Chapter 2

Lunch was uncomfortable, to put it lightly. After trying and failing to sway Hinata's opinion of Konan, Sakura and Ino introduced her to some of their friends in a much less enthusiastic way.

There was Sai, an ashen boy with pitch-black hair and eyes. The first thing he did upon being introduced was make a blunt statement about the Hyuuga girl's chest size. After being slapped by a few of the others, they moved on.

There was a tan boy with messy brown hair and warm brown eyes named Kiba. Hinata liked him the most out of everyone at the table because he was the only one that seemed relatively normal. She also recognized his name because Tenten had a short-lived crush on the boy two years ago and had told her all about it. It was easy to see why he'd caught her eye.

The second Uchiha brother from Science class was there, named Sasuke. Ino and Sakura did little to hide their attraction to him, blatantly arguing over who he liked more without bothering to ask the irritated boy. Hinata couldn't understand why he chose to sit at a table with them when he clearly was annoyed, but then she realized his closest friend sat there: Naruto Uzumaki.

The moment Hinata laid eyes on him, her heartbeat quickened in pace. He was the opposite of her visually. Her hair was dark, while his was blonde. Her skin was pale, and his was tanned. Naruto had an outgoing, friendly personality, too. Where she immediately liked Kiba in a friendly way, a crush immediately formed on the loud boy. Having never had a crush, Hinata struggled to speak or even eat lunch.

By the time the hour was over, she was overjoyed to put some space between herself and the group of popular kids.

As a result of being unable to stomach her lunch, Hinata was starving by the time she hurried to her final class, world history. Her discomfort was interrupted when she laid eyes on Konan, who was sitting at the desk behind the silver-haired boy who had his back turned again.

'Am I ever going to see this guy's face?' she amusedly wondered.

The blue-haired girl noticed Hinata and smiled, a clear invitation to sit near them. Before she could take a step, someone heavily threw their arm around the shy girl's shoulders, making her stumble.

"Hinata! We have a class together. Cool!"

The air in her body disappeared as she recognized Naruto's voice from the lunch table. When his cologne met her nose, her face began to warm, and she sputtered to find a response.

She didn't have to, in the end, because Sakura came up behind him and smacked the back of his head to make him let go, "You're scaring her, idiot."

Sakura nudged him out of the way and pulled Hinata's arm into hers, "Come on, Hinata. Let's sit together. I'll keep him off of you." It was as though the awkward conversation at lunch had never occurred. She was acting normal again.

'Maybe she took some time to think about what she said and realized it wasn't right,' Hinata's thoughts were hopeful and optimistic. She was wrong.

The moment Sakura realized Konan was in the room, she made an apparent effort to guide the Hyuuga girl to the opposite end of the room.

Hinata had always been a soft-spoken, timid girl, but something made her steel her legs to prevent being pulled. Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke, who'd silently been there all along, turned to give her varied degrees of confused looks. Something inside her was screaming to put distance between herself and Sakura. She didn't know the two boys enough to make a judgment, but how the pink-haired girl and Ino talked negatively about Konan and the boys that'd sat with her at lunch didn't sit well with her.

"Hinata…? Is something wrong?"

With all the courage she could muster, Hinata nervously removed her arm from the girl's grasp, "Sorry, but I want to sit with Konan. You guys can come over, too, if you want." If Sakura talked with the orange-eyed girl a bit, she might realize how wrong she was and apologize. Perhaps they could all become friends.

Then Hinata turned her back to the trio and zig-zagged her way through the rows of desks until she arrived at the one adjacent to Konan. When she sat, she was halfway to a panic attack, breathing hard with a red face and a little dizzy.

"Damn, that Sakura bitch looks pissed. Nice going, tits. What'd you say to her?"

A familiar voice distracted her from her panic. She lifted her gaze from her desk to finally see the silver-haired boy's face. For someone with such a potty mouth, his features were profound. Long, lightly-colored lashes framed dark magenta eyes. His nose was straight, skin clear, and when she caught a glimpse of his teeth, they were sparkling white and perfect.

His expression seemed to reflect someone who'd just been challenged to a fight by someone noticeably weaker, appearing proud, amused, and irritated all at once. It was almost impressive.

"Earth to Lavender! What the fuck's wrong with her, Konan?"

Hinata snapped out of her daze, blushing wildly with a hand to her cheek as she averted her gaze onto the girl beside her, who was smirking. She ignored the foul-mouthed boy's question.

"You didn't have to ditch them, you know. It wouldn't have hurt my feelings."

"I, um…. I want to sit with you if that's alright," the Hyuuga girl bashfully mumbled, trying to avoid the silver-haired boy's intense stare.

Konan's smirk lifted into a soft grin, and she opened her mouth to respond, but the impatient boy cut her off, "Hey, Lavender, I asked you a question. Don't be fucking rude."

