AN: A few things. The first wave of drama will start at and after homecoming. If you're lukewarm on the story, wait to finish the next few chapters before bailing :)

Also, I'm not sure how many private school 9th graders smoke weed these days? I probably was unaware of it happening in 9th grade, so I definitely don't know what's going on now, lol. I just figured Shikamaru is lazy and is supposed to smoke cigarettes. Cigarettes are definitely not the MO of the average private school 9th grade, so I suppose I'm turning him into a mild stoner? It also explains Chouji's snacking if we include him… I actually had to text a cooler friend to ask if people still use the terminology "smoking joints." I'm in my (late) 20s, but I identify as a grandma. Okay, moving on.

Also, if you read Never Have I Ever (my other story that's a teaser for this one) you may start to wonder if Hinata and Lee will be a thing in this story. The answer is no. I hate to take away any component of mystery, but no.

Thursday, October 9th, 2017

It finally was beginning to feel like Fall in Konoha. The mornings and evenings were crisp and cool, though midday was still pleasantly warm most days. The leaves were turning beautiful shades of oranges and yellows until they fell and shriveled into a crinkly layer on the ground. The campus was picturesque this time of year. The colorful leaves by the weathered gray stone building had a romantic look. Shikamaru was particularly struck by then clear blue skies spotted with fluffy white clouds.

Shikamaru walked out of the dorms and ambled quietly for several minutes to the edge of the woods surrounding the campus where the leaves had accumulated in piles. He sighed. It would be a great day to get high and look at the clouds. He knew many upperclassmen smoked on campus, but he was too nervous to do that at KPA. He didn't want to get suspended his freshman year.

A flash of pink hair alerted Shikamaru that he had met his destination. His friends were always easy to find when Sakura was there. He walked to an old, wooden picnic table that seemed somewhat out of place at the perimeter of the forest. Sakura sat on top of the table with her feet on the bench, facing Ino, both sporting cheer uniforms. Letter jackets protected both of them from the Fall breeze. Chouji and Naruto stood about five feet from the girls, deep in conversation. Sasuke was there as well, but he didn't seem to be paying much attention to whatever Naruto and Chouji were saying.

When Ino saw him walking toward them, her face brightened, and she jumped up from the table.

"Shikamaru! Finally, someone smart," she said, grabbing his arm and walking with him back to the table. He raised a brow in question and glanced at his friends for answers.

Ino looked from him back to Chouji and Naruto.

"Thank God you're here." She started, dramatic as ever. "Chouji is trying to come up with a cute way to ask Sasha to homecoming, and I need you to tell him not to listen to Naruto's terrible ideas."

Shikamaru sighed. He hated school dances and the weird high school rituals around them. The fact that guys were expected to come up with elaborate ways to ask girls instead of just asking them outright was such a drag. And the way Ino ate it all up was even more troublesome. She lived for the drama.

"Hey, I'm the only one with a date, so you should listen to me!" Naruto shouted at Ino obnoxiously. Ino rolled her eyes, "you didn't even ask your date, so why would we listen to you about that?" Naruto scowled at her but turned back to Chouji.

"Since when does Naruto have a date?" Shikamaru asked Ino leaning against the bench. Sakura flushed and looked away in embarrassment as Ino started to explain.

"Rock Lee asked Sakura to the dance earlier," she started, a slightly evil look spreading over her face as she looked at her pink-haired friend. "She was too much of a baby to tell him no outright but too much of a bitch to suck it up and go with him, so she lied and said Naruto had already asked."

Sakura's face had only turned redder, and she glared at Ino. "I didn't want to hurt his feelings! What would you have done?! Would you have gone?" Ino pointedly ignored Sakura and instead turned to Shikamaru, grinning,

"Anyway, now Naruto's going with Sakura. It's not like he's upset about it," she murmured the second part under her breath.

This was another reason Shikamaru thought the homecoming dance was a drag. Girls as sweet as Sakura let their "inner Ino" out and played with other people's emotions. She lied to Lee, and now she was getting Naruto's hopes up. It was totally not worth the chaos if you asked Shikamaru.

"So how does Naruto think Chouji should ask Sasha?" Shikamaru asked.

