All American Road Trip
A/N: Just a warning, when it comes to the parents giving the gang permission for the vacation, it's going to sound a little rushed and un-parent like, but I just didn't feel like typing out all the discussion they'd have to have to make it sound realistic.
Chapter 1
The sun shone down brightly from the cloudless blue sky, warming the ground and the breeze that blew over it. Gathered in their usual spot by the vending machines were the five retired Lyoko warriors. They were playfully bantering back and forth, simply enjoying the beautiful day that marked the end of yet another school year. Jeremie and Aelita sat shoulder to shoulder on the bench while Odd leaned his elbows on the back of it from behind them. Ulrich leaned against one side of the door frame opposite from Yumi. They glanced at each other before looking back at Odd who had been laughing at his own joke for far too long.
"If you don't stop soon, you're going to suffocate," Ulrich joked.
"It doesn't matter. His brain's so dead it doesn't need oxygen anymore."Aelita quipped, smiling over her shoulder at Odd.
They all erupted into laughter except Odd, who scowled, responding, "You guys have no sense of humor."
Yumi said between fits of laughter, "That's the problem Odd, we do."
The previously fading chuckles came rushing back full force. Even Odd couldn't help smiling a little. "Whatever. I'm just glad school's finally out. That last week was torture."
"You could say that again good buddy. I swear, Mrs. Hertz's class seemed like it was never gonna end."
"But thankfully it finally did," Aelita said, "So what are you guys doing for summer?"
"I'm not really sure. I guess I'll probably go back to Italy. I'd much rather stay here with you guys." Odd said.
"My parents, or should I say my dad, wanted me back in Germany. He's going to make me go to a tutor all summer or something lame like that. To be honest, I'd rather stay with you guys even if it means staying at school." Ulrich grumbled.
"My parents were planning on going back to Japan for a while, but if I could find a way out of it, I'd be thrilled. I hate to be apart from all of you." Yumi answered.
"I think my parents were hoping to have me back at home. I'd prefer spending my summer with you all. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents and want to see them, but you guys are more fun to be around." Jeremie responded.
Everyone turned to look at Aelita.
"What," Aelita said, raising her eyebrows, "You know I'm stuck here. It's not like I have somewhere I could go."
Odd straightened up, clapping his hands together, "So it's settled. We all have crummy plans that we'd much rather skip to spend some quality time with our best friends."
Everyone nodded their assent. "In that case, why don't we all plan our own vacation? We could go on a road trip somewhere."
Ulrich raised an eyebrow at his friend. "No offense Odd, but I'm not sure I could stand being stuck in a car with you for any length of time."
"Oh come on I'm not that bad, besides we all agreed that we wanted some bonding time and what better way than travelling cross-country with all your closest pals."
Aelita was the first to come around. "I think it could be fun. I've always liked exploring new places."
Aelita sent Jeremie a pleading look. He made the mistake of looking into her sparkling green eyes. His willpower instantly crumbled. "I'm with Aelita. I think it could be a cool experience. And we wouldn't have to be separated over break."
Yumi rolled her eyes. "Alright, I guess it could be fun. Even if I'm the one that's going to have to drive us everywhere."
Odd looked back to Ulrich. "Come on good buddy, it's four against one."
Ulrich sighed and looked at Yumi. "Who knows, you might have fun." She said.
"Alright, I'm in." Ulrich said. If anything, at least he'd get to spend time with Yumi. "But where exactly are we planning on going."
Nobody had thought of that. They all looked at each other questioningly. Finally Odd spoke up. "Why not America?"
They all stared at him. "America?"
"Well why not," he retaliated, "We all know Europe like the back of our hand, so why not go somewhere none of us have seen."
This time Ulrich was the first to come to his defense. "He's right you know. I mean, if we're going to do this, we might as well go all out."
"I've done a lot of reading about American culture and other things and I think it's a cool idea." Aelita said.
"If Aelita's in, so am I." Jeremie replied.
Yumi stared at them all. "And how exactly are you guys planning on paying for all of this? I mean we have to buy plane tickets and pay for a rental car and hotel rooms and countless other things?! Where are we supposed to find that kind of money?"
Odd scratched the back of his head nervously, blushing in embarrassment. "I, uh, well, I hadn't really thought of that."
