Out Of Place
Chapter 10
Aelita raided her drawers and closet as the Subdigitals played from the small speaker on her desk. She could not figure out what to wear because she had never been to a party like this before. She had been to get-togethers that could be classified as a party, but she had a feeling this was going to be way different. It was going to throw her completely out of her element, and she had a feeling Yumi, Ulrich, and Jeremie felt the same way.
She pulled a white sequin shirt from her closet. There were glittery tassels hanging down the front.
After putting it on, Aelita spun around in the reflection of the mirror and did a small, humorous jig before deciding that it was indeed the shirt for the night.
Aelita slipped into a denim skirt that sat perfectly on her hips.
When there was a knock on her door, she called, "Come in!"
Yumi walked in then, carrying clothes and a make-up bag.
"I brought makeup," she said, placing the stuff on the bed.
When Yumi noticed Aelita's outfit, she smiled and said, "Well aren't you just the cat's meow?"
Aelita laughed and said, "What are we, in the 1920's?"
Yumi shrugged and said, "Now, I know you usually only put on mascara, but I would love to try out some liquid eyeliner on you."
"I just don't think I'm an eyeliner kind of gal," Aelita responded.
"Tonight you are," Yumi responded with a grin.
…
Odd slipped the silver-studded belt through the loops in his black jeans. A silver chain hung from the left side and draped half way down his thigh. He then proceeded to button the purple and black plaid shirt over top of the black band t-shirt he was wearing.
Ulrich had just finished getting dressed. He put on a black Kadic Academy jacket over his olive green shirt.
"Guys, I look ridiculous," a muffled voice said from the closet.
"Jeremie…" Odd said as he crossed his arms and leaned against one of the closet doors. "You're in a dark closet, you don't even know what you look like."
"I don't care. I can feel it," he replied.
"I'm going to open the door now, Jer," Odd said.
"No!"
Odd rolled and eyes and said, "One."
"Oh, please. Do you really think that childish tactic will work on me?" Jeremie scoffed.
"Two," Odd continued, speaking as though he were a parent warning a child.
"I'm not coming out. And counting numbers won't do anything."
"Three. Counting to five, Jer!" he warned.
"I don't care!" Jeremie sang back from inside the closet.
"Four."
"This is ridiculous…"
"Four and a half."
"I'm happy you can count, Odd. Really, I'm so proud of you. The teachers must be so impressed with your counting ability."
"Fi-"
"Alright, alright!"
There was a small pause as Jeremie fixed the clothes he was wearing. He was in the process of changing out of them when Odd began counting.
When he emerged, Odd held out his hands and said, "Ha! Ta-da! Look at you, Jer!"
"I'm not wearing this," he said, crossing his arms.
Jeremie borrowed clothes from Odd, which, at first, he believed was a completely ridiculous thing to do. He wore a black band sweatshirt, and a maroon beanie on his head. He insisted on wearing his own pants, so he went with khaki shorts. Odd had tossed a red and black studded belt into the closet before he could protest, and now it sat on his waist.
"Why? You'll fit right in," Odd said.
"Tell me, do all of your friends wear things that make them look nefarious or slightly homeless?"
There was a moment of silence before Odd shrugged and said, "Ya lost me at nefarious. I don't know what that means."
Jeremie sighed.
"Don't worry, Jeremie," Ulrich said. "It'll be fine."
"I don't understand what was wrong with what I usually wear," Jeremie said.
"Because, for some people there, that would be like putting a big neon sign over your head saying 'beat me up, I'm an Einstein,'" Odd said, putting up his hands up as though that sign was actually overhead.
Jeremie narrowed his eyes and Ulrich let out a laugh.
…
Two hours past curfew, Aelita and Yumi ran outside and stood under the shadows of a large tree. It was the meeting place they had all decided on, but Odd, Ulrich, and Jeremie were not there.
"You don't think they got caught do you?" Aelita asked.
"I don't know," Yumi answered, checking her phone for the time.
Aelita and Yumi were running ten minutes late, so the fact that the other three were not there yet made them nervous.
No sooner did their worries really begin did they hear the muffled voices of what could only be Jeremie and Odd bickering.
