* * *
"Yugi . . ." Mai's face was ten shades whiter than usual. "What-are-you- doing-here?"
"I . . .I . . ." Yugi stammered. He tried to think up a last minute excuse or strategy that would make Mai stop looking at him as if she would strangle him. He just stood there like an idiot, looking at her as if a magical excuse would just pop out from nowhere.
"Hiya, Yuge!" A cheerful voice terminated their staring contest. Yugi looked up," Joey!" he murmured in a relieved voice. 'Saved!" he thought with a sigh,' A second or two later, and Mai would've had my neck.'
"Wassup, Mai?" Joey gave Mai a Joey Wheeler trademark grin.
Mai looked at Joey blankly as she restored herself into a calm stance. "Hello, Joseph. " she stated evenly in a cool voice," I haven't seen you in quite sometime. Are you here with anyone?"
"Yeah. Tristan, Bakura, and Serenity are here . . . " He gestured his friends who were standing nearby, waving from the distance. Joey looked at Mai, his eyes softening," Uh . . . listen, Mai-do you-um, want a pizza with me sometime?"
Yugi was appalled. Joey flirting and asking Mai out was a pretty common thing, but now it was awkward to know that his best friend had a crush on his mom.
Mai cocked her head like a observant parrot," I'm sorry, Joey . . . but I've been kind of busy lately . . . maybe some other time, okay?"
Joey's dark brown eyes flashed with disappointment under his shaggy blonde bangs. "Oh . . . well, do you and Yuge wanna catch a movie with us?"
"Yugi and I are very busy . . . we have to have a little talk." Mai gave Yugi a meaningful mom glance that made him shrink back." We'll see you later, Joey."
"Right . . . Yugi, wanna hang out tomorrow?"
"Sure . . . I'll call you in the morning . . . bye." Joey nodded and left, disappearing into the flooding crowds of people. Yugi felt Mai's slender hand clasp into a firm grip onto his shoulder. He froze with a pit feeling in his stomach and slowly turned to her, his head low.
"Yugi . . . why don't I take you home in my car . . . there are a few things we should straighten out." Mai guided Yugi through the mall and into the parking lot and to her car. Yugi had feeling that he was in deep, deep trouble.
* * *
Mai veered sharply to the right of the road, her eyes were locked hypnotically onto the stretched black gravel. 'So far, so good,' thought Yugi as he sat at ease in his chair,' Silence.'
Yugi stared at the passing restaurants, cinemas, and shops from the window, when he finally realized that the route Mai was taking was not the way to the game shop. A lump of dread formed in his throat and he desperately tried to swallow it down as he turned to Mai. "This isn't the way to the game shop," he croaked, gripping the edge of his seat tightly.
Mai looked at Yugi and smiled thinly at him for a spilt second before glancing back at the road. "Of course it isn't, silly. I want to take you back to my place. You can stay for a week and we can get to know each other better. I haven't go a chance to talk to you much today." Mai jerked the car into a halt as a red light appeared.
Yugi was not assured. He was sure that she just wanted to ask questions about his appearance at the mall. "I don't think Grandpa would be too happy." he dejected.
"He'll just get into another one of his tantrums, and fits . . . its not as if he'll get a heart attack or anything." Mai drummed her fingers impatiently as she glared at the stop light, as if she could stare hard enough, it would change green.
'If she wants to look at something green so badly, why won't she look at me?' Yugi let out a groan. Mai drove like one of those Nascar racers, except she was more like a drunk Nascar racer. She swerved and whirled the car dangerously close past people and cars like a maniac. Yugi was amazed that she didn't get a ticket yet.
'Well, maybe she's just nervous,' thought Yugi. Mai had chewed all of her lipstick off during the trip and was working on her manicured nails.
The light changed and Mai moved on until she yanked the car to another stop. They had hit traffic. Mai suddenly loosened her taut clutch to the steering wheel. Her hands feel onto her lap and concentrated on her chewed nails. She suddenly broke the silence. "Yugi . . . if you heard or saw anything at the mall that time . . . please forget about it . . ."
"I didn't hear anything," said Yugi quietly, not daring to look at her while pretending to be very interested in the car next to them.
"Yugi . . ."
He looked up, his dark eyes brightening," Don't you trust me, Mai?"
Mai flinched. She had just told "Him" that she had trusted Yugi . . . she was absolutely sure he was twisting her word. She gazed at him, her lips set into a hard straight line and her eyes displaying a array seriousness. " Yugi . . . I can't tell you . . . you don't what's going to happen . . .Look, can we just forget about the whole thing? " She turned away and inched the car forward as the traffic lessened.
Utter stillness invaded the car and only the muffled sounds of car honks could be heard if listened closely. Yugi sat only with only thoughts to keep for company. His whole body tingled and he felt a strange sensation. The man who had spoken to Mai . . . though his vice was obviously disguised, Yugi felt like he knew it somehow.
* * *
Hey, thanks for all of those reviews. I've counted the votes and I guess Bandit Keith wins. Sorry this chapter is kind of short and it took me awhile to put up . . . like I said, I'm out of ideas. Please send me a review to help me out. Thanks,
Summonedskull007
"Yugi . . ." Mai's face was ten shades whiter than usual. "What-are-you- doing-here?"
