Difference between Crush and Love
Chapter 2. I Hate Bullies!
Sakura dressed up for school. As she did, she had thought about a lot of things. These were regarding her first day of school. So far, she had only made one new friend. That was Hinata. She was extremely shy so it was good that she hangs out with her and Ino. They could teach her a thing or two in making friends.
She sighed. She couldn't do anything about her hair. It really was messy and very hard to manage so she didn't bother fixing it. It was fine the way it was (to her). Her glasses were very big and they were quite expensive so she didn't take the initiative to buy another one to replace the one she currently wears. It was such a trouble to find glasses that were fine in appearance.
Now, to the people she met on her first day. Tenten was a strong girl. She said that she liked weapons. That was unusual for a girl. But all in all, she was alright. Maybe Sakura could befriend her.
Rock Lee was quite shocking. His words were kind of like old-fashioned. It was like he read a lot of old novels full of deep English. Those words were seldom used nowadays. And his eyebrows completely distracted her. They were so thick! It was the first time that she had ever seen someone with eyebrows like that.
Naruto was loud. He liked to speak his mind. But he was clueless and naïve. He was a prankster. But maybe there was more to him than meets the eye.
Neji was quiet and a loner. Hinata said that he was her cousin but they weren't close. It seemed that she was afraid of him. Who wouldn't? I mean, he was somewhat superior to them. Maybe it was because the air surrounding him was strange.
Shikamaru was lazy and bored. Nothing seems to interest him. But they say that he was really smart with an IQ of about 200.
Sasuke. Almost all the girls liked him. She didn't understand why. He was a mysterious and cold boy like Neji. They were both loners. Students say that he was one of the best athletes in school. But who cares. He was just a boy.
Sakura was finally ready for school. She had promised Ino and Hinata that she would meet them at the waiting shed just around the corner. They would go to school together.
She got her bag and hurried down the stairs. She walked to the waiting shed. When she arrived there, she saw Hinata and Ino already waiting for her. Ino was tapping her foot impatiently. She was probably waiting for quite some time. Hinata was there too. She was smiling at Sakura.
"Hurry up, Sakura! We've been waiting here for who knows how long!" whined Ino.
"Okay, I'm coming," said Sakura.
"Alright! Let's go!" said Ino.
So they headed for the school. They arrived just in time and there were students scattered along the corridor. They passed by a group of some boys who looked like they want trouble. But of course the boys won't let them pass without first bullying them. The leader looked at them and saw Sakura as the target. She seemed like a bookworm. That was going to be easy.
"Well, well, well. What have we got here? A girl with roots for her hair! Now that's new," said the leader, Yasuhiro Nakura.
The two boys with him chuckled. "That's a good one, Nakura," said the assistant of the little gang, Shigeo Akahori.
"Hey! I have an idea! Why don't we pull the roots?" said the other boy, Shuichi Hirata.
"You can't do that to my friend! That's not right! What would you feel if somebody tried to do that to you!" shouted Ino.
"Oh. Nobody will. They are all afraid of us," said Nakura.
"Except maybe some boys from your class," muttered Hirata.
Sakura heard the mutter and wondered who they could be. The others, however, did not hear.
"Enough talking. Time for some action," said Akahori, obviously bored.
The boys advanced toward Sakura. But someone blocked their way. It was Tenten. She had heard Ino's shout and came to see what was happening. What she saw enraged her. She hates bullies. Especially if they're picking on girls. She had experienced it and she doesn't want others to go through the same thing. So she intervened.
"What do you think you're doing? This is a girl you're picking on. She's just new. Or have you sunk so low that you're now picking on girls?" said Tenten.
"What are you talking about? We're just having fun," said Nakura. He was irritated at this girl but he kept his cool.
"Having fun? Is this what you call having fun!" screamed Tenten.
"Mind your own business. This is ours. Now, go away and be a good girl," said Nakura.
"Make me."
"You don't want me to. You could really get hurt and cry like a baby," said Nakura.
"Shut up," said Tenten. Anger was building up inside of her. She wasn't going to let this pass. Not without the boys getting hurt real bad.
"Please, Tenten, stop," said Sakura softly. Her head was bowed. And she was clutching her books so tightly that her knuckles went white. She didn't want to cause trouble. "Let them be."
"You should listen to her, girl," said Akahori.
But his statement was unheard. Tenten was surprised to hear Sakura's request. She thought that she would fight back but she didn't. Sakura preferred to stay quiet and allow herself to be bullied. That was not the reaction she was expecting. Definitely not.
But Tenten was soft-hearted and listened to Sakura. She turned her back on the bullies and looked at her. Sakura showed inner strength. Inner strength was the ability to absorb it all in and not let anger eat you.
The bullies saw that they had nothing left to do there so they went to find some other student to bully. Ino and Hinata were thankful that Tenten came when she did. They really needed her help. They couldn't have handled it by themselves since they were more concerned with what Sakura was feeling than what the bullies were saying.
"Let's go in," said Hinata finally.
They went inside their room. They were greeted with so much noise that they had to cover their ears just to get to their seats. For the meantime, while their adviser was not present, they gathered around Tenten's and Ino's tables. They talked about certain things.
"So, Ino and Sakura. What do you think of our school? Does it pass your expectations or not? I think I know what Sakura's answer is. But what about you, Ino?" inquired Tenten.
"Well, I don't know yet because I had only seen very few people. But if they're the same as those bullies, I don't like them," answered Ino.
"What about the boys in our class? Do you like any of them?" asked Hinata.
"I think I like that Sasuke. I find him cute," said Ino blushing. But she thought Neji the same. Basically, she has a crush on the both of them but she kept her crush on Neji secret.
