Sakura plopped into her seat and grinned. "Hey, Sasuke."
Sasuke grunted as he fiddled with the pages of his notebook. He glared at Sakura and the pinkette looked at Sasuke, grinning as widely as she can. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. The two stared at each other for a long while until Sasuke finally looked away and put a hand under his chin. Sakura gently punched in the arm and said, "Can you be a bit more considerate, Sasuke?"
"What?" Sasuke exasperated.
"What, you're not even gonna ask me how my first month in Konoha Private Academy was?" Sakura whined. "Really, Sasuke? This is how you treat your closest girl friend?"
"Who said you were my friend?" said Sasuke, almost in a monotone.
"You dickhead. You know, if it makes you feel better, I got a couple girls to stop liking you. I'll tell you how. I was out last weekend hanging with a few guy friends from my old school who were visiting. Two of your little admirers happened to be in the place where we were at, and since you have just been soooo incredibly good to me this past month - totally being sarcastic - I told my friends to go be smooth and hit them up."
"Yes, because I just love people who talk so much - totally being sarcastic." Sasuke mocked. "But even then, thanks anyway...I guess. Now where is Asuma?"
Sakura nodded. "Ino wasn't in her bed this morning too. Asuma's her favorite teacher, so..."
In that same moment, Ino barged into the classroom with an overjoyed look on her face. She looked like she was about to cry. "Everyone, Kurenai's about to give birth to her and Asuma's baby! No class today!" Murmurs of celebration filled the classroom as everyone stood up to leave.
"Since when was she pregnant?" Sasuke questioned. Sakura stared at him incredulously and shook her head. She stood up and walked towards Shikamaru's desk. She faced the spaced-out boy.
"I saw you at the movies over the weekend. With that senior TA in our Lit class. Temari's her name right?" Sakura giggled. "Ooooh, girl,"
Shikamaru's lazy eyes widened. "That's..she just happened to be watching the same movie I was, that's all..."
Ino ran to the desk and slapped Shikamaru's head, apparently having heard the conversation. "Oh shut up! I've seen you two countless of times in town." She then hugged Shikamaru. "Shika has a girlfriend! Since when have you and Temari been going out?"
Shikamaru stared at the two girls and decided he couldn't lie. "This summer." He stammered.
"SAY WHAT?" Ino shrieked. "How could you have not told me!"
"I don't have to tell you, mother! Just..shut up about this for a while, okay?" Shikamaru pleaded.
"Don't worry, Shikamaru." Sakura smiled and walked back to her desk.
"Let's ditch," Sasuke said.
"Hmm, you want to?" Sakura answered. He nodded and started walking out the classroom. "Then sure." She turned back to Shikamaru and Ino. "You guys wanna come with? We're getting outta here." The two nodded and followed her. Sakura walked up to Sasuke and immediately got into a little spat as soon as Sasuke said something.
From a few meters behind, Ino thoughtfully looked at the pair. She whispered to Shikamaru, "Say…don't you think Sakura and Sasuke…fit together?"
Her partner snickered. "Sasuke. Going out with someone. Don't make me laugh, Ino."
"Yeah, you're right," Ino laughed. "Weird as hell, huh."
"What are you gonna do for the rest of this hour, Sasuke?" Sakura asked as the two stopped by a vending machine. She inserted a dollar in the slot and pressed the numbers for a bag of chips.
"Dunno. You?"
"Same. Kinda just tempted to sit against the wall right now," the girl said as she bent down to grab her bag of chips. "In fact, I'll do just that." Sakura put her bag on the floor and plopped against the wall.
"Hobo." Sasuke commented.
"What...Whatever!" Sakura said hotly. "See ya in third period, asshole!"
Sasuke looked at Sakura, a little disappointment in his eye, and opened his mouth to say something, only to change his mind and walk off.
Finally, Saturday. Sakura's favorite day. A day when Ino takes Hinata to a salon miles away and Tenten goes to the boys dormitories to make out with her boyfriend, Neji. Ino had given up trying to make Sakura go with her to her girly weekend adventures, so Sakura spent Saturdays alone, enjoying her peace while she can.
Sakura looked outside their window. The sun was shining, there wasn't a cloud to be seen in the blue sky; There were still flowers growing on some of the trees. The girls playing volleyball out on the grounds were in shorts and tank tops.
"The hell, it's November. It's supposed to be gray and cold. Mother Nature, you bitch." Sakura grumbled to herself. "Well, I guess I'm going to town today." Sakura's phone rang and she took the phone out of her pocket, and saw "Mom" in big bold letters blinking on her screen. She quickly answered the call.