Jeremie came to his rescue. "I'm sure if we pool all of our funds together we'll have enough. And if not, I think my dad could probably pay for some of it."
"Yeah, and my parents would help us out I'm sure." Odd added.
"My mom might help out, but my dad's a definite no." Ulrich said.
Yumi shook her head, "My family's not in very good financial condition, so I'll have to pay for it all myself."
Aelita spoke up, sadness tingeing her voice. "Actually, I don't think I can go."
All eyes turned toward her. "Why not, I thought you said you had nowhere to go?" Jeremie asked.
"Well, I also have no money. No way to pay for any of this. And I can't ask you guys to pay for it."
"Aelita, you're our friend," Jeremie said, setting his hand on top of hers, "We'd gladly pay for your trip so that you can come with us."
"Yeah," Odd said, "It wouldn't be the same without you."
She looked nervously at them all. "Are you sure? I don't want to be a burden."
"Aelita," Jeremie spoke softly, "You are most certainly not a burden. In fact, you're quite the opposite."
Aelita smiled, flashing her perfect white teeth. Jeremie's heart stopped momentarily as her beauty caused his mind to stall. She turned towards the rest of her friends.
"You're coming, Princess. End of discussion." Ulrich said, gently clasping her shoulder.
"Yeah, now for the hard part," Odd said, "Actually getting the vacation okayed by our parents."
They all chuckled before dispersing to their respective dorms and house.
(Break)
Odd picked up his cell phone off his bed and dialed home. It rang three times before it was answered.
"Hello?" a young female voice asked.
"Hey sis," Odd said brightly, "Could you put mom on the phone. I need to talk to her about something important."
"What!" she said mock angrily, "You don't want to talk to your big sister?!"
"Are you kidding? I almost hung up once I knew it was you." Odd replied playfully.
He heard her laugh and call loudly, "Mom! Odd's on the phone!"
After a moments pause she said, "Alright, here she is. Love you bro."
"Love you too sis."
Odd heard the phone being exchanged and his mom's bubbly voice exploded through the speakers. "Hi Odd. How's everything going?"
"Great mom, how are you?"
"The usual," she chuckled, "Just trying to keep your sisters in line."
Odd smiled. "Good luck with that. Hey, I was wondering if I could maybe skip coming home for awhile so that I could go on a vacation to America with all my friends?"
"Well . . . alright, but we really miss you here. You promise to come home for at least a month before you have to go back to school?"
"Of course. Love you mom. Tell everyone I said hi. Oh, and I'll be sending Kiwi out to you soon, so don't forget to get him from the airport like you did last time."
His mom giggled. "I won't. Have fun and call us periodically to fill us all in about America."
"I promise."
Odd hung up the phone just as Ulrich walked in.
"So what's the verdict?" Ulrich asked.
Odd gave him two thumbs up. "I'm good to go."
"That's one down. Now for the real challenge: convincing my dad to let me go."
"Maybe you'll get lucky and your mom will answer. Anyway, if you need me, I'll be in the bathroom. Those meatballs really aren't agreeing with me." Odd said as he half walked, half sprinted out the door.
Ulrich rolled his eyes and dialed his phone. It rang for what seemed like forever before a gruff man's voice answered. "Hello, who is this?"
"Great," Ulrich thought, "He had to pick up the phone."
"Hey dad, this is Ulrich. Can I talk to you about something?"
(Break)
"Please dad, can I go?"
"Well. . . I don't know. It just doesn't seem like a good idea for a teenage girl like yourself to be running around in a foreign country alone with a group of boys."
"I won't be alone dad. Aelita's also going. Her parents okayed her, so why can't I go? Pleeeeeaaaase?"
"I don't know. We really don't have the money to pay for it."
"That's not a problem! I can pay for it myself and what I can't, Jeremie said his dad should be able to help pay for."
"Well. . . I don't know. I don't like having to ask for help."
"You wouldn't be asking, I would. Pleeeeeeeaaaaase?"
"Well. . . let me talk to your mother about it once she gets home."
"Thank you dad. I love you."
Yumi leaned down and kissed his cheek before running upstairs to her room.
"I didn't say yes yet." Mr. Ishiyama said, but she was already gone.
