Chapter 1: The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face
Written by Deutschland1871 and Hello 12
Staring
Deutschland1871 as Ross Huot
WaqueKoala 2.0 as Grace Johnson
n00bsl3yR as Dakota Moore
Nintendo as Professor Elm
Golem2.76 as Josh
And you as the reader
Enjoy
Ross
Ross entered Professor Elm's office and closed the door behind him. The Professor was tapping away on his computer, but looked up to greet Ross. "Hello Ross. Take a seat and I'll be with you in a moment."
Ross pulled up one of the spare plastic chairs and sat down. Elm pulled up Ross's grades and closed his other tab. "Okay Ross, we need to talk about your grades."
Ross already felt a feeling of dread build up inside him. "What about them?"
Elm sighed. "Well Ross you're failing all your classes. I'm afraid that if you don't improve the soon you'll have to repeat your classes."
Ross was momentarily shocked. He thought of himself as relatively smart. He wasn't genus by any means, but he wasn't completely dumb. "There has to be a mistake. I don't remember failing any important tests or assignments."
Professor Elm shook his head. "It has nothing to do with you assignments or tests. It's just that you're missing a lot of days and a lot of your assignments have 0s. Is something happening at home?"
Something was going on at home with Ross, in fact it had been going on for awhile. "Yeah, something has been going on."
Elm nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Ross sighed. "I probably should. Things haven't been exactly normal. I've tried to maintain a sense of normalcy, but it's hard. Elm, my parents have been gone since March." Ross took a deep breath and continued. "My mom, she passed away giving birth to my baby sister, and my dad ditched us a few days after her funeral. I have no idea where he is or even if he's still alive. We've been alone since March and I've had to manage work, school, and Natalie. I've tried my best, but I just can't find the perfect balance." Ross continues talking about his problems to Elm for a solid 30 minutes with Elm silently listening. "I mean, taking care of a baby with a spouse who has a job is hard enough, but having to do everything by yourself? It's a living hell, but I can't give up on her. She doesn't deserve what's happened to her and she deserves better."
Elm nodded and wrote a few notes on his notepad. "May I ask why you've taken the burden upon yourself? Do you not have any relatives to fall back on?"
"I can't go to anyone else. Dad's grandparents have been dead for a while and Mom's hate Natalie. They've constantly blamed her for Mom's death and refuse to talk to me unless I get rid of her. I can't to do that. She's my sister and she's done nothing wrong. I love her with every fiber of my being, but I don't know how long I can keep this up!" Ross was beginning to be upset with the whole situation.
Elm had two final ideas. Both of which he knew Ross didn't like. "Listen Ross I've got two ideas and being the independent person you are you are going to hate both of them. But I think they're the only options I have. One of them kills two birds with one stone while the other is a bit more drastic. I've had a fellow student who's had some issues at home as well. She's a bit rowdy and needs to mature, but she is smart and gets her assignments done quickly. So I propose an exchange. You get her to be more mature and she'll help you with your grades. Or you could pick the second option. The second option is to turn yourself and Natalie over to Child Protective Services. You'd be placed in a foster home with Natalie and would not be separated from her. However all the foster homes around here have very strict anti-Pokémon rules so any Pokemon you have would be released."
Ross's eyebrows shot up. "Oh hell no, there is no way in hell I'm going to CPS! Do you have any idea what it's like in those foster homes!" Ross was vehemently anti-foster homes because he's heard stories. Really bad stories of homes being extremely strict and controlling, forcing the children to be dependent on the adults, and even some stories of slave labor.
"I'll choose to ignore your inappropriate language as a matter of the circumstances. I understand your position. That only leaves one option. The tutoring exchange option."
Ross sighed and slumped deeper into the chair. He didn't want to be tutored because it showed that he wasn't as smart as people think he is. However Ross realized that this would be a opportunity to make another friend because he only really has Josh. "I suppose so. How would I be able to help her mature?"
Professor Elm smirked. "A mature person like you should be able to figure that out."
Ross groaned. "What time do I need to meet her?"
Elm looked at the schedule and searched for the time Ross needed to study with Grace. "You should see her after school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays."
Ross nodded and left the room.
Grace
Grace and Dakota walked down the hallway giggling to themselves about girl gossip. The hallway was very busy, and you could hear students in the class taking like crazy. Today was a very slow day, and a lot of the students didn't seem that motivated. "Girl, did you hear that Misaki fell and is now on crunches?" Dakota asked, her friend. Rumours about Misaki falling and ending up on crunches, had ran ramped around the school.
