Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ High School Love ❯ High school love chapter nine ( Chapter 9 )

HIGH SCHOOL LOVE

 

CHAPTER 9

 

 

 

 

Seto Kaiba was not the sort of person who brooded. He prided himself on being a self-controlled person, one who never let anything so pesky or bothersome as emotions interfere in his life. He was cool and collected, and he didn't worry about things that couldn't be helped. He simply ignored things he couldn't be bothered dealing with, and he went on his way in life without worrying about whether or not he was going the right way. For him, there was no right or wrong way. There was only one way so far as he was concerned, and that was the only way he preferred to travel. He didn't let himself get sidetracked by anything he considered a waste of time.

 

But now the unthinkable had happened to him. Something so shocking and unexpected that he could not ignore it like he ignored the other things in his life he simply had no time for. This was something that couldn't be ignored, no matter how hard he tried to blot it out, to just get it out of his head before it ruined his life again like it had done once before. It was ruthless, demanding, implacable in its determination to be noticed. No matter where he turned, it was always there, staring him in the face, daring him to try and ignore it.

 

He had fallen in love, which to his mind was the worst possible thing he could have let himself do. He had sworn never to love again, not after what had happened to him two years ago. He had been used, his ego had been shattered, and his self-confidence as a male had been ruined for good. She had lured him in with her charms, and he had slept with her, never guessing that she would turn this against him and make a fool out of him.

 

Oh, had she ever made a fool out of him. The very next day, she had boasted to her friends how horrendous in bed he had been. She had publicly humiliated him, making him out to be even worse than he had been. To be sure, it had been his first time sleeping with a girl, but in all honesty, he had thought he hadn't done too bad for his first time. That had been blown out of the water as soon as he heard her insidious gossip and cutting remarks about how bad a fuck he had been.

 

He had never spoken to her again, and from that day on, he had walled himself off from everyone. He had closed off his heart, and he became a human iceblock, showing no emotion whatsoever. He had become cold, unreachable, as distant as an icy star on a winter's night. He had never allowed anyone to get close to him ever again after the way he had been used. And he had made a vow swearing he would never fall in love again.

 

But as with all things, every good intention is made to be broken. He had enrolled at Domino High at the same time as Yami Mutou, Tristan Taylor, and Duke Devlin. Half a year later, Joey Wheeler had enrolled. He hadn't paid much attention to the blond at first, but one day, as he was walking through the common room, he had spotted Wheeler with his friends, joking and laughing about nothing in particular. He had lingered for half a minute to observe the blond. There had been something about the other senior (or junior as they had all been at the time) that had caught his attention without his being aware of it. Something in his gentle, honey-brown eyes had snagged the CEO's heart without him knowing such a thing had ever taken place. There had been sadness there, and pain, a pain that went deeper than mortal understanding, deeper than words could ever express it. He didn't know what could have possibly happened to put such a look of pain in the blond's eyes, but it had tugged at his heart nevertheless, and he had found himself drawn to Wheeler almost against his will. He didn't want to be friends with his fellow-student, and yet, at the same time, he just couldn't stay away. He took every opportunity he could to accost the blond, to let his awkward feelings come out in teases and taunts that sparked a passionately angry reaction from Wheeler. It was immensely entertaining to see his gentle brown eyes grow hot and hard with anger, and to hear bitter curses and harsh words fall from his lips. He didn't know why he found it so entertaining, or why he even felt the need to bait Wheeler in the first place, but he had simply been unable to stop himself, and from then on, they had a regular routine. He would bait the blond. Wheeler would react. And so on and so forth.

 

