Disclaimer: I don't own YGO, any part of it, but this fic's plot's mine….

Chapter 3: Mission: Impossible

At school the next day, Tea yawned steadily for nearly a full minute, packing up her stuff for the next class. "Didn't get much sleep?" Yugi, her other best friend, asked as he got up as well.

"No….I…..(yawwwn)…oh! Excuse me," Tea said sleepily, blinking back the fatigue hard. "After work, I had to get up early this morning to go to Joey's and help him with his uh, 'new attitude'." She said, holding up two fingers in the unmistakable "quotes" gesture.

Yugi stopped and looked after her, blinking in puzzlement. She never uses that gesture……in fact, I think she hates it…..

I never use that gesture, Tea was also thinking, shaking her head ruefully and kneading her forehead. I must be spending too much time with Joey……..waaaay too much time. Argh.

Putting it out of her head for the moment, she went to her locker and slipped out her dance team uniform She also cheered in DHS's cheerleading squad, but today she felt so tired…..Maybe I'll just skip it, nah, what am I saying? The girls are counting on me. So off she went. Besides, I have to see if Joey's getting popular, yet, by eavesdropping on their gossip….

Earlier that morning

"Okay," Tea said conspiratorially, feeling sort of like a spy on some secret mission. "Step one: you have to build up your popularity around here!"

"Hey, aren't I popular 'nuff?" He messed his hair again, after it was just fixed up.

"No, since you always beat up or have beaten up practically every guy around here! Not exactly."

"I do not! Only if dere askin' for it….." He punched one big fisted hand into the other."Anywho, yeah, I have, haven't I?" he said proudly. "Beaten every guy up 'round dis place."

Uh, not exactly something to be proud of, Joey! "That's exactly what I mean. Even if they're 'asking for it', you can't fight at all, okay? Use your head, instead." She advised.

"Ya mean like, usea headbutt? Naw, I'm no good at those…." He said right exactly just as Tea said, "And no, I don't mean like a head butt!" while rubbing her forehead.

She knew him too well. She sighed, up a compromise, and crossed one arm over the other.

"Look….how about you just keep silent all day, okay?" She didn't say that his big mouth was the one thing that got him into trouble, but it was definitely implied. "You can't get a single detention, not even one, or you're disqualified. The Prom Committee Rules."

"Oh, man, den we're in trouble…." He got a detention every day, by at least One of his teachers. "How about I don't just go to the detention....?"

"No, ergh….." Tea sighed loudly, just as Tristan rounded on them curiously, seeing her with one hand presssed to her forehead.

"What are you two whispering about? Got a secret?" teased the pointy-headed taller teen. Tea hesitated to tell him, since the less people who knew, the better, and Tristan would sing like a canary to any girl that looked crosswise at him. But Joey told him. "Still, on that 'makin' Joey a Prom King' thing?" Tristan said disgustedly while rubbing his head possessively. "Man, Joey ain't gonna be no king. If he does, I'll---"

"Ssh!" Tea shushed him. She didn't want any negative rumors to be spread. But too late; to two boys start grappling.

"If I do, what?" the boys began to fight.

"You guys…..GUYS!!" Tea shouted finally, and that got their attention. "See? You even fistfight with your friends, Joey."

"Aw, Taye, we're jus' playin' around," he defended himself, both literally and figuratively, since Tristan had him in a headlock. His arms flailed about. At her angry glare, he resigned, "Fine, fine. No fightin'. I got it awready! Sheesh!"

"Good." Hopefully, he'll keep it....at least for two weeks.

Later

Tea came out of the girl's locker room with her towel in hand, smiling. She had heard very good things about Joey from the other showering girls, things like, "Who was that guy in homeroom this morning?!" "Yeah, a new guy? But so late in the year?" And then she had stepped in, to "push" their realization faster, telling them who it was. The girls were absolutely shocked, but then started to giggle and whisper, saying stuff like, "Oh, wow, and I heard he's on the soccer team as well….." More loud, chirpy giggling from the girls. Better yet, agreeing sounds from everyone else.

Maybe it wasn't much, but there were some popular girls on the squad. With luck, they might convince their fellow chums to vote proJoey. Still, it wasn't enough……Tea frowned, she was thinking so hard and she stomped her foot lightly on the tiles. What else could be done? Two weeks was waaay too short, really, to make him into the most popular guy in school……!

Especially with his reputation…..for being macho and dumb. Not very likeable characteristics…..Not that I think he's macho and dumb! Macho, maybe…….yep, definitely. Not that it's bad, all guys are macho. Or like to be. Except for Yugi, he's a rare case. She smiled to herself.

"Yo, who's da man? Who's da man?!" the yell echoed down the hallways to her ears.

