Well, I am possibly the most jerkish author in the world. I can't believe I made you all wait more than an ENTIRE MONTH for the next chapter. I set up a few rules for myself when I began writing here—No way am I going to take more than two weeks to update, much less an entire month! *sigh* Sorry about that. Just venting for a bit, haha. Luckily enough, my workload from school has lightened enough for me to continue writing. (:

Anyway... Here's the next chapter. Happy reading! :D Edits will probably be done later, just letting you all know.

"Not everything's perfect, especially in the beginning. And it's all right to have a little bit of regret every once in a while. It's when you feel it all the time and can't do anything about it... that's when you get into trouble."

-Sarah Dessen, 'Lock and Key'

Chapter 20: Could've Had

Ulrich's room took up almost the whole top level of the hotel. The linoleum floor was a dark gray, and so were the walls, except they were a more neutral, lighter shade. It followed the layout of a typical studio apartment, with a curtain and a small set of stairs separating the sleeping area from the living room. Behind the sleeping area was a sliding door with a mirror which led into kitchen and bathroom. Like what Yumi grew used to during her life around the elites, the seats were the usual chaise lounges, and a chandelier decorated the ceiling, serving as the main light source. Taking up the far left wall was a window which let in a panoramic view of Paris, and the whole room followed a calming gray and white color scheme.

As Jim stayed in Milly's hotel room to wait out William's 'fainting spell,' Ulrich and Yumi walked over together to the room that Ulrich bought. The door opened up to the sitting room, and Yumi was the first to enter. "Wow," she breathed out, taking a step inside. "You bought this room?"

Yumi walked over to the plasma flat screen TV and picked up the remote. She examined it for a few seconds, her eyes gleaming with wonder—there were so many controls, and some buttons even led to exclusive channels. Placing it back down on the mahogany coffee table, Yumi turned to look at Ulrich. She rose an eyebrow and said with a condescending tone, "We only needed a key to get up."

"I know, but it was the only room available," Ulrich swiftly replied, collapsing into the chaise lounge with a loud exhale. "I took the first offer they got."

Despite Ulrich's ease, Yumi bit her lip; her teasing mood was suddenly replaced with slight guilt. "...Ulrich, thank you so much for doing all this. But I-" she was suddenly cut off by the absurd thought of paying him back; she knew that she couldn't possibly make the money that would nearly equal how much he spent on everything. Lowering her head, she sighed and sat down next to him. She wanted to help... but she couldn't.

"You were right about me hiding behind my money," Ulrich said, making up for the sudden silence Yumi had caused.

Yumi widened her eyes and looked at him, perplexed. She was horrified. "I take that ba-"

"It only would explain the transportation, the hotel room, and Jim," he cut in. "You were right, Yumi."

"..No, I'm not," she shot back, looking at him with vivacious eyes. To convince Ulrich, she took his hand and grasped it tightly. Ulrich looked down in surprise, but Yumi ignored it. "What you did today was very considerate of you," she continued. "Without you here, I-"

Ulrich's eye twitched as he tried to absorb the pain pulsating through the back of his head. It was as if something was pounding into his skill. Yumi was quick to notice this, for she asked instead, "Is your head okay?"

"Uh, yeah-" Ulrich was cut off by Yumi suddenly crawling up behind him and placing her hands on the bruises. "Yumi, it's not so bad."

"Just let me help, okay?" she shot back irritatedly. She stroked the bruises tenderly out of impulse, frowning at the patches of blue and black skin. "It's the least I can do after all you've done for me," she then added. Having examined them enough, she walked to the kitchen shortly to grab some ice.

Ulrich silently obliged when Yumi emerged once again and placed the ice gently atop the injured area. "Thanks," he muttered, sitting awkwardly as Yumi tried to steady herself on the couch's cushions.

Yumi nodded back and said, "Think you can do this yourself?"

"Huh-? Oh, yeah."

Yumi sat down next to him as Ulrich took the ice pack. She sighed and took the silence as an opportunity to collect her thoughts and reflect on the day. Things happened so quickly—she didn't even have time to think much about it. First, the day began with a 'date' at Ulrich's home, and they kissed—almost, of course. Everything was interrupted by Aelita's phone call, and things began to go haywire from there.

