Chapter 13

A week passed, packed to the brim of Hinata trying to convince herself she didn't like Hidan in more than just a friendly way. At school, she'd carefully maneuver herself out of conversations if he was involved, and at home, she hid in her bedroom with the door locked or simply left the house so she wouldn't run into him.

Naruto apologized to her on Monday, explaining that Sakura's car had broken down and she was stranded, which is why he had to leave to go help. It was as though Hinata was seeing the pair and Sasuke in a new light. There was a love triangle going on there that she wasn't sure how she'd missed. Naruto loves Sakura, and Sakura loves Sasuke, but no one knows how Sasuke feels about Sakura.

Initially, the girl assumed he disliked her for how catty she'd been in the past to girls who got too close to him, but as she watched the trio interact during the final class on Friday, Hinata wasn't so sure.

The Uchiha boy glanced at the pink-haired girl every few minutes. One time, he realized that the Hyuuga girl had seen it and almost frantically averted his eyes to the front of the room to pretend to focus on the lesson. Then Hinata felt bad for Naruto because if Sasuke openly returned Sakura's feelings, the blonde boy would be heartbroken.

After class, while gathering her items to leave at her locker, Hinata jumped in shock when a hand slammed against the locker next to hers. She turned around with wide eyes, half-expecting it to be Ino or Karin finally breaking their silence and coming back for round two, but instead, it was Itachi.

"Hello…"

The boy gestured at her locker with a frown, "We need to talk."

Hinata was terrified because, for the very first time, the Uchiha boy was obviously angry. Nodding slowly, the girl grabbed her bag and closed her locker before following him through the halls and up the staircase until they reached the roof.

"Stop talking to all of us."

Her hand squeezed the strap of her bag as she searched his handsome face for signs that he was joking, only to find none, "W-What do you mean?"

Itachi surprised her, coming closer with a glare until her back hit the wall, where he glowered down at her, "You're causing all of us trouble. Not only have you made things tense between us and Orochimaru's group, but you're keeping tabs on me for your father."

Hinata opened her mouth to defend herself because she hadn't spoken about Itachi to her father. In fact, she lied and said nothing's happened at all. She couldn't betray who she thought was her friend in the end. Words didn't come out, though. As the girl searched Itachi's face, she realized he wouldn't believe her even if she told him.

"They asked me to tell you, so don't make things harder for yourself and stay away."

Then Itachi left her up there, on the roof, with her eyes wide in disbelief. They all wanted her to leave them alone? Every single one of them? Deidara, Sasori, Hidan, Konan, and Itachi…. Hinata thought they were friends, but apparently, she'd been mistaken. Perhaps they were only putting up with her because they were employed by her father.

Hinata was under the impression that only a romantic interest could break one's heart, but as she descended the staircase in a daze, she realized betrayal from friends could cause it, too.

When she arrived home, everyone avoided her like she was the plague, so she didn't even get a chance to verbally confirm with the others that what Itachi had said was true. It wasn't necessary because their behavior proved it.

So, the defeated girl did as she was told. At lunch, she sat with Sasuke and his friends, Ino having finally apologized for her behavior when she realized they'd be around one another more often. In her classes, she either ignored those she sat beside or moved seats to be apart from them. No one said anything to her about it, but she could tell Sasuke and the others wanted to ask what'd happened.

The next Friday, Sakura invited Hinata over for a sleepover, obviously with the intention of trying to cheer her up. It took a lot of convincing because the Hyuuga girl was depressed and just wanted to go home and sulk in her bedroom, but she was eventually persuaded. When she arrived, she was surprised to see Ino was also present.

Sakura's parents weren't home, and the blond-haired girl snuck over a bottle of vodka. The trio did face masks, painted their nails, and gossiped about boys while some cheesy romantic movies played on the TV in the background. All the while, they passed the tall glass bottle around.

As Hinata felt more and more tipsy, she began to lose the grip on her composure until she finally began crying. Ino nudged Sakura in the ribs, making the girl glare before noticing her distressed friend and appearing unsurprised by the Hyuuga girl's state.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

The Hyuuga girl shook her head, daintily wiping at her wet cheeks. A weight was on her chest, and it stole her motivation to do much of anything.

