Meowthless in Viridian City

L.R.T.

I don't get it and I probably never will get it.

I don't even know how long we've been after these brats and how many times we've blasted off and now, of all times, Meowth decides to get injured. Perfect.

Damn that cat. I know he's faking just to get out of work. You don't beam yourself on trees and rocks for years and just now get hurt. Just doesn't happen. I don't know what he's planning but I know it's something.

So, there James and I sat. Me, reading the Saffron Chronicle and James, most likely being distracted by the pretty lights in the Pokemon Center. I look out of the corner of my eye at him. Staring off into nothingness, drooling. How gentlemanly.

Damn it.

I looked at his eyes. Why do I torture myself? One look into those glittery emerald eyes and he could take me right here and now, drool or no drool. I shake my head and pretend to be engrossed in an article about Sabrina and her Gengar.

What the hell was taking so long? Meowth couldn't have been that hurt! His skull's so damn thick...I won't get into that.

As I look back to my magazine, I see a piece of gum thrust under my face. I look up and see James sticking a few three pieces into his mouth, smiling like a kid on Christmas. I swear, he's eighteen years old and acts like a kindergartner.

I smile and take the gum. "Thanks."

James nods and gnaws away on his gum. "You think Meowth's okay?"

I shrug as I begin to gnaw away at my own piece of gum. "Probably. Cats do have nine lives, you know."

"I just feel bad...I'm not worried and neither are you...but what if something really bad did happen to him, Jess?"

I sigh and shut my magazine. I obviously wasn't going to get any reading done now. "James, just because we aren't worried doesn't mean we're bad friends. We just know that Meowth can pull through anything. It's not a bad thing and we're not gonna be condemned for it, for crying out loud," I say, twirling part of my gum around my finger.

James pouts slightly and stares at the pop machine. I expect any minute for him to whine and ask, "Jess, can I have a quarter for pop?"

"Jess, what do you think the afterlife is like?"

Hello! James. Asking a serious question that didn't involve donuts and how they get the jelly inside? Persians are Arcanines! Red is blue! Nothing is right with the world!

"I really don't know, James. I've never been dead."

Ha. Good comeback, Jessie! Go me!

James frowns. "And you wonder why I don't have intelligent conversations with you."

Come again, now?

"What?! All you do is talk about donuts and -- and make immature jokes about Weezing's 'gas!' You've never tried to talk with me seriously before! Besides, how can I answer that question? I've never been dead to know! It's a perfectly logical answer."

James looks down slightly. "Sorry. Guess it was kind of stupid..."

Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it.

I sigh and put my hand atop his. "I'm sorry, too. It was a really good question just...not one either of us can answer."

James nods and looks down at me, smiling slightly which, of course, made me smile, too. I try to stare at his forehead but it's like a magnetic field dragging my eyes to look straight into his. If I didn't know any better I could swear I hear my heart beating practically out my chest. Then we hear doors open and avert our attention to that.

Nurse Joy. Probably with news about Meowth. James and I stand up and await her verdict. If we weren't such crappy thieves then maybe we'd be doing this more often - in a courtroom, of course.

"I assume you're the owners of the Meowth that came in?" she asks, in that usual annoyingly shy, perky "Joy" voice.

James and I nod. "Yeah, we're the owners. Is he okay?" James asks.

Joy sighs. "Yes, he'll be fine, he's just got a bump on the head. He'll need to stay here for a few days so we can make sure nothing happens to him."

I raise an eyebrow. "What could happen to him?"

"Well, for one thing, he could develop memory lapses. Also, we've taken some x-rays, but those films won't be back until tomorrow night, so we won't know if he has any damage to his head at all until then; but if he does, I wouldn't think it would be too horrific. Just some bruising perhaps. Rest-assured, he'll be fine if you give him enough time to recover," she smiles.

James and I sigh. "Thank you, Nurse Joy. Can we see him?" he asks.

"No, our visiting hours are over for today, plus he needs his rest. You can come in any time from 9AM to 8PM from now on."

"Thanks, Joy," I sigh as James and I proceed to walk out.

We walk in silence for quite sometime, walking back to TR HQ. I frown as I think things through. No Meowth. James and I alone in the same room. No Meowth stopping us from doing anything. Throbbing hormonal urges. Not a good combination of things. Ever since I'd almost lost James to that shrew, Jessibelle, I'd always learned to appreciate him more. Even when he was a blubbering idiot. And I suppose that grew into something more - or at least it made that "something more" come to the surface for me. I used to look at James as...James. My cute, yet brain-dead, best friend. Now, he's...James. My cute, yet brain-dead, crush. Of course, I know it can never be. Namely because of how I treat him, despite how my heart wants to treat him (which ironically involves donuts and handcuffs. Don't ask.)

