A Confession Gone Awry
Adman and Jo-Jo like it, K.C. is fine with it, but concerned for their safety, Rocky doesn't think Dawn is right for Zoey, Corey has a crush on Dawn, but is trying to put a good face on it, and Mikey adores the new coupling. And oh by the way, they're all going on vacation for two weeks. Jo-Jo had the good idea to put Dawn and Rocky in the same vehicle for an expected nine hour trip, and the first five minutes that Dawn tries to strike up a conversation with Rocky fall flat.
Ash Ketchum is finally home, and says the same thing to his mother Delia and the unexpected dinner guest Gary Oak that he has said to anyone else that has asked; he had no idea that any element of the kiss or the confession would take place.
Max Maple sent several text messages to friends, family and acquaintances (including Dawn, Zoey, Gary, et. al) saying that May has been hospitalized, but should be okay to be checked out the day after her panic attack. On Tuesday morning, a visitor came to see the recently awoken May, and surprisingly, this person also wanted to see Max. Wanting to make sure that only people that May would want to see, Max went outside of May's bedroom to find his girlfriend, the Cerulean City gym leader Misty Waterflower, who is eight years his senior.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokemon, a creation of one Satoshi Tajiri, and is produced domestically (in the United States) by Pokemon USA/TAJ/The Pokemon Company, and internationally by Shogakukan and OLM. I personally own nothing and make nothing by writing this. Please do not flame.
(Chapter 9- Vacation Part 3: Full Houses)
"How exactly did May suffer her panic attack?" Misty asks her boyfriend. "You said that if I called you back, you'd tell me the whole story because it was too long for a text message, so…what's up, Max?"
Max sighs as he answers Misty, saying "It's not good. I'm legitimately concerned for my sister after some things that she said before and during the attack. It started when May was in our living room yesterday. She saw Ash Ketchum's comments on the air where he talked about how he thought that it should have been Dawn who won the Grand Festival, and not May."
Misty puts her head in her left hand and shakes her head. "God, Max. Does Ash even know the meaning of the word 'tact'? That wasn't the place to say that, I don't care what was on that idiot's mind. God, after all this time, you'd think that he'd change, but he's not. Twelve long years, and he's still that same impulsive, abrasive, stubborn jackass that he was when he was ten years old! When will he grow the fuck up? Seriously! No wonder I gave up on ever being with that shallow bastard. After choosing that…I can't even call her a woman. After Ash chose her for a girlfriend, and he has the 'nads to pull this shit? Fuck him, Max. Fuck him!"
"There's more to May's panic attack, though," Max somberly admits. "Honestly, baby, I'm not gonna blame Ash in this instance. May just blew up because Ash was on the air giving his opinion and you know how fucking opinionated he is. Umm…" Max is breathing heavily and visibly shaking. Misty starts to worry for her boyfriend.
Misty goes to tightly hold onto Max. "There's something that you're not telling me, Max. What is it?"
Max is becoming teary eyed once again. He sees the beautiful blue eyes of his girlfriend, and is given confidence to attempt to explain in greater detail the psychology behind May's breakdown. "May…said some things after hearing Ash's post match analysis that were downright frightening and disturbing. She said that she…hated Ash Ketchum and said that he was trying to take what she worked so hard for over the last ten years. Though May has been in nine Grand Festival finals, she has only won one, that being the most recent. Now May does curse, but until Ash said the things he said, she always regarded him very highly, and never spoke ill towards him, but…after his comments, she kept saying how much she hated him and how much she wanted to hurt him. Drew and I were so scared, because she was just screaming her hate and flailing out violently—we didn't know what to do at all."
Max continues, "Then this is where shit really starts to get weird, as if things aren't fucked up already. There was a knock at the door, and my dad told Drew to answer it and tell them that now wasn't a good time. About two minutes or so later, Drew comes back into the living room and says that he has found someone that can help cheer May up. He then tells this girl named Kelly from nearby Lilycove City to come into the room and May went absolutely nuts," Max then shrugs his shoulders, saying "there's no other way to put it then May lost it. She went on this tirade talking about how she doesn't want to lose her family. She started to convulse, we called 911 and…here we are."
Misty could not believe what she was hearing. 'What the fuck, May? Are you fucking joking me? I would have thought that she was done playing these games. You told me May, that you were ready to settle down, but it's clear that you still aren't ready to drop these childhood things. I cannot believe that after all this time; you are still fucking Kelly behind Drew's back. It's not hard, May. If you don't love him, leave him, but no matter what, he has a right to know that you're doing this.'
