Hello everyone! Sorry that I've been a bit M.I.A. this week, school sucks sometimes... Anyways I have been working on something related to the story this week so check out my profile if you want to see a preview of Sage's deck! I seriously worked so hard on that so please, don't flame them.

I absolutely love this chapter and I mean love! I won't spoil the surprise for you here but read to find out so on with it!

Bets and something more

SPOV

When I woke up there was a bright light streaming across my face. The sunlight felt…warm. I could not remember the last time I actually felt, well anything positive. The warmth radiated through out my body and I could feel everywhere. I also felt a pair of strong arms wrapped around me in a vice grip and his warm breath softly blowing in my hair. I could feel my heart sputter for a moment and I turned around slowly so I could see his face.

Every line of his face was smooth and relaxed in his sleep. His full lips were slightly parted and his teal hair was jutting off in every direction. He was still wearing the same clothes as last night, which were slightly wrinkled. The realization that he had not left me was enough to make my heart start to beat faster but when his eyelids started to flutter open I couldn't help but start hyperventilating. I was scared that he would leave me after he had heard about my mutant eyes but if anything he liked me even more last night. I had seen his aura last night but I still could not believe that he still wanted to be with me even after all I had put him through.

"Good morning, how are ya'll feeling?" he said with his eyes half open.

"Okay, I guess. I'm scared of how everyone will look at me when I get out of here. They will be afraid of me. I don't want that. Why did I have to scare them again? But I also feel safe around you which helps," I said adverting my eyes down. I couldn't gaze into his sparkling eyes without feeling guilty. I didn't want him to feel like he had to take care of me.

"I'll stay with you. No one will even try to hurt you with me around. I swear, if anyone even thinks about laying a finger on you they'll have to answer to my deck. Do ya need anything right now?" I almost cried when he said that. No one had ever wanted to take care of me before. I had always been by myself after my eyes started freaking out. I had never gotten help with anything after that and I never really knew how to get help before then. It scared me to rely on anyone and I just couldn't start now. I couldn't be a leech to Jesse after all he has done for me.

"I can take care of myself but I have a feeling that you'll be needing your deck in an hour," I said in a sarcastic tone. I always used sarcasm to diffuse situations that were awkward and lately, I was feeling really awkward a lot. I wanted that duel with him now. I wanted to see what it would be like to duel him and how he would react to my deck. I'm really worried that he'll hate my cards and that he'll hate me afterwards. My deck was my heart and soul, and if he hated my cards, he has to hate me.

It is one of a kind deck. No one else had several of my cards because I designed them. I could still remember what it was like staying up late designing my monsters and how they would work. I had to say that my ace card though was the hardest to design. I had spent countless hours drawing and painting the same spirit over and over again until she was perfect. I had only summoned her a couple of times because the conditions had to be perfect but it was totally worth it. She was beautiful on the field and I was hoping I could summon Reginona today. She could even give Rainbow dragon a run for its money.

"And why would that be Ms. Arone? Are you suggesting that we duel in an hour?" I pushed him hard and we both laughed. "Are you sure? I really don't want to hurt you." Once he said that I flipped out and reacted. Him hurt me or beat me? That would be the day!

"You hurting me isn't an issue. I would worry about you more than me. I can pack a beating pretty quickly. I guess that you forget that my eyes are more than just eyes and you'll never be able to surprise me," I said with my eyes downcast. I hated everything to do with my eyes. I hated being a mutant freak and that I never really be able to be 'normal.'

"I guess that we'll see how fast ya'll will loose. I've almost never been beaten and I usually go on instinct. Reading my mind might not help you much. We can also make this more interesting if ya want to, a bet maybe?" Jesse said in his cute southern drawl. (AN: Again I ask why does Jesse have a southern accent in the dub? Why? I'm just going with it but I might stop because it's really annoying to write) I pushed him away slightly but I smirked slightly to let him know I was joking. He laughed and raised his arms to stop his to try to stop me from tackling him but I noticed some scratches on his arms. I instantly lowered my arms and my mouth fell open.

"What happened? How did you get those scratches? Are you okay?" I could think that he hurt himself, could I? I was so petrified then, I could feel my hands start to shake and my eyes become wetter.

"Oh, these scratches? You kind scratched me when you were asleep but don't feel guilty though. I really don't care, please don't be sad," he said while he wrapped his arms around me. I felt my body go numb. 'I hurt Jesse' ran through my mind on loop. I wanted to scream or something to get this reality out of my mind that I physically hurt my best friend. "Please Sage, I really don't want you to cry. Please, Sage, please. Stop, I really don't care. You couldn't help it and it really didn't hurt," he whispered into my ear as he held me tighter. My tears started to soak into his shirt. Then all of a sudden he pushed me away but he tilted my head up with his hand that was now placed below my chin.

