-Konnichi Wa, Hello-
-Chapter Eleven-
-Glares, Glances, Quick Relations and Jealousy-
-xxx-
I pulled away from Chip and stared at him with the biggest, dumbest, brightest blush.
"Love me?" I asked, Chip nodded, the same gaze fixed onto his devilishly handsome face, I shook my head so much I began to feel dizzy. Chip hugged me closer to him, one hand placed and settled on the back of my head, stroking my hair a little.
"I understand if you don't want to go out with me right now…but in time, I'm sure you'll grow to love me…" Chip told me, his chin balanced on my head. Y'know Chip, my head isn't some kind of table, but whatever. My heartbeat was still surprisingly erratic, and I looked around, only for my eyes to fall on the worst possible person,
"Let go of her."
Yup, it was Silver. My heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice, Chip glanced over at him, almost protecting me with a look that glared daggers through Silver's head. Chip tightened his grip on me. I felt like a toy, in which two children were fighting over. I wanted to stop this before it became a fight, but my words would be muffled from Chip's shirt. Damn it all.
"I said, let. Go." Silver spat whilst scowling dangerously at Chip, who hn-ed as if he were smirking, I couldn't see his face anymore. My eyes were peering over at Silver from over Chip's arm, that's all I could see.
"Why should I? I mean, I'm the one that loves her, what do you think I'm gonna do, huh?" Chip's voice became angrier as his sentence continued, Silver smirked and shoved his hands in his own pockets, approaching Chip with that smirk remaining on his face,
"You think she loves you back, don't you?" Silver spoke coolly and calmly, Chip clenched his teeth and his arms tensed as if he were ready to lunge at the redhead, then punch him until there was nothing left, which I really hoped he wouldn't do. Damn Silver and his ability to annoy people so much.
"That, I'll leave for her to decide" Chip spoke with his teeth still clenched together, until he began to raise his voice in lividness. "if you're trying to win her over, that's got to be a joke, you're nothing but a selfish, manipulative fucker who can just sway people at will!"
I winced, Silver didn't seem to be even moved angrily by that speech, through all this, I was still being held onto, until Chip decided not to take it any further and walked off, not letting go of my hand until my arm and his arm stretched to the limit of taking me with him, I watched Chip walk into our tent and switch the lantern off, I felt a pang of guilt that hit me along with his withdrawal.
"…"
Silver said nothing. Then glanced over at me.
"Kotone, I'd advise you to stay away from me if you choose to love him…because I can't fucking stand him anymore…"
Silver pivoted on his heels and began to walk away, flipping his hood up. Not again, I couldn't lose him again…I felt my eyes begin to burn,
"SILVER!"
I ran up behind Silver, throwing my arms around his middle and crying into his back, I couldn't lose my best friend twice in a row, I'd only just got him back!
Silver brushed me off, I began to cry harder while dropping to my knees in assumed defeat, until he knelt down in front of me to my level and sighed,
"Crying isn't getting you anywhere."
I looked up at him, his face was stoic and emotionless, but I guessed that was just Silver. He wiped the tears from my eyes and face gently with his thumb, which caused me to become flushed even more.
"Silver…Chip said that you can't admit…what he just said to me…is that…true?" I had to ask sometime, or it would kill me from the inside slowly. Silver froze for a while, failing to hide his emotions, which he usually was really good at. I must've caught him off guard.
"Silver…?"
Silver looked me straight in the eye with an unconceivable look on his face, it was a mix of confusion, anger and something else I couldn't determine, it was something I had never seen etched into his features before…
"If I told you that were true, would you give him up?"
I blushed hard and my eyes grew even wider, Silver was blushing the tiniest bit, damn men and their ability to keep the red from their cheeks. But Silver did love me…however, Chip did too.
"Of course not, he's my friend…" I replied distantly, deep in thought.
"But he loves you." Silver interjected,
"That doesn't make a-"
"-Difference? He's gonna be all over you 24/7 if you don't stay away from him…"
Growing annoyed, I poked Silver's forehead with my two forefingers.
"That's not gonna happen. I know Chip, and he wouldn't do that. And you are too Mr Know-It-All." I stuck my tongue out childishly at him.
"I know Chip, and he might take liberties." Silver mimicked me; making a bigger mockery.
