Hi there kids! This chapter is dedicated to Parpallee (again) cuz her enthusiasm got me to make a double update just for her. (This is what happens when I get feedback from you guys! ;D**hinthint**) I have no idea if this is gonna be long or short, but I wanted to include the party scene. Just a bit of info on the timeline: the school year started in about mid-August, so that puts the girls deciding on the party around the first/second week of September or so. This chapter takes place the week after, during the party.
ooooOOOOoooo
Sakura looked carefully at her reflection, turning ever so slightly to catch the light at different angles. She had dressed simply for the first party of the year: a black tank top under her favorite sleeveless jacket, paired with a pair of light blue jean shorts that could make Daisy Duke proud and the black buckle up boots Tsunade had given her for Christmas last year. Sakura took a moment to admire them; they were her favorite pair of shoes after all, loved even more than her prestigious collection of All-Star converse. The black suede material felt soft and hugged the shapes of her calves perfectly. A few silver bangles adorned her slim wrists along with the usual jelly bean bands. Encircling her neck were three necklaces; a simple, metal cross, a black leather choker, and a necklace adorned with fake glass orbs. Sakura's dark pink bangs framed her face delicately and a small tuft of hair stuck out in aside ponytail. Green eyes rimmed in sparkly black eyeliner flashed mischievously under lids covered in a smokey black eyeshadow.
The pinkette leaned in towards the mirror, adjusting her bangs again, eyes flickering towards the small skull earrings as they flashed brightly in the fluorescent light. A sharp rap on the door frame sent her head whipping to the left. Yoko leaned against the doorframe, a bright red hat pulled low over her eyes, the bottom of a black and red half mask just visible. Her black hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and she wore a loose white shirt and black capris, a pair of white sketchers on her feet. A smirk was tugging at Yoko's lips, the only facial feature visible besides her small nose.
"Are you going to spend all night in here?" She asked playfully. "Because it would really suck to be late to the party." Sakura felt her lip twitch in amusement.
"I'm almost done, just let me put my lip rings back in." Sakura plucked a tiny hoop off of the with delicate fingers, quickly fixing it into the corner of her bottom lip, followed by the second. Swiping the end of a clear gloss stick across her pale pink lips, sakura grinned at her reflection and turned to Yoko.
"Ready!"
"About time." Yoko muttered, pushing herself off of the frame in one fluid motion. The older girl sauntered over to the door, Sakura all but skipping along behind her and coming to a halt beside Hinata. The pretty Hyuuga girl had her hair down loose and wavy, letting it tumble over her creamy white shoulders. She wore a white tank top and a modest purple skirt, a black belt hanging on her waist and flats covering her feet. The only jewelry she wore was the simple butterfly necklace Naruto (and somewhat Sakura) had gotten for her last year. Light make up covered her eyelids, complimenting her soft lilac eyes. Sakura smiled lightly at her roommate, who smiled sheepishly back.
"Ready to go?" the pinkette chirped brightly, earning a shy nod from Hinata. Sakura felt a slight bit of pity for the Hyuuga. Crowds didn't suit Hinata well and she generally didn't like parties. However, the delicate girl suffered through the pounding music, flashing lights, and endless flirting that bombarded her at them. Why she did this was blatantly obvious to Sakura and mostly everyone else. Except, of course, Naruto, who was the only reason Hinata dared to go to these social gatherings in the first place. Sakura shook her head inwardly. Naruto may have been her best friend, more like a brother than anything, but the boy could be so oblivious that it was maddening! Of course, Hinata wouldn't let anyone tell Naruto about her crush on him, saying that he'll take notice in his own time, or if he doesn't like her, he'll let her know. Yoko nearly slapped herself in the face in exasperation because the girl didn't seem to grasp that Naruto was too dense to notice if he had feelings for someone.
Sakura grinned and linked arms with Hinata, nearly marching out the door after Yoko, and headed down to the first level of the dormitory. The girls stepped lightly down the carpeted staircase (sliding down the oak railing in Sakura's case) and walked quickly across the spacious room. Bean bags, chairs, and couches were placed throughout what the students used for a Rec Room, TV's and gaming systems pushed into a few corners and against walls. Plants and other décor were put up as well to give the room a bit more life. None of this familiar scene was taken in by the rushing friends as they nearly ran out the door, suppressing giggles of excitement.
