Prologue

Sakura Haruno's POV

It's a funny thing, how your whole perspective, your whole personality changes when you reach high school. Well, at least it did for me.

I was one of those girls who grew up in a so-called "sheltered" community in Jacksonville, Florida. You know, the higher-class, rich neighborhood where there were never any parties or gangs, and in elementary school you learned things like "drugs are bad" and "wait until you're with the one you love for sex." We were spoiled kids that were hidden from the true "horrors"- for lack of a better word- of the world.

I think that was the main reason why so many things changed when I went into grade nine; the fact that I had no experience with what was thrown at me- because in elementary school, to me, I had a perfect life.

I was at the top of the food chain- pretty and popular, with good grades, money, and an aspiration to become a doctor. I even had a boyfriend, Moji. Except boyfriend wasn't the exact word to use; because dating in the eighth grade- in the upper class Atlantic Beach neighborhood- consisted only of flirting and holding hands with rare dates and hardly any PDA. But at the time, a boyfriend was the in thing to have. And I had to have everything in elementary school.

I go under the category of the 'girls who are gushed about by parents' in terms of beauty, where no one really says out loud how pretty you look except for parents- mostly friend's parents. In my case, tall, thin, clean skin, and big green eyes summed it up- the only thing I don't like about the way I look is my forehead, which is slightly larger than the norm- it doesn't help that my best friend, Ino likes to call me 'billboard-brow' (which goes hand in hand with my nickname for her: Ino-pig). But I just cover my forehead up with bangs (as Teen Vogue says to do in a forehead situation like mine), because I didn't let a slightly larger forehead stop me from having the perfect life in middle school (though I'm not going to even start on what I think of my hair…).

What did stop me was, yet again, high school.

Because there were many high schools in Jacksonville, the community- made up of those from my elementary school- was split up. The school I decided to go to was one known for its athletics and academics- basically a normal high school, but with an ambitious reputation. Only a handful decided to attend this school, mostly because it was a tad farther away from our neighborhood, but I was accompanied by Ino, while the rest scattered themselves to the many other schools provided in Jacksonville.

So not only did I enter high school not really knowing anyone (except for Ino), I entered inexperienced of what I call "the bad shit list".

Partying, smoking, drugs, drinking, and sex were included in this list, and they all surprised me after middle school graduation. Actually, in ninth grade, they terrified me. And even if I didn't do any of these things, I had to adapt. I found my own group of friends, and even found a new crush, Naruto.

In grade 10, I was still single, and unsure how to even ask Naruto out. Naruto was one of the popular guys, meaning he participated in the events of the bad shit list, but he didn't seem as hardcore as the others. He was loud, funny, the class clown, and sometimes very sweet, which readily provoked me as well as half of the female population to have a crush on him. So I did the only thing I knew how to do when it comes to crushes, and that was to flirt with him. And hey, Naruto was single and he flirted back, so I actually had a chance. But then again, he flirted with a lot of girls.

I wouldn't consider myself a loser at high school, nor would I think I was popular. I think I was in the middle- known adequately, but not enough to be in the eye of society. And the eye of society's virtues seemed very different from what I was used to. First off, to be thought of as pretty was to dress in clothes that barely cover your skin. Second, to be cool was to not follow any sort of conduct or rules. And third, the part that kept me from sinking to the bottom of the food chain, was money.

So I guess I had it easy before high school. But it seems that, once I entered high school, Life decided to take my perfect life and swap it for a sucky one, saying 'Deal with it, Princess.' As a result, there were constant changes. I became a lot shyer and lost some self- confidence. Ino was trying to become popular and we seemed more distant to each other than in elementary school. My marks went down a little, and my sister, Puriti, decided to go to the University of Miami, leaving me to be an only child. One of the worst changes though, was in my cat.

Samuel has been my cat for 7 years, so I got him when I was ten. He was a cute little grey tabby and he acted like basically any other domestic cat- but note how I say 'was' and 'acted' in the past tense. A couple of weeks after I started grade nine Samuel started to neglect his food. We thought it was just that he got bored of the brand we were feeding him, but after trying out many other cat foods, and after Samuel got really thin, we decided to take him to the vet. At first the vet said that he was having the symptoms of early kidney failure and we thought 'okay, that's not good, but at least it's something we can treat'. But after weeks of treating for kidney failure, and Sammy hadn't gotten any better, the vet did a re-diagnosis and deemed that my cat, Samuel, did not have kidney failure, but in fact, was anorexic. Weird, I know, but true. Something got into my crazy little cat's mind, and now he is anorexic. Samuel the anorexic cat. No longer a cute playful kitten, but a skinny, frail (but adorable in his own way), grumpy, seven-year old cat.

