Sorry for not updating, and DON'T think I've given up on In the End because I HAVEN'T. I'm just a little stuck and it'll probably be a few more weeks before a crank out another chapter. Sorry! Anyway, thanks to ya'll who reviewed and I hope this story goes well.(Even though it's a total cliché. Aw-yeah)
"I hope you'll forgive Kiba." Sakura whined while looking out the passenger window.
Tenten ignored the comment as she raced home. "Neji was JUST as mad, did you see his face twisted in anger? No wait, HIS FACE IS ALWAYS LIKE THAT!!!!" She screamed at the steering wheel, causing Sakura to jump.
"Will you slow down!" Ino cried, terrified in the back seat.
"That stupid ass bstrd Kiba should have watched the whole video before showing it to anyone, especially me. Do you know how awful that was. To see-to see." How happy we had been back then and compare it to how drowned-in-wallowing-pity my life is now…Tenten couldn't finish that last sentence.
The car slowed and she pulled over, her forehead pressing itself against the wheel, she let tears slide over her cheeks as she silently cried, the pain had finally reached her.
Sakura patted her panda-bunned friend's back.
Naruto was in the back-seat opposite Ino, quietly observing the girl he barely knew. But her could feel that pain emitting from her. It was like an onion and garlic stench that just wafted across the room and could help but just knock you flat on your back.
"Have you ever thought about getting back together with Neji?" Ino asked, reading Tenten's thoughts.
Tenten only grew angrier and those tears grew louder until she was sobbing. "No." She nearly yelled through gritted teeth. "Not after what he said to me during graduation."
"What'd he say?" Sakura asked.
Tenten glared at the window as she spoke through sobs. "Don't you regret it Tenten. Don't you regret a single moment we've spent together! But you know what? All you want to do is hide from the past. You put on that god forsaken mask of yours and you treat me like a medicine! An antidote for your fears. If you are going to be a hideous coward then fine! But don't drag me down with you! And you can't say I'm being the cruel one. You know you hate me! Deep down in your heart you know you're sick of me so stop torturing me and just leave!"
Everyone remained in silence. Tenten's sobs cleared up almost as fast as they had begun.
"That was the last thing he even said to me. And we've HATED each other since." She whispered.
Naruto's grip tightened on the car door handle. Neji? Neji had said that to his 'beloved' Tenten? But then again….maybe Tenten had made some mistakes too.
"Sorry for ruining your little after party." Tenten said through a fake laugh. "I just had to leave. You and Naruto should get going though. I'll drop you two off. It's unlucky if the bride is torn away from her groom on their first night of marriage."
Sakura nodded and looked back at her new husband. Naruto flashed her a smile.
"I'll stay with you Tenten." Ino said. "I know you hate to be alone when you're sad."
Tenten looked back at her blonde friend. "Would you do that for me?"
Ino nodded as best she could.
The brown-headed girl dropped Sakura and Naruto off at their now fully furnished non-apartment home. She waved them off with glee and then Ino and herself rocketed towards their apartment.
They walked up the stairs slowly.
"You in the mood for a chick-flick?" Ino asked.
"Nah. No romance, please." Tenten mumbled as she opened the door. The apartment was perfectly decorated, of course, coming from the designer. A few of Ino's photo's hung on the wall and even a dress or two of Sakura's were hanging on some clothes hangers.
Ino rarely went up to Tenten's home. She scanned the red walls and the beautiful furniture. She crossed over to a messy looking room on the other side of the living room, it was apparently her friend's studio. She examined the color samples and design pairings and floor designs, plus numbers for wedding caterers and moving crews.
"Stupid designer." Ino mumbled joining her friend again in the living room. Tenten was currently leaning over the counter, her eyes scanning the phone-book.
"Whatcha doin'?" Ino asked casually as she sat down and flipped on the TV.
"Well, before I forget, I'm looking up companies." Tenten mumbled back, too absorbed to do much communication.
"What companies?" Ino asked, curious.
"Well, you know Shikamaru?" Tenten asked.
"Yeah." Ino said. She'd always liked him, he had a great personality but was a wee bit too honest.
"Well, I've been seeing him for a while and-"
"Dating him?!" Ino asked, flying up and to her friend's side.
"No." Tenten snapped, looking upwards. "SEEING him. He works in the home and décor arts too and he says I'm not going to make much money in a private owned, one-man company. So he said I should join up with some sort of Designing studio. He works at one and he says you can earn about 3 times as much as just struggling on your own."
"Really? Well that's cool. So you're looking up studios that you can join?"
"Yeah pretty much." Tenten said, her eyes still glued to the phone-book.
Ino nodded, and watched as her friend wrote down a few phone-numbers.
"How much DO you earn?" Ino asked, suddenly over-flowing with curiosity.