"Hey," Ulrich whispered when he saw Aelita and Yumi.
"Hey," Yumi said. "You guys ready to go?"
"Yep, we just need to-" Odd started, but froze when they heard voices.
It was the voice of Jim and the school nurse, Yolanda.
"Shit," Odd said as the voices got closer.
"Up here!" Yumi whispered frantically, pointing up at the tree.
Aelita grabbed a branch and began climbing up while Yumi kept watch.
"I don't want to flash you…" Aelita whispered before continuing her climb. "Don't look!"
"Alright, alright," the boys said as they covered their eyes.
Jeremie climbed up with some difficulty and sat next to Aelita. Ulrich climbed up with ease, followed by Odd who leaped up and swung into the tree like an orangutan.
The voices got louder as Jim and Yolanda got closer.
Yumi quickly began climbing the tree, but missed her footing halfway up. A warm, slightly sweaty hand grabbed her arm pulled her up.
Breathing hard from nervousness, she turned to Ulrich and whispered, "Thanks."
They sat so still and quiet, worried that they would even breathe too loud. Jim and Yolanda's voices were so close they could clearly understand what was being said.
"Will she be okay?" Jim asked.
The two adults stopped walking and stood just ten feet away from the tree the group was hiding in.
"Oh yeah. She'll be fine," Yolanda answered. "It wasn't nearly bad enough to be a concussion. She will probably need some Tylenol or Ibuprofen for headaches for a couple of days though. I do wonder, though, what Sissi was doing up on that ladder in the boy's dormitories anyway…"
The group had to hold in their laughter as best they could, but the image of Sissi falling off of a ladder was about too humorous to handle.
"Well, from the looks of it, she appeared to be trying to put something above a door. A prank of some sorts," Jim said.
Yolanda sighed and shook her head. She was not a big fan of pranks. There were too many times she had to treat minor injuries from a prank gone wrong…or right, depending on the culprit.
"Do you know whose room it was?"
"Ulrich Stern and Odd Della Robbia's, I believe."
Ulrich gave Odd a look, who just shrugged. They had not had too much trouble with Sissi lately; not more trouble than usual at least. Yet, this was the first time she had ever tried to pull a prank on them. It brought much joy to the two boys that she had failed.
"What a move from the principal's daughter…" Yolanda said, shaking her head again.
"Yeah," Jim looked around and spoke in a low voice, making the gang lean closer so they could hear. "Though I don't like feeding the gossip that goes on amongst the students, she has been known to upset quite a few kids."
Jeremie leaned over too far and almost tipped off his branch. He let out a small cry of fright. Aelita and Odd quickly pulled him back up. Once Jeremie was back on his branch, Odd put a hand over Jeremie's mouth.
Yolanda and Jim looked around, having heard the noise.
"Probably just some kids from town," Yolanda said.
"Yeah," Jim said uncertainly. "Maybe."
Jeremie slapped Odd's hand away and said, "Your hand is all sweaty!"
"Maybe it's not my hand, maybe it's your face!"
Jeremie, forgetting that they were in a tree, gave Odd a small shove.
The conversation between the two adults had switched to Jim complaining about Herb and Nicholas slacking off in his class earlier that day.
Ulrich and Yumi rushed forward and put their hands on Odd's knees to ensure he did not fall.
Odd hung upside down, his legs the only things keeping him in the tree. If Yolanda and Jim were to turn their heads just a tad, they would see him hanging upside down.
"Shit, shit, shit. Jeremie, I'm going to kill you," Odd whispered angrily.
"Give me your hand!" Ulrich reached down as far as he could, Yumi holding onto him from behind.
Jim and Yolanda heard the small rustle of the leaves, but assumed it to be wind.
Once Odd was safely back in the tree, he, Ulrich, and Yumi gave a sigh of relief.
Odd pointed a warning finger at Jeremie.
"You are on my list," he said before his face fell and he held his head. "Oh wow, can't see right now. Blood rushing out of my head."
"See you tomorrow, Yolanda," Jim said, waving as she walked toward her car.
