Friday goes by slowly – probably thanks to the fact that I'm dreading detention. Ugh. After school, I make my way to the library. Sasuke is already here, of course. He doesn't bother sparing me a glance as he wheels a cart past me. He's probably still mad at me for what I said last night. The thought makes me wanna chuckle, but I'll hold it in.

"Hi!" I happily greet the librarian.

"Hello, Naruto," she warily greets in return. She's used to seeing me and Sasuke here. It's where we spend most of our detentions, so she should be thankful for the help! "You know what to do," she adds, pointing to a few carts of books.

"Got it," I grin, taking one and wheeling it to the first aisle. We work silently and whenever my path crosses Sasuke's, he turns his back to me. What a riot.

After two hours of circulation, the librarian tells us we can leave. Finally! Time to start enjoying the weekend.

Sasuke rushes out of the room so he doesn't have to face me. I get a few things out of my locker before leaving the school leisurely. In the parking lot, I spot Sasuke's car. He's sitting in the driver's seat talking on his cellphone. Well, it actually looks like he's shouting instead of talking.

I roll my eyes at the sight before continuing to my jeep, but something stops me. I hear Sasuke's car door open. He throws himself out of the vehicle, dropping his phone on the pavement in the process and rushing towards a nearby trash can. He proceeds to vomit into it and I'm wondering whether or not I should see if he's okay. "Hey!" I call, approaching him. His shoulders tremble and he convulses over the trash can before throwing up again. "What the fuck?" I ask. "You good?"

He spits, moving away from the trash can and wiping his mouth on his sleeve in an unceremonious fashion. How unlike him. "Just peachy," he mutters cynically, walking past me.

"Sasuke –" I start, but he cuts me off.

"Fuck off!" he shouts at me, eyes wide and angry. "Seriously, just fuck off!"

I'm not fazed. I follow him back to his car, spotting his iPhone on the pavement. "Well, it's not broken," I tell him, picking it up. What a surprise. iPhones aren't exactly durable. The screen is still lit and I can see his recent call history. He was just on the phone with his mother. Weird. I wonder what she said that got him so riled up. Before I can turn around and hand it back, Sasuke is in his car, tires screeching as he exits the school parking lot. "Huh..." I shrug, staring back down at his phone. I close the recent calls screen and open up his text messages. There's nothing interesting – just one from his mom asking him when he's going to be home... some from Suigetsu, Juugo and then some from a few unknown numbers... including one I recognize as my cousin – Karin. She's obsessed with Sasuke for the same reason as Sakura. It doesn't look like he's responded to any of the girls and the replies to Suigetsu and Juugo are short and curt. Nothing interesting. What a jackass. I decide to look at his photos, but as soon as I open the screen I wish I didn't. "Oh, wow," I murmur to myself as an array of nudes greet me. There he is: on his back with his legs spread... This is more of Sasuke than I ever wanted to see – like the locker room sausage fest wasn't enough. I frown, scrolling down. He's on his stomach, ass cheeks spread for the camera – but that's not what has me frowning. I zoom into the photo and see that there are cuts in his back, the kind that couldn't possibly have been self-inflicted. I can't believe I've never noticed them before. I've had enough chances to take a peek in the school locker room. Then again, I'm one of the guys who tries damn hard not to stare at other naked dudes.

There's a hand on Sasuke's ass in another picture. It clearly belongs to a man. Well... now I know Sasuke is gay! I fucking knew it, I fucking knew it! I could show these to Sakura. I could use this as proof to out him, but I'm not like that. Instead, I close the screen allow the phone to lock itself so I won't be tempted to do something stupid. I don't know his password, so there's no way I can get back into it. I really need to learn to mind my own business. It's weird, though. None of the photos look like they were taken by him – they're all just of him. In some of them he's getting fucked, but you can only see his face. No one else's.

Well, I'm sufficiently disturbed. And I think I'm blushing, but that's pretty understandable. Anyone would blush if they saw these! Half the porn I've watched hasn't even been as lewd as those photos...

Oh, well. If I'm going to be realistic, it's not that scandalous. Teenagers do this kind of shit all the time. Me and Sakura once made a sex tape. That's probably a little worse than some naked photos... though the tape was pretty vanilla.

