Hey.
yo
Wyd?
nothing
Oh.
Did you get our homework?
How was the movie last night?
What'd you do over the weekend?
She turns off her phone, realizing he wouldn't respond anytime soon, and makes her way to her desk, pulling out her homework and preparing herself for the worst. I hate homework.
Her phone dings, and she's on it immediately, blocking out all negative thoughts-- you're obsessed with him. he doesn't love you back the way you love him-- and just ignores it. She turns her phone on.
fale.
What does that mean? she types back. It takes him almost five minutes to respond.
oh sorry, wrong chat
Her heart is heavy as she turns off her phone. It'll be okay. Just a typo.
A typo meant for who?
For a friend, she tells herself. Calm down. She's left staring at her screen. Her eyes start to sting, and she blinks. When she opens her eyes again, there's another message on the screen.
gtg.
Her fingers fly across the keyboard, eager to respond; to get a response. Ttyl?
Maybe not. I'm really busy.
She decides not to respond and turns off her phone, placing it back on the charger. Her heart heavy, she turns back to her desk, picking up her pencil. Right now, even math sounds better than waiting for a reply.
Maybe if I talk to him in real life it will be better? She'll try, she vows. She lays her head onto her pillow, the dull thud deaf to her ears as she falls asleep.
Tomorrow comes, and in orchestra she tries to talk to him. He laughs and responds and looks at her and smiles just like always and she knows it'll be fine. It will always be fine. At lunch, there's an assembly going on so their tables are converged and she decides to sit nearby him. She smiles, she laughs, she talks. He grins, and responds.
Lunch is over, and Sasuke smiles. "Bye," he says.
"See you," she responds. "Don't be stupid."
He snorts, and then makes his way to gym. She's left staring at his back. Field trip tomorrow, she thinks. I hope I'm in his group.
The next morning she's tired but optimistic. The day before they had announced the field trip groups, and she was indeed with Sasuke. Thank god. They line up in their rows, but something is wrong with him today. She talks, smiles, laughs. He looks at her and looks away. She tries, and the same thing (over and over) happens (again and again).
Then Karin comes over, and Sasuke lights up. "Hi, Sasuke-kun. Sucks that we aren't in the same group, huh?"
"Yeah," he replies. He's smiling, and adjusts the cap on his head. "Yeah."
"Who's in your group?" She beams at Sakura, who's a way behind Sasuke. Sakura politely smiles back.
"Kiba, Neji, a couple other people. What about your group?" He fiddles with the straps of his backpack and adjusts his hat again. Why didn't he mention me? Sakura asks herself. What about me?
"Oh, you have a good group. Mine's so boring." She takes a step closer to Sasuke. "I wish you were in my group."
Sasuke grins. "Me too."
Sakura walks away. Just a misunderstanding. They've always been friends; it's okay. She hunts the room for Ino.
It'll be fine.
They get on the bus, and for some reason it's organized so that Sasuke and Sakura aren't on the same bus. Karin and Sakura are though, and they sit together.
"Is there something you aren't telling me?" Sakura asks teasingly, waggling her eyebrows. Are you taking my boyfriend away from me? Her heart is hurting and she can't breathe but somehow she's making it through with a smile on her face.
"About?" She blushes. "Oh, me and Sasuke-kun?" She fiddles around with her purse strap. "Nothing major. We're just friends."
Ami, one of Karin's friends comes around and sits with them. The conversation gets off topic and Sakura goes with it, annoyed. By the time they get to the science center though, her anger's dissipated and she thinks it was all just a misunderstanding. I'll confront him later, she decides.
"Wow! I haven't been here in so long," she exclaims as she stretches. All thoughts of Sasuke are banished by the bright sunlight, and Sakura's pink hair flops in front of her face.
"I know, right," Karin adds. They giggle, stretching everywhere and poking each other.
Then Sasuke comes into sight, and Karin pulls Ami over. "You're going to go over there with me just because we can," she says.
"What do you-- oh. Okay." They go over to where Sasuke and Sai are and begin to tease each other. Sakura is left to watch. She hears Ino shout her name, and turns around. Just a misunderstanding.
"Hi!!"
"Hey!" The joy in her voice is fake. I'm scared. It's just a misunderstanding.
They walk the center, arm in arm. "Aren't you excited?!" Ino asks.
Sakura nods. "Yeah."
"what i regret?"
"yeah."
"not being bold enough to say what i thought."
Most of the day passes uneventfully. Then lunch arrives. Sakura purposely walks past Sasuke just to listen to what they're saying, and what she hears only fuels her sadness.
"Let's go get sandwiches, Sasuke-kun!"
"Whatever you'd like," he says. You're smiling, Sasuke. Smiling. And it's not for me. She watches them walk around the food court, with Karin pointing to everything and reading the signs outloud.
Then they stop in front of where Sakura is, and Karin decides that she must eat there. Sakura is filled with hate, but quickly shoves it away. A misunderstanding, hopefully. She purchases her sandwich, and walks past Sasuke.
His eyes don't stray from Karin. She walks back to Ino, who's holding her sandwich. "What's up?"
"The sky." Nothing. Everything is crashing down around me.
Their entire group takes a walk around the park, and Sasuke and Karin walk together with Ami at their side. Then some other person from their friend group calls for Ami, and Karin grabs her arm, her face red. She obviously doesn't want to be left alone with Sasuke, but Ami grins and flashes a peace sign. Then the two are left alone, and Sakura is watching them, her heart shattering.
She can't hear what they're saying, but you don't need to be able to read lips or understand sign language to get that letting a girl wear your favorite hat is a sign of something that's a bit more than friendship.
Sakura turns away.
