It wasn't bad. In fact, it was way better than it had been before. It was just, like Hinata had predicted, she couldn't get herself to ask him again.
Naruto would stroll in class, late and boisterous as ever. Iruka-sensei would reprimand him, having him sit in front so he could keep an eye on him. Then, just as he was doing one of his many antics, he would cross eyes with her and… smile and wave.
At first the rest of the class only rolled their eyes, not paying attention or thinking Naruto was in over his head again, but then Hinata also waved back… and everyone frowned, and looked at her as if she was crazy.
Needless to say they started avoiding her too after a week had come and gone of this, though for Hinata there wasn't much change. They never paid attention to her in the first place, so being alone didn't hurt her.
Although she wanted to ask Naruto to hang out with her, every time she tried she just couldn't find the courage. Sometimes he would approach her first, but she could still not ask because he always talked her ear off, and she would only be able to nod and blush and concentrate in breathing, in and out, steadily and slowly. One time he invited her to lunch, and she accepted and actually managed to go through the whole process without fainting… but it was just once and Naruto didn't look like he would make it his routine to hang out with her every day.
He never gave up on trying to fit in with the rest. Especially obvious was his seeking attention of Haruno Sakura, the pink-haired girl with the red bow and, on Hinata's humble opinion, the prettiest girl in class. But she always rejected him, sometimes even cruelly, and Hinata could not understand why she had to be so mean when Naruto only wanted to be her friend.
It was during that one lunch Naruto had finally revealed who was the only other person he had shared a bento with. He had been small and playing by the sandbox all alone when Sakura, not knowing who he was, approached him. She was very shy during that time, so she didn't have friends then either. The two played and then she shared the lunch her mother gave her with him, until Sakura's mother came looking for her daughter and immediately pulled her away from him.
"After that she never treated me the same. At first she would look away when she was with Ino-chan and the others, but then, she started to be less shy and more confident, and to treat me like everyone else… but I can't forget that time. She was the first one… the first one to play with me and share her lunch. And she was so pretty…" Naruto narrated, his eyes glazed over and a rose tint on his face.
Hinata had not fallen in love with Naruto until the day of her enrolment in the academy, one snowy evening when he stood up to her bullies and defended her, despite them being more in number and age. But Naruto had fallen for Sakura in spring, long before she ever met him, and her show of kindness towards him had drawn his heart towards her the same way his bravery and confidence had drawn hers.
Hinata was depressed. Not only because her young heart had been figuratively shattered, but also because, as she sat down under the shade of a tree now that the weather was getting warmer, she saw Sakura, the same Sakura whom Naruto liked, pushing him away from her calling him disgusting, just before turning around and behaving all shy and cutesy with Sasuke.
That's right. Like almost every girl in class and the academy even, Sakura had a crush on Sasuke. And just like with every girl, he ignored her.
She sighed, playing around with her food, suddenly not hungry. She wondered why Sasuke didn't hid like he always did when lunch time came, though it could also be that he didn't manage to do so in time before Ino and Sakura caught him. It had happened before. However, she now wished he would just disappear so Sakura wouldn't have another option but talk to Naruto.
She quickly shook her head, astounded and horrified by her own thoughts. Even if Sasuke disappeared, it didn't mean Sakura would be nicer to Naruto. And wishing for someone else to be gone… that was so cruel of her. Sasuke had done nothing to her. True, he was still callous and dismissive, but he wasn't mean. He just never… talked to her.
Hinata hung her head, closing the lid of her bento and standing up. Her father continued to give her bentos for him, but she noticed the time was growing farther apart each time. Maybe he finally realized she was making no progress with Sasuke at all? That thought relieved her, but at the same time it pained her. Another disappointment, must be what Hiashi was thinking. Not even to make friends was she good enough.
She walked despondently back to class, even though there was still plenty of time before the bell rung, but she suddenly felt something weird. She blinked, turning around back to the playground where everyone else was, but noticed nothing out of place. Weirded out, she walked again, only seconds later feeling it again, but when she turned, it was the same as before.
Hinata frowned. Nobody was staring at her, so why did she feel as if that was the case?