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Chapter 5

The next morning, Ulrich woke up a little late after a peaceful night of sleep and he just returned to his room after a quick, warm shower. He before getting changed, he heard a beep coming from his phone. He quickly thought it was just Aelita wishing him a good morning or wondering where he was.

After he got changed into a dark green shirt with his army jacket over it and a pair of jeans, he flipped his phone open and saw he received one new text message. But when he looked at the number, he saw it wasn't from Aelita or any of his friends. It was a message from his father.

Ulrich cringed a bit. He and his father have had a very rough relationship to say the least, this was the first time his father acknowledged him in a year. He a deep breath and clicked a button on his phone to open the new message, rolling his eyes when he saw it was a paragraph long.

Ulrich

This is your father! I have received multiple complaints from your principal and teachers about your effort, or lack thereof. I was told that your grades improved a little bit but you are barely passing your core subjects. Now I'm not threatening you. I'm promising that if you get bellow an 85% in ANY of your midyear exams, I WILL transfer you to Steinbeck Military Academy at that moment! If I were you I would get studying!

-Your Father

In a blind rage of frustration, Ulrich threw his phone against the wall as hard as he can. Luckily, the phone stayed in one piece. That's one durable phone.

Ulrich sat down on his bed and put a hand on his head. The midyear tests are tomorrow and he has to score above an 85% for all of his exams. ALL OF THEM! Even with the help of Aelita, Ulrich sees no way he can achieve the goal. This is rare for Ulrich since he's not one to give up so easily.

When Xana created the Colossus to kill Franz Hopper and stop the gang from destroying him, Ulrich felt like giving up right then and there. But he didn't. He summoned his courage and did everything in his power to stop the giant monster. Which ended with Ulrich putting an end to the Colossus, which was a MAJOR part in the gang killing Xana, forever.

But now, Ulrich just doesn't know what to do. He's not what people call 'book smart', the reason why he passes the classes he does is with the tutoring from his friends, especially Aelita. But, Ulrich fears that will not be enough.

Ulrich was knocked out back to reality by the sound of his cell phone ringing, which was plopped nicely on his pillow, where it landed when Ulrich threw it. Not bothering to check the caller id, he answered the call and put the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Good Morning Ulrich!" Aelita upbeat voice came from the other end of the phone. "I'm calling to make sure your up."

"Oh, morning Princess." Ulrich responded, his back leaning against the wall while he sat on the bed. "I just got changed and so I'll be heading down now."

With that, Ulrich hung up the cell phone and let out a soft sigh. Ulrich's usually one of those kids that wears his emotions on his sleeves and people can tell when he's upset by his body language.

He got up from his bed then got his bag for class off his desk and headed for the door. While Ulrich walked down the dorm corridors, all he could think about was his father's threat. Would his father force him to transfer out of Kadic? Having to leave his friends, leave Aelita behind, his princess. The thought of that alone wanted to make Ulrich vomit.

Ulrich was a few feet away from the typical hang out spot, which is the vending machines, when he heard someone call his name. He looked up and saw the gang relaxing near a couple machine, excluding Yumi.

Ulrich put his best fake smile on and checked his pockets, looking for any loose change he can find. "What's up guys?" Ulrich said casually, sliding past Odd and Jeremy so he can put his money in the machine and make his purchase, which was the hot chocolate. The hot chocolate is popular this time of year, considering the cold temperature.

"We were just talking about the good old days." Odd replied, a cup of orange juice in his hand. "I miss kicking Xana's artificial butt!"

"Yeah, those were good time." Ulrich said with a smirk, leaning against the wall.

The group continued to chat as they awaited the warning bell for the first period class.

A few hours later

Ulrich and the others exited their science class and headed to the lunchroom. Ulrich and Aelita are hand in hand, smiles across their face. Though Ulrich still can't shake the text message he received out of his mind.

As they entered, they found themselves face to face with William and Yumi. Yumi and William are holding hands and look like they're in the process of leaving the cafeteria. Ulrich, who hasn't seen or spoken to William since the hospital encounter finds this very awkward.

William stared deep into Ulrich's eyes for a few minutes, like he was searching for something within the brunette. Yumi just smiled kindly at her friends, though she did not dare break the silence. Then after a moment of awkward silence, William and Yumi walked passed the group without saying a word.

When the couple left the cafeteria, Jeremy, Odd, and Aelita glanced at Ulrich, who was just staring blankly ahead of him. He was still trying to piece together what just happened in his mind. Does William still have lingering hatred for him?

After a brief moment, Ulrich shook it off and looked back at his friends, who were still staring at him and awaiting to see what he was to go next. "Come let's get some food before they run out." Ulrich said with a small smile and walked ahead of the others. "I'm starving."

The gang gave each other a small glance before deciding to follow Ulrich. They each got a tray full of food and took a seat in the normal table they sat at everyday. Ulrich and Aelita of course sat next to eat other while Jeremy and Odd sat across from the couple.

The gang of friends had a few conversations about random topics while they ate their lunch. Towards the end of the lunch break, the ringtone of Odd's cell phone filled the air so he instinctively pulled the phone out of his pocket and looked at the contact before answering. "Hey Jenny, what's up?" Odd asked calmly. A minute goes by with complete silence. "Jenny, are you there?" Once again, there is complete silence.

Suddenly, Odd's phone was covered in electricity and gave it's holder an electric shock. Odd, stunned, dropped his phone to the ground and jumped out of his seat. "Jeez, are you ok Odd?" Aelita asked, her eyes wide in shock. "I hate that piece of junk…" Odd grumbled to himself.

Jeremy walked over to where Odd dropped his phone and picked the device up. After briefly analyzing the device, he let out an audible sigh. "I don't think it's you phone's fault Odd." Jeremy showed it to the group, which caused them to widen their eyes in shock and Aelita almost broke down in tears. The Eye of Xana is clearly visible on the front of Odd's cell phone.