A/N: Okay, I'm pretty sure it's safe to call this one a crackfic since I'm not sure what was going through mine or Shadgirl2's heads when we wrote this. Regardless, this is a collab with Shadgirl2, whose idea this whole thing was as well. It's written in Jaden's POV, with a couple of switches to other characters' viewpoints. No flames, please! It's just supposed to be a funny story, that's all. And I'm not spoiling it by saying who Jaden ends up with in the end (if anyone). We don't own Yugioh GX. We also don't own Yusei, who makes a brief appearance.

WARNING: Dub names, OOC. Also, all pairings involving Jaden are fair game, so there's a definite possibility you'll see yaoi, whether it be mutual or one-sided.

Okay, so being me's not always easy. I mean, I had to fight the Shadow Riders, the Light of Destruction, and even my own friend, Yubel. But, hey, that's life, right? No biggie. Still, if I thought dueling a guy from the future with my hero and another guy from the future was weird—which I didn't, it was totally awesome—I was about to learn that there were weirder things that could happen.

It had been a couple years since graduation, and I figured that it was about time I looked up my old pals. I mean, I hadn't seen them since high school—not that they wouldn't have been glad to see me. We'd all just been really busy. Since I was in the states, I figured I might as well start there. More specifically, I'd start with Chazz since I was in his town—Los Angeles, California.

Chazz was living it large, just like I thought he would be. I mean, he'd always been rich, and being an awesome duelist meant that he wasn't having any trouble staying that way. He was dominating the competition in the dueling world, from what I'd seen. Honestly, his fame was the only reason I knew where he lived. His address had kinda become public information.

I rang the doorbell and, to my surprise, Chazz actually answered the door personally rather than letting a servant get it. He looked surprised to see me.

"W-why are you here, Slacker!?" he demanded, eyes wide. "I thought I'd never see you again! Where on earth have you been, anyway!?"

Now, this was the last thing I expected from Chazz—well, I thought it was, at that point. I mean, why did the guy who ran off without a word during our first year care that I'd done the same thing? At least I didn't drop out of school to do it.

"Just wandering around," I answered him. "So how's it going, Chazz?"

"How's it going?" he asked, looking pretty mad. "That's all? And what do you mean just wandering around!? You left without saying goodbye, and that's all you have to say for yourself!? Why, I oughta—"

He looked ready to hit me, so I held up my hands and said, "Whoa, chill out, bro!"

He humphed and said, "You've got some nerve! And after all we've been through, too! You're lucky I'm in a forgiving mood today! 'Cause, otherwise, I'd kill you for what you did to me!"

Okay, now, by this point, the conversation was getting pretty weird. I mean, Chazz had always denied that we were even friends. Why did it seem like he was taking my leaving personally?

"Huh? What I did to you? But, Chazz, I never did anything to you!"

Now this was where it really got weird, and I still can't believe that it actually happened. Chazz glared at me and said, "Oh, yes, you did, you idiot! You left me, the Chazz, behind! I thought we had something special! I thought you liked me! You sure hugged me a lot!"

"What!?" I asked. Seriously, nothing he was saying was making any sense. "What exactly are you implying, Chazz!?"

"You know damn well what I'm implying, Slacker! You loved me, didn't you!?"

Okay, yeah, bet you didn't see that one coming. I know I didn't. Chazz had always had a thing for Alexis, so when had he decided that he liked me?

I backed up, stuttering. "W-w-w-WHAT!?"

"You're a real piece of work!" Chazz went on. "Like I said, it's a damn good thing I'm in a forgiving mood, or you'd be dead, heart-breaker."

And that was when it finally sunk in—Chazz was serious. This wasn't some sort of joke.

I stared at him for a moment, letting it sink in. Finally I said, "Chazz...you're..."

He humphed.

I just stared at him some more. Seriously, hadn't he been into girls in high school? Specifically Alexis? "Chazz...I never... I'm not..." I shook my head, not sure what to say. "I'm sorry, Chazz, but I never liked you...that way."

"W-w-what!?" he asked, gaping at me.

"Those were just friendly hugs!" I told him. "Sure, I hugged people, but it didn't mean I loved them!" Not that way, at least, I added to myself. "And that one time was because you stood up for us Reds!" I said, thinking of that promotion duel of his in our second year. "You kinda asked for that one... I'm sorry if you got the wrong idea, but I don't go that way."

