FicWad

DISCLAIMERS: Kishimoto-san and all them people connected to Naruto own them. Laurie Halse Anderson owns the book and title, Speak. All I own is well, the creativity and my sanity.

I want to make this clear: I did not 'rip off' Speak's plot--rather what Imeant to say was that though the plot may seem strikingly similar that it might as well have been copied, I assure you that although I was inspired to write it, it is not.

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Speak

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Summary:Loud, boisterous Naruto suddenly fall silent upon entering 9th grade. What caused it? Why do his closest friends treat him like nothing? Why won't he speak? Because of IT, because of THAT night. Naruto doesn't want to remember. Sometimes it's safe to be in your head...

Warnings for this Chapter: Slight foul language, but that's to be expected!

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WELCOME TO KONOHA HIGH

So I'm standing here, waiting for the bus, wearing a black t-shirt with an orange swirl smack dab in the middle and new grey cargo pants, carrying seven brand-spanking new colorful notebooks on the first day of high school. Well, it's technically the Orientation Day for the freshmen, so does it count?

Anyways, the yellow bus comes around the corner of the block, lurching to a halt before me and opening its doors. Climbing aboard, I notice that I'm the first stop of the day and possibly for the rest of the year.

I figured if I sit in the back, it'll seem like I'm a loser of sorts (and besides, the Goths and Punks sits there anyways), but in the middle anyone can sit next to me and I'll be an open target for all to aim at. However, if I sit in the front, it'll make me look like a geeky little kid.

I sit in the front, hoping to catch glimpses of my 'friends' if they still consider me one and forgave me.

I watch the houses and trees blend together in a mesh of ugly colors as the bus rumbles on, occasionally stopping to pick up its students in groups of threes, fours, or fives. The kids at my school all sneer at me.

I wound up sitting alone.

One thing that did happen was that someone threw something at the back of my head a bit later on. Found out it was the wrappings of the kid's breakfast---a Ho-Ho.

That reminds me, I didn't eat this morning. How unlike me...Must be the 'new school year' jitters mom keeps telling me.

Before long, the bus staggers to a final halt at the gates to the school.

I swear if my middle school was huge, it's puny in comparison to Konoha High. And I mean /puny/. It looks like it houses about four thousands students. Probably considered amini-city of its own if you just add a mini-mall to it. Yeah, it was /that/enormous.

Konoha High consisted of two buildings connected together by means of a pair of tunnels on each end. Interesting, I know. So far, I think each has three floors, correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm probably standing there in the courtyard looking like a complete idiot for the entire world to see...

If they care to see, which apparently, they didn't.

So it would explain why everyone pushed and shoved and everything in between, into me, like I'm invisible.

Guess even the kids from other schools heard it too and now despise my existence.

Figures.

Going up the stairs in the courtyard, I keep my gaze downward and scrutinize my worn black sneakers. Only did I look up when someone shouted, "Hey!" he had the audacity to snap a picture of me.

What the hell?

The creep stares at me for a moment, as if contemplating to tell me the hell why he took my picture. Before he turns around he says a single word, "Yearbook" and hurries off.

Yearbook. Well, that went down the drain the moment he took my picture. You see, I have this uncanny ability to break cameras when people snap pictures of me, so therefore, anymore pictures the creep takes will be for naught since I broke its lenses.

Upon entering the school, the ninth graders were herded to the spacious two-level auditorium for some introduction to the school thingy.

And here is where clans comes together to make themselves known, and for others to see who they will spend the rest of their high school years with: Jocks, Cheerleaders, Morons, Goths, Punks, Skaters, Pocket-Pen-Protector Geeks, Computer Nerds, Video Game Freaks, Martha Stewart wanna-bes, Band Kids, Plains, Exchange Students, Superficial Models, Choir, Renaissance Artists, and the Lazy Asses. Of course, there were the Pranksters Clan, but that vanished with what Ihad done...

Anyway, Kiba easily worked his way into the Jocks. Never in a million years did I see that one coming. But to balance it out, he's with the Skaters and possibly with the Lazy Asses. Shikamaru, Chouji, and Shino created their own clan, the Lazy Asses. How come that was not surprising? As for Gaara, he slipped between the Goths and Punks, and still manages to look like he doesn't belong to either of them. If I didn't know any better, I'd think that he would be one of me.