Once Jim and Yolanda were completely out of sight and the coast appeared clear, Jeremie and Aelita dropped out of the tree, followed by Ulrich and Yumi. Odd was the last one to drop down, but ended up falling completely down rather than landing on his feet.
Ulrich began laughing and said, "Nice one! Real smooth, cool guy!"
Odd stood up and said, "Okay, still waiting for all the extra blood to leave my head, so it's not my fault!"
It was not until they were off of school grounds and underneath the glow of the street lights did they take note of each other's appearances.
"Never seen you wear eyeliner before," Odd said to Aelita.
Yumi had applied a perfectly even winged eyelinger on Aelita's eyes. It was a little strange seeing her with such thick make-up, but it seemed suitable for the night and it definitely was not a bad look by any means.
Yumi's make-up was similar to Aelita's, minus the lip gloss.
"Yumi made me do it," she responded. "What about Jeremie though, huh? He looks totally-"
"Ridiculous?" Jeremie said.
"No! Good," Aelita said.
Jeremie blushed and Odd put his elbow on her shoulder and said, "Who knew that we just needed you in the room when we were getting dressed? We could hardly get him to listen to reason."
Ulrich was wanting to compliment Yumi, but he found that his mouth was rather dry. He could hardly keep his eyes off of her. She was wearing a red and black checkered skirt with a black belt, matched with a black tank top. She looked absolutely stunning. He was worried he would have to stop boys from crawling all over her without appearing too clingy.
"You know guys, I just thought of something," Jeremie said. "We don't have a ride."
"What do you think I was doing when I kept leaving to talk on the phone earlier, Jer?" Odd asked.
"Oh, I don't know. Talking to your girlfriend, Samantha?" he retorted.
"No," Odd said. "Making plans and arrangements. It's good to have people."
"People?"
"Yeah, and I got people."
Jeremie crossed his arms over his chest, "Oh really? And who exactly are your people?"
"Don't worry about it. It's covered. Licked and sealed like an envelope," Odd stated, putting his arms behind his head.
"If you say so…" Jeremie said, rolling his eyes.
"So, Samantha isn't really your girlfriend right?" Aelita asked.
Odd did not have the chance to answer as a honk sounded from up the street.
About fifteen feet ahead was a black SUV. A male of about twenty-one years of age stepped out onto the sidewalk and waved. He wore a bright blue beanie and wore black dress pants and a white button-up shirt. An undone, black tie hung down his shoulders across his neck.
As they approached the vehicle, the driver held out his arms and said, "There he is! The man of every hour! How have you been?"
"Pretty good," Odd responded. "Conor, this is Ulrich, Yumi, Aelita, and Jeremie."
After everyone said hello, Conor said, "Alright, pile on in guys."
"Nice outfit by the way," Odd said after he got into the passenger seat.
Conor began driving down the street.
"Yeah, I just got off work. It's not too bad being a valet attendant at the casino. By the way, I have a handle for you under the seat."
Odd reached underneath his seat and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and lightly punched Conor in the arm, "You are a hero to me."
Conor stuck his tongue out as he proceeded through a green light.
Odd took a rather large drink out of the bottle and Conor laughed and said, "Goodness knows you don't need a chaser."
"Never," Odd said, voice a tad raw from the bitter beverage.
Ulrich accepted the bottle when Odd handed it over toward the back seat.
Yumi and Aelita took a couple of few sips, only ever having tasted it mixed with something. After Ulrich's turn, he handed it to Jeremie.
"No, I'm okay," he said, putting his hand up.
"Don't be a prude, Einstein," Odd said, looking through Conor's music selection.
Odd slipped a disc into the player and Conor slammed his hand on the steering wheel with joy and said, "Alice in Chains' Facelift album, nice! You read my mind."
The music began blasting through the speakers so loud that Jeremie could hardly hear himself think. It was then that he realized there was no way he could get through the party sober. Jeremie took the bottle from Ulrich and took a swig, spitting a small bit of it out in a spray. He put his arm up and wiped his mouth off.
By the time they pulled up to the party, the bottle was more than half empty.
Conor parked and grinned at Yumi, Ulrich, Jeremie, and Aelita and said, "Have fun."
…