Chapter 9 – I Hope You Know What You're Doing
They were eating lunch together.
Somehow, Sasuke had gotten a hold of her number (Sakura was certain it was Naruto who handed it over) and during their fourth lesson, right before lunch, he had asked her if she wanted to eat with him. It had shocked her, to be honest. It seemed that, so far, Sasuke was the one who was putting in all the effort and even back when she was a fan-girl of his, Sakura had always believed it would be the other person who put in all the effort and not him.
Also, she had mixed feelings about them eating together. Not because she was self-conscious or felt uncomfortable eating with him or anything of the sort. It was because it would be awkward, wouldn't it? Only a couple of hours ago, they had decided to give 'them' a try. It was only a couple of hours ago that they got out of that stupid elevator. What would they even talk about? What if she couldn't think of anything and he found her boring because of it? Or what if Sasuke did something she didn't like? What they were right at that moment in time… It was fragile to say the least. She didn't trust him and he was trying to change that.
He was trying to change that.
He was trying.
Sighing, Sakura glanced up at the teacher before pulling out her phone, hiding it behind her book as she pretended to go through her notes.
'Where do you want me to meet you? And do you mind if Hinata joins us?'
There was a pause in the reply, though thankfully it wasn't too long. It would look suspicious if she continued to hold up her pages like she was and to try and stop that from happening, Sakura turned the page, frowning ever so slightly as she scanned her work.
'Sure. Naruto said he wants to act as a peacemaker, anyway. They can entertain each other. Meet me near the cafeteria. You still buy your lunch, right?'
He remembered that? From over four years ago?
Also, Naruto acting as a peacemaker? Sakura had to fiercely bite back her smile. Now, the thought of eating lunch with Sasuke didn't seem so daunting. If Naruto was there, he would crack jokes and his easy going personality would ease the tension, would lighten all of their moods. The only problem would be keeping Hinata calm. Well, not calm exactly, but more like not allowing her to become overly anxious. It seemed her anxiety was at its worst when around the blond, which wasn't too surprising considering her crush on him.
Sometimes Sakura felt incredibly sorry for her best friend. Not even sometimes, it was more like pretty much all of the time. It had to be so difficult for her. And don't even get Sakura started on the trouble the Hyuuga went through when she had to present something to the class. One time, she had even had an anxiety attack because the stress got so much for her. It was painful watching her go through it all, but what else could Sakura do other than try and soothe that anxiety? If Hinata looked close to having an attack, or was panicking, then Sakura would take her somewhere that wasn't crowded and would calmly speak with her, letting her know that everything was okay. It was sadly all she could do to help.
'Yeah, I do. I'll meet Hinata first and then we can meet you and Naruto. Can't talk now, still in lesson.'
It kind of felt like she was speaking with Avenger–S, but at the same time, because she now knew what he looked like and who he was, it obviously felt different. For the first time since they started talking, Sakura felt slightly hesitant and wary of what she sent to him. And believe her, Sakura wanted that to change. She did. But at the same time, she was still unsure. He had yet to earn her trust.
'See you, then.'
Locking her phone, Sakura discreetly slid it into her bag and while she was leaning over, she pulled out a new pen, acting that her other had run out of ink as she grumbled to herself and dumped it into her bag. By keeping her phone in her bag, she wouldn't be distracted by any more texts. After all, just because she was sort of seeing Uchiha Sasuke now (well, more like testing the waters), it didn't mean she was about to allow herself to slip in her grades or studies. That opportunity was still at the very front of her mind and Sakura was determined to go to Suna during the summer.
Narrowing her eyes at the experiment information on the board, Sakura raised her hand and readied herself to argue with the teacher about why those two chemicals couldn't be mixed together.
"Are you sure, Sakura-san? I don't mind going to find Shino-kun or–"
"Don't be silly, Hinata." Sakura smiled brightly and pulled on Hinata's hand, pulling her out of the cafeteria.
They had both just bought their lunches, choosing to instead buy sandwiches and cookies instead of a warm meal. Neither girl was feeling particularly hungry and Hinata seemed to have lost quite a lot of her appetite at the announcement of their joining Sasuke and Naruto for lunch. Yes, Sakura knew she should have given Hinata more warning than what she had, but she also knew the Hyuuga would appreciate it in the long run. Despite her disorder, she preferred not to be treated like glass, like just one rough movement would break her.
