I wake to the melodic whistling of my mom, who is walking through the hallway outside my room.
I check my phone, and it reads 6:30am.
A little earlier than I would normally get up, but I get up nonetheless. I grab my towel from the desk, where I had thrown it the morning before, and head to the bathroom.
I turn the water on, just about to hot to enjoy, and strip, hopping in.
As I wash my hair, I think about today.
Today's application day.
I made the decision to apply for all of the TeamWork teams, and let fate decide for me. Matthew only applied for a few, Team Rocket, Skull, and Aqua.
I'm just washing the conditioner out of my hair, when a familiar sound drifts into the shower, and I relax.
"... looking out the windoooooow, you'll only ever catch a glimpse..."
Kai's voice slips under the door, and I smile.
Kai is an amazing musician, he can play almost anything that he can touch. I can hear the soulful sound of his keyboard as it enters the hallway.
I quickly dry off, and get changed before leaving the bathroom.
I peek into Kai's room, and see him fiddling with his keyboard, and writing stuff down.
"Whatcha working on bro?"
"A new track, want to perform it at tomorrow's announcement assembly." His brow is furrowed, so I walk in and put my hand on his back.
"It sounds amazing."
"You have to say that, your my brother."
"And I mean it! But, maybe lift it an octave, or lower it, depending on the mood your going for?" He laughs, shaking his head.
"Raise, not lift. And I want it to be happy, make everyone smile." He sighs again, and I laugh, patting his head.
"Well, I smiled."
He smacks my leg, and goes back to fiddling with his notes.
I laugh, heading back to my room.
Mom is standing by my bed, holding the information package.
"Honey..."
"Mom, Im so sorry! I should have told you! Please dont be mad!"
"Mad? Baby, this is amazing! Are you applying? For which group?"
"All of them, and hope I get one." She smiles, hugging me.
"That's amazing, baby. You'll get one, for sure." There are tears in her eyes.
"Mom..."
"Have you told Kai?"
"...Not yet. There is no for sure way to know until tomorrow." She nods, kissing my forehead and heading out, leaving the info package on my desk.
I grab my backpack, put the info package and applications inside, and head down to the kitchen.
I grab an apple, and wave bye to my parents & Kai, before heading out.
School doesn't start for a few more hours, but I like to meet up with Matthew and a few other friends for coffee before.
I show up, and realize that I am the first one here, so I grab my drink and take a seat in a booth.
"Well well! Look who came early today!" I hear a female's voice beside me, and turn to see Rayna's bright smile, through her auburn hair, which is cascading in waves down to her chest. Her bright blue eyes are shining in excitement.
"Hey Ray!" I hug her, and scooch over so she can sit beside me.
"How's it going? What did your parents say?" She asks, quiet.
"Mom found the information booklet this morning... She said it was an amazing opportunity and shes really happy for me." Her eyes go soft.
"Oh, thats so awesome! I love your mom!"
"So! What teams are you applying for?" I ask, and she takes out her forms.
"Actually, I wanted your help with that! I only want to apply for three, max, but I cant pick!" She sighs, and I laugh, hugging her close.
"Of course, Ray. So, are there any groups that stand out to you right away?"
"Team Skull seems interesting, like, they are based in the tropics! That would be beautiful! Oh! Team Flare is in Kalos, i've always wanted to visit..." She trails off, but I nod.
"Well, there's two. Now we just need one more..." I look at the info again.
After studying it for a few minutes, I speak up.
"Team Rocket would keep you home, here in Kanto, but it could still transfer you over to Johto, so you'd at least be close to home." I point out, and she nods, filling her application forms in.
"There we go! Rocket, Skull, and Flare!" She laughs and signs them, folding them into envelopes and putting them in her bag.
"Losers!" Matthew's voice carries across the cafe, as he slips into the stall in front of us.
"Hey Matty!" Rayna flashes him an award winning smile, and his face blushes.
"R-Rayna. Good to see you~" He smiles, stuttering a bit.
"And don't forget about me!" Nareen squeals, coming up from behind us and hugging us.
"So! Who are you all applying for?" Nareen asks, sitting down with her coffee.
"Rocket, Skull, and Flare." Rayna smiles.
"Skull, Magma, and Galactic." Matthew says.
"Skull and Rocket." Nareen puts in, then they all turn to me.
"All of them." I blush as their faces shoot up in confusion.
"What? Why would you apply for all of them?" Ray asks, and I smile back.
"Because, why not? They all seem interesting enough, I couldnt pick." Matthew nods.
"Fair enough, I considered doing the same thing." He nods again, patting my shoulder.
"So... unless we all miraculously get Skull... we won't be seeing each other again... for a whlie." Nareen puts in, and the mood darkens. This is a subject that we had agreed not to talk about until it happened.
"Yeah... I guess so..." Rayna wipes tears from her eyes, hugging me close.
"Hey hey now! We all have each others numbers, we will get a hold of each other!" Matthew rubs her shoulder, but I notice the tears in his eye's.
Before we can all turn into a sobbing pile of crying teenagers, we grab our drinks and make our way to school.
"Hey guys!" The principal of the school, Mrs. Harriet, waves as we enter.
"Hey Mizz H!" Nareen high fives her, and she smiles.
"So? Any news about the TeamWork project?" She asks, clapping excitedly. We all tell her of who we are applying for, and she squeals in happiness.
"I'm so proud of all of you! This is going to go great!" She waves us off, welcoming another batch of students walking in.
We say our goodbyes, before heading to our first class.
Math and Science were boring, like usual. But now, it's time for the application assembly, where we put our forms with their respective Team. There will be a representative from each team there, and they will be the ones deciding if we are the right fit for their team.
I carefully sort my pile of applications, and get ready, Rayna beside me.