"I . . .I . . ." Yugi stammered. He tried to think up a last minute excuse or strategy that would make Mai stop looking at him as if she would strangle him. He just stood there like an idiot, looking at her as if a magical excuse would just pop out from nowhere.
"Hiya, Yuge!" A cheerful voice terminated their staring contest. Yugi looked up," Joey!" he murmured in a relieved voice. 'Saved!" he thought with a sigh,' A second or two later, and Mai would've had my neck.'
"Wassup, Mai?" Joey gave Mai a Joey Wheeler trademark grin.
Mai looked at Joey blankly as she restored herself into a calm stance. "Hello, Joseph. " she stated evenly in a cool voice," I haven't seen you in quite sometime. Are you here with anyone?"
"Yeah. Tristan, Bakura, and Serenity are here . . . " He gestured his friends who were standing nearby, waving from the distance. Joey looked at Mai, his eyes softening," Uh . . . listen, Mai-do you-um, want a pizza with me sometime?"
Yugi was appalled. Joey flirting and asking Mai out was a pretty common thing, but now it was awkward to know that his best friend had a crush on his mom.
Mai cocked her head like a observant parrot," I'm sorry, Joey . . . but I've been kind of busy lately . . . maybe some other time, okay?"
Joey's dark brown eyes flashed with disappointment under his shaggy blonde bangs. "Oh . . . well, do you and Yuge wanna catch a movie with us?"
"Yugi and I are very busy . . . we have to have a little talk." Mai gave Yugi a meaningful mom glance that made him shrink back." We'll see you later, Joey."
"Right . . . Yugi, wanna hang out tomorrow?"
"Sure . . . I'll call you in the morning . . . bye." Joey nodded and left, disappearing into the flooding crowds of people. Yugi felt Mai's slender hand clasp into a firm grip onto his shoulder. He froze with a pit feeling in his stomach and slowly turned to her, his head low.
"Yugi . . . why don't I take you home in my car . . . there are a few things we should straighten out." Mai guided Yugi through the mall and into the parking lot and to her car. Yugi had feeling that he was in deep, deep trouble.
* * *
Mai veered sharply to the right of the road, her eyes were locked hypnotically onto the stretched black gravel. 'So far, so good,' thought Yugi as he sat at ease in his chair,' Silence.'
Yugi stared at the passing restaurants, cinemas, and shops from the window, when he finally realized that the route Mai was taking was not the way to the game shop. A lump of dread formed in his throat and he desperately tried to swallow it down as he turned to Mai. "This isn't the way to the game shop," he croaked, gripping the edge of his seat tightly.
Mai looked at Yugi and smiled thinly at him for a spilt second before glancing back at the road. "Of course it isn't, silly. I want to take you back to my place. You can stay for a week and we can get to know each other better. I haven't go a chance to talk to you much today." Mai jerked the car into a halt as a red light appeared.
Yugi was not assured. He was sure that she just wanted to ask questions about his appearance at the mall. "I don't think Grandpa would be too happy." he dejected.
"He'll just get into another one of his tantrums, and fits . . . its not as if he'll get a heart attack or anything." Mai drummed her fingers impatiently as she glared at the stop light, as if she could stare hard enough, it would change green.
'If she wants to look at something green so badly, why won't she look at me?' Yugi let out a groan. Mai drove like one of those Nascar racers, except she was more like a drunk Nascar racer. She swerved and whirled the car dangerously close past people and cars like a maniac. Yugi was amazed that she didn't get a ticket yet.
'Well, maybe she's just nervous,' thought Yugi. Mai had chewed all of her lipstick off during the trip and was working on her manicured nails.
The light changed and Mai moved on until she yanked the car to another stop. They had hit traffic. Mai suddenly loosened her taut clutch to the steering wheel. Her hands feel onto her lap and concentrated on her chewed nails. She suddenly broke the silence. "Yugi . . . if you heard or saw anything at the mall that time . . . please forget about it . . ."
"I didn't hear anything," said Yugi quietly, not daring to look at her while pretending to be very interested in the car next to them.
"Yugi . . ."
He looked up, his dark eyes brightening," Don't you trust me, Mai?"
Mai flinched. She had just told "Him" that she had trusted Yugi . . . she was absolutely sure he was twisting her word. She gazed at him, her lips set into a hard straight line and her eyes displaying a array seriousness. " Yugi . . . I can't tell you . . . you don't what's going to happen . . .Look, can we just forget about the whole thing? " She turned away and inched the car forward as the traffic lessened.
Utter stillness invaded the car and only the muffled sounds of car honks could be heard if listened closely. Yugi sat only with only thoughts to keep for company. His whole body tingled and he felt a strange sensation. The man who had spoken to Mai . . . though his vice was obviously disguised, Yugi felt like he knew it somehow.
* * *
Hey, thanks for all of those reviews. I've counted the votes and I guess Bandit Keith wins. Sorry this chapter is kind of short and it took me awhile to put up . . . like I said, I'm out of ideas. Please send me a review to help me out. Thanks,
Summonedskull007