A/N: A great big thanks to Moonlitxangel for her inspiration to continue this. I wasn't sure how I'd get Odd out of the mess he was in until she suggested that he might be primed for suicide.
CommandoWolf: You're too young to feel that way though I understand why.
What question? I asked for permission to use your character and AU anonymously via your forumspring account. I expected you'd recognize the 'old aviator' reference as me.
Anyway, thank you. With your standing permission I may create another story set in your AU if the inspiration strikes. Don't count on swearing more though, it's just not really my style.
Kadic Academy, Library, Tuesday 7:45 PM: Yumi glanced around the library's second floor, her eyes searching for Odd amongst the students there. The scowl on her face deepened as she considered just what he could be doing. Playing video games came to mind, trying to flirt with someone was another option. A glance around the table after forcing a neutral expression only deepened her contempt. After all, everyone present was giving up their evening to pull together for Ulrich so why did Odd, especially after what he did, get to be out enjoying himself while they worked?
Odd clutched his skateboard as he moved through the sewers towards the factory. Tears stung his eyes as he walked the underground trail he knew by heart. Neither he nor his friends had taken this route in defense of the world in much too long. But that was good for them, Jeremy needed to be released from the stress and Aelita needed the time to recover and enjoy the life she had helped fight for. Yumi and Ulrich now had a relationship that was growing. And himself? He had nothing really.
Not a single girl in school would date him. Where there was once the best video game in the world there was now school work. Where once laughter and mostly harmless pranks took the edge off the high expectations of Kadic Academy there were only its rules and regulations. Everyone was following them as closely as possible, all to ensure that Ulrich got to stay at Kadic. But the goal seemed hollow to him. After all, what was the point of having all your friends in one place if you couldn't have fun with them?
Jeremy ripped out a fresh sheet of graph paper and slid it over to Aelita who lightly brushed her hand over his as a thank you. Taking a set of color pencils that had been loaned to her by Odd she began to trace out the chemical equation Ulrich was having trouble with. While she drew Jeremy looked over his notebook and then began explaining what was happening and why Ulrich's first answer had been wrong. Yumi faked a smile as she watched, still upset over Odd's disappearance. Below the table her fist clenched as she considered just what she'd do to the boy if he failed the upcoming chemistry quiz.
Ulrich nodded in understanding as the information got through to him. While Jeremy and Aelita went back to their own homework he took a glance around the room, worried about Odd. It was easy enough to tell that Yumi was mad at the boy. Jeremy and Aelita both seemed to be unconcerned but he knew better. They were worried, not only at where he was and why he had abandoned them but also over what Yumi could do to him if he didn't have a really good excuse for skipping. Blushing as he touched Yumi's arm and letting his hand linger for a moment, he asked her to pass him a bottle of water, more to distract from the tension than from thirst. She smiled slightly and reached into her bag for the water, pausing to ask the two geniuses if they wanted anything.
Ulrich felt a wash of appreciation as Jeremy accepted and Aelita declined politely. Neither teen had decided to notice his lingering hand on Yumi's arm or their light blush. Or perhaps they had he thought as he watched the pair look meaningfully at one another. He allowed himself to briefly wonder if that would be him and Yumi someday, able to talk to one another without needing to speak a word. They turned back to the table and Jeremy opened his water then took a sip of it. Aelita took the bottle out of Jeremy's hands and took a long drink, answering Jeremy's playful glare with a devious smile as she handed the bottle back to him.
Yumi looked wistfully at the couple then at Ulrich's water bottle before taking one for herself and opening it. Aelita cast a disappointed look at Yumi and shook her head as she lightly quipped "trust me, his water would have tasted better." Jeremy laughed while Yumi and Ulrich looked at, then away, from each other quickly. With a nervous look around the room Yumi slowly reached over the table and closed her hand around Ulrich's water. Then, with a single quick motion she pulled it towards her and took a drink. Satisfied with herself she returned the bottle to its previous position and avoided looking at Ulrich while trying to imagine the shock of her unexpected action. Aelita looked questioningly at Yumi while Jeremy looked at his black haired friend expectantly.
