Chapter Two: Tell Them The Truth
Disclaimer: I don't own YGO or Arina Arono, owned by Random Person number three. Veena and Julia also own themselves. WAIT! I do own Hikari Daeron!
JOEY'S POV:
"… So I've decided to become a doctor."
I sat in the room of one Hikari Daeron, my notorious cousin who hooked Seto Kaiba's heart. Damn it, if she marries Kaiba, I don't know how I'm gonna live with the constant insults and screams of, "MUTT!" every time I visit… which will be everyday. Or more. Heck, I might even move in! … With Kaiba? Wait, this is demented, I'm having an argument with myself. Sigh. I can never win.
(Veena: he actually SAID "sigh"!) (Me: No. Just thought it.)
So anyway, my cousin and I are close, and so, being a weekend, I made a beeline for her house. I told her all about the brochure and stuff. And she listened.
"Joey, that's awesome!" she exclaimed. She picked up her guitar. "Just for that, I'm going to sing you a song." She randomly made a song and sang it.
(Veena: ...sure she did. I distinctly heard "Moby Dick" in there somewhere.) (Me: The Moby Dicks! How about that? … Actually, no. I will not have my band having that name. Speaking of which, I'm referring to your hardcore polka band as my band because I manage it. GET ME A NAME AND I'LL START TO ADVERTISE! The King of Games! Okay, no.)
"Anyway, to get back to the subject at hand…" she said, placing her guitar back against the wall, "I think it's great that you want to be a doctor! You and I should go check out Northwestern."
"Why?"
"Cause they have one of the best neuroscience departments in the world and a kickass medical school, that's why. When people hear of Joey Wheeler, it won't just be Joey Wheeler the runner-up in Duelist Kingdom and fourth place winner of Battle City – it will be Dr. Joey Wheeler, graduated of NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, AND the runner-up in Duelist Kingdom and fourth place winner of Battle City. How awesome would that be?"
(Veena: yeah, but at the same time I'll be Veena McCartney, the European actress who graduated from Cambridge U and married Paul McCartney! And she never played with yugioh cards! lol, I'm only joking. actually, no I'm not.) (Me: Oh, the reasons I love my friends…)
I couldn't help but laugh. My cousin looked and sounded hilarious when she was on top of her bed with long pants and a tank top, trying to emphasize her point by using her arms and nearly falling off her bed. I caught her and steadied her.
"Easy there," I said with a laugh. "I wouldn't appreciate you being dead, nor would Kaiba, I'd hope to think."
She shook her head. "He most definitely wouldn't appreciate it, Joseph Anthony Wheeler."
"Hey, what's with the full name?"
"Hey, what's with the hatred towards my future husband?"
I couldn't help but feel an impending feeling of doom. "So you're planning on sticking with him and marrying him?"
"Mm. Yeah. I'd like to." She looked out her window. "Now just making sure that he'd stick with me is the problem."
I walked over and placed my hand on her shoulder. "Hikari, I've known Kaiba for about seven years. Throughout all of those seven years, I have never seen him show any sign of affection towards anybody except Mokuba. Even those were rare. I've only seen him hug Mokuba once, and that was after Noah released the two from stone. Other than that, he was completely standoffish. But then he met you, and everyone started to notice him change. He started being less annoying and really didn't say much anymore. Then something happened, and he starting acting nice – I have to admit, it was kinda creepy. After that, you two said you were going out, and we all knew why he had had change of heart."
(Veena: she cursed him.) (Me: Thank you, Veena.)
She smiled. "Thanks Joey." She paused. "Now, enough about me – you came to talk about you."
"Oh yeah," I said. "I forgot that I am the important one." I ducked her slap. "But seriously. What am I supposed to tell my friends, the ones who think I'm stupid?" (Veena: tell them about Mexico. they'll understand.)
She paused for a moment. "Tell your friends the truth. Tell –" There was a knock on her door, interrupting her. "Come in."
Arina Arono, a good friend of ours, came in. "I'm sorry, was I interrupting something?"
"Nah," I said, slipping on the accent. Hikari looked at me. "Alright, alright, I'll tell her."
"Tell me what?" she said.
I took off the accent. "The truth is, Arina, that I'm not the person I appear to be. To most, I appear to be an uneducated egotistical street jock, when, in fact, I'm an educated egotistical street jock." She looked shocked, but laughed. I did too. "What I'm saying is that I need to find a way to slowly let my friends know that I'm not the person I appear to be. But I don't know how to do that." (Veena: it's this little thing called "START ACTING SMARTER!") (Me: I know! He's such a failure… but I love him anyway.)
She extended her hand. "I'm glad to meet the real Joey Wheeler," she said as I took it. "But seriously, I think that you're friends will be pleased."
"And Kaiba?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "What will he say? Smart mutt?"
She shrugged. "Who cares about Kaiba? Oh, sorry Hikari."
Hikari shook her head. "Whatever. But I've been telling Joey to let people know his true self. They might be pleased to know the true Joey."
"I'm agreeing with you," said Arina. "I can't wait to know the true you better, Joey. Honestly." (Veena: ...because before you were SO annoying.)
I sighed and lay on Hikari's bed. "I dunno guys. I mean, the only reason I hide my true self is because I had to in order to blend in when I was on the streets. I didn't want to stand out. People know me as the dumb blonde. If I suddenly change, people won't know what to think."
Hikari looked thoughtful. "That makes sense."
"So why don't you tell your close friends first, and slowly?" suggested Arina. "And then, after they know, start acting like yourself. When you meet new people, don't put on the accent. Soon, most people will know you for who you really are."
I thought about it for a moment. "It just might work." I paused. "Hey, I'm gonna need some help." I suddenly had an idea. "Arina, could you pose as my girlfriend for a while, so people won't get suspicious when the three of us are out, discussing this stuff?" (Veena: wait... why?) (Me: Gossip. Rather just "admit" that they're going out rather than face the gossip. Seeing Joey with Hikari is no big deal, seeing that they're cousins, but seeing Arina with them too may make certain people think that Joey has a girlfriend. In that case, better say that he does and get it over with.)
She shrugged. "Sure."
"And Hikari's already my cousin, so there's no worry…" I laughed. "Look out world, a new Joey Wheeler's coming to town!"