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prelude

It isn't that Sasuke Uchiha is a misfit, exactly. He's too good-looking—and high schoolers are too shallow—for him to be an utter outcast. But he's the kind of boy who spends more time alone than with their classmates, and if he has any friends besides Naruto, who's friends with everyone, then he's keeping them well hidden. Sasuke's GPA is tied with Sakura's for the highest in the Class of 2018, but she's sure that if he'd socialize, people would stop dismissing him as a nerd. Instead, he blows off every dance, football game, and party he's invited to.

Until homecoming. It's the kind of warm October evening that you can only find in southern California, late enough in the year that autumn's edge has calmed the weather from suffocating to balmy. Sakura is crowned homecoming queen, the San Junipero Sharks kick the Gardena Wolfhounds' asses, and Sasuke Uchiha shows up to a school event. All in all, it's a beautiful night.

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watch the queen

Only a loser would lurk around the corner, pretending not to spy on a pretty girl, and Sasuke is not a loser. He isn't lurking either. Just standing around, keeping himself busy with people-watching—well, person-watching.

Sakura is sitting with the other girls from the homecoming court, all of them trussed up in ridiculous fluffy gowns and torturous-looking shoes. Ino seems pissed that Sakura took the crown, but in that strangely fond way that characterizes their relationship. Maybe Sasuke is too distant from Sakura's circle to understand how that odd friendship functions, but he thinks it might be every bit as confusing to witness up close.

Seven months. He has seven months until graduation. He needs to either ask Sakura out or get his head on straight and forget about her.

Moving on would be better. He heard that Sakura is applying to Ivy League schools all over the country, and God knows she's accomplished enough to be accepted into most of them. Sasuke keeps pace with her academically, but foster kids don't have the financial backing for Yale. He's about to age out of the system, and it's going to take all of his time and energy just to get by. Even if Sakura wants him back—and sometimes, when he catches her looking at him across the library, he thinks she might—Sasuke knows that it's not enough. She's beautiful, brilliant, privileged, and loved. Her future is too bright to risk dimming, and she deserves better than anything he could provide.

But then he thinks, What's one date? It's not like watching a movie together and grabbing dinner (maybe kissing on her doorstep, if he's lucky) would turn into something committed. Sasuke can't hope for any of that, much less more, so why not at least try?

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laid bare

Ino steals Sakura's crown and puts it on her own head. "You should just give this to me," she says.

"Oh really?" Sakura asks. "Why's that?"

Ino sticks out her tongue, adjusts the tiara, and says, "Because all anyone will look at when you wear it is the big billboard brow it's sitting on."

Sakura pinches Ino's shoulder. "I guess the majority of the student body disagrees, Pig."

She pulls a handful of pins out of her hair, kicks off her shoes, and props her feet up on the bleacher seats. Ino gossips about the torrid affair that she's certain Mr. Sarutobi and Ms. Yuhi are having.

"That's ridiculous. They barely talk."

"Well, duh, that's because they're trying not to be obvious," Ino says, rolling her eyes. "Because when they are in the same room, the way they look at each other is practically pornographic. Mark my words, Forehead: they're doing the nasty."

Ten-Ten says, "Please shut up. I don't want to think about Ms. Yuhi getting busy while I'm trying to learn calculus."

"Seconded," Hinata says gently.

Ino shrugs. "Why not? She's hot as hell, and sex is way more interesting than differential equations..."

Sakura thinks Ino might still be talking, but she can't focus on the conversation because Sasuke Uchiha is walking up the bleacher steps, and it looks like he might be walking toward her. They're friendly enough that her silly coronation merits some kind of congratulations, right?

"Sakura," he says.

The other girls fall quiet around her, and Sakura could kick them all for staring.

"Hi," she says. "It's, uh, really nice to see you here."

"And surprising," Ino adds.

Sasuke doesn't seem offended, although he'd have every right to be.

Sakura jumps up, straightens her dress, and asks, "Wanna take a walk? I'd invite you to sit down, but this bunch probably wouldn't let you get a word in edgewise."

There's the briefest flash of unbridled emotion on Sasuke's face, a slight expression of surprise, maybe even excitement. But he reins it in before Sakura can be certain, and he only says, "Yeah, sure."

Sakura is so elated to have a moment alone with Sasuke that she runs off without her heels. By the time she notices, it would be embarrassing to go back to fetch them, so she just walks on the dewy ground barefoot, too happy to even care that she's getting grass stains on her snow white dress.

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until sunrise

Their school is dark, empty, and locked at this time of night, but there are still places to linger. They take seats at a picnic table outside the cafeteria doors, splitting a funnel cake. Sasuke bought it when they passed the concession stand, but he didn't think about the intimacy of sharing food. They have to sit close, and their hands keeping brushing as they eat. It tugs at something in his chest when Sakura steals the choicest pieces of cake, her smile teasing and bright.

"I wouldn't have guessed you'd be so greedy," Sasuke says.

Sakura ducks her head, then looks up at him through her lashes. "Well, maybe we should get to know each other better."

"So I won't be surprised when you steal my food?"

"Our food," Sakura corrects. "You bought it for both of us. It's not my fault if you can't defend your territory."

She swipes the last chunk of cake and eats it. Sasuke doesn't think she means to be seductive, but he still has to look away as she licks the snowy sugar off her fingers.

Silence falls between them once the funnel cake is gone, and just to break it, Sasuke asks, "How's your English paper going?"

"Oh, no," Sakura says, laughing. "I'm not giving you an update on your competition."

"Hn. You're not my competition," Sasuke says. He pokes her side, purely for the sake of making her jump. "Valedictorian is mine. We'll just have to wait a few more months to confirm it."

"Is that so?" Sakura asks, suddenly serious, except for the brightness of her gaze. "What makes you so certain?"

"I need it more," Sasuke says, without thinking.

Sakura's teasing expression slips away, replaced by something softer. She doesn't say anything—which is good, because if she pitied him right now, it would ruin everything.

Then she reaches for his hand and grasps it in her own. They stay this way, linked by a singular touch, for a long while.

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the valedictorian

Sakura can't be upset when Sasuke takes the number one spot. His GPA barely edges hers out because of an A- she made in English IV, and if anyone else had ranked above her, she would have been furious. But Sasuke hadn't lied four months ago at Homecoming, when he said he needed this more than she did. She hopes that maybe, with a little luck, he'll get a financial package from Stanford that will allow him to accept the place they offered him. With her.

She takes Sasuke to a little Italian restaurant by the shore to celebrate their accomplishments. While they eat their appetizers, Sakura lifts her glass of water and says, "To my amazing boyfriend, the Class of 2018's valedictorian."

Sasuke rolls his eyes, but his smile is happy, if small. Sakura counts that as more of a victory than class rank could ever be.

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coda

Their first kiss was on Homecoming night. The briefest touch, his lips to hers, before Sakura pulled away, blushing. Then again, a kiss not so fleeting, followed by one after another until the sun rose above them.

On graduation day, in the wake of his speech, Sasuke thinks of that night. It was a beginning, the start of something he could never have anticipated. Maybe today is an ending, the closing chapter of their simple school days, but what he and Sakura have together, it's the kind of love that can be counted on.

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AN: This fic is for the SasuSaku Month Day 9 prompt: On Opposite Sides. I've been in the mood for SS lately (blame DeepPoeticGirl), and it seemed like the perfect time to write this little high school fic. jjibbless over at tumblr sent me a prompt for "nerd / popular kid AU" which ties into the SS Month prompt pretty well in my opinion. To all my lovely readers who are keeping this fandom alive, thank you so much for your feedback. You guys are the best!