Author's Note: I'm so sorry for taking forever to update! It's been a crazy semester and I finally found the time to finish this chapter. This is a little different from what I've been writing - it's a little silly, so please keep that in mind when you're reading it! Anyway, I hope to complete some more chapters in the next month - hopefully I will have this story finished soon!
To everyone that has stuck with me since the beginning (if you're out there) thank you so much! And thank you to everyone who has left me reviews, I appreciate all of you! I hope you enjoy this chapter because I had fun writing it!
"We need to get together at my house this weekend." I said to Ino in English the next Monday. We now had one month until prom. "Prom planning. I want everything to be perfect."
"I was thinking the same thing," Ino answered seriously. "I've already bought my dress, but it's time to figure out how we're doing hair and make-up."
"I can do the hair," I replied proudly. Sadly, Ino didn't remember how great I was at preparing for formal events, but that was okay. "Leave your make-up up to me too if you don't want to get it done professionally."
"I trust you," Ino grinned. "I've seen what you've done for Hinata at the Homecoming dance."
"You're invited too, Tenten," I said to my grumpy friend sitting beside me. She had been sighing irritably every time Ino said anything. "We need to find something for you to wear soon - I'm thinking a dark blue dress would look nice on you..."
"Maybe I don't want to go with you," she grumbled.
"Don't be silly," I waved my hand in the air dismissively. "Of course you're coming shopping with us. And you're coming to my house on Friday night to plan everything."
Tenten agreed, but reluctantly. I understood how she felt about Ino, but I wanted all of them to be around me when we were figuring out what our plans were going to be for prom. Secretly, I had been hoping that my two friends spent more time together they would be able to become friends with each other.
The sleepover/planning meeting wasn't the only thing I had to worry about. I had just remembered a few days before about my promise to set Sasuke up for prom. He had brought it up in calculus, actually.
"So," Sasuke teased, "when are you going to tell me who my prom date is?" I knew he was joking, but I felt my stomach drop.
"You'll know the day of prom," I told him. "It's going to be great, by the way."
He just shook his head, smirking. "You know," he said, "you don't really have to do this. I'm fine with just going alone. I don't really want to be there anyway-"
"Just let me do this for you!" I interrupted him. Later, I cursed myself for not getting out of it when I had a perfectly good chance. "It's kind of my thing, if you haven't noticed."
"Whatever you say, Haruno."
Surprisingly, the prospects of finding Sasuke a date to prom only stayed in the back of my mind for the rest of the week. I didn't give it much thought, considering that prom was only a month away. I figured that it wasn't such a huge deal, in the grand scheme of things.
When Friday came around, I was practically about to go on a prom rampage. I had everything ready to be sorted out - restaurant ideas for us to go to beforehand, different pictures of hairstyles on my Pinterest (which I had just created for the occasion) and a half-made schedule of how the day was going to go. Senior prom the first time around hadn't been what I wanted, so I was going to make this one perfect.
"Okay," I said, laying out all of my books and magazines out on the floor. My laptop was also out with all of the tabs I had saved. "Let's start with Hinata. I was thinking that we should go with a long dress, obviously... maybe lavender?"
"Yes!" Ino exclaimed, grabbing one of the magazines I had collected and flipping through it for inspiration. "Or maybe royal purple.." She grinned at me.
Tenten, who was sitting by Hinata, didn't add to the conversation. Instead, she looked wryly at one of the magazines.
"Any shade of purple, really." I continued. "I think it would bring out your eyes nicely." That last part was to Hinata. "Of course, we won't really know until we go dress shopping in a few days."
Hinata just shrugged. "Whatever you say."
"And for the hair..." I studied Hinata for a second. "Curled and pinned back. I can do that."
"Perfect." Ino grinned. "That'll look great."
Easily, Ino and I figured out what our hair and makeup would look like on the day of prom. It was a lot of fun - I even styled their hair in ways I thought would be flattering for them. Except for Tenten.
