New Girl, New Ally, New...Love?
Chapter 1
"Now we have a new student with us today. She's from America, so I want everyone to make her feel welcome, as she doesn't know much French. Come in, now," said Mrs. Hertz, and a girl with brown hair and glasses came into the room. She wore a purple shirt and knee-length skirt, and had a picture of a Golden Retriever on her backpack.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Mandy, it's nice to meet you." The girl smiled and blushed when a boy with blond hair and a spot of purple in it looked at her.
"She's cute, Ulrich," the boy, named Odd, said to his best friend.
"Odd, you think all girls are cute. I bet she smacks you in no time flat." Ulrich told Odd.
"OK, Mandy. You can sit behind Odd. Odd, show her, please." Odd raised his hand and Mandy was surprised that it was the boy with the blond hair with a purple spot on the front of his cone-shaped hairdo. Mandy went and sat in the seat behind Odd. After class, they were all waiting for the lunch bell to ring. Odd came up to where she was sitting, muttering to herself.
"You're Mandy, right?" Odd said.
"Yes," Mandy replied. "I'm a bit worried right now."
"What about?" Odd asked, intrigued.
"I smuggled my cat into my dorm, but I'm afraid she'll be discovered. She gets along well with dogs and is more like a dog than a cat. She comes and sits on command."
"Really? That's neat. Since you're new, why not sit with me and my friends at lunch? That's them over there," Odd said, pointing to his friends Jeremie, Ulrich, Aelita and Yumi. Mandy nodded.
"Sure. Thanks, Odd." Odd smiled.
"Mandy, I can easily hide your cat in my room. I have a dog, Kiwi. They'd get along great." Mandy nodded.
"When should we do it? Tabby's very...nervous. She's a picky eater, too." Odd looked around, then motioned for her to follow him.
"Jim's not around. We should move her now. Do you have her with you?" Mandy nodded.
"Yeah, she's in the carrier in the bushes." Odd smiled, then grabbed her hand, running out to the grounds outside.
"Grab her and we'll head up to my room." Mandy did so, making soft sounds to the frantic cat inside. Finally, Tabby calmed down.
"Lead the way, Odd." Odd nodded, then ran up to his room, his eyes watching for Jim's movements, then ducked into his room.
"In here!" He called out to Mandy. Mandy followed him, and was immediately attacked by a yapping Kiwi. Odd sternly pointed at Kiwi.
"Calm down! You have a new playmate!" Kiwi immediately shut up and backed away. Mandy set down the carrier and opened it up. A silver tabby cat with bright green eyes shot out and looked for a place to hide. Mandy called to her and she calmed down and came over.
"Good girl, Tabby. Good kitty. You're gonna stay here with Odd and Kiwi, OK?" Mandy said, pointing to each of them as she said their name. Tabby inspected them both before curling up on Odd's bed with a purr. Odd smiled.
"Can you get her to sit on command?" Mandy nodded.
"Tabby!" Tabby stood up and looked at Mandy. "Sit!" Mandy said with a snap of her fingers. Tabby immediately sat down. Odd started laughing and pointed to Kiwi.
"Sit, boy!" Kiwi sat.
"Odd, Tabby did that when I first got her. We've been working on more tricks, I think learning is fun for her." Mandy then showed Odd how Tabby would beg, play dead, and chase her tail, all on command. Odd watched, fascinated by the cat.
"Tabby's special, isn't she?"
"Yeah. She actually adopted me." Odd blinked.
"She adopted you...? Isn't it the other way around?" Mandy shook her head.
"Nope! Tabby chose me as her owner. She was abandoned and would only eat when I put the food out." Odd smiled.
"That's nice..." He looked around.
"We probably should get back to lunch. Jim's on his patrol." Mandy nodded.
"Thanks for agreeing to take care of her, Odd. She means a lot to me...she's like my baby." Odd smiled softly.
"I know the feeling. Kiwi's like my best friend." Mandy smiled at Odd when they got back to the courtyard outside the cafeteria.
"Thanks again, Odd." Odd smiled.
"No prob. She's in good hands." Mandy's smile brightened.
"That's good to hear."
