Chapter 10
Sasuke Uchiha
“Bullshit,” Karin exclaimed. “You. On the football team?”
“Trying out for the football team,” Suigetsu responded, hands behind his head. The group were walking through the now empty hallways. Lunch had just finished, and all the students were in whichever club they were interested in joining. Instead of picking a club to join, the gang decided to use their free periods to hangout until school ended.
“Bullshit, with your scrawny ass,” Karin roasted. “You’re not built like Kiba or better yet, Choji! Not to mention, football?! When did you get passionate about sports?”
“My old man forced me all right,” Suigetsu responded. “He was like ‘oh, high school is an important time for you, you need to join football, I almost went pro, blah blah blah’ and so, he talked with the coach and now I’m trying out.”
“You’re shitting me,” Karin said.
“I’m not. Plus, so what if I’m into sports. To be honest I think I would be pretty good at it,” Suigetus smiled. “I’ll probably make it on the team too.”
“Maybe something like basketball,” Jugo chimed in. “Or swimming. But definitely not football.”
“Jugo is a better fit for football!” Karin turned to Jugo. “Why don’t you try out for football?”
“I don’t know anything about the sport, nor do I care,” Jugo responded, never looking away from his magazine. He was reading the same magazine he got yesterday while hanging out with Sakura.
The same day Sasuke’s uncle returned.
“Well, maybe not, but it would be cool if you made it on the team and Suigetsu didn’t,” Karin suggested.
Jugo finally looked away from his magazine. “Hmm… I think I like that,” he said.
“Its settled. Jugo is trying out for football. And we,” Karin nudged at Sasuke, “are going to watch them.”
Sasuke wasn’t paying attention. His mind was too busy somewhere else.
He’s back. He kept thinking. He’s back. And he wants me to make a speech. For him. After all that he’s done-
“Sasuke,” Karin said. “Are you listening? Suigetsu is joining the football team.”
Sasuke brought his mind back too school. “Oh yeah,” Sasuke said. “With your scrawny ass?”
“I LITERALLY said the same thing!”
Suigetsu sighed. “Whatever. But when I get on the team and become one of the popular kids, don’t be surprised if I never talk to you guys again.”
“I’m confused, Suigetsu. You said you were getting on the team when clearly it’ll be Jugo,” said Karin.
“Yeah, I was confused myself,” Jugo said, eyes still glued to the magazine.
“You’re always confused,” Sasuke chimed.
“What’s that supposed to mean,” Jugo responded.
“Oh, by the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you this,” Suigetsu said. He then stopped in his tracks. The whole group followed suit. “Sasuke…” he started. “Did you end up getting that girl’s number from yesterday?”
“Wha- I- No, I don’t eve- I’m not into-“ Sasuke stuttered, trying to find the right words. “No.”
“Oh, that girl was pretty,” Karin said. “AND she followed us through the entire city? She has got be somewhat into you. How could you screw that up, Sasuke?”
“She was following us because she needed my phone to call her parents, firstly. And second, I’m not into Sakura, so why do you keep bringing her up!”
“But, since you didn’t get her number,” Suigetsu pondered, ignoring Sasuke. “…That means we’re going to have to find her and have you ask her out in person!”
“Oh, now that’s a whole lot more interesting than just walking around aimlessly for an hour,” Karin said. “You guys in?”
“Absolutely not,” Sasuke scolded.
“Absolutely,” said the rest of the group.
Sasuke was shocked that they would do such a thing to him. They really want to force me to ask someone out.
“Well, jokes on you, how are you supposed to find her,” Sasuke asked. “This is a pretty big school and there are a lot of clubs. So, let’s just forge-“
“She had detention because she fought someone, right,” asked Suigetsu. “Do any of you guys see who the girl she fought was?”
Everybody shook their head. Suigetsu smiled. “Well, I did. And I think that’s her over there.”
He pointed at a girl inside a classroom. She had light blonde hair that was tied into a ponytail. A part of her hair came down the side of her face, almost covering her right eye. Though Sasuke was at first unsure if that was the girl or not, the bruise on her chin that was badly covered up by makeup confirmed it.
Dammit, he thought. I really have the worst luck.
The rest of the gang rushed into the classroom. Sasuke reluctantly followed.
The girl was talking to a boy dressed in all black. He was drawing on his sketchpad and though she was talking to him, the boy took no interest in her. He was completely invested into drawing.
“No like really, I’m not that kind of girl. You know, I’m unique and shit. I don’t like mainstream music. Uh…I’m like such an introvert. I don’t even socialize. And gosh, drawing? Don’t get me started. My favorite drawers are-,”
“Excuse me, ma’am,” Suigetsu said, interrupting the girl’s tangent. She stopped, turned to him, and slowly examined him from bottom to top with her pale green eyes.
“Oh gosh, has this bruise really made me that unappealing? This is who I’m approached by,” she finally said.
“Well, no ma’am, you are indeed very appealing, bruise or not,” Suigetsu responded.
“No shit. I know that. Just can’t believe that from every guy here, YOU are the first to approach me. I mean, damn, at least fucking Shino.”
“I am sad that no one has approached you, but I do have some good news,” Suigetsu said. “I am not ‘approaching’ you.”
“Then what do you want,” the girl asked.
