I know, I know. Starting a new story when I have other ones to update? (Try not to kill me too soon-I just had to get this little plot bunny out of my mind before I started anything else)

Halfway through her junior year, Sakura came to a realization.

Although she was well on her way to being accepted into any medical school she wished (thanks to a prestigious internship under the world-famous Dr. Tsunade), she had no means of paying for said medical school. Looking up tuition was enough to send her into a spiral of anxiety.

At Konoha University she had landed full scholarship, but medical schools rarely (if ever) did the same. If she wanted any hope of living off of something other than ramen and tears for four years, she had to get a job...and FAST.

She had asked around quite a bit, but with her only work experience being so specific, her pickings were very slim indeed. Naruto recommended plasma Ino had suggested finding a sugar daddy, but soon realized Sakura's stubborn personality was not exactly suited for that lifestyle. Hinata offered to have her work at the cafe she did, but the hours conflicted with Sakura's class schedule.

Thankfully, refuge came in the form of Temari, the girl who lived down the hall from her in the honors dorms.

"Have you ever considered being a server?" she asked Sakura during one of their weekly movie-and-popcorn nights (Temari had a nicer TV, so the girls always went to her dorm). Sakura pursed her lips in contemplation.

"Isn't it awful to deal with difficult customers?"

Temari shrugged. "The place I work is really casual. I've never had anyone be difficult with me."

"Where do you work?"

"It's called Icha Icha. Want me to set up an interview for you?"

Sakura's mouth fell open. "Really? You'd do that for me?"

The blonde laughed. "Yeah, it's not a big deal! Plus I feel like you'd do really well."

"Temari you have saved my life!" Sakura exclaimed, squeezing her in a tight hug.

"Sakura! You're crushing me!" she scolded, pushing her back and playfully tackling her to the ground.

"Te-"

They were interrupted by the door opening.

"Is this what girls do during sleepovers?" Shikamaru smirked, much to the girls' chagrin. Gaara, Temari's brother, stood quietly to his side. The girls clamored off each other.

"It's not what it looks like," Temari replied, rolling her eyes. "Unless, maybe...you're jealous? Maybe Sakura would be willing to have a thr-"

"That's enough," Gaara quickly interjected. Sakura's cheeks flushed a little under the heated stare he directed at her.

"Ah, I should probably get going...I have a lot of homework to get finished tonight," she said awkwardly, gathering up her things. Temari frowned.

"You sure? You can do it here!"

"No, I'm fine! I do my best work when I'm alone!" Great, now I sound like a freak.

"Fine, have it your way," her friend huffed. "Come in at 8pm tomorrow for your interview! I'll text you the address. And don't worry about dressing up or anything!"

"Okay!"

"Perfect. Now, Gaara can walk you home!" Temari said, giving her brother a wink.

"...I live down the hall."

"I'll do it," Gaara accepted.

"Be safe you guys!" Temari sing-songed as Shikamaru came over to cuddle with her on the couch. As soon as the two left, she burst into excited laughter. "Ah, aren't they so cute! It's about time Gaara got a crush on someone. I was beginning to think he'd be alone forever!"

"Temari..." Shikamaru said in a wary tone. "Does Sakura know what kind of restaurant Icha Icha is?"

"Hahaha..." Temari smiled sheepishly. "Must've slipped my mind!"

Shikamaru sighed. "How troublesome."

The walk only lasted 30 seconds, but the tense silence between the two made it seem much longer. When they finally reached the door, it took Sakura an uncomfortably long time to find where her keys were (the answer: the absolute bottom of her school bag), and Gaara took it upon himself to run a hand slowly through a few strands of her hair, making her jump. She looked up to see him staring at her very intensely.

Is he going to-

"You had a piece of popcorn in your hair," he said simply, showing her the kernel he had plucked. Sakura flushed all kinds of red.

"T-thanks, I'll get going now!" she stumbled out, opening her door quickly.

"Good luck with the homework."

"Huh? What homework?"

"The homework you are leaving to work on?" he smirked in amusement. Caught in her lie, Sakura chose then to rush inside, giving Gaara a fast goodbye and an even faster closing of the door.

