AN: Alright, so I haven't published anything on here in forever! I'm in a writing class right now, and we had to write a short fictional story. So I tried to think of some great topic to write about, but I just kept coming back to the last fanfic I was writing before I gave it up. So that is what this is about. That being said, I just want everybody to remember that I did modify it so that the plot didn't revolve around children's card games, so it if is slightly OOC from the show, my bad. Also, if you catch anything that's off, lemme know and I'll try to fix it. (I forgot what school Joey used to go to, and if you spot any names to do with Jack or Maya, those are just the names I changed around for my project.)

Thanks!

Wanderlust

"Where are you going to go?" asked the boy. Try he might, he couldn't hide the sadness in his voice.

"I'm not sure," began the girl, her eyes looking distant, "I was thinking somewhere with snow."

"You want to go somewhere where you can't tan on the beach? I never would have thought that that of all things would come out of your mouth," said the boy, eager to distract himself from being sad.

"I tell ya, kid, I'm done with this town. I'm done with this life, with myself. I need a change. I need to change," she stated matter- of- factly, "all my life I've been hanging on to this notion that making real relationships with people would only bring me down. I lied to myself every single day when I looked in the mirror and convinced myself that I could go through life depending on only me, myself, and my appearance. Don't get me wrong, it can be done, you just have to have the right personality for it."

"And you don't?" he asked.

The girl scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous, of course I have the personality for it, I've done it just about my whole life. It just gets exhausting!"

"I'll bet it does," the boy said, rolling his eyes, "getting guys to buy you everything under the sun and not once giving anything back. I'm broke I tell you."

"What are you talking about? I give plenty back, like right now, I'm giving you the opportunity to talk with me," she said, slightly smug.

"Oh you're so stuck up!" he said.

"I know, I admit it. I've been a narcissistic bitch to everyone, and this is why I'm leaving. I know I need to change, and it's not going to happen overnight, and it's not going to happen in this city. Not with the reputation I've built myself already." she figured that him of all people deserved to know her reasoning, not that she even deserved the chance to explain to him after all she put him through.

The boy stared at the ground, looking deep in thought.

"If anything, you should be happy to get rid of me," she said, noticing his behaviour.

"But I'm not," he said.

"Then at least be happy with yourself. After all, you were the one who made me realize I need to change. You're doing the world a favour." she said, uncharacteristically softly. Then, getting herself back together, the girl got off the swing and picked up her duffel bag, ready to leave.

"What, not even a hug?" the boy asked.

"Hugs are for good-bye's. See you 'round, hon'," she said, and made her way through the forest trail towards the bus stop, leaving the boy standing alone to stare after her.

This wasn't the first time she had left, nor would it be her last, for when one is wanderlust, there's no saying where the path will lead you, or who will be walking beside you the next time around. At least this time, one could say they might have been friends.

"Watch where you're going, kid!"exclaimed a blond-haired beauty as a boy bumped into her going down the hallway.

"What! Were you talkin' to me?" yelled the boy, "I aint' no little kid, and I believe it was you who ran into me!"

He rattled on like a hot tea kettle, but she had continued walking away, barely sparing a glance back.

"Ugh, Freshmen are so annoying. Although that one was kind of cute, if only he would learn to shut his mouth," thought the girl as she passed the eyes of gawking first years to her locker.

That was the first time Mai Valentine had ever met Joey Wheeler, and for some reason, she couldn't forget it.

That event happened at the very first morning of her last year of high school at Hidber High, and there were only a few more that occurred throughout the school year, but she remembered them vividly. At Hidber High, the grades went from 8-12, so a girl like Mai couldn't give the time of day for a guy like Joey, who only just started going to the school. At least that's what she wanted her peers to believe, or perhaps that's what she was trying to convince herself. Maybe she actually didn't care about him at all- even Mai wasn't quite sure. The next time Mai and Joey had something close to a conversation happened about a month after they had met.

Mai had been standing in line ahead of the boy for the cafeteria. She hadn't been feeling like eating much lately, and had only picked out a veggie tray.