"He thinks he should write it out in chips or something underwhelming like that," Sakura answered, her face finally returning to its normal color. Shikamaru shrugged. He didn't see what was wrong with the idea. Ino appeared incensed that he didn't scorn the suggestion as much as she and Sakura did. She seemed to stop worrying about it, though as the conversation moves on and turned her attention to Sasuke. She walked toward him so she was right in front of him,

"So Sasuke," she said coyly, biting her lip and looking at his face with a contrived demure smile, "who are you asking to the dance?"

Shikamaru sighed. Here we go. Shikamaru cringed, watching Ino flirt. It was completely over the top. Had she no subtlety?? He always felt a twinge of anger, no matter who the guy was. He didn't understand why she had to throw herself at guys. She was truly the most beautiful girl he'd ever met. He'd watched people fawn over her his entire life. Despite her beauty and confident façade, she always seemed the most insecure to him when she turned on her fake flirtation and went after a guy.

Sasuke was less receptive to her coquettish flair than other guys usually were. He looked annoyed, and his response was terse, "No one." He said shortly.

"What? Why not?" She asked, pouting; her hand was already moving towards Sasuke's bicep, to Shikamaru's dismay. He was used to these kinds of displays, though. They all were. He noticed the unamused glare on Sakura's face as she watched her friend.

"I don't do dances," Sasuke responded flatly.

"What if you had a really fun date?" She asked suggestively, twisting a lock of bright hair around her finger. Shikamaru was secretly relieved to see the scowl on Sasuke's face. Most guys Ino flirted with ate it up. It looked like Sakura was relieved too. He observed the way she seemed to be trying to hide her reaction. She appeared to be fuming for a moment, and then her brow would smooth out, and she'd look somewhat more content.

"I'm not going," Sasuke repeated, his scowl replaced by indifference.

"We'll see," Ino sing-songed with a mischievous look. Shikamaru caught Sakura in an angry eye roll.

Ino's attempt to capture Sasuke's attention lasted the rest of the 30 minutes they stayed by the picnic table. She'd back off for a few minutes and then try again. Shikamaru was annoyed himself, but he couldn't help but notice Sakura was brooding

She sat at the picnic table with her cheek resting on a palm, frowning every few minutes. Naruto was talking to her excitedly, but she didn't pay him much attention.

As their group started walking toward the dining hall, he grabbed Ino's arm and made her walk with him, leaving a good distance between him and everyone else.

"What?" Ino demanded as they walked from the woods toward the stone walkway. Shikamaru knew Ino was irritated. It looked like she had been about to engage Sasuke again when Shikamaru forced her to stay back with him.

Shikamaru sighed heavily and looked down at the uneven ground as they walked. When he finally spoke, he looked up at her, trying to get her to take him seriously, "I think you need to stop going after Sasuke." Ino's eyebrow shot up, and then a grin wiped away her surprised expression,

"Is someone jealous?" She teased, knowing very well that he wasn't. Regardless, pink colored Shikamaru's cheeks as he scoffed at her.

"No." He sighed indignantly and paused, "Well, actually, I guess, kinda." This time Ino's jaw dropped in surprise. Before she could think too hard about it, Shikamaru clarified in an exasperated tone, "Not me, Ino, Sakura!"

Ino didn't react much, but a ghost of a smile touched her lips. "Whatever do you mean?" She asked, clearly feigning ignorance. Shikamaru let out what must have been his fifth exasperated sigh before responding,

"You were flirting with Sasuke right in front of your best friend, who clearly likes him."

"Why would you say she likes him?" She asked, even though Shikamaru was pretty sure she knew why. She was baiting his. Likely hoping he's confirm her suspicions.

"Because she looked pissed at you."

"Why does that mean she's into Sasuke?" she continued in an innocent tone. Shikamaru huffed, getting annoyed, "I don't know, Ino, it was just kind of obvious. If you want to be a good friend, you need to stop flirting." Ino pouted.

"I shouldn't have to stop flirting when she won't admit to me that she likes him! What kind of best friend is she if she doesn't even tell me who she likes?" Shikamaru gave her a look, but she wasn't fazed. Her frown turned into a devious smile. "It's fine, though. I decided I'd just have a little fun until she finally decides to spill."

