AN: This one was SO MUCH FUN TO WRITE! I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it! ^_^ Sorry this chapter took so long haha. However, I bring you a long chapter to compensate for the wait (although I apologize in advance, my descriptions aren't on point at all. I am pretty rusty after a long absence of writing)! However, this will be my longest chapter yet for this story! Cheers! ^^ Sorry y'all, I totally had to reupload this because I completely changed the Serena/Gary scene (because I love subtlety and so thought this would be funnier/better). I hope you enjoy!

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Chapter 7:
Chance

.

"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!" May tried to count how many times Dawn said "NO," but she lost count after thirty. May frowned, completely dejected, her head hanging low and her hair not as voluminous as it usually is. She sighed hopelessly, knowing she had to get through to her friend somehow.

"Please?" May begged, pleaded once more, her hands clasped together, praying for Dawn to budge an inch. Dawn sighed as well, ready to give her answer for the fiftieth time.

"No way! He is a creep! I-I can't do that!"

"Come on! He's… a sweet guy," May tried to say, albeit hesitantly. Dawn rolled her eyes, her arms crossed while she vigorously shook her head.

"He takes pictures of all the cheerleaders!" Dawn retorted.

"For the year book!" May argued back.

"Bottom-line: he's a creep! Have you noticed the way he looks at me?" Dawn asked, her hands over her arms and trying to stop the goosebumps from forming. She just got such an odd vibe when near Conway, he makes her quiver. There was no way she could be alone with him for even a minute. May looked away, her eyes averted to the white ceiling.

"No, of course not," she lied, hoping to somehow overlook Conway's odd behavior. Yes, he can be weird at times, but from what she gathered, he was still hard working and knowledgeable. He had a pretty cool personality from what she could see at video club. Dawn shook her head no again. May whimpered, knowing she desperately needed Dawn for her plan to work.

"Come on! I will totally owe you one! For real! You know what that means!" Yes, Dawn knew. She even paused for a second, her eyes sparkling for a second, knowing an I owe you, especially one of this magnitude, would mean Dawn would get to ask/ tell May to do anything she needed, no questions asked.

It was tempting. Very tempting. Extremely tempting, actually.

"Hmm." Dawn's hand rested over her chin in a thoughtful pose and wondering if it was worth it…

But no amount of "I owe you ones" would make Dawn date that guy.

"Sorry, May, but he's a total creep!" Dawn shivered at the very thought. "I have to go now, I can't be late to practice," Dawn said, closing her locker and waving goodbye.

May nearly cried, sulking at Dawn's reluctance. She could tell, that she almost had her, too!

She needed just one more little push.

"I… I can't give up just yet!" May cried, her fist clenched and her eyes still burning with determination.

"That's right, it's not over yet! I know Dawn will give in… eventually," May gulped, before running to the gymnasium, ready to do whatever was necessary to get Dawn to help her out.

.

May sat in the gymnasium, watching her friend practice her routine. She smiled, happy for Dawn who was doing so well - it seemed like this was her niche. The cheerleaders were on the sidelines, practicing their cheers while some of the boys were coming out into the gymnasium, ready to get started on their practice.

Now, something was very peculiar to May. May eyed Dawn, wondering what was the deal with her. She remembered stopping by at times, seeing Dawn's practice when she wasn't so busy. Dawn would always focus, giving it her absolute all, her attention completely on her routine.

But today was different.

Dawn was distracted.

She continued to watch Dawn, noticing her act differently as soon as more of the boys stepped out of the boy's locker room, said boys starting to stretch.

It was her best friend, so of course she recognized the signs. At least she thought she did. Dawn avoided looking at the boys at all cost. If she did take a glance over to the boys, she would quickly look away, her face heated. It was like a battle on whether to turn her head to see the boys; a battle Dawn was losing.

"Hmm..." The gears in May's head were turning, inquiring why Dawn was acting so strange.

May paused that train of thought, however, her eyes widening when she realized Drew and Ash were walking into the gym... together.

"Oh no," May whispered to herself, sneaking out the gymnasium before either of them noticed her.

May looked back, watching Dawn's odd behavior continue.

May shrugged, then nodded to herself.

"I'll ask her about it later," she decided, her eyes meeting with Drew's for a second before she left the gym.

.

Dawn took a big bite of her sandwich, stuffing her face for once.

May scrunched her nose with impatience. Wondering why Dawn had to stuff her face the exact moment she asked her about why she was being odd at practice yesterday.

Dawn swallowed, before she coughed, trying to stall as much as possible. It was certainly killing May, who just wanted to know as soon as possible.

"Well?" May questioned.

"Okay, the thing is... I might have a small crush on someone," Dawn finally admitted. May nearly spit out her milk, completely flabbergasted.

"WHAT?" This was news to her. May's fist slammed against the table, completely unaware of this.

"Well he's kind of cute..." Dawn brushed through her long blue hair, her pale cheeks now a light shade of pink.

"WHAT?" May repeated. Dawn blushed at May's outburst, twiddling her fingers together. Luckily, the cafeteria is always loud to drown out May's shouts.

"Okay, honestly, it's not really a crush. I think he likes me, but I have no idea. You know that feeling when you hear someone likes you, and you, I don't know, start to think that you might like them back? I guess I'm feeling that way. I don't know, it gets super awkward because I don't know if the rumors are true or not. If they are, let me just tell you, that will be a massive ego boost knowing someone like him would like me."

