Bubblegum.

The art of nicknaming.

Sakura shoved her lollipop into her mouth and slammed the door behind her, letting the cold December wind rush over her face and through her winter coat. She stomped down the few steps that led to her driveway, carefully avoiding the ice that had formed on the cement, two thin plastic cases in her bare hand.

Fights with her mother were terrible, worse every time, and always left a bitter taste in her mouth because of all the insults she screamed at the top of her lungs in an attempt to make herself be heard. Hence the lollipop. Her mother and she fought about the pettiest things. This time, for example, was about how the movies Sakura had rented the night before were going to cost her mother another late fee. Sakura had replied (more like bellowed, with insults and snide comments) that she was the only one who ever paid late fees, no matter who in the house had rented the movie – granted, it was more often her than anyone else.

It wasn't that Sakura's parents lacked money. They were a fairly comfortable family, in need of nothing. Both her parents had steady jobs, Sakura worked only to get extra money. Still, paying a surplus every time a movie was rented under her name – she was the only one with an account at the video store – wasn't really on Sakura's economic plan. Especially when the late fee cost more than the actual rental.

The crunching sound of her footsteps in the snow soothed her. She cleared her sore throat, sniffled – more from crying than from the cold – and pulled her scarf higher over her chin. It hadn't been a clever idea to go out without gloves or a hat, but, upset as she was, her rational thinking didn't kick in and she left without heeding the fact that it was night, nor that it was winter.

As she made her way down her small street, the door of a house opened and slammed just as hard as hers had. She didn't look over to see who it was; she already knew. She didn't know everyone that lived on her street, but that house was the most familiar and the most unmistakable. She knew exactly who lived there and, in that moment of not feeling great, she had no intention of paying that person any attention.

Unfortunately for her, life – that bitch – didn't quite see it that way. Just as she made her way past his driveway, a young man her age half-walked, half-ran (although unintentionally) in her direction. He didn't seem to have noticed her, thus he very nearly ran into her. He came to a stop with a slight jump backward, a stunned look on his handsome face. Sakura had stopped as well, trying to avoid being hit and falling over on the icy ground.

Upon recognizing her, the young man's face cracked into a mocking grin.

"Hello there, Bubblegum," he said in his deep, pleasant (irritating) voice.

Sakura rolled her eyes at the nickname, which he had adorned her with when they were kids and which he still wouldn't let go of. The reason behind the name was quite obvious (pink hair, yay) and yet it had stopped being hurtful to Sakura long ago, it annoyed her to still be known to him only as "Bubblegum".

"Go away, Sasuke," she said dryly, hoping he'd listen to her, and resumed her walk.

She should have known he wouldn't listen, after all these years.

"Naaah," he said, trailing behind her.

She sighed. It's not that she didn't want him around as much as she didn't want him to mock her while being around (she just knew he'd say something degrading about her). Maybe if she didn't say anything, he'd grow bored and go back to his house. Sasuke usually didn't talk much, let alone mock, but as soon as he saw her, there was no stopping him. He just had to make fun of her, as if he'd die if he didn't.

It took everything Sakura had not to flail (and blush, and ogle, and swoon, and drool) every time she saw him. She had fallen in... well, in like when they met as five-year-old toddlers, about a dozen years prior. She had merely taken in his good looks – even as a kid, he was hot – and had instantaneously wanted to marry him. Well, as seriously as five-year-olds can be about marriage. Of course, now, as soon as he opened his mouth, the magic vanished, but whenever she thought of him, she always felt warm (and fuzzy) on the inside.

"Where are you going?" He asked innocently.

She showed him the DVD cases, unwilling to talk, and took her lollipop out her mouth with a popping noise.

"You know, Bubblegum, you'll have to talk to me eventually. I'm not going back home."

She groaned. He chuckled.

"You are the single most annoying person I know," she said through her teeth.

"Yes, I'm aware. And just so you know, Bubblegum, the feeling's mutual," he replied.

"You know, I really thought you were intelligent. Best boy in the class, I actually thought you knew how to use your brain. Unfortunately, you've proved me wrong so many times, I'm starting to think you're as brainless as that best friend of yours," she spat.

