15 Avr 2007, 19:50
The true story of Yumi Ishyama
Sitting on the bench, her knees close to her chest, her long raven hair waving in the wind, the book in her hands hiding her from everything else. He daringly starts to walk toward her, replaying what he was going to say in his mind. “Yumi?” he said. She didn’t look up, still hidden by her book. “Yumi?” he said, a little louder. She looked up and her hair blew in her face. She wiped it away, taking the elastic off of her wrist. She swiftly pulled her hair into a ponytail and marked her place in her book. As she closed it, she said, “What’s up?” Ulrich smiled. He loved how she always said that. It was so carefree, but not totally careless at the same time.
“I actually wanted to ask you something,” Ulrich continued. Yumi’s smile disappeared. “Yeah,” she said, “I wanted to ask you something, too.”
“Oh. Well you first.”
“No. You go ahead.”
“No, you.”
“You.”
“Fine. Yumi, you know I was wondering if… if maybe you’d like to go to the dance with me? You know, because we don’t have anyone to go with and since we’re best friends, maybe we could go together?” Yumi inhaled deeply, then stopped, her eyes glued to her fiddling fingers. She squeezed her eyes shut then. When she opened them and looked up at Ulrich, they were filled with tears. She squeezed them shut again and whispered, “I can’t.”
“What?” Ulrich asked, a hint of worry in his voice. “I can’t!” she repeated. Tears of sorrow ran down her face. Ulrich sat down next to her and tried to calm her down. He tried to hug her, but when he did, she shot up, hugged her book to her chest, and said, “No! I can’t! Leave me alone!”
“Yumi, it’s okay, we don’t even have to go to the dance, okay? Just calm down.”
“Why? Because you don’t want to make a scene? Because you don’t want the attention? Well, I have to go through that every day, Ulrich. So this is what you get for being friends with the emo-Goth girl.” People started to stare now. She took a look around and ran for the woods, her book close to her chest. Crying and running past everyone was Yumi Ishyama, the emo-Goth girl.
Ulrich didn’t bother trying to run after her. He knew he wouldn’t be able to catch up with her; the fastest girl in the school could never be caught. He stared at the trees for the longest time. Then he saw something at the top of the trees. It was a person. Whoever it was had made it to the place where even Ulrich—the tree-climbing master—could never reach. Ulrich walked closer and saw that the one that had made it to the top was the emo-Goth girl that he loved. Yumi Ishyama.
Once he knew she wasn’t going to leave, he ran into the woods. He found the tree that she was on and started climbing. “Whoever that is: leave me alone!” Yumi yelled against the wind. Ulrich stopped. “Why?”
“Because I wanted to tell my friend something but I chickened out, and now I can’t face him or anyone else! So leave me alone!”
Ulrich climbed the rest of the way up and ended up behind her. He slowly went forward and reached out his hand. It touched her shoulder and she jerked around. “I said leave me alone, Ulrich!” She started to climb down the tree, but when she ran out of branches, it was still a long way down. She jumped down and when she got there, she stood up and started crying so hard that her knees gave in and she collapsed. Ulrich jumped down beside her. He kept his distance, though, until Yumi said, “You can make me feel better now.” He crouched down beside her and put his arms around her as she cried, spilling tears all over his shirt. Then—just their luck—it started to rain. They stayed out there, though.
Yumi didn’t talk yet, she just cried, but Ulrich respected that. Ulrich stayed out there in the cold rain. He didn’t care if he got a cold; he didn’t care if he got soaked down to his socks… all he cared about now was Yumi.
Once she calmed down, she started talking. She started pouring her heart out to him, like she always did. “I knew you only asked me for a pity date. That’s why I didn’t answer you. And then… they started staring. I hate it when they stare at me. Why do they have to look at me like that? It’s not fair. They never look at anyone else like that. Why do they have to do it to me? Don’t they know what I’m feeling? Why can’t they know what I’m feeling? Why can’t they be like… you?”
“They’re all crazy, Yumi. They’re crazy enough not to get to know you like I do. When people don’t know other people, they don’t understand them. I understand you, Yumi.”
“I know you do. And I’m grateful for that and all, but I just wish… I just wish more people understood me.”
“Someday, they will, Yumi. Some people just need time to understand people… some need more time for certain people.”
“You mean people who are like me? People who are different? People like the emo-Goth girl in black running around and crying all the time?”
“Yumi, you can’t think like that! You know that’s not….”
“It is true, Ulrich. You know it’s true. That’s the only thing I am on campus… the emo-Goth girl with emotional issues.”
