Difference between Crush and Love
Chapter 3. Gym Class! And a Soccer Game?
Tenten ran down the stairs. She needed to be in time for her Gym class. Gai-sensei was really strict when it comes to punctuality. She reached the girls' locker room. Luckily for her, there were still some girls changing into their gym clothes. She wondered what they were going to do today. She hoped it won't be too hard for her.
She went to her locker and did the combination. It unlocked and she got her clothes out. It consisted of white shirt with their school logo on the center and white jogging pants. She quickly changed. She liked this attire better than the school uniform. The school uniform was stuffy and it chokes her because the neck of the blouse was closed around hers. And she doesn't like dresses or skirts. Unlike Ino who just loves to wear them. She didn't know what was so nice about wearing those things. It was uncomfortable.
She wants to be free to do what she wants. Nobody to order her around. May it be schoolmate or someone else.
Judging by her thoughts, she's the type of girl who is carefree. She's a free bird, not locked up in some cage. She always speaks her mind but backs off if she knows it would be pernicious to go on any longer. She had learned from her mistake in grade school.
Once, she saw a really ditzy girl and confronted her. She said that she wasn't at all pretty and that the air is polluted because of her perfume, if you would even call it perfume. She also said that she looks like a clown because of the thick makeup. Thick was an understatement. So the girl got very angry and stormed off to call her guards. It turned out that she was a member of a very rich family. Tenten almost got sued for saying those things which were the truth.
So now, she was extra careful in what she said. She avoided being in one of those situations again.
--
A boy with long hair and astoundingly white eyes sat on the bench in the open air. He was outside near the track fields. He was Hyuuga Neji, Uchiha Sasuke's rival for being the best—both in athletics and academic activities. He doesn't care much about people around him. He preferred to be alone. That was why he was the only one early enough for Gym to enjoy his seclusion before his classmates came and ruin the silence.
He had a lot on his mind. His father was dead. He was hated by most of his relatives. His mother wanted him to be happy. He didn't know what to do. It was either he follow his mom and be normal and happy or stay cold and keep quiet and emotionless. He wanted to be rid of his emotions so that he won't experience pain like when his father died. He'd rather be alone if that was the case.
As for girls, he also didn't want to mingle himself with them. Most of them were fans anyway. He didn't like the way they clearly showed admiration for that matter. He couldn't stand them. In Sasuke's words, they were annoying. But of course, they were alike in this aspect.
He enjoyed the silence. It makes him feel calm. It was times like this that he had the chance to be free from tiring things. Those tiring things include girls, schoolwork, and the like.
He hated to admit it but he really did miss his father. He was the only one who could truly understand what he feels. His mother was female so he can't confide in her like he could in his father when he was still alive. They were pretty tight. So it was a great loss for him when he died. He felt like he was alone in this world and he didn't like it one bit.
He wished that he could have a best friend. Someone to talk to. Someone to share problems with. Someone to help him.
That wish made him laugh. Who would want to befriend someone like him? He wasn't the social or friendly type. Besides, he didn't know how to act towards others. In fact, he didn't know how to act normal like youngsters his age do. Some had relationships when they reached the teenage years. He thought it wrong. They were very young to have those things. It was definitely not acceptable in his book.
Deep inside, he just wants care and friendship. He doesn't know this.
He suddenly felt cold. He knew it wasn't the wind. It was something else. It was him. He himself did it. He wallows in dark thoughts. He had rights to be happy even once in a while. Too bad, he didn't know how to be happy.
"I said I'd not be emotional but look at me. That is exactly what I'm doing right now," said Neji to himself.
--
Gai arrived and they waited for the other students to come. Soon enough, the boys came out from their locker room and followed by the girls some time later. When they were all complete, Gai explained to them what they were expected to accomplish during that period.
"Keep quiet, everyone. No whispers. Okay. Now, I want the boys to run laps like you usually do but this time try to run as many laps as you could. Girls, I want you to practice you gymnastics today. I'll assign one of you to lead the group," informed Gai.
Hanako was the one appointed to be the leader from then on. She was slim and rather friendly. She had brown hair tied into a braid. She was graceful as well.
"Right. So let's start with the basics first then we go on up," said Hanako, "Some girls get the hoops. Some get the ribbons and the others get whatever they want."
The girls went to the store room to get the materials. When they got back, Hanako taught them group by group. Tenten was included in the group with ribbons. She would have preferred ball but there was none left for her. She went up to her group and took her place. Hanako soon got to them and demonstrated a few stunts.
Tenten thought they were easy just by looking at how Hanako did it but it takes more than that. It needs grace and skill. She decided to imitate Hanako. Her body was not really flexible so she would have to work hard. At her first try, her body hurt slightly but she carried on not wanting to show that she wasn't as good as the others.
Oh, gosh. I thought it would be pretty easy but this is so not it. I wonder if I could make it to my next class with a good back. Oh, well. This is it and there's no turning back. I'm going to show them that I'm good! thought Tenten.
