A/N: You know what I just noticed? I don't know how old Drew should be. Damn, I suck.

Warning: OOC-ness. Probably, though I tried to avoid it.

Disclaimer: The people in this story are nothing more than my little action figures.

TWO

Rolling Truth

Twenty minutes later, after having left that weird grass head's flat, May found herself back in familiar surroundings as she arrived at the restaurant her mother Caroline owned. May jobbed here occasionally to make up for the art school bills she paid for her. And although today wasn't 'occasionally' and, quite frankly, she just wanted to go home and let herself fall into her bed, May knew she had to inform her first about why she hadn't shown up at the restaurant for work and who that man on the phone had been.

She cringed just at the thought of it.

Still, it had to be done – and if she didn't . . . Let's just say, her mother was of the worrying type.

May took a deep breath and then entered the, due to the Christmas Season and the piercing cold outside, crowded diner, warm, thick air mingled with the smoke of cigarettes and the smell of fried meat blowing into her face. Above her head a tiny but shrill bell rang to announce that another customer had arrived.

Immediately, her friend and fellow waitress Dawn Lexington scurried toward her with a scolding look on her face.

"Where were you?" she shouted over the noise coming from the crowd around them, gesturing wildly. "Do you know how late it is?!"

May winced at the girl's voice that seemed to outshine the others with such a power it amazed her. "Not so loud."

"May?" Dawn asked, the anger from just half a minute ago completely vanished from her features. Instead, she looked concerned. Very so.

"Sorry," May smiled weakly, rubbing her temples. "I'm just having a hangover is all."

That left the other girl agape like a goldfish out of water, before changing her expression into mockery. May instantly regretted what she'd said.

"Are you kidding me?" Dawn snorted and placed her left hand on her hip. "You're sweet, innocent May Maple, you don't do alcohol."

May fought the rather childish urge to retort – after all was the problem that she'd actually told Dawn something about her hangover a lot more important – but for crying out loud, she wasn't that of a good girl! She did too drink alcohol!

Sometimes. On occasions that absolutely required it.

But she did.

Yet before she was able to strangle her friend for her absolutely false statement or do anything at all, a whirl of brown and orange blurred her vision and two arms wrapped securely around her waist.

"Darling!" the whirl cried out, and then reluctantly pulled back and ran its eyes up and down over May's body as if to check that nothing was missing. "Christ, where were you?"

May, who'd been in sort of a trance up until now, heaved a sigh. Her mother. As lovely and caring as Caroline was, she just cared too much. "Mom," she began and stroked her throbbing skull gently. "I'm fine; I was--," she briefly glanced over to Dawn, "--at a party yesterday and got pretty drunk."

At first Caroline looked absolutely surprised, amused even, but then she suddenly changed her attitude, her eyes widening in horror. May bit her lip nervously.

"You should call Brendan," was all Caroline said after that. It had taken her a few minutes, but May was glad all the same. For her mother, her state seemed to be a lot harder to deal with than for herself, so she deemed it okay.

This was a scene Dawn had never seen before. Ever. May getting drunk at some party? And what was up with Caroline's weird reaction? She couldn't quite place her finger on it, yet she had this weird, gnawing sensation that something was incredibly off. The solution felt so close she could almost grasp it, but then her cell rang and took all of her attention away from the topic.

It was Gary; he was asking if she was free for a date tonight.

*

Across town Soledad Sienna couldn't help but feel annoyed. She had just finished a session with a bipolar and needed to rest and sort her thoughts out, so she was ready for the next patient, but of course her phone had begun vibrating the exact second she'd sat down.

Someone who knows my work times, Soledad mused grimly as she fished in her handbag. Clever.

Finally, she found the stupid device, and was genuinely surprised at the name that was displayed on its glowing screen. What did he want from her? They hadn't spoken in ages.

Hastily, she pressed the accept-call-button and croaked, "Drew?"

"Hey Sol," he shot back, his tone somehow odd. Odder than in her memory, anyway.

"Drew!" she exclaimed and stifled an astonished laugh. "It's really you! Gosh, how long has it been? Almost a year, hasn't it?" She couldn't believe Drew Hayden was calling her. Exactly that Drew Hayden who had left Petalburg three years ago in order to study Literature in some renowned university in Johto and become a famous novelist. She just couldn't believe it; she hadn't talked to him since Christmas one year ago and the last time she'd seen him was even further back in the past.

"Yeah," came his court reply. Though Soledad barely noticed he had responded at all. She was too entranced by this impossible surprise.

"I really can't believe it," she continued, the thoughts from before about the next patient completely gone now. "It's just been so long."

"Well . . ." Drew cleared his throat awkwardly. Sure, he was happy to hear her voice again after so many months, as well, but he wasn't in the mood for all this mushy long-time-no-see shit. The after effects from last night were starting to kick in.

"'s there any specific reason you're calling?" Soledad asked then, slightly less euphoric than before and having found back to Earth.

"Well," Drew said again and suddenly found it had been a bad idea to call her. After all they hadn't seen or talked to each other in centuries; it was bound to be awkward. "Just wanted to know how things are?" he attempted nonetheless.

