A/N: A big thanks goes out to Commando Wolf and to Moonlitxangel, without whom this chapter may not have happened.
Kadic Academy, Library, Wednesday 8:28 PM: Herve watched as Sissi's new friends filed into the library. Jeremy and Aelita were walking side by side and laughing, probably at something Odd had said as they made their way over to the table they usually sat at. Unable to help himself, he glared at Jeremy. The rival boy appeared to have perfected life, having Aelita as his girlfriend, Yumi and Ulrich as protectors, Odd for stress relief and now Sissi as the feather in his cap. To say it wasn't fair would be putting it mildly.
His eyes smoldered with barely repressed hatred as Ulrich crossed his field of view, walking beside Yumi. Ulrich who had crushed Sissi's dreams time and again. The boy who could never see Sissi as the beautiful being she really was and who would never appreciate that beauty even if he did. Ulrich, who Sissi had pined over and desired for so long, whose love she wanted more than anything else, had rejected her. But because of that, she was welcomed into Jeremy's circle of friends and she had readily abandoned him for them. She had, he thought bitterly, abandoned his constant support in favor of the people she made fun of and who had so obviously hated her only a few weeks before.
He turned away, looking back at the day's homework and let his anger go. There was nothing he was going to be able to do about it anyway. Instead, he considered himself, and why he wasn't good enough for her. Of course Sissi had always demanded the best and he knew he couldn't live up to it. He wasn't popular or athletic, wasn't confident and couldn't even think clearly around her. He glanced up, seeing the girl of his dreams go around the table looking for a seat with worried expression.
None of them deserved to know a girl like Sissi, he thought angrily as she walked back to her seat beside Jeremy. They weren't helping her and he could... He cut himself off right there; he couldn't just go up to her and offer his help. She would reject him and as painful as it was to watch her be ignored, it would be worse to be rejected. So he stayed put and forced himself to work on his assignments.
Sissi's eyes scanned the table and she watched Aelita try to coax Odd into getting the chemistry assignment right. Beside her, Jeremy was helping Ulrich with some sort of English essay, and the two seemed to be deep into concentration over the blond genius' laptop. Yumi was just about packed up and ready to leave, needing to escort Hiroki home and babysit him. William was working on his math homework, though he seemed rather bored by it.
She looked at her own science worksheet and groaned at all the unfilled in spaces for questions she didn't really get. Too much of her time spent goofing off is what everyone present at the table would say about her inability to solve the problems. But as she watched the others work, she knew she couldn't just wait around and hope they'd have time to show her. Nor did she have any intention of asking William, he just had a slightly creepy vibe about him that unsettled her even though he seemed nice enough.
She looked around the library and spotted Herve, immediately knowing that even though she had ignored him for well over a week, he'd do whatever she asked. Granted it might take a bit of a pose, and maybe some batting of her eyelashes, but he'd help her out in the end. She got up, whispered an excuse to Jeremy who nodded without paying attention, then gathered her science homework and book and headed in Herve's direction.
Herve looked up as Sissi leaned against his table, looking down at him with those utterly perfect hazel eyes. He couldn't help himself and smiled up at her, all the bitter anger melting away as she smiled back and leaned to offer a better view of her curves. His eyes locked onto her belly button for a moment and he marveled at the visual texture of her skin.
"Herve?" His eyes flew to her face at the sound of her silky voice. She took a seat beside him, "do you think you could help me with this science stuff?" She asked in an overly sweet voice.
"Of co... I mean it would... Yeah." He stammered, any resistance that his feelings of abandonment might have given him gone. He took a few sheets of extra paper from his back-pack and shoved his own work aside to make room for Sissi's. Then he began trying to walk her through the steps needed to solve the problems. She followed along for the first one, had trouble with the second one and seemed completely stuck on the third problem.
Sissi puzzled over the third problem, distinctly recalling some random beauty tip from a magazine she had been reading rather than the necessary concept from class. She looked up from the paper at Herve, his face a mask of concentration as he puzzled over how to explain the concept she was stuck on. She glanced at her watch, knowing that at this rate she was never going to get done and that failing her new friends was not an option. She reached out, touching Herve's hand gently and noting with satisfaction the way he jumped and was now trembling. She smiled seductively, "why don't you work this one out as an example and then I'll try to follow what you did."
Herve could only smile and nod before he began to work furiously on the problem, his cheeks practically glowing. Sissi watched him work, knowing that she had him trapped. He'd do the rest of her assignment and probably tomorrows too. She might actually try to follow Herve's work later, but for now, this was better than actually doing the work herself. It was amazing just what the applied charms of a female could do.
[[]]
Kadic Academy, Dorm Building, Sissi's room, Thursday 8:45 PM: Aelita looked over Sissi, teetering on the edge between plain anger and outright fury. "How could you do that?"
