"Oh my Arceus! He's so cute!"
"I know, right?"
"Waaaaaaahhhh~! I love you, Christoph!"
"Hey! Watch who you're talking to, girlie! He's mine!"
I blinked, seeing the great mass of girls crowded around the amusement park of Nimbasa City. There wasn't anything unusual about seeing the amusement park crowded; nearly everyday the place is swarmed with people like a rabid nest of Combee. In the bright neon lights that pierced through the starry night sky, unfamiliar faces and unreadable posters could be seen from the great wall of fan girls. Above the cheers and screams, the loud boom from a bass guitar strummed into a hearty melody, along with the swift chords from an electric guitar. I heard someone singing, but the figure on stage couldn't be seen through the silhouettes of the screaming fans. Next to me, I heard Touko sigh. She was eighteen years old-two years older than me-with wild, curly dark brown hair tied into a high ponytail. Her eyes were a fiery blue as she scowled at the stage, crossing her arms.
"An open concert again?" she groaned, wrinkling her nose. "I'm surprised those girls didn't run him over by now; stupid pop star's been giving out open concerts for, like, freaking ever."
"Who? Who?" I asked curiously, confused. Who the heck was she talking about? I tugged playfully on her ponytail. Touko looked over, blinking, and her eyes flickered for a moment. Before she could open her mouth, my other friend, Bianca, butted in. Like Touko, she was two years older than me. One may think that they wouldn't let me in to their "group", but I proved them by beating Bianca at a pokemon battle. I couldn't beat Touko, though. We tied.
Her green eyes shined, pushing up her glasses on her nose. "It's Christoph, the cutest pop star ever!" she gushed, making Touko look as if she might barf. "He's been all over the world, too! Sinnoh, Kanto, Johto… You name it! He's, like, the total heartthrob of the world!" She grinned, taking my wrist. "C'mon, Rosa, why don't we listen to him for a bit? You don't mind, right, Touko?" Bianca looked over expectantly.
The brunette groaned, shaking her head. "Bianca," she started, and the blonde gave Touko a hopeful look. "…Fine. But only one song, do you hear me? One song."
Bianca jumped, glomping Touko in a hug. She grinned madly, repeating, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank youuuuuu!" The short-haired blonde turned to me, grabbing both of my hands with a giggle. "You'll love him, I promise!"
I beamed; Bianca's bubbliness was intoxicating, and nearly no one could resist her optimism. The girl pulled me along, and soon we were swallowed by the crowd. Like the other fans, Bianca burst into song, singing happily to each and every word. Still, I couldn't see this "Christoph" guy. All I saw were figures on the stage, them being either a blur of green, a flash of glitter, or even a whirl of fancy clothes that I'd never be able to pull off. While the people swayed and squirmed and moved throughout the area, I stood there awkwardly.
"Bianca, can we go now, please?" I asked, a little uncomfortable. I nudged her with my elbow, biting my lip. I would never call myself claustrophobic, but I still needed my personal space. When Bianca didn't reply, I looked over, seeing that the girl was not next to me. Instead, a fan glared at me, pursing her lips. I instinctively took a step back, holding up my hands in warning.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to nudge you! I thought you were somebody else!" I cried honestly, taking another step back. My clumsy feet stepped on another person's foot, making me spin around on my heel to apologize to them. My head spun in all directions, desperately looking for Bianca. Where was she? Unfamiliar faces swarmed and blended together as high-pitched voices screamed in an earsplitting chorus. The music pounded in my ears, and the scent of greasy foods made a pot of nausea boil in my stomach. I didn't want to listen to Christoph anymore; I wanted to find Touko and go home. It was getting pretty dark, and it was almost past my curfew, and Mom might get mad at me… I cringed at that thought. Feeling humiliated and lost, I squeezed through the crowd, stumbling out onto the less populated sidewalk.
My shoes slapped against the cement as I ran back to the Ferris Wheel not too far away, hoping that Touko wouldn't have wandered away from where we were standing before. "Touko! Bianca!" I cried helplessly, stumbling and trying to catch my breath. I ran into the brunette, hugging her and trying to get the music out of my head. Touko chuckled, ruffling my hair.
"I knew he was bad," she laughed, grinning at me, "but I never expected for him to make you look like you just walked to Distortion and back. Is he really that awful?" Touko's eyes flickered back at the stage, squinting when one of the bright lights hit her. "I have no idea how Bianca can actually listen to him without dying," she muttered.
I took a step back, dusting myself off. "Thanks for not ditching me," I chimed happily. "I lost Bianca in the crowd." I ran a hand through my long brown hair, untangling it. Above, I noticed how old and forgotten the Ferris Wheel was. Touko told me how it was once the hottest thing to go to. Whenever she talks about it though, she gets all quiet, sort of how my grandma gets when she talks about grandpa. It's as if. . . As if she's remembering someone. "The Ferris Wheel has no customers again, huh?" I said, looking at the grand masterpiece of bolts and screws.
"Mmm…" Touko replied, a look of nostalgia in her eyes.
"Were . . . You waiting for someone?" I asked. Trying to lighten the mood, I teasingly poked her. "Does Touko have a secret admirer~? How dare you not tell me!"
Touko's face turned a light pink, pushing me off with a playful nudge. "Oh, come on," she snorted, rolling her eyes. "Like I have a boyfriend. Cheren's still peeved about that time that I got him into a dress in elementary school. Ha!" She grinned mischievously, remembering a clear image of the nerdy boy in a pink, frilly dress. "I so gotta tell you that story," she laughed. "It was so funny!"