(Break)
"Hello Jeremie, it's so nice to hear from you son. You really should call more often. So what is it you wanted?"
"My friends and I were planning a vacation to America and I was wondering if you'd let me go?"
"What are you doing during the vacation?"
"Well we were planning a cross country road trip of sorts so that we could explore all that America has to offer."
"That sounds like a lot of fun, but let me talk to your mom real quick. Just stay on the line, I'll be right back."
Jeremie heard his dad set down the phone and walk into the next room. Jeremie sat in his chair and leaned his elbow on the table. Several minutes passed before the phone was picked back up.
"Alright Jeremie, Your mother and I decided that it'd be fine for you to go on this vacation with your friends. Just promise to say hi to all of them for us will you? And you have to call us while you're there and tell us how things are going, ok? Also if you or your friends need help paying for anything, don't be afraid to ask. Your mother wanted to talk to you for awhile so here she is."
"Alright thanks dad, love you."
(Break)
After much arguing and yelling, Ulrich's dad finally relinquished the phone to his wife.
"Ulrich, honey, if you really want to go on this vacation, then you're free to do so. But you have to promise me that when you get back to Germany that you'll take the tutor like your father asked you to. Please?"
Ulrich sighed. "Alright mom. Thanks for letting me go."
"No problem honey. You know your father really does love you, even if he doesn't always act like it. He's always bragging about you when we're out with friends and he always talks about how proud he is of you to me."
"Thanks mom, love you. And once dad cools down, tell him I said I love him too."
"I will honey. I'll leave you some money in your bank account to help pay for your vacation and so you can buy some souvenirs while you're in America. Love you son."
Ulrich hung up his phone and flopped down on his bed. He put his hands behind his head and leaned back. "Maybe this summer won't be so bad after all." He thought happily to himself. His phone buzzed and he looked at it. He had a text from Yumi. "I can go! :)" Ulrich smiled and replied, "That's great. Me too." He set down his phone and shut his eyes. "Yeah, this summer could definitely be fun."
(Skip to day of flight)
Aelita opened her eyes, blinking sleepily. Knock. Knock. She sighed and slipped out from under her covers. She shuffled over to her door and slowly pulled it open. Standing in the hallway was Jeremie, but at that exact moment it wasn't him she was looking at, but rather what he was holding. In one hand was a steaming cup of hot chocolate and in the other was the most delectable looking croissant Aelita had ever seen. She finally looked at the boy holding them, mouth beginning to water. Jeremie extended both of them towards her, saying, "I got the croissant fresh from the bakery in town and the hot chocolate is homemade, courtesy of Jeremie Belpois himself. I figured you'd like to have a nice breakfast before our long flight since airplane meals aren't the greatest."
Aelita took a bite of the croissant. She purred in delight as it practically melted in her mouth. She washed it down with a sip of hot chocolate that coated her mouth in its milky goodness.
"Jeremie, this is amazing. You really know how to make a girl happy." She stood on tip toe and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
Jeremie rubbed the back of his neck bashfully, "Oh, well, anything for you Aelita."
She smiled at him, "I think I'm going to take a shower to help me wake up once I finish this wonderful breakfast." She pushed her door open the rest of the way and walked back to her bed.
"We're loading the car right now, so I can take your bags if you want. That way you don't have to rush through your shower." Jeremie said as he walked to the corner where Aelita had them stacked on top of one another.
"That'd be great if it's not too much trouble." She answered between mouthfuls of her croissant.
"Not at all. Come down when you're ready." Jeremie hefted one bag over his shoulder and gripped the handle of the other. He walked out the door, pulling it shut with his foot. Aelita finished her breakfast in peaceful bliss. She savored every last bite of the light and fluffy croissant and quickly downed the last of the chocolate drink. Aelita stood and stretched, looking out the window at the beautiful day that awaited her. "Not quite yet." She thought as she grabbed her shower kit and headed out the door.
Aelita twisted the knob, shutting off the water. She could stand in its warm spray forever, but she remembered her friends waiting on her outside. She quickly got dressed and jogged out of the dorms. Once outside, she was glad she hadn't stayed in the shower all day. The sun warmed her skin but the light breeze offset it perfectly. She closed her eyes, taking in all the sounds and sensations that summer had to offer. She felt a soft hand wrap around hers. She opened one eye and glanced at the happily smiling boy beside her.
