A/N: So sorry this took so long, but I'm finally updating! School has eaten my soul, but I promise I'll try and update as much as possible. I still love you all! Read and review. With enough incentive, I might just update faster!

I took a single, deep breath as I stared at the doors into the main building of my school. I didn't want to go in, but I knew I had to, so I pulled on the handle, and watched as it opened. At first, the eyes stayed where they were, but a few people noticed us.

And really, that's all it takes.

Those few people hit the shoulders of their friends, and more and more eyes were diverted toward us.

"Is it bad that I'm creeped out by a bunch of people staring at me?" Shikamaru asked, glancing over at me. I giggled nervously, trying not to meet anyone's gaze as they stared.

"No," I said, and we began walking toward his first class. People were whispering, quite loudly, about him.

'I thought she was the one who pushed him in front of a car in the first place?'

'Noooo, she drove the car that hit him, duh.'

'But I heard it was Sasuke… Then again, Sakura and Sasuke are broken up, right? They're NOT? She's obviously easy, then, or he would have left already.'

My cheeks flared up, and I had to stare at the ground to try and hide my red face.

"Hey. Hey, don't listen to them. You're not easy," he said, trying to cheer me up and affirm my worth. It was not working. I mean, come on… Just because your best friend tells you you're not a slut doesn't mean you're not one. But that's just it…

I'm not one.

But that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt to hear the gossip, right? God, drama is completely ruining this year.

Despite my problems, though, more people were focused on Shikamaru. He was still on crutches, which is why I was helping him to his classes. Well, that, and this was part of his plan. Apparently, I was supposed to spend as much time with Shikamaru as possible, so Sasuke would get jealous or some crap like that and admit he was cheating on me with Karin.

Frankly, I didn't get it at all. Why did I have to spend time with Shikamaru, it's just that… I was glad my cheeks were already semi-red, or Shikamaru would have asked me why I was blushing. Then I would have had to get into an explanation, and that would have been plain embarrassing.

"Hey Sakura!" A deep voice called from behind me. Is it bad to admit that his voice still sent tingles up my spine even though he was cheating on me? I guess it would.

I turned around to see Sasuke, and felt my face break out in a smile. He returned my happiness, and walked up toward me.



"Hey, Shikamaru," he said coolly as he came closer to the two of us. Sasuke was a little taller than Shikamaru now that Shikamaru was on crutches, but I didn't really take note of this.

My attention was more or less focused on the scowl that had broken out on the lazy Nara's face. I started to wonder why, but caught myself, reminding me that this guy in front of us was cheating on me. With Karin.

Ew.

He leaned down, and kissed me. I still felt the yearning for another kiss on my tongue. I knew I wasn't over him, even if I was supposed to be.

Then, I thought about where Sasuke's mouth had been on Karin, and that yearning stopped dead in it's tracks. So much can change in a few days after someone decides to ruin your first relationship by telling you that the guy you were dating is actually having sex with this girl who is completely and utterly obsessed with him, and your best friend decides that you need to get back at your boyfriend by hanging out with him so much more than you hang out with your boyfriend, which makes you happy and confused at the same time, and your best friend seems to be in love with a girl named Yuki, which also makes you a little… Okay, really upset.

Huh. My life is kind of confusing.

It took me a good two seconds to realize that Sasuke was waiting for me to answer something. I felt a lot like a cliché in a romance novel, ignoring the man to think about my extremely complicated love shape, but hey, it happens. This is highschool, after all. It's like one big cliché.

"Uhhh," I glanced over at Shikamaru. He was nodding his head very minutely, and I took that to mean 'Say yes!'

"Yes!"

"Oh, so you do have something to do after school?" Sasuke asked. I could hear the confusing in his voice.

"Errr… yeah. I was going to help Shikamaru with this project that was due in our biology class, since he was in the hospital and all."

"Oh."

"Sorry." I apologized, feeling really terrible. Sasuke looked disappointed, like I had actually hurt him. Hurt him?! HA! Cheater.

"It's not problem. I was just thinking that we could go over to my place and, well, you know. Chill out, relax, watch TV, and all that. We haven't had a night where it was just the two of us in a long time, and I kind of miss that. They were special." His dark, dark eyes looked into my own, and I could almost feel the sadness and disappointment in them.

