A/N: I know it's been forever since I updated, so I decided to add a FUN FACT! The characters' names mean:

Yumi: "From Japanese 弓"archery bow". It can also come from 由(yu) "reason", 友(yu) "friend" or a nanori reading of 弓(yu) "archery bow" combined with 美(mi) "beautiful"." I prefer to think of it as "Beautiful Friend," but you're free to think of it as "archery bow" if you'd rather.

William: "From the Germanic name Willahelm, which was composed of the elements wil "will, desire" and helm "helmet, protection"." This I take to mean "Desire Protection" as though the person with this name is a sort of guardian, but that's just how I romanticize it.

Jeremy: "Medieval English form of JEREMIAH" (If you use the French spelling, it says "French form of JEREMIAH".) Jeremiah is "From the Hebrew name יִרְמְיָהוּ(Yirmiyahu) which meant "YAHWEH [God] has uplifted". Not going to interpret it because that one was pretty straightforward, actually.

Ulrich: "From the Germanic name Odalric meaning "prosperity and power", from the elementodal "heritage" combined with ric "power"." I think a name that basically means "Powerful" suits him.

Odd: "Derived from Old Norseoddr meaning "point of a sword"." I'm going to admit, I didn't think this one had a real meaning, so I'm pretty impressed with this "point of a sword" business. (I also think it compliments Ulrich's power thing really well, but you didn't hear that from me.)

Aelita: "Created by Russian and Soviet author Alexei Tolstoy for his science fiction novel Aelita or, The Decline of Mars (1923), where it belongs to a Martian princess." I wonder if the creators knew this, because she was from another world, it's a science fiction novel, and Odd is always calling Aelita 'princess'.

Faye: "An alternate spelling of Fay". Fay is "Derived from Middle English faie meaning "fairy". It appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Arthurian legends in the name of Morgan le Fay." (Veronica means "true image" which is ironic due to her past eating disorders.)

*Meanings taken from

Chapter Nine: Brave

Yumi POV

I smiled at William as we walked to class, Faye walking on his other side. She laughed outright at what he was saying, and I rolled my eyes. I really did like having her here. She was a lot different than my father would have had me believe. Faye walked into the classroom, and I pulled William back before he could go in. She paused, but I waved her on, and she nodded before going in and sitting at our lab table. William turned back to me.

"What's up?" he asked, looking at me curiously. I took a deep breath.

"Well… um… You know how I've been sort of on again and off again with Ulrich?" I asked as I leaned against the wall. He nodded. "Well, I'm over that. He… we were never right for each other, and I think I only wanted to be with him because he was really the first guy I ever seriously liked. Anyway, we work really well together as friends, and so we've decided that we're just going to be friends from now on. I was… well, I know that you've said you liked me before, and all…" I turned away so my hair could hide my blush. "I was wondering if you still do, because I think that I've realized that I've liked you all along. I was just too stubborn to see it," I finished quickly, still looking at the ground.

He pushed my hair out of my face and smiled when I looked up at him. "I never quit liking you, Yumi. Are you sure that you and Ulrich are going to stay just friends? There's not going to be anything to—"

I cut him off when I hugged him. He hugged me back as I said, "No, William. Ulrich and I are nothing. If I'm honest with myself, we were always nothing."

"So if I were to do something a little bit crazy, say, ask you out, you wouldn't turn me down because of him?" he asked, holding me at arm's length to see my face. I smiled and shook my head no. "Okay, then. I was just checking," he said as he turned and walked into the classroom. I stood gaping for a second before following him in.

"What was that about?" I asked him a bit angrily as we sat down.

"I was just seeing if you're really over him. You seem to be," he said, leaning against the lab table casually.

"But you… it seemed like you were going to…" I started before stopping and biting my lip in embarrassment.

"Like I was going to what?" he asked me, looking annoyingly (and adorably) innocent.

"Nothing," I answered, sulking a little and seething a lot because of my embarrassment.

"Um… Is everything okay, you guys?" Faye asked. Faye! In the short drama with William, I had completely ignored her.