I pocket the phone, get into my jeep and drive home, refusing to think about Sasuke's fuckin' nudes.

||XxXx||

The following morning, my mom asks me to drop off the cake tray that Mikoto and Fugaku brought over. "Fine," I sigh. They always make me do this shit and Sasuke's parents are no different. I think they all want us to somehow magically become friends. No matter how many times we fight, or how much we assure them it's not going to happen, they aren't swayed.

Fortunately, Sasuke only lives down the street from me so it's not that big of a walk. I stroll up their driveway and ring the doorbell twice. A moment later, Sasuke answers. He looks messy, like he didn't bother showering today. Or maybe he slept in. It makes me want to laugh because he's usually impeccably neat. His hair is stuck up in even odder angles than usual. He's wearing a loose t-shirt that's slipping off his right shoulder plus pair of thin, cotton pajama pants and I can see the outline of his fuckin' dick in them. "Dude," I state with a grimace. This guy is shameless, I swear. Then again, so am I.

He doesn't look fazed. "What the fuck do you want?" he asks groggily, rubbing his weary eyes.

I hold up the tray with an irritated sigh. "My parents wanted me to return your Tupperware."

"How nice," he says tartly, taking it from me. "Is that all?"

"No," I smile sweetly, digging his phone out my pocket and holding it up. "You also left this in the parking lot last night."

His eyes widen. "So, that's where it went..."

"Yep," I say, grinning.

"Did... Did you look through it?" he asks carefully.

I could lie to him, or I could be honest and revel in his reaction. Yeah, I think I'll choose the latter option. "I sure did," I admit. "I couldn't help myself. Don't lie and say you wouldn't've done the same."

He flushes. "Did you..." he trails off, biting his lip.

"Yeah, I saw the photos," I admit, sobering. He closes his eyes, cheeks bright pink. He holds out his hand, not uttering a word. "Say please," I coo at him, dangling the phone tauntingly.

"Please give me my phone," he murmurs and I place it on the palm of his hand.

"Hey..." I start with a frown. "Why do you have photos like that anyway?"

He lets out a cut laugh. "Fuck off! You don't get to ask me questions, Uzumaki. We're not friends!" Ah, he's using my family name. He must be really pissed with me. Well, I know he's pissed. He's been angrier lately.

"I know," I state. "You don't have any friends, do you? Just people you allow to stand next to you... I'm not going to tell anyone if that's what you're worried about," I add.

He rubs a hand down his face and I see his throat constrict as he swallows. "Okay," he murmurs hoarsely.

"Did you want the photos to be taken?" I ask. "Because you didn't look happy in them."

"Do I ever look happy?" he retorts. "Do I ever smile in pictures?"

"No," I say.

"There you go," he mutters. "Now are we done here?"

"Yeah, we're done," I say with a sigh, turning around and going home. I hear him slam the door a split second later.

Yikes.

||XxXx||

Since it's Saturday, I decide to go to a party over at Kiba's place. His parents are out of town, so it's the perfect chance to have a little fun.

I get dressed in a pair of jeans and an orange t-shirt before driving to Sakura's house. She comes out wearing a nice red dress. "You look pretty," I tell her as she gets into the passenger seat. She smiles in response, leaning forward and pecking me on the lips.

Kiba lives on a farm in the outskirts of Konoha. He has a big yard near a forest and every time he has a party, someone usually gets lost in it. Not gonna lie, sometimes it's me. When I'm drunk enough, bad ideas sound great. One time when we were all sixteen, I got so lost in there that they can to call the cops to come find me. Ah, good times...

When we get there, Kiba is already drunk, hanging off Hinata who looks concerned as ever. "Yooo!" he greets us in a long slur. "Glad'yah guys could make it!"

"Sure, dude," I say with a laugh. "You look like you're feeling good."

"Feelin' great," he corrects me pointedly.

"Awesome, buddy," I laugh some more, patting him on the shoulder. I wrap an arm around Sakura and we both enter the kitchen. On the counter there are countless bottles of alcohol. "So," I say to Sakura, playing bartender, "What can I getcha?"

"Vodka and lemonade," she says with a smile.