The two girls glanced at one another before the pink-haired one tried again, "Is it because of Konan and the guys? What happened? I thought you were all good friends."

Hinata's tears fell more heavily, and she buried her face in her knees, voice wavering with emotion, "Me too…."

Slowly, the tipsy girls managed to get a majority of the story from the even-tipsier shy girl. Even drunk, and despite the fact that they severely hurt her feelings, Hinata didn't spill the secret that Itachi and the guys might be involved in gang activity. She just couldn't do it. It felt wrong.

"Damn, that's harsh! He didn't sugarcoat it or anything?"

She shook her head at Ino's question, sniffling as she took another large drink from the vodka bottle.

Sakura paused, a slight pink on her cheeks, but eventually whispered, "You like Hidan, don't you?"

Before Hinata could respond, Ino gasped, "Oh my God, Forehead, I thought so, too!"

Too drunk and heartbroken to care, Hinata finally admitted it aloud, "What's the point now? He obviously hates me."

"You're dumber than I thought you were," Ino scoffed.

Hinata's eyes widened as she stared at the blonde, Sakura slapping the girl's arm, "Pig!"

The girl rolled her pretty blue eyes, "You may not know this because you didn't know him before this year, but Hidan changed after meeting you. He used to get into a fight at least once a week, but I haven't seen him get in one at school even once this year. And he's so much nicer to you than anyone else, even Konan, and they've been friends since grade eight."

For a long moment, no one said anything as Hinata sat and comprehended the news. Then she shook her head in denial, "You must be mistaken. If he liked me, he wouldn't have pushed me away like-" She cut herself off in shock.

"If I actually liked someone, I'd try to keep it to myself." Those were Hidan's words when she asked him for advice on what to do about Naruto.

Then she was shaking her head again, heartbeat quickening in pace, "N-No, it can't be. Not someone like me, right? He's so…. And I-I'm so…! How would that even work?"

Ino groaned, "God, now I feel even worse about what happened! You're so obviously in love with Hidan. I'm sorry, Hinata!"

As the Hyuuga girl sat there with wide eyes, Sakura smiled softly, speaking in a warm tone, "Hey, it's alright to be nervous. You don't have to tell him until you're ready."

Her blonde friend butt in, "Uh, that's not always the case. Hinata, now that you know you like him, can you just be his friend? Do you think you can pretend things are normal?"

Hinata frowned, shaking her head, "H-He won't even speak to me, so things are already weird." She wobbled before giving in and falling to the side, sighing deeply as tears continued to slowly drip from her face to the ground, "First Naruto didn't work out, and now Hidan. D-Do you guys think I'll ever like someone I actually have a chance with?"

Sakura returned to her task of painting her toenails, pouting, "You're asking the wrong person. I'm in love with Sasuke Uchiha, for christ's sake."

Again, Hinata was drunk, so she said something she otherwise wouldn't have, "I don't know. I think he might be warming up to you."

"On that topic, Forehead, I have something I need to say to you," Ino interrupted before the stunned pink-haired girl could reply. She smiled, "I'm officially giving up on Sasuke. If you want to keep trying, I won't be upset. Even if you somehow land him."

Sakura was flabbergasted but seemed to remember something and laughed loudly, tossing her head back, "Would this revelation have anything to do with the fact that you and Sai have been hooking up?"

"How did you know!"

"He stopped calling you ugly, and I may or may not have seen a text from him over your shoulder the other day."

If Hinata were in Ino's shoes, she'd be red in the face and trying not to fate from the humiliation, but the Yamanaka girl took it like a pro, beaming, "He said I was his first kiss, but I think he lied because there's no way he's naturally that skilled with his tongue, y'know?"

For the remainder of the night, the trio of girls talked about Ino's new boyfriend, eventually going to sleep in the early hours of the morning. Hinata felt a bit cheered up because she finally admitted out loud that she had feelings for Hidan, but that sliver of relief was squandered when she returned home Saturday.

