Tristan found Joey right outside the door, leaning against the wall. He slid down to the floor as Tristan approached.

"What's going on with you man? I've never seen you act like this," Tristan said stopping next to him. "Well I guess that's not true. You were pretty crazy when cheese doodles went on sale at the super market."

"They were buy one get one," Joey defended himself. "And they're cheese doodles. Nobody can pass up cheese doodles on sale."

"Well as far as I know, they're not on sale this week. Or do you know something I don't. Because if you're holdin' out..." Joey stopped him by shaking his head.

"No, not that I know of."

"So what is it? Bad meatballs at lunch? I hear that some foods can really mess someone up..."

"No, it wasn't anything I ate. You wouldn't want to know."

"Joe. Would I be asking if I didn't want to know?"

"You guys okay?" Yugi stepped out of the classroom. Tristan turned around and Joey leaned over to look past him at Yugi. Joey smiled.

"You guys are great, you know that?" he said. Yugi came over to them. " I couldn't ask for better friends. But...I think..." Noise filled the hall as the rest of the class entered it. Ryou walked over to them.

"We decided it's be easier to practice down in the auditorium because there's more room," he told them. "And it would really help if Joey was there." Joey looked up at him.

"Well I AM the star," he shrugged and stood up. "Well at least one of them," he said sullenly as he watched Kaiba pass by. They followed everyone to the auditorium.

"Okay so, can we just go over our lines and pretend we're doing what it says," a boy said, climbing up onto the stage. They went through the first part of the play without trouble. Then it came time for Joey and Kaiba to enter. "Joey, you and Kaiba stand over there." The boy pointed to a spot.

"Who put you in charge?" Joey asked, following the instructions.

"Does it matter? We have to do all this anyway. Who cares who tells who to do what? And it was you guys who got us into this in the first place so I'd watch it if I were you," the boy went on sharply.

"Do we have to keep bringing that up?" Joey asked, a little tired of hearing it.

"Yes," the boy and Tristan said together.

"Just listen to him Joey," Tristan added.

"I'm here, aren't I?" Joey said indicating the spot.

"Yeah, but where's Kaiba?" They all scanned the room for the missing student. Yugi and Ryou peaked out into the hallway and then turned back and shook their heads.

"Oh great, he ditched us," Tea rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, that's just like him," Joey mumbled under his breath. But almost instantly he was cursing himself. "He just has a different way of feeling things. He'll come around..." he whispered. ' Yeah, keep telling yourself that,' a voice inside his head said doubtfully. Joey closed his eyes in frustration.

"Well we need him here," the boy insisted. "Someone go find him." Everyone looked away and started making excuses for why they couldn't go. The very thought of telling Seto Kaiba that he needed to do something was unsettling to all of them. The boy became agitated. "Fine, we'll improvise. Yugi, get up there and say Kaiba's lines."

"Me?" Yugi walked closer to the stage.

"You're Joey's best friend. It'll be just like playing yourself." Yugi gave in and went up on the stage and over to where Joey was. "Ally, you're next. Go over there near them and pretend you're picking flowers." Ally started toward Joey and Yugi and winked.

"I'm really looking forward to working with you boys today," she smiled flirtatiously. She brushed passed them and over to a spot downstage from where they were. Yugi closed his eyes and turned his back to her as if it had been a nightmare and would disappear when he opened them again, and Joey gave Tristan a sarcastic ' well this is just great,' look. Tristan just shrugged and moved off the stage.

"We're not in first grade Yug'," Joey said noticing him. Yugi opened his eyes and looked at his friend.

"Somehow...that just felt wrong," Yugi said quietly.

"There's some things that we just can't control," Joey said. Yugi shook his head.

"Yami begs to differ."

"Well Yami's different."

"Can we please just get on with this?" the boy who thought he was in charge said impatiently.

"Chill out. We've got like two weeks," Joey said, getting a little annoyed. The boy just gave him another ' just get this over with' look. "Fine. Yug', you're supposed to be sleeping."

"Do you want me to lie down?"

"No. You don't need to get THAT into it. Just...know that you're sleeping," Joey said.

"Okay," Yugi nodded happily.

"And in the garden, as the sun up-rose,
She sauntered back and forth and through each close,
Gathering many a flower, white and red,
To weave a delicate garland for her head;
And Palamon, the woeful prisoner,
As was his wont, by leave of his gaoler,
Was up and pacing round that chamber high,
From which the noble city filled his eye," the narrator started.

Joey started pacing in a small circle.

"And, too, the garden full of branches green,
Wherein bright Emily, fair and serene,
Went walking and went roving up and down.
This sorrowing prisoner, this Palamon,
Being in the chamber, pacing to and fro,
And to himself complaining of his woe."

"I curse my birthright for getting me here," Joey said. Then he stopped pacing and moved toward where Ally was as if he'd just passed by a window and she'd caught his eye. "Ah!" he said acting surprised but with a look that said it was love at first sight. Tristan started laughing and everyone looked at him angrily, but soon most of the other kids were laughing too. Joey rolled his eyes. "I'm trying to act here!" he yelled.

"I'm sorry, it just looks ridiculous without a wall being there," Tristan said between laughs.

"You know, he does have a point," Yugi said holding back his own laugh.

The bell rang and everyone started toward the doors.

"Well, I thought you were great," Ally said from right behind him. He jumped at the sound of her voice and turned to face her. She smiled. "A little jumpy, aren't we?" She poked him in the side right under his ribs playfully and walked by him to leave. He jumped again at the touch and winced a little. "See you tomorrow," she said and waved before disappearing into the hallway of people. Yugi and Tristan looked at him in complete shock.

"Looks like someone has an admirer," Duke said pulling Joey into a playful headlock. Joey slipped away from him and hopped off the stage and over to Tristan.

"Dude. She's like the hottest girl in school. Until today...she didn't even acknowledge your existence. I don't believe this," Tristan said still dumbfounded.

"Maybe she just really liked Joey's acting," Yugi suggested walking to the edge of the stage.

"You guys are all crazy," Joey shook his head and headed for the exit. They all watched him leave.

"Well I'd go for it," Duke said jumping off the stage right after Yugi did. Tristan raised his eyebrows. "Well, if I hadn't have met Tea," he covered.

"You know she's never going to take you back," Tristan said, pushing Yugi toward the door.

"We'll just have to wait and see."