A/N: Hey everyone and welcome to the second chapter of "Facade". I was pretty happy with the response the first chapter got all things considered. I know AU fics aren't everybody's cup of tea, so it's nice to see that at least some people like it. I've also made some revisions to the first chapter if any of you are interested in seeing said changes.
I'd also like to take this time to mention that this was the first story I ever started writing, meaning if you are coming over from "A Trial of Will", my writing style might be a bit different. Also because I was new at it, this story will have a few cliches and such in it. I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing as long as they're done correctly. After all, cliches became such because they were so popular and were used a lot.
Anyway, enough rambling. Enjoy the chapter!
"There's always another story. There's more than meets the eye."
- W.H Auden
Facade
Barry leapt from his seat as soon as the bell rang. He flew out the door, no longer able to handle the torture that was keeping this newfound knowledge to himself. He was well aware that bad things happen, but he'd never seen or heard of anything so tragic, leaving Barry to have a hard time wrapping his mind around the idea that what'd happened could actually be true.
Barry sprinted through the hallways, bumping into people left and right, trying his hardest to get to the lunchroom as fast as possible.
It didn't take long for Barry to arrive at the cafeteria. Immediately, he rushed over to his usual table near the back of the room, directly next to the vending machines. Because of how quickly he rushed, Barry was the first of his friends to the table, and one of the first people in the lunch room period.
Having this information eating away at his mind for an unbearable amount of time, Barry was unable to sit still. Instead, he began to pace back and forth near the table, desperately awaiting the arrival of his friends
After what seemed like an eternity, he saw his friends waltz into the lunchroom. Barry incredibly relieved, right up until he point when he realized that they weren't walking towards him...
Barry sighed in disappointment, as he realized that they would obviously want to get their food before sitting down, like always. Finally being reminded of something other than what he'd heard earlier in the day, Barry's stomach let out a soft grumble.
Despite his newly realized hunger, Barry concluded that now was not the time to rush off and get food, not when he had something so important to share.
Finally, he spotted his friends walking to the table. Misty and Kenny seemed to be listening intently to whatever Paul was saying, while Dawn and May were talking quietly to themselves, ignoring the other three completely. Along with them were a few stragglers, others who sat at their table.
Before everyone was even fully seated, Barry spoke out.
"There's something I really need to tell you guys."
"Hold on a sec, let me finish telling this story." Paul said before turning his attention back to the gaggle of students who had come along to listen to his tale. "So anyway, they just kept talking and talking, even whe-"
"NOW!" Barry shouted, gaining the attention of all of his friends... as well as the entire lunch room, which had fallen silent upon hearing his yell.
Barry and looked around, the serious expression leaving his face once he realized the scene he'd just made. The blond boy smiled sheepishly in embarrassment and let out a nervous laugh. After just a few moments without any further incident, the lunchroom simply returned to its normal loud state. That is, except for those he actually wanted to talk to, as they were now waiting intently to hear what he had to say.
Kenny, May, and Dawn all held shocked expressions on their faces. Everyone knew that Paul didn't take being yelled at very kindly, no matter who the person was. Misty simply giggled at what she imagined was going to happen to Barry when Paul inevitably flipped out on him.
Misty never really liked Barry much. In her opinion, he had to be the most annoying person on planet earth. Despite that, he was one of Paul's best friends and if he made her boyfriend happy, then she could tolerate him, at least to an extent.
Much to everyone's surprise, instead of losing his mind and screaming right back, Paul crossed his arms and spoke calmly, "Okay, you've got my attention. What is it?"
Getting over the initial shock of the short tempered Paul not verbally assaulting Barry, the others gave their full attention to the boy; if what he had to say was so important that he would risk yelling at Paul, then it was definitely in their best interest to listen in.
"I...I heard something earlier and I don't know what to think... It's been eating away at me all day and I thought it was important that you all knew. In a way, it involves all of us." Barry started.
This peaked everyone's interest, as their expressions changed to one of complete attentiveness. The only expression that didn't change was the stoic one plastered on Paul's face.
Barry stopped for a moment to take a breath.
"Well...? You going to tell us?" Paul asked, getting slightly impatient.
Barry sighed as he thought about how to word what he was about to say.
"I don't think we know Ash and Gary as well as we think we do." Barry stated lowly, not really knowing how to start his explanation.
The mention of Ash's name made May frown. She hated what her 'friends' would do to him and his friend, Gary. She'd stopped Paul and the others from picking on him once and made them promise to never do it again. But despite the promise, Paul never seemed to pay mind to it and even just the next day, he was back to tormenting them.
Seeing this, even after her threats and words of sincerity, May begrudgingly accepted that it was hopeless; nothing could change what Paul and the others did. She did vow, however, that if she ever saw them torturing the poor boys, then she would make sure the harassment would stop, even despite any potential risk to herself. Plus, she'd managed to prevent them from doing quite a few mean things to Ash and Gary before they had the chance to.
Knowing full well of May's vow, Paul, Barry, and Kenny did their best to try to mostly inflict suffering to the two boys when May and Dawn weren't around. After all at school, there were plenty of other people who tormented the two boys.
Dawn was May's best friend, and they knew that if she saw them messing with Ash and Gary, then she would have no qualms about stopping them either. Besides the two women, everyone else seemed to enjoy it.
Harassment as a form of entertainment...
It really is a sick world.
A good number of people loved watching the twisted attacks on the two innocent boys. Their only crimes were being different from everyone else, and being understandingly grumpy most of the time. The thought alone made May sick.
Snapping out of her thoughts, May returned her attention to Barry, who'd just began speaking.
"I heard them in the bathroom stall-" Barry was about to continue but was cut off by his brother.
"Bathroom stall...together?! I always knew those two were faggots!" The table, save for May, Barry, and Dawn burst out into laughter.
Barry knew that this reaction was likely to come. After all, that was his first thought as well. The howling slowly began to die down and once silence had found its way to the group again, Barry continued, not amused. This was obviously a serious subject.
"No, they were just talking, they weren't doing whatever it is you're thinking, Kenny." Barry explained, "Okay, so this is where it gets weird. They were talking about their pasts. You know, how they got to be like they are now and stuff. Thinking about it now, no one really knows anything about their histories. But now...if I dobelieve what they said... I think I get it. I understand why they're so... distant, for lack of a better term."