"Who?" May continued to pester.

Dawn sighed, ready to explain.

.

It was a regular practice for Dawn. However, she stopped when she saw the other girls lose focus. Her nose scrunched up, wondering whose idea it was to have practice at the same time the boys were practicing. She ended up turning regardless, wondering what they were looking at. It was then, that she watched Ash do a layup, and smiled for her friend. She frowned, however, knowing it might never happen with him. Every girl in the school knew that Ash was oblivious. She knew that wasn't entirely the case, but she knew how busy he was. It would be next to impossible… if she did sort of have feelings for him, anyways, which she of course denies. She took one last glance at Ash, before sighing and looking over to Paul who was on the opposing team in this mock basketball game. He was so quiet, so mysterious - always with a stoic face. She was curious as to why.

She looked over though, curiously. She had seen him a few times down the hall, and sometimes, he'd even make eye contact with her. Even now, he must have felt her eyes on him, for he stared right at her. Dawn blushed, looking away from his intense stare. Before she had time to muster up the courage, she heard hands slapping together.

"Wow, Paul's 3 point shots are incredible!" a cheerleader squealed. The group of cheerleaders giggled when they saw the boys. Dawn was looking over at the game for a bit too, before she jumped at the man standing next to her, his arms crossed and a sly smirk on his face.

"Barry?" Dawn questioned, wondering why so many people were trying to sneak up on her all of a sudden.

"The one and only," Barry said. He was going to continue, until a few of the cheerleaders giggled.

"Hey, Dawn, was Paul checking you out?" a girl named Lyra said. Dawn blushed, embarrassed at the thought.

"You know he's not one to check people out, right? You're special," another said.

"W-what? No way!" Dawn denied, her cheeks so incredibly red now. She was a catch, of course. There were actually quite a few guys who would ask her out, but never had someone as popular as Paul, check her out (Okay, besides Gary, but Gary flirts with everyone). Or so they said. He was probably just looking at something else for all she knew.

It was Paul, after all.

"But he was staring at you so passionately! He never stares at anyone else like that!" Dawn's blush deepened.

"You are all reading too much into this!" Dawn said nervously, trying to laugh off their schoolgirl gossip.

"I agree with you. He's not into you," Barry said a matter of fact-ly, his eyes glazed with smugness.

"I wasn't… wait, what makes you think that?" Dawn asked, quirking an eyebrow. It was one thing for her to think Paul wouldn't check her out, but it's another thing for this guy to say so. Barry was certainly a character. He was part of the cheerleading team, adding more flare and allure to the squad than any of the girls could.

"He's gay, obviously." Barry smirked, giving Dawn the side-eye, his arms remained crossed. Dawn scoffed. Barry fixed his cheerleading pants and shirt, ready to give it his all.

"What? No, I don't think so."

"Mmmhmm. He is."

"What makes you think that?" Dawn asked, her hands now on her hips as she questioned the boy.

"He's never had a girlfriend."

"That doesn''t mean anything. He's quiet, he can just be shy," Dawn tried to reason. Barry shook his head.

"Every girl that tried to ask him out gets rejected."

"Well, I've never asked him out."

"And you think you can get him?"

"I bet I can show you that he is definitely into girls." The two glared at each other, their fist clenched and their eyes throwing daggers.

.

May sighed after Dawn finished telling her tale, shaking her head. What was the deal with so many weird bets all of a sudden?

"One look?" Dawn blushed again. May took a sip of her milk.

"No! It's not even like that!" she defended, taking a step back. May nodded. "Okay, it wasn't my best moment." She had turned into May for a moment. "But I can't just back down now. It was really stupid, I admit." Dawn shrugged. May thought about it for a moment. "I don't even know when I'll find the time to even try. I have to help come up with new cheers and get this project done." Dawn sighed, her palm on her chin as she sulked. May leaned into her chair, before an idea hit her.

"Okay, how about this: I go with the bet to see if Paul is gay or not, I give you an "I owe you one," AND, I'll help you with your chores, IF you just go on a tiny date with Conway?" Dawn thought about it for a moment, before frowning, and reluctantly nodding.

As much as she didn't want to go on a date, she also didn't want to lose to Barry.

"Deal: but it's only ONE date, and I call the shots."

"Done!" May said happily.

May wanted to thank the heavens that Dawn finally agreed! She would have jumped for joy if she wasn't in the cafeteria.

She settled for stuffing her face with her salami sandwich instead.

.

The next day, May sprinted to the library after school, looking for the right books to conduct her research.

Her face heated.

"This is actually really embarrassing. Why would the school have anything on seduction?" May wondered, completely flustered. She gulped, hoping no one was watching her. She kept eyeing the different books, wondering if she could find something, anything that could help her.

"A history of seduction through the renaissance… Okay, not exactly what I was thinking – but might as well give it a try." She took the book, deciding to try to use this.

"What are you doing?" Drew asked, as if on cue. May jumped, a loud squeak coming out of her lips before she quickly shut her mouth.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered vehemently, flinching and feeling way too embarrassed. She moved the book in back of her, hoping Drew didn't notice the title. Drew raised an eyebrow, wondering why she was being so secretive.

"I'm studying like I always do on this day," Drew said. "Haven't been seeing you around here lately," he noticed.

