My first class this morning is one of my core classes: Science and Nature. As I sit down, I glance at Mr. Fredrick, who is sitting on his tall stool, waiting for the bell, stroking his graying goatee. He's actually very bilious and full of himself. Many girls find him extremely hot, and he knows it. They flirt with him, which is a little pathetic, since he's almost at his mid-fifties, but what's even more pathetic is that he actually flirts right back.
"Hey, David." One girl simpers, dropping both his honorific and last name. She gives her head a small toss so he can watch her blond hair cascade over her slender back. The move is perfectly executed. His dark eyes practically rub against her as he gives a roguish smirk.
"Janice," He says in a low, intimate tone. And then I get assaulted by an image from his mind as to just how intimate he really was with her: Janice lying naked on wrinkled burgundy sheets, sweat clinging to her every curve. Her blond hair fanning out under her head. Slowly, with a coy twinkle in her eyes, she spreads her legs ever so slowly—
I quickly turn my back to him, staring hard at the board, trying to cut off the lustful waves. That had been more of Janice than I ever wanted or needed to see. Not only was I going to be stuck with those mental images whenever I see them, but now I also felt as if I were part of their little secret, and it made me feel dirty. I know for a fact that, while it's not illegal for a college student to date their professor, this school has strict policies against student/teacher relationships. What's worse is that Janice is not the first girl I've seen him with. Nor will she likely be the last.
I don't know how he hasn't been fired yet.
Today, there is a table in front of the class, a dead bird in a metal pan on top of it. I distinctly hear Not another poor creature! come from a girl at the row in front of me. She raises her hand, and I can feel the anger and devastation in her thoughts. Mr. Fredrick sees her, thinks Oh, not again, and pretends to not notice.
Oh, no, you don't. She thinks, knowing what he is doing and waving her hand so he has to look at her. The second their eyes meet, she launches into it: "What right do you have to kill and pluck at that defenseless animal?"
"I didn't." He says in a taut, weary tone. "It was already dead." Then the image of him walking out of his house and seeing a dead bird lying on his lawn comes to me. He's telling the truth. But his answer does not satisfy the girl – who, I realize, is completely vegan.
"How did you know it was dead?" She demands. I hear the sniggering of the class, and thoughts rush at me from everywhere. Not again… Why can't she shut up…? It's just one bird… It's not like he purposely goes out and kills animals… I don't care if she's vegan, but she needs to stop forcing it on others…! I block them out, choosing to focus on the outcome of this little match instead.
"It's not hard to tell when something's dead." He answers her with a frown.
"Maybe it had just run into your house and was stunned."
"It was dead. That's all." And then, before she can open her mouth and continue, he calls to the room at large: "Good morning! How is everyone today?"
"Better than that bird!" Someone yells. Everyone laughs. Vegan girl turns red, like she's about to cry, but keeps her mouth shut.
"Har, har." Mr. Fredrick leans over to look at the bird. "I found this guy near my mailbox yesterday. I thought I'd bring it in and start our review of anatomy." He claps his hands together. "So, lucky for all of you, today will be an easy class. No lecture." The word YES! travels around the room, both spoken and not. "I'll pass out the review papers and you all can partner up and quiz each other. I'll bring up each group one by one to show you the bird…"
I groan inwardly, already tuning him out. I couldn't stand partner work. When Mr. Fredrick gives me the paper, I quickly set myself to work, planning on doing it by myself. Around me is the noise of scraping chairs and chattering as everyone else gets together. I'm on question three when I feel slight pressure on my upper arm. I look up to see the very girl from this morning looking down at me.
"Everyone else has a partner." She explains stiffly when I give her a petulant look. I can't believe Becca isn't here today, she thinks. I continue to stare at her silently. I'd rather be pecked to death by a thousand birds than work with this girl, but what could I really do about it? Go to Mr. Fredrick and demand that I work alone? Against my wishes, I nod slightly. She sits down next to me, crossing one leg over the other smartly. This is the worst day ever. I blink back down to my paper, unsure if that thought had been mine or hers.
I roll my pencil between my fingers and take in a deep breath, wondering if I should speak to her or not. I don't have to make the decision, though; at that moment, the classroom door opens and in walks the principal with the new foreign kid a pace behind him. Mr. Fredrick and Mr. Brian talk in undertones, then they talk to Valon. I concentrate on them, eavesdropping on their thoughts, and learn that he'll be in this class now. He looks around the room, surveying, and his eyes settle on me.
