Welcome back, my friends!

First of all, thank you to shadow-fox313 and Aqua girl 007 for your reviews! They really keep me focused on writing.

Also, I'm going to try to start updating every Wednesday from now on. It's easier for me. Plus, since I'm a reader myself, I personally HATE not knowing when the next update will come.

Lastly, we will encounter the beginnings of a subplot in this chapter, so be prepared to be confused...o.O

I do not own anything except Erin.

Enjoy!

Chapter 3

"Don't tell me that you've never danced before." I said, giggling at his hesitation. I had never imagined that a prince of Egypt could look so flustered.

He regained his composure quickly. "Of course I have. It's just...been a while."

I saw right through his fib. "Wow, I'm a little disappointed. I would have bet that Mana had at least taught you a little about dancing, given that she does it all the time."

His mouth twisted into a smirk, and his violet eyes gleamed with mischief. "What do you propose we do about my unfortunate lack of skill in that area?"

"Simple," I said, moving closer. Almost as if a string was connecting the two of us, he took a step nearer as well. With a catlike grin, I grabbed his left hand and put it on my waist. His confident facade slipped a little. I felt mine do the same. I had never allowed anyone to touch me in such a way, much less him. But this felt...right. I finished the stance by clasping my left hand in his right and placing my right hand on his bare upper arm. "I'll teach you."

Music drifted up to the balcony we were standing on from the city below, and I felt myself sway with it. He followed suit, moving his body in the same general rhythm as mine, though his rhythm was slightly off. Our eyes never left each other, deep violet staring into royal blue. Lapis lazuli blue, as he often liked to remind me.

He smiled down at me. "How am I doing?"

"Better than I expected," I said wryly.

"Was that an insult I heard, Sagira?" He asked, his voice laughing. No one dared insult anyone in the royal family, not even jokingly. But I wasn't just anyone. Besides, he called my honesty refreshing.

I felt his thumb and forefinger play with the fabric of my dress at my waist absentmindedly. So the saying was true: the longer you spent with someone, the more their habits rubbed off on you. I smiled at the fact that my constant need to do something with my hands had rubbed off on the regal future king. "I believe it was, your highness."

He scowled at me. "Stop calling me that."

I raised an eyebrow and gave him a gentle smile. His expression softened. "What are you going to do about it?" I asked suggestively.

He put on a straight face and pretended to ponder this for a moment. "Well, I could have you arrested for mocking your future Pharaoh, but that would be too much work on my part. How about this?" He brought his face closer to mine. "You repay me."

"I accept," I whispered, closing the little space between us and locking my mouth on his.

My eyes snapped open, and for a moment, I almost thought I was still dancing in that cool night breeze. However, my room soon came into focus around me, and I sighed in disappointment. I had never had a dream that felt so real, never felt such a connection between me and someone else in my imagination.

But he hadn't been my imagination. No, that face was all too familiar. I pushed the thought away. I had not been dreaming about Yugi's stoic brother. Because, I reasoned, I did not see Atem as the smiling, laughing type. At least, not from the way he'd acted yesterday. Maybe it was me?

I shook my head. Why was I worrying about this? I had literally met the guy a day ago.

My alarm clock read 6:05, five minutes before my alarm was set to go off. I turned the annoying buzzer off so I wouldn't have to in five minutes and peeled my comforter off my legs, which had the sheets beneath twisted around them. I kicked the sheets off, then stood and stumbled tiredly around my room, looking for my clothes.

The dream still replayed in my head. Of all the places I could have been dancing with him, why had my brain picked ancient Egypt? Usually, my dreams took place in weird, slightly-warped versions of places I had already been, like my house or a museum. Not a country and a time that I had never seen before.

The bruise from yesterday had already healed some, and was easy to conceal under a few layers of makeup. I made a mental note to ask Tea where she got her concealer.

Mom was already in the kitchen when I got downstairs, brewing her coffee. I again mentally cursed her boss for making her come in so early and leave so late.

The weary lines on her face lightened when she saw me. "Heya, sunshine. Do you want some coffee?"

