The Ardor of Every Day

21.

Naruto got dropped off at the school by his dad. It was almost emotional, it being his last year and all. His school let students wear their uniforms in any manner, as long as there weren't any out-of-uniform items. Naruto had the short sleeve shirt untucked over his pants, which hung low on his waist because of how ill-fitted they were.  He'd done a sloppy job with the tie as well. His tie hovered quite low as he kept the first two buttons unbuttoned. With his backpack on one shoulder, he walked through the gate towards the singular building in front of him. He quickly brought out his phone, texting Sasuke to see if he had reached yet. He wanted him to be as comfortable as possible on his first day in a completely new environment.

Naruto: Good morning, have you reached yet? Which class did you get assigned to?

He removed his outdoor shoes, put them in the locker and wore his school shoes. Still waiting for the reply, he made his way to class. His class was already bustling with noises. Friend groups had organized themselves in various sections of the classroom. Conversing about what they did in the summer or how they felt about school starting again. His friends were also there. Although not all of them were a part of his class, they had gathered there before homeroom started. Naruto put his bag down at an available seat and joined them.

"Hi Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed upon seeing him. Everyone else looked in his direction.

"Hey guys." He gave them a big smile.

"We were just talking about what else we did during summer. What about you?" She asked.

All the time he spent together with Sasuke sped through his brain in a flash.

"Nothing really, just work and homework." He laughed it off and nervously looked at Shikamaru.

To help him, Shikamaru steered the conversation away to another topic.

Naruto checked his phone again to see if Sasuke had replied yet. But he hadn't. He was probably busy with all the new student duties.

The bell rang. All of his friends decided to meet again at lunch like they usually would. During the first half of homeroom, all students needed to attend the assembly to welcome the students who had just enrolled in high school and also to remind everyone of the rules and whatnot. The sound from the speakers was a blur for him as he scanned the room for Sasuke, amongst over a hundred other students. The assembly wasn't too serious, it was more like an opening ceremony. People around him constantly engaged in quiet conversations and giggles. They had to line up according to height, so he decided to check the other rows a bit behind him, and then he found him. Sasuke was properly dressed, pants fitted perfectly with the shirt tucked in and the blazer on top. Only the top button was open, and the tie was perfect, just a couple of inches away from his neck. His hair was still the usual, and his face, disinterested. He followed the row to check which class he was in. He saw Shikamaru standing just a couple of spots in front of him. Was Sasuke smart? Naruto never thought that he wasn't intelligent, but he didn't expect him to be in class one. Naruto was in class three with Lee. He smiled to himself and switched his attention to the stage. On the way back to class he tried to get a hold of Sasuke in the chaos, but he was nowhere to be found. The only time he'd be able to see him now was during lunch.

Sasuke was pulled out of the row along with Shikamaru right after the assembly ended. As Shikamaru was the class president and was also the brightest in their class, he was handed the responsibility to show Sasuke around for the next twenty minutes of homeroom. This made Sasuke utterly anxious. It was his first day, and the first thing he had to do was spend time with Naruto's best friend, alone.

"Let's go." Shikamaru said, leading the way. Hands in his pockets.

Sasuke followed right behind him. They started walking away from the common area which was in front of the school building, where the assembly was held.