Everyone wish my mother who doesn't know this account exists a happy birthday. Do it now.

She laughed with them, sitting in the parking lot with her now empty hot dog wrapper balled up in her lap. "We have to do this again. I had such a great time."

"Well, you did let Robin win at something for once. Only one round because you murdered Brock." Ash laughed, and Brock and him jumped up, doing their best imitation of the horrifying homicide inside, racing around the lot with dramatic screams and laser guns firing. He slipped and fell, practically bouncing on the concrete and stared up at her with a laugh. "Gees, did the tights really tick you off that much?"

"I had the same issue with my sisters, brought out a lot of buried rage." She sighed. "Can we just stop time so I don't have to go back to school tomorrow?"

"That's be nice," Brock agreed.

"We should skip."

"Ash, you have a test tomorrow."

"That's why we should skip."

"Hey Drew!" May said, running up to him as they walked down the hall, filled with girlish enthusiasm. "You're ready for the contest, right? You better be. The competition looks rough this year. They want it formal too, with costumes. I've got the prettiest dress, got it cheap too."

"I just wish I didn't have to wear a tux. They're always too loose or too tight."

"I'm sure you'll look nice," she comforted.

"Of course I'll look nice." He flipped his hair. "It'll just be uncomfortable."

"You'll have to wear a tux to the dance though."

"Yeah, but that's different. I'm not coordinating in it."

"Yeah." She bit her lip. "My dress for the dance is really elegant and pretty and…you'll see me in it, won't you?"

"Probably."

"Because you're going to the dance and I'm going to the dance."

"Yup."

"And we could…" She took a deep breath. "Probably see each other there."

She verged off down a hallway and found a locker to beat her head against.

"Ash, you're better than this! Midterms start tomorrow and you're nowhere near ready! How are you forgetting all this?"

"I've never passed midterm. There's no point in my trying anymore, Mist. Give it up. It was a good shot but you can't accomplish something that's impossible. Good try, you did better than most of the others but sometimes it's just not possible." He looked sadly at Pikachu, sleeping on her mat in the corner. "I tried, buddy, but it just won't work. Life is over for us. We'll have to be hobos."

"Ash, I got you an A on an essay. If you don't have faith in yourself, at least have a little in me. I just need to get your mind off of this. You like chocolate?"

"Yeah."

She pulled out a bag full of candy coated chocolate bits. "You get a question right, you get an piece of chocolate. Don't think about the test, think about the chocolate."

He grinned a bit. "I like this kind of studying."

"If this cuts study time in half, I'll be so pissed for not thinking of it sooner."

She took up both of her hands in his, staring him dead in the eye.

"Three things: One, you've done well enough in your class that even a failing grade will leaving you at a passing grade over all. No pressure, you're safe. Two, if you finish your test completely, the teacher will give you a bag of candy because I asked her to, so actually answer every question. Three, I know you can do this. You're not a complete moron."

"Thanks, Mist." His eyebrows creased. "I think."

"How have your midterms been going?" Gary asked. "You're done now, aren't you?"

"I finished yesterday, not that you'd know. You've been too busy with all your scholarships to big universities lately. You haven't been paying attention to me at all. I just ask for a little call now and then, but your future and livelihood is so much more important. Don't you know a high school fling is way more important that your career?" she giggled, scooping up some light, powdered some in her bare hands.

"It's not just a high school fling, Misty." He took her hand and pulled her close, the snow scattering to the ground. "I love you. I know it's fast for you, but it's been a few months and I really, really care about you. I don't want this to be a high school fling."

"Gary, don't do this." She tied to tug her hand away, but he was gripping her tight. "I care about you and vice versa, but I don't think we know each other well enough to be in love."

"I know everything you like, all your history and what you want, what you hate, what else is there to know?"

"My religion, my beliefs, my ideal, how I feel about think. You don't know me and I don't know you. Gary, I'm hardly sure of who I am. How can I figure out someone else before I know me?"

"I do know you, and even if I don't, I love you. I know I do."

"Stop it!" she snapped, snatching her hand back. "Let it go and let me have you for a little longer! Gary, if you keep this up I can't date you. If nothing else, you know me enough to know that I can't do this. Don't prove your sister right! Gary, plea-"

He took a step and kissed her softly, then pulled away with a mile. "Marry me."

"You lost me," she whispered, falling back against the brick wall of an old sturdy building. "I told you to stop and you didn't. We're done. I told you…damn. I told…you stupid jerk. I told you. And now it's over."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Bring home a different trophy for your parents. You lost me. I refuse to marry you and if we stay together you won't stop hounding me until I do."

"But I-"

"No," she glared out at the frozen ground. "Go home."

"Misty, I-"

"Gary, get the hell out of here and go home."

"Where are you?" Ash asked. "Brock and I will come take you home."

