," answered Sakura.
"Okay! I'll just call Hinata and ask if she wants to come. Bye!"
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Author's notes:
Sorry I had to end it there. Don't worry. Other characters will have roles as the story progresses. The characters I didn't mention in the introductions are in First Year – A. There will also be a lot of activities in their school year. It may sound boring at first but there will be some pairings soon. And people who don't like the story, there is nothing you can do! Suggestions are welcome as long as it doesn't concern the plot.