******Seto's POV*******
I looked longingly at the library's door, wishing I could take off. Why was it that home economics was a major requirement for high school?! What does cooking have to do with real life?! So trivial….I could just have one of my chefs to do all my cooking. But noooo. They had to put me with---her.
"Okay. This is the first question. Are you listening?!"
"Yes."
She threw me an angry look because I had practically spat the word out. I saw the librarian, an old lady, glance at us from across the room. Sitting in front of me, Gardener was saying, "….and we have to answer these by discussing them. Understand?" She said the word 'discussing' like I had no clue what the word meant. I held a rein to my temper. You need this grade….you need this grade…. chanted in my head.
Usually to hide my anger, I pick at her. "Yes. So you'd better not be gossiping on your cell phone while we're here." I ordered in a low voice, since it was the library.
She seemed to have forgotten. "I DO not G-" she started to yell, then darted a look at the librarian. "--gossip," she finished quieter.
"And how are we doing today?" The old librarian said, coming up to us. She had an annoying way of butting in where she didn't belong and speaking to students like they were infants. "Are we getting some work done? For a project, maybe?" she went on. I glared at her so she'd leave us, but she didn't seem to notice.
"Yes," Gardener answered politely. "It's for home economics class."
"Ohhh, how lovely! Well, I'll just check on you two later, okay, dearies?" She hobbled away back to her desk. It seemed she was the only one in the library except for us of course. I threw a scowl at her retreating back, grumbling curses under my breath.
Gardener pretended not to notice. "…..Okay let's get this over with. Question---"
"Yes, please," I muttered.
"Question 1. You and your partner are married with 3 children. ……Um, the o-oldest…." She coughed, " Has been doing poorly in school and been suspended for fighting. How will you discipline him? A: a good thrashing. After all spare the rod and spoil the child! B: Talk with his teacher and school. Or C: Let him grow out of his 'phase.' "
What an dull question. "A." I said shortly. "Next."
"-Huh? But-"
"Next. And hurry up, I got work to do." I snatched the worksheet from her grip. In fact, I'll do it myself! She watched in shocked silence as I started to fill it out in record time as she recovered.
"I guess we can circle, 'a good therapist' for the kid for the future then," she bit out sarcastically, while I paid her no attention. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw her gaze stare over to where Mokuba was reading at a table, and her expression realize. "Do you--" she blurted.
"Mokuba's not my son." I said tightly, insulted that she would think that I'd ever hit him. Idiot.I could tell that that was what she was thinking, for then she looked a bit sheepish, staring interestedly at a scratch and fell silent.
The long silence that followed was pleasant. I half expected her to start yakking on her phone, like she did every class, and didn't get in trouble at all because she was the teacher's pet, but she didn't. I saw her take out some papers and work on something else. For another class, I assumed. Go ahead, make me do all the work......
"Big brother? Are you almost done yet?" He smiled a polite hello at her, who smiled back quickly in hello.
"Almost," I answered him.
"I'm just asking. You c'n work on, I don't mind." He said quickly, sitting down between us. "In fact, I can help!"
"No, I'm almost done…." I murmured, finishing the last worksheet. "Done! Come on." I started to get up.
"Not quite." Gardener stated, taking up the papers she was working on. "We still have to plan are final project, a three course meal for the teacher and all the details." She pointed out. "Here, I've set up a menu plan---" She held out the papers.
I grabbed them and scanned them, then threw them down on the table. "No."
"No?!"
"I'll set my cooks to work on something much better." I said, seeing her about to explode. "You'll get a guaranteed A+," I said generously. "Come, let's go." I said to my brother, who got up as well.
Gardener suddenly, furiously, got up and grabbed me by the arm. "Unlike you," she seethed, "I actually like cooking! I don't want your cooks to do my project. Besides, it's cheating to make pay someone to do your work for you!"
Could she say it any louder? I don't think the rest of the world heard her. "Fine. You can cook; for your own part. I do one half, and you do the other half; 50/50. Perfectly fair." I couldn't believe that she didn't want a guaranteed A, but that was her stupid choice.
"It doesn't work like that! We share the same grade, Kaiba. The same," she said in this voice that set my nerves on the edge. I said nothing, just stared icily at her so she'd back down. We'll see about that! She was just another airheaded girl from our school, anyway.....my mind told me.
Gardener just stared back, her face turning from pink to fuchsia to red with anger. But her gaze never wavered. Then her eyes started to glitter with something like hysteria. I wondered if she were drunk.