I forced a smile in her direction. "Yeah, I'm fine," I said. William nodded. She nodded, looking unconvinced and turned her attention back to the front of the room as Mr. Windsor entered. He started babbling about something, but I was still too caught up in my embarrassment and emotions to even notice. Really. Why had I told William that I wanted to go out with him? I mean, he had said he still liked me, sure, but after all those times I had rejected him, it was no wonder that he didn't want to go out with me. The worst part was that I couldn't blame him. I'd probably feel the same way if the roles were reversed. I clenched my fists angrily, scribbling in my notebook as I did so. I just wanted this day to end. Why hadn't Ulrich broken things off with me earlier, before I'd hurt William so much? I liked William. I always had, but Ulrich… I'd liked Ulrich longer. This wasn't fair. The trouble was, I didn't really want to blame Ulrich, either. I was so tired of being mad at him all the time. I jumped as Mr. Windsor placed a small stack of papers in front of me.

"Very well done, Yumi. A B+ for you. Yes, I believe you and William seem to have improved since your cousin came here. William, a B+ for you as well. Yes, great job, my boy, much improved. Faye, excellent work, well beyond the work that most put in. Yes, A+ for you, the only one in the class. Yes, great work, my dear," he babbled along as he passed us. I sat, staring at the large red B+ on the top of my lab report. I'd never gotten anything above a C- in Mr. Windsor's class ever before. I glanced at William. He seemed to be just as shocked as I was. We both turned to look at Faye, who was already sticking her paper into her schoolbag, as though this was completely normal and we always got marks this high. Well, maybe she did, but William and I were in shock. She turned to us, smiling.

"Great job, you guys! You're really improving then, huh?" she asked, genuinely happy for us.

I nodded. "It's all because of you, of course," I said, and William nodded.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. All I did was go over the concepts with you again. We worked on the same thing Mr. Windsor taught us, just in a different way. We got the raw data from the experiment together, but we all did the work by ourselves. You two earned those grades," she said, smiling at us, which made me smile in return. She was right. She'd helped me to understand the material, but, once I understood it, it was up to me to do the work. I really had earned my own grade. I smiled at William, then back to Faye.

"Will you keep tutoring me? I think I could do even better next time," I said, smiling, for once, sort of excited to do my chemistry work.

"Of course I can keep tutoring both of you. I enjoy it." She turned her attention back to Mr. Windsor as he started the lesson, and I turned the page in my notebook, readying myself to take notes. For once, I didn't feel so stupid for not understanding. Faye had explained that there were a lot of different styles of learning, and that Mr. Windsor's teaching style just wasn't compatible with William's and my learning style. Mr. Windsor taught through lecture and hands-on activities, but William and I both learned best through visual things like diagrams and written definitions and problems solutions. Faye had helped us start to understand how to translate what Mr. Windsor was saying into things that we could understand, and how to organize our notes so that we'd be able to get it better. It was more work to do my notes and study sheets this way, but it paid off because I wasn't sitting and staring at problems on the paper. Now that I understood it, I was actually beginning to like chemistry a little bit. Just a little bit. Lecture seemed to fly by, and while my notes weren't perfect, I at least felt like I'd be able to go back later and understand enough to figure them out. The rest I was sure Faye could help me with.

After chemistry, we went to our next class together, which was foreign language. William and I went to Italian, but Faye had tested out of that class because she already knew a few languages (English, Japanese, French, Spanish, and "for fun" Italian). So Faye sat alone in the corner of the classroom until they could figure out what to do with her. She knew the foreign languages that Kadic had to offer, but it was unheard of for a student to attend Kadic without studying a foreign language. She was in the process of meeting with the language teachers and Mr. Delmas to figure out whether a different language should be brought here specifically for her, or if she could be allowed to have a free block during that class instead. She was very nervous about it, but I didn't understand why. It wasn't like they would punish her for knowing too much. The worst that was likely to happen to her was that she'd have to take some hard language like German or something.

She responded to something the teacher said flawlessly, and then got up and left the room. I turned my attention back to the classroom.