Odd climbed up to the factory's roof, careful to avoid any spots that looked too rusted to be safe. Finding the climb to be more exhausting than he'd expected he dropped his skateboard unto the roof then sat down on it. As he rocked side to side on the board he let the second thoughts come at him, hammering at his determination. He craved danger, wanted the excitement of facing a life and death situation. He couldn't go to Lyoko and even if he could there would be nothing dangerous there. He wanted freedom to come and go as he pleased, to skip assignments and copy the answers later. He wanted the relationship Jeremy had with Aelita and more. He wanted the glory of combat with a superior enemy. Everything he wanted he couldn't have. So he looked around the structure and began to formulate his plan.
Skateboarding up here was certain to be fraught with danger. But as he looked out at the river and the rocky shore at the island's edge he smiled. The water wasn't going to be warm but jumping off the roof and sticking the water landing had an appeal that he was finding hard to resist. If he died in the attempt, what difference would it make? Ulrich wouldn't have to worry about his distractions, Yumi wouldn't have to suppress her hatred, Jeremy wouldn't have to worry about his girlfriend leaving for him, Aelita wouldn't have to worry about Yumi's feud tearing the group apart. What's more he wouldn't be stuck in this living hell of all work and no play. He walked away from the edge with a purpose, looking for material to build a ramp.
Yumi, with a somewhat embarrassed expression, shook her head and answered the pink haired girls question with "I don't know what you're talking about, waters water."
Jeremy laughed again and Aelita joined in as Jeremy called Yumi out, saying simply "Liar." Ulrich discreetly put his hand around Yumi's and squeezed it firmly to offer his support. His cheeks gave away what he was doing though neither Jeremy nor Aelita seemed to notice. Once again, he wished he and Yumi had the ability to so easily share affection. He turned to look at Yumi as she joined in the tables laughter and squeezed his hand back. Unfortunately. as things calmed down and everyone turned back towards their respective work Ulrich could feel the missing person. However misguided the method was, Odd had been responsible for the moment he and Yumi had just shared.
From her own table, Sissi watched Ulrich and Yumi recover from their moment of mirth and return to the tasks before them. If anyone cared to notice, they'd see that she was green with envy. She wanted to be the one laughing at Ulrich's side, wanted to be the one that Jeremy and Aelita looked at with warm, friendly love. And of course she could do that, they had invited her to study with them and had been treating her with much more respect than ever before. But she wasn't quite over her desire for Ulrich and didn't want to watch him with Yumi. Shaking her head and turning away, she considered whether or not she would ever be ready for that.
Odd climbed down the ladder that led to the roof and began to look around the building. The irony didn't escape him as he considered how this had all started. Jeremy had come to the factory looking for robot parts and found the supercomputer, XANA and Aelita. Now he was here, looking for parts to build a ramp that could very well lead to his own end. His silent search of the site began to yield fruit as several planks of wood and metal looked like they would be easy to scavenge. Of course he would still have to get them to the roof. But that was solvable, he wasn't Jeremy but he didn't need to be. A little exploring and he would find the maintenance access to the roof, the door where workers could get material easily up and down. He set about on his new search.
Ulrich started at the page of problems, his will to keep working in the incomplete group gone as he decided that Odd had been punished enough. "We should go and find Odd."
Yumi's good mood was the first to evaporate, "we wasted enough time trying to call him when we met up this evening."
Ulrich tried to keep his temper in check, knowing that Yumi could easily get the upper hand in that department. "I'm worried about him..."
As expected that got everyone's attention. Ulrich was, after all, Odd's best friend and roommate. If he was worried it was probably a good idea to listen to his concern. "Go on," Jeremy answered, a sharp look directed at Yumi to silence her protest.
Ulrich bit back his shock as Yumi bit back whatever she was going to say. He made a note for later to talk to Jeremy about how he did that. "Look Odd may be a selfish jerk at times but we all know he wouldn't just leave us hanging like this."
" Brynga" Yumi answered, directing a hard look at Jeremy who nodded.
"But he left her to come save me." Aelita retorted. "Even if it was because she had every other guy fawning over her at the pool we all know Odd doesn't usually give up that easily." Yumi's expression softened as she considered and Aelita took that as a sign she should continue. "However wrong his method was, you and Ulrich are happy together and."
"It wouldn't have happened without him." Yumi finished reluctantly. Admitting that was like swallowing shards of broken glass to her. But it seemed to drive away some of her animosity towards the boy. Not enough to prevent her from maybe breaking one of his legs so he couldn't pull a stunt like this again but enough to keep her from seriously considering killing him.
