I know I should stop starting chapter stories, but this one won't be too long D:/:D
For the sake of this story, music is a compulsory subject...deal ;D Miss James is an OC, based on one of my old music teachers ;D I know it isn't a very Japanese name, buuut...D:
It wasn't that anything had happened in the past to spark any particular dislike of music in Joey Wheeler. It wasn't even that he disliked music – at least, not music in general. Music class, on the other hand...
Joey didn't even know why he bothered coming. It didn't interest him, and he didn't learn anything from it. Not to mention that the seating plan set him half a row away from Seto Kaiba. And his music teacher, Miss James, was just so damn infuriatingly calm.
Still, it was part of the curriculum, and in order to graduate, he needed to complete it. That didn't mean he had to enjoy it.
This was the one thing he shared with Seto; they both had an equal desire to make a nuisance of themselves in Miss James' class, or challenge everything she said. Why are musical terms written in different languages? Wouldn't it just be easier to write them in the language respective to the country they were in? Why did the solfa have to change for each different key? They should just stay the same for each note. Things like that.
Joey was sitting with his head on his desk, trying to avoid looking at the clock on the wall in case it made time seem to pass slower than it already was.
Miss James was standing out the front, drawing some kind of circle on the whiteboard whilst explaining what it all meant. Most of the students were copying it down, or paying utmost attention to what she was saying.
"Hey, miss, can you please move? I can't read what you're writing if you stand in front of the board while you do it."
Joey didn't need to look up to know who was talking. The only voice that made him that angry was Kaiba's.
Miss James must have known that Seto didn't actually care about getting a view of the board, but she moved aside nonetheless.
"What the hell does 'circle of fifths' mean?" Seto demanded, staring at the board in his usual cold manner.
"If you had been paying attention, Mr. Kaiba, you would have known by now," Miss James said calmly. "The Circle of Fifths is-"
"How the hell are we supposed to understand something that doesn't make sense? If it doesn't make sense, it doesn't make sense. Your explaining won't change that."
"It does make sense, Mr. Kaiba, and if you actually listened for once, you would know that."
Joey couldn't help intervening. "But what's the point? It's stupid."
"Then maybe you invented it, Wheeler," Seto said.
"Shut the hell up, Kaiba!"
"That's weird. Miss, do you hear a toilet flushing?"
Joey scowled. "I said shut up, Kaiba!"
"Because you told me to? Oh, I'm shaking!"
"That's enough, you two," Miss James said, sighing.
Joey glared at her. "Can't you see I'm trying to irritate a pompous rich boy here?"
"At least I'm not stupid," Kaiba retorted, standing up.
"At least I'm not you!" Joey was on his feet too.
Miss James intervened, moving between the two boys before they could attack one another. "I said that's enough. You've made your point. Mr. Kaiba, Mr. Wheeler, please take your seats, and if you would be kind enough to remain after class..."
Casting their music teacher a final glare each, Joey and Seto sat down again, still sneering at each other down the row.
Miss James returned to the front of the classroom and continued teaching as though nothing had happened. "Now, if you will each copy down the diagram and the notes on the board, that should finish this class just in time for the home bell."
Miss James returned to her desk and sat down. Joey didn't even bother opening his untouched music book. He noticed her brush a strand of her straight blonde hair out of her eyes before tearing a piece of paper into strips and writing something on each one.
He forgot about it, hoping that his next detention wouldn't have to be spent with Kaiba.
"You two have spent innumerable hours in detention. You have both written hundreds of lines. I've lost count of how many times I've referred you both to the head of department." Miss James drummed her fingers together while seated at her desk, looking at Joey and Seto, who were reluctantly standing next to one another in front of her. The rest of the class had left. "What do I have to do to make you stop disrupting my classes?"
"Kick us out of the class," Joey said.
"Make music an elective. Who the hell chooses music anyway?" Kaiba added.
Miss James just sighed. "I'm afraid it isn't my call to do that. As your teacher, it is my responsibility to ensure that you both achieve the highest possible results in this subject...whether you like it or not." She straightened up. "Mr. Kaiba, Mr. Wheeler, I've devised a somewhat more elaborate punishment."
They looked at each other.
"I think you'll find that it's all allowed within the curricula for this school," she continued. "It has, however, never been done before."
She sat back in her chair. "Mr. Kaiba, you are very proud, and you hold others opinions of you in utmost importance. Therefore, this punishment will target just that, and insult your pride. If all goes well, my intention is to make you more humble until you are in a better position to criticise and judge."
"What does that even mean?" Seto demanded.
She ignored him and looked at Joey. "Mr. Wheeler, you find it very easy to laugh at other people. Maybe when this is over, you'll think twice, because you'll understand how it feels."
"Are you kidding me?" Joey scoffed.
Miss James picked up a small purse and held it up, standing so that it was above their heads. "I want one of you to pick a piece of paper from this purse at random. That will decide the nature of your punishment."
"Can't you just put us on detention?" Joey demanded.
"You've had your chance with detention," Miss James said. "Take a piece of paper."
"I'll do it." Joey reached for the purse.
"No, you'll just pick something crappy, whatever it is. I'll do it," Kaiba said instantly, knocking Joey's hand away. Before Joey could protest, he had withdrawn a folded strip of paper from the purse.
"What are these, anyway?" Kaiba asked, opening the paper. Joey peered at it over his shoulder.
Tarzan and Jane – Toybox
"What the hell does this mean?" Kaiba demanded, handing their teacher the paper. She looked at it.
"Then it's settled; you two will perform, together, in front of the rest of this music class, the song 'Tarzan and Jane'." She took the paper from Kaiba and emptied the contents of her handbag. Joey saw at least a dozen more strips of paper fall out.
They were both struck speechless.
"Wait...I'm sorry, did you just say...Tarzan and Jane?" Joey breathed.
"Tarzan and Jane. You heard me fine, Mr. Wheeler."
"Miss...I think you'll find that has a girl's part," was all Joey could think of to say.
Miss James shrugged. "Jane's part can be done an octave lower for a male voice. What's your point?"
"I'm not singing," Kaiba said simply. "Especially not with Wheeler."
She smiled. "I've given you both enough chances to set yourselves straight. You will meet me in the music centre every afternoon to rehearse. When I decide you're both ready, you will perform it. Then, with any luck, you won't try to disrupt the learning of your fellow students any more."
"This is insane!" Joey exclaimed, suddenly feeling desperate as the reality of what she was saying began to sink in. He had only heard that song once, but...oh god. Singing it with Seto Kaiba? "There must be some rule against punishments like this! Please, I'll do anything; I'll go to detention every day for a year. I'll memorise the dictionary. Just don't make me sing with Kaiba!"
"You sound like a puppy when you whine, Wheeler," Kaiba jeered.
Miss James shook her head slowly. "If you can find a rule that forbids this, I'll stop it at once. Otherwise, I'm sorry. It's my duty to teach you this subject, and if this is what I have to do to make you both respect it..."
They both stared at her, not knowing what to say.
"Off you go, then; I have tests to mark. I'll see you tomorrow after school."
I'm not sure...was the song written by Toybox or Aqua? Cuz my iPod says Aqua, but I'm not really sure O.o I've been told it's Toybox D: Lol! I love that song ;P It's so epically random!
Thanks for reading ;D You are awesome!