Sakura Haruno High School - It's HIGH SCHOOL!

Chapter 2 - Boys will be Boys

High school hallways were a perfect example of panic, drama, and social cliques. Even as passing time between classes was a brief 7 minutes, and it was still the first day of school, the bystanders in the hallway already seemed to have measly teenage drama to mull over. She noticed the looks she was receiving as she walked the halls with Naruto linked at her side, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. The day had just started and she was already finding that she liked it in Konoha.

Turning her attention up to the taller blonde at her side, she struck up conversation. "Have you lived in Konoha your whole life, Naruto?"

"Yeah! My parents actually went to high school here," he began to explain with a smile as it seemed to never leave his bright features. "That's how they met. They loved it here so much that they didn't want to leave. I like it here a lot too! There's so much to do in town. I'll have to take you downtown sometime and show you around!" He paused as he realized what he was implying as a flush appeared across his cheeks, "I mean only if you want to, Sakura-chan!"

She let out a small laugh at his chatter and brief embarrassment as she gave a short nod, "Sure, Naruto. That would be great."

The blonde's smile only seemed to grow as the finally reached their classroom. Noticing that Ino had already arrived and selected a group of seats at the back of the room, Sakura and her escort followed her joining gesture.

"Grab a seat, guys," Ino told them as she sat in the last row, signaling to all of the empty ones around her. "Shino should be here soon, so save him one as well."

Sakura gave her a nod as she sat directly in front of Ino while Naruto sat to her left, saving the seat behind him for their missing friend. "So Sakura, what do you think of Konoha so far?" Ino asked as she leaned back in her plastic desk chair and twirled some of her bright blonde hair around her purple manicured nails.

"It's really nice here," Sakura began as she shifted slightly to face Ino. "I moved in with my mom last week so I haven't seen much yet, but I do love the weather here. Plus the schools nice from what I've seen so far. My previous high school was half the size."

"Where did you go before?" Ino asked as her curiosity spiked. Sakura could tell that Ino was a naturally nosy person. Most girls were at their age.

"Nowhere special," Sakura waved off, as it was the truth. "It was a few hours north of here. It rained all the time and was such a drag. I felt like I was trapped in my house all the time."

"Sounds like a bad hair day every day," Ino grumbled as she watched the pinkette. "Good thing you moved."

Sakura smiled at the quip as she noticed a boy with a large gray sweatshirt and spiked brown hair heading in their direction. "Hey, Shino!" Naruto greeted as he ushered the male into the seat behind him. The boy named Shino nodded in return and gave Ino the same simple gesture in greeting before he looked towards Sakura. Naruto was about to introduce her when the new boy simply held out his hand towards her. "Shino Aubrame," his voice was quiet in his introduction. Giving him a sweet smile, she shook his hand in return. "Sakura Haruno. Nice to meet you."

"Shino is pretty cool, Sakura-chan!" Naruto decided to add. "He does like bugs a lot more than most people though."

"Alright, you lot, settle down!" a voice boomed from the front of the room as the first bell rang to signal the starting of first period. Sakura noticed a woman wearing a kaki colored pencil shirt and dark grey blouse. Her hair was dark and pulled back in a simple ponytail. "Pick a seat and sit in it. I'm Anko. Don't call me anything else. Today is going to be a pretty easy day. You're going to get into groups that you'll stick with for the rest of this class. We'll then go over all of the assignments you'll have over the course of this class. Though this may not be AP language arts, it is not for the faint hearted. You will not simply be able to sleep through this class and get an A," her voice trailed off as her attention tuned in on Naruto at the back of the classroom. Sakura noticed as he swallowed nervously before rubbing the back of his neck.