"Y-yeah, I don't need your help anymore," May said, trying to act cool about this whole situation. Drew looked amused by her words, his eyebrow raising, entertaining her words.

"Really? Finally realized you can't teach anyone algebra?" Drew smirked. May growled, her eyes boring anger.

"For your information: I actually have a better plan than doing that! Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of research to do!" May said smugly, before sticking her nose up and stomping away before Drew questioned her further.

.

May closed her eyes, hoping she could get some shut eye before video/photography club started. She was tired, and that book she had was so useless. It was simply about boring history lessons which she had no time to learn about.

Plus, she has been so busy with basketball practice lately. She has to keep in shape, especially now. She had to use muscles she didn't even know she had before. But she was pretty thankful, however. She is getting much stronger. When she flexes, she could actually see a bump of muscle now. Way better than her nonexistent muscles before training. Still, it was brutal. Ash was only going harder, making her train even more so.

It was always for her own good, he would say. He has to step it up, otherwise she wouldn't get any better. Try outs were right around the corner, he would always say.

She groaned in her sleep, snuggling into her arms even more so.

"May?" Trip questioned, wondering why she was in the computer lab so early. May yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"Hey, Trip." She waved hello. Trip sat down at his usual seat, placing his bag on his chair and turning on his computer.

"You're early," Trip observed. May nodded, smiling his way.

"Yup! I figured I might as well, you know," May said, feeling a bit nervous around Trip. He didn't seem to like her much, his words always laced with sarcasm: she wasn't sure if his personality was always in sarcasm mode.

She switched that train of thought when Serena surprisingly got there early too.

"You're early too. What a surprise," Trip said.

Serena smiled, "Yeah, I finally got here on time! The cookies I made this time were much quicker to make!" Serena explained, placing said cookies in between their desks. May smiled, leaning over and immediately grabbing some.

"This should wake me up! Thank you so much!"

Serena looked around. "Hey, where is Conway?" Trip shrugged.

"Who knows. Probably still trying to talk to the cheerleaders. Or one in particular…" Trip trailed off, rolling his eyes at his friend's antics. May scrunched her nose, but soon smiled, however. Conway will be happy to know that she was able to do the impossible... once she wins Dawn's bet anyways. Two bets she had to win... May sighed, knowing she had a lot on her plate.

"Hey, today we'll be showing a few of our videos and slideshows," Trip announced.

"Really? Awesome! I can't wait to show you guys my video for the contest!" Serena said enthusiastically. Trip nodded.

"Yeah, it's a thing we do to see each other's work and critic/ see where we can improve." The girls nodded.

"Wow, you guys will be the first to expose my million dollar idea!" May winked at the two. Serena smiled politely, and Trip inwardly rolled his eyes at her exaggeration.

"Do you two want to go get the projector from the Science and Robotics club while I go get Conway?" The girls looked at each other before smiling.

"Sure!"

.

"So, how are you liking Video/photography club?" May asked as they walked through the school halls to the science classroom. Serena smiled cheerfully.

"I'm loving it, actually. You are all so nice, I'm glad I can make more friends. Lately, some of my friends have gotten distant because they're so busy." Serena sighed, a deep frown forming. It was really only one person she was thinking about, and it broke her heart seeing how much he was struggling and didn't seem to be telling anyone about it. In fact, he's been very distant. Serena looked down to her feet. May frowned, feeling sympathetic for her friend.

"Wow, that must be hard. But hey, I'm sure they won't be busy for long. You'll always be friends I'm sure. You just need to find the time I guess." May said, hoping her advice helped. Truth be told, she never really had that problem, because she never really had many friends, Dawn being her best friend. And she was sure nothing could ever tear them apart or make them distant.

"Thanks, May. I hope so." May smiled, before looking to see that they reached the room number.

"Ah, the science room. Can't say I'm in here more than I need to be," May joked. Both giggled.

When May opened the door, Serena's eyes widened at who was there, in a white lab coat and goggles. He looked so focused, so in his element. Serena took a step back, completely taken back by this scene.

It was Gary.

Gary freaking Oak.

"G-Gary?" Serena stuttered, still flabbergasted at the sight.

Gary nearly dropped his flask at his name being called - specifically at the voice who called his name. He gulped, his eyes so scared - terrified. Serena had never seen Gary like this before. She remembered when they had chemistry together: she was unfortunate enough to be his partner, and he seemed so indifferent when in that class, she would have never guessed.

Then again, he seemed to know what he was doing too...

Still, Gary... in science club? He would openly call Clemont a nerd for participating in the science fair, she didn't think he of all people would like it so much.

"Hey... Serena... do me a favor, and don't tell anyone about this, please?" Gary said. Serena was surprised, taken back, that he seemed embarrassed. She wondered if anyone else knew besides Clemont, who is in the club as well. She was pleasantly surprised.

Maybe... Gary wasn't so bad...

Despite herself, Serena blushed.

There was more to Gary than meets the eye.

Her blush deepened, her cheeks heating.

Gary's and Serena's eyes met, for what felt like eternity, until Gary's attention, of course, went to May.

"Hey, I've never seen you before - not with Serena. You know, you're kind of cute," Gary began, smirking at May.

Serena's blush instantly subsided, sighing at Gary's antics.

Same ole, same ole.

May blushed after Gary's compliments, wondering what was up with this guy. May leaned over to Serena.

