warnings: underage drinking, drug use

Three shots in was all it took for Boruto to declare a game of spin the bottle truth or dare. Even though his legendary record of the bottle never landing on him had been broken at his birthday party back in December, he was going to attempt and regain his legacy. There was no way he'd lose this time, especially at an end of the school year party.

Shikadai was to the right of him completely toasted, his eyes bloodshot and drooping and mouth hanging open lazily, and Mitsuki was to his left at a comfortable buzz. He was the sober one in charge tonight, which meant watching over Iwabee when he inevitably drank too much and started fighting everyone.

Which, Iwabee was sitting across from them in the circle surrounded by girls wooing each one of them. Boruto rolled his eyes and flicked the beer cap across the living room, which Mitsuki sent him a look for, and he chuckled nervously before placing the bottle in the middle.

"Alright everyone, listen up! This is spin the bottle truth or dare, so if you're a pussy and not gonna participate, get out of the circle!" He shouted.

A few people left the circle to watch from behind, and everyone squished in closer. Once the group was ready, Boruto kneeled forward and spun it. It landed on a girl named Mikayla, and he plopped back onto the floor.

"Truth or dare?"

"Truth." She said.

"Where's the riskiest place you've done stuff?" Boruto asked with a raised eyebrow. Mikayla blushed and immediately covered her cheeks.

"Uh–Um… i-in the back of the car… while my dad was driving."

All the boys raged in hollers and laughter. Mikayla pouted in embarrassment and leaned forward to spin the bottle next. It landed on a boy named Sergio, and she asked him truth or dare.

"Dare." He said.

"I dare you to waterfall until I say stop."

Sergio gave her a look and the two boys next to him patted his shoulder in support. Someone outside the circle grabbed a bottle of Bacardi from the counter and brought it over, and they held the bottle to Sergio's lips. When Mikayla said go, they began pouring the alcohol in Sergio's mouth. The crowd counted out loud and cheered him on, and Boruto just thanked god that he wasn't Sergio in that moment.

After what seemed like four shots worth, Mikayla had mercy and let Sergio stop. He spluttered and ran to the sink for some water, and everyone laughed. Once he came back, he wiped his mouth and fell to the floor already disoriented. He leaned forward wobbly.

"Okayyy," He did his best to spin the bottle, but it was quite a fail, and only moved halfway around the circle. It landed on Iwabee. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth." Iwabee said with a smirk.

Sergio propped up a comical smile. "Okay so we all know you've fucked most girls in here, now I wanna know, who is someone you haven't but want to?"

Iwabee gave him a death stare, and Boruto and Mitsuki could only crack up with laughter. Shikadai even joined in with small giggles as Iwabee's expression said it all. Way for Sergio to be a cock block; there was no way Iwabee was getting out of this one unscathed. The girls sitting next to him suddenly looked uneasy and were glancing at their friends every so often.

Finally, Iwabee ran his tongue across his teeth in annoyance and rolled his eyes. "No one! She's not in here."

There was a collective gasp of surprise, and Iwabee leaned forward to spin the bottle. Sergio frowned.

"You didn't tell me who!"

"I said she's not here, so therefore it doesn't matter. That's my answer." Iwabee spun the bottle, and it landed on the girl next to him. Her name was Summer. "Summer! Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to give Shikadai a lap dance." Iwabee looked over at him with a devious look, and suddenly Shikadai wasn't feeling so high. He blinked.

"Bro."

"Wh-What?!" Summer protested. "I-I don't want to do it alone!"

"Then Myrah can give me one!" Iwabee proclaimed.

Boruto bounced to his feet. "You heard the man! Someone bring them some chairs!"

Shikadai was about to complain profusely but Mitsuki pulled him by the arms, and Shikadai couldn't stop groaning in protest. A chair was brought right behind him and with a small shove from Boruto, he was on the chair and Summer tentatively walked over to him. Iwabee and Shikadai were back to back, and Shikadai covered his face. Boruto couldn't help but cackle hysterically at the scene.

A couple seconds later, an upbeat song began to play and everyone hyped up Summer and Myrah. Of course, the two awkward ones ended up together while Myrah and Iwabee were having a blast. It was quite the scene, and Boruto and Mitsuki couldn't stop laughing at the pure misery on Shikadai's face. He was so going to kill them tomorrow for making him do this.

Once the comical lap dance was over, the truth or dare circle formed once again, but Boruto, Shikadai, Mitsuki, and Iwabee went to the kitchen for a water break. Shikadai immediately beelined straight for the bong and took a long rip to hopefully black out his memory of the horribly awkward situation he'd just encountered. Boruto snorted into his glass, and Iwabee was taking a sip of water when suddenly his phone rang. His body froze, and Mitsuki noticed.

"Iwabee? What's wrong?"

He ignored Mitsuki and answered the phone. "Hello?"

There was silence on the other end – or at least from what Iwabee could hear, it was too loud in the room he was in. "Hello? Sumire?"

Mitsuki then nodded in understanding. Ah, yes, Sumire and Iwabee. An unlikely, completely unexpected pair, but somehow that angel of a girl managed to attract his eye. How interesting.

Iwabee turned his back to the boys. "Wassup cutie? What you up to?"

Boruto's interest was now piqued, as it was a rare occasion that Iwabee would answer someone's call at a party – let alone a girl that wasn't here – so he was going to be nosy. He set his glass of water on the table and creeped up behind Iwabee's shoulder. As he snuck up behind his friend, he focused on the conversation as much as his drunken state would allow him.

