A paper ball sailed across the room and his Roxanne square in the temple. Her pen stopped in a deathly-silent pause. She slowly took her gaze off her notebook and glared at the offending piece of paper, wondering who on earth would dare interrupt her in her note-taking trance?
But, of course, she already knew the answer. She just didn't want to come to terms with it.
Three seats away and two rows back, Brawly was leaning over the edge of his desk, his eyes bouncing back and forth between Roxanne and the paper ball, silently egging her on to do it, to pick it up and open it. He saw her look at it out of the corner of her eye, and he knew she had taken notice of it when her pen stopped scratching on the surface of her paper. She knew it was there, and he knew she knew it was there, and she knew he knew she had seen it. So what did she do?
She kicked it off in some other direction. Of course. When it hit the ankle of one of the girls in class, she looked at it curiously and reached down to pick it up. Brawly was clenching his fists on the edge of his desk, frustrated at both Roxanne for kicking his note away and even more frustrated at himself for signing it with his name. The girl five rows ahead of him barely contained her squeal of joy, turned bright pink, gave him an excited look, then proceeded to lean over to her friend and show it to her. Which made the other girl almost shriek with joy, glance back at Brawly, then proceed to giggle madly with her friend until the teacher asked what was going on and could they please stop disrupting class.
That's the fourth note mishap this week, Brawly thought. You'd think she'd just give and just accept a date by now! But no, Roxanne remained stubbornly out of his reach, burying herself in her schoolwork and spending her nights and weekends studying. Maybe that's why Brawly was so attracted to her? She was so devoted to something that she would block out everything else around her, and he wanted to be the one to knock down that wall. Or maybe it was because she was the only girl not fawning over him in the school and he liked the challenge? Or maybe it was because she was very pretty and seemed to not even take notice of this fact? Or maybe it was a combination of all of these things. Regardless how much he liked Roxanne though, he was now stuck going on a movie date with Giggle Girl at the front of the room. Oh joy.
Roxanne was finding it hard to continue taking notes now that she knew Brawly's eyes were continuously staring at the back of her neck as she bent over her paper. Still, she pressed onward. Wasn't that the fourth note he'd flung her way that week alone? She was getting extremely annoyed at him for it, as he always picked the worst times to do so. Like in the middle of note-taking, for example. Or in the middle of a test. Or in the middle of lunch. Or in the middle of her reading a book as she walked to the school's front doors at the end of the day. Actually, any time was a bad time for her. She was always busy, always doing something. Or, at any rate, always doing something related to schoolwork. After all, there were four years until she could graduate Gym Leader school, and she needed all the studying she could if she wanted to pass with perfect grades and be the best gym leader she could be! Four, short years until she could begin her studying for a college degree on the side of her Leading license! And she couldn't have those years interrupted with petty dates with an arrogant boy who thought he was Rayquaza's gift to sports.
And yet, she still couldn't concentrate. He was the only guy to ask her on a date in a year or so, and he was also the only one who wouldn't seem to give up when she rejected him, paper ball after flung paper ball. Something about that was very curious. Roxanne became so lost in her conflicting thoughts that she didn't realize the bell had rang for lunch until everyone around her began to stand up, lunch bags in hand, and head for the door in one mass. Hurriedly, she carefully packed up her notes and pulled out her sack lunch – a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich, a bag of carrots, and an apple – and the book she was currently reading.
Two hands slapped down on her desktop and caused her to jump. Brawly was leaning over her, eyebrows knit together, jaw set. "Why didn't you open my note? Now I have to go on a date with the Giggle Girl!" He frowned. "Oh Rayquaza, what if she wants to hold hands? What if she expects me to kiss her?" He made a face and stuck out his tongue. Roxanne didn't even flinch.
"You always have the option of taking it back, you know. Tell her 'I'm sorry, that note wasn't intended for you, so no date' or 'I made a mistake and I don't want to go out with you.' It would save your reputation from becoming Jerk Jock to Manwhore, going on his fourth date this week." Roxanne picked up her lunch and book and headed to the door, avoiding eye contact. But Brawly followed her like an obedient Poochyena.
"But that would be rude, and I would hate to break the poor girl's heart. If you had taken your nose out of your notebook, you would have seen that I practically made her life complete when she got that note that was intended for you." He fell into step beside her and they made their way down the now-emptied halls toward the lunch room and outdoor patio. She still refused to look his way.
"But that would be the truth, and going on a date with her would be a lie. And I'm sorry, but I don't date liars." She quickened her pace in hopes of deterring him, but Brawly was either too dense to get the hint, or he was too stubborn to give her the satisfaction. Either way, he stayed with her stride for stride. She hoped it was only in her mind that they didn't seem to be any closer to the cafeteria doors than before.
"And you know, if I had told you I'd go with your option, you would tell me you don't date heartless jerks with no regard to the feelings of the girl he's with." She saw him fold his arms and look down at her, but she continued to stare straight ahead of her. One of those "Maybe-If-I-Pretend-Like-I-Don't-See-Him-He'll-Go-Away" kind of deals. "I just can't win with you, can I?"
"No, you can't." Roxanne turned to him, lips pursed, eyebrows together. "And even if you had managed to find a way around that, you're still continuing to bother me against my wishes, something that doesn't score you any brownie points with my good side."
"But if I ignore you or leave you alone, then you would have no interest anyway and I still wouldn't get anywhere!" He protested. She put a finger to her lip in mock thought.
"Oh gee, what a crazy idea, I never even thought of that!" She frowned at him, dropping her hand to her side, and glared. "Looks like you're stuck between a Nosepass and a hard place, Brawly, and there's no way out. You ought to give up before you end up looking like a complete moron with no life other than pursuing unobtainable girls!" And on that note, Roxanne turned on her heel and stalked toward the lunch room, her regulation uniform skirt swishing along behind her. Brawly just watched her go, his stubborn flame turning into a full-blown inferno inside him. She wanted to play this game, fine. But Brawly was good at games.