Now, everyone was listening intently, no side conversations were happening all across the group. Despite how widely disliked Ash was, his story was still one of great intrigue and mystery; No one really knew anything about him or Gary. Though, most people weren't curious enough to try and find out. And the one's who did try were always rudely turned away by the two boys.
"Gary asked Ash what was wrong with him, he could tell somehow even though to me, he looked about the same as always. Anyway, Gary brought up how they need to talk about their problems, their lives in order to move forward." Barry started.
Barry paused momentarily. He was finally about to spill what had been bugging him all day and yet, he didn't know how to say it. The words just wouldn't leave his mouth, even when he desperately wanted this off of his chest.
Apparently, this agitated more than one of his friends, who'd clearly become invested in the story. Misty, never being afraid to share her thoughts or opinions, vocalized them, "Well...? Are you just going to sit there or are you going to finish the story? Idiot..."
Had his mind not been clouded with thoughts, Barry would have tried to come back with some sarcastic remark. Though in his current state, only the Misty's question actually got through to him.
Taking a deep breath, Barry started, "Gary went first. Apparently... his mom was killed by a drunk driver when he was six. After that, his father became a good for nothing drunk that leaves him to fend for himself most of the time."
There were varying reactions from everyone, the most common being utter shock. The thought of personal tragedy being the cause of the two boys' reserved demeanors never crossed anyone's mind for some odd reason. Paul's stoic expression even broke for a moment; the mention of Gary's drunk of a father resurfaced some painful memories of his own.
May was shocked and more than anything, saddened by the revelation. But now, at least she could understand why Gary acted so strangely. If that'd happened to her, May thought, there was a decent chance that she would be just like him.
After losing the two most important people in his life, it was easy to understand why he was so distant. Though, this still left many questions unanswered, specifically about Ash. She now had an idea as to Gary's issue, but Ash was still very much a mystery. Despite the various scenarios she was creating in her head, she doubted his story could be harsher than Gary's...
Slowly regaining her composure, May tuned back in just as Barry began speaking again.
"That's not even close to the worst of it. Ash's story, it's...it's worse...a lot worse."
Nobody could fathom what could possibly be worse than what they had just heard. Luckily, they didn't have to wonder for long as Barry immediately continued.
"When he was eight...Ash, he...um...his-" Barry was having some difficulty speaking as his emotions began to overtake his vocal chords, "His parents were...killed. Murdered, actually.
There was a collective gasp around the table. No one was sure if what they were hearing could possibly be true; like Barry, most everyone had lived extremely sheltered lives, so the idea of a real life murder attached to someone in their school was foreign to them.
Dawn and May glanced at each other with looks of disbelief, shock and sadness on their faces. They'd heard of stuff like this happening on the news, but the fact that it'd happened to someone they knew made it feel all too real. It really was hard to believe something so tragic could happen to anyone. As they digested the information, an extreme sense of disrepair and empathy for the raven haired man flowed throughout a few of their bodies.
"But that's not even the worst of it..." Barry continued, shocking everyone even further, "Ash...he was there. He was there when it happened. He had to watch his parents die... And had the cops not gotten there in time, then he would have been killed too."
"I don't really remember what they said after that, I was too shocked to keep listening. I've spent this whole day trying to fathom just how something like this could have happened. Honestly, I just don't know if I can believe this or not, or if I even want to. How can something so awful actually have happened to somebody we know? I-I just don't know what to think, which is why I came to you guys, to get an opinion." Barry finished, the feeling of a great weight being lifted off of his chest washed over him with the last word he spoke.
All, even Misty who was silently known to be fairly cold hearted, looked to be incredibly distraught.
All but Paul.
Paul sat with his expression still unchanged as he mumbled.
…
…
"Bullshit."
All eyes locked onto Paul once he said this.
"What?" Barry asked incredulously. Even though he'd told his friends the story to get an opinion on this, it seemed that he'd already subconsciously decided that he believed it.
"I said that story is bullshit. You said you wanted our opinion, so there it is." Paul said, making sure to speak louder.
Barry didn't respond immediately, instead opting to gather his thoughts. After a few seconds, he spoke his mind, "But why would they lie about that when they were in private? And more than that, they were barely speaking in more than a whisper the entire time."
It wasn't that Barry was necessarily defending Ash and Gary's stories, but instead, he was voicing the conflicting thoughts that were circling his mind.
Barry's logic seemed too solid to be ignored. That is, by everyone except for Paul, whom had other ideas.
"Isn't it obvious. Ash and Gary knew that someone would walk into the bathroom when they were talking and hear what they were saying. It's not like a restroom in between classes is the most private place in the world. The person that heard that conversation would most likely tell everybody about it, just like you're doing now. They just wanted to start a little pity party for themselves and were hoping that gullible fools like you would join in and give them some attention." Paul stated, in a matter of fact tone.
Whether these were his true thoughts or not, even Paul wasn't sure. All the purple haired man knew was that he really didn't want anything to change. And if these stories were true, then things would most definitely be different
His theory had holes, a lot of them, but it seemed to be enough to placate most of the table, save for May, Dawn, and Barry. Paul was the big man on campus and what he says, goes. At least, for many people.
"I-I don't know Paul, your theory doesn't make a lot of sense and it doesn't exactly prove that they weren't telling the truth." Barry said.
Barry was caught in a mental struggle with himself over the subject matter. He didn't know who to believe. He truly thought that talking to his friends would bring clarity to the situation but instead, it only ended up adding to his confusion.
"Fine!" Paul said, slightly annoyed that not everyone sided with him. He knew this wouldn't be dropped until they knew the ruth, "How about this: we follow Ash home after school and try to find out a bit more about him. We can see where he lives, maybe eavesdrop a bit. By the end of the day, I know for a fact that we'll find out that he's just a lying sack of shit. But for now, we do not spread this around and we act as if this conversation never happened. Got it?"
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement, thinking it was for the best to keep this quiet for the time being.
"Wait, guys!" Barry chimed in, "I have detention today after school! You can't do this without me!"
"Don't worry Barry, you wont miss anything. Ash got detention today as well during first period, so we'll have to wait for him anyway." May said, reassuring Barry .
"I need to go home and change first, this dress doesn't exactly keep me inconspicuous." Said Misty. Dawn nodded her head in agreement.