He had never dreamed in all his born days that he would ever fall in love with Wheeler. The thought was just so crazy, so ridiculous, so utterly out of character with everything that he was, that he refused to contemplate it at all. But destiny and fate can sometimes play cruel tricks with you. So he had discovered the day Wheeler had been laid up in the sick bay with gastro. He had discovered that he loved the blond. More than that; he had fallen in love with Wheeler. That was why he'd gone to see him the following day, and had taken time out to give him something to take the worst of the bug away. And yet, for all that he had taken the time to ensure that Wheeler got better, he had acted in pretty much the same manner as he had always had; with one small difference; he had let slip something he had never intended to let slip, something that had undoubtedly given Wheeler something to think about. Well, the words couldn't be taken back, no matter how much he wanted to. There was nothing else to hope for except for the hope that Wheeler would return the feelings. But how could he be sure of that? The blond hadn't given any indication of his feelings towards him. All this last week, things had been pretty much the same between them, and while he was relieved that matters hadn't changed too drastically, he still couldn't help wondering if the words he had spoken so casually last weekend had had an impact on Wheeler at all. If that was the case, why hadn't he said anything? Or did he just not care at all? That was his biggest fear; the fear of rejection. He didn't want to be rejected by Wheeler. He wanted to be loved by Wheeler. And that scared him out of his wits. It was as if the events of two years ago were being repeated once more. He didn't want history to be repeated. He wanted a different outcome this time.

 

He shuddered as he laid his arms on the desk and rested his head on them. Gods, he didn't know what to think anymore. He couldn't tell if the thought of being loved by Wheeler scared him or exhilarated him. One thing was for certain; he was in over his head this time. He was in love, and he was scared out of his wits.

 

Seto Kaiba did something he had never done before. He buried his face in his arms and started crying in huge, bitter, gulping sobs. He didn't know why he was crying, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that he was scared out of his wits. He was terrified of rejection, and he didn't want to be rejected by Wheeler. He didn't even know if Wheeler was gay or not. Certainly it hadn't mattered to him before. But it did now. It was the fear of rejection that scared him the most, though. How on earth was he going to be able to cope if Wheeler rejected him? It would be like what had happened two years ago when Tea had made a mockery out of him with her friends, laughing at him and making him out to be a worse lover than he had been that first and only time they made love. He didn't want to be put through the humiliation of rejection again. God knew he was still smarting over that, even after all this time. He needed to be loved again so the pain would go away for good and his wound could heal without any scars. But he didn't dare take the risk of telling Wheeler his feelings. The fear of rejection kept him from taking that step, even though he knew that if he waited too long, he would lose Wheeler. Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place.

 

“Dammit, Wheeler,” he snarled, still sobbing. “Why the fuck did I have to go and fall in love with you?”

 

The sound of a book falling to the floor caught his attention, and he lifted his head. A pair of honey-brown eyes was looking back at him, their owner white to the lips. A sickening feeling started in the pit of his stomach as he realized he had just put his foot in it most spectacularly - something else he had never done up till now. Well, love did that to you sometimes. It made you take leave of your senses in the most embarrassing ways. And he was in a fine mess. Wheeler had overheard his confession. Now he either had to own up to what he had said, or run and hide like a coward. Neither option seemed a very good one to him at the moment. And it didn't help that he still had tears on his cheeks, nor that his eyes were red-rimmed from crying. {I must look like a right mess} he thought angrily to himself as he sat up straight and wiped the tears away, trying to get some sort of composure back as Wheeler picked his book up. He'd gotten some colour back, but his eyes were still wide with shock, and he looked as thought he'd just been hit in the centre of the heart with a giant concrete sledgehammer.

 

For a long moment, neither teen said anything as they tried to gather together some remnants of dignity so they could at least try and begin to talk, to sort out the emotions that had risen to life between them the moment Kaiba's confession had left his lips. The silence grew almost unbearable as Wheeler sat down on the opposite side of the table, looking as though he was trembling in every limb. He probably was.

 

Finally, after the silence reached strained proportions, the blond spoke, his voice as calm as he could muster. “Kaiba.”

 

“Wheeler,” he acknowledged. They looked at each other as the silence once more lengthened between them, although this time, Kaiba didn't let it stretch out too far. “I guess you heard me,” he said. No point prolonging the agony. Best to just get it out in the open and be done with it.

 

Wheeler nodded. “I heard ya,” he said carefully. “I was comin' ta see who it was dat was cryin'. I was gonna say somet'in' when ya, well, let your not-so-secret secret slip.” He paused for a moment, and something like amusement started to dance in his eyes. “Ya really oughta be careful who ya let hear dat kinda stuff, y'know. Supposin' someone else had come along and heard ya? Dey mighta been someone wit' a bit of an agenda, an' dey mighta decided ta use your secret against ya.”

 

“I guess it was just as well it was you then, wasn't it?” Kaiba replied with a faint grin. “So, what are you going to do about it?”

