A Confession Gone Awry
Two people intend to travel great distances so they can accomplish monumental feats in their own minds. Misty Waterflower is leaving her Cerulean City home for a couple of days and traveling by bus in order to meet up with her boyfriend's parents and let them know that she is two months pregnant with their son's child.
Leaving the offices of Avenue Five, Father Bernard Boroughs gives Kenny Dalton a portion of his due commission in the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars. Getting some material for his journey from the mail room and saying good bye to Andre before leaving the Rustboro City complex, he makes his way to a barbershop to disguise himself before going to Twinleaf Town to exact his revenge on Dawn. He cut his hair, dyed it blonde and put all of the patrons in their place for criticizing Zoey and Dawn's relationship.
Ash, while still in his coma, recollects on the time when he and his fiancée Jessie rented a hotel in the heart of Lilycove City for one week in preparation for a large drug for pokemon trade in that city's harbor. Their efforts to get James out of that group make both of them nervous given the violent nature of the organization. Dr. Sloan reveals that Ash may not be in his coma for long.
The biggest revelation of the last chapter involved May being forced into telling the truth to Max about almost everything that has gone wrong in her life, with the lone exception being the hit on Ash Ketchum. What she does not know is that while Drew came to her room in an attempt to figure out the origins of a cosmetic case filled with several vials, he heard May explain to Max several times that she is no longer in love with her boyfriend. He falls to the floor in tears wanting to know one thing; why.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokemon, a creation of one Satoshi Tajiri, and is produced domestically (in the United States) by Pokemon USA/The Pokemon Company, and internationally by Shogakukan and OLM. I personally own nothing and make nothing by writing this. Please do not flame.
(Chapter 21- Reunion Part 5: The Afternoon of Aftermath)
Away from much of the commotion of the reunion, the Neale brothers proudly live up to their titles as keepers of the family flame. Given the great mass of people at these celebrations on prime real estate in the Seafoam Islands, if there is not food available on a near twenty-four hour a day basis, a great family reunion can very easily turn into an unruly mob. Fortunately for Adam, Keith and Roger Neale, preparing food for the enormous get together is no hard task whatsoever.
One would say thank God for being able to buy foods in bulk, but these three brothers take that expression to a whole new level. Nearby one of the sections of the oceanfront property, the brothers have set up a total of four fires for roasting several meats to be served later. Experienced in the process, they set up several spits above the flames and turn them several times over, just like a classic rotisserie. Unless one of the members of the family was a vegetarian or vegan, there was something for everyone to please their palate with good old fashioned beef.
Over one flame there are several whole lambs, tied up and turning all at once. The entire spit is large enough to hold the roasted sheep, which weigh in at about 200 pounds in all. Another fire holds about five different spits and it contains whole chickens which take far less time to prepare than the lamb given the smaller size and with about twenty chickens on each spit, more people can enjoy the chickens quicker than they can the lamb. On the same flame as the chicken are several young turkeys, as well. Those delicacies combined with duck, spareribs and baby back ribs make up just a few of the different choices of main course that can be eaten.
With most of the cooking process completed in the setup, the Neale brothers only have to worry about turning the spits, making sure that the fire does not become too unruly and watching for any food that may get burned. With those responsibilities well set in their mind, the only other thing that the brothers can do to occupy their time is talk. As they watch the flame, Keith, the youngest brother, begins small talk with Adman. "Hey, Adman. I know that you are a very accepting and open individual. Mom and Dad wouldn't have it any other way. But…you can't tell me that it isn't hard for you and Jo."
Chuckling for a bit as he takes a couple of swigs of soda, the proud father replies, "It is hard, man. I mean, don't get me wrong at all. I'll die for each and every one of my five children. It's just—and forgive me if I sound kind of naïve when I say this, but I would have thought that this would make my family closer and get us to realize that we need to stick together in situations like this. In some respects it has, but I get the feeling that since Zoey came home with Dawn, something seems off. Mikey and K.C. accept my daughter's girlfriend and haven't really had a problem with her coming out."
"But the tandem of Corey and Rocky is another story," Roger interjects. "I think it might have been…Ivan who told me that he and Rebecca spied on the two of them. When he heard about that and the way that Sienna treated Zoey and Dawn, he got really steamed afterwards. I heard them this morning talking about it and the pieces to the puzzle began to come together for me as to why Ivan got behind Dawn and my niece almost immediately. Remember when we first got to know Ivan a long time ago and he talked about his brother being permanently injured?"
Keith and Adman certainly do remember. "He got the injuries from a bunch of ignorant thugs who thought that he was flirting with them," Adman reiterates. "Because of their actions, Ivan's brother will likely never walk again. Believe me, every time I think about Zoey after she came out, I think about Patrick and hope that things really have changed for the better."
"You know," Keith says, "I know that the incident with Patrick took place before Zoey was even born; about twenty…five years ago or so. Sienna, in all her great wisdom, never even got a hint or a clue about Ivan's brother being gay?"
"To this day, she does not know," Adman explains, "and Ivan feels that that is for the best that she never knows given…her strong feelings on the matter. Patrick doesn't care either way but given the fact that something like that would be a divisive issue; he respects his brother's wishes and chooses to just leave the matter alone."
"It's all really sad," Roger replies while tending to the roasted lambs. Going back over to the lawn chairs where his younger brothers sit, he continues speaking. "I don't know. You just have to keep your head up, Adman. Just keep your head up, be there for your kids and…maybe your wish will come true. If anything, Zoey's positive attitude during this time is what will keep her afloat from here on out. I was in the house with Mom, Dad and Kevin earlier. Kevin…really couldn't handle it anymore when I was in there."
"Wait, what are you talking about?"
"Jo didn't tell you, Adman?"
"No. I haven't heard anything from Jo-Jo since we sat Zoey and Rocky down this morning to straighten some things out that arose earlier in the week."
"Well, all of us were inside watching the news earlier before you called us to come outside and start the meats, Adman. I think it might have been Dad who changed the channel to a news network. They were harping on about Dawn and your daughter again, but then they switched to the story of another girl who recently came out. And this was listed as breaking news and everything. Her name is Kelly Mordetsky, and she's the CEO of a multimillion dollar company."
"And she was a good friend of Zoey's," Adman adds, remembering the times he has met and invited Kelly to the house as a guest of his daughter. "I think it was about three years ago or something. She hung out with coordinators like May Maple and along with May came one of her good friends, Kelly. I never suspected it of Kelly. Oh well. Given how I treat my daughter, something like that doesn't matter to me. Now what were you talking about with K.C?"
"Oh yeah," Roger remembers. "Uh, K.C. saw the story of Kelly coming out of the closet, got up from his seat in the family room and said, 'I have to take care of something right now,' and he kept saying to us, his mother and his grandparents that he has to take care of something right now. He insisted that whatever he was going to do would not wait. He wouldn't specify what he was going to do or what he meant by taking care of something, but he did appear to be serious. Eventually, they just let him go to do what he wanted, but I noticed that he had this…interesting look on his face when he saw Kelly on the television. I don't know if it had to do with seeing another situation similar to Zoey or what, but K.C. seemed almost bewildered when he saw the story on Kelly Mordetsky."
"Well, that could mean a lot," Adman determines, "or that could mean nothing at all. I think I should speak to K.C. myself and see if there's anything I can help him with. You guys need any more help, I should be inside."
As Adman leaves his brothers behind, Keith and Roger bode him farewell until later. Once the middle brother is away, Keith makes an educated assumption. "About your story, Roger; I think that maybe it has more to do with Kelly the person than it does with someone else saying that they are a lesbian."
"Kevin is the only one that knows for sure, Keith. Whatever any of us thinks is mere speculation."
"Look, you knew what you were getting into when you asked for my help!" Kelly exclaims to someone while on her cell phone. "I told you that given your music, your style and your message, you and the band might have a difficult time getting signed. I was your ticket to getting that deal that would take the band out of the rec room scene and into big 50,000-seat stadiums all over the world."
"And it now seems like we're gonna rule the rec rooms over and over again from now on."