As quietly as they could, the three made their way across the grass lawn that separated the girls' and boys' dormitories and headed towards the dark, looming mass at the back of the grounds. The thin sliver of moon did nothing to light the way towards the abandoned building, nor did it do anything to relieve the eerie presence it exuded, not that it looked any less creepy in the sunshine. During the day, the black object had the definite shape of the burnt out shell that had once been the old school coed dorms before the Fire had happened. No matter how bright the sun shone down on it, the Old Dorms always looked creepy and dangerous, especially during the winter when the woods behind it were bare of leaves.
The Old Dorms were of limits to all students, due to safety reasons and such, so of course there were students who had explored it. Naruto had gone exploring one day when they were twelve, and Sakura, being the kid who didn't want to get in trouble for him going in there, followed. The young kids had quickly explored every square inch of the building that they could get to and had decided to make it their secret hangout. Recently Sakura had decided to convert the abandoned dorms into a party house, and once she introduced the idea to Naruto, the two had the whole building cleared in a matter of months. Now, the building was usually where they threw parties that Tsunade wasn't aware of, exactly like what they were doing tonight.
The three stopped in front of the charred building and stifled their laughter. A beat was pounding dully through the air as Hinata danced forward and gently eased open the door, ushering her roommates inside. Yoko darted in after Sakura, Hinata taking up the rear, holding a flashlight that she had pulled out of her bag. The light danced over piles of rubble that littered the floor and lit up beams that had fallen down slightly. Inside, the music became louder and Sakura felt a shiver of excitement race down her back. Silent as shadows, the girls made their way down the side hallway to another door and stepped through. Lights pulsed in time to the music that reverberated through the air.
"Wow this place looks great!" Sakura shouted, barely being heard over the party music. The Hyuuga girl looked around what used to be the dormitory's rec room and silently agreed with her pink haired companion. A strobe light delivered the scene in halting images, the party goers seeming to be caught in pictures taken in rapid fire succession.
Lights had been placed around the room and on rafters to light up the floor, which was an open expanse cleared of all rubble in the center of the room. Hundreds of bodies jumped and squirmed against each other in time to the song booming from speakers set up around the floor. Tables had been set up off to one side, laden with pizza and drinks for the students, and on a raised platform stood the DJ table. Hinata beamed proudly as she saw her friend Shino above the crowd, John Lennon sunglasses in place and head bobbing to the beat. Hinata remembered when Shino had been the weirdest kid in her class, hardly talking to anyone. If the heiress actually thought about it, if it hadn't been for Sakura, Shino probably wouldn't have as many friends as he did now. She was proud of her bug loving friend to have come far enough along to be able to stand in front of a crowd and do what he did best, which surprisingly was DJing (dunno if that's a word.). He was still quiet and a little creepy, but that could be easily looked over.
Sakura grinned broadly and wrapped her hands around her roommates', pulling them towards a small section in a corner where chairs and couches had been placed months before. Spread around the section was most of their group of friends, minus those who were out dancing. The small teen quickly released her roommates and ran forward, colliding with the black and orange blur bee-lining right for her. Naruto nearly tackled her to the ground, but the two managed to stay upright as they delivered excited bear hugs.
"You're late!" Naruto yelled, a laugh dancing on his lips. Sakura laughed back and let go.
"Sorry! I was trying to finish getting ready!" Naruto rolled his eyes dramatically.
"What do you do that takes so long to get ready?" He shouted above the music.
"A lot!" Sakura replied, wagging her tongue at him before half skipping over to the couch where Gaara and Lee were sprawled. Gaara's older brother was planted on the ground in front of them, black-jeaned legs stretching out in front of him. Sakura plopped down onto Gaara's lap and placed her feet on Lee's, easily stealing the Monster can from Kankurou's hand, ignoring his cry of protest. She just grinned and settled back against the arm rest before taking a sip of the energy drink. A slight smile touched her lips when she felt Gaara's chin rest lightly on her shoulder.
"You're late." He said softly, just loud enough to hear over the music. Sakura nodded apologetically, explaining that her hair took too long to straighten. Gaara nodded, a slight jerking movement, and settled back against the couch, arms hanging loosely around the pinkette's waist. Sakura looked around to see who all was present in their little corner.