"Who's this?" she questioned.

"That's-"

"I'm the Gary Oak. The top star of this school." May quirked an eyebrow.

"Top star? Wait… you're Gary Oak? Aren't you supposed to be like, into sports and not totally nerdy?" she wondered, and giggled because he completely changed his demeanor. From a very confident womanizer, to a very sheepish boy, twiddling his fingers as he tried to retort that he was not a nerd, not like those guys.

"Don't put me in the same category as these two fools," Gary said, a blush harbored on his cheeks. Clemont got annoyed, his eyebrow twitching.

"Hey, I resent that!" Clemont said, fixing his glasses.

Both Serena and May giggled.

.

Gary wasn't sure why, but he found himself sitting on the bleachers by the pool. He was in deep thought, wondering what he would do now that Serena knows.

Deep down, he already knew, however. He was here for the one out of two people who know about his secret of loving science (one out of three now). He was of course here for Misty. He looked over to the pool, watching the girls dive into the pool, synchronized splashes and fast movements. He already knew Misty would be one of the people ahead. She was the best after all, her body as swift as a mermaid. She was the swim team's fastest swimmer. Sure enough, Misty was the first to pop up from the water, her hands grasping for the ledge of the pool. Her coach smiled, writing down her time on a clipboard.

"Good job, Waterflower," her coach congratulated. Misty smiled gratefully.

"Thanks Coach." Misty stepped out of the pool, water dripping down her body and fiery red hair. Misty looked over to the bleachers, raising an eyebrow once noticing Gary. She went for her towel, starting to dry herself off before she decided to go to him.

"What do I owe this visit, Gary?" Misty questioned, continuing to dry her hair as she sat down next to him. Gary groaned in agony, his head hanging low. Misty frowned, wondering how serious this was. He never came to her practice unless it was something extremely important.

"She knows," Gary simply said.

"Very specific there, buddy..." Misty said sarcastically.

"Serena knows I'm in the science club," Gary elaborated.

"Ooh, how tragic," Misty couldn't help but say, not understanding what the big deal was. It's not like anything would change if she did. If anyone did, really. No one would care, in her opinion.

"No, this is bad. What if she says something to everyone else?" Gary wondered. "I told her to be quiet about it, but who knows what she will say." This was not something he wanted everyone to know. As said before, only two people know, those two people being Ash and Misty (and now Serena). Misty questioned why he was so self conscious about this, when he acts so cocky about everything else.

He really was such a dork, being scared he'd loose his reputation if the other students found out.

Misty rolls her eyes. "You know, girls actually like it when guys are smart." Gary scoffed.

"Yeah, that's why you had the biggest crush on Ashy-boy. Like he's Einstein," Gary said, sarcasm seething through his teeth. Misty blushed before telling him to shush.

"It's not like that." It was now Gary's turn to roll his eyes.

"Riiight," he said. "You and Serena are one of the only two girls that resisted my charm… besides that Dawn girl," Gary thought, his brows furrowing. It still bothered him a little bit. And all because of Ash. That was embarrassing enough for someone like Gary Oak.

"Maybe if you stop flirting and start treating us like friends first?" Misty suggested. "Other girls may be clueless to you, but we know you better." Gary thought for a moment.

"Nah, too easy! If I actually tried, you and Serena would be putty in my hands." This time it was Misty's turn to roll her eyes - she found herself rolling her eyes an insurmountable amount of times when it comes to talking with Gary.

"As if," Misty retorted, shaking her head. Gary placed his hands over his head, leaning against the bleachers in back.

"I don't get it. I don't get what either of you see in Ashy-boy. He barely understands girls at all," Gary muttered.

"And you do?" Misty asked, eyeing him. Gary shrugged, a smug smirk evident.

"I definitely do. Want me to show you?" Gary wiggled his eyebrows and everything. Misty laughed, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.

"You are such a dork, Gary. Shut up," she said in between laughs. She remembered when she would hit him for that, getting annoyed with his antics and terrible jokes and pick up lines. Their friendship went beyond hating each other now though. She remembered when she couldn't stand him one bit, only putting up with him because he was good friends with Ash. But now they have been around each other enough where Misty can at least tolerate him - even call him a friend too.

"But seriously. Just to let you know, if you did give me a chance, you wouldn't regret it," Gary said, a smirk forming. Misty glared, a deep blush forming at how close he got. She still wasn't sure if he was just teasing or actually being serious.

Regardless, she couldn't let her guard down.

She pushed him aside, so she had more room.

"Please, maybe if you proved it. But we all know you just like playing around, so why bother." Misty shrugged, before standing up and beginning to head to the locker room with a satisfied smirk.

"You'll see," Gary called to her, before getting just a little frustrated that she did his signature move and just raised her arm to say goodbye, before she confidently walked into the locker room, knowing she had the upper hand this time.

He smirked at her retreating figure, always enjoying the little battle of wits.

.

May yawned, beginning to read through a magazine this time that advertised, "10 ways to get the guy."

"Non-verbal communication, huh?" May thought, processing the words on the paper. "Smiling a lot, maintaining eye contact, and pitch of voice, huh?" The gears in her head were already turning.

Ash raised an eyebrow.

"May? What are you reading?" May blushed, closing the magazine and hiding it in her bag.

"N-nothing!"

