A/N - Yeahhh. Another one.

Pfft. My bad dude.

DISCLAIMER - I do not own Naruto

Song used for this chapter - Alan Walker - Faded (Where Are You Now) (RH Remix)

I stared at my laptop screen, my receiving grade staring right back at me. On the school's website, where apparently you went to check your grades, our accounting professor announced that our test was finally posted.

And the pathetic average I was staring at plummeted the rest of my mood.

I was tired when I first woke up this morning, for no reason at all besides the fact that I had been restless all night. My eyes stayed shut for six very long hours, any longer than that and I was waking up on my own, and the entire time I felt like I was awake.

Unbelievably, when my alarm finally sounded off, my eyes had the audacity to sting as my body felt utterly exhausted. Like it wasn't it's fault for not shutting off properly in the first place.

But maybe I had too much on my mind.

Maybe I was worried about shit other than school.

Either way, this was the perfect topping to my shitty day. Because not only did I not get any sleep and had been wide awake when my alarm started blaring, but I was late to my first class anyway because I had to spend at least half an hour trying to find my keys.

Which were trapped in the jeans I wore yesterday.

I sighed, rubbing my eyes tiredly.

"It's not that bad," Tenten offered meekly as she peaked over my shoulder, "A lot of people had a rough time with that test. I think the professor said he's going to curve it."

I continued to rub my eyes, too tired to explain that out of all classes I should be doing shit it, accounting wasn't one of them. Literally, on my off time, I went to the damn company and worked for them for hours. I knew I wasn't the best at it, but to get such a low score was seriously...

Pathetic.

"He already stated that he was," Ino affirmed while giving me smile, "Don't worry about it alright?"

But how could I not? If I heard right, then it wasn't until you passed these classes that you were given a letter of recommendation to leave Northridge. That's why Temari was joking on Tenten for using us to help with her homework. Because failure meant years of being stuck here.

And while this place wasn't bad, I just... I knew I was more than this. I was more than a lot of things, but it always felt like my entire life I was stuck somewhere.

Stuck under my mothers approval.

Stuck in that mansion with no way to make money to get out.

Now I was stuck here, at this fucking school, with grades as pitiful as my mother preached I was for years.

"Sakura..."

I heard Ino's voice, I did, but it was so distant I couldn't bother responding. Pushing my chair back, right in the middle of lecture, I grabbed my stuff to leave. Tenten was watching me worriedly, but it was Ino who was brave enough to ask, "You're leaving?"

"I just..." My voice trailed as I looked at the both of them. Ino's worry I could handle, for some reason she did it so often I was used to it. But for Tenten's eyes to look like that? I couldn't take it. Mustering up my best smile, I said, "I'm not feeling well. I'm just going to go home and sleep it off."

Tenten smiled back, as if she were doing me the favor. I rustled her hair and gave another smile, "We'll eat at the cafe today. My treat, alright?"

"Excuse me? Are you going to sit down and pay attention to the lesson, or are you going to keep distracting the class in hopes that the rest of your classmates make the same pathetic grade as you did?" The professor demanded with impatience.

Pathetic.

Every sense of that word made my skin vibrate with anger.

I took a breath, attempting to center myself. There was no point valuing him a response, he was just pissy his shitty lesson was boring the rest of the class to death. Half of them woke up just to see what the commotion was about.

I continued to grab my things and tossed my bag over my shoulder.

"Did you not hear me ask you a question?"

My fists curled as I turned my attention to him. He stood there, patiently, as if he was expecting a response. No. As if I was obligated to answer his clearly rhetorical question.

And something about it made me snap. The posture. The frown. The way he stood there as if he had all the time in the world.

Everything about it reminded me of my mother.

And it turned my stomach in rage.

Mustering the smoothest smile I could, I said simply, "Fuck off."

He blinked, "Excuse me?"

I repeated it, slowly this time, so he could understand it clearly the second time around. "I said. Fuck off."

"Haruno, isn't it?" He asked while pulling off his glasses, "The girl who scored a forty. The lowest in the class."

I merely continued to smile, "Your name is a complete loss to me. I know it's somewhere between the self righteous act and the egotistical way you strut back and forth in this class, but still it's slipping my mind. I'll settle for Professor. Look around you, professor. The only thing pathetic is your attempt to teach this class without at least half of them falling asleep. But I'll tell you what's more pathetic, that if you took a step back and thought about it; You were hired to pretty much serve us, the richest kids on this side of the country. Your job is as replaceable as your life, seeing as it isn't amounting to much by being stuck in a program where you truly will never see past the distance of this classroom. Meanwhile, all of us, including the student that just scored a forty percent, is going to see a future that isn't as bleak and pathetic as you coming home alone every night to an empty bed and no children to carry on your name. Yeah profressor, I've noticed the missing wedding ring. And at your age, I can imagine it's too late."

