Everyone woke up the next morning full of energy and ready to put the day before behind them. Thankfully Misty did not receive any questions from her bunkmates about how the rest of her evening had gone. She was glad because even though she and Ash decided to keep things between themselves for now, she knew she wasn't a great liar and wondered how long she would actually be able to do that.
"We're going shopping today!"
Michelle was holding the itinerary for the trip in her hands as the girls were all getting ready in their rooms. Misty was in the middle of pulling her hair into a ponytail, Roxy was shimmying into the jeans she was going to wear for the day, Claire was brushing her long strawberry blonde hair, and Alyssa was choosing between several sweaters laid out on her bed.
"Oh, that's so exciting!" Misty exclaimed. It had been a long time since she'd gone out shopping, and she thought it would be a nice change from being out on the hills after her and Ash's adventure yesterday. She felt her cheeks warm as she thought of him and tried to cool them before anyone else noticed.
Michelle kept reading through the day's activities to remind everyone what was happening.
"Let's see- we've got breakfast downstairs, then heading to the mall, lunch in the food court, and back here for the evening for the dance!" She paused here to smile broadly. "Oh, let's look at what everyone brought to wear to see if there's anything we need to pick up at the mall today!"
Alyssa, who had only just picked out a sweater from all the choices she laid out, cleaned up some more space on the bed and invited everyone to lay out their clothes for that evening. Misty went over to her bag and pulled out the light pink flowy shirt and dark grey pants she brought to wear for the evening.
"What is THAT?" Roxy cried, pointing at Misty's outfit. Her shirt and pants stood out drastically from the other dresses and shawls that were laid out by the other girls.
"It's what I'm wearing to the dance?" Misty answered in a question, not sure it would be enough for her friends.
"Where is your DRESS?" Alyssa asked. "And your SHOES?"
Misty gulped. She wasn't really showy like her sisters; she'd always been more of a jeans and tshirt kind of girl rather than someone who did their hair and makeup every morning. She knew her friends knew this about her already, but she guessed they didn't expect that to carry over into more formal situations like this. The dance they went to earlier this year was definitely less formal.
"I, um… don't have any," Misty supplied meekly. "I'm not really a dress person, I think. They don't really look good on me, and I always hated dress shopping with my sisters because they always picked the most glittery and sparkly dresses, and that… um… not…. Me…." she finished quietly.
Claire scoffed. "It sounds more like you haven't found the right dress then! I'm sure there's something out there for you, and I know we'll find it."
All the girls except for Misty got a strong glint in their eyes, and Misty knew it would be impossible to tell them no.
"Fine," she conceded. "I'll try on some dresses at the mall today. BUT, if I don't like any of the dresses, I'm going to keep my original choice."
They rolled their eyes, not believing that they wouldn't be able to find something that would be better suited to her. "Yeah yeah, you'll wear the office clothes if we can't find you something less spinster-y."
"Hey!" Misty protested. "I'm not a spinster!" Her cheeks heated as she remembered her kiss with Scott yesterday. Unfortunately her friends noticed her blush this time, and they pounced immediately.
"Oh, you're not?" Alyssa purred, sliding up beside Misty slyly. "Do tell, Ms. Waterflower, what could have brought on such a blush?"
Misty was at least thankful that this blush didn't have anything to do with Ash, so she wouldn't be forced to lie… much.
"Um, well, you see?" She stalled for time, trying to put her thoughts together and anticipate how her friends would react to the news. She decided to jump right in before they started guessing names of people, and she knew her face would give too much away if they mentioned Ash's name right now.
"I was in the hallway alone yesterday when I ran into Scott, and he.. Um… well, he kissed me." She gave the story all in one breath, and the other girls' faces dropped in astonishment. Shrieks of "What?" and "HOW?" and "did you like it?" exploded from their mouths.
Just outside the door to their dorms, Sydney stood still and held her breath. She was on her way downstairs to breakfast from her own room when she heard Misty's story about Scott. Interesting. She was pretty sure Ash was interested in Misty based on how she'd seen the two act together before, and she remembered they were arguing yesterday before they somehow got stuck in that cave. Misty was answering their questions too quietly for Sydney to hear anymore, so she went downstairs, thinking about what she'd like to buy at the mall today, and when might be the best time to share the news that Misty and Scott kissed each other.
