Not a Normal Year
Not a Normal Year
Chapter 2: Meeting Everyone
Hi all! Here's the second chapter! Thanks to all who reviewed! A HUGE thanks to KolaByNikola, whose editing/co-authoring this fic. Thanks!
Also I need another OC who's going to duel Ari, so I'll take suggestions! Also, this isn't going to be total rewrite of the show. I'll include some parts and add other parts of my own.
I'm might need help with Ari's duel. So if anyone is willing to lend a hand or have any tips, feel free to message me!
So enjoy! And please review! Reviews should be made out to both KolaByNikola and myself. Couldn't have done it without her!
Oh, and I STILL DON'T OWN GX! Only if I did…… let's not think about that….
Oh, and please check out the poll on my profile! Help me decide whom Ari should end up with!
Oh, and a couple of Author's Notes: 1). Ari uses the same duel disk as Jaden and the rest. 2) No offence to any Chazz or Crowler fans out there! There is a little bit of fun poking at them in this chapter.
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Chapter 2
Meeting Everyone
Ari looked around the crowded gym for Alexis, but it was hard to find her with all the people. Then she heard someone calling her. "Ari! Over here!" She turned around and saw Alexis waving to her. Ari smiled and manoeuvred her way through the crowd of people towards Alexis.
"Hey, Alexis. What's up?" she asked.
"Nothing much. I just wanted to introduce you to everyone. Come on! They're waiting outside the gym for us." Alexis said, leading her from the gym. "So, what were the other exchange students like?" she asked curiously.
"Hm. Well, I just met them." Ari said. "Jim seems nice. Adrian is, well I don't know. I guess he's alright. Jesse seems friendly. And Axel… he's… he's not too sociable. That's all I got. I might know later. I'm meeting up with them later to take a look around the school." Ari continued while they were walking to the place where Alexis said her friends were waiting. "I hope your friends will like me." Ari said a little nervously.
"I'm sure they will. Just be warned, one of them can get a little excited dueling." Alexis said with a smile. "Look, there they are now!" she said as she pointed to a group of people standing by the outside entrance to the gym. Alexis waved at them. "Hey everyone, this is Ari. Ari, this is everyone."
"Hello. It's nice to meet you all." Ari said with a smile, even though she was a little nervous. She scanned the group of people.
The first one introduced was a shorter boy with bluish hair and glasses, whose name was Syrus Truesdale. Next, was the boy who Ari had seen being hit by Alexis, who was introduced as Chazz Princeton, or as he introduced himself as 'The Chazz'. Then there was a well-built guy who wore a bandanna over his thick dreadlocks, whose name was Tyranno Hassleberry. And finally there was Jaden Yuki, who Ari already seen and was ready to duel right there. "So he's the one who gets excited about duelling." Ari thought.
After the round of introductions, and Ari saying that she'll duel Jaden later on, they sat down on the ground under a tree, where Ari showed Alexis her deck. "I see you like Harpies, Ari," Alexis commented.
Yep. I think Mai Valentine is a great duellist. Plus Harpies are a creature of Greek Mythology. I'm kind of a history buff." She replied. "I also have St. Joan in there. She's based on the actual woman Joan of Arc. She had visions from God and entered the 100 Years War to fight the English and… I'm rambling again aren't I?" she asked after she seen their blank stares. They nodded. "I'm sorry! I get like that when I talk about history" she replied with an embarrassed blush.
They passed the rest of the time talking about this and that. Ari heard stories from the previous 2 years, which for her was hard to believe. Ari thought that though Alexis's friends were a diverse bunch, they all were loyal to each other; just by the way they talked of the past.
Then, about 10 minutes before the exhibition duel, an announcement came over the PA, asking the two duellists and the students to proceed to the gym to be seated. Ari and the rest got up and made their way to the gym. Alexis handed Ari her deck, which Ari slipped into her Academy issued duel disk and they made their way to the gym.
"This is going to be a sweet duel! It's not every day I get to duel a guy with a legendary deck!" Jaden said while pumping his fist into the air.
