Chapter 2: Friends?

It's been a few days since May and Drew started traveling together. They've been on the road heading to the next city with a Contest.

May is trudging behind Drew. "Drew! Can we take a break?" She called.

Drew stopped walking and turned around to see that May is at least ten feet away from him. He sighed. "I guess so." He walked back to May and smirked. "How will you stare at me from way back here?"

May felt her face heat up and then she yelled at Drew. "Who said that I'd want to stare at you?!"

"I figured that since I caught you staring at me the first day we started traveling together…" his voice trailed off.

"I wasn't staring at you!"

"Yeah? Then what were you doing?"

"I was...I was…"

Before May could finish her retort, Drew chose that moment to just walk away into the forest.

"Hey! Don't leave me here!" May caught up to Drew.

They both came across an opening in the middle of the forest.

"So, do you know what you were doing instead of staring?" Drew asked.

"I was just looking!" May yelled, continuing their previous conversation.

"That's another word for staring."

"Shut up! I was looking ahead of us at the path!"

"Sure…" Drew said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Drew stopped walking and May stopped shortly after. May sat down on the grass in the middle of the grassy field. She then spread her arms out and laid back, staring up at the sky.

Drew looked down at May. "Enjoying yourself there?"

"Yeah. This grass is soft." May said.

Drew looked up at the sky. "The sun's starting to go down, so we might as well camp here."

"Way ahead of you."

Drew looked at May and saw that she was already on her feet, pulling something out of her fanny pack. May pulled out her sleeping bag and laid it out on the ground.

Drew took his backpack off of him (something he started wearing for the Johto region) and placed it on the ground, kneeling down with it. Drew's backpack is a crossbody backpack and May just has her fanny pack. Both of their bags seem to be magically limitless inside (like Brock's backpack from the anime).

Drew opened his backpack and took out his sleeping bag. He stood up and laid it on the ground five feet away from May's.

May walked to Drew and her stomach growled. May blushed in embarrassment. She laughed nervously.

"Sounds like someone's hungry." Drew said.

"Umm...maybe a little…" May said.

Drew perked up an eyebrow.

"Okay! A lot!" May admit.

Drew chuckled and took out something from his backpack. He handed it to May. It's a premade sandwich with turkey, ham, lettuce, tomato, and cheese inside. It was wrapped up in foil to keep it fresh.

May stared down at the sandwich, drooling. Drew reached in his backpack and pulled out an identical one. He looked at May and he chuckled.

"You know, it'll taste better if you eat it." Drew said.

May looked at Drew. "It's really for me?"

Drew smirked. "I can eat it for you if you want."

"No!" May yelled. "I-I mean," she smiled shyly. "Thank you."

Drew sat down on his sleeping bag and started eating his sandwich.

"Aren't you going to say 'You're welcome'?!" May yelled at him.

Drew smirked without May seeing his face. "You're welcome."

"That's better."

"But I was just doing something I'm sure anyone would do." Drew continued. "I can't just let you starve, so that's the only reason I gave you that."

"What?!" May yelled. "Are you sure that's the only reason?"

"...yep." Drew answered.

"Drew!"

"Just sit and eat."

"Ugh. Fine."

May walked to her sleeping bag and sat down on it. She started eating her sandwich. May and Drew are facing each other.

"Are you sure that you just didn't want me to starve? Is that the only reason you gave me this sandwich?" May asked.

"What other reason could there possibly be?" Drew questioned. "That I want to see how much you like it?"

"Okay, okay. I was just asking."

Silence. It got quiet between them as they ate. The sun was going down, the stars were coming out. Everything was peaceful.

May looked at Drew and thought. ("Our rivalry can be pretty strong in Contests, but outside of Contests, Drew can be a good friend, giving me food and stuff. Wait. Did I really just say friend? Drew...isn't my friend...is he?") She paused before continuing. ("What if we were...friends?")

Drew looked at May and smirked. "Staring at me again?"

