A/N: Another oldish fanfic I found rotting stuck between two folders XD This one's made of fail, so don't expect awesomeness please. I had this idea for a LONG time. It's not really a romance, but you can see it that way it you'd like. I meant it more to be a could-be friendship type thing. Guh.

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko.

You're Not So Bad, Really

By Zeakari

"And then… and then he…" there was a burst of giggles as a small boy tried to get his humorous story out. After finally calming down he quickly said it before he and his audience of friends burst out laughing. It wasn't even entirely the story that amused them so much, instead just seeing the boy laughing so much about it got them going.

One of his friends, Ulrich, shook his head as he calmed himself down. "You have a strange family," he stated.

Recently, the student body had been given a small vacation, allowing the students to go spend time with their families, for they were boarding students. It was the night after they had come back, and they were still exchanging amusing stories as they ate dinner in the cafeteria.

Odd, who had been the one telling the story, took a casual glance around the room as he slowly calmed down. A mischievous grin crossed his lips as he saw his object of loath walk by with a tray of food, not looking nearly as happy as he and his friends were. The girl's name was Elizabeth Delmas, though she preferred to be called Sissi, and she was the stereotypical snob of the school.

"Hey, Sissi, what's the matter?" he called to her sarcastically, folding his hands behind his head. "Y'relatives didn't give you enough money this year?"

She stopped and blinked, at first not seeming as if she had understood what he had said. Odd's grin widened at this and he made another sarcastic comment about her being slow in the head. After that she whirled on him, not caring that some of her food spilled and she nearly broke a plate. If looks could kill, Odd would have been mangled, torn apart, stabbed, then thrown into shark infested waters with a bunch of meat strapped to him. After that, he'd be allowed to die. Slowly.

"What is your deal!!" the girl practically shrieked, surprising most of the room's occupants including Odd, who hadn't expected such a strong reaction. He quickly recovered from his mild shock and resumed the cocky attitude.

"Yeesh, Sissi, calm down. Are you crabby cuz you woke up this morning and realized you're an ugly snob?"

"Odd," a pink-haired girl named Aelita said softly, a worried expression on her face. "I think you should-"

Before she could finish, the angered girl threw her tray to the floor in rage, creating an almost surreal moment. It landed flat against the tile, food splattering and dishes breaking. There was a shocked silence as everyone in the cafeteria was taken aback. There was no reason anyone could think of that she should be reacting in such a strong way. Before anybody could react, the girl took a step toward the boy, her right arm swinging backwards. Her hand seemed indecisive as it flew toward him, as if it wanted to punch him and slap him at the same time. The result was a clawed hand, her nails swiping against his face and snapping his head to the side, leaving four reddened trails along his cheek.

The moment was over and reality seemed to catch up with them once more.

Odd just sat there for a second, at first not seeming to realize what had just happened. Quickly, though, his surprise melted into anger. "What's the matter with you!?" Odd stood up, furious.

Sissi's anger appeared to have been spent, though, and she seemed to deflate under his glare. Her breathing became shallow and quickened as she glanced around with a look of shock on her face. She spun on her heel and left the room as quickly as possible. Afraid she would snap again, children moved quickly out of her way, leaving her a clear path to the door.

Odd continued to glare even after she had passed the doorway, trying to resist going after her and doing something he'd regret. He felt a small tug on his sleeve and reluctantly sat down, turning away from the doors. Conversations hesitantly started up again, though this time they were all a bit hushed and not as cheery as before.

"Odd… um… you're bleeding," Aelita said softly, pointing at his cheek.

The boy raised his eyebrows and rubbed a hand against his cheek, wincing. "Everyday that spoiled brat gives me another reason to hate her," he muttered darkly as he scowled down at his nearly empty tray.

"You should really go see the nurse," Aelita told him.

He sighed, his anger dissipating. "Yeah," He stood up.

"I'll go with you," Ulrich said, standing up as well. "I'm done eating anyway."

"Me too," Yumi said as she started to follow them, the three of them disposing of their trays before leaving the cafeteria.

Jeremie and Aelita watched them leave before the girl stood up. "I'm gonna go to my room. Gotta study for that test," she said, picking her tray up.

Jeremie sighed and did the same. "I'll see you later, then."

The girl smiled and nodded before also leaving. Jeremie dumped out his tray and turned to go in a different direction. There was really nothing else for him to do besides working on his computer. He had been spending so much time on it, though, and he wanted a bit of a break from it, even if it was for a little while. Though he loved being at a computer, he couldn't bring himself to sit in front of one constantly. He needed a break every once in a blue moon. He left through the doors leading to the other side of the school grounds, rather than the ones leading to dorms.

The cool night air hit him as the doors closed behind him, causing him to shiver a little. Sometimes being cold is unpleasant, and sometimes it is comforting. The latter was true for the boy at the moment as he looked up at the clear sky. It felt nice to stop constantly worrying for at least a moment. He walked along the dirt, his body steadily getting used to the cold. He made it to a grassy area and plopped down on the ground, leaning against a tree. He let out a long sigh and closed his eyes.

He almost jumped out of his skin when he heard a voice nearby.

"Now, why is this surprising?"

The boy quickly sat up and glanced around for the source of the voice. He blinked in confusion when he saw Sissi sitting in the grass nearby, staring blankly at him. Why he hadn't noticed her earlier, he couldn't figure out.

