The Denial Twist
x.x.x
p0g0stick
EEP! Yes, this was the noise I made every single time I read a review. :D Thank you guys soooo much, you are all so kind. (: (: Really, I mean it, you guys rock. (And thanks to everyone who has given me pointers—forgot to mention you guys! A double triple thanks to everyone who favorite-d and added this story to their alerts, and especially to Pottery Princess…you were sooo wonderfulll. :3!)
So, anyways, I had to pay the doctor a wee visit today (Wednesday), and had to get all the regular things (for a check-up, you know? EEEK…I hate getting my blood pressure done because it's uncomfortable…) and I have this infection-thingy, so now I'm loaded up on pills. Double eek. And then I had to get a shot (triple EEK, it hurt so much, -tear-).
I go back on Friday. D:
On the bright side…I'm missing school! Ha-ha, I don't suppose I should be missing school so much since it's like my senior year…but hey, it's giving me a lot of time to work on the fic.
I'm really happy you all liked the last chapter…three is my lucky number, so let's see how this one turns out! (I'm rambling again, lo siento).
XXX
WARNING: This is rated M for a reason, mostly because of the strong use of language and possible…er…situations? You have been warned.
XXX
Disclaimer: Alright, now I own antibiotics, a cell phone and nail polish. WAY TO GO, ME!
XXX
"And if you think that our dance was all in the hips,
Oh well, then do the twist.
If you think holding hands is all in the fingers,
Grab hold of the soul where the memory lingers"
-The Denial Twist, The White Stripes
XXX
Did that Hyuuga girl actually FAINT when she had caught his eye?
It hadn't been that embarrassing...the encounter they had…had it?
Sasuke groaned and sunk down into the car seat again, regretting every single decision he had made today.
First, let's start with the morning (or the night? What time had he actually gotten locked out at?), and how he stupidly forgot his watch, his cell phone, his ride to and from the party, how he had stupidly gotten locked out because he was too much of a social outcast to mingle with the rest of his peers, then how he had seen the aforementioned Hyuuga girl clad only in a towel.
Oh, and lest he not forget how he had passed out next to the sidewalk in an unfamiliar neighborhood, how he had accepted Naruto Uzumaki's stupid pleas…
Basically, he was just in an even sourer mood than earlier.
That was obvious, as one could see his jaw tightening and his nostrils flaring out slightly.
He admitted, when the girl had walked out and seen him, flocked by the rest of their little 'crew' (a crew Sasuke would have been a part of, he decided, had he been an idiot) he even had felt a creeping hot sensation rising up his neck and spreading across his cheeks and nose.
Maybe his mouth had gotten slightly dry, and his lips felt chapped.
But he quickly ceased it, licking his lips and swallowing his spit.
Because it was all nonsense, that's why. And you can be assured, if Sasuke Uchiha was to EVER hold a relationship with someone (not like he would…it's only an IF, the chance of Sasuke Uchiha getting together with some girl was…was like Naruto getting accepted into Princeton, despite his intelligence…it just wasn't something that was going to happen), Sasuke would have to fall for this person (ugh,) as long as they had the kind of personality he was looking for, and didn't BLUSH annoyingly and stutter whenever he spoke to them.
Sasuke wanted to try and avoid her, really…he really, really wanted to, mostly because, hell…he wasn't supposed to have seen ANY of those people from his class again, and he was supposed to have just ignored this whole prom thing (which we realized ages ago, but this was all that Sasuke could think of).
Now, he peered up over the dashboard and the wipers of the car's front window screen.
The girl was being helped up by the rest of the group, rubbing her head slightly, her face twisted in pain.
That was her fault, though…if she had just pushed that incident to the back of her mind like he did…
Only he actually hadn't…
Shut up, brain.
He sat up straighter now, noticing that the group was looking anywhere besides the car.
Now, the girl was leaning against Naruto, while her other female friend was holding up fingers or some shit, whatever.
Then Hinata answered back to her female friend, and the trio, bar Hinata, burst out laughing.
