Good Boy Meets Bad Boy

Good Boy Meets Bad Boy



--
Chapter 14

Drugs Are the Best Medicine

[Sakura’s POV]

There’s a bunch of loud yelling coming from a few aisles over, most of them being recognized from Naruto and Kiba. Those morons, I swear. As I bring up my hands to begin a soothing massage to my temples does Ino open her mouth against the raucous noise.

“What the hell is going on over there?” Perturbed she crosses her arms over her bosom.

Chouji, looking like he was giving Ino’s question much given thought he comes up with this answer: “Sounds like that new kid Sasuke’s getting molested by Kiba.”

He’s startled when Ino and I are quick to jump at him, “DON’T SAY THAT!” We both yell in unison.

“I’m free tonight,” Shino interrupts, grabbing all our attention once more to the point of this study period. He’s not really looking at us, but instead over his half-rimmed glasses and at a book on entomology that was obviously way more interesting than this project. Still he talks to us over the pages, “I made sure to clear it ahead of time with my father.”

“Yea, and I don’t have to work tonight,” Chouji chimes in and opens a new bag of snacks to munch on in his boredom.

Ino sits back in her chair and brushes back the long ponytail of hair over her shoulder and states, “I’m also free tonight.” Blue eyes suddenly pass over to mine and I blink, not expecting her to be looking at me so intently. “Sakura…? Are you free?” She asks and I look away abruptly from her deep gaze, trying to fight a blush off my face and indignantly reply.

“Nope, I have a date tonight,” I say with much firmness and withdraw a notebook from my bag. “So we’d better get as much work done as we can before the period ends.”

I look back up to the blonde when I feel her boring a hole in my head. Her gaze was so intense I thought it might be in my best interest to invest in some medieval armor.

“What?” I ask her irritably.

“You have a date?” She sounds unsure of herself and untrusting, giving me this hard stare as if I was yanking her chain.

“Yes,” I grit, trying not to lose face.

Ino sits back briskly and there is a sudden cold aura that drops over our table, “Oh, whatever. It’s not like I care,” and I bite the inside of my lip apprehensively when her words reach my ears.

For some reason that wasn’t the reaction I wanted. Her words burned, but I couldn’t really expect her feelings to be anything otherwise. I hurt her.

Damn Naruto.

“Does Naruto know about this one?” Ino asks, sounding rather remote. I look up at her and she’s not returning the gaze, but instead distantly staring out the window on the far end of the library.

I’m not sure why I was so hesitant in answering, but I guess the emotionless expression on Ino’s face was a good sign. That meant she was trying her damnedest to obscure her feelings of the matter. My feelings for Ino never disappeared, but were merely harbored for her safety.

I didn’t want to take the risk of Naruto hurting her if I were to go behind his back.

But as of late my feelings have been…well, branching out, if you will. I was starting to develop similar feelings for Hinata, Neji’s younger cousin as of late, but I felt so guilty in reaching out to her because of Ino.

Ino stopped showing any signs of romantic emotions towards anyone until Sasuke came along.

She was waiting… no, hoping I would come back.

I suppose I wasn’t worried about Naruto intervening with this possible relationship with Hinata because one, she’s NOT Ino and two she’s Neji’s cousin. The only reason that bastard separated Ino and I to begin with was because he hated her. Despite being her brother, Ino was taken away from him and was truly loved and cared for, whereas even when my mother married his father after the divorce he was still left in the darkness; abandoned and unloved.

Finally Ino’s mask was beginning to break, I noticed as I eyed her hard. Her lips twitched in a downward grimace, frowning as her gaze narrows hard in concentration. She was obviously having some inner debate with herself while I reminisced about our past.

Shino and Chouji pretty much got the hint that once again we wouldn’t be doing anything tonight and that was my fault this time.

My lips fumble against one another as I prepare to say something to Ino, but have a hard time with the words that needed to come out. “Um, I’ll – Ino… I’ll,” and the blonde turns to me when addressed, coming out of the slump in her hand to give me a curious blink, “I’ll… cancel my date tonight.” I finally blurt with a hard kick in the ass by my inner self.

There’s a flash of light in Ino’s eyes in surprise and her lips barely, just barely twitch upwards in a smile, “Well then, who’s house are we going to tonight?” She asks the table.

“My mom said,” Chouji speaks up with a handful of chips, “she’ll cook a big dinner for us all if we came over, so why don’t we go to my house tonight?”

“All right, Akimichi-san!” I cheer with a pump of my fist for Chouji’s mother, who apparently had excellent cooking from what I’ve heard.

