This was all Whistler's idea! I swear it! She's the one that wrote this, not me!
Whistler: Hey, what's that mean?
Elfbrat: I'm just giving you credit is all. You did write this chapter all by yourself.
Whistler: And I owe it all to...(grabs a box of...) Chocolate Lucky Charms! These things are sooo good! If you ain't tried them already, you really need to! HeycanIdothenextchapterElfbrat?IreallyreallywanttobuttheseLuckyCharmsaretoogoodtoputdown...(continues to mindlessly ramble)
Elfbrat: Yeah...okay, no more Lucky Charms for you. She's not kidding when she said that she owes it to her Chocolate Lucky Charms. Whistler was up until 4:30 this morning finishing this chapter her sugar rush was so bad. (grabs a handful of cereal) Hey, these aren't bad...oh and before I forget, it was also her idea to put the song lyrics in, so don't go ape on me if you figure out who sings the song.
Yugi checked his watch and seen that it was close to 7:30, and he figured that Tea must have been home by now. He picked up the pace when he rounded the corner that led to her house, stopping at the end of the driveway to catch his breath. With the bag in hand he walked slowly up to the door and paused before knocking.
Tea's mom answered the door. "Well hello there, Yugi. What brings you here today?" she asked with a smile.
"Actually, I'm here to drop off some antibiotics I got at the pharmacy for Tea's cut." Yugi replied, holding up the bag.
Tea's mom looked at the bag and then back at Yugi. "Why don't you come in for a minute? There's a few things I want cleared up."
"So that's what happened. Oh my poor girl. I can't believe what I'm hearing; I mean I always thought that Koga was such a nice boy. And he slapped her! Argh, no man is supposed to hit a woman; it's just wrong!" Tea's mom said, squeezing the stress ball in her hand so hard that Yugi thought the sand would burst from it anytime soon.
"Yeah, but Yami wouldn't stand for it. Should have seen him, Ms. Gardner, he sent Koga flying across the room!"
She released the stress ball and leaned forward slightly. "So tell me about this Yami. He really punched Koga? He stood up for my baby girl?"
"Mm-hm," Yugi nodded, "Joey said that he was starting to show signs of a really nice shiner as they got him out of there. Knocked out a few teeth and some blood too. Then he went on about how she deserves so much better than him and all women are meant to be treasured and not flaunted like prizes; stuff like that."
"How sweet! I hope she thanked him. This Yami sounds like a real gentleman. Is it possible that I can meet him? I'd like to have a word with him."
"Sure. I think he was plannning on coming over to see Tea tomorrow. I'll ask him when I get back tonight. Uh, speaking of Tea, is she here?"
Tea's mom nodded and pointed in the direction of her room. "I just got home not too long ago, and when I went by her room, I heard crying. When I went to ask her what was wrong, she just said it was no big deal and that she'd tell me later when she was able to calm down. Yugi, I hope she's going to be alright."
Yugi stood up. "I hope so too, Ms. Gardner. But I won't be much longer, I'm just going to give Tea this medicine and I'll be going. It's getting late anyway."
"Alright. Oh, could you tell Tea that I had to run to the grocery store? I have to get some another gallon of milk and some frosting."
"Sure thing." Yugi said, walking towards Tea's room.
Yugi knocked for five minutes before Tea finally opened the door. The radio was playing the most depressing songs Yugi had ever heard. When he finally saw Tea, he felt like crying too.
She was wearing sweatpants and an old baggy T-Shirt that had a faded picture of Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts on it. Her feet were bare and her face was red and tear-streaked from crying. Her eyes were the worst; red and slightly puffy. She continuously wiped at her nose with a handkerchief with one hand and the other held a pint of ice cream that was beginning to melt. Putting it bluntly Tea was a mess. The very stereotype of a girl getting over a bad breakup. Minus the scratch under her eye.
"Yugi...what are you doing here?" she sniffled.
He handed the bag to her. "I can't stay long, but I wanted to say a few things to you."
"Okay." she said, opening the bag to see its contents. "What is it you want to talk about?"
"I wanna talk about what happened between you and Yami. Oh, those are the antibiotics. Anyway, Yami's just as confused as you are. He wants to talk to you about this soon. I told him to let you calm down and wait a while."
"Yeah...thanks for the medicine. Well, to tell you the truth, I'm not sure why I did it either. I don't know, maybe it was because he said all of those nice things for me. No one's ever stood up for me like that before."