"Uh...no." Grace replied. She didn't really hear that, because she hadn't been paying attention to the latest gossip in the school. She had her own problems to worry about, and most of that was the problems she was having with her mother. "I have my own things to deal with."
Dakota sighed. She thought that it was ridiculous, that Grace wasn't speaking to her mother. "You still not talking to your mom? Come on already! Just, let it go."
Grace growled at her friend. Despite the fact that the two girls were friends, they tended to have different viewpoints. Dakota had thought that Grace was being ridiculous with her hatred for her mom, for example. "You're dragging this out." Grace replied. Grace was getting tired of Dakota, constantly bringing this up.
But before she could say anything to Dakota. An announcement was made over the intercom. "Will Grace Johnson, please report to Professor Elm's office. Grace Johnson please report to Professor Elm's office." Anderson said over the intercom. Since he was the student council president, Anderson and/or Quentin, the vice president, usually had to do the announcements.
"Looks like I have to go." Grace sticks her tongue out, and begins walking await. Dakota just rolled her eyes silently, while the bell rings. She was as to why, Professor El, wanted to have a conversation with her friend. But she couldn't wait to find out why as she got really excited.
Grace
Grace walks into Professor Elm's office, and she ends up knocking on the door. His door may've been wide open, but she still didn't want to be rude to the man. "You called me?" She asked, looking at the Professor, who was writing something down on his notepad, which was in front of him.
Professor Elm looked up and smiled. "Yes, yes. Come in." Professor Elm waved his hand, signaling her to come in. Grace did with the man wanted her to do, and she walks over towards her seat, and she sits down in it.
The young girl looked at the man, who folded his arms together and was sitting straight up. Grace thought that Elm was a dort and slightly laughed at the man with spiked up, brown hair and oval shaped glasses. She cleared her throat, before speaking. She wanted to know, why she was being called to the guidance counselor's office. "Is there something that you need sir?"
"I've been wanting to have a conversation with you about your recent behavior." Elm said. Elm turned his spinning chair around with his feet, and uses his feet to crawl over to his file cabinet. Elm opens the cabinet up, and grabs Grace's file. He slams the door shut and crawls back over towards his desk.
Grace was confused on what the man was talking about, and raised her right eyebrow up. "I have no idea, what you're talking about sir." Grace lied. She knew dang well, that she hasn't been doing anything like that. "I've been the best role model..."
"Well...not according to these records." Elm said. Elm reaches into the files and pulls out an application, for a tutoring program. "That is why, I want you to apply for a tutoring program. I think that by doing this, it will show that you're not immature, and that you are a helpful person."
Grace rolled her eyes and folded her arms together. This wasn't something that she wanted to do. "But, what if I don't want to do it?" She asked, hoping that there was some way, that she could get out of this ordeal.
"You'll be suspended for three days."
Grace's attitude changed, and she grabbed the papers. "I'll be glad to help out those dumb kids." Grace said with the biggest fake smile on her face. Hearing that she could get suspended, changed her mind, so she decided to try and help these people out. She was a very smart student anyway, so she wasn't against sharing those smarts with other people.
"Good, now bring those papers back to me in a hurry, so I can find you someone to tutor." Elm said.
Grace realized that the conversation, was starting to end and that it was almost time for her to go, so she got up out of her seat. She was still carrying the fake smile from earlier. "I'll do just that."
"Good, so I'll see you then." Elm waved goodbye, as she nodded her head. He watched as she walked out of his office with a disappointed look on her face. Tutoring just wasn't something that she wanted to do.
Grace
It was almost time for the day to be over, and the teenage girl, Grace recently finished up the application that Professor Elm wanted her to do. Grace walked into his office, with the papers still intact and hands it to him. "I'm finished." She didn't sound to thrilled.
"Good." Elm smiled. Elm grabs the papers and shuffles them on his desk. "Because, while you we're out, I found the perfect specimen, for you tutor." Elm admitted. He had high hopes that she would be a good tutor. Grace might've been immature, but he did a ton of digging, and found out that Grace was actually a pretty smart student. So he believed that she could do it.
Grace rolled her eyes, for the umpteenth time and folded her arms together like a sandwich, casually. She felt like, if she was going to do this, she might as well, know who she would be tutoring. "Well spit it out."
Elm turns around and begins typing on his computer, trying to find a file that he digged up earlier. He remembered that he had a conversation with Ross earlier, and knew that Ross and Grace would make great partners. "You are going to be tutoring, Ross Huot." Elm prints off some papers about Ross, and hands them to Grace.
