Disclaimer: Premise based off of 'Can You Keep a Secret?'
AN- It gets better. I promise.
Chapter two- The goblins are on to me
"So how'd your visit with your dad go?" Yugi asks as we trudge up the hill toward school. His breath comes out in little regular clouds behind him as he struggles valiantly along under his huge backpack, forcibly reminding me of the little engine that could.
"What's so funny?" He asks looking sideways at me.
I fell my eyes widen at being caught out, and mentally kick myself. I hate that about myself. I just can't hide anything, everyone always knows. "Nothing, we had a really good time."
Yugi looks curious for a moment then his eyes light up. Before he even says a word, I know who it is, who it must be to inspire such a reaction.
"Tea!" Yugi yells, waving his arms excitedly over his head, and tipping precariously from side to side.
My worst fears confirmed, Tea spins around and waves back, hurrying over. "Did you hear?" She asks Yugi, completely and utterly ignoring me. "There's a new kid here!"
"Really?" Yugi asks, slightly breathless. I suppose I would be too, after jumping around with something roughly the same weight as me tied to my back. Yugi should really consider doing his homework throughout the week rather than waiting until the weekend. I mean, Tea doesn't really need her own personal cheering section at every single game. Besides everyone knows that she's in love with Yami, everyone that is except Yugi. Poor Yugi.
You know, he does kind of look like Yami. I mean if yami were short, less built and dressed himself in the dark, they could be twins! Poor Yugi……
"Earth to Ryou!" An obnoxious voice interrupts my thoughts, and I give a start.
Joey is looking at me expectantly. I stare blankly back at him, not even sure when he got here forget what he wants, and he sighs. Yugi smiles indulgently, and I see Tea behind him roll her eyes.
"I'm sorry." I say to Joey. I just can't seem to concentrate today, I kept having the same dream that I was falling all night long. A fact I attribute solely to my near death experience on the plane.
"Forget it." He says shaking his head. "I asked how your vacation went. It had better have been good though, cause I don't think they'll let you take another one. You take too long to retrain. But I bet your brain feels as good as new, seeing as you never use it."
Tea laughs, and Yugi stares at them with a mildly reproving gaze, before giving Tea a small smile to take the edge off of it.
"So did you get to sit by the window on the plane?" Joey continues.
"No." I start to tell them about my fear of heights, when Joey interrupts.
"Let me guess, the guy next to you told you that only the seats in the middle of the plane were going to London?" He asks sarcastically.
Tea laughs again, and Yugi frowns at Joey. Before he can say anything, the bell rings.
"Come on Yugi!" Tea says brightly, grabbing Yugi's hand in an iron grip and heading off toward the buildings. "You can be my partner in biology, this afternoon!
"Yeah, Yug." Joey replies falling in step behind them. "You can help her in Bi-ol-o-gy."
He laughs, and Yugi blushes.
Yugi tears himself away from Tea gazing long enough to call back, "See you at lunch Ryou!"
It's then that I realize that I have the same class as them next, and that they've just successfully stolen my friend.
Behind him I see Tea roll her eyes and say something to Joey. Joey says something back, and they both laugh. I pretend not to notice them, and smile while I wave back at Yugi. Secretly I'm picturing slowly roasting Tea and Joey over hot coals, force feeding Tea donuts, and shaving Joey's head. That'll show them. Muhahaha hahaha hahaha!
Drat, I'm late.
I hurry down the halls toward my locker doing the closest thing to a run that I can without getting detention. It's because of my haste that I'm not as cautious as I should be around the student lounge, and it's the reason that I don't see the ambush coming. One moment I'm frantically racing off to class, and the next I'm grabbed by the back of my sweater, and pulled into the otherwise empty room.
"Hello Ryou." A familiar voice says, sounding bored. "Got my money for me?"
I gulp, looking up, and then higher up. "Tristan……no, not yet."
Tristan loses the bored look, and glares down at me.
"But I'll get it!" I continue, trying to stop myself from talking so fast.
"You better." He stays threateningly, shaking a fist in my face.
"I will." I swallow again.
He gives me one last hard look, lets go, and walks away. I exhale slowly, trying to get my heart to beat normally, before glancing at the clock.
I sigh, and glumly continue on to my locker to fetch our group sociology project.
Then the war with my locker begins. I swear that there's little school goblins who's sole job is to randomly switch locks on me. I close my eyes for a moment, before sighing again. I can't help picturing the little school goblins, dressed in the school colors, scurrying around after hours, gnawing off the locks and switching them.
Actually, that's kind of scary……
I frown at the locker, and jiggle the lock again. The door pops open, like in old horror movies when the house is just waiting for the main character to enter, and I glance around nervously. The goblins are on to me. I grab what I need, and back away cautiously.
Moments later I'm standing outside my sociology class trying to juggle our prop, (made out of spaghetti, glue, play dough, and (Tea's contribution) glitter), and all the charts, while simultaneously trying to open the door. I'm saved the trouble, however, when the door's suddenly violently pulled open by Tea, and I mentally make a note to buy a crucifix, before she snatches the charts out of my hand, and hisses quietly, "You're late…..again!"