"Well, whatever the reason, maybe it's time for a change. We could all do with a change after going to school all these years. I might wait on college for a while; I want to figure out what it is I want to do with my life." Yugi said shrugging.
Tea thougt for a minute. "I think a change would do me some good. Thanks for the advice, Yugi."
"Sure thing, Tea. Oh, one more thing before I go. Your mom said that she had to go to the store to get some milk and frosting."
"Alright. Hey Yugi, could you do me a favor? Tell Yami that I said thank you for what he did for me. I never got the chance to tell him."
"Of course, I'll talk to you later Tea!"
"Okay Yugi! Thanks again!" Tea said from her doorway. She just hoped the decision she made was the right one.
Yugi entered the game shop to find Yami still behind the counter, only he was amusing himself with Yugi's Gameboy Advance. He was playing some Mario game and didn't hear Yugi walk up to the counter. It wasn't until the sound of Mario reaching the castle that Yami looked up to find Yugi staring at him grinning.
"Having fun?"
"Yes. I'm on going on to World 8 in a minute. Why do you ask?"
"I just got back from Tea's house. I dropped off the medicine. Yami, she looks awful. She's been crying nonstop and moping around, but I talked to her for a few minutes before I left. All I said was that we all needed a change of pace. I think she took it to heart, so maybe she won't be depressed for much longer."
"That's good. Anythig else?"
"Yeah. As a matter of fact, Tea's mom would like to meet you. I talked to her before I talked to Tea, and she said that she wanted to talk to you." Yugi said, heading towards the stairs. "Oh, one more thing, Yami."
"Yes?"
"On all of the World 8 levels, there's no halfway point; so if you die, you start back at the beginning."
"Now you tell me." the Pharaoh mumbled.
"Night Yami." Yugi sighed, going upstairs.
"Tea!" Ms. Gardner called from the kitchen. "Honey, I'm back from the store!"
Tea emereged from her bedroom still in the same T-shirt and pants. "Hey mom." she sighed, hugging her.
"What's on your mind?" her mom asked.
"Yeah...but it's not what you think. Yugi told me that you two talked, so I imagine that you know what's happened. Yugi said before he left that he thinks that we all need a change. I think I'm going to take his advice."
Her mom opened up a drink. "That's great honey. What have you decided on doing?"
"I'm not sure."
"What?"
"I'm not sure. That's why I want to get out of here for the summer, find myself. Maybe find a way to work towards my dream of becoming a dancer." She said, swinging her arms back and forth.
Her mom was stunned. "Okay. My question now is, how, where, and when?"
"I was thinking maybe Florida. I want to leave as soon as I can. Though money might be a problem."
Tea watched as her mom took everything in. She was worried that she would say no. It made her feel like the request was a flop when her mom got up and hugged her.
"Tea...you're my little girl...you know I love you, but this is a big step. Are you sure?"
"Yes..." she said finally, nodding.
"Then how can I say...no. You're old enough to make your own decisions now, and I won't stop you. I'll help you in any way that I can, I want you to know that. So what are you waiting for? Go pack some things and meet me back down here when you're done."
Tea hugged her mom once more before she ran back to her room. Grabbing two duffel bags, she hastily threw in enough clothes to get her through a week at the most. She decided that once she found a place to get settled in, she would buy some more clothes. She tossed in the personal items no girl should go without, among them the most important if a girl goes anywhere near a beach, her bathing suit. She also packed a carry on bag that consisted of her portable CD player and case of her favorite CDs, a few of her favorite manga, a notebook, pen, her cell phone, things like that. As she was taking one last look around her room, she noticed her photo album laying on her desk. She picked it up and placed in the carry on bag. Tea sighed, feeling a little sad about leaving, but at the moment she felt it was best if she got out of there. After all, she would be back in the fall, so it wasn't like she was leaving forever.
When Tea met her mom in the kitchen, she could tell that her mom wanted to cry. She wanted to cry too.
Looking at her watch, Ms. Gardner said, "Well, it's 8:20. Might be best if you get to the airport early so you can check the times and get a ticket. Here's everything you'll need: your ID, passport, money. I'm not sure how much plane tickets are running, but I managed to get a rough estimate from a friend. You have your cell phone, right? Okay, call me and let me know when you're leaving and when you're landing. If the plane doesn't leave until really late, come back home and wait. You should have enough money for a hotel room as well until you find a suitable place to stay. Do you want me to come with you?"