Naruto had settled next to Hinata who had leaned against a wall, nearly hidden by shadow. Naruto was no doubt telling her about the hellish classes he had had to endure all day and was waving his arms wildly in excitement, the shy girl nodding softly every so often, smiling softly up at him. Yoko had disappeared, no doubt to go looking for pizza, along with Chouji who was most likely doing the same. Sakura noted idly that Ino was missing before spotting her platinum blonde ponytail swinging as she danced with some boy. She noted her friend occasionally looking over at their group, a somewhat irritated look passing over her face. Sakura knew what she was looking at before she had even turned her head to see Shikamaru and Temari sitting in a chair a few feet away. Shikamaru looked bored but seemed to be in a serious conversation with the senior perched on his lap, one arm around his neck. A slight smile flicked across his face at something the older girl said before he said something back.
Sakura smiled lightly at the pair. No matter what Ino said about them, the two made one of the cutest couples at Konoha. She didn't know Shikamaru that well, other than that he was a freaking genius and in her pre-calculus class. However, what she did know of him was enough to deem him a pretty nice guy, albeit a total lazy, pain-in-the-ass teenager. Temari was also a really good friend of hers. She was Gaara and Kankurou's older sister, set to graduate at the end of this year. She had transferred from America with her brother's at the end of last year and had seemed pretty scary to most of the student body. She had learned of Temari through Ino and Tenten, both of whom shared a room with her along with some freshman kid. When the two had met through a studyhall, they had kicked it off and became pretty great friends. It was a shame that Ino didn't like Temari at all, Sakura thought to herself. Of course, the fact that Temari was now together with Ino's old boyfriend did slightly warrant a bit of meanness. However, the full out hatred Ino felt towards the senior who had allegedly "stolen her boyfriend" was pretty over the top. Temari turned her head and noticed Sakura staring at her and Shikamaru, offering a small smile and a wave before returning her attention to her boyfriend. Sakura smiled and continued her look around the small group.
Across from Shikamaru and Temari on the other end of the group sat Neji and Tenten. Neji sat in a chair, back straight and arms and legs crossed, looking as stoic as ever. Tenten sat beside him, animatedly telling him something, pouting when he shook his head at her. Sakura couldn't help the small grin that crossed her face at the two. Neji was Hinata's older cousin. He was cold, uptight, and a genius for a kid in 11th grade. He took mostly senior classes and was in Sakura's math class, too. She never really liked Neji much, due to how he hated Hinata when they were younger. He didn't like her much either but seemed to warm up to her a bit after seeing the positive effect the small pinkette had on his cousin's personality. He caught her eye and gave her a slight nod, his ponytailed hair slipping down over his shoulder, before staring pointedly at her position on Gaara's lap. Sakura shrugged and gave a small smile, giggling slightly when Neji rolled his eyes in response. She wasn't quite sure what it was that Tenten, their school's second most outspoken student, saw in the boring Hyuuga, but whatever it was had the brunette hook, line, and sinker.
Said brunette cast a curious look in Sakura's direction before going back to Neji, no doubt picking up whatever their previous conversation was before. Sakura smiled again, amused at the antics of her fellow classmate before letting her eyes rest on the final person present. Sitting on the other side of Lee and blocking out his surroundings completely, sat Sai. He was slightly bent forward, eyes focused intently on the drawing pad in his lap. His hand jerked quickly over the page, dark charcoal lines slashing across the page. From her vantage point, Sakura couldn't see what it was that the boy was drawing, but was impressed that he could even see what the hell he was doing in the erratic lighting. She leaned forward, straining her neck to get a better view of the picture.
It was to the belief of both Sakura and Naruto (along with a few of their friends) that Sai had supernatural abilities, allowing him to tell when someone was looking at him, talking, or thinking about him. Whenever someone found themselves in one of the above situations, Sai would suddenly appear and ask them what they were doing, or would look up and stare back, as was the case in this instance. The two tiny, emotionless orbs of black that were Sai's eyes lifted up to meet Sakura's green ones. After a slight pause, Sakura smiled broadly and waved at him, not in the least perturbed by the blank stare she received. Sai gave her one of his rare, real smiles that didn't look fake before returning to his drawing, once again tuning out the world around him. Sakura did one more quick sweep of the group before settling into a more comfortable position against Gaara, her heart-attack-in-a-can-of-sunshiney-goodness clasped tightly in her fingers.
Said can of goodness was then nearly flung across the couch when both Sakura and Gaara jerked as they were suddenly assaulted by an orange blur from behind. The two sent glares at the ball of energy that was Naruto, who grinned down at them widely, completely ignorant. He leaned over the back of the couch, not noticing Gaara flinching away from the very close quarters, and yelled towards Sakura.