 

“Dat depen's on a few t'ings,” Wheeler said, looking at him with a quizzical look in his honey-brown eyes. “I'm still tryin' ta get used ta da idea a' your bein' in love wit' da likes a' me. It's a shock ta da nerves, findin' out dat your worst enemy is in love wit' ya. I don' know what ta t'ink right now. Ma head's spinnin' like a spin dryer gone wrong.”

 

Kaiba nodded. He could understand where Wheeler was coming from. He was still getting used to the idea himself. “So what do you suggest we do?” he asked. “The ball's in your court… Joey.” It felt strange calling him by his first name, but at the same time, it also felt very right.

 

Wheeler's eyebrows went up. Kaiba hid a smile. His use of the blond's first name had rattled him, and now he wasn't sure what to make of it. The CEO could only hope that it jogged something in Wheeler's brain and got him to face up to his own feelings. Maybe something good would come out of this after all.

 

After a few moments, Wheeler spoke again, his voice shy and hesitant, picking his words with some difficulty. “I… I dunno,” he finally admitted, looking down at the table and tracing slow patterns on the wood with his finger. “I mean, I still dunno if I return your feelins or not.”

 

Kaiba sighed as something gave way inside him. He should've known it was too good to be true. Oh well. There was no point in delaying it any longer. “I guess that means no,” he said harshly, collecting his books and standing up. “I knew I was wasting my time opening my heart to a mutt like you.” He walked off before Wheeler could say anything, and the blond was left to watch after him as he disappeared around the corner. His heart felt sore and bewildered, and he didn't know why he felt the sudden urge to throw back his head and howl.

 

“So what da fuck did I say?” he wondered, unable to explain why he wanted to break down into a blubbering mess on the spot then and there.

 

 

 

 

“An' den he says, `I guess dat means no. I shoulda known betta dan ta open my hear ta a mutt like you.” Den before I know it, he's outta dere like his fuckin' ass was on fire,” Joey finished, slamming his fist into the table so hard it wobbled slightly. “I dunno what da fuck I said ta get him so mad, but he's not talkin' ta me now. I tried ta say somet'in' ta him just now ta try an' apologize, an' he just walked past me like I wasn't even dere!”

 

“Maybe it was what you said about not being sure of your feelings,” Serenity suggested, laying a gentle hand on her brother's arm. “I mean, to someone like Kaiba, that could come as a hard blow, especially if he's never been in love before, and he might have taken what you said as a rejection.”

 

“But dat's not what I was sayin',” Joey exploded. “I was just bein' honest wit' him. Did ya want me ta say dat I was passionately in love wit' him when I can' even tell if dat's da way I feel? Yug woulda told me to be honest, so dat's what I did. I was honest. It's Kaiba's fault if he takes it da wrong way.”

 

Serenity was deeply troubled by Joey's obvious upset. His honey-brown eyes were full of sadness and pain, and his arm was quivering under her hand. It was as plain as day to her that the unpleasant ending to his conversation with Kaiba had hurt him more than he realized, and Serenity was not blind. She knew what that look in his eyes meant. Even if he wasn't aware of it, he was in love with Kaiba. He just hadn't realized it yet, and she hoped that he would before it was too late. She just wished she could say something to help him see clearly what his feelings for the brunette were, but she couldn't find the words. So she just squeezed Joey's arm and hoped that things would come good soon, before there was more hurt and heartbreak. She loved her brother dearly, and hated to see him in pain.

 

 

 

 

“He just brushed it off like it was nothing,” Kaiba raged. “I told him - without meaning to, I can assure you, and now I wish I hadn't - and he said that he didn't know what his feelings for me were! It was as if he didn't care, and he was trying to find a polite way to tell me so. If that's the case, it was a pretty poor attempt.”

 

Yugi didn't know what there was he could say to make Kaiba feel better. Even he couldn't be sure how Joey felt about the CEO. “I don't think that was it at all,” he ventured at last, trying to sound as soothing as he could. “Maybe he still needs time to adjust to what you told him. I mean, finding out that your worst enemy is in love with you can be a big shock to the system.”

 

“That's what HE said,” Kaiba growled.

