Ask Me What It's Like to Never Win
By: Leelei
Disclaimer: I don't own Code:Lyoko.
Author's Note: I am so sorry. All of you waiting to read this story never deserved that long hiatus. I have to admit that I left the fandom over the summer, but now I'm starting to get back into it with Season 2. These past few months have been crazy…all I can tell you is don't get old by losing what you love- it just makes shit just complicated. But thank you so much for returning to this story with me. I hope you will enjoy it again, and I promise that you will see it finished soon.
Chapter 6
My rage died down that night and subsided by the next morning. I wait patiently now in English Honors, as I'm always one of the earliest to arrive in the class for first period every morning, and think of Aelita's reaction.
It turns out that I was angry for no reason. After a long night of contemplation, I realized that her answer shouldn't have surprised me. I was, after all, a part of Sissi's gang in Junior High, and was never exactly friends with Jeremie and his group. They must have steered her away from me since the very start. I couldn't expect any less.
The bell is about to ring to start Saturday classes. The other students file in as I also remember that this is the only subject that Ulrich tested marginally in, the administrators okaying it for him to join the honors class, Odd included. So joining the class now are Aelita, Jeremie, Ulrich, and Odd.
And together they are the quartet from hell.
Ulrich and Odd are as loud as ever, still best friends, knowing each other now as well as brothers. They're pretty diligent students, but they like to have their fun, with Jeremie and Aelita included over half the time. The former pair walk in just before the bell, idiotically chanting a cheerleading routine as they finally make it to their seats, the latter pair following behind in laughter. They all seem happy. Ulrich's soccer team must have one another game earlier in the week, but who cares.
Class starts on time, the teacher always having a full lesson plan, but everyone is surprised when she asks Jeremie to stand at his desk. The blonde student glances down at his girlfriend seated next to him as the teacher speaks, "Okay class, quiet down. Before we start, Jeremie has written a poem of his own that he would like to read out loud." She smiles to the said student. "Go ahead, Jeremie."
Jeremie seems to take a deep breath as he holds up a piece of notebook paper. "Okay, well, basically I wrote this for Aelita, and I hope it lets her know just how much she really means to me."
Aelita smiles as he clears his voice and continues. Even Ulrich and Odd are quiet and listening.
"A beautiful rose once grew in the garden of Heaven.
Everyone knew it was the most special of all.
Lovely and pure, it was cherished above all the others given, but
In time it took a terrible fall.
Today it has healed and now grows in all Earthly meadows,
A reminder to us of true beauty, casting its radiance even in our shadows."
Everyone starts clapping, Ulrich and Odd's cheers included, as Aelita stands up and promptly kisses Jeremie on the cheek. "That was wonderful, thank you!" she gushes as he turns a light shade of red.
The teacher smiles as she claps. "Jeremie, that was very charming. I'm proud of you to go on your own and write something even now after our poetry unit is complete."
"Well," Jeremie grins, seeming a bit shy about his work. "I was never so great at writing poems, but I thought this one was kind of okay."
"Hey man, that was great!" Odd raves. "You should write her a whole sonnet next time!" Jeremie grins as he holds his arm around Aelita's waist.
"Okay, students, it's time to get back to work. Thank you again, Jeremie," the teacher moves over to his desk as everyone sits again and gets out their materials to begin. "That was a nice break from our current studies. May I look at it to give you a few points of extra credit?"
"Sure," Jeremie replies and hands her his paper. "I'm glad you approve of it, ma'am."
The teacher smiles as she skims over it. "Oh!" she suddenly exclaims as the other students look to her to begin. "Class, the first letters of each line in Jeremie's poem spell out Aelita's name. How very clever! All right, now open your textbooks to where we left off yesterday and finish your silent reading. In exactly fifteen minutes, I want a one page summary of the entire selection. And make sure you identify at least one theme, motif, and poetic device used throughout the story."
Oh, there's no way. There's no way in hell. My rage twists and surges inside of me so badly, I want to pick up my desk and throw it across the room.
Is it possible for one person to experience so much anger, so much hate, so much pain all at once? How dare he. How dare that little bastard and his fucking perfect life, taking away my only true love and rubbing it in my face!
So he writes poems with her name, too? Well, no matter how beautiful that creep can make his, mine are original. Mine are better. Hell, mine are the best! How can she like anything but mine? Oh, she'll read them, and she'll have to love them, because I'll be the only one for her to love.
What the hell am I saying? Was I just thinking of hurting Jeremie? Calm down, Herb, that's totally irrational.
Yes, but the son of a bitch deserves it.
No, no he doesn't. Now shut up before you kill someone.
But I can't… I'm so frustrated by now, every time I look down to my English book with the old British stories translated into our common language, my eyes blur with tears. How does he do it? How. Does. He. Do. It? I can't read, I can't work, I can barely sit here…
"Ma'am!" I shoot up from my desk, my body now trembling with emotions. "Ma'am, I…I have to go to the restroom!"
"Herb, are you all right?" the teacher asks from her desk, looking up at me from grading her papers. All the other students have now turned while sitting in their own desks and are staring at me. I see Aelita and feel like I'm going to faint.
"Y-y-y…" I can't even respond.
"Maybe you should go to the nurse's office," the teacher suggests, noticing the paling of my skin. "Jeremie, would you please walk down there with him?"
"NO!" I can hear myself scream, but I don't feel like I'm there anymore. It's almost like I'm watching a dream through my own eyes as my body abruptly tips my desk over and races out of the room. Before I can gain control again, I run through the halls and end up in the boy's restroom, gathering myself after collapsing onto the floor and leaning back against the wall, tears starting to glide down my cheeks.
Hm…well, this must be a complete nervous breakdown.
Soon a counselor and a couple of security guards from the hall rush in to see me, my teacher also joining them. They cart me away to the school psychologist's office, and then it's days before I'm allowed to walk the halls again.
So now that Season 2 has pretty much ruined this story, I hope you guys will keep in mind that this was written back in March. New chapters coming soon, thanks for reading!