--
The boys were weary. Running laps to test their endurance wasn't that nice. Some had only gotten two to three laps then gave up. Others wanted to show how great they were so they ran a few laps more. Neji was the last one to finish. Sasuke and the others were scheduled in a different class so it was easy for him. He liked it better when they weren't there in the fields. He didn't need to show off. Not that he does it really but he wanted to be better than anyone.
"Has everyone finished?" asked Gai.
"Yes, sir," said the boys.
"Oh, how good youth is!" exclaimed Gai, losing himself for the moment. He didn't mean for his class to hear that. It was improper. He earned stares from everyone. They were staring at him like he was some kind of a madman. Gai saw this and coughed.
"Very well then. As you should all know, I took records from each of you earlier. And I learned that some of you do not have much stamina. You know yourselves. I suggest you work on it. Okay, guys?" said Gai. Some boys nodded.
"And as I have seen, some of you are great! You may join the track team if you wish. I am completely pleased with the results so you may have a game of soccer," said Gai happily.
Everyone cheered and went to get the ball. They picked their captains which were Nakura (the bully) and some boy named Hakutsu. Neji joined Hakutsu's group as he didn't want to get involved with the school's biggest bully. He wasn't scared but he wanted to avoid trouble as much as possible.
The game started Nakura's group got the lead. Hakutsu's group soon caught up. With Neji in their team, they were good. Probably even better than Nakura's. But Neji kicked the ball too hard. It flew to the auditorium and broke a glass window.
The auditorium was where the girls were doing their stunts. Unfortunately, the ball landed where it shouldn't have.
"Ow! Who threw that!" exclaimed Tenten who was rubbing her head which was quite sore form the hit.
--
"Hey, Neji! Since you're the one who kicked the ball could you please get it?" asked Hakutsu.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll go get it," said Neji.
He went inside the auditorium and looked for the ball. He hoped that it didn't hit anybody because he didn't want to be responsible for it.
"There it is," said Neji. He went to the corner where the ball was but he was blocked by somebody.
"What do you think you're doing? Were you the one who threw the ball! Huh!" asked Tenten. She was fuming. You could cook an egg on her head.
"For your information, it was kicked and yes, it was me. I don't care if I hit you or not so move," said Neji coldly.
Tenten got even angrier than she already was so she slapped him hard on the cheek. "Move! That's all you can say!" screamed Tenten.
"Well, yeah. What do you expect me to say?" asked Neji, holding the side where she slapped him. It was bright red.
"How about 'I'm sorry'? That's easy enough!" said Tenten.
"What if I don't want to? What will you do?" asked Neji.
"I-I'll…" said Tenten.
"See. You couldn't do anything." Neji smirked as he picked the ball up and left without another word.
That guy really is getting on my nerves! Ok, Tenten, don't let him get to you. Get back to practice and everything will be alright. I hope, thought Tenten.
--
Hmm… that girl is something. No one even dared to do that to me, thought Neji.
"Hey, Neji! What happened to your cheek?" asked Rock Lee, running up to him.
"None of your business. Let's get back to the game," said Neji.
The game resumed. Nakura's group began to play dirty. In other words, they cheated. They couldn't bear to lose even if it was an unofficial match. The referee was Inuzuka Kiba. He wasn't able to anything because he was afraid of Nakura. He wouldn't go against him in fear of Nakura's capabilities.
He also felt sorry for Hakutsu's team who was suffering severe tackles and fouls. He knew that most of them would be seen later in the clinic with bruises and cuts. Some were already giving him pleading looks but he chose to ignore them.
But Neji has had enough. If his teammates weren't going to do something, he surely would. So, running at full speed, he tackled the opponent who was currently in possession of the ball. He got it and ran towards the goalpost. He did some really good footwork and succeeded in confusing the goalkeeper. He then kicked the ball hard and it hit the net. The game was over. The score was 8-7 in favor of Hakutsu's team.
As everyone left the grounds, Nakura was seen kicking the post. He seemed mad for being the loser. He doesn't take defeats that easily.
"Hyuuga Neji, just you watch. I'm going to make you pay dearly for this. Even if it's just a little game, I was humiliated because of you! I will find out what's your weakness. And when I do, just wait and see…" said Nakura.
--
"Hi, guys! You wouldn't believe what happened to me today," said Tenten rolling her eyes as she sat on their table. It was break time. Hinata, Ino, and Sakura were already there waiting for her.
"What?" asked Ino excitedly. She didn't seem to notice the sarcasm in Tenten's statement.
"Well, I just got hit on the head by a hard soccer ball at Gym. Not to mention that it hurts 'til now."
"Who did that to you?" asked Hinata, worried that Tenten might have gotten a concussion.
"The one and only Hyuuga Neji," said Tenten sarcastically.
"Him? Sure, he is cold but I never thought that he would do that to anybody especially girls. He didn't seem that type. Maybe it was an accident," said Sakura. She kind of knew what people were like just by looking at them. It didn't make sense.
"It was an accident. But he talked to me in an unpleasant way. So I did what I would usually do: slap him," said Tenten.
The girls gasped. They hadn't expected Tenten to do that even if she was annoyed.
And here I am, a fool for having a crush on him…
--
Author's notes:
The chapters have been revised. There are changes and additions.
So here is the third chapter. Hope you liked it. Guess who thought that last line.