Chapter Two, here we go. We'll start getting into the drama now, I promise. Enjoy!

Ulrich was the first to witness the return of Odd the Filmmaker. He woke to see Odd putting a new lens on the camera and looking into the viewfinder, the camera focused on Ulrich.

"Odd," Ulrich growled. "What have I told you about filming me while I sleep?"

Odd rolled his eyes with a grin. "Don't worry, I'm not even filming, just testing the lens focus." Ulrich sat up to rub his eyes, squinting at the morning sunlight streaming through the window. He washed up in their shared bathroom, then walked back in only to jump at the sight of Odd's camera focusing on him.

"Odd!" He yelled, almost dropping the towel around his waist. "What the Hell?"

Odd smirked and laughed. "The lens cap is on...I couldn't resist seeing if you would notice."

Ulrich gave his roommate a glare before turning away to change his clothes. Only the second day of school and Odd was already driving him crazy. The video camera made another appearance at lunch, as Odd filmed Sam eating. She seemed to enjoy chewing obscenely for the camera as if to mock Odd's focus on her. But Odd was patient, and only smiled at his subject. She received a call from her dad, glanced at the name, and swiftly pressed a button to end the call, scowling at her food briefly before continuing to eat. Aelita was also scowling at her phone, but for a different reason.

Yumi nudged her friend. "What did the phone do to you?"

Aelita sighed with a weary smile. "It's like I have two boyfriends. The one I want, Jeremy, who won't give me the time of the day, and my manager, Adam, who's been texting me nonstop about arranging a gig this weekend."

Ulrich frowned. "During the school year?"

Aelita nodded. "I know it's a lot, but I'm making good money and some music producers have been starting to notice me."

"That's great!" Odd said. "Pretty soon you'll be the toast of Paris, and we'll all get to casually brag to everyone we meet about how we know Europe's hottest artist personally."

The tension eased from Aelita's face as she laughed. "I'll be sure to reserve backstage passes for all of you." The group nodded as though a decision had been made, though they all knew that it would be a while before Aelita rose to that level. After that concert with the Subsonics a few years ago, she had started meeting with a manager who arranged training with people he knew in the industry. He had taken her on a summer tour of clubs and festivals, and she was starting to make a name for herself. Already multiple kids at school had come up to tell her about having seen her website, or heard her songs online. Even Sissi was impressed by her, though in public she scoffed about the nerd girl playing with computers more.

Odd finally shut off his video camera to head to class, squeezing Sam's shoulder affectionately on his way out. So far he thought the documentary was going well. It would take time to get her to relax in front of the camera, but after just a day she was getting better at ignoring it. Sam had experienced a fascinating life, but was so private about it that no one but him even knew that her parents were divorced. She played it cool, but he had a feeling there was a great film waiting to be made. Across the lawn, a mop of blond hair caught his eye.

"Jeremy!" Odd called, racing across the lawn. He waved his hand like a maniac, drawing the attention of many students.

Jeremy sighed in exasperation at his friend's antics but still smiled. "Hey Odd. Have a good summer?"

"Well no, not really," Odd said, placing his hands on his hips. "Because most of it was spent hearing Aelita complain about you! I'll have you know, my family is almost done saving for university because of your bad relationship skills!"

Jeremy blinked. "How are those two things related? And hey, I'm not that bad," he said defensively, then paused. "Am I?"

"Well duh," Odd said. "You barely talked to Aelita all summer, and you haven't seen her since school started. What's she supposed to think? She can't decide if she's more worried about you cheating on her or not loving her anymore."

Jeremy rubbed his temples. "Look, I'm just really busy. I'm already late for a meeting with the head of the science department, can this wait?"

Odd crossed his arms defiantly. "I can, Aelita can't. Make a move Jeremy, or you're right back where you were when we were twelve."

Jeremy nodded and walked away, head full of thoughts. His projects were important to him, but so was Aelita. Having the opportunity to do this research, and to be respected for it, was a dream come true. He should be sharing this dream with Aelita, but what if she reacted badly? He sighed and turned the handle of the office door.

"Good morning, professor," he said with a polite nod. Sitting down in his usual chair by the desk, he noticed the stranger for the first time. He had been working with Ms. Gutierrez, the head of the science department, all summer, so her presence was familiar. She often brought him homemade Spanish meals when she knew he would be working late, keeping him well fed during the months away from home. She was brilliant, and open to his ideas, which he appreciated after receiving negative backlash from every other teacher he had approached. The stranger, a tall man in his fifties with tanned skin and a stocky build, smiled and reached for a handshake.