Misty was a beautiful redhead who, at the time, was wearing a bright yellow sun dress. Her hair was shoulder length and appeared to be soft as a cloud. An aura of confidence followed her wherever she went, something a lot of people were attracted to. She wasn't as tall as May or Dawn and some even would even go as far as to say not as beautiful, but due to her popularity and who her boyfriend was, she usually got more attention than either of her female friends. The only problem she had was that, as mentioned before, she was know to be a bit cold hearted and brash. In that respect, it seemed that her and Paul were made for each other.
Dawn was also exceptionally beautiful in her own right. She had long, dark blue colored hair that match perfectly with her striking blue eyes. Like Misty, she also held a certain aura of confidence where ever she went. However, where her redheaded friend's was more of an 'I'm so much better than you' confidence, Dawn's was more kind and less self-absorbed. The only thing she ever seemed really self-conscious about was her hair. She hated when it wasn't absolutely perfect. Even when playing sports, she always wanted her hair to be exactly how she wanted it.
She was taller than Misty, but not quite as tall as May. According to anyone that knew her, she was an extremely funny person. She loved joking around, but also knew when to be serious...at least, most of the time. She was also known to be quite girly while at the same time being decently athletic, a seemingly rare combination. Currently, she was wearing a black and pink shirt with a matching skirt and high socks.
Unlike her two friends, May seemed fine to go in what she was currently wearing as she was wearing a simple red tee shirt and jeans. This backed up the fact that everyone in the school already knew, May did not need to try very hard to look absolutely stunning.
Even when everyone agreed to follow Ash after school, May still felt a bit of apprehension. She took pride in her morals and good behavior, never earning so much as a detention throughout her life. She knew that spying on someone, invading their privacy, was wrong but in the end, her curiosity got the better of her. She could deal with the moral implications later.
Right then, they all agreed that after school, they would follow Ash. To find out who he was.
Who he reallywas.
"Come on, hurry up! We aren't going to make it back up to the school in time to meet the others!" May spoke impatiently to her two friends, pt of whom currently changing into more casual clothes at Misty's house.
"Calm down May it's only 3:20... detention doesn't even end until 4." Dawn responded calmly.
May looked somewhat flustered, "Sorry, I've never had detention before. I'm just really anxious about all of this."
Dawn smirked at her exceptionally innocent friend and shook her head.
Misty was still in her closet, the door partially closed as she changed into her new set of clothes. Not being one to particularly enjoy silences, she decided to share something that had popped into her mind.
"You know, it really is too bad Ash is such a freak," May and Dawn looked towards the closet door, confused looks adoring their faces, wondering what on earth Misty could be talking about, "Because based on looks alone, he's actually pretty hot. And Gary's not too bad either."
Both girls were shocked by what their friend's words; it was honestly the last thing they would've expected to come out of her mouth. May, Dawn, and seemingly everyone else, never really looked at the two boys in such a way; they were simply too distracted by their strange behavior and negative attitudes. The only time anyone could focus on their looks was if they didn't know of them, leaving very few to have ever looked at them in thatway
However, as they pictured the boys in their minds from the times they'd seen them in the past, they began to see how Misty could think such a thing. Their thoughts caused May and Dawn to flush light pink.
May held an uncomfortable look on her face, her innocence shining through her features. Dawn was definitely uncomfortable as well.
"I-I mean, I guess so. I've never really looked at them that way." May responded timidly.
"Y-Yeah, me neither..." Although she was definitely more confident with her sexuality than May, the thoughts in her head still made her a bit uncomfortable. It was strange thinking about two guys that they'd hardly ever thought twice about before in this way.
Misty then walked out of the closet wearing a tight navy shirt and jeans, very similar to what the other two girls were wearing. Shaking out of their thoughts and embarrassment, both Dawn and May stood to their feet.
"Anyways, ready to head it out? It takes about 30 minutes to get to the school from here by foot since someonehad to get their car taken away for missing curfew." Dawn said accusingly, annoyance evident in her voice.
"It was Paul's fault, he just really didn't want me to leave." Misty responded with an innocent giggle, clearly implying something more. The two other girls just shook their head in disgust. "Come on, lets get going."
The three girls wasted little time in leaving the house in route to the high school. The walk felt excruciatingly long for Dawn and May as Misty would not shut up about Paul the entire way. Misty was their friend, but the two girls definitely did not like the relationship she shared with Paul.
Both girls supposed they considered Paul a friend, but he was more of a friend by association than anything else. During their freshman year, Misty had fallen head over heels for the boy, and it seemed Paul loved her as well. Now that they were both seniors, little had changed between them.
Despite the happiness she found with Paul, Misty changed when she started dating him. Before she met Paul, Misty was a sweet and charming girl that wouldn't hurt a soul, much like Dawn and May. No one could ever call her cold hearted back then. However, once she got together with the purple haired boy, Misty began to change, in a way that Dawn and May would say was for the worse.
Slowly but surely, she became more shallow and brash. She also seemed to start to care less and less about other people, constantly berating others behind their backs and rarely helping others in need unless there was something she herself could gain from it. It was like she'd done a complete 180 from the person she was in middle school.
The three girls had been best friends ever since they were little kids but now, it seemed as if May and Dawn were the only realfriends that were still around; May only felt truly comfortable with Dawn and vice versa. But no matter how Misty acted, how cold she'd became, neither May nor Dawn felt that they couldn't abandon their long time friend. Their history together was just too great to throw everything away, even though they hated the type of person Misty was now.
The three girls finally arrived at the front of the school at about 3:55, and there waiting for them were Paul and Kenny.
"You guys sure cut it close." Paul said, slightly annoyed. Although he was a bit angry at them being late, he still allowed Misty to greet him by giving him a kiss the cheek.
"Blame your girlfriend here. She's the one that got her car taken away..." Dawn barked in response.
"It doesn't matter, all that matters is that you're here now. We just have to wait a few more minutes until Barry and those two losers get out of detention. But we have to remember to make sure that our targets don't see us." Paul stated.
"Targets?" May half scoffed, half laughed "Your making it sound like we are gonna kill them or something."
"Hey, you don't know what we'll see those two doing. What if they're doing something totally evil and we have to stop them!" Kenny said with a laugh, obviously kidding around. This earned him a punch in the arm from May which had a surprising amount of strength behind it.
This earned a laugh from everyone except for Kenny, who was rubbing his arm with a noticeable look of pain on his face. It was moments like these that made May and Dawn continue to associate with this group of people, times where they actually acted like friends. No hatred. No harassment. Just...friendship.
