A/N: Well, its been a while... I feel bad. Haha. A couple of years since I last updated, no? Shame on me. If you're still sticking with this story, props to you, and, if you're not, then... I'm sorry for disappointing you. But I promised a finished story and that is what y'all are getting.

Now, back to regularly scheduled programming! :)

F A T

Friday. The end of the week, we meet again. After the week I've had - which, in reality, is a millennium for a high school student - I really need to unwind.

Even so, Thanksgiving vacation days were here! One whole week of peace. No homework, no teachers, no scheduled lunchtimes - just complete, utter freedom. I could go out and play in the snow, disregarding the strange looks people would throw my way as an eighteen year old teen, such as myself, sleds over a snowy hill. Though, I bet none of that would happen this vacation. At least now that I had a job.

As the last bell of the day rang, Shion and Tayuya immediately rushed my way, squealing about the adventures we would all have this Thanksgiving vacation. Kagura no longer hung out with us, as she had found her own set of friends for her own, who, I'm sure, were much more crass than she was. Every now and then she would stay with me long enough to hold a conversation, but once Shion and Tayuya came near, she would roll her eyes and waltz away, wordlessly, without even a goodbye of sorts. Not that Kagura was a girl who provided much of manners to say a proper goodbye anyway. I didn't mind. At least there wasn't a separate conversation for these three girls, for the time being.

Now, a little bit of a backstory with the current situation of these girls. In the week leading my breakup with Pein, Tayuya and Kagura had an argument regarding in something alike - which Tayuya hadn't shared with us since my breakup with Pein was just as fresh. Somehow, word got out, accusations flew, tears were shed, and the formation of the 'Three Musketeer Girls' was now broken. Well, technically, one-third of the formation was broken.

I mean, I'm not happy with the situation. I don't think any of us are. There's an imbalance - a sense of uneasiness. One would think that with Kagura gone, peace would be restored - and it has, no doubt about it - but Shion and Tayuya still find themselves unable to conform to it. It's almost as if they're waiting for Kagura to come back into the group and restore her power once more. Or maybe they're just waiting for their friend to come to her senses and apologize for being such a bitch... Maybe something along those lines. Personally, I think Kagura is bound to forget our existence for the remainder of the senior year, but something deep within me tells me otherwise. One could only hope Kagura had a soul like a normal human being.

But that's a different matter to focus on for another time.

My vacations were just beginning, and, even though I didn't really have anything stellar planned, I felt like this thanksgiving was going to be a little better than all the others I had. While other thanksgivings I focused mainly on the consuming of the goodies that were going to be served on this giving day, I rarely gave thanks for anything. I mean, in all reality, if I was fat, what did I really have to be thankful for? That I hadn't died yet? Because of my obsessive eating?

...Actually, no, yeah, that's something big to be pretty thankful for. It wasn't like my cholesterol was off the charts or anything, but simple things seemed too difficult for me. Like the stairs, nowadays it's easy for me to climb up and down throughout the day without much difficulty. But, when I was fat, it felt like I was climbing to the highest point of the world with no stops along the way. And that usually lasted about a minute to walk up the stairs. Even when it felt like hours.

It was two in the afternoon. Students were granted early release and the school grounds were emptying fast. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see students getting into their cars and speeding off into temporary freedom. Other students stayed on school grounds, leaning against the wall, laying on the grass - in no way rushing to get home to get away from the hellhole of this high school like I was.

I had my car keys at the ready as I rushed through departing throngs of students, as they pushed and shoved their way to the parking lot. Shion and Tayuya headed the same way, still squealing about Thanksgiving vacation. Once I reached my car, we bid each other farewell. They had plans to go out and figure out what they were going to do with their free hours. I had plans to stay at home and regenerate for the rest of the afternoon. Maybe I'd head out once the night hits. Call Sakura or something to hang out. It had been a while since we last hung out - it was time we got reacquainted once more. I needed my best friend. At least to fill her in on all the dirty details of my life and vice versa.

Once I reach my car, I throw my backpack in the backseat and settle myself into the freezing leather seat. As soon as I'm in the car, I'm shivering. I struggle to get the key in the ignition and I rush to turn the warmer on. I blow into my palms and rub them together to generate heat. While I wait, I switch on the radio. The last couple of words of a radio commercial filters in through the speakers and then the first few notes of a soft rock plays. And, of course, at that exact moment of peace, my phone rings. I jolt in my seat at the sudden ringing.