“I can’t let you think like that, Yumi. You’re not an emo-girl. You’re not Gothic. You don’t have emotional issues. You’re just… hard for some people to figure out.”
“You’re the only person who’s been able to figure me out.”
“So far, yes. But I’m telling you: soon everyone is going to be able to understand Yumi Ishyama.” Yumi smiled. She looked up and into his eyes. “Thanks, Ulrich.” She kissed him on the cheek and stood up. The rain made her elastic fall out of her hair, so it was back down to her shoulders again. She got a playful smile on her face. “You wanna race?” she asked Ulrich, who responded, “On your mark; get set; go!” They set off with the girl immediately taking the lead. Ulrich ran faster and tried to catch up with her, but failed miserably. When he finally made it back to the campus grounds of Kadic Academy, Yumi was standing at the gates, leaning against the metal like she’d been there for hours.
He ran up to her and she said, “What took you so long?” he laughed and they walked inside. She stopped by her dorm to dry off and change, and he went to his dorm to do the same. When she was done, she showed up in his doorway in a tank top and pajama pants. Then Ulrich’s roommate, Odd came in.
“Hey, Ulrich. What are you….” He saw Yumi. He smiled. “Hey, nut-job. Say, Ulrich, I never knew you were dating the Goth chick!” Yumi curled up in the corner of Ulrich’s bed and looked at the wall. Ulrich looked at her and saw a tear fall down her face. “Odd, can I talk to you outside, please?” Ulrich said. “Sure, buddy. See ya later, whack-o.” They walked into the hallway and Ulrich shut the door behind them.
“So what’s up between you two?” Odd asked. “Look, Odd. Her name is Yumi, first of all. Second of all, she’s my friend, and if you don’t start treating her like she deserves, we won’t be. Got it?” Odd nodded. They walked back inside. “Hey, Yumi,” Odd said, sitting down beside her, “So, um… what’s up with you and Satan? How’s he been doing?” He laughed. “That’s it!” Ulrich yelled. “Come on, Yumi. Let’s go to your dorm.” She looked at him, tears in her eyes. He offered her his hand, and she took it.
She stood up, and Odd said, “So long, emo-girl!” Yumi started to run for it, but Ulrich wrapped his arms around her, keeping her from running away again. “It’s okay, Yumi,” he whispered in her ear. “Just ignore him. Just keep walking with me, and everything will be all right. Just stay with me, Yumi.” He started to walk again, and Yumi stayed beside him, tears streaming down her face now.
They finally made it to her dorm, and Ulrich opened the door. They sat down on Yumi’s bed and she wrapped her arms around Ulrich’s neck, pulling him into a hug. He pulled her close to him and let her cry on his shoulder. Then, she suddenly stopped crying. She scooted away from him and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Thanks, Ulrich. You are the best friend anyone could have.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Hey, what are friends for?” he said. They smiled and Ulrich said, “Hey, can you do me one favor, though?”
“Sure. What is it?”
“Please don’t curl up in a corner like that again.”
“Why?”
“Because… it just made you look so small and defenseless. I don’t like to think of you like that. It makes me feel like even with me there, you’re all alone.”
“Oh… well then, I guess I’ll have to stop doing that.” She smiled. A tear escaped from her eye again. He reached up and wiped it away with his thumb. “Can you try not to cry, either?” They laughed. He leaned in slowly, waiting to see if she would pull away. Then he leaned in closer and right when it was about to happen, she turned her head away from him, causing him to kiss her cheek. “I’ll, um… I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” she said. He nodded. “Definitely.” He stood up and walked through the door, pulling it shut behind him.
Neither of them knew what was in store for them the next day.
Yumi and Ulrich both went through their daily schedules as usual. They went through homeroom and first block. Then they went to lunch. As usual, Ulrich waited outside for Yumi.
As Yumi walked out of the building, carrying her lunch in her hands, she searched through the crowd of students, looking for Ulrich. Once she spotted him, she started to walk towards him. Then a girl dressed in pink approached Ulrich. Aelita Stones.
Yumi got close enough so she could hear what they were saying. “Look, Ulrich. I like you… a lot. And I think you like me the same way, so… will you just ask me out already? Or you can just skip that and kiss me.”
“Look, Aelita. I really have to meet…” She put her hands on his shoulders, pushing him against the wall. “Listen, hot shot. Do you want to ask me out or not?” Ulrich tried to push himself away from the wall, but she held him steady. People were staring now. He knocked her arms off of him and pushed her against the wall. “Okay… I’m trying to be nice here, Aelita.”
