The school day went by in a blur for Atem as he waited for the final bell. In the past he simply left the classroom if he felt antsy, itching for a cigarette of two to help calm himself. Ever since Terry had come into his life, he was suddenly thrown in all sorts of directions. Now he actually stuck through the class. He even participated. The fact he was an active student in class was a miracle that no one questioned. The faculty were all too happy to see him in class, when he started to participate they were so shocked it was hilarious. He actually enjoyed the stunned looks he got from them. It irritated him on some level as well, but unlike before he let that irritation be instead of lashing out.
He had not noticed the changes all that much at first. He refused to give her the credit of anything he was doing. That he was not influenced at all by her company. He was merely doing everything that he wanted to and without Anzu or Kyohei he may as well spend time in class and build on himself. Slowly the time he spent in class along with his friends. He was talking to Jonouchi again, spent time in the library, and had even tried for the soccer team again. That was the biggest move he had made that got him thinking. He actually wanted to make her proud of him in some way.
He liked her, there was no denying that. Her being oblivious was also something undeniable, but he wanted her to be proud nonetheless. He wanted to make her happy while taking initiative to better himself for Yugi. She was right when she said he was not thinking of the example he set for his younger brother. He was able to hide all of his misdemeanours from his family now, but there would be a day that it all came out and later could be worse than he imagined. He had thought over that advice and started to work only to realize he had been stagnant in a pit, lashing out at anyone who wanted to help. He chased anyone good away until someone had ignored all of his sharp words and reached out for him. Tossing down a rope for him to climb only to find that many more were helping her hold the rope for him.
He also liked himself better when he was with her. Had he known from the start, he never would have been so stupid. He knew he would be sticking around for a long time. He glanced over at Terry for the umpteenth time that day and Jonouchi nudged him with a teasing grin. Scowling he elbowed the nosy blonde and mouthed him to 'fuck off'. Placing a hand over his heart, he faked being stabbed by such words as he slumped in his chair for a moment only to quickly sit up before the teacher caught them. The two shared a secret fist bump as they got away with their antics, classmates snickering at the silliness. He definitely liked himself better now. That little voice in the back of his head had even been extremely quiet. At first it was disturbing. The criticism not as frequent became minimal. He had actually missed the harsh words and cruel laughter for a moment. It was the only thing consistent in himself. Now, seeing her smile was. Spending time with friends was a norm and he no longer needed the toxic comfort.
When the lunch bell ring he found he was torn between relief and frustration. Relief that he was able to go spend time with her, but frustrated that only half the day had gone by. He would take what he could get though and quickly stood from his seat and made his way over to her. His soccer teammates had come to their classroom to grab him and Jonouchi but stopped as he made his way to Terry. They whistled at his back, cheering him on which he happily replied with a middle finger salute and a scowl which they all laughed at.
"You going to the library or are you going to be on the roof with us?" He asked, turning back to see Terry laughing at the little exchange that just happened.
"Well...I was thinking of going to the library to be honest. Though I suppose I should probably let Joey and Marik know that I won't be walking home with them today." She said after a moment of thought. "Hmm...I can go to the library tomorrow." She said after some more thought and stood up from her seat as Rei and Marik walked over to them.
"Well there tiger, on the prowl?" He snickered, patting Atem on the back.
"I would say 'you too' but you just give off that 'pain in the ass brother type' vibe." He rolled his eyes at Marik.
"How dare you," Marik gasped as he ripped his hand away. "That," he glared. "Is absolutely," he leaned in to Atem. "The fucking truth." He grinned and threw his arm around his shoulder. Rei laughed as Atem scowled and shoved Marik away.
"Go hang all over her, we all know you want to!"
"Hey, I ain't gonna deny that. Having a beauty like her one my arm? Even if it's a moment as embarrassing as falling? I'll take it!" He winked at Rei who blushed and scowled at him.
"W-will you ever stop?! Haven't you done enough during class?" She hissed the words, recalling all the flirting glances he had given her. He had snuck her hand and placed it on his lap when no one was looking. He toyed with her hair when they were made to work in pairs on a worksheet. He purposely leaned close enough that his breath was constantly on her skin and his musky scent was all she could smell. She did not mind any of it, but it was all too much for her poor high school heart to handle. He was so bold!