“Oh, and… I know it’s none of my business,” the tubby kid interjects again with a very wary look on his face suggesting impending doom at any moment, “but could you guys please try to get along tonight?” He’s asking both Ino and I and I have to say I’m a little embarrassed, but don’t speak out against him in reprisal.

Instead I pass a little side glance to Ino and she returns the look and then replies to Chouji, “No problem, as long as forehead girl can remember to keep it down too.”

I’m about to get mad until I catch her passing me a wink like she always used to do when she was messing with me.

My shoulders drop in a sudden depression, yet at the same time I was happy.

Maybe… just maybe one day. I can come back to you…

Looking away I cross my arms over the table and slouch forward. Releasing a sigh, I decided I wasn’t really looking forward to canceling my date with Hinata. I’m so glad she’s an understanding kind of person.

The bell rings and I feel myself slide lower and groan. I wasn’t looking forward to the rest of the day.

--

[Naruto’s POV]

Kiba and I are sporting wounds of our vicious battle when he sits up abruptly at the sound of the class bell and chirps, “Right, I’ll call my mom during lunch to make sure it’s okay to have ya guys over.”

Sasuke gets this look of disbelief and confusion on his face and eyes Kiba rather sternly, but dog boy just grins at him reassuringly.

“Well,” Sasuke begins, “what do we do if Kiba can’t have anyone over?”

Oh what the hell, he’s looking at ME for an answer. I give him a lame shrug to go with my just as lame answer, “I don’t fucking know, nor do I care.”

Sasuke just gives me this scowl suggesting I was being unfair and I brush him off easily.

“Do what you want, but we ain’t goin’ to my house.”

Gaara doesn’t even need to say his side and Sasuke huffs, “Well we can’t go to my house tonight.”

So I huff back, “So big deal, we just won’t get together tonight,” and I put just as much emphasis on the word tonight as Sasuke did.

Giving up and finally taking heed of my words Sasuke just shakes his head dejectedly and gathers his things, “Well I’ll let my folks know what’s going on for tomorrow so we can go there.”

“Whatever,” and I shrug again.

Something that Sasuke suddenly says to me before leaving the library halts me in my footsteps and causes me to blink.

“See ya at lunch.”

Whoa.

“See ya, Sasu-chan!” Kiba exuberantly waves at his leave and Gaara nudges my shoulder to let me know his leaving, but I don’t respond and he instead drags dog boy out with him.

…did Sasuke just say he’d see me at lunch? Since when does Sasuke say or act like he’s looking forward to seeing me later? Or rather it was a matter of statement to all of us, but still. That didn’t make it any less confusing.

Gathering my bearings and huffing some colorful words under my breath I made the ultimate opt out and decided not to go to Iruka OR Anko’s class. I had nothing against Iruka I just didn’t feel like going. Anko on the other hand… That crazy bitch was going to be in a bad mood again and I didn’t feel like putting up with her shit… Or Sai’s, or Kiba’s.

…Fuck that, I’d rather spend the day with Sasuke again.
Whoawhatthehell?!

Did I just say I’d rather spend the day with SASUKE?! Okay, there’s something seriously wrong with me, and I mean seriously. Mental.

The lack of sleep has got me thinking crazies.

Yea… crazies.


A paper cup drops into the slot as a dispenser begins pouring out the juice I selected. I lean forward against the vending machine, lips jutting the cigarette out in boredom as I wait for the cup to be filled.

Once the buzzing of the juice dispenser stops I reach inward and retrieve my cup, prying the cancer stick out and taking a glorious, refreshing drink. After a few gulps I crush the paper cup in my hand and carelessly toss it over my shoulder, replacing the cigarette between my lips once more. Taking a healthy breath around the stick I pause and exhale a line of smoke and mutter, “Boooored.”

I suddenly wondered if maybe I should have attending second period. At least I might’ve found some entertainment. I turn and haphazardly kick the crushed cup far from my feet with feign gusto and then shove my hands angrily into my pockets.

Scratching my head I puff pensively around my cigarette again look up into the school windows, squinting to see if I could see anyone I recognized. And surprise, surprise: there goes Sasuke walking by the window now.

Said brunette pauses suddenly, though he was several hundred feet from me and on the second floor for that matter, he acted as though he sensed eyes on him and turns to the window. Looking down dark eyes meet me gaze and I blink once, then lift my hand at him in a still wave.

Sasuke stares at me strangely, then smirks slightly and returns the wave.

Suddenly I make a beckoning gesture to him and he just gives me this stupid look in response as if to ask how the hell he was going to get outside in the middle of class.

