Haunted, Chapter 5

A/n: Sorry about the late update. I have other stories to update and I was having a lot of writer's block for this story. I'll try to update next week too, since ideas are fresh in my mind for this story. I've finished writing two other chapters and I'll be starting to write chapter 8, soon too. Oh and I apologize if there are any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors too, because my BETA reader is on holiday vacation, I guess and didn't reply. So, I couldn't wait any longer. I'll repost the BETA chapter, later on.

I've had an great holiday, got some nice stuff not as nice as the stuff all my other friends got such as $100 gift cards to Abercrombie and Fitch, a PS3 + a ton of games, Wii, etc. But I'm still very grateful for what I got. My parents aren't the richest people ever.

I'm a little bummed out, because one of my friends who's pretty popular, got a new boyfriend and he's really really good-looking. A very handsome Asian with sweet hair. And anyways, I've developed a small crush on him and I'm jealous of my friend, because I haven't ever had a boyfriend and she's had quite a bunch of bfs.

And the boy, who I really like. Well, he's older than me and doesn't even know I'm alive, and so he'll probably never go out with me, let know acknowledge me.

Happy Holidays! And a very happy new year. Wish me some luck, too please for the New Year, that I won't be so hopeless and clumsy and I won't repel the male gender so much. And I'll be wishing you some luck, too.

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Recap:

Right when he mentioned Naruto, Sakura stiffened. "Naruto?" She asked. "Uzumaki Naruto...?" She said with a hint of recognition. Gaara narrowed his eyes. "You know him?" Gaara asked her.

"Yes... He was my best friend, before I moved here four years ago." Sakura said slowly.

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"Did you know anyone named Sakura?" Gaara questioned Naruto.

"YES! She was one of my best friends since primary school, but then we lost contact, when she suddenly moved to the U.S for some unknown reason, but if you ask me, I think she had to move because of her -" But Naruto was cut off.

Sakura grabbed the cell phone from Gaara.

"Hello, Naruto." She said excitedly.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto burst out into the phone.

"Yeah, it's me." Sakura said, trying very hard not to cry.

"HOW ARE YOU? WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING? WHY DID YOU MOVE? WHAT'S GOING ON WITH YOU?" Naruto screamed into the phone.

Sakura held the phone away from her ear.

"Enough questions about me. How's everyone else in Japan? Tenten, Rock Lee, Neji, Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru, Hinata..." Sakura went on listing old forgotten friend's names.

"They're all fine. I can't wait to see the looks on their faces, when I tell them that I actually got in contact with you." Naruto said, in glee.

Sakura smiled. "I wish I could see you." She whispered into the phone.

"Same here. So, how did you meet our good friend, Gaara? He came to us, a couple months after you moved."

The smile slid off Sakura's face, the minute he said that.

Gaara took the phone back from Sakura.

"Long story, I'll tell you, some other time." Gaara said monotone voice.

Sakura shot Gaara a grateful look.

"Aw, man." Naruto whined.

"Sakura-chan, what way can I contact you? I'm sure the rest of the gang would love to talk to you.

A fearful expression crossed Sakura's face.

She gingerly took the phone from Gaara.

"Um. I don't have a computer, so we can't e-mail and it wouldn't be really a good idea to call my home phone number, since it would be expensive. And I don't have a cell phone. The best way to contact me would be through Gaara's cell phone. We go to the same high school." Sakura explained.

"That works well. I'll talk to you later!" Naruto said cheerfully.

"Bye." Sakura said weakly and ended the call.

She handed the phone back to Gaara.

He stared at her.

"Who gave you permission to use my cell phone to give as contact number to Naruto?" He asked her.

Sakura looked down. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. You've got a lot of questions to answer. What's your story?" Gaara inquired.

Sakura fixated her gaze on the floor. "It's been so long. Give me some time to back memory lane."

"Take your time. I'll be waiting." He started placing all the materials he had stolen into a bag and handed it to Sakura.