Sissi stared back, "You were busy tutoring Odd and Jeremy was busy with Ulrich and Yumi was at home taking care of her brother and William... I don't know, I just didn't feel like asking him for help. I can't really explain it further."
"So you thought it would be a good idea to convince Herve to do your work for you?" Aelita let out a frustrated sigh before continuing, "What happens when you get caught?"
"Relax Aelita, I've done this before and haven't gotten caught. I'll study Herve's work and if I have questions I'll ask you and Jeremy later. Besides, Odd and Ulrich need your time the most." Sissi soothed, hoping that it would calm the angry pink-haired girl.
Aelita fixed Sissi with a hard stare, "whether or not you get caught, it isn't right to just use Herve like that. He deserves better from you and him doing your work doesn't help you when it comes time for the test."
"I'll be ready for test, princess," Sissi retorted, "and I'll have better grades for Ulrich thanks to Herve."
"Only if you're not caught!" Aelita yelled back as she turned to leave. "And you know what Elizabeth? Herve deserves better than be used and tossed away like garbage when you're done with him!" She slammed Sissi's door shut and stomped back to her own room.
[[]]
Kadic Academy, Science building, Room 213, Friday: Ms. Hertz handed Jeremy and Aelita's homework papers back to them and smiled slightly as they looked at their perfect grades. Normally, she'd deduct a few points here and there just to remind the two geniuses that they weren't perfect. But with each assignment belonging to Jeremy and his friends holding the possibility of being scrutinized by someone else for the future of one of her students, she refused to pull such tricks and instead graded strictly on the answers and the work done to achieve them.
She continued to hand back assignments until only Sissi and Herve's were left. She frowned as she handed Sissi's paper back with "See me after class" written boldly in red. When the girl finally looked up at her and nodded, she walked to Herve and gave him his paper back with the same words written on it. He gulped nervously, looked up and nodded yes. With that done, Ms. Hertz walked back to the front of her classroom and began the day's lesson.
Odd tapped Sissi's shoulder as the bell rang and she began to slowly gather her notes and book. "What happened?" He whispered to her when she turned in his direction.
Shooting a worried glance at Aelita then turning her head back towards Odd before she noticed, Sissi whispered an answer. "Ms. Hertz wants to see me after class."
Odd looked at her with concern, "Do you know why?"
"No," Sissi lied, hoping he wouldn't see through it.
"Odd? You coming?" Ulrich's voice saved her from facing Odd, but nothing was going to save her from facing Aelita later.
"Elizabeth."
Sissi cringed when she heard her first name used and fought back the urge to correct Ms. Hertz right now. The teacher didn't really scare her, and she could get her father to pull her off the hook anyway, but Aelita and Yumi were another story altogether and they'd be a major problem if they thought she wasn't taking the matter as seriously as they believed she should. She walked to the teacher's desk and looked out the door to make sure her friends were gone. Herve stood next to her and she gave him a death glare.
"Elizabeth!" Ms. Hertz snapped, "He didn't tattle if that's what you're thinking. I'm perfectly capable of recognizing stolen work on my own." She turned her head to regard Herve and spoke more gently, "did you let Elizabeth copy your work or did she do that on her own?"
Herve froze, wanting to tell Ms. Hertz the truth, that Sissi had asked him, but afraid of the repercussions such an action would bring. Ms. Hertz would be mad if she knew that he had willingly done Sissi's work for her, but Sissi would get even somehow if he said that she had forced him. He took a chance and glanced at the Sissi, almost able to feel the waves of anger rolling off of her. He briefly wished that he could impress her just once instead of being a constant disappointment.
"Herve?" Ms. Hertz prompted.
He took a fearful look at Sissi then said, "She um... asked for help..." His cheeks were probably bright red right now. He ignored it and continued, "So I tried... but I just decided to do the assignment for her."
Sissi smiled, relieved that Herve hadn't said she wanted him to do the work, but then frowned as Ms. Hertz asked, "And you choose to do her work for her all by yourself?"
"Y... Yes," Herve answered shakily.
Ms. Hertz cast stony glares at the two through her glasses. Her thin lips set into a deepening frown as her mind processed the information. Herve twiddled his fingers nervously and fidgeted. Small droplets of sweat beaded on his forehead and cascaded down his face. Never, in his short life, had a teacher stared at him with ill-concealed distaste of such intensity. Sissi bit her bottom lip and winced as the sharp, metallic tang of blood seeped into her mouth. Having come to a decision, the science teacher cleared her throat to obtain the attention of her students.
"Detention for the both of you," she announced in a crisp tone. "Four hours for each or you, to be served today in the library under Jim's supervision. And," she declared, her brows creasing as small breaths of relief were issued from both of them "I will probably talk to the principal about the possibility of suspension if this happens again."
Sissi and Herve could only stare at their teacher in shock as the latter gathered up her papers and prepared to leave for the day. Herve almost blurted out the truth that Sissi had in fact made him do her work, but kept his mouth shut. Sissi, after all, had the ferocity of a lion and would surely find some way to exact revenge if he did so. Ms. Hertz slid her messenger bag onto her shoulder and cast a wayward glance at the two as she stepped in between the doorway.