Misty can only shake her head as she chooses her words wisely, saying "Damn. That's deep. Looking at it like that, I think that this…Kelly might have been the straw that broke the camel's back for May. Despite his attitude, based on what you told me and based on what I know personally, no one can blame Ash for May's breakdown. Forgive me for what I said about him earlier, but as you know, I have my reasons for disliking him as much as I do."
Max replies, "I know you do. Just…try not to worry about it. Think happy thoughts, like whenever you're with me." Max holds Misty once again. "God, you're incredible. You-you've risked everything to be with me, even though we have no choice but to keep our love secret until I turn 18. I mean, we've been intimate for quite a while. This relationship has become quite intense. If my folks or anyone for that matter finds out just some of what we've been doing, you could go to jail. That's commitment, Misty, and I thank you for staying with me these past six months through the good and the bad. It's been awesome."
"Thank you, Max," Misty says. "I'll be honest, when you suggested that I go on a date with you that night, I wasn't expecting much to come of it, but boy was I wrong. But you know something? I'm glad I was wrong. You're everything I could ever want or desire in a partner. Fuck anyone that thinks that you're too young to be with me. You may be young, but you're smart, funny, caring and compassionate—especially during this tough time with your sister. You've really stepped up to the plate, helping your parents and family with this. You're growing up to be a great man Max Maple, and I'm glad I get to be there to watch it happen. It certainly didn't happen with…"
Max interrupts Misty by kissing her on the forehead, and he tells her, "I know. Just…try not to think of him, and for May's sake, I don't think it would be wise to talk about Kelly, or Ash Ketchum—especially Ash Ketchum at this time." Max then leads Misty to the direction of May's hospital bedroom. "Come on. Let's go see her."
It only takes the couple a minute or two to get to the bedroom, but there, Misty and Max see May once again asleep, as the tranquilizers used to calm her down after her convulsions had taken their full effect on May's body.
Misty goes up to the sleeping May after Max gave her the go ahead. Misty calmly takes a lock of the brunette's hair, and twirls it for a moment, and attempts to wake her by quietly saying, "May? Wake up. It's me, Misty."
May once again struggles, but eventually opens her eyes to see the Cerulean gym leader. 'Damn,' she thinks to herself. "M-M-Misty," she says smiling, though just slightly above a whisper. "How are you doing?"
'That May,' Misty thinks. 'Always considering others before she considers herself. Too bad that's only an outside appearance.' "I'm fine, but I'm more concerned about you, girl. Is the Grand Festival champ gonna be alright after this?"
May slowly starts to lose the smile that she had when she opened her eyes and says to Misty almost uncertain in her speech, "I should be fine. Thank you for your concern."
Misty sees something off with May's answer, and is determined to get to the bottom of what made May snap, though to her, it's crystal clear. "No problem. Hey Max? Do you mind if I talk with May privately for just a few minutes?" Though Max doesn't see it, May becomes wide-eyed and silently gasps. She wants absolutely no part of a one-on-one conversation between her and Misty for personal reasons.
Max is worried, wondering what is in the mind of her girlfriend, as she desires to have him leave May's sight for a while. "Misty…I'm not sure if that's such a good idea."
"Come on, Max," Misty says, lacing some seductiveness in her voice to stimulate her beau's sensitive side and make him melt in her hands like soft serve ice cream. "We're just gonna have a little…chat between girls. You don't mind that, do you?"
Max sighs, and knows that just the sound of his angel's voice can cause his heart to turn back flips. It's a request that he simply cannot deny. "Okay, but it will just be a little chat, am I right?"
"Just a little chat, Max," Misty tells his secret boyfriend with a big smile. "That's all."
"Fine," Max says, as he leaves the room and goes off to the hospital cafeteria. Once Misty can confirm that Max is out of sight and cannot hear what she is about to ask May, she turns to the older Maple sibling, and quickly turns her glaze back over to May.
"All right," she says, now with great scorn in her voice. "I've played dumb long enough, May. Max just told me that you lost it when Kelly came into your living room while Drew was also there?"
May knows that she can't fib her way out of this situation. "Drew let Kelly into the house…"
"I know that, May!" Misty screams. "Max told me that, as well. But aren't you and Drew supposed to be a committed and monogamous couple now like you promised me that you would be? I thought you told me that you were done with your 'fun' with Kelly back when you were 14 or 15. I know, because I was right there with you, along with Brianna, Zoey, Mars, Cynthia, Solidad, Macey, Casey, and—I could go on, but I think you get the idea."