Ulrich POV

Odd was drawing me instead of paying attention again. He thought that I didn't notice, but I always noticed him. Since the math teacher wasn't looking, I slipped him a note.

Like what you see? I asked him.

He blushed instantly, but quickly scrawled back, Thanks for that. You ruined the pose again.

Just to tease him, I decided to play dumb. Again? What do you mean?

His eyes widened and he got the cute little expression that he gets when he knows he's busted. Nothing. Just… It was looking so good.

No shock there. I always look good. I responded sarcastically.

That you do. So that bit with Faye this morning was really… awkward.

No kidding. You really think she'll be cool about it and not tell?

It's Faye. I don't think she'll tell anyone. I mean… She doesn't have reason to.

Right. Sorry, I'm being paranoid. It's just weird. Knowing that she knows about us. I didn't think we made it that obvious.

Well, I don't think that we do. She's just really observant is all. Speaking of, can you see the hickey?

I chanced a glance at him out of the corner of my eye. No, your shirt hides it.

Good. Not that I don't like that you gave me a hickey… it felt incredible. I just don't want more observant people to notice. I mean, sure most of their "news" is just gossip or boring stuff, but what if Milly and Timya ever found out about us?

I cringed at the thought. They won't. Not until we're ready. I was thinking about that the other day, by the way. About coming out? And… well, I have an idea for that, if you want to talk about it later. Too much to write down here.

Odd looked at me, trying to hide obvious excitement. I'd love to hear your idea! We'll talk about it tonight? I nodded, tucking the note into one of my pockets. He turned around to face the teacher, but it was clear that both of our thoughts were elsewhere. Finally, class ended and we could go to lunch.

Faye POV

After my discussion with Odd and Ulrich that morning, I found it hard to focus on anything that anyone was saying that day. Thank God the only people who really spoke to me that day were Yumi, William, and our Itialian teacher. Well, and Mr. Delmas, but that had only been another ordeal saying that they still hadn't figured out what to do about my language situation, and that I should return to Italian again and try to find something to do. It was quite the wasted trip, actually. Yumi had seemed much happier than she had for the past few days during chemistry, so I hoped that maybe she'd want to sit with us today at lunch. William and she were both thrilled about getting B+'s, and I couldn't have been happier for them. I was just glad that they'd decided to see the increased grade for what it was: a result of their efforts. Something weird seemed to have happened between them before chemistry, but they seemed to have forgotten it, so I didn't want to spoil their peace by asking questions. It was none of my concern anyway.

What was my concern was my conversation with Odd and Ulrich that morning, and it kept cycling back to the foreground of my mind all day long. Yes, my suspicions had been correct. Ulrich and Odd were a couple, which was totally adorable, I might add. What was more, Jeremy and Aelita weren't a thing as the masses tended to believe. Odd and Ulrich had proven me right there as well. Aelita was single. Now, there was just the complication of how I was supposed to handle the rest of what was going on. It wasn't as if I could simply come out and say it. I thought she may have been attracted to me. Though Odd and Ulrich had admitted that she was a lesbian after I'd asked, I didn't want to just take their word for it. I owed it to Aelita to talk about it as friends, rather than just accepting hearsay, but one couldn't simply ask their roommate if they were a lesbian. For one thing, if she was, what was I supposed to say then? It wouldn't mean that she was attracted to me. And if she wasn't, then she may take it offensively. I sighed. Why didn't I ever know what to do about things? She was Aelita. She was kind to me. But I didn't know if her motivation for that kindness was because of attraction, or because she was just a really great friend. Either way, she was a great person, and it would suck to lose her in any capacity. I shook my head and made my way to lunch, walking with Yumi and William.

We met up with Ulrich, Odd, and Aelita. Jeremy had gone back to his room to work on some computer thing for Lyoko. I stood in line, getting my tray of food behind Yumi and in front of Aelita. Yumi made her way over to our table, I came over and sat next to her. Aelita sat across from me, and Ulrich and Odd sat next to her. I tried my best to ignore the food and the feeling it gave me, but it was much harder today, since I was so confused over Aelita anyway. She gave an encouraging smile at me, and I returned it with an apologetic look as I passed my tray over to Odd, who ate about three-quarters of my food for me. She gave an understanding look in response, and then we continued the conversation with the others.

