Cheerleaders
The Deal
I fell with a thud and groaned. I tried to roll over, but a big lump stopped me half way. I moved over a bit to sit up. Beside me, Phantom was still asleep, breathing silently and barely moving. I stood up, brushing myself off, and glanced at my clock. I had woken up 36 minutes before my alarm clock was scheduled to go off. I sighed and dragged myself to my own bathroom, connected to my room.
After showering and thoroughly washing my hair, I combed it while it was still damp and applied only a snippet of eyeliner. My eyelashes were naturally long and thick, and my green eyes seemed to pop in their dark framing. I left the bathroom and entered the walk-in closet. I didn't know why we'd gotten a house so large if there was going to be so much wasted space. My closet was huge, therefore was only half filled. Most of the things in there were things I never even wore.
I grabbed my uniform, consisting of a dark blue plaid skirt, a white T-shirt with the Konoha High School's symbol on the top right of it, black shoes, high dark blue socks ending just below the knee, and a gray jacket. I slipped into these, though my jacket and shoes were downstairs in the closet with the rest of the jackets, shoes and umbrellas. I skipped down the stairs; my hair still wet, and sat down on a stool in front of the island.
My dad was making chocolate chip pancakes in his pjs. "You're up early, Saku." He said, smiling as he dropped three pancakes into my plate. I got up to get us both some glasses of milk as he served himself.
"Mom gave me some money yesterday to buy a dress, for the party." I said, still a little new to the whole event.
"That's great, honey." He said, "The party will be at a buffet, so don't get anything that might stain."
I nodded my head. When we finished breakfast, I headed off, grabbing my bag and putting on my shoes and jacket. I left the house just as my mom returned from her jog. After giving her a kiss, I walked to my school, heading for my impending doom.
I caught the bus on time, meeting Sai inside, drumming his fingers on his knees. I sat beside him, hearing the faint music coming from his earphones. I couldn't tell what it was. I turned to look up and smile at him, and he smiled back accordingly. He took off a headphone, letting it hang, and began to talk with me.
"Sakura," He said hesitantly.
"Yes?" I asked, watching his headphone swing as the bus lurched to a stop.
"Would you… would you consider me as…" He paused, "A friend?" He asked slowly.
My eyes widened for a moment, surprised, but my smile replaced this. "Of course." I said.
A faint but noticeable pink tint appeared on his pale cheeks. "Does that mean I may call you Sakura-chan?" He asked.
My smile turned into a smirk as I felt my cheeks warm as well. "Of course." I said, making an effort to look any place elsewhere. No. Not elsewhere. Anywhere but where he was.
"Then," He continued, "You may call me Sai-kun. It you want you." He quickly added, as though I'd be repulsed by this.
I looked up at him, opening my mouth to speak, and then closing it again. I finally said, "Of course… Sorry, I'm saying that a lot, aren't I?" I asked, my smile growing.
"It's fine." He said, looking down at iPod and spinning his finger on it. "I," He started again, I looked up to him as he spoke, "Just wanted to know… because, you talk to Naruto-san like that." He explained.
I didn't quite get it. "Like what?" I asked.
"You call him Naruto-kun. So that means he's your friend?" Sai asked.
I'd never met someone so peculiar. These were the kinds of things you just knew. "Yeah, he is, I guess. I don't think he'd mind if you did, though. He said 'Naruto-san' was too formal." I said, giggling slightly as I spoke.
"Okay. I have more questions, Sakura-chan. Is that alright or not alright?" He asked. He was completely clueless. But. He was absolutely adorable.
"Alright, Sai-kun." I mumbled, feeling an awkward silence building as he turned away to think. Suddenly, blue eyes and blonde hair popped in front of me and I nearly jumped from the close pair of eyes in front of me. Ino? No. "N-Naruto-kun?" I squeaked.
He grinned and stood straight. "Yo, Sakura-chan." He greeted me, holding his hand up but not quite waving it. He put it back in his pocket as he stood in front of me, holding the metal pole.
"Dobe, you sitting or not?" A dark, smooth, velvet voice asked. It was near. I tilted my head slightly and saw Uchiha Sasuke standing right next to Naruto, trying to pass. Naruto's huge bag pack blocked the way.
Naruto glared at him but stood sideways so he could pass anyway. My eyes did not fail to catch a second boy following behind him. He as well has dark eyes and dark hair. He wore the same uniform, but was taller and looked well built. When he turned to glance at me I froze in place. He looked similar to Sasuke, related, most probably, but his gaze was even more intense and intimidating.
The sleeping woman beside me suddenly awoke, and after jerking her head around, gathered her things in a hurry and ran off the bus. I should have woken her. Before Naruto could move, the Sasuke-look-a-like, who I decided at that moment to just call his brother, sat down next to me.
