“Did you tell him?” Yumi asked.
“Sure did, but then again, he’s mad at me anyway.” Jeremie sighed, sitting down, IN FRONT of Yumi, and not beside like some stupid boys had told him too.
Odd, knowing the rumor was…a rumor, sat with them. HE was beside Yumi at the time.
“Did he give you the key?” The one that usually eats at this time stated, but at the time, would refuse to eat. He’s been ill the past three days, and every time he ate, he felt nauseous, and decided it was for the better if he didn’t eat at all. Which, yes, is a torture to him.
Yumi nodded, to also ask Jeremie that question, as she tried to give Odd her toast, from the breakfast they were eating, she had never liked it, and always gave it to Odd anyway.
He refused, so she put it back on her tray. She gave the gesture that Odd could take anything off her tray as he wished.
For human purposes, he took a cracker off the tray and slid it back toward her. He mumbled a thank you, and clutched his already hurting stomach.
“No.” Jeremie finally said, “He said he left it in his dorm and will receive it later.”
“Well then…” Yumi replied, eyeing Odd.
Odd’s never been the one to be sick like that. The nurse had said he had a minor case of the stomach flu, and if that wasn’t band enough, that it might get much worse if he doesn’t take care of himself anymore than he does now.
“He’s just mad.” Jeremie assured, looking at his best friend, that may be his ex-best friend now.
Ulrich was in the lunch line, and was chatting it up with Theo, since they were both on the soccer team.
“No hard feelings, huh?” Theo asked. Talking about the crude words he had said to Ulrich the other day at practice.
“Of course not, I was…stressed out.” Ulrich replied, taking what he thought was jell-o to put it on his tray.
Theo studied his new co-friend, and asked, “Is it that Belpois and Ishiyama rumor?”
Ulrich shrugged, “Who knows, It may not be a rumor.”
“I think it is.”
“But they…kissed in the hallway.”
“I’ve done that once, Taelia pushed me into Claire, on accident, of course.”
“Eh, it’s possible.”
“Besides, I don’t think they’re the best couple on campus. Now if it was YOU and Ishiyama then…”
“Don’t get me started.” Ulrich warned.
“Go sit with them, man.” Theo stated, “Get the full report from there eyes. Look, everyone knows Ishiyama liked you, and probably still does.”
“She does? Well, she did?”
“She may.”
“No way.” Ulrich sneaked a look over to Yumi.
Her head was on the table, listening to Odd’s story about the night at the nurse’s.
“Way, dude, yes way.” Theo nudged him, “Hint. Hint.”
“I don’t know.”
“Listen, you talk to them, okay?” Theo ordered as he paid for lunch, “and you tell me the conversation at Soccer.”
“If you say so…”
“Good. Get your lady back, man.”
Ulrich stared at Theo for that, Theo gave him a smirk, and mouthed ‘Go!’ to him and nodded in Yumi’s direction.
Ulrich nodded, and sat with his friends.
“Ulrich?!” Yumi asked, sitting up.
“What?” He looked deeply in her eyes.
Something’s wrong here.
She didn’t recite a word, she looked into his eyes for an explanation.
For an apology, for a word she could say, but her mouth stayed shut.
Usually Odd would ruin these moments before they got too far, but he was too sick to say anything, if you’d…pardon how weird that sounded. Thank you.
Jeremie sipped his juice, looking back and forth from Ulrich to Yumi, and then out the window, to look for Aelita.
Finally, Ulrich lost interest, and looked back at his breakfast.
Yumi shook her head,
“How are you guys today?”
“Okay.”
“Horrible.”
“Bored.”
Just guess who picked what.
“That’s cool, I suppose.”
“Yeah, are sleeping in The nurse’s room again?” Ulrich asked, stirring his cereal.
Thank the gods it was Sunday.
Odd coughed before he nodded.
“I’m sorry for you.” Jeremie stated, “Are you any better than yesterday?”
“Worse actually.” Odd said and put his head on the table.
“Come on,” Yumi stood up and dumped the remaining food, “Let’s get you back to your room.”
Odd smiled with the thought, and followed Yumi near the door.
What a perfect time to ask one-on-one with Jeremie about this new Yumi thing.
“So, Jer.” Ulrich turned to his friend, “How’s the whole you and Yumi doing?”
“I’m getting so sick of people asking me that.” Jeremie replied, “There IS NO Yumi and me thing. Some idiot pushed her into me as she was picking up my chemistry notes I dropped.”
“Really now? Why don’t you fight the rumors back? You know, fight fire with fire.”
“You know Yumi and I don’t know who pushed her, and second, Half of the student body saw the kiss. We couldn’t say we didn’t. That was true, we did…kiss, but it didn’t mean anything out of it.”