"Dude, shut up. Okay?" Kelly spitefully interjects. "Yes, I came out this afternoon, but that hasn't hurt me in any way and that shouldn't hurt me pulling some strings and getting The Assertion their deal on someone's label. Do you understand, Kevin? You and your band will be fine. Calling me in the middle of the afternoon and yelling at me telling me that I fucked you and the band up isn't helping anyone in the least bit, so settle down. Think about it."
On the other end of the line, band leader of The Assertion, Kevin Neale, is pacing back and forth in his room while talking on his cell phone with Kelly. Knowing each other from a few years back due to Zoey's friendship, they got back in contact with each other just a couple of months ago when K.C. found out that the Lilycove native was a big fan of his band. She would go so far as to travel to their various concerts incognito to avoid fans and the press. K.C. knew of Kelly's growing reputation as a businesswoman and wondered if she would help get the word out to members of the mainstream media about their unique sound. She agreed and got in touch with members of her board who also had connections with the recording industry.
Overtime, she has been working out plans with the different labels which are showing some level of interest in the band. Through the tried but true method of using demo tapes, hype and name recognition, Kelly has been working almost nonstop for the good of the band to find a label that would not only grant The Assertion a long term contract, but would also give them the important factor of creative control to the group so that their messages would remain and they can continue to make the music they want to make.
"You know how hard it is to ask a record label to just hand over everything to the artists, Kevin?" Kelly inquires. "A few of them actually laughed in my face and I'm at a level playing field with a lot of these people as far as finances are concerned. Okay, that's exactly what I wanted you to avoid when you got into this. Few labels will actually take the chance given the amount of money and risk at stake with the contract you want. I know you don't want to be turned into something that you are obviously not and have the original purpose of the band lost in the shuffle, but buddy, if I can't find anyone that's just as passionate as I am about The Assertion at the Point, that's what's likely gonna happen." Some seconds of silence pass on the other end, before Kelly retakes the conversation. She asks Kevin, "Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you, man?"
"I'm getting it," he answers. "I don't know. I think seeing the news of you coming out kind of…reminded me of Zoey. Though she didn't come out until just recently, she always seemed to give clues about her preferences. A few people in the coordinating offices wanted to change her look and have her be something that she wasn't."
"You mean more feminine?"
"You said it, not me," K.C. retorts, "but that's pretty much it. A few years back when all of these sponsors began to line up and have coordinators represent their products, Zoey and her peers could really start to make money hand and fist. Zoey has actually told me that there were companies that asked her if she was gay and told her point blank that they would not sign her up if she admitted to being a lesbian. If she was ever outed, then they did say that they would take legal action. It was tough for a while and she did think about blowing the whistle on a few of these corporations, but she eventually lined herself up with some great sponsors that didn't care about any of that stuff. You might have heard this in the trade magazines last year, but for her sixteenth birthday, she got a Ferrari and signed onto Fiat. From there, it was AMEX and a few others who hopped on board, and…the rest is history. So…I understand how hard it can be to work with some of these people given you and Zoey's situation. Few will even give them the opportunity, which is…just sad. I apologize for snapping on the phone to you. That was wrong of me and very inconsiderate."
"It's okay, man. I know that you've put a lot of time into your band. And…I've gotten worse calls from people today since the press release came out about an hour ago. There were those who told me that I should not have come out because it affects far too many people and, of course, there were a lot of other reasons. Ex-girlfriends that I had were wondering if their names would be exposed in the media and I told them that I wouldn't do that."
"Okay, I think that's about all I have left to talk about with you for now. Again, my best interest is making sure that my baby—my band gets its fair shake compared to all the other acts out there. If this happens, then that's fantastic. Thanks again for helping me out with getting all of this information."
"Hey, for a band as great as yours," Kelly replies, "the pleasure is all mine, K.C. Take care and tell Zoey I said hello."
"Will do," K.C. says before giving Kelly his goodbye and hanging up the phone. Sighing before he slumps down onto the foot of his bed, he understands how difficult the business aspect of having a band can truly be. Dealing with corporations, negotiating with people and presenting a hard line did not appeal to him as much as playing music in front of a crowd of small, albeit dedicated listeners. That is what brings him to the dance every day, and it attracted him more than board meetings, contract signings and dealing with suits on a day to day basis.
That end of the business is what is often referred to as a double-edged sword. While K.C. would like nothing more than for his band and the experiment to be a success, he underestimated the drain that it would have on him. Just the phone calls back and forth with Kelly, his liaison to the mainstream, had him on pins and needles as he anticipated whatever new business she had for the band leader.
"K.C.? May I come in?" a voice calls while at the same time, knocking on the door.
The 21-year-old recognizes the voice. Sitting up, he says, "Come in, dad," and Adman enters K.C.'s room. Walking up to his dad, he gives Adman a hug without any warning.
A bit taken aback by the show of great emotion from his oldest son, Adman isn't sure where to start. Mulling it over, he goes for a tried and true method for all of his conversations throughout his life. "Hello son."
"Hey dad," he replies, nuzzling his face into the upper chest and shoulder of his father.
"Your uncle was very concerned about you earlier when you were sitting down with grandma watching the news."
"It's just…a lot of stuff going on in my life. I don't wanna burden anyone with it, but some of it involves Zoey, a part of it is my overall time and investment in the band and…just lots of other stuff, dad. A few years ago, you and mom would probably tell me that this was all part of growing up and I guess you're right. My stomach feels like it's tied up in knots right now."
"Look," Adman says, staring K.C. directly into the eyes, "whatever you are going through, you don't have to go through it alone. Just keep your head up and do not stress yourself out if you can help it. That's a big problem these days. A lot of the problems we face are because we make them bigger than what they are."
"But dad," replies the son to the father, "what if most of the problems you're facing are things you can't help?"
"No, Roxanne!" Kelly answers while on her Blackberry. "For the last fucking time; nobody's name is coming out! Okay? I'm not gonna say it anymore. Your times with me are gonna stay secret, and while you're at it, please tell the rest of the members of Academy that their names are safe as well. Goodbye! I'm busy, so please don't call this number back!" she says, pressing the red button on the phone to end the conversation.
While in her office, the only thing that Kelly has been doing the entire afternoon is taking phone calls from anybody who feels they may be adversely affected by her coming out early today. She has felt the strain of about ten or twelve different people yelling through the phone lines in the hopes that their names will not come out in the same way Kelly's did.
The businesswoman knows the meaning of the word stress. Having to make decisions that can have life-changing effects on her employees on a day to day basis is stressful enough, but her life outside of business makes her work seem like business as usual. Dropping her face down onto her desk, she brings it up and puts it back down several times, pounding her head against her hard wooden desk.
"Kelly?"
Moaning while bringing up her head, she asks the person at the doorway, "What now?" Noticing who she is talking to, Kelly straightens herself up. She still does not anticipate seeing her pregnant mother standing across from her in the room while holding a cordless phone.
"Kelly, there is a girl named Ryan on the phone. She said that she needed to speak…"
"She said that she needed to speak to me about my press release from a couple hours ago, right?"
Not saying another word, Sonya walks over to Kelly and hands over the receiver. Reluctant to take the phone from her mother, she understands that she has no choice in the matter. After all, had she been more careful, she would have never even had to speak to Ryan on this matter. Taking the phone from her mother's hands, Kelly thanks Sonya, but she sticks near Kelly giving her some faith-appropriate advice. "Pray about it, Kelly. Ask God for guidance during this time…and every time. Do you hear me, girl?"
"Yes, ma'am," she says as her mother gives her the privacy she deserves. Bringing the receiver up to her ear and mouth she greets the girl on the other end of the line, calmly saying, "Hello, Ryan."
"Hi, Kelly," Ryan speaks while lying down on her bed. Like Kelly before her, she is handling this conversation
"How's the family doing?"
"Okay, but let's get down to the ultimate reason why I am on the phone with you right now. First off, congratulations for doing something that I don't think I would ever have the balls to do myself."
"Well, there's your problem, Ryan; you don't have any balls."