Jeremy decided to take command and, after trying to call him but only getting Odd's voicemail, issued the orders. "I'm going to my room, the rest of you look around campus in Odd's normal spots. Hopefully he's just hiding somewhere to play games." With that he left while Ulrich doled out the best areas to look on campus.
Sissi followed Aelita after overhearing Jeremy's orders and then Ulrich's search areas. With a concerned look she asked the obvious question, "why does Jeremy not need to search with the rest of you."
Aelita's expression turned thoughtful for a moment and she considered not telling Sissi anything. But the girl was unlikely to be deterred by stonewalling and it wasn't like she hadn't done similar things anyway. "Every cell phone sold in the past several years has a GPS tracking chip in it. Jeremy is going to hack the phone company and get Odd's location for us... Unless we find him first."
Sissi looked wide eyed as she fingered her mobile, "he can really do that?"
"Of course." Aelita answered proudly. "He's incredible with computers."
Ten minutes later, Sissi jumped as Aelita's phone rang. "He's where... Ok Jeremy I'm on my way with Sissi... Great, I'll see you there." Aelita hung up with Jeremy and turned to Sissi, "You know the old abandoned factory?" She asked with a hint of concealed dread.
"Yeah"
"Jeremy says that's where Odd is." With that she turned abruptly and moved swiftly towards the stairs with Sissi following hot on her heels. Deciding not to reveal too much she charged out the gates and took the overland route towards the familiar place. Silently she cursed Odd for going there. If anything happened there... "Come on Sissi" Aelita yelled as she pumped her legs harder for more speed. The thought, combined with her history of premonitions fueled her body as she pushed for yet more speed. Her heart pounded in her ears and her breath came in heaves but she left Sissi behind in her panic fueled sprint.
Odd looked at the cobbled together ramp with a mixed sense of terror and accomplishment. Had the two brains been here they'd have calculated precisely the angle and speed he would need to ensure he landed in the river. Assuming they agreed to help in any way, shape or form that was. He strongly doubted they would, they hadn't even been willing to repair Yumi and Ulrich's relationship. As it was, he had roughly estimated what he'd need from his long history of skateboarding. And now, as he jumped on the ramp and decided that it was sturdy enough, he prepared himself to face the death defying stunt. The rush of adrenaline was so very welcome as he stood on a sloped metal part of the structure and prepared to push off.
Time seemed to slow as the hormone combined with the danger heightened his senses and stripped his mind of any unnecessary thinking. He could almost feel each molecule or air as the cold wind blew over the roof. He heard it whistle slightly as it passed the various things protruding from the surface. The sound of his wheels drowned that out as they rolled on the sloped metal. His muscles exerted themselves as he pushed forward to gain more speed. The exhilaration as he left the ramp and went airborne was like nothing else. The weightless feeling of freefall as he plummeted towards the welcome embrace of the water below a fitting end to his life.
Sissi stopped on the bridge and bent over panting as her tired legs demanded she stop. Ignoring as best she could the burning sensation she looked up as footfalls from Aelita faded into nothingness. That the girl had ran so quickly and tirelessly was utterly amazing. Movement over the water caught her attention as she struggled to pull herself out of the crouch then over to the rail of the bridge. She looked out at the water, straining to see the falling object.
Pure terror overcame her, banishing the sense the tiredness and the pain in her muscles when the object finally registered as a person. The outcome was going to be bad and she shouted for the rest of Odd's friends. Without realizing what she was doing, she ran off the bridge and towards the shore of the river. The impact of Odd's landing barely registered through the determination. The cold of the water and the weight of her soaked clothes were irrelevant as she swam after surely drowning boy.
Aelita followed the sound of Sissi's shout and then the horrifying sound of the splash that she knew to be Odd. Without hesitating she too plunged into the cold river and swam out after Odd and Sissi. Yumi and Ulrich arrived shortly after and waded into the water to pull an unconscious Odd and bone tired Aelita and Sissi out of the icy water. Jeremy pushed his way over to Odd, his passing glance quickly telling him that Aelita and Sissi were fine. Odd was another story though and a quick order from him sent Aelita digging into his pocket so she could call for help.
Directing Yumi and Ulrich to help Sissi and Aelita, Jeremy began to administer first aid. Tilting Odd's head he compressed the boy's chest to get the water out of his lungs. But Odd didn't start breathing on his own and so Jeremy started CPR in earnest. Yumi and Ulrich huddled with Aelita and Sissi as the two girls leaned heavily on them for support and warmth.