"But wouldn't you like some time alone with Sasuke-kun to–"
"Sakura-chan!"
Neither of them were prepared for the boy who suddenly slammed into them, for the strong arms wrapping around them tightly. Due to standing so close together, Hinata was dragged into the hug and her chest was squashed against Sakura's back in the process with large hands on her own back. And even though he noticed he'd pulled in Hinata, too, Naruto refused to let go, instead pressing his cheek against Sakura's and smiling brightly at Hinata's stunned, red face.
"I'm glad you're joining us, Hinata," stated Naruto loudly. "This way, I won't be an awkward third wheel."
It was like Sakura felt Hinata's heart stop because of how close they were.
That was when another voice spoke up, this one making her own heart do a strange skipping sensation. "Idiot, let them go. It looks like she can barely even breathe."
Reluctantly, Naruto released them both with a pout. "You always ruin my fun, Sasuke."
"Somebody has to."
This was the Sasuke she saw around school. Cold and aloof with sarcastic and sometimes harsh words. "So… Where are we eating? Hinata and I have already bought our lunch."
"I've got a great place," the blond told them all cheerfully, grabbing both Sakura and Hinata's hands as he pulled them forward and closer to Sasuke. "It's really quiet and peaceful and–"
"Outside."
"What?"
"The place Naruto is talking about is outside," Sasuke informed the two girls.
"Please." Sakura rolled her eyes and yanked her hand free of Naruto's grip, that hand falling to her hip a moment later when she gave Sasuke an unimpressed look. "I'm not afraid of a bit of wind. Unless…" At his raised eyebrow, she smirked at him. "Unless you're worried about messing your hair up?"
By her side, Naruto snickered, though just as she thought it was because of her, he proved that thought to be wrong by once more grabbing Sakura's hand and slapping it into Sasuke's, looking so very proud of himself as he did so.
And just as Sakura tried to pull her hand free, Sasuke's hand closed over her own and this time, it was he who smirked when a very faint blush swept over her cheeks. "Unless…" Just as she had him, Sasuke teased her. "Unless you're worried about being seen with me?"
It was a challenge. Was she really that predictable? It… It didn't matter. She gritted her teeth and tightened her hold ever so slightly, silently reminding him of what had happened at the debate when he pushed her patience too far, before smiling sweetly up at him. "Worried? Of course not. Lead the way, Sasuke-kun."
For a moment, his smirk widened before he nodded once and turned around, still holding her hand in his own as he guided the way to Naruto's most favourite spot in school.
The two behind them exchanged surprised expressions, neither entirely believing what they were seeing. Sasuke was teasing Sakura, was holding her hand. And Sakura… She wasn't breaking his hand. She was teasing him back and–
"What are you two doing all the way back there?" Sakura snapped when she noticed they were simply standing there. She didn't appreciate their expressions in the slightest. "Hurry up!"
"Yes, sir!" Naruto grinned down at Hinata, who blushed in return, though both paled when they heard Sakura's teeth grinding together.
"It's the only way to keep people in line," she murmured to Sasuke as he glanced down at her with a raised eyebrow. "Anyway… I know you're only holding my hand to prove a point to Naruto. You can let go now, if you want."
For a fraction of a second, his eyebrows mashed together before smoothing out. "And if I don't want to?"
Sakura looked away and offered a small smile. "Then… You don't have to, I guess."
"I told you already, Sakura." He turned back to watch where he was going and when Sasuke pushed open the door leading them outdoors, he held it open with his free hand for Sakura. "We'll work on it."
Her trust for him. Her uncertainty. It wasn't going to be easy, Sakura could feel that in her gut. Or maybe it would be? Already, her stomach felt all warm and fluttery with nervousness and happiness. This… This was the meeting she had wanted when she went to meet Avenger–S. Nothing extravagant and nothing over the top. Just the two of them and the friends they'd brought along, having a good time. Sure, it wouldn't be too exciting and adventurous due to still being at school and only having fifty minutes for lunch, but it was enough for just getting to know each other again.