No matter how inconsistently moments like this came.
As the group finished up laughing at the scene, the clock tower in the middle of town rang out, signaling that it was four o'clock. Paul made sure to tell Barry where everyone would be hiding so that when he exited the school, he would easily be able to meet up with them.
Not 30 seconds later, the double doors to the school swung open revealing Barry, who was the first one out. Quickly, he made his way behind the set of stairs that led to the entrance of the school, where he was informed the others would be waiting for him.
"Hey guys." Barry greeted his friends quietly. "Are you ready for this?"
"I guess, but I still don't think I like this whole thing. I feel kind of bad about spying on him." May stated, apprehension apparent in her voice.
"If you didn't approve of this, then why did you show up? No one said you had to come." Questioned Paul with arrogance in his voice, knowing that he had an unbeatable argument.
May scoured her brain for a come back. Once she realized she was unable to find one, she sighed in defeat, to which Paul smiled internally in victory while keeping his face stoic. The group waited another minute until they saw exactly who they were waiting for.
"There he is," Misty started quietly, motioning toward the newly revealed man, "And Gary is with him too. Looks like we're getting a two for one deal today. Let's follow 'em."
The group watched as the two boys walked out the doors of the school and down the stairs in silence. Once they created some distance from the school, Paul and the others followed discreetly. They made sure that they were staying far enough back so that they could see the two boys, but the two they were following wouldn't be able to see or hear them.
They had been trailing the boys down the sidewalk for about a half a mile when the group watched Ash halt his stride and whisper something to Gary. Fearing that they had been figured out, the group of teens halted, having no where to hide. Each member of the group let out a quiet sigh of relief when they saw Gary shrug and continue walking forward, all without ever turning around.
It wasn't long before the teens passed the spot where earlier this morning, Paul had punched Ash. It was easy to tell that this was the spot as dried blood, which had came from Ash's busted chin, could be seen on the concrete before them. The boys silently hoped neither May nor Dawn would piece together the cut on Ash's chin with the little bit of blood on the ground. Though, they weren't all that worried about it; it was a real long shot that they could ever traced it back to them.
Where this occurred also happened to be right about where Viridian City turned into Pallet Town, which everyone knew wasn't exactly a good neighborhood. As they passed the city limit, a bit of fear crept into the group's minds.
Despite this, they had already come this far, and no one wanted to be a coward. Even still, Misty clung to Paul's arm, Dawn and May locked hands, and Barry and Kenny began walking a little closer together, just to be safe.
Gary and Ash continued to walk deeper into Pallet Town, seeming to be unbothered by the bad neighborhood that surrounded them. It made sense, the three boys in the group supposed, as they knew that Ash, if not Gary as well, lived in the town. After all, they'd came up from the city every morning. They took a few turns before finally arriving at their destination. It had been a pretty long walk, taking them about two and a half miles from the school grounds in Southern Viridian.
Seeing that they had arrived at their destination, the group hid behind some shrubbery that accented the fence surrounding the building. They had been so concerned with not being seen, that no one had actually gotten a good look at the place.
Still having no idea that they were being watched, Gary and Ash walked inside what looked to be an old, large brick building.
Once the boys were inside, the group felt confident enough to come out of hiding so that they could take a look at the structure.
As they got to their feet, the finally got their first real look.
The first thing they noticed was just how run down the structure appeared to be. It was big, but was by no means luxurious. It was clear to see that it wasn't a house, so maybe an apartment building? It wasn't a long shot since Pallet Town had quite a bit of low-income housing available, which was usually associated with apartments.
Wanting to find the true answer, the group looked to an old sign, slightly worn that hung above the double doors the two boys had just recently entered. May, Kenny, Dawn, Barry, and even Misty stood in shock once they processed the writing on the sign. Even Paul's stone cold expression faltered slightly once he realized what this place was. It was Ash's home, if you could even call it that.
Know one knew exactly why they were shocked, there was at the very least a fifty/fifty chance that the stories they'd heard were true. And looking at the building, it was pretty safe to say they were most likely so.
Ash's 'home' was an orphanage.
Barry's level of guilt reached an all time high as he, along with the others, now realized that the story he had heard was most likely true. Either that, or he had lost his parents another way. Whatever the case, one thing was definitely true.
Ash was alone.
May and Dawn's eyes were both beginning to fill with tears as they stared incredulously at the large building in front of them. Knowing full well of how Ash was treated on a daily basis, coupled with the fact that he was an orphan, made the two girls' hearts ache more than they ever had before. His life was so tragic, they just couldn't believe it.
Misty and Kenny, having both recovered from the initial shock, looked over at Paul. In situations like this, he was their rock; they always looked to him when they didn't know what to do or think.
As they looked toward him, they couldn't help but be taken aback by the fact that his expression, had remained mostly unchanged. Despite the initial shock, both Misty and Kenny managed to gain control of their emotions in order to appear more like Paul, and that meant showing very little emotion toward the situation. However, internally, both Kenny and Misty were struggling with this revelation.
"I-I guess... h-he wasn't lying." Barry said, struggling to get his words out clearly.
Paul simply scoffed in irritation, "Just because he lives in an foster home doesn't mean his ridiculous story is true. He could have just made up that story to make his parent's death seem like it actually meant something."
Everyone, even Kenny and Misty, were shocked at just how cold and insensitive Paul's words were. Never had anyone present heard something so apathetic, so horrible; it truly was a disgusting thing to say, and even those closest to the purple haired man could recognize that.
After minutes of painstaking silence, Kenny and Misty forced their minds to accept Paul's thoughts on the situation, at least for the time being; it was much easier to go this route than the alternative.
This didn't at all stifle the guilt that Barry felt or settle the emotions building up in May and Dawn. No matter what the story was, it didn't change the fact that Ash was an orphan.
"There, we found something out. Can we please leave now?" Dawn pleaded, feeling extremely uncomfortable with the situation. She was so overwhelmed with emotion that few stray tears found their way down her face.
"I second that." May said, fairing no better than Dawn as she let tears cascade down her cheeks as well. She couldn't think of a time where she'd felt worse in her life.
"Y-Yeah, we should go." Barry added unconfidently.
