"Class dismissed!"
After Crowler's statement, it took the students no time at all to get up from their seats and rush out of the classroom. They'd just experienced a painfully boring lecture, and everyone was relieved that the last class of the day was finally over.
Among the students leaving the classroom was Gwen Arthurs, a third-year Obelisk Blue. Like the others, she was glad the class was over, and was looking forward to getting back to her dorm room to relax.
As Gwen was walking across Duel Academy's campus, she heard someone call her name. Turning around, she saw her friend Alexis walking quickly to catch up with her.
"Hey Alexis," she said with a smile when her friend reached her side. The two began walking back to their dorm together.
"Hey Gwen," Alexis replied in a friendly tone. "I haven't seen you much today, how've you been?"
"I'm good, aside from the fact that Crowler almost bored us all to death." Gwen answered.
Alexis nodded in understanding. Even though they didn't have the class together, everyone had experienced one of Crowler's boring lectures at one time or another.
After a moment of walking in silence, Alexis seemed to remember something, as her face suddenly lit up. "Hey, Gwen," she said, turning to grin at her friend, "Guess what?"
"What?"
"Jaden finally asked me out!" Alexis said excitedly.
"Really? That's awesome, 'Lex!" Gwen said, smiling at her friend. Even though she was happy for Alexis, she was also a little bit jealous. Gwen didn't have a crush on Jaden or anything, but she did wish that she could find a guy she liked who liked her back.
"I wish I could find a nice guy like you did." Gwen said after a moment, gazing off distantly.
Alexis looked at her, seeming a bit confused. "Umm, you know Zane's asked you out about twenty times, right Gwen? You could have him as a boyfriend if you want one."
"I said a nice guy," Gwen reminded her friend, as she snapped herself out of her fantasies and came back to reality. "Zane's a huge jerk."
And it was true; in Gwen's eyes, he was a jerk. He thought he was better than everyone else just because he was good at dueling, and he was always really mean to his little brother, Syrus, for no reason. Zane had been trying to get Gwen to become his girlfriend since the start of the school year, but she had shot him down every time.
Alexis sighed. "He's not as bad as you act like he is. You should give the guy a chance."
Gwen rolled her eyes in response and moved the conversation onto another topic, not wanting to argue with Alexis. Clearly, they had very different opinions on Zane Truesdale.
A few hours later, the two girls were sitting at a table in the Obelisk dining hall over a delicious-looking dinner.
"I love lobster night," Gwen said happily. "This dorm has the best food ever!"
Alexis nodded at her friend in agreement. Just as they were about to start eating, a familiar voice made them pause.
"Hey, girls. Mind if I join you?"
They both recognized who the voice belonged to immediately. Gwen looked up at the person with a glare, while Alexis looked up with a smile.
Gwen was the first to speak. "Yes, Truesdale, we do mind. Go sit somewhere else."
"Don't listen to her, Zane," Alexis said in a less confrontational tone, giving Gwen a slightly exasperated look. "Of course you can sit here."
After a moment's hesitation in which he looked from one girl to the other, Zane did as Alexis had said and sat down across from them. Though Alexis and Zane did their best to make conversation during the meal, Gwen spoke to them very little. She was tired of Zane trying to talk to her. He needed to take the hint that she just wasn't interested.
When dinner was over and the three were walking out of the dining hall, Zane broke the awkward silence that had fallen between them. "Gwen, can I talk to you alone for a moment?"
Gwen stopped in her tracks, a little surprised by his request. Normally, he had no reservations about asking her out in front of other people, since the whole school knew by now what was going on between them.
"Okay," she said after a moment, feeling slightly suspicious of him. "But make it quick."
Zane nodded, and hastily led her to an area by the edge of the forest away from the other students. Alexis had parted ways with them and gone back to her own dorm by now. Once they were out of earshot of everyone else, Zane began to speak.
"Gwen, why won't you go out with me? I've tried everything I know of, but it seems that nothing I do ever impresses you."
Gwen frowned and crossed her arms defensively in front of herself. "You know why, Zane. How many times do we have to have this conversation? I won't date you because I think you're a jerk."
He sighed. "Why do you always say that?" he asked, sounding slightly wounded.
"Because it's true, Zane!" Gwen said, getting annoyed with him. "You think you're all that just because you're a good duelist, and you treat your brother who loves you like crap!"
Zane just looked at her for a moment, studying her and thinking about what she had said. If she wouldn't date him because she thought he was cold and uncaring, then he would just have to find a way to change her opinion of him.
"How about this," he said at last. "You give me one date to prove that I'm not a jerk. If I prove you wrong, you become my girlfriend. If you still think I'm a jerk afterwards, then I'll leave you alone and never ask you out again."
Gwen was silent for a moment, not having expected his suggestion. Normally he would just ask her over and over again to go out with him, so she was surprised that he'd come up with a way to actually solve their problem.
"Okay," she said after a moment, holding out her hand for him to shake. "One date."
