"what do you mean?"
"i mean not being able to tell you how much i loved you"
"What's going on with you and Sasuke?" Sakura asks, her tone an obvious fake. I need to know this.
"We're just really good friends," Karin responds. She adjusts the hat Sasuke's hat. "Can you believe the nerve of him? I asked him for his sunglasses, but all he would do was give me his hat. What a bad person." Sakura laughs, accompanied by the sound of a breaking heart.
Ami comes over, and plops down with them. "You guys are so obviously dating."
"No we aren't! We're just super good friends," she exclaimed.
Sakura turns to the window and pretends to yawn. Ino will be mad, she thinks dejectedly. So will Tenten. And Hinata. She ignores her own feelings on the matter and joins back in the conversation, fake laughter ringing in her ears.
When they get back to school, Sakura spills out of the bus and makes a run for Ino. She spills everything, and her heart is injected with a drug that makes her feel nothing.
"Are you okay?" Ino asks. "I'll kill both of them."
"Don't joke about that, Ino. I'm fine, why wouldn't I be? I knew it wouldn't last forever."
"Don't hold it in," her friend advises. Sakura holds it in.
The second she gets home, she grabs her phone and texts him. Why didn't you tell me? Was it that hard?
tell you what?
Karin.
oh. He doesn't elaborate.
What happened?
nothing much.
Sadness overtakes her, and she stares at her screen. I'm sorry for everything I couldn't do for you.
it's my fault, not yours. you shouldn't be apologizing.
I couldn't make you stay.
He doesn't respond again, and she types out everything.
I really love you, so I'll support any decision you make, whether it includes me in your life or not. It's you Sasuke, not about me. It takes him five minutes to respond.
i don't know how to respond to that.
Then don't respond. He doesn't, and she turns off her screen, dejected. Thank god there's only one more day of school before spring break.
She's dazed throughout the last day. They don't make eye contact, and every time one of their old inside jokes pops up, she does her best to ignore it.
People don't understand how much he's been integrated into my life. He was everything, she thinks, and now he's nothing.
Quickly grabbing her phone, she changes his contact name to Everything, Nothing. She sets it down, her heart growing heavy, again.
The entire spring break is spent with friends, reading, or drawing. No crying. That isn't allowed. If she cries, she'll know she'll break into little pieces.
Spring break ends, and school starts again.
Every time she sees Sasuke in the hallways they do their best to avoid each other. Taking the long ways, waiting a few extra minutes just so they won't have to run into each other. Things have changed for Sakura.