"Come on," I complained to my friend, who was still stubbornly flipping through a magazine. "We need to do a test run so I know it'll look good!"
"Can't I just wear my hair how I normally do?" Tenten snapped. I was actually pretty proud of her - she had given up the buns most of the time to wear her hair straight and down. Tenten had even picked up some simple makeup techniques that I had taught her. Of course, she had only really started to care after Neji had officially asked her to be his girlfriend that week.
I sighed. "Tenten," I pleaded with her. "You look great all the time, please don't think I'm saying that." Her hair was, coincidentally, back in buns for the sleepover. She still went back to her old habits every once in a while. Even so, I was starting to like the buns now that I was seeing them less often. It was unique, and it was Tenten.
"Then why can't you just leave me alone about it?" Tenten grumbled in response.
"Because," I said, exasperated, "I want to give you a different hairstyle for prom. One that's more formal and pretty. That's part of the fun of dressing up for prom - you can be as spectacular as you want!"
"She's right, Tenten." Ino agreed. "Besides, I want to see what you would look like with your hair in an up-do. Your bone structure is great."
Tenten regarded me warily. "Fine," she said, "just do it."
While I was styling her hair, Ino suggested that we play a game.
"Like what?" Hinata seemed a little hesitant. We both knew how competitive our friends were.
"I don't know..." Ino thought. "How about Truth or Dare?"
"I'm down," I grinned, remembering how Ino and used to play this game in middle school with our other friends at the time.
Tenten scoffed, but she still moved closer as if anticipating a game. Even if she wasn't in the best mood, Tenten was still extremely competitive. Hinata, sitting beside our friend, looked reluctant but perked up once she realized that Tenten seemed to be more enthusiastic about Truth or Dare.
"I'll go first." Ino said, and looked around the circle. "Hinata... Truth or Dare?"
Hinata seemed to consider this for a second. "Truth," she decided.
"When did you and Naruto have your first kiss?" Ino had a devious look on her face.
Hinata blushed, but replied. "Remember when he took me to the movies? The weekend after homecoming?"
"What!?" I blurted out. "Why didn't you tell me!?"
She just shrugged. "You never asked." Fair enough.
"Well?" Ino demanded. "How was it?"
Hinata just grinned. "It was perfect... I wasn't expecting it to happen so fast but... I wanted it, too." She shrugged. Suddenly, I remembered what she had told me about her and Naruto wanting to move slow.
"I'm happy for you." I said. "Really, I'm happy that my plan at homecoming worked so well."
"That's right," Tenten, who had seemed bored and disappointed that Hinata had picked "truth", chimed in. "That's how you got Ino and Shikamaru together too, right?" I hadn't remembered telling anyone about my plan, but Tenten was so observant that of course she figured it out.
"How did you know about that?" I looked at her wryly.
"It was obvious." Was her answer.
"It kind of was," Ino agreed. "Once I realized that Karin was lying and you weren't trying to steal him away from me." It was hard to believe that all of it had only happened last semester. It felt like I was living in a completely different world.
"Okay fine," I laughed. "Maybe I wasn't as sneaky as I thought!"
We got back to the game. This time, it was Hinata's turn to ask a question. "Tenten," she said. "Truth or Dare?"
"Dare." Tenten responded immediately. She looked expectantly at Hinata.
"Oh, okay." Hinata thought for a moment. "I dare you... to do a headstand."
"Seriously?" Tenten laughed. "That's so easy." We all watched as she did a perfect headstand. It was ridiculous, I thought. How did she even know how to do that? Some sort of weird extracurricular? Did she just learn for fun? Sadly, I never found that out.
"My turn," Tenten had a deviant gleam in her eye. "Sakura... Truth or Dare?"
I considered this. Tenten was pretty competitive, which meant that she would probably think of some pretty good questions. Was I ready to confess everything? I wasn't sure. "Dare," I winced. What had I gotten myself into? Somehow, I felt like my decision had already been calculated by Tenten.
The evil look in her eye only seemed to intensify. "I dare you to call Sasuke," she said, "and figure out what color underwear he's wearing."