"Remember that this school is one of the finest in France and therefore Kadic has strict standards. Normally, demerits would be issued, but I find that this occurrence of cheating needs more severe repercussions- I suspect this has been going on for some time, given that Ms. Delmas's work is usually barely legible and disorganized. I recall having to fail a student for plagiarism- poorly concealed plagiarism, I must admit. He had to take the year all over again; he was lucky he didn't face expulsion." With that, Ms. Hertz slipped through the doorway and left the two to their thoughts.
[[]]
Kadic Academy, Library, Friday evening: "Thanks for nothing, Sissi" Herve grumbled under his breath, hoping Jim didn't hear him.
Fortunately, the aforementioned man was sitting far enough away that he couldn't really hear their conversation and already was fast asleep in his chair anyways. Drool dribbled from his open mouth and onto his red sweater, and it would have made the scene comical had it been visible. The comic section in the newspaper he was reading disguised it however.
Sissi glanced at the Physical Education teacher to make sure he hadn't moved an inch before muttering a reply back. "Don't worry, I'll talk to my father and-"
"And what?" Herve demanded, causing Jim too loudly snort in his sleep; Herve realized his mistake and lowered his voice before continuing. "How long will it take before the principal realizes what his little angel has been doing?"
Sissi looked away, unwilling to continue to look Herve in his eyes. A nagging voice in the back of her head scolded her, and the ghost of Aelita's parting words echoed in her mind. As much as she loathed saying or even admitting it to herself, she knew the pink-haired female was right.
"I'm sorry" she mumbled halfheartedly. "I didn't mean for this to happen."
Herve could only stare at the person he once blindly worshiped with a mixture of his remaining anger and awe. He had never heard the normally bratty female ever apologize for anything in an even remotely sincere tone. Usually, she would sarcastically apologize after she utterly humiliated her victim, most likely using intelligence gathered by sneaking around the school and publishing it on Kadic's newspaper, or simply bullying others into doing her bidding.
Sitting as silent as death in his seat after almost a full minute, and still staring almost blankly at Sissi, Herve wondered if he'd heard that phrase correctly and the words had actually been voiced in that order. He really hadn't been expecting her to maturely admit her responsibility and guilt- he had thought that the moment he had begun his diatribe, Sissi would retaliate either verbally or physically.
"I'm sorry" Sissi reiterated, placing her crossed arms onto the table and laying her head on top of them.
"Why?" Herve prodded, having been shaken out of his stupor by her second apology. He leaned forward until their noses almost touched, his dark eyes glaring down at her.
"Why?" Sissi answered, confused. "Because I actually feel-"
"Not that" Herve answered, dismissing her answer with a wave of his hand. "When I asked why, I was asking you if you knew why I stuck around with you, why I loyally stayed by your side, even after your numerous rejections, and why I even gave you a chance." Herve paused to sharply inhale before continuing, albeit in a softer tone. "Sissi, I've stuck around with you for years. I've done almost everything you've asked for and even suffered for it. I've given you a chance that nobody else has instead of staying far away and avoiding you like the Bubonic plague."
Sissi buried her head in her hands, feeling a strong surge of guilt come over her. Suddenly, the influx of emotions overwhelmed her, and Herve was surprised to see a few tears stream down her face before they pooled onto the polished wooden table. Stunned, he reached out and gently patted her on the shoulder, unsure what to do now.
"It's just..." Sissi sobbed into her arm, momentarily forgetting about the required silence. "Nobody really cared for me or even appreciated me except you and that dork, Nicholas. I've tried to break apart the relationship between Ulrich and Yumi just because I was jealous of how close they were... and I've known him since Kindergarten, but he hardly recognizes my existence."
"Sissi", Herve began, already beginning to feel uncomfortable with the situation.
"You've seen how I tried to act better than everyone else, but what I really wanted was just to fit in!" Sissi pressed on, ignoring the pimply-faced teen. "I mean... for years I've followed after Jeremy and his gang and constantly insulted them, but I really just wanted to be friends with them. Is it so hard to understand that I just need someone to help and befriend me?"
"Sissi, I'm-" Herve started, but was quickly cut off by the normally bratty teenager.
"I've only said that I was the prettiest and smartest girl at Kadic so people would pay attention to me. I guess... I guess that I thought that it would take the place of my mother. I haven't seen her in a long time, and daddy hardly ever mentions her. Besides him, who would care for me!" Sissi snarled, whipping her hair as she turned away from the nerdy teenager to glare at the bookshelves on the other side of the room. "You think I'm ugly, right? That I'm the biggest loser in the school, even bigger than Nicholas, aren't I?" Sissi whispered softly.