"Wow, Bubblegum. I'm hurt," he said mockingly (duh).

"Will you stop calling me Bubblegum!?" She hissed.

"Why? Is it annoying?" He asked, smugness tainting his tone.

She didn't reply at first. She needed to collect herself before saying anything.

"Why do you call me Bubblegum, anyway? Except for the very obvious reason," she added, pointing at her hair with her lollipop.

"Isn't it what it's called?"

"What what's called?"

"Your hair dye."

She gaped. They'd known each other for more than a decade and he thought she dyed her hair? My, my, that boy was turning out even stupider than she thought he was. Most of the time.

"My hair's not dyed!" She exclaimed, slightly offended.

"Yeah, right. I checked out the hair dye boxes. The one that matched your hair is called 'Bubblegum... something'," he said, sceptical.

"My hair's just as natural as yours, stupid."

"Your hair is stupid."

"I'm aware of that," she sighed, exasperated. "Is there anything else?"

"You eat bubblegum lollipops," he said bluntly.

"Wow, a second assumption on your part which turns out to be false. You're really good at this. It not bubblegum."

"It's pink. What other flavour can it be?"

"Well, it could be strawberry, raspberry, cherry to some extent, cotton candy-"

"Cotton candy-flavoured lollipops?"

"Yes. But this is watermelon."

"So you want me to call you Watermelon?"

"No."

"Hn... What do you want me to call you, then?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe my name would be a good idea. You could at least have chosen something that's not based on false beliefs, like Cherry, or Pinky, or... Forehead."

"You want me to call you Forehead?"

"NO."

"I'll keep calling you Bubblegum, then."

"Why?"

"Because you hate it."

She growled. He was doing it on purpose. Well, she could play that game. She could be just as annoying as he was.

"You know what, Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"You're an idiot."

"Oh, am I?"

"Yep. You think you're better than everyone. You take everything for granted. You don't ask for anything, especially not permission, you do everything you want, you don't ever offer help and you don't bother to care about people's feelings." While her tone remained calm, she was boiling on the inside. "You sleep with brainless bimbos just to feel manlier than the rest of the male population and you don't even stop and wonder if those girls actually wanted a relationship. Just knowing you can shove your penis into any girl's vagina is enough for you."

"So you're saying I have no morals."

"I never said that."

"But you implied."

"True."

"Anything else you want to share? Or are you done ranting?"

"Oh, I'm nowhere near finished, Sasuke," she giggled. "You mock, you abuse, you terrorize and you never apologize. You're offensive, inconsiderate, condescending and cruel. You're overconfident, and although I'll admit you're very attractive physically, your personality is rotten."

To have been able to tell him most of what she had held back inside for many years with that calm a voice was a miracle. Had she been a few years younger, she would have belted it all out, maybe with some crying even, and she's probably have let slip out how much she liked him.

After that diatribe, it didn't make much sense that she liked him as much as she did. However, it wasn't exactly him she liked. It was her memory of the five-year-old boy she used to know, who was silent, calm, and if somewhat grumpy at times, also kind in his own way. She like that memory of him and she lived hoping – rather foolishly, apparently – to see him be like that little boy again.

"Why, thank you, Bubblegum."

She cringed.

"I have to say, though, you're wrong about a few things. I do offer my help. I drove you home one day when it was raining and you had to walk. I saved you from cold-induced deceases."

"Oh, please. You made me wait outside for ten minutes before unlocking your car and you put the air conditioning full blast once I was inside. I could have died of hypothermia or caught pneumonia because of you."

"Fair enough. Besides that, I do care about other people's feelings. Just not everyone."

"You mean not me."

Sasuke remained silent. They had arrived at the video store. Sakura slid the two DVD cases down the chute they had installed next to the door and turned to Sasuke. She looked at his face for the first time of the evening and what she saw shocked her. His eyes were slightly red and puffy, as if he had cried and an angry red mark was visible on his (perfect) cheekbone. He'd obviously fought with his brother again. However, he was smirking as if nothing had happened to his face. Sakura felt something tug at her heart – ooh, cheesy – and decided to drop the subject of his douchebaggery. She cleared her still sore throat and stepped away from the video store and toward her house, Sasuke following beside her.

