Puppet.

'For citizens who think themselves no more than puppets in the hands of their rulers, nothing is more satisfying than having rulers as puppets in their hands.'
-Pico Iyer.

General knowledge, useless facts, pointless trivia, and a report coated in A's and A*'s. Anything lower would have marred it. I set down the paper and glanced across the room at him. Demyx, significantly stupider than me and incredibly popular. I read a poem once, it mentioned popularity being born from intelligence. I didn't believe that for a moment. If that did happen, it certainly didn't happen here. Secretly I envied Demyx and outwardly I scorned him and spat venomous insults at him, insults which were masked by a cool composure and a smile.

The room that we were registered in was a science lab. The air was sickly from an experiment that he had conducted that lunch time. A blond teacher taught at the front, his hair rather long for a male's. Vexen was his name. He talked, I listened, he talked, Demyx talked, he yelled, I closed my eyes and waited for the class to resume. That was how a normal day began. Today was different, and it was different for a reason. Today I opened my locker and I found a note.

'You are now my puppet. Zexion, I know everything about you. I know that you cheated on your girlfriend. I know you made out with Naminé. We'll see what Kairi thinks of that. If you don't want me to tell everybody, then you'll do what I want you to. Today you're going to call up your Uncle at exactly twelve o'clock and tell him that you hate him. Tell him you wish he was dead. If you don't, Kairi won't be yours for much longer.'

I had ignored the printed letter. Why my Uncle? It was lunchtime registration now, and the clock had ticked past twelve long ago. The only person who knew I had kissed Naminé was Naminé, and no matter how much she might want me to leave Kairi, she didn't have the guts to tell. Despite that knowledge, my stomach twisted into uncomfortable knots. I couldn't stand the thought of Kairi finding out. She was my one link to the social circle that I never seemed to be part of, but she still allowed me to be a knowledgeable bystander. That aside, she was gorgeous, and she kept me satisfied. She was more than a girlfriend, she was a statement.

One hour later, it was history class. Axel nudged me until I turned and glared at him. Words about clashing ideologies flew over my head, and I was irritated to be missing valuable information that could mean the difference between an A and an A*. "What, what on Earth do you want?" I demanded in a hiss.

"You kissed Naminé, huh?" Came his cocky voice, much deeper and intimidating than my own. I tensed up. Axel was a good friend of Kairi's, and I knew that he of all people wouldn't approve of my antics.

"No," I denied flatly, trying not to let my eyes fall from his, but still I felt the urge to look away, to fiddle with my pen or to swallow back the tightness in my throat.

"Oh really?" Axel asked and leaned in now, his catty eyes unbearable. I looked down. Why did he have to be so aggressive all the time? I felt his glare locking me in place. Such a lack of respect for other people's personal space…

"Because I heard different y'know," He purred it with a kind of sick satisfaction. The teacher turned and shouted at us, and I fell silent, as did he until she looked away again. I didn't speak, not eager to engage in the conversation again.

"Even got pictures," He added, his voice now had a forced, airy sound about it. Something was amiss here. "Kairi's furious. She got the pictures too. Said she never wants to speak to you again," he added. I didn't look at him until he nudged me in the side. I glared at him again and he nodded under the table. On his phone, there was a picture, clear as day, of me sitting in a café, kissing Naminé. I tensed. Naminé wouldn't have told, she wouldn't risk her friendship with Kairi. The two were like sisters to each other. Not to mention the fact that Naminé was there in the picture, her arms around my neck and mine around her waist.

"Never thought you were the flirtatious type, Zexion. Didn't know you were a liar either." I didn't speak to him. I was now tapping the ball of my foot repeatedly against the floor, my nerves making me jittery. Axel wouldn't stand for this. Kairi had left me. Now I'd just be the lonely geek. I wasn't sure I cared. My mind was working furiously to figure out who had taken the photos. Class ended slower than ever, especially as I sat next to the ticking time bomb that went by the name of Axel.

As soon as the bell rang, I packed my things up as quickly as I could, eager to get away from him. He grabbed my shoulder roughly as he stood up beside me, towering over me. He twisted me around roughly and gave me a false grin.

"See you after school, Zexion," He promised maliciously, and then tore off out of the classroom. After school? My mind was horribly blank for a few moments after until it started whirring at a normal pace again. What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Roxas walked home with Kairi. They were both laughing at me. My eyes were watering from the pain, I wasn't even crying. They called me a cry baby anyway. Axel had gotten his daily workout and now I'd have a genuine reason to cover up my eye. I stood in front of the mirror and wiped the blood from my upper lip when I got in. I did my homework and went to bed. It took a long time to get to sleep. I had too much time to think. I had too much time to remember. Everything hurt.

My phone vibrated when I was finally drifting off. I picked it up and looked at it, agitated already. Would it be Kairi? Maybe Naminé? Number unknown... that was weird. I read the text.

'You better start doing what I say, Zexion, otherwise next time it might be more than a little beating from Axel. I say jump, you say how high. Got it? Now turn your phone off and go to bed. Never know what I might do next if you don't. Goodnight.'

This time I did what they said. It wasn't on purpose. I was tired anyway. The phone vibrating was just a reminder to turn it off. That was all. I wasn't his puppet. I was an A grade student. Not a toy. Not their plaything… not their puppet… not a toy… not with Kairi… not anything… not really…