It made Sasuke sick.
Slowly, he watched as the young girls eyes slowly turned, and met his. They both held a long stare, his deep, blue-black iris' boring into her own pearls.
She blushed.
He frowned ferociously.
She glared back.
Now he was dumbstruck. Wasn't she embarrassed by him?
Then he became angry.
She shouldn't glare at him! What the hell did he do to her? She locked those doors (well, he couldn't say it was her, it could have been anyone…but Sasuke was on a roll,) she was the one who came into the room IN A TOWEL, the one who had those stupid figurines of lambs, that stupid white room…
What a little B—
XXX
Hinata sighed mournfully. The second time she had fainted in the past 24 hours! How stupid was she?
As she stirred, her vision became less blurred and colors began to pop out, the reds, blues and yellows…all the primary colors, followed by the secondary, tertiary and so on…everything became so gloriously colorful…
It was strange, if her world was so colorful…how come she couldn't be the one to look through everything in rose-colored glasses?
Then she noticed the incredibly sharp pain in the back of her head.
Hinata gasped, cringing at the immense pain, far worse than before.
Luckily, she had fainted on the grass. If it hadn't been the grass, and instead the concrete sidewalk…
Well, we won't think about those circumstances.
Three sets of arms all wrapped themselves around her, slowly bringing her to her feet, clutching her tightly as her own knees buckled.
She leaned against the figure to her right, Naruto Uzumaki.
"I can't…believe…I fainted again…"
"Again?" Naruto inquired, staring down at his petite classmate, "when else did you faint?"
"She fainted earlier today; around the very, very early hours of the morning…we actually hadn't found her until about 4:00 am when one of our maids had gone to check on Hanabi…"
"Wow, Hina, what happened?" Tenten asked,
"Just tired…that's all…" Hinata felt a large lump rising in her throat…
Don't cry, don't cry, why the hell would I cry?
So…did that mean that Naruto didn't know? Or was he taunting her?
"Aww…poor Hina…tell me, how many fingers am I holding up?" Tenten asked, holding up three fingers, her thumb, index and middle.
"I don't care," Hinata grumbled very impolitely, causing her friends to give out a light laugh, all three finding it slightly humorous.
As the three laughed, Hinata decidedly looked at the Uchiha whilst they were distracted.
The duo locked eyes, and she felt her pulse quicken as her heart hammer against her ribcage, like a bird trying to get out of its own confinement.
Her cheeks heated up for what seemed like the millionth time that day as she searched through his black, lackluster eyes.
Then, of all the rotten, evil, jerk things to do…
He actually glared at her!
His gaze was seething, and it almost scared her…
Almost.
So instead, she sucked up all the courage she could muster (which, surprisingly, was a lot), and glared right back at him.
It wasn't her fault if he hated her, he was obviously being very immature, because if she did remember correctly (and believe her, she did)…it was HE who was stupid enough to get locked out, and it was HE who had trespassed into HER room.
Why should he embarrass her? Why should she just sit down and take it as it were?
His face altered…was that…surprise? Shock?
Then Hinata felt guilty about the glare, and looked away. Being mean wasn't in her nature, nor was being cruel. Maybe it was just because she was PMS-ing?
Guys have it so much easier.
"Wow…Hinata…what up with the glare?" Naruto asked, despite that she had turned away.
They all looked towards Naruto's car.
"Are you…glaring at Sasuke?" Neji inquired with a disgusted grimace on his face.
"Ah! N-no, why would I?" Hinata stared up at her elder cousin, his eyes searching her face for signs of a fib.
"Well, I suppose I should get going," Naruto announced, directing the attention away from Hinata, "should I tell Sasuke you guys said thank-you?" the young man pondered, looking back at his friend in the car.
Sasuke was lost in thought, staring down at his lap.
Weird.
Tenten and Neji nodded, "Yeah, sure…it was his money after all," the young girl added.
"Alright, see you all tonight…get some rest, Hinata," Naruto laughed, waving the trio good-bye as he walked towards his car.