"I'm at Mitsuki's, he's throwing a rager." Iwabee said, and Boruto suddenly popped up from behind him.

"Iwaabeeee, Iwabee, who are you talking to? Iwabee!"

Iwabee shoved Boruto away with a glare. "You should pull up!"

"Iwabeeeee," Boruto whined.

Iwabee turned his back to Boruto to focus on the phone call. "Bring them!"

Boruto hung onto Iwabee's elbow dramatically, but his friend kept ignoring him.

"Aw, but I wanna see your cute face!" Iwabee said.

Okay, now Boruto really wanted to be nosy. He attempted to press his ear closer to Iwabee's phone, but got pushed away again.

"Pleaaaaase," Iwabee said, "if you didn't wanna see me, why'd you call me?"

A couple moments later, Iwabee pulled his phone away from his ear with a scoff. Boruto folded his arms.

"Tell me who that was!"

"It was Sumire, you nosy ass!" Iwabee shoved Boruto's face as he walked away, and Boruto gave him a giddy grin.

"Oooo, forreal? She shoulda come tonight!"

"She said no, she's with Wasabi, Namida, and Sarada."

Sarada. Oh. Boruto suddenly felt butterflies. His feelings were still so strong for her, but she had a boyfriend. Even the confession at the assembly didn't change anything. They could barely even call each other "friends" with everything that's happened, and Sarada wanted nothing to do with him. She was happy. And Boruto was stuck in an emotional rut until he got over her.

Well. He was already getting in his feelings about it.

So, time for another shot!

He promptly grabbed the bottle of Patron and threw a shot back straight from the cap, and Shikadai watched in disbelief with the bong dangling in his hands.

"So it's that kind of night, huh?" He asked.

Boruto gagged on the Patron and wiped off the stray liquor from his mouth.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just tryna party."

"Mhm, sure." Shikadai sparked the lighter to life. He held it to the bowl piece. "You're a horrible liar."

Boruto rolled his eyes. "You're a horrible liar," He mocked his friend with a stupid voice. Shikadai only shook his head and took a long drag of the bong, inhaled, then exhaled.

Some time later with the bottle of Patron now empty, Boruto definitely was on the border of being blackout. Experiences were going in and out of his consciousness like race cars. Time was going incredibly fast, yet every time he looked at the clock a single minute hadn't passed. People moved like blips in a time frame, words sounded like gargled noises, and he had to close his eyes to even focus on Mitsuki trying to hand him a glass of water, and the glass felt like an iceberg against his blazing hot hand. Sobering up would do him no good. He'd put himself in this state to try and forget about the fact that he would never have Sarada; the one and only person he truly ever wanted.

It was like pure torture under the guise of a heavenly, pleasurable illusion. Seeing her smile, her laugh, her nerdy glasses, the smell of her hair, the glisten in her dark brown eyes, and knowing it wasn't his and would never be.

It was just all too much for Boruto's brain to process. Goddamnit. He was drunk as fuck.

Wobbling on the barstool, Boruto whipped his phone out of his pocket and it clumsily clattered onto the counter. He muttered a swear word and tried to readjust his balance, and he unlocked his phone. His eyes felt heavier than ever. Everything around him looked so dim and blurry. He smacked his tongue against his hard palette to try and regain any moisture in his mouth.

Before he knew it, he was wobbling down the long, marble hallway to the bathroom with his phone in his hand. The screen brightness was all the way up but it still looked dim – Boruto squinted as he scrolled through his contacts. Without hesitation, he clicked on Sarada's name and simultaneously burst through the bathroom door.

In there, a random couple was making out, and Boruto blinked rapidly to try and process what he was witnessing. He didn't know these people. Did Mitsuki know there were random teenagers making out in his bathroom? Or wait, did Boruto know them or was he just too drunk to recognize them? He didn't know what the fuck was going on.

"Hello?"

Boruto's glare disappeared immediately. That voice. It was so soft and precious. Wait, was he hallucinating? His eyes snapped back to his screen. Oh god, he wasn't. He actually called Sarada!

"Saaarada, hey!" He wobbled against the doorframe, and the couple just stared at him blankly. Mitsuki popped up behind him. Dear lord, he'd actually called Sarada. "What're you doing?"

"I'm at Sumire's."

"Boruto," Mitsuki grabbed onto his arm, and Boruto blinked.

"What? I can't hear you!"

"I'm at Sumire's!"

Mitsuki tugged Boruto into the hallway. It was extremely hard to multitask while Mitsuki was trying to talk to him.

"Hold on!" Boruto said to Sarada.

"Come here," Mitsuki shook his head, and guided him to his room. Boruto wasted no time plopping onto the bed ungracefully, and Mitsuki shut the door. Boruto readjusted himself to the top of the bed and Mitsuki walked over to his nightstand to grab something.

Boruto propped one hand under his chin and crossed his legs. "Sorry I had to go into Mitsuki's room, I couldn't hear you. What'd you say?"

"I'm at Sumire's," Sarada laughed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm at Mitsuki's. He's havin' a party." Boruto rolled onto his back. He was very dizzy. The drunken spins were never fun.

"I can hear that."

He grinned. "Mhm, yeah, you should come!"

"No thanks, I don't like parties."