Soledad scoffed. "Yeah, right. And now please tell me the real reason."

But, if he was completely honest with himself, there was none. At least none that made much sense, so he kept quiet.

"Drew?" The joy from just a few seconds before had now completely vanished from her voice; instead it was stained with worry. The strange tone that he'd used when he'd greeted her, his behavior now – something was very wrong here.

He sighed. He was tired of this, so, so very tired. Tired of arguing; tired of explaining himself to other people just because they found he acted weirdly; tired of the never-ending mindless women he encountered everyday; tired of his job.

Tired of not knowing her full name.

"Drew?" Soledad repeated, higher pitched than she had intended to. She was a therapist for Christ's sake; why couldn't she stay calm?

"I don't know, Sol," he answered, although it seemed like he didn't even know she was there. "Everything's a mess. I feel . . . like there should be more to this but I just don't know."

"Drew?" It felt stupid only being able to say his name, yet she also felt that in a way it was good. Drew sounded like he was out of his mind, so not like the boy she used to baby-sit and hang out with, and maybe this was what he needed and the reason he was calling. So, at least for a while, he could be out of his mind and talk.

"Today made it even worse. Can you believe I didn't even ask for her name?"

Soledad wrinkled her nose in confusion. Did he refer to a girl from campus?

Most likely, she replied to herself; she didn't want to interrupt him right now.

"I feel so stupid," he sighed and for a couple of seconds the sound of his steady breaths was everything audible for her. "I wish I knew her name."

After that he said nothing, thus Soledad decided it was her turn, even though she wasn't exactly sure what she was supposed to say.

"Is she someone from your university?" she attempted.

He laughed. "Oh Sol," he snickered and Soledad wondered just what the Hell could be so funny. "That one was good." Maybe it was worse than she'd expected? Maybe he really had gone crazy and she should better call a psychiatry?

"That wasn't a joke," she stated awkwardly, her hand already drifting to her address book.

"It wasn't?" There was genuine confusion in his voice. Soledad's worry grew. One of her closest friends was bonkers. She was a therapist. She couldn't help him; she didn't know how. What to do, what to do? This was a first; and it was weird.

"But it has to be," Drew continued. "I mean, I've stopped going to university, like, two years ago—"

"You what?!"

"You're acting like you didn't know—"

"Drew, for crying out loud!" Soledad was absolutely certain now. He was mad. Completely and utterly mad. It made her furious. How could he let himself become like this?

"Didn't I tell you?"

Silence.

"Oh shit," he whispered, pure shock dripping from the words. "I didn't tell you."

"No, you didn't," she agreed, clenching her hand with the address book in it.

"Sorry, Sol," he breathed out. "I guess I forgot."

"Am I supposed to forgive you just like that?" She couldn't believe it. It was outrageous; this whole conversation was. She wouldn't allow it to end like this. She would stop him and then change him back to normal. Oh yes, she would.

"I don't know, Sol," he said, sounding like was being tormented. "I don't know anything at the moment."

That got her. His genuine feelings and hurt. The pain that accompanied every syllable. Most of her anger vanished with it and was replaced with compassion. It made her even more determined. She wouldn't allow it to end like this. "Tell me about it."

"The girl . . ."

"What about her?"

"She was different. I don't know what it was but she seemed different," he responded, the memories from today morning replaying in the back of his mind.

"Was it good or bad?"

"I don't know," he said again. It seemed to be the truth.

"How did you meet her?"

"It was in some bar last night. We danced and then I took her home with me." He clearly remembered her fresh laugh, her eyes sparkling wickedly and her cheeks tinted a velvety pink from the various tequilas. April. And then the next day. The confusion, the anonymity, the coldness. May.

"You want to see her again?"

"Yeah," he half-smiled. He wanted to see her and find out why she had been so weird in the morning. Like a totally different person.

"But you don't know her name?"

"Not really."

"Is that all?"

Drew considered the options for a moment. Should he tell her about it?

Oh to Hell with it.

"Well," he began and cleared his throat. "It doesn't have to be something important, but last night she said her name was April, and today morning she said it was May."

At that Soledad's breath caught. May. April. Was this a mere coincidence? April. May. No, it couldn't be. For a coincidence it was too weird and improbable. May. April. It wasn't possible.

"What," she squeaked and inwardly hated herself for it. "What did she look like?"

"Brown hair up until the shoulder, blue eyes, pretty short—"

"OhmyGod," Soledad squeezed out, her voice hitching slightly at the sheer improbability of it all.

"Sol!" Drew called out. Annoyance and confusion were bubbling in his gut. What did she know that he didn't? "Sol! What do you mean, "OhmyGod"? Do you know her?"

A mewl escaped her, and she just hoped he wasn't clever enough to put two and two together, even though she knew he was. He was bright. Always had been.

"Is she," he choked on the sentence, "Is she one of your patients?"

Soledad squeezed her eyes shut and her mouth together into a thin line. He hadn't disappointed her. Oh yes, he was a bright boy. Too bright for his own good. She was trapped now and couldn't just move on to another subject without making herself suspicious, although she was already doing that now with not giving him an answer. He had been too bright for her.