Herve placed a comforting arm on her shoulder. "No, you're not" he voiced, pausing only to adjust his glasses before they completely slid off of his nose. "So stop thinking that... I think you're more beautiful and stunning than the sight of a thousand strips of burning Magnesium shining in the night."
With that, Sissi turned, sniffled loudly and stared at Herve sadly, a small smile twitching at the edges of her lips as she fully took in his words. Jim snorted loudly in his sleep and his body twitched, already beginning to awaken. Herve quickly cast a look at the snoring gym teacher, unsure if the large man was going to fully wake up and start scolding them for making such racket. By then, Sissi had taken the opportunity to bury her face into Herve's shoulder, continuing to silently cry. All Herve could do was to embrace her in a comforting hug and gently stroke her hair.
Inwardly, he was amazed at how it felt to hold her and to offer her such comfort. There was nothing quite like the feeling and though his cheeks burned and his stomach felt like it was filled with butterflies all clamoring to get out, he wouldn't let go for anything. This moment was something he longed for and dreamed of, and he was surprised to find that now that it was here, he actually had the courage to do this. To tell Sissi how beautiful she really was and to hold her close as she cried on his shoulder. To know that she needed him and that he hadn't failed her.
[[]]
A couple of hours later: When both of them were released from detention by a bedraggled Jim, the sun was already setting in the horizon and stars were beginning to appear in the night sky. A cool wind rustled through the tree leaves, teasing at the two's hair. Neither of them had said much after Sissi's crying episode, nor did they attempt to strike up a full-scale conversation, instead letting the silence speak for both of them for a while.
"So..." Sissi began, turning around to face him. "Did you really mean all of what you said back there in the library?"
Herve nodded fervently before stopping short and quirking an eyebrow. "Have you seen how bright a strip of Magnesium shines when it's burning?"
Sissi shook her head, having not been the type to be interested in Chemistry while the teacher was attempting to explain the day's lesson.
"It's like a miniature sun" Herve explained. "When a centimeter length of a strip of Magnesium metal is held into the flame of a Bunsen burner, it glows red for several seconds before erupting into a dazzling white light that lasts for about two seconds before it fades away; but while the light is there, it's so bright, you have to look away before your eyes start hurting. That's how I see you- you're beautiful and dazzling... and you're incomparable to-" Herve broke off, blushing furiously as a sharp flash of light cut into his vision.
Sissi blinked her vision clear of the afterglow from the flash and bolted away from Herve, running after whoever took the picture. Talking to Herve had felt pretty good and it was really nice to hear him talk to her as if she was really someone special. But that didn't mean she wanted a picture of herself and Herve to be the front page of the Kadic newspaper. She could, as she turned a corner following the sound of running feet, see the headline. Kadic's newest couple: Kadic's queen and lowest nerd. Strange thing was, it didn't seem all that bad anymore. Not exactly what she wanted, just not repulsive.
Herve watched her run away with a growing sense of dejection. He knew she was sensitive to her image and though it pained him, he knew he was detrimental to the image she wished to maintain. Still, he had hoped that Sissi's earlier episode had really meant something. A large part of him still believed that it did. But it was hard to ignore the pain that welled into his heart at her sudden departure just as it seemed they were getting somewhere. He watched Sissi run for a moment then headed slowly to the dorm building, trying desperately to hang on to the fading hope from earlier.
Odd ran into the dorm building, almost knocking over another student as he passed by at lightning speed, amazed that Sissi was still running after him. He knew he couldn't get caught and pumped his legs harder in an effort to escape. He shoved the door to a stairwell open and heard it hit loudly on the stops, the sound echoing in the small space as a couple of girls jerked their heads around to see what had happened.
Sissi pushed through the door at the top of the stairwell after pushing past a stunned onlooker. She didn't care what it looked like to them, her focus was on the pictures. But she was growing tired and Odd apparently wasn't. He began to pull away as the two sprinted down the hallway. Despite her breath coming in ragged heaves and her legs being on fire, she pushed through the stairwell door on the opposite end of the girl's floor and jumped down the stairs two and three at a time.
Odd skidded, using his hands and arms to absorb the impact and redirect himself as he came out of the stairwell and hit the wall on the opposite side. Running down the hall, he bolted for the exit, knowing that Sissi was falling behind and that he was starting to get tired himself. Still he had to continue until he was certain that she wasn't able to continue the chase. He was in better shape than she was however, owing to all the running and fighting in the real world while they fought XANA.
Sissi ran, despite her worsening condition, as fast as she could after the now rapidly retreating form of Odd. Even though her pace had slowed considerably, she still hit Aelita with enough force to send her tumbling backwards when she didn't see the girl come out of Jeremy's room and collided with her. Jeremy came running out of his room just in time to see the two girls begin to overcome their shock. He moved through the crowd that was gathering and helped the girls up, but nearly dropped Aelita when the principal's voice boomed through the halls.
