The school bell rang at the end of the day, signalling it was time to go home. But as their class filed out, Joey and Tristan hung back in their classroom, making a big deal of packing away their things.

Joey was starting to get annoyed. How long does it take that little squirt to put his things into his backpack?

Yugi had said goodbye to Tea a few minutes earlier; she was saying something about 'practice'.

By now, the whole classroom was empty, but for Yugi, Joey and Tristan.

Yugi finally finished packing his bag and had just swung it on to his back, when Joey and Tristan approached him, big fake grins on their faces, blocking his way to the door.

"Hey there, little Yugi." Joey said, in a fake nice voice.

Yugi looked up at Joey and Tristan. He couldn't work out why two of the biggest jerks in the school were being nice to him. Yugi smiled a little hesitantly to them. "Hello."

Joey smiled an even wider fake grin. He's falling for it!

Tristan, who was also playing along, gave Yugi another fake smile. "Hey, Yugi, me and Joey were just talking about that necklace of yours." Tristan's eyes glinted; he was about to get it! "What exactly is it?" Tristan said, examining it with fake interest.

Yugi smiled again, obviously trusting that Joey and Tristan were being nice to him, after all. "Oh, you mean my Millennium Puzzle?" Yugi held it in his hands. "Well, I'm not quite sure what it is, really." He admitted.

Joey nodded knowingly. "Well, Tristan's good with stuff like that. Maybe...you should let him take a look. He might be able to tell you what it is." Tristan looked surprised at this information, but nodded convincingly.

Yugi looked from Joey to Tristan, and from Tristan to Joey again, not seeing through their fake enthusiasm. "Okay." Yugi sounded a little unsure, but he seemed to want – and more importantly, need – help with trying to figure out what the Millennium Puzzle was. Yugi began to take the Puzzle from around his neck, lifting the rope the Puzzle was attached to over his head. "Just be careful with it." Yugi said, handing the Puzzle carefully to Tristan.

Tristan held out his hands and took the Puzzle from Yugi. Almost instantly, he and Joey sprang into action. Tristan ran with the Puzzle to the back of the room. Yugi ran after him, shouting, "Hey!"

Tristan stood at the back of the class, holding the Puzzle in his hand high in the air. Yugi was so short, he couldn't reach. "Give it back!" Yugi said, jumping up and down, trying to reach the Puzzle.

"Heads up, Wheeler!" Tristan called to Joey, who was at the front of the class. Tristan threw the Puzzle to Joey.

Joey caught it, and as Yugi dashed over to him, Joey ran over to the window. He pushed it open and held the Puzzle out of it, swinging it dangerously by its rope.

"Don't!! Please give it back to me!" Yugi pleaded.

Joey's face went into a look of fake sympathy as he pulled the Puzzle from the two-storey drop and into the classroom. "Aaaww, little Yugi wants his necklace back, does he?" Joey held it within Yugi's reach. As Yugi reached out to get it, Joey dropped it on the floor and stamped on it. "There you go." Joey laughed, looking at the pieces of the Puzzle scattered around the classroom floor.

"My Puzzle!" Yugi cried, falling to his knees, trying to gather up all the pieces.

Tristan was laughing too, as he watched Yugi scrambling around the floor, picking up the Puzzle pieces. But he wasn't laughing the way he usually did. He was laughing unsurely. He knew then that maybe he and Joey were...doing the wrong thing...

Joey, however, seemed to have no regrets over what he was doing. He was laughing wildly, watching Yugi struggle to keep hold of all his Puzzle pieces. As Yugi reached out to grab the last piece, Joey put his foot on it. He dragged it across the floor to himself and picked it up.

Joey held the last Puzzle piece out of the window. He looked down and saw the drop and the swimming pool underneath. Joey smirked cruelly again, and threw the Puzzle piece as deep into the swimming pool as he could. "Oops..." Joey mimed concern, then started laughing again.

Yugi was sitting on the floor, at Joey's feet, looking as if he was going to cry.

Saying nothing more, Tristan and Joey ran out of the classroom, and out of the school gates.

They stopped to rest in the gang's usual hangout: a small alleyway a few blocks away from the school. Joey was still laughing, but Tristan looked serious and thoughtful.