Grace was disgusted. She had heard rumours about Ross. He wasn't exactly the type of person, that she would like to be associated with. "You want me to work with him? Are you sure?" She questioned. "Isn't there someone else I can work with?"
"Nope. All tutoring decisions are finale. So suck it up." Elm finished, hoping that she would suffer, working with Ross. Grace rolled her eyes again, angry that she would have to work with someone like Ross, and she storms out of the room.
Ross/Grace
Both Ross and Grace were anxious for their first session. Ross was nervous because he needed to do well in the upcoming tests. Grace was nervous because she didn't want Ross to be like the rumors said he was. She hoped it was just a misunderstanding, but she wasn't 100 percent sure.
Both Ross and Grace entered the library at 4 o'clock p.m as planned. They sat down at a table near the center of the library and each of them pulled out the science textbook they were given in silence.
Ross decided to break the awkward silence. "So I guess you're Grace. Nice to meet you. I'm Ross."
"Yeah, it's nice to meet you too. What do we need to work on?" Grace replied nervously.
Ross looked at piece of paper which contained some of the assignments he was missing. "I suppose we could start at Chapter 9 of Volume 1."
Grace agreed and soon they lost themselves in their studies. Both sides quizzed each other and the opposite side tried to answer. Soon they were done with Chapter 9 and 10 and were ready to move on.
"What should we do now? We could work on Chapter 11 or we could work on something else." Grace questioned. She was slowly warming up to Ross. Maybe the rumor mill was wrong about him? Soon however the evening came and they needed to return home.
Grace packed up her stuff and was about to leave the library when Ross stopped her. "Hey Grace, I just want to let you know I had fun tonight and I hope we can do it again."
Grace absorbed those words and analyzed them. They seemed sincere. It was at this moment she knew the rumor mill was wrong about Ross. "Me too Ross. It was fun. Have a good evening."
"You too Grace!"
Grace/Dakota
Grace and Dakota were in the middle of English class, which was being taught by Lorelei. Lorelei was a red haired woman, who wore glasses and was one of the Kanto region's Elite Four, who specializes in Ice-types. The class had been instructed with silent reading time, so they can catch up in their reading of Romeo and Juliet. Grace was sitting on the side next to Dakota, as Grace kept thinking about Ross.
Dakota was getting bored of reading Romeo and Juliet, and would rather find out how Grace's tutoring session with Ross went. She turned around to look at her. Even though this was a Junior English class, Dakota was smart enough to be in the class. "So, how did it go? You're tutoring session with Ross. Did you like fall in love with him?" She whispered.
Grace didn't want to answer that, because she was starting to feel like it was true, after all the time she spent with him last night. She just shrugged her shoulders, ignoring her friend and looked down at her book. It was at that moment, that Dakota realized that she was right. "Oh my god! You do love him! Color me surprised."
"Shh!" Grace whispered. "And, I don't even love him. I just think that I like him." She replied. She wasn't to sure about her feelings for Ross, but she did feel something about him, after she felt like she felt a connection with him.
"Well, you better figure out your feelings soon. Because, I hear that Ross isn't the type of guy to do relationships." She said. Rumours about Ross and other women, have ran ramped around the school, so she wouldn't be surprised if the rumours where true, and that was why she wanted to warn her friend. Hearing her friend say that, just caused Grace to think, about what she was going to do.
Ross/Grace
Ross and Grace where in the middle of there second study session. Ross, was reading out of his biology book, but he was confused, because he had a hard time, trying to figure out what some of the words ment. "This is so stupid!" Ross sighed. He collapsed onto her queen size bed and held the book up. The two were studying at Grace's house.
Grace rolled her eyes again, getting fed up with his laziness. "Come on Ross, Biology isn't hard, and you have a test soon. So get up and let's do this." She glared at the boy, her eyes seeming like two lasers, which startled Ross a little bit and scared him, making him kind of want to get back to studying.
Ross lifts his back up and places the book on his lap. "But these words are to hard to pronounce. How, can anyone do it?"
"Well…" Grace started. Grace walks over towards the bed and sits down. She tried to think of something, in which could cause Ross to want to study in the first place. "Well, girls like smart guys. Not nerdy smart guys, but smart guys. So, since you like to play the field, I'm sure that by studying biology you can get a lot of girls, who will like you for your smarts."
Ross laughs. He guessed that those rumours about him, were still going on. "I guess people still think that I'm a player." Ross said.
