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Points of Authority :: Chapter 5 -- Retail Sales of Horror

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He smirked, a malicious glint showing in his eyes. “So, I leave you alone for a week, and this is how you end up?” One of his eyebrows went up in amusement. “I didn’t think you were the type to…let yourself go.”



.: Points of Authority

.: Chapter 5: Retail Sales of Horror



Even though Mai Valentine had offered a roof over your head you still had to pay her rent. You could understand it, and besides, it made you feel better for staying with her so you didn’t feel like you were freeloading or anything.

In any case, over lunch the other day you had discussed icebreaker-like topics to get to know each other; like favorite subject in school, what you liked and disliked, etc. She was quick to tell you that she loved shopping, something you abhorred to quite a degree, but she was determined to show you the “real side” of shopping after her break from work started this weekend.

…And this is how you found yourself this Saturday afternoon -- being strung along like a rag doll behind the ever-ecstatic Mai.

Mai kept mumbling incoherencies and making squeals of girlish delight that made your stomach squirm unpleasantly. You didn’t care, but you had the strange feeling that this experience would be a bad one…

In fact, you noticed that there were a lot of strange eyes on you now that Mai was stringing you along behind her in such girlish glee. Was she trying to make it known to even the people outside of the mall? How could people see inside the mall with the glare on the windows anyway? Must have been your lucky day, apparently.

Your forehead creased in exasperation. “Mai, I don’t mean to seem pushy,” you slid out in tired sarcasm from her side, “but can you just pick a store already?” You were only being held up by the tight grip she held on your upper arm which was rather uncomfortable.

A reluctant sigh reached your ears. “Oh, that’s no fun,” she told you while still looking around, not acknowledging that you had cued a conversation that onlookers thought she was having with herself.

“The best part about shopping is just oogling at all the stores, not necessarily picking one,” she finished, then she actually let go of the vice grip she had on your arm with a trademark wink and purposeful finger.

Your hand unconsciously smacked your forehead in embarrassment and slid to your mouth. “You’re killing me here…,” you slurred in a toneless ring from behind your hand.

“Oh, I know you don’t mean that,” she dismissed your disagreeable nature.

“Just pick a store, Mai,” you said in more biting exasperation, clenching your teeth and releasing yourself from your rag-doll appearance at Mai’s side.

“So many good stores to try…”

A stressed sigh escaped your lips as you tapped one foot and put your hands on your hips with conviction. “MAI!”

You looked up to see if your warning had reached her…

…But it seemed like she hadn’t heard you at all.

You felt a part of your forehead scrunch tightly into a stressmark, your eye partially twitching. “Mai…”

Mai had grabbed up your hand, looking you dead in the eye. She looked serious about her resolution (whatever that was), but the atmosphere she was creating could have sufficed for some dreamy-sparkle background. You know, the ones you see in anime.

“Oh, c’mon, Kenzie! Can’t you be the least bit happy for me? After all, this is my first day off in a month!” Mai was squeezing your hand, invading your personal bubble.

Feeling slightly self-conscious about the whole situation you jerked your hand away from her and glared darkly, letting your torso convey the message of 'stay the hell away from me.'

Mai gave a half pout, half discerning glare (if it was possibly, only she could pull it off) at you, inching towards you with her eyes and her body in a prominent stance.

…And then it turned mischievous, something that you learned in the past week was a bad thing for you. Mai always had fun, but whoever was on the receiving end was in for one heck of a ride.

You shifted uneasily, looking around to see if maybe Mai was looking at someone else close to you. “Uh, Mai…?” you swallowed hard, but it wasn’t that visible to outsiders, except Mai…she could smell fear, you swore it! “You okay…?”

Mai’s eyes twinkled with a determined glint. “I know what you need…,” she practically hissed at you in a maliciously; it made the bottom of your stomach drop out.

“Wha-at?!” you almost jumped out of your skin, inching away as lightly as you could away from Mai. That look in her eyes did not promise anything of good omen… But she had hold of your arm firmly by the time you were half a centimeter away from her.

“What do I…?”

Her lips slid into a grin, and with that evil look on her face it didn’t relieve your stomach flopping. Squirming uncomfortably, you dared to try again.

“Mai…? What’re you—AHHHHHHHH!”

Without any primary notice, Mai had flung you towards whatever direction she was going in. “C’mon! I’ve got just the thing for you!”