"So Einstein wants some more training for Faye? What's the point? She was great last time," Odd said, frowning at Yumi.

"I'm just telling you what he told me," she said, shrugging. "But I don't think that it would hurt to have a few practice runs. I mean, just to let her get used to it. You remember what it was like when we were just learning the ropes. We've come so far, but she's starting at square one. No offence, Faye," she added to me.

"None taken. I don't think training is a bad idea. I mean, frankly I'm shocked he didn't make me do it that night. He's kind of a drill sergeant," I said, looking at my chipping nail polish. I didn't intend any insult by my words; that's just how Jeremy came off to me.

"That's for sure," Ulrich agreed. I smiled softly. I really did feel like I was starting to fit in. I sighed to myself. I had better get past this discussion with Aelita before I got any further into this group (although after Lyoko, I didn't know how much further I could get). I would hate to become one of their group only to lose the friendships over an issue with Aelita. Not that it would necessarily come to that, but even the possibility made me cautious.

"So what's this program he's doing?" I asked.

"No one knows. He won't tell any of us," Aelita said.

"Well, I'm sure it'll be good," I said, looking at my food as Odd finished it. "When is the training supposed to take place, by the way?"

"When I asked him that, he just said 'soon,' so your guess is as good as mine," Yumi said. I nodded in response.

"It's kind of weird to think about that. No offense, but it still seems… far-fetched. I mean, I know that I've been there, and that you guys aren't lying. It's just… supposed to be impossible," I confided.

"It was like that for us the first few times, too," Ulrich assured me. "You'll get used to it." I hoped so.

We returned to classes shortly after, which meant gym class for Yumi, William, and myself. Jim stood at the front of the group in the center of the track. He babbled for a while, and I wasn't really paying attention. I was too lost in my thoughts about Aelita again, but a few words caught my attention: "…archery today…". I tuned back in, and found Jim going over the safety rules, explaining that the class would be taking turns because the school didn't have enough equipment, and that we needed to split into groups of three. I got the bow for Yumi, William, and myself, and we went over to stand in front of the target. Jim had us stand in a line, our targets at an easy ten meters away (A/N: I'm American, so if ten meters is weird, it's because I don't use the metric system.). I told the others I'd let them go first, and Jim had them start shooting after demonstrating a "good" stance that was mediocre at best. I sighed, waiting in excitement. Yumi went first and didn't do too badly. All of her arrows were on the target. I nodded in appreciation. It wasn't bad for a beginner. When all the groups were finished shooting, Yumi collected her arrows with the others, handed them to William, and went to stand behind me.

"How'd I do?" she asked me.

"Really well for a beginner. Maybe it's in the genes somewhere," I answered, smiling at her.

"It was hard focusing with you around. I felt so self-conscious," she admitted, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"No, you were really good," I said, shocked that she'd be self-conscious around me. "No need to feel that way. You just released too quickly. You have to take a moment to aim before you just let the arrow fly. Take a deep breath before you shoot. That gives you time to focus, so you'll get closer to the target," I explained.

She nodded, taking in the advice. "I didn't even realize I was doing that. I'll try it next time." She smiled cheerfully at me. I smiled in return, and we both looked over at William. Jim told them to start shooting, and he did, though he wasn't as good as Yumi had been. One of his arrows overshot the target and went flying into the ground somewhere behind it.

"Steady your left hand. Straighten your arm more," I said to him softly. He did as I instructed and the rest of his shots improved slightly. When that group had collected their arrows, William passed them and the bow to me. An excited feeling spread in my chest, and I eagerly awaited Jim's command. The second he said go, my bow was readied. I hit the target, in the circle just outside the bull's-eye. I frowned and scratched my nose. I had misjudged how hard the wind was blowing. The next four arrows I shot were either on the bull's-eye or just outside it. Jim was astounded and somewhat annoyed-sounding at my performance.

