Chapter 1. Let's Take a Picture with Santa
Standing in line at the mall for a picture with Santa wasn't particularly high on Leaf's preferred list of things to do on her break. Key word, preferred.
The same old songs playing on a loop through the loudspeaker of the mall was enough to driver her crazy and caused Leaf to fumble with the dying black hair band around her wrist in order to keep calm. Her eyelid started to twitch and soon her green eyes were roaming everywhere but not even looking.
A hand on her shoulder brought her back to attention and Leaf's body grew ridged.
"Relax, Leaf, stop fidgeting. You look like you committed a crime and the police are doing a line up," Misty said, rolling her eyes and blew a stray piece of red hair out of her eyes.
A short young woman standing next to them looked around uncertainly. "There sure are a lot of girls and women our age."
"That's because the Santa here is for those types of females, May," Dawn said and looked ahead on her tiptoes excitedly. "There's only a few more people left!"
Leaf crossed her arms. "Why are we even doing this? Who's playing the Santa? Did he even get a background check? I don't think this is a good idea…"
As her friend trailed off, May rolled her eyes. "Stop trying to find an excuse to leave, Leaf, you'll know the answer to all those questions in a minute. Besides, we're not going to let you leave this mall without this picture and you in it."
Groaning Leaf tried to walk away but Misty tightly latched onto her and dragged her forward with sadistic glee, "It's our turn!" She said and Dawn giggled, handing a slim camera to an irritated man in an elf costume before lightly striding up the steps to the chair.
As Leaf struggled with Misty and May, she didn't notice the young man sitting on the ornate but plastic chair with a smirk. With a cry of victory, Misty shoved Leaf onto the man's lap and she and May quickly posed on either side of the surprised pair while Dawn just laughed, making a peace sign as she stood behind everyone.
Flash!
The camera went off and Leaf's life just got a little bit more interesting.
"Hey Leafy," The man said and she let out a shriek, tumbling from off of his lap onto the floor. Her once neat dark brown hair was tangled all around her head from the fall and Leaf winced when she thought of how messed up she looked.
Laughing he got out of the chair and held out one hand while smoothing down his red suit with another. "It's been awhile."
The red haze that had spread across her face became even darker and she blew a piece of her hair away, "Please, Gary, I saw you last week at my birthday party and even that was too much for this year." She muttered and pushed herself up off the floor to glare at Gary and her friends. "What the hell did I say 'bout setting me up?" She said angrily, reverting back to her old small-town dialect.
Clutching her stomach as she giggled, Dawn sat heavily down in the chair. "Oh. My. Arceus. You should have seen your face!" She yelled and then collapsed in a fit of giggles while May patted her back, trying to calm her friend and herself down.
The only one not freaking out was Gary and Misty, one of which was rather irritated by Leaf's lack of joy in seeing him while the other was only mildly amused.
By now the other girls in line were starting to get irritated and complain so Leaf hurriedly scurried up onto her feet and Dawn stopped laughing.
"Come on guys, we'll sort this out in a few hours," Misty said, herding her friends towards the exit before pausing to hold out a slip of paper with a hastily written address. "Meet us here by three. If you don't, Dawn will kill me," She said with a hassled expression and passed it to Gary who had gotten back on the chair by then. Taking it with a nod, Gary turned towards the long line of girls and ignored his friends leave.
…
Sitting in the new cafe on East Street, all four of the young women waited for Gary to come.
Some, much more eagerly than others.
Ignoring the pacing Leaf, Dawn raised a hand for the waiter and leaned back in her chair. "Get whatever you want, the bill's on me," She said to the other women and May immediately whipped up the menu and began ordering. "I'd like the large chocolate cookies that are over there in the display. How many? As many as you've got, including the one on that man's plate."
After a quiet comment from the teenager standing there and hopelessly trying to keep up, May's vein strained against her forehead. "What do you mean you can't do that?! He's not eating it for Christ's sake! Heck, I'm pretty sure he's fallen asleep on his computer."
Sighing as May argued with the manager whom the waiter called over, Misty rubbed at her temples. "You do know that she's going to run you dry, right Dawn? Never mind, you deserve it after all of your scheming to get all of us together with someone before next year."
Dawn rolled her eyes and smirked. "Oh please, May's still the same old May and hasn't grown a month all this time. She'll let in after a while, pout, and only order a bowl of soup or something. Besides, being a match-maker is my job so setting up my friends is what I'm supposed to do."