I yank my phone from the deep pits of my pocket and scan the caller ID - and it's Sakura. What a strange coincidence. I smile and click into the call.

"Well, hello there, stranger. I was just thinking about you." I say.

"Have you now, you dirty boy? Ooh, naughty, naughty." Sakura giggles. "Hi, Sasuke."

"Hey, Sakura. How coincidental of you to call. I was thinking of calling you today to hang out."

"Really?" She scoffs, playfully. "Don't lie, Sasuke. The mighty overlord knows when you're lying."

"... You mean Santa?"

"Funny." I couldn't resist. "I called for the same reason. Kinda in the mood to go out today. On a double date. You with your lover and me with my shiny, new toy." And that wiped the smile completely off my face. Not the fact that she had finally hooked herself someone to date now, but her requesting a double date with my now non-existent boyfriend.

I lean back into my seat, rubbing my leg for warmth, unsure of how to turn the direction of this conversation. It had been about a month since Pein and I had broken up. I hadn't thought about it in that time, despite passing by him in the hall several times. And it only reminded me of how deep a wound it probably still was for the both of us.

"Um, Sakura? We're not... together... anymore..." I struggle to say, bracing myself for the flurry of her concern over my well-being.

At first, there was silence. For a moment, I thought she hadn't heard what I said. That, for sure, I would have to repeat myself, and I didn't want to do that. I'd repeated it so many times at school to acquaintances and even strangers. Why did my personal life matter to them anyway? It wasn't like my personal life reflected theirs in any way. Though, people insisted on the subject of my breakup with Pein, despite the news being at least a couple of weeks old.

Finally, she sighs in frustration. Clearly not at me, but at herself for just finding this out now. I would have texted her or something, but I guess other things were on my mind. Just exactly as other things were on hers.

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke. I didn't know. I thought -"

"It's okay. It was kind of a mutual agreement. I think..." I mean, it was, wasn't it? Pein didn't want to continue a relationship in which I still harbored feelings for Naruto - even though I wasn't even sure I did anymore, much less after what happened at the party to him because of me; I was a danger - and I didn't want to continue a relationship in which I didn't really see progressing if I didn't correct myself. "It was pretty much my fault. I did some stupid shit. As usual, typical Sasuke."

"Oh, no, honey, don't do that. Don't shoot yourself down like that. I'm pretty sure it wasn't your fault." She argues gently.

I laugh. Clearly, she didn't know the whole story.

"Sakura, please, it was. I know you're trying to be a good friend in making me believe a lie. Seriously, I fucked up pretty bad." I sigh and push my hair back and suddenly realize I'm sweating. The warmer is on WAY too high. I click it to a lower setting and rest my forehead against the cold windowpane. It feels refreshing. I swallow and ready myself for telling my side of the story, which, no doubt, would make Sakura hate me for. I wasn't going to tell her about Naruto. I was going to keep his name anonymous in all of this. "Okay, I'm going to let you be the judge of my shit situation. You'll probably criticize me for it, though." Sakura scoffs. "So, Pein and I were having a great time in our relationship for those few months. I thought we were pretty well off. Well... here, I thought we were. Sakura, did I if I ever tell you about this guy I dated before Pein...?"

"...I'm not sure. Maybe. It's been a while since we last spoke about anything in our lives..."

"Well, we have a history. A LONG history in which we're on and off about our relationship - it's complicated. I say I don't like him. Sometimes I don't even know whether I do or don't - I always end up going back to him. To sum it all up, I messed around with him. And it just turned into this big mess..." I stop myself. If I reveal anymore of this 'guy' getting beat to a pulp and ending up in the hospital, Sakura will crack the code and hate me. Though, I doubt she would make much of the last sentence, but perhaps she would refer to it as my situation. "So, yeah. What do you think? Is it my fault?" Obviously, it was, but I just wanted to hear her say that it was.