The young teenager has a bit of a laugh at her own expense at the comment Kelly made. "Well thank you for reminding me. Like I don't get a look of it every time I have to sit down to go number one. But as far as you coming out to the public, I'm not gonna yell or scream at you because I have no reason to do that. I know you always like to focus on the negatives of our relationship over the past four years, but there have been a lot of positives as well."
"Ryan, don't…sugarcoat things. You know what I did to you when you were only ten years old."
"When I lied because I was desperate for answers to my questions," Ryan counters. "I told you I was fourteen."
"And even then, you looked like you were almost sixteen," Kelly recollects. "You weren't on steroids or anything like that at the time, were you?"
"Oh, no way, Kelly! Needles scare the shit out of me. I…I don't know how to explain my height over the years. I know that I had a great-grandmother who was quite tall, but that's it. I might have gotten her genes."
"Had I not been so gullible or careful with the way I handled the Dyke Clubs like I am now, this wouldn't have happened. I wouldn't have raped you at age ten. I wouldn't have given you that STD and you'd still be able to have kids."
"Kelly, you did not rape me," Ryan clarifies to her saddened friend. "That's why I haven't told my mom, dad, my brother, the police or anyone else, even after all this time, because you did not force me to have sex. Whatever I got, I deserved. I was a damn fool to think that having sex with another girl would help me find out if it were true or not. If you don't already know, I found out the hard way that the answer is yes. You don't deserve to be punished for my mistake. I won't be able to have kids, but let's be honest; I'm not exactly the…ideal role model for motherhood."
"That doesn't mean that it doesn't get me down, though," she continues. "Earlier this morning, I talked to one of my basketball teammates. She talked about how she goes to her family reunion and all the different couples coming together with their babies. I cried because I knew I'd never be able to go through that stage of having a child no matter what. I mean, my mom and dad look at my internet files nonstop and they ask me why I always look up information that has to do with adoption, as if they don't know. It's crazy, but I have no choice but to live with it because I had to know so badly. At least I still have my life and I can live it to the fullest."
"But you don't have a childhood anymore, Ryan," Kelly softly reminds the girl. "I was the—well, you really can't call me an adult even now, but I was the oldest. If I had even a shred of doubt concerning your age, I would have never did what I did to you. I took your innocence when you were still innocent. Shouldn't I shoulder some guilt for doing that?"
"Yes, some guilt," she says, "but not all of it and not even most of it. Just…I know given all of the stuff you did back in the day, you've had people bitch at you nonstop. Am I right?"
'Ryan must have some psychic tendencies,' Kelly ponders. "No, you're right. Ever since I did the news release, my phone line has been just like a hotline. Everyone's been wondering, 'Oh my God is my name in there? Did Kelly mention me? Is my reputation ruined?' They say this to me like I'm somebody who does crap like that. I didn't do this for them, you know what I mean? I did this for one person, and that's me. That's what May…" Kelly then stops speaking in order to not open up a kettle of worms with someone who she actually has a good relationship with at the moment.
"Excuse me?" Ryan questions. "What was that about May?"
"Never mind, Ryan. I just…I don't know what else we have to talk about right now. You support my decision, and for that I say thank you, but I still feel guilt."
"Then feel guilt. You feel guilt and so do I, so we're in the same boat. We'll do like my parents say and lean on each other for support."
Curious, Kelly decides to take the conversation into another arena. "I know we've talked about this many times before, but I just want you to be honest with me. Aside from you feeling that you should take the blame for lying to me, why haven't you decided to turn me in?"
"You're not a bad person, even if you did a bad thing," Ryan answers simply. "You have always shown regret for what you did and I am willing to forgive you. I guess the reason why I stick by you and support you is that while I've made some level of peace with myself, I don't know if you've ever done the same thing for yourself."
"Whatever," she says.
"Why don't you turn yourself in if you feel so guilty?"
"Because I'm not an idiot. If I turn myself in, Ryan, then that opens the floodgates for every other girl I've ever done something with to use their information against me, or we could go through this again with me having to hear people yell at me over the phone making sure that their secrets remain secret." Like she said a little bit earlier, Kelly has no idea what else to say to the aspiring pro basketball player, so she chooses to wrap up the conversation with the girl, saying, "Well, I gotta say that hearing your phone call was a breath of fresh air for me compared to the other calls I've gotten today. Thanks. It was nice talking to you."
"Take care, Kelly, and hang in there."
"Goodbye for now, Ryan," she replies as she hangs up the cordless phone. Putting it down onto the desk, Kelly surrenders herself to her emotions, giving into the pain and anguish she has caused an entire family four years ago.
Indeed, Ryan says time and time again that the fault rests on her shoulders, but in her mind, Kelly should have known better. At the peak of her affair with May and at the height of the sexual deviancy, kinkiness and promiscuity which took place in Kelly's Dyke Clubs, times were wild and incidences such as the one involving Ryan Roderick had the potential to slip through the cracks. Though she knows that the other people she has had like encounters with were her age, slightly younger or older, she still can't help but feel regret for how everything came about in the way it did.
Her rebellious streak dating all the way back to when she came out to her folks at the age of eleven caused her to go out and want to prove something to the world and, more specifically, to her parents. No longer needing to prove anything to anyone, Kelly is left with her thoughts, which makes her sad as she wonders how things could have possibly spiraled this far off into the distance.
Then, the thoughts of a willing desire to want to improve herself from the inside out remind her that her past life will have to completely die in order for true change in her life to happen. She should have no reason to feel down or downtrodden in the least bit. Business is going very well, she is with one of her best friends and confidantes and before she knows it, Kelly will become a big sister. She has a lot to be happy and thankful for.
Left alone with these differences of feelings, she gets a literal wake up call. The ringing of her cellular phone causes her to jump. It seems as if there is yet another concerned individual that heard about the news and wanted to know some information from Kelly that may or may not be in the report.
Sighing, while understanding that the person on the phone will likely not stop calling, Kelly picks up her cell phone, presses one of the buttons without looking at the window display, and she greets, "Hello?"
"Hey, Kelly! Guess who?" a young male in his teens says on the other line. He greets the young businesswoman.
Recognizing the voice, she groans, saying, "Oh Jesus, keep me near the cross. What the hell did I tell you about calling this phone number?"
"To never do it again, but this is news that I think you might want to know. It has to do with May Maple."
"Look, I really think that you are overstaying your welcome with me on the phone. I don't care what information that you have concerning May, I have to take care of other things at the moment. Our relationship is kind of strained at the moment due to some disagreements we had, but just like your dad and my lawyer, I am busy…Jerome."
Indeed, on the other end of this phone conversation is yet another member of the family reunion in the Seafoam Islands. His father is the family lawyer, who also has numerous clients in the business and entertainment industry and while he is occupied with person to person activity, his son will often take messages for him and/or handle various office work if he is unable to do it himself. He is Jerome Fineman, but as he tells Kelly, "You know that it's Jerry. I feel hurt, Kelly. I don't like the fact that you just used my government name in vain."
"Okay, you know what? Enough! Why am I talking to you right now? Why am I not on the phone with your father, Ross?"
Fiddling around with a few of the functions in the modernized bathroom he's currently standing in, Jerry answers, "He's busy trying to convince my mother not to go along with the karaoke performance tonight. They're gonna be The Captain and Tennille, and Dad always likes to at least have a say in these things."
"Fantastic," says a very vexed Kelly. "Now I'm gonna hang up and forget that I had this conversation with you before I tell your father that you are goofing off on the job!"
"Wait. Give me two minutes, Kelly. Please, I swear I'll be done before you know it, but I think you might want to hear this!" he claims. He was not sure if the girl was telling the truth or not and didn't want to risk it.
Blowing a large amount of air into the receiver, Kelly concedes to the younger teen. "You have two minutes, Jerry, and then I'm hanging up. Now what is the news?"