Ino burst out laughing. "That's genius!" She exclaimed through her laughter.
"Oh my god, Tenten!" I shrieked, but I was also laughing. "How do you think he's going to like me if I freak him out?" Or fall in love with me for that matter, I thought.
"It's a dare," Ino insisted. "If you can't do it then you lose the game." The way she said it was so simple.
"You can't lose Truth or Dare!" I argued.
"Oh Sakura," Tenten shook her head like I was some belligerent child. "Of course you can lose Truth or Dare." I looked to Ino, who nodded in approval.
"Guys..." Hinata trailed off. I could tell she was getting worried. "Sakura doesn't have to-"
"You know what?" I interrupted. "Give me my phone." I was suddenly confident. I would show them.
"Sakura, you really don't have to do this." Hinata tried again. "Don't do anything you're uncomfortable with just because it's funny."
"Even Hinata thinks it's a great dare," Tenten said, looking maniacal. "You have to do it."
I sighed, and took my phone from Ino. Regret set in once I had pressed the "call" button on my phone under Sasuke's name. How was I going to explain this? Each ring seemed like an eternity - part of me thought that it would be easy to just back out then, but I decided to go through with it when I looked at the expression on Ino and Tenten's faces when they realized that I was actually carrying out the dare.
"Hello?" To my surprise, Naruto answered the phone.
"Er, hi Naruto." I said. "Is Sasuke there? Hinata says hi, by the way." His girlfriend had made the request once she realized that I was talking to him.
"Oh yeah!" He perked up. "Tell her I said hi back! Are you guys having fun?"
I sighed, and told Hinata his message. "We're actually in the middle of a game of Truth or Dare..." I trailed off, not giving anything away, although I was sure that Hinata would explain everything to him the next day. Dammit.
"Truth or Dare!?" Naruto said. "What are they making you do Sakura?"
"It's bad," I replied. "I'm surprised that Tenten could even come up with it." From where she was sitting, Tenten cackled. I could tell that she had no shame in what she was doing to me. Ino seemed to think it was hilarious too. To be honest, I would have thought it was pretty good if it wasn't happening to me at the time.
Naruto laughed. "Well, good luck! Hey, do you think-" I could hear a struggle on the other line, followed by Sasuke's voice. "Hello?" He said, sounding confused.
"Oh, hey Sasuke!" I was suddenly nervous. "How are you?"
"Get on with it!" Ino hissed.
"I'm doing okay," Sasuke replied, still sounding bemused. "Why are you calling me at ten o' clock at night?" In the background, I could hear Naruto complaining.
"I need your help." I tried again. "Are we friends?"
"Of course," he sounded concerned. "Is everything okay?"
"This is really stupid," I continued, "but if you help me, I won't lose this game."
He sighed. "I heard Naruto say you're playing Truth or Dare. Whatever it is Sakura-"
"Ineedtoknowwhatcolorunderwearyouhaveon." The words came out like vomit.
"I'm sorry... What?" Thankfully, he didn't sound annoyed. If anything, Sasuke sounded amused.
"I need to know..." I took a deep breath. "What color underwear you have on." I cringed, hearing the words come out of my mouth. Beside me, my friends were laughing so hard they had tears in their eyes. I had to fight a few silent giggles through the phone.
"Why would I tell you that?" I could tell he was joking.
"Because we're friends," I insisted. "Friends help each other out when they're struggling with a dare. Plus, if you do this for me I'll bring you whatever you want for dinner tomorrow." Sasuke was usually alone at night, especially since Naruto was hanging out with Hinata constantly. Sometimes I would come over with food if I was brave enough.
"Blue," Sasuke replied. I could almost hear him rolling his eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow." The phone clicked off.
"They're blue." I choked back laughter and set my phone down. "Are you guys happy now!?" They were still laughing too hard to answer. Part of me was still in shock from what I had just done. Sure, when we had been best friends for years I wouldn't have batted an eye about asking Sasuke something like that. It was different now though, and I was happy to know that I didn't go too far.