"Hey, mom." Sakura couldn't help the smile that made its way to her lips. She hadn't heard her mom's voice in almost two months, having only texted her weekly to check up on her.
"Sakura! I miss you so much! How are you?"
"I'm fine, I miss you too. You?"
"Totally fine. Your classes doing okay? You're not getting into any trouble right? Any boys?" Mrs Haruno interrogated.
"Mom, breathe. Classes doing fine, teachers all like me, I think, been making As, as usual. And no mom, I actually like this place. And nooooo." Sakura replied happily. She could practically feel her mother being relieved.
"That's good, I'm happy to hear you're doing all right. Listen, Sakura, we are moving. I'll be packing the stuff you left, mmkay? I've already picked out your room in the new house, and it's fantastic. It's a shame you are only going to be sleeping in it on holidays and such. Our new house is about 80 miles away from here, you'll get to see it on Christmas Break. It's lovely, Sakura."
Sakura wasn't at all surprised. Her mom's job has often moved them a lot. She took off her pajamas and put on a pair of jeans as she replied, "All right, that's cool! I can't wait to see it."
"Okay, Sakura, well take care and don't get yourself into trouble. Don't get pregnant. I love you, honey!"
Sakura laughed quietly. "Love you, mom."
Sakura turned off her cellphone and grabbed her wallet. "So, where shall I go today?"
Sakura ended up at the bookstore as usual, ordering an eclair and a coffee from the little cafe in the store. She waited patiently for her order, and thanked the worker after it had been given to her. Taking a sip of her coffee, she walked to the Psychology aisle in the store, and eyed each and every book. Occasionally, she would grab a book and read the first couple of pages before putting them back into the shelf.
"Hey," someone suddenly spoke from beside Sakura, to which she responded with a yelp. It was Sasuke, looking as pretty as always in a simple polo and jeans. Sakura put a hand on her chest and exhaled in relief.
"Sasuke, you asshole. You scared me," she greeted.
"Yeah, I could tell." He said and continued. "What brings you here in the psychology aisle?"
"Oh, nothing much, kinda bored. And you? You here to find out and learn more about your rude, egocentric self? Your narcissistic disorder?" Sakura said and laughed at her own joke, which was met with a glare from the Uchiha. "Joking. Damn, Sasuke." She sat down on the carpet opening the book she had picked out as Sasuke examined the books in the aisle.
"When I was eight, I learned that serial killers are psychos because of like traumas and stuff like that, despite their intelligence," Sakura explained. She looked up at Sasuke, who looked back down at her with uninterested eyes. " I thought it was pretty cool, so, yeah," she added gawkily. She took a bite of her eclair, and offered. "You want a bite?"
"No, and you're a weirdo." Sasuke replied.
A sudden beep occupied the bookstore, and a voice came from the speakers: "The couple in the Psychology aisle, please sit in the seats provided by the walls. Thank you!"
Sasuke and Sakura looked around to see if there were any others in the Psychology aisle, and saw they were the only ones. "There must be another aisle," Sasuke concluded. Sakura nodded in agreement and continued to look at her book and filled Sasuke with some of the information in the pages she skimmed through. A few minutes later, a woman walked in the aisle, clearing her throat.
"Umm, hi, I'm the manager, the one who made the announcement a few minutes ago; I'm talking about you two. Please sit in those seats, you guys could block other customers." She said kindly.
"We're not a couple," Sasuke answered crudely. Sakura nodded vigorously. "Us? A couple? Like hell!" She began giving the manager reasons on why they would never be a couple.
"Please be quiet, or I'm gonna have to send you two out of the store, you're disrupting other people."
"How are we disrupting when you're the one who made a mistake with us being a couple? And why the two of us, when it's basically her doing all the unnecessary yapping?" Sasuke said calmly.
"Aaah teenagers, goodness. How old are you two?" The manager was beginning to get annoyed.
"Seventeen." The two answered in unison. The manager groaned. "Shouldn't you youngsters pay no attention to complicated stuff like psychology? Will you mind just paying for whatever you're going to buy and get out until you two learn not to be disruptive?"
Sakura stared in disbelief and scoffed. "Let's go, Sasuke." When the latter showed no signs of wanting to leave, giving Sakura a you're-the-only-one-who's-making-trouble look, she gave him a disgusted face in return and walked out of the store. She stood in front of a nearby fountain and stared at the young kids across her who were begging their mother to give them coins for a wish.