"Great," he said, taking her hand firmly in his and sealing their deal. When he pulled his hand away, Gwen noticed that his normally emotionless expression was tinged with a bit of hope. "Meet me outside the dorms tomorrow at eight."
Gwen nodded in response, and with that, they went their separate ways.
'I'm glad he won't be bothering me anymore after tomorrow, but why does he want to do this, anyway?' Gwen wondered as she walked back to her dorm. 'He doesn't seem to like anybody, so why would he want me as his girlfriend?' Giving her head a slight shake to clear her thoughts, she continued walking to her room, looking forward to sleep.
The next day, Gwen was a little distracted during all of her classes, since she couldn't stop thinking about her upcoming date with Zane. She was interested to see what methods he would try to use to prove to her that he was a nice guy, even though she had already decided in her mind that he would never win her over.
So, when eight o' clock came around, Gwen went to stand outside of the Obelisk dorms just as Zane had asked. When she arrived, she wasn't surprised to see that he was already there, waiting for her. He really did seem desperate to make a good impression.
"Glad you could make it," Zane said, inclining his head slightly in her direction.
"What're we gonna do?" Gwen asked.
"Well," he said, sounding a bit nervous, "I was thinking we could maybe go for a walk and just talk, then go back to my dorm to watch a movie or something."
She just looked at him for a moment, wondering what he was thinking. The suggestion was simple, not at all like the complex plan she had expected. But, it would still give him a chance to try to prove that he was a nice guy. Overall, she decided that she was okay with his plan.
Gwen nodded her head at him. "Okay, then. Lead the way."
And with that, they began their walk around Duel Academy. Zane led Gwen to the edge of the island, and they followed the curve of it as they walked along next to the ocean.
"So, umm..." Zane began awkwardly, after they had walked for a while in silence, not looking directly at Gwen. "How are you?"
"Pretty good," she answered. She figured that, since this was the last chance Zane would have to win her over, she would try being nice to him for once. "What about you?"
Zane looked a bit surprised at her answer, having expected some insult or rude comment. But he answered her nonetheless. "I'm doing really well. I'm glad I finally got you to give me a shot."
Gwen looked straight at him and nodded. 'Why can't he act this way all the time?' she wondered. 'He's perfectly nice around me, so why does he treat everyone else like they're beneath him?'
After about ten more minutes of walking in silence, they came to a cliff overlooking a beautiful expanse of the water. Zane stopped walking and looked out over the ocean. "Let's sit down here." he said unexpectedly. He sat down on the rocky cliff, and Gwen sat down wordlessly beside him.
"Gwen," Zane began after a moment, as he continued to stare into the distance, "I feel like there are a lot of things you don't like me for. So, if you're willing to listen, I'd like a chance to explain myself. If you'll ask the questions, I'll answer them as honestly as I can."
Gwen felt surprised again, but didn't show it when she nodded at him. Even though she had no intention of changing her opinion of him, she was still curious to learn what he had to say. "Okay, that's not a bad idea. For starters, why do you act like you're better than everyone else?"
He sighed. "I really don't mean to act that way. I mean, I know I'm a good duelist and I do want people to know that, but I feel like I come across as more arrogant than I really am. I just don't like to talk to other people that much, and I think that makes me come across as more condescending than I mean to be."
Gwen nodded at him, mulling over his answer. It made pretty good sense, so she decided to accept it. "Okay, then. Why don't you like to talk to other people very much?"
"I don't really know," he said, scratching the back of his head as he looked out over the water. "I guess I just don't have anything to say."
"Alright, then I've got another question. Why are you so mean to Syrus?"
Zane sighed again, looking down at the ground between the two of them like he'd known this question was coming.
"I know it might not always seem like it," he began, slowly and carefully, "but I really do love my brother. I just want him to become the best duelist he can possibly be. I know now that it probably wasn't the best idea, but I thought that if I treated him like he wasn't good enough, it would drive him to want to be better. By putting him down, I could actually raise him up. Am I making any sense at all?"
Gwen was quiet for a moment, thinking about what Zane had said. No, it hadn't been a very good idea, but now she at least knew where Zane was coming from. He wasn't being a jerk to his brother for no reason. "I understand what you're saying," she said. "I'm glad to know that there was a reason for the way you acted. But still, you should try encouraging your brother instead of being mean to him. I think having you support him would make him more confident in his ability to duel."
She looked directly at Zane, and their eyes met. He nodded at her. "Okay, I'll try it. Thanks for understanding."
Their question and answer session went on for a little while longer as the sky grew dark around them. Though she wouldn't admit it to herself at first, Gwen's opinion of Zane began to change. She had misinterpreted many of his past actions, and even though he came across as cold sometimes, he truly had no bad intentions.
Once it had reached nine o' clock, Zane said, "We should probably start walking back to the dorm now. It's getting pretty dark out here."
"Okay," Gwen said, "But first, I have one more question for you."
"Alright. What is it?"
"Why do you like me?"
Zane didn't seem to know how to answer her question. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"
Gwen looked straight into his eyes, determined to get an answer out of him. "Just what I asked. There are plenty of girls here who would like to date you. What made you pick me to go after?"