"Don't group Zoey into our affairs," May defends. "She might have been a part our clique at the time, but she was the only one of us that was not sexually active, all right? If you were so into our affairs and what we were doing, you would know that Zoey has had a huge crush and subsequent relationship with Dawn Berlitz."
"Oh yeah," Misty remembers. "I heard about the kiss some three…" Misty then catches May's plan and puts a stop to it. "Stop trying to change the goddamn subject, all right?"
Misty looks away from May in disgust. "I'm sick and tired of covering for your ass, May. When will you grow some fucking balls and quit worrying about hurting the people you love? Don't you fucking realize that you're hurting them right now by not telling them this?"
"Okay, you're right," May says, "but it's not as simple as you make it out to be, Misty. It's not just Drew or my parents that I will be hurting. My parents hate gays," May says spitefully. "I engage in homosexual activity, and consider myself bisexual. In the minds of my parents, that's wrong, and if they were to ever find out about my relationship with Kelly, no matter how much I beg or how much I plead, they're gonna kick my ass to the curb, and wipe their hands of me as if I never existed." May then puts both hands over her face, and starts to cry. "I'll be nothing but a fucking disgrace to them!"
Misty's face softens for only a moment, but then something enters her mind that she has to let out. "Do you—be honest with me, May. If your parents were accepting of you being bisexual and in an intimate relationship with another girl, would you still see yourself with Drew?"
May sniffles, and with little hesitation, she tells May 'no'.
May's answer led Misty to her next question. "How do you see your relationship with Drew? Would you consider him a friend, a boyfriend? A friend? What?"
May, at this point has stopped crying and has focused her entire thought process on Misty's question. She just decides that after telling Misty nothing but the truth up to now to continue this trend. "I did love Drew as a boyfriend during our first and second stints as a couple. But…something occurred between the second and third stint as a couple. That was the time that Kelly and I started to become sexually active, and…I never stopped. I should have stopped, but at that time, I was legitimately in love with both Drew and Kelly, and didn't want to break it off. Kelly knew this, and was the one that suggested that we stay together, but I let her be intimate with other people while I was with Drew. I didn't want to be hypocritical, even though I was dipping into something far worse than talking out of my ass."
"May? Stop bullshitting me!" Misty screams, frustrated that May wasn't able to answer what should have been a simple yes or no question. "Answer me with either a simple 'yes' or 'no'. Do you or do you not love Drew Roderick?"
"Of course she does!" A voice reverberates from the front door of the bedroom. When Misty turns around, she sees…
"Drew!" Misty cannot believe that Drew came up to the hospital when he did, but understands for what purpose he is there, but nevertheless asks, "What are you doing here?"
"Well, for one, I wanted to see my girl, and two, I'm authorized by her parents to pick her up. Well, technically because she's an adult she doesn't need authorization, but her parents gave me permission." Drew now steps forward towards May, and gives her a quick kiss on the forehead. "Honey, the doctors are saying that you are well enough to come home whenever you want. And…we were gonna surprise you, but your parents are gonna let Kelly stay with us for the rest of our stay at your folks house. How's that sound, May?"
May is speechless. She could not believe that she was going to share a house with her boyfriend and mistress at the same time. It downright scared her, and after some time, she still had not answered Drew's question.
"May? I asked you, how does that sound?" Drew once again inquires.
"Oh!" May interjects. "Fine, I suppose."
"Hey, girls," Jo-Jo asks, around 10 a.m. in the morning. "Are both of you dead back there? I haven't heard a peep out of you in over four hours!"
Jo-Jo put Rocky and Dawn with her in the hopes that they could come to a better understanding of each other, but that can't realistically happen unless they talked to each other and opened up. This sorry episode had gone on for well over four hours. Jo-Jo would ask either Dawn or Rocky a question in the hopes of breaking their glacier, but nothing was hot enough to cool tensions between the girlfriend and the older sister.
"Oh, I know what we can do!" Jo-Jo says, with bad intentions laced in her voice. "Why don't we all sing a song to pass the time?" Jo-Jo has virtually no singing ability whatsoever, and Rocky noticeably cringes upon hearing that her mother is about to sing a song.
"This is the song that never ends," Jo-Jo begins singing, "Yes it goes on and on my friends. Some people started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because…" and Jo-Jo repeats these lines several times over.
Dawn can do nothing but put her hand on her head and sigh. Looking over at Rocky, she sees that Rocky is pulling out a pair of headphones attached to an Apple iPod. She reaches over and pulls the headphones out of Rocky's grip.
"No, Rocky," Dawn exclaims while Jo-Jo is still singing. "That's cheating. If I'm gonna be miserable, you're gonna be miserable right with me."