I stared into his cool eyes and somehow felt lighter. I saw the most sincere compassion ever in his eyes. I couldn't help but melt beneath his gaze. I felt my eyes dry up and my mouth fall open. He was so beautiful in the single moment so I tried to memorize his face. I loved the way his hair fell into his eyes and stuck up in random directions and the smirk that began to rise on his face. The way his emerald eyes shimmered when he looked at me but I saw a flicker of something cross his face but he quickly composed himself.

I closed my eyes for a second to change them to my mutant side so I could check his aura but I could feel his hand over my eyes. "Don't read my aura just now. I need you to look at me now, not my aura," he said in a whisper. I felt his hand lift and brush some hair out of my face. When my eyes opened a different expression was set on to his face, one of…desire almost. And then he let his face drift to mine.

Our lips crashed and I felt my world explode in vibrant colors. I felt the pink grow and take over all the other colors. My eyes opened as his lips left mine. I could honestly feel the deep blush spread across my face and my neck. "I've been wanting to do that for a while. I'll met you in the courtyard," Jesse said as he kissed my forehead and got up from the hospital bed. I watched him walk away a wave to me.

I sat there for a good five minute contemplating our exchange. Jesse actually kissed me and after what I heard from Blair, he never had a girlfriend at the academy before. I just got my first kiss from a guy who was my best friend who was my first crush. My heart actually felt full for once and nothing was wrong right now. I couldn't believe that I felt something, that I wasn't a total shell anymore.

I leaned over my bed and pulled out something from my bag and did something I hadn't done in a while. I pulled out my Ipod and put on the playlist I was listening to non-stop before I had the operation. And my favorite song: Try It Again, by the Hives played. I almost bounced back to the dorm because I was just so alive at that moment. I didn't know how long this would last so I took advantage of this feeling. I just couldn't put a word to the feeling. Well, I could actually if I was being honest, but I wasn't sure if love qualified.

I guess my happiness was visible because when I opened the door to the dorm, Blair grabbed my arm and proceeded to drag me to her room. It was decorated in the standard Obelisk blue color, but it was so…fluffy. Everything was either made out of feathers, or it was furry or it was covered in fuzzy material. Even the walls were covered in Obelisk blue colored fleece. She noticed my shocked expression and asked me, "Like it? I did it myself! I love to decorate rooms and I guess I was in a fluffy soft mood when I picked out my stuff," my other best friend said with a sheepish grin.

"Its really cool. I don't know if I'd live in it but I can see you in it. I'm not really a fluff person," I said with a smile.

"Well, usually I'd agree with that but you looked like a pink, fluff girl in the entry room. What happened last night with Jesse? Spill, give me details, please please please!" Blair squealed. I cringed at her enthusiasm. I wasn't around happy for so long that it honestly freaked me out a bit.

"I can't right now. I have a duel in," I said looking at my 'invisible watch' on my wrist while I calculated the minutes. "Fifteen minutes! Crap I really need to go get ready! Sorry Blair!" I yelled as she slammed the door before I could leave.

"I have an outfit for you. Believe me, you'll love it! Oh yeah, on the weekends we can wear what ever we want as long as its 'appropriate,'" she said as she skipped to her closet where she had clothes picked out, presumably for me. I hated to say it, but I loved the outfit. It was simple but it had an edge, which was exactly my style at home. I gazed at the simple green shorts, and blue and black baseball shirt, but I instantly loved the highlighter yellow hoodie and matching sunglasses.

"How do you know what I like already? I met you yesterday! How can I express how much of a lifesaver you are? Seriously, you are amazing!" I gushed as I was in the bathroom changing into her outfit. I never had a friend like Blair before and I didn't really know what the common courtesy was when an amazing person let you borrow her clothes.

I rushed out of the room and the dorm and patted my legs to see if I had my cardholder and then checked if it still had my deck in it. I fanned out my cards to check that it was still complete and ran through my checklist to see if everything was still there. Suddenly I fell, my head hit something hard and my cards flew everywhere. "Hey, watch it. Ouch, my head," I said without looking who it was but when I did, I really didn't regret my rude words.

Kari just sat there with a face that was ridiculously funny. She was freaked out to say the least, but the internal battle not to offend me was evident on her features. I couldn't help bursting into giggles when I really studied her features. She was shaking and a couple of tear dribbled down her face but what was really funny was her makeup was streaming down her face making her look like a wet clown. My tears and laughs became uncontrollable because her face was just so priceless. "What's s-so f-funny?" she stuttered, fear obviously crippling her voice.