Wow, he thinks, running a hand through his thick brown hair. Interesting.
I simply look back at him, blind sighted by the comment. Usually men think about my boobs or my ass when they first see me, not about how interesting I seem. Valon's thoughts seem sincere; I know he's noticed my curves, but he hasn't tried picturing me in any perverted way. For now, at least. But it was enough to take me by surprise and make me relax, relieved that I would not have to see myself naked in someone's mind yet again.
I should smile at him, but I'm afraid that maybe it would make me look snide, so I just look away. I hear footsteps coming over, and when I look up again, he's standing in front of me, a review paper in hand. Mr. Fredrick introduces us: "This is Valon. I know you recognize him from this morning's assembly. He'll be in our class for the rest of the year. Would you two mind letting him work with you?"
"Of course not!" The girl is blissful - pleased that she's not stuck alone with me. "Right, Mai?" Valon looks at her briefly, then back to me. He raises his eyebrow, and I shrug one shoulder. Mr. Fredrick rushes to go help another group, leaving us to ourselves. Valon picks up the desk in front of me and turns it sideways before sitting down. I can smell the hinted scent of leather on him. Interesting, indeed.
"My name is Kendra." My unwanted partner is practically glowing now. "You're from Australia, right?"
"That's what they tell me." He replies, and I find his accent is even more evident in his voice than it was in his thoughts. I get a brief flashback to when I was a child watching Steve Irwin on TV, and I smile a little – both at the memory and his response. Kendra's thoughts , however, are confused.
"Wait, so you don't know where you're from?" She sounds completely crestfallen. "I'm sorry. Did you get into an accident and lose your memory?"
Valon just looks at her. I don't need to be able to read minds to know that he's questioning her intelligence. Apparently Kendra can notice she's made a mistake, too, because she turns red and she stands up quickly, gathering her things together with much noise. Oh, my god. I'm so stupid. Next thing I know, Valon and I are alone and she's gone to work with another group.
"What's her problem?" He asks, eyes back on me.
"She thinks that she's an idiot," I reply before I can stop myself. Quickly, I clamp my lips shut. He gives a light chuckle and shakes his head.
"She kind of seems to be." He admits. "So, what's the deal with this school? Like the assembly this morning; I can't imagine that was just for welcoming me."
"This school?" I pretend to ponder the question. "It's progressive. Like colon cancer."
He laughs for real this time.
"So that assembly happens how often?"
"Every morning."
"Every morning?"
"Every single morning." I reply, beginning to smile.
"Wow. How long have you been going here?"
"I'm a junior." I pause. This was my first real conversation with someone other than Kaiba in quite some time, and I didn't want it to end because I messed it up. "And you?"
"Same."
I hear a giggle behind me, the kind you use when you're trying to flirt and be sexy. Looking around, I see Mr. Fredrick leaning over Janice, pretending to look at her paper. But I know that he's actually just purposely letting his lower body brush against her back and that he's smelling her hair. I hold back a shudder and face front, blocking them both out before their lewd thoughts hit me.
"He's a teacher?" Valon asks, dropping his voice so no one could hear us. He'd noticed the exchange, too.
"He seems to think so." I say back, wincing as some of the waves break through my barrier. Valon sees my grimace, but doesn't ask.
We pass the rest of the class working on the paper and sharing little bits on information about ourselves. Once, I hear him think She's cool and I can't help but feel good that I'm socializing normally with someone. By the time class is over, I feel as though Valon and I may actually be friends. But the good mood I had gained from this knowledge quickly disappears in my Human Nature and Ethics class.
"Tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen," Mrs. Hannigan begins at the end of her lecture, and we all look up from our notes to give her our full attention, knowing the end of class is near. "We will begin a new character education unit." I feel the dread circulate around the room, and I glance over to see Kaiba roll his eyes from his seat next to mine.
"What does that mean?" Jou calls from the front of the class. I stare at him, wishing that I didn't have this class with him. Wishing I'd taken it in my freshman year instead of waiting until now to do it. At least my discomfort of having a class with Jou wasn't as awful as Kaiba's – who liked to just pretend that Jou were not here at all.
Mrs. Hannigan holds up a stack of papers. "It means, Mr. Jounouchi, that I will assign you all a partner and together you both will work on building your character." She makes eye contact with each of us. "You will be given a series of questions and projects to complete throughout this unit. The point of this is to learn how different we all are and understand each other better. That way maybe we can all come to more understanding of everyone's character and get along better in the future – make the world a better place."