Gaining back some of your senses (yeah right), you spotted Mai barreling towards a clothing store, adeptly named “Funkies!” The billowing dust she was somehow kicking up was leaving the mall strollers in a whirlwind of confusion.

**********

“Mai, if you think I’m going to wear that disreputable outfit,” you refuted, marking your serious tone known, “…then you are highly mistaken.”

Mai waved you off with her good-natured hand, cracking a fake, mischievous smile and prodded away at your obstinate principles. “C’mon! Don’t be such a stiff! Don’t you know how to have fun?”

A stressmark appeared on its famililar spot on your forehead, working its tension-filled magic on your patience. “Don’t assume to know what I think is fun, because I know what fun is, and it’s not…,” you paused a minute, getting the very last word out in utter disgusted repulsion, “…THAT!”

Your finger pointed at the outfit in accusation, like it was the cause of your new-found nausea.

“Don’t be so bland! It’s good for you to try new things!” Mai argued while dangling the outfit in front of you to emphasize the 'new things' she was talking about.

Well, the outfit actually was why you felt nauseous at the moment.

The outfit was a carbon-copy of the one Mai was wearing right now…

…In front of you…

…In public.

Did she really plan to wear that to Battle City? Where everyone with a television could see her?!

You glanced at Mai’s outfit subconsciously, not being able to believe how that girl could show off so much of her body like that. First off all, that girdle-top was just not going to go well for you. There was no way you could wear that! And that short lavender skirt?! Was she serious?!

You found yourself blushing at trying to imagine yourself in the same outfit…

“What’re you blushin’ for…?” Mai gave you an odd look, and then gave a perceptive smile. “OOOOOoooooooooooooh! I get it! You know that you’re gonna look good in this don’t ya?”

The most incredulous look broke out on your face and you stared at Mai while trying to keep a calm exterior. “What?! Where in the WORLD did you ge—“

She reflexively put her hand up, halting your protests. Mai then physically 'tut'-ted by waving her index finger back and forth a few times.

“Besides, even if you do look good in it, just think of it as dressing up or something,” she perceptively knew that your shyness was overtaking you. Mai, apparently, was really meaning for you to have a good time.

Mai put a thoughtful finger to her chin, cupping the elbow with her opposite hand. She actually looked regal for a change in that stance. If you didn’t know Mai any better, you might have been offended by her posture. Wait. Why was she posing anyway?

“You can think of it as dressing up, like an early… Halloween or whatever,” she suggested casually, hopefully letting her relaxed disposition rub away seriousness away so you would just oblige to what she was asking.

Of course, there was no such luck. When you were resolved on an issue you STAYED resolved on an issue.

You closed yourself off by folding up your arms to your chest in a huff, turning away from Mai and that…god-forsaken piece of…whatever it was.

“There’s no way in hell I’m wearing that, Mai,” you said simply. Mai’s face almost twitched.

...

“You mean you wouldn’t want to dress up like me? Do you find me that revolting to be like?”

The glint in Mai’s eyes were sparking fire and it was beginning to get cold around you. It was like the cold that surrounded a steady fire when you were too far away from it…and it was actually getting under your own skin, making your insides freeze.

You shot back around with icy pricks edging at the insides of your stomach. “Wait, Mai!” you held up your arms in defense. “That’s not what I meant!”

Mai shut her eyes in serious resolve. Had you really offended her that much? You knew Mai wasn’t that sensitive to such meaningless stuff…

“Just for that…” Her voice carried a somber tone about it…

Mai’s eyes shot open with...determination?

She grinned maliciously. Her eyes twinkling in that conniving delight she often had, trying to get a look of fear on your face.

…It was actually working.

“I did just want you to try it on, but since you’re being such a crybaby about it,” Mai shifted a hand to her hip, waving the habituated hanger in front of you, “I think you should wear it for the rest of the day.”

Your calm façade shattered temporarily until you realized…there was technically no way she could make you do it. There was absolutely nothing she could threaten you with right now that could make you wear that…atrocity.

Your mouth twitched into a distasteful smirk, folding your arms in an arrogant way.

“There’s no way you can make me wear that,” you slid out of your mouth in superiority.

Mai’s lips played into a wicked smile at your answer as if she was expecting it. “Oh…? Are you sure…?” Her words seemed to sway off her tongue in malevolent seduction -- it made the tops of your brow contort in insecurity, a small film of sweat was building up as well.

Just who was this person to make you lose your cool so easily like this?!