Hinata's blush immediately disappeared, and her face paled instead. He glared at her as though he'd get violent should she not respond correctly. For some reason, she knew she had to show no fear to him, or else he'd never show her respect.

So, she stuttered out, "T-That's not my n-name…."

His brow furrowed threateningly as he leaned forward to closer study her face, "What was that? Speak up."

Irritation brewed in response to his cockiness, surprising herself and the two sitting near her. She narrowed her eyes and mocked his leaning forward, "My name isn't lavender, and it's certainly not t-tits."

His eyes widened ever so slightly before he became angry again. Konan's laughter interrupted them before he could say or do anything. Hinata eventually calmed down and delicately covered her lips with her fingers as she tried to stifle her giggles.

"What's so fucking funny?"

Konan began sobering up so she could talk, "This is Hinata. We told you about her at lunch, remember?"

Realization met his handsome face, making the anger fade away, "Oh, shit, really? I guess she does have a nice rack."

The girl in question's blush returned, "Huh?"

The blue-haired girl at her side waved a dismissive hand, "The only thing Sasori could remember about you was your name and your boobs. Don't take offense. He's a pervert, but he's harmless."

Sasori and Deidara had been very focused on their conversation and work during art class, so it wasn't a surprise they'd missed a few details.

"They all failed to mention you're a Grade A chicken-shit, though," he interjected.

When Hinata managed to form a glare to shoot at him, he loudly laughed before offering a hand, "The name's Hidan, tits. A pleasure to make your acquaintance and all that."

She gingerly shook his hand, "It's Hinata."

Hidan tightened his grasp around her hand when she tried to pull away and tugged her forward while grinning confidently, "How about you grow a fucking backbone before trying to boss me around, eh?"

Hinata ripped her hand away from him, huffing angrily as all three of them faced the front; the teacher had just arrived and was waiting for the class to quiet down.

After class, she hurried to her locker because she didn't want to anger her father by arriving home late. As she crouched down to put her math textbook into place at the bottom of her locker, she felt a presence behind her and slowly stood. When she cautiously turned around, she could've groaned out loud.

The annoying, scary, and handsome silver-haired boy from class had one hand on the locker beside hers as he smiled knowingly at her red face, "We're locker neighbors. Lucky you."

Trembling in her hypothetical boots, Hinata's thoughts left the building. Those pretty magenta eyes bore straight into hers without hesitation.

'Why's he looking at me like that? And why's he standing so close? Ah…. He smells really good…..'

Hidan's expression became surprised for a millisecond before doubling down as amused, "The princess isn't so goddamn innocent after all. What do you know."

He gave her one last lookover before stepping back and winking as he walked backward, "Later, tits."

For a moment, Hinata was frozen.

'What did he mean by that? He's kind of annoying….'

Upon arriving home, Hiashi called her to his office. She stood with her hands clasped behind her back so he couldn't see her fingers nervously trembling. When her father spoke, it was as though he was talking to a subordinate at work rather than his daughter.

"There will be staff changes made, effective today. The new hires will sleep in the second and third-floor guest rooms."

Surprised, Hinata opened her mouth to ask, but Hiashi cut her off with an answer, "Yes, the new employees will be offered room and board," he quickly moved on from the fact, "Please inform me if any of the new arrivals acts improperly. The head maid will begin training them today, so don't get in their way, and keep in mind that I still expect you to do your part in maintaining this home."

Hiashi appeared to be finished with her, so Hinata turned to leave the room, only for him to stop her, "Did I say you could leave? Properly acknowledge your father before leaving the room. You're a disappointment, girl."

Tears welled in the timid girl's eyes, but she submissively lowered her head in an apologetic bow, "I apologize, Father. May I be dismissed?"

The impatient man waved a dismissive hand, sighing in irritation.

Once the door to his office closed behind her, Hinata finally allowed the composed facade she'd donned all day to fall. Eight hours of school felt like much more. The day had its ups and downs but was draining nonetheless.

She defeatedly trudged through the large kitchen, offering a small gesture of greeting when she realized a worker was preparing food and had looked her way. When she stepped into the dining room, Tenten's familiar voice brought her some comfort, "Ah, perfect timing. Gentleman, this is the lady of the house, Miss Hinata Hyuuga. Please treat her with the utmost respect, and assist her should she ever request it."

The Hyuuga girl lifted her gaze while walking toward the staircase, only to do a double-take, turn to face the group of new hires her best friend was addressing and stand there dumbfounded. Many of the faces were familiar. In fact, she met them at school today. When Tenten said her father was replacing the maids he'd fired, she expected them to be other women, but the six people standing before the leggy brunette were male.

The boys from Konan's lunch table were here: Itachi, Sasori, Deidara, and Hidan, who was doing little to hide his amusement. Beside them stood two others that Hinata didn't recognize. One was tall with long dark brown hair flowing down his back. His eyes were similar to hers, making her assume he hailed from one of the branch families. The last person had orange hair and brown eyes.