"Hey, Sak, get up!" His voice barely made it over the music. Sakura tilted her head questioningly. The blonde straightened and walked around the couch, grinning madly as he gripped her hand and pulled her off of Gaara and towards the mass of students. Sakura grinned just as madly as he turned back and mouthed to her.
"Let's dance."
Journal entry #...3?
Yo, it's been a while since I've written in this thing… I'm only writing in this again for the sake of having something to try and take my mind off things. And just why does my mind need to be taken off of things? Because I got proverbially jumped by my roommates, that's why. How did this happen? Simple:
It was while we were still at the party and such. Everything was going great; the music was loud, there was enough caffeine running through my bloodstream to keep me wired for the next three days, and everyone was having fun. Then it happened. One minute I was dancing with Gaara after finally getting him off of the couch, the next I'm being dragged away by Yoko and Hinata, both shouting something about needing to talk to me. Yoko pulled us both through one of the darker, more eerie looking hallways that led off of the main room. Once the music was at a dull roar, the two pulled me into a burnt out room and quite literally cornered me. Well, remember when I found out that certain little piece of information at the start of the school year and got a little bit upset? And then I didn't tell Hinata and Yoko why, figuring if I kept quiet long enough they'd forget about it? Yeah, well, they didn't forget.
After some intense interrogating and threats on Yoko's part, and one extremely colorful and particularly violent threat from a very frustrated Hinata, I finally told them about the news students we'd be getting. If I wasn't so angry at the time I would have thought their facial expressions were almost comical. I'm not mad at them of course. They were just really worried about me and doing what best friends do. Luckily they agreed to keep this our little secret. This information isn't something to be passing around to the rest of the student body, let alone those in our group. They did tell me I'd have to let everyone know that I knew about this at some point though. :l Oh, well, I'll deal with that later I guess. Anyway, it's late at I think Yoko knows I'm still up. Night then.
Sakura placed the pen between her teeth and closed the small journal in front of her before sliding it under her pillow and shoving it down between her bed and the wall. She turned off the flashlight app on her phone before throwing the covers off of her head and laying it on the desk beside her bed, the pen laid gently beside it. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she rolled onto her back, blinking to get her eyes to adjust to the dark. The rustling of sheets sounded off to Sakura's left and she turned her head in the general direction. Even without being able to see, Sakura felt Yoko staring at her from across the room. She could picture Yoko's eyes watching unblinkingly in her mind. Another sigh escaped the girl's lips and she pushed herself up and out of bed.
Padding softly across the floor, Sakura felt her had contact the edge of Yoko's duvet cover and she slipped into the bed after Yoko had shifted over to make room. Settling down with her head pressed against the older girl's collarbone, Sakura closed her eyes. A few moments of silence pervaded the air before there was the sound of more rustling covers, followed by a sharp and highly colorful swear and the sudden movement of the four poster bed. Yoko jerked up onto her arms and the pinkette raised her head to stare in the direction of their roommate's dark muttering. As if feeling the confused stares, Hinata whispered apologetically.
"I hit my foot on the bed." Yoko and Sakura burst into quiet giggles and squirmed to make room as Hinata climbed under the covers. Once the three had settled down again with various levels of sighs, silence once more dominated the room. Sakura blinked in the darkness, arms firmly pressed against her chest and the arms of her two friends wrapped tightly around her. Hinata sighed and wriggled closer, trying not to fall off the limited space available. Sakura closed her eyes and listened to the even breathing of her roommates. She didn't know how much time had passed before Yoko whispered softly, her breathe fanning against the top of her head.
"You gonna be ok, kiddo?" She asked softly. Sakura pondered that question for a while. Sakura shrugged, she'd cross that bridge when the time came. She nodded softly against Yoko's neck. Yoko gently ran her hand against Sakura's hair, humming softly. Sakura closed her eyes again and pressed tighter against her friends. She barely heard Yoko's quiet whisper as she tried to fall asleep.
"If you say so kid."
OK! Sorry it took me forever to update! I've gotten back into that "don't wanna write" rut again. But I got this chapter done finally! I already had chapter 7 written and ready to be posted, but since I wanted to do a double update, I had to wait until I finished this one! Hope you guys enjoyed and give me some feedback on what you think! ;)
Also, I have a request to give out to all of those who are reading this story. I've been thinking about it and I've decided that I really need a beta. :l I know that my writing isn't all that great and would like someone to help with suggestions so I can make each chapter the best that I can for all of you guys. If you know of someone who can help or if you would like to be a beta, please let me know!
~Cherry