"Maybe some other time," I suggested, waving out my Xtransceiver to check the time. "Can you bring me home? Mom'll be really angry if I don't get home on time."
Touko rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry, I forgot all about your curfew," she apologized. "But sure, I'll take you home. Bianca might be a little mad, but she can always call up Cheren to bring her." The brunette laughed at the inside joke, which I didn't understand. It was hard to be friends with a group that's known each other since they were born; it sort of makes me feel like a third wheel at times.
"Why Cheren?" I asked bluntly, tilting my head. Touko only laughed harder.
"You haven't even noticed it, Rosa? She's got a major crush on him," she laughed, taking out her pokeball. The pony-tailed girl sent out her Briavary, and the eagle-like pokemon squawked, swooping into the air. I felt awed at her pokemon; they were so strong, so powerful, and so quick. Touko was a real role model to me, but I'd never tell her that. She was more of a big sister, someone I could really rely on.
Touko climbed onto Briavary, taking my hand and pulling me on it. "Hold tight," she instructed. I obeyed, and the pokemon soared into the sky. Its powerful wings pushed us higher and higher into the sky, my pigtails flailing in the wing. I ducked my head from the thick, dark brown whip of Touko's hair. I felt as though we weren't moving at all; it was as if we were stuck airborne in the nightsky. I could hear her laughter as we crossed the ocean, and I squinted to see what was ahead. The welcoming lights of Aspertia City greeted me, and I let out a sigh of relief. Briavary gradually slowed, coming to a halt at the stone grounds. I carefully climbed off the flying pokemon, petting its head gratefully.
"Thanks, Touko~!" I chirped, waving as the girl grinned.
"No prob!" she replied with a thumbs-up. "See ya for school, Rosa! The first day of school since summer break!" Her voice was teasing, and before I could reply, her Briavary was already in the air, flying off. I sighed and started to walk home, until I was blocked by my childhood friend. His eyes were flaming crimson as he scowled at me, arms crossed.
"Where were you?" he shouted angrily. "You weren't home all day! I tried calling you, but you wouldn't pick up, Rosa!" He looked away, a hand running through his thick, wild dark blue hair. "I thought you were kidnapped or something."
"Kidnapped?" I laughed, shaking my head. "Hugh, did you even try talking to my mom? I was with Touko and Bianca. Guess I lost track of time… Ahahahaha…"
He frowned, his cheeks tinting pink from embarrassment. "W-well, I didn't want to bother your mom or anything," Hugh mumbled. "But what about the calls?"
"I guess I didn't hear them," I answered bluntly, tilting my head. "I was in Nimbasa City, and, Arceus, is that place loud!" I threw my arms up in the air, making hand gestures to express how big and loud it was. "I could barely hear myself think! But we had a really fun time and everything~! We checked out the rollercoaster, played some games, and all that good stuff. It was really cool!" I laughed, clapping my hands together.
Hugh huffed, shoving his hands in his pockets. "…Okay, I believe you," he said, looking away.
"What's not to believe?" I laughed, walking next to him. "Am I untrustworthy or something?"
The blue-haired boy snorted, his hands clenching into fists. "No, it's just that you gotta be careful, okay? If anyone hurts you, they'll. . . Theyll feel my rage!"
I sweatdropped, patting his shoulder to try to calm him down. "Hey, I can totally take care of myself!" I argued with a mock pout. "Besides, even if someone does manage to hurt me, I'm sure you'll blow them away with your... 'rage', as you called it?" I laughed, kicking a little pebble down the sidewalk.
Hugh glanced at me, a small smile on his face. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but I realized that we were already at my house. He cleared his throat, waving at me as I walked up the stairs to the door. "Well, uh, bye," he said awkwardly. "See you tomorrow." Hugh walked away, the sound of his footsteps vibrating in the quiet night. I watched until he was out of sight in the darkness, and I knocked on the door. It opened with a happy grin of my mom.
"I was worried you wouldn't come home until midnight!" she laughed, letting me inside. "You know that school's tomorrow, right? You have your uniform all ready, yes?" I yawned, letting down my bag on the shoulder of the chair. "Uh-huh," I nodded. Mom hummed, waltzing back to the kitchen. I sniffed the air, wrinkling my nose at the scent of vegetables. Maybe I'd be able to sneak in some ice cream tonight… I heard her say something, but I was too lost in my thoughts to hear. I sat on the couch, looking up.
"What?" I asked, playing with my Pikachu plushie.
"Well, I heard there'll be a new kid at your school," she answered. "He's the new kid a couple blocks down. Have you said hello already?" My mind flashbacked to the newly built mansion in Aspertia City. Hugh and I were going to say hello, but no one answered. Hugh said that it was probably some rich old guy living in there who hides like a scared little Dwebble. After that experience, I never really thought of going back.
"No, there wasn't anyone home when me and Hugh got there," I replied flipping on the TV. There was a commercial of some pop star with peculiar green hair trying to advertise a type of hair shampoo. I frowned and changed the channel to some cartoons.
"Well, do you at least want to know who he is? I met him this morning; a nice boy, around your age, but he seemed awfully rushed, as if he had to go somewhere. And he's really cute, too," she laughed.
I groaned. "Mooommmm," I whined. The last thing I needed was her butting into my social life. She's always embarrassing me in front of my friends by making comments about my guy friends becoming my boyfriends… Will she ever learn to quit?! "I'll say hi to him tomorrow, kay? What's his name?"
"Curtis, I believe. Curtis Tenma."
Ah! *dodges knives* I'm sorry for my creative last name for Curtis. XD Hopefully things will become more interesting later. REVIEW, MY CHILDREN!