Through Every Hardship
Chapter Six: After Einstein
michi-hikari
Yumi and Aelita strolled along the hallway. Yumi's face was still tinted pink, the result of Jason's taunting. But she was walking resolutely alongside Aelita, ignoring the whispered conversations that went on around them.
Aelita sneaked a sidelong glance at Yumi. Her face was etched with determination, which Aelita admired. She giggled, which caused Yumi to look at her surprisingly.
"What's funny? Do you like the attention we're getting?" Yumi smoothed out her skirt self-consciously.
"No… of course not… well, slightly, yes." Aelita said, still smiling. "It's just funny to see you blush. I've never seen you turn red before."
Yumi groaned. "And I hope we keep it that way."
"Do you really hate Jason that much?"
"No…."
"But you prefer Ulrich to Jason, don't you?"
"Yes." Yumi answered before she could stop herself. Seeing Aelita's eyes widen mischievously, she added quickly, "And you better not do anything about it!"
"Why not?" Aelita whined. "It's not as if you're doing anything to get Ulrich to notice you. But he will now." She said matter-of-factly, as they reached the soccer field.
Yumi looked out into the horizon. She saw a familiar silhouette facing the opposite way they were…one that made her heart beat fast.
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Ulrich was still staring at the direction where Odd had walked off to… when he heard his name being called.
"Oh, Ulrich!"
It was a voice he knew, though it was definitely not Sissy, and he was glad of that. He turned, and saw Aelita, looking very pretty in new clothes, but his eyes just swept off her and into the girl standing beside her.
Oh. My. God.
Is that Yumi? Who knew she had such a great figure….she hid her body so well behind those boring black turtleneck and pants. But she looks so much better now…
Ulrich was slightly aware that he was practically drooling, but didn't have enough energy to stop until Aelita gave out a loud, face cough that sounded suspiciously like a giggle. Yumi blushed harder.
"Um, Ulrich, do you know where Jeremie is?" she asked, her face twitching.
"Who? Oh…. I dunno…. the dorm?" Ulrich couldn't think very well, His brain had practically turned into mush.
"Okay, I'll try that. See ya!" Aelita called, and she skipped away.
"So, um, what's up, Ulrich?" Yumi asked shyly. She had turned slightly to the right to face him properly, and that movement made her hair swoosh slightly to the right and caused her miniskirt to whoosh up slightly. Ulrich averted his eyes, feeling his face turn red.
"Are you okay?" Yumi had noticed this. "You seem kinda red. Do you have a fever?"
"Nah, it's just from standing out here in the sun for too long."
"Oh, okay. Where's Odd?"
"He was acting kinda weird… last I saw him, he was headed towards the dorms after tryouts."
"Oh yeah, tryouts! Did you make the team?"
"Yup!" Ulrich couldn't resist gloating a little as he smiled at Yumi. "Star forwards and varsity substitutes."
Yumi clapped her hands together in happiness. "Good job! We have to celebrate. Want me to get you something?"
Ulrich smirked slyly. "Yeah. Have any candy bars?"
Yumi returned the look. "I think I have some at my room… wanna go check?"
Ulrich shrugged. "Why not." As he slung his arm over Yumi's shoulders and headed to the dormitory, all thoughts on Odd's peculiar behavior disappeared.
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Odd, meanwhile, had snapped at 7 different people before he felt better. Now, as he looked at a poster proclaiming the arrival of the Sadie Hawkins dance, he suddenly burst in to fits of laughter. Passersby stared at him.
"Uh, Odd?" Anna, a redheaded girl from his Biology class asked him, "Are you okay?"
"He needs his medication." Someone shouted out from the growing crowd.
Odd laughed even harder. "You are a riot."
Silence reigned through the crowd. Anna backed away from Odd slowly as he doubled over, clutching his stomach.
"That's not funny, Odd." Anna said. "Stop it!"
"I'm not trying to be funny," Odd replied, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. Then a sullen feeling in his stomach rose, and he suddenly looked up and started to cry harder.
"What's so funny?" Tamiya and Millie had joined the spectators, and hadn't caught Odd's odd behavior.
"It's not funny!" Odd wailed. "Why does everyone have to pick on me? You are such mean people!"
Millie, who was closest to Odd, leapt backward and cowered behind Tamiya. "We aren't…"
A teacher poked his head out into the corridor. "What's going on here? This has lasted for more than a couple of minutes…"
Odd launched himself at the teacher, who looked shocked and immediately started trying to shrug him off.
