Only one more period to go, so long as I ignore that it's a double period… thought Jem as she sat at lunch. The absence she had always been wary of was very present now, now that she had experienced him here. It was empty at the little table they had shared by the window, but better no one than someone new. Jem did eat at the last lunch, even though everyone else bitched and moaned about it, it was actually lunch time.
Jem pushed her remaining portion away and sat back in her chair. She pulled out her book, The Psychology of Conscious. Right now, Ornstien was talking about the Sperry experiments. The corpus callosum was cut and one half of a person's mind was not able to communicate with the other half. The results were fascinating. Jem would be through with this withered book by the end of the day. She was a fast reader and would read anything that held her interest. Reading at lunchtime was a good way to calm down before her last class. It was a slack class. She had to get her art credit before she graduated and had entered in the sophomore class of Drawing and Painting. She found she rather liked painting. Wait, didn't her father as well? Scratch that.
"Hey, ah. Ready for art?" Oh Joey, why couldn't you of taken Art 1? Joey Wheeler had also left his art credit to his final year. Jem had been planning on being the only senior in her art class. No one would talk to her and it would be great. Nope, not at all. Joey H. Fucking Wheeler had to be in it. He just had to be.
He talked all the way to class. "My picture needs more duel monsters."
He talked all during class. "I like ya picture, Jem. It's really… eh… lively?"
He talked all the way back from class. "I tink my picture is comin out real good." She twitched. It's WELL, REALLY WELL, she wanted to scream. Jem had given up on remarks within the first three days of school. How could anyone be so obnoxious? Joey had practically dubbed her his new best friend. She shivered at the thought.
During the regular rant, Jem was completely zoned out. It was all she could do to block out the sound of his voice. She hugged her books to her chest and walked her rut alongside Joey. But she could not get him out of her ear. And that was when she reached her breaking point. She took off, her speed increasing as she wove through the crowded halls. Joey yelled after her.
Jem sprang out the doors and looked around. She took in a deep breath of fresh air. She had made it.
"Hi, Jemmie," she heard. It nearly spooked her, but there were only two people in this town who called her that. She looked over her shoulder towards the voice.
"Hi, Mokuba. How are you? "She looked up toward the voice, only to find Seto standing outside his limo, ready to leave. "You're here," she breathed. Jem couldn't help but smile, her relief fully established.
"Great. Seto is picking me up today. He was in the area," Mokuba replied. It was quiet for a minute. Mokuba turned his head back and forth, gleefully studying the two. Though he caught Seto that night, Kaiba had never spoken of it. But Mokuba loved the instances he saw them together, and now watched as Jem looked at his brother lovingly. He looked to Seto for a reaction, but Kaiba was the same as always.
"What are you doing?" Kaiba asked roughly. "You look like you're running away from something."
"Not something, someone. I know you know exactly who I'm referring to. I have been ignoring him, but he can't take a hint. I'm not sure how much more I can take." She took a deep breath. "So it has been that kind of day."
"You have to put that moron in his place," Kaiba advised.
"I don't think he finds me as scary as he finds you. Besides, does that really deter him from talking to you?" she asked.
"True," Seto replied. He knew his brother was watching him carefully and he didn't like it. Even though it was only Mokuba, this felt too intimate. Kaiba still was not fond of intimate, at least when it came to emotions. "Mokuba, get in the car." Mokuba did as his elder brother asked. Seto waited until the door was closed to speak. "I've been extremely busy, but I can spare a half hour. Come eat dinner with me in my business office tomorrow night."
Jem wasn't sure if that was a question or not, but either way she told him, "I was just complaining. I wasn't asking you to do anything special for me-" she tried to clarify.
He intervened. "I have been meaning to ask you," he said flatly.
This was alleviating, her stance softened. "All right then."
All he said was, "I will see you tomorrow at seven," in his dry manner. He then turned away as his driver again opened the door.
When Jem arrived home Avery was prepping dinner. Jem went into the kitchen and sat down to talk to him.
"Hello Avery, how was your day? What did you do?"
"It was good. While you were at school, I went down and volunteered at the children's hospital. It's heartbreaking, but they can use all the help they can get. They do so much work for these kids, and they do it whether the families can afford it or not. The place is so run down. They really need to build a new ward, but that would cost at least a million dollars and they just don't have the resources. But I read to the kids and even did a little tutoring. The kids are so sweet. It kind of reminded me of when you were that little."
"Huh," she replied, thinking about what he had just said.
"How about your day?" he asked.
"Oh, it was all right. That reminds me, I am having dinner with Seto tomorrow so I will not be here for super."
"Got it!" Avery said cheerfully. He started humming to himself and then said, "Well stop stalling and go do your homework."
"I'd love to," she answered.
"Sadly, I know you're not joking," Avery sighed.
"Why sadly?" she asked.
"Because you're 18, and all you do is read and do homework, because that's all you want to do. Honestly, if it wasn't for that boy, I'd worry about you a whole lot more," he answered.
Jem didn't want to get into a discussion over Seto, so she slowly snuck away.
She went into her room to change out of her uniform. Before she forgot, she started to unpack her bag. She took out her book and went over to her side table to store it away until later. She sat down on her bed and opened the drawer, only to find something that she had not left there.
"Avery! Did you put these here?" she screamed.
"Hmm? Oh yes deary, you spend enough time in there with a very handsome boy. I just want you to be safe."
Jem shut the drawer, forgetting to put the book in it. She didn't know how to respond to that. She didn't want to think about it. She stood up and took out her homework, now hoping it would distract her from her complete embarrassment.
Next Chapter: Repeatedly Embarrassed
Seto was on his feet and beside me in an instant.