Boruto made a face. "You've never even been to one."

"And?"

"There's a first time for everything!"

"No," She said, but it sounded like she was smiling. "Are you drunk?"

"Maybeee,"Boruto drawled out. There was a question incessantly bugging him, and so he finally caved. "Didn't Sumire call Iwabee earlier? What was that about?"

"Yeah she did. We dared everyone to call their crush, so she called him."

"Ooooh," Boruto said dramatically, and his heart thudded. They dared everyone to call their crush? Well then. His voice dropped to a softer tone. "Sumire and Iwabee. Who woulda thought?"

"Literally no one." Sarada said curtly.

After a brief pause, Boruto's heart raced sporadically as the words slipped out of his mouth. It was futile asking this, but he just had to have a confirmation. "So who'd you call?"

There was hesitation on the other end. "Huh?"

Too late to back out now. Boruto picked at his nails anxiously. Words were falling out his mouth unfiltered. "Who'd you call then? You said you were all dared to call your crush."

"Uhh," It seemed like Sarada didn't know what to say. "No one, I didn't call anyone."

Boruto scoffed and flipped back to his stomach. "You're lying!"

"I'm not!"

"Not even Metal?"

"We broke up."

And, oh. Boruto was speechless. His mouth laid open in a pause as he gathered his drunken thoughts together. Sarada and Metal broke up? What was fate trying to tell him? Were his thoughts finally becoming reality?

He had no other plausible, coherent response than a pathetic, "Oh."

"Yeah..."

"When?"

"Today."

Again, still speechless. Boruto still was trying to wrap his mind around the whole thing.

"Huh." He said.

"Yeahh."

Okay, so, Sarada and Metal broke up. No big deal. Just everything Boruto had been hoping and dreaming of was now coming to fruition, and he was getting horny just thinking about it.

Goddamnit, now was not the time. Number one rule about dealing with a girl going through a breakup is everything had to be about Sarada and her feelings! Boruto had to stay objective about it.

"Well. How do you feel?" He asked, suddenly feeling a little more clear conscious than before.

"I feel fine."

There was another awkward pause that Boruto was desperate to fill, so all he said was, "Huh."

Mitsuki had been trying to catch his eye mid-conversation, and finally he did.

"What's going on?" His friend asked.

He covered the microphone. "Sarada and Metal broke up." He mouthed quietly.

Mitsuki pursed his lips, but didn't seem surprised.

"When?" He asked.

"Today, apparently." Boruto shrugged.

"Yeahh… so, uh, a-anyway, why'd you call?" Sarada finally spoke again..

The phone hadn't been on speaker so he hadn't caught what she'd said. "What? Sorry Mitsuki came in the room."

"It's fine."

"So what'd you say?"

"Why'd you call me?"

Boruto laughed nervously. Sarada was already onto him. On God, he had no idea they broke up. He just called her out of pure adulterous lust and boredom. "Beecausseee I can."

Sarada snorted. "That's it?"

"Yeah."

"I don't believe you."

Smart girl. "Why not?!"

"You're at a party and you're drunk calling me instead of being with your friends!"

Okay, a little too smart. For her own good. Well, it probably couldn't hurt to be at least a little honest. She was single now, after all. And Boruto was drunk, so he could say some out of pocket things and blame it on the alcohol. "Yeah, well, maybe 'cause I wanted to hear your voice."

There was silence on the other end. Boruto smirked.

"Hehe, I bet you're blushing right now."

Sarada muttered on the other end, "Shut up."

"Oooh, I knew you still liked me." Boruto loved teasing her. "Do I make you nervous?"

"Not really."

Her voice was too weak to be telling the truth. Boruto wanted to dig deeper. "Do I give you butterflies?"

He was getting butterflies himself just asking her if she felt the same. Just thinking about her was making his heart race in a way it never had before.

Sarada only gave a small noise as a response. She was going to be stubborn like this? Alright fine, Boruto could play that game too.

"You give me butterflies." Boruto said softly. After a few moments, he added, "I just wanna see you. I miss your cute face."

There was stuttering on the other end. "Y-You're just drunk."

Boruto pursed his lips. "And you're ruining the moment. Shut up and say you miss me too."

"I… miss you."

He smiled, a warm, mushy feeling bubbling in his chest. "Do you really?"

Sarada didn't say anything, but Boruto knew she was feeling it too.

"Let's meet up tomorrow?"

Her response was nothing short of breathless. "Sure."

"Okay. I'll text you." Boruto said, and the call disconnected.

XxX

Boruto had shown up at Sarada's house the next day unannounced despite his massive hangover, but his drive to see Sarada was more prominent than his headache.

And, they ended up having the most exciting, enjoyable evening together, and Boruto could only lay on his bed and process the entire experience later that night.

He'd kissed her under the pretenses of a competition which was kind of a cop out if you asked him. But, to his defense he was nervous and didn't really quite know how to carry himself around Sarada yet, so was resorting to all the old tricks in the book. It probably was way too soon to make a move on her anyway — she'd been single, what, less than twenty-four hours? — but Boruto knew if she truly didn't want to, she would've said no.

So, while he was glad he did it, he wasn't going to make such bold moves from now on. He didn't want to be an immediate rebound and wanted to respect Sarada's emotional process. Breakups were always easy in the first couple days before reality set in, so it would only be a matter of days before Sarada would debate about hitting Metal up in the middle of the night. It was just the inevitable cycle most toxic couples tended to fall into — in past experiences Boruto was no exception.