"Here. You're going to need it. Go put it in your locker, before the bell rings and someone sees."

Sakura gave a long glance at Gaara.

"Thank You. It's been a long time, since someone has done so much for me." Sakura said, bowing before walking to the door of the classroom and exited.

Gaara ran his hands through his unruly red hair. "Don't thank me." he said quietly, after she had left the room.

This girl gives me a strange sense of Deja Vu. Maybe, because she reminds me of my old vulnerable self.

But why the world does she gives me the urge to protect her?

She has a lot to explain. And all, he could do for now was wait.

Gaara sighed and then left the room.

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Sakura slammed her locker door shut. She had no idea how she was going to hide that medicine from Itachi. But he wasn't home right now, so she had a chance.

I owe a lot to Gaara. He sat next to me at lunch, he saved me from those girls, he stole medicine for me, and he let me talk to Naruto. How in the world can I repay him? Does he want to be friends? And why in the world is he doing this for me? Why is he helping me?

She sighed and was slumped against her locker, arms crossed, eyes closed, pondering what she could do.

Suddenly a voice blared from the loudspeaker awakened her from her thoughts.

"Sakura Haruno, your presence is requested in the principle's office."

Her eyes snapped open and widened in horror. This wasn't going to bode well.

Slowly, she trudged forward towards the office with a heavy heart.

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This wasn't how Gaara planned his first day to be like. Sitting in the principle's office. The minute, he stepped out of the abandoned classroom, a young secretary dragged him to the office, telling him his presence was requested in the principle's office.

"She's waiting to see you." The young secretary managed to squeak out. She was cowering in fear of Gaara.

He rolled his eyes. "You may leave now." he told her. She scurried away and Gaara sauntered up to the door, opening it and entering the principle's office.

"Sit down." A nasal voice commanded him.

It was the principle.

The moment he saw her, he instantly disliked her.

The principle was an old obese woman wearing a very unflattering pair of purple trousers and a matching purple blouse. She had a pinched and painful expression on her face, like there was a rat or something smelly shoved right under her nose.

She glared at him. And she looked him over head to toe and before giving disapproving cluck.

Hn. The old hag is probably forming predictions about me that aren't even true. Judging me by how I look and what I'm wearing.

Gaara glared right back her, before slowly pulling up a chair and sitting down.

He scanned the room, seeing if there was anyone else besides him and the principle.

Sure enough, there was Maya and her cronies from before, seated right across from him, sneering at him. Giving him a you-are-so-busted look.

Ah. So this is about what happened before. That girl must have wanted to get back at me and made up some sob-story to get me in trouble. How pathetic. Two can play at the game.

"Why am I here, wasting my time?" Gaara demanded to know, pretending that he didn't know why he was here.

The principle coughed. "We can't start yet. We still have to wait for Miss Haruno."

She's out to get Haruno too.

"Whatever. Why can't we get just get started with ought her? She's such a slowpoke." Maya whined.

Gaara rolled his eyes and started impatiently tapping his fingers against the arm of the chair, he was sitting in.

Suddenly, the door bust open and a very flustered Sakura came in.

Maya snorted and whispered something to her cronies, making them burst into pearls of fake laughter.

"S-sorry, I'm so late." Sakura stammered.

"I'll ignore your tardiness this time. Next time, it shall not happen again. Sit down." The principle said eying Sakura in dislike.

Sakura stricken, sat down in the nearest seat, which happened to be right next to Maya.

Maya looked at Sakura in disgust and moved away from her. "EW. I'm not sitting next to someone who smells like dog shit! Take a shower, freak!"

Sakura blushed in embarrassment before looking down.

"Stop, it girls. Now, let's get started about why all of you are in my office." The principle prompted.

She sighed, shooting both Sakura and Gaara a reproachful glare. "Sabaku Gaara and Haruno Sakura are both in danger of receiving a detention and a suspension for attacking other students.

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Gaara immediately stood up. Impossible, he wasn't here to take the blame for something he didn't do. "What? I did no such thing." He spat. He looks over at Sakura. Her face was pale and fearful, but she said nothing.

