Categories > Anime/Manga > Yu-Gi-Oh! > [ Bend and Not Break ] [ A Seto Kaiba Story ]
Yumiko leaves a mocha cappuccino next to your paper, and you look up. "Oh, thank you." You smile at her, and pick it up, to deliver it to the man who just walked in.
Casually walking over, you set it on the table.
"Nice uniform." He comments, not looking up from his newspaper.
You blink, and look down at your uniform, and realize that your apron is on inside out. "It's been a long morning." You sigh, about to turn and walk away.
"Really." He says, sarcastically, dawning above his newspaper in a very critical manner.
"Yes. Really." You reply, boldly turning your back on him.
You walk away, shyly fixing your apron, and as you take your place back at the cash register, Kaede grins.
You know what she's thinking, and roll your eyes. Nahoko and Midori are unbelievably quiet, and you realize that all eyes are on him. Except for yours. You sigh, disgustedly, and go back to the paper, glancing at a job at a local art studio, wishing that some of the girls were a little more professional.
A few minutes later, an empty coffee mug is placed on the edge of the newspaper, along with a generous tip.
You look up, and see the man walking out of the cafe, and for a second, you look at the tip, and look back at him.
Kaede grins and says "Wow...he was gorgeous."
"And snobby. And a jerk." You growl, taking the tip, and throwing it into the cash register. "What a loser."
"I think he likes me! Midori, did you see the way he looked at me before he left?" Nahoko sighs girlishly, with a dreamy look on her face.
"...What is this? High school, all over again?" Kaede asks, sharply, as she fixes your hair.
"As if you can talk." You laugh, and look at her, before you swat her hand away from your tangled mess of hair.
She looks back at you. "Why didn't you take the tip?"
"I don't want a tip from a guy like that." You say, rolling your eyes, as you tie your hair in a ponytail.
"Wait, wait, wait...who's snobby?" She says, playfully elbowing you with a smile.
You can't help but laugh, and as you do, the phone rings, startling everyone. You glance at it, before Nahoko interrupts.
"I'll take it. It's probably for me." Nahoko says.
You hand her the phone, and she accepts it, walking to the other side of the counter, sitting on the counter with sass, knowing she has been told not to do so.
*
You and Kaede clock out, as Midori and Nahoko are working the late shift. Deciding to be nice, you turn to Nahoko and say "Thank you for working late tonight, girls." You smile softly.
She simply nods, and says "See you tomorrow."
You walk out of the cafe, followed by Kaede, and Yumiko. "What was that all about?" Kaede nudges you.
"Oh. I'm sorry, is it against the law to be polite?" You ask, turning to look at her in dismay.
"Possibly." She answers, with a smug smile, which makes you laugh.
You unlock your car, and say "See you tomorrow, guys."
"Bye, ____." Yumiko and Kaede say, in unison.
*
You get in your car, adjusting your rearview mirror just enough so you can get a glimpse of your friends driving down the street. Making sure your engine is warmed up completely, you wait for passing traffic, and then get on the road. Turning the radio on, you tune in to the news, knowing that you probably won't have the patience to watch it later that night.
"In local news, a man wanted for murder from a nearby city walked into a liquor store early this morning, only to have been caught by the store owner, who reported the matter to the police. The man is being held in custody as of this morning..."
"Wow...and I thought this place was safe." You say to yourself, as you continue to drive. You start to reach your apartment building; you turn the radio off as a slow jazz song starts it's mellow tune. You roll your eyes, as you find out that someone took your parking place. Parking at the rear of the building, you grab your purse, and turn the engine off. Undoing your seatbelt, as you unlock the door, you notice something that wasn't there when you'd left.
'Wait...I always turn the lights off...why is the back room light on?'
After hearing the reports on the news, you feel slightly nervous, and you carefully walk up the stairs.
'It might just be Jason...'
You open the door, and the foyer of the apartment is completely dark.
You dare yourself to turn the light on, and end up taking a chance. Switching the living room lights on, you call out. "Jason? Are you here?"
Silence.
"Jason!" You call, once more, taking hold of a large lavender vase, one of the extremely lame gifts that he gave you on your first anniversary.
Still no answer.
You hear a door creak open, and a few footsteps are muffled by the lush white carpet of your apartment.
Taking a chance, you leap at the intruder, the vase smashing into millions of pieces as it hits...
"Goddamnit!! What the fuck was that for?!" Jason screams, as he lays on the floor, half dazed, and half infuriated.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" You scream back, scared beyond belief. "You jerk! Why are you still here? I thought I made it clear that I didn't want anything to do with you!"