"Why don't you just go back home and crawl under whatever fucking rock you came out of, whore? This vacation would be leagues better if my sister didn't insist that you had to be here. I swear to God, I don't know what the fuck she sees in you, at all," Rocky whispers so her mom cannot hear.
Dawn has had enough. She realizes that she promised Zoey and herself that she would not bitch or complain about having to spend nine hours or more with someone who didn't like her, but Rocky was verbally bringing her down, and Dawn could not take much more of that abuse without standing up for herself. 'Zoey won't mind if I defend myself against her sister…I hope,' Dawn thinks, and finally decides to fight back.
"And I don't know how your family puts with your nagging and bitching when things don't go your way," Dawn likewise whispers. "You've acted like an immature brat ever since you found out that Zoey and I are now a couple. Forgive me, but aren't you supposed to be the adult here the last time I checked?"
As Jo-Jo continues to sing, Rocky and Dawn continue to whisper insults to each other. Rocky retorts to Dawn's last statement, whispering, "Oh, you wanna be a fucking adult? You wanna talk about what is and what is not adult behavior? You don't even deny the fact that you've had so many boyfriends over the years!"
"Because," Dawn retorts, "that would be lying; not exactly what I would consider adult behavior, Rocky. And as far as me being a whore, I may have had many boyfriends, but like your sister and my girlfriend, I'm still a virgin. I've just had many boyfriends; that's all, but I'm not the human Petri dish for disease that you'd like to think I am. Now, I don't know about you, but saving myself for the right person? I'd consider that adult behavior."
"And getting in trouble with the law is adult behavior?" Rocky asks, still at a whisper. Dawn silently gasps. She thought that that chapter in her life was to be kept confidential, but apparently, an ambitious reporter thought otherwise. "Getting caught with a felony drug possession charge is adult behavior, Dawn?" Rocky scoffs. "Give me a fucking break."
What Rocky said to Dawn strikes more of a nerve inside of her than being called a slut, being ignored and shut down at every chance she tries to open up to the eldest Neale sibling, and the overall dislike that has been shown to her, combined. Never once thinking that a war of words would come to such a disdain for someone, Dawn was caught off guard with Rocky's knowledge of her past, and driven to the brink of her anger.
Without thinking, she takes her right hand, and thrusts it forward into Rocky's near cheek, as if she were throwing a pie into Rocky's face. For the first time in their conversation, Dawn speaks out loud after Rocky grunts from the physical contact. The words "Fuck you, Rocky," ring loud and clear throughout the vehicle. So much so that Jo-Jo ends her singing, and adjusts the rear view mirror to check on the girls so she doesn't have to turn away from the road.
"What's going on back there, you two?" Jo-Jo questions. "Rocky, did you do or say something to Dawn to make her say that?"
"You've never even tried to give me the benefit of the doubt as far as my dirt is concerned, Rocky," Dawn screams back to Rocky. "All you've done is bitch, bitch and bitch some more and I'm fucking tired of it!"
"Settle down, Dawn!" Jo-Jo responds to her yelling. "Rocky, things have been hard enough for Dawn as it is. Do you have to make things even more difficult for her?"
"Why do I have to be the bad guy, mom?" Rocky asks legitimately. "Why is it when she says ''F' you' to me do you ask me what I did?"
"Because Dawn wouldn't say that if she wasn't provoked, Rocky!" Jo-Jo responds, not turning to look back at the pair. "It's very obvious to me and everyone else that you don't like Dawn, but despite this, she still hasn't done anything to you that I would really consider mean or nasty, but you Rocky are a whole different story."
"Mom, she hasn't told Zoey some of her secrets of the past!" Rocky blurts out.
"What?" Jo-Jo says out loud.
"You know what? Zoey was right! You really do need to get your ass kicked right now, Rocky!" Dawn says with the greatest of scorn. "I'm trying to find the right time to tell her, but I can't do that if your nose is always in our business. I'll tell her, but until then, stay the fuck out of our business!"
"What is she talking about, Dawn?" Jo-Jo asks curiously. "What secrets of the past are Rocky talking about?"
Dawn decides to only half-explain to Jo-Jo the big secret that for some reason, Rocky knows about. "I…got into some trouble with the law by associating with the wrong people. To make a long story short, one of my friends dealt in illicit drugs, and while we were dating, he would often use me to help get them from place to place. I knew nothing about it, but during a drug bust, I was at the scene of the crime, and…I got arrested. Due to my age, my name was undisclosed from the media, but I was still charged with felony drug charges, which were eventually dropped in a court of law, so the issue is closed, and should have stayed confidential, Rocky!"