This comment caused Leaf to stop pacing and suddenly plop into a chair, looking worn out. "You definitely did something today," She muttered and held up a finger for the waiter to take her order of a hot chocolate with lots of whip cream and chocolate sauce.
As the waiter finally walked back to the kitchen, the bell on the door rang and a cold gust blew into the room. Stomping his shoes on the mat, Gary paused to locate the women before waving and walking cheerfully over. "So why did three lovely young ladies and an exquisite tree specimen call for my humble self?" he asked and sat in a chair next to Leaf, inching it close to her as he talked.
"Yeah, humble my ass," Leaf remarked and stood up, moved her chair between May and Misty's, and sat back down with a satisfied smirk to meet Gary's twitching eye.
Chuckling knowingly, May set down her menu. "Gary, Leaf really doesn't get your hints so I'd be a bit more forward. Even the smartest kids are quite dense when it comes to that."
Gary nodded and clenched his fist in determination but then released it. "Wait…May, what would you know about that? You've never fallen!"
Her eye twitched and May stubbornly lifted her chin up a little. "Oh shut up, Dawn's dragged me to enough rom-coms to know what it's supposed to be like."
Head swiveling around to keep track of the conversation about her, Leaf finally gave up and massaged her temples. "If you're done talking nonsense, what the heck is going on?"
Dawn had to get up a little from her seat to reach but she gently patted the taller girl's head. "Don't worry, we'll explain Sweetheart. See, I decided to set you and your "bff" up for a Christmas present. Setting up means that I'm trying to get you two to-"
"I'm not a child, I know what those words mean," Leaf protested and gently stirred her hot cocoa which was set down recently by a different waiter from before, the previous one being consoled by a friend in the corner as she cried from May's outburst of anger directed towards her.
"Besides, my "love" affairs are none of your business," She continued and Misty rubbed her chin, pretending to be wise. "So you are having an affair!"
Leaf's body grew ridged and she was positively irate, her hands clenched until her long nails drew blood and her ears as deep red as the rest of her face. She didn't know why that comment irritated her so, but it was grating; her friends' constant interest in her relationship status with Gary was annoying enough but recently it had hit an all-time high.
Nearly twenty-four seven they had harassed her over her childhood friend until Leaf had heard all the possible jabs from suggestive eyebrow waggles to out-right date ideas and good spots.
The feelings she felt weren't exactly deep but not as shallow as one might think. To put it simply, she felt oddly betrayed as Gary started to say he agreed with Misty's statement.
"I'm done with you guys," Leaf said in a monotone voice and stood, shoving back her chair and causing a harsh sound as the metal grated against the stone floor. Not bothering to push it back in, Leaf stalked towards the door and shook off Gary's concerned hand before turning the corner and leaving her friends' line of sight.
Once around she was sure they weren't looking, Leaf broke down and ran, thankful to whatever was out there that she was wearing flats that day. As she continued on to the parking garage, Leaf felt something on her face and reached up to wipe it only to draw back and stop, nearly falling into someone. "Hey, watch it!" The man muttered and shoved his way past the young woman.
'Oh God.' She thought and pulled her hand at the feeling of tears. "Why am I crying?" She nearly screamed at a particularly irritating looking cloud but thought better of it, this town already had enough weirdos yelling at the sky without her. That thought brought a small grim smile to her face and Leaf once again wiped her tears away and began to trot at a slower pace to her car.
She wasn't as angry or upset or whatever feelings should come around that time of the month even though it wasn't, but Leaf was still irritated with her friends and needed someone to talk to.
"Hey Fire, can we talk?"
…
"Should I go after her?" Gary asked, halfway out of his seat in concern.
Shaking her head, Dawn took a sip of her coffee. "Leaf just needs some time to cool off. She's still a child about certain things, you should know that the best out of all of us."
May crossed her arms."That was still pretty cruel, even for you Misty."
Misty stared back at everyone stubbornly. "At least I wasn't the one who decided to give Leaf a stupid present like that."
As everyone looked at Dawn, she just ignored them and drank several gulps of her drink before smiling like the Cheshire Cat. "Oh come on, it's going to get a lot more interesting in a few hours. I swear on my antique 'Hello Kitty' clock that I'll get the two together by the end of this year and all will go according to my plan."
Gary shifted in his seat and stuck his hands in his pocket. "So what-exactly-is this plan?"
Her smile grew even wider and Dawn laced her fingers together, leaning on the newly created chin hammock. "Well…"
…
Sighing, Misty pinched the bridge of her nose as she thought of Dawn's "genius" plan and Leaf's reaction but was shaken out of her thoughts by the five year old girl in the backseat screaming, "Mommy, the light's green!" Shooting straight up, Misty pressed on the gas pedal as the car behind her honked and pulled over to another lane. "Thanks sweetie," She said and adjusted the rearview mirror so she could see her daughter better.