The girls headed downstairs for breakfast, having gotten all the details out of Misty before coming down. She made them promise not to say anything about it to anyone else, and made it clear that it was a one time thing and would not be happening again.
They found a table where Ash, Brock, and Tracey were already eating. Each of the boys' plates were piled high with eggs and toast and bacon. The girls joined them, Michelle and Roxy giving a quick peck to their respective boyfriends, and grabbed a more reasonable breakfast for themselves.
"G'monrin'" Ash said around a piece of toast. He swallowed the bite and washed it down with a hearty drink of orange juice before giving Misty a beaming smile. She looked down at her lap and tried to hide the blush forming on her cheeks. This secret was going to be tough. Her memory of the pack tactics the girls used on her this morning to get all the information about her kiss with Scott was enough to try to convince her to keep it up a while longer.
"Morning!" Alyssa loudly greeted Ash and the others as she scooped some oatmeal and sprinkled some brown sugar on top. "Everyone sleep ok?"
Small pockets of conversation started up between the group, and Misty looked back up at Ash. He was still smiling at her, though flicking his eyes back to the rest of the group every now and then to avoid suspicion.
"Good morning," Misty said shyly, smiling back at Ash. They shared a look before Ash went back to devouring his breakfast.
"Attention, everyone!" Ms. Bentley's loud voice carried strongly over the cafeteria, drowning out the conversations of the students.
"We'll be boarding the bus to head to the mall in fifteen minutes! Make sure you're not late."
"She's as pleasant as always," Tracey commented, rolling his eyes. Their least favourite teacher hadn't loosened up yet during their trip.
Roxy agreed. "At least she kept it short and - well, I was going to say 'sweet', but that's not right."
The crew finished up their breakfast and made their way back towards the bus. Thankfully there were no pre-arranged seats for this trip, and Misty found herself sitting beside Alyssa.
"So, what are you going to buy at the mall?" Misty asked Alyssa when they were all settled in and waiting for the other students to board.
Alyssa rubbed her chin with her thumb and forefinger, giving the illusion of deep thought. "Well, I still have to buy presents for my mom, dad, brother, all of my friends…. Let's see, my aunt, uncle, something for Gary I GUESS…"
Misty's face fell. "You haven't got ANYTHING?" she exclaimed. Misty had already purchased gifts for nearly everyone; in fact, her sister's presents were already wrapped and delivered since she wasn't going to be able to be with them for Christmas day. She couldn't imagine having so much to do so soon before the holidays.
"Oh yeah," she said, unfazed. "I do this every year. It's a whole thing in my family now." She mimed her brother's voice and said "Well, it's December 21st and Alyssa's already started shopping, she's started early this year! Or, Hey Alyssa, can you pick me up a pretzel at the mall when you go out for your last minute presents on the 24th?" Misty laughed. From what she remembered of Alyssa's brother on the phone, her impression was actually pretty good!
"Ahem!"
Ms. Bentley again. Misty wasn't sure if the teacher didn't know how much the students didn't care for her, if she just honestly didn't care. Either way, she made no efforts to change her tone or manner of addressing the students, and it was just as rude and interruptive as before.
"Please everyone take your seats while we do a head count." The students, who were all already seated, just looked at one another blankly. Once she'd numbered off all the students, she continued explaining what their morning was going to look like.
"We'll be spending the day at the mall so everyone can finish their Christmas shopping and pick up anything they need for the dance tonight." There were some cheers and hollers when the dance was mentioned.
"This mall is one of the largest in the county," Ms. Bentley continued, surprising everyone by actually communicating useful and interesting information. "It's got any store you can imagine, and we'll be there until the early afternoon. That will leave you all enough time to get back here and get ready before the dinner and dance tonight."
The bus engine started and Ms. Bentley had to speak even louder to accommodate the noise.
"There's extra storage below the bus for anyone who needs to buy more than what can fit on your lap. Please remember that everything you purchase will need to come home with us on the bus with all your luggage, so don't buy anything too large. We'll decide on what time to be back on the bus when we get to the parking lot."
Ms. Bentley sat down abruptly, signalling the end of her speech and indirectly telling the driver it was time to go. The bus lurched ahead sharply and started on its way to the mall.
Alyssa picked up her conversation with Misty from where they left off. "So, Misty, what shopping do you need to do at the mall today? Have any Christmas presents left to get?"