"It has to do with the Grand Festival that May lost. You know that on the day when they have the contest battles and what not, the Final is not official until Wednesday afternoon? Well, the geniuses over there apparently did not make any kind of announcement about extending this rule when they made the official announcement…on Thursday morning. If you promise not to tell my dad anything, I can push this case to the top of his to-do list and we can argue negligence on the part of the Kanto region with handling this news and…with enough of a case, May might be able to get a Grand Festival rematch."
Processing much of this inside of her head, Kelly has not gotten the chance to verify the things that Jerry just said. She hasn't watched much television with the exception of the Grand Festival on Sunday. "Jerry, are you sure about all of this? I mean, you're not pulling my leg about this…delayed official announcement?"
"No."
"This all sounds like it might cost me a lot. I mean, I'm already paying your dad quite a bit, because he does a fantastic job. But I've hung around your dad long enough to know that filing a case like this might take a while."
"Actually, it won't. All we have to do is present indisputable evidence that the heads of Kanto contests slipped on their own two feet in handling their investigation and they'll be left with no choice but to do some quick and effective damage control and the most fair thing to do, seeing as both May and Dawn have been declared the Grand Festival Champion for 2012, would be to have a rematch. And, speaking from a perspective that you're familiar with, it makes for great promotion and business to do another final match. Do you think that that news might get you back on May's good side?"
"Jerry, this is…monumental news! I don't—I can't believe anyone else hasn't picked up on this! May will love me if she knows that I can make her dream come true!" A second of silence between the lines passes before Kelly adds, "You are your father's child, Jerry. Now, you promise that you're gonna get your dad to take this case on?"
"As soon as I hang up the phone."
"All right. Thank you for all of your advice, Jerry. I'll talk to your dad later. You and the family take care and enjoy the family reunion."
"Thanks, Kelly. I'll be sure to do my best."
"Good-bye," she says, wrapping up yet another one of her conversations with people. Unlike the numerous other talks of the day, Kelly does not come away from it with bad feelings or any sort of discontent.
Indeed, the talk with Ryan Roderick was a very informative one, though it did leave a very poor taste in the mouth of the young woman. She did not look forward to conversation with the basketball player much like she did not want to even entertain a discussion with Jerry Fineman. The differences between the two can be found in the forms in which both called the princess of pokeblock. While Jerry will often skirt issues or take scenic routes in chats with Kelly, Ryan is very blunt and at times, abrasive with her speech to the point where people do double takes and wonder whether or not something actually came out of her mouth.
But in Jerry, there came good news. He inspired Kelly in a way she did not think was possible. He brought her something that could get her closer to May. It was like a priceless gift which came onto her lap from the heavens above as if even they saw that the union of the two girls from the Hoenn region was meant to be. For the first time that Saturday afternoon after the release of the news, she actually smiled. She forgot how good it was to do this, but learning about the discrepancies in the Grand Festival results made her not want to take the upside-down frown off her face.
Invigorated and elated, she decides to keep the feeling going. Leaving her office, cell phones and business behind for now, she calls out to her friend for some real fun that has absolutely nothing to do with a bed or the removal of any clothing. Out in the hallway, she looks around the upper floor skimming the different rooms to find someone in particular. Going into the guest bedroom, she finds the person of question inside lying on the bed and says, "Hey, Solidad! Come on! Let's go get some lunch! Just the two of us. How's that sound?"
Sitting up, she smiles at the chance to finally have some real alone time with Kelly so they could just talk and where the discussion had more to do with them and not just sex or their differing opinions on love. Of course, she agreed to lunch with her longtime object of affection, and walked hand in hand with her down the stairs.
Seeing her mother, Sonya, and her father, Micah, in the kitchen, Kelly lets them know that they will be about an hour or two. They say that it is no problem and from there, Kelly decides to leave Gordon be for this impromptu occasion and she just takes her own personal vehicle, a Tesla Roadster, out while they have lunch.
Going from person to person and place to place in the extensive backyard and front yard of Zoey's beachfront property, Dawn Berlitz looks for her. Asking cousins, aunts, uncles, Zoey's parents, family friends, her brother, sister and grandparents of her whereabouts, the coordinator grows restless as the search has gone on for over twenty minutes now.
Unable to use her cell phone and call Zoey because her phone is off at the moment, Dawn has no choice but to go on this makeshift scavenger hunt and find her girlfriend. Hearing loud roars and rotations of what sound like car engines off in the distance, Dawn gets some sort of clue as to the whereabouts of the teenage sensation. Inside of the garage of the beach house are the family cars, including Zoey's prized Ferrari. The engine sound she heard was more of a relaxing purr rather than a wanton screech.
Growing in raised anticipation of what she hopes is her sweetheart tending to her vehicle, the Grand Festival champion does not walk. Rather, she runs in the direction of her girlfriend's garage. Coming from the backyard of the house, she has to run through many of Zoey's family and friends and then go around the house to the front of the property, where the garage can be found.
As Dawn makes the turn to the garage, she sees the door to the storage room open. Not even needing to search the premises of the room, she feels her hopes dashed in a flash as she finds a yellow tank-like truck and a black sports utility vehicle, but there is no red sports car with the insignia of a prancing horse on the front.
Stomping the epoxy floor in the car room, Dawn lets her anger be known. "Goddamn it! Where are you, Zoey?"
"You looking for Zoey, Dawn?" someone questions from just outside of the garage. Turning around, the teen sees a younger male slightly taller than her with glasses and curly hair. He's carrying a can of soda in his right hand and his face gives off the impression that he is anticipating the answer to his inquiry.
"What's it to you, Corey?" she responds. "I just want to be with my girl. All right? I want to talk with her about a few things without having to look behind my back wondering if I'm being watched."
"And I'm sorry about that, Dawn," Corey steps in, interrupting the blue haired beauty. "I know that means jack to you, but I can't do much more than say, 'I'm sorry. Look…I did some talking with my parents. Rocky and I both did it, and the fact is that I can't have any more screw-ups. I really think that we started off on the wrong foot."
"You're damn right we did," she impatiently interjects. "You and your sister don't even know the hurt you've caused Zoey, who's had to go through more than anyone should not just in this past week, but her whole life. I can't believe that the two of you would be so insensitive to her feelings! And for what? Rocky, I still don't know what the fuck she has against me, and you have a crush on me that you selfishly won't let go."
"Look, I can't help who I fall in love with, either!" Corey snaps. He, an otherwise docile and pacifist individual shocked Dawn when he yelled back to her showing his true frustrations with his feelings in the process. Taking a few seconds to calm himself, he continues, saying "So in that respect, we're…quite alike. I fall in love with someone who is convinced that she can only find love and romance in other girls and despite that, I can't help but be…breath taken by her. In fact, knowing what you've said about yourself, it almost makes me want you even more."
Now taking off his glasses and pressing his left hand to his face, he explains "Look, you want to know where Zoey is, so here goes. Zoey left the house a few minutes ago. The last person she saw before she took her car out was me. She said something about wanting to clear her head and also said it's important that she have no distractions while she does whatever she's doing. She laughed before she told me 'I can't get any damn peace and quiet while I'm in this packed house,' and wanted me to let everyone know she would be right back."
"And what in the world would make me actually believe what you're telling me?"
Corey half expected a response like that from Dawn. Given their unusual start knowing each other person to person instead of through word of mouth, the gifted child would not have expected anything less. Putting his glasses back on and taking a few gulps of his cola, Corey answers, "Zoey made it very clear to me to let you know that she's coming back and the first thing she wants to do is speak with you. And she said that if I bother you or upset you at all, she'll kick my ass. I'm surprised that she didn't talk at all about Rocky and saying anything to Rocky about not bothering you, but oh well. I'm just the messenger and quite the wimp. So, if I'm getting to you at all, I'll leave. Besides, a few of my cousins also want a piece of me given everything I've done. Again, I'm sorry and if nothing else, I just wanted you to know my feelings and know that…I'm trying. It's hard, but I want to stop standing in your way if I can. I'll go now."
