This chapter is short and boring, but I promise it's a build up for something big! I'm not satisfied with how it turned out but I had a huge writer's block for 2 weeks and this is the only thing I could get out :P

Ulrich sighed deeply and sat down. Although he had only two suits in his collection, he still couldn't decide which one to wear.

The first one was a classic tuxedo that is worn with a white shirt and a self-tied bow tie, while the second one was a dark blue suit that was more casual and is worn with a black shirt and black tie.

I am a model, but that doesn't mean I have to act like a teenage girl whose life depends on what she is going to wear.

He chose the classic tuxedo, once again. When was the last time he wore the other suit? His manager made him buy it because, according to him, it makes no sense for a model to own only one suit and wear the same one all the time. Fancy parties weren't something Ulrich attended often, so he never understood why his manager insisted on it.

After a few minutes, the suit was put on, the bow tie was tied and black patent shoes were on his feet. All that was left was his hair. He lost fifteen minutes trying to tame it with hair gel, but it was impossible. So it was left messy as it was every day.

Checking himself out in the mirror in his small room that hasn't changed since he was 12 (or 13?), he sent Odd a message telling him he'll be there in a few minutes. The blond was always late anyway so he knew that there was no need to rush.

It was quiet downstairs. Too quiet. In occasions like these, he would usually hear his parents bickering in the living room. But now... Nothing.

He checked himself out in the mirror for another time. Why was he so nervous? He should be used to this and he was, but not now...

"Ulrich, darling, come downstairs, please?"

The gentle, quiet voice of his mother brought back a lot of memories. When was the last time he talked normally to her? She was either at work or fighting with his father. Ulrich remembered the peaceful Saturday mornings and his family having breakfast together. His father getting ready for work and giving each of them a kiss on the cheek before going out. What happened? What made his parents like this?

"Ulrich, are you okay? You're not answering."

Realizing that he got lost in his thoughts which was usual for him, the brunette hurried down the stairs.

"I'm here. We're alone?"

"Yeah...," she replied a bit sadly.

"W-what happened?" he was already starting to stutter.

"Please take a seat," she smiled sadly for a second and then went back to sulking.

Ulrich took a seat on the couch next to her.

"Y-your father..."

Oh no. Not him again. I was really hoping to have a nice and quiet night.

"He wants a divorce."

Ulrich let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. They wanted to get away from his father since forever. So why was his mother so sad? She should be celebrating for God's sake!

"Wow, that's... That's great! We can finally live in peace! Why are you so sad? I thought you wanted to get away from him as soon as possible just like me."

"B-but Ulrich, I got fired a few days ago! How are we going to live? Your father's job pays really well and it's stable so we never had to worry about money."

"I am one of the most famous models in France. We can live off my money for a while, and also aunt Tina can help us," the brunette confidently rolled his eyes. The thing his mother needed to worry about the least was money.

"He is your father, after all. We've been together for so many years and I just can't let him go."

This really wasn't the answer Ulrich was hoping to hear.

I thought she wanted to get away from him as much as I did. I was thinking wrong for so many years.

Her explanation made sense but still. After all the years of his father insulting them and making them feel worthless, she still felt attached to him. Why?

"Are you joking? After he did to us, you can still say that?"

"Ulrich I-"

"I thought you wanted what was best for me! I have my whole life ahead of me and I really don't want him ruining it!"

"But you should understand! I love him!"

This was the last straw for Ulrich. He couldn't handle this anymore.

"I thought you knew better," the door was closed with a bang and Ulrich was already out.

Christiane just stood there, still processing what happened.

It's been 20 minutes already, damn, I hope Odd won't wait too long for me.

He took his phone from the pants pocket and unlocked it. He had 3 missed calls.

"Odd, I'm so sorry! I'll be there, something came up!" they decided to meet in front of William's house that was around 500 meters away, so he was half-running already.

"Listen, Ulrich. We got caught in the traffic and won't make it in another 30 minutes or so. Please meet up with William at his house. You can take a taxi or something."

"Okay..."

A fancy event he hated without his best friend? Great. Him and Odd being only seventeen, they couldn't drive, so they had to depend on Ulrich's manager Lorenzo for that. And Lorenzo was currently with Odd...

Before he noticed, he was already in front of William's house.

"Hey, you're already here? Why didn't you ring the bell?" William came out of his house, looking better than ever. He was dressed almost the same as Ulrich, only his shirt being black instead of white.

"I kinda got lost in my thoughts, you know me."

"Ah, typical Ulrich... I assume you've heard of Odd's and Lorenzo's situation."

"You've assumed correctly. Should I call a taxi?"

"Oh, no. I thought we could take a walk. The hotel is only, like, two or three kilometers from here."

"That would be a very good idea actually. I agree," the walk would help him let off steam... Or at least he hoped so.

"Is everything alright? You look a bit down. Your father again?"

"Yeah, it is him, but I don't want to talk about it. Let's just enjoy the event as much as we can. You need more experience after all."

"Yeah..." William was still worried for Ulrich. They haven't known each other for long, but William hated how closed Ulrich was. He never wanted to talk about his emotions and always kept them hidden.

"Just so you know... I'm here. If you wanna talk, that is."

"Yeah, yeah," Ulrich replied and put his hands in his pockets.

Because of the whole thing with his father, he completely forgot about Yumi. Despite both of them being very famous and often paired together, they rarely saw each other outside of school. What will she wear? How will she look?

She can wear a trashcan and still look good thanks to her good figure. And she knows it.

Ulrich suddenly remembered that incident from five years ago. Yumi sitting on top of him, her skin touching his, being in an ideal position for a kiss.

Idiot, you can't think about that! You have an important event to attend. Stop thinking about it!

Well it's too late, William has already noticed the redness on his cheeks that could be compared to a tomato.

"Thinking about a certain tall, black haired girl, Stern?" William used his last name to mock him.

"It's not what you think!"

William just signed and smirked. Knowing both of them, he really wanted them to know that the feelings are mutual. But he'll leave that up to them.

"Well, we are here."