"No." Said Paul firmly as Misty cradled his arm tighter as a source of comfort. Even with the revelation the Ash was an orphan, the situation seemed under control for the most part; with his influence, Paul doubted it would change anything.
With this in mind, he decided to push his luck, "We're staying and waiting for a while longer to see if he we can find out anything else. These two pieces of shit actually managed to make me curious."
Paul then turned his attention from the decrepit building to Barry, his eyes shooting daggers at the boy, "And Barry, what the hell is going on with you? You've always loved messing with Ash and Gary, and now you want to leave before we find out anything good? And what's with that look on your face?! You look as dumb as those freaks in there!"
With the way he was acting, Paul almost felt betrayed by Barry. Everything Paul had said was true. He did love to mess with Gary and Ash, but the new revelations were just too much for him to handle all at once, so being here was just serving to make things worse.
"I-I'm sorry Paul, its just-" Barry struggled to find words that would placate his best friend. "I'm just feeling kind of... guilty about all the stuff we've done to them. I mean, it seems like their lives are rough enough without us tormenting them."
Paul looked at his friend in a mixture of shock and anger. With the way himself, Barry, and Kenny had always acted, this was the last thing he expected to hear out of Barry's mouth. Paul couldn't believe that something he himself saw as a minute detail was affecting his friend in such a way. He wasn't going to allow this one little thing change what they did or how they acted in any way.
On impulse, something he acted on much too often, Paul stomped over to Barry, his expression changing to one of great anger as he slapped him across the face with all his might.
After recoiling from the slap, it was Barry's turn to wear the shocked expression. Holding his stinging cheek, he looked at Paul, who was clearly fuming with anger.
"What the hell Pau-." Barry started, but couldn't finish as Paul cut him off.
"Shut the fuck up, Barry! I can't even begin to tell you how ridiculous you're being right now!" Paul nearly screamed. Though, he kept his voice somewhat low, not wanting to draw attention to themselves.
Barry knew Paul had a temper and wasn't afraid to hurt others, but now that he was on the receiving end of it, his anger and violence shocked him to his core. He knew by the tone of Paul's voice that he wouldn't be able to get a word in edgewise and even if he did, Paul would probably just hit him again to shut him up. He realized immediately he should simply sit back and allow the onslaught to occur.
"Just because he went through something bad doesn't give him the right to act like a freak! They aren't the only one's that've had to go through something in their lives!" Paul screamed at Barry.
His last sentence caught everyone's attention. No one knew anything about Paul's past before he moved to town; It was a part of his life that he never wanted to relive. Anytime the subject of his childhood would come up, Paul would typically get irrationally angry and storm off. It was quickly learned that the past was something not to talk about with him. Though, he may have just now inadvertently gave some sort of hint to his childhood.
Misty was the first to speak after Paul's outburst. Being his girlfriend, it was safe to say thatshe was the most curious.
"Paul?" Misty questioned. Despite knowing the subject was taboo, she felt as if she had to ask; it seemed to really bother him whatever it was, "What did you mean when you said that they weren't the only ones who had to go through something? Did... something happen?"
Paul looked to the ground and then back up at his friends, who now all stood in front of him.
"No. Nothing happened and I didn't mean anything by it...j-just drop it." Paul said quietly, an uncharacteristically low amount of confidence in his voice.
May was ready to question Paul further, mentally preparing for the verbal onslaught she was likely to receive in response. However, Paul was saved from further questioning by the two people he despised most.
Both Ash and Gary appeared from what seemed to be a side entrance to the orphanage in what looked to be old, scraggily workout clothes. They also took note that both boys' wrists were taped up and old MMA gloves adorned their fists.
The group of teens quickly dove behind the same shrubbery they hid behind just minutes earlier. Following the duo with their eyes, they noticed that they seemed to be walking toward what would be considered part of the orphanage's yard.
The ground was paved over and there was a faint outline of the paint that would be familiar on a basketball court. This made sense as a visibly aged, net-less basketball hoop was mounted in the ground nearby. Despite how old and worn the spot seemed, it did provide a lot of open space.
"What are they doing?"Thoughts such as this were floating through the minds of the group as they watched the boys approach the court.
Luckily for them, the group was close enough to where they could hear they boys' conversation.
"We're gonna have to start training harder than ever now, Gary. I know it's just a feeling, but I just really don't want to risk being unprepared." Ash said to Gary, who was walking beside him.
"I know that you're worried about this whole thing, but remember, like I said, I've always got your back." Gary said as he patted Ash on the back and shot him a comforting smile. Ash smiled in response.
"And plus, there's no way that you could be unprepared. I mean, you've been training like this for longer than I'm sure you can remember." Gary stated, both humor and truth evident in his tone.
Laughing to himself and shaking his head, Ash spoke, "Come on Gary, lets get started."
Ash and Gary wasted no time in beginning to stretch. It seemed they had a set routine, indicating that they did this often.
Whilst the two teens were stretching before they started their training session, the group behind the bushes was stunned slightly, not only at the new revelation of something that Ash seemed worried about, but also at seeing either of the two boys smile.
Ash and Gary rarely showed any emotion besides anger and boredom while at school, so seeing them with inviting smiles on their faces was a very strange sight. It almost made the people watching uncomfortable as it was just so unlike how they knew them to be.
"What do you think it is that they're training for?" Barry asked quietly to no one in particular, his eyes never leaving the two men stretching.
No one responded as no one had an answer. Instead, everyone just kept their attention held on Ash and Gary, who seemed to be just finishing up stretching.
Once the stretching was competed, Ash outlined what they'd be doing,"Alright Gary, today we're gonna do a combination of everything we've been learning. We're gonna treat it like a regular MMA match, but we're only going one round. I hope you've been doing some training on your own, because you know I have. So, do you think you'll finally be able to beat me today? Or are we going to have a repeat of last time...and the time before that...and the ti-"
"Hey, I'm getting better! And I practice whenever I can!" Gary cut his friend off, though he knew he should be doing more if he even dreamed of getting to Ash's level. That being said, he was by no definition a slouch in his own right, "I'll beat you one of these days. You can bet your life on that."
"I guess we'll just have to see, now wont we?" Ash responded as he cracked both his knuckles and his neck. Gary did the same before both men bowed toward each other.
"What are they going to do?" Dawn said, intrigued by the two boys in front of her. She thought she knew the answer based on what they'd been saying, but it seemed like such a strange thing to want to do that she needed confirmation.