Walking towards the doorway leading from the garage to the house, Corey has a legitimate look of a downtrodden individual. He appears to be someone at an intersection in life and he has chosen to take the hard road. While one end of the road leads to self-satisfaction and an increase of confidence and companionship, the other road leads to the respect and the love his family has for him. He could very easily betray the trust of his family by continuing his quest for his sister's girlfriend, but it appears that he has conceded the fight to Zoey.
"Wait a minute! Corey!" Dawn exclaims. "Come here. Come here," she requests. Given everything that these two have gone through and the numerous actions of the Neale's youngest son at the moment, the least Corey deserves is a conversation. For once, it does appear that the young man is being sincere in his words. The second generation coordinator feels that it would only be appropriate that she do the same for him as it pertained to various aspects of her relationship with Zoey. When Corey meets Dawn face to face, she asks, "I know that Zoey might not like or agree with it, but I'll talk to her later. I just—would you like to talk? Just the two of us?"
Nodding his head and smiling if just for a moment, Corey knows that he has what he wants and he can turn a corner in their fragmented tale of unfounded affection. "I'd like to talk, Dawn. That would be good for us." Pointing to the door leading to the house, Corey asks the older teen, "Wanna go to my room?"
"That's fine with me," she answers and with Corey leading as a guide, Dawn walks from a hallway leading up to the stairs which lead to his room and hopefully, some final resolution between the two of them.
Struggling with something he has never had to do before in his young life, one teen is putting the final touches on his ultimate change. With his top and bottom eyelids open in his right eye, he places a small glass object in said eye so his iris appears to be green as opposed to his natural brown. Buying a set of colored contacts from a local pharmacy earlier, his struggle finally ends as he places the object inside of the eye in question. Blinking several times to get a feel of the second placed contact, he now feels them adjusting to his eyes very well if only due to the fact that he can barely feel the contacts.
For one, Kenny can see, which is most important, and as he checks his face in the mirror, he feels a sense of minor victory as he doesn't even recognize himself from John Doe. The Kenny he knows usually has longer brown hair with matching eyes, but this Kenny seems to have a little bit more fun with his short, blonde hair, but the monster within him gets a glimpse of the rest of the world through his now green eyes. Along with that, any stubble or facial hair he developed while behind bars was removed back at the barber shop, so he is clean shaven.
His look has more than passed the test in his mind. Just seeing what was really himself in the mirror nearly shocked him to the core and that was more than enough convincing for him to leave the restroom and move one step closer to Twinleaf Town and the home of his ex's mother for more information on her daughter. While outside, he walks alongside the other people and feels a wave of confidence as nobody stares at him or makes an attempt to place him for being who he actually is. He falls right in line with all the other people in the crowd, which is the best thing that could happen for him.
All of the steps in the guide to keeping his identity a secret have paid off if for no other reason than the fact that his confidence has gone up several pegs. Deciding to read further into the booklet, Kenny turns to step number three and reads, "Step number three: Who are you? I really wanna know. Congratulations, you look great, but the most important part is still to come. All of your identification inside of your packet is left blank for a very good reason; it must be fitted to your new look, so it is now time for you to take pictures of yourself. Given your current location of Rustboro City, we have a special individual in the area to handle all of these important intricacies you might have neglected in the process, including the obvious task of picture taking. Enclosed in this pamphlet is a special address with the name of the person and/or organization that will help you in customizing all of your necessary identification, including your pokedex, passport, and other items of interest necessary prior to any great amount of travel."
Looking at the bottom of the pamphlet, Kenny sees several handwritten lines of text. Among the different items are an address and a phone number along with an interesting name listed in the pamphlet as well.
"Slim…Sam?" Kenny questions. He can only assume that the number and the address belong to an individual in the city, or in the outskirts of the city, by the name of Slim Sam. It was an odd name for someone to have, but he was sure that it was probably a pseudonym for something else. A lot of the members, associates and cooperatives of Avenue Five and other crime operations were, in fact, rumored to have different names than that which they presented to the general public.
Kenny shrugs his shoulders and decides that thinking over this 'Slim Sam' individual any more would be a total waste of time. The best thing for him to do in his situation would be to just find this person and go from there in his quest. From there, he would get his identification documents finalized, work on any other details and then make his trip north to Sinnoh.
Still in the city, he knows that he can not be too far away from either a videophone or any other payphone so he can call for directions to get to Slim Sam.
Then, remembering that he passed one while walking out of the public restroom some four or five blocks away from his current position, Kenny turns around and makes his way back to the area where he knows he can get in contact with this so-called 'special individual'. Walking quicker than he was a few seconds ago, he knows that the phone is just minutes away and from there, public transportation or just a little bit more walking will put him one step closer to his goals…and his ultimate victory.
Walking through the people while going in the opposite direction proved to not be as bad as he thought it would be as it only took about two minutes for him to see several phone booths lined up against a wall with about one or two people talking.
Checking his pockets, he unloads some of his change and finds that he has enough for the phone call to Slim Sam. Making his way to an unoccupied phone booth, he wants the process to naturally go by as quickly as it can go. As he takes one of the larger coins out of his pocket, he drops it before he can put it into the slot. Rolling his eyes before picking it up, Kenny bends down and gets the coin, slowly putting it in the slot. Two more coins going in the slot, and he can know hear a click from the machine. A few seconds later, that click is followed by a ring of the phone.
After the first ring, there comes another ring.
And a third ring after that.
Tapping his foot, Kenny waits for a voice on the other end. After the fourth ring, he is now prepared to hang up the phone and get a refund of his money before the line switches to an answering machine.
But then, the sound of a young man saying, "This is Slim Sam, how may I help you?" perks Kenny up more than a Venti Frappuccino.
Bringing the receiver back to his ear, he speaks into the device. "Yes," he says in an unexpected greeting with the guy on the other end. "Hi there. I got directed to your number by the Avenue Five offices…"
"And they said that we would help you with getting identification suited for your brand new look. Is that correct?"
It appears given the few seconds he has spent on the phone with this guy, that he his very much experienced in the matters of Avenue Five. "That's right. I have a passport and my pokedex, but I think that there might be a few other things for me to take care of before I start my travels."
"Okay, to start off, may I have your actual name and town so we can prove you are an actual operative of Avenue Five?"
"All right. My name is Kenneth Oliver Dalton of Twinleaf Town."
"Thanks. Now hang on while I get this all into the computer." In the background, he can hear some typing on the other line. It sounds as if the information is being placed for verification. A half a minute of silence on both ends pass before the unnamed guy on the other end says, "All right, Mister Dalton. All of your stuff is here in the database and you're being shown as an active member of 'The Five'. You can come in any time today with the exception of between six and seven o'clock, because that's dinner time for us in the office." Kenny now knows based on this remark that he is dealing with a full-scale operation, or at least a place with an office and other working amenities.
"I think the only thing left to do is give you directions of where you need to go to get to us. We're on Route 104, just south of Downtown Rustboro City. Make a turn to Iron and Nickel Alley, and you'll see our offices on a strip mall there. Our building has a red sign on the front which says 'Checks and Cash', but if you specifically ask the front desk for the name of 'Slim Sam', you will get everything that you need from there. Okay?"
"Okay, and luckily, I know where and what that route is," Kenny answers. "So thanks for all of your help and I'll be by your offices later today."
"We'll be looking forward to your visit this afternoon."
"Thank you, and have a nice day," he says, hanging up the receiver of his payphone and makes his way south of Rustboro City. Paying the visit to Slim Sam, who he assumes he spoke to on the phone just now, will complete step three of five to protecting his identity from anyone that would use it to his disadvantage.
Though he dares not speak of any great fortune out loud, he is happy that he has not faced any hiccups or roadblocks on his journey back from prison. The only reason he holds back any form of rapture is due to the fact that there is still so much left for him to do.
It is not over for him, by any means.
The embrace that sister and brother unexpectedly shared a few minutes ago has done more to strengthen the eternal bond they share than any family psychiatrist could ever hope to accomplish. May and Max hold onto one another for many reasons. One is that each can shoulder the other one's burdens and provide help and care like only a brother or sister could.