“Well kissing me would be nice, Ulrich!”
“Aelita! I don’t…” Then it happened. It started out simple… but then it got worse. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him close to her. Then she turned him and pushed him against the wall. Yumi’s best friend was kissing another girl.
Yumi dropped her lunch. People weren’t staring at them anymore… they were staring at her. People started walking up to her now, saying things like, “Aw. The poor emo-girl got scammed,” and, “Uh-oh. The Goth girl’s gonna cry now.” It seemed like everyone in the world was staring at her. She looked at Ulrich again. He was still kissing Aelita. He put his hands on her waist and she ran. Yumi ran away from everyone.
She ran towards the woods. She ran to the end of the woods and fell into the lake. She stood up and kicked up a storm of water and mud. Then she slipped and fell and didn’t bother to stand back up. She just sat there, crying in a lake already full of tears.
She heard footsteps behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw a shadowy figure running towards her. She stood up, about to run away, but then the figure called out, “Wait! Yumi!” She stopped and turned around. The figure was not shadowy anymore, and she could clearly see who it was… it was Ulrich. “Leave me alone!” Yumi cried. She turned to run again, but then stopped. She didn’t stop on purpose. She stopped because someone made her. Ulrich had grabbed her hand.
“Look, Yumi. I’m sorry, all right? I didn’t want Aelita to kiss me! You were there! You know I tried to stop her.”
“Yes, I know, Ulrich. But yet, when she kissed you… you didn’t pull away.”
“She had me against a wall, Yumi. And it just shocked me. And how do you think I got away? I pushed her away from me, Yumi.”
“You did?”
“Yes I did.” Ulrich wiped yet another fallen tear from Yumi’s face. “I would never do anything to hurt you.” Yumi smiled.
“Well, well, well. What have we here?” Yumi looked behind Ulrich and saw Aelita and two of her friends—Heidi and Sissy. Yumi let go of Ulrich’s hand. “Oh, Ulrich,” Aelita said, walking up to him, “Why are you spending time with this Goth girl who’s never even kissed a boy before when you could be spending time with me, who has much more experience?” She continued walking up to Ulrich while Sissy and Heidi started walking towards Yumi. They said, “So… the Goth girl. What do you think we should do with her?”
“Oh, I don’t know Heidi. She’s an emo-girl too remember? Anything we do will make her cry!” They laughed. Yumi backed up and bumped into a tree. She had nowhere to go; she was trapped.
“You… you know what I’m going to do?” she said. “What? Cry like the little emo-girl that you are?” Sissy taunted. “N-no. I’m going to do this.” She crouched down and the girls cracked up. “Aw,” Heidi teased, “she’s gonna cry now!” Yumi looked up and glared at the girls. That shut them up. She swung her leg out beneath them and knocked their feet off the ground. They both fell to the ground and Yumi sprung into action.
She stood up and ran towards Ulrich. Aelita was right in his face now. Yumi grabbed Ulrich’s hand and pulled him in the direction they entered the woods in. They crashed into the woods and kept on running. Once they finally broke free of the thick blanket of trees, they kept running. They ran into the building, up the stairs, down the hall, and into Yumi’s room. There, they shut the door, locked it, and crashed on the bed, panting.
Once they started breathing normally, they realized that they were still holding hands. They looked at each other and snatched their hands away, blushing. “I guess it’s my turn to say thank you,” Ulrich said. “Yeah. Wow, I never thought it would happen: Ulrich Stern thanking someone for saving him,” Yumi said. She looked at him and smiled. Ulrich sat up and said, “Thank you, Yumi.” Yumi sat up as well. “You’re welcome.” Ulrich kissed her on the cheek. “What time is it?” she asked. “It’s, um… 12:40! We’re late for third block!” They both jumped up and ran out of the room.
They walked into Mrs. Hertz’s classroom. “Where have you two been?” she said. “They were in the woods, Mrs. Hertz,” Aelita piped up. The class fell into a chorus of “ooh’s.” Mrs. Hertz said, “Yumi, Ulrich, is this true?” Yumi studied her shoes. “Yes,” she said. They class burst into laughter. Yumi started to break for it, but Ulrich grabbed her hand, keeping her inside the classroom. “It’s okay,” he whispered. He led her inside and to their seats in the back of the class. They sat down and Mrs. Hertz said, “You two know the rules. There’s no wandering off the school grounds without permission. I’ll have to give you both detention.”