His entrance must have scared Sasuke out of whatever thoughts he was having, because once Naruto opened the car door, the other young man jumped about a foot in the air.
"What the fuck were you thinking about?" Naruto asked, switching gears from NEUTRAL/PARK to DRIVE.
"What? Nothing," Sasuke groused, glaring daggers outside the window as a blur of trees and houses passed by.
"Well then, what the fuck did you do to Hinata?" Naruto inquired, his eyes staying on the wide stretch of road in front of him. Sasuke seemed a bit jumpy, definitely out of his usual cool and composed attitude.
"What are you talking about, dobe?"
That's it…just brush it off, Sasuke…that idiot won't suspect a thing
"Jesus, Sasuke, I've never seen Hinata look that angry…and don't give me some bullshit reason, that girl has never looked at anyone the way she looked at you."
"How do you know it was directed towards me?" Calm. Cool. Collected.
"Well, it could have been you or the fuckin' Easter Bunny in the back seat, but I wasn't entirely sure!"
"I don't know, you fucktard! Drop the topic." Sasuke hissed, focusing all of his anger into the back of his mind, where it hopefully wouldn't resurface.
And the topic was, indeed, dropped.
"By the way…" Naruto offered, after a few minutes of silence, "They all say thanks for getting us the limo."
Sasuke grunted.
XXX
"So, seriously, Hina…what was up with that glare? The last time I saw you look that angry was when Hanabi knocked over your favorite figurine the year before last."
Hinata blushed, embarrassed, having to remember that horrible scene.
When that horrible ordeal had taken place, Tenten had been over for a sleepover, and Hanabi had been trying to show off to the elder girl, as Hanabi always did when Hinata brought friends over, and ended up throwing the figurine out of Hinata's window...
But that was a different story for a different time, Hinata concluded.
"He glared at me first," The girl answered after a few minutes, and then paused again.
"I suppose…glaring back was my way of retaliating…?"
"Eh, that Uchiha was always a shady character," Tenten shrugged, stretching out her arms, "always in such a bitter mood. I could never figure out why the entire female population at school…Sakura and Ino included, could like such an arrogant person like him."
The duo was back in Tenten's room; Hinata was sitting at the vanity, trying to cool off, (she was sweating so profoundly that her hair was sticking to her skin) whilst Tenten was removing her sneakers from her feet.
"Ugh, gross…my tennis smell so bad…I hope these blisters won't worsen when I have to wear my shoes tonight."
Hinata laughed, tying her hair into a bun, and brushing back her bangs.
"I wonder when Sakura and Ino will get here…" The girl wondered, turning away from the mirror's reflection.
Tenten shrugged.
"You know them…'fashionably' late for everyone and everything."
"Yeah…"
XXX
"Ugh, Sakura! We were supposed to meet up with Hinata and Tenten an hour ago!" A very perturbed Ino Yamanaka whined.
"Shut up! I'm trying to find my goddamned eye-shadow…I hope you've brought all of your supplies, because I know that Tenten and Hina don't have a single application brush!" shouted an equally frustrated voice beneath a mountain of junk.
Ino groaned.
"Of course I brought all of my makeup…I was prepared, for once!"
"Shut up, Pig…I am always prepared, you know that! It's not my fault that Temari asked to borrow my favorite eye-shadow, and then returned it when I wasn't home! You know my mother can't tell where to put my things…" The voice emerged from the pile of junk, swishing her pink bangs away from her red face.
"Only a few more months, Sakura, then we'll be away from here."
"Thank God…" Sakura Haruno groaned, brushing back the tresses that had fallen in front of her eyes.
"Yes. Now, let's go!" The blonde began to move towards Sakura's room entrance. The color in her friend's room was beginning to annoy her, as it always did when she felt she had been trapped inside the area for a long amount of time.
(HINT: Two walls were a bright, neon pink and the other two were a bright yellow when Sakura had gone through some..."nutty" color-phase.)
"Alright, alright…" Sakura sighed in defeat, "If I don't find that eye shadow before September, someone's going to pay."
