Code: Lyoko

Pass the Ball

By: Chibi

Disclaimer: Chibi does not own the characters of Code: Lyoko. Though she is unsure of the people who DO, she's positive that it isn't her.

Summary: As an end-of-term fever buzzes around every student, the Principal, pressured by Sissi, agrees to throw a sware in honor of the students who would be graduating that year and all of their accomplishments. Everyone has their eyes set on someone but complicated measurements may keep them from going with who they want to go with. These measurements in turn lead to some of the most crazy matchmaking mix-ups possible. More of a social fic than a XANA-attacks-Earth-and-almost-kills-off-an-important-character fic.

Warning: Includes Yumi/Ulriche, Odd/Sam, and possibly Jeremy/Aealita. Also a good amount of Sissi-scheming.

PLUS: Okay, first I'd love to repeat my thanks to all of those who reviewed the first chapter. I wrote this entire fic (meaning it's currently finished and laying uselessly on my comp at home) about four months ago, and I just went through a VERY strong authoress transformation of sorts in August, right before my sixteenth B-Day, so I know that it's not my best. Also, I know that I spelt some of the names wrong, including Ulrich and Aelita, and I'm sorry but, because I'm uploading these chapter at the library, I don't really have the ability to change them all. Just try and overlook them if you can, okay?

---

Odd was a little upset that Sam hadn't arrived like she had said to talk to him about... Whatever it was she had been so wanting to say that afternoon when he arrived for lunch. It was bad enough that they had been giving out a sad excuse for pizza as the meal that day but when she had walked in and then back OUT the cafeteria doors like she had... Well, it was just not something Odd had been counting on. It was only that Sam was someone he could look forward to seeing everyday, and mostly in the lunch room.

"Hey, guys? I'm going outside for a bit, clear the music from my head." Odd gave him that humorous expression he only gave when he was kidding around but Ulriche and Jeremy were too busy to really acknowledge it as they were in the middle of completing their own personal tasks.

Jeremy was still trying to complete SOME type of program to get Aealita out of Lyoko, even if only temporarily and Ulriche seemed to have gained a habit of repeatedly picking up and putting down his cell phone. There was a mad suspicion running around Odd's head that he was just itching to call Yumi and ask her to the dance but he had decided that, for once, he wouldn't comment. Romantic affairs weren't something to meddle with, especially when messing with a guy who could easily kick a ball straight through your skull.

Odd left the cafeteria and burst through the main doors. Spotting Sam sitting on a bench under the shade of a tree, he advanced on her and took a seat, leaning back far too casually for what seemed to be such a serious situation.

"You know, I thought that the invitation to talk to me during lunch was actually going to be used as an invitation to talk to me during lunch." He said, noting that her eyes were darting almost everywhere but at him.

"Yeah; you see, there's something about that." She said and then muttered something incoherent and he noticed her tense up against the wooden base of her seat, "I guess that it's just too true then." She finished.

"Excuse me?" Odd was good at making sense out of a lot of impossible things but her last comment had certainly not been enough to go on.

"I wanted to ask you something but, if you're really that smart, you should be able to figure it out without me saying anything." Sam replied. Odd was confused; not exactly a hard thing for him but it had never been that easy for it to happen either.

"Um... Are you trying to--" He was interrupted by her thrusting a piece of paper into his arms. He held it up and looked at it. It was a poorly made poster, and it was espousing the dance, "And I'm supposed to gather what from this?"

"Ugh... Boys... Please, Odd. Just understand so I don't have to come out straight forward. It's too hard for me to ask you to be my date to the dance next week--" She immediately cupped a hand to her mouth and let out a soft gasp. It seemed that she'd crossed over some line that she had sworn to herself not to cross.

Odd was grinning. Not that humorous grin he gave his inner-close friends and not his victorious grin he gave after saving Aealita and defeating a whole flock of XANA's monsters. It was what some could actually refer to as... Bashful.

"I had planned on asking you as soon as I found out about it." She told him, "But, somehow, you were suddenly a LOT harder to talk to and I couldn't bring myself to ask you up front. And when your friends were right there, it seemed even harder. I kept on thinking of them all laughing at me, and then YOU laughing at me. You know that I'm not usually like this; I just guess that I really, really like you and--" Her rambling was put to a stop as Odd placed a hand on her shoulder.

"If you had wanted to ask me, what makes you think I would have turned you down? I mean, I'm good looking and popular but I'm your friend and if you wanted to take it a step further and ask me out, you shouldn't feel so ashamed to do so. I'm not going to turn you down; sure I'll go with you, Sam."

---

Okay, he was picking up the phone... And he was putting down the phone. No, wait; he was picking up the phone again... And he was putting down the phone again.

It was later that night, almost ten. Ulriche was sitting on his bed, staring at Yumi's speed dial number glaring back at him in neon blue highlighter on his caller ID. Odd was in bed, playing with Kiwi and trying very hard to ignore his roommates movements but, pretty soon, they were growing too annoying to do so.

"If you wanna call her and ask her, then do it. There's no point in wasting your valuable time." Odd said to him, getting off of his own bed and coming to stand right in front of him.

