Joke's on You - Chapter 2
Naruto hadn’t been able to concentrate in any of his other lessons. But how could he? How could he, when all the teachers, students and their grandmothers thought he was crushing on Uchiha. Sakura scowled as she walked with the blond to lunch. “Get over yourself Naruto, I doubt many people care enough to be talking about it. It’s really not a big deal.”
“Not a big deal? Half the world thinks I have feelings for a stuck up, rich, prissy, know-it-all, magazine-cover-boy-wannabe! Please Sakura, I’m begging you, tell people that you wrote that text!”
“No way, Blondie.” Sakura rolled her eyes as Naruto proceeded to put on the most pathetic face he could. “I don’t want people to think it was me either. That text was for Ino’s eyes only. You really did this to yourself, you know.”
“Sakura-chan!” The pair came to a halt outside the cafeteria doors. Sakura shifted her bag on her shoulder, and sighed, finally giving her friend a reassuring smile.
“Look Naruto, I’m sure that no one outside of Dr. Hatake’s class knows what happened. I only found out because you told me-“
“Ino was in that class!”
“…Then you’re totally screwed,” Sakura acknowledged, before pushing the door open and weaving her way towards their group of friends. The rest of the school who had been busy eating, chatting and generally making noise, suddenly stood still. Silence. Naruto loved being the centre of attention. But hundreds of pairs of eyes staring at him was hardly a nice experience. The blond walked faster, inadvertently catching parts of hushed conversation, the curious glances and disbelief following him all the way to his table. Then all at once, the spell was broken, and everyone continued where they had left off, as if someone had suddenly turned the volume up. The occupants of Sakura and Naruto’s table, however, remained quiet.
Ino’s eyebrows had risen to extreme heights, Chouji had stopped eating, Shika was awake and paying attention, Hinata had stopped fidgeting, and Kiba had turned an unnatural shade of red. 3…2…1…and the entire table erupted with laughter. Even shy little Hinata couldn’t contain it. “I’m glad you’re all enjoying my suffering,” Naruto grumbled. Chouji patted him awkwardly on the back and Kiba nodded sympathetically although there were still tears in his eyes.
“I’m sorry mate, but you’ve got to admit that you’d be laughing if it had happened to someone else. I can’t even imagine what’s going through that ice princesses head right now.” Kiba chuckled with delight. Naruto paled; he was SO lucky that Sasuke chose to eat elsewhere.
Sasuke sat at his usual table outside by the fountains, ignoring the stares from the other students that passed by. He glared, and sent a red faced girl scurrying in the opposite direction. Wow, that had made him feel a little bit better; today hadn’t been a good day for him. He was used to being stared at (he was an Uchiha), but something was different. He couldn’t place what it was, but it was making him really uncomfortable (though he would never admit it if anyone asked; Uchiha’s aren’t fazed by anything). He abandoned the thought as he saw Neji, Gaara and Lee walk towards his table. They weren’t exactly what you’d call friends, but they understood each other’s personality enough to tolerate being in the same space. Sasuke’s eyes, narrowed once they’d finally reached him; not only were they late, but Neji had a dangerously uncharacteristic smirk on his face. “What’s with that look, Neji?” The Hyuuga boy put down the food they had bought.
“Have you noticed that people have been acting weirder than usual today?”
“Spill it Hyuuga.”
“Gladly. There’s a rumor going around about you and Uzumaki”
Sasuke scoffed, “Never pegged you as one who followed gossip.” Neji grinned.
“Well, I think you’ll forgive me for indulging in such a tasteless activity once you hear what I have to say.” Sasuke rolled his eyes but stayed silent. This was all the encouragement Neji needed to continue. “It seems as if Uzumaki has some sort of crush on you Sasu-chan. Can you believe that!? At first I thought it was some crap started by a fool with half a brain…but more and more people have been saying it’s true, it’s hilarious if you ask me.” Sasuke’s scowl deepened as Neji stole some of his fries.