"Jeremy," Ms. Gutierrez said patiently, seeing his confusion. "This is Professor Aldridge from the University of Oxford. He heard that we had a student doing advanced research in digitally designed realities and wanted to meet to discuss your work."

Jeremy blushed, shaking the man's hand as confidently as he could. "Thank you, sir. I wasn't aware that I was attracting attention."

Professor Aldridge smiled and put a hand on Jeremy's shoulder. "Jeremy, all the schools have been hearing about you for years. Perfect test scores, out of the box ideas, occasionally a bit of a troublemaker...you're a unique young man. And don't worry, England isn't as stuffy as you might think. We enjoy a bit of trouble ourselves." He winked, and Jeremy smiled, becoming a bit more at ease with the man.

He opened his laptop, keeping it turned away from the professors as he entered his passwords. Life with XANA had left him wary of hackers, so he kept complex firewalls and passwords in place for every single aspect of his computer. Passwords were needed to enter his desktop, to access his files, and his labels were marked with numbers, nothing else. He selected file twenty seven, entered the special security codes, then pulled up the file of Project X. Some may have said it was a cliché title, but those who knew the basis of his work would understand. His mind flashed back to his conversation with Odd. Aelita would appreciate this project, surely. He would show it to her the next chance he got.

"Project X, huh?" Professor Aldridge said with raised eyebrows. "Well, scientists are rarely creative."

Ms. Gutierrez shook her head with a smile. "Don't bother asking, Professor. The name has an origin, but Jeremy refuses to share the story with me."

Jeremy felt heat rise to his cheeks. From day one he had been questioned about the basis for his research was coming from, and no one could know the truth - at least, not yet. He needed more solid proof, and he would never reveal anything before consulting the group.

"My project is a study on digital worlds," he began. "I don't mean video games. I mean worlds that live without management, worlds with unexplored layers that bring the Internet to life."

Professor Aldridge leaned forward in his chair, his brow already furrowed in confusion. Jeremy recognized the look. The professor was trying to decide if Jeremy was a lunatic or a genius.

"When a video game is designed, every creature inside that artificial world is programmed by the creator, their every action controlled. My research proves that it is possible for life, true independent life, to exist within a computer. There is even an extent to these expanding digital worlds that make it possible for a person to travel into the computer, then safely be transported out." As he spoke, Jeremy clicked through a slideshow of diagrams, charts, and coding.

Attempting to be subtle, Professor Aldridge looked at Ms. Gutierrez with concern and bewilderment on his face. He turned back to Jeremy, struggling to find his words. "What exactly is the basis of all this work?"

Jeremy paused. He had never gone this far into explanation, not even with Ms. Gutierrez, whom he had simply asked to trust him. "It's a bit complicated," he said. "My research is based off of the work of...a late scientist."

"Who?" Aldridge asked. "Is he a university professor? Or does he work for a technology company?"

Jeremy began to panic. "It's complicated," he said again. "Just please, trust me. If you'll look at these formulas, you'll see how digital coding is embedded in our DNA, and how that can easily translate for virtualization. The materialization process requires a more complex program, relying heavily on that DNA coding along with more biology than computer science. Without a DNA sequence, it is difficult but still possible to materialize a person."

Aldridge paused. "Ok, let's assume this is all possible. Are you saying you could materialize something like a 3D avatar as a real person? Like a 3D printer with plastic?"

"Well, sort of," Jeremy said. "It's impossible to program a true human personality, as humans have a capacity to learn, and computer programs don't. The ones that do are dangerous, as they learn to beat the parameters set for them. But a digitally programmed creature could be materialized, yes."

Ms. Gutierrez, hearing this aspect of the project for the first time, popped in with a question. "Could the lands of a virtual world have artificial intelligence?"

Jeremy nodded. "Yes, but mostly just to respond to the commands of others. Having the dirt under your feet suddenly decide to carry you to the edge of a cliff could be dangerous, you know?" He let out a laugh that faded as soon as he saw the faces of the two professors.

Aldridge stood. "Look Jeremy, you seem like a good kid. And if you ever manage to make this stuff happen, give me a call. You obviously seem like you know your stuff, and I'll be putting in a good word for you to the university, but this project you're working on...it's the stuff of dreams."