Just to play it up a bit I changed my eyes for effect and said coolly "Your face. Next time, use waterproof." I'm not usually this mean or cruel to people, but she deserved it. After what I had seen her do, Kari lost human status in my book. No person could actually be that cruel to anyone without feeling guilty or having a conscience and believe me when I say that I've already checked thoroughly. Her soul was just as black and barren as her heart. I guess Kari just didn't have soul.

After I watched Kari scramble away like a kicked puppy, I bent down to pick up my cards. I once again ran through my deck to make sure everything was there. I don't know what I would do if I lost any of my cards, its not like I could replace them. Loosing a card would be like loosing a piece of me and that just wasn't an option. After being so broken for so long, I was struggling to keep everything together. And then I saw Ruby scampering over to me. She immediately jumped into my lap and started licking my face.

"So my bloodhound found ya? You look really… pretty Sage," Jesse said as a light blush warmed up his cheeks. "Do ya'll want to duel here or somewhere else less public? I know you like to keep a low profile so dueling in the most crowded area on campus might not be the best idea…" He was just too sweet sometimes. I still couldn't the fact that he wanted to be with me.

"Come on, let's go to this cool place I found a couple of days ago. It was really pretty and I really want to go back there," I answered as I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the tree near the cliff that I cried under my first day. I wanted to get past the bad memories that happened here and I guessed that a duel would help me. I wanted to truly experience the beauty of my tree and as of now it was tainted by my past feelings of grief.

"Figures you would come here. I come to this tree when I need a place to hide. I actually just left here when you ran into me your first day. There use to be a swing here when I first got to the Academy but a couple of third years broke it during second semester. I guess no one ever replaced it," Jesse said, lost in his thoughts. I took this moment to observe his thoughts. I switched my eyes and let my sixth sense take over.

There was a lot of yellow and pink tones as well as some red and blue. He seemed really at one with himself and retrospective. But there were definitely some hopes for the future in there. I caught a glimpse of a mental picture. It was one of him and me; I was sitting on his lap with my head resting on his shoulder. We were sitting on a swing at sunset in a place that looked similar to this. Our eyes were exploring the depths of the others and our heads were moving closer to each other when the image cut off. Instantly I wanted the image to keep going until I saw if we kissed but I was brought out of my world when I felt someone shaking my shoulder roughly.

"Huh, sorry. What were you saying?" I whispered with a sheepish grin. I knew he caught me reading his mind and I'm sure I had the look of a five year old with his hand in the cookie jar.

"I didn't say anything, but your eyes was glowing brighter than a flashlight. What were ya looking for in my mind, because I'm positive it wasn't my dueling strategy," he said with a wide grin. I was so busted.

"Uhhhh, I just wanted to see how you were feeling?" I could feel myself growing hot under his gaze and I wasn't sure if he or me being busted made me blush.

"Yeah right Sage. You were looking at my daydream weren't ya? I always forget that I can't keep anything from you, but I guess it's for the best. Now I can't lie to ya'll and ya believe me when I say that I want to so may things with you that one daydream can't hold," Jesse sated with so much conviction in his voice that I didn't have to check if he was telling the truth. "Sage, do ya want to make this duel a bit more interesting? I never got to tell ya my idea at the nurses office."

I was just so speechless and stunned that all I could do was nod my head. He basically said that he liked me a lot in that mini speech. I had never had a crush before, let alone a boyfriend. Was that what Jesse is? My boyfriend?

"If I win you'll go on a date with me, and if I loose…" he said motioning to me with his hand.

"You'll put the swing back up so we can make that last thought closer to a reality," stated with no hesitation in my voice. I was never the most confident person ever and I would even admit that I had no idea how I said that without faltering. Even just knowing him for a few days, Jesse had already flipped my world and given me a new perspective on life.

"That sounds good to me, lets shake on it," he said, though it sounded like he had other things in mind. I took a step closer to him and suddenly I found myself being wrapped in his arms and our hands were intertwined, but before he could do anything else, I pressed my lips softly to his and quickly pulled away.

"I think I like the idea of our deal being sealed with a kiss more," I called with the perfect amount of dominance in my voice as I turned and walked away from him. He simply nodded with his face in complete shock. "Are you ready to get your butt kicked, Jess?"

"In your dreams!" he called. That was one of the things I absolutely loved about Jesse. One second he could be completely out of it and the next he was ultra competitive. He definitely kept me guessing most of the time. But after that comment the air changed, almost as if our competition affected it. I switched my eyes so they were glowing and with that the duel was on.

Sorry for the cliffy... I just want to prolong the torture a bit more. Let me know what you think about the kiss! and my deck preview in a review please! Thanks and as always,

See Ya!