He just stared at me, stunned. I couldn't help but think I had more right to be speechless, though, considering I'd spent all of high school thinking he was crushing on Lex.

"Sorry...," I said again.

He was quiet a little longer before saying, "Whatever. I'm over you, anyway... Just g-go away."

And, with that, he slammed the door in my face.

I stood there another moment. "Huh. Here I thought Chazz liked Alexis..."

Since there wasn't any point staying there on the front step of the guy whose heart I'd just broken, I headed off to find a place to stay for the night. After that, I'd be heading off to find my other friends. I didn't know exactly where all of them were since not all of them were famous like Chazz, but I'd find them eventually.

As I was walking down the street, Yubel teased, "So you just broke a friend's heart. Do you just love doing that or something?"

"Aw, Yubel! How was I supposed to know he loved me?"

"You weren't. You're not that smart," she said, smirking.

I pouted in response, insulted by that remark.

I found a hotel and checked in for the night. Soon after I got into the room, somebody knocked on my door. When I opened it, I got a surprise—there was Syrus, covered in dirt, his clothes torn and loose on his frame, dark circles under his eyes.

"Syrus!? What happened!? Are you okay!?" I asked, worried about my friend.

"B-bro...," he said weakly. "Finally... I've l-looked everywhere for yo—" He collapsed right there in my doorway.

"Sy!"

I picked him up and took him into my room, setting him down on the bed, and ordered some room service for the guy. I mean, with how thin he was, he'd definitely have to be hungry when he woke up, right?

It was an hour before he came to. I'd pulled a chair up beside the bed and was sitting there, waiting. The food I'd ordered—chicken, salad, some kind of soup—was on a tray next to me.

"Arg... W-what...?" Syrus said, opening his eyes.

"You passed out," I said, relieved he was awake. "What happened?"

He sat up and looked at me like I was an idiot. "Is that a trick question?" he asked after a minute. "You left, that's what happened! Why!? You didn't even say goodbye!" He let out a sob.

I looked at him for a sec, kinda surprised by his emotional outburst. Then again, this was pretty normal for Sy. "Sorry?" I said at last.

"...Arg..." His stomach growled.

I sat there another minute before asking, "So, me leaving without saying goodbye made you...what, exactly?"

"I'm sorry, Jay, but can I have some of that food, please?" he asked instead of answering my question. "I ain't eaten in weeks."

"Sure, Sy," I said. "It's for you, anyway."

"Man, he stinks," Yubel said, a hand over her nose. "Where the heck's he been lately!?"

"Wha!? R-really!?" Syrus asked me. "Th-thanks, Bro!"

He started scarfing down the food I'd ordered for him. I sat there for a bit, watching him eat it.

"So what have you been up to, exactly?" I tried again.

His mouth full of chicken, Syrus said, "Isn't it obvious? Looking for you, of course! Why would I be doing anything else?"

Yubel was waving a hand in front of her face, the other pinching her nose shut. "Urg. When's the last time this guy's been around people, then? 'Cause he smells like a hobo."

I chose not to comment on this rude statement—hobos smelled way better than Sy did just then—and focused more on the bad feeling in my gut that had come around about the time Syrus asked why he would be doing anything besides looking for me.

"And why were you looking for me...?" I asked hesitantly, not totally sure I wanted an answer.

Sy stopped eating and gave me that look that says I'm a total idiot again. "W-w-why!? Really, bro!? That's the dumbest thing you've ever said! You left without me! Why else!?"

I stared at him for a moment, then blinked.

Syrus started crying again, saying, "Y-you didn't even say g-goodbye... And here I thought w-we..."

"Say, Jaden?" Yubel asked. "Can you please continue this interesting conversation after getting this guy clean? He smells worse than raw sewage."

I stared for another second, sure I knew where Syrus had been going with that last statement of his, before I said, "Sy, why don't we talk about this after you get a bath? You could really use one, bro."

He sniffled, then said, "O-okay..."

He wasn't in the shower long enough. I was still thinking of what to say to him when he came back, clean, wearing my clothes.

"That's much better," Yubel said. "I didn't know people could get that bad."

"Th-thanks for letting me use your shower...and borrow your clothes..." Syrus said, looking down at himself.

My pants were too big on him, so I'd given him a belt and he'd rolled the legs up two or three times. The shirt I gave him went down to his upper thighs, and he had to roll the sleeves up, too. But, sadly, he looked a lot better in my oversized clothes than his, which were definitely going in the trash. No way we could save those rags.