"But aren't you? Don't you use girls and then dump them?' Grace asked. She was starting to get a little confused.
"I mean...I just don't want to get tied down right now, if that makes me a player, then so be it." Ross shrugged it off. Either way, he didn't really care one bit. He had more important things to do, than to participate in the daily high school gossip. "Besides, I have other things to do in my spare time."
Grace started to blush. The more she talked to Ross, the more she realized that everything that she thought about the poor guy, wasn't true at all. "I guess, people are more complex than I thought."
Ross smiles at her, and looks into her eyes. She looked back into his eyes, and you could sense a moment between the two of them. "I guess that just like sexuality, life isn't so black and white." Ross shrugged off. Hearing that Ross said really impressed Grace, and it caused her to blush even red, making her face look like a red lollipop.
"That is probably, the smartest thing, you've ever said." Grace playfully insulted. She might've had a crush on him, but she still wasn't going to go soft in her personality, just because of a little school girl crush. Both Ross and Grace laugh, while looking into eachothers eyes. The two teenagers, sensed a moment going on between the two.
Ross
Ross stared at the clock which slowly ticked down. He needed to be at home with Natalie. Audino could only do so much without opposable thumbs and they were still trying to work on trying get her to learn psychic, but TMs costed a lot of money. Money, which Ross did not have so they had to make do with other methods.
The bell rang signaling the end of the period. Ross quickly got up and grabbed his "doctor's note" and began walking towards the exit of the classroom. Josh ran up behind him and exited with him. "So where are you going?" Josh asked.
"I've got a doctor's appointment today so I have to leave early." Ross explained and continued walking.
Josh got curious. "What are you going in for?"
Ross hadn't been expecting that question and he tried to quickly make up an excuse. "Well, you see my stomach has been acting up lately. So I'm having a gynecologist… no wait it's a gastrologist look at it."
Josh snorted a little finding Ross's slip-up funny. "So anyway how is tutoring going?"
"It's been fine. I suppose. Grace seems like a nice girl. I don't know, we've only done it twice." Ross replied shrugging off Josh. Josh was confused. Normally Ross would be more than happy to chat with him, but now it seems that he's just shrugging him off but he just chalked it up to him being sick.
"Alright then, I hope you feel better soon man. Have fun at your next study session." Josh winked back at Ross causing him to blush at what Josh was implying.
Josh/Ross
It was the next day and the cafeteria was abuzz with the sounds of conversation and gossiping. Ross and Josh sat at a small table in the corner. Ross was still worried about his sister, but didn't show it out of fear that he would look suspicious. Ross munched on the school's standard lunch while Josh ate a sandwich he packed. "So how's life?" Josh tried to make small talk.
"It's been fine. I've been taking new meds to help with my stomach so it's getting better." Ross replied after finishing his milk carton.
Josh had a smirk on his face. "So how's your girlfriend, Grace?"
Ross nearly choked on his food. After coughing for a moment Ross had cleared his airways, "Grace. is. not. my. girlfriend Josh. What gives you that idea?"
"Oh you know, just the casual staring while blushing, doing whatever you can to be near her, you get the point. So when's the wedding?" Josh continued messing with Ross which he found incredibly hilarious.
Ross facepalmed. "I'm not in a relationship with Grace, Josh! Give it up already."
"But you do like her right?" Josh pestered.
Ross sighed. "Yes, I like her is that enough!" Ross was getting tired of the teasing and quite frankly wanted it to end.
Josh smirked. He was victorious. "So when are you going to ask her out?"
"I don't think she likes me in that way Josh." Ross deadpanned.
"Well you never know, I think Grace was pretty into you last time I saw her."
Ross stared at Josh oddly. "Josh?"
"Yeah?"
"Shut the hell up."
Ross/Natalie
Ross quickly ran home. He took all his designated hiding sections and ducked between alleys and dumpsters to avoid being seen. Ross leaped over his backyard fence and used his key to open the backdoor. "Audino I'm home!"
Audino came rushing into the back room with Natalie in hand. Natalie looked awful. Her nose was rose red while the rest of her face of her face was pale. Ross placed his hand on Natalie's forehead and immediately pulled it back. "She's burning up bad. I'm going to give her a bath. Maybe that will help." Ross took Natalie from Audino. Audino went the laundry room to grab some towels while Ross rushed to the bathroom. He turned on the water so that it was lukewarm and grabbed a sponge. After removing Natalie from her swaddling and pajamas Ross went to work trying to help cool his sister down.