"Stop being so dramatic," the elder Ino groaned, walking down the hallway with Sakura right on her tail.
"You do realize how much of that lazy Nara has rubbed off on you, right Pig?"
"Do YOU realize how much of that annoying Uzumaki has rubbed off on YOU, forehead girl?"
"Shut up."
XXX
It was true, though, Ino couldn't deny how much of Shikamaru had actually rubbed off on her.
As the pair sat in Ino's car, driving down the road to Tenten's house, the elder girl was impossibly lost in thought.
The couple had been together since the middle of their sophomore year. It was strange when they had announced their relationship; many didn't believe it at first, since Ino had always—and everyone had assumed she still did—vied for Sasuke Uchiha.
Although, Ino didn't think that Shikamaru wasn't far from the Uchiha. He brooded, had dark eyes and hair, kept to himself mostly unless he had something to say (which was usually a complaint, but Ino didn't mind…in fact, she found that almost attractive), and was about the same height as the Uchiha, could have been the same weight, until Sasuke lost a lot of his.
Take that, high school rumors.
But now, she found, as they were nearing the end…did she want to keep seeing him?
The answer was, and always would be; YES! Of course!
He made her feel comfortable in her own skin. She didn't have to dress up in body-baring clothes, wear sweet-smelling perfume or any make-up to please him, to make him want her…
Even after she had visited him after the gym in her sweats, hair a mess, tied up in a ragged pony tail, drenched in her own sweat and water…he had pulled her into his lap, stroked her tangled hair and told her she was beautiful.
A boy had never, ever done that before.
She always felt like she had to make an effort, but with Shikamaru, she needn't bother.
And the best part was that he actually told her she didn't have to make any effort, that he loved her for her amazing personality, her stubborn attitude…even if she wore a paper bag, he'd find her the most attractive girl on the surface of the earth.
Just because she was who she was, inside and out.
"Stop daydreaming, Ino!" Sakura growled, "The light's been green for 3 minutes!"
Luckily for Ino, no cars had pulled up behind her.
She accelerated and moved forward.
The problem, though, was that Ino wasn't one for long-distant relationships. She wanted something—or someone—she could touch and feel, and be held by.
So after tonight, after this summer…what would she and the genius conclude?
Stay together or leave it be?
She really didn't want to find out.
XXX
Sakura Haruno hated how lately Ino would space out right in the middle of doing something important.
Like driving.
She had been telling Ino to move ages before she actually snapped back to reality.
At this rate, when they got to Tenten's they wouldn't have time to get dressed, do their friends make-up and their own, and lastly have Tenten do Sakura's hair.
But what irritated Sakura more than anything was that she knew Ino was actually daydreaming about.
That Shikamaru guy again.
Sure, at the beginning of their relationship, Sakura had grown used to this daydreaming business. Ino had been so over the moon, and she let her keep it.
Now Sakura could focus more on Sasuke.
But…it felt pointless without a rival.
Not to mention that Sakura and Shikamaru didn't get along that well.
He found her too critical, too organized and too…everything Ino wasn't.
Sakura felt like she had lost her best friend to some guy whom she knew didn't appreciate Ino one bit. Ino stopped wearing make-up, stopped gossiping with Sakura…
Luckily for her, Ino still was obsessed with make-up and fashion…she just didn't care about her appearance so much.
It was so simple to Ino, why didn't Sakura seem to get it?
At the beginning of the year, though, Sakura had thought she'd found a replacement for the empty space Ino had left (not physically left, but emotionally) inside Naruto Uzumaki.
And she really had. Naruto treated Sakura just like Shikamaru treated Ino.
But Sakura couldn't quite put a finger on what was wrong in their relationship…hell, they had spent last night's party making out in one of the many Hyuuga guest rooms, and it wasn't like Naruto was a bad kisser, it was just the opposite—he was fantastic.
He was fantastic to her.
Holding her when she was scared, stroking her hair and kissing her forehead (which HE didn't find large) to comfort her, this was all made up her strong feelings for the boy.