"How did you do that?" he asked.

"With a bow, sir," I said, raising my eyebrow in confusion.

"Don't sass me, Ishiyama! Have you done this before?" he demanded.

"Yes, sir. I've been shooting for a long time. I've even been in a couple of tournaments," I admitted.

"Why didn't you say something?" he asked.

"I didn't know I was supposed to. You didn't ask," I replied, tightening my grip on the bow I was using. It wasn't a great bow, but it was still comforting to hold it. I wished I had mine.

"That's… That's right. I didn't. Hand the bow over to Yumi. I need to have a discussion with you," I did as he said and followed him a distance away from the rest of the group. "Faye, did you know that Kadic has sports teams?" he asked me.

I nodded. "Yeah. They're all over the Kadic News, and Ulrich talks about soccer all the time."

"Soccer?" Jim asked.

"Yeah, uh, football." I answered. "Sorry, my mom is American. We call it soccer."

"No problem, I should've known what you meant. Anyway, we have sports teams here for several different things, not just football. Have you considered trying out for the archery team?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No, sir. I wasn't aware we had one."

"It's pretty new. We've only had it for a year or two, so it's not as popular as it could be. Besides, there are only a few people on the team. Can you hit the target like that from further distances?" he asked.

I nodded again. "Yeah, I'm um… I'm pretty good," I said awkwardly. "Are you telling me that I should try out?" I asked.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. I think you'd get a lot out of it, and I know that they'd benefit from having you," he said. "I'm not asking for a yes or no today, but you should consider it."

"Okay, I'll think about it, Mr… Jim," I said, smiling softly. I only got one more turn in before class ended. I was a bit sad at that, but I couldn't complain. None of the others had told me that they had an archery team here! I considered calling Mom and Dad to ask for advice about joining, then decided that I already knew what they'd say.

The rest of the day was a blur of classes passing uneventfully. Dinner time finally arrived, but before I could go eat, William stopped me. "Faye, can I ask you a question really fast?" he inquired.

"Sure, William, what's up?" I asked.

"Well, I need your opinion. I um… I want to ask Yumi out, since Ulrich and her aren't a thing anymore." I nodded. This wasn't surprising. He was absolutely smitten over Yumi, and Ulrich was with Odd, so I assume that whenever that had happened, he'd broken it off with Yumi. "My problem is," William continued, "I don't really know how to do it. I want to do something really special for her, you know? I just don't know what to do. I was thinking that I'd give her a present, something really nice, and then ask her when she was done opening it. What do you think?"

"It's a Japanese tradition that you don't open a gift in front of the person who gave it to you, so if you're going to give her a gift, it can't be wrapped," I answered. "That said, I'd do a simple gift. Something like flowers or a cliché item like that. Yumi's a romantic underneath all her attitude. Don't overdo it. And as far as what you say," I continued, anticipating his next question, "just say what you mean. Don't overdo that either. Say it simply. Tell her you really like her, and you want to go out. It's as simple as that."

"Alright. Thanks, Faye, you're awesome," he said, and then he left. I made my way into the cafeteria, my mind mocking me. 'Simple as that,' huh? I shook my head at myself.

"You're thinking hard about something," Aelita said with a cheerful smile, coming up next to me. Our steps synchronized as we made our way to the cafeteria.

"Yeah, just… Well, Jim told me about something today, and I'm just considering it," I explained, not wanting her to know that I'd been thinking about her.

"Oh? And what's that?" she asked curiously.

"Well, we were doing archery today in gym class, and I did really, really well. He pulled me aside and told me that there's an archery team here, and he thinks I should join." I looked over at her. "What do you think? I mean, I know that I'll be super busy with school and Lyoko from now on, but I think I could handle it. I mean, Ulrich does well enough with school, Lyoko, and soccer," I said.

"I think that would be really good for you!" Aelita said, smiling at me.

"You really think so?" I asked, looking at the ground. "It's kind of outside my comfort zone to throw myself into a group of new people like that, but at the same time, I never feel better than when I have a bow in my hand."

