Chapter 8 of "Some kind of Wonderful!" Sorry if you felt the wait was too long, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
The word disclaimer should be enough…
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The school is deserted. Neji is sitting on the back of a chair, studying a large piece of canvas. Music is playing in the background, dark and brooding. He has a paintbrush in his teeth. He's considering his work, plotting his next move. The music stops and Neji looks up.
Sasuke has turned to music off and is sitting on the edge of the table. He's very calm and at ease, as if nothing has happened between them.
"How are you doing?" he asks
"All right." Neji replies
"You nervous about something?"
"No. Are you?" Neji asks
"You look nervous, are you okay?" Sasuke continues
"I have no problem." Neji shakes his head
"You always come to school this early?" Sasuke asks
"Not always, you?"
"Never."
"So why today?" Neji asks
"I wanted to talk to you about something."
"About…?" Neji is a bit cautious.
With a big grin Sasuke begins. "I didn't come here to talk about art."
Neji doesn't reply. Sasuke smiles again and eases up. "
"I'm completely cool with the situation. The truth? I was looking for a way out of the thing with Sakura, and, weird as it is, you saved me a tough talk."
"I'm supposed to believe that right?" Neji looks on, eye brow raised.
"Why not? It's true. I don't want Sakura hating me. I don't want anybody hating me. So, I'd appreciate it if you'd do me a favor."
Neji waits cautiously again.
"I don't know where you guys are going Saturday, but if you could swing it, I'd like you to come by my place. I'm having some friends over. The parents are in Europe."
"You're inviting me to your house?" Neji says
"Yeah. I've invited a lot of people. Something wrong?"
"I don't know, you tell me." Neji replies
"Nothing wrong on my end. You got an inferiority complex or something?" he pauses "I don't know you all that well; I may not even like you if I get to know you. That's not the issue. I've known Sakura for a long time; I want to stay friends. And if it's too much to bring her over, forget it. I'm sorry I asked."
"Put yourself in my position. Maybe you'll understand why I don't think this sounds like a good idea." Neji says
"Put yourself in mine." Sasuke adds "I'm big enough to invite a former girlfriends and the guy who stole her from me to a party. You think all of this makes me look good? I've taken plenty of shit about it already."
"That's why I'm a little cautious of your motives." Neji says
""I'll buy that." Sasuke says "You want the plain truth?"
Neji shrugs. He's not so sure he'd recognize it.
"I have a lot of pride. And it's been damaged, and I don't like it. I can recover it, in my own mind at least, buy showing people whose opinions matter to me that you and me are friends. Then it's not like you stole Sakura from me. Bad blood makes me look like a fool. If we're friends, it's okay. I've traded off lots of girls to friends. That's acceptable. It's not like some stranger lifting Sakura off me."
"The logic's a little perverse." Neji comments
"Probably, but that's what it is. You tell anybody I had this conversation with you and I'll kick the shit out of you. That's a promise."
Sasuke slides off the table and grabs his bag. He heads for the door.
"It's a party. It's not the end of the world." Sasuke says. He starts out the door.
Neji has changed his mind. He wants to believe Sasuke.
"Sasuke?" Sasuke turns back into the room "You being straight with me?"
"At this point do you see a reason why I should be playing games?"
"I'll ask Sakura." Neji says after a pause.
"I already did. She's okay with it."
Neji thinks for a moment "I'll be there."
With a friendly smile Sasuke speaks "Good. It wouldn't be the weirdest thing in the world if you and I came out of this as friends."
Neji smiles back. A careful smile. "Yeah it would."
Sasuke gives Neji a big smile. Sincere as hell.
"See ya'," He swaggers out of the room.
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In the Girl's Gym a clan of volleyball girls are hanging around after class. Sakura is talking with some of her friends. Neji is watching the class. He feels that she is his now. He's comfortable and confident. A hint of a smile, he leaning on the door frame. He rolls back around the door to face away from the gym. His smile evaporates as he realizes he's being watched.
Tenten is at the door heading outside. She'd been watching him watch Sakura. She looks serious and… Slightly wounded?
Neji smiles. No change in Tenten.
"What's going on?" Neji asks
Tenten shrugs "First time in about two years you didn't have lunch with me. Is there a problem?"
Neji shakes his head, no. He feels a little guilty.
"Am I too weird to be around now that you're moving up?" Tenten asks
Neji doesn't particularly care for the tone. "I had something to do."
"Yeah. Something you never had to do in two years before? It's cool. I just wondered where you were."
"I was around." Neji says
"Yeah, okay." She raises a hand and exits. Neji waits a puzzled, sad beat before he turns back to the class.