Yes, that's right, I'm clanless.

That said, I'm an Outcast, however, I'm pretty positive there's already a clan of Outcasts, even if they didn't make themselves known...Okay, so that makes me aLoner.

The familiar laughter and giggles behind me causes me to cringe a bit, since I just know they are talking about me. With a quick glance, my suspicions are confirmed. The bubblegum-pink haired girl is Haruno Sakura, my ex-best friend.

The same girl who was my first crush turned best friend. I know, it's weird for a guy to have a girl as your best friend, but we knew each other way back when we were first learning to crawl. We're practically considered siblings since we could finish each other's sentences and know what the other is thinking without words...

With aside-glance at me, she easily mouths the phrase, "I hate you" before turning back to her friends and chatter, sending a sharp pang in my chest. She's already a part of the Cheerleader Clan.

Wonderful way to start off a new school year: Came to school with a completely wrong attitude, possibly wrong clothes (but I like 'em anyways) and winded up clanless. Damn straight it's wonderful. Damn straight.

Again, I'm likely standing there, looking like a hopeless cause when I couldn't decide where to sit. A tall thin man, bearing many resemblances to a snake (gold eyes, wicked pale skin and all) gives me a pointed look.

"Sit." I could've sworn he hissed his 's'! Is that enough qualifications for him to be related to a snake? No, wait, he needs to have a long slimy tongue---forked or not. I don't plan on finding out, any time soon.

Mentally naming him 'Snakeman,' I randomly sit down with a slight feeling of being watched. Sneaking a glance around, I find it was another pale-skinned being, though this time; he's around my age, charcoal eyes and midnight black bangs framing his face.

Ah, so he must be one of those Pretty Boys I overheard the girls talking and squealing about. I can see why. I didn't catch the name though.

Wondering why he was still staring at me as he walks down the aisle to find a seat,(Sakura and her new friends madly waving at him, encouraging him to sit with them) I trample the urge to give him a raspberry tongue and the universal sign to 'Fuck Off' when I realize it was not such a good idea with the situation I'm in.

Let me elaborate:

'Raspberry tongue' plus 'Sign' equals 'Teachers.'

'Teachers'plus 'Me' equals 'Talk.'

'Talk'plus 'Me' equals 'Not Good.'

'Not Good'plus 'New Talk' equals 'Ugly Truth.'

See? I rather stay quiet and avoid all that unnecessary trouble (I'm starting to sound like Shikamaru, now), thank you very much. I already started off the year with a wrong foot, why add more? I settle on throwing Pretty Boy a glare before diverting my attention to the stage. It's worst enough he was staring, but did he had to sit a few rows directly behind me?! I could tell because of the twin glares he's boring into the back of my head through all the heads in front of him. Prior to having the chance of moving my seat, the lights dims and the indoctrinate film begins.


FIRST TEN LIES THEY TELL YOU IN HIGH SCHOOL (in no particular order)

1. We are here to help you.
2. You will have enough time to go to your classes before the bell rings.
3. We will expect more of you here.
4. Your schedule was created with your needs in mind.
5. Dress codes will be enforced.
6. Guidance Counselors are always available to help and listen to you.
7. No smoking and no electronic devices are allowed on school grounds.
8. You will have fun and will participate in many exciting activities.
9. You will create lifelong friendships.
10. These will be the years you look back fondly.


All complete utter bullshit, I tell you.

After that ended, I spent a good half hour trying to find my first class, which was Chemistry with some guy name Ebisu-sensei. He sounds like a dork.

I must have inherited the best luck ever in the universe.

Why do Isay that, you wonder? Well, because Pretty Boy is in my class.

School started at 7:55 am on the late bell. Class supposedly starts at 8:15. Now it's 8:45.

Only 720 days (excluding Snow Days, which would be 740) and 7 periods until Graduation... At 2:30 my day will end.

Oh yeah, if the rumors and gossips didn't get to you yet, I'm Uzumaki Naruto.

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Ums, right, the 'List' came from Speak with some alterations made by yours truly. My first attempt at present-tense which sucks ass, cause I'm confusing myself since I normally write past-tense. But I wanted to take a stab at writing this way, so it's my fault.

Hopefully everyone is IC with very slight OOCness...

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