"I really do think it would be good. I mean, if you make the team, which I'm sure you will, then you won't have any problems with the others who did because they'll be your teammates. They'll need you in your best condition all the time, so they're bound to treat you well. Besides, if it's something that makes you happy like that, then you should do it," Aelita said encouragingly.

"It's just been a while since I've gotten to practice seriously. I'm a bit rusty, and I don't know if I'd be able to make it." I looked up at her.

"Well, I could come to watch the tryouts for moral support, if you want. I'm sure Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd would come, too. We'd love to be there to support you," she replied, seeming genuinely excited at the thought of watching me shoot.

I bit my lip nervously. "You don't think anyone will get upset about me taking time out from Lyoko to do this, do you?" I asked her.

"Jeremy will get mad, but he always does. The rest of us will be happy for you. I mean, we all have our separate interests. Odd loves skateboarding competitively and drawing. Ulrich has soccer, and he and Yumi both do pencak silat. Yumi also has some newfound interest in chemistry. She said at lunch that she was looking at joining the chemistry club, which is weird because she hated chemistry the last I knew. I like DJ-ing. I think it's good for you to have something that you do outside our group. It would be great, Faye."

We finally made it into the cafeteria, and I looked over at her grinning face. "Well, tryouts couldn't hurt. Do you… Do you promise that you'll come to them with me?" I asked, meeting her eyes.

She smiled even more brightly then before. "Of course I'll be there! I wouldn't miss it." I smiled back, and we got in line for dinner. I told her she could go ahead of me in line, but she always insisted on letting me go first. We ate dinner with the guys. Through the conversation, my nerves from the day vanished, and I found myself enjoying the comapany. Aelita brought up that I wanted to try out for the archery team, and, as she had predicted, Odd and Ulrich were excited enough to drown out Jeremy's irritation. In all the excitement, Aelita decided to share some exciting news of her own: another DJ contest was coming around, not just for Kadic students, but for the city's population at large. It was a bigger contest, but it also had a bigger prize: an actual shot at a record deal. After Odd, Ulrich, and I finished expressing supportive sentiments, Jeremy lost it.

"Need I remind you all that we have a world to save?" he asked in a sassy, sing-song voice. "We don't have time for all of these distractions you guys keep getting involved with! Skateboarding, soccer, and karate already, and now Yumi wants to join chemistry club, our newest member wants to spend her time shooting an arrow at a target instead of training to actually do something useful, and the only one who can actually deactivate towers is wasting time doing another pointless contest!" he continued condescendingly.

"It's not karate! It's pencak silat," Ulrich said, glaring. "and mixed martial arts," he added, glancing at Faye.

"The things we're doing aren't pointless! They matter to us!" Odd put in.

"What matters more than the world's safety?" Jeremy asked.

"You can't expect us to just stop being who we are because we have this huge task, Jeremy. We aren't exactly making any breakthroughs, and we can't stay on Lyoko training all the time," Ulrich shot back.

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "We could be making breakthroughs, if I wasn't the only one working all the time," Jeremy said snidely. "It doesn't surprise me about you guys," he said, gesturing to Odd, Ulrich, and me, "but I felt like after last time, you'd see how ridiculous you're being," he added to Aelita.

"Excuse me if I wanted to experience life after being stuck in the Supercomputer for all of mine!" Aelita said heatedly. "And, like it or not, our hobbies do help us when we're on Lyoko. Odd's skateboarding keeps him limber and in shape. Ulrich and Yumi's pencak silat and Faye's mixed martial arts keep them flexible, improve their reflexes and balance, and keep them in shape. Faye's archery – her weapon is a bow, for goodness's sake! Not to mention our hobbies keep us from being so stressed all the time, because the weight of the world is quite literally on our shoulders! Our interests are not pointless. They are important to us, and imperative for our performance on Lyoko."

