Chapter 3: Breaking Up
"Hey, Paige, are we meeting Ulrich and Parker down in the cafeteria?" Yumi yawned as she struggled to carry her heavy winter coat, cap, skis, and poles as Paige led the way with her own stuff.
"No, I thought we'd just pop in for some muffins or something, but I don't think we'll be seeing the guys down there."
It was a couple of days into the trip, and Yumi and Paige had not spent a minute of it apart. Moreover, Yumi had come to really like and trust Paige; there was something about her that Yumi couldn't place, but it seemed to draw Yumi to her new friend. Yumi shrugged. It didn't matter that they weren't meeting Ulrich now- they'd probably see them later.
Paige walked a little ahead and whisked into the cafeteria, almost instantly reappearing with two huge blueberry muffins. She then led the way down to the waiting room of the lodge and sat down on an empty bench.
"Here," she offered when Yumi sat down next to her. Yumi took the muffin and wolfed it down to match Paige's pace as the girl sped to eat her own and put on her coat. Then, when both girls were fully ready to hit the slopes, Yumi stood up and headed toward the door.
"Hey, Yumi, wait." Paige said, grabbing her arm gently so that she turned around. Yumi grinned and waited. "I don't know how to tell you this," she started, hesitating.
Yumi, sensing something was amiss, asked, "What's up, Paige?"
"Well, yesterday, when I was out of the room because I needed to borrow something from Parker, you know? Well, I was going down the hallway but I heard Ulrich's voice coming down the hall from around the corner. I was going to say hi, but then I heard... well, I heard him talking about you."
"What did he say?"
"Well, it was stuff like 'Yumi is so bossy sometimes,' and 'I can't believe she actually thinks I like her'. Oh Yumi, I'm really sorry, but he sounded serious!" Paige looked at Yumi with a worried expression.
Yumi, who was expecting Ulrich to say something completely opposite of those statements, took a while to register the fact that Ulrich had insulted her. "What?!" she demanded. But without waiting for an answer from Paige to the rhetorical question, she turned furious. "Ulrich said that? About me? How could he say that? Well, he thinks I like him, does he? Hah! More like he likes me! He thinks he's so much better than me... I can't believe him! Well, Paige, thanks for warning me, I was actually being nice to him! I think he needs to apologize before he gets another word from me!" Yumi stormed out of the door in a huff, forcefully slamming her ski poles into the ground as she jammed her skis on.
Paige followed her and slipped her gear on as well, but when Yumi was looking the other way, a fleeting glimpse of a sneaky grin could be seen on Paige's face, to be wiped away an instant later.
"I thought we were meeting Yumi and Paige for breakfast this morning." Ulrich said with a slight frown.
"Sorry, I forgot to set my alarm, we slept in. No matter, we can catch up with them later... that is, if you really want to, Ulrich, because I wouldn't want to meet Yumi too badly if I were you." Parker said, one eyebrow raised, before hopping out of his bed and starting to get dressed for a day on the slopes.
"What's that about? Why wouldn't I want to meet Yumi?" Ulrich asked, surprised, before following Parker's actions and getting up himself.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you... okay, well, do you like Yumi much?"
"Sure, why wouldn't I? What aren't you telling me? Come on, Parker."
"It's just that yesterday, when I went to borrow something from Paige, I heard Yumi coming down the opposite hallway, and I was going to say hi, but I heard her say some things about you. She said stuff like 'Ulrich is so bossy sometimes' and 'I can't believe he actually thinks I like him'." Parker waited, standing at his dresser so that his back to Ulrich, for his roommate's reaction.
"I...I don't believe it." Ulrich hung his head; he had really thought Yumi liked him as much as he liked her. "What happened?" he whispered so Parker couldn't hear him. Ulrich's defeated state lasted only a minute; he raised his head with a determined look on his face. "Well then," he said audibly, "If she doesn't care about me, I sure as heck shouldn't care about her. Let's go, Parker, I want to do what we came here for and ski, not socialize with so-called friends." Ulrich started throwing clothes on, seeming not to care that he knocked over several items purposefully on his way to the bathroom.
Parker gave the same fleeting grin as his sister, and continued to dress.
"Come on, Odd. Wake up."
Odd stirred but rolled over, so Jeremie shook him harder.
"ODD! Come on! If you don't get up, we're going to miss lunch, not to mention breakfast!"
At the mention of food, Odd shot up and was dressed in much less time than Jeremie was. "Odd, I'm getting really worried about Yumi and Ulrich. We haven't seen them since they left the bus! I don't understand it. Why didn't they wait up for us? We may even very well be in a different lodge, because we haven't seen them in the hallways or anything. Well, Odd? What do you think?" Jeremie was clearly worried about his friends, but Odd seemed to think differently.
"Well I don't see what there is to worry about, Jeremie. They seemed pretty chummy with those two kids that they left the bus with; I say that we shouldn't worry about them if they don't even care about us enough to wait for us when they got off. Humph." Odd started toward the door to go down to breakfast, and Jeremie jogged to keep up with Odd's fast walk down the hallway.