"...Hinata? Are you gonna say something or what?" Tenten hissed at her, breaking her surprised trance.

Awkwardly, she offered a formal bow, "It's nice to meet you."

Her friend kept her voice low in a whisper, waving a dismissive hand at the new arrivals, "She's shy but super chill. So long as Hiashi isn't around, you don't have to be all proper and stuff."

Bowing again, Hinata excused herself, feeling multiple pairs of eyes on her back as she climbed the steps to the second floor. When she safely arrived in her bedroom, she pressed her back to the door with a hand to her chest.

'Why'd it have to be boys? And why'd it have to be boys that I know?!'

The girl did her homework with pristine focus, studied her notes from the day's classes, and then went into the bathroom down the hall to wash her face and hands before dinner. When she came back out, she nearly ran into Hidan and the long-haired Hyuuga cousin. Feeling incredibly awkward, she stepped out of the way, "Excuse m-"

"Locker and bedroom neighbors. Don't be afraid to come over if you have a nightmare, princess," Hidan's cocky tone wasn't less so because he was lowering his voice.

Hinata's eyes narrowed as they lifted to lock onto him. Rather than return his taunt with her own, she focused on the other boy, "I know him already, but what's your name?"

The stoic boy didn't offer a fake smile but spoke properly, "My name is Neji." Without waiting for her response, he stepped around her and Hidan to disappear into the last door of the hall.

Hinata mumbled, a little irritated, "Did you know who I was before this?" She'd be humiliated if he played dumb at school just to get under her skin.

"Hell no, but I can't say I'm upset. This is gonna be so damn fun."

Hinata frowned as she warned him, "Don't get caught misbehaving, or my father will fire you."

Hidan's grin fell, the dangerous expression from earlier returning, "Is that a fucking threat?"

Realizing how it'd sounded, she frantically lifted her hands, waving them slightly, "N-No! I meant-" "Hidan, leave Miss Hinata alone and go change into your uniform," Tenten's stern voice came from down the hall. Both of them turned to see her approaching. Only then did Hinata notice the bundle of clothing the boy was holding.

He waved a hand dismissively as he turned and did as told, "Yeah, yeah. I'm going."

As soon as his door closed behind him, Tenten pulled Hinata into her bedroom and squealed, "Oh my gosh, he's totally into you!"

The timid girl shook her head quickly, "No, he's not. I-I don't think he likes me at all, actually."

'He keeps getting angry when I speak to him. He probably thinks I'm annoying.'

The head maid offered an incredulous look, "Who knows more about boys? Me. So, trust me on this. Hidan has the hots for you," she smiled mischievously, "Let the matchmaking begin!"

No matter how much Hinata begged her best friend not to try anything, the stubborn brunette just wasn't listening. The Hyuuga heiress spent the rest of the evening avoiding the new hires. It was particularly difficult during dinner when Tenten was training them about serving. Hiashi had stared at his daughter with calculating eyes the entire time as though searching for a mistake in her behavior. Once the meal was finished, she excused herself upstairs, showered, and disappeared into her room for the remainder of the evening.

'This is awkward. What if they tell Konan I'm a stuck-up rich girl tomorrow, and none of them want to talk to me anymore? I thought I was finally going to make some friends.'

Hinata didn't sleep well and ended up waking over an hour early. Though she disliked her father ordering her to prepare meals, the eldest Hyuuga daughter quite enjoyed baking. While growing up, her mother often showed her new recipes in the kitchen.

Since yesterday was such a stressful day, Hinata decided to calm her hectic mind by making Yua Hyuuga's famous blueberry muffins. Anyone who'd ever tried them vowed they were the best they'd ever tried.

When she realized no one else had woken yet, she quietly worked, preparing the batter by memory without looking at the recipe. After pouring it into the pan and sitting it inside the pre-heated oven, Hinata turned to face the kitchen island so she could clean up her mess, only to jump and let out a surprised squeak when Tenten, Deidara, and Hidan were sitting there half-asleep. Deidara's head was resting on Hidan's shoulder, while the silver-haired boy was resting his head atop his crossed arms, his head turned to the side so Hinata could see his eyes were closed.

Tenten simply rested her chin in her hands, yawning, "Couldn't sleep?"

Hinata didn't try all that hard to hide her amused smile. The three of them were pretty cute in the morning, considering they were all loud and rambunctious any other time. She turned to grab the coffee pot and fill it with water, then she began brewing some coffee, "Yeah. What are you doing up?" "Archery practice again today."

Feeling every bit like a mother assisting her child, Hinata walked around the counter and gently redid the bun on the left side of her friend's head. She'd obviously done her hair half-awake because it was humorously uneven. The girl sat there with her eyes closed until she finished.