Now, knowing Sakura, she didn't bullshit when it came to being honest. So, there was no doubt about it that she would agree wholeheartedly about my idiotic mess. Besides, she knew a few people that were once in the same situation I was and she openly criticized them for it. She would do the same to me and she probably wouldn't think of me the same way, as her innocent best friend. The best friend who never dared once to cheat on someone, dooming the relationship. Yet, here I was, condemning my hypocritical self.

I hear her sigh and mutter a soft 'wow'.

"I never would have thought you'd turn out to be the kind of person to... well, uh -"

"Cheat?"

"...Yeah. It's not like you. You're so sweet." If she only knew the complete story of the shitstorm I created over the past few months with Naruto - and he was getting the rough edge of the stick. "I mean, I understand your motives and all - you're still kind of in love with this guy, I get it - but why...?"

I shrug and change the radio station to a different channel as the music gets a little too soft and depressing for this sort of talk. A pop song drifts in through the speakers and the ambiance lightens.

"I mean, the guy is nice. He still cares, despite me telling him not to - he never listens. I didn't break up with him because he was a dick or anything, but because I was afraid of how serious the relationship was getting, Sakura." I murmur through the receiver quietly. I think about Naruto, about our relationship then and now, and think about all the times we've almost lost ourselves. And how easily I continued to fall for him. "It's scary opening up to someone and letting them know just how deep of a shithole you're in when you're with someone you really, really like." I refused to say 'loved' - that word was too strong. It frightened me to even think about it too much. Clearly, Sakura understood the predicament I put myself in, right? I wasn't the only one in the world who had difficulty expressing strong emotions sometimes. Much less, talking about them too much, even with my best friend. "But I'm sure this story wasn't what you called for. Hanging out. That's what you called for, right? Let's hang out."

And, while it was what she had called for, she wasn't going to feel too good about asking to hang out as a third wheel in learning this new batch of information now. And, of course, Sakura wasn't just going to change the subject when learning something like this - she would want to know every single, little detail of went on in my life. I'm pretty sure she felt bad just finding out now about my breakup, so I was also sure she was going to continue pressing about the subject or something else in particular about my life.

"...Now I don't feel so confident in asking you to hang out with us. I don't want you to feel left out..." See? Sakura wasn't about to let me go through this alone. And just when she started dating this new guy I was sure she wanted to show off and introduce to me. "I honestly thought it was going great for the both of you. You both looked so happy."

I shrug yet again.

"Sometimes there are deeper things bubbling beneath the surface, Sakura." I say and drag my finger across my perspired windowpane, swirling random images for onlookers to see. "But that doesn't mean we can't hang out. I wouldn't mind it just being the three of us. Even if, you know, it'll be you with your boyfriend, and me all by myself."

"No, it'll be awkward, Sasuke. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be comfortable just the three of us. See, that's why I called you - so we could all hang out together and be all lovey-dovey with our boyfriends."

"...All together? At once? Just, like, one big group orgy-date-thing?" I joke.

Sakura snorts.

"That's gross, Sasuke."

"Yet it's what you wanted."

"Haha, very funny. You're hilarious." She mutters sarcastically. Then she groans. "Why did you have to break up with your boyfriend, Sasuke? We could have been doing this group date thing every weekend!"

"It was a mutual breakup, Sakura." I remind her. "And it wasn't like I planned on it! It just happened... Break ups happen."

"No, I know that. I'm sorry. I sound so selfish. I just..." She sighs, composing herself, surely. I wait as she takes a few couple of breaths and speaks again. "It would have been nice to hang out with you and your boyfriend and me with mine. It'd be the first for us, as you've never really had a boyfriend before, you know? It would've been a special moment."

That much was true. It would've been a milestone we'd achieve in our years of friendship. I'd never had a boyfriend when I was fat. One was never deemed attractive enough for the general population when fat. Not that it mattered much to me, but, now that I thought about it, it was a pretty big deal.

It was always Sakura who had boyfriends, Sakura who always invited me to tag along with her on her dates, so I wouldn't be alone at home with nothing to do. It was better being the third wheel than to be forgotten, I always thought. But it was never fun. The guys she would date would always complain to her about my tagging along and Sakura would always defend me, no matter what. But they would continuously try to disassociate themselves from me and into a secluded corner for a few private moments. I usually let them have that as I knew how annoying it must have been with me as a tag-along.

