AN: Geez, this took me forever! I'll go straight to the chapter after answering a few reviews.
Jlyoko: You'll have to wait to find out...
Animegirl16: Ari accepts your apology :P
Funarahi: Funny thing being abused will do to you.. makes you timid and scared...
Ok, now to the chapter! I tried to make it longer for you guys. It's a little bit of fun after all the bad stuff that's been going on. Don't worry, I still have the plot firmly in mind. This chapter also helps get some feelings in the open, sort of. As always, read, review, and enjoy!
"Ok, who doesn't know how to swim?" Ulrich looked over the class and was pleased to see only two hands raise. Nine-year-olds Abby and Jason bashfully lifted their hands higher, not sure if he had seen them.
"Jason, you come with me," Jim boomed, walking up to the group, sporting his black Speedo (AN: trust me, I didn't want to put that... I can't even stand the thought! It's not my fault he's weird..). "The rest of you listen to Ulrich and no horseplay." Ignoring the giggles of the group, he clamped a hand on Jason's shoulder and led him to the shallows while Ulrich took Abby and the rest of the group to another part of the lake.
"Abby stays with me, the rest of you jump in." Ulrich beckoned to Abby and the brunette walked shyly to the edge of the water, nervously twisting a strand of her red hair in her fingers.
"Am I in trouble cuz I don't know how to swim?" she asked, her eyes fixed on the sand.
"No, if you want, I can teach you a little bit," Ulrich offered, looking down at the girl. This made Abby brighten up, and she looked up at him, her face wreathed in smiles.
"I'd like that," she said, holding out her hand to Ulrich.
The sudden change in the girl's demeanor startled him, and he stared at the proffered hand before snapping out of his daze and taking her hand carefully in his own. Seeing the jealous stares of her female classmates, Abby stuck her tongue out at them, excited to have the handsome soccer player to herself. Her pleasure was short-lived, though, as Ulrich led her to where his group of friends, minus one, stood in the water. Odd was splashing water at Yumi, who was one of the jealous onlookers. The sun-warmed water lapped at the bottom of Ulrich's black swimming trunks as he led Abby farther into the lake. She squealed as the water touched her legs and immediately took a step backward. Seeing the problem Ulrich was having, Yumi put aside her jealousy and emerged from the water, he black one-piece swimsuit dripping.
"Come on, Abby, I'll be right here with you," Yumi said, smiling at the younger girl. The small redhead still looked hesitant but held out her left hand to Yumi. With the girl between them, Ulrich and Yumi walked slowly into the water, letting all of their bodies adjust to the lake's temperature. When the water was up to her waist, Abby started to get nervous and clung onto their hands tighter. The water was only halfway up on Ulrich and Yumi's hips, but they still stopped.
"Ready for your first lesson?" Ulrich asked lightly. Abby nodded slightly and the lesson began. Half an hour later, Abby was splashing with Jason in the shallows while Jim watched over them. Ulrich and Yumi swam over to where Odd was treading water in the deeper part of the lake. His back was to them and a mischievous look passed Ulrich's features. He brought his hands out of the water and indicated pulling something down. Yumi's eyes widened and she blushed. Instead, she made motions of pushing someone down, and Ulrich nodded in agreement. To keep their actions secret, they dove and swam under the water, coming up only when they were a foot behind Odd. At Ulrich's nod, they lunged forward at the blond boy, hitting him on the back and pushing him under water.
The force pushed all of them under water, but almost flipped Odd. His legs thrashed the air, and his purple swimming trunks stood out like a sore thumb. When everyone was finally righted, Yumi laughed at the surprised on Odd's face, and Ulrich just smirked.
"You know what this means..." Odd grinned impishly and dove at Yumi's left side. Upon contact, Yumi's eyes widened, and she drew in a sharp breath of water. Panicking, she floundered to the surface and, once she reached air, was the victim of a coughing fit. She struggled to stay afloat as she clutched her side, the pain almost unbearable, for Odd had unknowingly hit the side Theo had kicked and bruised the night before.