"Can you believe it?" James says, breaking the awkward silence.

I shrug. "At least he won't die."

James grins at me, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. "It's gonna be just you and me for a while, Jess."

Crap. Crap, crap and more crap. I know he just wants to have fun and play Twister or something but I take it as a "let's make mad, passionate love on the kitchen table" kind of thing. Damn me. Damn him. Damn being seventeen.

I nod and smile back at him. "Yep, guess so." Quickly adding in my head, "So let's make the best of it and have fun with the whipped cream!"

James then steps in front of me, that grin still across his face. "Let's make the best of it, Jess."

Holy Lugia, he read my mind.

"Let's be crazy! Like we were at Pokemon Tech! And if we get fired, who cares? No more twerps, no more blasting off, no more Pikachu!"

I must admit, it sounded tempting. Not as tempting as digging my nails into his skin in ecstasy but tempting nonetheless.

I grin. "Sounds great!" I then, without James knowing, of course, loosen the back of my green earring so that it falls to the ground. Which it does. James, being the gentleman he was trained to be by his parents, bends down to pick it up. Oh my God. Could he have a nicer ass?! Okay, give me a break. I'm a hot-blooded woman, I need to be naughty sometimes!

Now, don't get the wrong idea, here. This isn't just a sex thing. I find it appalling to call any intimacy between James and I anything but "making love." Not "fucking" or "screwing." Not even just plain old "sex." Making love is something special between two people who fully and completely want to be with each other and love each other, unconditionally. Which is what I feel for James. Now comes the tricky part - getting the other half of that equation to feel the same thing. It seems so hopeless sometimes but I don't give up because...well, it sounds stupid but when James looks into my eyes and when we touch, sparks fly. It's like in those lame movies - fireworks should be going off or something. So I'm not totally convinced he cares for me just in that platonic way. Then again, I'm not totally convinced he cares for me in that romantic way. Again - damn me. Damn him. Damn being seventeen and hopelessly in love with your best friend.

I grin as James chucks another cheese ball in my general direction. Two cans of cheese balls and only five made it into my mouth. And we wonder why James isn't a baseball player. James laughs at his crappy aim and stands, crunching a few cheese balls into the carpet.

"I must say, great aim there, Roger Clemens," I smirk.

"Ha-ha," he says sarcastically, extending his hand down to help me up.

I accept, of course.

I wipe myself off - cheese dust is the pits - and plop onto the couch, James following.

"Well, it's only eleven, what now?" I say, looking to him.

James smiles. "Turn around."

I raise an eyebrow. "Why? You aren't gonna put a 'kick me' sign on the back of me, are you?"

James laughs. God, I love his laugh; but I digress. "No, no. Come on, just do it."

I sigh and do as I'm told. Not only can I not see what the hell he's doing but I can't look into his eyes. Damn it, James.

I then feel a brush go through my hair and smile. "James, you don't have to do this."

"I can't help it. I love your hair."

And I love you. Digressing...

I smile and close my eyes, sighing deeply.

"I wish you wouldn't put all that gunk in your hair. It's so gorgeous just hanging down..."

Gorgeous. Could he secretly have meant that I was gorgeous? God, I hope so.

"Maybe...I'll wear it down for a while," I smile, turning around to face him.

Bad plan. Very bad plan. Now here we sit. Alone. Gazing into each others eyes. I almost explode from all the sexual tension. Why couldn't I just say it and get it over with? Because it might wreck our friendship, that's why.

I lose my train of thought entirely and jump a bit as he places his hand on my cheek.

Okay, definitely going beyond platonic here. Right?

I'm inches away from his face. I don't know why I don't just kiss him and blame it on stress and being tired. I have to let him know that I'm getting his signals!

I smile at him and place my hand atop his once again.

Like I said in the beginning - I don't get it. We were never really this way before. Then again, Meowth was always around before. Annoying us and teasing us if we got into a more than platonic position - but he wasn't here now and wouldn't be for a while. What am I thinking?! One of my best friends is in the hospital and I can only think about James and how badly I want him! ...Terribly...desperately bad. Digressing again...

I see James swallow and bite my lip in anticipation of something big. Very big.

"Jess...I'm hungry."

I know he can see the disappointment in my face. I don't even care that I'm not trying to hide it somehow. "There are some more cheese balls on top of the fridge."

He nods and gets up, grabbing the can, then flops back down onto the couch awkwardly.

I scoot away from him and grab a pillow and hug it for all I'm worth. What am I gonna do? This can't go on. It will not go on. I'm going to tell James!

Someday.