Chapter 8
"Where does she live, your grandma?" April asked as the four started out to the hallway.
"New Zealand." Odd explained.
April locked the door and turned towards her new friends. "Should not we tell Aélita and Jérémie?"
"They're already there, I'm sure." Yumi said, remembering before the return to the past.
"Come on, we better hurry before they get rid of all the meat balls." Odd said, walking towards the door. "I heard it's meat balls and gravy!"
"Odd and his food." Ulrich said, shaking his head.
They walked outside and found it was pouring rain.
"Too bad I forgot an umbrella." April said.
"We'll just have to run for it." Yumi said.
"I'll race you." Odd said to Ulrich.
"You're on." Ulrich said.
April smiled as she stood next to the two as they set up for the race. "Ready? Set. GO!"
As the two boys ran towards the cafeteria, Yumi and April lagged behind, walking through the rain.
"Have you noticed how Odd's..." Yumi asked, trying to think of the right words.
"...Trying to get me to like him?" April guessed. "Ya, I have noticed. For some stupid reason, I have always had guys try to spoil me because they liked me. I do not get why, with me being ugly and all."
"Who told you 'you were ugly'!?" Yumi exclaimed, rain running down her cheeks.
"My father." April said, looking down. "I had just gotten my photo back from the professional photographer and he told me I looked ugly when I smiled so to never smile again."
"Let me see you smile." Yumi said.
April looked at her and smiled, barely showing her teeth.
"Jim was wrong. You look beautiful." Yumi said.
"What is sad though, is that my dad was my favorite parent." April admitted. "He was the first to tell me sorry for yelling at me."
"What happened?"
"I do not really remember." April said, looking down again. "I just remember him coming into my room and saying sorry. I told myself that he loved me more because I could feel him really mean the sorry. It was not just a word."
"I know what you mean." Yumi said. "I wonder why parents have to be so mean."
April's shoulders started to shake, as if she was crying, and got Yumi's attention. "Are you ok, April?" Yumi asked, putting her hand on April's shoulder. "Come on, let's get under the arcade."
Yumi led her to the classroom siding and under the awning. "Are you ok?" Yumi asked again.
"I am sorry." April said, gasping for breath as she tried to stop crying. "I hate crying."
"It's good for you from time to time." Yumi said, keeping her arm on April's shoulders. "What happened?"
"My memories have been coming back in big flashes because I had gotten in a car wreck and it damaged the part of my brain that deals with memory. And I just remembered how, I guess you would say, my whole family has been just using me." April said. Tears had stopped falling down but she was still gasping for air every now and then.
"What do you mean?" Yumi asked.
"My mother treats me like a slave, my father, well, you know him. He never stays in the same place for more than a few years, than he is gone. My grandmother was just trying to make me a bully for her own use. My grandfather threw things at me. I do not know Jim's side of the family and do not care to."
"I'm sorry." Yumi said. "Come on, maybe some lunch could help. And I'm sure Odd would love to see you."
"Same for Ulrich and you." April said, smiling as she tried to dry the tears with her shirt sleeve.
The two headed out from under the arcade and headed towards the cafeteria again. "What do you mean, Ulrich and me?"
"Oh, uh, never mind then." April said, seeing they didn't know it themselves. "Come on, let's run. It might warm us up before we go inside."
-.-.-.-
"What took so long?" Ulrich asked as Yumi and April sat down with their food.
"Girl talk." Yumi said, sitting across from Ulrich.
April looked next to her and saw Odd shoving all of his food into his mouth.
"What?" Odd asked, looking at her with gravy going down his chin.
April handed him a napkin and smiled as she said, "You eat like a pig!"
Everyone at the table stopped eating and looked at her, surprised.
"Did I say something wrong?" April asked.
"Just a note." Ulrich said, putting down his fork back on top of his food. "Don't call anyone in Europe a pig."
"Oh, I am sorry." April said. "Back in the US, it just means the person eats too much."
"That's why we call him a cow." Jérémie said, trying to lighten the mood.
"Sorry Odd." April said, looking at him.
"It's ok." Odd said. "I'm too lazy to hold a grudge."
"You have seen Ice Age!" April said, remembering the line from the first movie.