"You think every duel is a 'sweet duel', Slacker," Chazz scowled.
"Ah Chazz. Every duel should be fun," Jaden said.
"I agree with Jaden. You should try to enjoy a duel." Ari nodded in agreement. Jaden gave Ari a thumb up in agreement.
Chazz just scowled again, while the others laughed.
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(Fast forward to the gym)
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Ari and the rest bid Jaden good luck and went to find seats in the gym. They found seats in the sixth row, near the middle, so they had a pretty good view of the duel. Ari sat next to Alexis. The seat next to Ari was empty, so she laid her satchel on it and turned to talk with Alexis until the duel started. Ari was teaching Alexis how to call a person, namely Chazz, an idiot in other languages.
"In French, it's imbecile. It doesn't matter if you're talking to a guy or a girl." Ari explained.
"That's ne…." Alexis trailed off and her eyes went wide. "Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?" she asked, slightly startled.
Just then, Ari felt something nudge her leg. She looked down and saw what Alexis was referring to. Nudging her leg was a huge green crocodile.
"Oh! Hello, Shirley." Ari said to the crocodile. Ari then turned to Alexis: "That's Jim's crocodile friend, Shirley. If Shirley's here, I think Jim is nearby," she explained to Alexis, who was still eying the croc. Just then, the said South Academy student jogged up with Adrian behind him. Axel wasn't with them. He was standing down on the floor talking to Viper. Ari watched them closely.
"Those two seem quite thick. I don't really trust them. Viper is way too creepy for my taste. And I thought Domino Prep's teachers were scary." Ari thought while frowning a little. Jim's voice brought her out of her thoughts.
"There you are, Shirley! You shouldn't run off like that!" he said while out of breath. "Oh. Hello there, Ari." he said with a smile.
Ari smiled back. "Hello Jim. Adrian." Ari said returning the smile, even though her smile faded slightly when she saw Adrian, but only Alexis seemed to notice this. "You're just in time for the duel. Oh, and this is Alexis. She's the one that's showing me around the Academy." Ari introduced the two guys to Alexis and the rest who were seated farther down. "Oh. Would one of you guys want to sit here?" she asked while she just her remembered her manners and her satchel on the empty seat beside her. To her relief, Jim sat down and not Adrian.
"Whew! The farther Adrian is seated from me, the better I feel. I don't know what it is, but I don't really trust him. I could be over reacting, but…" Ari thought.
"What's on your mind, sheila?" Jim asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"Oh nothing. Just wondering about whose going win," she said, while quickly pushing the previous thoughts out of her head. "Is Jaden as good as they say?" she asked Alexis.
"Yep. No one else here can beat him. Only Syrus's brother, Zane beat him in our first year and a pro named Aster Phoenix beat him last year. He even beat Professor Crowler," she answered. "And Crowler is the guy in the blue and pink coat." Alexis pointed out, due to Ari's confused look.
"I see. Are you sure he's a guy?" she asked with a chuckle. Alexis and the others laughed. "Well, he has interesting choice in fashion." she explained with a slight smile. Then, she frowned slightly, which made the others look past her to see Axel taking a seat next to Adrian. "I see the social butterfly has decided to grace us with his presence." Ari remarked, which made Jim and Adrian laugh.
"Watch it Prep Girl." Axel growled.
"I'm so scared." Ari said with a roll of her eyes. "What are you going to do? Glare me to death?"
"I'm not going to do anything. You'll get your just desserts," he said.
"And just how will I get those?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"When you find out you're in way over your head here." he said. "A Prep School girl doesn't belong at a duelling school."
Ari clenched her hands into fists and shot Axel a look that could have turned anyone to stone. Except Axel, who just smirked and looked like he was enjoying Ari's reaction. She looked like she could have killed him. She rose out of her seat a little, but Jim put his hand on her shoulder. "Just ignore him Ari. He's just trying to edge you on." he cautioned. So, Ari took a deep breath and closed her eyes and sat back down. She then turned to Axel with a fake smile on her face that could have been considered dangerous, on the count of the anger that was burning in her eyes.
