A/N:
Hey everyone, here's the next chapter! I'm hoping to get all the way to Christmas at the Ketchums before the holiday season is over. I've been really enjoying writing this again and getting to know some of these old characters all over again.
I wanted to write the dance in this chapter too but it was getting a bit too long. The next chapter should take us through dinner, singing and dancing :)
Once Misty selected her dress and found a matching pair of shoes, there wasn't much more that anyone needed at the mall, so they spent the rest of their time casually browsing and laughing at some of the ridiculous novelty items scattered around various stalls in the mall.
Brock and Tracey were loaded with their girlfriends packages, and Alyssa had managed to convince everyone to take one of two of her own bags to make moving a little more manageable. Soon it was time to return to the bus and load their purchases in.
The crew started loading their packages, and they could feel Ms. Bentley's cold eyes staring at them loading Alyssa's large number of bags into the storage area.
"She thinks we all bought this much," Misty complained to Alyssa. "I almost feel like we should go tell her who these really belong to!"
Alyssa scoffed. "Go ahead. I've dealt with worse than her before."
Ms. Bentley cleared her throat loudly and glared at the two girls. Alyssa cowered slightly. "But, um, I don't think you should trouble yourself."
Misty giggled, and the pair made their way onto the bus with the rest of their friends. Misty clutched her packages to her chest, not wanting to leave the fragile vase or risk her dress getting dirty, torn or lost.
For the way back, the girls all decided to sit together so they could talk about what they needed to do for rehearsal for tonight. Michelle, Roxy, Alyssa and Claire took two rows of two, leaving Misty on her own. Tracey and Brock took the two seats behind Misty, leaving the last open seat for Ash.
He cleared his throat lightly and asked "Is this seat taken?" playfully before sitting down, not waiting for an answer.
Misty rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, please, go ahead." She gestured sarcastically for him to take the seat he'd already taken, eyes glittering with mirth.
Ash turned backwards to face the boys, and Misty leaned forward against the seat in front of her to poke her head over to chat with the girls. They talked about what the evening would look like when they got back, discussed the pros and cons of getting ready before rehearsal or after rehearsal, figured out how long they'd have to get ready, and reviewed their set list one last time.
Talk then turned to more musically technical details, like how many amps there would be and whether there would be a mic with Michelle's drums. Misty sank back into her seat, no longer particularly relevant to the conversation. Her musical knowledge was pretty limited, she'd taught herself how to sing and never really took an interest in musical theory or sound engineering.
She peeked at Ash sitting beside her; he was still turned around and talking animatedly with Brock and Tracey. Part of her still couldn't believe that not that long ago they were trapped together in a cave in the middle of one of the worst arguments they'd ever had, and now they were - what were they? Something more than friends.
"Get kicked out of the cool club and had to come back and join us, then?" Tracey asked mockingly, poking his head over the back of Misty's seat in the same way she had been leaning over Claire's a moment before. She tilted her head back to look up at him and mockingly joked "Just because I'm not up there with them doesn't mean I'm back here with you!"
She heard Ash laugh beside her and she watched him turn to sit sideways in his seat to face her, his back facing the aisle. "Just face it, Myst. You're just as cool as the rest of us." He gestured to himself, Brock and Tracey. She crossed her arms across her chest and harrumphed, sticking her nose up in the air in mocking protest.
Ash kept talking to Tracey and Brock, figuring out their own plans for the night and what time they should plan to be ready. They had a little more time than the girls would have, just because they weren't going to be performing tonight. Tracey and Brock were hoping the girls would decide to do their rehearsal earlier so they could escort them down to the party when they were ready.
Ash's face dropped. Was he supposed to do that? Would Misty be expecting him to meet her? Would that be too much or too obvious? He glanced at her for a moment but she seemed lost in her own thoughts. He hoped they could have a few minutes to talk about how tonight was supposed to go before they parted ways to get ready. Maybe he could figure out a way to talk to her now without anyone noticing?
"ATTENTION STUDENTS!"
Ash nearly fell backwards into the aisle, Ms. Bentley's voice startling him so much that he jumped out of his seat.