"I love that movie!" Aélita said.
"Me too!" Odd said. "Defiantly the Vultures in the second one!"
"You liked the song!" Yumi said.
"What can I say, I love food." Odd said, shrugging and scooping up more of his food to eat.
April started to look off to the right, past Aélita's head.
"What is it?" Aélita asked, turning around to look where April was looking.
"Oh, no, there's nothing that way." April said, getting Aélita to turn back around. "There's a spot on my glasses."
"So you have to follow it?" Yumi asked.
April took off her glasses and wiped off the spot on her shirt. "Uh, yes."
"Great, another ADHD person." Ulrich said, going back to his food.
"ADHD?" April asked, trying to remember what the initials stood for as she put her glasses on.
"Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder." Yumi explained.
"Oh, yes. The doctor even proved it with me." April said.
"Ulrich, dear!" Sissi's voice called over.
"Oh great." Ulrich said, sinking down in his seat.
"I did not know you had a girlfriend." April said as Sissi stopped at the edge of their table.
"She's, thankfully, not my girlfriend." Ulrich said, looking at Sissi.
"My father agreed, so I can go off campus with you to the cinema tonight!" Sissi said. "We can see that new movie, Cave In."
"Sorry Sissi, he's taken." Odd said. "Tonight's the night of the All Man's Meeting."
"Not much of a club, only two members." Sissi said. "Jérémie and Ulrich, but whatever."
"Hey!" Odd exclaimed.
April put her hand on Odd's leg to stop him from anything he might do. He froze and looked at April.
"Sorry." April mumbled, taking her hand back and putting it in her lap.
Sissi rolled her eyes and looked back at Ulrich, "So, are you going to this two man club, or with moi and see Cave In?"
"I'm going to the three man club, Sissi." Ulrich said, standing up for his best friend.
"You'll be sorry you didn't choose me, Ulrich dear." Sissi said as she walked away.
"Sure." Ulrich said.
"Does she always do that?" April asked.
"Almost every day." Yumi said, sounding like she hated Sissi more than Ulrich.
"Sissi's the principal's daughter so she thinks she runs the school." Aélita explained.
"There's my nephew! And my daughter!" Maggie said as she walked over and pulled a chair to sit at the end Odd and Aélita were sitting at. "Sorry I haven't been here. So what's happened?"
"We played Roi!" Odd said.
"Ya, and guess who's king right now." Ulrich said, smiling at Odd's annoyed face.
"Who?"
"April is." Yumi said.
"April beat Odd!?" Jérémie exclaimed. "Finally, someone is able to beat him."
"How long has he been King?" Maggie asked.
"Since Jérémie taught us to play the game." Aélita said.
"What is this Man's Meeting thing anyway?" Yumi asked Odd.
"Ya, this is the first I've heard of it." Jérémie said.
"Something I made up for Ulrich." Odd explained. "It never really existed."
"HOW DARE YOU!" Herve's voice yelled from behind Odd, April, and Yumi.
They turned to see Herve standing next to Nicolas with their trays in hand. "I should teach you a lesson for messing with Sissi like that!"
"Sure Herve, try." Odd said, standing up.
"What?" Herve asked, not expecting this.
"Hit me with your best punch." Odd said, spreading his arms to say that he didn't have anything up his sleeves.
"Alright!" Herve said, handing his tray to Nicolas. "You asked for it."
Herve reared back and threw all his weight into the punch. Just as he was an inch away, April flew up and grabbed the side of his neck with her hand.
Herve froze as April said, "You touch him and I will knock you unconscious here and now."
Herve, believing she would do it, dropped his hand.
April let go and let Herve walked back over to Nicolas.
"What were you going to do to him? The Vulcan neck pinch?" Jérémie asked as Odd and April sat down.
"Yes." April said as if it was surprising for him to ask. "It really works."
"I know it works, but not many people can actually do it right." Jérémie said.
"You have to remember, my father is Jim." April said.
"Point taken." Jérémie said.
"Remind me never to get in a fight with you." Odd said.
"Defiantly since I'm an archery instructor." April said.
"You are?" Ulrich asked.
"Yes. The one good think about my crazy family is that they love any type of weaponry. Whereas my father liked every type of martial art he could try to learn." April said.