“But, Mrs. Hertz, isn’t the lake in school grounds?” Ulrich asked. “Why… I suppose so. Why?”
“Because that’s only as far as we went was the lake.” Mrs. Hertz paused. “Well, then I suppose you two don’t get detention, then. My mistake.” Yumi looked up from her book and smiled. “Thank you,” she mouthed. Ulrich smiled and turned back to his work.
They both paid attention to the class, taking notes, asking and answering questions. Then the loudspeaker came on. “Mrs. Hertz?” the secretary in the office asked. “Yes,” Mrs. Hertz answered. “Do you have Yumi Ishyama?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Could you send her up to the office, please? Her father’s here.”
“Sure.” Mrs. Hertz looked at Yumi. “Come here. Let me write you a pass,” she said. “C-can Ulrich come, too?” Yumi asked. “Yes, I suppose so,” Mrs. Hertz replied. She wrote both names on the pass and the students walked out of the classroom. As soon as they shut the door, Ulrich said, “I thought your dad was supposed to be in rehab.”
“He was supposed to be there and in anger management. I doubt they could break him in only a year and a half,” Yumi said. “Yumi, what if he is still the same person he used to be? I can’t let you go anywhere with him.”
“We still have to go to the office, though.” They began the walk down the hallways to the front office.
When they walked inside, Yumi’s Dad stood there. He looked surprised to see Ulrich there. “Hey, Yumi.” He glared at Ulrich. “Hello, Ulrich. Yumi, I thought they called you to the office alone.” Yumi, thinking quickly, said, “They did. Ulrich was just passing through. He was on an errand for Mrs. Hertz and decided to walk me here, so Mrs. Hertz put both of our names on our pass here.”
“Oh,” Yumi’s dad said. “Well, thank you, Ulrich, but I think Mrs. Hertz will be wanting you back now.”
“Actually,” the secretary piped up, “I could use you for an errand or two, Ulrich, if you wouldn’t mind.”
“Sure, Mrs. Hanford.”
“Yumi,” Mr. Ishyama said, “Could we talk outside for a few moments?” Yumi glanced at Ulrich, then, reluctantly, nodded yes.
When they left, Mrs. Hanford began talking to Ulrich. “Ulrich, I don’t trust that man. Do you know anything about him that should make me as worried as I am?” Ulrich hesitated, wondering if it was okay to tell her about Yumi’s dad. “Yes, I do,” Ulrich began. “He was an alcoholic. An extremely bad alcoholic. And he was… he was very abusive, too. He beat Yumi so badly, that it made her think that there’s not anyone but me who isn’t going to hurt her. He beat her little brother, too. He beat him so badly that he died. He was only five years old. Yumi’s dad took rehab and anger management classes, but only for a year and a half. I don’t think that helped him any.” Mrs. Hanford looked down. Ulrich saw a tear fall from her eyes.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ishyama took Yumi outside the building. “Why are you here?” Yumi asked. “I’m here because I’m taking you away from here. I’m taking you to my apartment to live with me.”
“Dad, you can’t do that. It’s illegal. And what if I don’t want to go? What if I had friends here?”
“You mean that green boy in there? Why’d you bring him, anyway? Because you’re still the scrawny, wimpy little girl you were when I left you? Because you thought he’d protect you? Because…”
“Because I love him!”
Ulrich walked up to the front door and looked out the window. He couldn’t hear them, even if they were yelling. He saw Mr. Ishyama pause and pull his fist back, ready for a swing. Yumi crouched down. She swung her leg out and knocked him off his feet and onto his back. She said something, and then she ran inside. When she saw Ulrich, she stopped. “How much did you hear?” she asked him. “I promise, I didn’t hear a word. These walls are, like, soundproof.” Yumi nodded and looked out the window. Her dad was coming towards the building. “Come on!” Yumi said, grabbing Ulrich’s hand and pulling him back into the office.
When they stepped through the door, Mrs. Hanford ran towards them. “Oh, Yumi. Are you okay? What happened? Ulrich? Yumi?” Yumi looked down. “I can’t be afraid of him anymore… even if he is my father.” Mr. Ishyama burst through the door just then.
“What are you doing? You’re coming with me, whether you like it or not.”
“No, Dad. I’m not. I don’t want to go with you. I don’t want to be illegal.”