“Don’t bullshit me Neji. Lee, what’s really going on?” snapped Sasuke. Lee grinned, his eyes going wide as he spoke.
“It’s as he says, Sasuke, as hard as it is to believe. Even Naruto’s friends weren’t denying it. What I want to know, is what you’re going to do about it. Sooner or later, there’s going to be a confrontation of some kind. Naturally I want to be there to witness such a display of youth!”
“Where did this rumor come from, then? Sasuke refused to believe such…nonsense! Just that morning Sasuke and Naruto had been two insults away from a fist fight. “Surely it was Sakura. Or Ino, maybe. Even Hinata would be more likely!” Sasuke insisted, ignoring the glare he received from Neji. It was Gaara who chose to speak up. He explained what students in Kakashi’s class had been saying, relaying what the text had said with perfect accuracy.
“Ordinarily I’d have though that it was Sakura as well. Goodness knows she’s been trying to get into your pants for ages, but in the text it said that the person had been playing hard to get. Haruno in no way, shape or form plays hard to get. And let’s not forget, for rivals, you and Uzumaki used to be on friendly terms.” Sasuke sat, motionless. That was probably the most Gaara had said in a long time
Neji laughed, “Maybe shoving you into lockers was just a way to get some body contact!” Sasuke threw some fries at him. “So let’s say Mr. Blond-haired-blue-eyed Uzumaki really does have the hots for you. What do you think of that? Honestly.” Sasuke paused his eating and looked up at the three expectant faces. What did he think of it? The Uchiha had never really thought about Naruto in that way before. Sure, the boy was handsome, with his golden blond hair, shining blue eyes that crinkled when he smiled, his infectious laugh, that perfectly bronzed body- Wait, WHOA! Time out! Sasuke didn’t know where those thoughts had come from. He wasn’t even gay. And even if he was, it wouldn’t be for an idiot like the Dobe.
The only thing that was shining about the blond was the bruise left behind when Sasuke punched him. Everything about the blond was infectious; surely he had substandard hygiene routines. And the only thing bronze pertaining to the blond was from him getting third place in school competitions (behind Sasuke and Neji, of course). The Uchiha nodded in satisfaction. So why, oh why was there a blush on his cheeks and a falter in his breath? He sighed and relented somewhat, “I’m not as disgusted as I should be. Quite the opposite in fact, and that worries me.”
Despite the horrible start, lunch had ended on a relatively good note. Naruto had made his mind up; he would tell Sasuke what happened, Sasuke would punch him, and everything would be sorted by the end of the day. Crisis resolved! At least that was the plan. He stepped into the art room just as the bell rang and saw Sasuke at the back of the room talking with Neji. The Uchiha looked strained; Naruto was convinced that he was restraining himself from running over and punching the blond’s lights out. Naruto took his seat as Mr. Umino addressed the class.
“Hey everyone! As you know it’s the start of winter term, which means it’s time to start our project! Grab a pen and some paper; you’ll need to write this down. For the next four weeks you’ll be partnered with another member of the class. You will be creating a portrait of this person in the final week of the project. That means in the next three weeks you’ll be taking photos, doing sketches, formulating ideas! Also it’s a good idea to start thinking of colour schemes, backgrounds and painting styles. I don’t want this to be a dead portrait class, it should embody the characteristics of the person you are painting.”
Naruto grinned to himself, ‘I feel sorry for the person who get’s Uchiha; “dead” is one of his primary characteristics.’
Iruka clapped his hands, “I don’t want a fuss about who will be partnered with whom. You will be paired according to the order you’re in alphabetically. So, find your partner and get started. There are cameras on my desk of you want them.” Naruto sat dumbstruck; he was paired with the Uchiha. Life officially hated him. Could things honestly get any worse? He picked up a camera and turned it on. Maybe if he blinded the Uchiha with the flash he could make a get away. Naruto found Sasuke through the lens of the camera, zoomed in and took a picture. The Uchiha was staring straight back at him. But it occurred to Naruto that something was wrong. Maybe it was the shy glance, or the delicate blush…Uzumaki frowned in confusion…and then everything clicked (no pun intended).