 

Yugi had no need to ask who HE was. “Well, maybe it's true,” he said defensively. “Joey isn't fickle, Kaiba. Once he makes up his mind about something, he sticks with it. He doesn't change from one thing to the next. And he doesn't hide his feelings. If there's something the matter, he'll tell you straight out, and he won't beat around the bush. So you can bet that if he's uncertain about his feelings, then he's telling the truth. He just needs time, that's all. You need to give him some space, and I'm pretty sure he'll come around.”

 

Kaiba snorted as he stood. “Well, unfortunately, I don't have time to wait around for that mutt. If he decides he wants me, he's going to have to come to me. I'm not chasing after him anymore. Like I said, the ball's in his court.” He left without another word, and Yugi sighed as he sat back, lacing his hands behind his head and looking up at the spring sky. The weather was getting warmer with the approach of summer, and soon the exams would begin. He decided to leave Kaiba and Joey to sort their own problems out. He had done all he could. It was up to them to resolve their differences. He could do no more. But what he COULD do was go to the library and get studying. If he wanted to pass his exams with flying colours, he was going to have to work like the devil.

 

 

 

 

Yami scowled at the books lying in front of him. He was going to pull in some bad marks for these exams. It was partly his fault. He should've gotten off his ass a lot sooner and started studying long before this. Well, now he was going to pay for it, and his parents were not going to be happy. {Oh well} he thought with a rueful sigh. {I guess I'm just going to have to do the best I can and let them blow some steam. It's not like my future depends on these exams. I still have the ones at the end of autumn to get through. These are just midterm. Still, the results I pull from these ones are going to impact on me between now and then, so I might as well see what I can do to make sure I have some chance of surviving till the end of the year}

 

The sound of a book thumping on the table beside him jolted him out of his thoughts, and he turned his head, startled. “What's so bad that you have to take it out on a poor book that's done absolutely nothing to you?” he joked.

 

Bakura flipped him the bird. “None of your business,” he said rudely, before turning to his own studies and pointedly ignoring Yami. The crimson-eyed senior shrugged and returned his attention to his books. Soon the sound of rustling pages filled their corner of the library, and the minutes passed slowly by. The occasional scratching of pen on paper penetrated the stillness, accompanied by the occasional muttered comment or curse. Sometimes an eraser danced across the paper as each senior realized he had screwed up and had to start again, accompanied by more muttered cursing.

 

Three-quarters of an hour later, the peace was broken by a startled yelp, followed by the sound of several heavy objects falling to the floor. Silence reigned for two seconds, during which Yami and Bakura exchanged looks, their earlier brief antagonism forgotten. “What on earth was that?” the latter queried, standing up and walking around to the other side of the shelves. “Oh dear,” came the comment. “Yami, you might want to come and see this.”

 

The other senior got up and followed his fellow student. “My goodness,” he exclaimed, bending down and picking up a book. “You really don't do things by half, do you?”

 

Ryou gave him a glare more potent than words could ever be. “Just quit the damn smartass remarks and help me already,” he snarled, chocolate brown eyes flashing with annoyance.

 

Yami and Bakura exchanged amused glances before proceeding to pick up the rest of the books and putting them back in their respective places. Ryou looked on, hopping up and down on one foot, massaging the other gingerly. “There,” Bakura said, when it was done, turning to his doppelganger with a smile that made the younger teen blush to the roots of his white hair. “Next time you're trying to get a book, don't bring the rest of the library down around our ears.”

Ryou snatched the offending book from Yami's arms, blushing even harder. He was about to say something when Malik's voice sounded from the other side of a second set of shelves. “Stop flirting and drag your ass back here. Your exams aren't going to pass themselves, y'know.”

 

The white-haired teen yelped and scurried to obey. “Thanks for your help,” he threw over his shoulder as he disappeared around the shelves.

 

“Well,” Yami commented, as he and Bakura returned to their own desks. “That proved highly entertaining.”

 

The white-haired senior nodded in agreement. “A nice way to distract us from these beasts.”

 

“Hm.” Yami sat down and stared at the notes he'd written. “What a bunch of crap,” he announced to no one in particular. He tore the sheet out of his notebook, rolled it into a ball, and pitched it over his shoulder. There was another yelp, and Bakura snickered. “Nice aim there, pal.”

 

“Shut the fuck up,” Yami growled, as he turned around to apologize to the person he'd accidentally beaned. “Oh. It's you.”

