go home because her father had probably had too much to drink again and would ask stupid questions like: 'Where have you been' or 'Why haven't you been to school again'.
Ino could really do without that now.

When Ino arrived at Shikamaru's front door, she wiped away the remains of her tears and pressed the doorbell. You opened a sleepy Shikamaru, who was only dressed in boxer shorts.
"Yes?", Ino didn't blush because he was her best friend and she had stayed with him many times before and had therefore seen him like that, but jumped around his neck and smiled happily.
"Shikamaru, I'm so glad you're here. I really need to talk to you."
"Um ... that's not going well right now ..." he said, gently pushing her away from him.
Ino was about to answer something when suddenly a young woman appeared behind him and only with a duvet wrapped around his body. Ino knew this girl.It was Temari.

"Shika-chan who is that?", Temari asked, sounding a bit sleepy.
For Ino, a world collapsed at that moment. She just couldn't believe it. Shikamaru had never been interested in Temari, or was that just Ino's wishful thinking? Hot tears gathered in her eyes again.
"No ..." was the only thing she could get out before she turned around and ran away.

"Ino!" He called after her. He looked briefly at Temari, then in the direction Ino had run. He stopped. Then he sighed and closed the door again.
He could still go to Ino tomorrow.
Shikamaru just didn't know that with the decision not to run after her he had destroyed Ino's life. But he would soon realize that.

Ino ran and ran. Again and again she wiped her face so that her tears would disappear. But she just couldn't stop crying. Shikamaru was just a good friend.Then why did it hurt so much to see him with a girl? Or did she feel more for him?

Ino stopped and sank down against a cold wall.
"Why?" She managed to be the only one of the many tears.
Why did she always have to be so unlucky?
Was that the punishment for saying something like that to Sakura?
She had apologized after all.
Did God really hate her that much?
She didn't know. The only thing she knew was that she was alone. Hinata was with Sakura and comforted her and Shikamaru ... she didn't want to think about that.
She was alone. All alone. Just like before ...

tbc.

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Next chapter: Destiny