The child's blond hair was tied up in a ponytail but hidden under a straw hat and her wide brown eyes were sparkling with excitement. "Do you think Auntie Daisy sent me a Christmas present in the mail?" She asked in the energetic voice that she only used around her mother and Misty laughed, "Yellow, it's not always about the presents!"
Pouting, Yellow clenched her large sketch book tightly. "But everyone else gets presents from both of their parents and their families but I only get them from you and Autie Daisy," She defended her position, suddenly sullen.
This prompted Misty's hands to clench the steering wheel harder even though her eyes softened, "Well Daddy will…he'll…" She had idea how to tell a child that her dad had left them but didn't want to lie so Misty just kept quiet until they reached the post office.
"Do you want to put the package in the drop-off?" Misty asked and Yellow's tiny hand tightened around her larger one, "Yes!" Raising an eyebrow, Misty handed the thick envelope to her daughter before looking back up at the line, "Be careful not to wrinkle it or you might get some coal!" She warned but Yellow just giggled, "I hope it's chocolate flavored."
Pretending to be angry, Misty continued to look away that she didn't notice the absence of the hand until she looked back down to reply, "I don't think Santa wou-" She shrieked and looked around, trying to calm her heart which had sped up faster than Harley's motorcycle on Black Friday.
Looking around she tried to spot the signature large straw hat of her child and think logically. 'Okay, calm down, she'll be okay. She'll be okay.' Misty repeated, even though it was hopeless in getting her to think properly.
Shoving her way through the crowd, she made her way to the counter, ignoring the angry shouts of people behind her. Cheeks flushed red, Misty slammed her hands on the counter to silence the clerk telling her she couldn't cut the line, "Listen, Missy, my daughter is missing and you're either going to announce that a dark blond five year old with a large straw hat is missing and that if she's lost, she should report to here or I'll knock you out and do it myself."
As the woman reached to call the security, Misty leaned forward and stared the woman in the eye, "I'm a mother missing her child…I dare you." She hissed and the clerk felt shivers rack her body at the malice contained within her words, "Calm down Mam, I would do it without the threats." She said and tried to not show fear. 'Don't show fear, she can sense it,' The lady repeated to herself as she made her way to the intercom.
…
A few minutes earlier…
Huffing in indignation at not being paid attention to, Yellow gave her mom a squeeze before slipping her hand out of the much bigger one, 'I'll get it there in no time!' She thought with confidence and inched forward into the crowd, groaning as her cheeks were smushed together almost instantly by the flow of people. "I'll be back soon!" She said quietly and put the letter in her hat before dropping to the floor and crawling in between the constantly moving legs.
A particularly rough kick by an unknown person sent Yellow sprawling on the floor and she puffed out her cheeks, 'That was rude!'
Getting up was getting hard, though, as the building got more crowded by the second and every time she was on her knees, someone would cause her to fall back down with a stomp to her fingers or accidental kick.
'Why won't anyone see me?' Yellow silently cried as the tears began to form in her eyes and a small flow of mucus began to run out of her nose only to be sucked back up by a sniff.
Just as all was lost in her opinion and Yellow remained on the floor in a ball, trying not to be hurt, a large and callused hand was dangled in front of her face. This hand was soon to be followed by a young man crouching down in front of her with a friendly smile, "Do you need help?" He asked and Yellow flashed back to what her mother had said about strangers.
This guy didn't seem like a stranger though, his rich brown eyes were friendly looking and he just…he just felt right.
Nodding, Yellow tentatively put her hand in his and let him pull her up. "Where's your mommy?" He asked and Yellow stared at his wild shock of hair before biting her lip.
The tears that had just dissipated came welling back and he quickly withdrew his hand before waving them about and the man began to make weird faces, "Please don't cry!" He cried out and tried to make her calm down. Sniffling, Yellow laughed at the man's odd reaction, 'Grown-ups are silly.' She thought and gently grabbed his sleeve, looking him in the eyes.
Blinking, he stopped acting weird and looked back at her, "You've lost her?" She nodded and he sighed in relief, "My name's Ash Ketchum. It's okay if you don't want to tell me your name but how about you get on my shoulders so you can see if you can spot your mom?"