Kaiba lets out a small groan that reminds me of Harpy's complaining when her litter box is full. It captures my feelings about this project perfectly. And, as I look around the room, I see that everyone else is just as excited as we are; the class looks as if Mrs. Hannigan had just announced that we were being shipped off to a concentration camp.
"You can find your assigned partner here," she says, taping a paper to the white board. "And the assignment papers are right there." She points to a table. "Please make sure you get things in order so you can get with your partner and discuss how to begin." She places her hands on her hips. "There will be no other homework while you work on this assignment. That is all."
The class soon crowds the front of the room as they try to find their assigned partner. I sink down in my chair and close my eyes, ready to go home. I hear someone coming closer, and I open my eyes in time to see Kaiba sit back in his chair and start packing his things.
"Who did you get stuck with?" I ask.
"Tristan." He replies. I can tell that he's neither pleased nor angry about it. Kaiba doesn't have an opinion on Tristan – other than he's part of the "nerd herd" (Jou's little group of friends.) "You know who you're with?"
"I'm not with anyone," I interrupt, because I don't intend to get chummy with any of these people. Because I could list at least ten things I'd rather do with my time than work on a project like this with another person. Maybe if Kaiba had been my partner – or Yugi, even – I would. The school can either flunk me or let me do it myself – I didn't care which. As long as I wouldn't be subjected to anyone else's thoughts more than I already had to be.
It's the amusement and sympathy I feel from Kaiba's mind that makes me stop and look at him sharply.
"A shame Jounouchi will be without a partner, then." He says, lips tilting into one of his rare smirks. I freeze in place. My first impulse is to tell him off for joking around, but I can't detect anything untruthful in his thoughts.
"He's my partner?" I demand, sitting up straight. "Jesus, Kaiba. Please tell me that you read the paper wrong."
He doesn't have to say anything; I can see the paper with Jou's name next to mine right there from Kaiba's head. Oh, yeah. Kaiba had definitely not read the paper wrong at all. "I'd rather it be you than me." He answers, giving me an awkward pat on the shoulder.
"Thanks a whole bunch." I mutter, putting my head in my hands. I did not want to work with Jounouchi. I did not want to get near him. I did not want him knowing every flawed part of my character. I especially did not want to have even more access to his thoughts than I do now. He makes me feel weird when I'm near him, like something heavy is sitting on top of my lungs. I don't like it.
I hear the bell signaling the end of class, and I quickly grab my things and sprint out the door. I was running away from the problem, but I need more time to figure out what to do. More time to compose myself. I was both excited and nervous about the fact that I am partnered with Jou and would be spending more time with him, and that scared me.
"Hey, Mai." A voice calls, and I peek over my shoulder to see Valon coming toward me.
"Valon. Hey." I say, relaxing a bit. He falls in-step with me.
"Where'd you come from?"
"Human Nature and Ethics."
"I have that tomorrow." He volunteers the information. I say nothing. "Are you done for the day, then?"
"Yeah."
"Me, too. Any plans tonight?"
"I need to get to work." I say, checking my watch.
"What do you do?"
"I'm an assistant manager at Jack's." I answer, and at his raised eyebrow, I explain in more detail, "Jack's is a casino-like café over on Peachland."
"Assistant manager?" He whistles. "How long have you been there?"
"Since eleventh grade. I was working as a waitress before. Ishizu saw how bad the work was and how low they paid me and she offered me job over at her place. I originally started as a hostess, then promoted to a bartener when I was old enough to serve alcohol, and then she taught me all the ways of casino games and made me a dealer. One thing lead to another, and after years of working thereand becoming good friends with her and her brother, she made me assistant manager."
"Impressive." Valon says appreciatively, and I can't help but swell with a bit of pride. It was nice having someone notice my hard work and praise me.
"I should probably stop by the pet store first, though." I say, trying to stop the threatening smile at the corners of my mouth. "My cat's running low on food and I promised her I'd get more today. She'll bitch at me if I don't keep my word."
"I love cats! What kind is she?"
"I'm not even sure. A mutt, I guess. She's gray with bits of brown and white on her. I found her when she was just a kitten."
"How cute." Valon says brightly. We are almost at the school doors, and I suddenly feel a hand closing around my upper arm, stopping me in my tracks. I turn and, of course, there's Jounouchi - all six feet of him. With his darkened amber eyes and his light skin and honey hair and that one arm in a sling. My heart misses a beat, and I feel my body become etched. He swallows, and I can't help but watch his Adam's Apple bob in his throat. I hear him think So totally sick.
