4- Mountain

"I can't believe you put us up this…" Zane said to Carmen as she was fixing her hair in a bun.

"I thought you'd be glad to see your old pal." Carmen said. If anyone hate these kind of situations more then her it was Zane.

"Are you sure she became a…" He found it difficult to put Alexis in the same sentence with the word 'cheerleader', especially when the two were connected by an 'is'.

Carmen nodded and put the house keys in her purse.

The two walked to their car. Indeed, being a professional duelist at Zane's level came with certain privileges, such as buying a fancy car, but the couple chose something a little less attention seeking then a Mercedes and got a Toyota.

"Yup, this is it… the address he gave me." Carmen said as they drew closer.

"A five star restaurant… what a surprise." Zane commented, not having anything against the idea, but in relation to the rest of the situation it was…

"Well, at least there'll be good food!" Carmen said smiling, food was always something which she took rather seriously, she learned to cook all sorts of things and did it very well.

"Oh, I deal with clients." Carmen said in response to Alexis asking her how someone who always speaks her mind work with clients.

Surprisingly, she was dense at all.

'Then again, I was thinking with prejudice, who ever said cheerleaders can't be smart?'

The restaurant was fantastic. The food was excellent, and whoever build this place really has style, or so Carmen thought.

It was sort of a mash between an old fashioned elegant French restaurant and a high-Tec club. Musically, the place also made unique choices- practically everything from Mozart to jazz and modern hip hop.

'How is it that we never came here before? Then again… it is us after all…'

Just as Carmen was thinking that, a familiar tune came and the voice of Chazz asking if she remembered it.

"Like hell I wouldn't remember!"

The song was an upbeat tune which the pair once decided described their friendship exactly.

"We've gotta dance to this! You guys don't mind, right?"

"Uh, Chazz…. I don't do dancing, not in public anyway." Carmen answered.

"Come on Carmel, let's go, I won't take no for an answer."

"It's alright, go." Said Zane.

While Chazz and Carmen were on the dance floor, an awkward conversation began between Alexis and Zane.

"I always knew you'll make it big, you're an excellent duelist." She said.

"So were you."

An awkward silence was between them after that sentence until Alexis said-

"So, you are getting married, talk about a surprise…"

At the same time the song was ending, and a slow song began to play.

Chazz suggested they return to their table, but Carmen- who realized Zane wanted to speak to his friend from old times asked if he wanted another dance.

"I thought you said you don't do dancing."

Carmen shrugged and the two danced a slow.

As the song faded, they returned to the table. Just before they were within hearing range, Zane said-

"You know, I expected more from you, Alexis. This is rather a… disappointment."

The word stung Alexis, and so she drifted into thought of her life.

'Funny,' she thought, 'it all started with you…'

During a long time in high school Alexis liked Zane, as more then a friend, but she never said anything and he certainly made no such contact with her. When she finally got over him, it was only to replace him with Jaden. This time she mustered up the courage to tell her beloved how she felt, only o suffer a rejection.

Her romantic status continued to be like that after Duel Academy as well. As soon as guys acknowledged her superior dueling skills they would lose interest. Alexis realized that her strong, dominant and independent personality scared men or rather intimidated them. 'And what is being a top duelist without someone to share everything with?'

She felt very lonesome and so decided to be what guys liked- not too bright, gentle, and needy to some degree. Of course cheerleading was the extreme opposite of everything she was, but it was worth it, every guy she wanted fell head over heels in love with her.

'Was it really? I lost myself…' she often had those thoughts, but brushed them away by all means possible.

'What else could I do? I mean…guys don't like girls who are superb duelists. Look as Carmen, she was in Slifer the whole time and was always a weak duelist, sure she isn't dumb or needy or… who am I kidding? I found the easy way out…'

Reencountering Zane Truesdale made a grave impact on Alexis. Until he said those words, she believed she had everything- wealth, fame, a life of lavish… but he was right. She realized how much she sacrificed her personality on the alter of… this.

Alexis always knew she made a difficult choice, but receiving such contempt from Zane was really a major blow.

XXXXXXX

"That was… fun." Carmen said while lying in bed beside her fiancée.

She then kissed his cheek and trailed down to his neck.

At the same time Chazz and Alexis were also going to bed, but not so romantically as the above couple. Both were disturbed by their thoughts.

Alexis was busy with beating herself up about her life and Chazz could not get his mind off Carmen.

He kept thinking about them slow dancing, his hands on her waist… unlike his girlfriend, Carmen was fuller, not to the point of being fat, but definitely full.

Carmen… she never was a beauty queen, but her looks were unique and she was pretty. She never stood out in high school. She was a pretty poor duelist, despite the fact Chazz tried to teach her.

Funny, their relationship was always a secret, since he did not want others to know he was associating with a Slifer.

'Now there is nothing more I would want then the whole world to see us…holding hands, kissing…Whoa! What the fk am I thinking? No way… Carmel is my friend, and besides… I'm with Alexis. This is everything I ever wanted, what the hell is going through my head?'

Those same thoughts continued playing in his mind over and over again. Was he actually falling in love with Carmen Elisabeth Long?

If he would let this sudden emotion take over, he'll lose everything… or rather everything will be nothing since he could never have her, she belonged to someone else.

'I have all the money in the world, I'm successful in what I always waned to do, and I have the girl of my dreams lying by my side…'

He continued trying to dismiss and repress any thought of Carmen.

But nothing helped… he finally fell asleep with the conclusion that he was indeed falling for his best friend.

'If only she knew… she would probably ask if I think she's Mary-Sue or something…'