Jeremy shook his head frantically. "Sir, I promise you, this is real!"

Once again, Professor Aldridge put a hand on Jeremy's shoulder, but his expression was one of pity. "You keep telling yourself that, kid." He picked up his bag and left, quickly shaking Ms. Gutierrez's hand on his way out.

Jeremy turned to his teacher with desperation after the man left. "You believe me, don't you?"

She nodded. "Jeremy, I have supported you from day one. If you think you can make it happen, then I'm here for you."

Jeremy grumbled and sat down to begin typing frantically on his laptop. He had known from the start that this project would be difficult for people to comprehend, but he had thought that surely a university professor from Oxford would have heard of something like this before. He knew his ideas seemed crazy, people had called Franz Hopper crazy too. But he didn't want to end up a hermit spending his life hiding from the government, he wanted to share this work with the world! He just had to find a way to prove it.

He groaned and shut his laptop with a sigh. "Mind if I take a break?" he asked Ms. Gutierrez, who was working on papers at her desk.

She smiled at him. "Jeremy, you've been working nonstop for months. You've earned a break. Take the rest of the day off, ok? I know you cleared Wednesdays for this project, but I think you can afford to take one Wednesday as a mental health day."

He nodded and left the room, deep in thought. He knew he would need to tell Aelita about this project eventually, since really he needed her consent to go any further. Heading over to the dorm, he tried to think of what to do to make all this distance up to her. Maybe a nice date of some sort. Pausing outside her room, Jeremy heard Aelita's voice from inside.

"Okay Adam," She said with a laugh. "I'll see you next Saturday. Club Petit? Sounds great." Jeremy knocked on the door softly, gulping nervously. Who was Adam? Some other guy? He was taking her to a club...Jeremy hated clubs. Aelita called, "Come in!" To the person at the door, and Jeremy peered around the crack. Immediately her expression cooled.

"Can I come in?" He asked nervously. Aelita nodded curtly, putting her cell phone down next to her bed. Jeremy stood in the doorway, scratching his head awkwardly. "So...how was your summer?"

Aelita shot him a glare. "You would know if you had bothered to talk to me. Honestly Jeremy, how hard is it to pick up a phone?"

His cheeks burned in embarrassment. She was right to be mad, there were few excuses that would appease her. "I was really busy," he mumbled.

Aelita rolled her eyes. "Yes, so I keep hearing."

"Do you want to go out?" Jeremy asked, tripping over his words. "Like a date?"

She blinked. "A date?" A small smile went to her face. "That would be good...a lot went on over the tour, there's a lot to tell you. I'm busy Saturday, but how about Friday?"

Jeremy nodded. "I will pick you up at six." He turned on his heel and left. As soon as the door closed, he started breathing again. Aelita had every right to be upset. He had to make this date a good one.

Across campus, another phone call was going on. Ulrich leaned against a tree, his head bowed as he held a phone to his ear. "I understand," he said, pulling his fingers through his hair. "It's just one quiz...it's a hard class, ok?" A long pause. He looked up to see Yumi approaching. He shot her a weak smile. "I have to go, Dad. Yes. Okay. Goodbye." Yumi gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before looking at him with concern.

"Who was on the phone?" She asked.

Ulrich sighed. "My dad. He wants me to go to Ludwig Maximiliens University in Berlin like he did but my grades just aren't high enough. The summer courses there will probably help, plus my dad's influence there, but it still looks doubtful."

"Geez," Yumi said. "I'm trying to figure out what schools to apply to, and you've already got a favorite school picked out."

"Well, it's not that I want to go there," Ulrich said. "My dad wants me to go there. That phone call was about my calculus quiz - the teacher had us take a preliminary quiz yesterday just so she could figure out where our math skills are, and I did...badly. Apparently she got word to my dad, who is now pissed. The quiz didn't even count for a grade, she was just wondering if I was ready for the course."

Yumi raised her eyebrows. "That's even messier than how it is with my parents. They've been pretty clear - find a school in France that we can afford, and study hard to become a doctor, lawyer, or something on that level."

"That's still more options than I have!" Ulrich said. At this point it seemed they were just comparing to see who had it worse. "I'm going to go to LMU, major in business, possibly go to grad school, and take over my dad's company. That's the plan that's been set out for me all my life."

