A/N: Hello readers, I have a few announcements before we get to the chapter!

Firstly, I am having some trouble coming up with pranks for Drew and May to pull on each other. I myself, am not much of a prankster, so writing that aspect of the story is hard for me. So, I thought I'd ask you guys for help! If any of you readers have any prank ides that you would like either May or Drew to enact on each other, leave a review or send me a PM of your idea! I need some inspiration!

Secondly, remember that trip I talked about awhile back? Well, I leave at the beginning of next week, so sadly, I will not be updating my story next Monday. Frankly, I'll just be too busy getting ready. I am leaving to live on the other side of the world for 5 months. But, to make it up to you guys, who I love for all the wonderful reviews and critiques you leave me, I will be posting 2, that's right, 2 CHAPTERS the following week to make up for the delay. You guys will be getting twice the Heroes Grace to reward your patience! I hope that can make up for your two week wait.

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Pokemon and the characters belong to Gamefreak and/or Nintendo!

And, that's it, onto the chapter!


Chapter 11: Conflicted

Dawn

The room was dark around me, being such a late hour of night. I glanced over at the alarm clock on my bedside table and read the numbers 1:00 am. I usually fell asleep by midnight but sleep wouldn't come tonight. Or maybe I was fighting it off.

I sat cross-legged on the fuchsia blanket covering my bed. I was dressed in pink pajama shorts and a black tank top, with my Buneary doll sitting in my lap. It gave me little comfort, but it was all I had to hold onto at the moment.

Paul's words kept replaying over and over again in my head. And with each repetition I felt myself get hit with a wave of nausea. Everything about that conversation had been awful. I wanted to cry, scream, punch something, and crawl under my covers forever all at the same time. I hugged my plush Pokémon doll to my chest, letting its soft, artificial fur soothe me. I opened my eyes and stared at the object sitting in front of me.

Contrasting the bright fuchsia blanket was the black leather book I had picked up earlier. I didn't really know why I kept it. When I'd realized who the book most likely belonged to, I wanted to throw it as far away as I could and hope it never got found. But clutching the cool leather cover in my hand a few hours before, I couldn't bring myself to loosen my grip in order to throw it. I couldn't even bring myself to put it back down on the ground and walk away, so I'd just brought it back with me.

When I'd gotten back to my room, I briefly considered destroying it. I could have run it under the tap in my bathroom, letting the ink on the pages drain away like I wish the pain in my heart would. But I couldn't make myself do that either. I had tried really hard to be angry. But I couldn't make it last. Whenever I attempted to get mad, it just went out like a candle flame in the wind, so I'd settled with depression. Paul's words made me feel cold inside, and worthless. And as much as I was angry at him for saying those awful things, I was twice as disappointed in myself for caring so much.

I admitted it. Paul was the one person who was out of my control, and probably always would be. He awakened my fear of losing everything I'd worked so hard for. He'd cracked through my fearless cover, and exposed the terrified little girl underneath.

I looked at the book. It belonged to him, and he'd want it back. But I really didn't want to give it back. Not after everything he'd said and done. Maybe I was being childish, but I didn't care. I wanted him to miss the book. I wanted him to hurt because it was gone. I wanted him to feel some of the pain he had made me to feel with his cruel words.

I reached for the book, my fingers grazing the slick leather.

What makes him so special? How can Gary, Drew, or Ash put up with him? How can they like him? And Leaf, May, and even Misty don't even seem to see him for who he really is. Why is it just me? How could I be the only one who saw that cold fury he held inside those endless eyes?

What did he know? He claimed to care about music, but how could he? What made him capable to judge my music and say it was pathetic? How could he know what true music was?

I grasped the book with my fingers, lifting it off of the bed.

What is this anyway? It looked old, and some of the pages were sticking out. Why would he need this?

The depression I had found myself in suddenly wavered in favor of my familiar curiosity. Is this book important to him? What could be inside?

When we'd first met, I had seen the wall Paul surrounded himself with, and I remembered how I felt when seeing it. I'd wanted to see behind that wall so badly. Was this a way? Was this little black book a window through that wall?

I took the book in both of my hands. All the regular thoughts that should have been going through my head about invading privacy didn't come. My burning curiosity was too strong to fight. I cracked the cover of the book open to the first page.

P.S were the initials on the first page, no doubt for Paul Shinji.

I should have done a lot of things that night. I should have put the book down. I should have left it where I'd found it in the courtyard. I should have given it to Drew to return to his roommate.

