boy, are you guys going to hate me for this one.
Chapter Seven: The Phone that Never Rings; And Aside
[Why don't I like the girl I see?
The one who's standing right in front of me?]
Yumi climed up the stairs to the dorm rooms and walked down the empty hall. She arrived at the desired door and opened it without knocking. She had a study date with Ulrich
Ulrich sat on the bed next to Emily. They had their history textbooks open in their laps, but they weren't studying at all. As Yumi opened the door, Emily leaned in an planted a kiss on Ulrich's lips. Ulrich drew back shaply at the same time as Yumi's books hit the floor. The pair on the bed turned to see Yumi. The older girl left her books on the floor and fled back down the hall.
Abandoning Emily, Ulrich sprinted after her, calling her name. He caught up to her in the school's courtyrad, grabbing her shoulder to stop her.
"Yumi, let me explain," he pleaded.
"What's to explain?!" She wheeled on him, seeming to grown in her anger. "You're with Emily, there's nothing to talk about!" Tears ran unbidden down her ivory cheeks.
[Why don't I think before I speak?
I should have listened to that voice inside me.]
"Yumi, take it easy. She kissed me, I didn't kiss her!"
"But you didn't stop her," Yumi said. "You didn't push her away! How does that make you any less guilty than her?"
"Look, Yumi, I care about you, okay?" Ulrich blushed, but kept going. "I'm not with Emily. I didn't even want to study with her, but she said she needed the help." A crowd had gathered now and the other students were listening.
"That still doesn't explain the kiss!"
"Yumi-"
"Look, Ulrich, I don't want to hear it, okay?" Yumi turned and ran away down the path towards the school gate. Ulrich shouted angerly after her.
"Yeah, welll, if that's how you feel than just leave!" He stood there for a long time until Odd stepped forward out of the crowd and put an arm around his shoulder.
Yumi thrashed fitfully around on the futon. She jerked awake, face stained with tears and pillow soaking wet. She clamored out of bed and went ot her window, staring out at the darkened city. A street light on the corner flickered softly.
No more tears, she told herself. No more crying.
Yumi turned to walk back to the futon. Her gaze drifted to her dresser as she passed it and her eyes locked on the flower.
It was shriveled and dried, it's life having been long ago sapped out of it. Ulroch had given it to her when her parents had been fighting. Yumi had kept it even after it's healthy glow had faded. Lowering her eyew, Yumi forced herself to walk solemly past it.
Her digital clock was proclaiming four am in bright red letters. Too early to be awake though. Next to it lay her mobile. Yumi cringed at it, a painful reminder that Ulrich almost never called her anymore. Not since X.A.N.A. had been deactivated in fact. A phone that never rings, she thought numbly.
[I must be stupid, must be crazy
Must be out of my mind
To say the kind of things I said last night]
Yumi caught a glimpse of herself in the full-length mirror that hung dutifully on the back of her door. She looked positively awful, eyes red and puffy from crying, hair askew. The teen allowed herself a morbid grin. And she had thought that things couldn't possibly get any worse after the fight with Ulrich, but then her parents had dropped the bomb about moving. See, Yumi, she told herself. This is why you don't screw with fate. It screws you back.
[Mirror, mirror hanging on the wall
You don't have to tell me
Who's the biggest fool of all.
Mirror, mirror I wish you could lie to me
And bring my baby back
Bring my baby back to me.]
Ulrich stared at the ceiling in a numb manner. The earplugs weren't in tonight, so Odd's snores were loud and clear in the still morning air. His digital clock read four am, but Ulrich wasn't tired. The ceiling had no revalations on his promblem to provide Ulrich with tonight though, so the boy allowed his gaze to wander. It fell on the mirror that came attached to the door of their wardrobe, which Odd had left carelessly open.
The boy in the mirror stared back at him. Ulrich didn't really recognize himself. Yes, this boy had his facial features, but he somehow seemed distant. Ulrich rose and walked to the mirror.
The mirror satred back, mocking him. Ulrich raised a hand and placed it on the mirror, watching as his reflection did the same.
[Why did I let you walk away?
When all I had to do as say 'I'm sorry?']
His hand closed slowly into a fist as Ulrich remembered Yumi's words, and his own.
'Look, Ulrich, I don't want to hear it, okay?'
'Yeah, well if that's how you feel, than just leave!'
Ulrich closed his eyes to block out the imgage of Yumi running. From him. He made her cry, made her run. That was the last thing he would ever want to do. And yet he had shouted after her, trying to save face before the crowd. Why hadn't he simply apologized? He cared too much about Yumi to simply let her go! But there he was, more concerned that the crowd would think him weak than about going after Yumi. His final words had stung worse than the kiss itelf he was sure.
[I let my pride get in the way
And in the heat of the moment I was to blame.]
Odd's snores seemed oddly comforting in the otherwise silent room. Moonlight streamed in through the window, giving the dorm a peacful, serene feeling dispite it's inhabitant's stress.
Ulrich caught sight of his cell phone laying on his desk. It occured to him to call Yumi to apologize. He realized that he never called her now that X.A.N.A had been shut down; there was never a need to. A phone that never rang. He reached for the phone, but stopped halfway. She was probably asleep and waking her up wouldn't make Yumi any more pleased with him.
The boy looked back in the mirror and sighed at himself. He would just have to wait until the morning.
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that was a flashback to the night before the prologue in case anyone got confused! Aren't I evil? And you all thought you would get to find out what happened to Ulrich!