"You never used drugs, did you, Dawn?" Jo-Jo questions.
"I smoke cigarettes, but that's it," Dawn admits. "I didn't know that my so-called friend was doing this stuff."
"Rocky, quite frankly, if that's the reason why you're so mad at Dawn, along with the fact that she admits to having so many boyfriends, I think you're grasping at straws. She didn't know until it was too late! Fortunately, she was able to get out of that culture and mindset before it really cost her down the line," Jo-Jo determines.
Rocky is still not convinced that Dawn has changed her ways, and is only kissing up to her mother to earn her favor. "Yeah, well I'm still don't trust her, mom! Fat chance of me ever trusting a word that comes out of her mouth! Swell choice you made, Zoey," she says sarcastically. "A whore and pusher all in one. Oh yeah, she's classy…"
For Dawn, that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Upon hearing Rocky's statement, she punched her square in the mouth. She then unbuckled her seat belt, while telling Rocky, "That's it! Don't say you didn't ask for this, Rocky!" She then pounces on the seated Rocky Neale, flailing punches, forearms, and whatever else she can throw at the loudmouthed reporter.
Jo-Jo tries to restore order, but after thirty seconds of this, she says, "Enough!" loud enough to make Dawn stop beating her oldest daughter. She then says, "I'll be damned if I have to deal with this crap for another five hours." Jo-Jo then sighs, and says, "Well, I tried. I really, really tried, but I see only one solution to prevent any more heartache or…" Jo-Jo then puts her left hand to her forehead. "Headaches." Jo-Jo pulls out her Vodafone 710 cellular phone, and hits a few numbers to phone a preset number.
Of all of the three rides to the final destination of the Seafoam Islands, the ride between Zoey D. Neale and her younger sister Mikey Neale has been the calmest and the least tense. For much of the five hours that the two have been traveling so far, they've talked about Dawn, any love interests that Mikey might have, the family, media coverage of the kiss, May Maple, and many other choice items. Now the topic at hand was sports, and Mikey and Zoey certainly did love to talk sports. They went from soccer to basketball, to baseball, hockey, motor racing, and now they were talking about one of their favorite participant sports.
"So, just remember, Zoey," Mikey says while they ride in Zoey's Ferrari, "The seven step approach is much better to use for a smaller player like you than the five step approach. You get more time to wind up the bowling ball and throw it."
"Thanks, sis," Zoey tells Mikey. "I'll try that when we get to Seafoam." A ring in the Ferrari breaks the conversation that the two were having. It was Zoey's RAZR, and someone wanted to speak with her.
"Mikey, get my phone, and tell me who it is, please." Mikey gets Zoey's vibrating phone from off of the dashboard and looks at the front caller ID.
"It's mom, Zoey."
"Answer it, Mike," Zoey responds. Mikey opens the phone at the behest of Zoey.
"Hello, mom?"
"Mikey?" Jo-Jo asks, while driving in the Hummer and carefully watching Dawn and Rocky for any sudden maneuvers. "I need to speak with your sister, Mikey."
"Okay, mom," Mikey replies. "Mom wants to speak to you, Zoey."
Zoey grabs the phone and thinks to herself, 'I can only imagine what this phone call has to do with.' "This is Zoey."
"Zoey, apparently 'Operation: Rodney King' was an unmitigated failure," Jo-Jo begins. "Rocky and…"
"Woah, mommy!" Zoey interjects, trying not to snicker while on the highway. "'Operation…Rodney King?'"
"Well, if you gave me the chance to explain, Zoey, you'd know that all everyone on this vacation wants is for Rocky and Dawn to just get along," Jo-Jo explains. "You want that, don't you?"
"Absolutely."
"Well right now, I have the Jerry Springer Show in the back of the Hummer, Zoey! Dawn, she…there's no other way to put it." Jo-Jo then whispers the last part, saying "She beat the shit out of Rocky!"
"Wh-wh-what?" Zoey says, not believing that her mom actually cursed to her on the phone. "What happened?"
"I'll let Dawn tell you that," Jo-Jo responds. "You're behind me on the road, so I want you to turn off at exit 59, and head for the nearest fast food restaurant. Dawn will ride with you the rest of the way, and I'll take Mikey with me. How's that sound?"
"Like you should listen to daddy more often than you do," Zoey answers. "He said that I begged him to take Dawn with me, and if I did that in the first place, we wouldn't have this fiasco that we're faced with right now."
"Whatever, Domi."
"Mommy? Please stop doing that," Zoey groans. "You know I hate it when you call me that."