It was completely silent.

And I continued to smile on.

Slipping my hand in my pockets, I lifted up my hand in a wave as I turned to leave, "So yeah, I think I'll sit this lecture out. My apologies for interrupting."

With that I left.

But the smile that Ino claimed to be always permanently plastered on my face dropped the second I did so.

The word pathetic still ringing in my ears.

X

I heard the knock on my door, I did, but it was so distant I couldn't react to it. Because I was busy, too busy with looking at my room, too busy trying to register how I had managed to completely trash it within two minutes.

My hands were still shaking, at this point trembling, along with the rest of my body that wracked with the quaking of pure anger.

And hatred.

But not regret.

I didn't regret tearing apart my room. I didn't regret flipping over my night stand, showering the floor with broken glass, or slamming the door with the intent of rattling it off the hinges. I didn't feel an ounce of remorse for the destruction I caused.

And maybe that's why I was trembling.

Because as my anger passed, as I came to, I realized I felt so much better because of it. I could breathe again, I wasn't choking under the water of every memory my mother mouthed the word pathetic as if it were the only word to ever exist.

But we both knew that wasn't true.

It was just the only word that could be used to describe me.

What itched at my skin, crawled at the depths of my soul, was to know that every step I took in any direction I couldn't help but prove her right. Here I was at a school I was hauled off to, having to do only the simplest tasks like pass a god damn test, and I couldn't.

Pathetic.

Here I was in my room, knees week and body still quaking with residing anger, hands still shaking in tight fists, chest still heaving as I sucked in every breath, just after I tore it all apart because all I had to do was control my emotions. And I couldn't.

Pathetic.

And here I was, in the middle of my sea of mess that I caused, thinking about my mother and how she'd sneer with disapproval at the display of me losing control like a temper tantrum child as I attempted to convince myself over and over her opinion no longer mattered to me. But. I. Couldn't.

Fucking. Pathetic.

I lifted my fist again, this time aiming for the wall-

"Sakura!"

I froze.

Instantly, every emotion and strength I had depleted from me in fear.

I turned around, still heaving in breaths as I saw Ino's wide frozen blue eyes staring at me with worry. The sight of them pounded at my chest harder than the anger I had been feeling just seconds before.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, dropping my raised fist. "Get out."

"I found your spare key outside sitting on top of the door frame," she answered quietly as her eyes began wandering to the rest of my room. As they wandered, I felt completely exposed. And the feeling made me want to physically flinch away.

With more demand, almost a shout, I repeated, "Get out."

But unbelievably she took a step forward.

And within a split second I found myself whirling toward her with speed I didn't even know I possessed.

My fingers wrapped around her arms as I stopped her mid motion, grip tight as I stood towering over her. But even with her within my grasp, hands still vibrating, breath still uneven… she didn't so much as blink an eye.

She only watched me quietly. Waiting as I stared down at her.

Swallowing, I looked away, mumbling weakly, "There's glass everywhere. Stop."

"We need to clean this up." That was her only reply as I stood there, her still trapped between my grip, tornado looking like it had just passed through my room.

I shook my head, unable to comprehend.

"The gang is coming over. What happened in class today went viral, some kid took a video of it. They want to celebrate." Ino explained, closely watching my eyes, "They said they'd be over in an hour. It's all over the group message. You weren't responding so I figured you didn't know. And I thought... I thought you'd be..."

My eyes wandered my room.

She thought I'd be having another episode.

Flexing my jaw, I dropped my hands from her arms, "I'll clean it myself."

"I can help-" I gave her a glance, a hard one that stopped her mid sentence. But it wasn't enough to stop her for long, "Sakura, let me help."

"No," I clipped out, "Just sit outside. It won't take me long."

And it didn't.

I was an expert of picking up pieces of glass.

I mean... I always had to pick myself up whenever I shattered anyway.

At this point, what was the fucking difference.

X

"So yeah, I think I'll sit this lecture out. My apologies for interrupting."

I listened to myself for the third time in the shaky video taken by someone in class. The gang huddled in a circle watching it, howling with laughter each and every time. I forced a smile whenever one of them patted me on the back with a grin or rustled at my hair in approval, but each time their attention averted I'd cover up my frown with taking another sip of my beer or gulping down a shot.

"Christ man, they make em mean up on those hills, don't they?" Yahiko joked with a laugh, referring to my home town.

"You have no clue," Tayuya muttered, catching my eyes. Despite her being able to keep up with everyone and joining in on the banter, she looked exhausted. But that didn't stop her from downing shots with everyone else.