"Maybe a little bit." I said around a yawn as I lumbered over to the pantry looking for cereal.

She snorted. "How about a lot?"

I grunted in response. Mornings were not my forte, especially when I was around people who considered it theirs. Like my mother, for instance.

I was staring longingly at the beach scene on the back of the cereal box when she set the mug of coffee down in front of me. "Are you taking Miri to school again today?"

I nodded and took a bite of my cornflakes.

As if summoned by the sound of her name, my sister appeared in the kitchen, her school bag slung over her shoulder. "What's for breakfast?" She asked, her quiet voice chipper.

"What is wrong with you people?" I muttered under my breath. "It's six-thirty in the freaking morning."

"You know," Miri said, taking the seat beside me and pouring herself a bowl of cereal, "I read that the ancient Egyptians believed that the sun rose when the pharaoh awoke. That means he had to wake up much earlier than six-thirty to invoke the sunrise, since they lived in the desert."

"That job must have sucked." I said, perking up slightly from the coffee in my veins and the laid-back presence of my sister next to me.

Mom sighed and checked her watch. "Speaking of sucky jobs, I've gotta fly." She pecked each of us on the forehead. "Have fun at school today. No fights, no drama, no smoking in a back alley..."

"It's like she thinks we're teenagers or something." I whispered to Miri. She giggled, and I grinned at her laugh.

Mom stopped mid-ramble, a smile also on her face. "I heard that, smart mouth."

"I love you, Mom. Have a good day at work." I said. Miri echoed my change of subject.

Seemingly satisfied at our goodbye, Mom waved and headed out the door. "Love you guys, too."

Miri and I finished our breakfasts, exchanging a few pieces of conversation as we ate. When we were done, I got up to clear our plates.

"No," Miri told me, taking the dishes from my hands, "go finish getting ready for school. I'll clean up." I opened my mouth to protest, but she shook her head. "I'm already dressed. Come on, you don't always have to play step-in mom when Mom's not home. Go get ready."

Seeing that any protests would be in vain, I said a thank you and hurried back upstairs. Miri was right: ever since Mom and Dad had gotten divorced, I had felt that it was my responsibility to take care of Miri in their absence. Her needs always outweighed my own. There wasn't food in the fridge? I went out and bought some. She needed homework help? I ignored my own schoolwork in favor of hers. If it would ensure that Miri lived a long, problem-free life, I would gladly give up a lung. Landon had done the same for me back in Columbia, in his own quiet, protective manner. It only seemed right for me to protect Miri.

I finished braiding my hair and grabbed my backpack, mentally repeating my schedule for the day to make sure I remembered it. Algebra 3, Famous Literature, Study Hall, Drawing and Painting, PE.

Miri met me in the kitchen. "Ready?" I asked her.

She nodded and followed me out to my car. The drive to her school was quiet, as reality set in and she mulled over the fact that she would have to deal with people her age again today. I tried to lighten up the mood by turning on the radio, but her sourness didn't seem to be alleviated.

"Hey, I can take you for ice cream after school if you want." I said, turning down the radio.

Miri continued to stare out the window, though I knew I had her attention.

"But you have to promise me that you'll have a good day." I added as I turned in to her school parking lot. "No being rude to other girls, and no skimping on classwork, okay?"

She opened the door to get out. "Fine," I heard her mumble.

Before she closed the door, I leaned over. "Remember, ice cream. Have a good day. See you later, okay?"

She nodded and closed the door behind her. Watching her walk away and join the throng of other middle-schoolers, I hoped she would make some friends today, or at least meet someone her age that didn't annoy the crap out of her.

That was the hope, at least.

For the first time in my life, I was grateful for the loud, annoying bell that signified the end of first hour. My English teacher, Miss Tran, had forced me to introduce myself to the class, and I had gotten hit on by at least five different guys over the course of the hour-and-a-half-long class period.

Suffice to say, I was glad to be done with English for the day.

"Hey, Stephenson!" A voice yelled behind me.