I frowned at him. He was being melodramatic. Silver smirked at my sudden silent vocabulary, but one thing was on my mind, something I really couldn't tell either of the boys:
I was in love with both of them.
No matter how hard I tried to shove it to one of them, or none at all, it all stayed the same, the reason for trying this? I didn't want them either to fight over me, or leave one of them broken hearted, because they were both special to me in different ways, and I now knew their feelings for me. This made everything worse. First came Silver, then when Chip grew closer to me, he shared the little pathetic thing in my chest known as my heart with Silver, I had given in to fighting the feeling, pushing it to the back of my head and repeating denial in my head.
"Hn. Why the sudden silence?"
"I-I don't know…" I stuttered, trying to push my last thought out of my head. Silver held his hand out to me and I took it, standing up in unison together. All of a sudden, Silver leaned down to me, the moonlight highlighting the corresponding side of his face, which made his mercury eyes glint and appear more metallic than usual, I looked up to him, but didn't move anywhere, closing my eyes as he wrapped his arms around my waist, I was blushing uncontrollably now, managing to utter the words:
"You're gonna kiss me now…aren't you?"
-xxx-
I woke up in between Chip and Silver, both of them sleeping closer to me than they usually did, Chip's breath on my face, Silver's on my neck. It didn't feel particularly good. I managed to shift out of the tent without waking the two boys, then coming across the group of girls (Well, all the girls except me), and they gave a quick glance at me before giggling and gossiping to themselves, I walked over in blatant curiosity, before Hikari ran over and squealed before pulling me into a bear hug, she hugged me so tightly I could barely breathe,
"We saw you and Chip!" She squealed, hugging me tighter while the other girls laughed at my face, which was as red as a ripe tomato. Not a good look Kotone, you should learn something from Silver, it's called 'suppressing any blood that flows to your face' (Yeah, I was gonna say red things, but Silver has something red stuck on him all the time, doesn't he?)
"-And we saw what happened with Silver too!"
Wait, what?
"You're so lucky Kotone!" Candice remarked with a sly smirk, I felt like flipping them all off and sinking into some kind of hole. Some might call me lucky, but believe me, being a fought-over teddy-bear is not a good thing to be. It makes you feel absolutely awful.
"But I have a feeling Kotone doesn't seem to like this…"
…
THANK YOU CYNTHIA!
"Why wouldn't she? Two hot guys after her like this?"
Marley just had to ruin it, didn't she. (That was a statement, not a question.) And she seems to think that Chip and Silver are good-looking. Well I can't argue against that. But Marley?
"Actually, it's not the best feeling…being pulled around like that…" Cynthia said, making a very valid point.
I'm backing Cynthia on this, if you couldn't tell. -Smile-
"How do you know, I mean, you're not getting pulled around." Marley, logic has a twin…
His name is SHUT THE HELL UP.
"I did once…" Cynthia said with a quiet and squeaky tone, Marley looked at her wide-eyed.
"By who?" The raven-haired girl said to the shy blonde, whom of which was blushing wildly now.
"U-Umm…" Cynthia stuttered.
"Cynthia…tell us…"
"Flint and Steven!" Cynthia shouted in defeat,
Okay, now I'm confused, who on Earth are they? Flint rings a bell…but Steven…? I looked at Cynthia's blushing face, her two index fingers pressed together in shyness, Marley looked triumphant and victorious, like she would in this kind of situation. She was bending over and grinning a sly, evil grin, her eyes narrowed knowingly.
"Ah-ha…I see now, Afro-Kid and Metal-Boy liked you…" Marley spoke as if she knew the answer already, as if she were smart, but at least the attention focused on me was dying, I had a guilty feeling that Cynthia did this against her will for me. Hikari pulled away from me as someone approached me from behind.
"Hey Kotone!"
I sighed out as Chip's adolescent voice sounded. I turned around and smiled, I could faintly hear Hikari giggle fangirlishly under her breath, which caused me to nudge her with my elbow.
"Hi Chip!"
I grinned, that tingly sensation zipped through me like a shiver, and he made me feel that way. Chip walked over and hugged me around my waist, which made me laugh and hug him back, he had seemed to have forgotten last night's downside. I was pretty sure someone else hadn't. Chip put me down and grinned at me for a few seconds more, before sighing.