Then Yumi dwelled on the 'kiss.' How did she feel, really? All she knew was that she was lured into doing it; in a sense, she really couldn't control herself. Obviously, this meant one thing, but she was too nervous to admit it: she had fallen for him, despite all the times she tried to push him away...The fact hit her like a revelation. She glanced at Ulrich for a second; his gaze was to the ground, and his fists were clenched.

She had to accept that this guy was who she wanted to be with. He was right there next to her.

And, he liked her back. The only question was...Did she blow her chance?

"Milly, go to bed and sleep this off!" Aelita shrieked as Milly whined back, piercing through Yumi's thoughts. Her and Ulrich's heads snapped up in attention, both having been deeply immersed in their own contemplating.

The two scooted away from each other as Aelita approached them after leading Milly to the bedroom. Her hands wrapping around the edges of her hips, she sighed and had her eyes fall upon Yumi and Ulrich. "What happened?" she asked in concern, motioning towards Ulrich's ice pack.

"Nothing too serious, Princess," Ulrich quickly replied, getting up from the couch. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to find Jim and deal with a few things... Feel free to stay here for the night—I've got the room booked until morning."

And after endless thanks from Aelita, he left. Yumi watched in disappointment as he walked out the door. Once he was out of sight, Yumi subconsciously sighed, receiving a few suspicious looks from Aelita. She looked back with a defensive glare.

"Okay, I've suspected this before," the pinkette said, quirking an eyebrow. "But what is going on between you and Ulrich?" She smiled mischievously, though her eyes continued to remain innocent with sheer curiosity, like usual. It seemed as if she completely forgot about Milly and was much more interested in what Yumi had to tell. Yumi sighed once again, and began to fill her in on the day. But of course, she left her in the dark about the near kiss.

Aelita pressed a finger against her lip. "Well, after hearing about this, I'm sure of one thing," she said. Her smile grew wider in excitement. "It's you that made Ulrich do all of this. He truly cares about you, Yumi."

"Yeah, right," she replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Has it ever crossed your mind that he did this to help you, his friend? Or maybe—no, obviously, he wanted to get back at William."

Aelita shook her head, her hands now on her hips. "Those were only bonuses, Yumi... Can you just trust me this time?" She rose an eyebrow. "...And you can't deny that you care about him too."

Yumi crossed her arms and shot her a condescending glare. "You've officially gone too far, Aelita. If you don't stop, I won't hesitate to knock you out."

Aelita held her hands up in defense. "Okay, I'm sorry," she replied, though her smile refused to fade. She sat next to Yumi and took both her hands. "Just know that...I ship you two."

Yumi let out a laugh and shook her head. Then with an exchange of smiles, the two embraced, both excited for what lay ahead. Yumi was finally admitting things—her feelings for Ulrich have changed, and because of that, she was beginning to care for him.

The rest of spring break was uneventful. Little by little, Yumi gradually lost hope in Ulrich; he hadn't sent a text or called since that incident with Milly. What made it worse was that Yumi didn't bother to take the initiative, since she knew that she had caused him enough trouble. Plus, she was hoping that Ulrich wanted to see her again like she wanted to see him.

Time to time, she'd sigh to herself because of her own stupidity. Since when was she the person to wait for a guy?

Meanwhile, Anthea and Waldo Schaeffer drove Milly to Spain to see a strict all-girls private school—complete with a gated fence, 6:00 PM curfew, and bland uniforms. What struck her the most, Aelita suspected, was the lack of boys. Yumi laughed at the thought.

Fortunately, the plan worked, for Milly was scared out of her wits. It showed immensely—once school came back, Yumi noticed that her urge to grow up was toned down a bit.

Besides that, nothing interesting happened at school. For some strange reason, Yumi expected some kind of change after that incident with William, but she knew that no one else but her, Aelita, Ulrich, Milly, and maybe Jérémie knew about the whole thing. So really, there was no reason to be surprised.

