Chapter 2 And The Tutor Is…
“Sasuke, do you know what the answer is?” asked Kurenei-sensei, though she knew as well as he did that he didn’t know the answer. Sasuke hadn’t even tried to pretend to pay attention. He had put his face in his hands and stared out the window.
Sasuke glanced at the nonsense equation written on the board in her fine handwriting. “No.” He shook his head. This was stupid. When was he going to have to use these equations in real life.
“Sakura, do you?” Kurenei sighed, shaking her head at Sasuke and asked the smartest kid in the class. Sasuke had come to learn that the pink haired twit he had met four days earlier, was a genius, and he had taken the pleasure in starting the name Lame Brain, which everyone now used to call her, though it never seemed to bother her.
Sasuke noticed Sakura had been doodling in her notebook instead of paying attention. There was no way she was going to be able to know the answer. This was too complex a problem. Sakura didn’t even look up as she answered, “X is the sum of 3 and negative 5.”
“Very good!” Kurenei-sensei went on to another problem while Sasuke stared in wide-eyed wonder at the genius before him.
“Lame Brain,” coughed a kid to Sasuke’s right. Sasuke chuckled as did the rest of the guys in the class. Sakura’s best friend, Ino Yamanaka, glared at him and shut him up. Ino looked out for Sakura, though Sasuke doubted Ino needed to. Sakura was such a little twit that she didn’t know what was going on around her.
The week was through and Sasuke had to report in with the Headmaster Dozu. There had been homework due in every class and he had taken three tests, on subjects he had previously covered. Sasuke didn’t know how he had fared on those, but he didn’t think he’d need a tutor.
“Sit, Sasuke,” Dozu indicated the chair in front of him when Sasuke strutted into the room. Sasuke did as he was told and waited for the headmaster to continue. “Sasuke, I’m not very impressed with your performances in class. I’ve asked all the teachers to rank you. Everyone said you had high potential, but that you were lazy, a slacker. You failed one out of the three tests on subjects you had previously been assigned. You are getting Cs in all your classes but one, Algebra- and you are failing that class. So, I feel that a tutor is necessary to get your grades up. I want you at a B+. And, I have a tutor in mind. Come on in!”
Sasuke heard the door open. Whoever it was walked inside and stood behind Sasuke.
“Sasuke, meet your new tutor, my daughter Sakura,” Dozu smiled proudly at his daughter.
Sakura walked to his side and smiled at Sasuke. “We’re going to get along quite well, won’t we Sasuke?”
Sasuke could only glare. Out of everyone at school, he had to be paired with the twit. Lame Brain herself. Was Dozu insane? Most likely.
“Great!” Dozu beamed. “Why don’t you two go on outside and study. It’s beautiful out.”
“Yes, Father,” Sakura nodded before heading for the door.
Sasuke sighed, but followed close behind. Once outside, he followed her around the school and into the garden. She stopped by the fountain and took a seat at its base, taking out her books and laying out her notes.
Sasuke sat in front of her. “Look, can’t we just pretend to do this, and let me go home? That way, you don’t have to waste your day, and I can go do as I please.”
Sakura smiled at him sweetly. “You aren’t wasting my day, Sasuke. I enjoy helping others. I tutor all the time, some dumber than even you. It’s sweet that you care so much.”
Sasuke frowned. “That’s not what I meant-”
“I know what you meant, Sasuke,” Sakura‘s smile faltered. “I’m just giving you a chance to see how I see things. I don’t short stick people, so deal with it. You were given the chance to keep your grades up, but you didn’t and now you have to pay the consequences. I know all about how you were in your old school. You are used to getting your way, and you don’t like it when you don’t. Well, too bad. I’m going to tutor you whether you like it or not. You run, I’ll tell.”
Sasuke just stared at her. He had not expected that from her at all.
“I don’t appreciate you thinking I’m a push over.”
“Look, La- I mean-”
“No, you look! I know you are the one that got everyone calling me Lame Brain, and if that’s how you deal with stress or whatever issues you’re dealing with whatever. That kind of thing doesn’t bother me, but I must say that is very immature. I would have expected more from you. But then again, according to everyone who knew you, you live to disappoint.”