"No prob," I told him. "So, why have you been killing yourself looking for me?"

"I already answered that," he said. "What I wanna know is why!? And after everything we—" He cut himself off, then, angry, continued, "It's 'cause of Jesse, isn't it!? You like him better, don't you!?"

Oh, good grief. Could this really be happening twice in one day?

"...What are you implying...?" I asked. Don't say you love me, don't say you love me...

"Jay! I love you, you big dummy!" he said, crushing all my hopes that I was just misunderstanding him. "How could you be so dense!? I thought we were—"

"Sy! We're just friends!" I cut him off. Again, I was thinking about all the girls that he'd been into—Alexis, Dark Magician Girl, and his "girlfriend," Thunder Nyan Nyan.

He stopped and looked at me. "What...?"

"I'm sorry, Sy, but I don't feel that way about you," I said for the second time to a guy I'd thought was straight.

"B-but what about everything you did!? The hugs, the way you held me sometimes, the way you always—"

I cut him off, not wanting to hear any more about why he thought I was in love with him. "You're my best friend, Sy. I do love you. Just...not that way. More like a brother. You're like a kid brother to me."

"B-but the hugging—"

I put a hand to my face, wishing that I'd been a little more reserved—more like how everyone says boys are supposed to be. "Ugh, it always comes back to the hugging doesn't it...? Look, just because I hugged you doesn't mean I loved you. I just...hadn't outgrown that yet, that's all."

I guess that made sense. I mean, I hadn't been hugging people as much since the whole thing in Dark World, so maybe I hadn't outgrown it yet. Little kids are more likely to hug people, after all. Oh, geez, I just said I was a little kid in high school...

Syrus just stared at me, clearly not happy about this.

I didn't want our friendship to end over a difference in...relationship perception. It took me a second to ask, "We cool, bro?"

"Y-yeah... I-I guess...," he said. "B-but can I stay with you, anyway? I've kinda got nowhere else to go right now..." He sweat.

"Yeah, sure," I said. Though we aren't sharing a bed, that's for sure...

I didn't want to give him anymore ideas about our relationship—or lack thereof. So, that night, I slept on the floor since there was only one bed, and I made sure that any and all hotels we stayed in from then on had two beds. That way he couldn't say that he thought I loved him because we were always sharing a bed or something.

It turns out that Sy had run into the others a lot while he'd been looking for me, so he knew where I could find Jesse and Alexis. He said Jesse was in Houston, Texas, so we headed east in the hopes of finding him. After that, we'd be moving on to the Duel College in Miami, Florida, to see Alexis.

I never thought finding Jesse would be so easy, but it was. We had barely gotten to town when we saw him. He was kicking some guy's butt, apparently saving a girl from him.

"Let that be a lesson to y'all!" Jesse said to the guy. "Never pick on a lady!"

"Arg! Curse you, Anderson! Curse you!" the man said, running off.

"Hey, is that...?" I asked.

"Looks like," Syrus said.

Jesse was taking care of the girl—I pegged her as being fourteen. He hadn't noticed we were there yet.

I took a few steps closer, smiling, and said, "Hey, Jess!"

He turned, and the girl ran off.

"Hey! Jay! Syrus!" Jesse called, running up to us. "How ya been!?"

"Not bad!" I answered. "What about you, bro?"

"Aw, I'm okay. So I see Sy finally found ya, pal."

Syrus looked down. "Yeah..."

Jesse cocked his head. "Huh? What's wrong, li'l guy?"

Yubel laughed as she thought about it. I sweat, not wanting to think about it. Jesse just looked at us all questioningly.

This is awkward..., I thought.

"W-well..." Syrus sighed, then said, "H-he doesn't..."

"Doesn't what?" Jesse asked.

I laughed awkwardly, and Syrus sobbed, which just made me feel more awkward.

"H-hey," Jesse said, concerned. "What's wrong, Sy? Jay? Did something happen I should know about?"

I stood there for a sec, trying to find the right way to say it. "I'm not... He's... Well..." I sweat, coming up short on figuring out how to explain the awkwardness here.

After a moment, Syrus said in a monotone, "Nothing's wrong. We're just friends. What's wrong with that?"

That's when I made a mental note to find him a boyfriend as soon as possible. Maybe he and Chazz could hook up... Nah, that would never work.

Jesse looked at him for a second before saying, "Wait, you mean...?" He glanced at me, then back at Syrus, who nodded.