God, you hate me, don't you?
I was sitting between Mr. Smoking-Hot-Gentleman and Mr. Smexy-Evil-Guy. I mentally glared at myself for my poor naming skills. It did wonders in defining them, but they sounded retarded. I hadn't failed to notice how quickly Naruto's grin had faded. I spent the remaining five minutes of the bus ride sitting stiff and straight, trying to touch them too much as the bus started, stopped and turned.
"Him?" Tenten asked, staring pointedly at the back of Mr. Smexy-Evil-Guy's head. Or his ass. I couldn't tell.
I looked at her, nodding shortly.
She smirked, and leaned close so she could not be heard by others. "That's Uchiha Itachi. Obviously, he's Sasuke's brother. Even though he gives off this whole smexy-evil-guy vibe…" I felt relieved and a little creeped out to find out that I hadn't been the only one to think this, "… don't let yourself get intimidated by him. He's in his last year of high school and, oh, he's single." She said. He had long ago turned around a corner and vanished.
I parted ways with Tenten as I walked into my class. Sai was inside; having separated with me when I'd told him I was going to the bathroom. I'd met Tenten on the way back. I sat down in my seat next to Sai around the front of the class just as the bell rang.
It had happened in the middle of class.
We'd just given in our assignments two days from then and had gotten them back. The assignment was basically to write an article on a chosen event or subject and respect to rules of journalism in our text. The title needed to be appealing, attracting, and the text had to be written in a certain way. The most important things were written first, followed by details and other things of lesser importance. I had done my article on high school students and their dressing habits.
When I'd gotten back my text, I quickly flipped to the back to see my mark. "Eighty-eight percent!" I said, beaming. I glanced at Sai.
He was just flipped his over when I turned. He put it down on his table, and turned when he noticed my staring. He was quiet for a moment, and then, as if realizing what I'd been wanting to ask, said, "I got eighty-one percent." He said, and then smiled.
"That's great, Sai-kun!" I said, unable to stop smiling as I stared at him.
For some reason, his cheeks were turning into that pale pink again. The knocking on the classroom door lured by gaze away from Sai. The teacher, Asuma, went to the door and quickly opened it. I felt my heart skip a beat – totally cliché? Yes. – when I realized who was leaning at the door way. Every girl in the room seemed to mimic my reaction.
"Itachi-san, what brings you here?" Asuma asked.
He began to look around the class, his eyes stopping at each face for a just a moment. "The headmaster wishes to see Haruno Sakura, Asuma-sensei." He said, his voice even more alluring than Sasuke's.
My spine shot straight up as I attempted to keep a good posture while I was addressed. "Haruno Sakura, gather your things, you have permission to leave." The teacher said.
I nodded my head robotically. "Yes, Asuma-sensei." I quickly said, putting my assignment in my bag, as well as my pencil case, as I stood up. I muttered a bye to Sai, who just stared at me, as I quickly covered the distance between my desk and the door. As Itachi and I walked out, Asuma closed the door and we began to walk.
"You must be wondering what the Headmaster has called you for." Itachi said in an impossibly calm voice.
He couldn't see me, since he was walking farther ahead than I, but I nodded my head.
"It's just to talk about your suspension." He said.
I stopped mid-step and fell over, scrambling onto the floor. "Suspension?!" I asked loudly, my body straight and flat on the ground, with my head up.
Itachi almost laughed. He smirked, the tip of his mouth twitching a bit. "I was joking." He said, turning and getting down to help me up. "Let me help you," He said, his voice almost a whisper.
I felt a shiver go done my spine as I felt his breath on my neck. He held my shoulder with one hand and put his other hand on my waist, making me blush. I was back on my feet in a matter of seconds. "Thanks," I murmured, falling back behind him again as he pulled back.
He slowed down, though, and was now waking beside me. I tried not to look at him as I walked. Suddenly, I felt his hand near my face. I thought he would grab my chin, but then his hand halted, and he picked a lock of my hair, gazing at it with a curious stare. I gulped. "I actually don't know why the Headmaster has asked for you." He admitted, smirking.
I fought the urge to slap his hand away as he cupped my chin in his hand. I tried to turn away and free myself from him, but he only pulled, forcing me to look up at him and making me take an involuntary step closer to him. My heart began to panic in my chest, beating against my ribs. "Itachi-san, I…" I mumbled quickly, but as soon as I had opened my mouth he had let go, and was now turning into the office. I stopped abruptly, my eyes following him.
He stood at the door, back facing me, but waiting for me to follow. I slowly slid into the office, my face was still beet red, I guessed. I tugged at the sides of my skirt as the door automatically closed behind me. A faint click was heard. I followed Itachi to the secretary's desk, trying not to stare at my feet as I walked.