“Illegal?” Mrs. Hanford said. “You mean he lost custody of you?” Yumi nodded slowly. “I’m calling the cops,” Mrs. Hanford said. She ran over to the phone on her desk. Mr. Ishyama glared once at each of them, and then ran. “Go to class, you two. You should be safe now,” Mrs. Hanford said. Then, right on time, the bell rang to change classes.
Yumi and Ulrich went to Mrs. Hertz class to pick up their stuff, and then went to their third block class, gym.
“I actually wanted to ask you something,” Ulrich continued. Yumi’s smile disappeared. “Yeah,” she said, “I wanted to ask you something, too.”
“Oh. Well you first.”
“No. You go ahead.”
“No, you.”
“You.”
“Fine. Yumi, you know I was wondering if… if maybe you’d like to go to the dance with me? You know, because we don’t have anyone to go with and since we’re best friends, maybe we could go together?” Yumi inhaled deeply, then stopped, her eyes glued to her fiddling fingers. She squeezed her eyes shut then. When she opened them and looked up at Ulrich, they were filled with tears. She squeezed them shut again and whispered, “I can’t.”
“What?” Ulrich asked, a hint of worry in his voice. “I can’t!” she repeated. Tears of sorrow ran down her face. Ulrich sat down next to her and tried to calm her down. He tried to hug her, but when he did, she shot up, hugged her book to her chest, and said, “No! I can’t! Leave me alone!”
“Yumi, it’s okay, we don’t even have to go to the dance, okay? Just calm down.”
“Why? Because you don’t want to make a scene? Because you don’t want the attention? Well, I have to go through that every day, Ulrich. So this is what you get for being friends with the emo-Goth girl.” People started to stare now. She took a look around and ran for the woods, her book close to her chest. Crying and running past everyone was Yumi Ishyama, the emo-Goth girl.
Ulrich didn’t bother trying to run after her. He knew he wouldn’t be able to catch up with her; the fastest girl in the school could never be caught. He stared at the trees for the longest time. Then he saw something at the top of the trees. It was a person. Whoever it was had made it to the place where even Ulrich—the tree-climbing master—could never reach. Ulrich walked closer and saw that the one that had made it to the top was the emo-Goth girl that he loved. Yumi Ishyama.
Once he knew she wasn’t going to leave, he ran into the woods. He found the tree that she was on and started climbing. “Whoever that is: leave me alone!” Yumi yelled against the wind. Ulrich stopped. “Why?”
“Because I wanted to tell my friend something but I chickened out, and now I can’t face him or anyone else! So leave me alone!”
Ulrich climbed the rest of the way up and ended up behind her. He slowly went forward and reached out his hand. It touched her shoulder and she jerked around. “I said leave me alone, Ulrich!” She started to climb down the tree, but when she ran out of branches, it was still a long way down. She jumped down and when she got there, she stood up and started crying so hard that her knees gave in and she collapsed. Ulrich jumped down beside her. He kept his distance, though, until Yumi said, “You can make me feel better now.” He crouched down beside her and put his arms around her as she cried, spilling tears all over his shirt. Then—just their luck—it started to rain. They stayed out there, though.
Yumi didn’t talk yet, she just cried, but Ulrich respected that. Ulrich stayed out there in the cold rain. He didn’t care if he got a cold; he didn’t care if he got soaked down to his socks… all he cared about now was Yumi.
Once she calmed down, she started talking. She started pouring her heart out to him, like she always did. “I knew you only asked me for a pity date. That’s why I didn’t answer you. And then… they started staring. I hate it when they stare at me. Why do they have to look at me like that? It’s not fair. They never look at anyone else like that. Why do they have to do it to me? Don’t they know what I’m feeling? Why can’t they know what I’m feeling? Why can’t they be like… you?”
“They’re all crazy, Yumi. They’re crazy enough not to get to know you like I do. When people don’t know other people, they don’t understand them. I understand you, Yumi.”
“I know you do. And I’m grateful for that and all, but I just wish… I just wish more people understood me.”
“Someday, they will, Yumi. Some people just need time to understand people… some need more time for certain people.”
“You mean people who are like me? People who are different? People like the emo-Goth girl in black running around and crying all the time?”
“Yumi, you can’t think like that! You know that’s not….”
“It is true, Ulrich. You know it’s true. That’s the only thing I am on campus… the emo-Goth girl with emotional issues.”
“I can’t let you think like that, Yumi. You’re not an emo-girl. You’re not Gothic. You don’t have emotional issues. You’re just… hard for some people to figure out.”
“You’re the only person who’s been able to figure me out.”