Then the weirdest thing happened—Jesse's face lit up. "Really, huh?" He smiled at me.

I sweat, wondering if this weird dream would ever end. "Why are you looking at me like that...?"

"So then, if that's true, then... Okay!" Jesse said, apparently talking to himself. "Now's my chance! No hard feelings, Sy. You're just not his type! Right, partner!?"

Now, I didn't know anything about Jesse's sexual preferences, but I did know that he was way too excited for my liking. Syrus was still looking down—he didn't say anything. I didn't say anything, hoping that all of these guys were just playing some sort of joke on me. I mean, how many of my friends were in love with me?

Jesse jumped, pumping his fist in the air, apparently taking my silence for a yes. "Yeehaw! I just knew it was meant to be! Ever since that day—"

And that did it—I thought I was going to hurl. Jesse and I were always called twins by the others. If that were true, shouldn't Jesse have known the truth? Shouldn't he have known who it was I liked?

"...Jesse, do you know anything about me...?"

Jesse stopped everything and looked at me. "Hmm? Say something, sugar?"

My eyes bugged out of my head, I'm pretty sure—literally, too, I'd bet. "S-sugar!?" I asked, backing up. "D-don't call me that!"

"Huh? What's wrong, Jay?"

Here we went again—I had to break another friend's heart. "I-I'm not... Why are you..." I couldn't take it anymore—I wanted an answer to this burning question. I shouted to the heavens, "WHY ARE ALL OF MY FRIENDS IN LOVE WITH ME!?"

"Isn't it obvious, su—" Jesse started.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" I cut him off.

"But why? I thought we had something special," Jesse asked me, looking a lot like Sy had the other day.

"Why!?" I demanded. "Why did you think that!? Is it because of Yubel?" I asked, suddenly thinking of how she had taken over Jesse to get to me during third year.

"Well...yeah!" Jesse said. "I reckon it was! You're my soul mate, like she said, right?"

I stared, horrified that Yubel had permanently warped my friend's mind. "Jess? She was talking about herself, not you."

He looked at me, not getting it. "So does that mean..."

"I'm sorry, Jesse, but..."

"B-but Yubel and I are the same person! You love her, don't you!?"

"...Jesse, you're not Yubel. She took over your body, but she's not you. You're two separate people," I said slowly, hoping he'd get it. Yubel, you screwed up my friend's head!

She didn't even know what to say for a second. Finally, stunned herself, she said, "Uh, sorry?"

Jesse deflated. "Oh... You sure? I mean, y'all and the Supreme King are—"

"That's different," I said quickly. "Look, I'm one hundred percent sure you're not Yubel. Yubel's not in your head anymore, is she?"

"Well, no, but—"

"Then she's not part of you. You aren't Yubel. Yubel is a separate person, and you're Jesse Anderson, not Yubel. Do you understand?"

He was quiet for a minute. "I guess... So does that mean it was all a lie, then? You and me? But we were so close. Right from the start, I thought..." He sighed, then finished, "Nah, never mind..."

I looked at him sadly—contrary to what Yubel believed, I did not like breaking my friend's hearts. "Jess...I'm sorry..." Silently, I added, For the record, I blame you, Yubel.

"Aw, ain't nothing. Don't worry about it, partner. I'll find someone," Jesse said, smiling slightly.

"Hey, I said I was sorry, didn't I?" Yubel told me.

"You know, Jay," Syrus said. "If you don't like me and you don't like Jesse, then who do you like? Or are you asexual?"

Well, that was insulting—I don't like Syrus or Jesse, so I have no sexual preference?

"Just because I'm not gay doesn't mean I'm asexual, Syrus!" I said.

"Oh! Uh, sorry, then?" he said. He grinned and laughed awkwardly.

I humphed, crossing my arms.

"Well, I reckon I better be moseying on out of here," Jesse said. "Ya know, places to go. It was nice seeing ya though, partner. Take care of yourself. You, too, Sy."

"Nice seeing you, too, Jess!" Syrus said. "Take care!"

"Yeah, take care, Jesse!" I said, sincerely hoping that he'd find somebody to help him get over me—and get over the damage that Yubel had done to his mind. Seriously, he thought we were soul mates because of her!

He gave that slight smile again, and I knew it was fake—I'd given my fair share of fake smiles, especially during third year. But I couldn't make that smile real unless I suddenly discovered that I was in love with Jesse, which didn't seem likely to happen any time soon, so I just stood there and watched as he walked away.