I rolled my eyes and turned to the source. I knew who that overly-husky voice belonged to. "What do you want, Devon?"

Devon's white-toothed grin almost blinded me. Of all the guys that had introduced themselves to me during English, I disliked Devon the most. His cocky, better-than-you attitude made me angry. "You never answered when I asked for your number."

A lie was quick to roll off my tongue. "I don't have a cell phone." Luckily for me, said device was currently shoved into a pocket of my book bag, out of sight.

"Don't you have a home phone?" He asked, stepping closer.

I took a step back to match his. "Nope. My mom has no use for one."

"Well, then," he purred, his voice slippery as ice, "I guess you'll just have to tell me the time and place now."

I felt my nose wrinkle, and my patience wear thin. "I'd rather not."

Devon looked shocked. Had he never been turned down before? "Excuse me?"

Hoping my impassive stare gave him a hint, I said, "I'm not interested."

"You don't mean that." He was no longer playing the charming card. His tone had bounced rapidly from surprised to commanding. His words sounded like a threat.

"I do." I said, turning to go. "Goodbye, Devon."

A hand clamped down on my shoulder. Dominating. Hostile. "You'll regret that, Perdidit Regina."

I whirled on him, thinking I hadn't heard him right. Because if I had, then I had just understood two Latin-sounding words that I had never heard before. "What did you just call me?"

His grin was sly and knowing. I didn't like it. "You heard me."

His violent mood swings were scaring me, and quite frankly, the entire encounter had disturbed me enough. "Leave me alone, Devon." I pulled away from his vise-like grip and hurried down the hallway, his words echoing in my mind. Perdidit Regina. Lost queen.

What the heck was that supposed to mean?

I pushed it to the back of my mind. I was probably imagining things. I had never learned Latin. I had probably just heard him wrong. My mind must have just made up some words to make up for the ones I had missed. I was being ridiculous.

I kept my eyes ahead of me as I entered my Famous Literature classroom, not paying attention to anyone in the room. The most I could do was hope that by taking an inconspicuous seat in the back, the teacher would forget that there was a new student in the class and spare me an introduction session. No one showed that they cared that I had sat in the far corner. Good. Made things easier for me.

"If you're aiming to go unnoticed, I wouldn't sit there." A gruff male voice said. I looked up to find a tall boy with brown hair who pretended to be interested in the front of the room occupying the seat next to mine.

"Why do you say that?" I asked, pausing as I went to pull my notebook from my bag.

He grunted. "Because that's where the delinquents sit." Everything about his posture and his tone of voice screamed high horse, but I ignored the signs.

I narrowed my eyes. "And how does sitting next to the delinquent seat make you any better?"

"Not as conspicuous."

"But still deliquent-esque."

He shrugged. "Whatever."

"Never been argued with before, huh?" I asked.

I seemed to be getting on his nerves. He didn't reply.

"Erin Stephenson." I told him, like he actually wanted to know the name of the flea he aspired to crush under his boot. I saw him roll his eyes. "Not that you care or anything."

"Erin." I looked up sharply to find Atem staring at me from two rows over. Crap! He was in this class, too? I blushed as images from my dream flashed through my mind.

The boy snorted. "I should've guessed that you were friends with the loser clan."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Partly grateful that the boy's comment forced me to take my eyes off the subject of my dream, I looked at the boy.

"Well, considering that Yugi's overly-dramatic 'relative'" – he made quotes in the air with his fingers when he said "relative" for some reason – "is staring at you like you're the most impressive thing he's seen since the Winged Dragon of Ra, I'd say he's at least known you longer than a few minutes."

For some reason, I flushed at his comment and looked back to Atem, who was, in fact, staring at me, as if wondering why I was sitting next to and making nice with the biggest jerk in class. My eyes flickered back to the boy. "Is that a problem?"

The boy snorted. "To me it is. Have a nice life." He said in finality, ending our conversation.

I raised an eyebrow at Atem, who shook his head, not seeming to want to get into it. "You can sit over here if you want." He said, gesturing to an empty desk to the left of his, which would put him between me and the jerk.