"What's wrong?" I asked,
"Nothing! I just can't believe that you like me so much!" Chip smiled and it grew into an excitable laugh. I had to smile back at this, but my face dropped as Silver glanced over at us from the tent, before scoffing and walking over with a false-nonchalant expression and his hands in his pockets. Chip looked behind him to see what I was looking at and locked glares with Silver, whose nose was still at a funny angle…if you can be so kind as to remember why that is, I won't thank you.
"I see you've made your decision." Silver said whilst glaring at Chip, though I knew he was talking to me.
"Yeah, he asked first…"
Chip snapped his head around to look at me wide-eyed.
"You like me? Like, like like me?"
"Yep."
It was true, and Chip did ask first, though I couldn't stop feeling guilty, I mean, Silver was kinda standing right there. In fact, none of them asked, it was more of an expressive thing, I could hear the girls whistle and make immature sounds, I glared at them venomously and they all ceased to open their mouths. Silver stared at me with an expression I had never seen him have, I couldn't determine it at first, because of its alien presence, though it all became clear,
Desperation.
Silver sighed out and walked away, popping his hood up over his face, his head lowered. Great, now I feel goddamn awful. Chip grinned and pulled me into another hug, his arms around my waist, I didn't know who to choose, so I went with Chip, but something ached in my heart, as if I wanted both at the same time, because I knew I couldn't break one heart, but that's how it turned out. Chip kissed my cheek and smiled, I blushed but closed my eyes, it was because I was content, yes, but I couldn't bear to look at Silver walking away, because I seemed to die a little inside as I watched my best friend seclude himself.
-xxx-
Later that day, at lunchtime, we were making burgers, from what Lucian and Brawly had left us, we had just enough for everyone, little did we know that when they were ready, leaving them alone with me and Chip was the worst move possible. I noticed that Chip was glancing over at the burgers every two to three seconds, I was sitting on his lap and twitching a little every time he moved his head, it grew into every second glancing, to a constant stare.
"Chip, what're you doing?" I asked with my head cocked to the side in curiosity, Chip looked at me with distant eyes, like he was looking straight through me.
"Burgers…they're calling me…" He spoke hungrily, along with his mouth watering, that I could tell from the way his mouth hung open a little.
"Eh?" I asked again, frowning in confusion. Chip looked like he was about to attack the food in front of him. He reached forward, almost hypnotised and grabbed a burger that was filled to the brim with salad, cheese and tomato ketchup. He raised it to his mouth and devoured the thing in record time, I frowned so much I had a unibrow. So it was burgers over me, eh?
"I see. You love your burgers more than you love me."
Chip looked over at me with his mouth stuffed with one burger and another in his palm at the ready.
"Nope. I love you more." Said Chip with a muffled tone. I rolled my eyes and stood up off of his lap, only to see that Chip had eaten all the burgers on the table, now there was only enough for half of us. I pointed at him accusingly and shouted.
"What the hell! You ate all of them!"
Chip stopped eating, and with a finger in his mouth, turned to look at me in the same position, his eyes gave me the whole: "Who, me?"
Yes. You. I thought. Chip laughed, as if he just knew what I thought,
"I can't help myself sometimes! I'm just gonna have to come clean aren't I?"
Yes. You are. I thought again, this guy had a serious fetish. He might as well have a cheeseburger shrine or something, maybe he already had one. Chip stood up and hugged me, his fingers were clean, and I think he just wiped them, but he had some serious cheese-breath. I couldn't help but hug the one I loved back though, Chip's face edged closer to mine, I closed my eyes, expecting him to kiss me, which he did for a brief moment, then I heard footsteps behind us, and we immediately broke apart. Our arms by our sides as if we had just been bowing to each other or performed a military routine. Silver sat down in one of the fold-up chairs, the one next to Chip's, and glared daggers into the back of the tan-boy's head. Chip sat down, patting his lap like he was calling a cat. I sat on his lap just like a minute ago, Erika, who I hadn't seen much of this holiday, was carrying the sticks for a new fire, Volkner had 'accidentally' poured his drink over the previous, she looked over at me and Chip and looked almost hurt for a minute, before blushing a little and smiling lightly and placing the twigs onto the ground and running off. Marley was looking around frantically,
"Which one of you ate the burgers!" She shouted with a pointed finger at us. I grew wide eyed and retreated a little, Chip grinned at Marley.