"You're giving me the cold shoulder, aren't you?" Yubel asked.

You just had to take over a guy, didn't you? I asked her in response. You had to fill him with your love, didn't you? WHY!?

"I've said sorry twice now! What more do you want from me!?" She muttered, "Heck, with the way you were acting, I even thought that was the case. Sheesh."

EXCUSE ME!?

Syrus's words pulled me back to reality. "Uh, Jay? Who's that guy?"

"Huh?"

I looked where he was pointing and saw a man in a blue jacket. His hair was black with yellow streaks, and he was wearing a red and black shirt. I'd know that guy anywhere—Yusei Fudo, a motorcycle-riding duelist from the future.

Finally, I thought, looking around. I finally got that time machine working. Now all that's left is to—

"Yusei!?" a familiar voice said from nearby.

Familiar—in this time, there was only one person that could be. I looked toward the speaker—a brown-haired man with wide chocolate eyes looking at me.

"Jaden..." I smiled and walked over, saying, "Hey. How's it going?"

"You know him, Jay?" a blue-haired man asked. "Who is he, then?"

"A guy I met when I was traveling around the world... Funny, though, he's from the future... What's going on now, bro?" Jaden asked.

"Well, honestly, I...just wanted to see how you were doing..." I sweat. This is awkward.

"Really?" He blinked. "Uh, I'm doing fine."

"That's good to hear," I said. "So who's your friend there?"

"This is Syrus, my best friend. Like a little brother to me."

I didn't understand why he put such emphasis on those two words. I also didn't understand why his friend looked down when Jaden spoke. Regardless, I was here for a reason, and I wasn't going to get distracted.

"That's good. So, uh..." I sweat. Distracted, no. Uncomfortable, maybe.

Jaden looked at me questioningly, clearly trying to figure out what I was saying.

"I was wondering if you..." I trailed off. This is soo awkward...

"If I what?" Jaden asked. "Come on, Yusei, spit it out."

I hesitated before asking, "Jaden, you seeing anyone right now?"

I just stared at him. Yusei, the guy I knew the least about, had come back in time to ask me if I was seeing anyone? So was he planning on asking me on a date? What the hell was going on!? What kind of warped world did I live in where everyone thought it was a good idea to suddenly confess all at the same time!? I mean, it was great that they were coming out of the closet, but did they have to confess their love for me!?

"Here we go again," Yubel said with a snicker.

"Is something wrong, pal?" Yusei asked.

It took me forever to find my voice, but I finally said, "No."

"You sure? You're awfully quiet, and you're white as a sheet. Is it something I said?"

I stared for another couple seconds before saying, "I've had four people confess to me recently, that's all... Just didn't know I was that attractive..." Muttering, I added, "Or knew that many gay—or bisexual—guys..."

"So I take it you're not interested, then," Yusei said.

"Are you sure you are?" I asked, hoping that the answer was no—I was tired of breaking everyone's hearts. "Seriously, one of you guys has to be joking!"

Yusei's expression was too serious for this to be a joke. He also didn't look too happy about my rejection.

I stared for another couple of minutes before, my eyes about the size of pinheads, I asked, "You're serious, aren't you?"

Yusei just looked at me for a second before saying, "I'm...sensing a no."

"No," I said. "Sorry, Yusei, but I'm not... Why does everyone think I'm gay!?"

"It's in the history books, that's why."

My eyes bugged out. "What!?"

Yusei nodded. "It said that you made love to every guy you knew as a teen. Including a teacher named Vellian Crowler? Not to mention all the attempts girls made to get your attention, and you didn't like or recognize what was happening. Put it all together, and—"

"LIES!" I snapped, pointing at him. "LIES, LIES, LIES! I did not make love to any guys, especially not Crowler! And I've been flirting with a girl! It's not my fault she isn't interested!"

"It said you hugged guys and shied away from a girls' touch, though. Especially one named Blair?"

I threw my hands up in the air, exasperated—I needed a time machine or something. "Again with the hugging! Ugh, if I'd known it would cause this, I never would have done it! Friendly hugs, people! Friendly! And there's a reason I didn't want Blair touching me! She dueled me once and fell in love, and she was stalking Zane first! WHY SHOULD I LIKE IT WHEN MY STALKER TOUCHES ME!?"

"Hey. Calm down, bro," Yusei said. "I didn't write it!"

"Well, don't buy it, either!" I snapped. "I'm not gay!"