It took a good five minutes before they reached Naruto's spot and Sakura was pleasantly surprised when she realised she recognised the place. She hadn't been there in ages and had actually forgotten about it completely after he left, but now that she was standing in front of it, Sakura easily recognised it. His hideout. That was what Naruto had always called this spot. His hideout. It was where he hid when skipping lessons and if she remembered correctly, then he should have a few snacks stashed away somewhere just in case he was there a while.
From the outside, it looked like a simple yet huge tree. It was old yet sturdy. And Naruto had discovered during their first year that it had once been somebody's little hideout due to the fact they'd created a sitting space inside of it. Well, not entirely inside of it, because it was partly underground, but it was easy to get the point.
Sasuke let go of her hand, allowing Sakura to climb inside of the tree from the small opening. It was small enough that an adult wouldn't be able to get through it, yet large enough for teens of their size to slip inside. And when she was inside, carefully crawling over to one of the blankets at the furthest wall, she couldn't help but smile at the nostalgia that hit her.
The only difference in appearance would be the blankets. There were two fleecy blankets spread out across the otherwise dirty, dried mud ground and there were also a couple of blankets neatly folded up to one side of the small space. It would easily fit the four of them inside, though it would be a bit of squeeze due to Sasuke and Naruto obviously being bigger than herself and Hinata.
A second later and Sasuke was joining her, sitting by her side silently on one of the blankets and not too long later, Hinata was crawling into the space carefully, making sure not to dirty her uniform lest she wished for another rant from her father. The small space had her eyes widening with wonder (Sakura saw a spark of fear, of anxiety, but it seemed the opening had her relaxing somewhat), a small smile on her lips as she glanced around herself and when Naruto entered and sat by her side, her smile turned more shy, suddenly realising how close they were all sat together. She and Sasuke were directly opposite Naruto and Hinata, each of their legs bent up at the knees so the person opposite themselves could fit in.
"This was easier when we were younger," Sakura stated quietly.
"I still like it," exclaimed Naruto as he grabbed a bag he'd left in his hideout, pulling out a torch and switching it on.
It wasn't perfect, but it was cosy. And the cold didn't bother them as much while in there either, due to being so close to one another and sharing body heat. They were also shielded from the wind, which Sakura decided was a bonus. Despite what she had said to Sasuke, she disliked the thought of sitting or standing in the wind because after a while, she was bound to get cold and aggravated.
"I'm so glad I have a free next." She smiled.
"You're free to use it as much as you like," Naruto told the two girls. "But don't tell anyone about it. This is my place."
Oh, there was the twelve year old Naruto. The excitable idiot who grew possessive and territorial so very easily. One time, Sakura could remember Inuzuka Kiba sitting on Naruto's desk and because the blond had claimed at the very beginning of the year that it was his, he had yelled at Kiba and argued with him. Even though he didn't seem it, he could be so stubborn when he wanted to be. Instead of giving up and sitting in a new seat, Naruto had argued with Kiba until he lost his patience and dragged the Inuzuka out of the seat, sitting down once he had and seeming so very proud of himself.
"How is this possible?" Hinata asked after a few quiet moments. "Surely somebody must have noticed this spot?"
Naruto grinned brightly. "Nope. It looks like an ordinary tree on the outside, but somebody must have worked hard to make it look like this on the inside. I mean, feel the walls. It's just dirt." When Hinata did as he said and felt the wall she was leaning against, her eyes widened a fraction and met his, secretly enjoying the smile on his lips as he focused on her. "I don't know how this place hasn't been ruined by the weather or old age. It's just always been here, from what I know."
She refused to jump when a hand once more grabbed hers, their legs hiding the movement. And when Sakura looked up, she saw that Sasuke wasn't looking at her and was instead on his phone.
Hers buzzed a second later.
Hiding her disbelief, she grabbed her bag and pulled it closer to her, reaching inside and taking out her phone.
'I have a free next, too. Does your friend?'
Since it was a Wednesday and her own free was after lunch, no. Hinata did not have a free. Instead, she would be in science. Usually during her frees without Hinata, Sakura would sit in the library and complete any and all homework she needed to finish. That was what the frees were for, anyway. To have a short rest between classes while also getting any outstanding work done in your own time.
'No. Does Naruto?'
Sasuke seemed to think about it for a moment, recalling the blond's timetable.