"Just go to exit 59, call me back, and I'll tell you where to go from there, all right?"
"Fine, mommy. See you then. Love ya."
"Love you too, Zoey." Jo-Jo says, hanging up the phone around the same time that Zoey does the same.
As he pulls into the driveway of the Petalburg City gym and the Maple house, the ride in Andrew Roderick's green Toyota Prius was quite quiet throughout. May did not say a single word to her boyfriend throughout the trip as her mind was clouded with thoughts of how she was going to hang onto whatever sanity she had remaining while living in the same house with her longtime friend and current boyfriend Drew and her good friend and longtime lover and mistress Kelly.
May prevented herself from becoming too noticeably emotional at this time, as she rested her head back, and listened to the CD lightly playing music in the background. The music, which consisted primarily of soft memories and lulling vocals seemed to calm May once again, to the point that she eventually fell to sleep, before being brought back by Drew, who told her "We're here, honey."
May simply nods, and gets the sleep out of her eyes. She opens the door on her side of the car, and lets herself out to stretch for a moment before looking towards the other end of the driveway, and seeing Kelly's familiar black limousine; the same limousine that she and Kelly spent many hot, passionate and sexual nights (and days) inside of. May can only smile widely at some of the times they have spent in the stretch car, as they would often shake it either back and forth or side to side with their explicit love making activity.
Her reminiscing is only short lived, however, as she now comes face to face with the front door of her home. Her once gleaming smile is now replaced with a look of angst, as she knows that beyond that door is the girl that has brought the absolute best and worst out of her at various points in her young life. She simply walks to the door, and takes her key, opening the door, and walking into the house. Upon doing so, she is immediately greeted be a familiar face and voice.
"May! How are you doing, honey?" says Kelly as she hugs her lover.
May responds by whispering to Kelly "Might wanna lay off the 'honey' while Drew is here, 'kay?"
Kelly whispers back to May, "Well, he might have your heart," as Kelly inconspicuously brings her hand down to May's crotch area "but I have your pussy. Which one is more powerful?"
"It's good to see that no one is screaming anymore," Drew assuredly says as he enters the house. "I think that this time we're gonna spend together will be good for us…all of us." As Drew goes to leave, he turns back to May's direction, and asks May "Do you have any idea where Max is, May?"
"He…told me that he was going to spend some more time with Misty before he came back home later tonight," May answers. "Misty was only gonna visit here for a day or so before she went back to the Cerulean City gym. She rented a room because right now, we sort of have a full house. Not to mention that she and Max are also both real good friends."
"All right…" Drew suspiciously says. May notices this and asks Drew if there is something wrong.
"Over the last…year or so, every time or just about every time you've talked about or mentioned Max, you've also talked about how Misty is with Max or doing something with Max, or recently had a conversation with Max," Drew admits. "Don't quote me on this, but for a Petalburg City trainer and the Cerulean City gym leader to be that close…it's odd. I'm just saying, it's weird."
"Max, you trust me, right?" Misty asks while they walk around Petalburg City.
"Absolutely, I trust you," Max says with no apprehension. "Why do you ask?"
"Well trust me when I tell you this," Misty says slowly. "Your sister…is doing something that is hurting the people that she loves the most, and those people, including yourself, have no idea what it is, but it's not good. You told me at the hospital earlier today that you are legitimately concerned for May?"
"Well, I'm always concerned for my sister and my family," Max says while his right arm is draped around Misty's shoulders, bringing his much older girlfriend closer to him. "But I wondering just how do you know what it is and…what is it?"
Misty had this sort of sixth sense inbred inside of her that would tell her when she would hear something that she would find uncomfortable to talk about. May having sexual relations with her 'good friend' Kelly behind Drew's back was simply not something that she wanted to reveal to May's brother. She rightfully felt that that responsibility was best left to the perpetrator, one May Maple.
"I think that you should ask your sister about that, Max," Misty responds. "But if you are going to actually ask her what she is doing, I recommend that you be subtle in your approach. It…it's best that May tell you and everyone affected by her actions just what she's been doing. I hope you understand that…I just think that if I spilled the beans, it would not be wise. Just…" Misty weighs her words for a moment before smiling to her beau, and saying "trust me."
Max smiles back at Misty and proceeded to give her a long kiss. Afterwards, he says to Misty, "I know there's a reason why I'm with you. I do trust you. You're everything that I could ever want in a girlfriend. You're that solid rock that my dad always talks about that everyone needs in their life. I might appear strong, but…you make me that much stronger. Thanks."