He was a good actor.



Unless he actually wasn't acting and his 'special night alone' was his way of asking me to sleep with him. Oh God… was it time already? I'd have to ask Temari. "Yeah, they really were. But Shikamaru just got out of the hospital, and I think I should be spending some time with him. I didn't really see him a lot when he was in there, and I kind of missed hanging out with him, too."

I saw Sasuke stiffen, and look over at a grinning Shikamaru. I was looking at Sikamaru too, puzzled by the triumphant smile on his face. When he was my look, it was quickly replaced with just a 'too-bad' grin, but Sasuke wasn't fooled.

If I hadn't been looking, I wouldn't have noticed, but Sasuke glared at Shikamaru for just a slight second. "Sakura, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Uh, I need to help Shikamaru get to class," I said, staring uncertainly at Shikamaru. He ruined it. The whole plan. With his stupid, beautiful, amazing grin.

Sasuke smiled. "I can take care of that easily." He picked up the bookbag I had set on the floor, and he looked over at a white haired boy. "Suigetsu!" Suigetsu turned around, looking at Sasuke.

"'Sup, Sasuke?"

"Help Nara to class, will you? He's an invalid, and they need help. It'll be your good deed for the month."

Suigetsu sighed, and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'll help the handicapped boy to class." Sasuke threw him the bookbag, and Suigetsu motioned to Shikamaru to follow him. Shikamaru glanced at me, but Sasuke started pulling me the other way.

"See you, uh, later, Shikamaru," I said as Sasuke and I started heading into a less populated part of the building. Some people tried to follow us, but Sasuke's friends made sure they stayed where they were with a few looks and a good few threats.

Up the stairs we went until we came to the third story, and Sasuke stopped close to a group of kids that probably didn't care about gossip or anything. I could see Chouji standing over there with Shino and some other kids. He was watching me, curious as to what was going on. Sasuke didn't notice.

"Sakura, what is going on with you and Shikamaru?" He asked, his voice strained.

I folded my arms across my chest, and glared at the ground. "We're friends. He was in the hospital. It's kind of expected that I hang out with him."

"Right." His voice was cold. "But you're blowing me off to go 'help him with his biology project'? What the fuck is that?"

"It's something the teacher-"

"I know what the project is. But he's a genius. He can do it himself. Does he really need your help?"

My eyes narrowed as I turned my head to look at his face. "What's that supposed to mean? That I'm incapable of helping someone?"



Sasuke sighed. "No, baby, I'm just saying that he doesn't need your help. He can do this project on his own. I need you. I really do." His hands found their way to my waist, and I knew he was leaning in to kiss me. I pressed my hands on his chest, keeping him at bay. His black eyes opened quickly, staring me down.

"Like hell you need me," I said, seeing Karin in my mind's eye.

"Now it's my turn to ask what that's supposed to mean," he said.

I felt anger rushing inside of me. "You know what I mean! Karin is what I mean! How long did you think you could get away with cheating on me, huh?"

He let go of my waist, and I pushed off of him. He narrowed his eyes at me, and I swear to God that they were red. "Don't even BRING her into this!"

"You brought her into this when you decided that it would be a good idea to sleep with her while you were DATING ME!" I screamed, backing up even further.

"Shut up!"

"No! You do this to every girl, don't you? You use her until you can get what you want, don't you?!"

"Shut UP!"

"And you were trying to sleep with ME, too! I knew that's what tonight was about! I knew it! How could you even think that I would EVER want to sleep with a pig like you? For all I know, you have an STD or something!"

"SHUT UP!" By now, even the stick-to-themselves kids had turned to watch us blow up at each other. Some people had evidently got past Neji, Sai, and Jugo, because they were all there, staring at us.

"You CHEATED on me!"

"LIKE YOU'RE SO INNOCENT YOURSELF, SAKURA!" Sasuke's eyes were gleaming red now, the black hardly showing at all, just a few lines and dots. I didn't have the curiosity or the calmness to wonder why his eyes did that. Or, better yet, how they changed color.

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?"

"YOU! The entire time we were dating, EVEN WHEN YOU WERE MAD AT HIM, you were crazy about him! What do you THINK, the whole world is blind? It was OBVIOUS that you were as in love as a high school girl could be with you STUPID BEST FRIEND! God! The entire time we were dating, it was LIKE you were cheating on me!"

