"Need cameras," Kiba decreed and just like that Naruto let out chuckle.
Now that he agreed with.
He wanted the senior year to end all senior years. This one wasn't exactly starting off with fireworks, but then again, there wasn't much that could top last year in the explosive department. Just as long as it went out with a bang, Naruto didn't care. Till then, he'd take what he would get.
Sakura did not like her diet soda all fizzed over. Nope. It was entirely unacceptable.
She stood up and her friends at the table looked at her. The cafeteria was crowded, but they'd managed to get their favorite table by the wide window. Hinata, another close friend, Tenten, and a new one named Temari were all seated with her at the table along with a couple of other friends. Ino was supposed to be talking to Sai right now, so Sakura figured she'd be back around ten minutes or so.
"Sakura?" Hinata called.
"My diet's all fizzed over," was all Sakura said as an announcement.
The table fell to a hush. Everyone knew that was bad. Because Sakura could dish it out as good as she got. And fizzed over diet soda was just no.
"Let it go, Sak," Tenten advised. "It's the first day. Maybe someone new just didn't know and made a mistake."
Temari's brows shot together. "What's going on?"
"Something that could possibly get pretty big," Hinata explained, worry getting evident on her face.
Temari shook her head. "I don't get it."
"They'll pay," Sakura declared.
Hinata winced.
Tenten shook her head. "Honey, no. It's the first day, come on. It happens." But Sakura was already stepping away and heading for the counter with the soda in her hand.
"Shit," she heard Tenten mutter. She didn't care. She had something far more important to do.
She skipped the line, walking right past it and ignored the cries of irritation. Reaching the front, she saw a boy, definitely freshman, who backed off immediately. She hoped she wasn't projecting hostility on her face because she prided herself on being super friendly. But the way the boy backed off, she'd hazard a guess and say that she probably was.
She shrugged to herself. For diet soda, anything.
Then she spotted the guy behind the counter she'd never seen before. He was new.
Well, that explained it.
He stared at her, unsure what was happening, since she'd just passed by the entire line and hopped up to the front.
"Uh… you're supposed to be in line." He told her something she knew.
She replied brightly, "And you're supposed to make sure my soda doesn't fizz over."
He blinked at her, probably unsure of what to do in the face of such absurdity. She could understand that. It was kind of crazy.
But she was religiously serious about her soda.
And she thought she'd made that clear with the fit she'd thrown in the start of last year.
Apparently not, though.
He blinked at her again and asked inanely. "What?"
Sakura turned her head slightly and caught sight of a grinning Ino pushing her way through the crowd towards her. She sighed. Ino loved it when she did shit like this. Sakura, however much she was compelled, did not. So she wound her eyes back to the guy behind the counter.
"My soda is all fizzed over," Sakura stated.
His eyes darted to the soda she had placed on the counter and said, "Okay." Then eyes came back to hers. "And…?"
And? And?
This man was clearly new. He did not know what he was doing.
The students around her started buzzing, obviously remembering the huge blowup she'd gotten into last year for this exact thing, and she heard a distinct, "Oh no, he didn't."
She wanted to laugh.
She did not.
Ino made it to her, still grinning like a lunatic, and grabbed her arm.
"Hon, while I'm all for you letting it rip right here for your soda," she whispered. "I was thinking maybe we could tone it down on the first day since Kakashi's talking to a student in the hallway pretty close to the cafeteria."
Okay, fuck.
Kakashi Hatake was perhaps one of the coolest teachers at Konoha High. She respected him way too much to mess up in front of him.
Hey, wait a minute. He had been present in the cafeteria the last time she had done this. She remembered it clearly. He'd been present and all he did was look at his boots, fight a grin and shake his head.
He'd likely be amused if she tried it again.
No fucking way was she going to cool it now.
"For future reference," she began, talking to the confused guy behind the counter. "I don't do fizzed over. Tessa knows that." She referred to the cafeteria lady who definitely knew that. "And now you know that."
He stared at her. Then he stared around her at the crowd that had formed. Then he looked back at her.
Ino shot Sakura a questioning look.
"I'm not cooling it," Sakura informed her on a whisper.
Ino smiled at her, huge and brilliant. "Then what are we waiting for, darling? Go crazy."
She accepted that invitation gladly.
Then she proceeded to tell the guy behind the counter exactly how she liked her soda.