Feeling once again as if she could trust him, Yellow agreed to climb up onto his shoulders and grasped his jet black locks tightly, "I'm Yellow." She said quietly and by some miracle, Ash heard her and smiled, reaching up to pat her head before the intercom went off, "Excuse me, if there is a Ms. Yellow listening, please report to the front of the building, your crazy mother is waiting for you there."
A crackle of static and shouting in the background yielded an edit to the original message, "Sorry, your perfectly sane mom is waiting for you near the doors."
Raising and eyebrow, Ash said, "Hold on tight, we're going to get your mommy!" And started jogging towards the entrance and exit, much to Yellow's delight as she bounced around on his shoulders.
…
As Misty turned around in circles she rubbed her arms nervously while she searched to crowd, "Where the heck are you, Yellow?" She said quietly. A bubbly giggle brought her attention almost immediately to a floopy straw hat bobbing through the crowd towards her.
With a relieved cry she made her way to the hat and nearly bumped into the man her daughter was happily riding. "Yellow!" She cried out, at first happy but then she got angry, "Don't you ever do the again!" Misty yelled and the man helped Yellow get down so she could embrace her mom.
This provoked another mood swing and soon Misty was choked up and hugging her so hard the poor child was nearly blue. "M-Mommy let go!" She said and Misty loosened her grip but only slightly before pulling her up into a comfortable carrying position, "Not until we get home." Misty said and turned back to the man standing there smiling at the reunion.
"Thanks so much, I'm really sorry for any trouble she could have caused you." Misty said and looked up into his eyes for the first time only to cringe as he said, "Misty? Is that you?" Nodding, Misty avoided his eyes, "Yeah, hey Ash…It's been awhile."
Stepping back to take in the picture, Ash raised an eyebrow, "She's your child?" Misty tightened her grip on Yellow and gritted her teeth, "Yes." She managed and Ash blinked, "How old is she, five? You're only twenty-three, you must have had her when you were-"Cutting him off, Misty glared, "At least I'm not as young as most parents these days. Besides, I see you've kept that same bad habit of speaking what you think." Turning to leave she looked over her shoulder, "Thanks but we have to be going."
Reaching out a hand to her, Ash left it lingering on her shoulder, "Hey, if you ever need help or anything, my number's still the same." Misty jerked her shoulder out from under his hand and fully turned away, "Thanks but no thanks, I'm too busy."
As she left, Ash ran a hand through his hair and sighed before making one more effort, "I'll be at the Staryubucks in the bookstore tomorrow night around eight if you want to join me." He called out and then sighed again, "I see you've remained the same as well." He murmured and turned back to the line only to see he had lost his spot in line, "Oh crap, now I have to be in the back again." He moaned and started trudging back to the end before stopping as he stepped on a large and bulky envelope.
Puzzled, he picked it up and read the address.
It was the letter Yellow was supposed to put in the mail and tapped to the bottom was another letter.
…
As May locked up the doors to the office, she felt the hair on the back of her neck rise and she whirled around, "Who's there?" Out of the shadows stepped a smirking green-haired twit, "I can't believe how jumpy you are, Red." Gritting her teeth, which seemed to be a shared habit between the four friends, May crossed her arms, "I'm not going on another date with you after the last one."
Flicking a bang, he fluently pulled a rose from inside his sleeve, "For the Queen of Hearts. I hope it's satisfactory for such a lovely temptress." He said mockingly and May ripped it from his hand, throwing it to the ground, "And I hope you would stop already.
"It's been three years so I suggest you take all of the roses from every corner of your too-tight suit and throw them in a bonfire or something. Stop bugging me, if this wasn't a rom-com I would have filed some kind of report for you stalking me." She countered, irritated, and walked away towards her car too soon to see the flash of pain that passed over Drew's face.
"Just one more chance…I just want one more chance." He said and picked up the broken rose before tucking it back into his sleeve.
And that's the end of this supper late Christmas Special! This is just part one of the three-five part little special so don't worry that Dawn's section wasn't in this. Hers is one of the last because love between her and Paul doesn't come easily.
I'm sorry for this being really late, I meant to work on it but school crammed in these benchmarks and projects and then when break came, I couldn't come up with a good way to start and I literally have fifteen different documents with all types of starts to this short. Because I got stuck, I decided to set this aside and work on something else but then I forgot and then remembered about it on 12/28 around eleven at night.
Yeah…Sorry 'bout that.
By the way, don't ever trust strangers like Yellow and unless you're filming for a movie, please, please, please report any creepy stalkers.
Did I do an okay job with separating dialogue? Please review and tell me!
Happy Holidays and A (Early) Happy New Year!