Shikamaru ran a hand over his face and into his hair. So that was what was going on.

"Really, Ino? You don't even like him? You're just messing with Sakura? Does everything have to be a game?" She grinned up at him without answering. "I'm just saying, this is about your best friend's feelings." He continued.

Ino pinched one of his cheeks, "Awww, Shika, you're such a softy." She giggled as he tried to move away from her grasp.

"And to answer your question, Sasuke is hot as hell, and if she didn't like him, I would have made a real move on him already."

"You're exhausting."

"Sakura's denial is exhausting."

"Troublesome," he grunted under his breath.

Naruto always tried to keep his spirits up. He was a positive person, and he had had excellent luck today. He was very excited to take Sakura to homecoming. He could almost pretend he was the one she wanted to go with. At least she wanted to go with him more than Lee.

The illusion that he was her first choice was broken when he tried to talk to her at the picnic tables, and she had sat there scowling at Ino and Sasuke.

She'd always liked Sasuke, and Naruto had always liked her. He empathized with her. Unrequited affection sucked. He didn't empathize with Sasuke. He didn't understand how someone could be so uptight that they'd not only dismiss the hottest girl in the grade but also sideline someone as amazing as Sakura. Sasuke didn't understand how lucky he was.

Sakura hadn't been as obvious about her crush on Sasuke this time around. In elementary school, she clung to him like Ino was attempting to now. Perhaps in a more innocent way…

Regardless of her more nonchalant approach this time, Naruto could still tell. He wasn't usually the most observant of people, but he knew Sakura. He loved Sakura. She was the perfect combination of sweet but sassy and smart but fun. She was beautiful and cool, and ughhhhhh his heart was hurting just thinking about it.

It hurt. It hurt knowing he'd get to take her to the dance and get close to her, but not quite as close as he wanted. It was always painful to be her friend. He had the privilege of staying up late talking to her, wrapping her in big bear hugs when they won a game, kissing her on the cheek when he couldn't help himself, and sharing years of experiences with her. He knew she didn't want more than that, though, so he let himself enjoy what she gave him but tried not to fantasize any more than that.

For a moment after she "asked" him to homecoming, he considered how he could make her fall for him. He could find a romantic place to take her all dressed up and kiss her like he'd wanted to for years.

But then his fantasy was shattered again when he saw her angry glare at Ino when she flirted with Sasuke.

The reality was Sakura would never want him that way. She wanted his best friend. And that fucking sucked.

Tenten was determined to sneak up on Neji at their meeting tonight at the library. The mystery of what the hell he kept on his Spotify playlist was escalating, and her curiosity was at an all-time high. He had always been secretive about his music, but the fact that the one song she'd caught him listening to was a Hannah Montana-era Miley Cyrus song had made her NEED to know what else was on there.

She was planning her sneak attack when she saw Lee also walking toward the library, heading to their meeting spot.

"Hey Lee," she smiled, "How's it going?" he frowned slightly before forcing a toothy smile onto his face.

"I will be great, Tenten! How are you?" Tenten ignored his question and focused on his strange response.

"Will be?" She asked curiously.

"Today has challenged my spirit! Don't worry about me, though! I am always up for a challenge!" Her brows rose as she saw his teeth glint in the setting sunlight.

"I'm sorry it was challenging. Do you want to talk about it?" She asked sympathetically. Lee sighed but maintained a cheerful expression.

"My fair blossom, Sakura, already has a date for homecoming. I'm too late this year. But, mark my words. I will be first next year and the year after that!"

Tenten was sad for Lee. He was a strange guy, and she wasn't sure that Sakura would ever return his feelings. She thought about offering to go with him briefly, but she couldn't. Her friend and her brother were coming to Konoha that weekend, and she planned to spend Saturday night with them. She was going to skip the dance since tickets could only be purchased by students.

"I'm sure you will, Lee. And you can go with someone else fun this year!" She reassured him, then added, "I think I have a fun distraction…." As they walked toward their meeting spot, Tenten filled him in on her plan to find out why Neji was so weird about his music. He made sure to let her know that Miley Cyrus was the embodiment of youth, particularly when she came in like a wrecking ball.