"I did." He said, still grinning immensely. Marley looked so angry I thought steam just shot outta her ears. After that, she decided to 'punish' us both, we weren't allowed any food that evening, though Silver gave me half his share. Earning yet another glare from Chip.
-xxx-
I walked out of our tent at night, I honestly didn't know the time, and made my way over to the lake, nice way to clear my mind, I thought, I wasn't normally like this, but sometimes you get desperate to just forget about everything causing you pain, well, my heart was. I approached the lake bed and peered into the clear, moonlit water, and there I was, staring right at me. A wash of anger came over me and I smacked my reflection, causing it to disappear, I began to cry as all impact from the last two days came crashing down on top of me like a weight, I dropped to my knees and swore at myself, you little bitch Kotone, you pathetic excuse for a girl, you don't deserve what you have, you little shit. I became homesick, wanting my mother, the Pokémon I left at home beside Flygon, who soon materialised next to me, nuzzling my cheek like it did around three months ago, and New Bark Town, I wished that I hadn't had to choose anyone, everything to do with Silver and Chip would just flow gently, instead of crashing through rocks like it was now.
"Crying isn't getting you anywhere." A smooth voice sounded behind me, and another reflection appeared next to mine, it was Silver, I looked at him, he had the same sad eyes and pale appearance as I had seen earlier, his aura seemed delicate, if you made one false move and he would shatter into a million tiny pieces, well, his ego would anyway. I looked down again at my stupid red face,
"I don't care." I said back, with a couple of sniffs in between. Silver looked over at me and grabbed my hand gently and affectionately, I buried my face into my knees, I didn't need his sympathy.
"Kotone, it really kills me when you're like this…" Silver whispered, as if I wasn't meant to hear it, but I did.
"Why…? Why do you care about me so much! I've broken your heart so much, even chosen someone else over you, and you still care enough to even look at me!" I half-shouted, Silver let out a 'heh' and wrapped his arms around me, I pounded onto his back, shouting for him to let go, but he never did, he just held me tighter and let out a soothing 'shhh'. It was so unlike him, it was unimaginable, and I guessed this was the Silver I never had experienced, the one that was just a defeated and crumpled piece of ego of his former self.
"I care, because I made a promise to your Mom that day, I promised I wouldn't let you be like this, and what kills me, is the fact that I'm the cause of that promise to be broken." Silver spoke in hushed tones, then through my emotional state, my heart beat faster, causing me to shout the most stupid thing,
"Silver! I…I LOVE YOU!"
Silver froze and pulled back to look at my face, his face full of surprise as if he didn't believe it. I got the idea that he thought I was having a laugh.
"You….You what?" Two voices said at the same time, Silver had said it, but I felt my heart leap into my throat as I saw Chip standing at the entrance to the lake, his face just as wide with shock as Silver's was, I was in for it now, wasn't I?
"Kotone, seriously, what?" Chip said, I remained silent, unable to say anything, so this is what would become of me, loving two people as much as each other never comes to anything good, I found that out for myself. Chip flipped his jacket hood over his head, then smiled weakly with tears coming to his eyes, I felt my heart wrench at his next words,
"I guess you always loved him more, didn't you?"
Silver smirked, and seemed to gain his usual self,
"I guess she did."
Chip sighed, and walked over, I braced myself for a fight between the two boys, but Chip kneeled down next to me, Silver let go of my shoulders as Chip held my hand, I looked over at him as he raised it to his lips and kissed it.
"I enjoyed what we had, it's gonna be really difficult to let you go, but I'm gonna have to, aren't I?" Chip spoke, he didn't seem angry…just completely heart broken.
"I'm sorry…" Was all I managed to say, Chip smiled again, and turned to Silver with a more serious look,
"I know she can't help her feelings, that's why I haven't ground you to a pulp by now, but hear me out, you hurt her, you're gonna have to deal with me." Chip grinned, Silver smirked even wider,
"We'll see about that."
At that, Chip walked off, returning the piece of my heart he used to own, leaving me with who I should've been with from the start.
"Silver…" I spoke, Silver looked over at me, I wiped the tears from my eyes and smiled,
"Yeah?" Silver replied, I began to laugh and cry at the same time,
"I know this sounds real corny, but…could you kiss me?" I blushed at my own cheesy words, a sheepish grin growing on my face. Silver blushed a little before leaning down and placing his lips gently onto mine.