"Whatever do you mean? What exactly did I do that you didn't like?" Marik asked, a sly smirk on his lips as he leaned down over her, slipping an arm around her waist to keep her close. "You name it and I'll stop it. You have my word." He practically whispered the words, sending her heart into a frenzy which left her mute and red faced.
"Oh no, I think he broke Rei!" Honda laughed as he made his way over with Ryuugi and Minami.
"Oh geez, cool it will you Ishtar? We're still in a full classroom!" Ryuugi nudged him playfully as Minami pulled Rei away and scowled at the boys.
"Excuse me, I have yet to do anything! In fact, I asked her what I did was troublesome and promised to stop whatever she listed! If you ask me, that's quite chivalrous of me. You're painting me in completely the wrong light!" He huffed, resting his hands on his hips.
"Oh yeah, totally wrong. They need to paint you much more sinisterly and add a rock." Terry mumbled so that only Marik heard her. He turned to her, glaring at her. She innocently looked back at him before looking to Atem who was amused and tried looking all at once.
"I swear, you're all insane." He chuckled.
"Well it takes the insane to deal with your ass so what does that say about you?" Jonouchi joined in on the conversation.
"Fuck off Jo, no one asked you!" Atem retorted, earning laughter from the circle of friends as well as the nearby classmates who were watching.
"Alright, alright everyone! Let's head out before we end up making ourselves the show for everyone else's lunch instead of eating our own!" Terry clapped her hands to gather their attention.
"Great idea, let's go!" Rei and Minami chimed in and threaded an arm through one of Terry's before leading her off ahead. They glance at Atem, giving him a cheeky grin as he gaped at them stealing Terry away from him. The boys laughed at his expense, patting him on the shoulder and nudging him to follow.
"Better close your mouth, you'll catch flies." Marik taped his jaw and Atem scowled.
"Seriously was right about that vibe," he grumbled but was clearly not all that upset. They two had a mutual understanding for the other that had built a quick friendship between them.
The group settled on the roof in their usual spot, a little more spread but loud and sharing food like always. The boys argued over silly things while the girls laughed and teased them endlessly. Marik flirted with Rei openly, earning whistles and cheers from the group. Ryuugi was adorably doting on Minami, earning some teasing remarks from the guys which the girls had defended him from.
"Ugh, it sucks being single with these two flirting it up! Terry, why don't we date and show them?!" Honda threw himself belly first on the floor as he playfully whined to the only available girl in the group. She simply patted him on the head as usual. Atem felt something ugly build up in him but he quickly squashed the feeling when Terry spoke up.
"I don't think that would work and that's hardly a way to ask someone out."
"Seriously man, do you really wonder why you're still single?" Jonouchi snickered.
"Oi, you're one to talk!" Honda scowled at his blonde friend.
"What do you mean? I'm not single." He blinked, staring at his friend like he's insane.
"It's okay to admit you're single Joey, we won't judge you here." Ryuugi added, patting his friend on the back but his hand was shrugged off with a scowl on the blonde's face.
"I'm not lying, I'm not single." He stressed, his expression serious.
"He's not lying, he has a girlfriend." Terry vouched for him, seeing that no one was taking him seriously.
"Wait, you really have a girlfriend?" Atem asked, earning a nod from Jonouchi. He looked to Terry who nodded as well. When he turned to Marik who nodded as well.
"I don't know her personally, but he's shown me her picture." He replied nonchalantly, biting into his sandwich.
"Since when?" Ryuugi stressed, leaning forward with Minami who was equally surprised by this news.
"You know, that makes so much more sense though! You turn down anyone who confesses to you and you don't let us set you up at all!" Minami added as she thought over his behavior.
"Wait, was it that chick you were with when the new ride opened at the theme park a few months back?" Atem suddenly asked as he tried to figure out who Jonouchi was with.
"Did we go to the park? Oh yeah we did, so yeah I guess you saw us." Jonouchi thought over the date a bit. "I've been with her for a year and a half now actually," he grinned proudly as the three boys gaped at this news.
"You, Jonouchi Katsuya , have been dating someone and never told us?! Who is she?!" Minami leaped at him along with Rei.
"You have to have a picture, show us!" Rei added, eager to see her.
"She's really pretty and really cool actually. She's come over a few times now that he lives with us." Terry spoke up again.
