Stacking The Deck - Chapter 24.1 (Patreon)

'Why does this nonsense always happen around me?' Alexis couldn't help but wonder.

Surely she wasn't that attractive? Nobody was attractive enough to warrant this kind of crazy sycophantry.

Honestly, all she wanted to do was have a talk with a friend of hers after Professor Crawler let her know of a sighting of Chazz out at sea. Jaden as it happened, was being punished by one of the third year Obelisks for hitting Crowler with a tennis ball, so she had to head to the tennis court where he was being punished to let him know.

She had let Yarden know of course, but…honestly the blank, uncaring look he'd given her at the mention of Chazz said it all as far as his interest in their runaway classmate went. Honestly, the way he'd looked at her as if she was an idiot had been almost embarrassing.

Either way, she knew at least Jaden did have some semblance of thought for Chazz, so she decided to let him know and Jazz and Mindy decided to tag along.

….Only when she arrived at the tennis courts where Harrington was punishing Jaden, he started acting like a crazy person because she exchanged words with her Slifer friend.

And somehow that proceeded into a duel between Jaden and Harrington where the winner was to be her fiance…?

The actual vapid stupidity of it all actually left her stunned long enough not to tell them off before they were already duelling.

And maybe she was being overly critical, but she wasn't impressed by the duel at all. Harrington's deck was nonsense. A tennis based deck that relied on the luck and the opponent not guessing correctly at questions he asked them.

So it wasn't really a surprise to her when Jaden mopped him up in just a fear turns with the upgrades he'd made to his deck recently. That Elemental Hero Stratos had a nasty effect that only got nastier the more Elemental Hero's were on the field.

And it was the perfect counter to Harrington's deck and playstyle.

"Well that settles that I suppose." Jasmine shook her head.

"Yahoo! He's getting married!" Syrus cheered as the duel ended in Jaden's victory, pumping a fist into the air.

Then the younger Truesdale paused as he apparently realised how silly that sounded and gave the three girls he was standing beside a hesitant look, "…I mean probably, someday…." he added lamely.

"…I guess?" Jasmine rubbed the back of her neck.

"Lexi…what are you going to do about this?" Mindy gave the blonde at her side a worried look.

"No damnit!" she was cut off before she could even reply as Harrington fell to his knees and began banging his fists on the ground, "How could this happen! Alexis was supposed to be my little Obelisk Pixie soulmate!"

Alexis cringed.

He looked up glaring with teary eyes at Jaden, "How could I lose my love to this Slifer sludge!?" he cried out, very dramatically.

Jaden honestly just looked supremely confused, "So…I guess I'm your fiance?" he turned to Alexis and asked, "Though, no idea what that means to be honest."

"Are you kidding me?!" Jasmine gaped at the body while Mindy just laughed in amusement.

Alexis kind of just felt a headache coming on and slowly rose her hand to her forehead and rubbed at where the ache was beginning to throb in her temple, "…That's probably for the best Jaden," the blonde replied with a sigh, "If you actually did know and try to push for it, Yarden wouldn't take to kindly to it considering I'm dating him now."

She hadn't let slip yet what was going on between her and Yarden, she'd been waiting for a good time to reveal it to her friends and more specifically Jasmine. But honestly, she was just letting it drop right now and here because she didn't want to deal with anymore nonsense like this.

She was going to take advantage of her relationship status and dump all these idiots on Yarden to deal with for her.

Possibly the best plan she'd come up with in all her life.

"…Dating? I think I should know what that means. Is it some kinda food?" Jaden mused, stroking his chin before shrugging, "Well either way, I don't wanna piss off a bud, especially not Yarden. He's scary when he's mad."

As he finished though, there was total silence as everyone else gathered in the tennis court just looked at Alexis in utter shock. Harrington had even shut up on his crying and whining to stare gobsmacked at her.

"…Yarden really is just built different." Syrus broke the silence that was beginning to stretch on a few moments later.
That did it and the flood broke.

"Well that was quick." Mindy blinked and uttered calmly.

"Since when!?" Jasmine though, exploded, whirling on her blood friend and demanded.

"Since a few days ago," Alexis replied, "Remember, when we both didn't turn up for class? I was at his place all through the night and we decided not to bother with class."

Or rather, she did and Yarden was only too happy to comply. When she left his dorm room later that day her lips had been bruised and she'd had to keep her collar fully buttoned to hide the blatant hickey he'd given her.