Sarada was just too magnetic to stay away from. Everything about her was just so alluring and now that Boruto finally had her in his grasp he just couldn't get enough. He wanted to see her again soon.

And this time, he wouldn't kiss her. From now on he would respectfully abide by her terms.

XxX

The next day, Sarada walked into the gymnasium nervously. She had just come from her drivers education course, and Sumire, Wasabi, and Namida were cheering excitedly for their team, meanwhile Sarada couldn't stop thinking about how she'd literally never played volleyball in her life and was going to suck. Learning to drive a vehicle and playing a sport for the first time in one day was a lot.

"Sarada, here!" Sumire opened her gym bag. She handed Sarada two black squares, and only then Sarada realized they were knee pads. "These are my old ones, but you can use them for now!"

"O-Okay!" Sarada slid them up to her knee caps. They felt tight behind the joints and she figured she looked funny, but it didn't really matter. There were girls from yesterday she recognized but couldn't remember the names of, and they greeted her excitedly.

Sarada felt more comfortable watching from the sidelines tonight and voiced that, and the girls nodded in understanding, but still wanted her to come warm up with them. Svetlana, who went by Lana, was a soft spoken girl with a thick accent. She asked Sarada if she wanted to come practice passing with her. Sarada nodded, and they walked out onto the court.

"You're not going to play?" Lana asked. As she turned around her sleek blonde ponytail swung back and forth.

"No, not this time. I want to practice first before I actually play in a game." Sarada said. Lana smiled.

"I'm sure you'll do good. Are you ready?"

Sarada bent her knees and hooked her elbows together. Lana tossed her the ball softly and it hit Sarada's fingers, sending the ball to the left. Sarada was embarrassed while Lana just giggled. She ran after the ball and brought it back.

"Try to hit it in middle," Lana tapped on the center of her forearm, "like this." She bumped it with ease a couple times before catching it again. "See?"

"Yeah," Sarada nodded, and Lana tossed her the ball again. This time it hit the middle of her forearm, but the ball dropped dead to the ground.

"Toss it to me." Lana said, and Sarada picked it up and did as she said. With ease, Lana used the movement of her entire body to give the ball movement, and created a fluid pass back to Sarada. Sarada caught it, and Lana gestured to do it again.

Tossing the ball once more, Lana bumped it back to Sarada, and she quickly tried to put her arms together, but ended up hitting it with the tips of her fingers again. Lana ran to get the stray ball, and a whistle blew to signal the game starting.

Sarada felt dumb. It looked easy but was actually a lot harder than she expected. Sports weren't really her forte, so maybe she was going out on a limb trying this.

"You'll get it soon, don't worry." Lana said to her with a smile. Sarada scratched her head.

"Hopefully."

Everyone got into position. Sumire started in libero, Wasabi in setter, Namida was on the sidelines ready to substitute, and other girls filled the gaps. Most everyone was flexible with their positions, but Wasabi was the known setter. She delivered accurate precision to the hitter every single time. Everyone knew they could count on Wasabi.

Watching them play together as a team, and how quickly the points racked up was insane. Sarada had never been so invested in watching a sport in her life. Everyone worked so well together and claimed the ball when it came to them. There was no way the other team had a chance.

Two set matches later, the Swifties won. Claiming their first victory for the season.

Everyone was so excited, and it only made Sarada want to be good enough to go out there and play with them. She was determined.

XxX

It was Friday. Day two of summer. Boruto stayed in bed most of the day and played on Xbox Live with his squad. It was nice and relaxing and his family hadn't bothered him once. Well, besides Himawari – she kept pestering him about taking her to the mall and he kept saying no.

"Why nottt?" She whined. Boruto rolled his eyes.

"I don't wanna! Why don't you ask Inojin?"

"He's busy!"

"Okay, well," Boruto racked his brain while he aimed and shot in his game, "why not Sarada? She keeps saying she wants to go shopping."

"I already did, she said she's busy too!"

That piqued Boruto's interest. The match came to an end and he slowly lowered his controller. How was Sarada busy? She didn't have friends to be busy with. And he meant that in the most loving, honest way possible.

"She said she was practicing volleyball at the park." Himawari seemed to read his mind.

Oh, Boruto wouldn't expect that from her. Practicing for something other than academics with her own free will? That was actually very admirable of her. Sarada was naturally agile, so he already knew she'd make a good position for setter or libero. Hm.

"Where are you going?" Himawari asked as Boruto tore his headset off, throwing the blanket to the side and grabbing a clean shirt from his closet. He pulled his t-shirt over his head.

"Going to the park."

"Oh, so you'll stop playing Xbox for a girl but won't take your favorite sister to the mall!" Himawari shouted dramatically. Boruto laughed and dashed out of his room.

"Can't be my favorite if you're my only one!" He laughed, shutting the door behind her and sprinting across the street. Himawari opened the door and shouted after him.

"You suck!"

He cackled as he ran through his neighbor's yard and ducked under the trees. The park wasn't too far – literally just in their backyard shrouded in pines – it wasn't too hot outside and it was a good excuse to get out of the house. Plus practicing any sport solo was hard enough, especially volleyball. Silly Sarada. She was such a newbie she probably didn't think that through.