Finally, wiping tears from her eyes, Ino looked up at me from where she had been rolling on the floor. "I can't believe you asked Saskue Uchiha about his underwear."
I shrugged. "I'm not going to let you guys eliminate me from the game this fast. Especially since I know that you can apparently win Truth or Dare!"
Tenten looked like she was trying to catch her breath. "I didn't think you would do it either," she agreed. "That's why I said it to get you out faster."
"It's my turn now." I responded. "Ino, Truth or Dare?"
Ino, who seemed afraid that I would make her do something absolutely terrible after what Tenten had put me through, opted for the safer option. "Truth," she said.
It took me a moment to think of a question. "Who have you most regretted dating?" This was a good one, Ino had a lot of boyfriends in high school.
"Probably... Kiba." Ino answered with a sour expression. "He totally ditched me during homecoming! At least I came to my senses and started dating Shikamaru after that. Also, Kiba wasn't even that fun to talk to. He always acts so sociable in real life and then just wanted to play video games or something the few times we hung out. Thank god I dodged that bullet."
For a second, I had forgotten that Ino even dated my ex-boyfriend (could I even call him that? Technically, we hadn't even dated yet). "Tell me about it," I rolled my eyes. "He's such a narcissist."
"Do you know him that well?" Ino looked surprised.
Damn. "I've talked to him a few times," I lied. "It's your turn, anyway."
That's when things went bad.
"Tenten," Ino said. "Truth or Dare?"
Tenten took it like a challenge. "Dare," she said.
"I dare you to let me give you a new hairstyle."
Tenten, whose hair was already in a makeshift up-do from when I was practicing prom hair styles on her, took a deep breath. "Fine," she said. "Do it."
Once she had her new hairstyle (which actually looked great, it just wasn't anything that was typical for Tenten), Tenten turned back to Ino. "Truth or Dare?" She said.
"You can't ask me after I already went," Ino countered.
"There aren't any rules against that." Tenten insisted. Where were they getting all the rules? She looked at Hinata and me, who shrugged. "Anyway Ino... Truth or Dare?"
Ino sighed. "Dare."
Hinata and I ended up dropping out of the game early anyway - Ino and Tenten were too intense against each other for us. So, instead of staying inside and watching them continue with the game (which had just turned into a game of "Dare" really), we went outside in the yard to wait it out.
"I hope they end up getting along," I sighed. I really had hoped that my two friends would become friends themselves. After all, they really were alike. Plus, I wanted Tenten to have more friends other than me just in case the whole Sasuke thing didn't work out.
"I think they're starting to become closer," Hinata said reassuringly.
I leaned back on the grass and looked up at the sky. It was a clear night, so I could see all of the stars perfectly. Why didn't I do this more often? I had seen Shikamaru doing this all the time - even during the day. I suddenly realized why he was constantly looking up at the sky.
"Sakura..." Hinata began. "Are you okay?"
"What makes you say that?" I rolled over to face her. She was looking at me intently.
"You're just..." She paused. "You're too tense. I can't explain it. Everything is going well for you, but you just seem so... sad sometimes. I really don't know how to explain it. It's like you're afraid."
Hinata was always so perceptive. It was hard to lie to her, but I really didn't know how I could tell her what was going on with me without her thinking I was crazy. "I really want to tell you," I finally replied, "but it's hard to explain, really. I guess... I'm not ready to say goodbye." Let her interpret this like I was reluctant to graduate.
Hinata nodded, but she didn't look completely convinced. "You don't have to tell me," she conceded, "but I'm here to help if you need me." How could I have ever survived this long without her?
"I'm glad we're friends," I smiled at her. "I'm sorry for how I acted before. I wasn't really myself."
"I'm surprised that we didn't become friends before this year," Hinata smiled back. "You've been so great this year. I'm kind of sad that we have to leave so soon. It's a good thing we can still visit when we're in college."
