Up until Friday, he had been pulling out all of his tricks, every little seductive move he could think of. Still, she ignored him. It had become the latest gossip of the school. Sasuke Uchiha: Denied?
As the days went by, she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold in a “yes” for very much longer. It was getting harder and harder to keep her true feelings out of the picture. Inside, Sakura hated it. She hated all the attention, all the rumors, every last detail. She hated saying no over and over again, but it had to be done. She had to be smart this time around.
If only he stopped asking. Then I could stop refusing, she thought ruefully.
Friday came and the pink-headed not-so-new-anymore girl was ecstatic. She was very proud of herself for not giving in to Sasuke’s charm, looks, smile--well, you get the point. The other part of her happiness came from the fact that it was the end of the week. One entire week. And if she remembered Tenten correctly, the handsome Uchiha would only chase after her for one. Entire. Week. Hence, after the weekend, no more chasing. This also meant, Sakura could stare and gawk all she wanted without the risk of anything happening.
Gleefully walking down the hallway towards her next class, she felt as if nothing could bring her down. Nope. Not today. Because after today, she would be free.
Oh no. It’s him! Backtracking, Sakura ducked behind the nearest wall. Oh yeah. She was as free as a bird... A caged bird whose crazed emotions stopped it from ever flying out of the open window! Spaz.
Grabbing her head, she took deep breaths. Sometimes, she wondered if her mind had its own, well, mind.
Regaining control of her thoughts, Sakura’s ears started working again just in time to hear the bell ring. The one that told the school second period had started. But to the only person still standing in the hallway, it laughed at her and said, “You’re late. Is your day spoiled yet?” Damn that bell.
Running the fifteen-and-a-half steps it took to reach her second period classroom, she almost ran right into Sasuke who just so happened to be walking out the moment she opened the door. Or maybe he opened the door. This is how close the timing was.
Continuing on his way out, he murmured, “Hurry up. The teacher’s busy writing on the board. He hasn’t checked to see who’s in class or not. Since you’re sitting in the front row, you can sneak in without him ever realizing. Go.”
“Uh...”
Sakura was debating whether or not to thank him. Thankfully, he didn’t give her a choice in the matter. Pushing her inside the room, he shut the door behind him.
Swiftly moving over to her seat next to Tenten, she sat down and began to question what had just happened. Should she have thanked him? If she did, what would it be for? It’s not like he planned all that... did he? And why would he care in the first place? All she’d been doing is insulting him and flat-out rejecting him. Maybe this was another trick. Maybe he thought that if he were a bit nicer, she would agree to go out with him. Well, he had another thing coming to him. Then again, what if he was just being nice for a change? Or what if...
The poor girl jumped as she was startled out of her thoughts - a note had been placed on her desk. Looking around to see who had put it there, she spotted Sasuke out of the corner of her eye. Ah. So he had returned. And he was giving her that smug look of his. That one which practically screamed “You know you want me.” Which she did. Although she didn’t want to. But maybe she could give it a chance. But she had learned her lesson, hadn’t she?
“Sakura,” Tenten whispered as she leaned over and poked Sakura. “Are you ever going to open that note?”
“What note?” Sakura looked down and noticed the neatly folded piece of paper. Again. “Oh, right.”
Making sure her actions were safely hidden from the teacher, she gently unfolded the piece of paper and scanned the words inside. In very neat handwriting - Sakura felt a twinge of jealousy - the letters read:
-Sasuke
“He wants to ask you something?” Tenten recited after she had read the note for herself. The two girls had retreated to the bathroom in order to speak privately after class. Giving a small squeal of excitement, she said, “Get ready to say some major rejecting words, Sakura. This is it. He’s going to ask you out!”
Sighing exasperatedly, the other girl asked, “Like he hasn't already. And you’re so excited about this because...?”
Retaliating, Tenten gave a sigh of her own. This time, it was as if she were about to say something clearly obvious. “If you haven’t noticed already, and I know I’m repeating myself, no one has said no to him. Not. One. Person. This is probably going to be the last time he tries anything with you. Hence, if you do refuse, you’ll be a total legend in this school.”
“But I don’t want to be a legend. And isn’t Sasuke supposed to be a god or something? Why is everyone anxious to see him shot down?”
Another sigh. “Because, my dear and naïve Sakura, everyone gets an hour or two of blissful happiness. Then, everything comes crashing down in their face. He does it all the time, yet all the girls still bow down at his feet. Geez, I don’t even know if it’s worth the pain they go through afterwards. I mean, I used to think people in this school had brains, but I guess not. How stupid can you be to--”
“Tenten! Could you get to the point, please?”
“Alright, alright. The point is that everyone’s had their heart broken by Sasuke Uchiha before. Excepting me, of course. Now, everyone wants all his scheming to backfire. That’s where you come in. And that one two-letter word.”
Walking out of the bathroom, the two girls glanced at the clock. It was time for their next class.
Turning around, Tenten gave Sakura a stern look. “Remember, you have to say “no”. Don’t go fangirl on me at the last second.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t. I haven’t been attracted to him since I got here.” Whoa. Big lie, right there.
“Okay. I’ll see you after your big meeting, then!” Free period was directly after this one, so the two girls wouldn’t see each other until afterwards. Not if Sakura wanted to be on time for the so-called “big meeting”.
What had she ever done to deserve all this?