Boruto approached the park slowly. Lo and behold, there Sarada was standing in a stupor in the middle of the court, staring at the ball in her hands. Her hair was in a high ponytail, her face was flushed red from the sun. She looked super cute in a sporty look, but also defeated, unfortunately. But knowing her, she wasn't going to give up easily.

She began bumping the ball slowly on her forearms, counting four, five, six, then it fell to the ground. She sighed and picked it up, and Boruto decided to appear.

"Welll, if it isn't little miss bookworm finally getting some sunlight!" He said cheekily, strolling onto the court. Sarada flinched in surprise.

"What are you doing here?!"

"Hima told me you were here." He looked her up and down. Damn. She looked way too good right now for him to even focus. He had to bite his thumb. "You look like you need help."

"What do you know about volleyball?" She retorted.

So she was going to be stubborn about it, alright. Boruto could handle stubbornness.

"A lot more than you, that's for sure." He swiftly snatched the ball from her hands. She reached out to grab it, but he faked a right then turned left, and she almost tripped over her own feet but her impeccable reflexes kept her upright. She scowled while Boruto smirked. She was swift, but clumsy. It was so cute.

"I think you forget I played sports my entire life growing up, I just took a break this year." He spun the ball on one finger, and Sarada looked amazed. "I want to try out for the soccer team this year."

She was looking at him shyly. "Why not football?"

He shrugged. "Overrated, and my dad played it. Girls say soccer players are hotter anyway."

Sarada didn't look amused in the slightest. She tried to reach out for the ball once more, but Boruto held it back. "Nuh uh, tell me the formation of each position. How do rotations work?"

"Um," Sarada bit her lip, looking at the court, then back to Boruto. "I don't know."

"Then you're not picking this ball up until you know the rules. How many times can you touch the ball?"

"Once per person, three on each side."

"Good, so who can touch the ball first?"

"Well, the back row?"

"Anyone can. How does the point system work?"

"Two games of twenty-five, and a third tie breaker to fifteen if needed."

"Okay, so you have the very general basics down." He praised. Taking position in the front left of the net, he asked, "what position is this?"

Sarada blinked. Boruto smiled.

"Outside hitter. You're overthinking it." He took a step to the right and was in the middle of the net. "What about this position?"

"Setter?"

"Interchangeable with a middle hitter, but yes." He took one more step to the right at the edge of the net. "This one?"

"Umm… inside hitter?"

He smiled. "Right side hitter. What about back here?" He moved directly back.

"...back right?"

"Setter. But also interchangeable." He moved to the middle. "Here?"

"Libero."

A nod. Then to the left.

"Left hitter?"

"Technically left back, but yeah. Okay, so now, say the opposing team serves the ball, the libero digs it, and the setter sets it, who would spike?"

Sarada raised an eyebrow. "Either the outside or right side hitter, right?"

He nodded. "But if the ball fell and they weren't able to spike it, what then?"

"Just bump it over, I guess."

Boruto smiled. He grabbed the ball and threw it at her, and it fumbled in her hands but she managed to get a tight hold of it.

"Serve it to me."

She gave him an inquisitive look. He leaned on one foot, sighing. "You don't know how to serve, do you?"

She shook her head sheepishly.

"Okay, underhand." He took the ball and they went to the edge of the court and she followed in suit. "Never let your foot touch the line. If you do, ball goes to the other team. So watch," He balanced the ball on his left hand, forming his right into a fist, and gently hit it over the net.

He made it look so easy that when Sarada tried it, she was utterly dismayed. The ball didn't even make it over the net, let alone close to it.

"It just takes practice." He said, "This is your first time."

"Yeah..." She said, "But why not overhand serving?" She stood in the position like how she'd seen Sumire do once before, but Boruto quickly snatched the ball from her.

"One step at a time, sweets. Don't get ahead of yourself." He gracefully threw the ball in the air, delivering a perfect impact and sending the ball sailing across the net, landing exactly in the middle of the other side. "Yeah! Ace, ace, we are great!" He chanted with a small dance, and Sarada couldn't stop laughing.

They practiced until the sun went down, laughing and joking the whole time. Even as many times as she failed, she would still conquer. She was resilient, like a little lightning bolt striking through a cloudy sky. She was always eager to learn and jump to the next lesson. And by the end of it all, Boruto felt his cheeks and nose tender with a mild sunburn. Ah, well. Next time they'd wear sunblock.

He walked Sarada to her house, and her mother invited him in for dinner. He declined, because the way Sasuke was eyeing him from the kitchen table was making him uneasy, like he knew something was up.

Well, there was, but that was Sarada's story to tell, not his.

XxX

The next morning, Boruto's cheeks were definitely sunburned, and Hinata scolded him for not being more careful. Himawari even rubbed it in his face that it was karma for not taking her to the mall, and he stuck his tongue out at her as he applied aloe to his face.

Another full day of Xbox Live, two red bulls, and three bags of barbecue chips down, around seven-thirty PM he vaguely wondered what Sarada was doing. Would seeing her three times this week already be excessive, or was it normal? They were just friends. But also she had just gotten out of a relationship literally four days ago. He had to take it slow and not overwhelm her.

Even though kissing her on top of the spider web at the park wasn't necessarily taking it slow, but details.

From now on, he'd keep himself in check better. He was not about to be a rebound. And he needed to make sure him and Sarada were on the same page.