"Hey, could you teach me." Odd asked. "I need to improve my aim."
"Sure. If I could find some bows and arrows." April said.
"I've got some long bows." Yumi said. "And probably some arrows."
"Cool. Thanks Yumi." April said.
"Would you mind if you added a few more to that archery class?" Jérémie asked. "We all could use the practice."
"Sure, if you want." April said.
"I see you're fitting in perfectly well here." Maggie said.
April smiled at Maggie as to say that she loved it here.
"Oh, I just realized something." Ulrich said, looking at April's French fries and stake.
"What?" April asked.
"You're not using ketchup." Ulrich said.
"Not every American likes to put ketchup on all of their food." April said, smiling. "I knew one guy who did. Even in his water and on his honey bun. I do not know how he was able to eat that."
"Sounds disgusting to me." Odd said.
"And, actually, I was afraid to even use ketchup on my fries." April admitted. "I had heard how so many chiefs were about the person adding anything to the food."
"This is cafeteria food." Aélita said. "You can do that."
"Trust me, this does not get demoted as cafeteria food." April said. "You try having either over cooked chicken or pink chicken as your lunch. Then there is the mystery meat. That thing should stay a mystery."
"Are they trying to kill you?" Jérémie asked.
"Some ask themselves the same question." April said.
-.-.-.-
"Hurry out of my mind, and you'll be out of ideas pretty soon so let us spend the afternoon in a cold Hot Air Balloon." April sang and danced to Owl City's song, unaware of Odd standing in her doorway. "Leave your jacket behind, we mount and touch the tree tops of the town. I can't wait to kiss the ground whenever we touch back down."
"Bravo." Odd said as he clapped during the brake in the song.
"AHH!" April yelled, started by Odd. Her cheeks went red with embarrassment as she regained her balance. "I hate it when people do that."
"What, startle you?" Odd asked, walking into her room.
"No, watch me dance." April said. "I cannot dance."
"Yes you can." Odd said. "You need to be one of those people who write dance steps."
"No thanks." April said, sitting on her bed. "To tell the truth, I want to be a voice actor, or, well, actress."
"We could work together." Odd said, walking over to her and took the chair from the desk to sit in. He twirled it around and sat down facing April. "I like making videos. My favorite was Natural Disaster. Sissi was in it."
"Was it good?" April asked.
"I thought so. But Sissi got mad at me for how her part came out as." Odd admitted.
"I have got to see that some time while I am here. Where are your friends?"
"Yumi went back home, I'm guessing Jérémie's with Aélita working on another computer program, and Ulrich's with Kiwi in my room. Why?" Odd asked.
"I was just wondering. You all are a close group of friends, no?"
"We are pretty close. I mean, if it came down to it, yes, I would go in front of a bullet if I needed to."
"I have got some friends like that back home too." April glanced at the clock on her desk and saw it said 23:22. "I guess we better be getting to bed. School tomorrow, who would have guessed I would be going to school during my summer break."
"Good luck at getting to sleep." Odd said as he stood up. "It's what, eight hours behind back in New Mexico, isn't it?"
"Yes, I lost a few hours of my life getting here." April joked. "Good night, Odd."
"Good night, April." Odd said before leaving her room and going over to his aunt's room to tell her good night.
Odd left their apartment and headed up to the third floor where Ulrich and Kiwi were waiting for him.
"Spent a long time just to tell April and Maggie good night." Ulrich said as Odd walked into their room.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Odd asked as he went over to his wardrobe and pulled out his pajamas.
"I mean, you like April, don't you?" Ulrich asked.
"Ah, now I know what you're up to." Odd said, closing his wardrobe and starting to change cloths. "See, if I told you that I like Jim's daughter, than word would get around to Jim and I would be dead meat."
"So you do think ahead." Ulrich said.
"Anyway, she gave me an idea for my next movie." Odd said as he pulled out a piece of paper from his desk and sat down, moving some of his clothes out of the way.
"Do I get to know what this movie will be about, or do I have to wait in till Chardon releases it?" Ulrich asked.
"No, you're in it." Odd said, writing down a script before he forgot it.
"So?" Ulrich prompted.
"Wait in till the morning."