"Doesn't seem like nothing," Ash said, moving closer and trying to peak, being extremely curious now. May let go of her embarrassment, a smirk forming and wondering if what was said in the magazine was true. Her eyes widened, a big smile on her face and her body moving closer to him. Ash quirked an eyebrow, not really sure what she was doing.

"What are you doing?" May moved closer, but to Ash, it seemed like she was just trying to shove him away, which was obviously not her intention.

"Uhrm, nothing. Just trying to see if this thing I read worked. Apparently not." May coughed, before taking a step away. She wondered if this would really work on Paul.

But this was Ash, so of course it wouldn't phase him. She paused, thinking about this situation.

Maybe she was overthinking this. She sighed, wondering if she was going crazy. May giggled to herself, however.

"Ash probably wouldn't know what flirting was like or what intimacy is. Although… he did say he had a girlfriend before, right?" May frowned, wondering if it was just that she did something wrong.

Then she shrugged.

"May, are you sure you're alright?" May jumped, before vigorously nodding, her face as red as a chili pepper.

"Y-yes, I promise!" Ash continued to raise an eyebrow, before reluctantly nodding.

"Good, we'll start with some more suicides," Ash proclaimed. May sulked, not looking forward to this at all. These were the hardest for her. She lined her feet with the baseline, before moving laterally, hoping that this will help with her conditioning. She was getting far better, and Ash was definitely impressed.

"May, you've been doing really well lately. We may have to step it up if you want to get in. But yeah, you're getting better, I'm proud of you!" Ash complemented.

"Why thank you, sensei," May said playfully before bowing. Ash chuckled at her odd antics, but really appreciated the gratitude. It made things worth it.

"Because you are doing well, we're going to have to increase your training regimen. Don't want it getting too easy for you anymore," Ash said, making May whimper.

"I thought I'd get rewarded with less work."

"Not how it works," Ash laughed. "Tryouts are-"

"Right around the corner," May finished for Ash. Ash nodded.

"Exactly."

May sighed, before plopping down on the bleachers.

"Not even a water break? 5 minutes?" May asked hopefully.

"Sure," Ash relented, before sitting down right next to her, and handing her a hand towel.

May took it without a second thought, her mind wondering how she will have enough strength to follow Paul everywhere and learn enough about him to get him to fall for her.

"Not how it works, I guess. I'm going to have to put in a lot more work," May thought, before nodding to herself.

Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you mumbling to yourself?" he asked, confused. May spasmed, before giggling, her voice an octave higher.

"No reason at all! I was just thinking aloud, don't worry about it," she explained. Ash didn't give it a second thought, instead taking a big sip of his water.

.

The next day, May eyed her target, her eyes never leaving him.

"That magazine I read was extremely helpful. I know what I have to do." May stopped to think for a moment, before a light bulb light up in her head. She placed her two index fingers and thumbs together in the shape of a rectangle, before moving them to her eye.

"It's May's expedition, and we are now looking at our primary target: Paul! He is a dark, mysterious boy, where there are a lot of questions regarding his sexual orientation. No matter what, I have to find out for myself - otherwise Dawn won't go out on a date with Conway, and then I won't have anyone to tutor Ash. I will see if Paul likes girl by flirting as much as possible, from what I read. I mean, really, who could resist a girl like me, the May Maple. I'm cute, adorable, and just so lovable!" May giggled to herself, before she continued. "Anyways, it's time we get to know Paul a little more! New research mission is on!"

May casually walked by Paul, peeking into his locker, which was to no avail, because it was pretty dark in there. Her nose crinkled, before she walked past him again. This happened about 4 times before Paul eyed her quizzically.

"May I help you?" Paul finally asked, seeming a bit annoyed and eyeing her questionably. May jumped a bit, before laughing her nervousness away.

"Hi, and yes you may! My name is May Maple, I thought I should introduce myself!" May greeted before bringing her hand out to shake. She turned a bit sour, when he stared at her hand, not lifting a finger. He closed his eyes, before closing his locker.

"Paul, likewise." Didn't sound like it. "Please, can you stop hanging by my locker like that? It's weird." May blushed, embarrassed.

"I-I just wanted to get to know you, is all." May began to panic. What was something she heard: pick up lines? Oh goodness, but she only knew the most disastrous ones Dawn told her once.

At this point, however, May would have said anything, scrambling for a way to talk to him more.

"Do your feet hurt?" May blurted out.

"What?"

"Do your feet hurt… from practice, because I know some good ointment for that…" May wanted to smack herself right there. The casual line of, "Did your feet hurt… when you fell from heaven," albeit ridiculous and lame as well, would have been loads better than the lamer thing she said now… which was what was running through her mind at that instant.

"No thanks," he simply said, before slugging his backpack over his shoulder and heading to his class.

It was only until he was gone, that she got her fingers to form a camera lens once more.

"We're back with May's expedition. And it looks like this will be harder than I originally thought! Attempt No. 1: Unsuccessful!" May sulked, feeling way to dejected to try again. But still, she was never one to give up, and always one to make things much more complicated than they needed to be...

But that's why, she figured, there was always next time!

.

"We're back after a long day of stressful classes and hard work! But our work isn't done just yet! We have a more important mission, and that is to get Paul to fall in love with us!" May said in a anchorwomen-like voice. She took a moment to think about that. "Okay, not fall in love with us, but see if he's into girls or not. Let's go!" She ran to the gymnasium where the boys were practicing, hoping to see how Paul play and figure out what he was up too.