"Shhh!" Barry exclaimed quietly. He, along with the others were very curious themselves, and it seemed they weren't too far away from seeing if their thoughts were correct.
"Just shut up and watch." Paul spat. He had very little interest in what the two were physically doing, he was mostly concentrating on what they were saying.
Just after the two bowed and touched gloves, Ash removed his shirt, revealing his toned, well muscled body, before taking a vicious step towards his friend, who had opted to keep his shirt on for the up coming fight as it already had no sleeves.
When May saw Ash without his shirt, she blushed like mad; seeing him without thinking about his strange personality was having an effect on her. She couldn't help but think back to what Misty had said earlier.
"Wow, Ash really is attractive. How could I not have noticed that before?" May thought to herself, her blush intensifying as her eyes remained locked on Ash's body.
May was too busy drooling at the sight of Ash to notice Dawn and even Misty, doing the same thing. Paul and Kenny had envious looks, masked with one of disgust and disinterest on their faces. Barry on the other hand, was way too into what they were actually doing to notice anything else. They were fighting mixed martial arts, as they'd said the would be.
Gary started off the match by throwing a vicious fist at Ash's face. He responded by ducking the punch and landing an open handed strike of his own in Gary's gut. He crouched over in pain, but regrouped quickly and smirked.
"Lucky shot." Gary said with a grin before he let out a cough.
"Right...lucky." Ash mocked playfully.
The two then continued to fight, each landing punches and kicks at incredible speeds. From the little they knew on the subject, they could recognize that many of these moves were familiar to those in the sport of mixed martial arts. Staying true to the mixedin MMA, multiple arts, as well as wrestling were being utilized in this match.
The force behind every attack was something to behold, but it was obvious the two were holding back and even pulling punches as to not seriously hurt the other. Even though neither were fighting to the fullest of their abilities, their attacks still had a very decent amount power behind them. The match didn't go on for very long, only about four minutes, but that was more than enough time to be completely blown away by their skill.
Despite a valiant effort, it was obvious to everyone watching that Ash had this victory in the bag since the fight had begun.
The group behind the bush was shocked at how fast and powerful both 18 year olds were. Everyone, including Paul, had their mouth's wide open in shock and awe as they watched the incredible display of speed and power.
At this time, they all shared the same thought: if these two could fight like this, why would they take all the abuse that was thrown at them on a daily basis?
It was obvious based on this match that Ash orGary could have easily stopped anyone from attacking them at any time, so why wouldn't they do that after they'd been abused for so long? It didn't make any sense... They all realized quickly that the question may never be answered and decided to simply focus on the men once again.
Ash was winded and noticeably tired. However, Gary looked much more worn down and not long after noticing this, he toppled over in exhaustion.
"Nice...job...Gary" Ash said between breaths, "That... was easily...the best you have ever fought against me." He did his best to regain his breath quickly and looked toward Gary, who still lay on the ground in pain and exhaustion.
Gary simply grunted in response whilst breathing very heavily. The only thing he could manage to do to show his thanks was shoot his friend a weak thumbs up, which caused Ash to chuckle.
Ash let his best friend lay on the ground for a few more minutes, enough time to get him breathing regularly again. He then helped Gary to his feet and gave him a pat on the back.
"That's enough of this type of training for today. I know it wasn't long, but it is my birthday so I want to keep it light. We also still have to do our pushups and ab exercises later, and those are exhausting." Ash said, "We should head inside and get cleaned up before I have to make dinner for everyone."
Both Gary and Ash were drenching in sweat, even after only four minutes of actual activity, so Gary wasted no time in agreeing. Not long after, both started off towards the side door of the orphanage.
However, the two boys halted as they heard a noise coming from just beyond the fence of the building. It sounded like a twig snapping, as if someone had stepped on it. The sound had come from behind the bush that separated the basketball court from the sidewalk.
The sound was caused by May shifting around in her crouched position to get a better look at the two teens. Once she heard the twig snap, she knew that she'd screwed up...big time. Glares were shot at her from every direction as they noticed Ash and Gary stop walking and stare towards their position.
"Ash." Gary began cautiously, "I know what your thinking, but it was probably just a squirrel or something. Come on, lets head inside and get cleaned up, like you said."
Ash hesitantly agreed and followed Gary inside, though, his eye didn't leave the spot of the sound the entire way to the door. Once the door shut behind they two, the whole group sighed in relief, glad that they didn't get caught. This was short lived, however, as Ash rushed back outside, shouting, his voice full of force and authority.
"If you're out there, know this, I will be ready for you. Don't think whatever you have planned for me will be easy... I'll be waiting." He then turned back and headed towards the door, his face painted with anger and determination.
The group took a few minutes to regain their composure after the second scare of almost being caught. As they calmed down, most expressed another look of confusion on their faces at what Ash had just said. That seemed to be happening a lot on this day.
May and Dawn couldn't seem to handle all the information that had been revealed to them today and once again now started crying quietly. The two girls definitely weren't cry babies, this was just so shocking that it must have sent them over the edge.
Barry saw this and figured that they were overwhelmed at what had been revealed, what they'd seen and heard. He'd never really been one to do these kinds of things, but with the unfamiliar feeling of guilt that plagued him, he did his best to comfort the two girls.
May and Dawn were confused when they felt Barry place a hand on their shoulders in an attempt to comfort them as it wasn't exactly like him. They were hesitant at first to accept this, not being used to this kind of action from him, but after realizing he wasn't hitting on them or harboring any intent other than trying to comfort them, they began crying into the boy's shoulders.
Kenny simply stared blankly, obviously lost in thought, processing what today had revealed. Misty was just as, if not more confused than everyone else. She felt as if she were about to lose control of her emotions so, quickly, she turned to Paul, her rock.
Not even noticing his girlfriend at first, Paul simply stared straight ahead, a look of what seemed to be concentration adorning his face; he too was trying to piece together everything they'd seen and heard. It was a few seconds before he noticed Misty staring at him. Seeing the obvious distress in not only her eyes, but everyone else's as well, he began to speak to the whole group in an attempt to calm them down.
To calm himselfdown.
"This was a huge waste of time. We might as well just forget everything that happened here because the only things we got from this were more questions. And it's not hard to see you guys aren't exactly handling this very well." Paul stated plainly, capturing the attention of all of his companions. He knew he had to work quickly if he didn't want things to change; he already regretted deciding to stick around when the others'd first asked to leave.