Everyone could feel the bus slow and start turning as Ms. Bentley continued. "We're almost back to the chalet now. Please make sure to take your belongings" - at this point, she looked deliberately at Alyssa - "from the storage area below and secure them in your rooms."
Ms. Bentley pulled out a folded piece of paper from her pocket and continued "Dinner tonight begins at 6pm. The main lobby is currently closed as it's being set up for the evening dinner and dance. Make sure you're all downstairs ten minutes before to be seated in time."
The students sighed. It was truly amazing how Ms. Bentley could make something as exciting as dinner and a dance sound so scheduled and strict.
The bus pulled into the chalet and everyone stood up, eager to get ready for the events later that night. Ash was thinking about how he might be able to sneak Misty away from everyone else without looking suspicious so they could talk about how they wanted the evening to go. They'd just exited the bus together when he began "Hey, Myst, would you mind-"
"Misty!"
Ash and Misty both turned to see Scott running up to the bus, waving at them. Ash's eyebrows immediately furrowed at the interruption, and he subconsciously stood a little closer to Misty.
"Scott?" Misty asked. "What are you doing here?"
He smiled a broad smile and said "Why, I'm here to escort you, of course!"
Misty's face dropped. "Escort me?" Ash rolled his eyes, and thought there might be some truth to his mother's warnings of his eyes potentially falling out of his head.
Scott chuckled. "Of course. I'm here to escort you and your band to the rehearsal area. Everything's closed off to the students right now, so you'll need someone to help you get through, and I'm that someone!"
By this time, Alyssa and Claire had returned from picking up their items from the bus. Alyssa gave Misty a conspiratorial wink before stating "Oh of course! I'm so happy you were able to spare some time to escort Misty's band to the rehearsal area, we're so grateful!"
Misty chuckled nervously. She knew her friend was just trying to help, thinking that Misty liked Scott and would be happy to spend more time with him. "Erm, ok. Let's go, I guess?"
She turned back to Ash and gave him a small smile. "I'll see you around?"
Ash nodded his head while still glaring at Scott. "Yeah, you will," he confirmed.
"What's going on?" Tracey asked as he and Brock walked back after saying goodbye to their girlfriends. He saw the look on Ash's face and guessed "You see Gary walk by or something?"
"That Scott guy just gives me a bad feeling," Ash answered, shoving his bags over his shoulder and preparing to walk with the guys to get ready for the evening events.
***** flashback ******
Scott was walking down the hallway when he heard a voice calling his name from behind him.
He turned around to see a young woman - she looked about Misty's age, and he assumed she was one of the students here on the trip.
"Hello? Can I help you?" he asked. Maybe she got lost; they were in some of the back hallways used by the staff, not somewhere he'd expect to see one of the students or any guests staying at the chalet,
"Yes, actually." The young woman twirled a lock of her strawberry blonde hair in her fingers as she spoke. "I'm a little worried about one of my classmates, and I was hoping you could help."
"Sure," Scott said, always ready to try to help out where he could. "What's the problem?"
"It's my friend Misty," she said, casting her eyes to the floor. "She's been saying some things that has me a little worried. Not enough to report to the teachers, really, but enough that I'd like to have some more people keeping an eye on her. I've already spoken to her other friends, and I saw that you seemed to be friendly with her, so I thought you might be able to help too."
"Help with what?"
"I've heard her saying things about this guy - I don't know who he is - but he's making her feel uncomfortable. She says she feels weird whenever he's around her, that he's angry and doesn't like it when she spends time with her friends."
Scott thought back to when he rescued Misty from the cave, and the harsh glares he had received from her friend once they were rescued. He could see how that could make someone feel uncomfortable.
The young woman continued "I just thought having another guy watching out for her would help her feel a little better, you know?"
Scott nodded. "I'll try my best. I like Misty, and I don't want to make her feel uncomfortable. If this guy, whoever he is, is making her feel that way, I'll do what I can to stop it."
She smiled, eyes sparkling up at him. "Oh thank you, I'm so happy you're able to help."
"And who should I say this helpful tip came from?" Scott asked.
The girl smiled. "Oh, just say it's from a Christmas angel. I like to stay out of the spotlight."