"Yeah, I finally have a place safe enough for her to chill out." He smiled gratefully at Terry who waved it off as nothing.
"Ok, cutesy brother-sister moment later, show us!" Rei snapped her fingers to regain his attention which he jumped and laughed at.
"Alright, alright! Hold on, geez!" He fished his phone out of his pant pocket and showed them the wallpaper of him with a gorgeous blonde. "Her name is Mai," he said as his phone was snatched and passed around. "We met at that huge dueling tournament that was held by Pegasus and then again at the one held by Kaiba. We kept in touch between the two, but it wasn't really much until we met in Kaiba's. She wasn't sure about dating me, but I won her over with my unique charm." He grinned, flexing his arms as he puffed his chest with pride.
"Oh wow, she's literally gorgeous! What school does she go to? She looks way too mature for you with how much of a goofball you are." Rei teased him lightheartedly as the guys took a look at the photo.
"Older woman, nice. Glad you found someone worthwhile. You deserve it." Atem said as he tossed the phone back at his friend, surprising Jonouchi.
"Y-you really mean that?" He stammered a bit.
"Yeah, of course I do. I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it...who the fuck do take me for?" He scowled at this but knew why Jonouchi was so nervous. "Look, I went through some rough shit in the past...I fell into shitty company that understood me. I'm not making excuses for what I did… I was an ass to you and I'm sorry. But," he quickly interjected any reaction from anyone and made sure no one spoke. "But that doesn't mean I wasn't thinking about you. You were my best friend and I cared about you. You put up with my shit and kept taking it no matter what...you deserve someone who accepts you goofball and all. You're loyal and dependable and she clearly saw that." Everyone silently sat there, looking to Jonouchi who was speechless for the moment. Terry leaned towards Atem, secretly locking their pinkies to let him know he had done the right thing as well as to let him know she was there for him.
"The fuck man, you can't say shit like that outta the blue!" Jonouchi sniffled and hid his eyes behind his arm. "Shit, I'm just glad we're friends again! I really wanted to introduce her to you all...it just didn't feel right not introducing her to you as well."
"Well, now you can." Minami smiled brightly, a little teary-eyed with Rei at the heartwarming scene of two friends reuniting.
"Aw man, now really it's just me and you!" Honda dramatically sighed, relieving the boys of the attention which they were grateful for. He threw himself onto Terry's lap but was suddenly tossed away in a block. He blinked in surprise as Terry gaped and stared at what she had done.
"Crap, I'm sorry! It's just a habit of mine! I swear I didn't mean anything by it! Are you ok?!" She panicked but turned at the sound of laughter. Atem was curled over holding his stomach which soon had everyone else laugh as well.
He tensed up when Honda leaped towards, ready to ward him off but she had reacted before he could. Like always, she defended herself without a second though out of her second nature and finally it was not directed at him.
"That's what you get for asking her in such a shitty way!" Marik laughed, Honda pouting as he sat up straight and sulked a little. He was quickly appeased with some sweets however and all was forgiven. With the talk of couples over, they shifted to the topic of after school plans.
"Yeah we don't have practice today, so maybe we can all do something together? Rare day off and all." Jonouchi offered.
"Oh that's true, no one has anything after school today. Huh...why didn't we notice this sooner? We could've had weekly meetups after school." Rei pointed out.
"Yeah, seriously. What were we thinking?" Ryuugi snickered.
"We weren't." Minami added, earning a small round of laughter at this reality.
"Oh, I have plans actually." Terry quickly chimed in before anything could be set. "I have plans, but you all can meetup still. I don't mind."
"Plans, what are you doing?" Marik frowned at this.
"I'm meeting up with my little friend Yugi." She smiled brightly at them.
"Yugi, as in little Yugi? Atem's brother Yugi?" Jonouchi clarified and she nodded her head.
"Atem told me yesterday that he's been missing me and he's been talking about me to their mom like crazy. Their grandfather...also is interested in seeing me again...but you know, he's a character." She nervously laughed at the mentioning of the old man. Marik and Jonouchi turn to Atem, staring dead at him as they give exaggerated 'uhuh's and sly grins to him. He scowled at the two but made no motions to correct or deny.
"She's gonna head to my place with me after school so you guys do what you want. We'll join you guys later." He said firmly, stopping the subject before anyone could tease him. Luckily lunch had come to an end and they all had to head back to class once more.