She did. She purchased everything for her sisters, and had picked up a few things for almost everyone else. The only thing she was missing was something for Ash, and a hostess gift for his mother for hosting her for Christmas. She hadn't told anyone yet that she'd be going to Ash's place for Christmas, and now that she found it difficult to watch her reactions when he was mentioned, she didn't think it was the time to bring it up.
"Yeah, just a couple. One for a friend, and a hostess gift for a holiday party I'm going to." She didn't elaborate on the non-existent party and hoped Alyssa wouldn't ask any more questions. Thankfully she didn't.
"Well I'm a professional last minute shopper, so I definitely know how to help you finish your list before the end of the day!" Alyssa winked at Misty.
"Now," Alyssa whispered, eyes twinkling mischievously. "Let's talk about what dress we should get for you to knock Scott's socks off."
Misty groaned, and looked around to make sure no one had overheard. "I told you, there's nothing between us! It was one kiss, that's it."
Alyssa smiled as if she didn't believe her. "I dunno, Misty. I've been seeing a lot of blushing going on since yesterday. Are you sure that kiss didn't affect you more than you're letting on?"
"Pssst!" came from the seat behind them. They turned around to find Brock and Michelle smiling and waving at them. Misty was thankful for the distraction and immediately jumped into conversation with them. Alyssa gave her a knowing look before also turning in her seat to face Brock and Michelle.
After a few more minutes of driving the bus pulled up into the parking lot of the largest mall any of the students had ever seen before. Mc. Bentley's voice soon rang out again from the front of the bus.
"Ahem!" Again, that same annoying throat clearing noise to get everyone's attention.
"We're here at Snowy Hills Mall, and we'll stay here until 2pm. Everyone please make sure to be back on this bus by that time to make sure there's enough time to get back and get ready for this evening."
There was some shuffling as everyone was pulling on their jackets to get ready to walk across the parking lot in the cold December air. The students piled out of the bus and stood just outside, waiting to collect all of their friends before making their way up to the mall doors.
The mall was gigantic. They saw names of some familiar big box stores they'd been to before, but also many names of places they'd never heard of. They could see from the signs outside that there were seven different entrances, and festive lights decorated most surfaces outside. It looked like a place that would take days to explore, not hours, and they weren't sure if the afternoon would be enough time to even explore half of it.
As they went inside, the decorations were even more abundant. Christmas lights sparkled from the walls and ceilings, tinsel reflected the lights, and red and gold bulbs hung from boughs and garland. It was almost magical.
"Wow," Misty exclaimed. She hadn't had a Christmas this decorated since she was little with her parents. The feeling was strong, almost overwhelming, and a mix of happy and sad. She turned to her friends, using them for a distraction and support. "So where do we go first?" she asked.
Alyssa immediately took over as leader of the group. "Let's go over the plan!" She found a map and directory just to their side and she took a quick look over it, nodding and talking to herself for a moment. The others looked on in confusion.
Suddenly Alyssa turned around and stepped onto the raised platform that the map was standing on. "Listen up, troops!"
Tracey and Roxy gave a mock salute and stood at attention. They tried to keep their faces straight but a few giggles broke out.
Alyssa continued, ignoring her friends' sarcastic positions. "We'll start with the Christmas shopping. Anyone who still needs gifts for their parents, come with me. Anyone who needs gifts just for friends, go with Misty."
Misty's eyes widened. Who signed her up for this?
"We'll spend two hours in separate groups getting our gifts all done. Then we'll meet up for lunch, and spend the rest of the time getting things for the dance tonight. Understood?"
The group chanted as one: "Yes, ma'am!"
"Good," Alyssa said, stepping down from the podium. "Now, assemble into your groups!"
Misty stood to the right, and Alyssa to the left. Brock and Michelle moved towards Alyssa; Michelle said she needed to get something for her mother, and Brock said he'd get a thousand gifts for parents around the world if it meant he could spend the day at her side. Claire also stepped on the "parents" side, admitting she had nothing so far. Alyssa began telling her she had nothing to worry about.
Tracey and Roxy stepped towards Misty. "We've got everything we need for our parents, just a couple things for our friends."
Last to decide was Ash. He casually sauntered up to Misty's group and joked "I'm pretty sure that I'm the only gift my mother needs every Christmas, right?"