But, at the same time, that's what friends did, right? They hung out. And Sarada desperately needed his help with volleyball. He overestimated her agility; she played sports like she was a newborn baby giraffe. Sooo, what was he waiting for?

He called her absentmindedly, and the phone kept ringing until it hit her voicemail. Huh. That was odd. Nine times out of ten she answered him, so this was rare. It was possible she was practicing at the park again, so out of curiosity Boruto decided to go check. If not, at least he'd get out of the house and spend some quality time by himself in nature. He hadn't done that in a long time.

True to his assumption, Sarada was there practicing her underhand serve. It had significantly improved since yesterday, but still required more practice and technique. Boruto sat under the pine trees and watched her for a moment. When she wanted something she definitely worked for it. Even if her arms flailed every time she hit the ball the wrong way, it was inspiring to watch her try so hard. She definitely had taken all his tips and tricks and turned them into habitual movements. She was such a quick learner.

The sun was in the process of setting, but Sarada was still practicing. Boruto had gotten so caught up in the nice, relaxing weather that he'd forgotten he might actually want to go help her. Standing and just about to make his appearance, a group of boys pulled up in a bright red car in the parking lot, vape smoke rising from the windows and loud rap music coming from the speakers. Boruto scowled and paused his step. Sarada paused momentarily when three boys stepped out, but they didn't seem to be an immediate threat, so she kept practicing.

The boys hung around the park, laughing, jumping around the obstacle courses, and seeming to do their own thing. But still. Boruto stood by watching carefully. Were they even going to be a threat or were they just at the park to smoke without getting caught?

After minutes of watching, Boruto figured she'd be fine. She probably wanted to practice on her own anyway, and he was right when he second guessed hanging out today. She did just get out of a breakup, and wanted to do this on her own. If she had wanted Boruto to come, she would've invited him.

With a shrug, Boruto was about to turn, but with one last look at the group of boys, he saw they were all huddled at the top of the slide whispering and frequently glancing at Sarada. Boruto stopped in his tracks, an alarmed tingle running up the back of his neck.

The boys made their way down the jungle gym, and one with a blue hat approached Sarada first. The other two sat on random parts of the play ground and got on their phones. As blue cap approached, Sarada took a step away, but it didn't seem like he was threatening her. Boruto could vaguely hear the distant sound of their voices, but couldn't make out what they were saying. They were just talking, and Sarada gestured to the ball. Of course he was acting interested in what she was doing. Boruto rolled his eyes with a huff. Sweet talking her. Like that ever was going to work.

Blue cap gestured back to the car, and Sarada turned around only to shake her head. She looked up at the sky, then to her wrist, and took another step away. Blue cap followed her footsteps, and maintained a close distance, even when she kept backing away. She held one hand up, and blue cap outstretched his arms. Yeah, no. Boruto wasn't watching this anymore.

Appearing from the grove, Boruto strolled forward with his hands in his pockets. The closer he got, the two friends noticed him first, then blue cap. Sarada turned around mid sentence.

"Hi babe!" Boruto said with a sickening sweet tone, then interlocked his arm around her waist. She was stiff against his hold. "Sorry it took me so long to get here! Who's this?"

Sarada looked extremely irritated and also skeptical, but she played along. "O-Oh, um, this is Skyler."

"Skyler?" Boruto's icy gaze burned right into Skyler. What a tragic, pathetic looking oaf. His jeans were dirty and three sizes too big, his sneakers were outdated by at least a decade, and his skin was a clear indicator that he survived solely on Monster energy drinks and snickers. Horrendous.

"This your boyfriend?" Skyler asked, eyeing him up and down, seeming just as unhappy to see Boruto there as he was to see him.

Sarada nodded stiffly.

"And would you look at that! It's getting dark." Boruto stated, then swung Sarada around and began walking away. "We have to go. Nice to meet you Tyler!"

"It's Skyler!"

Boruto rolled his eyes and continued to push Sarada forward into the grove of trees, and only until they were out of view did Sarada suddenly shove Boruto off of her. He, quite frankly, was offended at the sudden assault, and the volleyball was now bouncing off the ground dejectedly. It was practically a visual metaphor.

"The hell was that for?" Boruto exclaimed.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Do you think I need a babysitter or something? Are you stalking me?" Sarada fumed.

Boruto blinked in dismay. "Are you serious?"

Sarada gave him an intense look that showed she definitely was serious. Boruto could only mirror her gaze to hopefully translate back her stupidity. She wasn't saying anything, so he repeated himself.

"Again… are you serious?"

"Yes, you're stalking me! Why else would you be here? And what was up with the whole boyfriend thing? Were you trying to make him jealous?"

Boruto scoffed at the audacity. "Did you seriously think that guy was there to just talk? Sarada, it was obvious he was trying to get you to ride with him, and who knows what could've happened to you if I didn't show up! Guys like them are always looking for trouble and you don't understand what a group like that could do to you!"

"Oh, so now you're expecting me to thank you? I don't need you to "save" me, Boruto! I'm not stupid, I can handle my own!"

"Didn't look like it from what I saw." Boruto shoved his hands in his pockets, and Sarada scowled at him then snatched up the volleyball.

"Stop making this about you! You were probably just jealous that another guy was talking to me and couldn't handle it. You're not my boyfriend, Boruto." Sarada swung her arms out. "I'm allowed to talk to other guys!"