Naruto, as eloquent as ever, said the only thing that could be used to describe the situation, “Oh, crap!”
“Not a big deal? Half the world thinks I have feelings for a stuck up, rich, prissy, know-it-all, magazine-cover-boy-wannabe! Please Sakura, I’m begging you, tell people that you wrote that text!”
“No way, Blondie.” Sakura rolled her eyes as Naruto proceeded to put on the most pathetic face he could. “I don’t want people to think it was me either. That text was for Ino’s eyes only. You really did this to yourself, you know.”
“Sakura-chan!” The pair came to a halt outside the cafeteria doors. Sakura shifted her bag on her shoulder, and sighed, finally giving her friend a reassuring smile.
“Look Naruto, I’m sure that no one outside of Dr. Hatake’s class knows what happened. I only found out because you told me-“
“Ino was in that class!”
“…Then you’re totally screwed,” Sakura acknowledged, before pushing the door open and weaving her way towards their group of friends. The rest of the school who had been busy eating, chatting and generally making noise, suddenly stood still. Silence. Naruto loved being the centre of attention. But hundreds of pairs of eyes staring at him was hardly a nice experience. The blond walked faster, inadvertently catching parts of hushed conversation, the curious glances and disbelief following him all the way to his table. Then all at once, the spell was broken, and everyone continued where they had left off, as if someone had suddenly turned the volume up. The occupants of Sakura and Naruto’s table, however, remained quiet.
Ino’s eyebrows had risen to extreme heights, Chouji had stopped eating, Shika was awake and paying attention, Hinata had stopped fidgeting, and Kiba had turned an unnatural shade of red. 3…2…1…and the entire table erupted with laughter. Even shy little Hinata couldn’t contain it. “I’m glad you’re all enjoying my suffering,” Naruto grumbled. Chouji patted him awkwardly on the back and Kiba nodded sympathetically although there were still tears in his eyes.
“I’m sorry mate, but you’ve got to admit that you’d be laughing if it had happened to someone else. I can’t even imagine what’s going through that ice princesses head right now.” Kiba chuckled with delight. Naruto paled; he was SO lucky that Sasuke chose to eat elsewhere.
Sasuke sat at his usual table outside by the fountains, ignoring the stares from the other students that passed by. He glared, and sent a red faced girl scurrying in the opposite direction. Wow, that had made him feel a little bit better; today hadn’t been a good day for him. He was used to being stared at (he was an Uchiha), but something was different. He couldn’t place what it was, but it was making him really uncomfortable (though he would never admit it if anyone asked; Uchiha’s aren’t fazed by anything). He abandoned the thought as he saw Neji, Gaara and Lee walk towards his table. They weren’t exactly what you’d call friends, but they understood each other’s personality enough to tolerate being in the same space. Sasuke’s eyes, narrowed once they’d finally reached him; not only were they late, but Neji had a dangerously uncharacteristic smirk on his face. “What’s with that look, Neji?” The Hyuuga boy put down the food they had bought.
“Have you noticed that people have been acting weirder than usual today?”
“Spill it Hyuuga.”
“Gladly. There’s a rumor going around about you and Uzumaki”
Sasuke scoffed, “Never pegged you as one who followed gossip.” Neji grinned.
“Well, I think you’ll forgive me for indulging in such a tasteless activity once you hear what I have to say.” Sasuke rolled his eyes but stayed silent. This was all the encouragement Neji needed to continue. “It seems as if Uzumaki has some sort of crush on you Sasu-chan. Can you believe that!? At first I thought it was some crap started by a fool with half a brain…but more and more people have been saying it’s true, it’s hilarious if you ask me.” Sasuke’s scowl deepened as Neji stole some of his fries.
“Don’t bullshit me Neji. Lee, what’s really going on?” snapped Sasuke. Lee grinned, his eyes going wide as he spoke.