The principle gave him and Sakura a smile, dripping with venom. "Oh, yet we do have some witnesses and victims who claim you did such." She said sweetly.

Gaara crossed his arms and scowled. "Nonsense."

The principle's smile just widened. "Yet, we have Maya and her friends here, who claim that you and Miss Haruno suddenly attacked them in the girl's bathroom."

"Prove it." Gaara said, staring daggers at her.

The principle smirked. "Maya, here as you can see as a bloody nose, which she claims, Miss Haruno gave her. And of course, there are the witnesses that are willing to sell you out. That's plenty of proof.

"Why would I want to attack her, when I barely know her?" Gaara interrogated.

The principle gave him a smug look. "The motive that Miss Maya and the suspects agree on is jealously. Miss Haruno attacked Maya because she was jealous of her. Since Maya is a straight A honor student with a clean record, has nice accessories and is sociable popular with everyone. And you agreed to attack Miss Maya with Miss Haruno for the motive of money, since Ami had $500 dollars in her purse, and you were in need of money." She said pleased, holding up a torn but very nice ladies purse, shoving it in Gaara's face, so he could see that there was only a blood-stained twenty in the purse.

Maya smirked.

Gaara was enraged. That bitch is accusing of stealing someone's money because I was desperate? She's going to get it. She's playing with fire, if she's going to deal with me.

Yet, he remained to have a cool and calm facade. "I believe you're mistaken. I don't need someone else's money and even if I was desperate, I would not ever steal money from anyone, not even a lying, worthless pathetic fool like her. I would work for money. And how do you know she even had 500 dollars in her purse? She could be lying." He said eyeing Maya is complete hatred.

The principle just smirked. "I have complete trust in Maya, that she is telling the truth. Besides, she a perfectly, nice girl who's an honor student that wouldn't hurt a fly. And why should I believe you over her? A new student who I barely know and has a not very clean record. And this isn't Miss Haruno's first offence either."

Gaara clenched his fists until there were deep red crescent shape marks of his nails digging into his skin of his palm. "You don't know who I am and you can't judge me because of my record." He spat.

The principle disregarded him with a lazy yawn. "Let's move on to Miss Haruno. Do you have anything to say from yourself?" She said, her voice dripping with sweetness.

How pathetic. Moving on to the weaker suspect.

Sakura's hands were trembling. "Please don't give me a detention or even worst a suspicion. I really can't afford it. I'll do anything." She pleaded.

The principle grinned; satisfied she had trapped the suspect in her web.

"Don't beg the old hag. Tell her the truth." Gaara said quietly.

Suddenly, everyone turned to stare at him.

"What did you just say? Is that a confession?" She asked Gaara, victoriously.

Gaara snorted at her. "You wish. This is the truth. That your precious little Maya is nothing more than a lying, cheating, devious, pathetic little fool who beats innocent people up with her cronies. She and her cronies ganged up on Sakura and started beating her up until I came up along and saved her ass. And that precious Maya of yours must have wanted to get back at me and made up some sob-story to get me in trouble and threatened some people to be victims. "

A very angry expression appeared on the principle's face. "Impossible. You're lying. Getting Miss Sakura to lie with you." She sneered.

"Ask her. Just ask her." Gaara said smugly.

"Miss Haruno is that true what he said?" Her voice dripping with venom, daring Sakura to say yes.

All eyes turned on Sakura.

You can do this. You can say yes, you don't need to hide it. You've been hiding the truth for a long time, Maya's been beating you up since forever and you would always take the blame. Time to get her back, Sakura told herself.

She took a deep breath.

"Yes. It's true." She said quietly.

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END OF CHAPTER 5

End of chapter, author's ramblings: Hoped you guys liked it. I really will try hard to update this story at least twice or thrice a month from now onwards. This will be some sort of a long fic. Maybe 10-20 chapters. Sankyuu to all of my reviewers. Couldn't have wrote this with ought all of you.