"It's not as easy as it was for you. You didn't make the first stand." Ulriche replied to him, staring still fixedly at his phone.

"Yeah but if you don't make a move soon, you both are going to be upset that you didn't take the chance when you were able."

"I'm going to buy you a very large bag of sugar. It's just way too strange to hear you making sense of things without your daily recommendation of calories." Ulriche ignored anything else that may have been said. That was, until Odd made a choice snatch and stole his cell phone, "Hey! What are you--" Ulriche wasn't daring to believe it, but...

...Yes; Odd had just pressed 'enter' and was ringing Yumi's house.

"Hey, Yumi? Ulriche has something that he'd like to ask you." Odd stated gleefully. Ulriche heard someone talking from the other line, which ruled out his very thin hopes that his friend had only PRETENDED to dial her number, "Here ya go, buddy!" And Odd tossed his cell back into his arms and lay down with Kiwi on his stomach.

After a quick glare, Ulriche had no choice but to say something into the line, "Uh... Yumi?"

"Oh, hi Ulriche. I heard there was something you had to say--?" Yes, it was definitely her voice. And it sounded almost hopeful.

"Um... Yeah; I was going to ask you if..." He broke off and bit his lip. Oh, yeah, he was cowering out, "If Mrs. Hearse gave you any homework?" He let out a silent sigh and waited for Yumi to reply.

First there was nothing, until, "...Why would it matter? We're not in the same class anyway so it's not like our assignments would be the same." Yeah, well, it was the only thing he could come up with!

"Oh, um, really? I've never actually noticed..." It was a sheepish statement, and probably the most stupid thing he'd ever said to her.

"It's been a full year and you've never noticed or memorized what classes we have in common and which ones we don't?" Her tone was pretty skeptical now, "Ah, listen Ulriche, if that's all, I've really got to be going. For the record, Mrs. Hearse DID give me homework and you've just reminded me that it's still left to be done. So I'll be seeing you tomorrow--"

"--No!" He said, a sudden bout of strength overcoming him, "I-I mean, you know... Um, yeah. Goodnight Yumi." And then it had failed him yet again. He hung up before she'd even gotten the chance to reply again and felt his dead weight fall hopelessly onto his bed.

He was such an--

"Idiot." Odd laughed, "Now all you've got left is Sissi!" That made Ulriche's eyes, which he'd closed to try and relieve some of his new stress, open wide again.

"Excuse me? What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that Yumi's most likely going to the dance with Theo." This comment didn't strike well with the russet-haired soccer player, "What; didn't you know? He asked her in their Foreign Literature class the day after the news of the whole thing got out."

No, he hadn't known and no one had bothered to tell him either.

"I think she was waiting to see if you made a move first, before she accepted any other offers. But now..." Ulriche shut him out. There was nothing else for it. It was too late now but he would have to talk to Yumi tomorrow and force The Question out of his mouth no matter how much it took.

---

"Jeremy, you're exhausted. Go to bed and get some sleep, please?" Aealita's sweet voice made him jump from another reverie. He'd been doing a lot of that lately, dreaming about things, mostly her, and then dozing off in front of his computer, only to be awoken about five minutes later by her voice trying to coax him from his position.

"I'm sorry Aealita, again." He shook his head as he said this, "But I can't afford to spend any extra time sleeping. Not when I have so much to work on, including your Materialization Program." Truth be told, her MP was the ONLY thing he had to work on, and she seemed to know that.

"I'm sorry Jeremy. I know that this is putting a lot of pressure on you, and I know that I may be becoming a nuisance." She was upset. Oh, no... She was upset! He'd saddened her, "I wish there was something I could do for you--"

"--You don't need to return any favors Aealita. I'm doing this because I want to. I would never spend this much time on anything if I wasn't putting my heart into it. I really want you to be able to experience Earth-life for longer than a day. You deserve it with as much trouble as you've been put through in Lyoko. And, if anything else, this would be MY way of paying YOU back." He was turning red again; of all the rotten times...

"Why?"

"Aealita, not only have you given me someone to count on, but you've become a real special part of my life, and..." He broke off and yawned. Had his vision still been clear, he would have realized that Aealita was looking slightly embarrassed at where the conversation was turning, and highly touched, "And, I wish there was only more that I could do for you..." He said.

It was then that his eyes widened.

He finally knew what to do! Even if it were only to last for a day... Even if for only a night...

"Jeremy? Are you okay? Do you have something in mind? Did you figure something out?"

Oh yes, he certainly had.

He was going to give Aealita her one chance to play Cinderella.

---

A/N: I know that it was short but... I have no idea what I'm doing and I don't care where this fic is taken anymore. I've completely destroyed the characters AND the plot and there's absolutely nothing I can do about it. I swear, I need to be locked away from the world of fan fiction for the rest of my life. I should deserve to write like this if it messes up this badly. Chibi needs LOTS of help...

PS: Please review for me. I love hearing comments and yours are what count the most!

((Points to each single reviewer in turn))

Thanks to Anzu/Teafan and Webmistress Ulrich for their former commentation!

Chibi is ending transmission.