But there were sometimes…sometimes when Sakura Haruno would stare up at her bedroom ceiling, late at night…and be left with such an emptiness, an emptiness that Naruto couldn't fill in their relationship…that she felt that Naruto equaled to all of the pieces to her puzzle, except for one.
And that was why she made sure they never took their relationship too far.
The good thing was that Naruto seemed alright with that, he was different from other teenage boys. He wasn't with her for sex, intimacy…he was with her because she made him feel happy.
So why was it that there were times when she was with him…and didn't feel happy?
XXX
"Oh my God, Tenten…you look stunning!" Ino complemented, wrapping the girl in a sisterly embrace.
"You look…fantastic!" Sakura agreed, also hugging her friend, "simply gorgeous, red really does work for you!"
"You guys…" Tenten laughed, returning the hugs, "we only have two hours until the boys come for us!" she scolded, sighing, taking their bags up to her room as the duo followed suit behind her.
"Sorry, Sakura couldn't find her eye-shadow…" Ino groused, looking at Sakura.
"Are you serious? Sakura, Ino probably has enough eye-shadow to fill a large swimming pool!"
"Look, it's my favorite eye-shadow, Temari borrowed it because she had a date with some guy from her office, and she really wanted to use it…"
They entered Tenten's room.
"How is Temari doing these days?" Hinata chirped, hugging both Ino and Sakura as a greeting.
"Oh, Hina, you look so cute!" Ino cooed, stroking the younger girl's hair.
"She's good, she and Kankuro are working together in some insurance office up in the city," Sakura replied as she and Ino returned the hugs.
"That's wonderful," Hinata exclaimed, sitting down on Tenten's bed, "I suppose you guys will have to start getting ready soo—"
"Way ahead of you!" Ino announced, fleeing to the bathroom with her bag.
Sakura sighed, Tenten and Hinata giggled.
"So, let's see your dress, eh Sakura?" Tenten offered, changing the subject.
"Ah!" Sakura's green eyes lit up instantly, "I was going to get pink…then red…thank God I didn't," she laughed, eyeing Tenten, "so instead…I got…" the dress was removed from its sheath, a long (it would probably just graze past her ankles) elegant green number, strapless and form-fitting, with slits that would probably end just a few inches above her knees.
Small jewels slid across the top, and down the sides, along the slits.
The dress was simply gorgeous.
Both girls gasped in awe.
"Oh, Sakura…" Hinata began, "I-It's…I-I…its beautiful…"
Sakura smiled widely, "Thank-you, Hina."
"I have to agree with Hinata. This dress…it's wonderful, Sakura, and that's something coming from me." Tenten grinned, still eyeing the wonderful creation.
"Done!" Ino opened the bathroom door, revealing her own dress, halter-top, deep midnight blue, which when in the light, shimmered like the night sky full of stars. The dress was slinky, but ended just below her knees, as it flared out slightly giving her room to walk and stretch.
Her long blonde hair tumbled down to her upper arms in very loose waves, but only from being held up in a high ponytail. Had she left it out, it would be almost as straight as Hinata's, and had she not cut it before winter break, it would have been just as long as Tenten's.
"Now, it's time to fix this disastrous hair," Ino smiled, walking past her friends to the vanity.
"Oh, Ino, your dress is so pretty," Hinata gushed, admiring Ino's dress as she had Sakura's. Tenten nodded in agreement, as Sakura smiled happily at her friend.
"Better go and change, Sakura," Tenten spoke to the younger girl, ushering her towards the bathroom, "we need to hurry up!"
Ino began brushing her hair back, higher and higher she strung it out and eventually tied it into a messy, yet classy, bun. She plugged in her straightener and curler, after having retrieved them from her bag.
"Come here, Hina, let me do your make-up whilst I wait for these two buggers to heat up." She laughed, and Hinata obeyed, sitting cross-legged in front of her elder friend.
Tenten sat on her bed, and stared at the duo, feeling her heart swell.
Prom, as much as she hated to admit it, really did mean a lot to her…and always would. No matter how much of a tomboy she was.