Also, the recital was coming in a few weeks. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Yumi's nerves were getting the best of her as time slipped between her fingers. On the brighter side, she was doing quite well at practicing, although Ulrich didn't hand over the music yet. She didn't put much thought into it, though, because she knew Ulrich wasn't the type of person to break his promises.

But paring her spirits even more, Ulrich didn't show up like he usually would during her work shifts, and he was the reason why she was particularly excited for work. It was her last chance in seeing him again...But all hope was in vain. Yumi would've also thought that he didn't at all return to Kadic if it weren't for Aelita. She and Jérémie were still together, and she was able to ask the blonde time to time about his best friend and fill Yumi in.

One night, Aelita came home from a date in an abnormally happy mood. Yumi quirked an eyebrow at her, slightly suspicious about what it was this time. Was it another party? Gathering? Or more importantly—new information on Ulrich?

Unfortunately, it was the former. "So, Jérémie has planned another dinner on Saturday night to celebrate our return from spring break," Aelita announced, unable to hold back her smiling. "And I say we go because it'll be tons of fun!"

"Aelita..."

Her face instantly fell at Yumi's unwillingness. "Yumi, I know you usually hate these things, but I'm sure that after all that has happened, you'll probably enjoy yourself this time," she said. "Plus, I know for sure that Ulrich's going to be there..."

Aelita's voice trailed off teasingly, causing Yumi to glare at her once again. At Aelita's mischievous gaze, she sighed out of annoyance, then tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She can't bear to fuel Aelita's pride by letting her know that she was going to accept the invitation after the mere mentioning of Ulrich; she wanted to keep her dignity in check!

Yumi crossed her arms. Aelita usually wasn't the one to tease. "You have got to be kidding me. Even if Ulrich's going to be there, that's not enough to make me go." In truth, she did want to go to see Ulrich again, but she didn't want Aelita to know that...

"Alright, if you say so..." Aelita drew her lips to a pout, upset that her idea didn't work. "But I really want you to be there, Yumi.. Jérémie will be upset to find that you won't be there."

Yumi sighed. "Fine, I guess I can suffer through it—But just to make things clear, I'm not going for Ulrich, but for you and Jérémie."

"Alright, whatever you say..."

"Aelita!" Yumi clenched her fists.

"Okay, okay..."

The restaurant Jérémie chose was just splendid. Elegant and high class, the place was decorated with checkerboard flooring, white tablecloths, rustic mirrors, and yellow-lit crystal chandeliers.

Aelita and Yumi were the first of few to arrive, having looking forward to this for quite a while. The pair, having told the waitress that they were here with Jérémie Belpois, were led to a large table in the back of the building. With a kind exchange of greetings, Aelita sat down next to Jérémie, and Yumi took the seat next to her.

Oh, and forgot to mention—Odd was there, with Jérémie, talking when the two arrived. Yumi was surprised, to say the least, then left speechless.

"...So the lady was ordering t-shirts online, and she asked me if it was going to come out of the printer!" he joked, laughing as soon as the punch line was said. Jérémie bursted with laughter as well, even wiping away a few tears.

"Ah, Yumi, Aelita!" he greeted once they calmed down. Jérémie stood and gave Aelita a kiss on the cheek. He then directed Yumi a smile. He said, "Yumi, I heard from Aelita that this boy—Odd, is it?—was your best friend. I'm not that surprised; he's just so.. enlightening to talk to! I thought it would make you feel a little more comfortable with him here, if that's alright with you."

"I.." The words caught in her throat. Yumi almost cried out tears of joy. Here, was Jérémie, inviting her best friend to eat dinner with them just to please her. Aelita was right—Jérémie was the kindest boy in the world. Sitting down next to Odd, she smiled softly.

"Did you know about this?" Yumi whispered to Aelita.

She shook her head. "No, not at all," the pinkette whispered back.

"And you must be Aelita?" Odd asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Eyeing her, he then directed her a wink. "Well, I gotta admit, you are a cutie.."