“So far, yes. But I’m telling you: soon everyone is going to be able to understand Yumi Ishyama.” Yumi smiled. She looked up and into his eyes. “Thanks, Ulrich.” She kissed him on the cheek and stood up. The rain made her elastic fall out of her hair, so it was back down to her shoulders again. She got a playful smile on her face. “You wanna race?” she asked Ulrich, who responded, “On your mark; get set; go!” They set off with the girl immediately taking the lead. Ulrich ran faster and tried to catch up with her, but failed miserably. When he finally made it back to the campus grounds of Kadic Academy, Yumi was standing at the gates, leaning against the metal like she’d been there for hours.
He ran up to her and she said, “What took you so long?” he laughed and they walked inside. She stopped by her dorm to dry off and change, and he went to his dorm to do the same. When she was done, she showed up in his doorway in a tank top and pajama pants. Then Ulrich’s roommate, Odd came in.
“Hey, Ulrich. What are you….” He saw Yumi. He smiled. “Hey, nut-job. Say, Ulrich, I never knew you were dating the Goth chick!” Yumi curled up in the corner of Ulrich’s bed and looked at the wall. Ulrich looked at her and saw a tear fall down her face. “Odd, can I talk to you outside, please?” Ulrich said. “Sure, buddy. See ya later, whack-o.” They walked into the hallway and Ulrich shut the door behind them.
“So what’s up between you two?” Odd asked. “Look, Odd. Her name is Yumi, first of all. Second of all, she’s my friend, and if you don’t start treating her like she deserves, we won’t be. Got it?” Odd nodded. They walked back inside. “Hey, Yumi,” Odd said, sitting down beside her, “So, um… what’s up with you and Satan? How’s he been doing?” He laughed. “That’s it!” Ulrich yelled. “Come on, Yumi. Let’s go to your dorm.” She looked at him, tears in her eyes. He offered her his hand, and she took it.
She stood up, and Odd said, “So long, emo-girl!” Yumi started to run for it, but Ulrich wrapped his arms around her, keeping her from running away again. “It’s okay, Yumi,” he whispered in her ear. “Just ignore him. Just keep walking with me, and everything will be all right. Just stay with me, Yumi.” He started to walk again, and Yumi stayed beside him, tears streaming down her face now.
They finally made it to her dorm, and Ulrich opened the door. They sat down on Yumi’s bed and she wrapped her arms around Ulrich’s neck, pulling him into a hug. He pulled her close to him and let her cry on his shoulder. Then, she suddenly stopped crying. She scooted away from him and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Thanks, Ulrich. You are the best friend anyone could have.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Hey, what are friends for?” he said. They smiled and Ulrich said, “Hey, can you do me one favor, though?”
“Sure. What is it?”
“Please don’t curl up in a corner like that again.”
“Why?”
“Because… it just made you look so small and defenseless. I don’t like to think of you like that. It makes me feel like even with me there, you’re all alone.”
“Oh… well then, I guess I’ll have to stop doing that.” She smiled. A tear escaped from her eye again. He reached up and wiped it away with his thumb. “Can you try not to cry, either?” They laughed. He leaned in slowly, waiting to see if she would pull away. Then he leaned in closer and right when it was about to happen, she turned her head away from him, causing him to kiss her cheek. “I’ll, um… I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” she said. He nodded. “Definitely.” He stood up and walked through the door, pulling it shut behind him.
Neither of them knew what was in store for them the next day.
Yumi and Ulrich both went through their daily schedules as usual. They went through homeroom and first block. Then they went to lunch. As usual, Ulrich waited outside for Yumi.
As Yumi walked out of the building, carrying her lunch in her hands, she searched through the crowd of students, looking for Ulrich. Once she spotted him, she started to walk towards him. Then a girl dressed in pink approached Ulrich. Aelita Stones.
Yumi got close enough so she could hear what they were saying. “Look, Ulrich. I like you… a lot. And I think you like me the same way, so… will you just ask me out already? Or you can just skip that and kiss me.”
“Look, Aelita. I really have to meet…” She put her hands on his shoulders, pushing him against the wall. “Listen, hot shot. Do you want to ask me out or not?” Ulrich tried to push himself away from the wall, but she held him steady. People were staring now. He knocked her arms off of him and pushed her against the wall. “Okay… I’m trying to be nice here, Aelita.”
“Well kissing me would be nice, Ulrich!”
“Aelita! I don’t…” Then it happened. It started out simple… but then it got worse. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him close to her. Then she turned him and pushed him against the wall. Yumi’s best friend was kissing another girl.