The moment she stepped through the front door, Hiashi grabbed her arm and pulled her along into his office, where he slammed the door and glowered down at her with malice, "You lied to me."

Utterly confused, Hinata stared at him with wide eyes.

"When I asked you if you found out anything about Itachi, you said no, but that's not the truth, is it?"

Somehow, someway, her father had found out about what happened in that alleyway when Hidan rescued her. She knew better than to ask how because it'd only anger him further. Arguing would have the same result, but she couldn't quite hold her tongue anymore. No, after a week of being shunned by people that she'd come to really care about, Hinata finally snapped.

Her voice raised, "If Fugaku has a problem with his son, then he should talk to him instead of asking you to do this."

Hiashi's brow raised in surprise, doubling down a moment later when he glared, "Your personal feelings on the matter are insignificant. I told you to do something, and you lied. Explain yourself before I lose my temper, Hinata."

"You asked me to spy on my friend, Father! Do you know how disgusted I've been with myself? Yes, I lied, and I'd do it again because Itachi is a good person."

"Friend? You think that boy is your friend?" Hiashi scoffed, the corner of his lips turning up when Hinata's mouth closed. Then the Hyuuga man shook his head, "The employees you've been calling your friends have only put up with you because you're my daughter. You're a fool if you think for a second any of them genuinely care about you."

Hinata's eyes filled with tears as she clenched her fists, "Y-You're wrong! They wouldn't-" "Do you think I wouldn't notice you sneaking around with that familyless delinquent? I'm also aware of the party you threw at the beach house. I know about everything."

Though the news that her father had knowledge of things she thought she'd successfully hidden took her by surprise, a wave of anger flooded through her at his rude way of referring to Hidan. Her voice raised many levels, "Don't talk about him like that!"

Hiashi laughed, stepping toward his daughter with an air of disbelief, "It's ironic that you only have confidence now, standing up for a boy who sees you as just another job task."

Tears overflowed, Hinata's voice cracking as she yelled at her father, "I don't care!"

His eyes widened, his mouth in a thin line.

The girl continued, taking a deep breath and bringing her voice down a few notches, "I don't care if Hidan, or any of the others, like me. They were nice to me when I couldn't even be nice to myself. So, no, I won't tell you anything I've learned about them, and I'm no longer going to let you intimidate me."

The sound of the slap met the air before Hinata felt the sting against her cheek. Her head turned to the side, but she just glared and lowered her gaze while her father yelled at her. "You worthless, ignorant girl!"

Hinata lifted her head, fixing the man with a look of malice despite the fact that she was crying.

Hiashi's anger level rose further, and he grabbed her arm, pulling her toward the door, "Once this semester is over, you're gone. Do you hear me? Gone!"

He opened the door with one hand, shoving his daughter roughly out of the room. She fell to the floor, luckily not hitting her head against the linoleum. The level of ire she was feeling was more overwhelming than she'd felt in her life, even when she fought Ino and Karin. Her eyes felt like they would burn and melt with how hard she was glaring up at the man, her hair a mess around her shoulders and in her face from being thrown.

Hiashi returned the stare with his own, looking down his nose at his eldest daughter, "You'll go to school and come home. When you're under this roof, you will stay in your room, do you understand?" After holding her gaze for another moment to ensure she knew he meant it, he slammed the door shut, leaving her in the hallway on the floor.

Hinata's eyes darted to the side, where Deidara and Sasori were staring at her with stunned expressions. Shakily, she got to her feet, not bothering to mask the utter rage and heartbreak she was feeling. Deidara whispered, likely so Hiashi wouldn't hear from inside his office, "Are you okay?"

Lowering her gaze to the ground, the girl gritted her teeth and shoved past the pair. She snatched her bag off of the dining table and began fishing out her car keys while heatedly walking for the door.

After putting her shoes on in the foyer, she opened the door, only for Deidara to grab her arm, "Hinata, you shouldn't drive while you're like this."

Hinata yanked her limb away and left without a word.