The Domino Effect // A Yu-Gi-Oh! Puzzleshipping Fanfiction

Chapter 1

____________________

September 1st, 2004,

It's finally here. After countless amounts of painful classes, unproductive summers, and dramatic breakups, we've all finally made it. Our first day of senior year.

I remember when we were all kids, just like it was yesterday. There were no popular kids, no bullies, no outcasts or loners. Just people, all gathered together beside the playground, playing a fun game of hopscotch. But now, things are different. We don't all get along like we used to. In fact, it's the complete opposite. All of us have our little "groups," I suppose - although I'm not exactly sure you could call what I have a group.

I only have two friends, Joey and Mana, and they've been with me for a while now. I met Mana at a young age, around kindergarten. We had a few more friends, but they slowly faded away, separating from our path. Joey is another story, but that's not necessarily important at the moment - It doesn't change the fact of our friendship.

Aside from them, I can only remember a few people I've ever drawn close to - some more than others. I remember Tristan, who I only really knew through Joey. Then there's Tea and Miho, who completely detached from me back in middle school. And, of course, there's -

''Ah!''

A kid with the strangest bug-eyed glasses landed in my arms, nearly sending me down with him.

''And stay down, you freak!'' A voice shouted from behind the kid. I looked over his shoulder to see a group of three men staring him down, a one of them unmistakably familiar.

On the left stood Bakura, a white-haired exchange student from Britain. Although it may be his home country, he didn't exactly grasp the accent, unlike his brother Ryou. He's a particularly evil person who is definitely known for once thing - his persistence.

On the right stood Marik, a tan student who originated in Egypt. His hair was messy and grey, and he was the most dramatic and sinister of the three. He could come up with anything - from a plan to skip school to an escape from attempted murder. Sometimes, it was almost as if he was the embodiment of hatred.

In the center stood the one and only Yami. Brother of one of the nicest kids in school and an Egyptian exchange student like Marik, he didn't exactly pick up on the looks. Instead, he was somewhat pale and his hair was a spiked mix of multiple colors - In fact, it looks almost exactly like mine. He was the leader, although he never did much talking. He just stands there, watching everyone else's lives unfold in front of him. You might not think it, but it's honestly quite intimidating. Ironic, though, since we were once friends.

It was just me, him, and Mana in our earliest years. We'd all run around, race down the slides, and swing on the swing set. But one day, in 7th grade, he just vanished. Not even his brother knew what happened to him, it was as if a switch flipped and his way of thinking changed forever. He didn't speak to me or Mana anymore, and instead he went off to become one of the "popular" kids, if that's what you'd call it.

I lifted up the kid that had fallen as the group walked away, Marik and Bakura snickering.

''Are you alright?''

He groaned, adjusting his glasses before he suddenly grew upset.

''I didn't need your help!'' He shouted before storming off into the school.

''Alright..''

°°°

The bell rang as I rushed to my desk, the teacher barely missing me as I came in. Phew, I thought, situating the books on my desk before looking up to the chalkboard. I heard mumbling all throughout the classroom, along with the sound of crumpling paper and laughter. It made it awfully hard to focus, not to mention who it had been coming from - but I needed to pass this class if I wanted to graduate.

''Ladies!'' I heard the teacher shout as I snapped back to attention. She was pointing to a couple of girls on the far side of the classroom, who had been joking to themselves for what seemed like forever. The brunette handed over a slip of paper, which was immediately tossed into the garbage before class continued.

But the laughter didn't stop, and it never got any less annoying. The girls poked a guy sitting next to them, handing them a new piece of paper before laughing. He picked it up, reading it before slipping it into his pocket. His expression seemed blank, but then again, I was sitting far behind him. Nonetheless, I was not amused.

The girls had, of course, been Tea and Miho. They had become the tag-along girls of the bullies - always obsessing over Yami in particular. Teasing him, poking around him - everything about them reeked of desperation. It was no surprise though - Tea only ever hung out with me to talk to Yami. Ever since we were children, she was in love with him, although maybe a bit too much. She craved everything about him, from his tall, slim figure to his baritone voice. Getting him in his entirety has been her biggest dream for as long as I could remember - In fact, it's been her only goal since we split.

And, frankly, it disgusts me, for more reasons than one - but it disappoints me more than anything.

Ever since middle school, one after another, everyone's lives have been thrown off track. It's like a domino effect - once one person leaves, the next one follows, and so on.

But, sometimes, it makes me wonder. It makes me fear, fear for the future of those who've given in to the peer pressure and insanity known as high school. Maybe it's irreversible, but I couldn't imagine if any of them, no matter how awful now, lead an unsuccessful life in the future. A life that I, in the end game, am not a part of.

So maybe that can all change this year. Maybe, within these few short months we have left, we can fix everything. Mend our relationships, our broken hearts and ties - our love, respect and hope for one another rekindled. Maybe we could go back to the best days of our lives.

Maybe dominoes aren't always left alone after they fall. Maybe they can stand back up.

_

_____________________________________
·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·