"Yeah." My eyes felt swollen for a second, like I could try any minute. I swallowed back my tears, hoping she didn't see. "That's a good thing. Anyway, I don't know if you would have wanted to be friends with me before. I was sort of a bitch who didn't know how to make the right kind of friends."
If she could tell that I had been about to cry, she didn't show it. "I doubt it... Oh, did I tell you? Naruto and I got into the same college!"
"That's great!" I was genuinely happy for them. "Do you think you're going to go to it?"
"I think so," she looked so happy. "It has really great programs for everything I'm looking into majoring in. Plus, I don't think I'm ready to say goodbye to Naruto just yet."
"That's understandable," I nodded. "Just make sure you're not going only for him."
"I'm not," Hinata sad. "It really is the perfect school for me. Do you know where you're going yet?"
"I haven't decided," I admitted. Despite the chance of dying right after graduation, I had applied to a few colleges. I had even gotten accepted to all of them, even ones that I hadn't even dreamed of applying to before. I was ambitious, but too scared to put myself out there with the more exclusive schools. This time around, I didn't have anything else to lose, really.
"You should probably do that quick," Hinata teased. How could I explain to her that I didn't know if I would even go to college, let alone survive after we graduated?
"Probably," I agreed.
We stayed out there for awhile, just talking about trivial things. I was suddenly incredibly thankful to have Hinata as a friend - suddenly grateful for my second chance from Konan, even if it meant I might die soon anyway. It was a strange feeling.
When we went back inside, Hinata and I found Tenten and Ino in some sort of Truth or Dare deadlock. They both insisted that we keep playing until there was a winner, but Hinata somehow convinced them to give it up so we could go tot sleep.
"We'll pick this back up next time," Tenten said. She looked exhausted. Hinata and I went outside when it became a physical competition - who could do the most sit-ups, etc.
Ino nodded. "This was fun," she said.
"Yeah," Tenten agreed. To my surprise, she gave Ino a tired smile. I guess something worked out in my favor tonight.
Once we had made a sufficient pile of blankets on the living room floor to sleep on (my parents were out of town and had given me free reign of the house as long as I didn't do anything crazy), Tenten rolled around to face me. "You're welcome, by the way."
"What are you talking about?" I replied. I had been dozing off already.
"I gave you an excuse to talk to Sasuke," she insisted.
I snorted. "Like that was a good reason. He probably thinks I'm a psychopath!"
"That's not true," Hinata, to my surprise, interjected. "Naruto said that Sasuke thought it was really funny."
"Oh my god," I hid my face in my pillow. "Now everyone knows."
"Not everyone," Ino laughed. "Besides, Tenten has a point. Now you basically have a date with him tomorrow." Were they ganging up on me?
"Doubtful," I shook my head. "He's not even interested in anyone." It was obvious at this point that all of my friends knew that I had been trying to be with Sasuke the whole time. To them, though, it was something silly - not life-threatening.
"He's totally interested in you." Ino pressed. "If you knew him as long as Naruto and I have, you would be able to tell!"
But I do, I thought. Then I realized, I was oblivious before when he loved me. I wasn't sure if I should squelch the hope that suddenly bubbled inside of me. Ino was probably wrong anyway. Sasuke was getting to know me again - we were even good friends now - but how long would it take for him to realize he loved me? Would he even love me again?
"She's right." Tenten said. "It's obvious."
"If it's so obvious," I said, "then I hope something happens soon." Suddenly, I had an idea. It was so obvious, I didn't know why I hadn't thought of it before.
Everyone fell asleep before me. I was still up thinking about the plan, which I had told them about. They had all told me that it was a great idea, before criticizing me for not thinking of it sooner (that was Tenten). I don't know why it was so hard for me to go to sleep. I suddenly felt scared and a little sad. Would this have ever have happened the first time around? Probably not. I just wished that I could have made friends with Tenten and Hinata before I knew I was about to die. In addition to the anxiety, I felt desperation. My plan would be the last thing that I had left, and then what? I would just have to prepare for the end.
I finally fell asleep, and thankfully it was peaceful.