"You ok, Yumi?" Ulrich swam over to her side and put his arm around her waist to help her keep her head above water.
"Are you ok? I didn't mean to hurt you," Odd said, swimming up to her left side. Yumi nodded slightly, still coughing too much to talk. Between the two of them, they got her to a shallower part of the lake where her feet could touch. After a few more racking coughs, Yumi started to gasp in air, still hunched over slightly, holding her side.
"What's wrong?" Ulrich asked, concern evident on his face and in his voice.
"It's - nothing," Yumi gasped, trying to bring her breathing under control.
"It sure doesn't seem like nothing," Odd said, walking around to face her. "And look, there's something on your face." Before she could stop him, Odd reached forward and wiped the remains of the concealor off her face. Most of the make-up had washed off in the lake.
"Yumi, what's that?" The quiet calm of Ulrich's voice was unsettling, and when she looked him in the eye, she saw anger.
"It's... nothing, really Ulrich.."
"You're bruised, again. What's going on?"
"I told you... it's nothing."
From a few feet away, a pair of eyes meet Yumi's, and she looked down at the water guiltily. Ari shook her head sadly and went back to playing with the younger girls. Her concealor, too, had washed off and revealed her injuries. Because she was wearing a two-piece swimsuit, the bruises on her side were highly noticeable, especially against the hot pink of the suit. Yumi saw the marks on Ari and remorse coursed through her.
"Yumi, you're hurt and I want to know why. Please, maybe I can help." Ulrich's voice was so compelling that Yumi almost confessed her secret, almost.
"Please, just forget about it," Yumi pleaded, straightening up gingerly. The pain in her side had subsided and was now only a slight ache. "Let's do something else, ok?"
"I won't forget about it, Yumi. If there's something wrong, you should tell us. Trust us - trust me - like you used to." The tension was strong between the two when Odd chimed in.
"C'mon guys, we're missing all the fun," Odd said, tugging on Ulrich's arm. Ulrich reluctantly let himself be led off by Odd, and they were followed by Yumi, who had now recovered enough to go back into deeper water. The three splashed and dunked each other, careful to be especially gentle with Yumi. Toward the end of class, Yumi disappeared. Neither boy noticed, though, because they were too busy fending off each other. She was not far away; Yumi was treading water ten feet away, debating her next move, when she head someone swim up behind her.
"Why didn't you tell them?" Ari's voice was quiet but demanding.
"They don't need to know."
"Yes they do. If they know, they can help you. If you won't do it for yourself, do it for them. They care about you, Yumi. At least promise me you'll tell them if this happens again, ok? If you don't, I will." This was greeted by silence from Yumi. After a few minutes, Ari strove to break the silence and nudged Yumi and nodded at the boys with her head.
"C'mere, I have an idea." Ari grinned wolfishly and leaned over to whisper in Yumi's ear. A smile spread across Yumi's features, which was exactly the affect Ari was going for.
"Ready?" Ari prepared to dive and looked at Yumi, who nodded. Both girls dipped under the water and swam down seven feet, nearly the depth of that section of the lake. Above them were the boys. Yumi could tell they had found the right two because Odd's trunks stood out like a sore purple thumb. The girls then began swimming upward until they were directly below Odd and Ulrich. Each girl reached up and, in one swift moment, grabbed a boy's ankles and pulled down, which shot the girls up as the boys went down. Yumi and Ari took a quick breath of air and dove back down to help the boys to the surface. Yumi grabbed Ulrich's floundering hand and swam upward while Ari did the same for Odd. Ulrich got the idea and added his kicking to hers. Both pairs broke the surface at the same time. Odd and Ulrich gulped in air gratefully while Yumi and Ari laughed, remembering the looks of surprise on the boys' faces.
The kids continued to splash and dunk each other until the bell rang, and they left to change into dry clothes before lunch.
AN: Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Let me know if you have any questions that AREN'T about when Theo will get his butt kicked, etc. lol See you in the next chapter! Remember to review before you leave, thanks!