"No problem!" Odd replied. Odd nodded, then opened the door. "Ladies first." Mandy walked in and went to get her lunch, seeing one of his friends, the brown haired boy, carrying one overloaded tray in addition to a normal one, so she knew that Odd's lunch was collected. After she picked up her lunch, Mandy came over with her tray as Odd waved to her, showing her where they were sitting. Yumi glared as Mandy approached until Odd told her that he invited Mandy. Then they all smiled at Mandy kindly and Odd showed her the seat across from him.
'Here he goes again...' Ulrich thought as Mandy sat down in the pro-offered seat.
"Odd, thanks for letting me sit with you and your friends. It means a lot to me, I usually have a hard time making friends in a new place." Mandy said, before digging into her food with an enthusiasm that put even Odd to shame. She was soon finished with everything, not even a crumb of food escaped her. Odd, having just finished himself, stared at her. "What, is there some in my teeth still?" Mandy asked, embarrassed. Odd shook his head.
"No, I just didn't think anyone could eat as fast as I can." Mandy blushed.
"At home, I needed to eat fast or my sister and brother would eat all my food off of my plate. It's a habit now that I can't get rid of."
"You're as scrawny as Odd is." Ulrich said.
"I'm not scrawny, I'm svelte!" Odd yelled, getting red in the face from his anger. Mandy glared at Ulrich.
"I don't know why you say things like that to Odd, but I'm sure that, like me, he just has a high metabolism!" Mandy looked around. "I don't even know who's who!" With this, Mandy began to cry softly.
"Mandy, don't cry." Odd said. "The guy who called me 'scrawny' is Ulrich, and the one with the glasses is Jeremie. The Japanese girl is Yumi and the one with the pink hair is Aelita." Mandy nodded and smiled as each one was pointed out to her.
"Odd, I'm still kinda hungry. Is there anywhere where I can buy snacks?" Odd nodded and brought her to the vending machines. Mandy bought 4 candy bars and gave Odd 2. "You're probably still hungry, Odd. Here."
"Thanks, Mandy. It's hard for me to get a date these days, because all the girls are either taken or know my rep for having relationships that end on a sour note."
"That's not nice, Odd. I'm sure none of them were your fault."
"Mandy, would you go on a date with me?" Odd asked, before taking a bite of one of his candy bars.
"Yes, I'd love to, Odd." Mandy said as she ate one of hers in one bite as Odd finished his first and unwrapped his 2nd. Mandy ate her 2nd candy bar slowly, enjoying Odd's company. Odd munched on his two candy bars quickly, smiling brightly.
"What's Tabby like?"
"Tabby's always been different. She wouldn't let anyone touch any kittens she had but me, and she loves me. She's prone to UTI's, though. She likes to drink milk, she won't sleep unless she has a saucer of it every night." Mandy said with a smile. Odd smiled.
"Okay." Mandy hugged Odd.
"You were the first person to talk to me...I'm grateful. Thank you so much, this means a lot..." With this a tear rolled down her cheek and dropped on his neck. Odd hugged her back.
"Mandy...I'm glad I was the first person to talk to you." He then felt the tear on his neck.
"Why are you crying?"
"In all my other schools, nobody ever noticed me until I talked to them...it was like I was invisible...It's just good to be seen..." With this, Mandy clung to Odd tighter.
"Mandy..." He hugged her tightly. Mandy's voice cracked.
"I never knew what it was like to be visible...no guys ever asked me out before..." With this, she sobbed. Odd smiled.
"I love you, Mandy." Mandy continued to sob.
"T-t-thank you, Odd...T-thanks f-f-for m-m-making m-me v-v-v-visible..." Odd grinned.
"You're welcome." Odd kissed her cheek. "It'll be alright."
"I just get so scared in a new place...this is the first time I've ever been in a boarding school, and I'm scared..." Mandy's voice stopped trembling, but tears still fell from her eyes. Odd smiled and nodded.
"I was too." Mandy pulled back, hiccuping from left-over tears.
"Huh?" She was confused. Odd nodded.
"I was terrified of this place in the beginning." Mandy blushed.
"I really like you, Odd...I wouldn't have said yes when you asked me on the date otherwise..." Odd smiled and blushed.
"I like you too..." Sissi walked by and called out in a sing-song voice.