However, her eyes darted to see Ash already out on the court, doing some mock game with some of the other boys that were ready.

Drew was nowhere to be seen. Good, the coast was clear. She continued to follow Paul. It became more difficult, however, when Drew walked into the gym.

She wanted to cry.

Why did they make her life so complicated? She sighed, before grabbing a towel, hoping Drew wouldn't notice. She smirked, when she noticed a group of guys walking into a different room.

Perfect...

She tried to converge with the crowd, hoping she can catch Paul and talk to him some more.

She sighed in relief when she made it into another room without them noticing.

However...

"THIS ISN'T THE GIRLS LOCKER ROOM!"

"My eyes! My beautiful blue eyes are tainted!" May cried, running out the boy's locker room for dear life. So that's where they were going...

Dawn shook her head. Ash looked at her questioningly.

"That's what you get for trying to peek at the boys," Barry chimed in, a sly smirk on his face.

"I was not trying to peek, I swear!" May blushed, feeling embarrassed at basically being called a pervert. She was no such thing! She is innocent! Dawn merely shrugged.

Dawn was sure May had gone crazy.

"Who is this?" Barry questioned, raising a brow.

"That's my best friend, May Maple," Dawn introduced.

"Yes, I'm May, and I'm the one who will prove to you that Paul is actually - totally - into girls," May said with unfounded confidence. Barry's eye seemed to twitch at this.

"Oh, so you think you can? If Dawn can't, what makes you think you can?" Both girls gave him a glare, annoyed by his remarks.

"You wait and see... Barry, was it?" Barry nodded. "I'll prove you wrong!"

"It seems to me, like we are now rivals," Barry said, his eyes burning with insurmountable determination.

"Fine by me!"

May looked around, noticing that everyone was staring right at her. A sheepish chuckle began, before she ran out.

There's always tomorrow, after all.

No reason to make even more of a full of herself today.

Besides, she needed to wash her eyes out with as much bleach as she could find.

.

Two days later, May had a whole new plan set in motion.

She was doen stalking- ahem, observing him.

"Well, I guess if I can't flirt with him, I'll let my body do the talking! Body language and dress wear is key!" May said to herself, remembering the magazine mentioning non-verbal communication.

May found herself in the girl's bathroom, staring into the mirror looking down at her dress she was uncharacteristically wearing. May blushed. She had never worn such a dress. She had to borrow one of Dawn's dresses, because she didn't have something as elegant in her closet. This particular flower-pattern dress was one that was particularly snug, but tighter was good, or so the magazine said.

For May, this one wasn't all that comfortable.

Dawn was used to wearing skirts and dresses. Even short skirts.

May was not. Not like this, anyways. She was used to wearing spandex and bandannas and sneakers. Nothing as cute as this, however. As she looked at herself in the mirror, May took a deep breath in, before releasing said breath.

"Alright, I'm ready!" she declared, walking out of the bathroom, her stomach tucked in tight. She fared a cute flower dress that fit snug with black, one inch heels. She tried to look her best, knowing Paul would be very tough to impress.

As she walked closer, she noticed Barry staring at her, leaning against a locker.

Barry watched her, with a sly look in his eyes.

"Pervert," he whispered, making May's temper rise, stopping her heels against the floor.

"I'm not a pervert!" She shouted back.

"Says the girl who tried to peek at the boys in the locker room," Barry retorted. May felt appalled, her blush running all across her face.

"I-it's not like that!" she defended.

"And that's why you're of course wearing something so scandalous. You want to get Paul's attention, but I'm telling you now, that's not going to work. If the cheerleader's mini skirts don't effect him during practice, nothing will," Barry concluded, before walking away from her.

"We'll see about that," May muttered, her fist clenched and ready to prove him wrong.

She will definitely win this bet!

"He has to notice me like this!" May thought aloud. "It's impossible for him to not notice me! Hmph, scandalous, Barry says? Well good, because I'm smoking hot right now!" Her fist clenched, ready to show Paul everything she has.

After a few days of following him, she knew exactly where he would be at that time. She had to ignore the looks, May finally being noticed after all this time. She didn't have time to care about their astonished eyes. She needed to make Paul hers! Well, not hers, but for pretend of course. As her back straightened and she strode over to his locker room with confidence, her eyes targeted her person of interest.

"Everyone step aside while I get someone to fall in love with me," May thought confidently, strolling right by his locker.

Her nose crinkled, her face turning sour when he gave not a glance to her in the hallway. "Is this guy crazy? He might just be gay! I mean look at me!" May thought, looking down at her dress. She grew angry, before stomping her way to Paul again.

"Oh no you don't!"

Her "dress shoes" caused her to tumble forward, right into Paul's arms.

"Oops, sorry!" Those scenes in romantic comedies, where the love interest catches the girl who stumbles over was something May thought could happen (she really hoped he wouldn't fall too hard for her).

But this was far from that scenario.

"You should watch where you're going. And you should wear something that you can actually walk in, too, if you're going to keep tripping over everything," Paul simply said, before turning away.

May's fist clenched, her face turning red in anger.

"This guy… he's so unbelievable!" May shouted to the now empty hallway.

"Who's unbelievable?" May jumped at the familiar voice. When she turned around, green and blue eyes met, surprise evident.