There is a loud clanging noise, and the gym doors are opened. We all walk single file in, and start placing our applications in.
I start with Team Plasma, who happens to be closest.
"Hello there!" A lanky kid with long green hair waves as I approach.
"Hi! My name is-" I'm cut off as another kid pushes me out of the way, and the green haired kid has to duck forward to catch me.
"Whoa there! Careful, kid." He laughs as he helps me back up, and I dust myself off.
"Thanks." I smile at him, and he formally sticks his hand out.
"The names N, and don't worry about it! So! You looking to apply?" He asks, and I nod, handing him my application.
"Ah, okay... I see... You know, kid, this is a pretty colorful application. Lots of volunteer work, respective recommendation letters... I'd say you have a pretty good shot getting onto Plasma." He nods, smiling at my application.
I beam back, and he notices the rest of the paper's in my hand.
"Oh! Well, I won't keep you! Go finish dropping those off... and try to stay upright this time." He winks as he turns around, and my face blushes.
I head over to the next table, Team Aqua. Standing at the table are two people in uniforms. A woman, very slim with huge high heel's, and the longest hair I've ever seen. Her hair is black, with a blue stripe through it. And a man, blue and white striped bandanna tied around his head, concealing shorter brown hair. His facial hair is perfectly sculpted to his jawline, and comes up around his mouth in a goatee.
The girl turns to me as I approach.
"Aren't you a good looking guy!" She giggles, hugging me tightly, then holding me out at arms length.
"Muscular arms... good looking features... seems smart... Hey! My name is Shelly, and that over there is Archie! Were you looking to apply for Team Aqua?" She hugs me again, putting an arm around me as we walk the length of their table.
"Yes, actually!" I hand her my form, and she quickly scans it over.
"Mhmm... yep... wow! No red flags, anywhere! You got a shot, hun!" She hugs me again, then gets pulled away by a grumpy looking Archie, who smiles and winks at me as I walk away. My face blushes again.
I head across the gym to the next table, Team Flare.
There is a HUGE man standing at the table, with flaming red hair, and a very built physique.
He smiles as I approach.
"Hey there! My name is Lysandre, and I am the leader of Team Flare! You looking to apply, kid?" I nod, handing him my forms.
Me runs a hand through his hair as he reads, sighing happily.
"Finally, an application with more than just participation awards!" He smiles, laughing.
"Did you have any questions?" He asks, leaning against the wall.
"Well, actually, I-" I'm cut off as he gets tugged away by another applicant.
"We'll talk later!" He waves as I head off to the next table, Team Magma.
There are two men standing at the table, one larger with perfectly flipped hair, and one skinnier with a very amused expression on his face.
"Greetings. My name is Maxie. You are interested in applying for Team Magma?" The skinnier man grins as I walk up to him, and I nod.
"Hm... Interesting... well, thank you for your application! This is very exciting indeed. You will hear back by tomorrow." He smiles, putting my application in a pile where there are only a couple more.
I wave as I head to the next table. Team Galactic.
There is one woman at the table, with bright purple hair thrown up into a bun.
"Hey sweetheart! Looking to apply!" She smiles warmly as I approach.
"My names Jupiter, and I am a commander for the amazing Team Galactic!" She reads through my application, and her eyes go wide.
"Smart AND attractive? You've got the whole package, sweetie!" She hugs me quickly, then gets pulled away.
"Talk later!" She squeals as shes taken away.
Team Skull is next, and there is a large man with spiky white hair at the table.
"Hey! Guzma here, how goes it?" He smiles as I hand him my Application.
"You sure are a smart kid, you know?" He laughs, handing me a booklet.
"Just some info, might interest you! Anyways, I'm sure you'll hear back by tomorrow!" He pats my back as he walks through to the next applicant.
I now only have one more sheet, so I turn directly for Team Rocket.
There are two people, whom I recognize as local Team Rocket commanders Jessie and James.
"Hey!" They both smile as I walk up.
"How's it going, kiddo?" Jessie messes up my hair as I hug her.
"Applying for Team Rocket!" I say happily, handing them the form.
James hugs me tight.
"You are going to get in, I feel it!" He laughs, fixing my hair.
I go to say something more, but the school bell rings, and I have to go.
"See you guys later!" They wave as they start to pack up.
After school, I decide to head straight home. The sooner I get to bed the sooner I hear the results.
I walk in the door, and Mom and Dad are on the couch, watching T.V.
"Hey hun! How was application day?" Mom asks.
"Good! Applied for all of the internships I wanted!" I smile.
"Thats exciting! Think you'll get them?" Dad asks.
"They all seemed to enjoy my application and recommendation letters, so I think I do!"
"Kai home?" I ask, and my Mom nods, pointing upstairs.
I take a deep breath, and head up.
This is going to be hard. I've never left Kai for long periods of time, and we have grown really close these last few years.
I knock on his door.
"Come in!" He calls, and I open the door.
He's sitting in the same position as this morning, fidgeting with his notes and keyboard.
"Hey, big brother! Whats up?" He smiles as I walk in and take a seat on his bed.
"I have something... I need to talk to you about." He turns in his chair.
"Oh? And whats that?" He asks, leaning back.
"I... um... applied for... all of the TeamWork jobs." His eye's go wide.
"What? Your leaving?"
"Not soon, at least, we wont know till tomorrow." I quickly say, but there are tears in his eyes.
"Kai..."
"No, go. You should." He quickly wipes his tears, turning back to his work.
"Kai why-"
"Please. Go."
I stand up, rubbing his back gently, and walk out.
I go straight to my room, and lay down in bed, even though it's barely 4pm.
Missy is on my bed, so I curl around her to stay warm, and the smell and feel of her purring makes me calm.
It's been years since I have cried myself to sleep.