"Sasuke, okay, I know this mighty sound pretty selfish of me, considering you only just recently broke up with your boyfriend and all, but... Could I - maybe - set you up with someone? You don't have to -" I wasn't even going to let her finish that sentence.

Just the request made my blood boil. Why did everyone think they needed someone to complete their lives? I didn't. I was perfectly fine being by myself - I did alright when I was fat for all those years. I would do fine now that I was thin.

"No way. I'm off of relationships for a while." I snap at her, almost reflexively. As if I was lashing out at her for all those people telling me I made a mistake in breaking up with Pein - how was I going to cope going out to places alone now? It made me so angry just thinking about it, but not at her. "I'm sorry, Sakura. Look, I know you want this moment to happen, but maybe it doesn't have to happen today. Maybe you could wait until I'm actually in a serious relationship and ask me to hang out then. For now, I just want to enjoy the life I'm living now. You know... Single?"

"Okay, fine, but can I still set you up?" I ready myself to groan. Sakura stops me. "Hold on, hold on. Not like a date, but more as a friend setting up another friend - just so you can have somebody to talk to when it gets a little too... uh, personal." She meant her and her boy toy going off into a secluded corner to make out. As if I couldn't crack the code. "You'll just talk and find common interest amongst yourselves. Just so you won't feel weird, or that it's like a date."

"Still sounds like an early premise of a date to me."

"But it's not! I promise. If it suddenly feels like it, I give you permission to pinch me. Is that okay with you?"

"...It does sound tempting. But..." I sigh. I knew there was no way I was going to stop her from asking continuously. She was going to continue to ask until I cracked. Knowing me, I would, especially with her. I didn't like to disappoint. "Okay, fine, but -" She squeals. "You have to let him know beforehand that it's not a date. Got it? I don't want to be the one to tell him."

"No, yes, yes, I'll tell him! I have the perfect guy for you. I mean, to be friends with. You know? Or maybe something more along the road...?" I mutter a 'are you serious?' at her. She retracts the statement almost immediately. "Just kidding. Maybe not. Anyway! I'll call him, let him know of our plans and we'll set something up, then I'll let you know. Sound good?"

"Sounds marvelous." I say sarcastically.

Sakura groans.

"Oh, come on, Sasuke, you could, at least try to sound excited!"

"I think you're excited enough for the both of us. We're covered in that area." I snort and she clicks her teeth at me.

"Jerk."

"Love you, too, bitch."

"I know." Sakura preens haughtily. I laugh. "Okay, well, let me make my calls. Be ready by tonight. We'll swing by to pick you up. Okie dokie artichokie?"

"Okie dokie." I confirm. "See you later, then."

"Later."

And the call ends. And, while Sakura promised setting me up with her friend - just as a friend - I couldn't help myself in being nervous. Of course, nothing was going to happen between me and this guy - we were just going to be on friendly terms for the remainder of the evening, and that would be it. Nothing else was going to come of it.

So, why was my heart beating so fast? It wasn't like I was going on a date-date. It was just two strangers meeting for the first time and finding common interests between each other. Just to pass the time in the date that our friends were going on. But it would have the same feel as a date and that's what worried me. I didn't want to give off the wrong impression and lead this guy on. Of course, I don't know how I could possibly do such a thing - nothing I really do is interesting. Though, I suppose it won't matter much anyway as it's not a main concern for tonight.

Here's to hoping.

Sakura calls thirty minutes before eight to let me know the 'friend date' is on and rushes me to get ready. No lie, I had actually forgotten about our hang out as soon as I got home.

Here's how it went.

I arrived home at around three or so, binged on cartoons while stuffing my face with Cheetos, caught up on some much needed studying, and lost a very thorough battle of fighting through falling asleep. Took a nap for a good hour and a half, I believe. Then struggled in opening my eyes long enough to make the trip to the bathroom for a quick shower. Slept through part of that, too, I think. Watched some more cartoons for an hour and a half.

And now I sit on my bed, in my bedroom, and I'm freaking the fuck out. I dig deep through the crevices of my brain, trying to figure out how I could get out of this one. I really, really didn't want to go. And, even though I try and try to find loopholes in this situation, my brain refuses to provide me with a solution and has failed me every way possible as my moral being prohibits my lying. Maybe because my brain and I knew that Sakura was going to see right through me - she was the only one who could tell when I was and wasn't telling the truth. She was going to push and push me to go with her on this thing; she's not one to budge so easily. I knew her well.