But my cat wasn't even the worst change.

The absolute worst was with my parents. I don't think their marriage is working out to well because they're mostly arguing and yelling and my dad is usually unhappy. My mom is a bitch, excuse my language, and she starts these stupid arguments and makes up these random rules that completely throw everything off- including my dad's temper. Now, my dad isn't one to get angry, he is actually a very calm and kind man- the type of dad that likes to sit on the couch and watch golf and gets excited if you decide to come watch the game with him and then takes you out for ice cream 'just because'. Anyways, my mom just makes him a loose cannon and I usually sneak to my room in those rare moments when this happens so I can avoid being in the eye of the storm. I think he's still in love with my mom, even though she is, as I said before, a complete bitch now. I sometimes wonder why they don't just split up if they're both so unhappy, I mean everything has already changed in my life, what can one more do?

The answer is a lot, if you think about it. I know everything has gone topsy-turvy, but it's finally starting to plateau, which is good, and another change will get it spiraling out of control again, which is bad.

But what type of story would this be if it didn't go spiraling out of control again? A bad one, I'll tell you that. So to make this story a lot more interesting, Life has decided to add another change to the list (not that there aren't enough already)- and I can't say it's a bad one.

No longer will I be an average, unpopular, seventeen-year old in grade eleven, with only a handful of friends, an anorexic cat, and two parents at war.

Why?

Because Sasuke Uchiha moved to Atlantic Beach.

End Prologue

Chapter 1

I hate the first day of school. I find it so awkward coming back and reuniting with everybody. I mean, people who you barely even know start talking to you about their summer as if you're their best friend. And then they give a "welcome back" hug- which are the worst. This all happens for about three days until everyone goes back to their respective cliques and pretends that you don't exist again.

Anyways, I figured out that if you arrive 5 minutes before you have to be in class, then you can avoid all the weird introductions- or reintroductions. You don't get to check the class list as thoroughly, but it is better then hugging every person you see.

So, after quickly checking what my homeroom class was, I raced up to the part in the hall where my friends and I decided to have our lockers this year. Sure enough, there was an empty one in beside Ino's, which is exactly where I placed my lock. Okay, now back down to my new homeroom.

I smelled the distinctive odor that came from the art room 11C- paint. That's right- my homeroom is art class. Surprisingly, at a school that's ambitious for academics and athletics- almost everyone takes art or drama, mostly because it's a slacker period and you hardly do any work- basically a spare period to do other homework in. Once I entered the class, I scanned the room for anyone I knew, and relief washed through me as I saw Hinata sitting alone at one of the tables. Hinata and I became friends in the ninth grade because we both were two of the very few people who decided to not participate in the bad shit list. Coincidently, it was in art class when we first met, when we were assigned a two-person project. Anyways, to put Hinata in a nutshell, I would say she is quiet, shy, unbelievably kind, tends to stutter, super moral, has a cousin that goes here in the same grade but is popular (and by now, I think you know what being popular means), her mother died when she was little and her father is so strict that I haven't even been to her house yet even though she's one of my best friends. That's Hinata in a nutshell.

As I walked over to her, at least three more people stopped, hugged me and asked me how my summer was (my reply being for all of them "Oh, mine was good, how about you?"). And even as I sat down and a couple of others joined me at the table, I still had to give hugs. I find these hugs so pointless. You barely know the person and the exchange is hardly genuine. I should make a vow to give up hugs- they are way too annoying. Except I did let Hinata hug me, after all she is one of my actual friends. So maybe the vow only applies to people who I don't really know…

As we waited for the anthem to play on the P.A, we chatted about how our summer was and what subjects we picked, etc. I didn't really listen with as much enthusiasm as the others, but put in the occasional "Oh! That's cool!" and "Sweet," where appropriate. The national anthem played, and no one sang, as usual. The teacher hadn't entered at this point but when she did walk in, I had a pretty good idea of what the rest of the year was going to be like. A mix between weird and, well, I don't even know what it would be mixed with. She was new to the school, and you could tell that by the way she dressed. Ms. Lunids had very long, wavy, blonde hair that looked like it hadn't been brushed in about a month. She had tiny spectacles, about 10 beaded necklaces, and wore colourful, baggy clothing that looked like they were bought from a grandma's garage sale, even though she looked like she was in her late twenties.