Oh, great. Joey's just beat up some computer nerd and as strutting around like a peacock. Tea slapped her forehead, and reluctantly stuck her face around the corner of the classroom.

:"Loser. You've only won the battle, not the war," a deeper voice said, full of contempt. Tea could hardly believe her eyes. Uh oh, it's …..Kaiba! He provokes him more than anyone does!

"What's going on?" she whispered to Tristan, who was the only one there.

"Playing paper-scissors-rock to see who goes first," he nodded at the cards. He didn't seem too concerned, since Joey easily challenged the CEO everyday, but Tea could easily picture Joey losing, obviously, and, being such a 'good' loser, would attack him. And probably get beaten to a pulp. Not a good thing......!

"OH, no you don't!" she screamed, grabbing Joey and dragging him off. "I said, No Fighting!"

"But I wasn't ! Let go! It---I---" he protested, and Kaiba said,

"Ha, ha, mutt. Letting such a pathetic girl drag and boss you around like her toy? Waste of my time, anyway." He turned and left. "I guess I win, loser." He smirked sideways andd went off.

Pathetic?! Now Tea was the one seeing red, thought Tristan, with a sweatdrop as it was reversed: Joey was now holding her back. They could all hear Kaiba's evil, mocking laughter echoing down the halls. "Lousy, son of a---" they both muttered at the same time, much to Tristan's amusement. Ho, they're even talking like each other! Hmmmmmm....! He began to suspect 'something' was up.

Something between them...NAH! It's impossible.

"If you want to beat Kaiba at Prom King position, you'll have to beat the thousands of girls who vote for him, just to get a date," Tea was saying.

He said enviously. "Hmph. To have money!" I could spend it betta.

The others: the king of dice-- and also running for Prom King, Duke Devlin, and Ryou Bakura, as well as Yugi rounded the corner. "What's going on?" as they were told, by Tristan, since the others were still fuming, Tea thought, Geez,keeping him out of fightsis harder than I expected! Maybe Mai was right....

Besides, what business is it of mine if she's goes out with him or not? What am I, a matchmaker? Nope! Matchmakers always get burned, like real matchsticks for starting a fire.

"Tea, earth to Tea." Duke was saying obnoxiously in her ear, waving his hand in her face, also obnoxiously with an obnoxious grin. "Uh, Joey wants to ask you something," he said in a timid voice when she glared at him.

"Yeah, what were you thinking just den?" he said, not afraid whatsoever. Hopefully, remorse, afta you just embarrassed me like dat!

"N-nothing!" she said unconvincingly. "Why?" She ran her hand through her straight brown hair casually. If Joey were to know the real reason why he was entering this campaign, he wouldn't...be happy.

"Lay off of her," Yugi said, seeing she was uncomfortable, being interrogated, like that. She shot him a grateful look and tried to look innocent. "We were just talking about what to do this afternoon. It's a beautiful day out."

"Oh phoo," said Ryou, starting out the window. "Today I have to baby-sit someone. I can't join you all." He said mournfully.

"Too bad…..well, anyone else?" Joey asked everyone, but they all had homework, or cleaning their rooms, or study for their exams. "Aw, y'all c'n study later!" he wheedled as they all waved good bye and set out in their separate directions. "Party poopers….." he pouted as Tea said:

"Come on, we still have work to do on our mission!" she went outdoors as well, as he reluctantly followed, dragging his feet.

"No more Mission: Prom King," he muttered whilewhining, putting a big hand the his head as if it hurt, like he had a headache about the whole thing.. "I'm tired of it awready! Too much woo-oork!"

"You're telling me." She was even more tired of itthan him. "Just to keep you out of trouble….you didn't get any detentions today, did you?"

"Noooo…."

"Then why do you have... shifty eyes?" She stood on tiptoe to see.

"I'm just kidding. Really, I didn't." She shrugged in answer, it didn't really matter because he wouldn't go anyway. "Hey. Let's give dis stupid mission a rest for a while, and let's go see da newest movie at the Domino Cineplex." he suggested, since every one else in the gang was busy that afternoon. "I heard it was awesome."

" 'Awesome'. " she said at the same time he did, except with a roll of her eyes. "You think every new movie is!" she accused. When he shrugged, she said, "When summer rolls around, what are you going to do?"

"Nothin'."

"Figures. Well, alright…..since you didn't get into no fights---I mean any fights," she corrected her speech, as they turned for Domino Mall. "I guess you can have a treat every once in a while."

"Great!" he zoomed ahead. "Race ya!"

"But, wait, I need to---" --change out of my uniform! Sighing, she ran to race him there.

To be Continued Next Chapter….. A/n: ooh, what'll happen at the movies? Mweh heh heh….wouldn't you like to know. Review for this chapter…..::hypnotizing eyes::