"I never said I was trying to be your boyfriend, chill!" Boruto exclaimed. "The only reason I'm here is 'cause I was wondering what your dumbass was up to since you didn't answer my call! I saw you were practicing and didn't want to interrupt you and was just about to leave when those guys showed up. And it's a good thing I was. What if they hadn't left you alone?"

"Well you didn't give me the choice to find out." Sarada said concretely. "They weren't harassing me, they were actually very nice."

"And let me guess, you were falling for it." Boruto rolled his eyes. He yelped when Sarada threw the volleyball at him.

"Stop treating me like a helpless damsel and just go home, Boruto!" She picked up the volleyball and her ponytail spun in circles. "I just got out of one controlling relationship, I don't need another!"

Ouch. Boruto only recoiled as she stormed away without a word.

He didn't think he did anything wrong, he was just protecting her. Obviously, she didn't see it that way, but he had to get his point across somehow. Somehow…

With a couple swift steps, Boruto reached for her wrist, swung her around and tripped her with his foot, pinning her to the ground beneath him, both arms above her head, while his other hand at her neck. The volleyball bounced against the ground again, and then silence. Her chest rose up and down quickly, her breath ragged and mouth parted in desperation for air, and he leaned in closer. Her dark brown eyes were swirling with emotion.

"Three unsuspecting seconds. You'd be getting kidnapped right now." He said with a small head tilt.

Sarada's eyes quivered.

"Get off."

He did so, and she sat up. He offered a hand, but she stood up on her own and dusted her shorts off. Always as stubborn as ever.

After a few moments of silence, Boruto cleared his throat.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly. He knew she wasn't hurt from the fall, he made sure to not be rough with her landing.

"I'm fine." She muttered, picking up the volleyball once more. That poor ball. He sighed.

"I'll walk you home."

"Whatever." She said dismissively, and he snorted. Why she acted so tough and callous on the outside when she was already proven wrong by him, he'd never know.

Upon arriving at the Uchiha home, Sakura greeted them cheerfully.

"Oh Boruto, good to see you again!" She smiled. She was cooking something and it smelled amazing. "You guys were gone for a while today!"

Sarada snorted and Boruto scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I apologize. she didn't want to leave until she perfected her underhand serve!"

Boruto's ability to lie as smooth as butter was still appalling to Sarada.

"You walked her home again." Sasuke stated from the table without looking up. "I appreciate it."

Boruto, as well as Sarada and Sakura, were surprised by the compliment.

"U-Um, of course. I just want to make sure she's safe." He responded.

Sasuke looked up at his daughter and the Uzumaki, then got up from the table and grabbed his keys. "Come. I'll take you home."

Boruto choked on air. "U-Uh, n-no, Mr. Uchiha, it's okay. I can walk home!"

Sasuke squinted. "Don't argue with me."

"Yessir." Boruto straightened his posture, and Sasuke brushed past all of them. Boruto wasted no time following.

Sarada shook her head. Either this was a very good thing, or a missing body would turn up three months from now chopped into pieces in a disposable bag. Guess they'd find out.

Boruto was sitting rigid in the sleek black seats in the front of Sasuke's Dodge Challenger. This vehicle was cleaned to perfection. It vaguely still smelled of a new car and Black Ice, and Boruto couldn't help admire the power the man next to him held. Just by one single look he could probably control an entire nation. Sasuke Uchiha was a rich, powerful businessman that could get whatever he wanted. If he told Boruto to run until he died, then shit, Boruto would run until he died.

"So you and Sarada, are you dating?" He asked. Even the way he spoke was intimidating. Boruto felt nerves travel up his spine. His hands were shaking.

"N-No sir, I just enjoy her company. Her and Metal recently broke up so I'm just being her friend."

Sasuke pursed his lips. "Interesting."

Borto nodded shyly, no clue what to say next. Sasuke glanced over.

"Your clothes are stained. Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm okay." He forced a laugh. "Sarada and I just practiced hard today."

Sasuke mused silently. "I can't stress enough to Sarada how talented she is."

"Yeah, she really is. And independent." Boruto said. Just after tonight he knew without a doubt that Sarada could handle her own. So both of their points had been made after all.

Sasuke cracked a smile. "Are you playing sports?"

"Well, not this past year, but I'm going to try out for the soccer team this year. I liked the student council but it was just way too much reading and sitting and rules."

Sasuke snorted. "You're just like your dad."

Boruto chuckled nervously. "I mean, I don't know about that…"

Sasuke flicked on his blinker. "I grew up with him. You'd be surprised how similar you two really are. Though, I know he's gone a lot, I can assure you it's not because he wants to, it's his job." He glanced at Boruto. "Same with me. All the risks Naruto and I take traveling and being away from our family is what gives you and Sarada a roof over your heads. It's important not to take that for granted."

Boruto slumped in the seat. He knew that, but still it was hard. He resented his dad for all the games, recitals, performances, presentations, and awards he missed throughout his and Himawari's life. It was unfair. Shikadai's dad got to go to everything, so did Chocho's. But then again, Mitsukis's dad never went to anything, so maybe that's why he and Boruto bonded so quickly. Same with Inojin's. Sai was in the military, so he was gone quite often. Boruto supposed he was a little harsh on his dad. But that still didn't take away the fact that it affected him.

"I'm trying." Boruto muttered, not knowing what else to say. He still felt on edge around Sasuke, but after having this conversation he realized he was just a solemn guy with few words who was looking out for his daughter. And he seemed kinda cool too, like he was a rebel when he was Boruto's age. He was someone Boruto looked up to.

