Code Lyoko: Revolutions and Evolutions

Chapter 67

AN: This chapter came after a fair bit of work and a couple prayers, and I thank God for the result. After this posting, the next chapter will come in the time that it comes. With life taking its course as it has been, I find it harder to find time to write. So, the next chapter will be along when it is finished. I thank all of you who have been with me so far, and I hope you enjoy the read. I'll see you next chapter.

Pagliacci-11

Disclaimer: The lyrics of People are Strange to belong to The Doors and all associated property owners. I, in no way, claim them.

Chapter 67

Jeremy rested very fitfully throughout the night. As he awoke naturally, he sighed contentedly. Upon opening his eyes, Jeremy bolted out of his bed, for the sun was up so high Jeremy thought that it easily was after nine o'clock. To his horror, he was right. His alarm, for some reason, had failed to go off. Looking over at his clock, he saw that the alarm switch was clicked back to the off position. He was somewhat surprised that his mother had not awoken him for his lateness, as was custom.

Jeremy expediently dressed and headed towards the bathroom to shower. A cursory glance at Aelita's door showed it was still closed. Paying attention to the house's ambiance, Jeremy could hear the gentle click-clack of his dad's keyboard downstairs. Jeremy thought, "Well, Dad's up, at least. Hm. Aelita must have slept in too."

Once at the bathroom, Jeremy took the small wooden tab secured by a cord and placed it on the doorknob. As he showered, Jeremy thought about the night before. According to his father, he knew his mother had given a covert ass-chewing to Aelita, but Aelita had stood her ground. He was relieved in a way. His mother had a history, a natural proclivity to vet girls around him going back to grade-school. It was a mixture of understandable, albeit highly intrusive and irritating. In many ways, his mother was of those sorts that were highly reluctant to relinquish control of their children. Heck, he remembered how he had to oddly fight for an upgrade to his undergarments.

As he saw Jeremy grow more into his own, Michael had steadily allowed Jeremy greater freedoms so long as he understood the consequences therein. It was because of this evidenced maturation, Michael had consented to allow for Jeremy to have sex with Aelita off the reservation, so to speak. In many ways, Jeremy knew such a path was not something that Michael particularly wanted for him. That said, Michael knew if Jeremy were to be kept as tightly wound as Emily had a habit of doing, Jeremy would be eventually emotionally and socially stunted to his detriment. Micheal couldn't accept such a result.

So, when the time came, Michael had spoken to Jeremy about the liberties he was permitted to have. Once Micheal was certain, Jeremy had fully understood the consequences and how to prevent them, those freedoms were allowed to be fully embraced. These freedoms took many forms over time, graduating scope and scale. First was the liberty of expanding Jeremy's wardrobe, for Michael hated the everyday blue shirts that Emily regularly sent him. It was a sickening shade to Michael, but he hadn't said much. In a way, Michael didn't want the aspect of what he called "Rut Think" to fester in Jeremey, and so, he'd encouraged Jeremy to switch up the color scheme.

Secondly came one of Jeremey's greater privileges, the privilege to gamble. Michael knew the paltry allowance Emily would send to Jeremey on occasion to keep him afloat at Kadic would do only that, keep him afloat. To Michael, such a meager thing would not sustain a young teenager. Equally, Michael more than knew his own son and his proclivity for mathematics. But to make this of genuine benefit, Michael decidedly taught Jeremy two skills: The law of averages when coming to calculating risk, loss ratios, and how to keep an iron poker-face. The second skill had most benefitted when Jeremy had squared off against Sylvia during their checkers match.