"M-May?" Drew questioned, stunned by the way she was dressed. "What are you wearing?"

"Um… I…. Well…" She had no idea how to answer his question, especially when she was moving away, trying to get as far away as possible. He was the LAST person she wanted to see her like this.

May blushed, looking the other way and trying to cover up her - ahem - assets.

"N-nothing!" she squealed. Drew eyed her suspiciously, completely taken back by how she looked.

"W-why are you looking so different?" Drew asked, averting his eyes. He tried to fight it, but a deep blush covered his features too.

"What, jealous?" May teased, wondering if her seducing could work on Drew too. Oh god, that was such a weird thought.

She stopped, deciding it would be better to practice her skills with someone else – someone not Drew.

"N-no way! You just look weird!"

"Weird?" May scoffed, offended. She crossed her arms and stomped away.

"Wait till you have to wear a dress when I win our bet!" May smirked, her anger boiling.

She stopped, however.

"Wait a second… I have to follow Paul!" May yelled, snatching her jacket to cover herself and running after Paul as fast as she could.

.

May smirked to herself.

"My cardio is really improving! I don't think I could have ever kept up with Paul if I hadn't. And that's in these shoes, too." May, again, found herself in the bushes, looking at Paul's back, who was now at his house. She of course has been here in the past few days. She quickly stopped herself from talking, shutting her mouth with her hands as she watched Paul rummage through his keys.

"Now is my chance!" she thought, her eyes determined to get Paul to at least look the other way for her. Because come on! She didn't mean to toot her own horn, but she was tooting it all the way to his house just now.

May eyed Paul, ready to make her move. She moved away from the bushes, ready to surprise him.

She froze, however, when his door opened on its own.

"Paul," an older teenager said. He looked like Paul, only his features were much warmer and easy-going compared to the stoic Paul.

"Reggie," Paul said, about to walk in, but stopped when he noticed his older brother staring out into the distance. May squealed again, completely embarrassed. The teenager looked up, and Paul turned around, his eyes widening at the girl in front of him.

"Hey, Paul, so you finally got a girlfriend?" his brother Reggie, teased, giving his little brother a wink.

Paul pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't want it to happen, but his cheeks heated at the sheer embarrassment.

His older brother would never let him live this down.

"You followed me home?" Paul questioned – a statement, more so.

"Okay, I can explain-"

"You followed me home…" he repeated.

"Look, it's not as creepy as it seems."

"You. Followed me. Home." Paul seethed, before realizing this was exactly why he doesn't try being nice or talking to people.

He hated people.

.

May was not sure what to do anymore. In the past week, there were so many attempt to get a rise out of the boy, yet nothing worked. She tried following him, trying to figure out his interest, and hoped that her impressive skills in basketball would sway him too (it was a shame, that he didn't even consider the notion, not believing that she was any good - or that she was a creep, which could also be a reasonable belief after what happened).

Every step of the way, he turned her down.

It was getting kind of ridiculous.

Nothing seemed to work.

It was only when she was all out of ideas, all out of books and magazines that could help, that she decided to see if anyone, and this is true, anyone could help her.

Even the boy known for his denseness.

"Hey, Ash?" May started, getting up from the ground and wiping away dirt. It was the middle of practice, and she figured now would be a good time to ask him.

"Yeah?" he answered, Ash sitting down on the bleachers, taking a break along with May.

"Let's say you liked a girl." Ash quirked an eyebrow at this, intrigued. He wondered where this was going.

"Okay?" May frowned, wondering why it was so hard to ask for advice. She just hoped he didn't take it seriously.

"Okay, well, actually. So… what's a good way to put this? Well, my friend needs advice. Let's say a girl liked you, what would be the best way to get your attention? Or to show you that they like you?" May asked, hoping he had an answer - a better one that she could actually use.

She understood that he was completely dense, but he might have some type of solution, or can help her out in some way.

Ash thought for a moment, his eyes looking up to the sky that was a myriad of colors thanks to the setting sun.

"Well, if someone liked me, I'd want them to tell me. I think being honest with me is the best way. I'm not the best at picking up on hints, so yeah, being as straightforward as possible would help me a lot. You wouldn't believe the problems that caused," Ash laughed.

May rolled her eyes. Not like he'd tell her, anyways.

"Oh no, I definitely believe it." May sighed. She wondered if that was true. If she should just ask if Paul was gay? If he liked girls? Who knows, but she figured it was worth a shot.

"Thanks, Ash! That's actually pretty good advice." Ash nodded, shooting a brilliant smile. May smiled back.

"Why'd you ask? Do you like someone?" he wondered, his eyebrow raising.

"What? Me? No way! Like I said, I was just asking for a friend," May laughed sheepishly. Ash nodded.

"Oh, okay... But you know, you can tell me, if you do..." he said, scratching the back of his head.

May smiled, thankful.

"If I ever did like anyone, I'd tell you so long as you tell me who was your girlfriend before!" May said, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"Maybe someday," Ash said, his hands up in defense. "But you know, if you need help with anything at all, I mean it. You can just ask." May stopped pointing, her hands down at their sides, processing his words. She smiled, grateful.

"Thanks, Ash. I really appreciate that."

"Now go ahead and give me five more laps!"

"And you have to go and ruin the moment…" May sighed, before sluggishly getting back on the track.