"Ino, how could you say that? It was just yesterday that you met him," said Sakura.
"So?" said Ino.
"So you don't know him that well. He may be some playboy or a stiff," said Sakura. She had to get some sense into Ino's head.
"Don't tell me that you don't like any boy. It was always like that. You never even had a crush for goodness' sake!" said Ino to Sakura.
"Sakura, is it true?" asked Hinata. She had a crush on Naruto for as long as she can remember. Sakura was worse than her. She was already a teenager yet she didn't have an eye for the opposite sex.
"Yeah, Sakura. How come you don't have a crush?" asked Tenten. She was eager to know and maybe persuade her to look at some boys.
"Come on, guys. We have to prioritize our studies first, you know," answered Sakura. She was getting really annoyed at these girls. Can't they see that she wasn't into boys?
"Whatever you say. But when you find him don't hesitate to tell us!" said Ino.
"Yeah," said Sakura. It was not like she was going to have any. She snorted. Nobody would even like her. She was hideous. She was a nerd. A bookworm. They would just despise her.
--
Sasuke entered the school gates. He was just on time. But as soon as he arrived, he was swarmed by girls. Some were asking for a date; some were trying to hug him. He tried to get away but failed.
Sakura was on her way to the girls' bathroom. She saw a big crowd in the middle of the corridor. She wondered what might be so interesting in there. She heard a shout.
"GET OFF ME! GO AWAY! I DON'T LIKE ANY OF YOU!"
"Oi! Sasuke-baka! It's time for class!" called Naruto.
It was Sasuke. The one Ino said she liked. Maybe Ino liked him for his looks. That was the only reason she came up with.
She decided to help him because they were blocking her way to the bathroom.
"Hey, girls! Look! It's the star of the current high-ranking show!" shouted Sakura.
The girls stopped. They turned around and ran to the entrance to look for the said person who, unluckily for them, wasn't there.
Sasuke let out a sigh of relief. But when he saw Sakura, he thought she was another fan girl.
"You're annoying," said Sasuke.
Sakura blinked. She had just saved him from the girls and here he was saying that she was annoying. The nerve!
"For your information, I'm not a fan girl of yours. I am merely on my way to the girls' bathroom. So if you'll excuse me," said Sakura.
Sasuke was surprised. It was the first time that a girl wasn't after him. She, in fact, even had the guts to stand up to him. He shook his head and went to his classroom.
Their adviser was already there. He greeted her and sat in his place. Naruto was there beside him.
"Hey, Sasuke. Had fun today?" said Naruto. He was grinning. He, of course, saw what happened.
"Shut up, dobe," said Sasuke.
Sakura entered the room. As she went to her seat, she glared at Sasuke. She didn't like him at all. He thought that he was better than everybody else. She was going to prove him wrong.
Classes began. All day, Sakura ignored Sasuke. Ino, however, was swooning over him. Tenten and Hinata were looking at their crushes. They haven't told the other girls about them.
Sakura actively participated in class recitations. She wanted to have good grades and be the topnotcher in their class. During breaks, she stayed in the library to study. Ino, Tenten, and Hinata accompanied her. But they first ate their lunch quickly before heading for the library. This became their daily routine.
In the library, Sakura strolled down an aisle looking for something interesting. That day, she asked the girls to go ahead and eat without her. She had a heavy breakfast so she won't be hungry. The other girls were worried but shook it off.
She walked past the Adventure section. But then she did a double take. There was a book that looked like it didn't belong there. It was old but not quite. She got it out and walked to an empty table. She opened it and looked through the pages. It was a book about a young girl who was so ugly that she never had friends. She cries every night wishing that somebody would care for her. She was an orphan so she lives with guardians who didn't like her at all. It was a story of how she bloomed and became very beautiful. She had moved to another place where she found true friends.
--
Sasuke spent his breaks in quiet places. He ate his meal near the computer lab, in particular. His secret was that he liked computers and wanted to know more about them. But students weren't allowed to go in there without permission form the principal so he just sat there and silently ate his lunch. His fan girls didn't know this hiding place so it was safe.
It was also his thinking place. If he wasn't in the mood, he'd go here and clear his mind.
--
Aside from reading books and surfing the net, Sakura also liked to play the piano and sing. She kept this to herself. Not even Ino, her closest friend, knew this. If she didn't feel like going to the library, she would go to the music room which was just beside the computer lab. She would play pieces there and sing.
When dismissal time comes, they would walk home together and chat about what happened during the day. But this afternoon, they were going to the bookstore. They invited Tenten as well. Each of them had their own gears. Tenten had a scooter. These bikes, skates, and scooters made it easier for them to go anywhere they want.
They arrived at the store and split up so they can look for books or magazines of their choice. Tenten went to the section where there were cooking books. Cooking was her hobby besides weapons. Hinata and Ino went to the novels while Sakura went to the fictions part of the store.
She found the book she saw at the library and was attracted to the story so she bought it together with some almanacs. Tenten bought a thick cooking book and Hinata and Ino had two books each. They went to the cashier and paid for their purchases.
Tenten went home to try cooking the recipes. Sakura also went home so she could start reading the story of the girl. Hinata had to hurry so her father won't get mad at her. And Ino just took her time to get home. She wasn't really fond of reading but there are firsts.
--
"Hiromi. Hmm, odd title. Oh, well. Better start reading," said Sakura to herself as she sat on her bed. She had changed to her night clothes. Supper was finished less than an hour ago. She planned to read at least two chapters tonight.
Hiromi was hideous as they said. But inside she had the heart of an angel. Nobody saw it. Her parents had died because their boat had sunk. They were well off and they were to visit a business partner. Hiromi was about two years old at that time…