"I heard that the percentage of girls with anorexia in this school has gone up this year," announced Jack in a casual way towards Mai.

"Excuse me?" she said, turning towards the voice, "Oh, you again. I'm watching what I eat, unlike you," she said, motioning to his tray filled with pizza, fries and desserts.

"I don't need to worry about it yet, I still have a great metabolism, unlike you, I suppose," he replied, grabbing a can of soda.

"Honestly, what kind of a smart-ass dweeb do you think you are talking to me like that? I don't even know what your name is," she snapped.

"My apologies, Mai. The name is Joey, Joey Wheeler, it's a pleasure to meet you," he said.

Mai rolled her eyes, "Okay then, stalker, how do you even know my name?"

"Is that even a question? Everybody in the whole school knows who you are," Joey said.

"Flattering," she dead-panned, " well Joey, I also know for a fact, that the percentage of losers has gone up in this school this year- I'm looking at one of the statistics right now," she said, then walked away to sit by the window leaving the boy to stare after her.

Opening her latest fashion magazine, she flipped through the pages, but her thoughts kept going back to that boy."What a rude kid, saying I had an eating disorder!" she thought to herself as she bit into her carrot."he does have great hair though, and his eyes are the deepest green I've ever seen," her thoughts went back and forth between how cheeky and how cute he was.

Mai had been so distracted, that she had resorted to putting her magazine away and staring out the window. Once the bell to signal the end of lunch had rang, it had taken her the rush of students walking to class to realize lunch was over.

Mai's first impression of Joey was right; he was a naturally good looking man and a lot of girls fell for him on account for it, but he also had a smart-mouth, hot-headed, trouble-maker reputation, yet he was charming and sweet at the same time. It just depended if you were in his good books or not, but he got a long with most people. Joey did indeed have summer- forest green eyes, somewhat shaggy, light brown hair, and for a guy who just turned 15, he had a well developed body. He already had broad shoulders and his tall body was fit and muscular due to the sports he was in.

Throughout the whole school year, Joey and Mai subtly got to know one another through random times of running into each other. Even they didn't consciously realize it until much later, but they had actually started to be somewhat nice to each other.

It didn't seem like Joey was ever nervous to approach Mai. Mai figured it was because she was always by herself, and that she didn't have a group of catty girls to break through to talk to her. Mai had never really had any friends throughout school because she was taught at home up until grade ten by one of her fathers paid employees. Her father, Charles, was a big-shot business manager, so he never had time around the house to help her, let alone spend any quality time with her. When she finally went to a public high school, most students already had their group of friends, and nobody seemed to want to take her in. Not that it mattered to Mai anyway; it seemed to her that everybody was annoying and below her maturity level, so she didn't want to be around these people anyway. Mai never had anybody she could really count on growing up, seeing as her mother, Clarissa, had also abandoned her when Mai was eleven due to a huge fight between her and Charles. Mai figured that since she was the most reliable person she knew, she would depend on only herself.

She wasn't the only one in the whole school who didn't have friends, but it seemed that those who were in the same boat as her, tried to blend in to the school more by dressing down so they didn't stand out as much. Mai was the opposite, and that's why people talked about her so much. She had the confidence of a super star and dressed nicer than most of the girls she saw, which brought about the rumours. Unlike the other lone wall-flowers, she truly didn't care what other people thought of her, and she was not afraid to stand up for herself if need be. It there was one thing that her father had taught her, it was not to let people push her around.

A few months later, when Mai was walking in to the ladies washroom, it was no surprise to hear two of the 'popular' girls talking about her in front of the mirror.

Mai had heard her name as soon as she opened the door to the washrooms so she had slipped inside and stood silently behind the corner. She wanted to hear what they were going to say about her and they were only going to do that if they thought they were alone.

"So, did you hear the latest about Mai?" said one girl to the other.

"Mai, who?" the other one asked.

"Valentine, who else?"

"Oh, what did you hear?"