“I’m…I’m positive!” you lied to yourself to keep reassurance. “There’s nothing you can use to make me wear that outrageous outfit!”

Mai gave you a professional smirk and then nodded her head in affirmation at something. “If you don’t put this on…”

She stopped on purpose, just to make you sweat more.

…But why were you even sweating in the first place?! There was nothing she could have possibly held up her sleeve that would make you wear it!

Nothing.

…

…Right?

“…Then you will simply have to find some other place to stay while you’re here in Japan.”

…

“WHAT?!”

Your palms had gone sweaty from your nervousness. “You…you can’t do that!”

“Yes, I can, Kenzie," Mai said in curt superiority. “I let you stay with me and I can just as easily kick you out for not minding me.”

“’Minding’ you?” you spat incredulously, eyes wide in disbelief. “We’re not even at your apartment! And don’t you have any sense of shame? How could you kick out a person in my position?!”

Mai gave you a nasty look, putting a confident hand of certainty on her hip as she walked up to you. She was rather intimidating right now. “I’m only trying to do something nice for you,” she told you curtly. “Stop being such a selfish brat.”

...

You immediately froze after her last sentence. Something about her phrasing had hit something in you, reminding you of something…

Your gaze was down, and you hurriedly said, “Fine, I’ll put it on,” to not raise any questions from Mai.

Mai proudly wore her smile of victory as you dejectedly started towards the changing rooms, hanger in hand.

**********

Your face was burning hot! You had never been this self-conscious in your entire life!

…And you blamed it solely on Mai Valentine. She had to be made of evil, some mutated form of evil!

You anxiously glanced back at yourself in the full-body mirror on the door in front of you.

Everything about this…outfit seemed to make it painfully aware that you had…a body. Having a body was something you did not like to make painfully aware to others. The white girdle bolstered a certain area below your neck line and it snuggly attached itself to the sides of your upper torso…making you quite uncomfortable.

…And if that wasn’t enough, the piece of cloth that wrapped around your thighs could hardly be called a skirt. Just look at how short it was!

“C’mon, Kenzie! I wanna see already!”

You reflexively 'covered' yourself with your arms.

“Gimme a few minutes!” you refuted in desperation. You really did not want to leave the 'safe' walls of the dressing room; it was the only way to keep you from wandering eyes…

“It’s been nearly forty-five minutes since you went in there, Kenzie,” Mai called in earnestness. “Don’t make me come drag you out of that room because I will.”

An anxious panic enveloped your stomach and you began to feel even more uncomfortable. “Please, just give me a couple more moments to myself before my dignity is forsaken!”

You heard Mai give an annoyed sigh as she called, “You’re being absolutely ridiculous.”

You were briefly offended by Mai’s statement, but bit your lip. ‘The question of my dignity is not ridiculous!’ you defended quietly.

You took one last look at yourself in the full-body mirror.

The boots and that hoodie-thing didn’t seem so bad to wear in your opinion…it was just everything else that came with it. Or the lack thereof. You heaved a great, burdened sigh as you finally gathered enough nerve to reach out for the knob…

Reluctantly, you twisted the knob and put a shy pressure on the door, your body subconsciously going into a timid disposition.

The only events you were aware of next was a shriek of glee and a vice-like grip on your arms and upper body.

“You look adorable!” Mai announced with excitement, holding out your arms with her own and getting a good look at you.

Your eyebrow perked up in confusion. “‘Adorable’…?”

She smiled widely at you, purely ecstatic that she had you in her outfit. “Yes! You look great!”

Mai obviously missed the uncertain tone in your voice.

“…I think we have a very different meaning of the word ‘adorable,’” you suggested in your awkward stance.

…And she didn’t hear your last statement either, because she kept mumbling about something.

“I can’t believe you made me wait that long!” she lightly scolded and then tugged a little on the arm sleeve (/sock?) you were wearing she said, “C’mon now. We don’t want to be late for the pre-opening of Battle City.”

…

Your feet suddenly became glued to the floor, your limbs pumping lead into them. Your voice came out as stoic and heavy as the lead in your arms.

“You’re not suggesting that I’m…leaving this store with these clothes on…are you?”

Mai stopped, almost kicking her heels in the spin around to face you. “Well of course, hon,” letting a small smile play on her lips. “You didn’t think I was going to buy that without you wearing it around town, did you?”

…

Wait.