'He did, but one of his teachers is forcing him to take an extra class to catch up on work.'
Her stomach flipped.
The thought of being alone with Sasuke, here of all places, unnerved her. However, Sakura forced herself to remember what happened in the elevator only a few hours ago, as well as Sasuke's reasons as to why he'd tricked her. Like he had stated: she had an easy time opening up to him when they were in the dark. Here, in this space under the tree, they were kind of in the dark and would be completely if they were to turn out the torch (not including the patch of sunlight that forced its way inside through the opening).
'If I stay here with you, don't try anything.'
Sasuke refrained from rolling his eyes.
'I'm not going to try anything. I just thought it would be easier for us to talk if those two weren't here.'
That was true. How were they supposed to get to know each other once more when their friends were with them? Yes, Sakura had asked if Hinata could join them and yes, she'd been happy to hear that Naruto would also be with them, but now that she was thinking about it, it was going to be difficult to get to know each other (as more than friends) if they weren't alone.
"Oi, what're you doing?"
At the same time, both Sakura and Sasuke looked up from their phones, watching as Naruto paused in chewing the large chunk of food in his mouth. The sight of the partially chewed food was a disgusting one, they both thought at the same time.
"Don't sit there on your phones," he snapped. "Talk to each other. It took ages to set this up!"
Set up? Sakura's eyes narrowed.
"He means getting everything and everyone here," Sasuke muttered, noticing her distrust.
Oh… The suspicion left Sakura's eyes and almost instantly, she felt bad for being so quick to jump to conclusions. To try and make up for it, she gently squeezed his hand, but that was all, as she couldn't think of anything else to do.
'It's fine.'
Slipping her phone back into her bag, Sakura pulled out her sandwiches, smiling almost sheepishly as she removed her hand from Sasuke's so that she could eat. He seemed to understand, as he soon reached for his own lunch and out of the corner of her eyes, Sakura saw Naruto and Hinata smiling at one another before they dug into their food. It was almost awkward, in a way. None of them could think of a thing to say and she knew it was making Hinata uncomfortable, because the girl met her eye for a brief second, her eyebrows knitting together.
However, like every other time, Naruto came to their rescue.
"Oh, I nearly forgot." He paused in his eating once more and shoved his hand into his blazer pocket, digging out his phone. It was swiftly that he unlocked it, going through it as he spoke, "I downloaded a new album last night and haven't listened to it yet."
Trying to ease the tension as always, Sakura thought with a smile. Not only that, but Naruto had a fairly decent taste in music, in her personal opinion. He liked quite a lot of the same bands as herself. And as the music began to play, her eyes widened and she quickly swallowed her food, smiling at Naruto brightly.
"I bought this ages ago." She knew there'd been a reason as to why she kept the blond around. Well, more like put up with his perverted tendencies. "You should put the ninth song on. It's my favourite!"
Nodding, Naruto skipped the first song and put the ninth song on, listening to it for a moment before placing his phone on the blanket, leaving it to play while they ate.
Hinata smiled when she recognised it. "You were singing it the other day."
"I've got my mom addicted to the song, too."
"What is it called?"
She glanced up at Sasuke, offering him a small smile. "Walk Away. It's by The Script. It was released years ago, but it's still one of my favourites."
He nodded silently.
"I'll put the album on right from the beginning after this," the blond informed them, tearing into his lunch.
It felt like lunch went by in fast forward because one moment they were all eating and listening to music and then the next, Hinata and Naruto were gathering their things for their next lesson and crawling out of the small hideout, the latter unhappy that he was leaving so soon, especially for a lesson he shouldn't even be having. It was all Jiraiya's fault, he'd exclaimed to Hinata as the pair walked away (the girl sending Sakura an encouraging smile before leaving). She and Sasuke could hear Naruto ranting even as they reached the school.
"He needs to learn to speak with an 'indoor' voice," Sakura grumbled.
Nodding, Sasuke reached for the torch so that he could turn it off, only to pause when she grabbed his arm. "You want it on?"
"I need to get used to it, anyway," she told him honestly. "I want to get to know you, Sasuke. I already know Avenger–S."