"What is the meaning of this?" Mr. Delmas demanded of the students who had just been picked up off the floor. He glared around the assembled bodies, silently advising anyone who couldn't enlighten him to leave. Most did, the small crowd dispersing and leaving Sissi, Aelita and Jeremy to stand alone. "Sissi, why were you running through the halls?"
The girl cursed under her breath, he must have come in from opposite side and so didn't see Odd running away. Not that it would have helped, but it would have been nice to have Odd in trouble too. "I was, um..." She stopped and panted, hoping that it would by her some time. Her father waited, but crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I was hoping to get help from Jeremy and it was getting late and-"
"Young lady, you know better than to be running through the halls." He pivoted his head and looked down at Aelita, "Are you all right?"
"Yes sir, no harm done" Aelita replied, hurriedly picking herself up from the floor.
"Good." Mr. Delmas replied as he put a hand on his daughter's back and guided her away from the two teens. Once they were far enough away to not be overheard, he looked down at Sissi and asked, "And does what you wanted Jeremy for have anything to do with your detention?"
Aelita watched them walk off, her mind putting together any number of ways for this to turn disastrous. She glanced at Jeremy as he gently pulled her back into his room and led her to his computer chair. She sat down when he gestured and tensed then relaxed when he swiveled the chair so that she was facing away from him and started massaging her shoulders. "Sissi's always been able to wiggle out of trouble with her father; it won't be any different this time." Aelita nodded, hoping that he was correct, and made a mental note to check for herself as she let Jeremy's attention take away her stress.
"Well, you see" Sissi began hesitantly, shyly looking at her father in his eyes. "I received some tutoring from Jeremy and Aelita, but they were too busy and-"
"Young lady" her father interrupted, holding up a hand to gesture her to momentarily pause in her explanation. "I have received word from Mrs. Hertz that you have been coercing your friend, Herve, to do your assignments for you. She has informed me that since this has most likely been occurring for some time now, she had given you detention. She has also stated that if you continue to copy from Herve or allow him to do your homework; she will consider suspension for you both. Do you deny these allegations?"
"No, daddy" Sissi muttered, nervously shuffling her feet.
"Very well, then" Mr. Delmas sighed, removing his glasses to massage the bridge of his nose. "I suppose that no further punishments will be incurred for this offense, since I believe that detention was enough for this episode of cheating. I will not put this on your permanent record. However," Mr. Delmas continued, replacing his glasses and clearing his throat for further emphasis. "Even though I will not punish you and your friend Herve any further, I will closely analyze your work so that you won't be tempted to try this again for a long time."
"Yes, daddy" Sissi said, slightly relieved at getting off the hook easier than she had already expected.
"I see that we are crystal clear on this, correct?" Mr. Delmas asked, continuing when his daughter fervently nodded her head. "Good. I expect to see no more of this silliness in the future. Oh, and be careful of speeding through the halls next time. We don't want any pedestrians to get involved."
Mr. Delmas grimly smiled and playfully ruffled his daughter's hair before he left, only stopping to gaze distantly as she retreated, presumably headed to her room.
[[[]]]
Aelita sat down at Sissi's vanity and swiveled the chair to face towards the bed where Sissi was fidgeting nervously. She could guess why, Sissi had recently been in detention and then got into trouble with her father over running recklessly through the halls. After all of that, Sissi was now asking for a favor and the girl was lucky that Jeremy had just finished giving her a shoulder massage because otherwise she would be in a really bad mood. Still, her voice held a hard edge as she asked "so how did things go with your father?"
Elizabeth's expression brightened just slightly. "Well enough. Daddy won't add the plagiarism to any records that Ulrich's father can see and he won't punish Herve any further. But..."
"Well?" Aelita prompted.
"He's actually going to be keeping a closer eye on my work to make sure I don't try this again."
"Good." Aelita answered, satisfied that this matter was closed. "So you wanted to ask me for a favor?"
"Do you think you could get Odd to destroy a picture he took of me?"
Aelita frowned at the girl, "I don't know, I guess I could try. What picture are you referring to?"
"One of me and Herve talking together."
"That doesn't sound all that bad." Aelita said in a curious tone.
"It's," Sissi hesitated, not at all certain she wanted to share with Aelita what she and Herve had been talking about. "It's not, but it's how Odd will sell it to Milly and Tamiya and then how they will publish it that worries me."
"Ok," Aelita answered as she got up from her chair. "I'll call Odd when I get back to my room and see if I can talk him into destroying the picture." She stopped just before opening the door and turned back towards Sissi, "but you owe me if he does," she added.
"You aren't going to talk to him now?" Sissi asked, leaning forward and sounding genuinely concerned and upset, "In person?"
"Elizabeth," Aelita said gently, hoping that the use of her given name would convey authority while the gentle tone she used would take the sting out of it. "It's nearly curfew and I'm assuming you don't want me to wait until tomorrow."
