"That'll be it for today, come to class tomorrow ready for the next discussion." Professor Jiraiya concluded his lecture about word structure, dismissing the class.
'Great, now I have 40 minutes to get to the dorm and out.' He gathered his laptop and books into his bag and weaved around the students out into the hallway.
"Naruto."
He sped up, pretending not to hear his name being called.
"Wait!"
Naruto was for sure not going to wait. He pushed open the glass door and ran as fast as he could through campus.
"Wait!"
'Shit!'
He was catching up to him, his feet thumped harshly on the pavement and his throat burned for the relief. His hoodie stuck to his skin and he felt disgusting.
Suddenly, a bike skidded inches away from him, sending him back in surprise. He yelps, ready to take in the pain of the fall. Instead of the floor, he was held up by firm chest, and arm looping around his abdomen.
"Where are you running off to in a hurry?"
"Sai! What are you doing here? It's not 11:30 yet." He looked up at his savior in bewilderment.
"It's the art of surprise." He smiled helping him to stand upright. Naruto huffed, beads of sweat slid down his temple and the hairs at his nape clung to him like wet leeches.
"Thanks a lot, made me run for nothing." He wiped his forehead with his sleeve.
"You can't blame me, I just saved you."
"Whatever." He glanced over Sai's shoulder, noticing the dark stare of Sasuke who was equally as sweaty. He pretended not to notice and holds Sai by the arm. "Can you wait in my dorm? I need to take a shower."
"Sure, I'm not busy."
"Great, it's down here a bit." He wiped the sweat that accumulated on his upper lip, pointing down the path to the large complex. He walked side by side with him, feeling eyes on his back.
"What class were you coming from?" Sai tried to make small talk as they strolled down the path.
"Creative Writing down in the Memorial Hall."
"You always did love writing back in high school, besides track of course."
Naruto smiled as memories of those 4 years rushed back to him. Most of friends have went off on their own paths, though they do stay in touch, but things couldn't go back to the way they used to be. Not after what happen junior year.
"Yeah, I used to think that all that mattered was that having fun but that's not the case." His mood turned grim from remembering.
Sai noticed his depleted look. "Look, what happened that day wasn't your fault, we all were involved in it."
"How the fuck was it not? It was my idea to go out there." He sighed.
They reached the dorm and took the stairs up to his room. His boxes were still pushed off to one side of the room, untouched. Naruto sorted through a box, pulling a pair of black jeans and white tee from the top. He eventually found a beach towel among his things and his shampoo and body wash.
"Make yourself at home, I'll be done in 20 minutes."
He closed the door behind him in relief. Now, he could finally relax after the stressful morning. But, no longer than 20 minutes. Well, it's too late for a rain check.
Naruto pulled his hoodie over and off, throwing it aside to start a dirty pile. He pondered over whether it was right for him to begin dating again, the problem wasn't resolved yet, rather it was getting worse.
He twisted on the faucet, waiting for it to warm up.
He stared off into the mirror, glancing over his tan skin that turned lighter for the seasons. The scar was fresh, the skin was waxy smooth and red against his tattoo. His hand trailed up, smoothing his fingers and palm over his stomach.
It was hard to forgive and forget when it remained as a physical reminder. He sighed, looking up at himself. He needed a haircut bad. Naruto unbuttoned his pants, pulling them down by the hem.
His attention was pulled away from his thoughts when the door slammed. Footsteps followed and bumps and thumps sounded outside.
Loud muffles of arguing outside of the bathroom concerned him. Naruto twisted open the door to check. Outside, he saw Sasuke holding Sai by the jacket.
"Why the fuck are you here?" Sasuke spat.
"Why else? Do you think I'm here for you?" Sai replied sarcastically. Naruto kept himself out of the problem but still listened in.
"You know what I meant, you drag."
"My, aren't you being a little harsh? Besides, this drag just spent the night with Naruto as well as today." Sai taunted.
"You might not realized it but this attitude," He forcefully shoved him back. "Is the reason why Naruto will never come back to you."
