Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Yu-Gi-Oh: American Kids ❯ Joey's deal ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

They pulled out the spare mattress from under Yugi's bed and Joey stayed over that night. It was a common occurence - Joey even had his own set of pyjamas in the cupboard. Yugi's family never said anything, but Joey pestered Yugi about their attitude to his visits: the last thing he wanted to do was wear out his welcome. After a hearty breakfast, the two boys shouldered their schoolbags and headed off to school. On the way, Joey started again.

"Hey buddy, are you sure it's okay that I stayed over last night?"

Yugi replied in a monotone. "Yes Joey. My family likes you. I think mom would almost trade me in for you, you know?"

Joey smiled, relieved. "Hey, Yugi, do you remember when we first became friends?"

"As if it was a jarringly inserted flashback," Yugi laughed.

"I was mean back then. Me and Tristan picked on a lot of people, not just you Yugi." He sighed and Yugi had to prod him to get him moving again. "One of the little bastards ratted on us to his mom and she went to the school. I could have killed the brat when I found out." He kicked a stone and it arched up all the way across the road, luckily missing a small dog gnawing on his foot. "The principal sent me to counselling and I found out that all of my bullying was caused out of a need to get some attention from my drunken, dead-beat of a father. He never notices what I do... hell he never knows what day it is and rarely remembers my name, so according to the shrink, my behaviour would have spiralled into more and more dangerous acts of rebellion in an effort to get some sort of recognition from him." He took another deep breath and another sharp poke. "The stupid jerk..."

"Your father?"

"The counsellor: he made me apologise to all my victims as part of the process. You were the only one that was cool about it, so I started to hang out with you and it was fun." Joey grimaced. "Of course, it's really all my mom's fault. What sort of an idiot would leave a young boy with a man who was both violent and incapable of looking after even himself? I guess I know which of her children that bitch loved most."

Yugi looked up at Joey. "You never told me what happened to Tristan."

"Him?" Joey stared at his short friend, his eyes widening. "He's on the football team. Nothing happened."

Yugi shook his head. "That's so not fair."

"I know. Tristan nearly talked me into going to the try-outs, but they practice nearly every day after school and I have a social life, you know?"

Yugi nodded. "Has he even bought a copy of the new Final Fantasy game?"

"Man, he hasn't even finished the last one!"

They shook their heads in pity and agreed that enforced counselling bet the games drought hands down. Laughing together and making plans for a marathon Death Kiss 3 Mega Melee session that weekend, they entered the gates of Domino High School.