Jeremy glared at her. "Look, I'm the one that got you out of the Supercomputer –"

"And that doesn't mean that you own her!" I cut in, speaking for the first time. "She isn't your property, and just because you're the best with the computer doesn't mean you own the rest of us, either! Sure you're our eyes on Lyoko, but you don't get to dictate what we do with our lives outside of it. I will join the archery team, and we will all continue to do what we love, because unlike you, we aren't obsessive gits!" I said, my temper flaring intensely.

Now he glowered at me. "I never said I owned her!"

"You didn't have to. It's written all over your face every time that you look at her. But guess what, Jeremy? She's a person, not a computer program, and she isn't your property. She belongs to herself!" I said. Ulrich and Odd were nodding in agreement with me. Aelita looked at me with an odd sort of expression on her face.

"Stop changing the subject. We're talking about why you guys need to quit your activities," Jeremy said, pushing his glasses back onto his nose and refusing to look at Aelita or me.

"I'm not quitting," Ulrich said.

"Neither am I," Odd added.

"I can't quit what I haven't started," I added coolly, crossing my arms. "And Yumi wouldn't quit," I said, feeling like I knew her well enough by now to answer for her.

Jeremy looked at Aelita. "Aelita, listen, I got you out of the Supercomputer, and I know what's best for you –"

"Save it, Jeremy," Aelita said, looking a little uncomfortable at what she was saying. "Faye's right. You can't tell me what to do or how to live my life like you've tried to for so long. I'm not quitting, and I don't really care what you think is best for me."

"I know you better than anyone, Aelita –" Jeremy started, but she cut him off.

"You do not! You couldn't even tell me my favorite color!"

"Pink, of course!" Jeremy said overconfidently.

"No. It's red," Odd said. "Her favorite color is red, but she can never wear it or have it around because her hair is pink, and that would clash." Aelita half-smiled at him and nodded.

Jeremy gritted his teeth and then turned to me, looking like he really just wanted to hit me. "All of you better listen to me, or I'll –"

"You couldn't do this by yourself," I said softly, my voice dark. "You'll do nothing, because whatever you think, you still need us. You can't protect Aelita from the computer chair, and you can't deactivate the towers from anywhere. You're not a dictator, you're a member of a team. Stop treating us like we're beneath you because we don't run the computer. We're just as important to this mission as you are."

Jeremy quite literally threw up his hands and left, dumping his half-full tray along the way. The others and I exchanged looks. "That was… intense," Ulrich finally said after a while. Thankfully, it was still fairly early to eat, and not many people were in the cafeteria to see our display. We all sat back down, sort of awkwardly, and finished eating, doing our best to return to normal conversation. All of us were still angry. The way that Jeremy treated us sometimes was infuriating.

I was so mad that I sort of zoned out and didn't even realize that I'd eaten almost all of my dinner. I gagged, but then calmed myself. Aelita doesn't see anything wrong with me. I'm fine how I am. I'm not fat, I'm healthy, and I'm… attractive. I kept repeating this to myself, shoving my small leftovers at Odd before getting up. "I'll see you guys tomorrow," I said looking around the group. Odd and Ulrich nodded their goodbyes, and Aelita got up to come with me.

We walked back to our dorm together, both still tense from the argument. I took deep, steadying breaths, trying to keep myself in check. I wanted to break the silence, but I was too busy trying to resist the urge to go throw up in the nearest bathroom. Thankfully, Aelita seemed to be interested in breaking the silence as well. "What's a git?" she asked light-heartedly, breaking me from my thoughts.

"British slang. The meaning is somewhat comparable to jerk," I said, shrugging. "I learned it from Harry Potter." She started laughing. "What's so funny?" I asked, confused and delighted to hear her laughter.

"You used something you learned from Harry Potter to insult Jeremy. He hates Harry Potter," she laughed. "You're so… great, Faye."

I smirked at the irony, then found myself giggling a bit along with her. "It was just the first thing that came to mind. I didn't know he hated it." She laughed harder.

"That makes it even better!" By this point, we'd reached our room, and she held the door for me as we went inside. Once she had safely closed the door, she continued. "I'm proud of you for what you did at dinner tonight," she said, smiling kindly.

"What? Calling Jeremy a git?" I asked, confused.