 

Duke rubbed his head, glaring daggers at Yami. “Thanks for knocking half my brain cells loose,” he muttered, before picking up the offending piece of paper and tossing it into the bin without a second glance.

 

“What brain cells?” Bakura said, unable to resist the taunt as the green-eyed senior joined Yami at his table. Duke's glare switched to his fellow senior, and Bakura snickered again.

 

Yami had a hard time keeping his own amusement down. “You come to join the club?” he asked, gesturing to his and Bakura's books.

 

Duke shook his head. “I've spent the last half-hour making sure Joey doesn't do something he might find himself regretting later,” he said on a long sigh.

 

“What's the matter?” Bakura asked, his amusement gone as he gathered up his books and joined the other two seniors. He liked Joey a lot, and Duke's serious tone raised his hackles immediately.

 

The green-eyed teen sighed again. “Apparently he and Kaiba had a bit of a misunderstanding a few hours ago,” he explained, running a hand through his black hair as he spoke. “Kaiba let slip a little secret, and Joey happened to overhear it. They talked easily enough for a few minutes, before Kaiba asked Joey where to go from here. Joey said something along the lines of not knowing what his feelings were, and Kaiba took it the wrong way, apparently. Now he's not talking to Joey, and you can imagine how Joey's feeling right now. He's kicking himself for having messed things up, and he's not too happy with Kaiba right now.”

 

“That's harsh,” Bakura said. “I mean, did Kaiba really expect Joey to tell him a lie about his feelings? I don't think so. If nothing else, Joey is honest. He doesn't beat around the bush. He lets you know what's going on. Kaiba should've realized that.”

 

“But I don't think he does,” Yami put in. “I mean, think about it. Bakura, if you knew that you were in love with, say, Ryou, but he didn't know what his feelings were, how would you react if he told you he didn't know what his feelings were? Would you take it lightly? I don't think so. You'd be pretty upset, right?”

 

“Maybe not necessarily,” Duke cut in. “I love Serenity, and I've told her my feelings. She's not so sure what she feels about me, and she's told me straight out that she's confused about her feelings. I'm cool with that. So long as she's honest with me about her feelings, I'm fine. I wouldn't care if she didn't love me in return. So long as she told me, I'd be okay with that.”

 

“But you're not Kaiba,” Yami pointed out, and Duke shrugged, conceding the point.

 

“Well, we know how much of a prick Kaiba proved himself to be today,” Bakura remarked, but Yami shook his head.

 

“I disagree,” he said. “Now that I think of it, there was something that happened some time ago, just before we all went to high school. I can't remember what it was exactly, but it had something to do with Kaiba and another girl. They slept together, and the girl boasted to her friends the next day how bad a lover Kaiba had been. Granted, it was his first time, them being sixteen and all, but surely he would've done the best he could, right?”

 

“Says a nearly eighteen-year-old virgin,” Duke taunted. Yami flipped him the bird with a good-natured grin before continuing.

 

“And we all know how good a lover YOU are,” he retorted, laughing when Duke retaliated with his own middle finger. “Anyway, as I was saying, Kaiba would have done his best the first time around, right? And the girl he was with must have been a virgin herself right?”

 

“Isn't sixteen a little too young to be having sex, though?” Bakura wondered.

 

“Not necessarily,” Yami said, shaking his head. “Some teens have sex at fourteen, so it's not that young, really.”

 

“Well, be that as it may, the point of what you're getting at is the fact that Kaiba would have had a very bruised ego from something like that,” Duke said, and the other two seniors nodded. “So he wouldn't have wanted to let himself fall in love with anyone ever again, in case he had the same thing happen to him.”

 

“That's right,” Yami agreed. “So the point I'm making is the fact of Joey being so honest about his feelings towards Kaiba. He has no idea how he feels, and telling Kaiba might have been a mistake he can ill afford if it turns out he does love him. I can't begin to imagine how Kaiba must be feeling now.”

 

“I have sympathy for the both of them,” Bakura admitted. “You really can't get mad at Joey. He was just being honest, right? He wasn't about to lie to Kaiba. I wouldn't expect him to.”