They waited there for the rest of the gang. They sat down on some crates on opposite sides of alley, and everything stayed silent for a while.

Joey looked at Tristan. He had stopped laughing a couple of minutes before, when he realised that Tristan didn't look amused. "What's up, Tristan? I would've thought getting one over on that Yugi-kid would've made you smile at least!"

Tristan looked across to Joey. "Maybe..."

Joey noticed that there was something really making Tristan think. "What's up?!?"

Tristan hesitated. "Well...don't you think we were kinda...doing the wrong thing...bullying Yugi? It's just I got this feeling that we shouldn't be doing it."

Joey smiled and leaned back against the wall, miming relaxation. "Relax, pal."

Tristan looked unsure, and the air fell silent again.

"What kind of feeling?" Joey asked Tristan eventually.

Tristan shrugged. "Just a...gut feeling."

Then the two quietened as they heard voices and footsteps at the end of the alleyway.

The figures of six other people appeared. As they came closer, Joey and Tristan saw their gang.

They stood up to greet them as Diesel approached, leading the way, as usual.

"Yo, Wheeler, Taylor." Diesel said, in his usual cool way.

"Hey, Diesel." Joey said, sitting back down along with Tristan. The two watched their gang bustling around, arranging seats from the crates and boxes scattered through the alleyway. Joey and Tristan sat and stared at each other. They both knew it was coming. They tried to avoid this gang ritual every time it happened.

Joey and Tristan looked on expectantly. And sure enough, the older guys of the gang started pulling out bottles of alcohol and packets of cigarettes.

The rest of the gang started opening the bottles and lighting up the cigarettes. Joey and Tristan were always left alone, as the rest of the gang knew that they both 'had a problem with having fun' as Diesel put it. And that was the way Joey and Tristan liked it.

Joey lowered his eyes to the floor, as he smelt the vile combined smell of booze and smoke. He felt like he couldn't breathe. No one else knew this, but Joey didn't touch the stuff because he didn't want to end up like his father. Plus the fact that he knew it was wrong and he didn't like it.

Tristan was by far the most sensible member of the group and he knew that most of the stuff was probably stolen. Plus he knew that he knew it wasn't big or clever to do what they were doing.

Sure, the two had had a beating-up for refusing to join in before. Diesel didn't like it when people refused to do what he said. Joey and Tristan and nearly been forced to drink the stuff.

Joey shuddered at the thought. All the beatings and booze involved made Joey think that maybe every member of this gang was going to turn out like his father.

Both Joey and Tristan sometimes wished that they had made a better choice in friends, but it was too late for that now. Everyone at Domino High and beyond knew Joey and Tristan were jerks and bullies, so nobody liked them. But since they had their reputation now, they had to uphold it. Especially if they wanted to stay in their gang with the only friends they had. Plus Joey and Tristan knew that trying to leave the gang would probably cost them a few broken bones.

Just then, footsteps at the end of the alleyway entrance made a few of the gang members stand up warily, ready to confront who ever was daring to come into their territory.

Joey and Tristan stayed seated, keeping quiet. Joey buried his head in his hands, doing his best not to be recognised by anyone who might know him. If someone saw who he was hanging around with and told his father, Joey didn't even want to think about what his dad would do to him.

The footsteps grew closer. Joey and Tristan heard the rest of the gang tense up as a figure approached.

When the person got close enough, Diesel grinned maliciously. "Well, if it isn't little Yugi."

Joey looked up in surprise and, sure enough, there stood Yugi Muto, looking scared, but at the same time, determined.

Joey glanced over to Tristan, who was staring at Yugi in surprise too. Was Yugi mad to come over here? Did he know what it meant to step on Diesel's territory?

The gang members who were standing up started to corner Yugi. Yugi backed away, until he could go no further. His back was square against the wall, and Diesel was staring down at him.

"So...you come to play with us, little Yugi?" Diesel snarled.

Yugi shook his head rapidly, looking more and more terrified by the minute.

"The what are you here for, twerp?!" Diesel yelled, right into Yugi's face.

Joey looked on, feeling powerless. Now he knew what Tristan meant. Now he knew something about this was wrong.

