Defeat, my best friend
Note: italics are thoughts.
He leaned over the fence, and wiped his messy blonde hair across his forehead. In a fit of frustration and anger he kicked at it. It was all a lie…everything…he had let the game rule his life…make some of his most important decisions and lose things that he held dear. Its rewards were great but winning was always risky.
"Heart of the cards…" he sneered. To think he actually believed it…to think he trusted them. They were cards, CARDS…nothing more than little pieces of paper. They had a front and back. Even colored ink giving them point values…strengths and weaknesses…he knew them so well.
"So well they put me here." He shifted his feet into a different position. They'd come looking for him. He wouldn't run. Joey Wheeler never ran away from anything, no matter what the odds, he was going to stand up fighting, kicking and screaming until he died. He stood there alone, in the night with his duffle bag, he couldn't leave just yet no, he'd let them find him.
"Maybe a duffle bag isn't the greatest company in the world." Joey decided while looking at the tan oddly shaped lump that contained most of his possessions. It wasn't that hard for him to lug it around, it just made his shoulder hurt for a while, until he could find a bus, then on his trip he'd be able to put it down. Joey sighed, he knew he was just trying to distract his mind from the thoughts what were running through his head. Part of him didn't want to leave…but all of him knew he had to.
He didn't feel any different than he had any other night, he felt just the same. Reality came crashing in on him. The teen had lost sight of who he was, he felt too dependent on friends. He could never win all by himself no, he was trying to be something he wasn't. Joey needed time away; unfortunately one cannot disappear with out being noticed. They cared about him. No doubt about that. He had no emotion left to give them he didn't want to be a part of this anymore…leaving him disinterested in everything he'd enjoyed before.
He wanted to be something different. Someone better, heck maybe someone famous. The only thing was…he wished he didn't need people as much as he did. He wished he could be independent! That he didn't need that pat on the back to get him going. It made him feel weak…submissive…no one would have a hold over him.
"No, I won't allow it." He creased his eyebrows…he heard them coming…
He wouldn't let anyone have a weakness over him, and be able to control him. And they…they would understand, they always did. Whenever they wanted to see if he could do something and he gave them an excuse…they believed it, never questioned it. They would support him…would understand.
But they didn't.
They didn't understand. Not at all.
"Joey! Joey! Are you back here?"
They were getting closer; he heard their footsteps and their shouts. Joey's back was facing them. He turned around readjusting the collar of his bright green jacket. He had to do this sooner or later. And he would do it looking them straight in the eye.
"We were worried about you." Yugi said looking at him with concern
"Of course you were…you always were."
"Are you okay?" Tea asked worriedly
"Don't start Tea…please."
Joey still said nothing and absent-mindedly played with another strand of his wild golden locks.
"Please just tell us… maybe we can help we're your friends Joey!" she cried out.
Tea was always so passionate, the way she spoke. She knew just what to say…how to cheer you up…how make you smile and believe in yourself. She was a dreamer and the last person to doubt anyone's ability. He hoped her dreams wouldn't be shattered. Her firm exterior…if someone ever got through that…she would be empty and totally vulnerable. He couldn't help thinking of her voice…what she always said…how she believed whole-heartedly.
All lies.
"I'm leaving." He abruptly said breaking the silence that had surrounded them for a few minutes. He looked at Yugi for his opinion.
"Defeat, my best friend…"
Yugi shifted his eyes for a few seconds from the ground and back to Joey, slowly he smiled. "If that's what you have to do, then I support it…if you need us we're here Joey." He responded cheerfully.
"I knew you'd say that Yugi." Joey waited for Tea's reaction. Not surprisingly her eyes softened and lost their usual kindly glow. "Joey…running away won't help."
"You don't know Tea."
"Joey, I don't want you to get hurt-
"Yes you do."
"I know you're thinking that you're doing the right thing…but you're not." She moved her hands around as if to add to the point she was making.
"Hypocrite."
He didn't bother looking at her as she spoke. He stood there and listened, for a while, her fiery words tried desperately to melt his icy exterior, normally it would have worked…but he just didn't believe what she said anymore…friendship…it doesn't matter if you don't know who you are to them…they…they weren't him…they tried to know him, help him, be there for him…it wasn't enough.