Now, I know she said that this thing wasn't a date - I call it a thing because I really don't know what to call it - but I can't shake the feeling that she's trying to set me up anyway. Why would she do that, one wonders.

It's Sakura.

Whenever she broke up with someone or someone broke up with her, she would struggle to be alone. She didn't like being alone - she was a social person. She needed someone beside her to keep her sane and socialized. So, the need to date again immediately after a breakup was her strange way of coping with it. She didn't mind when others broke up or were broken up with their significant others, Sakura figured these people needed an immediate rebound relationship as a means of coping with the old one. While her heart was in a good place - as she didn't want anyone to be or feel alone - others might mistake it for being nosy.

I mean, I don't mind that she has such a big heart in order to think of other before herself, especially when in situations such as this one. She's my best friend - there have been a few incidents as this one. Which is why I'm freaking out. Some of the friends that she's set up were merely introduced as friends first - in the same exact situation I was in - and they ended up together for the remainder of their high school years. One example of Sakura's matchmaking skills of a success story is Ino and Shikamaru's relationship. They've been together since forever. All because of Sakura.

Now, while the idea of being with someone for so long might exhaust me, I'm more frightened of the fact that something more could come of this 'friend' thing. Don't get me wrong, I would love the idea of being with someone again. I don't like being alone for too long either - I start to get all whiny and depressing, which, of course, is not appealing at all - but I'm a mess right now. I don't think I could even handle a relationship right now. My heart and my head are at completely different places. For one, I'm still torn about my feelings for Naruto - and a part of me wants Pein back. But I don't think I'd want to jeopardize any part of my life anymore when I knew the situation was more than problematic. This was a colossal obstacle that I'd have to suffer through for a couple of months. In fact, I wasn't even sure what I wanted right now.

What I did want, however, was not to go on this thing. But it was much too late for that.

I could see Sakura's car pulling in my driveway. There was someone in the passenger seat and someone sitting in the backseat. Immediately, my heart pounds and my palms start sweating. I wipe them against my jeans. I stand from my bed and start to head out of my bedroom. I pass by my mirror and catch a brief glimpse of myself. For a moment, I see old, fat Sasuke peeking out deep within the now unfamiliar-looking Sasuke. I walk towards my reflection and the old me slowly disappears and is replaced with the regular me once more.

And I start to feel self-conscious. Underneath my clothes, I feel slivers of my flabby skin peeking through. My crippling self-esteem body issues are on the border of making their appearance once more.

It had been months since I last thought the way I did and I briefly wondered just how deep this all went. I mean, I knew I was self-conscious before, but I never thought about the negatives of myself for too long. It made me too depressed back then. Sometimes it still did. Sometimes I still believed I was the fat Sasuke I expected to reflect in the mirror.

I lift the side of my shirt and fading stretch marks are the first thing to come into view. I run my fingers over the winding bumps and an urge to scratch at them ignites within. To scratch at their visibility until they're no longer lingering on my body. But I don't. These are clear reminders of the hard work and dedication I had to go through in order to get where I was in life. Battle scars, if one could call them that, as they felt like such. Much of this fighting included that of my fears and anxieties. Which was that of meeting people.

When I was fat, I dreaded meeting new people. Mostly because I feared they thought of me as someone who was just going to keep them from going places - they would be too embarrassed to be seen with me, anyway, I constantly told myself. So, whenever these people asked me to hang out, I would decline their invitations. Because I always wondered what they saw was fun in hanging out with a wheezing, heaving fat kid? What did they really think of me? What was their purpose in hanging out with me? Did they need someone like me to fortify their own crippling self-esteem issues into positive feelings?

I pull my shirt back down and take one strong look at myself in the mirror. I try to see past the past and focus on the now instead. I was healthier and I had a better grasp on my social awkwardness and anxieties. Meeting new people was a good thing - it wasn't all bad, except for the occasional awkward silences that were sure to follow in the course of the evening. I was going to be fine and this was going to be a good night. I was going to have fun with Sakura and her boyfriend and with this new person I was going to meet. And I was sure as hell that I wasn't going to think too much into this whole thing, despite the nagging in the back of my mind of the suspicion of this setup.