 

“Of course not,” Yami said. “I wasn't blaming Joey in the slightest. I was simply saying that he may have made a mistake. But I can't help feeing greater compassion for Kaiba right now. He might not look it, but he must be hurting deep down inside.”

 

Duke and Bakura nodded soberly. “I've left Joey with Yugi for the time being,” the former said. “I think he's asleep now. But someone has to talk to Kaiba before it's too late. Maybe we can knock some sense into him.”

 

“I certainly hope so,” Yami said quietly.

 

 

 

 

“I told you for the last time, if Wheeler decides that…”

 

“I know what you said,” Bakura sighed, putting his hands up defensively. “You don't have to go bellowing it out across the entire school.”

 

Kaiba bristled. “You do get my point, don't you?” he said.

 

“Yes, and quite frankly, I think you're being a prick,” Bakura said bluntly. “You've blabbed on long enough about your side of the story. Now it's time for me to point out some things to you, which you might have been too dumb to pay attention to the first time you heard them. First of all, to get things straight, you would have been a lot unhappier if Joey had lied to you and told you he was in love with you just to stroke that goddamn oversized ego of yours. Trust me, you'd be after his head, and I wouldn't blame you. But - secondly - Joey doesn't lie about his feelings. Now before you say anything, yes, I know you've heard it before. But you need to hear it again. I don't think it was drummed into your head quite firmly enough. So, thirdly - Joey is honest about his feelings. If he's confused about what he feels towards you, he's going to tell you straight out. He doesn't beat around the bush or pussyfoot around. He tells it like it is. Fourth - I know you've had it rough in the past. Who hasn't? We've all had dating or sexual disasters. But - fifth - some of us don't crawl under a rock and die because we get knocked back, or someone decides to go around spreading bad rumours about our sexual prowess - or lack thereof - in the bedroom. Trust me, we've all had something bad happen to us in the past. We just suck it up, learn from it, and move on, knowing more about how to be a good boyfriend and/or lover in the future. We don't clam up and turn cold just because some stupid slut decides you weren't good enough for her and wants to make it public knowledge. You're not the only one who's been burned, my friend, and you won't be the last. So - sixth - get the fuck down off your goddamn high horse, suck it up, and go talk to Joey before I fucking rearrange that snotty face of yours.”

 

Kaiba blinked. No one had EVER spoken so brutally to him before. Or so honestly. And he was left feeling like a right fool. But he didn't care. He didn't care that he'd been shown up as the biggest idiot on the planet. Everything Bakura had said had been so true he was surprised he hadn't seen it before. He'd just let male ego get in his way, and boy had he learned - the hard way - that sometimes the male ego can be a guy's worst friend. {I can't believe I've been such a stupid idiot} he cursed himself. {Here I was, acting like a total fucktard, playing the martyr because someone talked dirty about me behind my back. I've been so stupid. I just hope Wheeler can forgive me. Maybe we can at least come out of this as friends if we can't be something more}

 

“Thank you,” he said, standing up and looking down at the white-haired senior with the first look of open, honest gratitude the other teen had ever seen. “I don't know what sort of stick was up my ass, but you've helped me pull it out.”

 

“That's what I'm here for,” Bakura said with a grin. “Now shoo. Don't you have someone to talk to?”

 

 

 

 

“Well, didn't that work out well?” Bakura smirked that evening, as he watched Joey and Kaiba playing pool and joking back and forth like they were the best of friends. Which in actual fact they were. They had spent some time talking, and had come out of it with a better understanding. They hadn't crossed the border between friendship and love, but at least now they knew where they stood with each other, and they were prepared to wait and see what the future brought them before committing to anything more permanent.

 

“I must commend you,” Yami remarked, clapping his fellow senior on the shoulder. “I don't know what you said to Kaiba to get him to see sense, but whatever it was, it worked.”

 

“You can all just pay me later,” the white-haired teen said with another smirk, and Yami laughed as he smacked the other senior lightly on the back of the head.

 

Yes, it WAS good to see that Kaiba and Joey had sorted out their differences. It made a pleasant change to see these two former enemies lay their differences aside and reach a common ground between them. And it was very good to see Kaiba relaxing and not acting so much like a jerk. True, it was going to take him a while to relax totally around Joey and his friends, but at least he was making an effort to be a little less like a human iceblock, and more like a human being.

 

 

 

 

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