Did she say 'buy'?!

You held up your hands and waved them in earnest defense. “Mai, I couldn’t accept you to pa--!!”

…

Wait!

Did she say ‘around town’?!”

“‘Around town’?!” you cried hysterically, finally losing your cool.

Mai gave you the 'obviously' look and followed with a one word answer: “Duh.”

You were, well...dumbfounded. “Bu-…But I…That wasn’t in the agreement! I agreed to put it on, not flaunt around town in it!”

Mai's eyes twinkled in superiority, knowing something you didn't. “Actually, hon, there was no agreement on how long you were to wear the outfit, and seeing as how I’m the one who holds the most weight in this situation it’s to my discretion how long and where you have to wear it,” her eyes glinted in wickedness. “It’s either that or no roof over your head for you.”

You stared at her in incredulity and resentment. There really was no doubt about it, she had to be at least twenty-five percent evil. There was just no other explanation for it.

…And you didn’t have enough coherency at the moment to refute her with logical facts. She practically shot down every argument you could have come back with. This was all because of the fact that you had let her be nice to you and now she had you wrapped around her finger.

You cringed.

“You can thank me later,” Mai said boldly while hauling you up to the cash register.

Looking down at your outfit your cringe deepened.

Barbie® couldn’t hold a candle to this outfit…

**********

Another whistle resounded in the Domino Square area.

A few catcalls were heard moments later.

You were glaring at the ground in front of you. Mai was walking prominently at your side. You were trying to block out all of the remarks and chatter as you walked down the street. She had insisted that you two walk to the pre-opening of Battle City, claiming that walking around outside would 'boost' your self-confidence.

Heh. If anything, you were going to make sure to get some of the baggiest clothes you could find tomorrow…

“Kenzie!”

*CRASH*

You had run into someone, a very rigid someone and you would have fallen over if it hadn’t have been for Mai keeping you steady.

Star-shaped hair passed through your vision as you heard a deep voice say, “Oh, Kenzie. I hadn’t expected you to be the type to wear such…unusual attire.”

Your brows raised in question. “Yugi…?”

Suddenly noticing that someone of the opposite gender was able to look at you so close up you reflexively covered yourself with your arms, your cheeks flushing with anger and embarrassment. “Hey! Are you mocking me?!”

Abruptly, you were put into a friendly, one-arm hug by none-other than Mai herself.

“Straighten up, will you? You look great in it! Oh and Tea,” you looked to Yugi’s side to see a brown-haired girl, about a head taller than him. Mai had waved to her. “We’ve gotta go shopping some time!”

Tea’s nose cringed a little, noticing how you had been the guinea. “Yeah…some time…,” she chuckled nervously.

Yugi then turned to both you and Mai while you shrugged off her friendly arm. His hands were in his pockets and he had the most prominent stance you’d ever seen.

“So, Kenzie, Mai…,” he skillfully paused, carefully bringing out one hand from his pocket to use for accompanying his words. “I can assume both of you are here for the pre-opening?”

You were about to answer when Mai gave a cute line and cut you off.

“If you mean to hear all the unnecessary drivel Kaiba plans to feed us then yes.” She flipped her hair with her hand conceitedly. Sarcasm was dripping from her. “It’s not like I have things to do.”

Tea nodded with conviction. “Yeah, that Kaiba never knows when to shut his big mouth. Not only is he foul-natured when it comes to people, but his ego is just as bad.”

You folded your arms across your chest, feeling that the friends needed some time for acquaintance. You’d step in to say something if they acknowledged you. No sense in trying too hard to get to know people…

“Huh?”

Tea had apparently been talking to you and you had missed it.

“I said, do you think Kaiba will show up in person for his own tournament?” Tea asked again.

You crossed your arms contemptuously, closing your eyes to keep from glaring at anyone (especially since that person wasn’t here to be glared at). “What is this? Some kind of poll?” you asked angrily. “Because I could really care less about Kaiba. He could go jump off a cliff for all I care.”

You heard a snicker; it came from Mai’s direction (right behind you). You gave her a discerning look.

Mai snickered again and then followed with a, “That’s a very tired expression, Kenzie.”

“Yeah, well…it shows just how tired I am of Kaiba.”

“Ahem.”

Your insides went frigid. That hadn’t sounded like anyone that you knew was with you…

…But given your recent streak of luck, it would just have to be that Kaiba.