"No," Misty responds, as the two have stopped near a city block next to a hotel. "I should be thanking you for everything, including making me forget about Ash Ketchum. In fact," Misty continues, looking around and finding that she is at her intended destination, "I should give you a proper 'thank you'. Follow me," she seductively concludes, as she quickly leads Max Maple by the arm to the doors of the hotel that she is staying at for her temporary stop in Petalburg City.
"You buckled in, Dawn?" Zoey asks, as she turns over the ignition while Dawn gets herself settled inside Zoey's Ferrari. Zoey and Jo-Jo met in a McDonald's parking lot, and switched Mikey and Dawn into the other rides. Once both parties were there to make the switch, Zoey was able to see first hand the damage that was done to her older sister courtesy of her girlfriend.
Rocky had bruises all over her face and neck, two black eyes, and a busted lip with cuts on both the lower and upper lips. Zoey's mom was not in fact exaggerating when she described what occurred to Rocky, and the younger Neale siblings could see it. That didn't mean that they commented about it, though, as during the switch, Rocky got out of the vehicle to quickly stretch, but was confronted by her sisters. She gave them both a very nasty scowl and turned away from Zoey and Mikey before any words could be exchanged.
Once the switch was made, Mikey almost immediately got into the Hummer, but Dawn stayed behind for a moment to have a moment with Zoey. Going into the Ferrari, Dawn's thoughts were clouded with Rocky's revelations that she thought were hidden from the mass media.
Zoey follows her mother out of the parking lot, and continues on her travels to the Seafoam Islands. For a few seconds, the ride back onto the highway was silent, but eventually, the guilt of keeping her many secrets from Zoey consumed her to the point that she began to inexplicably cry.
Zoey notices this after being on the main highway for only five minutes or so. She asks her girlfriend, "What's wrong, honey?" Coming to her own conclusions, she believed that the reasons for Dawn's sadness came back to whatever Rocky said or did to cause Dawn to violently lash out at her.
"Look, like I told you before, don't let Rocky or the things that she says affect you that badly. I promise you that her bark is worse than her bite."
"Well, you've got the dog part right," Dawn says, which causes Zoey to chuckle lightly, "but, my emotion has nothing to do with Rocky…"
"Bullshit, Dawn," Zoey exclaims. "I'm sorry, but you can't sit there and tell me that Rocky didn't have something to do with this. My mother confirmed it to me on the phone. What was it? Come on! Let me know! I wanna help you, but I can't do that unless you open up to me!"
Dawn sighs, realizing that Zoey is telling nothing but the truth as far as opening up to the people that she loves, and says, "No. You're right. Rocky's words hit me like a thousand pangs, especially when she kept egging me on about my exes. It…and I think that you should know about one of them right now."
Zoey is elated to know and help Dawn in whatever way that she can. "Dawn, I'm glad to hear that. I promise you that whatever it is, I don't care. I won't be mad, and I won't be angry. I just want to help you because I love you."
Seeing and hearing her girlfriend give her consolation prior to what is expected to be a very trying revelation gives Dawn the confidence to come clean to one of her secrets.
"Thank you, Zoey. Okay…" She collects her thoughts for a moment. "You remember Paul Warrick, right?"
"William Paul Warrick? Purple haired with an Infernape?" Zoey asks as confirmation. "We're talking about the same person right?"
"Yeah, that's him," Dawn answers. "We were a couple for about three months or so when I left Ash. He was 13 and I was 12, and…things went pretty well to begin with. Paul was still a hard nut to crack in several areas, but I think I was helping to get him out of his shell in many ways."
Dawn continues, "After about the second month or so, I saw some disheartening changes. Paul started to withdraw from me and everyone else for that matter. When I wanted to talk, we wouldn't talk. He would…refuse to kiss or hug me, and he didn't want me hugging or kissing him either. I didn't know what to think, so I asked mom about it, and she said that it could be a phase, or that Paul is not emotionally ready for a romantic relationship. She was really bouncing ideas back and forth about what might cause Paul to climb back under his shell."
"I found out the reason about three weeks later. After not calling me, and refusing to come to contests that I was in during that time, I was in the Orange Islands for a contest that I asked him to come to in Mikan Island. He originally told me that he wasn't going to be there, but while walking around, I found him in the waiting room off to the side. I saw him doing something I never thought I'd see; he was bawling his eyes out and crying."
"I asked him what was wrong, and he told me, 'I need to leave you. I can't keep living a lie.' I asked him what he meant, and he said it's too personal. I screamed at him 'We're a couple, for God's sake! We're supposed to be there for each other, but you've wrapped yourself into your problems so much, you don't even try to reach out and show emotion, much less affection.' Then I asked are you ashamed or afraid of our love making you less macho, and then he just blurted out, 'No! I'm gay! That's why I can't love you,' he told me. And he just kept crying. I tried to hug him, but he told me to just leave him alone, and that He'll deal with this on his own, and I left, and I haven't seen him since."
