When You Said You Love Me

Chapter Eight

//quick explanation! In this story, Yami is Atem's last name. People will refer to him as Yami or Atem based on familiarity/preference.
//enjoy!

Tristan waits for an explanation, walking into the room with Tèa and Yugi following behind him.
'Just great.' I think bitterly, sighing softly. 'Now I gotta tell my friends that I'm crushin' hard on the biggest jerk ever.'
"I should go." Kaiba says, taking a step towards the door. Tristan steps in front of the door as Tèa and Yugi move to sit in the chairs against the wall.
Everyone is either way too curious, way too tense, or a horrible combination of both. Of course, I can't blame Kaiba for wanting to leave; he's outnumbered. I don't think Yugi would go as far as physical violence, but Tèa and Tristan sure would.
"How did you guys get here?" I ask, trying to distract Tristan a bit. I really don't want to see a fight break out. Instead, it's Yugi who answers.
"Atem has a car, so he brought us." He says, smiling. Maybe he's tryin' to help too. "He's waiting in the hallway, just in case you're still... You know."
I nod, then look over at Tristan. He's not wearing a face mask like Kaiba was, and I roll my eyes. "Tristan, it's not as bad as it looks."
"How can it not be?" Tristan asks, still glaring at Kaiba. "He was taking advantage of you!"
Kaiba's muscles loosen up a bit and he glances back at me. I'm not sure what he's thinking, and it worries me.
All the same, I'm pissed that Tristan thinks I'd let myself be taken advantage of. "No way! I was given suppressants," I start, then notice that I'm talking just fine. "And Seto knew that they were already startin' to work! It's not like he was doin' anything serious either."

Many people tell me that I talk too much. They say that when I get all fired up about somethin' that my mouth just runs off without my brain. I guess that's what happened when I responded to Tristan, even though I only said two things. It seems that everyone only paid attention to one part anyways.

"Seto?!" They all say in shock; well, all except Kaiba, who now has his fists clenched and is looking at the ground. He looks mad, but that's not quite the right word. I blush as red as I probably ever have, looking down to my hands in my lap.
"I mean... Yeah. Why not?" I ask, shrugging and avoiding eye contact. Have you ever had to explain somethin' to someone that you know won't understand? If so, you know how I feel.
It sucks.

Tristan is my best friend, and has been for a long time. It's hard to remember a time when he wasn't there for me, whether my dad had just kicked my ass or something small and unimportant had happened. I want him to understand, so much that it's hurtin'.
He doesn't understand though. I can tell by the way that he looks back and forth between Kaiba and me, his face getting redder as he does.
"I... I think I'm gonna be sick..." He says quickly, running out the door in a hurry. I look to Yugi and Tèa, who are still sitting in their seats.
Tèa is a bit red too, but she laughs her reaction away a bit awkwardly. "So... Creepy Kaiba, huh?"
Kaiba looks up from the floor, then back at me. He looks almost sorry. "I really should go."
He turns and leaves me alone with my friends, and I can't help but call out to him, "Be safe!"
When he leaves, I slouch a bit and look back at my lap again. Now that he's gone, Tèa and Yugi look a lot more relaxed.
"How long have you two been...?" Tèa asks, although she seems unsure of what to say. "I mean, I haven't smelled his scent on you, so um..."
My eyes widen as I finally get what she's implying. Tristan must've thought the same thing, since his face had gone so red before he left. I sit up straighter and look over at my friends, willing them to believe me. "You got it all wrong! I mean, yeah I like him a lot, I think, but I... We never... You guys know I'm not like that."
My voice gets smaller and smaller the more I talk, and I feel tears prickle at the corners of my eyes.
"Of course we know that Joey." Yugi says, and I get the feeling that he means it. "It's pretty weird, and we're just used to the opposite. It's no worse than any other couple liking each other."
Yugi's words make me feel a bit better, so I don't tell him that Kaiba never said we were in a relationship. When Tèa speaks up, I can't help but laugh.
"And at least it's not Mai." She says, pretending to be sick. I nod in agreement, still shaking a bit from laughter.
After a few minutes, Yami walks in. "Is everything okay in here? I saw Tristan and Kaiba leave, so I figured something happened."
"Everything is fine, Atem." Yugi says, and the Alpha relaxes immediately. "Joey is feeling a lot better too."
I nod and finally stretch, sighing loudly. "When do you think I can leave?"
"I'll go find a nurse." Yami offers, turning around to leave right as a nurse walks in.
"No need!" She smiles, then addresses all of my friends. "If you all don't mind, I need to have a private word with Mr. Wheeler."

//920 words!
//another cliffhanger?! Wow! Don't worry though. I'll have another part out soon! Another double update maybe?