Yumi dropped her lunch. People weren’t staring at them anymore… they were staring at her. People started walking up to her now, saying things like, “Aw. The poor emo-girl got scammed,” and, “Uh-oh. The Goth girl’s gonna cry now.” It seemed like everyone in the world was staring at her. She looked at Ulrich again. He was still kissing Aelita. He put his hands on her waist and she ran. Yumi ran away from everyone.
She ran towards the woods. She ran to the end of the woods and fell into the lake. She stood up and kicked up a storm of water and mud. Then she slipped and fell and didn’t bother to stand back up. She just sat there, crying in a lake already full of tears.
She heard footsteps behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw a shadowy figure running towards her. She stood up, about to run away, but then the figure called out, “Wait! Yumi!” She stopped and turned around. The figure was not shadowy anymore, and she could clearly see who it was… it was Ulrich. “Leave me alone!” Yumi cried. She turned to run again, but then stopped. She didn’t stop on purpose. She stopped because someone made her. Ulrich had grabbed her hand.
“Look, Yumi. I’m sorry, all right? I didn’t want Aelita to kiss me! You were there! You know I tried to stop her.”
“Yes, I know, Ulrich. But yet, when she kissed you… you didn’t pull away.”
“She had me against a wall, Yumi. And it just shocked me. And how do you think I got away? I pushed her away from me, Yumi.”
“You did?”
“Yes I did.” Ulrich wiped yet another fallen tear from Yumi’s face. “I would never do anything to hurt you.” Yumi smiled.
“Well, well, well. What have we here?” Yumi looked behind Ulrich and saw Aelita and two of her friends—Heidi and Sissy. Yumi let go of Ulrich’s hand. “Oh, Ulrich,” Aelita said, walking up to him, “Why are you spending time with this Goth girl who’s never even kissed a boy before when you could be spending time with me, who has much more experience?” She continued walking up to Ulrich while Sissy and Heidi started walking towards Yumi. They said, “So… the Goth girl. What do you think we should do with her?”
“Oh, I don’t know Heidi. She’s an emo-girl too remember? Anything we do will make her cry!” They laughed. Yumi backed up and bumped into a tree. She had nowhere to go; she was trapped.
“You… you know what I’m going to do?” she said. “What? Cry like the little emo-girl that you are?” Sissy taunted. “N-no. I’m going to do this.” She crouched down and the girls cracked up. “Aw,” Heidi teased, “she’s gonna cry now!” Yumi looked up and glared at the girls. That shut them up. She swung her leg out beneath them and knocked their feet off the ground. They both fell to the ground and Yumi sprung into action.
She stood up and ran towards Ulrich. Aelita was right in his face now. Yumi grabbed Ulrich’s hand and pulled him in the direction they entered the woods in. They crashed into the woods and kept on running. Once they finally broke free of the thick blanket of trees, they kept running. They ran into the building, up the stairs, down the hall, and into Yumi’s room. There, they shut the door, locked it, and crashed on the bed, panting.
Once they started breathing normally, they realized that they were still holding hands. They looked at each other and snatched their hands away, blushing. “I guess it’s my turn to say thank you,” Ulrich said. “Yeah. Wow, I never thought it would happen: Ulrich Stern thanking someone for saving him,” Yumi said. She looked at him and smiled. Ulrich sat up and said, “Thank you, Yumi.” Yumi sat up as well. “You’re welcome.” Ulrich kissed her on the cheek. “What time is it?” she asked. “It’s, um… 12:40! We’re late for third block!” They both jumped up and ran out of the room.
They walked into Mrs. Hertz’s classroom. “Where have you two been?” she said. “They were in the woods, Mrs. Hertz,” Aelita piped up. The class fell into a chorus of “ooh’s.” Mrs. Hertz said, “Yumi, Ulrich, is this true?” Yumi studied her shoes. “Yes,” she said. They class burst into laughter. Yumi started to break for it, but Ulrich grabbed her hand, keeping her inside the classroom. “It’s okay,” he whispered. He led her inside and to their seats in the back of the class. They sat down and Mrs. Hertz said, “You two know the rules. There’s no wandering off the school grounds without permission. I’ll have to give you both detention.”
“But, Mrs. Hertz, isn’t the lake in school grounds?” Ulrich asked. “Why… I suppose so. Why?”
“Because that’s only as far as we went was the lake.” Mrs. Hertz paused. “Well, then I suppose you two don’t get detention, then. My mistake.” Yumi looked up from her book and smiled. “Thank you,” she mouthed. Ulrich smiled and turned back to his work.