"Oh, you're worried about me. So sweet." she said, her voice coated with sarcastic sweetness. "But, I can handle myself. Thanks anyway." Axel's smirk vanished.
"I told you to watch it." he warned, his voice carrying a dangerous edge. Now it was Ari's turn to smirk.
"Scared, Axel?" she taunted, her smirk still on her face. Axel made a move to get up, but Jim interfered.
"That's enough from you two." he said. Axel frowned and sat down and Ari continued to smirk.
"Big mouth for such a small girl," Axel growled under his breath, but Ari heard him and shot out of her seat and straightened herself to her full height.
"Would you like to say that to my face, Brodie?" she snapped. Axel got out of his seat also and faced her.
"Gladly. Your mouth is too big for your face. You should really learn how to keep it closed." he snapped. That was the last straw for Ari. She walked over to where Axel was standing, glared at him and then brought the high heel of her boot down on his foot. He didn't flinch, but she made her point.
Axel made a move towards her but Jim stepped in between the two. "I said that was enough from you two." he warned, but he was looking right at Axel. Axel grunted and sat down. Ari sighed and walked back to her seat.
"That felt somewhat good." she said to Alexis as she sat down. "Really relieves the stress."
Adrian turned to Jim. "I told you she was spunky." he remarked with a smirk. Jim nodded and then turned to Ari.
"Ari, be careful with Axel. He doesn't joke around. He can be dangerous," he warned.
"Axel and joke doesn't belong in the same sentence." she muttered. "I'll be fine. I can handle myself. Thanks anyway."
"I can see that." Jim said with a smile. Ari smiled a little back.
Suddenly, Viper took the stage and demanded the student's attention. He went on to explain about the Bio-Bands©. He then clamped one on each Jaden and Jesse.
"You are all to be here tomorrow morning at 8:30 am to get fitted for your Bio-Bands. Don't be late!" he warned.
"8:30 am! That's impossible!" Ari exclaimed. Alexis and the others looked at her. "I only get up at 8:30! That means I have to get up at like 7:30 in order to get ready! Why the mornings?! Plus, I'm not a morning person!"
"What takes you so long to get ready?" Jim asked.
"Are you serious?" she asked. "I have to get up, shower, and fight to get my hair to look proper, get dressed, eat and apply my make up! It all takes time! Am I right Alexis?"
"You are. It takes us girls longer to get ready." she agreed while nodding. The boys sweat dropped. Axel chuckled.
"Did you say something Brodie?" Ari asked with her eyes narrowed. Axel glared right back.
"Will you two stop it?" Alexis asked. "The duel is going to start." Ari crossed her arms and faced the duel that was just about to start.
After the duel, Ari was surprised that Jaden beat Jesse, with him having the Crystal Beast deck and all. He would have won if he had the Rainbow Dragon, but it wasn't created yet.
After the duel, Ari and the others filed out of the gym to enjoy the rest of the free day. Ari purposely walked past Axel and stepped on his foot again, making sure that her heel carried most of the pressure.
"Oh. I'm so sorry! How clumsy of me!" she apologized with the same fake sweet sugar-coated voice and smile. Axel growled again and Ari walked away, laughing slightly.
"That'll teach him! That'll teach them all that I'm a force to be reckoned with. I'll show them all what Ariana Ryan can do, on the duelling field and off!" she thought confidently while she headed for the gym's door.
Ari and the rest caught up with Jaden and Jesse just outside the gym doors. They were talking about the duel and when they were going to duel again. Jesse was heading off with Jaden and the rest to the card shop and Alexis was heading to the girl's dorms with her two friends, Mindy and Jasmine. So that left Ari, Jim and Adrian to tour the grounds. To Ari's relief, Axel refused to come with.
So the tour started. They started with the school itself, since Ari already seen the gym and the girl's dorms. The school building surprised Ari. It was huge and modern. "Whoever built this school must have had A LOT of money in order to incorporate all this technology." Ari wondered aloud.