"Oh! Are we practicing for a play, perhaps, dearies?" The nosy old lady sighed, as Gardener quickly dropped her hand that was still on my arm in a hurry.
The librarian had seemed to appear out of nowhere, she startled even me. I rolled my eyes. This stupid old woman! If Mokuba weren't there I'd have told her to jump in a lake not befitting for his ears. And then I'd get nasty.
"No, Mrs. Naog, we're not." Gardener said through gritted teeth. I could see the annoyed expression on her still-red face. "We're sort of busy, so….."
"Oh! Okay, dearies, I'll just be as quiet as a little--" The old lady pinched her fingers a millimeter apart. "---bitsy fly on the wall, you know what I mean, sonny?" She was looking down at Mokuba. "What a cutie!" she said in high pitched voice and finally beat it. "Call me if you need me, at all, dearies!" she called.
We sat back down slowly. "What is wrong with that old lady?" Mokuba said rolling his eyes. He imitated the crone, pinching his thumb and forefinger like she had, much to my amusement. " "A little bitsy fly on the wall!' What'd she mean when she said she was one, anyway?" he wondered aloud.
"You know, like when a housefly comes in your room?" Gardener cut in. "And it just watches you and doesn't say anything? It's not supposed to bother you but it does."
I rolled my eyes at such a pathetic explanation. House flies don't talk! I kept quiet anyway, focusing on the project instead.
"Well, if that's true then I think someone ought to take a fly swatter, then and swat THAT fly!" Mokuba pointed toward the old lady. I saw Gardener's face register with shock, and I knew what she was thinking: What an awful thing to say about a poor helpless old lady! The librarian didn't even look up. Probably hard of hearing…
I thought she was about to scold him for saying that, and I wasn't going to stand for that. He could say all he wanted. Even a feeble old lady wasn't allowed to back talk to him, much less a scrappy, tomboyish schoolgirl. I was about to say he could do whatever he pleased, even I'd buy him the swatter so he could hit her with it if he wants, and Gardener then bowed her head, her shoulders shaking.
"You're absolutely right, Mokuba," she said, chuckling slightly. "Someone should do that….." At my silence, she said, "Well, we should decide on what to make for the meal…." The air was shifted back to hostility. "I want to do all the cooking if I have to. I promise you that I'm plenty good at whatever you want---er, decide," she coughed, "s-so you can choose."
"I doubt it. You don't look very much like a chef." I said, narrowing my eyes, looking at her and down, in her white and lilac outfit. "I want my own chefs to do it. Nothing personal; it's for the grade." Though we both knew that it was completely personal.......but I didn't care; she could never prove it.
She sighed patiently. "If you decide my work is less than satisfactory," she said dully, "You can get whatever dish in five minutes flat from anyplace in the world and replace it with 'your own.' " she said sarcastically, propping her head in her hand, elbows on the table.
I leaned forward with a threatening expression. "There's nothing in the terms of the project that says you can't hire some to do the cooking for you, got it?! So stop calling me a cheater. And you'd better not even imply to our teacher that this I'm not being fair, and whatnot. Or I'll--"
"Fine. Whatever." She said loftily, apparently growing tired. "So what do you want me to work on?"
"Your attitude, for starters." I said thoughtfully, satisfied that she'd agreed. "And then fix yourself up. You look like a homeless person."
"I mean, on the project!!" she practically shouted, hitting the table with her fists. A piece of dark brown hair fell in front of the ride side of her face as she did so. I could tell she wanted to strangle me.
"OH." I mocked. "I'll send you it by email before next class, so be expecting it." I got up and left with my sibling.
But not before I heard her mutter, "Great.......set me up with all the work!" Complaints after refusing to let me take care of everything!? Another thing: can't make up her mind...... I shook my head as I tapped sharply on the glass to wake up our driver, checking things off mentally. I'll have to let her use my kitchen since it's much bigger than the puny one her parents probably have......and I'll probably end up buying the ingredients....what a bothersome female.
For some reason, a mental picture of her laughing at the joke conjured in my mind.....
TBC
so? howazit? i know it sounds like he can't stand her---
kaiba: which is true!
me: but 'cupid's arrow doesn't care who it hits!' ^^ so, that feeling'll change......should change......becuase he do have a romantic side to him...... a 'little bitsy' one lol. so R&R if u do you're cool!^^