Best Friend, Boyfriend Debacle!

Part One

Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to be in a  relationship with your best friend? The person that you share all of  your deepest, darkest secrets with? Someone who keeps you around, for  everything that you are? Not just accepting your "flaws", but loving  them too?

Sakura Haruno hadn't.

In fact it had never even  crossed her mind. At least not until the opportunity came and went,  slipping through her fingers before she even realized what she was  holding.

"Oi, Sakura." A low, monotone voice called.

It was a  Wednesday. And like every other Wednesday, Sakura had entered the  cafeteria of her high school at 12:05 for lunch. Wednesday was a special  day because it was the one day of the week where the senior student  wasn't busy with extracurriculars, or TOEFL prep, or college  applications, or sports. The one day of the week where she could just  sit with her friends, recline in her seat and relax for a bit before it  was back to studying, classes and stress. But like every other  Wednesday, her childhood friend Sasuke Uchiha was waiting by the vending  machine for her. His shoulder rested against the drink machine as he  stared at her expectantly.

"Lend me some money, I'm broke." It was more like he was sharing a fact rather than asking for a favor.

Sakura  rolled her eyes. Every Wednesday, her only day of freedom, and this  smug little jerk had to go out of his way and pester her from the moment  she walked in. "Why don't you bring your own damn money, Uchiha?" She  chided playfully.

"I forgot." He stated matter-of-factly.

"You always forget." She countered. "And you never pay me back!"

Sasuke looked at her cooley. "I pay you back with my friendship."

"Oh? And what exactly does that get me?" Sakura quirked a brow.

He  thought about this for a minute before answering, "Secrecy." When her  face looked confused, Sasuke continued with a straight face. "I just  mean.. arm-pit hair, training bra, diarrhea at Don Quixote, that day you  ate bad sushi and then threw up all over–mmph!"

Sakura clapped  her hand over his mouth, her face turning red. "Shhh!" She hissed,  looking around to see if anyone was listening. "I get it."

"Mmmph  mmmn mm?" The annoying thing about Sasuke is that he could mess with you  in the most embarrassing ways possible. And he would do it as if he  were watching paint dry. But the infuriating part was, there would  always be a mischievous glimmer in his eyes that told you, he knew that  he had won. And right now, his dark onyx eyes were sparkling.

"You  play a dirty game, Uchiha." Sakura muttered, fishing into her sweater  pocket for two 1 dollar bills. She shoved them into Sasuke's hands and  squinted her eyes at him. "With interest if you don't pay me back by  tomorrow."

There was a little tug at the corner of his lips. "Sure."

Sakura  knew he wasn't going to pay her back. She didn't really care though.  The pair had been friends for as long as she could remember. Their moms  were close to each other, or something like that. And then the Uchiha  parents passed away before Sasuke turned nine. Although he never  complained about it, from then on, Sasuke didn't have many people to  look out for him. No mother or father, an estranged brother, and an  empty house to come home to every single day. He had his school friends,  sure. But none of them truly knew the loneliness he suffered. Even  Sakura couldn't really empathize. She could, however, be a friend, a source of support, and sure, ok, a wallet on occasion.

"Jeez.  Why do you always give him what he wants?" An arm draped around  Sakura's shoulders from behind. Two brown eyes stared straight ahead at  Sasuke's retreating figure. "I get that he's hot, but he's such a mooch!"