Max, with his baby on the way with his much older girlfriend, Misty, is holding his older sister May, who has carried on affairs with hundreds of other girls her age, participated in illegal drug activity, and planned a successful hit on one of the most popular pokemon trainers in the entire world, the latter no one knows about, including the man she traveled with, Kelly's chauffer Gordon.
If these two siblings who share more than a last name are going to find some semblance of peace and harmony in their life, they have decided that they have to do it together. It does not take words or speeches to do this, rather through their actions; they have shown themselves to be more than capable to stand up for one another in spite of the problems both know they have.
In tears due to more than just his wrongdoings, Max looks down at his sister, who, like him, is also crying out in frustration and other emotions flowing through her body and soul at the moment. "We're in deep shit, aren't we?" he asks May.
Looking up, May can still find a reason to smile, even laugh, as she answers her brother question, saying "If we'd be any deeper, we'd drown."
"Believe me, May," says another voice shakily, "you have not seen deep shit yet." At first, the siblings did not recognize the voice because it sounded very dark and detached from their standing point. Turning to the doorway, May could not have prepared herself for the ultimate in shocks even if she went to therapy. Right there by the doorway is a green-haired male just above five feet and eight inches in height. He looks as if he had been taking part in the same activity as the brother-sister duo, as his eyes could pass for seeded red grapes or Bing cherries during summertime.
"Drew," May says. "Hi there."
"You…" he screeches from his mouth. "You lay down there like nothing is wrong, like everything is the way it should be and like you have nothing wrong going on inside of you, and all you can tell me…is 'hi there'? Well…" Rolling his eyes for a second, he responds, "Hello May, or would 'cheating bitch' suit you better?"
Releasing her sister, an enraged little brother comes to her aid and comes face to face with Drew. Though the older male fired the first silo in what looks like an old-fashioned war of words, Max fired back with a call of "Hey!" and then he makes it clear that he does not like Drew's choice of words.
With flesh touching flesh as Max steps in close to Drew, the two young men can hear each other breathe hard. It is a tense situation, without a doubt. "Look, I don't give a fuck what you do to me," Max makes as plainly as he knows how. "You can call me whatever names are in the book, but you are not gonna do that, period. Not while I am standing here and will stick by my blood no matter what, even if it means kicking your ass." Looking him directly into red-stained eyes, he continues, "I know she has done you wrong, I know you're mad as hell and want to…break things, do whatever, but at the very least, let her talk. She might have a reason for all…"
"Max, shut the fuck up!" Drew interjects, turning away from the trainer and then chuckling at the absurd remark that the teenage boy just made. Looking down at his girlfriend on the floor with her face covered trying her best to not look at the scene before her, Drew begins to lose grip of the reason why he fell for May in the first place.
At one time, she reminded Drew of himself as he started out and he became attracted to that. Now, when he looks at the sight on the floor, it disgusts him to no end. It is not the May he fell in love with back when they were just kids. It was the furthest thing the coordinator could get from being an extension or a reminder of himself, because even though he has not been the model boyfriend every step of the way, he would not cheat. It just was not an option for a relationship he thought would stand the test of time. Like the person on the ground, though, it fell flat on itself. "Let her talk, Max? She might have a reason—what the fuck? What goddamn…reason do you have—what would cause someone to betray another person like that? And it wasn't just one time, either! For six years this has been going on, May! Six fucking years you were screwing around with other girls behind my back. You said so yourself, so don't fucking deny it to my face!"
Hearing nothing from Max or the mass down on the floor in ruins, Drew does not understand why May is not yelling or screaming for any kind of forgiveness or, at the very least, some understanding. Perhaps what she talked about time in and time out about no longer being in love with him was true, but if May desires to have that kind of closure, the least that her current boyfriend deserves it to hear it face to face. "You're not gonna speak? You're just gonna keep taking this?" Looking up to the taller of the two guys, Drew asks him, "How's your plan working out now, Max? She's not even gonna talk to me when everything is out in the open." Looking back in the direction of May, he adds, "I know everything, May! You don't have a fucking thing to hide! I saw in the…" Stomping out of the room, Drew goes back out into the hallway and finds the cosmetics case on the floor with one or two vials partially out of the case.
Coming back inside with the case in hand, Drew opens the case and pulls out its contents, one by one, with each vial telling a different story. "Winstrol, a favorite of horses, track athletes and professional wrestlers." Pulling out another, he says, "Andro; this is fake testosterone and is probably the reason why you have so many outbursts and mood swings when you train for bodybuilding. And you told me that you were into natural bodybuilding." Dropping that vial to the floor, Drew makes it clear that "I'm still waiting for what you have to say about all of this. Oh, Anadrol. This is probably the reason why you're using so much, Clearasil, huh? That acne is a real bitch, May, and so…"
Pointing his finger in the direction of Drew, Max makes it crystal clear that, "You've got one more time to do that, buddy, and if you do it, I'm gonna break your fucking face and that is not a threat. I'm telling you right here and now; don't beat her up about this. You are the man, so you give her some space, cool down your berating and degrading her like you are, and she will eventually tell you everything you want to know. Just give her time."
"When, Max? When she has to get up off the floor and shoot up again. When she's ready? Do we have to yield to the cheater? Oh, shit!" he sarcastically exclaims. "I forgot! My girlfriend's brother is an expert on these types of things, seeing that he gets women pregnant at the age when they could be studying to become lawyers."
"You take that back, Drew."
"I'm not gonna apologize for the truth," he answers. "I always suspected something…off about you and Misty, and now that I have known the truth since Friday night, I can say that my suspicions were on the mark. I only wish that I could have caught some clue or some hint from…her. It would have spared me a hell of a lot of heartache. Why the fuck are you still not talking to me!" he screams. "I don't get it!"
Bringing his head down, he pounds his hand onto the nearby dresser drawer and making the case that, "At the very least, I deserve an explanation! We've been together, on and off, for almost eight years. You had no problem looking me right in the face and telling me that you're my girl and that nothing would ever come between us. Now when everything is there and the writing is on the wall, the Delcatty has got your fucking tongue. At least tell me what happened. Tell me everything!" he asks, with his voice beginning to break and the tears once again flowing prominently on his face.
Max, who is looking at this scene off to the side, can only go so far in defending his sister before Drew starts to make a great deal of sense. If any other person were found to be doing or admitting the things that May has just admitted to the father-to-be, then they would at the very least say they were sorry. With questions of sincerity aside, there would also have to be some sort of request for forgiveness, but the bodybuilder remains silent while on the floor, hiding her face from the outside world. No one can really understand why she does this, and it all comes back to her unwillingness to defend herself when it counts the most. Her acts are cowardly and do not speak to the type of person she portrays on an everyday basis. One would call the façade nothing more than an outright lie cloaked by a sorry excuse for an individual.
Even people charged and eventually convicted of murder, knowing in their hearts that they are guilty of said crime, will testify in front of a judge and plead their innocence.
But May still lays silent while on the ground.
Going down to the ground, Drew sits next to May. Thinking that there might be something to handling this gently for now and then going deeper later, he has one simple request for May and leans into her ear to give it to the teen. "Will you at least look me in the face? Can I get that, and…then we can go from there. I won't hurt you, I won't yell, and I promise…we'll just talk. I just want to talk—no. I need to talk with you."
Turning her neck about a quarter of the way in the direction of the young man's voice, she still has her hands over her face and has not changed this position in the last several minutes, or since Drew called her outside of her name in reference to her outside affairs.
Drew wondered how well this new tactic was working. May still covered her face and still didn't let a word escape through her mouth. Then, a break happens. Slowly but surely, May uncovers herself from her self made screen that cut her from everyone else in the room. Her eyes, just like her boyfriend's, are red with tears and appeal glossed over and watery.
Both boyfriend and girlfriend are shaking as they look at each other for only the second time that day. Neither knows how to begin what may be the most important conversation they have in their long time together. Neither knows whether they should make the first move or not until Drew finally gets up from the floor and asks May to do the same.