Hinata was about to go back around the counter to return to pick up her mess, but Deidara's sleepy voice stopped her, "Me, too, hm." Blushing, the shy girl accepted a hair tie he lazily held out. Yesterday, he had his hair halfway up in a ponytail, so she just repeated the look.

Raking her fingers through his long, blonde hair, she thought, 'It's so soft. He has nicer hair than most girls I know.'

The same motherly vibe she felt when assisting Tenten didn't fade just because it was a boy sitting there. It would've likely been more nerve-wracking if the three teenagers before her were awake, but they barely were, if at all.

No one stopped her when she was finished, so she wiped down the counter before turning to wash the dishes she'd dirtied. By the time she finished, the muffins and coffee were ready. She placed the pastries on a large serving plate and poured the caffeinated drink into four mugs before sitting it all on the counter.

As though the smell of freshly baked goods brought them to life, they perked up. Hinata rubbed her eyes while sipping her coffee while slouching tiredly. It felt as though she hadn't slept a wink. "You look like shit, Hinata."

The girl's eyes crept open because she could've sworn it was Hidan who'd said it, but that couldn't be true because he called her by her actual name. Loe and behold, magenta eyes, hazy with sleep, were looking her way.

Red met her cheeks, and she picked up her mug and excused herself, embarrassed by his comment and unrelenting stare, "Thanks."

She could hear Deidara and Tenten reprimanding him as she left, but she didn't look back. Internally, she told herself she didn't care what he thought of her, but deeper down, she was slightly offended.

Later on, after preparing for school, she descended the steps again. While putting on her shoes near the front door, she realized Itachi and Sasori were also about to leave. She only offered a wordless nod as a greeting before heading outside to get into her car. Then she realized they were walking and felt bad. Rolling down her window, she bashfully asked, "Do you guys want a ride?"

Sasori wordlessly chose the backseat, leaving the Uchiha boy in the passenger seat. The car ride was silent the entire way to school. Only when she parked the car in the same spot as yesterday did Hinata break the tension, "Um…. If you guys ever want a ride, just let me know. I don't mind."

They both offered quiet thanks, and the trio fell silent again while walking toward the school.

Upon passing through the front doors of the building, a small group of students consisting of both boys and girls bombarded them. Hinata tried to back away but couldn't escape, "E-Excuse me!"

Finally, one of the students spoke above the loud hallway, "Is it true you two hooked up in the locker room yesterday?"

Hinata's face paled when she realized they were asking her and Itachi, "What? N-No! Of course not!"

She noticed Sasuke and Naruto approaching, the blonde boy appearing concerned. Before anything else happened, a heavy arm fell over her shoulders, "This bitch probably doesn't even know what "hooking up" means. Look at her!" A familiar scent overwhelmed her, and she looked over to confirm it was Hidan. With a red face and tears in her eyes, she tried to pull away from him.

'Why does he keep talking like that?'

"Hey, don't call Hinata names! Get away from her!" Hinata, Hidan, and the small group of students all turned to see Naruto coming closer with a glare in his pretty blue eyes. Her wrist was grabbed, and she was pulled away from the scene.

She glanced back to see Hidan glaring at her and faced forward again. 'He really does hate me, I think.'

Once they were far enough away, Naruto slowed down and fell into step beside Hinata, Sasuke on his friend's other side, "Are you okay? Don't listen to those jerks. Everyone knows you're not that type of girl. Right, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha man silently nodded without looking our way. Naruto accepted the response and smiled at the shy girl, "Hey, give me your phone."

Hinata fumbled to pull it from her bag, bashfully handing it to the blonde boy. She was too nervous to say a word. She watched as Naruto added his number to her contacts and sent himself a message so he'd also have her information, "If anyone gives you trouble like that again, just give one of us a call. We'll rescue you, 'kay?" He handed the device to his friend, who surprised Hinata further by wordlessly doing the same thing as Naruto.

"Good morning, Sasuke! How are you today?" Naruto and Hinata turned to see Sakura approaching, hearts in her eyes for the Uchiha boy, who didn't bother acknowledging her arrival.

"G'morning, Sakura! You look pretty today!" The Uzumaki boy gushed, ignoring the pink-haired girl's disgusted expression.

When Sakura saw Hinata, the Hyuuga girl did her best to smile normally, only to panic when the popular girl's eyes narrowed because she only then realized that Naruto had yet to release her wrist. Blushing, Hinata pulled away from him. He didn't seem bothered by it. Before she could say anything, Sasuke reached across his friend to hand Hinata her phone back.

The death glare that suddenly burnt holes into her face was terrifying, so Hinata faced forward and tried not to appear affected.

Ino and Sakura were both in love with Sasuke, and he just gave her his number in front of one of them. If the pink-haired girl didn't hate her before, she definitely did now.