I start to head downstairs just as I hear the doorbell ring. A blur rushes past me and a flurry of black hair whips in my face. I halt in my steps for fear of tripping and notice Itachi at the door, flustered. I choke out a laugh as he nearly slips on the hardwood floor, only barely crashing into the front door. He throws a glare at me over his shoulder, cheeks flustered ever so slightly. I snort. But his attention is diverted from me once more by the doorbell ringing. And, no doubt, by the presence of Sakura waiting behind the door.

Now, mind you, Itachi is someone I know very much not to accommodate himself with someone so easily. It takes him a couple of months to warm up to someone. Especially with Sakura, who I knew since a long, long time ago. Even then, it was difficult for him to befriend her, mostly of his own accord. But I can't even remember a time when he didn't treat her like a stranger. As far as I knew him from back then, his attraction for Sakura was all I could remember. It was strange how easily she could affect him and how she could have absolutely no idea about it. He wasn't subtle about his affections - he made it pretty obvious. Maybe, to himself, it didn't seem that way, but, to the rest of the world, it was a clear picture.

Before he opens the door, I watch Itachi smooth out his clothes and run his fingers through his hair, deeming himself presentable for my best friend. Then he yanks open the door and is greeted with the presence of three people. Sakura, her boyfriend, and my 'non-date' type 'friend' of whatever.

Mind you, while I understand this thing isn't a date and all - just a friendly meeting - I can't help but be disappointed by the looks of one of these boys. Bushy eyebrows are the first thing I notice - his round, wide eyes come a close second. Then his hair - such a god-awful haircut. Honestly, who cuts their hair in the shape of an upside-down bowl? If anything, this guy looked as though he had come out straight from the seventies with that haircut.

I'm sure I wasn't a looker, either, but it was hard not to notice just how... strong his looks were. I honestly don't mean to sound shallow, though it was difficult not to be. I struggle to shake the negatives from my head, scolding myself.

And, just as I'm about to get a better look of the second guy, Sakura leaps forward, towards me, squealing, just barely missing Itachi's jaw. She apologizes to my brother, her knuckles touching briefly against the side of his jaw as she squeezes her face against mine. He merely shakes his head, waving her away as he chuckled nervously whilst touching at the spot where her fingers were. I give him an all-knowing look and he flusters, cheeks burning. He opts to usher in the boys, head down, and scampers away before anyone else noticed he was gone.

Sakura plants her lips against my cheek, kissing one side, then the other, over and over again. She giggles.

"Hi, Sasuke, baby." She coos.

I laugh.

"Hey, blossom." I kiss her back with just as much fervor, laughing. "How's the college life?"

"Well, it was hectic at first, what with the gigantic homework piles towering over my head and the struggle to keep awake in class and have a social life all at once." She sighs, taking a deep breath. "But now that it's our Thanksgiving break? Oh, it's only so much better now. At least, now that I've got some time to recoup." She replies.

Then she grins a big toothy grin and giggles and looks over her shoulder, pulling the guy with bushy eyebrows forward. Immediately, she grasps both her hands with his cradles them at her chest. She leans her head on his shoulder and he merely smiles at me while she gives him a small nudge.

He sticks his hand forward. I take it instinctively, shaking it.

"Hi, I'm Rock Lee. The 'boy toy'." He chuckles, looking down at her. She smiles sheepishly at him, then at me, face all aglow. And I'm relieved, mostly because of the obvious, but also because what a change in Sakura's dating patterns.

I was so used to her mostly dating gorgeous guys who were more into themselves than into her. Which was one of the reasons as to why she continuously dated without any alone time for herself, to make up for all those lost affections wasted on her. But it was nice to see had found someone who made her feel happy and wanted. While there was a strange contrast in their pairing, they seemed to fit perfectly with each other - they complimented each other's everything. It made me happy knowing Sakura was happy.