I mix her drink before mixing my own – a rum and coke. We wander throughout the party and once she spots Ino, she ditches me. I don't mind. I continue into the rec room and spot Suigetsu, Juugo, Shikamaru and Chouji playing a card game around a coffee table. "Hey, guys," I greet.

"Yo," Shikamaru says.

"Hey, Naruto," Chouji grins.

"What are you guys playing?" I ask.

"Flip, sip or strip," Suigetsu says. "Just kidding, it's cribbage, hence the board."

"Oh, darn," I say jokingly. "I really wanted to get naked with you fine lads."

"All jokes aside, don't you have a girlfriend?" Suigetsu asks with humour.

"Yeah," I shrug, flopping next to him. "So, what?"

"Shouldn't you be faithful?" Juugo cuts in.

I let out a laugh. "My relationship with Sakura is kind of a joke... though it didn't used to be. I think we once had something better than what we have now... but we both cheat on each other. She knows it and I know it. We're just on a don't ask don't tell basis." I don't know what Sakura's kill count is since we started dating, but in the past month alone I've slept with Shion, Amaru and Isaribi. It doesn't make me feel too good about myself, though, if I'm going to be honest. It's pretty spiteful of me to do shit like this. Maybe that's why I always feel so crappy afterward.

"That's messed up," Suigetsu snorts, adding his two cents.

"I guess," I admit. "Hey, you and Juugo are friends with Sasuke, right? Is he here?"

"Yeah, I think so," Suigetsu murmurs offhandedly. "We dragged him here, but he might've left."

"I saw him about an hour ago," Juugo confirms. "Why?"

"Just wondering," I shrug.

Suigetsu glances up at me, not believing it. "I call bullshit," he says.

"Fine, I'm curious," I admit. "What's wrong with him lately?"

"I don't know. I just know he's always popping those damn pills," Suigetsu murmurs, catching my attention.

"What pills?" I can't help but ask.

"He used to take the kind that he hoped might have made him okay," he mutters, "the kind that might have made him forget things and just be fucking normal for a change... but I think he just takes pills to help him sleep now." He cracks a smile at me, showing off an array of filed teeth. "I shouldn't be telling you any of this, though... should I? Sasuke hates you and you hate Sasuke."

I just shrug my shoulders. "I'm a dick to him because he's a dick to me. I'm not going to treat him special just 'cause he's fucked in the head or anything, but I also wouldn't use it against him... Besides, I don't hate him. I pity him because he's such a bastard."

Suigetsu laughs at that. "True enough..."

"The pills were for PTSD," Juugo cuts in offhandedly. "Prozac. You're right, though. He doesn't take them anymore because they triggered his mania. He takes lithium now, not sleeping pills."

"Shit... seriously?" I ask, jaw dropping and he only nods in response. "That's heavy..."

"How the hell do you know?" Suigetsu questions Juugo. "I didn't even know that part."

"He talks to me if he's drunk enough," Juugo says simply. "I listen quietly, only speaking when he asks me to while you add a stupid comment every two seconds. He hates that." Suigetsu just rolls his eyes once Juugo is finished talking. I find it surprising that Sasuke actually talks to Juugo. I didn't think he spoke to anyone.

"What happened to Sasuke, anyhow?" I ask.

Suigetsu shrugs and Juugo says, "It's not your business. It's not our business either. I've told you so you know and can be a little more sensitive, but we should all probably stop talking about him."

"Is that your way of telling me that you don't know?" I question. Juugo looks mildly humoured, but he doesn't reply. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, though. Sasuke has always lacked the proper coping skills and his father's constant expectations put a lot of stress on him.

Speak of the devil – I spot Sasuke enter the rec room, looking flustered. He's stumbling and his fly is undone, causing me to wonder who he just let into his pants. Gross. "Hey!" he slurs to his two friends, probably wordlessly asking for help.

I grimace at his current state. "Awesome," I mutter sarcastically.

Suigetsu lets out a sigh. "Here we go... We better go fetch him before he does something stupider than whatever he's done thus far," he murmurs. "Sorry to end the game early," he says to Shikamaru and Chouji before nodding to Juugo, who stands up. The two of them wander towards Sasuke, who looks really confused. They exchange a few words, Suigetsu buttons Sasuke's jeans back up and the three of them leave the room.