"Thanks." I told him, gathering my notebooks and ignoring the boy as I passed him. His words still hung around in my head, so I had decided not to take the risk of being noticed by the teacher if they were true. Besides, this was the most that Atem had spoken to me since I had met him. Maybe this class could be my chance to get to know him better.

As Atem smiled at me, I remembered Dream Pharaoh doing the same, and I nodded once in return, then pretended to be interested in my book bag to hide my red face. This was going to be a long ninety minutes.

Luckily, the teacher began class not soon after. Unluckily, she saw me. "We have a new student today, everyone." She said, her voice chipper. I wanted to strangle her. "Erin, why don't you stand up and tell us about yourself."

I was quick to hide the frustration on my face, and followed her directions. I could feel Atem's, as well as everyone else in the class besides my new "friend"'s, eyes on me. I had already done this about ten times by now, but that didn't make it any easier. I hated talking in front of large groups of people. "Uh, hi. I'm Erin Stephenson, and I transferred here from Missouri. Don't ask me which school, because believe me, you haven't heard of it. I have a brother and a sister, and I play volleyball and run track. My life goal is to not be stuck in high school forever." I earned a few snickers for that, and I sat down, satisfied with my short but to-the-point answer.

"Welcome to Domino, Erin." Mrs. Weatherly said, her voice laughing. At least she had a sense of humor, unlike the other teachers I had told my life goal to. "And I hope that you graduate high school your first time through."

"Me, too." I replied.

Without another word to me, she began class, and I let out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding. Some lecture about well-known authors and possibly a Shakespeare play that covered topics I had already been introduced to at my old school. I took notes obediently, but didn't pay much attention to them. I was all too aware of a certain spiky-haired dream boy watching me out of the corner of his eye. Using my long, dark hair to create a curtain over the side of my face, I tried to focus more on what I was learning. If I kept shirking on listening in class, my life goal would never come true.

I hadn't realized how much time had really passed while I actually paid attention in class, because before I knew it, the bell signaling the end of second hour was ringing, and everyone was gathering their books. I followed suit, shoving my notebooks and textbook into my backpack.

With my view of him still hidden by my hair, I felt rather than saw Atem's presence next to my desk. "Hey, Atem." I said as I stood.

"Hi." He said. His stare was a bit more toned down now that he knew I was watching him, and I felt more comfortable when I slung my bag over my shoulder and began walking for the door, Atem behind me.

"So, uh, where's your study hall at?" I asked when we were out in the hallway.

He seemed pleasantly surprised that I was speaking to him of my own accord. "Room 317. Where's yours?"

"That's cool! Our classrooms are across the hall from each other, then." Though he wouldn't have been my first choice to walk with in the first place, I was glad that Atem would be next to me the entire trip to my next class. I didn't want a repeat of earlier going down. And speaking of earlier... "Hey, so, um, what's that guy's beef with you?"

Atem looked at me, his head cocked slightly in confusion. "Beef?"

Maybe that wasn't the best way to word my question. "I mean, why doesn't the guy in physics like you and Yugi and your friends?"

"Kaiba doesn't like anyone, but he especially hates Yugi and me because he is obsessed with defeating us in a duel."

My eyebrows scrunched together. "You mean Duel Monsters?"

"Yes."

Again with the school's weird infatuation with the game. "Why's he so concerned about beating you guys?"

He hesitated, like he didn't want his next words to be taken the wrong way. "He hasn't been able to beat us any of the times we've dueled him."

"Wow. Are you guys really good, or is he just that bad?"

He shook his head. "Kaiba is a worthy opponent. He may not always be honorable, but his skill is nothing to be scoffed at."

"But you and Yugi are just better."

"I never said that." Despite his cool and confident facade, Atem seemed to be humbling himself and his brother.