Tenten quickly included him in her poorly concocted plan. She decided Neji might be more guarded about her looking at his phone since she had already sort of violated his privacy. Tenten agreed that she would distract him while Lee snuck a glance at his phone. Assuming he'd be listening to music like he usually was when he was alone. If he was listening, the current song should be visible without needing to enter his phone pin.

"Hey," she smiled, walking up to the table he was sitting at. She tried to think of something to say that would be particularly distracting. She smiled as a half-formed idea came to her. "So Neji, I was just thinking…" she began pulling out a chair across from him, "who do you think Hinata will go to homecoming with?"

"I don't know." He said plainly, not moving his eyes from his laptop screen. She nudged his foot under the table, trying to get more of his attention. He sighed, looking up from the screen. "I hadn't even thought about it."

"What if we set her up with Lee?" She asked, bracing herself for his reaction. Lee perked up next to Neji, surprised at being brought into the conversation that way.

Neji glared at her and looked at her as if he wanted to say something but was holding back to not greatly offend Lee. He groaned, "Really, Tenen?"

She beamed, looking over at Lee. "Come on, you want her to hang out with people other than Kiba and that other guy, and Lee is the perfect gentleman. You wouldn't try anything sleazy, would you, Lee?"

"I would protect her with my life, Neji!!!"

Neji looked exceptionally grouchy, "whatever. It's up to her. She doesn't even know Lee, though…"

"Exactly!" Tenten said enthusiastically, clapping her hands together, "She wants to meet new people. It's perfect! Lee, what do you think?" She asked, realizing he had just pushed Neji's phone back into place.

"I would be honored!" He exclaimed, standing up dramatically and looking off into some distant corner of the library longingly. Neji looked mildly sick.

"Neji, excellent music choice, by the way," Lee said, sitting back in his chair and opening up his laptop.

"What?!" Neji glared furiously at Lee.

"Fifteen by Taylor Swift- a beautiful song about lost love in the most tender times of youth," Lee sighed. Tenten raised a brow and grinned at both of her partners.

"What the hell, why were you looking at my phone?!" Neji snatched his phone closer and scowled.

"I never thought you'd be a Swiftie?" Tenten teased lightly. "I mean, Lee makes sense- he's so romantic, but Neji Hyuuga?? I'm shocked."

Neji's expression was petulant. He looked like a toddler who'd just been told they had to go to bed.

"This is completely off-topic," he gritted out, jaw clenched in anger.

"Oh sure," Tenten smirked, "I didn't mean to get you all flustered, "let's get back to rape and incest clauses."

Tenten felt a little guilty but focused on her amusement instead. She loved watching the serious, perpetually scowling football player, knowing he listened to Taylor Swift's Fearless album in his personal time. She was beginning to think Neji Hyuuga might have a bit of a sappy side.

"Chouji asked me to homecoming," Sasha told her roommate as she settled into their dorm after returning from the library.

Tenten smiled at the shy smile on Sasha's face. It was funny to see her smitten by this husky freshman.

"Awwww, that's awesome!" She gushed, changing out of her dirty uniform to something more cozy.

"I want you to come, though! It'll be so much more fun if you're there," Sasha said, "I was thinking- you could bring your friend and her brother if you wanted to…."

"It's only for students and dates." Ten argued back lightly.

"So find them dates who are students! You could bring her brother and find your friend a guy who will buy her a ticket."

Students were each allowed to buy two tickets. The tickets were pricy, but all proceeds went to a charity chosen by the senior class. If she bought two tickets, she could give Temari's little brother one, so he could get in. She'd just need someone to bring Temari.

"Actually," Sasha mused, "Chouji has a friend who might not have a date yet. I could ask him to do it? He seems cute, and I know he's like super smart."

"Yeah, that would work. I mean, she doesn't need to love the guy; she just needs a ticket." Tenten shrugged.

"Yay!!" Sasha exclaimed excitedly. "I'll text Chouji to ask if Shikamaru has a date yet."

AN: Please let me know what you think :)

Im struggling with the story description, so ignore that if you see it change 12 times... or tell me what you think!

This chapter is a bit shorter because there's a lot going on around homecoming. The next will likely be long.