Shrugging, I wave him off in a “forget about it” manner and resume my hands in their warmth of my pockets. I figured if his sorry ass could escape class I’d at least have company, but whatever, that’s obviously not going to happen.

Sasuke wistfully shakes his head at me, waves one last time and disappears into his row.

Fuck I’m bored.

I scowl at the window one more time and turn just as my cell phone loudly goes off in my blazer pocket. Jumping in alarm I scramble around for the ringing contraption, hissing swears in discontent before retrieving said phone and angrily read over the caller ID.

It was Orochimaru.

My eyes narrow to a thunderous glare and I open the flip phone grudgingly, “I’m at school, what the hell do you want?”

There’s a nasty chuckle that even over the phone it still sends chills running cold down my back. “I know. Have you had lunch yet?”

I make a repulsive face at his insinuations, “No.” I thought about lying, but he knew it was way to early in the day for lunch period anyway. It was more of a rhetorical question.

“Good. I’ll pick you up then, Naruto-kun.”

I grit my teeth in fury, “What the hell do you really want, you bastard? And don’t talk to me like that!”

He just laughs lowly at me and I know he’s smiling devilishly over the phone, “We have a business date. Wait for me outside of the school, don’t be late.” And he hung up without another command.

I clap my phone shut and squeeze it with a death grip and I can feel the plastic begin to crack under my fingers. Damn that snake-bastard.

Heh, I guess there goes seeing Sasuke for lunch.


--

[Sasuke’s POV]

Idly my pencil taps the desk over and over as I have thankfully developed a wonderful knack at drowning out Gai-sensei’s loud idiocy. That dobe… waving for me to come outside. What the hell is he thinking? Maybe if it had been before class, but in the middle? How does he expect me to leave and not get caught?

Oh, I’m going to bathroom and then just not come back? Yea right.

I’m not worried about it, though. I mean, just because by some freak chance I happened to skip yesterday doesn’t mean this is going to be an everyday thing. Baby steps, Naruto. Baby steps.

Somehow in my muse I find myself scrawling more doodles across my should-be-note-paper. Gai-sensei’s rambling on about something about youth and kinetic energy, nothing really mind-grabbing. I look behind me briefly to see that Shikamaru feels the same as I do as he snoozes behind his propped open textbook. Turning back around there’s a slip of paper on my desk that wasn’t there two seconds ago.

Blinking I eye the paper carefully and then shift my eyes to both my sides. Lee’s totally attentive on Gai-sensei’s speech, fists clenched around his desk and pencil. To my right Ino’s got the side of her face propped up on the heel of her palm, chewing a piece of gum rather pensively, but nevertheless not really paying me mind. And lastly Shikamaru’s sleeping.

Ino must have felt my gaze on her and looks up at me queerly. I point at the folded slip of paper occupying the corner of my desk in question and she nods her head.

Sliding the paper closer to myself I’m about to open it when Ino whispers to me, “It’s not from me.”

I pause and scowl at her quizzically.

Tucking a strand of blonde behind her ear she responds, “Neji,” and nods at the note.

The note’s from Neji?

For some reason a sudden sick feeling of foreboding builds inside my stomach, but I slowly open the note anyway.

This is scrawled in neat handwriting: “Rooftop, third period. Don’t worry, I’ll have a liable excuse for our tardiness.”

My brow furrows in a deep curiosity and I squint carefully at the scrawl. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but he was obviously dead set on this enough to have already formulated a plan to get away with being late for class. And on top of that it was Neji by himself in which I haven’t had much personal contact with since the kidnapping incident and the brief lunch from yesterday.

I decided that I had studied the note long enough and instead study the clock in front of me ticking soundlessly over the teacher’s head. After a few silent moments to myself I’m pulled out of my daze by a poke in the side. Shifting I look at my blonde perpetrator.

She leans over her desk and asks me with a curious raise of her eyebrows, “So?”

In return I arch one back, “You read it?”

Ino smirks at me knowingly, “Duh.”

“How well do you know Hyuuga?” I feel the need to ask and she just lifts her hand to silence me. Blinking in confusion she retrieves the unused pencil before her and rapidly begins scrawling away on her notepaper.

Minutes later she looks up to an unaware teacher and discreetly hands the sheet to me. I guess that was a smart way to handle it.

I read over the paper to myself: “I know Neji as well as everyone else in this school does. He’s an ass, plain and simple, but he’s not like that to everyone believe it or not.”