Jérémie cleared his throat. "Well, Odd, she's uh-"

"I already have a boyfriend," Aelita cut in, laughing a bit. "He's sitting right next to me, in fact."

"Wha-..?" Jérémie's eyebrows began to twitch with confusion. Beads of sweat literally began to pour down his temples as well. "Aelita-"

Interrupting him, Aelita looped her arm with his. "Yes," she confirmed. "Boyfriend. You don't mind, do you Jérémie?" She batted her lashes innocently.

"No, not at all.. I-"

"Aw, well, ain't that cute, a pair of lovebirds," Odd commented, not disappointed the slightest bit. He chuckled. "Well, I'm not going to get in the way of that. I guess I'll have to try my luck elsewhere..."

Meanwhile, Yumi laughed at the moment. For once, she actually believed that she was going to truly enjoy herself. Meanwhile, as the minutes passed, the rest of the invitees arrived slowly—even including Hervé and Emily— and took their own spots on the table. Then eventually, there were two seats left—the one next to Yumi, and the other across from her.

There was also one person still missing, and that was Ulrich.

But he eventually arrived, and Ulrich kindly apologized for being so late. He rose an eyebrow at Odd's presence, slightly confused, but that was it. He didn't even give a glance at Yumi—more so, anyone else. He just took the seat furthest from her and quietly sat himself down, looking as impassive as ever. Yumi inwardly scowled.

Now that all of them were here, Jérémie took the initiative and opened with a few words. "I'm glad to see everyone back healthy and safe," he declared with a smile. "Greece was fantastic, but I missed being with all of you." Meanwhile, Aelita took Jérémie's hand, and his face reddened a bit. "..Say, let's start with the topic of spring break," he continued. "What were all of you up to?"

Emily was the one to start. Then everything took off from there—they went slowly around the table. Like Yumi expected, everyone went on about vacation homes, foreign countries, and luxury hotels. But most of all, prom fittings were the main topic here.

When it was Ulrich's turn, he merely shrugged and said, "I spent time with my family, practiced with the piano." Yumi's face fell when she noticed that he didn't bother mentioning anything about her, and she was left as confused as ever. She expected he would say something about her—in fact, as he spoke, he looked at Yumi coldly, confirming that he wasn't going to disclose any more details.

Her heart took a stab when she realized that this meant one thing: Everything she and him experienced... was just a fling. Ulrich wasn't the least bit interested in her anymore. The problem was, she didn't feel the same. Quite the opposite, actually. When it was her turn, she decided to keep quiet as well, and just quietly said, "I practiced Pencak Silat, nothing much. But overall, I had a wonderful break."

Sissi laughed. "What? You're joking, right? You didn't get your dress fitted?"

Yumi shook her head. "Actually, I've decided that I'm not going to prom."

"Huh. Figures." Sissi shrugged.

Then conversation picked up again. Ultimately, the rest of the night was disappointing. Yumi was happy that Odd was easily fitting in with absolutely no effort at all. In fact, she expected he would. Seriously—he was just that gregarious to strike up a conversation with anyone. But all she cared about was how cold and distant Ulrich was being, like spring break never happened.

Yumi was right to question herself. She had, officially, blew her chance. It was idiotic of her to believe that Ulrich was actually that forgiving—that he would forget about all the rude comments she had said about him. But no, he wasn't. Yumi knew that it would just be too good to be true for him to actually want to speak to her again.

...Like sand, he slipped right through her fingertips.

Author's Note: I know, I know—we're back to the depressing phase. But I promise, things will get better. (: I'm sad to say that a few more chapters, and this story is complete, but that also means a happy ending is near, yeah? Just what will happen? You'll just have to wait and see! ;) I know I probably don't deserve them because it's been a month, but feel free to review, guys! It's ten-thirty PM, there's a Mandarin quiz & biology test I still need to study for, and a little bit of work for school is still needed to be done. XD But, I still devoted my time to this, LOL... Probably not a good idea...

Anyway, good night! :) Like always, I really hope you enjoyed the chapter! My responses to your reviews from the last chapter will be done once I update again. I'll try not to take a month this time, haha. (: