-Chapter Four-

-Just One Smile-

She's smiling. That's bad. In my experience, if Naruta smiles, it's my cue to run as fast as I can in the opposite direction. Still, seeing as it's the middle of Chemistry, I don't think that's an option. Maybe if I was Naruta, since she doesn't give a damn about her education, but not me. I have a reputation to uphold. Straight A student, prefect, captain of the football team. Whereas she...well...she doesn't really put any effort into anything other than her artwork.

"So, Sasuke! Are you going to Mimi's party over the weekend? Apparently, her father brought her Live In The Moment, you know, the band, so they can play for her! Isn't that great?!" Sakura gushed as she dumped her pink file on my workbench.

"Hn."

"All the guys are invited too, well, all of the cool guys."

"Is Ethan coming?" Naruta asks sweetly.

"Why yes, he is!" Sakura flutters, forgetting who she's talking to at the memory of 'Ethan'.

"Whore." Naruta mutters. I can't help but let a small bubble of laughter escape.

"What did you say?!" Sakura yelled. I quickly wipe the smile off my face. Sakura has an impressive temper that not many people know about.

"Nothing, Sakura, so how much copper sulphate do we add?"

Finally, finally the bell goes for lunch. I get to my feet quickly, swinging my bag onto my shoulder and making a beeline for Neji.

"Oi, Uchiha! We have to clear up!" Damn Naruta. Now the teacher's noticed and she won't let me go without helping them.

"I'm sorry, miss, but I have cheerleading this lunchtime." Sakura smiles innocently at Mrs Gibson.

"Well, Sakura, you can go." I open my mouth to give an excuse, something about football, but then I see Naruta diligently mopping the bench. I sigh. When did I develop a conscience?

"I'll catch you up." I say to Neji before dumping my bag next to Naruta's vibrantly orange one. She looks up at me in surprise.

"Not making some excuse to Mrs Gibson?" I shrug. "Well if you're staying, for once, you might as well make yourself useful." She throws a cloth at me sharply, catching me off guard. I drop it. She snickers. "So much for the amazing reflexes of the next David Beckham." I glare at her but she continues to laugh. Damn her. It works in shutting everyone else up.

"Let's get this over with."

"No one's forcing you to stay, you don't normally."

"Huh?"

"Every week, it's always me who has to clear up after you and that slut."

"You do?" Why had I never noticed her before, normally she would have kicked up a fuss, demanded that we help her, "And we don't you call Sakura a bitch?"

"She isn't." Naruta shrugs. "She may sleep with any rich, fit guy but she's a nice person, she's just polluted by Ino. So's Temari."

"So you're saying Ino's a bitch."

"Yeah, pretty much."

"So you don't think I should date Ino?" She splutters with laughter. Oh god. She has dimples. Why have I never noticed them before? Sakura used to have them too, before she had plastic surgery to get rid of them.

"If you did, I think she would spontaneously combust and every other stalkerish-fan-girl would commit suicide."

"What would you do?"

"Huh? How would it affect me? Except for the fact that my dorm room would be haunted." She's dimpling again.

"You know, this is the first civil conversation we've ever had." She nods pensively. A droplet of water splats up from the bench she's cleaning to land on her cheek. I don't think she notices.

Unthinkingly, I reach over a brush it away with my thumb. Suddenly her sapphire eyes are much too close, but I don't move. Why am I not moving?! Those dimples appear again as she grins at my indecision. That does it for me.

Her legs are locked around my hips, her hands behind my neck as we kiss passionately. I move forwards, her back meeting the bookcase, a couple of sciency hardbacks fall to the floor. We barely notice. She moves her mouth to my neck, nipping, biting, sucking as her tongue flickers over a pressure point. I moan into her hair. My hands slide onto her bare lower back, touching goosebumbs.

"Nar!" I make to pull back but she doesn't let me. "Naruta?! Come on! It doesn't take that long to clean a bench!" Now she moves, pushing me under a table and kicking my bag there too, hastily re-doing her top button that had, somehow, come out of its hole.

"Hey, Kia, I was just coming."

"Well hurry up, then!" I see two pairs of long legs walk towards the door. I poke my head over the top to see Naruta winking at me. I smile back, the image of those dimples planted in my mind.

As I head for the door, I nearly trip over something soft. I realize its Naruta's jacket. I lift it to my face, drinking in her scent. Realising what I'm doing, I groan, repeatedly thumping my head against the nearest wall.