When they arrived at the Uzumaki household, surprisingly, Sasuke stepped out of the car too. Maybe he had business with his dad or something, but either way Boruto walked carefully up his steps, the presence of Sasuke behind him making his body move robotically, and opened his door. His dad was at the kitchen table.

"Bolt, you were out late." Naruto immediately scolded, but then his expression turned from sour to surprised when he saw Sasuke behind him. "Sasuke, what are you doing here?"

"We need to talk." Sasuke stated, then cast a look at Boruto.

Boruto got the hint, and immediately escaped upstairs, not even tempted to eavesdrop. Thank god Sasuke was here so he could get out of that inevitable horrible consequence lecture.

Boruto flung onto his bed and rolled onto his back with a deep sigh. Same old ceiling, same old patterns repeating. But now, gone were the days of sleepless nights wondering if him and Sarada would ever get another chance to be together again.

Here in the present they were friends again. On speaking terms. And a couple months ago, that's all Boruto had yearned for. Was to hear her voice. To ask how she was doing. And now the possibilities were endless – well, except tonight had been a slight damper on their rebudding friendship, unfortunately.

Did he really go too far interjecting like that? He had acted on impulse because he only knew what other boys were capable of. Not to mention, he had a bad habit of becoming pretty territorial in relationships – he got jealous easily, though would never admit it out loud. But maybe Sarada was right; he was acting controlling, and she could handle her own. There was truth in what she said – the boys weren't harassing her.

So in reality, Boruto had overreacted, and he needed to back off a little. But to his defense, he had finally caught his lightning in a bottle. Why on earth would he ever want to let it go now that he got it?

Still, Sarada's feelings mattered, and Boruto hated when they were on bad terms. There was always next time to do better, and that's exactly what he'd be sure to do.

Grabbing his phone, he quickly typed out a text.

I'm sorry I acted like that earlier

He twiddled his fingers around until his phone buzzed again.

Sarada Uchiha

I forgive you

Boruto smiled in content.

XxX

Boruto and Sarada had quenched all awkwardness regarding the park incident, and Sarada made it clear the next day they met up at the swings that her and Boruto would be friends and only friends… for now. She needed time to be single and she had a lot on her plate right now with her drivers education class and volleyball, and while Boruto understood, he still was sure to tease her about it to lighten the mood.

And, well, he had only expected as much and had gone out on a limb pushing the boundaries like that, but once Sarada laid the law down they didn't talk about it anymore. Just now wasn't the time for Sarada to reciprocate any feelings.

So, he'd wait.

They fell into a routine of meeting at the park at seven, they'd practice until the sun set far below the horizon line, then afterwards go get some ice cream or some type of treat, and since it was summer her curfew was midnight.

So until that time, they would find a new parking lot or view to park at and enjoy their food and show each other their music and talk about life. Sometimes they'd get out and dance in the middle of the parking lot or chase each other around, seeing who could run faster, jump higher, or balance better. Boruto showed Sarada various popular dance moves as well as attempting to teach her how to drive manual stick shift. That didn't go over well, and she stalled it numerous times.

And once the time came, they would drive across the train tracks back into their neighborhood and Boruto would drop Sarada off and be on his way.

Sarada had games twice a week, so on those days they didn't meetup. Sarada had finally started playing in games, and for now was just receiving defense. Honestly, she wasn't doing too shabby, and even was impressing all the girls on her team that she had excelled so quickly. It warmed her inside to know that all her hard work was paying off and it was being recognized. She still wanted to work on her accuracy to the setter. Then she would really be solid.

A thought always crossed Sarada's mind as she was getting ready for her games every Tuesday and Thursday, and today was no exception. Boruto spent all this time helping her practice but he never came to any of her games to see the outcome. The thought made her cheeks heat up. Didn't people only invite boys to their games if they were dating? Lana had just started to invite this boy named Seyner to their games and those two were getting pretty serious. So if Sarada invited Boruto, that would definitely be a big deal. And not to mention she already had enough problems crumbling under the pressure of being a rookie, and just knowing Boruto would be in the stands would make her nerves twenty thousand times worse.

So the conclusion was no. Sarada couldn't invite Boruto. And she wouldn't.

That didn't mean she didn't want to. Because yeah, over the past month they had grown exponentially closer and she'd learned things about Boruto she never thought possible and was starting to fall for him all over again despite constantly telling herself not to. Even though she had concretely decided that she was going to friendzone him, it was almost impossible to keep it that way.

Boruto was such a dorky goofball especially when he was comfortable. Usually he was all cocky asshole with a hint of flirtatious douchebag, but during their late night parked car conversations that definitely wasn't the case. He had this soft tone that he only used with Sarada… and this look he always gave her… and it made her feel special. She knew that she was the only one who got to see him like that.

Upon tugging her hair into a ponytail, Sarada examined her extensions. They were getting to the point where she would need to move them up again, but they were becoming somewhat of a hassle. Constantly trying to keep them detangled and styling them was just too much. They were just getting in the way now. She wanted something different.

Well, her birthday was in two days, so what better way to turn sixteen than with new hair?

So, she booked a hair appointment for the next day then headed to her game. They won again, and everyone was in high spirits as she left the large warehouse gym with Sumire.

XxX