"You told us you were feeling sick!" Jasmine accused, "Hell you told Professor Crowler that as well!"

Alexis shrugged, "Well I mean, I wasn't gonna just tell him what I was actually up to."

"And what were you up to?" Jasmine asked, eyes narrowing at her suspiciously.

"You'll have to be more specific," Alexis responded, raising her eyebrow at her friends blatant jealousy, "We talked, we ate, we watched television, spent a few hours making out in his bed, cuddled a bit, a bunch of things really."

Jasmine's eyes widened in utter shock, and dare she say it, a little hurt. The auburn haired girls mouth opened and closed a few times as she tried to find words to respond with.

But she never got the chance.

Because apparently what Alexis just revealed was too much.

For Harrington that is.

The older boy surged to his feet and tossed his tennis racket off to the side and rubbed at his eyes, "Waaaah!" he burst into tears again and took off running towards the exit of the tennis courts, crying all the way.

Alexis cringed again watching him go. What was wrong with that guy?

Well, at the very least his absurd reaction to her and Yarden was enough to even shock Jasmine into silence for the moment.

Alexis took the moment to open her mouth to let her friend know she was totally okay with Yarden dating her as well, but before she could, Harrington cut her off…again.

"DAMN YOU ODHAAAAAAARRRRRRRRR!!!!" his tear filled voice echoed back towards them as he disappeared through the exit of the courts.

Only to be cut off by the sound of flesh striking flesh and his voice choking out with a whimper of pain.

Harrington came cartwheeling back into the tennis courts, landing face first in the artificial grass with his ass in the air.

"Don't go screamin' mah name like that yah daft ponce!" a familiar thick accented brogue casually spoke, "People el' end up hinkin' am a wee fag wae yae."

…Well that solved that issue she supposed.

A second later, Yarden came swaggering in as if he owned the place, like he always did, hands casually resting in his pockets, "Wassup bitches?" he greeted them all, completely ignoring their senior that he had just knocked out with a punch.

"Hey Yarden!" Jaden beamed and greeted with a big grin, waving over to the Scottish boy of the blues, "Dude you just missed me in this totally sweet duel!"

"Couldn't have been that sweet mate if it was against that simp," Yarden lifted a hand from his pocket and pointed over his shoulder with his thumb at the downed Harrington, "I already thrashed him and like forty other guys in a single turn at once."

"Oh, he was in that as well?" Jaden blinked in surprise before laughing, "Man, I wish I coulda seen that duel, it must have been crazy."

"If you blinked you'd have missed it, amazing as I am, it wasn't that exciting to watch mate," Yarden shrugged, "Besides, you could probably pull the same kind of thing without much issue, it wasn't hard."

"…Only Yarden can talk about being forty Obelisks at once in a single as if it isn't impressive at all," Syrus shook his head, "No wonder he's dating Alexis."

Yarden's head whipped around at his words, "Oh you found out about that?" he asked the shorter blue haired boy, before his eyes drifted to said girlfriend and raising an eyebrow at her.

After all, Alexis was the one who wanted to keep their relationship status under wraps for a little while before revealing it, to ease her friends into it since she knew Jasmine was totally into Yarden as well.

But what could she say? She was just tired of all the horny mutts trying to hump her legs all day long and she had a solution she couldn't resist the temptation of.

So in response, Alexis gave her boyfriend a sheepish smile and lame shrug as if to say, 'What can ya do?'

"Should you really be calling your girlfriend a bitch?" Mindy changed the subject and teased the boy.

"She knows what I'm about." Yarden winked at the black haired girl, swaggering his way over and throwing his arm around the blondes shoulder, and blatantly in front of them all pressing a quick kiss on her cheek.

Alexis rolled her eyes, but didn't pull from his embrace. It wasn't like he actually meant anything by it.

Jasmine visibly grit her teeth, before sighing and slumping a bit, "You sure do jump between girls quick, huh?" she couldn't help but snipe a bit.

Alexis winced a bit.

"Not really," Yarden shrugged, "I was pretty blatant in my interest in all three of you I think. Alexis was the one that responded first." he didn't sugar coat his response at all.

The response seemed to make Jasmine slump even lower, "…I suppose so." she nodded lightly.