But I didn't do any of those things.

What I did do, was read it.


The next morning

I felt something ice cold against the back of my head and shot up with a scream. I looked around frantically, first spotting Piplup on the carpeted floor of my room. I looked up from there, and noticed a familiar red-head looking fairly pleased with herself.

"Misty, what are you-?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked. "I'm here to wake you up. I would have used Marill, but I figured it would be a more welcomed wake-up if it came from your own Pokémon."

"Pip-Piplup!" Piplup chimed in.

"You suck," I told her, brushing hands through my messy hair. I put my hand down on the bed and felt something hard. I looked down and noticed the black book.

"Dawn? He-llo?" Misty snapped her fingers in front of my face.

"W-What?" I responded quickly, hiding the book under my blanket.

"Are you going to get ready, or what?" she asked, tapping her foot against the floor.

"Ready?" I questioned, not following.

"We were going to go hit the town today remember? We talked about this at dinner last night," she reminded me. To be honest, I was pretty much in a daze after my talk with Paul last night. I didn't even remember eating dinner let alone the conversation.

"Right." I said unconvincingly.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.

"Um," No, not really, but I don't want to talk about it. "I'll get ready," I told her, getting up from my bed to head to my closet.

"Okay then..." she said, her voice still sounding worried. She headed out of my room, closing the door behind her.

I went through the motions of getting ready. I took a short shower, just to wash my hair, and then blow-dried it. I put it up in a simply pony-tail. Then I put on white jeans and a sky blue ruffle shirt. I threw on a grey jacket over top and got my new white purse. I put in Piplup's pokéball after recalling him. I was about to turn away when my eyes landed on the bed.

I walked back towards it and lifted up the covers, seeing the black book just sitting there. I don't know what possessed me to, but I picked it up and put it in my purse as well. I felt safer having it with me.

I walked out of the room and saw my three best friends sitting on the furniture in the living room. Misty had on a white, one-shoulder shirt and boyfriend cut jeans, Leaf had on a black tank top with a green hoodie over it and distressed, light-washed jeans, and May had on a white and red blouse with grey jeans and her red bandanna. Misty looked up at me first and smiled, although I saw the hint of worry in her eyes.

"Are you ready?" she asked, causing the others to turn.

"Yup!" I tried to say happily, but it came out a little strained.


We'd held off on breakfast until we got into the city. We all rode our bikes down into the heart of Hearthome, and locked them up beside the local library where we knew no one would mess with them.

Usually, when we went shopping I was the one who dragged my friends along with me, looking for the best sales and the best stores, but today I trailed behind, following them wherever they wanted to go. Leaf and May seemed to enjoy their freedom to choose what store we went to next, but Misty kept giving me worried glances out of the corner of her eye. I tried to smile at her, to show that nothing was wrong, but I couldn't keep it up for long before the corners of my mouth fell back down into a frown. I felt so conflicted.

We were hanging out in a lingerie store when Misty finally pulled me aside.

"Do you want to go somewhere?" she asked.

I was about to ask what she was talking about, but I knew lying to her would get me nowhere. I nodded my head.

"Hey guys, we're going to get something to drink. How about we meet you at the corner in about 20 minutes?"

"Okay, sounds good!" May called.

Misty grabbed hold of my wrist and led me outside the store. In her defense, she really did buy us drinks. She bought a blue Gatorade for herself and a Sprite for me. Across the street from the corner where we were going to meet May and Leaf was a short wall surrounding the entrance to Amity Square. We both sat on the wall, Misty taking a sip of her Gatorade while I just stared at the silver pop can in my hands.

"Alright, start talking D. You've been looking like you're going to be sick all day. Tell me what's wrong," Misty demanded.

I almost smiled. Misty was such a stark contrast to Leaf. Where Leaf was calm and collected, Misty was fierce and blunt. She didn't beat around the bush, and she always knew when something was wrong.

And I knew she was right. Keeping all my feeling inside was making me sick. So I told her. I recounted the events of yesterday's argument, from my conversation with the guys to the lashing I'd gotten from Paul. The entire time Misty was silent, listening intently and never interrupting. When I was done, she looked at me with soft eyes and put her arm around me.

"Oh Dawn, I'm sorry..." she said as she leaned her head against mine.