Well, that's cool I guess- we have a hippy as our art teacher.

"Good morning, children," She greeted in a calm (very calm) but cheery voice. "I am Ms. Lunids, and I welcome you to grade 11 art class."

Hinata and I exchanged looks, wondering why someone like this is teaching art and not hosting some happy preschool TV show.

"Today I thought that we would start off with a project that would symbolize you, and channel your expression into your art. We are going to create your very own personal symbol," she continued, saying the last part like it was something magical. "But before I get you all excited, we should take attendance."

She then proceeded to call out the names on the attendance list. I zoned out for most of them until my name was called or when someone new to the school was announced and Ms. Lunids gave them a small introduction. So far, none of the new kids seemed interesting. But just when I was deciding that this was going to be another boring school year, Ms. Lunids called on someone that, in time, would become very significant to me: Sasuke Uchiha.

At first, I didn't even look up- I had given up on the excitement that the new kids should bring and sought to pull out my ipod instead, while still vaguely listening to the introduction.

"Well, Sasuke," Ms. Lunids started, "how are you liking Florida so far?"

"Hn." Replied an unfamiliar deep voice- one that I automatically assumed was Sasuke's.

"And did the moving go okay?"

"Hn."

"Have you made any friends yet?"

"Hn." The voice replied for the third time. I could hear a couple of students snickering at his unresponsiveness.

"That's lovely," Ms. Lunids genuinely answered with a smile- which was a little weird.

When even more students started snickering I decided to find out who exactly this Sasuke person was, because by hearing just a glimpse of his attitude, I could tell he would be the next big gossip.

When I found the form of Sasuke Uchiha I immediately decided to take back my vow of not hugging people ever again. I seriously thought my jaw hit the floor- he was gorgeous. Pale skin, black untamed hair, perfect aristocrat features, and from where I could see, he was ripped. And it seemed he already was well-liked, for he was amidst a group of ogling girls and the more popular guys.

I watched as someone from his group asked him a question. In return, Sasuke turned and steadily scanned the classroom. The next thing I knew he had caught my gaze- or rather, caught me staring at him- with pitch black eyes. I didn't realize that my mouth was agape until after he gave a small smirk and continued with answering the question he was asked. I immediately flushed a deep red and turned back to the girls I was sitting with. They had the same expression I had- apparently I wasn't the only one who thought he was drool-worthy material. Now, I'm not one who is boy- crazy (you know, the ones that scout for guys, talk about them, flirt like crazy and have new crushes every week, cough-Ino-cough)…

Well that defiantly changed.

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Art is stupid. My teacher is a loser. We spent the whole time trying to find our inner selves by drawing to music (hardly anytime to slack off)- but I couldn't stop thinking about Sasuke. It wasn't my fault though- every other girl in the classroom was thinking the exact same thing as me. I could tell from the far off look in their eyes as they pretended to draw. In the end, I had only one small doodle that very suspiciously looked like the outline of a guy. A very hot, new guy to be exact. Oh well. I can do this project later.

The class ended when Ms. Lunids handed out our schedules for the rest of the year. The first thing I did when I received mine was compare it Hinata's, and figured out that on day one we had art and business together, and on day two we had math and English together. The rest of my schedule went as followed:

Day 1: Art, English, Lunch, Instrumental, and Biology.

Day 2: English Media, Math, Lunch, Spanish, and Chemistry.

The second period bell rang and I was off to English. I hoped that Ino would be there, so I could tell her about Sasuke Uchiha.

But English class ended up being very boring. Maybe it was because Ino wasn't there- or any of my other friends for that matter. We got sheets and forms for our parents to sign and we played a stupid spelling game. I just read a book at my desk…well, tried to read, because I never absorbed any of the words. My thoughts kept drifting to Sasuke, again.

It was actually very annoying. He was just a regular guy who probably will flirt his way into some girl's pants, but I just can't stop thinking about him. I mean, I just met him like half an hour ago- actually I didn't even meet him- I just made eye contact with him, then he gave me a small smile, which wasn't really a smile but a smirk, but still it was really hot and I remember not being able to breath and –why am I still thinking about him?

Ugh.

I need to get him out of my head. I bet I'm just delusional from lack of food; I mean I did forget breakfast, and breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So food. That's most definitely the reason. I need food.

Wrong- Food was not the answer. It just kept my brain functioning enough to process thoughts about- guess who? Stupid- really- good-looking person that I haven't even met.