“It’s as he says, Sasuke, as hard as it is to believe. Even Naruto’s friends weren’t denying it. What I want to know, is what you’re going to do about it. Sooner or later, there’s going to be a confrontation of some kind. Naturally I want to be there to witness such a display of youth!”
“Where did this rumor come from, then? Sasuke refused to believe such…nonsense! Just that morning Sasuke and Naruto had been two insults away from a fist fight. “Surely it was Sakura. Or Ino, maybe. Even Hinata would be more likely!” Sasuke insisted, ignoring the glare he received from Neji. It was Gaara who chose to speak up. He explained what students in Kakashi’s class had been saying, relaying what the text had said with perfect accuracy.
“Ordinarily I’d have though that it was Sakura as well. Goodness knows she’s been trying to get into your pants for ages, but in the text it said that the person had been playing hard to get. Haruno in no way, shape or form plays hard to get. And let’s not forget, for rivals, you and Uzumaki used to be on friendly terms.” Sasuke sat, motionless. That was probably the most Gaara had said in a long time
Neji laughed, “Maybe shoving you into lockers was just a way to get some body contact!” Sasuke threw some fries at him. “So let’s say Mr. Blond-haired-blue-eyed Uzumaki really does have the hots for you. What do you think of that? Honestly.” Sasuke paused his eating and looked up at the three expectant faces. What did he think of it? The Uchiha had never really thought about Naruto in that way before. Sure, the boy was handsome, with his golden blond hair, shining blue eyes that crinkled when he smiled, his infectious laugh, that perfectly bronzed body- Wait, WHOA! Time out! Sasuke didn’t know where those thoughts had come from. He wasn’t even gay. And even if he was, it wouldn’t be for an idiot like the Dobe.
The only thing that was shining about the blond was the bruise left behind when Sasuke punched him. Everything about the blond was infectious; surely he had substandard hygiene routines. And the only thing bronze pertaining to the blond was from him getting third place in school competitions (behind Sasuke and Neji, of course). The Uchiha nodded in satisfaction. So why, oh why was there a blush on his cheeks and a falter in his breath? He sighed and relented somewhat, “I’m not as disgusted as I should be. Quite the opposite in fact, and that worries me.”
Despite the horrible start, lunch had ended on a relatively good note. Naruto had made his mind up; he would tell Sasuke what happened, Sasuke would punch him, and everything would be sorted by the end of the day. Crisis resolved! At least that was the plan. He stepped into the art room just as the bell rang and saw Sasuke at the back of the room talking with Neji. The Uchiha looked strained; Naruto was convinced that he was restraining himself from running over and punching the blond’s lights out. Naruto took his seat as Mr. Umino addressed the class.
“Hey everyone! As you know it’s the start of winter term, which means it’s time to start our project! Grab a pen and some paper; you’ll need to write this down. For the next four weeks you’ll be partnered with another member of the class. You will be creating a portrait of this person in the final week of the project. That means in the next three weeks you’ll be taking photos, doing sketches, formulating ideas! Also it’s a good idea to start thinking of colour schemes, backgrounds and painting styles. I don’t want this to be a dead portrait class, it should embody the characteristics of the person you are painting.”
Naruto grinned to himself, ‘I feel sorry for the person who get’s Uchiha; “dead” is one of his primary characteristics.’
Iruka clapped his hands, “I don’t want a fuss about who will be partnered with whom. You will be paired according to the order you’re in alphabetically. So, find your partner and get started. There are cameras on my desk of you want them.” Naruto sat dumbstruck; he was paired with the Uchiha. Life officially hated him. Could things honestly get any worse? He picked up a camera and turned it on. Maybe if he blinded the Uchiha with the flash he could make a get away. Naruto found Sasuke through the lens of the camera, zoomed in and took a picture. The Uchiha was staring straight back at him. But it occurred to Naruto that something was wrong. Maybe it was the shy glance, or the delicate blush…Uzumaki frowned in confusion…and then everything clicked (no pun intended).
Naruto, as eloquent as ever, said the only thing that could be used to describe the situation, “Oh, crap!”