"Maybe cuz you spend so much time cooped up inside with your computer, I thought you didn't even like to be outside," the girl said as she turned her head away from him to look down at the grass in front of her. "I guess nobody's ever right about each other," she said quietly, her voice becoming unsteady.

Jeremie, unsure of how to respond, kept his silence. The girl coughed and quickly recovered, her voice steadying again. "Um… you're probably wondering why I overreacted and hit your friend, huh?" She glanced over at him, a slightly pleading look in her eyes. "I'm not sorry. You can be mad and just leave if you want. Go on and go back to your computer."

Jeremie frowned, feeling a bit insulted. "What makes you think the only thing I'd do is go straight to my computer?"

"What have you done to make anybody think otherwise?"

The boy opened his mouth to come back with a witty response, but was surprised when his mind was unable to provide him with one. Sissi seemed strangely observant this night. He closed his mouth and frowned in confusion when he saw a thoughtful look on the girl's face. Realization seemed to hit her as she reflected on her own words. She sighed, almost sounding like it was in defeat, and stood up. Jeremie tensed up when she walked over to him and plopped down next to him, not too close, but closer than a person that was not considered a friend would think to sit.

"I know what you're probably thinking: I should take my own advice, right?" she said as she twirled her fingers in the grass and pulled at it. "I'm not sorry I hit Odd, but I probably should apologize anyway. It was a stupid reason to hit him for. I'm just a little stressed is all." Her eyes seemed to cloud over as she stopped being aware of him. "When I went to go visit my family, I found out that someone really close to me had died." She began to yank at the grass, a look of anger in her eyes. "They didn't even bother to tell me until I came to visit two months after she passed away. I didn't even get the chance to go to her funeral! They didn't want it to affect my schoolwork! Ha! Like I'm doing good enough for it to get any worse!" She stopped yanking at the defenseless grass, her hand freezing completely. "Why am I telling you this? You don't care, right?" She scooted a little bit away from him, realizing how close they were. Her voice began to shake again as she spoke. " You should get back to your f-friends and…"

She took a breath, trying to steady herself again. When she tried to speak again, though, her voice cracked and she quickly hid her face in her arms. Jeremie just sat there, staring at her in shock as her shoulders shook and soft, reluctant whimpers escaped her. The boy quickly shut his mouth and shook his head, guessing that he looked stupid gawking at her like that. It was absurd. Here he was, sitting next to a crying girl who he really didn't like that much. He was just sitting there, watching her. He felt like an idiot.

Hesitantly, he scooted closer to her, the idea of comforting her in his mind. He stopped himself before he began to lift his arms, though. What did he think he was doing? The two of them were not on good terms with each other at all, and would more than likely never be. But she was crying. She wasn't running away. She needed comfort, just like any other person. He had never seen her like this before. To him, she was always the snob of the school. Daddy's little princess, always having her way. The girl who quite literally ruled the school due to her father's influence. For the first time, he saw her as a real person. For the first time, he saw the person who hid behind the stuck-up snob.

After a moment of internal argument and struggle, he cautiously wrapped his arms around her. It felt awkward, but it also felt like the right thing to do. Apparently it was, because the girl leaned into his comforting embrace, allowing her tears to flow more freely.

Jeremie was surprised at first, and tensed up, wondering if this was some sort of elaborate prank. This was Sissi, after all. She was the girl who needed no one to hold her hand, she could do anything herself. Yet here she was, the wall of fierceness broken down leaving a scared girl exposed. The boy relaxed after a little while, when nothing prank-like happened. Remembering how his mother used to comfort him when he was younger and bullied a lot, he began to rock slowly and softly hushed her. After a little while, he was even brave enough to pat her on the back a little. He considered for a moment running his hand through her hair like his mother had, but decided against it. This was Sissi, not a friend. Then again, why was he doing what he was doing already?

Neither of them were sure how long they stayed that way, but eventually Sissi's crying calmed and finally ceased. She continued to stay in his arms a little while longer, actually allowing herself to enjoy the comfort this boy so willingly gave her, despite the way she treated him and his friends. It had been so long since anyone had comforted her like this. The last time was years ago. Since then she had been sure to show others that she needed no comforting. After a little while she gently pushed herself away from him.

"I'd better get going," she said quietly before standing up and wiping at her eyes. She turned to him and gave him a cold glare, her wall back up once more to hide the vulnerable little girl inside. "Don't you dare tell anybody about this, you hear me?" Without waiting for an answer she whirled and began walking back toward the dorm building, her head held high and proud. Before she got too far away, though, she turned back to him and gave him a warm smile. "Thanks." She quickly turned and disappeared around a corner, leaving the boy alone outside.

Jeremie sat there and blinked, unsure of what to make of the moment they just had. Belpois, the computer geek, and Delmas, the princess of the school, even having a moment at all? A soft wind blew, reminding him of the absence of another warm body and causing him to shiver. The cold didn't feel so welcoming anymore.

He stood up and made his way to the dorm building. He stepped inside, the warmth as inviting as the cold had been earlier, if not more. He quickly turned when he heard the sounds of movement. He saw Sissi just as she slipped through the doorway leading to the staircases. She should have made it to her room by that time. Despite his confusion, he allowed a small smile to cross his lips.

"You're welcome."

The End

A/N: If it didn't make your eyes bleed, I think I did alright.