Yumi was silent, simply reaching over to squeeze Ulrich's hand. "I'm sorry," she said quietly.

He nodded with a sad smile. "It is what it is. Want to get lunch?" The couple walked hand in hand to the cafeteria, greeting students they knew along the way. After closing down Lyoko, the group had discovered they had a lot more free time now, which led to making a lot of new friends. Before, the group had stuck together to discuss the secrets of Lyoko in private, but with all that out of the way they were able to expand their social horizons. Ulrich had met a number of kids through sports teams, while Yumi branched out within her grade to make more friends her own age. The main group had always been closest though. You couldn't leave the people you'd been through an unforgettable experience with.

In the cafeteria, Ulrich and Yumi received trays of meatloaf, salad, and orzo with brownies for dessert. Not seeing Odd or Aelita around, they sat by William and Emily. The young couple had gotten together a year ago and seemed to get along well, often seen holding hands under the table during class.

"Emily, you know Ulrich and Yumi, right?" He said to his girlfriend. She smiled and greeted the pair before leaving to work on a paper for her literature class. William gave her a kiss goodbye before turning back to his friends. Lyoko had been tough on their friendship, but in time the group had learned to trust him again. Aelita was still a bit uneasy around him due to bad memories of his possessed body attacking her, but she was still nice to him. Ulrich and Yumi, surprisingly, had stayed closest with William.

"How was your summer?" Yumi asked politely.

William grinned. "It was great! I helped my uncle at his woodworking shop in the Alps, and Emily visited me for two weeks. I think you can guess what my favorite part of those two weeks was." William winked slyly at his friends, who blinked at him in confusion.

"I visited relatives in Japan," Yumi said dully.

"I was stuck at a preppy boarding school program at a university in Berlin," Ulrich added. He looked down at his phone, seeing an incoming call from his father. "Oh look, here's Berlin now," he commented, pulling out his phone and walking out of the crowded lunchroom to talk, leaving William and Yumi alone.

William leaned forward in his chair. "You're kidding me," he said. "You two? Still?"

Yumi furrowed her brow, pausing in her lunch. "Still what?" she asked.

He rolled his eyes, lowering his voice. "Sorry, I'm just a little surprised that you two haven't had sex yet."

Yumi sat up straight, her face immediately turning red. "Who said we hadn't - I mean, what business of yours is it what Ulrich and I do or don't do?"

William grinned devilishly. "It's painfully obvious, Yumi."

She glared at him. "It's none of your business, William. Imagine if I started probing into your relationship! You wouldn't like that, would you?"

"I wouldn't care," William said, leaning back in his chair. "Ask whatever you want, I'm an open book."

Yumi paused. "Have you and Emily had sex?" she asked quietly.

William nodded with a cocky smile. "Many times, in fact. Now, answer my question. Why haven't you and Ulrich had sex?"

"I don't know!" she cried out, not realizing how loud she was. He motioned for her to hush, and she dropped to a whisper. "We're just not ready," she muttered. "And don't say that's lame."

He shrugged. "It's just lame for you guys. Sex is great, and if you're careful there's nothing to worry about. Besides, you're going off to college at the end of the year - what then? Might want to get it over with before you have to be madly coordinating your schedules for any time together."

Yumi laughed. "We're already going to have to do that! Ulrich's taking a bunch of classes, and I'm going to be busy with university applications."

"I hear that," William said, standing to go. "I'll see you later Yumi." He passed Ulrich on his way out, giving him a friendly wave.

Ulrich sat down with Yumi. "What were you guys talking about? Your face was hilarious the whole time."

"Oh, you saw that?" Yumi said, feeling her cheeks blush. "It was nothing." She paused. "You know, I'll tell you later."

"Everything okay?" Ulrich asked, reaching for her hand.

Yumi nodded, squeezing his hand. "Trust me, everything is fine. I'll see you at the end of the day, yeah?"

Ulrich nodded and stood to go. "I have class, I'll see you later." They kissed goodbye and parted ways, Ulrich's mood tinged with concern, Yumi's mind a blur. How "painfully obvious" was it to everyone else that she and Ulrich hadn't had sex? They had just started dating two years ago, it was still very early in the relationship. Okay, not really. But still, it's not like he pushed her. They kissed, they cuddled, they had made out a couple times...it was really just a matter of time and privacy. They spent their vacations apart, and it was impossible to get alone time in his dorm room with Odd there. And her house was a war zone for Ulrich; her dad would never let them go anywhere except the living room and kitchen. Just going to the bathroom during a date meant her dad knocking on the door to check that they weren't both in there.