"Then I guess you're asexual 'cause even that girl Alexis with all her charm and kindness toward you didn't faze you."

"You know what!? THAT'S IT!" I stormed off, fed up with this whole thing. I was going to set them all straight—those dumb historians, too.

"Hey, Jay! Wait up!" Syrus called, running after me.

"STOP FOLLOWING ME, YOU'LL GIVE THEM IDEAS!"

"But you said I could until I got my bearings, remember?"

I watched Jaden and his friend leave, not entirely sure what I had just caused. I couldn't have been the only one who had set him off lately—he'd reacted too poorly to my confession for it to have been a one-time occurrence. Well, there wasn't anything I could do about that.

Guess I'll go home, then... I sure hope Akiza's in a forgiving mood...

I pressed the button on my wrist—the device that would send me back to my time—and reflected on exactly why it was a bad idea to break up with your girlfriend in favor of another person who might not feel the same.

Alexis's dorm at Duel College wasn't any harder to get into than the dorms at Duel Academy—heck, it was easier to get in there. I just walked in behind one of the students. Then the doors all had these cool door decs that had the names of the people who lived there. It wasn't too hard to find Alexis's room because of that. Then again, I could still have the wrong Alexis. Regardless, I walked up to room 176, determined to do this.

"Why are we here, bro?" Syrus asked me.

"Because I'm changing those damn history books, that's why!" I said before knocking on the door.

"Who is it?" a familiar voice answered from inside.

"It's Jaden, Lex!"

She opened the door, her eyes wide. "Jaden!? W-what are you doing here!?"

"What do you think?" I asked her. "I'm here to see you."

She glanced between me and Syrus, and I had the sinking feeling she was getting the wrong idea. "And why's Sy with you? Are you two toge—"

"NO!" I snapped before I could stop myself. I paused, calming myself down, then said, "Uh, no, he just doesn't have anywhere to go..."

Alexis looked shocked—probably because I'd just yelled at her for, as far as she could tell, no reason.

Syrus looked down. "Yeah. That's all..."

Recovering, Alexis nervously asked, "I see... What was that for, Jay...?"

"Uh..." I sweat. "I've been getting a lot of confessions lately...and none of them make sense... Well, one does...," I amended, eying Sy. "Sort of..."

He just kept staring at the floor.

"Oh," Alexis said. "Okay. So how's Jesse doing, then?"

I thought about how he was doing thanks to Yubel and sweat, saying, "Mostly fine." Realizing that she'd just asked me about another guy I was supposed to love, I asked, "Wait, why are you asking? Why would you think I'd know?"

"Well..." She looked away. "You know... You and he are—"

No way was I letting her finish that. "WE'RE NOT TOGETHER!"

"W-what!?"

I gritted my teeth—she looked stunned, which was infuriating.

"Hey!" I heard another familiar female voice say. "Jaden! Darling! This is a surprise!"

I looked to see... "Blair?" I sweat. "Hey."

Yeah, it was a surprise, alright. Wasn't she in high school? I mean, sure, it would be her third year, but still... Oh, don't tell me she was visiting the college!

"Hey, darling, how's—oh." She cut herself off, looking at Syrus. "You're with Syrus. Okay, then..."

I'm sure I was just imagining things by this point, but I could have sworn that I heard her thoughts for a second: And here I thought he loved Jesse. Yeah, that's what she thought. At least, that's what I thought she thought. Man, was I losing it by that point.

"No," Syrus said. "He's not..."

I started twitching.

"Oh," Blair said. "Then it is Jesse, then?"

Yep, she'd been thinking it. My twitching got worse.

"Uh, well..." Alexis trailed off, and I, once again, swore that I heard her thoughts, No. I think it's most likely Chazz, actually.

It was written all over her face—she was trying to figure out what male friend of mine I was dating.

"I'M NOT GAY!" I snapped, my patience totally gone.

They both stared at me.

"W-what!?" Alexis asked. "Really!?"

"Is that really so hard to believe!?"

"Well, duh, Jady!" Blair said. "Everyone knew how much you loved—"

I cut her off with, "If it's a guy, I DON'T LOVE HIM!"

"But what about all those hugs?" Alexis asked. "I mean, you hugged—"

"I know, I know, I hugged a lot of people! But that doesn't make me gay! Sheesh! So I was big on physical contact! So what!? Did I hug a lot of people after that whole thing in Dark World!? I don't think so, so stop thinking I'm gay!"