"I...I don't know. It's hard enough right now for me standing here. But I can't turn back now. I have to try to do this on my own."
"You're right. You should take responsibility. You're all grown up now..." her mom trailed off, the tears finally falling.
Tea was swept up in her moms arms, and she couldn't stop the tears from falling either. "I'm gonna miss you, Mom."
"I'll miss you too, Tea. Call me every day?"
"And email every weekend. I'll send pictures too if I can."
"You don't have to do that, I'm only kidding. But it would be nice to hear how you're doing every so often."
"Don't worry, you'll hear from me. I guess I'd better get going." she said, pulling the straps of the bags over her shoulders. Her mom handed her a big brown paper bag.
"It's a couple of your favorite sandwiches. There's some chips and homemade cookies in there too, along with a couple of apples and some of that Capri Sun stuff you like to drink. I also put in a container with a couple graduation cupcakes I made you. You know, just in case you get hungry." she said with a warm smile.
Tea put the bag in on top of the stuff in her carry on. "Thank you, Mom, that means a lot."
She hugged her mother once more before she walked out the door. As Tea reached the end of the driveway, she waved once more before heading down the street.
Tea checked her watch. It was nearly 10 o'clock and she wasn't at the airport yet. She sighed, thinking that it would have been easier to just get a cab. But as she made to cross tht road, she failed to hear the blowing of a horn or the squeal of tires until it was too late...
Yugi turned in bed and looked at his clock.
"Man, it's almost 10! Why can't I fall asleep!" he muttered as he got up to get something to drink.
Apparently Yami couldn't sleep either. He was sitting up with Grandpa Mutou watching the late night talk shows when Yugi walked in.
"Can't sleep either?" he asked Yami.
"No...it's strange. I have this bad feeling that something is wrong."
"What do you mean?" Grandpa asked.
"Come to think of it, when I was talking to Tea today, she had this far off look in her eyes when I was talking about us needing a change."
Yami and Yugi's thoughts seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Grandpa, we gotta go to Tea's house real quick!"
"Why?" he asked bewildered as they grabbed their coats.
"Can't explain it, but I have a hunch..." was all Yugi said.
The sound of brakes squealing and Tea screaming could be heard throughout the area. No one else was around to witness the scene. As Tea opened her eyes, she caught a glimpse of shining headlights and the driver side door of a blue Miada open.
"Oh my god, are you alright? I am so sorry! I wasn't paying attention and before I knew it I saw you in the road." The figure apologized quickly.
Tea did a quick check to make sure that she was okay before she looked up at the figure before her. It was a woman, maybe a couple inches taller than herself, and she had very light blond hair and piercing green eyes. She wore a denim jacket over a white shirt and black pants. Pale toes peeked out from intricately laced black sandals.
"I'm alright." Tea said finally, "And don't worry about it, I wasn't paying attention either. I should have been looking where I was going?"
"What's your name? You look familiar to me." The blond asked, walking up to Tea.
"Tea. Tea Gardner."
"You're Tea! You must be one of Rebecca's friends! I'm Willow, Rebecca's cousin." she said, holding out her hand.
Tea shook it. "You're talking about Rebecca Hawkins, right? How's she doing? I haven't seen her in a while."
"She doing fine. Grandpa and her are in Florida this summer. He's got a project going on that has to do with the lost city of Atlantis, or something like that. Hey, can I give you a ride somewhere? With all those bags, you look like you could use some help."
"If it's not too much trouble..." Tea said nervously.
"Of course not. Any friend of my cousin is a friend of mine. Now tell me where I can take you to." Willow said with a wave of her hand.
"The airport."
"The airport?"
"Yeah, I'm on my way to the airport to see about getting a plane ticket to Florida, actually."
"Really? So am I!" Willow said excitedly, reaching in her pocket and pulling out two plane tickets. "See, a person I used to work with was going to fly out to Florida with me, but they cancled on me at last minute. Huh, seems like this was destined to happen," she laughed. "Anyways, the plane takes off at 1:20. You're more than welcome to come with me. I'm staying with Rebecca at Grandpa's beach house, and I'm sure Rebecca would love for you to stay. It would definitely beat staying in a hotel."
Tea shifted the duffel bags on her shoulders. "That sounds great, Willow. Thanks." she said as Willow took the bags and placed them in the backseat. "You know," Tea began as they climbed in the car, "this may sound strange, but I'm glad that you nearly run over me."