"I'm telling Jim on you two lovebirds!" Mandy rolled her eyes.
"Let's get going, Odd. Uh, Odd? What is next?" Odd smiled.
"We have an assembly." Mandy nodded.
"And after?" She asked, curious. Odd hugged her.
"Free time." Mandy nodded.
"Show me the way, Odd." Odd led her up to the auditorium. She sat down beside him and waited out the assembly, but she soon got bored. "Odd, is this always this boring?" Odd nodded.
"Yeah, it's not interesting, but at least there's no class!" Just then, Mr. Dumas said something amazing.
"And we will be holding open auditions for a full-length version of Romeo and Juliet, not my daughter Elizabeth's version, but Shakespeare's. Any one who wishes to try a part, please sign up with me after the assembly." Mandy got excited.
"Odd, we'd be perfect for the leads! Let's try out together!" Odd sat up so quickly, he almost fell out of his chair.
"Mandy, you should be Juliet!" Mandy smiled at him.
"I just hope you win the role of Romeo..." Odd blushed.
"Yeah, me too." Then the lights went up and Mandy took Odd's hand and they ran to Mr. Dumas. Mr. Dumas smiled.
"You're Elizabeth's friends?"
"I'm the new girl, Mandy. I'd like to try out for the role of Juliet, I love Shakespeare's play!" Odd scowled, then answered.
"Well...Sissi and I don't get along to well...but I'd like to try out for the part of Romeo." Mr. Dumas nodded.
"The auditions are in 1 hour, don't be late. I expect a good performance out of you, Odd." Odd smiled.
"Will do, Mr. Dumas!" An hour later, Mandy and Odd walked into the auditorium. Mr. Dumas smiled.
"Mr. Della Robbia and Miss Armitage, to the stage please!" Mandy nodded to Odd and walked up and around the stage. Odd smiled and followed her. Once onstage, Odd took Mandy's hand.
"If I profane with my unworthiest hand, the holy shrine, the gentle sin is this. My lips, two blushing pilgrims ready stand, to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss." Then he kissed her hand. Mandy looked at Odd.
"Good pilgrim! You do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this. For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmer's kiss." Odd smiled faintly and touched his palm to hers.
"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?"
"Aye, pilgrim! Lips that they must use in prayer!"
"Then let lips do what hands do! They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair."
"Saints do not move, though grant for prayer's sake."
"Then move not, while my prayers effect I take." Odd leaned in and kissed her. He broke away. "Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged." Mandy looked shocked.
"Then have my lips the sin that they have took?"
"Sin from my lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again!" Odd kissed her again. When the kiss broke this time, Mandy smiled.
"You kiss by the book." Odd grinned. Mandy smiled back and they went to wait with the other hopefuls. Mr. Dumas clapped.
"You both win the roles of Romeo and Juliet! Good job!" Mandy beamed at Odd and embraced him.
"I knew we could do it, Odd!" Odd smiled.
"Yeah..." He held her hand. "My Juliet..." They ate with Ulrich, Jeremie and Aelita again at dinner. Then Mandy met Odd for their date.
"You ready?" Odd asked when he heard her coming toward him.
"Yeah, I guess so." Mandy replied. Odd looked up and was surprised at the outfit she was wearing. It was a long sequined purple strapless dress. She wore it well and Odd was speechless for a moment from her beauty. "Do I look that bad? If I do, I can change..."
"No, you look beautiful!" Odd blurted out before he could stop himself, not that he wanted to. Mandy blushed again.
"Nobody's ever told me that before, Odd. Thank you. I like your outfit, too." After they went to a movie, they were dancing when Odd's phone rang. It was Jeremie.
"Hey, Einstein. This isn't really a good time, I finally got a date and we're dancing."
"Odd, Xana's attacking! We need you at the factory!"
"Fine, I'll go fight Xana, but you have to do a return, Mandy might not forgive me for this..." After he said this, Odd hung up. "Mandy, I'm sorry but I have to go. An emergency came up."
"Can I help?" Mandy asked.
"I don't think so, Mandy." Odd said, trailing off.
"Odd, I want to help!" Mandy gave him a look that said she would not take no for an answer.
"Fine, but don't blame me if it's too much for you." Odd said before he showed her to the factory.