I looked away, knowing we were both sharing memories of our parents.

"You should have saw her, she looked like a fucking super villain," Tenten said excited with a big grin towards me. I smiled back.

"I bet he's laying in his bed right now, reflecting on the life you just came at," Temari snorted with a sip of her drink, "Jeez, if that were me I'm pretty sure my soul would have ascended from this earth."

"I'm pretty sure his did," Zaku laughed as he rewound the video. This time the camera whipped back to the professors face, focusing in on his stunned expression.

"Oh my god, look at him. Fucking priceless," Hiden said excitedly, dying all over again as they replayed the video once more.

"Hey Sakura, do you mind if I use your bathroom?"

My eyes wandered to Konan's kind smiling face as she stood next to me. I forced another smile as I offered, "Go right ahead, it's to the left as soon as you get into my room."

She quietly said her thanks before walking away. Again everyone's eyes were glued on the cellphone screen, but only Ino's ventured to mine as she held them uneasily.

When I had finished cleaning my room, I avoided speaking with Ino until everyone came. We simply sat on the couch quietly as we waited, nothing but the sound of us breathing between us. Her eyes now reflected the essence of worry, gaze darting to Konan as she approached my room.

But there was no reason to hold her breath.

Within a few minutes, Konan was returning back and plopping right next to Yahiko again without much else to say. I wasn't sure if they were going out, but I wouldn't have been surprised if they were. Either way, like I had mentioned, I was very good at cleaning up my own destruction.

If I wasn't, someone might have caught on years ago that I obviously wasn't the most psychologically sound. Someone might have even bothered to worry.

Like Ino.

Her eyes hovered on me all night. Each time I looked away and forced myself to join in on the conversation, I still felt her watching me. It was unnerving, being focused on so much. Usually when people saw a smiling face, they took that energy with the assurance of everything was fine.

But with Ino, it was like she read each smile as if it were an open book.

I wasn't used to the attention.

"God, look at the girl right in front of her all wide eyed. I'm pretty sure her panties literally dropped right then and there," Hiden joked as he pointed at the screen.

"Oh you can tell she was all sorts of bothered," Zaku agreed as he took a closer look, "Plus Sakura was hella smooth with just walking away like that."

"I know! And then with that scar on her eyebrow and that easy ass smile, she literally fortified the bad boy look," Tenten sighed dreamily before rushing forward and demanding, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Yahiko teased with a sly grin, "Your panties dropped the second you saw her, didn't it?"

Tenten looked completely embarrassed as she fell quiet.

"To be fair I nearly broke my neck when I first met Tenten," I defended, giving her a smooth smile when her eyes darted to mine. "And I was hella bummed to hear she didn't fuck with customers. My loss though, right?"

"Shit, loss like they aren't lined up at your door right now," Zaku huffed with a roll of his eyes.

"Ay, Sakura can only handle so much. If anything, you can get the rebounds," Hiden jabbed, shoving Zaku's shoulder.

The gang merely laughed in good nature, their focus jumping again. I smiled slightly when Tenten blushed and looked way, happy that I had managed to direct the unwanted attention else where.

"Alright I'm heading out," Tayuya announced, causing me to blink with surprise. I might have been quiet, but she spoke less and less as time went on. She gave me a glance with a smile as I watched her, "There's a party Saturday night, little trouble maker. I could use some help picking up girls, since you have all the skills."

I rolled my own eyes, but Temari snorted and replied, "Yeah right, like you need any more girls knocking at your door at night. If anything, you need to slow your ass down."

"They keep my sheets warm, and it's hella cold up here in these mountains compared to the hills," Tayuya joked with a laugh.

I laughed a little myself, but paused when I noticed Ino frowning off to the side.

"Yeah I'm thinking I'll kick it myself," Yahiko announced while standing up. Zaku and Hiden began calling him various names, but he only waved them off, "We got class in the morning, dude. Plus Konan is tired."

Beside him, Konan smiled and offered, "But the party Saturday sounds like fun."

"We might as well all leave and store our energy until then," Temari suggested, getting up herself, "Plus we've kept Sakura up enough with our antics. Come on Tenten."

Just like that everyone was shuffling out, but not before helping me clean up of course, which I really appreciated. They even took out the filled up bag of trash, offering to drop it in the trash shoot down the hall for me. Within a few minutes my place was empty again.

Or so I thought. Just as I was shutting off the lights in the living room, I saw Ino walking out of my room. I frowned as I watched her, but she only explained softly, "Sorry. I had to use the bathroom before I left."

"I didn't notice you disappear," I muttered, glancing at the door. "Everyone left a few minutes ago. You might be able to still catch them."