Zane blushed a little, not really wanting to answer the question, but knowing that there was no way around it. He looked once more at the ground between them when he answered.
"Well, it's because I think you're wonderful. You have a strong will, and you stick to your convictions. I like that. You're smart, and caring towards the people who have earned your friendship. On top of that, you're also the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."
By the time he was done speaking, Gwen found herself blushing as well, unable to meet his eyes. She could hear the sincerity in his voice when he spoke, and truth be told, she was flattered by his answer. Underneath his cold exterior, she realized that he was actually a passionate and caring person.
"Thanks," she said, finally willing herself to look at him.
He nodded, still seeming a little nervous. "Well, we should probably head back to the room now."
Gwen nodded as well. Zane stood up from the ground and offered a hand to help her up, which, to her own surprise, she accepted. He effortlessly pulled her up to stand beside him. 'He's strong,' she mused to herself.
Before they started walking, Zane hesitantly held out his crooked arm towards Gwen. She looked from his arm up at his face, then back at his arm. Although doing so would have been inconcievable to her a few hours ago, she hooked her arm with his after only a moment's hesitation, and with that, she and Zane walked back to his dorm room.
As the two of them walked across the Duel Academy campus arm-in-arm, Gwen had to acknowledge that it felt sort of nice to be close to Zane. Even if she hadn't entirely forgiven his actions and attitude, she knew now that he wasn't so bad, and he really did care about her.
Once the two of them had snuck into the Obelisk Blue boys' dorm and reached Zane's room, he unlocked the door and motioned for Gwen to go in first. After he had entered the room behind her, he turned around and closed the door.
Gwen looked around the room curiously. She had never been in one of the Obelisk boys' dorms before, but from what she could see, it was almost just like the girls' dorms. When her eyed landed on the big-screen TV mounted on the wall, she remembered that Zane had said they were going to watch a movie. She turned and looked at him expectantly.
"So, what're we gonna watch?" she asked.
"Well," he said, as he led her over to a small couch in front of the television, "I have the first X-Men movie here. You did say before that you liked that one, right?"
Gwen couldn't help but smile at him for the first time as she sat down on the couch. She found it sweet that he remembered her saying she liked that movie. "Yeah, I love it. That'd be great."
Zane nodded and, after a few moments of searching, found the DVD and put it in. He turned off the lights and took a seat beside her on the couch, and the movie started.
Even though it was one of her favorites, Gwen couldn't help but feel a little bit distracted during the movie. She kept glancing over at Zane, thinking about how kind and caring he had been to her tonight. And although a part of her hated to admit it, when she looked at him, she actually started to notice that he was pretty handsome, too.
About halfway through the movie, Zane stretched his arms above his head and moved one of them to rest across Gwen's shoulders. His touch was light, as if he expected her to pull away. But instead of moving away from him, she actually scooted closer to him on the couch. She liked the safe feeling she got when he was close to her.
Once the movie had ended and the credits started to roll, Zane removed his arm from Gwen's shoulders and hit a button on the remote to turn the movie off. Standing up, he turned the lights back on and returned the DVD to its case.
Gwen watched him as he moved around the room, a smile on her face. "I've always loved that movie. Good choice on your part."
Zane gave Gwen a small, rare smile. "Thanks." He want back to sit next to her on the couch, turning his body to face her.
"So," he said, looking at her nervously, "What do you think?"
"About what?" she asked, not understanding his meaning.
"About this." he said, motioning to himself and then to her. "Do you still think I'm a jerk, or will you give this a chance?"
"Oh!" Gwen said, having forgotten about their bargain. She looked into Zane's eyes for a moment, and noticed for the first time that they were a beautiful shade of grey-green. 'How did I go from disliking him to liking him so much all in one day?' she wondered.
Gwen was trying to figure out a way to tell him what she was feeling, when an idea suddenly occurred to her. A smile broke out over her face. "Well, I'm not sure how to put it into words, but maybe this will answer your question."
Without warning, Gwen placed both of her hands on Zane's shoulders and leaned forward to kiss him. He was so shocked by her action that he didn't respond at first, but after a few seconds, he began to kiss her back with passion. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him.
They both pulled back after a minute, smiling at each other. "I don't think you're a jerk anymore, Zane." Gwen said to him, slightly out of breath. "You're a good guy, and I'm sorry I didn't see it before."
Zane gave her an even wider smile, which was highly unusual for him. "It's okay," he said. "So, does this mean you'll be my girlfriend?"
Gwen put her arms around Zane's neck and pecked him on the lips. She smiled up at him when she answered. "Zane Truesdale, I would love to be your girlfriend."
He smiled yet again and pulled her into a warm hug, with her head resting on his chest. "You have no idea how wonderful it feels to hear you say that," he said to her softly. She happily snuggled up against him, feeling safe and cared for in his arms.
This was someone who would always be there for her and look after her. This was someone who she could always rely on.
Gwen smiled to herself, her head still resting on Zane's chest. The guy she'd thought was a jerk hadn't turned out to be so bad after all.