And he was pretty straight forward and up front with his intentions. Jasmine really did have nobody to blame but herself on that front. If she wanted to, she could have been dating Yarden first.

Something roiled in her stomach at the thought. An odd feeling that she wasn't used to.

Alexis didn't like it.

"Oh poo, looks like we're gonna have to stop flirting all the time," Mindy pouted, trying to clear up the tense atmosphere, "That's too bad, it always makes class more interesting."

"Why?" Alexis asked her black haired friend.

Jasmine was the one that answered, "Because hello, he's your boyfriend now?"

"And I don't mind," Alexis shrugged, "I'm not gonna ruin you guys relationship just because I'm dating him now, that would be totally selfish."

Besides, Yarden did so much for her and was planning on doing so much for her as well. It would be kind of ungrateful and selfish of her if she did so and why she was okay with it.

"That doesn't make sense!" Jasmine spluttered, "I mean Lexi, you've always been super weird when it comes to dating scene, but this is taking the cake, we're talking about your boyfriend here, flirting with other girls while in a relationship with you!"

"Uh-hu, right there with her Lexi," Mindy nodded vigorously, "Make with the splainy, no girl wants her boyfriend flirting with other girls."

While all this was going on, Jaden was just looking between them all getting progressively more lost with each new sentence and Syrus was just staring in gobsmacked shock.

"And maybe you'd be right if it was just two random girls, but you guys are my best friends, and you clearly like him too," Alexis replied, "I'm not gonna cut you off from the way you guys interact just because I'm dating him now."

"But Lexi, we blatantly flirt all the time, Jazzy totally wants in those pants!" Mindy gestured wildly, "While I'm content with the flirting for fun, we all know what Jazzy wants and she can't do that with you dating him already."

"…And why can't she?" Alexis cocked her head to the side, "Like I said, as long as it's you guys I don't mind you guys doing it too."

"Because normal people want the one they like to themselves Lexi!" Jasmine finally exploded, eyes wide and angry. The auburn haired girl opened and closed her mouth a few times, looking for more words, before giving up and storming away.

"Saw that coming." Yarden winced, watching her go.

"Can you blame her?" Mindy asked dryly, "This is just weird after all, even for me."

"Not really," the Scottish boy shrugged, "To be honest, even I'm still wrapping my head around the fact Alexis is completely fine with me basically dating you two as well."

The boy looked back at Jasmine as she disappeared through the exit of the tennis courts and winced again, "I should go talk to her." he mused.

"Go for it," Alexis told him, "Maybe you can make her see reason." she knew was being weird about it all, she wasn't stupid at all and was at the top of her academic classes for a reason.

But she'd never placed much importance on dating or ever being with a boy until Yarden. It always seemed so odd to obsess over it as much as her friends did.

Now though. While the thought of Yarden and another girl did make that uncomfortable roiling feeling appear in her stomach, she realised that Jasmine must be feeling that, multiplied by a massive amount more since she didn't have Yarden to herself like she did.

It was jealousy after all. A novel concept for Alexis really, to feel jealous of a boy being with another girl.

And she didn't want her friend to feel like that as well. Jasmine and Mindy meant a lot to her, they met in Duel Prep School and practically grew up together, and they were a big reason she didn't go out of her mind with worry for her brother over the past year.

It was hard to describe it all really and put into words what she meant in it all. But, as long as it was Jasmine and Mindy, she was okay sharing Yarden with them. honestly, it almost felt weird not to. After all, since the school year started, they'd practically transitioned to a foursome and the four of them were near enough always hanging out together, in class or otherwise.

It was like a package deal, and Alexis was completely okay with that.

"Right," Yarden nodded and pressed a kiss against her cheek that left it tingling before pulling his arm free from around her shoulder, "I'll just go do that, it's pretty much my fault for being as amazing as I am." he nodded to himself and jogged after Jasmine.

He paused only to give the downed Harrington a kick on the rear as he passed by. Which he totally deserved.

"Lexi, we totally need to talk some more, c'mon," Mindy grabbed the blondes arm and dragged her away, pausing only to toss Syrus and Jaden a wave, "Sorry guys, looks like something really important has come up, we'll have to hang out later."

"Sure," Jaden agreed, looking completely lost, "Catch ya later." he waved after them.

"Do you think Yarden would take me on as an apprentice?" Alexis heard Syrus ask Jaden, hopefully.