That was true. So, he left the torch on, settling it back to where Hinata and Naruto had been sat before leaning back against the dirt wall. Thankfully, none of the dirt would rub off onto his uniform because if there was one thing Sasuke disliked the most, it was anything of his looking messy and untidy. It drove him insane with the urge to fix it.
It was silent for a few moments. "So… What do you have next?"
At her question, Sasuke gave a small smirk. It sounded like the first thing she could think of and if the grimace she showed meant anything, his thoughts were correct. "English. You?"
"Maths."
"How was your last lesson?"
Her eyes widened a fraction as they met his, surprised by his question. "It was fine, I guess. Kind of dull, though, if you ask me."
"Oh?"
"Yeah," she said rather enthusiastically. "All my science teacher does, is read from a presentation and I know most teachers do the same, but she has the most boring voice I've ever heard. And she puts no thought into the lesson at all. That was proved earlier when somebody tried to prank her." Rolling her eyes, Sakura gave Sasuke a blank look. "She left the class for a few minutes and during that time, one of your friends changed a chemical and it would have had a negative reaction, should she have actually gone through with it."
He had a feeling he already knew who she was on about. "Suigetsu?"
"Suigetsu," Sakura groaned. "He's always screwing with the teacher and trying to confuse her, but this time it went way too far. She could have set the classroom on fire or been seriously harmed!"
And, knowing Suigetsu the way he did, Sasuke knew for a fact that he wouldn't have regretted it for a single moment. It was one of the many weird reasons why Karin liked him so much. He wasn't afraid to go through with those messed up thoughts in his head, unlike the rest of them who silently and secretly plotted revenge after revenge against their teachers after they did something to piss them off.
Sighing, she leaned back against the wall, staring up at the strange ceiling. It wasn't exactly a ceiling but more like the inside of the tree. Kind of creepy if she stared at it long enough and when it started to creep her out, Sakura's eyes went back to Sasuke's, only slightly surprised to see that he was still looking at her. Sasuke had always been the type of guy to maintain eye contact in conversations, mainly because he was the type who either gave you all of his attention, or none at all. There was no in between with him.
"I'm surprised she's even a teacher, you know," she murmured after a moment, sounding annoyed. "We're hardly even learning anything and if it keeps up, my grades are going to be dragged down and I can't afford that to happen."
"Because of Suna?"
She shook her head. "Not only because of that. I received two full scholarships for two different colleges next year but I need to keep my grades up to make sure they don't take them back."
College. Sasuke couldn't believe he'd forgotten about it. "Which ones?"
"Konoha and one in Suna." Sakura gave him a small smile. "Have you got any acceptances yet?"
"Konoha, Oto and Kumo."
Wow. Three acceptances. And Oto and Kumo were both so far away… "Have you decided which one you'll be attending?"
He shook his head. "My parents want me to go to Konoha, since it's closer to home, but my brother has told me to do what is right for me, even if it means I'm away from home for a while." A pause. "You?"
"I'm going to see how I like it in Suna this summer," she replied quietly, looking away from him. "And if I like it and the hospital wants to keep me on, then I'll probably stay and go to college there."
She would probably stay there. And even though Sasuke was unsure of his own choices, even though he wasn't sure if he would be staying in Konoha himself, he found that he didn't want her to like it in Suna. He wanted her to stay in Konoha.
"I guess if… if anything does happen between us, we could always try out a long distance relationship," Sakura said awkwardly. Then, she once again grimaced. "Is it too soon to be considering that?"
"Maybe, but…" He frowned for a moment and tried to find the right words. "But if we're serious about this, then we need to be completely honest with each other."
Sakura nodded in agreement, smiling shyly. "Yeah, we can't start anything if it's all built on half-truths or lies."
Exactly. And Sasuke was determined not to let that happen. He'd already hurt Sakura – twice, in fact. There would not be a third time, not if he could help it. He was actually going to try for her. To be her friend, to be there for her and, if she allowed him to be, he would also like to be her boyfriend. He wanted it to be like when they were speaking online. He wanted Sakura to continue coming to him with her problems, confident that he would either try to cheer her up, or help her with them. He wanted to be the shoulder she cried on when she was sad, or the first person she looked to when she was told something that made her incredibly happy. Sasuke wanted to be the one who made her incredibly happy.
Instead of saying all of that, Sasuke instead gave her his own smile. "Do you want to go out?"