She was way dramatic with a side of bitchy.
When she was done, she smiled at him and waited.
He stood right there, uncomfortable, harassed, and fidgeting.
"Hello?" Ino said. "Is my girl getting her non-fizzy diet or what?"
That's when understanding dawned and he moved like lightning on his feet, disappearing from sight as he sprinted inside. Then he was back, taking away the fizzy drink, replacing it with a colder, hopefully non-fizzy one.
That's when Sakura smiled at him again, this time meaning it a lot more. "Thank you." She said, because whatever her actions and her need to go maverick for a soda, she still somewhat had good manners.
He nodded. "Sorry for that. Non-fizzy from now on."
"Cool." She grabbed her soda and flipped her hair over her shoulder. Then Ino grinned again, and they turned around to get through the throng of people to their table.
As the students gave way, Ino told her, "You went easy this time."
"Kakashi," Sakura explained with a one shouldered shrug.
Ino giggled. "Still kickass, though."
Sakura shook her head but couldn't help the tug she felt on her lips at Ino's words. Ino and her almost sadistic tendencies. Sakura wondered if she should be a touch worried about that.
She turned her gaze from her best friend to the parting crowd, and saw Naruto standing there, grinning with both hands up and giving her a double thumbs-up. Silly as it is, she couldn't help the surge of pride she felt at her old childhood friend looking almost appreciative of her latest public stunt. But that feeling was almost trampled compared to what she felt when she saw Sasuke standing next to him, something working behind his eyes and his lips slightly tipped up to one side.
Yes, now that. That would do a number on anyone.
She smiled, big and bright at both of them before turning back to Ino as they winded their way through the students towards their table.
The rest of lunch went good.
Plans to meet up afterschool on the field for cheerleading tryouts for the freshmen were made.
Then Ino told them about her talk with Sai which had been super-awkward but he'd gotten it.
Then Sakura, Hinata, Tenten and Temari nodded appreciatively when Ino declared she was going on a boy-boycott until she knew she had her life and priorities in order.
Later everyone grinned when Hinata announced she'd treat everyone to double chocolate cupcakes at The Ramen Stand if they helped her with a question in Calculus Mr Shiranui threw her way.
Then they discussed the Genma Shiranui and Rin Nohara situation. Of course, there were just rumors, but the girls knew it better than anyone that where there's smoke, there's fire. Tenten thought they'd look cute together. Being new, Temari hadn't yet seen Ms Nohara around school, so she couldn't say anything. Hinata supported whoever made Mr Shiranui happy. Ino was strictly against it, stating Kakashi and Rin should be together because they not only looked cute but were also childhood friends (as Kakashi had once mentioned in class) and they wouldn't get together only to have it turn to hell and be super-mean to each other after it was over and successfully ruin their friendship.
This is where everyone just stared at her and Sakura realized her friend was glaring daggers at Shikamaru all the way across the cafeteria during her rant and then Sakura effectively changed the subject to Homecoming.
Now that everyone was excited about.
"I'm going to need a date to that," Temari informed them. "Where do I want to be looking?"
"The football team," Tenten answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Definitely," Sakura agreed.
She watched as Temari's eyes wandered over to the table where most of the guys sat. "Anyone in particular I'd want?"
"Uh, I'll tell you who you won't want," Ino replied. She jerked her head towards the said table but kept her eyes on Temari's and said, "The asshole-sucky-fucker-douchebag-jerk in black with dark spiky hair in a ponytail which I should've fucking cut off when I had the chance who's probably sipping his food like he has inflammation of the throat and all the time in the world."
Holy cow.
Sakura blinked.
Hinata visibly paled while Tenten muffled her laughter behind her hand.
Temari raised her eyebrows. "I'm taking from that there's a complicated story there?"
Ino scoffed. "That doesn't even cover it, sister."
Temari grinned.
Sakura decided to veer the conversation back on track. "Basically, uh, other than, um, Shikamaru, everyone's pretty dateable."
"Not to mention hot." Ino fanned her face, in evident agreement. "I'm looking forward to see New Guy Gaara play."
"Oh my God," Temari groaned. "He's my brother."
"He's your hot brother." Ino retorted.
Sakura burst out laughing but she couldn't help but share her best friend's opinion.
"I thought you were on a boy-boycott," she said when her laughter faded.
"I totally am," Ino replied.
"What are you going to do about a date?"