"This is Haruno Sakura, I believe Tsunade-shishou has asked for her…?" He told the secretary, who visibly melted right then and there in her seat.
"O-Oh…" She mumbled - gaping for a few seconds – and then answered, "The headmaster is already speaking with someone, t-take a seat." She had said everything while staring at Itachi.
I struggled to keep my head straight. Itachi paused for a moment, as though thinking this through. "Is it important?" He asked the secretary.
She stuttered for a moment before answering, "U-Uh… umm… I'll go- I'll go check." She said, bumping into her desk and chair repeatedly as she exited while still keeping her eyes locked on the boy. She disappeared into another room, and I turned to take a seat.
Sasuke?
He sat on the chair closest to the secretary's desk, staring at both Itachi and I. I quickly looked away when his gaze met mine. I shuffled towards the seat beside him, Itachi sitting on my other side. "Hello, little brother." He murmured, smirking, but looking forward instead of towards said boy.
Sasuke scoffed. "… You're scaring her, you know that?" He asked after a moment.
Itachi leaned forward to look past me and to his brother. "Scaring her?" He asked. He then glanced at me.
I couldn't help but flinch. Embarrassment took me over as my face reddened and I ducked it low, letting my pink bangs cover my face.
Itachi chuckled and peered through my bangs. "Your face is red." He pointed out.
"Way to state the obvious, genius." Sasuke muttered, but I could hear the faint trace of amusement in his voice.
I bit my lip to keep from giggling.
"Oh great. Is she crying…? Why's she shaking like that?" Sasuke asked in a deep mutter, "Or… She's having a seizure. I don't see any flashing lights…"
I bit my lip harder.
Itachi's finger stuck into my barrier of locks and pushed some aside, leaning in more. "She's…" He mumbled, squinting.
I couldn't take it anymore. Loud giggles escaped my throat in a giddy beat, shaking as I pressed my eyes tightly and tried to cover my mouth.
"She's giggling…" Sasuke said.
"No shit, sherlock." It was Itachi's turn to retort.
Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"Excuse me!" We heard, I turned my head, still shaking as I laughed, and saw the secretary at the open door. "Haruno Sakura, you may come in!" She said.
Someone was just walking out of the room with their hands in their pockets and their head held low. Sasuke and Itachi got up in unison. Sasuke walked over to the boy who had just left the room, raising his head.
"Naruto-kun?" I mumbled.
His eyes looked enraged, and his hair was messy and uneven, as though he'd gotten into a fight. His eyes immediately softened as he saw me, and I noticed that he had a black eye. He realized this and turned his head to hide the vicious bruise.
"Naruto-kun, what happened-" Itachi suddenly grabbed my wrist and dragged me into the office. He pulled me in front of him and closed the door behind him, making me face the headmaster.
The blond haired woman looked up at me, her arms crossed over her larger bust. "Haruno-san, take a seat." She said, gesturing towards the two chairs facing her desk. The office was messy, with paperwork scattered all over the place, and one half-hidden, yet visible, bottle of Sake squished behind a row of books on the shelf beside her.
I slowly approached and seated myself. "Is there a problem, Tsunade-shishou…?" I asked hesitantly.
Tsunade scoffed. "Kids these days. Can't they ever come into the office thinking that something relatively good might have happen?" She asked sourly.
I blanked. "… Um…" I drawled stupidly.
Tsunade smiled, surprisingly. "Well, just to let you now, I'm not here to tell you that something relatively good has happened." She admitted.
My heart sunk. I gulped.
"You might have noticed already, but um…" Tsunade paused, sparing a glance at her clock. "Uzumaki-san has gotten in a fight." She said.
I rapped my nails against my chair. "Uzumaki?" I asked.
"Naruto." Itachi said. I hadn't even noticed him sit there - in the chair next to mine.
My mouth formed a comical 'o' as I nodded my head. Suddenly, I processed this information. Naruto had gotten into a fight; as I'd suspected.
Tsunade answered my question before I could voice it out. "He got into a fight with one of the seniors." She explained calmly.
I slowly nodded my head as I listened. "Okay, I understand all this but… How exactly does this concern me?" I asked, slowly.
Itachi shifted lightly beside me. "Because Naruto is being kicked off the soccer team for a few weeks." He said.
The confusion in my mind only increased. "But I don't get how-"
"And you are a cheerleader." He added slowly.
I frowned, gawking at him as I waited for something understandable.
"And we need you to find a replacement." He finally finished.
I paused. "What… What does that have to do with being a cheerleader?" I asked.
Tsunade frowned. "Yeah, what does that what to do with being a cheerleader, Uchiha-san?" She muttered.
He smirked, leaning forward slightly. "She's a cheerleader, surely some boys would want to get into the team, with all the… mental support."
I suddenly felt light-headed.