Yumi smiled to herself at some painfully awkward memories. She had a free period now, and went to the library. She had been avoiding the college issue all summer, not knowing where her life was headed. Her parents insisted she stay in France, which wasn't a problem, but did limit her options. Yumi had spoken with a college counselor who had provided a list of possible schools, but she had yet to look them up.

Sitting at a computer, Yumi began typing in the names of schools, groaning inwardly at the long lists of possible majors.

"How am I supposed to decide something this big when I can't even make a decision about Ulrich?" She muttered to herself. Unbeknownst to her, Odd was currently struggling with an even more complicated relationship. He had Sam pressed up against the gardener's tool shed in the woods, his hand down her pants and his lips on her neck. Sam sighed, a sigh that turned into a deep groan.

"You can stop," she said. Odd pulled away and she winked at him. "That was good. You're getting better at that."

Odd bowed with a silly flourish of his hands. "Why thank you milady, I live to serve!"

She laughed. "Come on, we have class soon." Odd nodded, suppressing a complaint about her not reciprocating, then fished his camera out of his bag. Turning the lens onto her, Sam groaned. "Again?"

Odd nodded. "Now, I'm gonna ask questions, and you respond."

"Fine," Sam said with an eye roll. "But don't expect to hear anything interesting."

"When did you start skating?" Odd asked patiently.

"When I was five," Sam said. "My dad took me to skate parks while mom was away on business, and eventually I started going on my own."

"What do you like about skating?"

Sam pursed her lips thoughtfully. "The adrenaline rush, obviously. And it's rewarding when you work hard to learn a new trick and then nail it."

"What was your first competition?" Odd asked with a smile, knowing the answer to the question.

She laughed. "Don't make me say it!" Odd raised his eyebrows at her. "Fine," she said. "It was the Skater Sweeties Skating Competition, when I was seven. It was all girls, and none of us looked very sweet. I got first place, which rocked because it was a competition for ages six through twelve, and I beat a bunch of older girls. The looks on their faces were priceless, they were so pissed."

Odd smiled. "What other competitions have you done?" This routine continued all the way back to the campus, where Odd had to shut the camera off, not wanting to get too many shots of the school in his video. The sight of a video camera immediately attracted a pesky nuisance - Sissi.

"Is that a video camera?" Sissi squawked. "Are you making another movie, Odd?"

He sighed. "Yes, and you're not going to be in it so don't even ask."

She scoffed. "And who is, your frumpy little skater girlfriend?"

Sam pushed her face too close to Sissi's for comfort. "Frumpy? Last I checked, your little girl bee stings were looking pretty frumpy compared to mine." Sam smiled, pushing her chest up for emphasis, and Sissi turned red.

"Whatever!" she said with a blush, turning quickly to leave. Sam smiled, and Odd grinned as well. Sissi was always hungry for the spotlight, and Odd's video camera attracted her like a moth to a flame. Either way she always got burned.

"Sam," Odd said, packing his camera away. "You want to hang out later this week?"

She shrugged. "Sure. My house like usual?"

Odd paused. "Well, no. I was thinking we could go out somewhere."

Sam looked wary. "Not like a date, right? I don't go for that mushy stuff."

He grinned. "Nah. I have a gift card for McDonald's, and it won't last forever."

"I'm game," Sam said. "I've got stuff to do this week but we can go out Friday."

"Friday it is," Odd said. "I'll pick you up at six."

He walked away from the exchange feeling victorious, though with a tinge of regret. It should be a date. But Sam just wasn't there yet. Hopefully this would make her relax more about going out together. After school, Ulrich and Yumi met by the gate. He looked nervous, and so did she.

"So..." Ulrich drawled. "Am I walking you home or no?"

Yumi paused. "Uh, no. Aelita is coming over." It wasn't a lie, though she had texted Aelita barely an hour ago to to arrange the get-together.

"Oh." Ulrich was silent for a moment. "So, what were you and William talking about?"

"Nothing!" Yumi said quickly. "I'll tell you later. Look, there's Aelita!" Aelita was walking towards the couple, her bag slung over one shoulder.

"What's up?" Aelita asked, looking between the two. "I'm not interrupting something, am I?"

