Hey peeps. This chapter turned out... kinda different than I thought it
would. But I think it's still good. Hehe I hope...
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~ Chapter 5 ~
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Was he going to take it? It was thursday or as now known to Seto Kaiba and Joey - therapy day. Seto was standing in front of his locker, staring at the box that contained "Hooked on Phonics", wondering if he should bring it. It's not like Seto wanted to help Joey read or anything
But He kind of owed him...
Owed him for all the times Seto had called him stupid when it really wasn't his fault. There's a difference between being stupid and having a disability - Seto definitly knew that. But all that was not enough of a reason to bother helping Joey, no there was something else:
Did Seto feel guilty?
Hell yeah. Seto took the box out of his locker and dumped it into his bag, then he headed over to room 113. Joey was already in there. He was sitting at a desk, writing something in a spiral-bound notebook. Seto walked inside.
"Hey," Seto paused not sure how to address Joey for he was used to always calling him a mutt. Of course in order to help him, it would help if Joey wasn't trying to strangle Seto.
"Joey," Ah, the power of guilt. Joey looked surprised for he didn't think Seto even knew his name, let alone would he ever use it. Seto sat down at the desk next to Joey, causing Joey to slam his notebook shut.
Something fishy was going on.
"I'm not going to bite," However, Joey continued to glare at Seto. Joey waited for him to make a snide comment on how only dogs bite. But it never came. Seto pulled out the box from his bag and put it on Joey's desk.
"What..." Joey looks at the box carefully, suspicious. When he found out what it was, well - he did not look happy.
"You think I need Hooked on Phonics?" He yelled, outraged. Yeah, I do actually and Seto seemed pretty sure of it also. But of course he kindly prevented himself from saying any such thing for the possibility of making Joey mad, or more mad than he was now at any rate.
"I'm not stupid enough for that!" So you're admiting you're stupid, are you?
"My brother used Hooked on Phonics." Seto said dryly.
"Mokuba?" Joey questioned, astonished.
"No, my other brother." Seto shook his head, in pity for how Joey always had to state the obvious. Seto couldn't help but reply with sarcasm, he couldn't help it - along with air and water he needed sarcasm to live.
"That's different." Objected Joey, still looking at the box with extreme distaste.
"Really? How so?" Seto opened the box and looked throught it's contents. He looked through the stuff and took out some flash cards. Joey looked reluctant.
"You promise you won't tell anyone?" Seto raised his eyebrows.
"Who would I tell?" Joey frowned.
"Just promise," He said pleadingly, not wanting to risk his reputation - whatever that might be.
"I promise," Seto said, not really seeing the point in promising, but if it made Joey happy...
Seto sorted through the flash cards. He raised one up so Joey could see it.
Joey looked around wildly. He did not like the position he was in. Using flashcards to learn how to read! Geez, it was like he was back in first grade again. Next thing you know it they'll have naptime at school.
"Con...consonants," What a pathetic waste of time. I mean, Joey barely even had trouble saying the word. All this was doing was helping him feel like an idiot in front of Seto.
"Altogether," Can you say easy?
"Tragedy," Joey would like to see Seto tease him again about not being able to read. I mean, he hadn't missed a word yet.
"Educat...cat...educat...on..." Don't you just love it when you speak to soon?
"You can't read it can you?" Seto asked quietly.
"Whatever. It doesn't matter." Joey looked away and stared out the window. Oh look, there's a pigeon in the tree.
"It's okay not to know something." Joey glared at Seto.
"Yeah, right Kaiba. Only when it's not you, right? You don't understand..." Joey ran his hand through his hair.
"It's education. The 'i-o-n' is pronounced shon." Joey grimaced.
"Gee, I'm enlightened."
Seto stared at Joey. He was trying to help him and yet... failing horibbly. And, well, there's one thing you should know about Seto. He _never_ fails.
But the only thing was... Joey was being imposible. Positive that Seto's intentions were anything but good and that he didn't understand.
Wait, Seto not understand?
But doesn't Seto also have a disability – if that's what you choose to call it.
"And I do understand."
"Oh really?" It seems as if Joey doesn't consider what Seto has the same, or perhaps he just forgot...
"Do the words 'Obessive Complusive' mean anything to you?" Seto asked. Obsessive compulsive. That was what Mokuba was going on about the other day wasn't it?
"Yeah, Mo-" Joey paused, realizing that he almost told Seto that Mokuba told him. He didn't want Mokuba to be in trouble.
Anyway Mokuba didn't really provide a good explanation.