“Oh, well…”
XxX“There’s…ACHOO- The- ACHOO- Key.” Odd pointed to Ulrich’s bed stand.
Yumi picked up the card like thing, it was in an envelope unaddressed and not written on.
“Perfection.” She smiled at it and opened it up to take a look at this famous key, two items fell into her hands.
One, the golden key, that one was obvious. The other- a letter.
To: YumiFrom: Anonymous
Yumi looked over at Odd, he was facing the other way, taking off his shirt, Yumi turned to look the other way, blushing a little. She never found Odd attractive for her own content, but he was a handsome boy. Even thought Odd was scrawny –Oh, uh, I mean, “svelte”- he was an enthusiastic, joyful, funny, nice, sweet, young man.
She hit her wrist to her forehead, to remind herself Odd isn’t her main priority anymore. She stuck the letter in her pocket, and asked Odd if he needed anything.
“If you wouldn’t mind. Kiwi needs to be fed.” (As a matter of fact, I’m a little hungry. D)“Sure thing. Just, where’s the food?”
“Give him anything.” Odd turned to his side, having another sneezing attack.
After Yumi gave his a tissue, she looked in the bathroom for something, anything.
She found turkey jerky in Odd’s desk (No surprise) and after getting permission, she could feed it to Kiwi. (Ew I hate jerky)Kiwi growled at first, sensing the drawer being open, but seeing it was Yumi, he panting loudly and licked her palm. Yumi slowly opened the jerky for him, and Kiwi ate it quietly, if only Odd was trained that way. Afterwards, Kiwi gave a hushed yell of a bark for a thank you.
Yumi stroked Kiwi nicely, and brushed him for a few minutes before closing the drawer again. (Yay!)“Thank you, Yumi.” Odd replied, managing a smile.
“Hey, what are friends for?”
“Right. See you later tonight or tomorrow.”
“Feel better, Odd.” She grinned at him and waved.
After the door closed, Odd threw his pillow to the ground,
“NO!” He half- shouted, due to his lack of voice, “You CANNOT like her, Odd! She’s ULRICH’S. Ulrich would kill you! GET A GRIP!!!” Odd slowly got up to get his abused pillow and stuffed in on his face as he laid on his back on the bed.
“I can’t believe I’m in love with the girl that enough love problems already. I don’t want an invitation for a love…square.” He muttered.
XxX
“Yumi? Yumi! YUMI!!!” Jeremie and Ulrich came running to her.
“What’s up guys?”
“Have you seen Aelita?”
“Not this morning…”
“Something’s not right.”
“Maybe she’s in Lyoko.”
“It’s a good shot.”
And they ran, as fast as possible.
They came up to the factory, panting hard, and gasping for air.
Jeremie looked at the supercomputer,
“She’s not here either.”
“Did you try her cell phone?”
“Four times.” Ulrich answered, “No luck.”
“Oh geez.” Yumi rubbed her temples.
Her parents were on her back for leaving so much, Jeremie’s been her recent “lover” as said by the students, she feels terrible for Ulrich, Odd’s sick, and they can’t find Aelita.
Great.
Now all we need is for Xana to do something.
“Oh my god.”
“What, Jeremie? WHAT?!”
“Xana’s plotting suicide!”
“So…?”
“Guys! Aelita will die too!”
…Oh, scratch that.
Now, all we need is for…a lighting bolt to hit a character!
“We need to get back to the Kadic, maybe she’s still asleep.”
“Okay, good idea.”
The drizzling morning now turned to a thunderstorm, loud claps of thunder, hard rain, and scary lighting lit the sky. (By the way, Mr. Lighting, when I said “…we need a lighting bolt to hit a character, I was JUST KIDDING!!)“Hurry guys! HURRY HURRY!” Jeremie shouted, trying to be over-heard by the powerful thunder.
One thing everyone knew for sure, Jeremie was horrified of thunder. He refused and denied it, but it was so true, he couldn’t hide it.
They quickly ran through the fields, and made it to the gate, when Jeremie stated,
“Ulrich, you get the key?”
Nothing answered, and both Yumi and Jeremie looked back to see his body on the floor. (But! Mr. Lighting! I told you I was KIDDING!)“OH MY GOD!” They both rain as fast as possible in their now soaked clothing.
A puddle of blood surrounded him.
The only thing Jeremie and Yumi could do was pick him up, and bring him to the nurse.
And that’s exactly what they did, but with a few words that the nurse told them.
“Kiddies.” The nurse said, “Not to scare you, but you do understand that he might not make it.”
“We knew that.” They said.
But the truth is: They didn’t.