"Beautiful day, isn't it?" Dawn said.
"Yeah, it's almost as beautiful as Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny!!" Brock exclaimed.
"What do you think, Ash?"
"I have to agree, it is- uh oh…," Ash mumbled. He felt a small tear on his left side. Crap! He thought. My stitches! I really hope that it's not bad… I'm going to kill Troy and Alyssa for daring me to climb up a dang tree and jump out for no reason…
"What's wrong, Ash?" Dawn asked in a concerned tone.
"Oh, it's nothing." They had stopped when Ash realized his stitches had torn a little, and now they started walking again. When Ash put weight on his left side, he winced a little, and they stopped again.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Brock asked.
"I'm fine." They started once again, and this time, Ash was careful not to let the pain show. Unfortunately, the tear in the stitches made him limp a little, and Brock and Dawn were quick at noticing it. Brock ran over quick and held onto Ash to give him support.
"Ash, if you're limping, I doubt you're okay."
"Stupid stitches," Ash said under his breath.
"Stitches?!" Brock exclaimed.
"Crap."
"Ash, why do you have stitches?" Dawn asked.
"My friends. They kind of dared me to jump out of a tree for no reason."
"Why?"
"Because they're idiots and have no common sense."
"How long have you had them?"
Ash thought for a moment, then replied to Brock's question. "About a week, now."
"Then why are you limping now?"
"I think I might have torn one by accident. Heh heh…"
"Should we check it out?"
"I think it'll be okay for now."
"I think we should check it out."
Brock had Ash sit down and take off his shirt. Dawn blushed at the sight. Ash saw her blush and blushed in return. They looked at each other for a while until Brock exclaimed "Oh my gosh! Ash, you ripped way more than one!"
"What do you- holy crap!!!" All sixteen stitches had been torn a little, and his side was bleeding again. "Dang it!!"
"Here, I know what we should do," Brock informed. He took off his pack and found a long bandage. He wrapped it around Ash's side and helped him up to get to the Pokemon Center.
"Well, your stitches are back to normal, just a little weak," Nurse Joy informed as Ash put his shirt back on, ending the blushing between him and Dawn. "You should probably take it easy until you're positive that they're strong enough."
"Okay, thanks," Ash replied.
"Wow, Nurse Joy!! That was amazing!!" Brock flirted. "I really hope we can spend more- Augh!" His flirting was stopped short by Croagunk's Poison Jab.
Suddenly, they heard a beeping noise, and Ash smiled a little. "Kyndra!" He exclaimed. "She texted me!!" He pulled out a cell phone and opened it to read the text:
Ash,
I'm srry. I cant do this. Im brakin up with u. I like cody 2, except mor than u. Im srry.
-Kyndra
Ash had to hold back tears. She actually left him, and for their grade's flirter. This can't be happening, he thought. This has to be a dream. It has to!
"Ash? Are you okay?" Dawn asked.
He slowly nodded in reply. "I think I'm going to go up stairs…" He got up and slowly walked out of the room, climbed up the stairs, and sat at the top. He finally gave in to an urge he'd had all day:
"I can never tell them
What happened long ago
The truth about my past is something they should never know
I can never tell her
My feelings deep inside
The truth within my heart is something I must always hide
Their whole lives lie ahead, so much training to be done
And as their best friend, I'll protect
The future from my friends
Her love is overwhelming, and it's like I'd like to be
But she shares it all with Pokemon
There's just no room for me
I've got a secret
It tears up my soul
I'm keeping it hidden
Seeing it's whole
I can't tell the truth
'Cause they might turn away
So I'll keep it secret
It's better that way
Each end's a new beginning
Every darkness has its dawn
Tears can't fall forever
So now I must move on
My hopes are still the same for the man I'd like to be
And I will make those dreams come true
Just you wait and see
I've got a secret
There's no turning back
It tears up my soul
There's no giving up
I'm keeping it hidden
Live still goes on
Seeing it's whole
No matter how tough
I can't tell the truth
I'm going to miss you
'Cause they might turn away
More and more each day
So I'll keep this secret
But I'll keep on going
It's better that way."
Ash finished the song, tears falling onto the floor. "What have I done?"