"I came here to get my things! God, you didn't have to break a vase over my head!" he shouts, getting off the floor.
"I called your name twice, moron, maybe you should have paid attention. Besides, it's not like you have anything to lose up there." You shout, and pause for a second to regain your composure. "Oh, and on your way out, do me a favor and clean this up. I've had a long day." You give him an icy look, as you walk to your room to change. "Don't forget to leave the keys."
"Bitch..." He mutters, as he watches you go.
You don't even bother to respond, as you slam the door in his face. Walking to your closet, you open the sliding doors, looking for some pajamas. You find a comfy pair, and go to the bathroom to take a nice, long shower.
*
After you finish, you open the door, and smile to yourself as you see the carpet is completely clean.
'He probably thinks I'm going to run back to him...well, that's wishful thinking, on his part.'
Walking to the kitchen, you go to the freezer, and get a microwave dinner out, because you're too tired to cook. You tear the package open, and quickly put it into the microwave. Going through the cupboard, you find a wine glass, and you grab an unopened bottle of wine, which is lying on the counter. You pour yourself a glass, and walk to the living room, eager to turn the TV on, to see if there is anything worth watching.
Just then, the phone rings. Picking it up, swiftly, you support the phone with your shoulder, as the microwave beeps, letting you know that your dinner is ready.
"Hello?"
"Hey, ____!"
"Oh, hey, Kaede." You sigh. "What's up?"
"Nothing really...listen, I wanted to know if you wanted some time off, since you broke up with Jason and all." She says, sympathetically.
Your face lights up. "That would be great..."
"How does a week sound?" She asks.
"That's a little much. I can't expect you to put up with Nahoko and Midori for that long. I think three days will be enough." You reply, as you walk towards the living room again.
"All right. Do you want to talk about what happened?"
You sigh. "No...I think things are under control. I'm not as upset as I thought I would be. Things weren't working out, anyway...like you said, we saw it coming." You say, defeatedly.
"I understand." She replies.
"Well, I'm going to let you go...I'm kind of tired." You pause. "Thanks for calling, Kaede."
"Don't mention it. I'll see you in a few days."
"Bye."
"See ya, ____." She says.
You hang up, your mood a little lighter than it was earlier, and sitting on the couch, you pick up a picture frame. It's a picture of you and Jason during happier times, at the beach.
'I guess I do miss him...but I can't let him do this to me.'
Taking the picture frame, you open a drawer, and set it inside. As you close it, you decide that this will be the last time you have to worry, or even think about Jason.
Casually walking over, you set it on the table.
"Nice uniform." He comments, not looking up from his newspaper.
You blink, and look down at your uniform, and realize that your apron is on inside out. "It's been a long morning." You sigh, about to turn and walk away.
"Really." He says, sarcastically, dawning above his newspaper in a very critical manner.
"Yes. Really." You reply, boldly turning your back on him.
You walk away, shyly fixing your apron, and as you take your place back at the cash register, Kaede grins.
You know what she's thinking, and roll your eyes. Nahoko and Midori are unbelievably quiet, and you realize that all eyes are on him. Except for yours. You sigh, disgustedly, and go back to the paper, glancing at a job at a local art studio, wishing that some of the girls were a little more professional.
A few minutes later, an empty coffee mug is placed on the edge of the newspaper, along with a generous tip.
You look up, and see the man walking out of the cafe, and for a second, you look at the tip, and look back at him.
Kaede grins and says "Wow...he was gorgeous."
"And snobby. And a jerk." You growl, taking the tip, and throwing it into the cash register. "What a loser."
"I think he likes me! Midori, did you see the way he looked at me before he left?" Nahoko sighs girlishly, with a dreamy look on her face.
"...What is this? High school, all over again?" Kaede asks, sharply, as she fixes your hair.
"As if you can talk." You laugh, and look at her, before you swat her hand away from your tangled mess of hair.
She looks back at you. "Why didn't you take the tip?"
"I don't want a tip from a guy like that." You say, rolling your eyes, as you tie your hair in a ponytail.
"Wait, wait, wait...who's snobby?" She says, playfully elbowing you with a smile.
You can't help but laugh, and as you do, the phone rings, startling everyone. You glance at it, before Nahoko interrupts.
"I'll take it. It's probably for me." Nahoko says.
You hand her the phone, and she accepts it, walking to the other side of the counter, sitting on the counter with sass, knowing she has been told not to do so.
*
You and Kaede clock out, as Midori and Nahoko are working the late shift. Deciding to be nice, you turn to Nahoko and say "Thank you for working late tonight, girls." You smile softly.
She simply nods, and says "See you tomorrow."