After several minutes that left Jeremy panting from the effort of keeping his friend alive, Odd coughed and looked around hazily. Jeremy immediately moved his hands from Odd's chest to his neck, trying to prevent him from moving too much in case he had a spinal injury from the fall. The rest gathered around, using their voices to try and calm their injured friend while they held his arms and legs to restrain and comfort him. Meanwhile Odd babbled incoherently for a moment before it was drowned out by sirens. Speaking quickly but calmly, Jeremy explained Odd's state when he was pulled from the water, what he had done to revive him and his assessment of the injuries Odd had. The paramedics made their own checks anyway but threw an impressed smile at Jeremy as they assured the entire group of kids that Odd would be alright.
Kadic City Hospital, Emergency department waiting room, Tuesday 8:30 PM: Jeremy looked quickly around the subdued decor of the family waiting room and led Aelita to an un-occupied seat a comfortable distance from the door. As he sat down his mind flooded with worry that he tried to push down in favor of being strong for Aelita. But he couldn't force away the guilt, the thought that he could have prevented this. Had he tried to somehow make lessons more interesting or if he'd done more to help Yumi and Ulrich forgive him this might not have happened. Jumping from the roof as had been described to him earlier had to be a suicide attempt.
Aelita whimpered beside him and any thoughts he had turned to the pink haired girl he called his angel. She was very clearly suffering, and was trying hard not to show how much. The thought worried him, making him wonder what was going through her mind as he stroked her arms to try and calm her. He felt her shiver and moved to pull the blanket she clutched to herself off of her. She gave it up easily and he spread it so that it covered them both then pulled her as close to him as he could to share his warmth. Aelita looked at him and her tear streaked face held a trace of gratitude within the agony she fought not to show. He smiled slightly and guided her head into his shoulder, telling her it was ok to cry.
Aelita held unto her anguish even as Jeremy offered to let her cry it out into his warm shoulder. This was almost as far from what she wanted as she could actually get. Odd in the hospital with his condition unknown and the possibility that he could die hanging over her. The thought of losing one of her adoptive family so soon after losing her real one hurt more than she could bear. As she clung to Jeremy her thoughts drifted to Odd and all the fun times they'd shared.
The jokes and pranks played across the school. Mean things that were erased by the return trips and the way Odd had sown delight by altering his plans after seeing the results of the first version. He and Jeremy were similar in that regard, sometimes needing the second chance to do things better. Guilt added itself to the weight she bore. She hadn't given Odd a second chance after the incident, didn't even consider him worthy of it. Yet now his life hung in the balance and she hadn't forgiven him. She finally let it overwhelm her and cried. "I... he'll die never..."
"Shhh" Jeremy gently tried to shush Aelita, feeling his own pain as options of how she might finish that sentence rushed through his mind.
Aelita shook her head and gulped, barely managing to force out a coherent sentence, "he can't die alone, thinking we all hate him."
Jeremy tried to supportively rub her arms and ignore the tears he knew were falling. Giving up on hiding his own feelings he mumbled "it's not entirely your fault, we all..." Struggling to take a breath and steady his trembling voice he continued "Odd's not going to die, he didn't fall from high enough and..." He couldn't think of anything else and it sounded a lot like he was trying to convince himself more than Aelita anyway.
Ulrich paced the mostly empty room nervously, ignoring the empty seats in favor of keeping on the move. His mind raced through the many possibilities as he tried to contain both his fear and anger. A doctor could come in at any moment and tell them that Odd was dead. He could say Odd had damaged his spine and would be paralyzed for life. He could say that Odd would never walk again.
Yumi sat in a corner, forcing herself to hold back the tears she felt like crying. All the terrible things she had considered doing to him came crashing back on her as memories she'd rather forget. The actual possibility that he wouldn't survive was sobering. The possibility that if he did he wouldn't be able to experience life the way he had wanted to was almost too much to bear. Especially since the whole reason for it was the relationship that she and Ulrich hadn't been able to start on their own.
Her eyes flitted about the room, occupied only by the former Lyoko warriors and Sissi. Aelita was crying softly into Jeremy's shoulder while he held her under the blanket they both shared. She wanted that sort of comfort from Ulrich and at the same time wanted to offer it to him. But she knew better than to think she deserved any such thing. She deserved to be alone and suffering the way Odd had for the past several days. The way she had wanted him to and so much worse.