May blushed and looked away from Drew. "Am not."

Drew chuckled. May looked at Drew with her eyebrows furrowed. "What's so funny?!" She yelled.

"You're so in denial." Drew answered.

"I am not!"

"Was something on your mind that caused you to stare at me?" Drew asked, smirking.

May didn't answer. She just looked away from Drew again with anger.

Drew chuckled again and looked up at the stars in the sky.

May finished her sandwich with Drew finishing after. She looked at Drew. She just had to ask him or tell him. She wants them to be friends, but she doesn't know if Drew would ever call them that. To him...they're just rivals.

"Hey Drew?" May said.

Drew looked at May. "What?"

"Umm...I umm…" May started. "I want to…"

"You want to what?" Drew asked.

"Be...your friend." May finished.

Drew didn't say anything which made May even more nervous than she already was.

"I mean...I want to get to know you." May said. "As a friend. In Contests, we're rivals, but outside of Contests...you actually seem...nice."

Drew's eyes widened. He's been nice? She said he's nice? What about just a little while ago when he kept teasing her about why she stares at him?

"So, do you think that maybe," May started. "We could be friends?"

Drew still didn't say anything. He just stared at May. May feels really uncomfortable under his stare.

"D-Drew?" May asked.

("I asked her to travel with me, so I can see her smile again.") Drew thought. ("And I guess that means that...we should be friends. I've never called her a friend before. I've really never become friends with anyone, but Solidad.")

"Drew, are you there?"

Drew snapped out of his thoughts. He smiled. May was taken aback by that smile that Drew showed her. She's used to seeing him smirk, but never smile. A real smile. And a (dare she admit) charming smile. She likes the Drew that smiles at her. She doesn't know this, but he's actually smiled at her several other times before. She was just angry with him for teasing her, trying to deal with Team Rocket, or something else, that she never noticed that he ever smiled at her before.

"I'd like to know you more as a friend too." Drew said.

May's eyes lit up with happiness. She has a big smile on her face. She didn't respond though. At this moment, she didn't have to. Drew could tell that May likes his response. And even though she didn't say anything, he likes her response too. A bright smile on May's face is just the thing to make his heart skip a beat.

Wait a minute. His heart skipped a beat? Why did his heart skip a beat?

Drew felt his cheeks heat up. ("Why does it feel like my heart is beating rapidly?") He thought. ("And why does May have that effect on me?")

"Well, I guess we should get some sleep." May said. "We're going to make it to the next city with a Contest in it tomorrow, right?"

"R-right." Drew said, stuttering and snapping out of his thoughts. He hoped that May didn't notice his stuttering. And she didn't. May just laid down in her sleeping bag, tucking herself in.

Drew smiled and laid down, tucking himself in. May and Drew are both staring up at the sky above them. It's dark out and the stars are illuminated in the sky.

May exhaled. "It's so pretty out. And peaceful too."

"Yeah." Drew agreed.

"So Drew, are you ready to lose to me in the next Contest?"

"No. Because I'm the one who's gonna win."

"We'll see who wins." May said. She turned her head to look at Drew. "But there's no way I'm losing to you a second time in a row."

Drew turned his head to look at May. "Isn't that what always happens?"

"Does not! You know I'm just as good a Coordinator as you are!"

Drew looked back up at the sky and smirked. "So you're saying I'm a good Coordinator. I never thought I'd see the day when you'd compliment me."

"Hey! I wasn't complimenting you! I was just-"

"Calling me a good Coordinator is a compliment, April."

"My name is May!"

"Just go to sleep, June."

"Drew!"

Drew turned his head. "Yes?" He asked innocently.

"You are...you are so…"

"Charming?" He finished.

"No!"

"Handsome?"

"Absolutely not! You are more like a jerk!"

"A handsome jerk then." He turned his head to look back at the stars.

"Ugh." May faced the stars. "You're insufferable." She closed her eyes.

Drew smirked and closed his eyes as well.