Scott chuckled, thanked her for the tip, and started thinking about ways he could pull Misty away from this "mysterious guy" throughout the night to give her a little peace, without making it obvious that's what he was doing.
****end flashback******
Sydney watched the girls walk off towards the chalet with Scott, giggling softly to herself. Her plan was working.
She suspected that Ash had feelings for Misty - she'd been with him long enough to read him like a book, and could see it plainly on his face for the past few weeks. When she overheard that Misty and Scott kissed, she thought it would be the perfect way to get back at him for how they both exposed her and Gary earlier in the year.
She knew that she wouldn't be able to just tell him, he'd never believe her. She'd have to show him. And the best way she knew to do that was to convince Scott that he needed to spend a lot more time with Misty that evening to give them as much opportunity as possible for a little romantic moment, at which point she'd convince Ash to stumble upon them and find out their little secret. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he saw it.
Misty, Roxy, Michelle, Claire and Alyssa all followed Scott into the chalet. The girls tried not to look too closely at the decorations so the event later in the evening wouldn't be spoiled, but they couldn't help but see strings of lights and beautiful white tablecloths around the room as they walked through it.
They made their way to the stage behind the curtains, and the girls spotted all their equipment already set up.
"Thank Moltres!" Michelle exclaimed, dropping to the ground beside her very large bass drum and hugging it fondly. "I love you, but you're so heavy for me to carry around!"
"On that note," Scott announced, laughter evident in his voice. "I should get going and leave you ladies to practice."
Alyssa gave him a thumbs up in thanks. "We'll be alright from here. Unless you play?"
He laughed again. "No, believe me, you wouldn't want me any closer than this to your instruments. I'm pretty sure I managed to break my recorder in fourth grade trying to play Mary Had a Little Lamb."
His tone sobered, and he looked at Misty before he left.
"I'll be around if you ever need anything," he said, giving her a wink before closing the door to the rehearsal room.
The room was silent for three seconds before Alyssa approached Misty, stared at her directly, and said in a deep voice "I'll be around if you need…." she dropped her voice here to a more sultry tone "... anything." She waggled her eyebrow up and down suggestively.
Misty roller her eyes. "Be serious, Lyss!"
"I was being serious!" Alyssa exclaimed. "Couldn't you detect the serious tone of my voice?"
The girls laughed at Alyssa's antics.
"I thought it was cute," Michelle said, giving Misty a sympathetic smile.
Roxy rolled her eyes. "That's because you're dating Dependo 3000, of course you would think someone keeping an eye on you all evening is romantic."
Michelle gave a "ba dum tss" on her drums and symbols and smiled sheepishly when the others gave her a look.
"Ok guys, let's stop debating whether that whole exchange was cute or disgusting, and get to rehearsal! Let's start from the top!"
Everyone spent a few minutes warming up, and then went through their set list. It was going to be a small performance, just a handful of Christmas songs to get everyone in the mood. They were happy about that, because no one wanted to be up on stage all night while all their friends were down below having fun and dancing.
Their performance was scheduled for just after dinner, and once they were done a dj would take over and play music for the rest of the night.
Just when they finished their last song on their setlist and were about to pack up, Roxy cleared her throat and said "I'd like to propose a slight change to the set list."
"Really?" Alyssa exclaimed, incredulous. "Why would you ever propose a change to the set list less than" - she checked her watch - "three hours before we're supposed to be playing!"
"Because I don't think the last song is fitting anymore."
"And what, pray tell, is wrong with the last song? It's Christmas music, what does it matter what we play?" Alyssa's voice was strained. As much as she played nonchalant about this whole thing, this band was her baby and she wanted everything to go perfectly. And last minute changes to the plan was not perfect.
"Well, we're supposed to sing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" as our last song-"
"TO WISH EVERYONE A MERRY CHRISTMAS BEFORE WE LEAVE THE STAGE, YES, THAT WAS THE PLAN" Alyssa interrupted, chest heaving.
Roxy continued, unfazed. "-to wish everyone Merry Christmas, yes, yes, BUT…. It's so dreary. We don't want to put everyone to sleep before we get off the stage, do we?"
"But it's a classic!" Alyssa pleaded. "Everyone loves the classics."