"I do care about your feelings," he said, not sounding honest at all, suddenly making her rethink her decision.

"Oh, really?" It was her turn to be sceptic. "Prove it."

"I... Er..."

"See? You can't find any time you actually di-..."

"I found your dog."

"What?"

"I found your dog when you lost him and I brought him back because you were crying."

"God, that happened when we were six! And you said you'd brought him back only to make me shut up about it."

Sasuke didn't reply. A heavy and uncomfortable silence settled on the two while they walked through the dark streets. Sakura replayed the last few minutes in her head. She remembered the leap her heart had made when she'd heard Sasuke say – although unconvincingly – that he cared about her feelings. She couldn't help but wish for him to actually mean it one day.

"Sooo..." Sasuke started. Sakura turned her head to him. "I didn't know you were so blunt about..."

"About what?" She couldn't believe her ears. Uchiha Sasuke was hesitating.

"Well, about... You know..."

"No, Sasuke, I don't know."

"Sex."

"Oh... Oh... That? It was a spur-of-the-moment thing," she said matter-of-factly.

"What makes you think I sleep with, er, 'brainless bimbos'?" He asked, mimicking the quotes with his fingers.

"Oh, come on, it's obvious you've already passed both your theoretical and practical liscences."

"Er... What?"

"It means you've had sex."

"Oh. Why do you speak in metaphors?"

"It makes talking about sex less embarrassing."

"I see... And have you passed, yet?"

"Just the theoretical exam. A looong time ago. Those fanfiction site can really scar a kid for life."

"You didn't pass the practical?"

"I almost did. Two years ago."

"What happened?"

Sakura side-glanced at him.

"You really want to know?"

"Well, not in complete detail, but the summary."

"Okay. Well, you know how the practical exam is all about... teamwork?"

"Yes...?"

"He... How could I put it? ... He had already finished the assignment while I was still working on the introduction."

"No way!"

"Way! He merely saw me take of my shirt and he... arrived with pomp and circumstance. Was rather embarrassing, I have to say."

"What happened then?"

"He ran for it. I still have his clothes."

"You haven't given them back yet?"

"He's dead. He killed himself."

Sasuke gaped.

"You're shitting me."

"Do I look like I'm kidding?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'm not. You remember the memorial we had at school for a kid that had died?"

"It was him?"

"Yup."

"The mystery is finally unveiled."

"You actually wondered about his death?"

"No."

Sakura giggled. Sasuke chuckled.

(Because manly men don't giggle.)

"I can't believe I'm talking about my sex life with you."

"You mean your lack thereof."

"Yes, quite right."

"Don't worry. Someday, you'll meet someone great and you'll shag him."

"Thank you for your words of encouragement."

"No, really! Beautiful as you are, there's no way you'll stay a virgin all your life."

Sakura came to a stop. They were in front of his house.

"You think I'm beautiful?"

"Er..." Sasuke, for the second time in his life – the first one being about twelve years before – felt blood rush to his cheeks.

Sakura smiled.

"Good night, Sasuke," she said softly.

"Good night, Bubblegum," replied, as small smile on his face.

She giggled again, turned around and walked to her front door.

Maybe it simply slipped out. Maybe he did mean it. She'd probably never know. Well, not until the next day, at least. She knew she was going to think about it all night and all the following nights until she talks to him again. She knew she was going to walk through her door, tell her mother to zip it when she'd start yelling at her for slamming the door ("Now all the neighbours know about our family matters!"), go up to her room and countlessly relive in her head the moment when Sasuke said she was beautiful.

For once, having him call her Bubblegum didn't seem like such a bad thing anymore.

A/N: I recently saw a boy I used to go to elementary with. He was the only representative of the male population of the school who was actually nice to me. I hadn't seen him in a little over five years. And man, is he hot! I only wish he remembered me. (I only saw him from a distance, by the way.) Why didn't I go to high school with him? Why did I have to choose and all-girls school? To think I could be dating him, now... Okay, maybe not.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this story. I came up with it while bringing DVDs back to the video store a few days ago.

Please review!