Imperfectly Perfect (Naruto FanFic)

Chapter Fifteen

I slowly walked over and sat down in between them. This was incredibly awkward. Sakura thought I was being a bitch, and Shri, well...

"Hey beautiful," I turned towards him slowly, rigidly, humiliation turning my cheeks a subtle shade of red. "Long time no see, eh? It must be fate..."

He trailed off as he realized I was no longer listening, but paying attention to the instructor at the front of the room. I glance around at the sentinels placed around the perimeter of the room.

This was going to be hard. I mean, I was smart. My friendship with Sakura had actually derived from us fighting to get the top scores.

I still remember those years...

****

"Ha! Take that forehead!" I giggle as I hold up the test that I had gotten 100% on. Sakura scowled and hid her 98% under her arms.

"Whatever!" She snaps.

"Sasuke-kun will never like you over me if I'm constantly beating you," I tease.

"Yeah, but Sasuke-kun could never like you over me," Ino butts in, a smirk on her face.

"With that 87%?" Sakura scoffed. Ino blushed and held the test to her chest.

"Sh-Shut up!" She shrieks quietly.

I laugh with the rest of the class as she goes and sits down.

***

I wince as I see the 97 circled in bright red at the top of my paper. Surely Sakura beat that. I glance over to her paper, only to see a 63 in her paper, red slashes covering parts of the paper.

I bite the inside of my cheek and turn away.

***

I stare in shock at the paper. A... A 37%?! That doesn't happen to me. That jut doesn't. I sit there, staring at the paper in shock and horror. What would father say? I gulp audibly. What would father do?

A small hand takes the paper from me and scans it over. "Go on," I mumble into the desk, head resting in my arms in despair, "Gloat."

But instead, she coaxes me to sit up, and explains what I got wrong, and how to do it properly.

"Why didn't you gloat?" I asked softly.

"You didn't when I got a 63," she responded.

"Yeah, but I didn't help you either," I respond.

She shrugs. "I dunno. I guess I just didn't want to gloat."

That night, father whipped me. Three lashes. I remember someone coming to heal me as I sobbed. Once I was healed I lay there crying for nearly an hour.

Slowly I sat up, before running out of the house. I spin in circles on the street, searching for a place to go. "Ma'am, do you know where the Haruno residence is?" I ask. She points it out and I sprint towards it.

Five minutes later I was panting at their front door. I quickly compose myself, and knock on the door. "Hello?"

A woman opens the door. She looks nothing like Sakura. Was this the wrong house? "D-does Sakura Haruno live here?" I ask.

"She does. Sakura!" The woman called over her shoulder. "Come in, uh,"

"Fuzen," I supply.