Bi-beep! Bi-beep! Bi-beep!
"Ungh..."
My alarm nearly scared me outta the bed the next morning, growing louder and louder while my sleep-numbed arm flopped around my side table to try and hit the Snooze button. Eventually I got it, but man, was I absolutely wrecked.
I could barely see the illuminated numerals on my alarm when I cracked open a bleary eye in a rush of ow. It felt like somebody was pouring acid into them.
6:03
Fucking hell, why did I have to get up so early to go to Domino High!? It wasn't fair...
Plus I especially wasn't looking forward to finding out why that white-haired skirt-chaser pretty much Apparated into one of my favourite eateries, just like that. Oh, and then there was the Jackass Problem. Duke had no skills whatsoever in getting back old exes, and I really, really just wasn't in the mood to humour him or anyone today.
My bed creaked when I eventually got too overanxious and decided that anything was better than worrying myself sick about something that probably wasn't gonna happen anyway. I glanced at myself in the mirror, noting how much paler I looked, the bags under my eyes that could be mistaken for suitcases. I brushed my tangled, cleaned hair, struggled into my uniform and headed downstairs to make lunch and get breakfast and shit.
"Bakura and Duke can both go and fuck themselves, I'm not giving up my learning for them," I muttered under my breath. The kitchen was warm, and I put the kettle on to boil for tea, adding two fresh teabags to the pot before going to grab supplies from the pantry. Besides, I decided, even if that albino git is interested in me, it's not like I'm gonna meet him on my way to school, right?
Right?
I trudged down Domino's jam-packed streets, ignoring the usual sounds of the car horns beeping, radios blaring and brakes squealing, passing by the supermarkets, apartment blocks and various takeaways before finally reaching my turn-off: The shortcut.
Automatically I slowed before shrugging off my irrational fear. My bag's heavy, I'm tired and I'll probably be late if I don't go down here. Besides, what if he isn't there? With those options fresh in my mind, and with grump at maximum level, I turned the corner down the alleyway.
It was empty, apart from the bins put out for collection. I still had a gut instinct, though, and if there's one thing that I do, it's listen to the gut: If I'd done it long before I physically caught Duke snogging some other babe then I'd never have suffered the shame and embarrassement and, and pain that I did when I tuned it out -
Hold on.
I walked forwards boldly, muttering under my breath and shaking my head as I did so. The early-morning shaft of light made my shadow fall in front of me, to be joined by a second one as I passed the restaurant door. I turned around when it did, glared fiercely at its caster and snapped out: "Well?"
Not the thing that he was expecting, but then again I'm not exactly your normal girl, am I?
Bakura's hair was, as usual, shaggy and sticking up, like he'd just decided not to brush it when he got outta the bed this morning - which he probably didn't, him having a reputation as a nightbird. His blue boy's jacket was open, the shirt ruffled. He had a weird, I dunno, golden thingy on his chest, like a ring with spikes and a pyramid.
One hand held the thingy, the other was shoved into his jacket pocket, all casual and cool-acting - the cheek, I thought, indignant at this lack of respect, I mean, I may be a grumpy bitch but I'm still a lady - and he smirked down at me with those deep, dark eyes of his and smirked.
"I was beginning to wonder whether or not you were coming this way." I jumped slightly, an angry flush burning my cheeks. He leaned towards me, reaching for my arm. His devil's eyes glittered. "Turns out that I was right to wait."
I turned around and started walking off towards school before his fingers could even graze my stupid pink jumper. Served him right, the forward, womanising stalker that he is -
Ok, fine. I was stomping. Happy now?
"Go away." My voice was tired, annoyed - same as me. I saw him easily catch up to join in step with me from the corner of my eye.
"Why, and miss walking with you?" I could hear his smug tone and I wanted to punch it of'f his face. The bastard couldn't even leave me alone for the last ten minutes of the walk, and I - well, I was -
Baffled, I guess. Pissed and on guard, but also confused. I mean, look, I'll be the first to say that I'm not pretty, or even that interesting. I'm also, by default, a bitch. As in B with an itch bitch. As you guys have probably noticed already...
Hang on, what's with those looks? You mean you - oh, that's good then. Sorry, I was a bit worried there that I was turning dopey.
"You've never walked with me before," I growled, shooting him a glare, to which he responded with a knowing smirk.
"First time for everything, sweetheart." I snorted.
"Couldn't find yourself a willing bitch, is that it?" A small part of me was delighted to watch his face grow cold, angry, before smoothing over to become the friendly mask again. "Why don't you do us both a favour and go fuck yourself, alright?"
"Why don't you come out for lunch with me?" He purred, back to normal.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because reasons."
"What reasons?" He pressed, a strange smile on his face. I glanced up. School was fast appoaching.
"Many reasons. Go away."
"Can I give you a kiss?"
"NO!"
"What about a hug?"
"No."
"Hold your hand?"
I whipped around to face him in the school gate, glowering up at him. "Look, you little streak of piss, I don't know you. Nor do I want to know you," I spat, rage boiling over, needing an escape route. I pointed at him threateningly. "You don't know me either. I have no idea why you're bothering, or what your aim is, but I'm just gonna warn you here and now," I poked his chest with each point, leaning in to hiss, "If you try to pull any of your moves on me again, then I can and will castrate you. Am I understood?"
I left before he could answer, fuming.
I shoved my way past the groups of students at the lockers, ignoring everybody. When I reached mine, I found a massive crush there that not even my mighty elbows could break apart. My fists curled: Even though I couldn't see over people's heads, I could still recognise the voice of that lying, cheating, airheaded asshole.
And it was coming from around my locker.
Angrily I pushed and I shoved my way into the crush, stamping on toes, shouldering my way through. And what do I arrive to?
Go on, have a guess.
A bit more, come on. Wrack those brains.
Fine then. Have it your way.
"Duke." I kept my voice devoid of all emotion. "Get away from my locker, you git."
He stayed leaning against it, throwing me a winning smile as he tossed the dice up and down in his spare hand, the other - would you have guessed it - shoved into his pocket. "Hey there, sweetie."
"I'm not your sweetie and you know it." Quick as a flash, I grabbed the dice from midair and tossed it into the crowd, my finger trembling as I pointed it in the same direction. "Go fetch. And in the meantime, leave me alone."
He smiled again and took another dice from his other pocket, tossing that instead. "Not 'til you come back to me, babes. I miss you."
"No." I shrugged my bag off my shoulder, grabbed the annoying spike of his hair that I'd once found so cute and tugged. Duke winced, following the direction I pulled him in: i.e, away from my locker so that I could force it open and start unpacking, ignoring the shouts and screams of rage from the girls- and some of the guys, too. "Go away, you twat."
He grabbed my arm as I was about to slot my Maths textbooks into their alloted place and dragged me into him. I gasped, but then just glared at him, sick of the whole experience.
"Before you even say anything to me, you cheating, disgusting liar - " he flinched back with each word -"We were over as soon as you kissed the other girls. In fact, since you cheated on me so many times with so many people, I don't even think that we were properly going out at all."
His eyes hardened, just as the warning bell rang. I ripped my arm from his grasp and turned back to my locker. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm a little busy here."
He stood there staring at me until I stacked my books up for the classes today and left. I could feel the headache already forming behind my eyes, like dark thunderclouds on a heat-haze horizon (See what I did there? Alliteration! Yeah!) and I rubbed my temple to get rid of it, huffing out my pent-up breath.
The early morning before school had already been so bad, I was beginning to think that it couldn't get any worse than that.
Newsflash: It got worse.