A/N: Winston taught me the poem Yami uses in this chapter. Well, really he used it to mock me when I was editing one of his stories. Bad news. While I was working on my Yami Lemonade Uniform pic, right near the finish...I took the zip disk to my dad's computer (instead of the one I usually use) and ended up deleting THE WHOLE THING! And as Henry said about the blinding yellow 'suit before he left, "Ugh! That's terrible, Silver!" (In between side-splitting laughter.) So, you'll get to see the brown cord-suit in a week or two. Lemonade will have to be re-drawn, since I lost the original sketch.
"Arsenic And Old Lace" is correct! Woo! Those who guessed it will receive a gift later on; (in the fic, first I have to swim through the reviews and find out who guessed what). Reminds me, I need students for his "good" and "bad" classes, so I'm taking random Reviewers' names. You DO get a say in which class you go into after this chapter, because believe you me, there is always a counselor to get you out of a class you don't want; said "counselor" can be reached at cannibalmnm@yahoo.com I'm 90% sure I uploaded a different Chapter Six, or at least started one. I was pleased with it, and it's gone! It's not like I can put up signs asking 'Have You Seen This Chapter?' so I had to write a new one. Drat. Now I'm in irritable mood again.
SEPTEMBER 16:
Found a neat little store near my apartment. Is called '7-11' and offers huge refills of very caffeinated drinks for only 78 cents. Thus, have come to school very wired these past few days. (Ruth says it can rot your insides. Did not tell her am already dead and so beyond such worries.)
Students complained when I was talking on my cell phone to Yugi, as it is against the rules for them to use their phones. Threatened to fail them all and make them pay even more money to take World Histories again; it shut them up.
So that concluded my 'bad' class. My good class is finally complete; have decided to favor those students, as nary a complaint is heard (by me) from them.
Cell phone is ringing, must go now.
SEPTEMBER 17:
Today was half-half. Meaning, the first half was terrible. I was late to school because 7-11 has been found out by other teachers and there was a huge line; then my cell phone died, and Kellaya in 2nd period had to tell me how to recharge the 'battery', whatever that is. Always thought 'battery' was a means of interrogation, although nowadays the call it a crime (as in "assault and battery"). But then again these modern machines are painful enough without doing anything I guess it's fitting.
Then the Bad Class came. Renfield has given up trying to charm a good grade out of me and now works at proving me wrong. Like I want to spend my life arguing with a mortal. Puh-lease. Want to tear the blackboard off the wall and beat him to death with it, but after checking the rules, learned that beating him to death with *anything* (even fists) "...could result in the professor being 'terminated'." (Dislike that wording. Will bring it up at next meeting, get it changed to something that doesn't resemble the "Schwarzenneger Sci-Fi shows" Joey is so fond of.) Instead, chose to lower myself to exchanging snide comments.
It all started with me trying to teach hieroglyphs to them. Wrote my name ('Yami Yugi') on blackboard normally, then in Egyptian.
A grainy, mouth-full-of-spit voice just had to say, "Yami Yugi? I thought I recognized you! Finally quit dueling, eh? Did Malik beat you?"
Only one voice is that annoying. Left claw marks in the blackboard, I was so surprised, and sure enough Weevil or whatever he calls himself was sitting in the back of MY class. Eye twitched; students finally stopped screaming from the chalkboard/nail-scraping thing. "No. Malik Ishtar did not win. If he had, you would be dead. Or a slave..." Suddenly regretted beating Malik.
"Ishtar?" said Renfield. "Wasn't that one of the Egyptian warrior gods?"
Felt my teeth grinding together. "Noo...Ishtar was a *goddess*, and *she* was the Eastern counterpart of a pair of warrior goddesses."
"I don't think so," Renfield sneered. "The book says Ishtar was a warrior god who tried to overthrow Amun-Re."
"The book was written by three-year-olds. There is not an Egyptologist in the world who would say that Ishtar was a male deity, because She wasn't." Struggled to keep my cool.
"You can't just disclaim a history book because it doesn't agree with what you say."
"Yeah!" Weevil spat. Almost literally; don't fancy the shower the girl in front of him was getting. Will have to move her away from him if her grade in my class is above a D.
Pulled out authentic piece of papyrus, with the tale of Ishtar on it. Had it read to me as a baby, and searched long and hard through the museum of London to find it. Good thing Kaiba-boy owed me a favor.
"Ishtar is this one" I pointed "and *she* is clearly a female."
Was peace for ten more minutes. Then Renfield and Weevil joined up to attack my hieroglyph writing abilities. Finally lost my 'cool' and turned Dr. Seuss-ish on them (it's a bad habit, I know. I get insulting and finally end up rhyming every now and then.) "The spelling is fine. The pictures are great, they're all in a line. What you need to remember now is: 'I' before 'E', except after 'C'; and when making an 'A', as in 'neighbor' and 'weigh'; and on the weekends, and holidays, and all throughout May; and you'll always be wrong, no matter what you say!"
Most students laughed. Weevil and Renfield shut their yaps and didn't bother me for rest of class period.
Day passed. Finally went home, irritated and twitchy. Made cookies with Edith. Was shocked beyond belief; I thought they only came in little boxes or bags, but it turns out you can make them right in your own kitchen. In face they taste better; not as stale. Mrs. Fields, eat your heart out.
Then I called Yugi's grandfather (since Yugi asked me to earlier) to see how he was doing. Turns out he misses Yugi and even me. Poor depressed Grandpa; he needs friends. Or a life. Or maybe just some strong medication...
Told Edith about Mr. Moto's woes and she offered to take him out for a night on the town. My roomy is good with sad men who are past their prime and happen to be well aware of it. Will always be in my prime, however. Feel special, on top of being full of warm cookie goodness.
SEPTEMBER 18:
At school again. Am picking out colors for apartment; Edith says once a year renters are allowed to paint our own homes, so we split it up between the two of us.
I had just the color scheme for my room. Black**, with hieroglyphs cursing Bakura and Malik everywhere. Then student named Meredith Tasaki (in 2nd period, else I wouldn't have listened) said dark colors "shrink" the room. Have feelings of claustrophobia just in the class room, and have no desire to find myself living in a broom-closet sized bedroom so will instead go lighter. Will give helpful decorating student a few bonus points on the final when the semester ends.
Then class began sharing their "horrible room-mate" stories. Sat back and felt smug, as there were some close calls but I actually found a good roomy. Cell phone ringing; will ask Yugi and friends for advice.
SEPTEMBER 19:
Quest for Fashionable Apartment Colors continues. Edith had a big get-together with her friends; all of them stalked the local antique stores, so half the apartment will look like a "classic" house out of the 30's or 40's when we are done remodeling.
Without breaking into many museums, I cannot get the 'antiques' I want. They call them artifacts nowadays. Told Edith this, and she and Ruth haven't stopped laughing. Yugi and Co. proved less than useless. Too many different tastes, and even Yugi's aren't enough like mine to go into my home. So, must go about this alone.
**: In Ancient Egypt, black was the color of fertility. They think this is due to the black mud in the Nile. I just found it really funny (and thus had to point out) that Yami wears almost strictly black in the show.
I guess that's because he's the 'dark' side, though it bugs me in a way because everyone associates Black with Evil, even though it's not. (Like taking the Death tarot card to be a bad omen, even though it's symbolic for change, so grr. Sorry. I did a reading for a girl and she got it; completely stopped listening to what I was saying. Had to have my friend smack her upside the head! *irritated sigh*) And go see "Daredevil" when it comes out. It has both Winston's and my favorite bands singing together. And it looks spiffy.