Another difference between Misty and Leaf was that Misty was always loyal to her friends, and put them above everything else. I wasn't saying Leaf was a bad friend or anything; in fact she was one of the best friends I'd ever had. But she never picked sides. No matter what the issue, she would always stay objective and try to find common ground. Most of the time that was a good thing, but sometimes, I just needed someone who was on my side only, and Misty was the perfect friend for that.

"Do you want me to beat him up for you?" she asked. I giggled a bit at that, glad to be smiling sincerely for the first time all day.

"There's that smile we've been missing all day," Misty beamed as she hugged me.

"Thanks Misty," I replied. "...Misty, do you think I'm a good singer?" I asked.

"I don't think, I know. You can't let what Paul said bring you down. You have a great voice D," she stated.

I smiled at her, feeling a little bit more confident in myself. I opened my Sprite and took a sip, enjoying the bubbles that danced across my tongue. It was then that we spotted May and Leaf standing on the corner, and crossed the street to meet them.

"Well, it looks like someone's feeling better," May said cheerfully. "Did you get some Misty Magic?"

"You could say that," I voiced.

I felt better after talking with Misty, but I still had a problem to solve. When we went to get lunch, I told May and Leaf what I told Misty, bringing them up to speed.

"That's so awful! How could he say that to you!?" May shrieked. Leaf was silent, thinking things through.

"He was always so quiet. Even I never expected him to say stuff like that," Misty interjected.

"If only we knew," Leaf murmured.

"Knew what?" I asked.

"It's true that we haven't known Paul for very long, so it's not like any of us can judge his character very well, but it still seems like a strange reason to get mad about," Leaf theorized. Just like usual, she was staying neutral. Even when Paul chewed me out in the worst possible way, she still couldn't bring herself to turn against him. This irked me a little.

"Maybe there was a reason he didn't want to join the guy's band," Leaf concluded.

"Or, maybe he's just a jerk!" I shouted, not liking how Leaf was defending him again.

"Dawn…" Leaf trailed off.

"The truth is, I need your guy's help," I said, pulling out the black book from my purse and putting it on the silver table we were sitting at in the Sunset Café.

"What is that?" May asked.

"It's Paul's. He dropped it yesterday, and now I don't know what to do with it," I explained.

"Why don't you give it back?" May asked.

"Because I really don't want to see him again, or ever for that matter," I said, burying my face in my arms on the table.

Besides, the feeling was mutual. Paul wanted me to stay away from him, and I wanted to do just that. But then I thought about Drew, Ash, and Gary. I liked them all; we had really gotten close in our freshman year, and I really didn't want to stop seeing them just because I couldn't stand their new friend. And that book was the only thing connecting me to Paul. If I lost that, then I'd never get to hang out with the guys again. And did I really want to leave things the way they were with Paul after what I'd read in that book?

"Well then why don't you give it to me? I'll give it back to him," Leaf suggested, reaching for the black book. My hand automatically shot out and covered the book, keeping it flat on the table. The girls all looked at me with surprised stares.

"Sorry," I said, keeping my hand on the book.

"Dawn, is there something you're not telling us?" Misty questioned.

I looked down at my lap, shame and embarrassment present on my face.

"Dawn, what is it?" Leaf asked seriously. I looked up at all my friend's faces. I took a deep breath, steeling myself.

"I read it," I told them, holding their eyes for as long as I could.

"You didn't," Leaf said, hoping that I was joking.

"I did," I said, looking back down at the table.

"What does it say?" May asked.

"MAY!" Leaf scolded. "That's none of our business!"

I stayed silent, listening to their argument.

"But Dawn already read it!"

"That doesn't mean we need to know what she read! It's an invasion of privacy."

"Well, Paul turned our friend in to a depressed zombie for a day, I think reading his secret black book should even things out."

"That is so not how it works!"

"Guys!" Misty yelled, getting them to quiet down.

"How about you just tell us what he used it for. Is it like a journal, or a to-do list or what?" Misty asked. May looked intrigued while Leaf just looked guilty.

"It's a music book," I admitted. "It's filled with song lyrics."

Leaf blew out a sigh of relief. May looked a bit disappointed, probably hoping for some juicy gossip.

"Well, that's not so bad right? So what's the big deal then?" Misty asked.

I looked down at the book under my hand. I had struggled coming to terms with what I'd read in there, and now, trying to explain it to my friends, I could no longer deny what reading those songs had made me feel.

"They were beautiful," I admitted, not meeting any of their eyes. I could sense my friends exchanging looks with each other. I continued.