"Way less than you THAT'S for sure." Tenten mumbled. "Probably half of what you earn."
"Awww it can't be too bad." Ino said in a sing-song voice, "I loooooved the vintage as Sakura's wedding."
Tenten glared at her friend. "You just learned what vintage meant 3 hours ago so I'm not going to take that as a compliment."
Ino sighed and plopped down on the couch. "Photography isn't just a walk in the park you know." She mumbled. "There's elements such as wind, location, subject, color. It's not just position and snap."
"Then I suppose you've been getting lucky." Tenten muttered, turning on the TV to a foot-ball game. Ino watched with interest for a couple minutes, before she completely fell asleep.
"Wow." The panda-bunned girl got up and started for the kitchen, suddenly feeling hungry.
RING! RING! RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG!
Tenten nearly fainted at the sudden loud noise, she dropped the jar of pickles she had been attempting to open and glared at the phone in horror.
RING! RING! RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG
"What is it?!" Tenten yelled after picking up the receiver and pressing it against her ear.
There was a moment of silence on the other end. "What? Did I call at a bad time?" She knew that voice.
"Heh heh. Hi Shikamaru." She said feeling suddenly embarrassed. Ino stirred a little from her sleeping position on the couch.
"Hey Tenten." Said the passive voice on the other end of the line. "How's life?"
"Good." Tenten said. "I didn't see you at the wedding."
"Oh." She could feel some awkwardness on the other end of the line. "You see I had to help my dad get his zipper unstuck. It was really quite painful for him. It was caught on-"
"I really don't want to know." Tenten said in horror.
"Oh, okay." Shikamaru said curious as to why his friend didn't want to hear his news. "It took a while and soon it was so late that I just knew it wasn't worth coming. Was it good?"
"Yeah. Except Kiba invited us over to the youth-group place and showed us a video of when we were all back at the Leaf Boarding School."
"You and Neji eh?" Shikamaru said.
"Yeah." Tenten replied with a sigh.
"What'd you do when you saw that?"
"I waited until the video was over before quietly making my escape, Ino, and the bride and groom followed me though."
"Which is Tenten code for, 'at that exact moment I got up and left as angrily and dramatically as I could and Ino and the bride and groom felt worried that I was going to go commit suicide so they followed me."
Tenten heaved an even bigger sigh. "You know me too well Shikamaru, It's rather creepy in fact."
"Tenten code is a tough code to crack. Took me a while to figure you out."
"Are you implying that you don't think I'm shallow."
"No one thinks you're shallow Tenten. You don't even fall for hot guys."
"Are you implying that I fall for hot girls?" Tenten asked suddenly feeling like a sense of humor was coming on.
"Oh dear god no!" Shikamaru said. "I'm just saying that most girls that love football quarter backs are shallow."
"That's a freakin' stereotype and you know it." Tenten accused.
"Fine, fine. It's much easier to talk to you in person."
"What? Is that Shikamaru code for 'dinner tomorrow night at 7?"
"8, actually. But you were close."
"Okay." Tenten said. "Could you possibly pick me up? My car is completely run down."
"I'd be glad to." Shikamaru said, she could tell he was probably smirking. "Still have that old truck from high-school?"
"Yep."
"Okay, I'll pick you up. Bye Tenten."
"Bye." She said in nearly a whisper and then hung up.
"I KNEW IT!!!"
Tenten jumped and clung to the refrigerator, turning. Ino was literally standing on the couch and pointing at her friend.
"I KNEW YOU WERE DATING SHIKAMARU!!!"
"You were pretending to be asleep?" Tenten asked.
"HLL YEAH I WAS!!! AND I'M GLAD! OR ELSE I WOULD HAVE MISSED THAT LOVELY CONVERSATION!!!"
"Are you mad?" Tenten asked in fear.
Ino paused for a moment. "No actually." She jumped down from the couch and hugged her friend. "I THINK IT'S CUTE!!! YOU TWO SEEM SO UNLIKELY!!! BUT HA! YOU'RE GOING ON A DATE WITH HIM!!! SQUEE!!!"
"I just scored a simple date that's all. Nothing big. It's not like he's going to propose…or something."
"That would be so adorable if he did. But I wouldn't allow you to design your own wedding. Eeeek! I hear wedding bells!"
"Yeah right." Tenten said, tossing a book at her friend. "Shikamaru is one of those friends that you go to dinner with. Not get married to."
"You never knoooooowwww." Ino sang.
Tenten giggled. "Okay, okay. But you have to help me pick something to wear tomorrow. And NO dresses."
"Okay." Ino said with a smile, and then a grin. "My little panda is growing up!"
That is the end of the third chapter everybody. I think I forgot to put Neji/Ten Ten/Shika on the pairings but yeah, that's what's going on. Thanks to all you who read. Haha I'll update soon, but I'll probably update on In the End first. thanks!