"What the fuck was that all about?" I mutter to Chouji and Shikamaru. "That was weird."

"Who the hell knows?" Shikamaru says dismissively. "Not my business, so I'm staying out of it... it's too troublesome to get involved."

I roll my eyes. "Naturally."

Chouji stuffs his face with chips, looking mildly oblivious to everything that just happened. At least it was only us in the room. Hopefully no one else had to see Sasuke looking that trashed. Hell, I've never even seen him looking this trashed before. I wonder what is going on...

||XxXx||

Come morning, I wake up in an empty bathtub with Kiba. I have no fucking idea why. At least we're both wearing our clothing so I doubt anything scary happened. "Hey," I shake him awake.

He shifts slightly before opening bleary eyes. "Dude, what the fuck?" he asks once he sees me.

"My sentiments exactly," I snort. The both of us get up and leave the bathroom, trying to find our girlfriends. I wonder who else crashed here. I spot a few unconscious bodies in the living room, Ino, Hinata and Sakura amongst them. "Hey," I whisper to her. "Sakura?"

She opens her eyes a moment later, sitting up. "Hey," he says, voice laced with fatigue. She untangles herself from Ino, standing up and following me out of the room. I wave to Kiba before going. Wordlessly, Sakura and I leave the house together, squinting as the sun greets us with its cruelly bright rays.

What a miserable morning. It's times like this that make me wonder why me and Sakura even bother to date anymore. We have nothing to say to one another. Not a damn thing.

She gets in the passenger seat of my car, pushing the seat back and lying down, eyes closed. I get in the driver's seat and make my way to her house. Her parents are probably going to skin her alive once she gets home. They hate when she spends the night away from home. They nag a lot and Sakura doesn't hesitate to scream at them. There have been many awkward instances where I've been forced to listen to them all argue over really stupid stuff.

After dropping Sakura home, I drive to my own house. My parents greet me with forced smiles. "Hung over?" Dad asks expectantly.

"Mm..." I groan, pressing a palm to my forehead. I can't believe I was able to drive home without throwing up on myself. Amazing.

"Go lie down," Mom suggests with a sigh. "I'll bring you a glass of water and a painkiller."

"Mhm..." I mumble, squinting as I go to my room. I peel off my clothes, sitting naked in bed with the sheets pooled around my waist. My mom enters a minute later.

"Here," she hands me a glass of water and a little, white pill. I thank her, swallowing the pill and washing it down with the water. "I'll get you a cloth," she adds, leaving the room again.

I place the half empty glass on my nightstand and lie down, pulling the sheets to my chest. I close my eyes, fearing my mom return once again. I hear the padding of her feet on the wooden floor as she approaches my bed. She places a wet, cold cloth on my forehead before saying, "The key to avoiding hangovers is to say hydrated. If you're going to drink, at least be smart about it."

"Go..." I moan. "Not now." I'm really not up for getting scolded.

||XxXx||

When I wake up, I feel even worse. I sit up and my stomach lurches. I get out of bed and run across the hallway, immediately tossing my guts into the toilet. I just hope my mom doesn't hear, 'cause I'm still naked and that would be awkward. Well, my dad's at work so hopefully my mom is busy, too...

I cough, shuddering and convulsing grossly. I spit into the bowl and the bathroom door swings open as I'm wiping my mouth off. My mom is standing in the doorway with a frown. She turns the lights on and I squint at the brightness. "Great," I murmur to myself before announcing, "I'm naked."

"I see that..." she says, turning the light back off. She disappears, a moment later, returning with a blanket. She wraps it around my shoulders before sitting on the floor alongside me. This time, she keeps the lights off.

Since I feel too sick to care, I try to forget that my mom is sitting here watching. I stick my finger down my throat, exciting my gag reflex once again. At least it's dark in here. "Uagh," I puke again and my mom rubs circles around my back. After doing this for quite some time, my stomach is probably empty. "I don't need to puke anymore," I admit, wiping my mouth.

"Good," Mom says. "Remind me to smack you once you're feeling better, okay?"

"Okay..." I guess I deserve it. I reach up and flush the toilet, washing away the evidence of my unfortunately potent hangover.

"So, why did you drink that much?" she asks. "You never come home sick like this..."