"Oh?" Blair said. "Then what about us girls, huh? I mean, if either of us touched you, you'd—"

"THAT'S WHEN YOU TOUCH ME!" I snapped, cutting her off again. "Name one time I cringed away from Alexis!"

Alexis thought about it for a second. "I can't...," she said at last, sweating.

"So what does that mean!?" Blair asked, glaring at me. "Is there something wrong with me!?"

"No, of course not!" I said quickly. "You're just...not my type."

"I see. So you don't have a type, then," Alexis said.

I twitched again—why was everyone so dense? "Are you blind...?"

She muttered something that sounded a lot like, "No. But you are..." Then she glared at me and asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

I sighed. "No, never mind." In a mutter, I added, "Can't even tell when a guy's..."

"What was that!?" Alexis snapped.

"You feeling okay, darling?" Blair asked.

"Don't call me 'darling,' Blair!"

"Why not, Jady? Am I really that bad?"

Syrus piped up with, "You sure you're not asex—"

"If you guys keep it up, I'm gonna be!"

"So did you come here just to yell at us?" Alexis asked. She humphed. "Well, if that's the greeting I get after all you've put me through, then I'm afraid I'll have to demand you leave!"

That's when I realized that this was going horribly wrong. I started—I hadn't come here to yell at her... It just kinda turned into a screaming fest when they all started guessing who my gay partner was.

"No, no, that's not why I came here. Sorry." I sighed. "I...came here to..." I trailed off. There's no way it's a good idea to do this now... Having lost all the guts I had built up on the way here, I grinned like an idiot and said, "I forget?"

"Then why are you wasting my time yelling? If you don't have any reason to be here, then get out. And, Blair, your tour's of the main campus, not the dorms. Go rejoin it, already."

Blair humphed. "Fine. If that's how it is..." She walked off mad, leaving me feeling pretty darned guilty for yelling at them both.

I stood there for a while longer, then said, "Lex, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

"What's your problem, anyway?" she asked. "You avoid everyone your third year, run off without saying goodbye, then drop by to yell at me? You're a real piece of work."

"He's yelled at a lot of people recently...," Syrus said quietly, his head still down.

I sweat. "I had...issues...to work out after the stuff that happened... And I wouldn't be yelling if everyone would stop thinking I'm gay when I've got a girl I've liked since high school."

"Wait, what?" Alexis asked, looking stunned.

"That's what I was thinking, too...," Syrus said quietly.

Ignoring him, I went on, "Yeah... I tried to tell her once...sort of... Okay, I beat around the bush and chickened out!"

Alexis just stared at me.

Syrus looked at me and asked, "Really? When was this, Jay?"

I blushed, thinking about that tag duel tournament. "Sometime third year..."

"So you finally started liking girls your third year of high school?" Syrus asked. "Talk about taking a long time to reach puberty."

"Yeah. No kidding," Alexis agreed.

I stammered, "Th-that's not it! I started liking her when I met her first year!" Muttering, I added, "I tried to confess third year..."

Sy's eyes widened. "WHAT!? First year!? But you were so clueless back then!"

Lex was also looking pretty stunned.

"Yeah, I was... But still... I wasn't that clueless!"

"Really?" they both asked. "Could have fooled us."

I didn't have any answer for that one.

"I don't buy it," Syrus said. "There's no way that's true! Nothing supports it! After all, every time someone flirted with Alexis, all you saw was dueling."

Alexis nodded in agreement.

I sweat, thinking about the way I'd acted during those times. "Uh-huh, yeah..."

"See?" Sy said, looking like he'd just won.

"Okay, for the record, I didn't like that flirting tennis captain!" I said, needing to defend myself here.

Alexis rolled her eyes and said, "Key word there was—" She cut herself off, realizing what I'd said, then asked, "Wait, what did you just call him?"

"That flirting tennis captain!"

"I'm sorry, but why are you calling him that?" Syrus asked. "I thought all you cared about back then was your hatred of tennis?"

"Because he was flirting! Why else would I call him a flirting tennis captain!?"

"You actually caught that?" Alexis asked.

"B-but you didn't even know what a fiance was!"

I still don't, actually, I thought. "So? That doesn't mean I didn't know it had something to do with love!"

They both stared at me, stunned.

"Prove it," Syrus said finally.

I blushed slightly. "How do you want me to do that?"

"If you can name just one time first year that you showed interest in a girl, I'll believe you. If not, then I'll know you're lying."

"Make it a good one, too, or I won't believe you," Alexis added.