"I'm in a coffee shop, calm down. I'm not staring down a cliff wondering what death feels like. It's been over for a while. It's like when the tooth you've been wiggling for a while pops out. It's surprising, but it's nothing new and it's kind of a relief."

"You're sure you're not going to throw yourself on train tracks?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just mad at myself and him for not letting it last a while longer. Had to get off that crack sometime, though." She sipped at her drink. "Chai's good here."

"Where's here?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Brock leaned forward towards the phone on the table. "Misty, you're on speaker. I can hear the trains running by. Do you need a ride?"

There was quiet on the other end. "Okay, but don't say anything about my face being puffy and red. It's not from crying. It's just cold out."

"We can bring May, if you don't mind. Or Dawn. Melody wants to come too for some weird reason."

"It's because she's a gambling whore." Misty sniffed. "She wanted me to break up with Gary so I could go out with Ash and she could win the bet."

"Then we won't bring her."

"That's probably for the best."

"What?" she gasped.

"I said we should have a super awesome dance party in your room or my room. It'd be just the thing to cheer you up. You like dancing, right?"

"I like dancing, Ash, but all this hasn't really put me in a dancing mood." She rolled her eyes and leaned on his desk. "Breaking up doesn't usually take that course. Can't you just buy me a box of chocolates so I can sulk like a normal person does after a break up?"

"No! You're better than that! You're going to have a dance party!"

"I am not! No super awesome dance party! We're going to sulk and wait to die because my brief love life is over and I'll never love again."

He grinned, happy to see a happy spark in her eyes. "What if I pay for everything?"

"You weren't planning on paying before? Your party is for me. You'd pay automatically."

"Come on, you need to have some fun! There's nothing more fun than a secret super awesome dance party."

"You're using my break up as an excuse to have a party" She punched his shoulder. "You're such a jerk!"

"So, yeah, we're definitely have a dance party in your room. It'll be great."

"Not gonna happen."

I gotta feelin'…

"I can't believe you talked me into this. This is insane!" she shouted over the thumping music. "How'd you manage to get the whole building?"

"Word got around I was throwing a party through RSVP, and everyone wanted to come. They couldn't all fit and May said her little brother was like some tiny genius. He hooked up the music to the speaker system. So the main party's here, in your room, and the rest is spread into the hall."

"This is awesome!"

"Yeah, not a lot of people were too upset about planning the party. Thank me n' May n' Dawn n' everyone, I guess."

She turned to the rest of the room and shouted. "Everyone who planned this party is awesome! You're all getting a fruit basket or something because this is incredible!"

Oh, I got a feelin', that tonight's gonna be a good night. That tonight's gonna be a good night.

"I can still hear myself think! Somebody turn it up!"

That tonight's gonna be a good, good night.

She hugged him tight. "Thank you so, so much for being there for me, Ash. You have no idea how much I appreciate it."

"I only had the idea, everyone else was the one who made it happen."

She laughed. "Not just the party. You called to make sure I was okay, you talked to me at one in the morning, you wouldn't let me mope even though I really wanted to. You've been a really good friend. You were there, and that's what mattered. Thank you."

He blushed. "No problem. Sorry, I didn't really stop any of this or-"

"You were there," she said, smiling softly, shyly. "Seriously. That's more than enough."

Dawn grinned. "You're bluuushing!"

"I am not."

She giggled and poked his ribs. "You are too. You're blushing! You have a crush on Misty, Mr. Nice Guy. Now I know why all this went on! Trying to impress your girlfriend, right?"

"Shut up! That's not it at all!" he shouted, face flaming. "Can't a guy do something nice for a girl without it being some romantic gesture?"

"They can, you know, unless they blush because that girl hugged them."

"I don't like her, so shut up about it already."

"I'm going to tell Brock."

"No! Don't!"

"Bro-ock!" she sang, racing over to grab him. Giggling, she pulled his head down to whisper her betting pool shifting discover in his ear. They pulled away from each other and laughed.

"That explains the party. Want her off the rebound quick, huh?"

"No! Ugh! That's not it at all! Dawn's a liar, okay? A complete liar! I wasn't blushing, it's not true and you're all jerks!"

"They're making fun of you again, Ash?" Misty asked, dragging in the vacuum. "Come on, even I'm laying off him tonight."

"I think he'd rather you lay on him," Brock snickered.

Blushing to the tips of his ear, Ash snapped, "No," and "I have to go to the bathroom" and stormed out, leaving Misty sighing with the cord swinging in her hand. "You guys are so mean to him. Not a lot of guys would do this for a friend, you know."

"A boyfriend would."

She frowned. "Don't tell me we're back on that crap again."

Nobody noticed (or, at least, didn't tell me), but last chapter had eleven drabbles, so this one has nine. Oops!