Unpredictable. Sakura had always believed that Sasuke was unpredictable. One moment they were discussing colleges and the next, he was asking her out. "Like a date?" He nodded once. "When?"
"Saturday night."
Sakura was silent for a moment before offering him a small smile. "Sure."
A date with Uchiha Sasuke.
"I'll pick you up around seven."
"You don't know where I–"
The look he gave her was unimpressed. "We spoke about this only a couple of hours ago, Sakura. I can get whatever information I want."
She rolled her eyes, unable to keep back the mutter of, "Stalker."
Instead of arguing, Sasuke smirked. Then, he paused, seeming to think over his next words carefully. "You should wear your red dress."
"No."
He frowned in response. Why not, was what Sasuke wanted to ask. The red dress had looked amazing on her, the colour of it contrasting nicely with her porcelain skin tone. It was also different. Most girls nowadays wore skin tight dresses that left absolutely nothing to the imagination, but Sakura's dress hadn't done that. Sure, it had been quite short and it had also been tight around her breasts (keeping them covered at the same time due to the high neckline), but other than that, it was rather conservative in its own way.
Taking his silence as Sasuke asking why, she sighed. "I'd rather not wear it."
It was currently screwed up in the corner of her room and even if Sakura washed it now, the creases would be horrendous to iron out. Not only that, but the last time she had worn it had ended in disaster.
"Why?"
"The weather's too cold."
Even though her quick reply was so very obviously a lie, Sasuke decided not to push it and instead nodded.
"I have other dresses if we're going somewhere formal?"
"Wear one of them." He gave her a smile. "I want to take you out for dinner."
There was no denying the butterflies that filled her stomach.
"So… I'll see you later?"
Sasuke's thumb gently brushed along her knuckles and he looked down at their joined hands. "Yeah."
What was she supposed to do? Sakura bit her lip and looked down the corridor, frowning softly when she saw the students who were staring at them in wide eyed shock. Did she hug him? It was definitely too soon to kiss him and Sakura would also rather their first kiss not be in the corridor with others watching. Well, it wouldn't really be their first kiss since Sasuke had kissed her on their failed attempt of meeting as Avenger–S and Fall–of–the–Blossom, but that wasn't the point.
Noticing her uncertainty, Sasuke inwardly smirked. He'd been feeling surprisingly calm around Sakura since they had spoken in the elevator, since she had given him the chance to try and make up for what he'd done to her. No, he was not forgiven yet and no, she didn't trust him, but they were working on it. It felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
He pulled his hand free of hers, regaining her attention and just when Sakura looked up at him questioningly, he poked her forehead.
"What–"
"See you later, Sakura."
With that, he walked away, not looking back at her as Sakura rubbed her forehead with a pout.
What was that for? Did he always go around poking people's foreheads? Or was Sasuke teasing her because of the size of hers? Sakura liked to think she had grown into it over the years, especially since her pre-teen years, but maybe that wasn't the case? Was it still as big as ever? Rubbing her forehead one last time, Sakura sighed and opened her locker, assessing her forehead. Thankfully, there was no red mark and as usual, it didn't look all that big. Maybe the poking thing was meaningful to Sasuke for some strange reason?
"I hope you know what you're doing."
Sakura tensed and quickly turned around, narrowing her eyes on the blonde standing before her. As usual, her hair was covering just over half of her face and wherever she got the chance to, she was wearing purple, which was apparently her signature colour now. Her nails were painted purple and beneath her short school skirt she wore purple shorts, along with purple knee high socks. There were also many purple bracelets on each of her wrists, along with a choker styled necklace that had a purple pendant dangling against her throat. It should have looked absolutely ridiculous, but she somehow made it work. Like always. Then again, she could wear a bin bag and make it work.
"What are you talking about?"
"You and Uchiha Sasuke. I saw you coming back into school together, holding hands," she replied with a raised eyebrow, one hand resting on her hip. "How can you forgive him after everything he did to you?"
"It has nothing to do with you, Ino." Ino simply stared at her. It wound Sakura up so much. "Say what you want, but you abandoned me, too."
"Abandoned you?" she scoffed, her heavily made up eyes narrowing. "I didn't abandon you, you abandoned me. You gave up on our friendship because we liked the same guy and you felt threatened by me."
