Disclaimer: I don't own Code: Lyoko.

I think this is the next chapter. At least, I'm pretty sure. Actually, I have no clue.

Just kidding. I was at a loss for what to say, so I babbled. Anyways, here you are…Once again, I might need a little help with chronology… Anything's appreciated!

Aelita's Friend

Odd's P.O.V.

"Ahhhhh!" Jim shot about a foot in the air. I laughed to myself. Putting a bug in his drink was so funny! Now he's choking and hopping all over the field. Hysterical! I'm rolling on the ground, making pretty much the whole class stare at me. Jim stops laughing and turns around.

"Odd Della-Robbia! Principal's office this instant!" He screams and points at the door to the office. I'm still cracking up. The secretary gives me a dirty look and points to the door. I struggle to keep a straight face and open the door.

"Mr. Della-Robbia, what are you doing here?" he asks me, surprised. I haven't been to his office for a while. With Lyoko and everything…

"I practical-joked Jim, sir." I say, still trying hard not to laugh. He slowly shakes his head.

"Take a seat, please," I sit, "This practical joking has to stop. You read the Rules and Regulations when you arrived; harming a teacher is strictly prohibited."

"But he wasn't hurt! Just embarrassed." I protest. He sighs, but I can see the corner of his mouth go up. I smile to myself. I think I'm the only one who can get him to laugh.

"Now, Odd, You realize that…." He starts to drawl on and on with his normal speech. 'You've violated the rules, I'll have to alert your parents, why can't you behave, blah, blah, blah…' I tune him out and watch the window behind him. The bus has just pulled up. I see someone jump out and start walking toward us. As she gets closer, I see that she has brown hair and dark skin. She's carrying a whole bunch of bags and, when she walks by, the boys stare. Girls are glaring as she walks by and I see Jeremie, Ulrich and Yumi sitting on a bench in her way. I crane my neck to see what they'll do next. Yumi talks quickly to Ulrich and Jeremie for a minute then nods and steps in her path. They talk for a second and then the girl yells something. The people watching her (which are many) jump. Yumi stops and grabs one of her bags. The girl stands there and stares at Ulrich for a minute. Then she looks away and stares at Jeremie for a minute. Yumi watches her and she starts off quickly straight toward us. Five or six minutes later, he's still going on about etiquette. The door opens behind me. He's still on his little spiel about how irritating I am. I jump when he pauses.

"Ms. Morris, what are you doing in here?" he asks. I turn slightly to see who it is. It's her. She's different up close. Bewitching. She has gray eyes that are sparkling. They look sad but unafraid. Her fingers are clenched in her palms. I see a drop of blood hit the floor. She lets go and wipes her hands on her pants. I see a few other dark spots on her jeans, like she does this often. She has dark skin and a high forehead (A/n: Hah! They all have high foreheads! What a joke!). There are dark circles under her eyes, like she doesn't get much sleep.

"The secretary told me to come in. Sorry if I'm bothering you." She says but doesn't move. I realize I'm staring at her and look away. The principal sighs.

"Mr. Della-Robbia, you may go now. Don't let it happen again!" I hear him say. Who cares about the new girl? I'm free! I hop past her and run outside. Yumi's just leaving.

"Hey, Yumi, wait up!" I yell, making her jump a little.

"Are you in trouble for the trick you pulled on Jim?" she asks when I catch up. I shake my head and we walk to the bench.

"So, Yumi, was she as rude as we thought?" Ulrich asks. Yumi laughs a little.

"Not really. I think she was shyer than anything else. She was almost crying back there when she saw you guys. Didn't you notice?" she murmurs slowly. Jeremie and Ulrich shake their heads. Jeremie goes back to his laptop.

"What are you doing?" I ask, sitting next to him. He slowly turns and looks at me.

"I'm talking to Aelita. She keeps saying something about 'My friend talked to me yesterday, I'm so happy!'. What friend? She talks to us every day and, as far as I know, no one else knows about Lyoko."

"How do we know? Maybe someone else does but doesn't have a scanner or something. And, correction, she talks to you everyday, not us, most of the time…" I answer. He blushes and shakes his head.

"It's just, she never mentioned another friend before. And she tells me almost everything. I think."

"How do you know, Jeremie? I'm entitled to my secrets, aren't I?" Aelita's voice comes from the computer, making me and Jeremie jump.

"But, Aelita, what if she isn't really your friend? What if she's X.A.N.A's friend? How do you know?" Jeremie demands. Aelita answers back quickly.

"Because I've known her longer than you. She's sad…She wouldn't hurt anything. She couldn't, even if she tried."

"Wait, you've known her longer than us? Why haven't you told us about her?"

"Because I knew you'd get mad at her. She's come to visit me some times, when you're all asleep. And I haven't told her about you, either so you may calm down." She answers. I chuckle to myself. Aelita can have a temper when she wants to. Jeremie starts to answer but is cut off by the bell.

"Come on, you guys," I sigh, "Time for Mrs. Hertz. Oh, joy." Ulrich laughs and Jeremie looks grim. No doubt thinking about Aelita again. I don't see why those two just can't get it together and go out already. Just like Yumi and Ulrich. They can be so irritating. I walk into class and drop into the seat next to Ulrich, as always. Halfway through the lesson, I get bored, so I pick up a piece of paper and write a note to Ulrich.

Hey, are you as bored as I am?

Yeah, but I have to keep my grades up. You know how my parents are.

Lucky my parents are slackers, huh?

Very.

Are you two having a conversation without me?

Hey, Einstein, all you have to do is ask. And I already know what you think about the lesson. You already know it, so it's boring.

True. He can read you like a book, Jeremie. Well, if he could read, that is.

Hah! There you go, Odd!

How unfair! I can read! Obviously, or I wouldn't be able top reply to this note!

Right. I'll believe it when I see it.

Hey! You used a long word like 'obvious'! I'm so proud of you!

Oh, shut up!

"Odd, could you please tell me the answer?" I jump.

"Uh….13?" I ask hopefully. She gives me a look.

"Our new student's name is thirteen? Very interesting. Thank you for paying attention." I wince. It's scary when her voice gets like that. Luckily for me, the class is almost over. A few minutes after it's done, Jeremie tries to contact Aelita but gets no answer. He starts worrying.

"You guys, Aelita won't answer. There has to be something wrong!"

"What's wrong, Jeremie? I'm right here." Aelita's face pops onto the screen and Jeremie sighs relief.

"I thought you were in trouble."

"No, I was just talking to my friend. Did you know that she's come to-"

"Aelita! Where are you?" someone's voice cuts her off.

"Is that her?" Jeremie asks curiously. Aelita blushes.

"Yes. You interrupted our conversation."

"That's all right, Aelita. You can talk to your boyfriend now; I have to unpack." The voice answers.

"Hey! I'm not her boyfriend!" Jeremie yells, catching the attention of a few people.

"Right. Whatever." The voice vanishes. Aelita blushes darker.

"I'm sorry, Jeremie. She thinks you…what is the word? Love me. She's strange. But she's been having a hard time lately and she's never actually fallen in…love…before." Aelita answers. They're both blushing. I smile to myself.

"Hey, it's the new girl!" Ulrich tells me. I jerk around. She's walking toward the girls' dorms. Guys are flocking around her. She looks really irritated.

"Watch this," I tell Ulrich. I step into the crowd and grab her elbow, pulling her around the corner and through the back doors. She glares at me.

"What are you doing?" she asks, furious. I shrug.

"Helping you. I gotta go, goodbye!" I tell her and walk away. This is going to be fun.