Adrian sidled up next to her. "It would take a lot. And when I say a lot, I mean something like millions." he estimated. He then gave Ari a smile, which she returned it, uncertainly.
"Gah! What's with him? Why does he make me so uncomfortable?" she questioned inside her head. She pushed those thoughts away again and looked out one of the windows. "Wow! Look at this view! You can almost all of the grounds from here!" she exclaimed as she walked up to it and leaned against the windowpane and gazed out at the scene before her.
It was quite a view. The sun's rays hit the ocean and made it sparkle like diamonds. Ari never saw such a sight. The sun's rays hit the sapphire coloured jewel on her necklace and sprayed the window's glass with rainbow coloured light. She was so mesmerized by the scene that she didn't notice Jim walk up beside her and lean against the wall beside the window.
"Isn't it amazing?" she asked a little breathlessly. "I've never saw anything like this at Domino Prep.!"
"Yeah, it's something." he replied. Ari looked at him and smiled. She noticed his uncovered eye. It was deep blue color.
"He's some kind of handsome… GAH! Not again! Stop it Ari! You don't want to fall for a guy here! I'm not going to be my parents!" she mentally reasoned. She quickly turned away and tried to hind the faint blush that appeared on her face. "Umm, maybe we should go see the cafeteria next. I'm starting to get a little hungry." she replied hastily. They all agreed to head to the Obelisk cafeteria for lunch, since it was almost lunchtime anyway.
Even the cafeteria was a sight to behold. Since it was the Obelisk cafeteria, it was a little grander than the cafeteria that Ari was used to. Actually, it was more of a 5 star restaurant than a school cafeteria. Ari's eyes went wide at the sight of it all. "O.K. I've definitely been going to the wrong school here. Look at all of this!" she exclaimed in amazement. Shirley growled in agreement. "I guess I'm not the only one who's getting hungry here." she laughed. "I'm at a loss on what to get. What do you think Shirley?" she asked the green crocodile.
"I think Shirley here wants a big steak. Don't ya girl?" Jim asked his crocodile companion. Shirley growled in agreement again while Ari laughed. They made their way to the line up. Some people stepped aside so as to avoid getting too close to Shirley. Others stepped aside so that Ari could get through, which was followed by whistling and guys hitting on her when she walked by. With each step she took, her face got a little redder.
When she finally made to the front of the line, a 3rd year Obelisk Blue guy weaseled his way right next to her and smiled at her. She gave him a small smile, but she was getting a little uncomfortable. When she grabbed her lunch and turned around to leave the line, he reached out and grabbed her…. bottom. She froze, as did the others in the line near them.
"Hi. My name is….." he didn't even get to finish his sentence, because Ari, while balancing her lunch tray, turned around and brought the heel of her boot right down, hard, really hard onto his foot. He cried out in either pain or surprise or both. Ari then turned around to leave but the idiot reached out and grabbed her wrist, spilling her lunch tray onto the floor.
"Let me go!" she yelled out in surprise. He only held on tighter and said; "No one embarrasses an Obelisk Blue!"
"O.K. A guy has got me by the wrist. What did my defence teacher say? Let's see…" she thought as she went over the years of defence training that her father made her take. "That's it! Got it!" she triumphantly. She brought the toe her boot into the jerk's ...um, soft spot. He let go of her wrist at once and she stumbled back. Her heel caught a piece of food that was on the floor and she would have probably hurt herself quite seriously if a certain student hadn't caught her from behind and stopped her fall.
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Who's the mystery student? I bet you all can guess that one. Was it a OK chapter? Was it Good, Bad or So-So?
Whew! That's all for now! I could have kept going, but I wanted to get this up before the weekend and plus I have been at this since the day after the first chapter was posted!
Thanks again to KolaByNikol, for editing most of this chapter and to my sister, who edited the last little and who's giving me ideas! So please make reviews out to all of us, since I couldn't have done it without them!
Please review!
Oh, and take a sec to visit my profile page and answer my poll! Ideas are welcome! I hope this chapter was a little better laid out than the last one!
So, till next time, peace, love and sugary sweet things!
Autumn signing out!