"I don't know," I admit, leaning against the wall. "I'm just stressed out."

"What about?" she pries.

"School, my girlfriend, my future," I list before adding, "Sasuke." Though, I'm not quite sure what makes me add him to the list. I guess it's this new side of him I was unwillingly introduced to. Something changed. I don't want to feel guilty, but I do.

"Sasuke?" she repeats in a questioning tone.

"I told him off the other day and I don't know why..." I start, "but I feel like I did something to him. I know I shouldn't care because I was just being honest, but now he's acting all sour and freaky." Plus, the unsettling photos I found on his cellphone aren't making things any easier. Now my head is full of questions about Sasuke. I just wish I wasn't so damn nosy. I wish I didn't see those photos.

"He's upset lately, isn't he?" Mom asks knowingly.

"Yeah, I have no clue why," I say. "Was it what I said?"

"Ah, right. Mikoto told me about your little speech..." She shakes her head. "No. Don't worry about that, but it's probably best you keep those opinions to yourself from now on. He knows how you feel, but try not to make him feel bad."

"Okay," I say with a sigh. "He was even drunker than I was last night. He was in total disarray. Two of his buddies had to take him home early... and..." I trail off, choosing not to mention his apparent promiscuity.

"Oh, my," Mom frowns. "Well... I suppose it won't hurt to tell you why he's acting out – you'll find out soon enough."

"I will?" I ask.

She nods before revealing, "Itachi is returning on Monday, so Sasuke might not be in school."

My eyes widen and my jaw drops. "Itachi? Really?" She nods once more and I ask, "Where was he? And why is Sasuke so worried about it?"

She chuckles bitterly. "I'm sorry, but that part... I can't tell you. It's Sasuke's story to tell if he so chooses."

"Damn it," I mutter. Oh, well... Me and Itachi were on decent terms, so maybe he'll tell me where he went.

"Now, what's going on with Sakura?" she then asks, changing the subject.

"It's just... not like it used to be, I guess," I say. Plus, I keep screwing around with other girls and I don't know why because as soon as it's over I feel like crap about myself and I never learn from it. I keep repeating my mistakes. "We cheat..."

"Well, she's your first girlfriend, right?" Mom says knowingly. "It's rare for your first love to be your only love."

"I doubt it was love," I murmur.

"Nonetheless," she continues. "Sometimes relationships fall apart and that's okay. Sometimes it's inevitable. You can be sad about it, but don't let it bring you down too much. Don't dwell and if she made you happy, even if only for a short time, don't regret it."

"Okay," I force a smile. I'll try to do just that.

"Do you have anyone else in mind?" she asks, eyes glimmering at the potential. She takes an avid interest in my romantic life. I guess it's normal. All moms want their sons to be happy and to settle down with a nice girl.

Nonetheless, I shake my head slowly. "Sakura is like... the only girl I've ever had feeling for," I admit. "I mean... I've screwed around with other girls... but I've never felt for any of them."

"Too much information, sweetie," Mom laughs, "but all right... it's okay, you know. Sometimes it takes time to find the person who is right for you."

"I don't know why I keep doing it," I admit weakly. I know it's weird to talk to your mom about this kind of shit, but I don't have anyone else to talk to. I used to tell Sakura things, but I can't tell her these things. Our relationship changed a lot once we got together – it became purely physical. I miss the friendship part of it. I miss being able to talk to her about things that actually matter. I can't do that now. We got into a habit of just messing around and now it's hard to be real with one another.

Mom inches closer, putting her arm around me. "Sometimes people do things to distract themselves when they're hurting."

"I didn't think I was hurting," I say, "but maybe I've just been trying hard to ignore it..." I guess I'm lonely. Maybe it would be best to end things with Sakura after all.

"Maybe," she says, playing with my hair. "Everyone makes mistakes. It's impossible not to. Just try to learn from them."

"Okay," I murmur softly. We both stand up a moment later and I make sure not to let the blanket slip. In my room, I down the rest of the water glass from my nightstand before lying back in bed. My mom fetches another cold cloth, putting it on my forehead again. "I'm downstairs if you need me," she says before leaving.

What a crap way to spend Sunday – too hung over to budge an inch.