Chapter 31 – It's A Secret
Tea sat down at the table and let out a long sigh, not really sure what to expect. She had talked the details of the relationship over with Seto last night, and the two agreed that, as long as her friends were okay with it, they were the only ones allowed to know about it. She had been amazed at how concerned Seto seemed to be over it, but then again, he knew that he was on thin ice with the group, especially Joey. But, as he stated, he never expected to fall in love with the cheerleader.
And so the time for the truth had come. She suddenly wished Seto had waited a day or so to ask her out; it would have made this process so much easier. Not that she didn't enjoy his kiss…on the contrary, it made a smile appear on her face every time she thought about it…like right now.
"Hey Tea," Yugi greeted as he walked over and sat down at the table. "Joey and Tristan got here late, so they're all the way in the back of the line." Tea chuckled slightly, but she knew it came out sounding uncomfortable, making her short friend frown. "Is something wrong, Tea?"
"Nope, nothing's wrong," she answered, smiling over at him.
"Alright then. How was your weekend? I tried getting a hold of you yesterday, but either you weren't home or you were ignoring me."
Tea shook her head and asked, "Why would I ignore your calls?"
"That's what I figured. So what were you up to?"
"Um, well…" "Might as well get this over with now," she thought, looking down at her lunch. "Besides, if I tell him now, maybe he'll be able to hold Joey back easier." "I was…hanging out with Seto."
"Seto? Kaiba? Why were you hanging out with him?"
Pursing her lips together, she glanced over at him and, seeing no anger in his eyes, whispered, "I…We… We've been hanging out for awhile now, and yesterday he…asked me out."
A moment of silence passed between the two before Yugi asked, "So…you two are a couple now?"
"Yeah…"
To her surprise, she saw a smile appear on Yugi's face. "As long as you're happy with it, then I'm happy with it. I knew he was a nice guy. It's still kind of surprising, though. When have you two been hanging out?"
"Oh, you know. After school, on the weekends…"
"Just like any other teenage couple would," Yugi observed. "Well, I'm glad to hear that he's finally found a friend…or girlfriend, I guess."
"But this is a big secret," Tea explained after taking a sip of her drink. "We talked about it last night, and we both agreed that you three are the only ones that are going to know about this. He doesn't want the public to know about it and drag me into the celebrity world."
"No problem. But, uh…how are you going to tell Joey?"
"That's why I'm telling you now. Hopefully you and Tristan have the power to hold him back."
"Oh, I don't think he'll be that angry. Just…a bit shocked."
"You sure?"
"Positive." Yugi's smile made a small one appear on Tea's face, and she nodded her head and began eating her food.
"Maybe Mai was right. We've all been friends for so long… Perhaps I was just working myself up over nothing?"
"Sorry it took so long," Joey apologized as the two walked over and sat down at the table. "Tristan over here forgot his book in class, and we had to run all the way back to the classroom to get it!"
"I told you already, dude, I'm sorry!" Tristan exclaimed, smiling at the two before eyeing his friend. "It's not like you have never forgotten anything in class before."
"Yeah, but I just leave it there!" Joey argued. "It'll be there the next day! Who wants to steal a textbook?"
"Oh, you would be amazed," Yugi stated. "A lot of kids say they just take books so that they don't have to worry about losing it. If one goes, they have four more in their possession."
"Way to be responsible," Tristan replied as he bit into his large sandwich. "So did you guys get your grades back for that essay yet?"
"Yep," Tea answered. "I got a 97 percent."
"Show off," Joey scolded.
"Why? What did you get? Please tell me you didn't fail that assignment!"
"No!"
"Well then?"
"I got an 83."
"That's not that bad, Joey," Yugi stated. "Geez, you made it sound like you got a 40. I got an 89. What did you get Tristan?"
"I got a 92."
"That's good," Yugi stated.
"I only asked because our teacher went on and on about how the top two grades came from your class, Tea," Tristan explained. "She said that the two highest grades were you and Kaiba."
Joey rolled his eyes at this. "Of course Moneybags got the top grade. He probably just paid the teacher to give him such amazing grades."
"Hey, even I have to admit that he's one smart guy," Tristan stated, taking another bite of his sandwich. "In fact, I'd bet he knows more about the subjects than the teachers even do."
"Yeah, Joey," Yugi agreed. "Remember when we went into that virtual world? His step-father obviously taught him rigorously in nearly every subject imaginable."
"At least he doesn't show it off," Tristan remarked. "I mean, he could be a bigger asshole than normal and go around flapping his papers in the air."