"No." Seto smirked, he didn't think so.
"Look it up." Now it was Joey's turn to laugh.
"Ohh, only one problem there. Can't read – remember?" Joey then did a doubletake. Did he just admit he couldn't read? Seto seemed to be thinking the same thing.
"I..." Seto was trapped.
"I don't want to talk about it." Seto said bluntly. He really did not want to go into that topic. It wasn't any of Joey's bussiness.
But a little voice in the back of Seto's said that he was wrong.
Because if that was so, then wouldn't Seto helping Joey with reading be none of his bussiness also.
"Oh, so it's okay if you're embarrased about it but not if I am?" Okay, so Joey was being harsh. But Seto was being contradictory. Seto just shook his head.
"This is different."
"How?"
"You don't understand!" Seto accused Joey. Wasn't therapy supposed to help, because right now it wasn't helping. It was just causing Seto more grief.
Suddenly Joey began to laugh. He was was just giggling at first but then he fell onto the floor, laughing like there was no tomarrow. Seto just stared.
"What's so funny?"
"I...you...said...same...thing..." He said in between gasps of air.
Joey, once he regained his composure, sat up and leaned against his desk.
"We're both idiots," He stated the fact as if he was an idiot for not even realizing it.
"I'm not an... we?" Seto could always understand Joey call him an idiot but to call himself one?
"We both have something... well, 'wrong' with us and yet look at us," Joey sighed.
"There's no point in hiding really or being embarrased. What's the point?" Seto nodded.
"That's the smartest thing you've said all day." Joey didn't bother to retaliate. He just looked up at the clock on the wall.
"Hey, isn't it time to go now?" Seto glanced at the clock. Both boys picked up their things and headed over to the classroom door.
Joey watched silently as Seto painfully touched the windows. Seto refused to look at Joey.
"You ever going to tell me why you do that?" Truth be told there was no reason behind it, that's just one of the things that comes with being obsessive compulsive. But Seto knew what Joey meant.
"I...are you ever going to tell your friends?" Seto couldn't answer the question so, he just asked the equivalent to Joey.
Joey was just as sure as Seto.
"It's not easy is it?" Joey asked, even though it was more of a statement than a question. Seto shook his head.
"No, it's not."
Finally, something they agree on.
.
.
~ End of Chapter 5 ~
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Like it?!
.
~ Chapter 5 ~
.
.
Was he going to take it? It was thursday or as now known to Seto Kaiba and Joey - therapy day. Seto was standing in front of his locker, staring at the box that contained "Hooked on Phonics", wondering if he should bring it. It's not like Seto wanted to help Joey read or anything
But He kind of owed him...
Owed him for all the times Seto had called him stupid when it really wasn't his fault. There's a difference between being stupid and having a disability - Seto definitly knew that. But all that was not enough of a reason to bother helping Joey, no there was something else:
Did Seto feel guilty?
Hell yeah. Seto took the box out of his locker and dumped it into his bag, then he headed over to room 113. Joey was already in there. He was sitting at a desk, writing something in a spiral-bound notebook. Seto walked inside.
"Hey," Seto paused not sure how to address Joey for he was used to always calling him a mutt. Of course in order to help him, it would help if Joey wasn't trying to strangle Seto.
"Joey," Ah, the power of guilt. Joey looked surprised for he didn't think Seto even knew his name, let alone would he ever use it. Seto sat down at the desk next to Joey, causing Joey to slam his notebook shut.
Something fishy was going on.
"I'm not going to bite," However, Joey continued to glare at Seto. Joey waited for him to make a snide comment on how only dogs bite. But it never came. Seto pulled out the box from his bag and put it on Joey's desk.
"What..." Joey looks at the box carefully, suspicious. When he found out what it was, well - he did not look happy.
"You think I need Hooked on Phonics?" He yelled, outraged. Yeah, I do actually and Seto seemed pretty sure of it also. But of course he kindly prevented himself from saying any such thing for the possibility of making Joey mad, or more mad than he was now at any rate.
"I'm not stupid enough for that!" So you're admiting you're stupid, are you?
"My brother used Hooked on Phonics." Seto said dryly.
"Mokuba?" Joey questioned, astonished.
"No, my other brother." Seto shook his head, in pity for how Joey always had to state the obvious. Seto couldn't help but reply with sarcasm, he couldn't help it - along with air and water he needed sarcasm to live.
"That's different." Objected Joey, still looking at the box with extreme distaste.
"Really? How so?" Seto opened the box and looked throught it's contents. He looked through the stuff and took out some flash cards. Joey looked reluctant.