So, not only was I annoying myself, but I also was embarrassing myself. We were eating lunch by our lockers (where we usually do… "we" being Ino, Hinata, and a couple other friends) and Ino was talking about how her math class was. This is how it went:

Ino: So yeah, I hate my english teacher, he made a seating plan AND gave us homework- on the first day!

Hinata: shy giggle

Ino: But the seating plan wasn't bad- the teach put me really close to this gorgeous guy. He was so hot! What was his name? Sake or something?

Me: Oh My God! Sasuke Uchiha- you saw him!?

Now how fangirlish does that sound?

And I am definitely not a fangirl. Especially over some guy.

But, as it's turning out, it seems like I might become one pretty soon (and I don't want that, at all). I mean, it's only lunchtime of the first day of school, and I'm already obsessed with a complete stranger. But when I think of his eyes and his hair and his body- who wouldn't be?

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I wouldn't really be taking instrumental if it wasn't for my stupid self thinking that in grade 9, playing the flute was totally cool. I begged my dad to get me one, and he only agreed to if I took instrumental all four years of high school. I really didn't see at the time how much of a commitment that was, and am now stuck taking the course for the third time in a row.

Right now though, I'm a little grateful to my stupid grade 9 self, because Instrumental was a definite relief. I walked into the classroom where, right away, we were given our seating plan. Since I play the flute, I was closer to the right of the classroom. To my left are more flutes, to my right are clarinets, and behind me are the trumpets- and Naruto plays the trumpet. That's why instrumental was a relief.

"Hey Sakura!" Speak of the devil- Something squirmed in my stomach as I turned to see the very loud, blue- eyed trumpet player.

"Hi Naruto, how was your summer?" I answered quickly, trying to fight down the stupid butterflies fluttering around my insides.

"Awesome! My friend moved over here in the summer! Have you seen him yet?"

"Er, what's his name?" I asked, although I think I had a pretty good idea who it was.

"It's Sasuke- total bastard but completely awesome."

Can I not go an hour without this guy entering my mind? I guess not. Oh well, that explained why Sasuke was already so popular; he was friends with Naruto (it could also be the fact that Sasuke is incredibly good- looking).

"Yeah, he's in my art class," I replied, trying to pretend that it wasn't a big deal that I saw him. But when a huge smile formed across Naruto's face, I couldn't help but smile as well.

"You did meet him! Our families went on a cruise together this summer, it was so cool!" I now noticed that Naruto was even more tanned than he usually is- I guess he got that from the cruise. But then why is Sasuke really pale? I mean, he had to be out in the sun sometime- what about swimming? The thought of Sasuke swimming without a top on entered my mind, and I wanted to drool. But as Naruto passed by my seat, he stumbled and his hand landed on my shoulder for balance. A small tingle crawled up my arm to the place he touched and my mind went blank. Sasuke who?

"Sorry Sakura!" Naruto apologized as he continued past me.

"Wha- oh. No problem." I giggled nervously. He was in his seat now and I had turned around to face him.

"Anyway," Naruto continued, "I don't know if Sasuke will stay though, at lunch, he was bitching about something or another," (No! Sasuke can't leave! I haven't even met him yet!) "I really hope he stays though- Sasuke is like the king of parties!" I knew I was right when I said he would flirt his way into some girl's pants. Someone that hot obviously goes to parties and has got to be another member of the bad shit list.

It was then that the teacher decided to start the class and I had to unfortunately take my attention away from the blue- eyed trumpet player. The first class consisted of nothing of interest- just more forms that needed to be signed and activity fees needing to be paid. In the end, Naruto and I had a handful of conversations- which was great, because I didn't think of Sasuke once during that time. So that was why instrumental was a relief- I had a breath of fresh air from Sasuke. But I was about to suffocate from him in Biology.

When I walked into the science classroom, I didn't notice him at first- he was blocked by a wall of people, most of them girls- one in particular I really didn't like- Karin.

Karin is the sort of girl who is somewhat popular, but a major poser. She will do anything and everything she can to be popular- meaning she's dressed in the skimpiest clothing possible, she buys all the latest trends, goes to everyone's parties, and knows at least one vital piece of gossip about everyone. It's like she has a talent for tracking down anything 'cool' and making sure that whatever it is, it will be hers. I once had to do a project with her in grade 10 and I basically had to do all the work while she was a bitch and did who knows what. Anyways, Karin poser. Knowing that, it's not surprising to see her in the group surrounding Sasuke.