Everyone laughed. They all knew how much Deliah loved her son; it might even actually be true.
Misty was happy that Ash would be joining them, and that Alyssa's knowing eyes would be on the other side of the mall for at least part of the day. Hopefully Tracey and Roxy would be wrapped up in each other enough that she could avoid anyone noticing her blushing or being more awkward than normal.
Both groups agreed on a place to meet. Alyssa gave a few recommendations to Misty and her group on where might be the best places to go for friend gifts, and the two groups parted ways.
"So, just the four of us now," Tracey observed as they started walking in the opposite direction of Alyssa's group.
"Yep," Misty agreed nervously. Ash was oddly quiet.
"How many gifts do you still need?" Roxy asked. "I have to get something for everyone in the group. Except Tracey." She looked over at her boyfriend and gave a wink. "I got his present a while ago."
Ash cleared his throat and looked away, trying not to read into any insinuations in his friends' conversation.
"I just have two," Misty said. "Not too bad."
"I've got one and a half?" Ash said, partly in question. "One, um friend gift," his eyes glanced towards Misty briefly as he spoke. "And something for Pikachu. She's been a little testy recently so I thought I better get her something nice."
They made their way to the store that Alyssa recommended. It was a unique smaller shop with trinkets and gadgets that were all reasonably priced and perfectly appropriate for high school students. There was a section on locker decorations, friendship photo frames, movie paraphernalia, pokemon figurines and stuffies. It looked like the perfect spot to find a little something for the people remaining on their lists.
"Well," Roxy announced. "Since some of the people on my list are here with me" - she eyed Ash and Misty - "I suggest we split up and go to opposite sides of the store." She grabbed two baskets and passed one to Misty. "When we meet in the middle do NOT look in my basket. Oh, and no buying anything for yourself!" With that, she and Tracey turned around and started for the right side of the store, leaving Misty and Ash with the left.
"Is it just me, or are all our friends particularly bossy today?" Ash asked, taking the basket from Misty to hold on to as they made their way to the end of the store.
"I know!" Misty agreed. "I'm surprised I wasn't given a list of things to get for everyone, too. This feels more like a race or competition than just shopping for gifts."
They strolled down each aisle, taking a look at the items on the shelves as they walked. Most of the things were cute, but didn't jump out to Misty as something Ash might like. She thought about his mother and said "I wanted to get something for your mom. You know, as thanks for having me over on Christmas."
Ash nodded. "I'm sure she'd love that, and I'm sure she'd tell you it's not necessary too."
"Do you have any ideas on what I could get her?" she asked.
"Hmm," Ash thought for a moment. He wasn't very good at this sort of thing. Normally he asked his mother what she wanted for Christmas, and he'd already purchased the new dishwashing gloves she'd asked for this year. Besides, he thought maybe Misty was looking for an idea that was a little less… practical.
"She likes flowers," he said. "And cooking. And cleaning."
Misty frowned. "That's only somewhat helpful, Ash."
He grinned, rubbing the back of his head. "Well at least it wasn't completely unhelpful?"
The pair got to the end of the aisle with no success. They didn't see anything that might work as a gift for Deliah or Pikachu. Misty started to head straight ahead into the next aisle when Ash noticed some items on the end cap that caught his attention. Without even really thinking, he reached his arm out and placed it in the small of Misty's back to guide her in the direction he was going.
Misty turned around automatically, acting on impulse as her head was filled with the feeling of Ash's warm hand on her back. She blushed intensely at the action, so casual on his part. They stopped in front of the end cap and Ash said "Look, vases! I'm sure that would be perfect."
He noticed Misty's blush and suddenly realized where his hand was and what he was doing. His eyes widened a little in surprise - he wasn't sure what made him reach out for her like that - but he kept his hand in place. His mind was racing. Is this okay? Is this too much? How much can we do without anyone else noticing?
Now that they were standing still, and now that Ash became less confident in his actions by overthinking them. Misty decided to take the lead and step closer to Ash's side. She could feel the warmth of him pressed up against her side, and she couldn't believe that she was able to blush even harder. Ash's gloved hand slid with her movement to rest more on the side of her hip than her back, and he tightened his grapes slightly to keep her close to him.