Yumi shook her head, and Ulrich shoved his hands into his pockets. "I better go," Ulrich said.

"I'll text you later," Yumi reassured. As she walked home, Aelita continued to look at her friend with concern.

"Everything okay?" Aelita asked.

Yumi nodded. "I'll tell you when we get to my house." Upon entering the Ishiyama household, Yumi was met with Hiroki and Johnny playing loudly in the living room. "Perfect," she muttered to herself with a smile. She popped her head into her dad's office to ask sweetly, "Dad? Hiroki and Johnny are playing in the living room, can Aelita and I go up to my room?"

Her father nodded, obviously distracted by work. "Don't play your music too loud," he muttered. Yumi grinned and gestured for Aelita to follow her, grabbing soft drinks from the refrigerator. Once up in Yumi's room, Aelita sat on the bed cross-legged.

"Seriously," Aelita said, taking a quick sip of her drink. "What is up with you and Ulrich? You guys were acting like someone died."

Yumi groaned and flopped back onto her bed. "I don't think anyone died...just my self esteem." She propped up on her elbows to look at her friend. "Is it obvious that Ulrich and I haven't had sex?"

Aelita shrugged, an awkward expression on her face. "A bit? I mean, I like to think you would tell me if that happened."

"Well of course I would," Yumi rolled her eyes. "But what makes it so obvious?"

Aelita stared at the bedspread thoughtfully. "I think it's how uncomfortable you guys are with touching," she said finally. "You hold hands, sometimes you hug, but it's not like with other couples. You know how William and Emily just naturally fall together? How they tickle each other without being awkward? It's that kind of comfort that says a couple has had sex, when the boundaries around their bodies drop."

"Ulrich and I are comfortable," Yumi said defensively. True, they didn't cuddle in public. And yes, they usually just sat next to each other on a couch instead of her draping her legs over his like some couples did. They had always blamed their awkwardness on not liking public displays of affection, but it happened in private too.

"It's like you're nervous about crossing some sort of unspoken boundary," Aelita said, thinking more to herself than to Yumi.

"You talk like you've done this before," Yumi said.

Aelita laughed. "I spent the summer traveling to clubs and festivals around Europe. I spent most of time with people in their twenties and thirties, most of whom had had sex. Let's just say I picked up some ideas. But I haven't done anything, Jeremy and I have barely kissed, you know that."

Yumi nodded. "Ulrich and I kiss a lot...it's just that we're rarely alone."

"Well, there's no rush," Aelita said firmly. "It's not like there's a set date or age that you have to have sex by."

"There kind of is," Yumi said. "This is my last year, remember? I don't want to spend it tiptoeing around the subject until he finds a girl more straightforward and willing."

Aelita punched her friend in the arm. "Ulrich is the least likely guy to cheat, stop worrying about that. If you think you're ready though, go for it. You and Ulrich have talked about sex, right?"

Yumi looked at the floor. "Um..."

"Yumi!" Aelita cried. "You've been dating for two years, and the topic of sex has never come up?"

"Keep your voice down!" Yumi hissed. "My dad is downstairs and you know how strict he is. Ulrich has never been allowed to see the upstairs of my house, remember?"

Aelita nodded. "I guess I'm lucky to have so much independence," she said. "But really, you should talk to him about these things."

"Maybe I can start advancing things a little," Yumi said. "It's just that Odd is always walking in on us when we're in Ulrich's room."

"Odd is going out with Sam Friday night," Aelita said. "He mentioned it to me in our Danish language class, he should be out until the school curfew at ten."

Yumi's eyes lit up. "Oh my god this is perfect!" she said. "If Odd is going out..."

"Then you and Ulrich can stay in," Aelita said with a giggle. "I'll be out too on Friday night, so we'll have to catch up the next day. Jeremy finally got the brains to ask me out somewhere."

Yumi nodded. "He should! Where are you going?"

"No idea," Aelita admitted. "He just said he would pick me up at six."

"Then I will stop by your room at 5:30," Yumi decided. "That way we can check outfits."

Aelita laughed. "Okay sure, miss girly girl." Yumi threw a pillow at Aelita. She now had a plan for Friday. She just hoped Ulrich was ready for what she had in mind.

Yes, of course Jeremy's project involves Xana. Don't act so surprised. Hope you liked the chapter, leave me reviews!