Ross continued scrubbing Natalie with a new sponge. "Are you feeling better kiddo?" Natalie just gurgled in response, but to Ross it was a sign of confirmation. "That's good." Ross wrapped Natalie in a towel and grabbed a small washcloth and dried her small amount of hair. After a nice bath Natalie's fever had gone down to safe levels again so Ross was feeling a bit better. Soon Ross was finished redressing Natalie in a fresh pink onesie, "Are you hungry?"
Natalie didn't respond because she was to absorbed in her reflection from the mirror. "Hey Nat? Are you hungry?" Natalie was broken from her staring by Ross again and gurgled more. Ross laughed a little. "Well then let's eat!"
Ross carried Natalie out of the bathroom while humming a wordless tune which she enjoyed. She clapped her little hands as Ross finished the tune. "Well thanks Nat. Do you want baby formula or would you like to try applesauce?" Natalie tried to grab the jar of applesauce, but Ross stopped her. "I'll get that for you." Ross sat Natalie down in a high chair and spooned some applesauce into a bowl. Natalie mewled at being away from Ross, but was quickly silenced by a spoonful of applesauce.
Grace/Dakota
Grace and Dakota, sitting at the dining table, at Grace's house that evening, eating a bowl of cereal since Ross had to cancel their session because he had an appointment. Grace had been living with Dakota, ever seen the issues with her mom, reached the tipping point. It was Friday, so they were happy for the small break. After her second study session with Ross, Grace couldn't stop thinking about him. It was as if her feelings for him, was growing like a seed. "I think I want to be in a relationship with Ross. I like him, and that's what I want from him." Grace blurted out of nowhere.
Dakota was surprised to hear this, that she almost spit out her cereal. But luckily she didn't because she had enough restraint. "You actually like this guy?" She asked.
"Yes." Grace admitted. "He isn't that bad, and is a great guy. I really like him."
Dakota sighed. But she understood what it was like to like someone like Ross, and she knew what it was like to have rumours be spread about you, even though they weren't true. "Well, if you're happy, I'm happy. That's all that matters."
"Thank you for being so understanding."
"No problems. That's what friends are for Grace." Dakota replied. The two girls fist bump each other, but Grace just couldn't stop thinking about that dang Ross. He wouldn't escape her mind, and it was getting to the point, where she felt like there was a chance thar she could be in love. Dakota looked at her friend, and wondered what she was going to do about her feelings. "So, what are you going to do about it."
Grace shrugged. "I don't know. I've never felt this way about anyone before."
Dakota sighed. She felt like it was time to give Grace, a daily dose of Dakota wisdom. "Well, if I were you. I would go over to his house, and let him know how you feel. Always live in the now, and not in the past, young grasshopper."
Grace smiled. She realized that her friend was right. She took a quick bite of her cereal, and grabbed her jacket, since it was the middle of September, so it being cold outside, made a lot of sense. "I gotta go, get me a man." Grace runs up to Dakota and kisses her on the cheek. "Thank you so much."
Dakota watches Grace as she runs of, to go get her a boyfriend. "No problem." Dakota casually shrugged. She was quite happy for her friend, and wanted her to succeed in her quest.
Ross/Grace
After taking her friends, sassy advice, Grace rushed to Ross' house. Grace couldn't hold her feelings in any longer, so she knocked on the door hard. She waited for quite a while, but that didn't stop her from continuing to knock on the door.
"I'm coming." Ross was feeding Natalie. But he was making sure he was quiet, so no one could hear her, because he was keeping her a secret. Ross peaks out the window and he sees Grace standing on his porch. "Oh no. Grace is here. I can't let her know, about Natalie." Ross sighed, but swallowed his pride. He grabs the doorknob and twisted it, which opened the door. He saw Grace and smiled at her. "Hello, Grace. Fancy, seeing you here."
Grace wasn't waiting any time and she grabs Ross' face and begins kissing him. Ross wasn't opposed to the kiss, but he didn't want to make any noise, because of Natalie being in the other room. While, the two where making out in front, Natalie was making baby noises. This peaked Grace's interest and she broke the kiss. "What is that noise?"
"It's nothing…" Ross lied.
But Grace didn't believe it. Grace pushes Ross out of her way and walks into his house. She begins turning corners, following the baby noises. Until Grace arrives in the kitchen, where she sees Natalie sitting in a high chair. Grace's couldn't believe what she saw. "Who the hell is that?" She asked.
