8-2: To Odd, Untrue

This chappie is dedicated (once again) to Dantheman since he seems to have all the good names. And LegoMan727, since you're (hopefully) a new reviewer, this one belongs to you as well.

(((-2-)))

The art show was held in the gym and a ton of people were crowding the place trying to view all the students' work. Not only was this Kadic's work, but also four other schools in the city. Janika dragged Odd through the milling throng over to several paintings on the far side.

"Remember that one?" she asked, pointing.

He stared at it incomprehensibly. "Well…er…"

"That's the one you messed up last week when you dipped my braid into the paint and started flailing around with it," she said through gritted teeth.

Odd tugged at the collar of his shirt. "It's kinda hot in here. Are you sure you don't want to go outside? I'll buy you something from the snack machine."

She laughed and slapped him on the back, nearly bowling her friend over. "Just kidding! I don't really mind. See what you did to it? I was trying to make it a bunny and your meddling made it look like a really cool, gruesome skull." She paused, eyes narrowing. "But you still owe me 5 bucks for the shampoo I wasted trying to clean my hair. The stuff still isn't completely out."

The blonde teenager glanced down at her long braid and bit his lip when he saw a slight tinge of discolored paint dusting the last four inches. "It's not that bad, really. At least the skull turned out okay."

"Neon pink skulls aren't exactly prize material, Odd. Especially with flowers in their teeth." She sidled closer. "Well, it's not like I care all that much anyway."

A small purr came from her throat as she was about to give him a kiss on the cheek, but stopped and started gagging instead. For a second he thought that she was trying to cough up a hairball. But then Janika nearly threw Odd out of her way as she strode toward the entrance. He tagged along, wondering what had gotten into her.

She stopped halfway there and pointed toward Jim who was handing out programs about the show. "Tell me who you see talking to him."

Odd looked and started gagging too. "What is Ulrich doing with Sissy! He doesn't even look like he minds being so close to her!" He happened to peek back toward the entrance and nearly swallowed his tongue. "Um…Janika, can you excuse me for a moment? I think I'd better give Yumi a call and tell her about this little occurrence."

"Go for it. I'll keep an eye on them."

He sneaked across the gym until he approached the person he had seen coming in with a small group of girls.

"Hey, Samantha," Odd's voice cracked.

"Nice outfit," one of the girls with short-cropped hair snickered. "I thought Halloween was over a few months back."

"Hi," the dark-skinned girl said with a smile, ignoring her friend's comment. Then she gave him a peck on the cheek. The three girls made smooching noises behind their hands.

Odd pushed her lightly away, shooting a glance back over his shoulder to see if any girls with long brown braids had seen.

"Don't do that!"

"Do what?" she demanded haughtily. "This?"

She grabbed him and plastered one on his lips this time. Her friends whistled. Luckily Janika was only focused on Ulrich and Sissy.

He thrust her away more forcefully. "Cut it out!"

"What? Are you afraid your little friend will see?" she asked, eyebrows raised skeptically. The others grinned as if he was a dope. "I had you first, Odd. Whoever your new girl is, she can't compete with me."

"You treated me like trash, Samantha!" he snapped. "You said we could be boy- and girlfriend, then you went off and cheated on me on the first day!"

She looked like a picture of innocence. "I explained that, Odd. He groped me while I was cornered up against a wall. What was I supposed to do?"

"Just get out of here!" he couldn't keep from snarling.

"Hey, Sam, you'd better keep a leash on your dog. It looks like he's getting frisky," a black girl with short, pinched braids chuckled behind her.

Odd clenched his fists. "You were never anything but trouble for me. Look, I'm not with you anymore, so you can just forget that. Go scam somebody else because I'm not falling for it again."

Samantha's expression grew dark. "I'm not going anywhere. This is an art show and I came to see the art, not you. Now let me see what sort of pathetic imaginations your classmates have. C'mon, girls."

She walked past, deliberately shoving him into the wall. Odd watched her go into the maze of makeshift plywood walls full of artwork before darting back over to Janika where she was still spying on the freaky pair.

"What did Yumi say?" she wondered.

"Huh? Oh, that! Um, I went to the snack machine instead. I didn't think telling her would be the best thing to do."

She rolled her eyes. "All you ever think about is your stomach. Well, they're not doing anything. Ulrich isn't really talking to her. He's just following her around. Come on, let's try to get closer."

(V)

Samantha steamed as she looked blankly at the artwork. Finally she slipped away from her friends in the network of walls and then acted like she had dropped something, getting down on her knees to "search" for it. She caught sight of Odd's very identifiable shoes and another pair beside them from beneath the plywood walls just a couple rows over. That was his girl for sure.

She would teach him to dump her! All she needed to do was get close to Odd and Miss Size-5, then be the picturesque clingy girlfriend figure. They did it in romance movies all the time. Why couldn't she?

As Samantha was getting up off her knees, the plug of a lamp shining on an unusual drawing of a girl that looked a lot like a cheetah sparked and fizzled. The girl with red highlights backed away, wondering if it would catch anything on fire. Smoke curled up from the socket.

Odd's former girlfriend was swamped by the gas and fell over, feeling herself pulled away into an oblivion…

(V)

Yumi, Jeremy, and Aelita were walking in the park when suddenly the boy in glasses came up short. He stopped and cocked his head as if listening while the two girls continued chatting, their voices washing over him.

Finally he refocused and glanced at his friends. "You two didn't just hear someone say anything nearby, did you?"

Yumi shrugged. "Like what?"

He paused and then reconsidered. "Nothing. It's okay. Let's just get to the art show and support Janika in her moment of triumph."

"Yep. It's not every day one of us gets the nomination for Best of Show. She said the picture was a surprise, though. Do you think it'll be anything remotely connected to us?" Yumi asked with a wink. "Why else would she keep it a secret?"

"Let's go find out," Aelita broke in. She raced ahead and the others were forced to run to keep up with her.

They had just reached the gym and gotten programs from Jim when Yumi halted, shocked. She gaped, eyes bugging out as Ulrich—her Ulrich!—came waltzing out of the crowded jungle of art with Sissy attached to him like a bloodsucking tick!

Not bad, huh? Well, you guys can probably tell that I'm not too fond of Samantha, after all I have to compete w/ her for Odd's attention. How about this poll: how useful would Aelita really be if they didn't need her to shut down the towers?