Dawn and May slowly gained control of their emotions after hearing what Paul had said and removed themselves from Barry's shoulders with a shocked, upset look on their faces that matched those of both Barry's and Kenny's. It had been Paul's idea to follow Ash in the first place and yet, he now just wanted to forget about everything they heard? Everything they saw?
May, Dawn, and more recently, Barry, had been hoping that this event might change how Paul acted towards both Ash and Gary, but with what Paul just said, they knew that this would definitely not be the case.
Misty, who would never question Paul, quickly nodded her head in agreement. Kenny did the same as he never dreamed of doubting his best friend, even if he had been slightly hesitant first. Again, it was much easier for him to follow someone else's discretion than deciding for himself.
"How can you say that?" May questioned, feeling a mixture of overwhelming confusion and anger, "After everything we've seen and heard, you're just going to go back to treating them like you did before? How can you do that knowing what we know now?! You don't need to make their lives more miserable than they already are!"
May realized that her last sentence sounded extremely hurtful and rude, causing more guilt to flutter through her body. Despite that, she knew it needed to be said; it was true after all.
"Like I said." Paul responded calmly, but forcefully, "We forget what we heard here and act like it never happened. What we've found out and what new questions came out of this aren't important. We will simply go back to they way things were. It's as simple as that."
"Yeah May, calm down. If Paul says we should just forget about it, then that's what we'll do." Misty said smugly before claiming Paul's left arm. It didn't take long for Kenny to wordlessly agree with Paul as well by moving to stand by Paul.
The scene quickly turned into a staring match, with Paul, Misty and Kenny on one side and May, Dawn, and Barry on the other, the latter three all standing with looks of uneasiness and uncertainty plastered on their faces.
Barry had never gone against Paul's word before, not ever. But now, the guilt he was feeling seemed to be enough to have him question his leader for the first time. Although they hadn't learned the reason why, they had discovered that Ash's parents were indeed dead, and they had no reason not to believe Gary's story as well. These thoughts seemed to be clouding the others that might have been circling in his head; Barry had officially been pushed over the edge.
"How can we just forget about something like this? This changes everything! I don't think I can forget what I saw today, even if I wanted to!" Barry said timidly at first, but with confidence and anger slowly rising throughout his speech.
Paul could only listen, shocked that the person he considered one of his closest friends would go against his word. It had been a long time since somebody other than May or Dawn had done that.
And he didn't like it.
He wouldn't stand for this.
"There are too many questions to be answered! You saw those two fighting. By the looks of it, either one of them could probably beat all three of us in a fight at the same time! But they put up with us and never retaliate! Aren't you at all curious as to why that is!? Because I sure as hell am!" Barry exclaimed.
Everyone, Paul included, were also curious about this. Both Ash and Gary appeared to be very skilled fighters and yet, when they were harassed or beat up, they would never fight back. Not once had any of them seen or even heard of them retaliating.
"And who do you think he was talking to when he came back outside?" At this point, Barry couldn't help but vocalize everything that was circling in his mind, "None of this makes any sense. I need some answ-"
"ENOUGH!" Paul barked angrily. "If you're really that curious, then go find out yourself! If you're that desperate to learn more about that son of a bitch and his stupid little friend then go right ahead. But know this, if that's your choice, then our friendship is over."
Barry was shocked at Paul's harsh words, to say the least. He knew that Paul was cold and insensitive, but he never expected something like this to come out of his mouth. They had been best friends for years and yet, he was willing to just throw it all away for something like this?
Barry opened his mouth to retort, but found no words. Giving up on the prospect of an immediate response, Barry allowed himself to think for a moment. Paul loudly tapped his foot, waiting impatiently for some sort of response.
Barry felt strongly about his opinion on the matter. He truly did feel terrible about everything and the questions circling his mind were just begging for answers. But ultimately, he didn't want to lose his best friend...
…or his level of popularity for that matter.
"Y-You're right. I'm sorry for doubting you and arguing about it. I won't bring it up again. I'll do as you said and forget today even happened." Barry said, sounding absolutely defeated.
"That's what I thought. So is everyone clear about the situation?" Paul asked forcefully.
Everyone nodded their head, including May and Dawn, who shared a similar opinion to Barry. That being said, after seeing Paul's outburst, they feared speaking their minds. Not because thy were afraid of losing their friendship, but because of how unpredictable Paul was. It was horrible to think about, but they honestly didn't know what he would do if they disagreed openly.
"Good. Now everyone go home and remember, this never happened." Paul said before turning around and beginning his trek home. Barry and Kenny followed Paul as they lived in the same neighborhood. Misty also followed, her plans of hanging out with her boyfriend still fresh in her mind.
May and Dawn watched as their friends began their trek back to Viridian. The two girls stood stationary for a while.
"...We should probably get going." Dawn stated, receiving a head nod in response. Luckily for them, Both May and Dawn lived in the same neighborhood in West Viridian. This was one of the many factors that'd contributed to the development of two girls' unbreakable friendship.
With that said, the two began walking. Despite wanting to put everything behind them from that day, at least for a while, they would have to walk past the orphanage to get on route to their homes. As much as they just wanted to clear their minds for the time being, the large brick building prevented it.
The two girls slowly walked past the foster home, both pairs of eyes locked on the old brick that made up the building. They hadn't managed to get past more than half of the building when they faintly heard the newly familiar sound of Gary's voice through what they noticed to be an open window.
With everything still fresh in their minds, the two girls couldn't resist listening in on their conversation and inched closer to the window. Peering inside, they saw what looked to be a fairly large kitchen.
Immediately, the girls noticed Gary sitting on the counter, biting into an apple. Their eyes drifted around the room until they landed on Ash, who appeared to be preparing food. Various pots and pans were sitting on heated stoves and a bunch of different ingredients littered the counter.
"So Ash, you're sure its cool that I stay here for a couple days? My dad is in town and I am really not in the mood to see him right now... or ever for that matter." Gary mumbled as he rubbed the familiar scar on his arm, reminding him of some of the more terrible moments from his past.
"Of course, Gary. You know you're always welcome to stay with me. But I get the bed, that couch is ridiculously uncomfortable...so it's all yours!" Ash responded happily.
Gary looked defeated, but with confidence filling his chest, he decided to push his luck, "But I'm your guest. Aren't I supposed to be getting special treatment?"