One very horrible date with Giggle Girl later, Brawly was in the process of writing up another note to Roxanne in class and this time, remembering to not signing his name, when he thought better of it. Instead, he took out his own notebook and pencil and began writing down notes like every other normal person in the classroom. The usual time he tossed his paper-ball note at Roxanne came and passed, and he resisted the urge to smile smugly when he saw her, out of the corner of her eye, turn around and glance curiously in his direction. He desperately wanted to see her reaction to him taking notes, but he tried to look as casual about it as possible, as if he did this sort of thing every day. But it was becoming increasingly harder to ignore her around the seventh time she turned to glance at him. Still, he kept himself focused. He needed her to be a little off her mark come lunch time.
He was going to discuss the rules of this game with her. Even if she thought she did, there was no way she was holding all the cards. In order for there to be any game, they had to each take part, and Brawly, simply because he had refused to give up when she told him to, still had cards of his own. And Brawly wasn't about to throw away his hand if he could find a trump card among them. Watch out Roxanne, he thought, you're playing against Brawly now.
The bell rang for lunch and he nearly knocked his desk over in his excitement, which caused him to gain a few odd stares, but he didn't really care. As everyone made their way out of the classroom, Brawly walked over and smacked his palms to Roxanne's desk like the day before, but this time, he wasn't annoyed with her. Quite the contrary, he had a competitive glint in his eye that she wasn't too sure she liked seeing or not.
"I have a bone to pick with you," he said.
"I have a lunch to eat without you," she replied. She tried to get up, but Brawly sidestepped in front of her. She tried the other way, but he sidestepped again, arms folded, and that same look in his eye. His smirk was starting to get on her nerves. She had no idea how girls found this boy attractive. That smirk was wearing on her nerves fast, and he usually wore it when talking to girls. Actually, scratch the "talking" part out and insert "flirting." Finally, she let out a huffy breath. "Fine, what do you want?"
"I want to know why you won't say yes. What's so horrible about me that you won't go out with me? Or any guy, for that matter? If you're a lesbian, just say so."
Roxanne gave him a punch to the shoulder and surprisingly, Brawly discovered, it wasn't a bad one. "I'm not a lesbian! I just think dates are stupid is all!" She shoved him out of the way and headed toward the door. "Does that answer your question?"
"Not in the slightest." He caught up with her and fell in step. "So you don't like girls, but you don't like dates. You can still have a boyfriend without having any dates, so why don't you have a boyfriend? It's not like you're ugly by any means, I'm sure you could get one if you tried."
She glared up at him and walked faster, her feet stomping particularly hard on the tile floor on the way to the cafeteria. "Having a boyfriend means you have to split your attention, and I only have four more years until I graduate and become a gym leader, so I need to have all my focus on my schoolwork. I can't afford to be dating anyone, even if I wanted to, which I don't." She directed that last part at him, he could tell. "School and studying comes first. And after I graduate, I plan on getting a side degree so I can continue working after I am replaced as a gym leader. I have too much to plan for in the future."
"But there's so much more to life than school!" Brawly exclaimed. Roxanne looked at him as if he'd just proposed that she become a fast food employee. "I mean, I'm not knocking studying, but how are you ever going to have fun if all you do is study?"
"I think math homework is very fun, thank you very much!" Roxanne retorted. "There's always the excitement of a new challenge, and they make math games that help you improve your skills. And there are always games like Sudoku."
"Roxanne," Brawly stopped in the middle of the hallway, and surprisingly, Roxanne did the same. They faced each other. "Math homework is not fun. I mean, think about it. Don't you need to learn at least a little social interaction with people in order to be a good gym leader?" Roxanne opened her mouth to protest, but Brawly kept going. "And if you plan on getting a side major while you're a gym leader, how would you balance your time? Would your schoolwork still take precedence?"
"Well, of course not–"
"So then why are you letting it take such precedence now? Because if you let it run your life now, you'll let it run your life later."
Roxanne was actually at a loss of what to say. Brawly didn't have that smirk anymore, she noticed. He looked entirely serious now, completely passionate about what he had just said. And, against her will, Roxanne was seeing some sense in what he'd just lectured her about. Something in her mind screamed at that and tried to replace his words with sense, but her reasoning was blocking the way.
"Give me a week to change your mind. No dates, just hanging out. If, on Friday after school, you aren't willing to accept a date, even out of pity, I'll let you go back to being your normal, academic self. Deal?" He stuck out his hand and held it there between them. She looked at it cautiously for a moment, then back up at him.
"If my grades slip, even for a moment–"
"I personally doubt you'll have any problem with that, but if you have any reason to worry, I'll give you as much time as you need to catch up to where you'll feel better." He bounced his hand in front of her again and raised his eyebrows. "Well?"
Roxanne felt all sorts of doubt and caution and worry start to rise in her stomach, but she quickly stuck out her own hand to shake before she could second-guess herself and put her hand in Brawly's. All of that doubt and caution and worry that had started to rise in her stomach? It increased tenfold when it should have been eased. Brawly nodded as if that sealed the deal and smiled. Not an all-knowing smirk, but a smile. "Great, we'll start tomorrow. No backing down, now!" And with those as his final words of parting, he bounced off to the cafeteria.
Roxanne stood in place for a little bit, going over what had just happened in her mind and felt more and more like someone had punched her in the stomach. However, her final thought, after watching the lunch room doors swing shut behind Brawly, was that tomorrow was Saturday.
A/N: And to think this was originally going to be a oneshot. Ha.