XXX
Sasuke Uchiha was pacing around his room angrily.
Ever since Naruto dropped him off at his house, he had felt restless, like a caged animal.
The duo hadn't exchanged many words, except for Sasuke's, 'Thanks,' Naruto's, 'No problem, thank you', and then Naruto had driven off.
Sasuke then drank a glass of water, but it seemed to have triggered something inside of him. Now, he roamed aimlessly around his house, thinking of ways to get rid of this disease he had picked up.
He went for a walk, bought some trashy Gossip magazines, skipped through them, watched some trashy talk shows and then some sitcoms, including a few that made him twitch, especially when one of the female characters walked out of her bathroom in her apartment, and one of her best friend's boyfriends.
"Fuck. This." Sasuke had grumbled, throwing the television remote onto the floor, shattering it into three pieces, spilling the two batteries at the same time.
He wondered if his classmates would be arriving at the hotel ballroom where the Prom was being held.
He wondered if they would be taking photos with each other, gushing over dresses and complaining about the prices of the tuxedo's they had to rent…
About the limo's they had to make their wealthy friend buy…
Sasuke wondered if who Hinata was going with. If he'd hold her, dance with her, and kiss her…Sasuke wondered, if she would stay with this boy, build a relationship with him…tell him that Sasuke Uchiha had almost seen her nude…
"Stop thinking shit, Sasuke…" but deep inside of him, a voice called out, 'Go and see her at prom. Go on. One last time. Apologize even…why don't you do that? Apologize to her…'
"Fuck that," Sasuke grumbled, relaxing into his recliner.
After a minute or two, he succumbed to something he didn't think he ever would have, in all of his teenage years,
"I…" Sasuke began, opening his eyes widely, "…am going out for a drink."
The emptiness of his house protested with its deadly silence.
XXX
"And I was scared that the boys were going to beat us here!" Ino protested, running her fingers through her bangs as they ran diagonally across her face.
She brushed them out of her eyes and clipped them back with two jeweled barrettes.
Sakura sighed, brushing a light coating of a smooth pale pink blush across her cheeks.
"And they are the ones who barely have to do anything! Just get on a suit, brush their hair and they are done." She grumbled, placing the blush compact down onto the vanity, "Done." She smiled at her reflection, as flawless as it was.
Tenten had pulled the front sections of Sakura's pink hair to the back, and held it together with a large, silver butterfly clip. The back of her friend's hair and the front part that had been clipped back fell forward onto the girls shoulders and collarbone.
"Good, now Tenten, sit there so I can do your make-up," Ino grinned wickedly, as Tenten cringed.
"Can't I go without make-up…?"
"Nope!" Sakura smiled, forcing Tenten into the chair once she had risen.
"Alright, but I get to do my eyeliner…I hate it when other people do my eyeliner, you both know that."
The duo nodded.
Hinata giggled as she stared outside onto the street at the front of Tenten's house.
The window was slightly ajar, and the cool twilight air flooded in, lifting Hinata's hair strands carefully.
She watched as along the sidewalk, a tall, lean figure walked by, slightly illuminated by the fading sunlight.
Once the figure had passed Tenten's front gates, the street lights flickered on, and the wind howled.
Hinata leaned against the window's sill, tracing patterns in the mid-air.
I wonder who that was…she wondered as the stars began to appear, and her fingers connected them together
"Ah! I see the limo's headlights!" Sakura jumped up, grinning.
Hinata had totally bypassed that, not realizing that the whole time she had been off in her own little world, that the white limo had pulled in, its body gleaming, and its windows tinted so darkly that one couldn't even see who was inside.
XXX
"Man, this fucking suit itches worse than the graduation gown and cap," Naruto whined, itching at his sleeve.
"Not our fault that you had decided to only wear your boxers and an undershirt last night." Neji commented, running a hand through his long brown hair.
The young man took a hair tie and bunched up his hair at the nape of his neck, tying it loosely together.