"No point rushing now, I guess," she sighed, coming to a stop just a few steps in front of me.

"Well come on, I'll walk you home," I offered while moving to grab my hoodie.

"I'll be fine."

Grabbing my hoodie anyway, I frowned as I turned and replied, "No. It's late."

"I'll be fine, Sakura," she breathed out, shifting to grab her own jacket.

"Ino."

She sighed again, turning back to me, "Honestly, it's not that big of a deal."

"To me it is." She looked as if she were going to argue, but I cut her off, "Look. Just. Let me do this. If I'm being honest, I don't feel comfortable letting you leave alone when it's already this dark outside. I'll just end up worrying all night."

"Then let me stay the night." I blinked, but she only shrugged, "I don't have class until late tomorrow, and honestly I don't feel like walking anyway."

"No," I found myself answering instantly, "I'll just pay for your cab."

"The fair just to hop into the cab is more than how much it would actually cost to drop me off three blocks away," she pointed out, but I still moved to look for my wallet, "Sakura seriously, it's a waste of money."

"Money that we obviously have plenty of," I countered with a snort.

"Fine. Then since we're being honest, I don't feel comfortable leaving you alone tonight." I paused searching for my wallet, caught off guard. My gaze pulled to hers and I watched while her frost eyes held mine as she continued softly, "I'll worry all night."

I set my jaw, "The only thing to worry about, Ino, is getting you home safely."

"Is that what you do? Worry about others then turn around and convince them not to worry about you?" She asked, but I ignored her as I picked up my wallet, "Don't you think that's a bit hypocritical? Maybe even ironic."

"There's nothing to worry about," I said firmly while snatching a random amount of bills and shoving them into her hand before moving to go to my room.

"Exactly. Me walking home on campus isn't something to worry about, literally nothing happens here. But you being here by yourself-"

I whirled around to her, finishing for her with a shout, "Isn't a fucking issue to bother with!"

I don't know why I was getting so worked up. I couldn't pin point what bothered me the most. The attention she was giving me was unnerving, I wasn't used to it, but it was more than that. Her sitting here telling me she was worried- whole heartedly concerned, I could hear it in her voice- after all the two times she has witnessed me losing control just...

I felt more pathetic than usual.

Because if she felt the need to watch over me like I was a child, than that meant she thought I was weaker the average person. The average person could handle their anger, the average person didn't need to be hovered over.

But me? I was that much of a concern that she was going out of her way to keep an eye on me.

I set my jaw, "Just go home, Ino."

"Fine, but if I'm going home I'm walking, by myself, without you escorting me," Ino replied, holding my eyes fiercely. "You don't get to worry about if I make it home safe if I don't get to worry if you'll be okay tonight."

I wanted to say fine. I really did. I didn't want to care if she made it home safe, I just wanted to go into my room and spend a moment in fucking peace, because too many people had gotten my attention today and honestly I was dragging on at this point.

But when I parted my lips to tell her to do whatever she fucking pleased, I couldn't get the words out.

Angrily running my hand through my hair, I growled, "Fine. Stay the night."

"Oh no, don't force yourself Sakura. I'd hate to crowd you in all the space you have here," Ino replied while rolling her eyes. She moved towards the door, aiming to leave, but I snatched at her wrist.

Her eyes were more cold than usual as she slid them to mine. Rubbing at my neck with irritation, I took a breath and repeated much softer, "Stay the night, Ino."

She searched my gaze as I held eye contact. Two whole seconds passed before she carefully took back her wrist while turning to face be again. "Be honest Sakura, because I've noticed a pattern. Do you seriously want me to stay?"

I frowned while watching her, "I'd rather you stay here, despite the reason, than sit here and be restless knowing I let you walk home by yourself. It seriously doesn't sit well with me."

"So the reasoning is a selfish one then?" She asked curiously, still watching me.

I frowned even more, "You're staying the night for my sake, not the other way around."

I almost didn't catch it, but a small smile slipped her lips just before she passed me by, sighing out, "That's exactly what I've been saying."

Sighing myself, I shook my head and muttered, "Whatever. You're taking the bed though."

"Such an easy pattern," she said to herself with another smile.

My eyes narrowed, "Are you going to tell me what pattern you're seeing that I'm not?"

"Only once I figure out what picture it makes," Ino answered, giving me another glance.

Too tired to even bothering, I rolled my eyes to go get sheets.

There you go. Just a lil somethin for you over the weekend. I was bored.

Plus most of this was written a couple of days ago. But I held off because I was busy running around and couldn't think where I was going with this.

Soooo yeah. Not much to say. Just a lil update.

Read review, tell me what you think.

Shycadet loves. Out.