22. Being on the national news was actually pretty awesome.
Jeremie is packing when the knock comes. He frowns, confused and distracted trying to remember where his favorite scarf is. He knows it isn't Aelita, Ulrich, or Odd. He loves his friends, but they usually aren't one for knocking. They either open the door or pick the lock. And Aelita's knock is always more of a rat-a-tat-tat than the two loud thumps.
He opens the door to find Jim standing there, arms crossed and mouth twitching like he's trying to suppress a smile. "Morning, Belpois," Jim states. "The headmistress would like to see you."
"Now?"
"Now." There's another twitch to Jim's mouth and Jeremie isn't sure how to interpret that expression. "Come along, Belpois. It isn't a bad thing."
Jeremie's still dubious. He hasn't had much experience with the new headmistress, Madame Toussaint, but he's still leery of being summoned to her office. He wonders if Odd's done something and he's been roped into whatever catastrophe has happened. He follows Jim though, past classmates he'll soon leave behind, down the stairs and across the courtyard to the administration building. As he walks, he allows his gaze to wander. There's no sign of smoke, no distant alarms. Whatever Odd's gotten up to this time can't be that bad. He hopes.
Jim pauses in the outer office. He rests a hand lightly on Jeremie's shoulder and offers him a genuine smile. "Good job, Belpois."
Before Jeremie can ask what he's talking about, Jim knocks on the headmistress's door and ushers Jeremie inside. Madame Toussaint is sitting at her desk, reading glasses perched primly on the tip of her nose as she stares at her computer monitor. She looks up as they enter and smiles at Jeremie. Jeremie wouldn't classify it as a warm smile, but it is kind. He attempts one in return, but he's pretty sure it comes across as more puzzled.
"You must be Mr. Belpois."
"Good morning," Jeremie replies. He glances around at the office surreptitiously.
He hasn't been in it since Delmas was headmaster and it's odd to see so much of it unchanged, yet different. The same heavy, rich colored wooden desk, the same high-backed chairs near the window. The curtains over the window are a sunny yellow now, the books have different titles, and there's a teapot where Delmas's cognac used to sit behind one of the glass panes in the case behind the desk.
"Have a seat, Mr. Belpois." She gestures to one of the upholstered chairs in front of the large desk. Jeremie takes a seat. "I have some exciting news for you, young man."
/
Jeremie finds the others on the football field. Aelita has her camera with her, which is a common sight these days. Ever since Ulrich had gotten it for her at Christmas she's kept it within hand's reach. Jeremie isn't sure how many pictures she's taken in the past few months, documenting their time together as she says, but he'd guess it'd have to be nearing a thousand. It's not just them either. He'll catch her taking a photo of a teacher or a building, or the way the light splashes on the cobblestones in the courtyard.
Ulrich is lounging on the grass while Odd strikes poses and makes ridiculous faces for Aelita to capture. Jeremie can hear her laughter carry on the breeze as he crosses the still dew-damp grass toward his friends. Ulrich tilts his head, watches Jeremie approach. When he's a few paces away the other boy sits up, brushing bits of grass out of his hair.
"I heard Jim brought you to the headmistress," Ulrich states. "Theo saw him at your door."
"Yeah," Jeremie replies. He takes a seat next to the other boy, watches as Odd snatches Aelita's camera from her and begins taking photos of her instead. "This morning."
"Everything okay?"
"Yeah," he agrees slowly. He clears his throat and Aelita looks over, smiling brightly as she catches sight of him. She abandons her camera with Odd and bounds over.
"Sissi said you got pulled into Madame Toussaint's office!" she exclaims.
"I did," he agrees.
Odd wanders over, camera still in his hands. He raises an eyebrow at Jeremie. "Don't tell me you choose now to live on the wild side."
He glances around at his three friends, swallows. "It appears that I scored a 20.05 on the bac."
Aelita stares wide-eyed at him for a moment before she throws her arms around him, mouth pressed against his, and he manages to wrap his hands around her waist to steady them so they don't fall over. He thinks he hears the click of the camera but it's drowned out by the blood pounding in his ears and the excited whoops he hears from Ulrich and Odd.
He pulls away, face red, and Ulrich leans over to punch him in the shoulder while Odd ruffles his hair. "Way to go, Einstein." Odd tosses Aelita her camera and flops down next to them on the grass. "You can get into any school you want."
"You scored over a perfect score even with your physical education score?" Ulrich questions.
Jeremie shrugs and adjusts his glasses. "The extra Latin classes helped. And the swimming unit. That kept me from completely failing gym."
"What did the headmistress say?" Aelita asks.