Jeremy sat with Aelita as she recovered her composure through force of will rather than actually feeling better. He knew none of them would be alright until they knew Odd's condition. He looked around the room to see what everyone was doing then looked at the doorway and into the hallway. He strained to listen for any sign of Odd's condition but they were too far away from the ER to have any realistic hope of hearing anything before a doctor or nurse filled them in.
In the information void his mind wandered and he briefly wished he could have thought a little more and gotten Odd to the supercomputer. A diagnostic scan would have shown the complete extent of Odd's injuries and the supercomputer would have offered the possibility of treating him then and there. Whatever Odd's injuries were, he was certain a program and Lyoko could have been used to fix them. The feeling of Aelita pulling her head off of his shoulder brought his attention back to the present and he looked into her tear streaked face to see determination building.
Aelita pulled herself away from Jeremy's shoulder, regretting the loss of his warmth and the feel of his shirt and neck against her face. Her eyes surveyed the room and she saw Yumi, simmering in guilt and anger directed inwards. She saw Ulrich pacing the room as he tried to contain the fears he harbored over his best friend and the guilt she could tell he had. Sissi showed that she too was genuinely worried about Odd despite the mask that suggested she only cared about being the hero who selflessly ran into the cold river to save him. Determination sparked inside her.
This was no way to be handling things and she would need to be one to act. Seeing that Jeremy understood as she returned his gaze she got up out of her chair, leaving the blanket she had been under with him behind. Her fingertips trailed off of Jeremy's shoulder and the wetness of her own tears was balanced by the hand he placed over her fingers for the last few seconds of contact. Drawing strength from Jeremy's support she walked away from him, vaguely aware of him shrugging off the blanket and moving closer to the door.
She walked over to Ulrich, pushing off her fears of how he'd react. It was obvious that she was going to need to be the strong one here. Somehow, that thought actually soothed her as she placed a gentle hand on Ulrich's shoulder and whispered, "Yumi's upset, why don't you go over there and see if you can cheer her up."
Ulrich looked over at Yumi then turned away, seeing only his failure there. Odd risked his friendship with the group to make his and Yumi's relationship possible. Odd had endured the shunning and threats while he and Yumi enjoyed the benefits of their slowly growing relationship.
"Ulrich." Aelita said to regain his attention. "Odd's sacrifice will mean nothing if you can't go over there and comfort your girlfriend." Her statement had the ring of a command but still Ulrich seemed to ignore it. "Fine." Aelita said with much more disgust then she wanted. "Stay here and pace." She wiped her eyes and wondered where the cold fury came from. But she was every bit as upset as the rest were and it was obviously a little too much emotion for her to deal with.
Jeremy looked up at the sound of Aelita's voice, the tone she had just used with Ulrich so very uncharacteristic. His worry over Odd's condition fought with his need to go to Aelita but after a minute's hesitation his concern for Aelita won. There was nothing he could do for Odd from here anyway. He got up and started towards Aelita but she stopped him with a grateful glance and a very small smile. She walked towards Yumi while he returned to his vigil at the door.
Sissi also watched as Aelita approached Yumi and though it made her ill to consider, she knew it was Ulrich who should be there, not Aelita. Swallowing her selfishness, and seeing as no one from school had yet managed to arrive, she let the pain show as she walked towards Ulrich. "Aelita's right you know, you should be over there with Yumi."
Ulrich narrowed his eyes for a moment before seeing the sincerity and hurt in Sissi's words. She wasn't hoping to sabotage the young relationship, she was trying to help it. More guilt crashed around him, along with the uncertainty of how either he or Yumi could deserve the sympathy. But then Sissi didn't know the story.
"Look Ulrich, I'm not blind and I know something happened to create a rift in your group." The flicker of surprise in Ulrich's face told Sissi she was on the right track. "Whatever it was," Sissi lowered her voice to a hushed whisper, "it made Odd jump off the roof of an abandoned factory." She raised her voice to a more normal level though she strained to keep from yelling, "so fix it because I might not be there to save your friend next time." With that she walked away to await either word on Odd's condition or her father.
Ulrich glanced at Yumi then decided to actually look at her face. Blowing out a breath he finally gave up pacing back and forth in favor of taking a seat near her. Aelia got up as he approached and met his eyes as they passed. She was expecting him to help the person she considered a big sister and he couldn't help but remember how angry she'd looked when Sissi had tried to convince both of them that Yumi and Jeremy were cheating with each other. He shuddered as he realized that the expression on her face was one of 'or else'.
