Thanks for your faves and alerts on the last chapter, they made me smile :)

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.

Ino lounged back on the grass, her skin glowing in the late summer sunshine. She pulled her sunglasses back down over her eyes and gave a contented sigh. "Don't you just love the first day?"

Hinata gave a nervous mumble of a reply, and Sakura said nothing. Instead, she watched the third-year boys mindlessly throw a ball back and forth, stopping occasionally to dribble it, or take a new look at the game and bounce it to a teammate. Sakura was pretty sure this wasn't how you played basketball – isn't the ball meant to go in the net? – but all the same, she didn't question it.

Ino sat back up, lifted her glasses, and nudged the rosette in the arm. "You see any boys you think are cute?"

"Uh…not really…"

"Oooh, what about him, he seems like your type!"

"Nah, too much brawn…"

"Not enough brain? Oh honey I totally get that, you seem like the smart sort." Ino flapped a hand understandingly. "What about him, he's smart?"

Ino jabbed a perfectly manicured finger in the direction of the court. The boy she'd apparently singled out was not taking part in the game, but leaning uninterestedly against the chain-link fence, watching his classmates play with a look of mild embarrassment. He had pale, chiselled features, dark hair and eyes…his body wasn't much of an asset, but he was pretty, she'd give him that. Sakura wrinkled her nose. "Who's that?"

Ino gave an overacted gasp, feigning horror. "Sakura, you mean to say you don't know who Uchiha Sasuke is?!"

"…no."

"He's only the prince of our campus." Ino flailed her arms. "His father's a benefactor, having donated millions to improving our quality of living and learning, and he himself is just…ugh, I can't even begin describe him! He's fairly athletic but not cocky about it, he's smart, he's well-spoken, and not to mention he's totally gorgeous."

Sakura hesitated. "Ah…not my type, I don't think."

Ino lifted an eyebrow. "Girl, are you asexual or some'in? Uchiha Sasuke is everyone's type, even Hinata's!" The girl in question squeaked a little and flushed red.

"I can see the appeal, but…" Sakura shrugged, shaking her head. "I don't know, he doesn't seem like he'd be fun to date."

It was at that moment that he looked up at her, and they locked gazes.

In any other scenario, in a novel or a movie, Sakura would have blushed. She would have looked away hurriedly, cheeks red and heart pounding against her ribcage. Her pulse would have increased ten-fold. Her speech would have impaired itself as she tried to regain her cool. But this was real life – she was not in love, she was interested in love, and she was not, under any circumstances, a professional Ana Steele-slash-Bella Swan impersonator.

So she rolled her eyes and looked away at her own pace, as anyone with dignity should have done.

"Whoaaaa, are you seeing this?" Ino squealed, flapping her arms. "Sasuke's actually trying to hold eye contact with someone for more than 4.63 seconds! He's totally checking you out~!"

"Well he can stop trying to check me out, I'm not a library book." Sakura grumbled.

"Girl, seriously. Take it as a compliment. The last person Sasuke took interest in won the lottery, her ill father was cured, and her older sister and brother-in-law who were on the brink of divorce got back together. If that doesn't tell you that being liked by Uchiha Sasuke is a blessing, then I don't know what will."

"…"

"Just go say hi or something!"

"…yeah, okay, how do I put this as simply as possible…no."

Ino huffed and turned to Hinata. "What're your views on the situation, O' Wise Hyuuga-sensei?"

"U-um…" Hinata looked uncomfortable for a while before she began. "Well, if Sasuke likes Sakura, then she should feel…um, flattered, b-but if she doesn't re-return those feelings, then we should respect that, and l-l-let her like who she wants…but then on the other hand, if she does end up l-liking Sasuke back, th-then we should be happy for her…but she'll have to be m-modest about it, since the fan c-club won't be happy…"

Ino blinked. "Damn, I didn't realise you could talk so much. So~, that settles it. Hinata's word is law. Give Sasuke a chance!"

"Th-that's not what I—"

"Just pursue it, see what happens!"

Sakura blinked. She looked from Hinata, to Ino, and over to Sasuke, who had now broken eye contact but was still taking a sneaky glance over every few moments. She looked back to Ino, and narrowed her eyes.

"You're full of shit." she said lowly. "But we'll see."

Ino clapped childishly.

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