I nodded. This conversation was actually...nice. Just this morning I was afraid of having to face Atem, but now that I was over the dream and he was done with his staring act, we could finally just talk. Speaking to Atem made me place more trust in my friend-making skills. I decided to change the subject so I wouldn't break the fragile small talk we'd been sharing, and so I didn't have to hear the strained edge to his voice when he said those last words. "Do you have second lunch shift?"

"Yes." He sounded happy that I had tuned in to his distress signal.

"Great!" We were at our classrooms. "I'll see you then."

He smiled at me before we parted ways, and I found myself smiling back. Maybe I had totally misjudged Atem.

My stomach had begun rumbling in third hour, and turned to a steady roar by the time fourth hour rolled around. When the bell dismissing us to lunch rang, I almost wept tears of joy.

Tea and I had texted back and forth a couple of times during study hall, so we planned to meet up outside the cafeteria and head to the lunch line together. I was glad I had given her my number the day before, because she and I seemed to be getting along really well.

She was waiting for me at the doors. "Heya, stranger." She said as we made our way over to the ever-growing food line.

"Hey." I answered.

"So, meet anyone new today?" The question wasn't stressed the way my mom asked it, and definitely not the way I used it on Miri. It was just a simple, it's-okay-if-you-didn't question.

I shrugged. "Well, there were a few guys in my English class who wouldn't leave me alone, and then there was Devon Reisinger, who is a total dipwad. And according to Atem, I think I pissed off someone named Kaiba."

Tea looked at me, eyes wide. "Devon Reisinger talked to you?"

"Uh, is that not a good thing?"

She shook her head. "Oh my god, I totally didn't mean for it to come out that way. I mean, you're pretty, and he's popular, but I just figured, well..."

Her words were confusing me more than they should have. "Figured what?"

"Devon doesn't talk to anyone who hangs out with us. And he had our lunch shift yesterday, so there's no reason he wouldn't know you did by now." Her tone was lilting from casual to worried. Was it really that big of a deal that some jerk was speaking to me?

"What, are you guys some kind of cult?" I meant for it to be a joke to ease the tension in her voice. "Because I would really like to know that in advance before you guys go trying to initiate me or anything."

My joke worked, and she laughed for a few seconds. By now, we were grabbing our plates. "No. Devon and Kaiba just really don't like us."

I separated a piece of pepperoni pizza from its clan and put it on my plate. "Does Devon hate you guys for the same reasons that Kaiba does?"

"No. Kaiba hates Yugi and Atem because of Duel Monsters" – I could tell by the way she said those last words that she thought the feud was as ridiculous as I did – "and by default, he hates us. Devon is kind of just an all-around jerk. Serenity and I have a hunch that it has something to do with Duke's popularity, but we have no evidence to back that up. So again, Devon doesn't like anyone that is friends with Duke, so therefore, he hates us."

I looked at the meager supply of fresh fruit at the end of the bar, and decided on a not-quite-ripened banana. "Wow. There's a lot more drama at this school than there was at my old one."

"You're telling me." We began our trek to the same table we had sat at yesterday. From my vantage point, I could see Joey and Tristan already devouring their food, and Atem and Yugi attempting to carry out a conversation with them. However, they were the only ones at the table.

"Do Duke, Serenity, and Bakura not have the same lunch shift today?" I asked.

Tea nodded. "They all have first lunch. That's okay, though. Bakura doesn't have to say anything, and Duke and Serenity get alone time from Joey, so it's not a bad deal for any of them."

"Duke and Serenity have a thing?" I asked, thinking back to the way the two had acted at lunch the day before. There had been no indicators of any relationship deeper than friendship between them. Plus, Duke had hit on me. But maybe that had been because Serenity's older brother had been sitting right there. I knew that Landon would send my prospective boyfriends scrambling away with their tails between their legs. It had happened before.

"Yup. But don't bring it up in front of Joey. He gets super protective."

"I bet." We had reached the table. Only Yugi and Atem looked up, since Joey and Tristan seemed intent on mauling their sandwiches until they were unrecognizable.

"Hey, Erin." Yugi said, smiling at me. "Hey, Tea."

