Sophomore Year: Eight

                                    

                                          
"Ma!" Inojin yelled from the stairs that led down to the flower shop. He was panicking. It was Friday and he never really wrapped his head around the idea of being in a room with his ex-friend and the girl he hurt. Not only that, their mom was going to be there.  
                          
In the same room. 
                          
Watching him eat. 
                          
Watching him breathe.
                          
Suddenly, his ability to take in oxygen lapsed and he gasped for air. He was screwed.
                          
"I'm with a customer. I'll be up soon." Ino answered back before continuing the conversation she was having about tulips. Inojin sighed loudly before turning around and heading towards his room. Clothes were strewn all over the place and his closet was basically empty. What does one wear to a dinner with people you've known your whole life but have been ignored by for the last couple of months? 
                          
"I'm so screwed..." The pale blonde face planted onto his bed. 
                          
"Baby? You wanted me?" He heard his mother say from the door to his room. Inojin nodded his head but cringed at the feeling of the jeans, he didn't know he landed on, rubbing against his forehead. He turned his head to look at Ino and gave a sweet smile. She smiled back.
                          
"I've made my decision, Mama." Ino walked in and sat on the bed by his feet.
                          
"And that is?" She asked as she patted his leg.
                          
"I'm not going to the dinner." Inojin sat up, his body facing Ino but his eyes were on his hands. "You can call Aunt Hina, tell her that I got the flu, or something, and dinner can happen another time. It's not like Himawari and Boruto are ecstatic about seeing me tonight." Ino looked at her son. This wasn't like him. Inojin didn't get nervous, he was a determined young man with no filter.
                          
"No. You're going." Ino scuffed as she pulled her son into a side hug. She placed her chin on his head and stroked his hair. She was shocked at how many times her fingers got stuck in a tangle, considering how strict she has known him to be about following his hair routine after she gave him a lecture about it a few years ago. She was scared for her boy because he was always so sure of himself and always thought things through. He never let people push him around and now the Uzumakis were doing something she's never seen before. Ino never worried about Inojin, she never thought she would need to, but now she was. "Everything's going to be alright." She told him with a kiss to his head. 
                          
"They always are, Ma." Inojin laughed as he moved away from her. Of course, everything was alright. They always are.
                          
She wasn't so sure about that anymore.
                          
------------
                          
Hinata was a good mother. Her children weren't clingy or snobby. Himawari wasn't a troublemaker like her older brother, who turned out more like his father than she would like to admit, and they did well in school. Recently, things have taken a turn and her baby girl locks herself in her room every minute she gets and her little prankster was becoming a delinquent. She loved them to death and would do anything for them. That's why she did what she was about to tell them.
                          
"I invited Inojin to dinner." Himawari dropped her cup, spilling juice all over the counter and Boruto choked on his chips before falling into a semi-violent coughing fit.
                          
"You what?" The Uzumaki siblings exclaimed at the same time as they turned to their mother. Boruto thought he had more time to plan his apology; he only just talked to Mitsuki a couple of days ago and he still wasn't acknowledging the other blonde. Himawari didn't know if she could speak to the pale blonde after how much she's ignored him. Hinata just continued cooking like her children weren't having panic attacks.
                          
"When did you do this?" Himawari asked with a nervous giggle as she snapped out of her shock and started to clean up the mess she made. Her heart was in her throat and she could hear the blood rushing in her ears. Her hands were shaking and she was struggling to rip the paper towel from its roll. Boruto seemed to notice because he reached over to help but Himawari just took a deep breath and shook her head.
                          
"Monday."
                          
"Monday!" The siblings said again. Himawari finally got the paper towel free.
                          
"Okasan..." Boruto whined. "Why'd you wait so long to tell us?"
                          
"I did not want you guys to create plans or to find a way out before tonight came." Hinata turned toward her children with a sweet smile on her lips. "And since I know you guys are free, you can't get out of this dinner." The siblings looked at each other with a shared look of annoyance. They both sighed before leaving the kitchen together. When they were far away enough where she couldn't hear them, Boruto nudged his sister.
                          
"This is all your fault. She wouldn't have invited him if you weren't so obsessed with him."
                          
"I thought you were passed this whole moody phase of your life?" Himawari asked as she pinched her brother's shoulder. Boruto rolled his eyes and huffed out a small laugh. 
                          
"Nope! It's back in full swing. Get ready for round two, it's going to be worse!" The blonde exclaimed as he put his arm around his sister and pulled her into a headlock. The younger Uzumaki screamed and tried to escape while Boruto laughed over her, neither of them saw their mother watching with a smile on her face. 
                          
Her babies were coming back. She just hopes this dinner makes things better, not worse or she was really going to regret her decision. 
                          
"Okasan! Himawari kicked me!" Boruto yelled from the staircase.
                          
"Only after you tried to kill me with that headlock of yours!" Himawari countered. 
                          
"You're so annoying!"
                          
"Thank you! It's my job!"
                          
"Get a new one!"
                          
"NOPE! I like this one very much!" Then Hinata heard a door slam, she assumed it was Boruto's. Then Himawari giggled and her assumption was proven correct. Hinata groaned. She may have missed her children but she definitely didn't miss their fighting.
                          
A/N
It's me, ya boy. Uh....skinny penis. 
                          
No, but seriously hi, how've you been? How's the fam? (answer my questions, have a conversation with me)
                          
Vote, comment, like(i need validation and attention or I will die)
                          
Kisses,
Hime