It was after I sat down though when I finally noticed him behind the ogling-girl-barrier. He was a lot closer this time, and WOW, he is so gorgeous. I contemplated joining the other people surrounding him, but I had enough common sense to know that doing that would make me into another one of those stupid, gaggling girls (cough-Karin)- and I definitely didn't want to be one of those. I might have been one of those girls in middle school, but that was before I realized how idiotic I must have looked.

I was once again daydreaming about Sasuke when Ino sat down beside me. Well, at least I had a friend to distract me from him. But, noooooooo. The first thing Ino said was,

"Oh, isn't that new guy so gorgeous!"

My reply was somewhat muffled by the hand my chin was resting on, "Mmhmm…" Then I think Ino continued to talk, but I wasn't really listening. Instead I was off in my own world. My own Sasuke + Sakura world, to be exact. It was when the teacher entered a while later that I snapped out of my daze. Our biology teacher, Mr. Kakashi, was one of my favourite teachers. He made the work fun, didn't have a seating plan, and he also had a reputation for being late (which means more free time). Which he was right now- it was 10 minutes past the start of the period. There is also a rumor that the book he is always found reading is a porno book. I'm not sure whether to believe that or not.

As Mr. Kakashi talked about this and that, I tried my hardest to resist the urge to stare at Sasuke, but then again, I never had much willpower. So my head slowly swiveled in the direction of Mr. Gorgeous and I stared. I don't know how long I stared for, but Sasuke soon turned his head to have green eyes meet black. I snapped my head so hard in the other direction that I think I gave myself whiplash. I forced myself to look out the window for the rest of the period.

During that time, I noticed it was raining. Which sucked. My hair was naturally curly, but I straightened it everyday so no one would see it that way. And when I went swimming I made sure it was in an extra tight bun so no one could see any evidence of curls. I hate my hair curly. So rain is bad. And rain means wearing your hood which makes you look dorky. I bet Sasuke could pull off a hood and look good- and imagining Sasuke wearing a hood made me realize I was staring at him again. My friends and I have a joke that if I don't focus on my actions, my inner- self will take control, which is probably why I was unconsciously staring at him. Which is bad. And my inner- self apparently wants Sasuke. Which is also bad.

So, I finally got through class by focusing on not looking at Sasuke. When the bell did ring, I grabbed my books quickly and was determined to leave before I found myself dumbly staring at Mr. Gorgeous again. But Sasuke was heading out the door in front of me, and I couldn't resist the inner- me because the real me wanted to "accidentally" brush against him while walking by too. So I did. I picked up my pace just a little more until I felt my shoulder softly connect with his. You know in instrumental when Naruto put his hand on my shoulder and there was a tingle?

Well this was like a shock.

I ended up dropping all of my books and papers (embarrassing), and getting half trampled by the rest of the students who were leaving the classroom (very embarrassing). Well that was just great. Ino didn't even help me pick up my books, I bet she went trailing after Sasuke, which I would never have done (well, not publicly).

After trudging to my locker to grab my raincoat, I trudged to my car, a silver Ford Escape. I wanted one of the smaller cars, but since I went to high school, I learned I was lucky to even have a car this nice. Or have a car, period.

I was waiting in my Ford in the line to exit the parking lot when I saw Sasuke leave in his car. His navy blue Maserati Diablo (which meant he must have a hell of a lot of money to buy a car like that and cover the insurance). I watched him leave the parking lot and even after he was out of sight, I kept staring. I didn't even realize my foot was on the pedal until a loud "HONK!" made its way to my ears. On impulse, I slammed on the breaks (and swore). Good thing too (the breaking, not the swearing), or else I would have nicked the car ahead of me. I drove extra cautiously on the way home just in case any Sasuke- involved obstacles came my way.

I pulled into the driveway of my house next to my sister's car. The house I live in is yellow and white and pretty big. It had 5 bedrooms (two of which are used as my parents' offices), 4 bathrooms, 3 walk- in closets, 2 stories, and 1 hot tub in the backyard. I wanted a pool but my dad says that we have our very own pool 2 blocks away, also known as the ocean (haha dad, you are so funny. Not.). Anyway, my room is on the second floor with one of the walk- in closets. I have a bathroom that connects to my sister's room, and a small ladder that leads to the attic (though I'm too scared to even look). My room is painted green (the same shade as my eyes) and the furniture is pink (the same shade as my hair)- my mom thought it would look cute at the time, but now I'm just sick of it, because I haven't changed it since grade 6.