His bangs fell across his face, slicing through his silver eyes. Though, at first, he had found it annoying, he learned to adjust to them…in fact, he almost felt naked when they were brushed away.
"Well, no one told me that we wouldn't have time to go home and change before the party…" Naruto pouted, ruffling his blonde hair so that it was messy…yet sophisticated.
"Man," Kiba emerged from Neji's restroom, "this suit fucking itches…"
"Thank-you!" Naruto cried; rubbing his neck beneath the collar of the tux, "Not to mention this tie is choking me…" the young man grimaced.
Kiba found him too trying to adjust his collar and tie, "Dude, really, this thing is murder. I would rather just go naked than wear this…"
"Suck it up, both of you," Neji scolded, straightening out his slacks, "We've got to get a move on, I bet the girls are there waiting for us…now where did Nara go?"
"Right here," Shikamaru raised his hand languidly, using the other palm to cover a yawn, "are you guys ready now? I've been waiting forever…"
"Bullshit, Nara, you just came already dressed, we didn't," Naruto countered, "have you just gotten dressed here like the rest of us, and we'd probably be waiting for you now."
Shikamaru shrugged,
"Very true," he grimaced as his reflection, "I hate these suits…why is prom so troublesome?" His hair was out of its usual ponytail, and was framing his face, ending only at his chin.
He ran his hands through his hair, pushing it back and away from his uninterested face.
"It's all for the girls, that's all I can say," Neji half-smiled, "Let's get going, the limo and the driver should be here soon.
XXX
"Tenten, out of curiosity...where are your parents?" Sakura inquired, as they all carefully maneuvered down Tenten's stairs.
"They took my brothers with them and all went to visit my aunt and uncle up west." Tenten said, picking up her red satin clutch off of her dining room table as they neared the front door.
"They didn't mind not being here for your prom?" Ino asked, checking her reflection in a framed photo next to the door.
"Nah, they only cared about graduation."
Hinata felt her palms clamp together, sweat coating each of them equally.
"Hina, you're shaking!" Ino observed, and hugged her friend, "why are you nervous?"
"N-no reason," Hinata assured her, "I guess it's just…me being anxious…I can't believe it's…Prom already."
"I know, I keep pinching myself to make sure it's real," Sakura giggled.
Tenten looked back at them as she began to open the door,
"You all ready?"
Her three friends nodded, and Tenten let them all out of the door into the night.
She smiled sadly to herself, and then flicked off the night.
XXX
As the four figures emerged from inside the house, Naruto had to gulp back the lump he was feeling in his throat.
This was it.
The last night Sakura and him would be known as 'High-School Sweethearts' and be able to have a mature, adult relationship. One of trust, honesty…
This was it.
He turned to look at his friends…Kiba Inuzuka, who had grown so much this past year, cleaned up his act and actually began to shave every once in a while…Neji Hyuuga, who was no doubt going to a very prestigious school this fall, who had loosened up a bit and grown physically into an all-too adult mind. Then there was Shikamaru…who learned to accept a lot of things as they were, open up his mind to what was happened…all Naruto guessed due to his relationship with Ino Yamanaka…
Then there was him, Naruto Uzumaki…how had he grown? Surely he had changed physically…but what about mentally?
He wasn't as loud as he had been. He still spoke his mind, however, and never would stop that. He was smarter, he guessed, or else the place he was going to go to wouldn't have accepted him…
Did Sakura think he had changed?
Before when he had lusted over her, she'd always say 'no'.
But then, within the past year or two, she had taken a liking to him, and he had felt a stronger connection to her than ever, and it wasn't just lust…
Naruto was too afraid to call it anything else, though.
XXX
When Hinata saw her cousin, Naruto, Shikamaru and Kiba, her worries and anxiousness quickly evaporated.
It was so comforting to be surrounded by friends like she was, and she was ecstatic that her best male friend, Kiba, was taking her to prom.
Forget that Kiba usually took things too far—what with drinking in excess and whatnot…but he was a really good guy, really sweet and really nice.
