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"Ugh," muttered Ulrich as he looked over his schedule. "English, Math, Social Studies, Spanish, Music, Art, Literature, and--COOKING? The principal has really gone overboard this time."
Odd tried to show the bright side of this to him. "Well, buddy, at least me and Jeremy are takin' this class with you! You'll get to try everything Odd the master chef cooks! Plus, I can eat everything you and Jeremy don't want. And you know there'll be…"
"Girls?"
"Exactly!"
"How many times do I have to tell you? I am NOT hooking up with someone you or Jeremy picks for me. I pick my dates, not you."
"And just when was the last time you went on a date yourself, may I ask? Oh, I believe it was a YEAR ago, hmm? Maybe two?"
"Shut up, Odd."
"Hey, that's no way to talk to your best pal-MMFFFHHH!" Before Odd could finish, he got pelted by Ulrich's pillow.
Of course, Jeremy was just staring at his laptop, zoned out on "the nerdy stuff", as Odd called it.
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"We're taking cooking? Cool…Right?" said Yumi as she read off of their identical schedules.
"Yeah." Aelita leaned on her bed.
"I always wanted to learn how to cook. It's on my TO DO list, as well as finding a guy who has my appetite." JZ made a dreamy face.
Aelita and Yumi almost puked. JZ had a veeerrrrryyy high metabolism, and ate much more than any sane person would want. They had once gone to an all-you-can-eat buffet, and JZ ate to the other girls' puking point.
And Aelita switched to another topic. "I heard that the guys we met, as well as their friend, are also taking the Cooking class. This friend of theirs could be good for you, Yumi!"
"For. Get. It. I have my eyes set on that guy passing by yesterday, and I am not giving up till I find out his name."
JZ sighed. Then she thought of something. "Hey! Isn't there a Back-to-School masquerade ball next week?"
"Yeah. So?"
"We could all go together, as a group, then mingle!" Yumi and Aelita looked hesitant. "Come on, you both know you want to." Yumi asked what Aelita thought. "Shopping for dresses?" "Yeah." "Count us in!"
"Oh, you're planning to go to the masquerade ball?" Slowly, each girl turned around to the familiar nasty voice of Mr. Delmas.
And JZ retorted with, "Yeah. What's it to ya?"
He grumbled a bit, then continued his nasty speech. "Well, I told your parents about the ball, and, knowing you'd all want to go, they decided that I give you a curfew of 12 that night. And I plan to do that. You have to be in your dorms by 12, or I'll give you 3 hours of detention every day for a whole week."
"But what if we forget?" Aelita cried.
"Well then, that's YOUR problem, not mine. Oh and by the way, I'll be busy that day, but Sissi will be watching. So be on time. OR ELSE." And he left.
This could be a problem…thought Yumi. Then she realized something. "OMG, the first cooking class is in five minutes, it says it right here on the schedule! We have to go!"
Panting, Yumi, Aelita, and JZ slid into three seats, right across from Jeremy and Odd.
Yumi noticed them with the soccer guy she saw and tried a start a conversation. "Hey Jeremy, Odd. What's up?" Then pretending to just notice the guy next to them, she said, "Hi."
And he replied. "Hey, I haven't seen you around; you new?"
"Yeah, I'm Yumi."
"Cool, my name's Ulrich."
She gasped mentally. Ulrich Stern? Oh no…
But being polite, she shook his hand. "Nice to meet ya."
JZ, knowing something was wrong, piped in, "Can you excuse us for a sec?" and pulled the other girls to the back of the room.
"Yumi, what's wrong with Ulrich? And don't say nothing, cause it ain't nothing. Yesterday you were so ambitious to know his name!"
The Japanese girl sighed. "That was before I knew who he was. He's Ulrich Stern, captain of the soccer team, and the school heartthrob! I clearly have no chance with him."
Aelita glanced back at the guys. "The girl has a point, you know." JZ punched her, then realized it was true. "Yeah, kinda true."
Ok…….wasn't expecting that…but at least they support me.
So the three girls walked back over, and started the cooking class with Ms. Myers.
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It was the same routine up to the masquerade ball: the girls and guys chat before cooking class, JZ eats what Odd cooks, Odd eats what JZ cooks, both of them eats what everybody cooks, people stare and almost barf, Yumi and Ulrich only exchange about 3-4 words every class, Yumi likes Ulrich, Ulrich doesn't know the Yumi he would fall in love with, Yumi slightly avoids Ulrich, Aelita and Jeremy blush every time they both touch something at the same time, and cooking class ends. Not very exciting, but still; the students grew to love cooking class.
In the hallways, you could hear the squealing of girls in their dorms, getting dressed for the ball at 8:30. But no dorm squeals were louder than 130. Inside was Yumi, Aelita, and Jasmine getting dressed, talking, putting on makeup, talking, smearing the makeup with their masks, talking, starting again with the makeup, and talking, talking, talking. Yumi clipped her PDA on her shoe strap; like she was gonna carry a purse!
And because of this, they were late; finally arriving at 9:30. Inside there were flashing lights, spinning water displays, and the song "Starry-Eyed Surprise" playing. You could spot out almost no one; everybody had put a mask on.
Aelita and JZ spotted Odd and Jeremy, and went off to dance. Leaving Yumi alone by the punch bowl, next to ULRICH! AAH!
"Hey."
"Hi.."
"So, you wanna dance….err…Cinderella?" he said, giving her a playful nickname.
He doesn't know who I am! "Sure," Yumi replied confidently. She wouldn't give her identity or name away tonight.
He swept her out onto the floor as a slow song started. They danced for the rest of the night. Taking a break, "Cinderella and her Prince" walked outside into a gazebo.
They sat in awkward silence, then simultaneously moved forward, lips inching closer and closer, till the gap between them closed.
When Yumi and Ulrich broke apart for air, she glanced at the clock quickly. 11:56? "Cinderella" broke away from Ulrich, and dashed out, saying, "I have to go, bye!"
"Wait!"
But she was gone.
The only trace of her was that PDA she had clipped on her shoe…hmm… He could find who she was with that! The first girl he had loved so quickly and so much.
Picking the PDA up and grasping it tightly, Ulrich thought, Cinderella…and whispered, "I love you."
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So, what did you think? Please review! And I will keep updating!-Astrea