Sissi let out a small growl at the use of Elizabeth and then shook her head no in answer to Aelita's question. As she heard the sound of Aelita's hand turning the doorknob, she spoke up. "Hey Aelita, just out of..." When Aelita let go of the door and turned to face her again, she lost her nerve. "Never mind. Good night."
"Go ahead and ask whatever it is you want to ask, I won't get upset."
Sissi considered. Herve's earlier talk was making her wonder and she was questioning a good portion of her own feelings. Having been admitted into the group, she got a more inside view of Jeremy and Aelita's relationship and though it had its rough spots, she would characterize both teens as being better off with each other than without. Further, her breakdown and Herve's willingness to just ignore how horribly she'd treated him in the past, when combined with her new insights into herself and others, made her wonder just what Herve might have to offer her.
But there was no escaping that Herve had any number of shortcomings either. Most related to his looks and to his inability to win her popularity. But as she meshed with the Lyoko group, that seemed to become less important to her. She felt her confusion grow as she continued to contemplate the situation, recalling how she had poured her heart out and how it had felt good rather than embarrassing.
A noise roused her from her thoughts and she noticed that Aelita was still standing at the door. Her arms were at her sides but the expression on her face said that she was starting to grow impatient. Marshaling her courage, she looked into Aelita's eyes and spoke softly.
"How does it feel to be in love... like... to know that the person you admire likes you back?"
Aelita raised her eyebrows slightly, not quite expecting the question to come up at all. Her curiosity demanded that she ask Sissi if she was referring to Herve or someone else. Her intuition told her that if she asked that now, Sissi would clam up. Ignoring her curiosity, she considered for a moment. Ever since the defeat of XANA, she and Jeremy's relationship had been near perfect. Not that they didn't have their fights, but they worked through them and managed to take good care of one another in the process.
"Well, it's wonderful, to say the least" she conceded, a small, sad smile growing on her face as she remembered how much time Jeremy had devoted towards her safety, even though he couldn't physically be with her all the time. She rubbed a hand on her arm as more negative memories pushed to the front of her mind. The fight to free her from the lifeless world of Lyoko and then from the virus that it turned out she didn't have, and then to free her father and defeat XANA once and for all had taken a severe toll.
All the times Jeremy hadn't been able to be with her, sitting in front of a computer programming or studying its operation as if there was no tomorrow. The pain it caused her to be left behind in favor of the endless amount of work. The sense that she was a worthless burden that Jeremy had to carry with only minimal support from the group and even herself as she tried to live her life. The terrible realization that if Jeremy failed them, there was no back-up and there really would be no tomorrow for anyone. The utter joy of knowing beyond any doubt she was the most important person in Jeremy's life and that he'd do anything and make any sacrifice for her. How she felt when Jeremy managed to pull himself away from the responsibility she thrust onto his small shoulders and do something thoughtful for her, or just ask her how she was with genuine care and concern.
"Aelita?" Sissi asked as the silence stretched out and the aforementioned girl's eyes seemed to lose focus. The pink-haired girl looked up at the sound of her name, her expression an unreadable jumble of emotion that for some strange reason still seemed happy.
"Just thinking back," Aelita answered absently. "You know it's comforting to know that somebody will be there when you're at your worst and honestly ask you how you are feeling or… even try to make your day brighter."
Sissi stared at Aelita for a few seconds but then thought better of asking Aelita about her confusing mix of expressions and words, instead choosing to take her statement at face value. She had seen that much earlier with Herve, if she were to be honest with herself. "But how do you know if they love you back?" She demanded impatiently as she realized that curfew was rapidly approaching.
"You can look at their eyes, or" Aelita added as an afterthought "you can just ask them. I'm sure that if you ask them, they'll give an honest response."
"Or try to cover it up in front of their friends" Sissi snorted dismissively.
Aelita sighed and shrugged, not really sure how to answer that. Neither she nor Jeremy had really had the confidence to come right out and simply tell each other how they felt about each other and it did hurt her. All his devotion still left room for doubt when he would ignore her concerns for his health and sanity. Her desire to live her life even as Jeremy worked himself near to death had undoubtedly left him with similar doubts about her. And yet, any outsider could see how deeply their feelings for each other ran with only a simple glance. Through everything though, Jeremy had never intentionally tried to hurt her in any way. He had disappointed her, let her down on more than one occasion, but had never intentionally hurt her.
Aelita shuffled her feet as she recalled something else, Odd saying that he liked to make her blush. It brought up the memory of how uncomfortable it felt to be teased over her feelings. How it had made her feel self conscious and shy. "They're probably doing it because they don't want any gossip to spread through the school about the relationships; after all, gossiping can turn to jeering at both members of the couple, and he or she's probably sparing their friend from humiliation at the school students' hands" Aelita responded, trying to ease the teenage female's worries.
"So... does this mean that if Herve and I, well" Sissi broke off, biting her lip.
Aelita waited patiently for Sissi's response, already accustomed to the others habit of breaking off in mid-sentence while deciding how to continue.