"Oh! How rude of us!" Sakura immediately cries out, looking over her shoulder at the boy standing behind them awkwardly. She yanks him forward and he almost crashes into the lot of us. He looms over us, waving slightly my way. I wave back awkwardly. Sakura pats his arm gently. "Sasuke, Shino. Shino, Sasuke. I'm sure you two will get along greatly." She winks at me in a way she believes it to be discreet, but Shino notices and chuckles. We all do, in fact. And I can feel my face burning as I shake my head.

We shake hands as Sakura squeals about nonsensical things to her boyfriend. Then, before I know it, we're heading to the car and into an evening of what I hoped would be normal. But now I wasn't so sure it was going to be. Shino was kind of... cute.

He had a crooked smile and chocolate brown eyes I could see myself drowning - no, wait, bathing - in. He wore an elastic headband to push back his dark brown hair from falling into his face as it was somewhat long. He wore Converse shoes and an oversized teal-colored jacket probably two sizes bigger than intended. But it didn't look bad on him - he could pull this strange look off.

As we're approaching the car, we trail behind Sakura and her boyfriend in a painfully awkward silence. I'd like to say something as I can't stand the silence like this. Yet no words seem to form on my lips as easily as they pour out of Sakura in such an unbelievable speed. Both Shino and I look at each other. Awkward smiles ensue. And then I think to myself, 'Who would ever find themselves in a situation like this?' This was not a normal, everyday situation where a friend set up another friend to meet a new friend. Well, maybe it was, but it was a rare thing to come around to. And how would someone find a way to get through the awkwardness of it all? I was pretty awkward in social situations, so I doubted this was something I could push through.

We pour into the car as Rock Lee starts the engine and girly music explodes from the speakers. We all flinch at the decibel the sound produces. Rock Lee apologizes as he turns the music down to a respectable level, cheeks a flushed pink. We laugh and shrug.

And then it's suddenly quiet in the car - save for the girly music still going on in the background - at least, I think it is. I feel self-conscious. I felt like I needed to have an input on anything remotely interesting during this moment as it would mask the sheer awkwardness of the situation I felt we were in. The guy - Shino - was looking out the window, out into the darkening sky, looking deep into the blurring trees. I wondered what he was thinking about.

Did he think this meeting of ours was ridiculous? Did he even want to be here? I know I didn't. It wasn't just because it was awkward - although, that was a viable problem conflicting with me at the moment - but because it was mostly forced. While I understand that Sakura had good intentions in bringing friends from different social circles together, I just thought that the whole idea of it probably wasn't for the best. I understand she would have liked to arrange a double date on her own terms - so she chose the next best thing to a double date. Which only made it all the more awkward. I mean, I knew that this wasn't a date, but it felt like a cheap setup disguised as the meeting of new friends. And I wasn't up for it. To be honest, I wasn't up for most of anything since my breakup with Pein.

Sure, it was a mutual agreement in breaking up, but it was mostly for Pein's benefit. I did something really shitty that he didn't deserve. He was my boyfriend and I didn't treat him like one when I continuously went running back into Naruto's arms whenever I saw an opening - why would anyone want to continue a relationship as such, given the circumstances? It made sense that we broke up. And, although, there was some sort of weak-willed promise we kept about the after effects of our breakup making it awkward for us and anyone near us.

At first, it was fine. We talked every now and then a month ago, right after we broke up, letting each other know what's been going on in our lives, but, even then, I'm sure we both knew this wasn't going to last. The more we hung out, the more awkward it got. Pein was distancing himself from me more than I was. I still fought to keep the friendship going. Our conversations shortened to simple 'hellos' and 'goodbyes' when passing each other in the hallway. Then that shortened to half-hearted waves - that is, if we noticed each other when we did it, otherwise we'd be left ignored. Which, eventually, it came to that.

Now, whenever we passed, we struggled the urge to glance each other's way. At least, I did. I know it probably wasn't the best thing to do since we broke up, but I couldn't help it - I still wanted to be friends with Pein. We were such good friends; how could that stop so suddenly? Even mutual friends that we had gained during our relationship chose sides - some favored Pein over me. Most of our "friends" sided with Pein and they threw me dirty looks whenever I passed. The truth spread quickly in the cause of our breakup and it blew up out of proportions, causing new rumors to spread about my fidelity.