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Ino's house is large. It's extremely extravagant and built with tremendous care. Her bedroom is a suit. Ino definitely has money. She sits on her bed, as Sakura is slouched in a chair.
"I recommend that you think twice before you make sacrifices for this jerk." Ino says
"What's that mean?"
"Don't let some misfit joker tear up your life. Nobody's very excited about this affair. They see you as guilty as he is. You know what the truth is?"
"From whose point of view?" Sakura asks
"Yours. You aren't a natural fit in all this. They don't have to let you belong. You could be on the other side of the world for all anybody really cares. You like being part of something. Don't kid yourself. It's better to be in than out." She pauses.
"All I'm saying is, you have one more year, why make it miserable? Just go along with things. We'll have a last good year and then we're outta here forever."
"I'm not making up with Sasuke." Sakura says
"Then just be friends. But agree that you have to blow the date. Okay? Right now he's humiliated. GO back, get this guy out of the way and then break up. Don't get him in a corner like this. Please?" Ino begs.
"I'm not afraid. So what if he's humiliated. So am I."
Ino shakes her head in frustration. "You're not in control like Sasuke is. One word from him, and your on ice. Neji'll live. I'm sure, deep in his heart, he probably thinks you gonna' back out anyway."
"If I back out, I'm giving into Sasuke." Sakura says
"Fine. Give in this once. Don't make this an issue. It's not worth it. If you keep the date, you lose everything."
"Including you?" Sakura asks
"I'd never say it to your face, but I don't know what I'll feel like if I'm frozen out. You won't either. Why risks everything for nothing?"
"It's not nothing. It's a matter of pride. If you can't understand that, I feel sorry for you." Sakura nods her head.
"You go through with this and I'll be feeling sorry for you." Ino adds.
There is something foreboding in the remark.
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Neji is sitting at a night club table alone. He's still riding his giant wave of delight. The place is loud and crowded with street people. A band plays on a small stage. Tenten walks though the club doorway. She's looking for Neji, a girl on a mission. She pushes her way through the place to Neji's table. She looks down at him, and he looks up at her. He raises a hand in greeting. Things between them are stiff and formal.
"Since when do your parents let you go clubbing on school nights?" Tenten asks
"I'm waiting for Sakura." Neji replies
"Here? She coming here? On a school night? Did I miss something; is there a new world order?"
"If you wanna knock me and make me feel bad, can you do it later?" Neji asks
"She said she'd meet you here?"
"Not in those words." He mumbles
"In any words?" Tenten asks
Neji shrugs off the question, for which he has no answer. Tenten slides into the booth.
"Maybe she doesn't have an ID?"
"Who doesn't have an ID?" Neji says
"Maybe she doesn't like you as much as you thought." Tenten suggests.
"Maybe,"
"Do you miss me Neji? Do you miss not being around me?"
"This isn't the third grade anymore, Ten."
Wistfully Tenten replies "I wish it was."
"It's not," Neji says again.
"I'm not upset about her. I'm upset about you. She's the same. You're the one who's changed."
"What's wrong with change." Neji asks
"I liked you better when you were a nothing."
"I wish you would take a few minutes out of your day to sit down and think about what this means to me." Neji says growing angry.
"What about what it means to me?" Tenten replies
"It means, you don't have a love-sick, depressed, boring friend anymore." Neji says not listening to her words.
"She doesn't love you. It's a joke. It's all a joke."
Neji scoffs at the remark. "Oh really?"
"I'd bet my hands on it." Tenten says, lifting her hands for emphasis.
"You don't want to make that bet." Neji shakes his head.
"Yeah, I do." Tenten says "I gotta split. This is too much agony for me. I've been thinking about you and me a lot lately and I came to a conclusions that I didn't want to deal with, but now that we talked, I can't hide it anymore." She takes a deep breath.
"I think we'll get along much better if we don't spend so much time together anymore."
"Why?" Neji asks
"Because. I'm driving you crazy, you're driving me crazy, and I'd rather have you think good things about me and not see me then see me and hate me. I can't afford to have you hate me, Neji. The only things I care about in this life are me, my weapons, and you. Adios."
She walks away from the table. Neji calls to her.
"Tenten!"
She stops and turns. She looks at him for a moment, turns and disappears into the crowd.
A part of him is walking out. There's no obvious solution to the problem. He's torn between love and friendship, and love has to win. He turns back in his seat and looks at his watch. He fears that Sakura won't show. He slides down in his chair to wait it out.
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End chapter 8! I hope you liked it! I'm going on vacation for two weeks so there won't be any updates until then. Not really a big deal cause I don't usually update before that anyway, but I thought I should tell you. Please leave a review! And I'll try really hard to get something to you quick!