"If you officially get together as girlfriend and boyfriend?" Aelita suggested helpfully as she stepped closer into Sissi's room.
"Yeah" Sissi agreed, lying back on her bed and staring at the ceiling. "I suppose that Milly and Tamiya would go crazy and publish a hyped-up story about both of us being together. They seem to be more desperate for a juicy story now that there's hardly anything happening here in this old dump."
"Isn't that what the press does?" Aelita pressed. "The newspapers and headliners always go for the stories that everyone will read."
"Of course" Sissi muttered bitterly, sighing in exhaustion.
"But even then" Aelita declared, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "You two wouldn't make a bad couple at all. I mean, the press aside, there are other things to worry about when you're in love with somebody, like... maybe pondering on how long the relationship will last, though I suppose Herve isn't the type to go around and cheat behind your back."
Sissi chuckled and slowly nodded at the pink-haired female, completely understanding and relating to what she was saying.
"You've got to admire his persistence and give him credit, though" Sissi sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I mean, how many boys are there in the world that would even give you the time of day, when you hardly recognize their existence? He's put up with me more than anyone else in this school, even more than Nicholas."
"Nobody else in the world" Aelita whispered, smiling slightly as she retreated back into the hall and closed Sissi's door, pulling out her cell phone to make a call to a certain prankster in their group.
[[[[]]]]
Kadic Academy, Sissi's room, Saturday 12:58 PM: "It was just a joke, I swear!" Odd whined as he hung upside down while his tormentor stood on a chair.
Sissi's hand was curled around an ankle, easily keeping the skinny boy suspended in the air with one hand while giving him the most venomous glare she could conjure.
"A joke!" Sissi hissed, giving Odd a violent shake. "A. Joke! I was publicly humiliated in that blasted newspaper, and it's all because of you!"
"Hey... hey, at least it's publicity! I mean, it's probably nothing and nobody saw it."
"I was jeered at by forty different people today, Della Robbia! You call that nobody!"
Odd whimpered in fear as Sissi continued her verbal spat and expressed her displeasure by continuing to violently shake him, hoping to beat the lesson of getting on her nerves into Odd's pea-sized brain. The self-declared Princess of Kadic Academy dug her perfectly manicured nails into the boy's ankle and felt a small twinge of satisfaction when he recoiled in pain. She knew it was morally wrong to be doing this, but after suffering at the hands of this weasel for too long, it was only just that she dished out a heaping portion of revenge.
"H... hey!" Odd stuttered, wriggling uncomfortably as blood rushed to his head. "I'm not the only bad guy here! You got Aelita in trouble a few months ago with a photograph."
"I did what?" Sissi snarled back.
"I sent you a picture of Aelita with her father, it was supposed to be a secret but you went straight to the principal with it." Odd replied; wishing he could free himself from the girl's vice-like grip.
"Odd... What the hell are you talking about? I did no such thing so stop trying to deflect the blame, Loki."
"I'm the god of mischief? ...That doesn't sound all that bad, actually. In fact, it's-"
"You're proud to be the mischief maker, huh? Well, how does being tied to rocks in a dark cave with a snake dripping venom on your face sound like to you?" Sissi shook the prankster once, wincing immediately since her arm was getting tired of holding Odd's weight.
Odd stayed uncharacteristically silent, not wanting to further incur Sissi's anger. He would have made a joke about how her temper was just as short as her aesthetic beauty if it had not been for the dire situation at hand. Sissi grunted as her arm finally gave under Odd's weight, sending the young boy crashing to the floor on his head. Odd mumbled angrily and rubbed his head, irritatedly glaring at Sissi, who was dismounting from the chair she formerly stood on while holding him.
"Was that really necessary?" Odd groaned, almost sure that the fall knocked out what was left of his brain.
"Yes" Sissi replied, flexing her non-existent muscles and grinning menacingly at the boy. "I have something special planned for you, and I will be sure to include the press in this escapade."
[[[[[]]]]]
"You have got to be kidding," Odd grumbled while he fingered the fabric he now wore disdainfully as he exited the bathroom and turned to look the principle's daughter in the face. "How long do I have to wear this?"
Sissi only smirked at Odd's question, resisting the strong temptation to burst into laughter right then and there. In her arms was a large basket with flora of all sizes and colors inside.
"You should be grateful that I have not decided to do something much, much worse" Sissi responded before continuing. "Oh, and you probably should stop by at Aelita's dorm to thank her for letting you borrow her dress."
"Not a chance" Odd retorted, already uncomfortable with the decorative light pink summer dress the pinkette had gotten during one of the trips Yumi took her on in order to explore France.
"Come on" Sissi pulled at Odd's arm, practically dragging him along with her as she shoved a basket full of flowers in his hands. "This will be fun, I promise." At least for everyone you've ever annoyed, Sissi added to herself.
"Fun for you" Odd muttered under his breath as the teenage girl frog-marched him towards the courtyard.