Aelita walked over to Sissi, sparing a larger smile for the girl before hugging her. "Thank you for saving Odd." Sissi stood there for a few seconds as a former enemy hugged her warmly then somewhat awkwardly returned the embrace.
Yumi and Ulrich looked awkwardly at one another for a long moment before Yumi motioned him to sit down. Silence reigned as they both watched Aelita lead Sissi over to where Jeremy was sitting. Looking guiltily at Ulrich, Yumi frowned and finally said, "you think he'll be ok?"
"He's Odd, he always lands on his feet" Ulrich replied in a subdued manor that was entirely unconvincing.
"Yeah." Yumi replied in the same way. She glanced nervously around the room and thought about what Aelita had said earlier. Swallowing her pride she looked over at the doorway to the ER, "he wouldn't be here if I..." Emotion seemed to choke off her voice.
Ulrich hesitantly put his hand on her shoulder over the blanket she was wrapped in. He couldn't find any words that seemed like they would make things better but he felt he had to try. "It's my fault Yumi, I should have seen this coming and."
"And what Ulrich?" Yumi interrupted him. "I'm the one who wished this on him a thousand times over."
Ulrich almost couldn't believe the strain in Yumi's voice. It sounded like she was doing everything she possibly could to keep from crying and it was just really strange to hear. But at the same time it was a welcome change from the hardness and the almost scornful way she acted towards Odd. Trying to sooth her and hoping she would be willing to listen he whispered "he's going to be ok and he'll welcome your friendship."
Yumi's mind flooded with memories of the past as a dam somewhere within broke. Bad jokes that weren't really funny at all yet made everyone laugh. The times he'd put down Sissi in defense of Ulrich and of her. The pranks that always had a way of going awry yet working out in the end. His maddening need to act the reckless hero yet the responsibility he showed when it really mattered. The memories blasted apart whatever remained of her self-control and she began to weep over the possible loss and the pain she'd inflicted beyond what was really called for. Ulrich gingerly held her in his arms.
Sissy looked over at Yumi and then quickly looked away as the usually tough girl broke down. On some level she wondered what they were all going to miss about him. But as soon as the question presented itself memories of Odd pushed to the front of her mind and she remembered the times when he'd been kind hearted and nice to her. As she considered some of the better memories she wondered what it would be like without him at school. Tears she couldn't quite understand stung at her eyes as she considered. Life would be quieter and simpler around campus without him. She wouldn't have to worry about his pranks and jokes humiliating her. Yet, in some way, she couldn't imagine life actually being better without them despite wishing for that a countless number of times.
Yumi pulled her head up and gathered her courage to ask something she probably didn't deserve. She had to be the first person to see him, he deserved to know that she was sorry for how she had treated him. He needed to understand how ashamed she was that it had taken his near death to make her understand. Most of all, he needed to know that she would help him recover in any way she could. "Ulrich?"
"Yeah?" He answered in a warm voice.
"If..." Yumi squeezed her eyes shut for a moment as she paused then continued, "when we can go see Odd, do you mind if I go first?" She pulled back to get a look at Ulrich's face as he considered.
With a slow nod he answered "yeah, I think I understand." He smiled slightly at Yumi as she leaned back into him.
Walking purposely forward, the attending doctor for the ER frowned slightly as he greeted the man who had been introduced as Principal Delmas. He took the offered paperwork, opened the folder and quickly read the contents: A parental consent form authorizing the school and him specifically to make emergency decisions in the event of, well, any sort of emergency concerning one Odd Della Robbia. With his legal base covered, the doctor handed the paperwork to a hospital staff member with instructions to get copies then waved Mr. Delmas down the hall. As they walked he explained what he knew about what happened to the boy that ended up in his ER. Stopping just out of earshot of the waiting room where they'd put the kids Odd came in with he finished up then led the principal in silence to the room. With a curt nod he allowed Mr. Delmas to proceed him and took in the sight of five puffy eyed and upset teenagers.
"About your friend..."
A/N #2: If you happen to use Greasemonkey for Firefox and have really long private message conversations then my profile contains a script that might help you. It adds a compose reply button to the bottom of the page, underneath the most recent private message received.