This will be a very long day.

.

May sighed, mentally preparing herself to just go up to Paul and talk to him. It was Saturday, and she planned to go to his house (hopefully he would actually answer), so she could be as honest as possible.

She did just that, walking up to his doorstep, and knocking loud.

She was surprised, when Reggie opened the door.

He was far different from Paul. Reggie seemed really friendly.

"Why, it's you again. You seem really sweet. May, right? Are you my little brother's girlfriend?" Reggie asked, a big grin across his face. May's cheeks heated, feeling a little sheepish now that she was addressing his older brother.

"Um, well no. I just... I just really needed to talk to him, actually." Reggie nodded, calling Paul down. When Paul did, he glared at Reggie. He specifically stated to not open up the door for her. Reggie merely shrugged, before stepping aside and letting Paul through.

Paul was about to speak, before May placed her index finger over his lips. She glared at him, and Paul glared back. Usually, girls would cower in fear by his glares, slowly backing away, but May was different. It did shock Paul to a degree. Firstly, no one would dare touch him, let alone touch his lips like she did. Secondly, no one would ever meet his glare with their own.

He apparently never met anyone as stubborn as May.

And boy, was May stubborn.

"Okay, let's stop this game of cat and mouse, yeah? I am just going to be honest with you. So, I totally am not looking for a date or anything. But! But if I was," she started, soon stepping back and giving a small pose, one hand on her hip and another on her head, one leg curled up as she tried to give Paul the best pose she could. "Would you go for me? Do you like me?" May wondered, winking at the boy.

Paul's left eye twitched.

Paul was not amused.

Not at all.

May could tell, for it was painted all over his face. She had never seen the boy more annoyed, more aggravated, than he was. She had a knack for pushing people's buttons, but this took the cake.

"No… No, you are not my type at all. When it comes to type, your type… I don't even know what type you are, but you are definitely not it."

May dropped her pose, her eyebrow twitching. "First: ouch! He really is a blunt guy, isn't he?" May thought, glad she wasn't the type of girl that would cry with teenage angst when a guy rejects her. She was way too hardheaded to care about that (it's not like she really liked him or anything). But really, who wouldn't want her? Not that she cared, of course. But still… IF she did care, she would be appalled and offended. What is his type? What does he mean by not being his type? What kind of type does he like? The type that are as serious and as stone-faced as him?

But again, she didn't care.

No way did she care.

She sighed, shaking out of her stupor and drop in ego.

This was not the time for that. She remembered why she was actually here.

She eyed him suspiciously.

"So… is your type… girls?" she hesitated, wondering if he would take it okay. He was silent for a good minute, before he then let out a heavy sigh.

"Look, just because I rejected you, doesn't mean I'm not attracted to girls. You're just… weird," he explained, his hands now in his pocket and his eyes stern as he looked away from the girl.

He looked back to her, and quirked an eyebrow when May cheered.

"Really weird," he added.

"So you do like girls," May repeated.

"Simply put: yes." She jumped for joy, screaming a loud, "Yes!" before running away from said boy, cheering all the way home.

Paul pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling as though he was getting a migraine.

Paul definitely did not need this in his life.

Paul sighed, hoping he wouldn't have to deal with that girl anymore, and wondering why stalker fangirls were so crazy.

.

May ran to Dawn as quickly as she could, faster than she ever thought possible. "Dawn, good news! I found out that Paul is available and not playing for the same side!" May exclaimed, rather proud of herself.

Dawn giggled sheepishly. May stopped panting, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Well, you see…" Dawn rubbed the back of her head, looking quite embarrassed.

"What?"

"Well, the thing is… I realized, he's not really my type." Dawn shrugged, making May fall to the ground.

"WHAT?"

"Well yeah. He's kind of a drag, you know? He is so mysterious, but he seems kind of boring and unfriendly. I don't think we'd work all that well together anyways. Even if he did have a crush on me, I don't think I like him anyways." Dawn shrugged. May moaned, wondering if all this was for nothing. All that work she put in... nothing. May eyed Dawn expectantly.

"And you know... I don't really get why you were trying to get Paul to go out with you anyways. You could have just asked if he had a crush on me..." Dawn reminded, making May fall once again. May sat up, scratching the back of her head, before she gave a "I'm so not amused right now" look.

"You could have told me that earlier..." May sighed.

"You didn't give me the chance." Dawn shrugged. May stood up, shaking off the annoyance, now more excitement springing free.

"Either way, you still have to go on a date with Conway, okay?"

Dawn sighed. "Okay, okay, I'll keep my word!" She said this with fear in her heart, and a quiver in her tone. May didn't notice this, too happy to realize her friend's trepidation. She was far too busy cheering to say anything otherwise.

May smiled, thankful.

.

AN: Wow, longer chapter than I expected. But there was just so much going on, I had to address it all (well as much as I can). I just realized I gave a lot of emphasis to Gary and Serena too (okay, not a lot but still, there's something there maybe haha), which I'll most likely have to follow up on at some point. Haha, I think they would be funny interacting together actually. xD But yeah, hehe, I hope you guys liked it. I tried to put as many people interacting together as I could (hence why it was soooo long)! I hope you guys enjoyed! This was more supposed to be funny than anything else, but I guess there are a lot of tiny glimpses of romance sprinkled in here and there. Let me know what else you want to see. Please review, thanks!