Chapter Five - A Reprieve
By Seth Oleson
CHAPTER FIVE
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James shook his head in disbelief as he traveled with Yugi and his companions. They were nice enough, that was for sure, but a little too... well, cliche. Tea was all gung-ho on friendship which irritated James to no end. The Yugi that James had first met when getting off the boat was a bit of a coward. James hadn't seen the other Yugi since they dueled. Joey and Tristan were okay, but they just didn't seem right to him.
"James?" a voice called out to him. James' head snapped up in response. Yugi and his group were gathered around him, giving him funny looks. Apparently sometime during his soliloquy, James had stopped walking. James reached up with his good hand and scratched the back of his head.
"Sorry. I was just thinking, and... well, never mind. Let's go," James rattled off, sounding like a complete idiot. Tea looked like she was about to laugh, while Yugi gave him a concerned look.
"Are you okay? Is your arm hurting?" Yugi asked. He was full of questions.
"No no, it's just that..." James steeled his will for what he was about to say. "I think I'd be better off by myself." Everyone turned around to face him.
"You serious?" Joey asked. "But you just started hanging out with us a couple of hours ago! What's the problem?"
"Oh, there's no problem, I just think it would be better for all of us. I'm on a three-game losing streak right now, and I don't want my bad luck rubbing off on you guys." James extended his hand. "So I'll see you guys at the finals, right?"
"I'll be there!" Yugi said enthusiastically as he grabbed James' hand, sealing their friendship.
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The next day, James was sitting under a tree, shuffling his Deck one-handed. He had picked up that handy skill out of necessity, due to his disorder. He always felt an irresistible urge to do certain things, and shuffling his Deck was one of them.
"James!" a female voice called out to him. James looked up to see Mai standing in front of him. "Mind if I sit down?"
James' face turned a very light red, but he managed to keep his composure. "Sure. Take a seat." Mai sat down next to him and leaned against the tree. They sat in silence for a few very uncomfortable seconds.
"So..." Mai started. "Umm, how many Starchips do you have?"
"One," James stated nonchalantly. Mai stifled a half-giggle, half-blanch. "You?"
"Three," Mai said as she showed him her wristband. "Who did you lose to?"
"This kid with weird yellow, black and red hair. His name is Yugi," James said. Then Mai noticed James' cast.
"What happened to you!?" Mai asked worriedly. "To your arm, I mean."
"Oh, this?" James said, raising his arm to show her. "Had a bit of a temper tantrum when I lost to Yugi. Put a compound fracture in my hand."
"Ouch," Mai whispered out loud. "Sorry."
"No problem," James said. He held out a black permanent marker. "Care to sign it?" Mai smiled as she took the pen and signed her name on the cast. "Thanks."
"No problem," Mai said. They returned to sitting in silence for a few seconds. All of a sudden, James felt a weight on his shoulder. He turned his head to see the top of Mai's head propped on his shoulder. His face slowly turned a delectable shade of red, but he composed himself when he heard Mai's breath. She was sleeping. James smiled and put his right arm around her shoulder. They sat in perfect harmony.
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