Begrudgingly, you turned around and saw a very conceited Kaiba towering over you... His white, flared jacket was blowing defiantly in the wind, making his appearance more ominous than what it should have been. Although it was dusk, his blue eyes seemed to pierce through the now-coming darkness of the night.

Kaiba looked ready to say something arrogant, but he stopped…and started inspecting you for a moment. Cursing your recent streak of luck, you were too angry at Kaiba’s presence to even notice why…

He smirked, a malicious glint showing in his eyes. “So, I leave you alone for a week, and this is how you end up?” One of his eyebrows went up in amusement. “I didn’t think you were the type to…let yourself go.”

You felt your face go very red, now realizing exactly what Kaiba meant. Involuntarily glancing down at your outfit, you shot your head back up and your eyebrows dipped into a dark glare. “That’s none of your business, Kaiba!”

Kaiba bent down to get his eyes on the same level as yours. He came off a lot more intimidating when he was in your face like this. You felt your stomach flop a little.

“Well, it’s also none of your business how I plan to run my tournament,” he said darkly. Still glaring at you, Kaiba straightened up an put an audacious fist on his hip. “Besides, if you’re so tired of me then why did you even accept coming to my tournament? Especially since everyone knows you’re not qualified to be in my tournament, Default Duelist.”

That was it. That was just it.

Fury raged through your blood stream, making you a little hot as you let it calmly consume you.

Suddenly, you felt a firm hand on your shoulder, breaking you out of your hardly-found rage. Spinning your head around, you found Yugi trying to get you to calm down. The little squirt was a lot wiser than you took him for earlier in the week.

“Why are you here, Kaiba?” Yugi questioned in his formal, somber voice.

Kaiba’s back seemed to straighten ten-fold, marching towards you and Yugi even more (he still had his hand on your shoulder).

“Don’t mistake my intentions, Yugi,” he warned in a low, murky tone. Kaiba had taken a very arrogant stance. “I came here to inform you, that I will hunt you down in my tournament and regain my title. So don’t think you’ll be winning this one, Yugi, because you’ll have to go through me.”

There was another skilled and dramatic pause from Yugi. As soon as you built up the nerve to turn around to see if he’d actually talk, he started to speak. “You’ll get your duel, Kaiba, don’t you worry.” His brows furrowed in hostility.

“Oh, I won’t have to, Yugi,” Kaiba smirked maliciously. “The tournament starts tomorrow.”

“That’s all well and good,” a snooty voice shot in. Suddenly, you felt yourself being dragged away from the tense atmosphere by your arm, stumbling over the stilettos Mai had actually conned you into wearing. “But we need to be getting home...away from you stubborn boys.”

You watched as you left a very bewildered Kaiba and Yugi staring at you and Mai.

“You’re welcome to come too, Tea,” Mai said off-handedly. “I really don’t know how you all can breathe with all that testosterone.”

There was a bewildered stillness from the group until Kaiba began to trail you. When he almost caught up he said, as incredulous as he could, “You’re staying…with her? Why are you not in that hotel?”

Mai had stopped to let go of you with attitude and put a hand on her hip with conviction. “It’s not like I’m a bad influence on her, Kaiba.”

Kaiba gave a disbelieving snort, glancing at your outfit. You gave a faint blush, turning timid for a moment. “That’s still up for question.”

Old fury rising up again from when Yugi held you back, you stalked up to face Kaiba. “I refuse to let you think that you can push Mai around, Kaiba,” you recited in conviction. “She was actually nice enough to get me a place to stay.”

You could almost see your anger figuratively stba him, nevermind how much spite you were giving off.

You saw Kaiba’s brow crease in some degree of anger, his teeth clenching slightly. “Just what are you talking about?”

You folded your arms and set your brow discerningly. “I don’t know if you’ve heard of the Prime Minister of Japan, but he’s conveniently taken over the only commodity I was supposed to have guaranteed to me!”

“Hmph,” was the answer Kaiba gave, momentarily closing his eyes. He shifted his weight to one foot, putting an antagonizing hand on his hip.

“And, just why is this my problem…?”

The smirk that built near the end of his comment seemed to dig its way into your skin, making your blood simmer.

If you were close enough to that jerk…you probably would have smacked him.

“What’re you doing?! False advertising?!” your voice raised a lot, but not to the point of screaming -- you had some self-control, Unlike some people who were standing right in front of you. “I can get a lawyer, Kaiba. I don’t appreciate being lied to.”