Misty looked over the options in front of her. She didn't know Deliah at all, and had only met the woman briefly before they were leaving for their trip. She saw a couple of vases with a Christmas decorative pattern, and she thought that might be the best option. After all, Christmas was more about red and green and metallic colours than it was about personal preference, so she had a better chance of getting something Deliah might like if she stuck to the Christmas motif. Also, it was a Christmas hostess gift, it seemed to be appropriate.
"This one," she announced, before bending down to pick it up. It was a deep forest green with tiny red cranberries randomly placed. The top of the vase was splattered white, as if to give the look of freshly fallen snow on top.
Ash smiled fondly at her. "She'll love it," he said. Misty seemed pleased at his response, and she placed it carefully in the basket he was holding.
Ash kept his hand on her back as they walked through the store, enjoying the feeling of being so close to her. He looked at the shelves as they walked, trying to spot anything that he thought Misty might enjoy. Nothing had stood out to him so far, and he wasn't sure how he was supposed to go about purchasing it anyway if she was right beside him.
Misty was thinking similar thoughts. She'd been looking as they were walking through the aisles, trying to find something Ash might enjoy. She noticed they started to enter a spot where there were several items related to snow and skiing, items designed to attract the attention of the tourists. She spied something out of the corner of her eye and tried not to draw attention to it as they walked past it, hoping he wouldn't spot it. They just turned the corner to walk down the next aisle.
"Can I take a look at that vase again?" Misty asked, reaching out to take the vase out of the basket hanging on Ash's arm.
"Sure," he said. "What's up?"
"I just thought I saw a chip on it in the light back there, one second."
She popped back around the corner and quickly swiped the item she spied earlier from the shelf and carefully deposited it into the bottom of the vase. She walked back to the aisle Ash was still standing in and said "Phew! False alarm. Sorry, I'm just so worried because it's a gift for your mom and I want it to be perfect."
She reached out to take the basket from Ash's arm, continuing "would you mind if I carried it? I'm still feeling a little worried and I think it would help if I kept it with me." Ash didn't really understand why it would matter, but he didn't really care and passed the basket to her, watching as she gently laid the vase into the basket again and held the basket close to her chest protectively.
They continued shopping. Ash didn't put his hand on Misty's back again as they were approaching the middle of the store and he was concerned they'd walk into Tracey and Roxy again soon. Ash still hadn't spotted anything he thought Misty might like.
Misty had added a couple other items to her basket. She already had everything for her other friends, but she realized if it looked like she bought nothing people would get suspicious. So she got a couple trinkets she thought her sisters might like (they were keychain decorations that had glittering water pokemon, it seemed to be right up their alley).
Ash likewise picked up a pokeball display case, saying it might be a nice gift for Professor Oak. Secretly, he was contemplating keeping it for himself, but he wasn't decided yet.
They soon ran into Tracey and Roxy, and they swapped sides of the store before meeting back up at the cash register.
"Don't look!" were the first words out of Roxy's mouth both times they met up.
"We're not looking," Ash groaned. "We weren't looking last time, and we're not looking this time either." The exasperation was strong in his voice.
Roxy got in line and shielded her purchases from anyone behind her, slipping them into the bags quickly and tying them off so no one could see inside.
"She's very secretive, isn't she?" Ash asked Tracey.
Tracey smiled, and Ash instantly recognized the look he felt on his own face. "Yeah," he admitted, though it was as if Ash had just said that Roxy was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen and Travey was agreeing in happiness.
Misty giggled at her infatuated friend. It was cute seeing them so in love. She wondered if she and Ash might have that one day with their friends?
Misty checked out her purchases just as secretly as Roxy, pretending to mimic her exuberance but actually using it to hide the gift for Ash she'd snuck inside the vase. Once everything was wrapped up and sealed inside the bags, she returned to the rest of the group to decide where to go next.
They stopped into a few different shops with little success. They eventually came across a Pokemon accessory store, and Ash was excited to look for something for Pikachu in here. He wandered around with his friends for several minutes before noticing the small Pokemon bed section.
"Perfect!" Ash said, picking a comfortable looking Pikachu-sized bed from the rack. "Pikachu's been super annoying lately just not being able to get comfortable on my bed or on the floor. She's been waking me up a million times at night. I'm sure this new bed will be perfect for her!"
Pleased with his decision, he raced up to the cash register to pay for his purchase.
While he was gone, Roxy said "Hey Misty, I have to go make a special purchase and I don't think the guys should come with me. Care to join?"