"Apparently, there's this guy she had just met, and he asked her out. Then she slept with him that very night!"

"What a total fluze!"

"I know right, but get this: the next morning, she asked him to Prom, and she hardly knew the guy!"

The girls cackled at their gossip. "Wow, I'll bet he turned her down," giggled one of them.

"Probably," said the other, "it's too bad she can't find anybody from the school that would want to go with her."

"Oh! I heard that she made out with three guys in the school bathroom at once."

"What a whore! I cannot believe that."

"I can. Apparently they paid her, too."

"I wouldn't put it past her to do it for free. Maybe one of them would be willing enough go to Prom with her."

By this time, Mai had heard enough of their conversation. She walked towards them with and air of pretentiousness and her high-heeled shoes clacking against the floor. "Don't you two airheads have a class to get to?

The two girls in front of the mirror looked shocked at first when they noticed Mai, then one of them shot back suspiciously, "I should ask the same to you."

"Unlike you, I am doing well enough in my classes that I can afford a bathroom break," said Maya.

"Excuse me? Do you wanna go? said one of the girls.

"You do realize I have eight years of judo behind me, right?" said Mai.

"You do realize I'd have the whole school behind me, and not a single nobody would stand up for you," replied the girl.

"Please, as if it would be worth my time. I have much more to do than waste any of my energy on you," Mai said.

"Likewise," the girl said, as she beckoned her friend to get going.

"Then it looks like the only difference between us, according to you, is that I'm getting some, and you're not. Now, excuse me, because I'm waiting for the guys to meet me in here so I can collect the money they owe me," said Mai. Her intentions were only sarcastic, but they only dug her into a deeper hole, and put her higher on the popular girls' list of, 'People to Torment For the Rest of the Year,'

"I can't believe how big of a bitch she is," said one of the girls to the other as they walked out of the bathroom.

Mai stood in front of the mirror and examined her perfectly curled hair while taking out her lip gloss.

"I can't stand half the population of this place," she thought.

The run in with the two girls had put her in a lousy mood for the rest of her day, and she had looked less approachable than she normally did. This didn't seem to affect one person in particular, though. Joey always looked fearless coming up to Mai even when she got in moods where everything about her shouted that she didn't want anything to do with anybody.

After school that day, Mai made her way down the school steps and was about to cross the street when the two girls she encountered in the bathroom earlier walked by her.

"There's the blond bimbo again," stated the girl.

"Oh, you mean No-Morals-Mai?" asked the other girl.

"Where do you come up with those one- liners?" asked Mai, "I should be taking notes from you." The girls exchanged nasty stares, then continued on their way. Mai walked across the street to the woods where there was a trail that would take her home. As she was walking, she heard someone speak up from behind her.

"No luck with the ladies today Mai?" asked an oh-to-familiar voice.

"Huh?" Mai turned her head, "oh, shut up, Joey."

Joey followed Mai through the woods."What are you doing?" he asked.

"Going home, what are you doing?" she replied.

"Well, right now I'm walking beside you," he said.

"Don't be more of an idiot than you already are," she said.

"Sheesh, I wasn't trying to be. I think those girls really peeved you off," said Joey.

"Leave it alone. Also, you should stop following me, I don't appreciate stalkers very much," said Mai.

"Well, for your information, I'm actually not a stalker, I'm just making my way home as well," he said.

"Really? I've never seen you walk through here before, and I go this way almost every day," she said.

"Normally one of my parents pick me up, but they aren't in town right now, so I have to walk instead." Joey said.

"That's a shame. I was hoping for a peaceful walk home. I've had about enough nonsense for one day today," Mai said.

"Wow, you're grumpier than usual. Well, you're just in luck because I'm turning here anyway," he replied. At this point, there was a fork in the path, one continuing straight, and one veering off to the left, which was the one Joey turned on.

"Bye, Mai."

"See ya, kid."

Don't forget that i like to hear what you have to say. Constructive criticism is great too!

Also, jsyk, I will be updating pretty much every night. :)