Using her very muscular arms as support to get her near 200-pound frame off the floor, she sits next to Drew on Max's bed. Watching the two split lovers sit on the bed, the sixteen-year old slowly walks toward the open doorway of his own room, content with allowing his sister and one of his good friends to let all their emotions out in the open and keep no more secrets from this point forward.
As Max walks closer and closer to his door to leave his room, Drew interjects himself saying, "Uh, Max? If you don't mind, I'd like you to stay here with us, please. Just shut the door and stay here, because you have a right to know, too."
Max sighs heavily and says nothing to his older friend. Instead, he shuts the door in front of him and stands by it watching the two experts in contests converse.
Drew sits to Max's left while May is on the right. Interlocking his fingers, Drew anticipates hearing something come out of the mouth of the girl next to him. "Just tell the truth. I'm waiting, May," he informs her. About a minute passes, and he still gets nothing from May whatsoever. "Okay. If you won't start, then I'll start. You've admitted that you don't love me anymore," he restates for May. Once again, he enters into yet another crying spell. Time passes and all he wants to know is "Is it true, May? You don't love me anymore?"
Hesitation before an answer of a raspy and soft 'no' comes out of the mouth of May marks the first bit of progress that Drew has made in the effort to get down to the real reason behind his girlfriend's behavior. It made Drew cry even harder than before. He can't remember feeling such raw emotion for something he knew to be true and that he couldn't deny or push to the side.
She knew that she had broken his heart into a million pieces, but at the same time, he asked for the truth and got it. May is absolutely sure that the next question or set of questions is coming very soon and they all stem from the fact that the affection they had at the start of their coming together is gone. "Okay, we're getting somewhere now. You don't love me," Drew says, "I wanna know what…happened?"
Though they were now sitting on the bed right next to each other, this did not mean that May would find it easy to look at the saddened young man. Quite the opposite effect happened. Even while May no longer covered her face with her hands and arms, she hesitated and clenched up at the thought of looking at him, much less revealing everything to him.
"You know how my mom and dad didn't like us…being together when we were so young?" she speaks. Drew nods his head as he remembers the battle they faced just trying to prove to their folks that they were in love. "I had some apprehension myself, and a part of me wouldn't shake that day at the coordinator's meet and greet when you would not defend me when that guy more or less called me a bitch!"
"I was just a kid, May!" he counters. "I was like twelve or thirteen years old! I didn't know any better. I was an immature kid at times, but the key word there is 'immature'. But that's changed, and…you had a lot to do with it. Hell, you had everything to do with it! You should have known that we have screw ups, because that's a fact of life for every couple. How in the world does that lead you to cheating on me?"
"Because I started to lose trust in you; another fact of life for couples! So that's why we broke up the first time, and that's when I got reintroduced to Kelly."
"And…that's when the affair started? After our first breakup?"
"No, the affair actually began between our second breakup and the third get together," May clarifies. "We became closer during the time I'm talking about and I ended up finding out that she is gay. During that time, we just became better friends than before. I was so pissed off with you and guys in general and when we talked together, I really started to open up to the idea, but nothing happened at that point. You came back into the picture a few months later apologizing to me and saying that you were wrong, so I took you back."
"Why did you take me back during that time?"
"My head was clear after thinking about it for a while. I thought about it, and you did make a childish mistake. You might have been trying to be one of the guys or something…it doesn't matter anymore. But at that point, I was willing to give it another shot. I forgave you, Drew, because things happen. I was still angry, though. You can't blame me for being mad at you for not taking a stand for—well, fuck me. You didn't even take a stand for us."
"Oh, hell no!" Drew exclaims. "Don't you dare play 'victim' here! I did things that I wasn't proud of, but not once did I ever lay down with a bunch of guys, or girls, while I was committed to you. So don't talk about taking a stand because based on everything I heard outside, you didn't do much of that during our time together, either! Two wrongs don't make a right, I know, but your wrong…you know what? Keep going. Where are we now? Why don't you continue to tell me what happened?"
At the behest of the young man sitting next to him, May continues with the story. "The second time we got together," she speaks, "things were pretty good. I thought that we had made a change for the better and I could feel…that absence helped me realize that a part of me still wanted everything to work at that point. And that's when I saw something else happen that made me want to retch in the toilet and made me wonder; has anything really changed between us? You know that I began working out during that time because I wanted to get into bodybuilding."
"Kelly is a champion bodybuilder," Drew recalls. "So you got into the same…hobby as your fuck buddy? Am I out of bounds when I say that, May? You know, the more you talk, the more I see all of these…clues or hints that I should have picked up earlier, but like a guy blinded by his emotions, I ignored. I should have seen this coming a long time ago, but that's my fault."
"We weren't in a sexual relationship at that time," May once again clears up. "I've been sleeping with her for six years and at the time, I was thirteen. And I began bodybuilding because Kelly said it's a great way to get in shape and boost confidence."
"All right, we're past bodybuilding now. How did you start a relationship with Kelly behind my back? That's what I wanna know right now, May!"
Keeping her neutral look on her face, May takes a quick glance at her younger brother at the door. To her, he appears nervous as many of these details are foreign and new to him like they are to Drew. Staying at the door, for whatever reasons Drew has in mind aside from feeling that Max should know the truth too.
"Well, first off, the relationship began when ours ended…for the second time. I was convinced in my mind that there was nothing left for me in our relationship to salvage. That was the day I called you a hopeless prick, remember? We used to laugh about that day, Drew," she recollects. "We said that nothing would come in between us now that we've changed as people and that it would all go uphill. I said all of that while…Kelly and I had already been sexually active since the age of fourteen and we didn't get back together until more than two years later. God, could I ever lie! I've been living a lie for the past six or seven years."
"After we split, I went back to Kelly and told her that I was tired of being disappointed by men. We became girlfriends after that, we got very close and…started having sex. From that point, we never stopped. I was…there was a reason why I came back to you even through all of this."
Palming his forehead, Drew looks over to May. Scanning her face, he says, "I'd like to hear this reason very much. I am all ears, May. Please…tell me why."
"Well, one of the reasons you already know about, Drew, and this isn't something I can explain away or make excuses for or lie about. You know damn well that my parents don't like…people who love the way I do."
"That sounds like a big excuse, May."
"I'm not done, Drew!" she answers.
"I'm sorry, but that's the way I feel. Even if you're parents don't agree with what you are doing, and they won't agree with what you've done, you have to admit this! You've done wrong, May and we all have to pay for doing wrong."
"I know, but I just can't bring myself to tell them!" she admits, sitting up from her seat on the bed. "They're the only family that I know and…losing them over my affairs just—try walking in my shoes. I start dressing like a tomboy more, if I'm not spending time with you, then my time is spent with Kelly in the gym, and…books by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler have become my bibles. I didn't want them to ask any questions, so…I went back with you so no one would suspect me being a lesbian."
"So I was pretty much your guinea pig just in case there was still some doubt about what your folks would do?" Drew is growing in anger the more that he hears come out of the mouth of the standing girl. Getting up from his seat, he meets May face to face and asks her, "Was that your plan from the get go?"
"No, my plan was to have Kelly to fall back on in case, once again, things didn't work out for us," she retaliates.
"Well, you certainly had a great backup plan. It's just too damn bad that you had to drag everyone you love into your mess. You had sex behind my back. I thought that we promised each other that we wouldn't do that until we were ready, but you broke that. And you say to me knowing all of this was wrong and still going through with it to 'Try walking in my shoes'."
Unexpectedly, Max whistles at Drew's latest comment. He certainly did go deep as far as his feelings were concerned and refused to cut corners as far as his opinion on the matter, which by no means was a positive one. The action causes both May and Drew to turn to the front door for a second and look at a somewhat embarrassed Max. Apologizing for the unconscious gesture, they turn back to one another and continue their discussion.