They both paid attention to the class, taking notes, asking and answering questions. Then the loudspeaker came on. “Mrs. Hertz?” the secretary in the office asked. “Yes,” Mrs. Hertz answered. “Do you have Yumi Ishyama?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Could you send her up to the office, please? Her father’s here.”
“Sure.” Mrs. Hertz looked at Yumi. “Come here. Let me write you a pass,” she said. “C-can Ulrich come, too?” Yumi asked. “Yes, I suppose so,” Mrs. Hertz replied. She wrote both names on the pass and the students walked out of the classroom. As soon as they shut the door, Ulrich said, “I thought your dad was supposed to be in rehab.”
“He was supposed to be there and in anger management. I doubt they could break him in only a year and a half,” Yumi said. “Yumi, what if he is still the same person he used to be? I can’t let you go anywhere with him.”
“We still have to go to the office, though.” They began the walk down the hallways to the front office.
When they walked inside, Yumi’s Dad stood there. He looked surprised to see Ulrich there. “Hey, Yumi.” He glared at Ulrich. “Hello, Ulrich. Yumi, I thought they called you to the office alone.” Yumi, thinking quickly, said, “They did. Ulrich was just passing through. He was on an errand for Mrs. Hertz and decided to walk me here, so Mrs. Hertz put both of our names on our pass here.”
“Oh,” Yumi’s dad said. “Well, thank you, Ulrich, but I think Mrs. Hertz will be wanting you back now.”
“Actually,” the secretary piped up, “I could use you for an errand or two, Ulrich, if you wouldn’t mind.”
“Sure, Mrs. Hanford.”
“Yumi,” Mr. Ishyama said, “Could we talk outside for a few moments?” Yumi glanced at Ulrich, then, reluctantly, nodded yes.
When they left, Mrs. Hanford began talking to Ulrich. “Ulrich, I don’t trust that man. Do you know anything about him that should make me as worried as I am?” Ulrich hesitated, wondering if it was okay to tell her about Yumi’s dad. “Yes, I do,” Ulrich began. “He was an alcoholic. An extremely bad alcoholic. And he was… he was very abusive, too. He beat Yumi so badly, that it made her think that there’s not anyone but me who isn’t going to hurt her. He beat her little brother, too. He beat him so badly that he died. He was only five years old. Yumi’s dad took rehab and anger management classes, but only for a year and a half. I don’t think that helped him any.” Mrs. Hanford looked down. Ulrich saw a tear fall from her eyes.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ishyama took Yumi outside the building. “Why are you here?” Yumi asked. “I’m here because I’m taking you away from here. I’m taking you to my apartment to live with me.”
“Dad, you can’t do that. It’s illegal. And what if I don’t want to go? What if I had friends here?”
“You mean that green boy in there? Why’d you bring him, anyway? Because you’re still the scrawny, wimpy little girl you were when I left you? Because you thought he’d protect you? Because…”
“Because I love him!”
Ulrich walked up to the front door and looked out the window. He couldn’t hear them, even if they were yelling. He saw Mr. Ishyama pause and pull his fist back, ready for a swing. Yumi crouched down. She swung her leg out and knocked him off his feet and onto his back. She said something, and then she ran inside. When she saw Ulrich, she stopped. “How much did you hear?” she asked him. “I promise, I didn’t hear a word. These walls are, like, soundproof.” Yumi nodded and looked out the window. Her dad was coming towards the building. “Come on!” Yumi said, grabbing Ulrich’s hand and pulling him back into the office.
When they stepped through the door, Mrs. Hanford ran towards them. “Oh, Yumi. Are you okay? What happened? Ulrich? Yumi?” Yumi looked down. “I can’t be afraid of him anymore… even if he is my father.” Mr. Ishyama burst through the door just then.
“What are you doing? You’re coming with me, whether you like it or not.”
“No, Dad. I’m not. I don’t want to go with you. I don’t want to be illegal.”
“Illegal?” Mrs. Hanford said. “You mean he lost custody of you?” Yumi nodded slowly. “I’m calling the cops,” Mrs. Hanford said. She ran over to the phone on her desk. Mr. Ishyama glared once at each of them, and then ran. “Go to class, you two. You should be safe now,” Mrs. Hanford said. Then, right on time, the bell rang to change classes.
Yumi and Ulrich went to Mrs. Hertz class to pick up their stuff, and then went to their third block class, gym.