Misty was happy to assist her friend, but was curious what she could be getting that required the boys to be somewhere else.
"Sure, I'm happy to help."
"Excellent!" Roxy said. "Tracey, you can wait here for Ash and go finish up whatever else you need to do. Misty and I will head out to one more store and meet you back here in twenty minutes."
Tracey nodded, and Roxy sprinted off, dragging Misty behind her.
"Where are we going?" Misty cried, trying desperately to keep her wrapped vase safe in her arms while she was being pulled along. "And why do we have to go there so fast?"
Roxy slowed her pace and pointed ahead. "There," she said. "I need to get a last minute gift." She smirked when she noticed Misty reading the name of the store. "It's kind of like a combined gift," she said.
Misty's eyes bulged. They were standing in front of a lingerie store. "What do you mean, a combined gift?" she shrieked. "What are you doing that Tracey would be seeing… seeing…" she stuttered, before deciding just to point at one of the mannequins in the window. "That!"
Roxy laughed. "Oh Misty, not all of us are as innocent as you are!" She walked into the store unabashedly, as if it wasn't the first time she entered with such a purpose.
"You mean you're….?"
"No," Roxy clarified. "We're not… um, no, not yet." This time it was Roxy's turn to blush a little. "But we've spent some time together at night sometimes, and I like to wear some nicer pajamas than just my baggy cotton ones!"
Misty signed with relief. She didn't think she could handle shopping for genuine undergarments with her friend, knowing that she was planning to purchase them for Tracey's eyes. "I'm glad," she said. "That it's just pajamas."
She soon learned that her definition of what constituted pajamas was very different than Roxy's. Roxy was browning sets that included light fitted camisoles and silky cropped shorts. Misty tried to imagine herself wearing such a thing around a boy and she felt she might combust from the heat in her cheeks if she didn't stop herself. What was happening to her? She couldn't do anything without blushing today, and she was sure Roxy must have noticed.
"Thinking about Scott?" Roxy asked, teasingly.
"Ugh, no," Misty answered, too honestly. Roxy was a little taken aback. "Oh?" she asked. "Then you're thinking about someone else?"
Crap! Misty thought. "Um, no, I'm just…. Thinking about you and Tracey-"
"OH?" Roxy asked again, eyebrows rising. "Are you now?"
"No!" Misty exclaimed. "That's not what I meant! I, uh - "
Roxy stopped her. "It's ok, Misty. I know you're interested in someone, and it's not Scott."
Misty guled. "You do?"
"Yeah," Roxy said. "I'm not going to speculate on who it is, and if you want to keep it a secret that's your choice. But I hope you manage to tell him, even if you don't tell us. You never know if he might feel the same way."
Misty looked down at the floor again, afraid that if she made eye contact she'd give herself away. "Yeah… I will. I promise."
Pleased with the answer, Roxy continued browsing through the pairs of barely there pajamas, and Misty smiled to herself and thought about Ash without worrying about hiding the blush on her face.
Misty and Roxy soon met back up with Ash and Tracey.
"Find everything you were looking for?" Tracey asked Roxy. Misty's cheeks burned immediately at his interest in Roxy's purchases and she had to look away. God, she hoped this ended soon - she didn't know how anyone existed in a relationship without having permanently red cheeks!
"Yep!" Roxy winked purposefully at both Misty and Tracey. "I think you're going to love it."
"What about you guys?" Misty interjected, hoping to change the topic. "Did you get everything you were looking for?"
"Oh yeah," Tracey said. "We sure did!"
"What were you getting?" Misty asked, realizing she didn't know where they went or who Tracey was looking to buy for.
"Can't say too much," Tracey said, "because the gift is for a special girl I know who happens to be within hearing range right now." He moved closer to Roxy and nudged her. "But I was able to find exactly what I wanted. Even Ash here was able to find something! It's for his mom, but I told him it looks a bit young for her…."
"Hey!" Ash complained. "I'm not talking about your gift, so don't talk about mine!"
"Fine, fine!" Tracey relented, raising his hands in defeat. "No need to be so touchy about it."
Misty laughed at their interaction. It was easy to tell by their banter that they had been friends for a long time. It made her happy that she stumbled across this group and they accepted her so openly, as she didn't have friends like this that she'd known forever.
Misty checked the time and said "it's about time to meet up with Lyss' squadron for lunch."