Now that she was by herself, Sakura sighed, sliding her back down the wall until she sat on the ground, head in her hands.

I sounded like such an idiot. Ugh...and I really thought he was about to kiss me! I'm going to kill Temari later for making him escort me down a frickin hallway!

Self-loathing finished, she set her bag down on her couch and plopped down soon afterward.

...maybe I should start next week's homework.

At 7:45, Sakura pulled into the parking lot of Icha Icha, dressed in her favorite jeans and a flowy red top. The January air was freezing, so she half-ran inside the building in hopes of staying warm.

The first thing she noticed was that Temari had left out a very crucial detail about the atmosphere of the restaurant.

She had neglected to tell her that the server uniform consisted of an impossibly short plaid skirt and a white button-up tied to show as much midriff as possible. (A/N: think Brittany Spears' schoolgirl costume)

Before she could turn on her heel and walk out, a man with gravity-defying grey hair made eye contact with her and made his way over.

"You must be Sakura! Temari has said so many great things about you!"

Swallowing her embarrassment, Sakura met his hand with a firm shake. "Nice to meet you...?"

"Just call me Kakashi," he smiled. "Let's have a seat in the office."

He ushered her through the dining room, past done-up servers and excited patrons. Eventually, they reached their destination, a small room in the back littered with unsorted papers and boxes.

"Temari's one of our best employees, so I have no need for an actual interview. I'm happy to hire you right away," he said immediately, gesturing her to sit down. "But I'm sure you have some questions, so ask away while I get some uniforms for you. You're a small, correct?"

She nodded.

"When are shifts typically scheduled?"

"We're pretty flexible with hours for students. Our hours are noon to 2am every day, and shifts are usually 6-8 hours. You can do anywhere from one to four shifts a week."

"And how much money do the servers usually make?"

"Usually averages about 300," he shrugged, handing her two sets of uniforms (which to her horror, also included white knee socks).

"300...dollars?" she asked incredulously.

"We have a lot of older, very well-off regulars," Kakashi explained. "They treat our girls well."

Up until that moment, Sakura had fully intended on turning down the job offer. But making $300 a shift...that would mean she could feasibly make $1,200 a week! As a college student! She couldn't help but allow a smile to creep onto her face.

"Looks like that's what you wanted to hear," Kakashi chuckled, handing a menu. "Feel free to look this over. Are you free to train tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Sakura smiled. "My availability is 4-12 Monday through Saturday."

Kakashi frowned. "You sure you're okay with working weekend nights? You probably won't be able to party it up, or whatever you college kids do."

"No worries!" she assured. "Never been much of a partier. Plus, I don't turn 21 for another few months!"

Kakashi smirked. What a sweet little thing. Our customers are going to love her.

"Perfect! We'll fill out all the tax paperwork tomorrow."

With that, he walked her out, explaining small details of the restaurant as they went. People looked curiously at the new girl, from the servers seeing their new coworker to the regular customers seeing a new option.

Of all the scrutinizing glances, Sakura only felt one.

However, when she turned to glance in that direction, all she saw was a dark-haired bartender with his back turned, furiously washing a glass that was already clean.

Maybe I just imagined it?

Kakashi was in one of the best moods of his life, and it didn't take long for his employees to figure out why.

"You look like a psychopath," the bartender scowled, referring to the creepily wide smile on the older man's face. He walked over from his perch at the bar as soon as Kakashi was done escorting the new girl out.

"The girl I just hired is going to be a breath of fresh air at this place!" Kakashi gushed, pulling out a worn novel from his back pocket and flipping to where he last left off. "You'll love her, Sasuke. She has a great head on her shoulders."

"More like she doesn't belong."

Kakashi frowned, not taking his eyes off of his book. "Judging her before speaking a word to her, I see. Give her a chance-she's just trying to put herself through college. Not that you'd know what that's like."

Not wanting to start a fight, Sasuke walked away, cursing the man under his breath the whole way.

I LOVE reading fics where Temari and Sakura are friends! I feel like they work really well together :)

let me know what you guys think!