Yugi's behind her, gazing at me with a politely annoyed expression on his face, and Joey's shaking his head like he just knew that I'd screw up.
"Well, well, Mr.Bakura, decided to show up did you?" Ms.Miller says, and a few people laugh. "Just in time. You're group's on next."
Tea and Yugi both have their cue cards ready, the charts and graphs glued to the back wall, and are looking at me expectantly, waiting for the prop. I start to walk toward the desk, and quickly shoot a glance to the class.
It's then that I feel my heart freeze. My head whips back sideways to make certain, and it's him. One elegant eyebrow raised over gorgeous blue eyes, and mouth quirked in a wryly amused expression, it's Blue Eyes Laptop from the plane. I feel all the blood drain out of my face, and stare at him horrified. Blue Eyes Laptop that I blabbed everything to, Blue Eyes Laptop that knows every single detail about my pathetic life, all about the cream puffs, and orange juice, all about Malik, the pretend girlfriend, Iris, and the singing duet!
It's in slow motion that I gasp, and take a step backward. It's in slow motion that he frowns. It's in slow motion that I lose my grip on the prop, and hear Tea's cry of "NOOOO!" as it goes sailing to the floor. Traitorous time speeds up as soon as it hits the floor, and smashes into a million tiny pieces.
There's a stunned silence, before the back half of the class breaks into applause. I look over at Tea, Yugi, and Joey utterly mortified. Tea looks disgusted, Yugi disappointed, and Joey's smiling at the teacher. "We get an extension, right?"
Ms.Miller looks from me to the broken project, and sighs. "One day."
The rest of my group starts to protest, before she fixes them with a firm gaze, stopping them in their tracks. "One day."
I don't look at anyone, especially him, as I walk quickly to the back of the room to get a broom and dustpan. As soon as the mess is swept up, the next group sets up.
I walk carefully back to my seat and sit down. Tea covertly passes me a note under the desk. 'If you think that we're helping to re-do that prop, you're wrong. You better get it done in time, Ryou. Or else. I mean it!'
I glance up at Yugi for help, and he looks steadfastly in the other direction.
I bring my arms tight around me, and curl up into as much of a ball as I can in my desk, suddenly feeling small and sad. Nobody likes me anymore.
All of a sudden a little voice in my head pipes up /I still like you/
Great, now I'm officially destined for the rubber room of joy.
Lunch time, and I'm sitting alone outside under my tree. The official story is that Tea has cheerleading practice, Joey has detention, and Yugi is catching up on homework. The real story is that no one wants to talk to me after I screwed up our prop.
I sigh and take another bite of soggy tuna sandwich, idly looking around. Yami and Duke are holding court over by the picnic tables, Tristan's smoking behind the soccer field with Mai, and Ishizu's reading by the science building. I wish Malik had decided to show up today, at least then I'd have something to do, but today the 'vibe just wasn't right'. Which translates into, 'I'm too lazy to move right now, go away."
I'm startled out of my thoughts by a seagull landing in front of me. I eye him nervously, and he glares right back at me. Or rather at my sandwich.
"Forget it." I tell him, trying to sound completely firm. "This is mine."
He ruffles his feathers, and I flinch. To be honest I've never been entirely comfortable around birds. Anything that enjoys flight cannot be trusted.
I sit up straight, look down on the bird, and say with as much authority as I can muster, "It's mine."
"Talking to birds now are you?" A cool female voice asks from behind me. I turn to look, and the bird charges, flying off with my sandwich.
I let out a small yelp, duck, and Tea and Yugi laugh. I straighten up and force a smile as well watching the greedy little thief darkly, as he bobs about lopsidedly in the air clutching his prize. 'Until we meet again, Mr. Bird.'
/That reminds me, I feel like chicken tonight/ the little voice inturupts.
Tea wipes tears, while Yugi, the only one laughing with me, grins. I lean back, and smile a real smile. Yugi's not mad at me anymore.
"Cheerleading got cancelled so we decided to help you remake it, it'll be faster that way." Yugi says, pluncking down in front of me, and dumping his back pack contents onto the grass. A box of spaghetti, a bottle of glue, some tape, markers, and play dough.
"No glitter though." Tea says regretfully, sitting down as well.
"Oh no." I say, looking away as casually as possible, so as not to be caught out again. "That's too bad." I reply trying to look sympathetic, abruptly I have the strong feeling that I'm being watched.
Tea's saying something else that I don't quite hear, as I'm studying the library window. For a moment there I could have sworn that I saw someone there looking down on us.
"Got it, Ryou?" Yugi asks, gently bringing my attention back to the task on hand. "You have the front section, ok?"
"Front section. Got it." I reply brightly, picking up some of the spaghetti strands. I glance back up at the window, but it's still empty. I shake my head and start on my part.