Tea and I both replied with a "hey," and we set our plates down, Tea next to Yugi, and me next to Joey. Joey finally noticed that there were other people at the table, and chewed and swallowed one last enormous bite.

He nudged me in the shoulder. "So are ya here to stay, then?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?"

"You're not gonna run off and find another group to hang with?"

"Uh," I exchanged a look with Tea, whose eyes told me I didn't have to answer that question if I didn't want to, "I guess not."

The group seemed to visibly relax around me after that. Tristan and Joey treated me like a full-fledged member of the gang by returning to their food and including me in their weird jokes and jabs at each other. I didn't remember laughing that much in my entire life. Tea and I talked back and forth about classes and the people I had met, with Yugi and Atem throwing in their two cents every once in a while. By the end of lunch, I felt a renewed sense of happiness. I had made great friends.

"So, are you coming to the Game Shop after school again today?" Yugi asked me.

I shrugged. "If you guys want me to. But I promised my sister I would get her some ice cream after school, so I may be a little later than I was yesterday. But I will definitely stay longer."

"Great!" Yugi said. "We'll see you then." The bell rang just after his words were finished, and we all stood to throw our plates away and head to our next class.

"Uh, Erin?" I turned to find Atem standing behind me. At my questioning look, he faltered only for a moment before clearing his throat. "Where's your next class?"

I smiled. I had noticed that the other four had broken off into pairs: Yugi with Tea, and Joey with Tristan. It seemed Atem was the odd man out today, and he wanted someone to walk with him. "Upstairs. I have art next."

His face brightened with my smile. "Drawing and Painting?"

"Yeah." I dumped my plate in the trash, and he did the same. "You, too?"

He nodded. As we wove our way through the hallway to the stairs, I couldn't help but note that he seemed to know exactly how to pace his strides so they matched mine, despite the three-inch height difference. I hadn't realized that on the way to study hall, but looking back, I remembered that he had done the same then, too. Usually it took me a few tries before I could keep up with people his size, but that seemed to be no problem here, despite the fact that his strides were much longer than mine. I shook the thought from my mind. I was overreacting, as usual. So he could walk the same speed as me. Big deal.

Luckily for me, art was one of my better subjects. I was a decent artist, in the way that I could actually draw people, not just stick figures. At least Atem would be able to see me when I was in my element.

"You must be Erin." Mr. Kayasaki, our art instructor, said when Atem and I entered the room. I braced myself for another round of introductions, but he gave me a kind smile instead. "Welcome to Drawing and Painting. You may sit anywhere you want."

I breathed a sigh of relief. I had a feeling Mr. Kayasaki and I would get along just fine.

"You can sit by me if you want." Atem said, nodding his head to a table near the windows.

"That would be great." I followed him over to it.

Turns out, I wasn't the only one interested in sitting next to him. Three girls, one of which was in my English class, approached the table as the two of us settled down in our seats.

"Hi, Atem." One of the girls I didn't know, a brunette with startling green eyes, purred. Her school blouse had two extra buttons undone, giving both of us a good view of what was beneath her shirt. Eyes wide, I pretended to be interested in the paint-splattered tabletop. That was definitely not in compliance with the school dress code.

Atem didn't even flinch. "Hello, Astrid."

"Did you miss me over the weekend?" She asked, inching closer.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I hadn't realized that when I registered for this school, I was also signing up to be on an episode of 90210.

If Atem shared my discomfort, he didn't show it. "Not really." He glanced at me for a half-second, as if afraid that I was going to get mad at him for letting Astrid talk to him like that.

Astrid suddenly seemed to notice me. "Who's this?" Her voice, though she tried to make the question sound innocent, carried an undertone of jealousy.

I looked up at her, not allowing Atem to speak for me. "I'm Erin." My voice was sickly sweet. "Nice to meet you, Astrid."

Her eyes narrowed slightly at me. The other two girls looked at Astrid in horror, like she was going to explode from hatred. Astrid's expression, however, remained composed. "So, you're the new girl I've been hearing about."

"Unless there's another one." I said, doing my best to keep my eyes from wandering to her half-exposed bra. How big of a slut was this chick?