"You shouldn't make a ruckus like that," Sasuke's voice once again alarmed Sakura.
"Oh hey, asshole," Sakura said coldly. "And who uses that word these days?"
"Shut up. You got me in trouble," Sasuke retorted.
"Sheesh," Sakura whined. "It's not like we had a gun or something," she said, noticing the Uchiha's look after the word 'we'.
Sasuke simply grunted and looked at his phone. "It's lunchtime, I'm gonna eat. Wanna come with me?"
Sakura stared at Sasuke, stupefied. "I'm sorry, what?"
"We should go get lunch. I know a restaurant, and we'd probably eat for free if we go there." Sasuke replied nonchalantly. Sakura was still dumbfounded.
"We should get lunch?" She enunciated. "You were just pissed off at me!"
Sasuke sighed, aggravated, and grabbed Sakura's arm. "It's not that far, just a couple of blocks away."
"We're here," Sasuke declared and looked at Sakura, who (still) had a slighty astonished look on her face. "It's kinda high class, but don't worry about it." Sasuke dragged Sakura again into the restaurant and the two were welcomed by a handsome red-haired man in a waiter's suit, who looked like a human doll.
"Sasori," Sasuke curtly nodded at the man. Sasori returned the gesture, "Sasuke. And.." He turned to Sakura, who was about to faint at the man's looks. "I'm Sakura," she said nervously.
"Get us a table for two." Sasori nodded at this.
"Have you visited the graves recently?" Sasori asked Sasuke. Sasuke nodded and replied, "Yeah. Just this morning. Thanks for the flowers. Speaking of flowers, did Yahiko propose yet?"
"Yes, they're getting married in two months," Sasori answered. "I believe it will be everlasting."
A man with long blonde hair walked towards the three, "Yeah fucking right. Like 90% of marriages end up like BOOM!" He winked at Sasuke. "Hey, Sauce." Sakura found herself wanting to faint again once the blonde's eyes met hers. "And who is this lovely lady with the youngster today, mm?" The man said and grinned smugly at Sakura, whose face turned incredibly red. Sasuke hn'd.
"That's Sakura," Sasori said, smiling. "Anyway, you two sit over there, and get ready to order by the time Hidan finds his pen."
"Sasuke, how do you know these people?" Sakura asked with interest. These incredibly hot people, she added mentally.
Sasuke slightly grimaced. "They're my brother's friends, they all work here. Quite an embarrassing bunch. Just shut up and pick something to order."
"The amusement park?" Sakura screeched when she and Sasuke walked out of the restaurant after a scrumptious meal. "As much as I'd love to, I really don't think I should go to an amusement park Sasuke." She chuckled anxiously. Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm trying to make up with my being a dick to you. Just let me do it."
The girl stared at her classmate proudly. "Sasuke, my child, you have grown..."
"Shut up."
"In that case, I'll go then." Sakura grinned.
xxxxx
After a bus ride and a couple blocks walk, the two faced a roller coaster. "We're riding this." Sasuke stated in an official manner.
"What?" Sakura cried. "No, no, I should just stay back and what—and there you go again with grabbing my wrist and dragging me."
"Two tickets for the Shadow Roller Coaster." Sasuke told the man behind the glass. "Thank you." He turned to Sakura. "Now, let's go."
"Sasuke, seriously, I really don't think I should. Especially with the lunch I just had." Sakura's face grew pale as Sasuke demanded her to sit on the car. "Why am I with you anyway? YOU WERE JUST PISSED OFF AT ME AN HOUR AGO!"
"Shut up," Sasuke responded simply as he put on the restraint. "Put on yours too."
Sakura was ready to cry. "Oh, what's the use." She put on her restraint and did the sign of the cross. "Dear big guy in heaven, I know I don't talk to you that much but please let me live, I have...well I have a hamster back at home that I have to feed and —"
A woman's monotone voice came out from the car's speaker. "Get ready in three..Two..one!"
Sakura immediately screamed as the roller coaster slowly ran through the first set of tracks. "What the hell, Sakura!" Sasuke growled. "We haven't even gotten to the semi scary parts yet, you pathetic weasel."
Sakura's eyes were shut tight. "I'm scared of heights, Sasuke!"
Sasuke nearly laughed. "Idiot. You're worse than Naruto when it comes to these." He saw the paleness on Sakura's face and 'hn'd.' "Don't be a baby,"
The car was slowly going up. "N-n-no, can someone please stop the ride, please!" Sakura cried. Eyes shut tight and without realizing, reached for Sasuke's hand. "Dude, I am scared as fuck right now," She clutched his hand.