"Why are we always talking about Moneybags lately?" Joey questioned, looking around at the entire group. "It seems like every time we have a conversation, he's involved with it somehow. Can't we just not discuss Senior Asshole already?"
"Actually…now that we are talking about him…" Tea let out a sigh, she said, "I have a confession to make." The entire table became quiet, and all eyes were directed at her. Tristan and Joey looked in confusion at her; Yugi smiled and offered the bit of comfort she needed. "Kaiba… Seto and I have become good friends over the past couple of weeks, and…yesterday…we became a couple."
Tristan blinked in surprise as Joey nearly launched across the table. "What are you talking about?!" Joey exclaimed, making Tea lean back in her chair.
"Shh!" she shouted back, placing her finger over her lips. "This is a secret right now, okay? I'm only telling you guys because, as my friends, I trust you all with this information."
"But… I don't… Since when have you two been friends, let alone a couple?!"
"Joey, please, let her speak already!" Tristan exclaimed, pulling his friend back in his chair. Once the blonde had calmed down, he crossed his arms and glared at Tea, making her feel her stomach drop.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered, looking down at her lunch. "We've been seeing each other for a couple of weeks now and became good friends. Then, when I was over at his house yesterday to swim, he asked me out. So now we're a couple… And nobody else but you three and Mokuba know about it."
Letting out a long sigh, she looked up to see Tristan smiling at her while Joey wore one the darkest looks she had ever seen on him. "Well then, I guess we can't go about calling him 'Senior Asshole' then, now can we?" Tristan mocked, turning around only to frown at the sight of Joey.
"Why didn't you tell us about this when you two were first seeing each other?" Joey asked in a cold tone.
"I… I honestly didn't really think about it," Tea answered. "I mean, I couldn't figure out whether or not we were really friends, but by the time it was cemented it was just like another friendship. And then…when I considered asking him out—"
"Whoa, whoa, who asked who out?"
"He asked me, but I was the one who said the relationship could go that far if he wanted it to."
"So you love the guy?"
"Yes…"
"And you never thought about telling us?"
"Joey, come on man!" Tristan exclaimed, his eyes wide in shock at his friend's behavior. "She told us just now, didn't she?"
"Yeah, but…shouldn't we have known about this friendship from the beginning?"
"Dude, seriously, just let it go," Tristan scolded. "She probably wasn't even sure if it would become a friendship. Kaiba isn't the most sociable person out there, so there's reason for her to be suspicious if that was the case. Personally, I'm happy for you two."
"Happy? You're happy about this?"
"Yes, Joey, I am! I think it's good that both she and Kaiba now have somebody for each other."
"I can't believe this…" Joey's eyes suddenly widened, and he quickly looked from Tristan over to Tea. "So that's why you were at his house when you made me apologize to him. You weren't just over there to make me apologize. You were over there to probably hang out with him, weren't you?"
Nodding her head, Tea felt her stomach do another flip. "Everything is suddenly catching up to me…" she thought miserably. "God, I didn't even think I did anything wrong. It's true; I just never thought to tell these guys. And now…look at the mess I've made."
"So let me get this straight. You became friends with Moneybags behind our backs, never once thought to tell us, and just yesterday started actually dating him?"
"Joey, for the last time, this is a secret," Tea warned, finding it her turn to glare at him. "I thought you guys would understand this. Just please don't tell a soul. He doesn't want any unnecessary attention for me."
"Probably so he can hog it all for himself…" Joey spat.
"Joey, did it not occur to you that he might actually care about her if he's willing to go out with her?" Tristan questioned. "Seriously, dude, what is your problem?"
"My problem? My best friend is going out with an asshole, that's my problem!"
"He's not an asshole!" Tea exclaimed, all the pent-up frustration and anger finally releasing itself. "He's really kind and honest and caring! He just doesn't like to show it, okay?!"
Rolling his eyes, Joey stood up and grabbed his half-empty tray. "Whatever, I'm outta here." The group watched as he walked out of the cafeteria, and Tea wiped a tear that fell down her cheek away with her hand.
"Don't worry about him, Tea," Tristan instructed, looking back over at his friend. "I don't know what his deal is. Just know Yugi and I here back you up with this. After all, it's your decision."
"Thanks…thanks a lot, guys." She smiled up at the two and grabbed her lunch. "I think I'm going to go, though. I gotta get my stuff for the next class." The two nodded in understanding, and she quickly stood up and, dumping her food in the nearby trash can, walked out of the cafeteria and towards the bathroom. Finding nobody in it, she leaned up against the wall and covered her face with her hand as the tears began to fall.