"You promise you won't tell anyone?" Seto raised his eyebrows.
"Who would I tell?" Joey frowned.
"Just promise," He said pleadingly, not wanting to risk his reputation - whatever that might be.
"I promise," Seto said, not really seeing the point in promising, but if it made Joey happy...
Seto sorted through the flash cards. He raised one up so Joey could see it.
Joey looked around wildly. He did not like the position he was in. Using flashcards to learn how to read! Geez, it was like he was back in first grade again. Next thing you know it they'll have naptime at school.
"Con...consonants," What a pathetic waste of time. I mean, Joey barely even had trouble saying the word. All this was doing was helping him feel like an idiot in front of Seto.
"Altogether," Can you say easy?
"Tragedy," Joey would like to see Seto tease him again about not being able to read. I mean, he hadn't missed a word yet.
"Educat...cat...educat...on..." Don't you just love it when you speak to soon?
"You can't read it can you?" Seto asked quietly.
"Whatever. It doesn't matter." Joey looked away and stared out the window. Oh look, there's a pigeon in the tree.
"It's okay not to know something." Joey glared at Seto.
"Yeah, right Kaiba. Only when it's not you, right? You don't understand..." Joey ran his hand through his hair.
"It's education. The 'i-o-n' is pronounced shon." Joey grimaced.
"Gee, I'm enlightened."
Seto stared at Joey. He was trying to help him and yet... failing horibbly. And, well, there's one thing you should know about Seto. He _never_ fails.
But the only thing was... Joey was being imposible. Positive that Seto's intentions were anything but good and that he didn't understand.
Wait, Seto not understand?
But doesn't Seto also have a disability – if that's what you choose to call it.
"And I do understand."
"Oh really?" It seems as if Joey doesn't consider what Seto has the same, or perhaps he just forgot...
"Do the words 'Obessive Complusive' mean anything to you?" Seto asked. Obsessive compulsive. That was what Mokuba was going on about the other day wasn't it?
"Yeah, Mo-" Joey paused, realizing that he almost told Seto that Mokuba told him. He didn't want Mokuba to be in trouble.
Anyway Mokuba didn't really provide a good explanation.
"No." Seto smirked, he didn't think so.
"Look it up." Now it was Joey's turn to laugh.
"Ohh, only one problem there. Can't read – remember?" Joey then did a doubletake. Did he just admit he couldn't read? Seto seemed to be thinking the same thing.
"I..." Seto was trapped.
"I don't want to talk about it." Seto said bluntly. He really did not want to go into that topic. It wasn't any of Joey's bussiness.
But a little voice in the back of Seto's said that he was wrong.
Because if that was so, then wouldn't Seto helping Joey with reading be none of his bussiness also.
"Oh, so it's okay if you're embarrased about it but not if I am?" Okay, so Joey was being harsh. But Seto was being contradictory. Seto just shook his head.
"This is different."
"How?"
"You don't understand!" Seto accused Joey. Wasn't therapy supposed to help, because right now it wasn't helping. It was just causing Seto more grief.
Suddenly Joey began to laugh. He was was just giggling at first but then he fell onto the floor, laughing like there was no tomarrow. Seto just stared.
"What's so funny?"
"I...you...said...same...thing..." He said in between gasps of air.
Joey, once he regained his composure, sat up and leaned against his desk.
"We're both idiots," He stated the fact as if he was an idiot for not even realizing it.
"I'm not an... we?" Seto could always understand Joey call him an idiot but to call himself one?
"We both have something... well, 'wrong' with us and yet look at us," Joey sighed.
"There's no point in hiding really or being embarrased. What's the point?" Seto nodded.
"That's the smartest thing you've said all day." Joey didn't bother to retaliate. He just looked up at the clock on the wall.
"Hey, isn't it time to go now?" Seto glanced at the clock. Both boys picked up their things and headed over to the classroom door.
Joey watched silently as Seto painfully touched the windows. Seto refused to look at Joey.
"You ever going to tell me why you do that?" Truth be told there was no reason behind it, that's just one of the things that comes with being obsessive compulsive. But Seto knew what Joey meant.
"I...are you ever going to tell your friends?" Seto couldn't answer the question so, he just asked the equivalent to Joey.
Joey was just as sure as Seto.
"It's not easy is it?" Joey asked, even though it was more of a statement than a question. Seto shook his head.
"No, it's not."
Finally, something they agree on.
.
.
~ End of Chapter 5 ~
.
Like it?!