I froze, my heart sinking fast. Had I been the one to do this to Sasuke? Had I really cheated on him in some way?



No, he did this to all the girls. That's what Temari said. I believe Temari. He was a pig. A cheating man whore.

He noticed my hesitation. "I was RIGHT! You little WHORE! You didn't even CARE about me, did you?"

I looked at him, feeling helpless. "I… I did care about you, Sasuke…" I said weakly.

"You STUPID, RUN OF THE MILL WHORE!"

"STOP THAT! I'm NOT a whore! You're the whore, Sasuke!"

He laughed evilly, his maniacal gaze landing on me once more. The people surrounding us were captivated by the scene, as most break ups weren't in plain sight, for the world to witness.

"Like hell I am! I never cared for Karin! I never have, and I never will! I was just using her for what I wanted! But YOU! You were in love with SOMEONE else while you sat there, kissing me! You probably imagined that he was on the receiving end of your love, isn't that right?"

My eyes opened wide as he confessed this all for the school to hear. People stood with their mouths wide open, gaping at us.

"But she LOVED you!" I pointed out, still stuck on Karin.

He laughed for real this time, finding this more hilarious than I would have imagined. "And what, did Temari tell you that? Did she come to you with some sob story about how Karin is in love with me, and she can't help herself? Did you ever stop to wonder why my last girlfriend broke up with me?"

I stared at him, trying to understand it all.

"She broke up with me because Temari came over to her house, and told her that I was bad mouthing her to our little group of friends. She said that I was saying how easy Reihyou was, and how I wish she wasn't so loose, but it was all right. And how Karin had defended her, and that Karin thought it would be best if Reihyou broke up with me, to save herself more drama. And she LISTENED! She listened to a girl that just wanted me all to herself again. And now, you've done the SAME, EXACT thing. Except, there's more TRUTH in this lie."

Temari had… lied to me? To help Karin? It was all coming together so quickly… She wanted me to make a big deal out of Sasuke, and then the whole world would hate me, and Karin would get her way once more.

"She… she lied…"

"Of course she did!" Sasuke said, coming toward me. "I thought you were SMART, Sakura! You should have known that Temari was just trying to help her friend get what she wanted! Geeze!"

He stopped in front of me, inches away from my body. "Sakura, wake up! They were deceiving you! They lied to me, too! Everyone is a victim here!"



I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that that whole story was made up. It just wasn't possible. There was no way… "You're lying to me, bastard!" I said, pink hair flying was I jerked my chin upward, looking him full in the face.

"What?" He asked.

"This is all a bunch of lies! I don't even see WHY I believe you anymore! You SLEPT with Karin! You think it's OKAY to use her for whatever you need! I don't give a DAMN what she says, you are a PIG! You deserve to by thrown in JAIL!"

His eyes were back to having an angry edge to them as he glared down at me. "You'd take THEM over me? You'll REGRET THIS, Sakura," he said into my ear, backing away.

"You think I need to be thrown in jail? WHAT ABOUT YOU? You had SEX with Shikamaru at that party! You were DRUNK, and were RECKLESS. And THEN you had him so DISTRACTED when he ran out of there that he CRASHED and almost DIED!"

Now he was lying to them about me! I could hear the gasps of the people that were watching as Sasuke started a rumor that I could probably never live down. I had drunk sex with a guy and then he almost died.

"I did not!" I yelled. "I did NOT have sex with him!"

"That's a load of BULL! I heard YOU! I know you did!"

I could feel the world crashing down around me once more. I could see the world going black every time I blinked. It felt like ages I sat there, staring into the darkness, but I knew it was only milliseconds. In every blink, I could see Sasuke's evil grin, his lies building further until I was ruined and shattered. His last girlfriend had moved a few weeks after their breakup because her dad 'got a job in a new town.'

I think it was because she was so miserable, and her parents pitied her. But my parents would tell me to suck it up. My mom would say it would just make me stronger. My dad would say he wasn't moving.

"I… I did NOT!"

"LIAR!" Sasuke said. We both knew that he had won… we both knew that I would forever be deemed as the cheater, while he would go on to get a new girlfriend, and do the same thing to her. The process would repeat itself, and no one would ever do a thing about it.