Yugi turned his head towards Joey and Tristan. His eyes were pleading them to help him. "I came...I need to speak with Joey and Tristan."

Diesel grinned. "Hey, Wheeler, this kid wants to talk with you...what do you say?"

Joey realised with a jolt that Yugi's situation was very much like his own, when he was back home with his father.

Joey could feel Diesel willing him to come over and give Yugi a beating. Joey thought of Serenity and a strange kind of courage swept over him. He stood up, his eyes cast to the ground, but he still sounded strong. "Let him go, Diesel."

Tristan looked up at Joey, and knew that he had finally got that feeling of wrongdoing too. Tristan stood up. "Yeah, leave him alone." Tristan also seemed a bit unsure of himself.

Diesel looked shocked for a minute. Then he grinned. Suddenly, he turned and pinned Yugi against the wall with his hand.

Yugi recoiled as he hit the wall, expecting another blow from Diesel.

"That's enough, Diesel!" Joey shouted, looking more confident now.

"Yeah, he's done nothing to you, so just leave him alone!" Tristan yelled, also looking more confident.

Diesel was getting frustrated. Those two do-gooders were humiliating him in front of the other gang members. "Gang! We got somewhere to be." Diesel started to lead the gang away. The gang members were all looking at each other in surprise. Diesel had never let anyone walk all over him before.

As Diesel stormed away, he let Yugi go. He fell to the floor and groaned.

Joey watched them walking away. They had really just got away with that?

Just then, Diesel put his hand out to stop one of the gang members. He was a big muscly guy by the name of Demetrius.

"Not you, Demetrius." Diesel grinned. "Last I hear, Wheeler and his little friends are taking a trip to the dumpster. Would you be so kind as to show them the way to the nearest one?"

Joey panicked as Demetrius turned around. He was as ugly as a dog, nearly twice Joey's height and weight, arms like tree- stumps and a brain to match.

Tristan gulped. They were in for it now.

Diesel laughed as he walked away, the rest of the gang chuckling grimly.

Yugi just sat there, frozen with fear, watching Demetrius cornering Joey and Tristan.

They fought as best they could, but Demetrius literally kicked them around the alleyway, holding them at arm's length so they couldn't touch him. He was just too strong, even for the both of them.

Demetrius was laughing insanely as he took hold of Joey with one hand and Tristan in the other and slammed them against the wall.

They fell to the floor, battered and bruised, looking up at Demetrius, who was still grinning wildly.

"What do we do?" Tristan said weakly. They were both expecting something more, one more blow that could knock them out cold.

"Sshh!" Joey hushed Tristan. He couldn't think what to do or say. He'd rather just shut up and let Demetrius get on with it. It probably wouldn't be half as bad as what his father would do to him when he got home; he was already late. Suddenly, Joey felt like a kid again. He couldn't stand much more of these beatings. For how long had he been labelled a human punch bag?

Just then, Yugi pulled himself up from the ground. No one deserves to get beaten up, he thought. He stood determinedly as Demetrius turned around.

Joey looked up, dragging his head up with effort, and saw Yugi. What was he doing now?

"I kinda glad you showed up, little Yugi." Demetrius taunted. "You're about to see me mop the floor with these guys. Then you're next."

"Get back! Leave them alone!" Yugi yelled. He seemed to be acting pretty tough, in spite of his appearance; but you could still see the fear burning in his eyes.

"Who's gonna stop me? A little shrimp like you? I don't think so." Demetrius said, turning back to Joey and Tristan, apparently not caring if Yugi was trying to stand up to him. "Get lost."

Yugi ran around Demetrius so quick, he didn't realise what was happening. Then Yugi stood in front of Joey and Tristan, his arms spread out, trying to protect them. "I won't let you!" Yugi said, calmly. "These guys are my friends."

Joey looked at Yugi in surprise. Friends? After all they had done to him? Joey felt somewhat...privileged. He had never been called someone's friend before in his life.

Yugi started quaking with fear as Demetrius stood and laughed at him, still unfazed. "Okay, tough guy. You jumped to the head of the line." Demetrius raised his fist. "Say your prayers, you runt!"