I decided that I needed to keep myself busy so this stupid obsession with this stupid guy wouldn't progress any further. So, the first thing I did when I got home was change into comfy sweats, and grabbed a snack from the kitchen. Then I went up to my room and on to my computer. But the computer made it worse- after about an hour of instant messaging, I ended up looking at pictures of Maserati Diablo's, and constantly checking Facebook to see if Naruto had any pictures of his cruise (so I could look at Sasuke) or checking if Sasuke even had a Facebook account. It turns out he did, but I didn't want to add him as a friend. At least not yet. It would be weird to have some random person add you as a friend when you haven't even met them. So I decided that since the computer wasn't working on distracting me from Sasuke, I would try the T.V.

Well, T.V didn't work either. I spent most of my time channel surfing while my thoughts drifted. Samuel had to find me because I was so zoned out I forgot to feed him (not that he would eat his food anyway). He had jumped up onto the couch and meowed noisily until I picked him up and went downstairs to the kitchen.

The vet said that even though he didn't have kidney failure, we should still use similar treatments, like warming up his food and hand-feeding to him, which has become the daily routine.

Sam crouched on the countertop and watched as I went to the fridge and got the other half of the can of tuna that I had used yesterday (or rather thrown out yesterday because he didn't eat it). After warming it up in the microwave I dumped the fish into my hand and leaned on the counter beside him. But Samuel, still crouched on the countertop, just looked at it. Almost every time we go through this routine (which is everyday) I wonder why he goes through all of the effort to go and get me to feed him if he's just going to stare at it.

"Come on, Sammy" I coaxed, and he looked up at me, looked down at the tuna in my hand, and then jumped off of the counter to his water bowl. That's the annoying thing about Samuel- he loves water (drinking water, that is). Probably because it gives him the feeling of being full even though he's had nothing.

"Sam," I warned, but all he did was lazily look up at me and went back to drinking from his bowl. I tried this one approach on Samuel during the summer break where I wouldn't give him his water until he ate his food- but it didn't work because he refused to eat and instead drank from the toilet. When I took that option away, he sat in the kitchen sink until he was allowed his regular use of water again.

"Sam," I repeated in the same tone, but he ignored me still. "Fine," I said taking his bowl of water from under his nose and pouring it down the sink. Samuel mrrrlowwwed in protest.

"Eat." I said sternly and held my hand full of tuna (which was warm and wet and starting to feel really gross) in front of his face. Samuel meowed unhappily again, but my hand stayed put. He paced briefly in front me, eyeing the tuna disgustedly, until he hesitantly approached my hand and even more hesitantly took a tiny bite. He chewed and swallowed as if it was the last thing he would do on earth, and then looked at me expectantly.

"More." I said, even though I doubt he could understand me. Samuel turned away, jumped onto the counter and jumped towards the sink where he waited, staring at the faucet and meowing discontentedly. I sighed, stood up, and followed him to the sink where I stuck my hand in his face again.

"Please, Sammy?" I asked (psh, so what if I talk to my cat?). He looked at me pleadingly and finally (and spitefully) took another bite of tuna- a good sized bite of tuna I might add. Knowing that he wouldn't eat any more than I had already made him consume, I dumped the rest of it in the garbage.

"Good boy," I said encouragingly and scratched his head. Samuel look up at me, annoyed, and meowed until I got his water bowl and filled it up for him.

My dad walked by the kitchen and stopping momentarily, said, "He eating anything?"

"Yeah," I answered, "two bites."

"Hm," My dad raised his eyebrows, "Progress."

"Yeah," I said again, and my dad continued on to wherever he was going, probably his office.

As I crouched beside Sam again, stroking his back as he drank his beloved water, I thought about how much of a distraction that was in the Sasuke-obsession situation. I didn't even think of him once the whole time.

But that was the exact wrong thing to think, because that started the whole I-can't-get-my-mind-off-of-him cycle again. It started with wondering if he had any pets and it just got worse and worse from there. I'm starting to think that I'm turning into a fangirl.

When dinner came, I stayed quiet as my mind was off somewhere else thinking you-know-who. After dinner, I decided to try reading, and it helped a little, especially since Samuel came and sat on my lap. I figured that reading was the closest I was going to get on not thinking of Sasuke, so I read until 10:30 pm, which was when I was too tired to read anymore. I fell into a restless sleep listening to my parents arguing and my dad moving downstairs to sleep on the couch where Samuel left me to go join him. But my sleep turned peaceful when I dreamt of a certain black- haired, black- eyed, completely beautiful Maserati Diablo driver.