"Oh, stop being so whiny" Sissi replied, letting go of Odd and lightly shoving him into the large area where the students could communicate and play with each other during breaks in between school classes. "You only have to do this for 10 minutes at minimum. And hurry- Milly and Tamiya aren't going to wait for long to get a juicy story onto Kadic's newspaper."
Odd sucked in his breath and began skipping across the yard at a hurried pace, singing "I'm a Barbie Girl" and tossing flowers behind him. Many students needed only a second to look at the prankster before bursting into choruses of laughter as they watched the boy known for his reputation as a bad date prancing around in a pink dress. Odd felt his cheeks turn a visible bright red with embarrassment, feeling his dignity being stripped away with each skip he took and every flower he threw behind him.
The dress itself was sure to have been tailored for Aelita to catch Jeremie's attention during a school dance, though Aelita probably only wanted it for Jeremie's eyes only; she loved the way he reacted upon first seeing her before they danced a waltz or two. The dress was laced with gorgeous sashes in differing shades of pink and some sparkles along with strips of darker pink fabric to accent the dress. White silk flowers were embedded into the dress while a similarly colored sash that was embroidered at the waistline provided as decorations.
Laughter spread through the students already at the courtyard and the crowd began to swell as word moved through the student body at the speed of gossip. The jeers and laughter of the crowd was almost enough to drown out the clicking of cameras and the accompanying pop of their flash bulbs. Not satisfied with just having pictures, both young reporters dashed after him, bombarding him with questions and tossing the previous issue of Kadic's newspaper with Sissi and Herve's cover photo underfoot. Her relationship with one of the local school nerds was soon forgotten, a mere memory tucked into the recesses of their minds; this was more interesting and the fresh gossip always made for better headlines.
Bemoaning his predicament, Odd shamefully continued to skip and belt girly songs at the top of his voice, feeling sure that the remaining nine minutes would seem like forever. He cast glares at Jeremy, Aelita, Yumi and Ulrich for not saving him this mess when he caught a glimpse of them turning away and leaving. But on some level, he was glad they weren't staying to rub his humiliation in.
Aelita looked back over her shoulder, feeling guilty about allowing this to happen to Odd. But on the other hand, she had asked nicely, and then warned him that there would be consequences but he chose not to listen. Yumi put a hand on her shoulder and spoke, "I know you feel guilty but maybe it's for the best, Odd needs to learn that his decisions have consequences."
"And it's not like he wouldn't take an opportunity to do the same to us." Ulrich added as he recalled all the teasing he went through over his feelings for Yumi and all the times he had gotten into trouble for something Odd had done.
[[]]
Kadic Academy, Dorm building, about an hour later: Sissi nervously knocked on Herve's door, trying to keep Aelita's words in mind. She had taken a little time from her studies, or rather from Ulrich and Odd's studies, to offer her a bit of advice. Since the cat was out of the bag anyway, and since she obviously seemed to like Herve, Aelita had said "go out on a date and see if there's anything there."
Herve opened the door, stunned to see Sissi standing on the other side. After everything the picture of he and Sissi had put her through, having her standing nervously outside his door was surprising to say the least. "Hi... Sissi. I'm... uh..."
Sissi waved away his presumed apology when a swift motion of her hand. "Odd's been punished," she stated with a slightly cruel tone. Her voice grew smug as she continued, "And he won't be making any more trouble for us... At least for a while."
Herve nodded, unsure what she meant since he had been hidden in his room moping ever since seeing the girl he loved being made fun of because of him.
"So do you want to talk? Maybe find someplace with better food than they served at the cafeteria?" She turned her gaze away, feeling slightly guilty that it was Jeremy who had noticed and pointed out Herve's absence at lunch. "I know you skipped lunch."
Herve smiled brightly and blushed heavily, hoping that the light pink tint of Sissi's cheeks wasn't just his imagination. "I'd love to." He answered shyly.
Sissi motioned him and he fell into step beside her, trying to quiet the fear he felt. Sissi looked beside him, trying to keep Aelita's admonishment in mind and not hold Herve's lack of social experience against him. But she knew it wasn't going to be easy. She hoped that the pinkette was right however, and that it would be worth it in the end.
A/N: Again, a really big thank you goes out to Commando Wolf who broke into my account and actually wrote a good portion (~50%) of this chapter for me. She did the sections where Sissi and Herve had to talk to Ms. Hertz, their detention scene, the scene between Sissi and her father, and the scene where Aelita and Sissi talked in Sissi's room. I did heavily modify that scene however. She also wrote the scene where Sissi takes her revenge on Odd.
Also a thank you to MoonlitxAngel who helped me map out the direction of this chapter.
Herve x Sissi was not something I'd planned on, but you can thank Commando Wolf for that too. Given how Sissi has changed since her inclusion, I don't think it's all that far off. As for you Odd fans, looks like he's going to end up alone.