Sasuke couldn’t believe Sakura, the girl that seemed so sweet and innocent wasn’t so sweet and innocent. She was the devil in disguise. And, what did she mean that people said Sasuke lived to disappoint? Who did she think she was.
“Look, Lame Brain, you have no right to berate me like this,” Sasuke stood up. “You don’t know anything about me, so but out. You don’t know what its like to lose everyone that is important to you. You can’t possibly understand what it’s like to have everyone you loved ripped from your life. You’re just a stupid little girl that thinks she knows everything! Butt out!”
Sakura just watched him breath in and out, in and out. She didn’t yell back, and she didn’t cry. Sasuke would have killed something if she would have started crying. She just sat there and waited for Sasuke to settle down.
When Sasuke had calmed, he took a seat in front of her and let her start in on the lesson. She didn’t bring up their fight, but just went on and explained the problem.
Sakura knew all he needed was a place to vent, and maybe making him angry enough would make it happen. The truth of the matter was he felt like he was the only one with a loss of loved ones. He feels he needs to act out to get attention.
Sakura understood what it was like to lose someone you cared very much about, but she didn’t let that rule her life, and somehow, she needed to teach Sasuke that. Maybe that was why her father picked her to help him, because he knew she wasn’t going to give up on him.
After the lesson, Sasuke headed back to his dorm with his head down. He was ashamed how he had acted out; that was childish, and he wished he could take it back. Who did she think she was? She acted like she knew everything about him, but she knew nothing, and Sasuke would have to make sure she understood that there was nothing she could do for him.
Sasuke opened the door to his dorm and found Naruto, Kiba, and a bunch of other guys in the room. Great, no privacy. Sasuke plopped on his bed and grabbed his magazine to read and ignore the guys.
“Hey, Sasuke! You got to meet the guys,” Naruto said, oblivious to Sasuke’s feelings. Sasuke bet that if he’d write a sign, Naruto still wouldn’t get the hint. “That’s Neji, you already know Kiba, Lee, Shikamaru, and Choji.”
Everyone was looking at Sasuke, waiting for him to say something. Sasuke didn’t look up from his magazine; he just grunted.
“Right, the guys who doesn’t talk much,” Kiba nodded.
“So,” Choji continued with whatever conversation they had been having before Sasuke had entered the room.
Sasuke didn’t listen to their lame conversations about school or homework or whatever it is that they thought was cool. Truth was, they had no idea what cool was. They were just a bunch of small town hics that don’t know how to have fun.
“So, Sasuke, I saw you and Haruno in the gardens after school. Are you getting tutoring from her?” asked Neji.
“That’s not all he’s getting from her,” Kiba laughed elbowing Neji. The others snorted in laughter.
“Sakura isn’t like that,” Choji shook his head through his laughter.
“She wouldn’t do that to Gaara,” Naruto insisted; he was the only one not laughing. He actually looked like he thought Kiba was being serious.
If the idea wasn’t so absurd, Sasuke would have laughed right along with them. “Ya, I’m failing Algebra, and Dozu assigned me his lame brain daughter.”
“Sakura’s cool, okay! Leave her along!” Naruto yelled angrily.
Sasuke frowned at him. “What’s your problem?”
“Cool it, Naruto,” Kiba shook his head. “We all know Sakura’s cool. It was a joke. We didn’t mean any of it.” Kiba looked over at Sasuke and explained, “Naruto here has had a crush on Haruno since the first grade. Here we are, juniors in high school and his feelings haven’t changed.”
Sasuke shook his head. “Who’s Gaara? He go to school here?”
“Nah, he goes to a school in Suna. I’ve never met him, but I heard he’s the bad boy type,” Neji answered.
Sasuke couldn’t see the lame brain actually having a boy friend, let alone the bad boy type, but whatever; it’s not like it mattered to him. Sasuke grabbed his magazine and went back to ignoring them.