I'd heard rumors about me messing around with every guy I ever came across during my relationship with Pein. And that I caused Tayuya's breakup - some claiming they were witnesses in that I came onto her boyfriend several times during their relationship. Of course, Tayuya didn't believe the rumors as it was clear enough that such ridiculousness wasn't the reason that led to their breakup; she clarified it was mostly personal.

I don't know what gossip really did to people underneath, but it was nasty to watch people exaggerate stories into even more serious offenses when someone like me was in the spotlight. I didn't want it to come to that again in so little time, especially now if Sakura was setting me up in meeting with someone. Just as friends, of course, but one never knew how so much could go wrong in misunderstanding the situation. Movies taught me that much, as funny as it sounds.

"So... How long have you and Sakura been friends?"

I look up to the foreign speaking of words breaking through the silence. The chocolate-eyed, dark-haired boy looks at me, waiting for an answer. I'm stunned. Mostly because his voice is gentle, almost quiet. In my whole life, I don't think I've ever heard someone speak quite so quietly before. Except for maybe Hinata, but I'm not sure she counts what with her new attitude.

"Um, since we were kids." Wow, my voice sounds horrible compared to the decibel of his. "We're pretty close."

"Close enough to set you up with a complete stranger?" He chuckles.

'Set up'. He was making it sound like a date, but I didn't think I had the guts to tell him right here and now in the car - it was too quiet, especially for our conversation.

"Well, I'm sure Sakura has pretty good judgement of your character. So, I trust her." I wasn't so sure if I did anymore, if she didn't fill this guy in on the grounds of this so-called 'not date'. "How did she get you to agree to doing this on such short notice?"

He shrugs, now turning half of his body slightly towards me.

"Sakura can be very persuasive sometimes. Besides, I owe her. She helped me pass my midterm -" He lowers his voice now. "Have you ever studied with her?"

I nod, a sort of chuckle building up in my throat. Because I knew how Sakura was when she helped a good friend out - especially when it involved studies - she was a real hardass. She kept her focus for a good amount of time until said good friend involved in her tutoring understood at least one bit of information she presented.

She was determined and had faith that she could teach anyone with her strict methods of tutorage. It was her way of teaching that made certain others believe they were under the exercise regime of P90X; it was THAT intense. On your ass, day and night, throwing questions from flash cards at you whenever possible during the day, sometimes even starting her conversations with the subject you were studying for. I mean, I loved Sakura and all, but whenever I asked her to help me study, I wanted to strangle her studious ass. I felt his struggle, especially if he felt the need of owing her when Sakura made his life hell during midterms - no doubt about it - but, when standing out of the situation as such as that one, I couldn't help the need to laugh.

"Yeah, Sakura is kind of... There's something about teaching someone else that just makes her a little more 'passionate' than most tutors." I laugh, softly, so as not to bring attention. He smiles.

"Well, it helped. I passed with a B. Not good enough for Sakura, apparently, but good enough for a straight C student. Made my parents proud." He leans away and the silence returns for a brief moment - save for Sakura and Rock Lee's conversation still going on in the front - until he turns back to me. "Isn't this kind of weird, though? Sakura setting us up, but... Not really 'setting us up'? This situation is a first for me."

Oh, thank God! I thought I would've had to break it down for him, but I was so relieved Sakura let him know that this wasn't going to lead anywhere romantic. At least, for the time being. Not that I really wanted anything to happen, but having the distant option to was nice.

"Yeah, I was debating on whether to come or not. I was about to call Sakura to cancel - meeting new people makes me nervous. Especially if it's on friendly terms; the pressure is still on." I reply, almost hesitantly.

"Right? It's just... It's some experience meeting new people." That much was true.

All I wanted today was a normal day where two people could talk as normally as they could without even so much as a second thought about it. Ever since my breakup with Pein, a normal day was always lacking. Whether it was another question of the deterioration of our relationship, that of Tayuya and Kagura's fight, or the oncoming stress of my soon-to-be-born sibling rattling around in my brain, there was a dire need of mine that needed something like a casual friendship to ease my worries. I could only hope it would help. If anything, just for the day.

A/N: And there ya go. For now. Haha. It's not much, but it's something, right? Hopefully I get the next chapter out sooner - sooner than a month or so; be on the lookout!

Until then - peace!