"I only read the first few pages, but what I did read were some of the most wonderful songs I'd ever read. I had no idea that Paul could write like that."

And it was all true. The first song in the book wasn't finished, but I read two other songs on the next two pages, and I couldn't put it down. I'd spent an hour just re-reading those two songs over and over again, never having either of them lose their meaning.

"Now, I don't know what to do. After yesterday, I hated Paul. I thought he was nothing but a cold, cruel, heartless prick! But, after reading that book…"

"You're conflicted," Leaf finished for me. "You don't know what to feel because he was mean to you, but he's also talented."

"Guys, these songs are really good. I think they're better than mine, which means Paul will be really hard competition. And…. That scares me," I admitted.

The girls looked at each other again.

"I think you need to take it to him," Misty said. I looked at her in bewilderment, shocked that she would be the one to say that.

"You need to confront him. Maybe if you take him the book, you can start to get over these feelings," she suggested.

I didn't want to go see him. After the way he talked to me, I was dreading it. But I knew Misty was right. I needed to confront this. I wouldn't run away.

We rode our bikes back to the dorm when we were finished and locked them in front of Valor Hall. I asked Drew via text message where his roommate was, and he texted me back that he had gone to the studio. I bid goodbye to my friends and walked towards the studio building.

My feeling of nausea got worse and worse the closer I got. Fear grew in the pit of my stomach at seeing him again. I didn't want a repeat of yesterday. I had barely survived those insults the first time, and I didn't think I could go through it again. But the stubborn part of me wanted to confront Paul, stand up to him, and show him that he couldn't hurt me like that ever again. It was that part of me that kept my legs moving forward.

I walked through the doors of the beige and white studio building and made my way to the elevators. I pressed the up button and stepped inside when the doors opened. I swiped my card and selected the B floor. When the elevator door opened again, my heart was pounding in my chest like a drum.

I walked slowly down the hall and rounded the corner. I stopped walking when I got to studio B3. I stood in front of the door, trying to work up the courage to swipe my card and open the door, but I was afraid.

No, I thought to myself, don't be scared. Be brave. Be the Pop Princess you know you are!

I swiped my card through the card reader, unlocking the door. I was about to push it open, but I froze when I heard it.

Someone was playing the guitar, and I was pretty sure I knew who it was. But it wasn't the gentle strumming I had heard the day before, it was actual playing. I opened the door a crack and peered in.

I saw Paul, dressed in all black and sitting on a stool in the studio room. He was playing his acoustic guitar with a level of concentration I had never seen before. The song he was playing seemed so sad. I closed my eyes and just listened.

It was so pretty, this sound. I could feel the emotion that went into it flowing through my body. Sadness, loss, and just the slightest ray of hope. I had heard people play guitar before, but never like this. It was like he was translating his emotions through the cords he played.

While listening, a spike of pain went through my heart, and spread across my chest. What was that? I thought to myself.

He stopped playing suddenly.

"I know you're there," he spoke aloud. I couldn't help the gasp that escaped my lips.

I knew the meeting was inevitable, so I slowly pushed the door open, stepping into the studio. I closed the door behind me but I didn't turn to face him. I was starting to think that this may have been a bad idea.

"What do you want?" he asked coldly. I hadn't expected anything less, but I still couldn't help the chill that ran down my spine at his tone.

"I….um…" was all I could manage.

I didn't know what to say. What do you say to the guy who told you he never wanted to see you again? My back was still to him, but I could feel his gaze on me. Cool and collected, waiting for an explanation.

I didn't know what came over me, but whenever I was around Paul I felt weak. The proud, fearless Pop Princess of HPAA vanished when I was in the presence of the violet haired stranger, and I became someone else. Someone vulnerable. I hated the way he made me feel. I finally turned around to face him, locking eyes with the one person who could get under my skin.

"I….needed to talk to you," I eventually said.

I must have run yesterday's conversation through my head a dozen times, but I still wasn't entirely sure what I needed to say. I might not feel like myself in front of Paul, but I still wanted an explanation for what happened yesterday. And I wasn't going anywhere until I got one.

"Yesterday," I started, "You told me to stay away from you."

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, listening.

"But, I came to tell you that I can't do that," I said.

He didn't react; he just waited for me to continue.

"Drew is like a brother to me, and Gary and Ash are my friends too. And if you're going to be friends with them, then you and I are going to be seeing a lot of each other. I won't sacrifice my friendship with them just because we don't get along."