It was a cycle. The girl gets hurt, and the boy lives to tell the tale to his next girlfriend. I felt so used… I felt so violated. I knew that Sasuke was feeling triumphant right now in his little victory.

"Consider us done with, Sakura. I can't stay with a cheater!" He turned around, and people made room for him as he made his way back downstairs. I just stood there, stunned to standing still.

I could hear this whispers erupt again as the bell rang, and they all left to go to their classes. I would be the newest piece of gossip to his the newsstands. I was their new target. I stood there, motionless, as the tardy bell rang. I was late.

Huh.

I had never been late before… well, not without a good reason. And this was as good as any. Tears leaked down my face as I finally moved, walking slowly toward the stairs.

I was forever going to be the cheater. The whore. And he was clean.

I was going to be the biggest piece of gossip for a while. God, I couldn't even show my face anymore. They would all attack me.

And it was all lies.

There was a sadistic part of me that was saying 'Well, welcome to high school.' But I knew that high school wasn't this bad for everyone, oh no. It just happened to be hell made from bricks and cement to me.

Slowly, I walked toward my first period class, tears still on my face. Before I got there, though, I crossed in front of his first period class, and I couldn't help myself. I peeked in, and spotted him sleeping.

I had to tell him, right?

He could help, right?

Yes. Yes, Shikamaru could help. I knocked on the door, and Mrs. Mitsuki opened the door. "Hello, who are… Young lady, why are you crying?

"C-Can I see S-Shikamaru please?" I asked helplessly. The woman frowned, and then looked over at the now waking boy.

"Shikamaru. Hallway. Now." He rubbed sleep from his eyes, and then saw me. And my bloodshot eyes.

He got up, and grabbed his crutches, making his way out to me. "Thank you," I whispered to the teacher, who just nodded, and shut the door behind us.

"Sakura, what's wrong?"

I sat down in the floor across the hallway from his class. He followed suit, sitting down much slower and keeping his leg straight out.

"I… We… Sasuke and I… f-finished… r—ru-ru-rumor and sex a-and w-wreck and I don't know what to do!" I said, leaning my head onto his shoulder, speaking faster than I probably should have been.

Shikamaru wrapped his arms around me. "Shhhh… It's okay. Tell me what happened. And slow down this time."

I took a deep breath, trying to stop the tears. "When S-S-Sasuke and I w-went upstairs, he s-started yelling and we got in a f-fight. He s-said I was the c-cheater! And e-everyone believed him over me, 

because he's Sasuke Uc-Uchiha and I'm just Sakura. And n-now there's a horrible r-rumor about me g-going around, and I'll never live it down!" I cried, burying my head into his chest. It was so warm and strong… He was so warm and strong.

I felt tingles up my spine as he quieted me once again and began to stroke my hair. I cuddled closer to him, still crying, but feeling more at home with him than I ever did with Sasuke.

"It's okay, Sakura. It'll be alright," he said as he tried to calm me.

"No it won't!" My voice sounded muffled against his shirt. "Everyone will hate me and I'll have to move and Sasuke will win and the world will know that I'm a cheater, even when I'm not a cheater!"

"Shhhh," he quieted me, holding me closer. "No one will think that, Sakura. You're not a cheater. Everything will be fine, I promise. Everything will be fine, I'll make it all fine. Don't worry."

And even though I didn't believe that he could actually make this all go away, I trusted him. I trusted that he would make this all fine. And I felt good about it.

"It'll be okay. Everything will be okay."

A/N: So like I said, School has eaten me. So I hopw you like this chapter; it was a good hour of sleep (plus a lot more of non-sleeping time) that I needed, and I used it to make sure you all are happy. So please, tell me that my lost sleep was not in vain. Did you like it? Review, then! It would make me incredibly happy if you reviewed. And told your friends about my story. And submitted it to ShikaSaku C2 communities. That would make my day, and those are the types of incentives that make me want to update faster. Whereas, if no one reviews or reads, I'll cry and never wrte another chapter again.

Well, that's all I got. I'm DEAD tired. I really do hope you like, but I'm too tired to think up a great authors note. Thanks for reading. Er, I don't own the characters. Only the idea. Night, everyone. Zzzzzzz Rai