"Hey, Paige, are we meeting Ulrich and Parker down in the cafeteria?" Yumi yawned as she struggled to carry her heavy winter coat, cap, skis, and poles as Paige led the way with her own stuff.
"No, I thought we'd just pop in for some muffins or something, but I don't think we'll be seeing the guys down there."
It was a couple of days into the trip, and Yumi and Paige had not spent a minute of it apart. Moreover, Yumi had come to really like and trust Paige; there was something about her that Yumi couldn't place, but it seemed to draw Yumi to her new friend. Yumi shrugged. It didn't matter that they weren't meeting Ulrich now- they'd probably see them later.
Paige walked a little ahead and whisked into the cafeteria, almost instantly reappearing with two huge blueberry muffins. She then led the way down to the waiting room of the lodge and sat down on an empty bench.
"Here," she offered when Yumi sat down next to her. Yumi took the muffin and wolfed it down to match Paige's pace as the girl sped to eat her own and put on her coat. Then, when both girls were fully ready to hit the slopes, Yumi stood up and headed toward the door.
"Hey, Yumi, wait." Paige said, grabbing her arm gently so that she turned around. Yumi grinned and waited. "I don't know how to tell you this," she started, hesitating.
Yumi, sensing something was amiss, asked, "What's up, Paige?"
"Well, yesterday, when I was out of the room because I needed to borrow something from Parker, you know? Well, I was going down the hallway but I heard Ulrich's voice coming down the hall from around the corner. I was going to say hi, but then I heard... well, I heard him talking about you."
"What did he say?"
"Well, it was stuff like 'Yumi is so bossy sometimes,' and 'I can't believe she actually thinks I like her'. Oh Yumi, I'm really sorry, but he sounded serious!" Paige looked at Yumi with a worried expression.
Yumi, who was expecting Ulrich to say something completely opposite of those statements, took a while to register the fact that Ulrich had insulted her. "What?!" she demanded. But without waiting for an answer from Paige to the rhetorical question, she turned furious. "Ulrich said that? About me? How could he say that? Well, he thinks I like him, does he? Hah! More like he likes me! He thinks he's so much better than me... I can't believe him! Well, Paige, thanks for warning me, I was actually being nice to him! I think he needs to apologize before he gets another word from me!" Yumi stormed out of the door in a huff, forcefully slamming her ski poles into the ground as she jammed her skis on.
Paige followed her and slipped her gear on as well, but when Yumi was looking the other way, a fleeting glimpse of a sneaky grin could be seen on Paige's face, to be wiped away an instant later.
"I thought we were meeting Yumi and Paige for breakfast this morning." Ulrich said with a slight frown.
"Sorry, I forgot to set my alarm, we slept in. No matter, we can catch up with them later... that is, if you really want to, Ulrich, because I wouldn't want to meet Yumi too badly if I were you." Parker said, one eyebrow raised, before hopping out of his bed and starting to get dressed for a day on the slopes.
"What's that about? Why wouldn't I want to meet Yumi?" Ulrich asked, surprised, before following Parker's actions and getting up himself.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you... okay, well, do you like Yumi much?"
"Sure, why wouldn't I? What aren't you telling me? Come on, Parker."
"It's just that yesterday, when I went to borrow something from Paige, I heard Yumi coming down the opposite hallway, and I was going to say hi, but I heard her say some things about you. She said stuff like 'Ulrich is so bossy sometimes' and 'I can't believe he actually thinks I like him'." Parker waited, standing at his dresser so that his back to Ulrich, for his roommate's reaction.
"I...I don't believe it." Ulrich hung his head; he had really thought Yumi liked him as much as he liked her. "What happened?" he whispered so Parker couldn't hear him. Ulrich's defeated state lasted only a minute; he raised his head with a determined look on his face. "Well then," he said audibly, "If she doesn't care about me, I sure as heck shouldn't care about her. Let's go, Parker, I want to do what we came here for and ski, not socialize with so-called friends." Ulrich started throwing clothes on, seeming not to care that he knocked over several items purposefully on his way to the bathroom.
Parker gave the same fleeting grin as his sister, and continued to dress.
"Come on, Odd. Wake up."
Odd stirred but rolled over, so Jeremie shook him harder.
"ODD! Come on! If you don't get up, we're going to miss lunch, not to mention breakfast!"
At the mention of food, Odd shot up and was dressed in much less time than Jeremie was. "Odd, I'm getting really worried about Yumi and Ulrich. We haven't seen them since they left the bus! I don't understand it. Why didn't they wait up for us? We may even very well be in a different lodge, because we haven't seen them in the hallways or anything. Well, Odd? What do you think?" Jeremie was clearly worried about his friends, but Odd seemed to think differently.
"Well I don't see what there is to worry about, Jeremie. They seemed pretty chummy with those two kids that they left the bus with; I say that we shouldn't worry about them if they don't even care about us enough to wait for us when they got off. Humph." Odd started toward the door to go down to breakfast, and Jeremie jogged to keep up with Odd's fast walk down the hallway.