"Funny, weren't you the one who claimed I didn't deserve friends like those three just yesterday?" he interjected.

I clenched my fist, fighting the urge to yell. If I lost my cool now and got into an argument, I would never be able to say what I needed to say, or get the answers I sought.

"I was angry," I strained to say.

"That much was clear," he responded.

I took a deep breath to calm myself. I remembered what Leaf had said at lunch. She had talked about Paul having a reason for turning the guys down. I realized then that maybe I wanted to know why too.

"I assumed you were hurting them for no reason. But I was wrong to jump to conclusions." I stated. I still couldn't choke out the words 'I'm sorry' to him. I was still hurt from his words yesterday. "But that's why I came here. I realized that I hadn't asked you if you had a reason for turning them down."

"You were a little busy if I recall, throwing around insults," he stated bitterly.

I flinched at the memory and looked down at the wooden floor of the studio room.

"Do you?" I asked quietly. "Have a reason, I mean?"

He turned his head to look at me straight on. His eyes were still shielded, but they weren't angry or cold anymore. He was looking at me, studying my face with suspicion. His face changed to that of intrigue when he didn't find what he was looking for.

"A reason huh?" Paul turned his face to look at the ceiling. He looked like he was thinking. I watched him, waiting for an answer.

"Security," he eventually stated.

"Huh?" I blurted out, utterly confused.

"I don't have much experience playing with other people. Those three have been together for a while so it makes sense that they would work well together as a band. But I haven't known them for that long. It would be safer for all of us if they just formed a band together, and I performed on my own."

I was startled by his words. His reasoning was so simple. I had assumed that from the way he had treated me and how sad the guys looked when he had told them no, that he had done it to hurt them. But I was wrong. No wonder he had gotten so mad at me. Things were starting to make sense.

I reached down into my purse and grabbed the black book. His reason gave me the courage to do the right thing.

"I think this belongs to you," I said, holding the book in front of me so he could see it.

His eyes widened slightly at the sight of the book in my hand.

"You found it," he breathed.

I had only ever seen Paul look angry before, but the only emotion he wore on his face in that moment was relief. He put down his guitar and made his way over to me.

"You dropped it yesterday," I said.

He reached out and took hold of the book in my hand. I let go of the book, letting him take it from me. He flipped through it; probably making sure everything was still there as he walked back to the center of the room near the stool and the newly situated piano.

From him, I hadn't expected a thank you, but I wasn't nearly as mad about not receiving one as I'd thought I'd be. But, watching him flip through the book with those songs, I knew there was one more thing I needed to ask of him.

"Paul?" I said, causing him to face me again.

I looked at him shyly. "Play for me?" I asked.

He looked confused and surprised. He was pretty good at masking his emotions though, so they disappeared from his face almost as quickly as they'd appeared.

"Why?" he asked.

I worked up my courage as high as it would go, and took a few steps towards him.

"You told me that my music was empty remember? If it is, then prove it. I want to know what you think real music is."

He looked at me curiously, probably wondering if I was serious or not. He didn't move from his spot in the middle of the room while he watched me.

"Why do you want to know so badly?" he finally questioned.

Now it was my turn to think about my answer. Why did I want to know? Why did I want to hear him sing? Did I even know the answers to these questions? I decided on the only response that seemed reasonable, although I wasn't sure if it was the complete truth.

"Because I want to prove you wrong. You said my songs are empty, and I want to show you that they aren't. But to do that, I need to know what I'm up against. I want to know what you consider to be true music."

He thought about my request for a long while, just sitting there in the center of the room. But eventually, he looked over to meet my dark blue eyes, and nodded. I smiled, excitement running through me like electricity, and walked up a bit more to stand a few steps away from him. He picked his acoustic guitar back up and put the strap on over his shoulder. He found the fingering, and stated to play.

(Wherever You Will Go- cover by Boyce Avenue. Only version of the song that makes sense in this scene)

During the song, I had closed my eyes and put my hand over my heart. The lyrics resonated with the constant thumping in my chest, and the guitar hummed in my ears filling my head with its beautiful melody. The song filled the room with its intensity and its emotion. It made me feel things I had never imagined I could. But when it was over, I couldn't contemplate why I felt so sad. And deep inside my heart, I couldn't shake the feeling of longing that rang through my veins.

But why? I thought. Why was I feeling this way?

I opened my eyes to see Paul watching me with his emotionless onyx eyes. I became self-conscious rather quickly.

