Time-Twisted Melody (Boruto - Twinkling Watermelon AU)

Chapter 14

Sakura POV

The hallway was buzzing with the usual morning chatter, but I barely noticed. My mind was lost somewhere between the classes I needed to attend and the tangled web of thoughts about everything but school. Beside me, Ino was practically glowing as she walked, her voice animated and light as she went on about the latest news in her life.

"So, guess what, Sakura?" Ino's voice was brimming with excitement. "I've got a boyfriend!"

I blinked, snapping back to the present. "Oh? Who's the lucky guy this time?" I asked, feigning a casual interest. I already knew Ino too well; there was always someone new.

"His name is Sai, and he's from Konoha ANBU private school. You know, the one that's impossible to get into unless your parents are crazy rich or you're some kind of genius." She said this with the kind of pride you'd expect from someone who just landed a celebrity.

"Sai?" I echoed, trying to place the name. It didn't ring any bells, but Ino had a way of making anyone sound like the catch of the century. "And how did you manage that?"

She laughed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Well, we met at this art exhibit my dad dragged me to. It was so boring until I saw him. And then we started talking, and before I knew it—bam! He asked me out."

I smiled, more out of habit than genuine enthusiasm. Ino had always been the type to jump headfirst into relationships, her heart always leading the way. "Sounds like he's really into you."

"Oh, he is!" she said, her eyes shining. "He even gave me tickets to this concert his school is hosting. It's going to be amazing! And you know what?" She suddenly stopped walking and turned to face me, her eyes alight with a mischievous gleam. "He gave me extra tickets. You should totally come with me!"

I opened my mouth to decline, but before I could say anything, she was already rummaging through her bag. "Here, take them." She handed me two tickets with a grin that said she was already planning something. "Maybe you could invite Sasuke?"

I froze, staring at the tickets in my hand. The glossy paper felt heavy, almost too heavy to hold.

Sasuke.

His name alone was enough to send a dull ache through my chest. My mind flashed back to earlier, to the scowl he had given me when I tried to talk to him. That look of disdain, like I was nothing more than a nuisance. It stung more than I wanted to admit.

Ino was still talking, oblivious to the storm brewing inside me. "I mean, who knows? Maybe a concert is exactly what you need to loosen up a bit. You've been so tense lately, Sakura."

But I wasn't listening. My eyes were fixed on the tickets, but my thoughts were a million miles away. All I wanted was to make Naruto give up, to show him that his childish crush on me was nothing more than a fleeting fancy. I didn't mean for Sasuke to get caught up in it. I didn't want him to think less of me, though I was sure he already did.

I sighed. The truth was, I was fooling myself. Sasuke was unreachable, a distant star I could never hope to touch. And yet, here I was, heart aching for someone who would never feel the same. I guess in that way, Naruto and I were more alike than I cared to admit. Both of us chase after impossible dreams, blind to the harsh reality staring at us in the face.

"Ino," I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper, "I don't think..."

I was just about to turn Ino down, the words forming on my lips when something caught my eye. At the end of the hallway, moving quietly through the throng of students, was Hinata. Her head was slightly bowed, her dark hair falling over her face like a curtain.