"No, for eating almost all of your dinner and keeping it down. That's really healthy, and I'm proud of you for doing it," she explained, pulling off her boots and starting to change into her nightshirt. I turned toward my bed and started to change clothes, too. Mostly, I just turned to hide the blush that her words brought. "I know it isn't easy," she continued, "I saw how you gagged a bit for a second there, but you held your ground. It's very brave of you."

Brave? I thought. "And I'm proud of you for not going to the bathroom to throw up, too," she continued. "I saw your eyes purposely avoiding the bathrooms on the way here. It must be so difficult for you, but that's just as brave as eating." I pulled on my shorts and tank top, and turned toward her to say something. Our eyes met, and suddenly, I didn't want to say anything. My throat felt like it was full of cotton, and my vision seemed to blur. I looked away again, finding my hairbrush and beginning to violently brush the tangles from my hair. As I faced myself in the mirror, a tiny droplet of saltwater slipping over my lower eyelid, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Aelita staring at me.

"Don't cry," she said. I tried unsuccessfully to blink back my next tear. "Faye, please tell me what's wrong."

"You're just… so nice, and what you said…" I shook my head and trailed off. "I just feel like I don't deserve someone so great in my life."

"Faye, you're more deserving than anyone I know. Can I ask you something?" After I nodded, she proceeded. "What you said to Jeremy… about him thinking that he owns me… why did you say it?"

I shrugged and wiped my eyes, pulling away the light mascara that I'd put on earlier that morning. I wiped it nonchalantly onto my shorts. "Because that's how he acts. He's possessive. He acts as though you need his permission to do things, and the way he looks at you… I don't know. Just something about it bothers me." She nodded.

"I thought that that was just in my head, but…" She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I don't feel the same way about him that he does for me. He'll eventually find that out." She looked up at me. "Thank you for sticking up for me. I nodded. Her hand was still warm on my shoulder, and I debated whether or not it was worth it to bring up what I had wanted/dreaded to talk to her about all day. We were both a little emotionally frazzled from the day's events, but the moment seemed right, so I decided it was best now or never.

"Aelita… I really need to talk to you about something." She looked at me, and I looked away, finding it harder to say with her kind, emerald eyes boring into mine.

"What is it?" she asked, pulling her hand away and rubbing her upper arm, seeming very nervous.

"Look, I just… well, I don't know how to put it tactfully, so I'll just come right out and say it: I think you like me," I said, staring awkwardly at the ground and unconsciously mimicking her stance.

"Of course I like you. We're friends," she said, though her voice shook in a way that seemed to confirm my suspicions.

"Yeah, we are… But I don't think that's how you view me." Her cheeks heated, and her breathing quickened.

"I… What makes you think that?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're always watching me. Not like a stalker, of course, you're not a creep, but you notice everything that I do. And you're protective of me, and you care a great deal more for me than most people would in just the little amount of time that we've known each other." She didn't deny anything, and I took that as a sign to continue. "And, well, Odd and Ulrich told me that you're a lesbian." At her indignant look, I quickly added, "I directly asked them. They just didn't want to lie to me since I was so honest with them." Being a lesbian didn't guarantee that I was her type, but I felt like it was the icing on the cake to the rest of my reasons. I looked at her, directly in the eye. "Am I right?"

She sighed. "I wanted to wait to tell you…" She blushed brightly, which really was adorable.

I smiled at her. "There's no need. Aelita… I don't consider myself a lesbian, and you're really the first girl that I've ever been attracted to, but, well, I am attracted to you." I blushed. "Isn't that all that matters?"

She looked up at me. "So… you're attracted to me, too?" she asked, looking a bit surprised. I nodded.

"You're… you're amazing. I would've told you sooner, but I was afraid you didn't like me that way, and I didn't want to lose your friendship if you didn't," I said.

She smiled. "I understand. I felt the same way. See what I mean? You're so brave." She touched my hand gently, and I entwined my fingers with hers. We exchanged smiles, and she hugged me, her chin resting on my shoulder.

Brave, I thought as I held her tighter.