I squint at the paper and think over her words carefully. I figured the “ass” part from just meeting him in general, but that still didn’t answer the rest of the questions I had. So I write back to her: “So who’s he nice to?” and pass the note back.

Ino takes said note and passes her eyes over the sheet, looks up to the ceiling in thought and then hunches over to write her response. She hands our written conversation back, sliding it across my desk.

“Naruto for one, and he hangs out with Gaara and Kiba. Then there’s his cousin and another girl in his fifth period Tenten. But I really haven’t seen him associate much other than that, so I really don’t know. He’s not usually an ass, but this past year he’s kinda been uptight.”

Well that’s a given. I knew Naruto, Gaara and Kiba were associated with him because they were all a part of a freakin’ gang. But him having a cousin was news.

Writing back, I return the note. “He has a cousin? Does she go here?”

Ino gets the note and immediately responds with, “Yea, her name is Hinata. She’s been hanging out with Sakura a lot lately.”

That was interesting. My pencil taps the side of my face in thought and I wondered if maybe I could ask Sakura some things concerning Neji.

I scribble something quickly on the paper and pass it back, “Is there anything else I should know about him?”

She reads over the note and then looks up at me inquisitively then stoops over to write. She slips it back to me.

"Why? Are you worried about meeting him?”

I frown tightly at the paper, angry that I was readable again and I quickly scrawl back, “Well, I just want to be prepared if he tries to kick my ass or something,” and I return it with a stealthy slide across her desk.

When Ino gets the note back she reads over it and then laughs lightly, trying to muffle it with a clap of her hand and I’m twice as angry now in mortification at her reaction. What the heck is so funny? Then again, it was probably raising some eyebrows because she doesn’t know about our incident two days ago. But still…

I blink when Ino quickly thrusts back the note across my surface. I read: “Neji’s been in a few fights before, but as far as I know he wasn’t the one starting trouble, so… Does Neji have something against you?”

I hardly know the guy, but I guess he does. Then again I couldn’t really tell Ino that. I write back to her, “I don’t know. It’s probably nothing.”

The blonde looks it over, smiles to herself and writes back, “Don’t worry. If Neji tries anything I’m sure you can kick his ass,” and she drew this little grinning face next to it.

I smirk to myself and just whisper, “Thanks,” to her rather than writing back. A little more confident now, I tried to think over and over in my head what the hell would Neji want to see me about? It just didn’t make much sense, but…

I finally just give up. I wasn’t going to know until I got there.

Looking back up at the clock I had about five minutes of class left and my heart jumped a bit at the realization I was going to meet up with Hyuuga in five. Damn.

That bastard better not start shit with me…

Maybe he found out about our project and is mad because he’s being excluded. He seemed like the type of person to get mad at something like that. I was so lost in my own muse at that point it seemed like just a few seconds ticked by before the class bell buzzed away for the end of that period. Startled, I look up and about as my classmates quickly filed out.

Ino looks me over and asks, “Are you gonna be okay? You want me to wait outside for you?”

That actually sounded like a pretty good idea, but if Neji was going to start something, I’d rather her not get involved. “Thanks, Ino, but I think I’ll be all right. I’ll see ya later,” and we part from the classroom.

I find myself idly standing in the hallway, lost in my mind again as hundreds of other students quickly pass me by to get to their next class.

I didn’t have to meet him. But the note irked me, so I was going to make myself do it anyway regardless of whether or not he had a liable excuse to pardon us for being late for class. That really didn’t matter to me. What mattered was that he wants to meet me on the school roof. He didn’t necessarily specify that he’d be alone or that I should come alone, but I could only assume otherwise.

With much inner debate with myself my feet finally scuff forward across the tile floor as I head off in the direction where I remember Kiba dragging me yesterday. That spot on the roof is where Neji SHOULD be. I’ll be mad if he’s in a different spot.

Looking up a familiar dark stairwell, I know Neji’s more than likely waiting for me beyond that door. Ascending the stairs, I take a few, solid deep breaths and throw my inexpressive mask on before opening the door. Sure enough Neji was standing there with his back to the wall of the generator to my right, arms crossed patiently across his blazer.

Light gray eyes open and look up at me in acknowledgement, “Uchiha.”

I stare the man down and my fists slowly clench defensively, but I make no sudden movements. Instead, I just return the greeting, “Hyuuga.”

--
CLIFFIE!!

Bwehehehehe, I HAD to cut it off there, lol~
plz don’t hurt me DX
Doing the part where Ino and Sasuke are passing notes soooo brought me back to high school again LOL I miss it ;A;

Happy Thanksgiving all! *-* please R & R!!