"She wanted to congratulate me." He pauses again and feels his face flush further. "And to say that they'll be mentioning it on the news. It's one of the highest scores in recent years."
Aelita pulls him into another hug and he turns his head automatically to kiss her temple. "I knew you could do it," she murmurs against his ear. "I'm so proud of you."
/
Are you working?
Until 3.
Did something happen?
No. Call when you're free?
Will do.
/
Jeremie spends the day in town with the others, ignoring his packing. Ulrich insists that they celebrate by eating lunch at Nicolette's, which Odd wholeheartedly supports. Jeremie goes with the flow, allowing them to tow him along. Aelita keeps her fingers laced with his on the walk over and he has to remind himself once or twice not to clutch too tightly. Her grip is firm though and he wonders if she's telling herself the same thing.
"Nicolette, my darling!" Odd calls as they enter the café. The woman glances up from where she's wiping down a table, an amused smile already in place. Jeremie still doesn't understand how Odd can charm everyone he comes in contact with. "We require celebratory sustenance!"
"Of course," she replies as they slide into their usual booth. She approaches with menus and gives Odd another indulgent smile. "And what are we celebrating today?"
"Jeremie," Aelita pipes up, beaming. Jeremie feels his face redden again. "He scored over a 20 on the bac!"
Nicolette's smile widens into something warm and genuine. "Well done," she enthuses. "That is quite the accomplishment." She sets the menus down before retreating to take care of another table.
/
Jeremie is attempting to pack once more when his phone rings. He picks it up from his desk and sits down in his computer chair, connecting the call on the last ring. "Hi, Yumi."
"Hey, Jeremie. What's up?" There's a tinny echo to her words, interspersed with a rhythmic thunk. He has a feeling he's on speaker phone.
"Making dinner?" he asks.
"Mmhm," Yumi hums. "But I doubt that's what you wanted to talk about."
Jeremie toes at the worn carpet under his socked feet. He lets himself spin in the chair like Odd is prone to doing. It still makes him feel dizzy and a bit sick. "I got my bac score back," he says after a moment.
"And…?"
"Twenty-point-zero-five." The chair comes to a stop and he sees his half packed suitcases lining the wall. Their open mouths look judgmental. Jeremie pushes off on the floor again, ignoring the way his stomach flips as he spins.
"Oh, wow!" Yumi exclaims. "Jeremie, that's amazing!" She pauses and he can hear the sound of running water now. "You don't sound that excited?"
He shrugs and tilts back in the chair, ignoring the squeaking protest of the springs, and studies his ceiling. "I think I'm in shock," he admits.
The water shuts off on Yumi's end. "I'm not sure why, we've all told you that you're a genius. We weren't being facetious about it." There's a clatter and a curse. "Sorry. So, what's really bugging you?" Jeremie remains silent. "Aelita?"
He makes a noncommittal sound in the back of his throat. It isn't Aelita, he wants to say. They've been over this, they've been over it for months. He's come to accept it, even if he doesn't understand it. But, there's a lot about his friends he doesn't understand – such as Ulrich's passion for sports, Odd's penchant for pranks, or the way Yumi can become jealous over the smallest things. This isn't any different.
"Jeremie." He listens as the stove fan turns on and rolls his eyes. Yumi's put on her mothering voice. "Don't do this to yourself, or to Aelita."
"It's not that," he interrupts. "Really. Aelita and I are good." The silence on the other end sounds disbelieving to his ears. He wishes he could see Yumi. "I helped her plan her trip last weekend. The first part anyway." He takes a breath. "I just wish…"
Jeremie falls silent and Yumi's voice is soft when she next speaks. "Your mom would be proud, Jeremie. She is. Wherever she is, I know that."
"You didn't even know her."
"No," Yumi agrees. The sound of the stove fan fades as she moves away from the kitchen. "But from what you've said about her, how could she not be? Over everything you've accomplished?"
Jeremie blinks back tears and his throat feels raspy. "The headmistress says they're going to include my score on the news," he says, changing the subject.
"I'll be sure to watch out for it."
/
He calls his father after supper, when he's sure he'll be home from work and sitting down to his own meal. His father answers on the second ring, voice confused. "Jeremie?"
"Hi, Papa," he says. He's lying down on the roof of the sciences and mathematics building, watching the last remnants of the sunset fade from dusky rose to a deep indigo. "How was your day?"
"It was fine," his father replies. His voice is curious, but not pressing. "It's not Sunday."
"No," Jeremie agrees. He lets his fingers trail over the gravel-and-tar of the rooftop. His eyes stare at the sky, waiting for the first stars to appear. "We got our bac results."
"How did you do?"
