This story contains plot lines involving sex and drugs, but it will be tasteful. There is nothing inappropriate for teenagers to read, so I am sticking to a rating of T. I'm estimating this story will have thirty chapters at least, but we will see. This first chapter is mainly setting up the story and filling in backstory. Enjoy!

It was the first day of school, and Ulrich could not be more on edge. He knew it would be a tough year, since he would be applying to universities next summer, but long rants in the morning about college never helped his mood. But the smile Yumi gave him when she opened the door made his stress melt away.

"Ulrich!" she said with a grin as she threw her arms around him. "I missed you." They shared a quick kiss, mindful of her parents being nearby, then set off for school. She had cut her hair short for the summer, showing off the two new piercings in her ears. Her style hadn't changed much over the years, though she was now confident in showing more skin, wearing black shorts and matching tank top.

"You have no idea how much I missed you," Ulrich said somberly, squeezing her hand. He had grown over the years and was now an inch taller than his girlfriend, an inch he was very smug about. He was lean but toned, today wearing jeans and a T-shirt.

Yumi giggled. "I think I have some idea, considering you texted me every day about how miserable you were." Ulrich had spent the summer taking classes at Ludwig Maximilians University, his father's former university. The program was all boys (a fact Yumi couldn't complain about) who were posh and preppy, golfed on the weekends, and found Ulrich's love of football childish.

Ulrich shrugged. "At least it meant we stayed in touch well." Because none of the guys wanted to spend time with Ulrich (and the feeling was mutual), he spent his free time texting Yumi and his other friends. As the young couple walked onto the campus, Yumi couldn't help but smile. She was the only one of her friends who lived in the area, and seeing the school campus so empty during summer break was always a bit depressing. Now the lawn was scattered with kids playing games, studying, or just relaxing before classes started. Ulrich and Yumi waved to William, who was relaxing in the shade of a tree, his girlfriend Emily leaning back against him while reading a book.

"You have to admit they're cute," Yumi said quietly. Ulrich shrugged with a slight smile, not wanting to let on how adorable he thought the two brunettes were together.

He pulled his girlfriend's hand to direct her down another path. "Come on, Odd and Aelita are in the dining hall."

"What about Jeremy?" Yumi asked, lowering her voice as they entered the cafeteria.

Ulrich rolled his eyes. "Don't ask." After grabbing breakfast, the couple sat down across from Odd and Aelita. Odd was inhaling his breakfast, already on his second serving of croissants and hot chocolate. He had matured over the years while maintaining his trademark humor. His hair was still stuck up with a purple streak, but he had thankfully ditched the purple crop top in favor of more normal skater clothes.

"Hey guys, how was your summer?" Aelita smiled cheerfully, though her eyes were a bit puffy.

Yumi frowned. "It was fine, just hung around the house and worked on college stuff...Aelita, what's wrong?" The pink haired girl blushed and looked down at her untouched breakfast.

"Same old," she said. "I'm just so sick of Jeremy forgetting I exist. I thought we had gotten past the hurdle of becoming a couple last year, but now it's like we're back at square one."

Yumi gave an encouraging smile. "I'm sure it's not that bad..."

"He didn't even notice my hair," Aelita said in a flat tone. Normally the guys would have laughed at her for sounding so superficial and girly, but it was a pretty drastic change for the Einstein of the group to not notice. She had grown her hair out, using extensions to get it to a fuller length, and had light blue streaks put in. Her look had changed to cutoff shorts, high tops, and a low cut tank top. She also wore a multitude of wrist bands.

Ulrich tried to change topics as subtly as he could. "Where are all the wristbands from?"

Aelita glanced down at them with a smile. "I've been saving them from all the events I went to. There are more in my dorm room, but I couldn't fit them all on my wrists without cutting off my circulation."

Odd whistled. "Touring Europe for a summer to DJ clubs and events...our very own superstar, Aelita!" She laughed, shoving Odd in the arm. After a couple years, the group realized they couldn't keep pulling the "Odd's cousin" charade forever, and that Aelita was going to need some real identification after high school ended. Jeremy was able to hack into the computer of their local government office and write Aelita into the system as "Aelita Hopper," an emancipated minor assigned to a fake social worker who Jeremy could imitate on the phone. So far the scam had gone off without a hitch. She had a birth certificate, a driver's license, and even a bank account. They were considering whether she needed insurance, but she said she would worry about it when she got a car.

"These fans," Aelita said with an eye roll. "They're just so obsessive."

"Aelita! Aelita!" Odd cheered. "Dedicate your next song to me!"

Aelita flipped her hair, giving Odd a flirtatious wink. "Anything for the fans." She blew a kiss at him, which he pretended to catch and then swoon.

Ulrich laughed. "You guys are weird." Yumi munched her croissant, observing her friends' antics with a soft smile. It was sad, knowing this was the last first day of school she would enjoy with them. They would have another first day, another year together, while she was off at university somewhere.

"So," Odd said, stealing Ulrich's croissant. "How's our college girl?"

Ulrich scowled, grabbing his croissant back. "She's not in college yet!"