"Enjoying yourself?"
"I think summer might be my new favorite season."
Jeremie chuckled. "Are you ready to go?"
"I call the window seat."
(Break)
The five teens retrieved their belongings after passing through security. Jeremie had had a tough time justifying the fact that the body scanners could see everything to Aelita, but he eventually convinced her to go through once Yumi had. Once they had found the gate where they were boarding, Odd had set off in search of food he could take on the plane. Jeremie decided to work on his laptop for the hour that remained until their flight boarded and Aelita continued her novel. Ulrich and Yumi sat cross legged on the floor across from one another, a stack of cards between them. After some time, Ulrich had grown bored with the game they were playing and flung a card at Yumi. It grazed her ear and flew into a man's lap a few feet behind her. Yumi returned fire, beginning a battle of who could hit who with the most cards.
Just as the fight reached its climax, an airport employee stalked towards them, a deep scowl marring her face.
"I've gotten several complaints about two teens causing trouble so I have to ask you to stop whatever it is you seem to be doing or you will be asked to leave the premises."
Ulrich and Yumi glanced at each other, mild blushes appearing on both their faces. "Alright, we're done." Ulrich said sheepishly.
"Thank you." The employee huffed as she turned on her heels and strode away. Once out of earshot, both teens burst out in laughter. Jeremie looked over the rim of his glasses at his two friends that were rolling around on the ground. He rolled his eyes and looked at Aelita who was doing the same. She smiled and motioned towards her wrist. "Where's Odd, we're leaving soon?"
"Beats me, but I'm sure he'll be back in time."
(Break)
Odd strolled leisurely up to the gate just as their group was called up to board their flight. In his arms, he clutched a multitude of bags of peanuts, pretzels, chips and random other snacks. The boarding attendant stared at him dumbfounded, but made no comment on the matter.
The gang found their seats and got comfortable for the long flight. Jeremie and Aelita sat together, Ulrich and Yumi sat diagonally in front of them and Odd sat behind Aelita with another girl around his age. After the plane had taken off, Jeremie pulled out his laptop and some headphones. He plugged in a movie and Aelita set her head on his shoulder. She watched the movie for awhile before her eyes grew too heavy to hold open and drifted into a peaceful slumber. Not long after her, Jeremie too drifted to sleep. Ulrich noticed the couple asleep on each other's shoulder and motioned to Yumi. She grinned and pulled out her phone to take a picture. Ulrich reached over and shut Jeremie's laptop and put it away for him.
As the endless flight droned on, Ulrich and Yumi chose to entertain themselves with each other. They would've played cards had they not lost the majority of them in the airport. So instead they listened to Yumi's music and read the on board magazines.
(Break)
Aelita awoke with a start as the plane lurched violently. She sat upright, her eyes traveling to the small window next to her. Much to her relief, she realized the turbulence had been them landing. Suddenly she was filled with the energy of being on a completely different continent in a completely different country. She roused Jeremie, who, after a moment's notice began to frantically search for his laptop. Ulrich noticed his friend panic and told him he had put it away for him. Jeremie relaxed, sinking back into his seat. His hand found Aelita's as they waited for the plain to coast to a stop.
After what seemed like an infinite amount of time, the passengers were finally given the okay to exit the plane. Aelita bounced down the aisle with Jeremie in tow. She said goodbye to the pilots as she passed the cockpit. The gang was stopped in their tracks when they exited the gangway. They were struck with a sense of awe as they took in just how massive this airport was in comparison to the one they had just left. Yumi was the first to break the stupor and reminded everyone they still had luggage to retrieve. So they set off to find the baggage claim.
With their belongings in tow, they set off for the entrance. The glass doors slid open and let the warm summer night wash over them. Ulrich started loading the rental car while everyone but Aelita climbed in. She instead stared towards the city in the distance. She was having trouble comprehending just how big the city was when a gentle arm wrapped its way around her waist. She looked at Jeremie who in turn smiled softly at her.
"It's rather amazing, don't you think." Jeremie said, gesturing towards the mass of lights on the horizon.
Aelita simply nodded and climbed into the car next to him.