You walk out of the cafe, followed by Kaede, and Yumiko. "What was that all about?" Kaede nudges you.
"Oh. I'm sorry, is it against the law to be polite?" You ask, turning to look at her in dismay.
"Possibly." She answers, with a smug smile, which makes you laugh.
You unlock your car, and say "See you tomorrow, guys."
"Bye, ____." Yumiko and Kaede say, in unison.
*
You get in your car, adjusting your rearview mirror just enough so you can get a glimpse of your friends driving down the street. Making sure your engine is warmed up completely, you wait for passing traffic, and then get on the road. Turning the radio on, you tune in to the news, knowing that you probably won't have the patience to watch it later that night.
"In local news, a man wanted for murder from a nearby city walked into a liquor store early this morning, only to have been caught by the store owner, who reported the matter to the police. The man is being held in custody as of this morning..."
"Wow...and I thought this place was safe." You say to yourself, as you continue to drive. You start to reach your apartment building; you turn the radio off as a slow jazz song starts it's mellow tune. You roll your eyes, as you find out that someone took your parking place. Parking at the rear of the building, you grab your purse, and turn the engine off. Undoing your seatbelt, as you unlock the door, you notice something that wasn't there when you'd left.
'Wait...I always turn the lights off...why is the back room light on?'
After hearing the reports on the news, you feel slightly nervous, and you carefully walk up the stairs.
'It might just be Jason...'
You open the door, and the foyer of the apartment is completely dark.
You dare yourself to turn the light on, and end up taking a chance. Switching the living room lights on, you call out. "Jason? Are you here?"
Silence.
"Jason!" You call, once more, taking hold of a large lavender vase, one of the extremely lame gifts that he gave you on your first anniversary.
Still no answer.
You hear a door creak open, and a few footsteps are muffled by the lush white carpet of your apartment.
Taking a chance, you leap at the intruder, the vase smashing into millions of pieces as it hits...
"Goddamnit!! What the fuck was that for?!" Jason screams, as he lays on the floor, half dazed, and half infuriated.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" You scream back, scared beyond belief. "You jerk! Why are you still here? I thought I made it clear that I didn't want anything to do with you!"
"I came here to get my things! God, you didn't have to break a vase over my head!" he shouts, getting off the floor.
"I called your name twice, moron, maybe you should have paid attention. Besides, it's not like you have anything to lose up there." You shout, and pause for a second to regain your composure. "Oh, and on your way out, do me a favor and clean this up. I've had a long day." You give him an icy look, as you walk to your room to change. "Don't forget to leave the keys."
"Bitch..." He mutters, as he watches you go.
You don't even bother to respond, as you slam the door in his face. Walking to your closet, you open the sliding doors, looking for some pajamas. You find a comfy pair, and go to the bathroom to take a nice, long shower.
*
After you finish, you open the door, and smile to yourself as you see the carpet is completely clean.
'He probably thinks I'm going to run back to him...well, that's wishful thinking, on his part.'
Walking to the kitchen, you go to the freezer, and get a microwave dinner out, because you're too tired to cook. You tear the package open, and quickly put it into the microwave. Going through the cupboard, you find a wine glass, and you grab an unopened bottle of wine, which is lying on the counter. You pour yourself a glass, and walk to the living room, eager to turn the TV on, to see if there is anything worth watching.
Just then, the phone rings. Picking it up, swiftly, you support the phone with your shoulder, as the microwave beeps, letting you know that your dinner is ready.
"Hello?"
"Hey, ____!"
"Oh, hey, Kaede." You sigh. "What's up?"
"Nothing really...listen, I wanted to know if you wanted some time off, since you broke up with Jason and all." She says, sympathetically.
Your face lights up. "That would be great..."
"How does a week sound?" She asks.
"That's a little much. I can't expect you to put up with Nahoko and Midori for that long. I think three days will be enough." You reply, as you walk towards the living room again.
"All right. Do you want to talk about what happened?"
You sigh. "No...I think things are under control. I'm not as upset as I thought I would be. Things weren't working out, anyway...like you said, we saw it coming." You say, defeatedly.
"I understand." She replies.
"Well, I'm going to let you go...I'm kind of tired." You pause. "Thanks for calling, Kaede."
"Don't mention it. I'll see you in a few days."
"Bye."
"See ya, ____." She says.
You hang up, your mood a little lighter than it was earlier, and sitting on the couch, you pick up a picture frame. It's a picture of you and Jason during happier times, at the beach.
'I guess I do miss him...but I can't let him do this to me.'
Taking the picture frame, you open a drawer, and set it inside. As you close it, you decide that this will be the last time you have to worry, or even think about Jason.
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