"Goddamn! Paul is gay?" Zoey asks, not for a second believing the end result of the story.
"Just as gay as you and I, if not more," Dawn answers. "The last I've heard is that outside of a few people, nobody knows that Paul is gay, and he still intends to keep it that way."
"What did you think of him coming out to you, Dawn?"
"It was brave of him, but after questioning him, I was quite angry that he essentially used me to keep people from thinking he was gay. I'm no longer angry at him, though. Not just because of my current affair, but I can feel for someone who was faced with that type of dilemma."
"And I know that you can't stay mad at anyone for long, as well," Zoey addendums.
'Well, I wouldn't exactly say that,' Dawn thinks.
"Thank you, Dawn, for sharing that with me," Zoey remarks. "I know that that had to be hard for you, figuring out that your boyfriend was gay. You feel better after telling me this, right?"
Dawn thinks about it, and then says 'yes' to Zoey.
"Well, I want it to become a habit…for both of us. I don't want either of us to climb into a shell like Paul did," Zoey explains. The two would talk for the remainder of their drive to the Seafoam Islands.
Though it was very late at night, Max Maple had quite a glow on his face. You couldn't really blame him. After making love to his girlfriend for over five hours in her hotel room as her way of saying 'Thank You', Max made the two mile walk back to his house. He could barely contain himself upon leaving the hotel, but the brisk early summer air of the night, combined with the long walk was able to leave the younger Maple sibling feeling quite docile as he came to the gate of his parent's home. As he turned the corner, he came face to face with the black limousine of Kelly Mordetsky, and the green Toyota Prius of Drew Roderick. That much he expected. What he did not expect to see was the front door open, and May come outside, wearing a long beige trench coat, looking around suspiciously.
Max hid behind a tree upon seeing May, and stayed there until he was sure that he was not caught. May walked slowly over to the passenger's side of the limousine, and the door opened before May got too close. Kelly came outside of the limousine to give May a long kiss. When she finished, she asked May, "I see you got my invitation earlier, 'eh?"
"Yeah," May returns. "It's time for some real fun for the first time in ages."
"Aren't you worried about being caught, though?"
"Yeah," May admits, "but I have to look out for my best interest first and foremost, Kelly." May then reveals to Kelly that behind the trench coat, she is wearing her birthday suit, and a necklace that Kelly gave her for her 17th birthday. Kelly nods her approval, but says nothing. "After you, Kelly?"
"Why thank you, Georgia May," she says in a quirky Southern accent. Kelly and May both go inside of the limousine, and May shuts the car door behind her. Max sees and hears this entire episode take place.
All he can ask himself is 'Dear Lord. What does this mean?', but all speculation ceases once he hears the yelling and moaning from inside the limousine. With this newfound knowledge, Max becomes sick, and runs to the nearest trash can to throw up. After spitting out the bile left in his mouth, he doubles over, lies flat on the ground, and places his right hand on his forehead.
"God, Misty wasn't kidding. Jesus, May! How could you do this to Drew, of all people! This…this is gonna destroy him. You've been cheating on Drew with…Kelly? A girl? This…this is fucking surreal! My sister is…gay?" Max then turns around to see the limo once again. He can see that the limo is rocking back and forth, with movements complimentary to the orgasmic moans and screams heard from inside the car. Max quickly goes back to his temporary sanctuary of the trash cans to release even more bile from his system.
"That explains the panic attack," Max says, putting two and two together. "Seeing your mistress and significant other in the same room can do that to a person. God, May! This is just low! I hate to say it, but…I've lost a ton of respect for you not just as a sister, but as a human being, as well. I may hide my love for Misty, but…there's just no excuse for that. None at all."
A/N: Now that Max knows that May has been unfaithful, what will he do?
By the way, I know that I didn't cover the ride with Adman, K.C. and Corey. They will be featured more prominently in the next chapter. They had a part in this chapter, but I removed it because it was too short and didn't really accomplish anything.
Find out the goings on at the beach house on the first night and morning of the vacation.
And if you thought the Misty/Max pairing was a WTF moment for the ages, chapter 10 blows that moment completely out of the water. Find out what it is and why Misty dislikes Ash Ketchum so much. If you haven't already guessed, the reasons are one in the same.
All this and more in chapter ten of 'A Confession Gone Awry'!