They made their way to the main food court in the mall and looked around to see if they could spot their friends. It wasn't long before a loud "OVER HERE" caught their attention. Alyssa was waving frantically from a large table, startling some of the people eating their lunches at the tables beside her. They could spot the embarrassment on Claire's face from here as she tried to pull her friend back down and shush her.
Misty and the others made their way over to Alyssa's table and sat down, placing their purchases carefully between their feet on the floor.
"So how'd you do?" Alyssa asked everyone. Somehow it sounded less like a friendly conversation and more like a question on a test. "Get everything you needed?"
Misty gulped. "Yes," she said, nervously. The others agreed quickly.
"Good," Alyssa said. "Me too." She pointed behind her to what seemed like a mountain of bags. Obviously Ms. Bentley's comment about limiting the size of purchases went unheeded by Alyssa.
They decided that someone would stay at the table with their bags while everyone else went out to get their lunch. Claire volunteered to stay behind and everyone else starting scoping out the options.
Eventually everyone decided, and several people went to grab a burger and fries from one of the vendors. Misty decided she wanted something lighter, and opted to try the vegetarian place on the other side of the food court. Ash decided he too was feeling up for vegetarian food and went with her.
They shuffled between people in the crowd, trying to make their way to the other side to line up to order their food. Ash took a quick look around and, seeing that their friends all seemed to be distracted and far away, he decided to swiftly take Misty's hand in his and hold it.
He bent his head a little lower to speak into her ear "Is this ok?". He wasn't sure about what might be ok or not ok when out in public with her. To be honest, he really wasn't sure of anything when he was with her now, he just knew he wanted to be closer to her but didn't want to scare her away.
Misty could feel the warmth of his hand against her palm, and the pressure of his fingers holding hers. It felt comforting and joyful in a way she didn't think it would. His face so close to hers amplified the feeling, and she couldn't help the smile that burst through her lips.
"Yes," she said. "It's, um, more than ok. It's really nice."
He squeezed her hand in acknowledgement and both of them took a step closer to the counter. They stood in silence, just enjoying the feeling of being close and holding hands.
When they got up to the counter they both placed their orders, and Ash swiftly jumped in to offer to pay for both of them.
"Ash, it's ok, you don't have to," Misty began, starting to tug her hand away from his so she could reach into her purse for her money.
He held her hand more firmly to stop her. "I want to," he said. "Please."
Once they'd paid and they were waiting for their food, Ash said "There's not much I can do for you right now, Myst, when we're trying to keep this to ourselves for a bit. I want to hold your hand and buy you lunch and do other boyfriend things as much as I can, so I'm going to take advantage of the times when we're alone enough for me to do it."
She felt like her heart was going to burst. She couldn't have imagined what it would feel like to have Ash speak to her like this. He was still the same sweet Ash he was before all this started, but it was also extremely different. She couldn't remember a time when she felt this important to anyone.
Their food was ready, and Ash offered to carry both of their meals back to the table. He only dropped her hand when they started to come within visual range of their friends. He slid into his seat and smiled at everyone as if he hadn't spent the last several minutes holding her hand, buying her lunch, and whispering into her ear.
Everyone was happily eating their chosen lunch when Claire asked the girls "So, are you ready to play tonight?"
Misty's eyes landed on Claire. "What?"
"Did you forget that we're supposed to play a couple of Christmas carols today?" Claire asked.
Misty very much had forgotten they would be playing Christmas carols, and that she would be singing. It completely slipped her mind - probably because her mind just seemed to be filled with Ash lately.
"Well I'm glad I said something," Claire said. Everyone else at the table seemed to have remembered their obligations for tonight, though. It seemed it was just Misty who was scatterbrained enough to have forgotten.
"I certainly didn't forget when I was lugging my equipment on and off the bus earlier this week," Alyssa grumbled.
They finished their lunches and talked about where to go next.
"Does everyone have their outfits for tonight? Or do you need to pick something up while we're here?"
Brock said he was hoping for some new shoes, Roxy was looking for some more glam makeup, and said maybe he could use a little hair product to help keep his spikes tamed for the evening.
Alyssa looked at Misty pointedly, waiting for her answer.
"I, um, may need a dress?"