I just stood there blushing for the longest time, unable to believe that neither of them had caught it. I mean, they'd both been there when I'd flirted with...

"Drawbread?" I said at last.

They both looked confused. "Huh?"

I just stood there, still blushing. I really didn't want to say it in front of Sy.

"What's that got to do with anything?" he asked.

I hesitated before saying, "Damon's Drawbread stealing... The day before...I said...something..." I trailed off, paused for a long time before continuing, "Put it this way: The girl I like is..."

I could feel myself blushing deeper—nothing was coming out the way I wanted it to. I couldn't get the words out right, and that was making it harder to get them out at all.

Lucky for me, Alexis caught on just then. Her eyes widened, and she said, "Wait, you mean..."

"What?" Sy asked, still lost. "What is it?"

I don't think it was possible for me to be any more embarrassed—my face had to be red enough to give my jacket a run for its money.

Alexis took in my expression before asking, "How long...?"

"How long what?" Sy asked. "Hey!"

I didn't know that speaking could be so hard, but it took me a lot of effort to say, "Since...the day we met..."

She just stared at me for a long time.

Syrus looked from me to her and back. "Huh?"

Then she started blushing.

"...Yeah... Sy, mind leaving for a bit?" I asked.

He stared for a minute, totally lost. "Okay...," he finally said, walking off.

I rubbed the back of my head. "Guess you didn't see that coming..."

"Jaden..."

I just stared, not sure what to say.

"Okay, then, so, uh, now what?" she asked.

"Uh...you wanna...go out sometime?" I asked, insanely awkward.

"Uh, sure. That sounds—uh, fine! Yeah, real fine..." She looked away slightly, but I could still see her blushing.

"Great... So...," I trailed off. Ugh, I suck at this! Definitely never thought I'd be telling her this to prove I'm not gay...

"Then don't," Yubel suggested. "Let the losers think what they want. You know it's not true, and that's all that matters, right?"

"I'm glad you came back. I missed you, Jaden," Alexis said, smiling at me.

Suddenly I was glad that everybody had started confessing to me—if they hadn't, I probably never would have told Alexis how I felt.

I smiled back at her. "Sorry I ran off like that. But, like I said, I had some stuff to work out."

"Like all 100 reasons why you're not gay?" she teased.

"Heh..." I rubbed the back of my head.

"Glad to hear that, too," she said. "Those feelings of yours? Well, let's just say, you're not the only one who felt that way back then. I—I mean that I, uh..."

"Really?"

She just stood there, blushing, before, sweating, she asked, "So how's your boyfriend, Dr. Crowler, doing?"

"I'M NOT GAY! Especially not with Crowler!"

She laughed, and I realized I'd fallen into her trap.

I pouted, saying, "You did that on purpose."

"Maybe," she said with a grin.

"Jay?" Syrus asked, walking back over. "What's all this about you and Crowler?"

"Nothing! Just Alexis making a bad joke. Right, Lex?"

"Yeah. No worries, Sy. He's not that far gone." She looked at me and grinned as she said this.

I humphed.

"So can we go now, Jay?" Syrus asked me. "We're not supposed to be here, you know."

I didn't really want to leave, but Sy had a point. "Yeah, right. Guess I'll see you around, Lex?"

"Yeah, see ya..."

"Come on, bro! Before we get in trouble for intruding!"

"Coming, Sy! Just a sec!" I turned back to Alexis and handed her a slip of paper, saying, "Here's my number, call me sometime, 'kay?"

"Okay!" she said, taking the paper. "See you around!"

"See ya!" I said, running off.

As we headed out of the dorm, Syrus asked me, "So all this time, you really were just being friendly with us? You loved Alexis or something instead?"

"Yes! You didn't catch that?"

"Better tell Bastion, Dr. Crowler, Zane, and Jim that, too. They all thought you loved them."

I tried to take that all in, failing miserably. "Uh, you tell Zane, he's your brother... And—wait, what!? Crowler!?"

"Hmm... You sure are popular with the boys," Yubel said, smirking. "All ages, even."

Sh-shut up, Yubel!

She just laughed.

And that's why I'm running around the world telling everybody I know that I'm not gay. It's not that there's anything wrong with being gay. I just don't like people thinking I am all the time. If they call me a heart-breaker in the future, that's a reputation I can live with since I've broken pretty much every one of my friend's hearts, like it or not. Just don't think I'm gay—I've got a girlfriend, guys.