Kaiba chuckled lightly. “No one in this country would represent a foreigner that’s only here for another week. The case wouldn’t amount to much, anyway, and you know it too,” his smile darkened. “Besides, who would represent a default duelist like yourself? Think about all the prominent duelists that have come out of Japan.”

…

A malicious pause.

“Why would they represent trash like you?”

…

You could feel that Mai, Tea, and Yugi had all sucked in breathes on your own behalf. You weren’t sure if you liked that or not.

Your head had slowly rose, revealing the dark shade your face had pulled from Kaiba's comment. If you hadn’t known any better, you'd thought that your heart had stopped from the feeling of disgust exponentially building around it.

The words that came out of your mouth flowed easily enough, but held a contempt stronger than that of a rival’s tongue.

“I hate you, Seto Kaiba.”

He merely smirked, his eyes glinting. “Hmph. The feeling’s mutual.”

You turned away from the haughty CEO, a grimace on your features as you gradually stalked away. “Can we leave? I suddenly feel sick to my stomach,” you spat spitefully behind your shoulder to make sure Kaiba heard you.

Mai caught up with you slowly, sensing you needed some time to cool off.

**********

After you braced yourself around another corner Mai finally spoke up, quite angry in fact. “So that’s it? You’re just going to let him push you around like that?!”

You sighed in exasperation, slowing your pace as you kept your eyes on the ground in deep concentration. “I can’t beat him like this, Mai. Not right now.”

Mai practically huffed at your answer. “What the hell are you talking about?! I know you’re more articulate than that!” she argued, and then added, “I saw you beat Bandit Keith after all.”

Another sigh escaped your lips and you stopped, noticing Mai had as well. You turned to her in all seriousness, “Mai, both Kaiba and I know how much our reputation means to each other; however, right now Kaiba has the upper hand on me,” you explained, the logical tone completely taking over your voice. “I can’t exactly take Kaiba down with what I know at the moment. I mean, you saw how poor I was doing with my ‘ethical’ arguments.”

Mai was still glaring at you accusingly like she didn’t feel that your argument was very logical. “Well, you could’ve just gone up and knocked some sense into the jerk! I swear, you’re way too submissive for your own good.”

“I am not submissive,” your voice semi-livid. “It’s called control, Mai. How would I have looked if I had lost control and just yelled at him?”

Mai stared at you increduously. “You would have looked sane! Anyone in the right state of mind would have given Kaiba what was coming to him after those remarks!”

“NO, Mai,” you cut her off in resolve. “If I’m to beat Kaiba, to have the upper hand on him, I have to beat him at his own game.”

Confusion poured from Mai’s eyes. “What’re you saying? You’re not actually going to try and duel him, are you?”

Your face reddened in embarrassment. “Actually, I was going to try and win the Battle City Tournament. We already know that Kaiba’s not going to win his rematch against Yugi. I mean, come on, it’s Yugi Moto,” you said quickly. “But I’m flattered you thought I’d actually try to duel him.”

She gave you a jaded look, her arms hanging from her shoulders. Then she straightened up, grabbing your neck with one arm and smiling at you. “See? I knew wearing this outfit would give you some confidence.”

You visibly paled, your eyes shrinking in realization. “Oh no… I can’t believe Kaiba saw me in this!”

Mai kept her hold around your neck, pulling off a classic, quizzical look. “Huh? What’re you so worried about him seeing you in it for?”

You were too shocked about the earlier situation to answer right away which let Mai’s wandering mind come to her own conclusion…

“Oh! I get it!” she nudged you in the side with her elbow. “You like Kaiba, don’t you…?”

“WHAT?! NO WAY!” you shouted back at her. “I just don’t want that jerk to have anything else to use against me is all!”

Mai waved you off. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I was just trying to get you to smile some more, but obviously it isn’t working.”

You brushed her arm off your neck, pouting a bit. “How do you expect me to smile when you bring up someone like him.”

Mai gave you a wink. “Well, you could always imagine how badly you’re gonna sock it to ‘em later when you’ve progressed further than him in his own tournament.”

“Don’t you mean ‘beat’ the tournament he’s hosting?”

“No,” she said simply, beginning to walk away. “There’s no way you’d beat me. I mean, you’re good, Kenzie, but you’re not that good.”

You smiled at Mai’s retreating form. “Oh yeah? You wanna prove that right now?”

She was a very good friend.

**********

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