"Thanks," I quickly stated, looking away from him.

He didn't say anything. If I was conflicted when I came in here, then now I was completely torn. I didn't know what to think of this guy. First he saves me, then he barely talks to me, then he insults me, then he argues with me, then he chews me out and tells me to stay away from him, and now he's sung for me. Paul Shinji was one big mystery, and I didn't know what he was to me. Was he a rival, enemy, acquaintance? He certainly wasn't my friend, but then what was he?

Not like it mattered now though. I had said what I needed to say. I wasn't going to stop being friends with the guys, and I think he accepted that. Plus, I had returned the book. I considered walking away, since I didn't have anything left to give him, but something nagged at the back of my head. It was his reason for not wanting to join the band. He decided it would be safer to play on his own, and maybe it would be, but looking at him now sitting alone in the studio practicing, I couldn't help but wonder if this was what he wanted. He never said he didn't want to join the band, only that it would be safer if he didn't. But would he really be happy?

"You know," I said, not thinking about what I was saying or the repercussions it may have, "The band program is a big risk to take."

Paul looked back at me, confused as to why I was still here.

"But don't you think, that taking that chance with guys like Drew, Ash and Gary might make the risk worth it?"

Paul didn't say anything. He just sat there staring at me, contemplating the words I had just spoken. Realistically, if he did join a band with those three, it would make all four of them even bigger competition for me in the long run. But at the moment, I didn't really care about that.

"But it was just a thought," I concluded. "See you later," I said, as I walked towards the studio doors and out into the hall.

I exited the studio building and just walked for a while. Today had been a roller-coaster of a day. This morning I had woken up sad and depressed, then I was scared and timid, and now I was strangely at peace. Thinking back on all the encounters I'd had with Paul, today was the first time the two of us had had something resembling an actual conversation. I wasn't sure what role Paul would end up playing in my life, but I felt a little more at ease with our relationship after today. If you could even call what we had a 'relationship'.

It took me 20 minutes to walk back to Valor Hall, all of which was very calm and peaceful. But as soon as I got within sight of the building, I was surprised to see what I saw.

Ash was attempting to do a cartwheel on the grass outside of the dorm, going down towards the courtyard, but it didn't look like he was succeeding. Drew and Gary laughed at his failed attempt, but none of them looked like they had yesterday. They were all smiling, and they didn't look depressed at all. Had they really gotten over Paul's rejection so fast? I walked over to the three.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" I asked.

"We're celebrating Miss Berlitz, JOIN US!" Gary yelled as he walked up to me and knocked my legs out from under me, carrying me bridal style and swinging me around in circles.

"Gary! Put me DOWN!" I yelled, getting dizzy from his antics. He stopped and set me down on the ground. "What are you talking about?"

"He reconsidered!" Drew informed me. "I don't know how or why, and frankly I don't care, but Paul changed his mind! He's gonna join the band!"

I couldn't believe it. Had Paul already changed his mind before I talked to him, or was this a recent thing? Man, if he reconsidered before I went to talk to him, then I would feel like a total idiot.

"Congratulations guys," I told them, but then turned to Drew. "But, when did he change his mind?"

"Like, ten minutes ago. He called from the studio to tell us," Drew responded.

"We are going to ROCK with him in the band!" Ash screamed as he threw his arms around his two best friends.

All I could do was smile.

Ten minutes. He had changed his mind ten minutes after talking to me. Seeing the guys so happy made me smile even wider. I don't think I'd ever be able to control Paul Shinji, but just this once, I had changed his mind. And I think that for now, this victory would be enough for me.


A/N: And the character development continues. I liked this chapter, even if Leaf kind of is annoying, but honestly I think I base her actions off of my own a little bit. My two best friends would fight all the time, and I would always be the mediator. I never picked sides because I loved them both, but I knew they both always kind of wished I would side with them. Don't hate her yet, she hasn't been developed enough. Sorry about the delay again, but I'm not going to have any time to update. But I promise, 2 chapters in 2 weeks!

And for all you Contestshippers out there, I can promise you that next time you will be getting some prime insight into Drew and May's minds, because I'll be writing from their points of view next chapter. I got a review that said Drew was a bit OOC, so I'm gonna try and explain why he's like that next chapter. Also, don't forget to send me your prank ideas! I'll make sure to mention your name if I use your idea in the story! OK, hope you liked this chapter. Until next time lovely readers! 3