"You were gonna make love to me for the very first time tomorrow night, May," he states. "That was going to be your twentieth birthday present and if I didn't catch you admitting…the important parts to your brother, you would have lied down with me. You would have faked any pleasure and lied when you told me that you loved me, because I doubt I can give you any and you've already told me to my face that you don't. Maybe if I grew a vagina, I would have a chance but I digress. I could have slept with you and I would be shooting myself in the foot, because I have no idea what…diseases you might have or be carrying at the moment. You know what? I'll tell you right now, this isn't a joke and you know how I feel about those sicknesses. STDs are not fun. They can kill you, even if you are still alive. My sister, Ryan…was raped, May. Some sicko out there took advantage of her at ten years old!" Now, in what is becoming a pattern of activity for the young man, he cries once again. The pain of living through the time when a part of his sister's life was taken over four years ago became too much for him to bear without the pressure of remaining strong for his family.
Turning his head and body away from the coordinator, Drew covers his face much like May did several minutes beforehand. Knowing very well the story behind Drew's younger sister, she felt for him and wanted to lend a helping hand however she possibly could. Walking up to him in attempt to put her arms around him, Drew resists, saying, "Get your goddamn hands off me! I don't know where they've been, May, and I don't think I want to know. Sex isn't some sort of game, May. You can't play around with emotions and risk people's lives through sex. My family knows this quite well. Ryan got an STD from her rapist, and it went undetected for so long because she said nothing and because of that, she's sterile! She can't have kids! Do you why she said nothing, May?"
A few seconds of silence are a like clue to May that the young man's latest in a battery of questions was not a rhetorical one. If it were, then she would have already gotten the answer and more lessons learned from Drew. "We talked about this a while back. She was embarrassed and didn't want people to know that this happened to her. She was scared at how everyone would react, and for a while, she wouldn't even talk…about anything."
"Exactly. Ryan was embarrassed and ashamed about what happened. That's why she didn't come to anyone until it was too late. Rape kits could not determine if there was any DNA in her body from another person and…my parents tried to get some information out of her about the person who did this, but police and child psychiatrists said the same thing; 'Ryan won't cooperate with us'. It put a strain on the family for a long time. Mom and Dad almost broke up due to the strain it caused. Dad felt…emasculated by the whole process because Ryan wouldn't say anything. He had a helpless feeling and thought that he couldn't do anything about what happened to my sister."
Pointing to himself, directly in the chest, Drew adds, "I felt helpless, May, because someone I loved could not be honest with me and refused to reach out to me for some help! Had you told me from the very beginning that you were a lesbian, I would have helped you out however I could have. But you used me, May! I was gonna be your little puppet in your games with Kelly, and you would have slept with me and given me…God knows what! Do you understand, May? I'm not trying to say things to compare what happened to Ryan to what you did, because there is no comparison. But you are ashamed, scared and embarrassed to tell your parents, or me, or Max or your friends what you did. You should be, but you should have been honest. You caught yourself in a lie that might cost you everything! I'm not crying for you anymore, May. If you don't already know it, we're finished…for good this time. It's over between us. But…if you can find it in yourself to have some sort of happiness and closure, you will do one thing. I don't care if you do it for me, you or anyone else, but I'm begging of you for once to do something."
"What's that?"
"All I care about is that you are no longer keeping this secret from the people who you claim to love," he admits. While May shakes her head in what looks like fervent disapproval of the mere thought, Drew continues, "I could care less how many times it happened or with whom. I'm just glad that I got out of the loop before it was too late. But you need to tell you're folks just what kind of daughter you are and you need to do that as soon as they get home."
"No way, Jose."
"Don't make this difficult, May! Remember, you're the one who went outside this relationship, not me. You don't get the right to call the shots anymore. You lost it when you cheated. Now is the time to pay for your slip ups. Tell your parents what you've told me and be done with it."
Still shaking her head, May ignores or more correctly, disregards the comments and suggestions from Drew. For a while, there is a great deal of silence in the room, until the sound of a door opening on the outside of the house followed quickly by a door opening inside of the house grabs her attention. If Max and Drew did not know it then, the call of "Kids, we're home!" from mother Caroline caused everyone in the house to do an about face and look down from the window of Max's room to find the family vehicle neatly parked along with Drew's Toyota by the door of the house/gym.
Looking at May with an arguably disturbing glance, Drew makes it very plain to the girl. Drew walks closer and closer to the bodybuilder to the point where he can hear her breathe. "Now or never, May." Still not getting any positive reaction from his now ex-girlfriend, he gives her an ultimatum. "Fine. If you don't tell your parents about all that you've done, then I will. It's your choice." Then, suddenly, Drew turns to Max, and asks him, "And as for you, you are gonna tell your parents about Misty, right?"
"Yes, she's coming to Petalburg either tonight or tomorrow morning. We're gonna…figure out the plans from there."
"Good." Turning one final time in the direction of May, she seems to continue to hold her guard against Drew and his suggestion. "You should take a cue from your brother. Either way, your past will be coming back to haunt you, and that's not a threat." Heading for the door, he tells Max to get out of his way and Drew walks out of the room, presumably to head downstairs and talk with May and Max's parents.
It takes a few seconds, but realizing what could happen given that Drew could be alone with her parents telling them whatever he wants, she darts out of the room without saying a word to Max, who follows in her direction as they both head for the stairs in what would have been in any other scenario a long walk to perdition. This is far from that, and might be more accurately described as a sprint to the wire for the damned.
With the manual transmission of her high-powered sports car in reverse, Zoey backs the Ferrari into its spot in the family garage, neatly placing it next to the yellow Hummer. Giving herself the time to cool down and consider everything that she's about to do, Zoey can honestly say that she has a very clear head.
Getting out of the car, she locks the door, securing the red beauty and then she looks at the door leading into the house. After everything she has went through in learning the truth about her girlfriend, Zoey was floored. But now that she has thought everything over away from the watchful eyes and hearing ears of family and friends, she considers herself to be in a better position that where she was earlier in the day.
Using one of the many house keys to the island mansion, Zoey enters her house with her head up high and her intentions clear in her mind. Saying hello to most of her cousins and older relatives who have went inside during the hottest part of the day, she skirts some of their questions about where she has been for the past couple of hours. Zoey says that she has just been out and needed a bit of time to herself.
"Zoey?" asks a familiar voice. "Are you okay?" Looking around the extensive family room, she finally finds out that it was Rocky who asked the question and she wondered why she did not see her or recognize her previously.
"I'm fine, Rocky. Thank you," she answers. "I just need to speak with Dawn, and…things will hopefully get even better. Is she nearby?"
"Last I heard, Dawn was upstairs," answers her cousin Mitch while in the kitchen tending to a large bowl of white chocolate brownies for later. "I was just outside an hour ago, and I didn't see her there or coming into the house, so I can only assume she's still here."
"Thank you, Mitchell. This might take a while, so don't wait up on me."
"Hey, Zoey," Rocky calls before her younger sister can make her way up to the stairs. Hesitating for a second, she answers, "Good luck."
Zoey sighs for a long time. 'Good luck,' her sister said. Something inside her wanted to let her true feelings be known to the world, but she holds back with all her might stifling that emotion before it can bubble to the surface and fizz out before its time. No, this emotion had to be saved for the one person who was meant to hear it most. With a bit of a sniffle, she thanks her oldest sibling and walks up the stairs at a much slower pace than normal.
Compare it to a relationship she feels needs to take a much needed stop.
A/N: Oh…my…goodness! So much happening that everything looks like it is about to come to a head, and it will in the next chapter, the finale of season two of 'A Confession Gone Awry'. This finale includes…
-The Forrest versus Brock/James six-on-six pokemon battle in its entirety.
-A synopsis of the Corey/Dawn conversation.
-May and Max confronting their parents on their issues.
-Misty arriving in Petalburg City.
-Kelly getting in touch with May for the first time since Friday night.
-The saga that happened with Ash, Jessie, James and the Lilycove incident with Avenue Five.
-Kenny confronting Slim Sam and putting the finishing touches on his plan to go to Twinleaf.
And of course…
The Zoey and Dawn confrontation will happen!
This will be my longest chapter in all of writing, bar none! It will take a while, but I promise you won't regret reading it! Don't you dare go away because the season two finale is coming!
Until then, this is Rave!