"Twenty-point-zero-five." His father remains silent. Jeremie clears his throat. "Madame Toussaint says that they're going to include it on the news."
"That's good, Jeremie. That's really good." His father is a little breathless, his voice a little wetter than usual. Jeremie chooses to think he's taken a drink to overcome the shock. "You've always been brilliant." There's a pause. "Your maman would be so proud."
Jeremie closes his eyes, feels the fading warmth of the sun-baked rooftop against his shoulder blades, feels the slide of moisture against his cheeks. "Yeah?"
"Of course, Jeremie. We always knew you were going to accomplish so much. I'm, we're so proud of who you've become. We'll celebrate when you come home."
Jeremie takes deep breaths, listens to his father's words. He lets his eyes open and his gaze catches on the faint glimmer of a star above.
. . … . .
Way 2 go, cuz!
Saw u on the news
Stupid pic but AWESOME score!
Maman cried
C u soon!
Jeremie, your father told us about your score, I hope you don't mind. He is SO PROUD of you, just as we all are. Your Uncle Marcel and I watched the news report with your father last night. We can't wait to celebrate with you. Have a safe trip home. Big kisses! Aunt Sophie.
Managed to catch the story on the news!
Had to run from the metro to the apartment though
So excited for you!
Jeremie stares at the texts that greet him in the morning. He's a bit bleary eyed still. He'd spent most of the night finally finishing his packing, with a brief interlude when Ulrich, Odd, and Aelita had barged into his room and dragged him down to Jim's office and the old television screen there.
"Jim says we just need to lock up after," Ulrich had explained. He'd flopped onto the old sofa against one of the walls and fiddled with the remote.
"But, why are we here?" Jeremie had questioned, bewildered.
"The news report, duh!" Aelita had laughed. She'd pushed him over to the sofa and dragged him down next to her. "You didn't think we'd miss it, did you?"
Jeremie, honestly, had. He had glanced around as Odd bounced over, snacks retrieved from one of Jim's filing cabinets. He had wondered how Odd knew they were there. "And Jim trusts you, us, to be in his office alone?"
"Of course he does," Odd had replied. He'd sprawled across the other boy and passed a bag of licorice to Aelita.
"He trusts Ulrich," Aelita had amended. She held her licorice out of Odd's reach and ignored his wounded look. "And you, I guess. Odd and I had to sign off that we wouldn't wreck the place."
Odd had smirked and Jeremie had decided to end that line of questioning. Ulrich had caught his gaze and rolled his eyes. They had settled in then, chatting quietly while the news covered other stories, passing snacks back and forth. It struck Jeremie, as they were watching a story of a dog being rescued from a sewer, that this was probably one of the last times they'd be like this. In the morning they would have their leaving luncheon; their families would be there as they officially graduated from Kadic. After that…after that they'd be scattered.
Ulrich had elbowed Jeremie in the ribs then, nodding toward the television. "Stop looking depressed, they rescued the dog. The bac story's up next."
"I'm not depressed," Jeremie muttered.
Aelita had curled closer then, smelling of strawberry licorice and orange shampoo. Her fingers tangled with his, holding on tightly, and her head rested against his shoulder. He'd closed his eyes, savoring the moment, until Odd's loud cackle had jolted him back to the present. Aelita was stifling laughter against his shoulder and even Ulrich looked amused.
"Well, the story's nice and all," Ulrich had said, "but they probably could've chosen a more…flattering…photo."
Aelita's quiet snickering had morphed into outright giggles. "You do look a bit like a porcupine."
Jeremie had groaned, staring at the screen in mild indignation. "I had forgotten it was picture day!" he had protested.
"Hey, no worries, Einstein. All geniuses have crazy hair, it's practically a requirement." Jeremie had swatted at Odd then, feeling vindicated when the blonde had slipped off the sofa in his effort to dodge the attack.
They had spent another hour or so just goofing off and hanging out in Jim's office, flipping channels and never really settling on anything to watch. Jeremie had wondered if his friends also felt that impending end looming up like another XANA attack, only this time there really wasn't any Return. Whatever happened, happened. Jeremie had swallowed.
Now, he's paying for the late nights. His body has grown accustomed to a more regular sleep schedule since the shutdown, and though he still considered himself a night owl he had to admit that he'd appreciate more than four hours of sleep. He skims through his family's messages again, looks at a few from classmates he hadn't expected to text, and smiles at Yumi's. As he's composing a reply to his cousin, feeling pretty good if he's honest about getting praise from Patrick, his phone buzzes again with a new message.
Gr8 story last nite, Einstein
Still a shame abt the hair
Jeremie rolls his eyes.