“Well, my friend here is looking for someone, and we believe you might know where that someone is. You see-“
“We know you got your shit rocked by Sakura yesterday and wanted to see if you know where she is,” Karin interrupted.
“Karin!” Suigetsu snapped. He turned back to the girl. “But, yeah, essentially what she said.”
“Why,” the girl asked, trying to look unfazed but clearly angry.
“Our buddy Sasuke had detention with her and didn’t get her number,” Suigetsu responded.
“Like a bitch,” Karin said.
“…Sasuke,” the girl asked. “Nephew to the president of this country?”
Don’t fucking remind me, he thought.
The girl paused, her face looking as if she were debating with her thoughts. She was considering something.
“…president nephew or not, he’s still a bum,” she murmured after some time. “Ok,” she said. “My best guess is that she’s at the fencing club.”
“Why would she be at the fencing club,” Suigetsu asked.
“Probably because she thinks she still has a chance with the most popular kid at school,” she responded. “Pretty silly if you ask me. No guy that popular would go for a girl with a five head.”
The whole gang turned to Sasuke, each having a sad look on their faces. Suigetsu reached his hand out and grabbed Sasuke’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry…. It seems she has fallen for someone else,” he said with great agony.
THANK. GOD, Sasuke yelled in his head. “Oh well, guess we’re just going to ha-,”
“Don’t give up yet,” Jugo interrupted. “As you know, I have lived a long time on this world.”
“You’re only like a year older than us-,” Sasuke started.
“And during that time, I have had my fair share of experiences with women,” Jugo continued. “From those experiences, I have learned this: don’t assume she isn’t into you until you ask, for unless you have a telepathy quirk, you will never know.”
“Wow…” Suigetsu said. “That’s deep. But, right now, she’s with Neji, so to ask would be kind of weird when she’s talking to someone she’s into.”
“I agree, which is why we’re very lucky that she isn’t with Neji,” Jugo responded.
“What do you mean,” Karin said. “This girl just said she’s at the fencing club trying to seduce Neji.”
“I think she might be over there instead,” Jugo said, pointing outside.
The whole crew turned around. Outside the window, seated at the pond, was a girl in all white, fencing gear. She was slumped forward, hands on her head, and helmet on the floor. The crew all rushed outside to meet her. Sasuke followed reluctantly, completely dreading what was about to happen.
They all ran to her and surrounded her like a pack of wolves. Sakura wasn’t paying attention, her head still down, so when it came up, she was very reasonably startled.
“H-Hello…” she said with a very nervous and confused look. “Thanks for the help yesterday with my parents. Uhm….” She scratched her head, her face becoming very red.
“Seeee,” Karin whispered to Sasuke. “She’s into you. Now, tell her you like her.”
Sasuke could tell that she wasn’t blushing because he was there. There was something off about her. For one thing, she was wearing fencing gear and was sitting alone all by herself.
But, why am I the only person smart enough to see that, he thought, frustrated.
“Hey Sakura,” Suigetsu started.
Oh god no. It’s happening.
“My friend Sasuke here wanted to talk to you. Alone, I assume.”
He didn’t know which was better. To have his friends watch him embarrass himself trying to explain why he wasn’t into Sakura or to do it alone.
The group slowly backed away from the two of them. Regardless whichever Sasuke thought was worse, he was going to have to talk to her alone. He watched with helpless eyes as the group left the two of them and walked back into the school.
Ok, it’s happened, he thought, the panic slowly rising within him. Crap, what should I do? What should I do?
“So, what did you want to talk to me about,” the girl asked. Her voice was off. It sounded tired, like she didn’t want to talk to anyone right now.
Not my concern, he thought. But I could use this. If she doesn’t want to talk, then we don’t have too.
“Oh, nothing,” he started. “My uh friends, they’re just weird. I-I’m sorry if t-they bothered you. You look like you uh d-don’t w-want to talk r-right now, s-so I’ll j-just-.”
“No, it’s ok,” she responded. “You guys aren’t bothering me at all. Just had a rough day is all.”
They stood in silence for a couple seconds.
Fuck, he thought. If I ask, I am stuck in this situation longer, but if I don’t, I’m going to look rude.
The seconds turned into a minute.
“W-Why was y- w-what happened,” was all he could manage to say.
“Long story,” Sakura said, sounding more tired than ever.
Sasuke turned to the group. His friends’ eyes were glued onto them, not even being remotely inconspicuous.
Oh boy, he’s confessing his feelings for her is what they were probably thinking.
He looked back at the girl, clearly tired from a rough day.
“It’s been a long day for me too,” he sighed. Seeing her reminded him of his uncle at home, waiting for him, and how it felt to go to school knowing that. “These past two days have rough, huh?”
“Extremely,” she chuckled. “I got into a fight the first day, and now look at me. In this hot weather, wearing fencing uniform.”
“Does that have to do with that long story of yours,” he asked.
“It is the reason why my story is so long,” she responded, smiling.
“What is your story,” Sasuke asked.
Sakura’s face got super red. “A long one, ok,” she said, clearly embarrassed.
“That’s cool,” he responded, accepting she didn’t want to tell him what’s wrong. “Look, my friends over there are going to watch Suigetsu try out in football. Wanna join?”
“The kid with the white hair,” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Isn’t he a little scrawny to be playing football?”
“We all said the exact same thing,” he said, almost showing a smile.