Yumi sighed, rubbing her temples. "I wish I was, just to be done with this application process. Dad wants me to go to school in Japan, and says I have to go somewhere that will lead to success in life. So that means doctor, lawyer, or accountant. I don't really mind those options, I just don't know what I want to do yet, you know?"

Ulrich put a supportive arm around his girlfriend. "Hey, I get it. My dad's insisting I to go to business school and take over the family trade. It's like a pressure cooker at my house."

As Yumi leaned her head on her boyfriend's shoulder, another person joined them at their table. "Hey guys," Sam said, wolfing her breakfast down just as Odd had minutes before. "What's up?"

"Talking about college," Odd said. He and Sam had started dating last year, but none of his friends could get a read on their relationship yet. They didn't go on dates, unless hanging out at the skatepark with friends counted as a date. They didn't hold hands, hug, or refer to each other as boyfriend or girlfriend. Odd said she needed more time to get used to the idea. Sam cracked up at the notion of a relationship.

Sam stuck her tongue out in disgust, putting the crumbs there on display. "Don't remind me," she said. Aelita and Yumi rolled their eyes at Sam's behavior. Odd had gotten her to open up to the group more over the years, but she was more of an Odd 2.0 at this point. All the eating and joking, but without his growth in maturity. She was a curvy girl, but wore loose pants and T-shirts all the time so not much was visible.

"Where's the Einstein anyway?" Odd asked.

Aelita's mood soured. "Homework, probably."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "We haven't even had classes yet."

Aelita threw her hands in the air, moving to leave. "I know! He was doing summer classes, and now he's got this special project going on he won't talk about. I can't keep up." She slung her bag over her shoulder and stalked out of the lunchroom, leaving the group to look after her with concern.

"How long has she been like this?" Yumi asked quietly.

Odd groaned. "All summer. Since Jeremy was taking summer classes, she stayed with me whenever she wasn't on tour. My parents and I developed a system where if you brought up Jeremy, you had to put five bucks in the Jeremy Jar, because every time she would go on a rant, or get moody, or cry. It's understandable, considering the guy hasn't given her the time of day in months. She would text him on Sunday and he'd respond with one word on Thursday, that sort of thing."

Yumi shook her head in disgust. "That's horrible! I wouldn't put up with that."

Odd nodded. "On the bright side though, my parents and I made a real push in saving for university."

The couples parted ways. Yumi walked Ulrich to his first class because surprisingly, his schedule was more loaded than hers. Yumi stuck to the basics this year so she would have enough time to focus on university applications, while Ulrich's schedule was stuffed with all the advanced courses he could fit. She knew it would be a stressful time for him, she just hoped he would still have time for the occasional date. It was their last year going to school together, and Yumi knew she had to make it count.

Odd seemed to have the same idea as he rushed to catch Sam before she could get on the bus to go home that afternoon. "Sam, wait up!" He called, pushing his jog to a sprint.

She paused, signaling the driver that she needed a moment. "What is it? I gotta go."

"Let's hang out today!" Odd said, enthusiastic despite his fatigue from sprinting across campus to catch her.

Sam shrugged. "Sure. My dad won't be home till tonight, we can chill there." The duo hopped on the bus. Unfortunately, Sam lived further from school than Yumi did and had to take the bus every day. Odd couldn't complain though, because having a house all to themselves could be very nice. Their relationship was pretty physical, a fact he had been surprisingly shy about telling his friends.

Once they got to her house, they headed straight to Sam's room. She had a room set up in the basement, with a TV and a small private bathroom. Her dad wasn't home much, so Odd could guess why Sam was so self sufficient. She grabbed snacks for them and they settled on her bed to watch a movie. It didn't take long for Odd to lose interest in the movie, becoming interested instead in Sam and the way her shirt had raised to expose some of her stomach. He kissed her neck, and she grinned, knowing what he wanted. They rolled over to have a proper kiss, the blankets beginning to tangle underneath them. Within minutes they had stripped down to their underwear.

Sam had been very clear from the beginning - no sex. Though, they could do other things. Other things, which Odd enjoyed immensely. When they lay together at the end, he would lean over and put his arms around her, but she would squirm away and mutter something about it being too hot for that sort of thing. It was depressing, but all Odd could do was hope that she just needed time. Was he curious about sex? Yes. But at this point he was more curious about what a romantic relationship would feel like. This thing with Sam was great, but something always felt a little off.

"Hey Sam," he said, breaking the silence. "Can I make a movie about you?"

She propped herself up on her elbows to stare at him. "You mean like a porno?"

He shook his head furiously. "No, like a movie! A documentary, about you and your life!"

She laughed, reaching to put her clothes back on. "Really now? And what would you be documenting exactly?"

Odd sat up to gesture wildly with his hands, getting excited at this sudden rush of ideas. "Your skating, your cooking, your homework, your ability to eat a bag of chips in two minutes, whatever! You're a person who more than deserves the focus of my camera, Sam." He paused, hoping she would understand the implications of that statement, but it seemed to go over her head.

"Sure," She shrugged. "What could it hurt?"

Short chapter, I know. Leave me reviews!