"Hi," I say, shrugging off his hand, whatever hint of a smile I had before now wiped away. That thought from him had been just what I needed to unfreeze and remind myself exactly why I did not want to be around Jou. Valon stands off to the side, uncertainly shifting his weight from one foot to the other, waiting for me.
"I don't know if you saw, but we're working together." Jou says, and I see his eyes give me a once over. Her outfit is so… but he seems to catch himself and he looks back at my face. "I just wanted to know when you were free to get together. For the assignment, I mean."
"I'm off on Wednesdays and Sundays." I answer. "But I could meet you after school and before work on the other days. When and where?"
"How about tomorrow?" He raises his eyebrows, and I can't help but notice his cheekbones. Ah, crap - he's really attractive. Maybe kind of dumb, but really handsome. "You can meet me in the center courtyard." His eyes dart to Valon, wary. "If you're not...busy."
"That's fine." I tell him, careful to keep my voice casual. "I'll see you there tomorrow."
"Alright, then." He nods at Valon without cracking a grin and walks away, back to where Yugi is – who waves and doesn't mind it when I don't smile or wave back.
"Who was he?" Valon holds the door open for me.
"Jou."
"And he, um, is your partner for an assignment?" Valon asks. His voice is weirdly careful. I can feel an odd uneasiness in his mind, and I think I know exactly what it means. I don't answer, though; I don't want to talk about Jou. I think Valon can tell, because he then changes the subject. "So, Mai. What's your story?"
"Which part do you want?"
"The middle?"
"Puberty, then." I sighed. "I went from a training bra to a C cup in the span of seven months."
"Was anyone injured?"
"I blinded a man."
"Lucky bastard." Valon teases. Suddenly, I wish I hadn't mentioned my breasts. But it's not like I wanted to talk about anything else that happened in my adolescent years – especially my parents.
"What about you?" I cover quickly, taking the focus away from me. "Tell me the middle."
"The mmmiddle…" he slowly mutters, thoughtful, as if he's tasting the word and isn't sure he liked it or not. He reaches into his back pocket and takes out his wallet. From it he pulls out a small creased picture and hands it to me. There's a boy on it. A little brown-headed boy with a big smile that was missing a tooth and light grayish-blue eyes. Instantly I can see that it's Valon as a child, but there's something very familiar about the picture… When it comes to me, I gasp out loud.
"Oh, my god! You were the Wheat Puffs kid!" I stare at him bug-eyed. "You were a child model?"
"Yeah, for about three years. But that was before—" He stops. But he doesn't have to finish, I already know: Puberty. "Anyway," he says, tucking the photo back into his wallet. "It's in the past. Mom wanted me to go back into modeling, but I just didn't want to." He stops next to a motorcycle and I blink, surprised.
"You ride?"
"Yeah." He grins at it. "My pride and joy. Saved up for two and a half years to get it."
"Very nice." I say, looking at it appreciatively. If I had a little more extra cash, I would get one, too. I've always thought it would be liberating. Driving with the wind in your face and feeling that liberating sense of total and complete freedom – like if you open your arms you could fly. If I had a motorcycle – or any car, for that matter – I would probably jump on it and leave this place for good.
I shrug my shoulder to shift my bag, and I catch Valon's thoughts noting the way my breasts move. I can't help but feel a bit cautious about it. Not because I'm shameful of my body or not used to people thinking about it – and it wasn't the same cautiousness I feel around Jou – it was more like I was wary because the first person I actually want to be friends with had something else in mind. If Valon and I were going to be friends and hang out, I know I should make my position on us clear. Unfortunately, the only way I knew how to is to be really direct. I wasn't one for dodging around the bush – even when I was younger, too.
"Anyway, I'm glad you decided to come to this school. I needed a friend." I watch him carefully. He's quiet for a while, his smile wan as he thinks over the word and how I'm standing; feet apart, arms crossed and steady. He digests the information I have given him. Finally he takes a quick, deep breath and holds his fist out to me. I touch my knuckles to his and we grin in understanding.
"Yeah. Friends." He says.
"I got to get going." I say, beginning to turn. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah, see you later." He replies, grabbing his helmet and pulling it over his head as I leave. Maybe I can get her to change her mind, he thinks.
I'm sorry, Valon, I think.