Willow started laughing. "Doesn't sound all that strange to me!" she said, starting the engine and speeding off down the street.
Ms. Gardner was about ready to go to bed when she had to rush to the door due to persistent knocking. When she answered the door, she was surprised to find Yugi and someone else that looked similar to Yugi, only he was taller.
"Yugi...it's almost 12:30. What are you doing up so late?" she asked.
"I couldn't sleep to be honest, Ms. Gardner. Something kept nagging at my thoughts. Has something happened to Tea since I was last here?" Yugi asked nervously.
Ms. Gardner looked at them with sad eyes, something that made Yugi nervous. She didn't say anything, but she stepped out of the way and motioned for them to come in and sit down.
When they were seated, Yugi introduced Yami to Ms. Gardner. "So you are Yami...hm, it's so nice to finally meet you. I just wanted to say that I really appreciate what you did for Tea. Not many men are that well-mannered nowadays, and it's wonderful to know that Tea has such good friends that would stand up for her like you do."
Yami nodded off the compliments, but instead asked, "Is something wrong with Tea? Yugi and I have a bad feeling that something has."
Ms. Gardner sighed and fiddled with her hands before she spoke. "Tea isn't here right now. She's on her way to the airport."
"What!" Yugi cried, "Why would she be going there of all places!"
"She said that you said something about getting a fresh start and she decided that she was going to spend a good bit of her summer in Florida. Tea thought it would be for the best."
"How can she do this!" Yugi continued. "What is Tea thinking?"
Ms. Gardner sighed and shook her head. "I just don't know. But I think she said there was a letter left in her room for you guys. Feel free to go get it if you w-" but she never finished the sentence because Yugi and Yami had taken off to Tea's room to find the letter.
"I found it!" Yugi said, holding up the envelope for Yami to see before opening it.
"Well, what does it say?" Yami asked eagerly, wanting to know why Tea would leave so abruptly.
Yugi was silent for a minute, but he began to read it out loud. "Dear, Yugi, Yami, Joey, Tristan, and Duke: I want to apologize for everything that I have done in the past months...ever since the whole ordeal with Koga started. I realize now what a huge mistake it was for me to think that he even cared, and I had to learn it the hard way. I turned my friends against me because of my foolishness, and for that I am sorry. So sorry that I can not even express it in words. But by now you have found this letter, and you must be wondering why I am not around. I have decided to get a fresh start, to clear my head, and I'm going to start by leaving the place that has placed such troubles on me. But don't worry, I'll be back in the fall. Maybe by then everyone will be past this, and we can start over again. Yes, this is sudden, but this was my choice. Please do not try to find me. I'll come back on my own when I'm good and ready. I love you all like family. -Tea."
Yugi folded the letter and placed it in his back pocket. "We have to stop her Yami."
"That won't be possible, at least not now." Ms. Gardner told them from Tea's doorway. "Tea just called me and told me that the plane takes off at 1:20. It's a quarter to one now; it would be impossible to make it."
"We've still got to try." Yugi said. Yami noticed a piece of paper on the ground that Yugi must have dropped. "What's that Yami?"
"I'm not sure." he said, looking it over and handing it to Yugi.
"It looks like something that went with Tea's letter. Hang on, there's some more at the bottom. P.S. This is just something I found that expresses what I'm feeling as I write this letter."
By some coincidence, the words that Tea wrote in her letter came drifting back to her as Willow continued to drive down the street, getting closer and closer to the airport as the seconds ticked away.
I used to be your girlfriend and I know I did it well
Oh yes, you know it's true
You called me Cinderella, all you had to do was yell
And I'd be there for you
Images of Koga treating her like a princess flashed through her mind. But she didn't shed tears-crying over someone not worth crying over is pointless. She pushed the thoughts aside and tried to figure out what she was going to tell Rebecca and Professor Hawkins when she all of a sudden showed up in Florida with Willow.
Here I am, so try to forgive me
I don't believe in fairytales
Here we are with nothing but honesty
I've had enough, I'm not gonna stay
Yugi and Yami said their goodbyes to Ms. Gardner as they rushed out the door. She just sighed and watched them go, trying to beat time in order to get to Tea.
I'm sorry for running away like this
And I'm sorry I've already made my wish
Aah, (but Cinderella's got to go)
Yami was baffled at what Tea left in the letter. How could she do this? What is she thinking? Is it because of me? These and other thougths were plaguing his mind as he and Yugi rand down the deserted streets, among the darkness their only source of light being the streetlights and the cresent moon overhead.