Astrid gave me a smile that might have been friendly-looking if I didn't see the murderous look in her eyes. "Well, Erin, this is Diana and Reece." She gestured to the blond and redhead behind her, who waved when their names were said. "It's a pleasure to meet you, too. Right, girls?"

The other two nodded, still not speaking for themselves.

Okay, scratch what I had said about 90210 earlier. It turned out I was starring in Mean Girls 3.

Astrid forgot about me after she introduced her coven. She turned her attention back to Atem. "So, are you doing anything this weekend?"

"Yes." Was all the answer she received. Why was Atem being so chill about this? Did he get hit on often?

That question was stupid. Of course he did. The guy was hot. He had olive skin and mysterious violet eyes. I didn't know of a girl on the planet who wouldn't think he was attractive. At least most of the other girls in school were less obvious about it.

I mentally kicked myself. I was not going to let my mind go there, especially not after the dream.

Astrid didn't seem to want the conversation to be over. "Well, I have two tickets to see that new Brad Pitt movie. I hear it's really good."

"I'm not interested, Astrid. I'm sorry." Though I wasn't sure if Astrid could tell or not, the tone in his voice was final. He wasn't going to give her a different answer.

"Come on, you're not going to let me go alone, are you?" God, this girl really couldn't take a hint.

I couldn't stop my mouth from giving her my opinion of her little ploy. "He said he's busy this weekend. Leave him alone."

Astrid's face whipped to me. Reece's eyes were wide in terror. I guessed talking to Astrid out-of-turn was a no-no. "Erin," she said, her voice as thick and sugary as molasses, "I think Atem can speak for himself. He's a grown man."

For some reason, her words and the lustful glint in her eyes when she looked at Atem irked me. Maybe I was just getting defensive over my friend. "Astrid," I said, mocking her syrupy tone, "He doesn't want to offend you. He means it ain't happening. Have a nice day."

Astrid's "sweet" manner suddenly collapsed. "Don't tell me what –"

"Is something wrong over here?" Mr. Kayasaki appeared next to Diana, who cringed in surprise.

Astrid replaced her glare with a confident smile. "Not at all, Mr Kayasaki." Her once-acidic voice was back to its original butt-kissing one. "We were just introducing ourselves to Erin."

Mr. Kayasaki returned her smile. "Well, I hope we're all friends now."

"The best of friends." Astrid said, giving me a glare that Mr. Kayasaki failed to notice.

"We're about to begin our next project, so please take your seats, ladies." He returned to the front of the room.

If looks could kill, I would have been incinerated at Astrid's stink eye. "This isn't over."

"I think it is." Atem put in. He and I exchanged satisfied smiles.

I couldn't help it. My mouth was going to say it anyway: "Hey, Astrid," I said as she turned around, "do you hear that?"

Astrid took the bait. "Hear what?" She growled.

I leaned in closer, cupping my ear, like I really was listening for something. "Is that...Babylon calling?"

I didn't care whether she understood the joke or not, and I admit it was stupid and far-fetched, but by the way her perfect alabaster skin turned beet red in fury, I assumed she did. My laughter drowned out whatever comeback she had to it, and next to me, I could hear a low chuckle that might have come from Atem.

It seemed I had found a new favorite class.

AND roll credits.

Yay! Erin and Atem got to talk like normal people! Now he doesn't seem so creepy.

Are you guys confused about what Devon has to do with any of this? Because I am, too. Just kidding! But seriously, you'll find out what part he plays in this story soon enough...*rubs hands together while grinning evilly*

Did I do a good job with the flashback at the beginning of the chapter? Do you guys want more like that? Because I had a lot of fun writing it.

And, yes, the Babylon joke is stupid and most of you probably didn't get it. Refer to the title of the chapter for more info. Google it. I made myself laugh, and that's all that matters, right? No. I laugh at weird things. Let me know what you thought!

Don't be afraid to tell me your what you think in a review! I really wish I could hear from more of my readers!

Until next time! XD