"What are you doing, let go!" Sasuke snapped.
"NO! If I die, I am totally coming back to haunt you. If I fall off, I'm taking you with me, there's no way I'm letting go!" Sakura exclaimed nervously.
"You're such an idiot!" Sasuke shouted angrily. The car stopped.
"Fuck you, Uchiha." Sakura whispered weakly as the car sped down the tracks, and that's when she realized that her chest felt heavier when Sasuke gripped her clutching hand in return.
"Now wasn't that fun," Sasuke said, amused. Sakura grinned. "Ever. Best. Day. I got rid of my fear of heights. Although, the dizziness is still here. How many disgorging rides did we ride?"
Sasuke pursed his lips into a thin smile. "Every ride. We rode every ride in that park," He walked beside her towards the exit. "You're such a baby. Wanna go eat dinner? It's pretty late now."
"Umm, just get me something sweet. I really feel like throwing up right now."
Sasuke wrinkled his nose in disgust as he and Sakura walked into the first fast food chain they saw. "Let's just order a to go and walk back home." Sakura grunted in agreement.
"To go. One sundae and one Coke." Sasuke told the cashier, whose jaw was surely about to fall off at the sight of him.
"H-here y-you go," The cashier's hands were shaking as she handed Sasuke Uchiha the sundae and the Coke. Her face fell when Sasuke gave Sakura the sundae and beckoned Sakura to go.
The walk back to the academy was silent, except for the occasional slurps when Sasuke drank his Coke, or the sound the spoon made as it hit Sakura's plastic cup. They both liked that, walking alone in silence. It was comforting. When the two finally made it to the school, and Sasuke was the first to speak, a rare treat.
"Let's go to the lake tomorrow," he said. "it isn't frozen yet. We can row a canoe or something."
Sakura looked at Sasuke. "You paid for everything today; I'd love to go canoeing but no."
"Sakura, I already own a damn company. You know, you ever seen those commercials with the fast cars and some loser dramatically saying "Uchiwa" at the end? I am the owner of that company." Sasuke explained. "I figured you already knew."
Sakura was awestruck. A seventeen year old handling a successful worldwide company. "What the hell? Just what are you?" She exclaimed in amazement. "But still, I don't want you wasting your money on me." She protested.
"I'm not wasting." Sasuke said gravely and Sakura couldn't find the right words. "Tomorrow. At the fountain. 11 am. We'll get lunch first and then go. I'll call you. Understood?"
Sakura wanted to go. That day with Sasuke was actually pretty..well, fun.
"Stop being so nice, it's actually scaring me!" Sakura argued.
"This is just to make up for my being an asshole. It's not because I want to," Sasuke answered as he threw his cup into a trash bin. Sakura kicked the back of his leg.
"You're an asshole," she said.
"After tomorrow, you best believe I'm going back to being an asshole," Sasuke remarked. "In Naruto's words, you better believe it."
Sakura spit out her sundae and gave out a hearty laugh, "That's funny!" After her mini laughing fit she looked at Sasuke.
She wanted to be with him tomorrow.
"Call me, then," She said before walking to the girls' dormitory. "Good night."
Sakura walked to town in green Capri pants and a black striped sweater. She tied her pink hair in a ponytail, thinking that would be the best thing to do if one was going canoeing. She was now a few blocks from the fountain, and she can perfectly see an inky duck's ass. Sasuke was sitting patiently in a black shirt and blue jeans. He looked radiant and Sakura smiled.
"Sa-su-ke!" Sakura heard a girl's voice across from the street and paused. It was Karin, the girl in a couple of their classes who would make every effort to flirt with Sasuke. The woman sat next to the Uchiha, and stroked his hair.
"What the hell, Karin, fuck off." Sasuke stood up, only to have the girl dangling on his arm.
"Sasuke, I feel extra special today. Let's go get lunch!" Karin's hands lingered on Sasuke's upper body.
"Don't touch me. Go away, Karin."
"But Sasuke-kun!" The girl was persistent.
Sakura smiled sadly. The sight was intolerable. She didn't know why or how; it just was. The moment Karin sat next to Sasuke, 500 pounds of lead seemed to have inhabited Sakura's heart. She was trying to drive the lead away, but as she watched, it only became heavier.
She didn't know why and it pissed her off. Her not knowing why pissed her off even more.
Sakura turned around and walked back to the school. As she walked, she ignored the calls from Uchiha Sasuke.