He didn't want to be ungrateful, he appreciated them more than they would ever know- they pulled him up and out of his sorrows before…but now he didn't want them to understand him…didn't want to hurt them with what he felt.
"Thanks Tea, Yug…but I better get going." He smiled casually…the smile hurt; it never used to hurt…now it felt different. He pulled his jacket around him tighter and began walking away. It wasn't how he wanted to tell them he was going but it's what he had to do. He kicked a bit of broken glass that was in the way of his feet. It was like him…he felt like everything was breaking inside him. He stomped on the glass in a fit of anger.
"Cracked piece of broken glass."
He didn't liking having to escape them…but he had to do it. He glanced ahead to the street and looked at the city lamps. He wondered where he'd go…maybe to where he'd grown up, he was strong he could live on his own.
"Joey Wheeler, you get BACK here now!" Tea answered chasing after him.
"Tea…don't do this don't make it harder. I don't need to be saved, not now, you just need to let go."
"Joey, JOEY." She screeched, he winced and turned around as she grabbed the back of his jacket. She pulled her face closer to his by the jacket, even though she was shorter then him. Not expecting this, Joey lurched forward as Tea looked him straight in the eye with a menacing glare on her face enough to frighten the most vicious of dogs.
"You listen here, Wheeler." She said about to deliver another ultimatum, Joey focused his brown eyes on her, waiting for her to yell at him, and she knew he was expecting it. Instead of an angry speech, she averted her eyes, but she still kept a firm grip on his collar. "Joey…I care about you…please don't go and leave us alone." She pleaded in a softer tone than what she had been using.
"Tea…I'm sorry I have to do this…"
"I'll be back, don't you worry." He winked one of his eyes expecting her to left go of him, still she held firm. So instead he inched his face closer, allowing his nose to touch hers and he leaned forward to press his forehead against hers.
"Tea…please…let go." He said mildly, as if he was talking to a small, frightened child. Her eyes were slightly widened; he was so close…one of her hands drops to her side while the other firmly held a fist full of his shirt. She wanted to believe him…no, this was Joey…she had to be strong.
"No…" she tried to protest, his warm eyes still burrowing into her vulnerable cerulean orbs. Joey shook his head, and with his hand pulled a few strands of hair out of Tea's face, she looked close to tears. He didn't blame her. He felt sad himself…sad but hopeful.
So he leaned in just a little closer allowing their lips to brush again one another, and paused a few more seconds before they actually met. Tea didn't expect this, the hand that had been holding Joey's shirt collar, it automatically moved to around his neck. She had to say over all she'd enjoyed it thoroughly, but was still too shocked to move when he parted, and leaned over to pick something up. She watched him slowly grab the handle of the duffle bag next to him, sling it over his shoulder and walk off. Tea was too stunned to move. Eventually he faded into the distance, all that remained was pavement and an all too quiet city. Tea removed the hand she had been holding over her heart, it was thumping with many mixed emotions, most which she tried to ignore…she wasn't ready…not yet.
"Come back…soon Joey…I'm not done with you yet." Tea said almost silently, she knew better, he'd just done that so she would let go of him…or had he? Joey was most certainly stronger than her; she had to reluctantly admit that. Maybe it was something he had to do before he could leave.
"All the things…you said…running through my head…"Yugi saw this…he saw the way she looked into his friend's eyes…how they embraced. He wished he hadn't seen it. She was his friend right? Why did it make him jealous? He stood there watching Tea, who was looking off into the distance. Why had Joey done that? Yugi was confused; it never crossed his mind before…how he'd felt when she looked at him…what she said…he felt different. Yugi bit his lip; it was best not to say anything, at least not now.
"Tea, Tea we should go home, okay?" he said aloud.
"Yeah." She answered slowly being pulled back to reality. "I'm so silly to have been so deeply absorbed in that…"
"Sorry, Yugi didn't mean to be a space cadet there." She smiled.
"Its okay." He responded just as happy.
Tea shrugged "I'm glad we're friends Yugi."
"Yeah, Tea…me too to…we're friends." He titled his head to look up at her. It was times like this, Yugi was glad Yami wasn't paying attention.
Yugi finally began to understand what Joey had begun to say, maybe friendship wasn't enough…he needed to find something else…maybe it was nearby…
~Fin~
Notes: Should I do more? I dunno I just felt like angst.
Star light; Star bright, where the hell is Mr. Right?