"Misty," Alyssa clarified for the rest of the group, "decided it would be a good idea to dress like a middle aged office worker for this dance tonight-"
"-HEY!-"
"-and we've all informed her she needs to get a new dress tonight. So it's our responsibility to find something that she loves so much she won't even think about those awful grey pants back in the room."
Michelle tapped her fingers against each other in an evil bad guy sort of way. "That's assuming I didn't already burn them before I left." She gave a soft "muahaha" at the end. Brock looked at her longingly and said "I love it when you talk about fire like that. It's so… hot."
Everyone laughed, including Misty. Her friends were mocking her for her choice in clothes, but she could feel the love and support behind their comments and knew they just wanted her to look and feel beautiful that night.
"Alright," she sighed. "Let's go get me a dress."
They made their way to the dress store that Alyssa recommended. The group was so large there was no way all of them could fit around the changing room. Besides, Misty already said she wasn't interested in being a fashion show for everyone, so two people could stay but the rest had to busy themselves somewhere else in the shop. Michelle and Claire both offered to assist.
Alyssa and Roxy were still busy moving around the shop and picking some options that might be suited to Misty's taste. Misty frowned at most of them, and vetoed any with necklines that were too plunging or hemlines that were too short.
In the end they settled on a small pile of three dresses in blue, green, and purple. Misty was partial to the blue, but the girls were telling her the green would really set off hair and eyes and be a beautiful Christmas theme.
She went into the change room with all three dresses. She tried the purple one on first, simply because it was the first one she picked up, and looked at herself in the mirror before deciding whether she'd step out.
She felt the dress looked fine. Purple wasn't her favourite colour, but it didn't look bad. She turned from side to side and saw that it was a little big in the waist and tight on the hips, and wasn't sure whether that meant she should consider sizing up or sizing down.
She did eventually step up to performa perfunctory twirl for her small fashion crew. She looked up to see Alyssa and Roxy poking their heads over top of the clothes racks, obviously scoping out Misty's choice while trying to be subtle. She frowned at them, and they gave a sheepish look and pretended they were looking through the clothes on the rack all along.
She also noticed Ash standing behind Alyssa and Roxy. His eyes were on her too, and she wondered what he thought of her in this dress.
Misty turned to Michelle and Claire and without even stopping to ask their opinion announced "I don't like this one. I'm going to try on one of the others." She started walking back into the change room, calling out over her shoulder "And tell the peanut gallery to stop snooping, or I'm not coming out next time!"
She tried the green one next. It fit much better, though she found it sat a little awkwardly at her bust and again felt a little too tight on her hips. She liked the colour much better than the purple, and could definitely see a Christmas vibe from the colour.
She poked her head out of the room and checked to make sure all the others had stepped away.
"You're good," Michelle said, waving Misty out from the change room. Misty stood and did a twirl for them, asking "so what do you think?"
"You look beautiful," Claire said, admiring the way the dress fell around Misty's frame. "The colour is very fitting."
Michelle nodded. "Yes, you will look like a Christmas princess up there on the stage!"
Misty nodded. The dress was quite pretty. It wasn't filled with sparkles and glitter like the dresses she was used to.
"I'll just go try on the last one to make sure," Misty said, and headed back in to try on the blue dress.
As soon as the dress settled on her frame, she gasped. There was something different about this dress. It sat right on her bust, it followed the curve of her waist, and felt fitted but not too snug on her hips. It fell down to her ankles, and she could feel the light material sway around her feet. The dress had wide straps at the top, and the deep blue colour made her eyes sparkle.
She stepped out, cautiously again to make sure the other peeping toms were otherwise engaged, and Michelle and Claire both gasped.
"Oh Mistry, this is the dress!"
"You look so beautiful!"
Misty could tell from their expressions and words that this dress was the clear winner.
She changed back into her normal clothes, picked out some more appropriate shoes with assistance from Alyssa, and headed up to the cash register to pay for her items. Ash was standing near the register pretending to look at some accessories. He'd headed this way after he'd been told he was banished from the other half of the store while Misty was trying on her dresses.
He looked at the dress draped across her arms as she was approaching the register, seeing she'd selected the blue one. He gave her another warm smile and whispered "The blue was my favourite. I can't wait to see you in it."
As the cashier was ringing her up, Misty knew she had made the right choice. Both with the dress colour, and with choosing to share her feelings with the young man who was stealing her heart more and more by the minute.