If anybody had ever been able to stand up to her anger (other than Gaara, of course), then it was Ino. It always had been. If anything, Sakura had always been intimidated by Ino. How could she not be? She was beautiful, independent and took absolutely no shit. What did Sakura have? 'Exotic' looks (as her mother had often told her) and intelligence. Sure, she took no shit either, but people feared her anger. They didn't fear Ino's unless the blonde was having an extremely bad day. People weren't scared to hang around her like they were Sakura.
It was like Ino just said: Sakura was threatened by her.
"Why do you even care?" she questioned with a frown. "We're not friends anymore and haven't been in a long time, Ino. And you agreed to the ending of our friendship."
"You're just setting yourself up to be hurt again." Ino rolled her blue eyes, shoving her blazer sleeves up to her elbows when they slipped down ever so slightly. "And when that happens, you'll be even more unpleasant to be around."
Before the last word even fully left her lips, the blonde turned her back on Sakura and left.
She leaned back against the locker next to her own, watching Ino as she turned down a different corridor, disappearing from view completely. It was always painful seeing Ino. Maybe not as much as it had been Sasuke, but it definitely hurt. Yamanaka Ino had been her very first friend and had defended her against bullies. She had taken Sakura under her wing and helped her grow more confident, became her best friend. When Sasuke kicked her out of the group, Ino had been nowhere to be seen and not long after, the bullies came back, preying on her insecurities and lack of confidence.
Gathering her things for the last lesson of the day, Sakura turned around and shut her locker.
Trust him.
She needed to learn to trust him.
Sakura merely hoped Sasuke didn't prove Yamanaka Ino right.
A/N - I wasn't planning on updating tonight, but I needed something to take my mind off of what I've just seen in the paper.
A woman who lives about thirty to forty minutes away from me set her dog on a defenceless, tiny kitten who was sleeping on a fence in her owner's yard. The dog wasn't fussed by the kitten in the least and only jumped up once before walking away, leaving it alone, but then that vile excuse of a human being started to tug on the lead and encouraging it to attack. So it did. Around six and a half minutes later, a neighbour saw what was happening and went to save the kitten, but sadly it died in his arms because of a punctured lung and two fatal bite wounds to the neck. He was able to pull it away from the kitten with just one finger to its collar and there was absolutely no resistance, which is proof that it was only doing as it was told.
Want to know what she got for it? An order to pay £200 costs as well as an £80 victim subcharge. She's been banned from owning or keeping any animals for 10 years, but what good is that going to do? Does it bring the helpless kitten back to its family? And what about the dog she ordered to kill the kitten? Does it make up for that? Animals don't just go bad. People make them bad. Thankfully, the dog wasn't destroyed and has been re-homed, but I feel like the woman didn't get what she deserved.
Oh, but that's not all. The bitch also has three kids. They've got such a wonderful example to look up to. I can only hope their dad is a better example and knows to teach them right from wrong. What their mum did was disgusting and unforgivable and if that had been my cat, she would have got a lot more than a 'devastating' £280 to pay. I wouldn't even give a shit about the consequences. Animal abusers should be given a taste of their own medicine and be made to feel as vulnerable and helpless as they make animals feel.
I just don't understand why people abuse animals. I'm not saying it's only cats that are abused, because I know it's not. However, I'm always hearing or seeing things about cats being used for baiting or other horrible stuff such as that. I couldn't imagine bringing harm to my cat - I feel awful if I don't feed him on time or accidentally stand on him! Shadow (my cat) is a rescue cat who's lived around seven to eight years on the street, before becoming ill and having to be taken to a rescue shelter, where I later bought him and gave him a home once he was fully healed. It makes me feel sick to think that it could have been him in that situation, where somebody has set their dog on him and he's had to run for his life.
Most cats couldn't give two shits about humans. If you feed them, you'll have their affection for a short while. Other than my own cat (who demands my attention pretty much all of the time other than when there's food about), my mum's cats act exactly like that. If they want your attention, they'll tell you or show you. If you don't like cats? Leave them alone. They only attack when they feel threatened. Most of the time, their bark is worse than their bite.
And others wonder why I hate people.
That was a long rant about cats, thought mostly animal abusers. Um. Anyway! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!