From time to time I tried to tell just what was on my mind
You told me not today
Come back, do that, where's Cinderella at
Was all you had to say
Tea recalled the shouting fit she had with Duke, Joey, and Tristan more that four months ago. God, how she wished she could take it all back in a heartbeat.
Here I am, so try to forgive me
I don't believe in fairytales
Here we are with nothing but honesty
I've had enough, I'm not gonna stay
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The past was over. She couldn't take back what was done, she could only get over it and move on. What she was doing was right, wasn't it? Her mind was starting to doubt her actions. No, that shouldn't happen, Tea thought. She knew that she was doing the right thing by getting away, but a small part of her felt that the guilt of not saying goodbye to her friends was going to linger. If that's the case, this is going to be one long summer, Tea thought.
I'm sorry for running away like this
And I'm sorry I've already made my wish
Aah, (but Cinderella's got to go)
I'm sorry, just trying to live my life
Don't worry, you're gonna be alright
But Cinderella's got to go
Tea hoped that the guys would understand. If not when they read the letter, then in the future. She wanted them to understand that she isn't as fragile as she may appear to be; and that she can bounce back from a broken heart.
Yugi and Yami continued up the streets, and it wasn't much longer before they reached the airport. Now the hard part was figuring out where the flight to Florida would be boarding. And at one o'clock in the morning, it's hard to find anyone that works the graveyard shift to be helpful and in a somewhat good mood.
The Pharaoh's mind still replayed everything that had happened between Tea and himself since the day he met her. The memories, plus what Yugi asked him, and the sudden up and leaving on Tea's part, made Yami wonder if what Yugi said might be true. But then the next few lines on the second page made him second guess himself.
I used to say I want you
You cast me in your spell
I did everything you wanted me to
But now I shall break free from all your lies
I won't be blind you see
My love, it can't be sacrificed
I won't return to thee
Willow and Tea were now passing through security and were soon after preparing to board the plane. But Tea stopped and looked around the airport. This was it. She was about to leave Japan and head to America. It wasn't like this was her first time going to America, but it was the first time she was going with a feeling of guilt in her heart.
I'm so sorry
I've already made up my mind
I won't return to thee
I'm sorry to say, I'm running away now
Don't worry, you will be all right
"Tea?" Willow's voice broke through her thoughts.
"Yeah?"
"You're not having second thoughts, are you?" Willow asked.
"No...I'm ready."
Once Yugi had finally found someone that was able to tell him when the flight to Florida was leaving, she apologized and said that they were preparing the plane for takeoff as she spoke. Yugi grabbed Yami by the arm and they made it to the windows to see the planes begin to move down the runway.
"We're too late..." Yugi sighed. "Goodbye Tea..."
I'm running away, I've made up my mind
You're gonna have to let me go
(She's got to go)
Tea felt a pang in her chest as she was fastening her seatbelt.
"Something the matter, Tea?" Willow asked.
"No...nothing. Maybe it's just heartburn."
"Okay, well I'll see if I can get us something to drink after we take off." Willow said, looking back up and down the aisle at all of the half-asleep passengers they were flying with.
I'm sorry for running away like this
And I'm sorry I've already made my wish
Aah, (but Cinderella's got to go)
"I'm sorry you guys...I'll make it up to you...someday..." Tea whispered, looking out the window at the crew on the runway.
They were so close.
I'm sorry, just trying to live my life
Don't worry, you're gonna be alright
But Cinderella's got to go
Yugi felt like crying. One of his best friends just took off to another country without so much as a reliable reason, and there was nothing he could do.
"We tried, Yami...I guess we were just too late." he sighed.
Yami placed a hand on his shoulder. "Not quite." was all he said as he walked over to the service desk.
"Yes sir, how may I help you?" A short woman with dark brown curly hair said, trying to sound pleasant, but her lack of sleep was evident in the sound of her voice and the slight rings under her eyes.
The Pharaoh leaned forward on the counter. "Yes, I was wondering if I could get some information on the next flight bound for Florida?"
Elfbrat: Wow, very emotional Whistler. That was pretty good.
Whistler: Yeah, you think so. Despite the sugar rush, Iwanted to cry. I could see this playing out like it were an episode on tv.
Elfbrat: Okay ppl, now it's your turn to let Whistler know what you think about the first chapter she's ever solo-written.