Sometimes she felt as if he was more of a brother to her than Neji, and her and Kiba weren't even blood-related!
As the four girls approached their four escorts, there was much hugging and exclamations.
"I cannot believe you wore a tux!"
"Your hair is so long out of that ponytail…I like it,"
"You shaved, Kiba, it's really nice."
"I like your bangs in your face…I've decided…"
You can guess who said what.
"Shall we go?" Naruto offered, holding open the door for all the girls and his friends.
Inside, the seats were leather and smooth, the lights dimly lit the car's space, and there was enough room to fit another pair of people besides the couples.
As the door shut, Naruto sat next to his date and girlfriend, stroking her cheek lightly with his fingers, knowing that after tonight…everything would change for the better.
And opposite him, Hinata watched, wondering when she would ever have a man like Naruto love her as much as he did Sakura.
XXX
Sasuke downed the last drop of the bitter liquid from its translucent brown bottle.
This was his third beer, but he didn't feel the least bit drunk yet. In fact, he felt completely sober.
"Another," he rasped, handing the bartender a 10 dollar bill.
He had forgotten how much the bottles of beer cost, but he didn't care…bar that he was a minor, he had given the bartender two hundred dollars to shut the fuck up about it and just get him a bottle of whatever beer the bartender himself preferred.
His classmates were out having the 'time of their life', why shouldn't he?
As another bottle of beer landed in front of him, he grabbed it, tipping it back and sucking on the thin layer of foam around the bottle's lip.
He then began chugging the liquid.
"Hey there, take it easy…" whispered a hoarse female voice in his ear, "take your time…" a hand slowly slithered dangerously close to his crotch.
Oh, so it was going to be one of THOSE nights?
Fucking sluts, they thought that they could have anyone they wanted.
"Fuck off, bimbo," he growled; slapping her hand away from what it was nearing.
He turned and looked at the woman.
She had obnoxiously straight bleached ice-blonde hair, and a too-deep tan.
Sasuke grimaced as he eyed her outfit.
A black tube-top and a too-short jean skirt.
Hinata looked a thousand times better than this woman and she had only been wearing a single towel…imagine, if you will, if Hinata had been wearing this?
Shut up, brain. He seethed.
The woman pouted,
"Come on, hun…you don't have to be so cruel…" her hand clutched his forearm, and began stroking it.
"Get away from me before I smash your face in," Sasuke hissed, standing up (he towered over her, he noted, even whilst she had on high heels).
"Give me two more beers, please, unopened," he commanded towards the bartender. Once they reached, he handed the man a fifty, and took the two unopened beers and his own half-drunk bottle, and stumbled out of the bar.
He chugged the last remainders of the opened beer, and threw it into a trashcan next to a bus stop, hobbling down the sidewalk.
'You should go and apologize…you should go and talk to her…' the voice spoke up in his mind.
"Yeah…maybe I will…" He opened one of the new beers using his pocket knife, and began drinking it.
Damn…why did he say that this stuff didn't bring him any pleasure?
XXX
NEWSFLASH!
Oh my God…I am on a roll! (: Yeah this took me one day (a.k.a Today, which is Thursday) to type, mostly because I stayed home all day.
This is, and I stress this point SO much…a ROUGH draft, and I am definitely going to need and go back to correct it…but I feel like sleeping right now and wanted to get this out of the way because it's just so much fun to type.
Hehe.
So yeah, barely any SasuHina action in this one, and it seems a bit pointless again, but I decided to make this mainly a chapter where you get to see into everyone else's heads and stuff…had to introduce those other characters.
And don't worry, if your favorite character (besides Sasuke and Hinata, ha-ha) hasn't appeared yet, do not fret…they'll be coming up, I promise!
Sorry if there was any OOC-ness…like I said, VERY ROUGH DRAFT.
But enjoy!
…zzz…
-p0g0
P.S. Yes...Tenten has brothers (IN THIS FIC)...about 4 to be exact, but that was only added for my own pleasure...I don't really know if she has any siblings or not XD So...that was me being a crackhead.