"Ha. Yeah right. I may be a nice guy, but I'm not that nice." Ash scoffed, looking at Gary with a smirk. Gary only sighed in response before he continued the conversation.
"You know, you still haven't told me why you do this every night. I mean, it's been years." Gary said, obviously referring to why he was preparing such a large amount of food; what he was preparing could easily feed 40 people.
"Gary, I havetold you. You just have the memory of a goldfish..." Ash stated incredulously, earning an confused look from his friend.
Sighing, he set down the knife he was using to chop vegetables and turned to face his friend, his hands on the counter behind him as he spoke, "After the old advisor left, a replacement was sent here. He turned out to be a lazy jerk who refused to do anything for any of the kids here. And before you say anything, I've tried talking to him about. He just refuses to listen. So for the past 4 years, I've been the one making the meals for all the kids here, doing all the duties that the director should be doing. Obviously they don't know that. I don't want these kids getting attached to me for... you know..." Gary nodded in understanding.
"But don't you ever wish you could just get a little recognition, a bit of praise for what you do?" Gary quizzed curiously.
"While it would be nice every once in a while, I don't need recognition for what I'm doing. I'm just doing what's right. Knowing that these younger kids won't have to go a single day hungry is enough for me." Ash responded with a warm smile before turning back to the stove.
"Man, I really wish the rest of the world got to see this side of you. It really would be a better place if it did.." Gary said sincerely. Ash knew the same was true of Gary as well. Had he been the one in this situation, Ash was confident Gary would be doing the same thing.
"Now, don't go getting all sentimental on me. It's not like you at all and it's kind of freaking me out." Gary laughed at the uncomfortable look on Ash's face.
Ash let out a sigh and turned around to face Gary once again before continuing.
"I wish I could be like this all the time too, but some things are more important than what we want." Ash explained what Gary already knew, a sad smile on his face.
Just then, a somewhat fat man entered the kitchen. He looked to be in his early to mid 40's, about 5'9" with dark, thinning, greasy slicked back hair. His outfit of choice most days, including this one, was a leather jacket with a wife beater underneath.
"What are you doin'! Stop messin' around, the kids are starvin' in there. If they don't get some food soon, they might start to think less of their favorite advisor." Tony spat his words toward Ash, ending his short speech with a smirk of arrogance while adjusting an imaginary tie on his neck.
Ash hated to say it, but it was true. To everyone except himself, Tony seemed to be the perfect advisor. It appeared to everyone else that he was the one to always fix things around the building, the one who would always make at least semi-tasty food for every meal.
Obviously, they weren't aware that all of these tasks were always done by Ash. Because of that, Tony got all the recognition for the acts. And even though it was a complete fallacy, he enjoyed being admired by the kids.
"Well then, why don't you cook for them every once in a while. I mean it is yourjob." Ash snapped back at Tony. Gary couldn't help but let out a laugh when he saw Tony's expression change from one of annoyance to one of fear that he might actually have to work.
Tony's voice softened before he spoke again. "...Could you just hurry up?"
"Now what's the magic word?" Ash asked in a sing song voice, obviously messing with Tony.
Tony sighed angrily and spoke with a forced voice, "Please?"
"Sure. Now was that so hard? The chicken and vegetables will be done in five minutes, so come back then to serve the kids." Ash told the greasy man.
Tony nodded, then began his walk out the door to address the children in the dinning room. While he was walking, he mumbled something bad about Ash under his breath so that only he could hear. He chuckled at his own words as the door closed behind him.
Gary turned and looked at Ash. "God, I hate that guy. Why haven't you tried to get him replaced?"
"I have... more times than I can count, but whenever a higher up comes to see how Tony is doing, he suddenly turns into a super advisor. I think that's the only time he actually does his job. I will say this though, it's nice not having to do all the work for a few days." Ash mentioned, fondly remembering his free days.
"It also doesn't help that all the kids love him so much. Because they think it's him doing all of this stuff for them, they treat him kind of like a parent or a sibling of some kind. And even if it is a complete ass like Tony, at least the kids get to feel as if they have some sort of family before they hopefully get adopted. And besides, I'm okay as long as things get done for the kids, even if the person doing those things has to be me." Ash finished.
Gary looked at Ash, his eyes full of admiration. He had always been the kind of person that would perform such selfless acts, but it still blew his mind just how much he was willing to put up with. Even with his own higher than normal level of selflessness, this seemed extreme to him. Though since he'd met Ash, Gary had tried his best to become more like him in that way, and was doing very well with that thus far.
Gary knew how much the world would love Ash if they ever got a chance to reallymeet him, but this was simply not possible given the circumstances. The one thing Gary wished Ash would allow himself was at least somepraise for the great things he does. Not once in his life had his actions ever received any recognition...
Until now, that is.
As the whole situation unfolded in the kitchen, two girls had witnessed the whole thing from where they were peering through an open window. May and Dawn were astounded by what they had seen and heard about Ash, just adding more to they boy's mystery. He was a completely different person than what they they thought. It was more than confusing.
He was an enigma before this, but now that people were actually taking the time to question who he was, his mystery just seemed to become greater. Though, one question circled their minds more than any others:
Why isn't he like this all the time?
Recognizing there would not be an answer presented to them anytime soon, they did there best to drop it from their minds. However, even if they were able to get this thought out of their heads, which they doubted they'd be able to, they were still so unsure about so many things.
But there was one thing that they were both sure of. No matter what Paul had said, neither of them would forget this day.
Not ever.
A/N: And there it is, chapter 2 of "Facade"! Some interesting developments came this chapter. Paul and his friends finally caught a glimpse of Ash and Gary's true selves, with May and Dawn getting an even more extreme dose.
So why do Ash and Gary act the way they do? Why are their private lives so much different than who they are in public? Who was Ash talking to when he was shouting at what seemed to be nothing? Why is Paul such a huge asshole?
All of these questions and more will be answered in a future update of "Facade"!
I Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and stick around to see where the story will go. As I said before, this will notbe a high school fic for the whole story. Most of the story will take place somewhere else. I can't say where as it could ruin the surprise.
Please make sure to review or send me a PM of what you thought of the chapter. If you enjoyed and/or want to see where this story is going then please give this story a follow. I look forward to seeing you guys in the next chapter, which should be coming out in just a couple of days after this one.
See Ya!