"They're being mean, teacher!" Odd bawled. "They make fun of me! They laugh at me! I don't want to be around you people…!"
Before anyone could react, Odd had started running towards the dormitories. The crowd parted as he passed, as though he had a sickness that was contagious.
"Still think it was the Gatorade?" Tamiya asked Millie in a low voice.
"Maybe someone spiked it," Millie suggested, though she was looking a bit dubious herself. "Or maybe the Gatorade was way past its expiration date."
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"I am so grateful, Jeremie, thank you so much!" Tallia purred. Jeremie smiled at her. They were just out of the woods and still on their way to the girls' dorms. Tallia leaned heavily on Jeremie, who was feeling a little light-headed because of Tallia's strong perfume. He could only nod and smile. Tallia wasn't exactly feather light.
"I never would have thought that Aelita was capable of such things…" Tallia whispered huskily in Jeremie's ear.
Jeremie shivered. Tallia's voice tickled his ear. 'Thank goodness we're close to the girls' dormitories!' he thought. 'I knew Tallia was weird… but not this weird!'
They stopped in front of room 534. "Here you are, Tallia," said Jeremie. "You just rest for a while, and I'll go get the nurse."
"Jeremie…" Tallia said mournfully. She dragged her tongue slowly over her bottom lip. "Can't you at least accept my famous hot chocolate?"
"Um, no thanks, Tallia. I really need to go."
Tallia slid closer to him, and ran a finger down his chest. "Can I… tempt… you?" She looked up at him through her long, thick eyelashes and opened her mouth slightly.
Unable to refuse, kind-hearted Jeremie followed her inside.
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Aelita couldn't help it. She giggled to herself. Swinging her arms by her side, she thought once more of the expression on Ulrich's face when she and Yumi arrived. She chortled again, drawing the confused looks of passer-bys.
"Aelitaaaa!"
The high-pitched, whiny voice could only belong to one person. "Oh, hi, Lizzie," Aelita said wearily, the smile slipping instantly off her face.
Lizzie ran up to her, her mousy brown hair tangled and bushy, and her dark eyes shining with excitement. 'Probably new gossip,' thought Aelita.
"Hello!" exclaimed Lizzie in her annoying, squeaky way. "Oh, Aelita, did you hear what happened?"
"What?" asked Aelita, only half-listening.
Lizzie clucked her tongue pityingly. "Oh, poor Aelita," she crooned. Aelita resisted the urge to turn and throttle Lizzie. "Well, I just found out that your boyfriend Jeremie and Tallia were seen entering Tallia's single room a few hours ago. And they haven't left yet."
"Jeremie's not my… wait. Tallia's room?" Aelita stopped walking and turned to Lizzie with a look of disbelief. "That's funny." She resumed her quick, easy stride.
"Just follow me!" Lizzie grabbed Aelita's arm and dragged her over to the west wing, ignoring her protests.
Just as they turned the corner to the hallway where Tallia's room was located, Jeremie exited and closed the door gently behind him. Aelita stared.
"See?" Lizzie whispered triumphantly. "I told you so!"
"There's a good explanation," said Aelita matter-of-factly. But even to her, these words sounded false.
Aelita strode over to Jeremie. "Jeremie!" she said, forcing a tone of happiness in her voice. "Did you just come from Tallia's room?"
"Yeah." Jeremie didn't bother to turn around. Aelita took hold of his hand and faced him. "Why?" Her eyes were large, hurt and shiny.
"Because she's much more fun to hang out with than you." Jeremie spat out maliciously. Shocked, Aelita stared up at his once warm blue eyes. Now they were hard, cold. She shivered.
"But… but…" Aelita could smell perfume that had clung to Jeremie's clothes. What had they done in there?
"Don't you get it?" Jeremie laughed derisively. His eyes ran up and down Aelita's thin, shaking body disdainfully. "You're just some stupid, little girl with a pointless crush. I'm with Tallia now. She's a babe… even more so compared to you."
And he strode away, leaving a tearful Aelita and a triumphant Lizzie behind him.
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Oh, my readers! I am SOOO sorry, since I haven't updated in a while! (More like a couple of months, but who's counting?) I haven't had ANY idea of what to write…. And I'm working on, like, 6 or something other stories including this. I'll try to update sooner if people review more…. Also, let's have a little contest…. The 9th person to review to this chapter shall get the very special privilege of having them (or some character that they made up) in the following chapters! All chapter ideas will be accepted and tried to be put in the story, though. I thank you, my faithful readers, for your… faithfulness…. And I love you all!