"I was just thinking something a little more energetic. Something that might put our fearless leader in the spotlight for her new beau." Here she gestured to Misty, who took a couple of steps back with wide eyes and a shaking head.
"No, no," Misty began. "Don't do anything on my behalf. Besides, I don't have a new beau!"
"Uh huh." "Sure." Right." "Of course you don't" Was the chorus of disbelief from everyone else in the room. Roxy knew from talking to Misty at the mall that there really was nothing going on between her and Scott, but that didn't stop her from thinking there was someone Misty wasn't telling them about who may very well be here tonight.
Suddenly, Alyssa's eyes twinkled in understanding. "You don't mean…?"
"Yes," Roxy confirmed. "I do mean."
"Fine," Alyssa conceded. "But no more changes!"
Misty gulped. With friends like these, she really didn't need enemies.
Ash, Brock and Tracey were all getting ready in the boys rooms, speculating on how the girls rehearsal had gone and whether they were starting to feel anxious before the show.
"I'm happy they decided to rehearse first and then get ready," Brock commented, tugging at his bowtie to make sure it was perfectly straight. "I can't wait to walk down to the dinner with Michelle on my arm."
Tracey just stepped out of the shower, and Ash was currently trying to brush his mess of hair into something resembling order while still in his jeans and tshirt.
"How are you already ready, Brock?" Ash asked, ignoring Brock's conversation topic about potentially meeting the girls before heading down.
"How are you not already ready?" Brock asked. "Have you never worn a suit before?"
"Of course I've worn a suit before," Ash replied, before adding quietly under his breath "... when I was four."
"I wanted to make sure I was ready to meet Michelle whenever she's ready to head down. I don't want to keep her waiting. In fact, I want to make sure I'm waiting outside her door in about five minutes just in case she comes out early. I can't have her thinking even for a second that she needs to go downstairs alone." The seriousness on Brock's face was almost comical, if it wasn't his normal face when speaking about the women in his life. Ash and Tracey weren't quite sure how Michelle was able to put up with it for so long, but they were both happy that their friend finally found someone who appreciated his quirkiness.
Exactly five minutes later, Brock said goodbye to Ash and Tracey and headed to stand outside the door to the girls' rooms, clutching a small rose to his chest.
"Do you know where he got that rose?" Ash asked Tracey.
"No idea," Tracey laughed. They both continued to get dressed up in their suits as they chatted.
Ash's mother packed him something she said would be "appropriate" for a Christmas event like this. This included black dress pants, a powder blue dress shirt, and a black overcoat with a small matching blue fabric napkin in the chest pocket. His hair was as tamed as anyone could expect, with only minimal spikes sticking up and mostly in the back. Tracey was wearing a similar outfit, though he chose a light green shirt and his hair was far more put together than Ash's could ever hope to be.
"So," Tracey began, eyeing Ash in his peripherals while they were both putting the final touches on their outfit. "Roxy told me that apparently Misty has a guy she's interested in."
Ash practiced his poker face while he responded with a simple "Oh?"
"Yeah," Tracey continued, apparently not satisfied with Ash's answer. "The other girls think it's Scott. Apparently they kissed or something the other day." Tracey was now looking directly at Ash as if trying to read into his expression.
"I'm sure they'd make a great couple," Ash gritted out, adding an aggressive tug to his tie.
"Really?" Tracey asked. "You think so? Roxy and I don't. In fact, we were chatting and we think it's actually someone else she's interested in, regardless of any theoretical kiss with Scott."
Ash was silent, wishing Tracey would leave this conversation topic alone before he ended up giving something away accidentally. Did he or Roxy see something while they were shopping? Were they being too obvious? Why was Tracey talking to him about all of this and looking at him like that?
"I'm just saying, I think there's someone better out there for her than Scott, and I hope she finds him." Tracey finished his final preening and put his personal items back in his bag, preparing to head out to stand with Brock waiting for Roxy.
"Yeah, me too," Ash spoke quietly, looking solemnly into the mirror.
"You coming?" Tracey prompted, standing at the doorway and waiting for Ash to follow along.
"Wh-Why would I come with you? I'm not waiting for - I don't have somebody to-"
Tracey gave a small laugh before clarifying. "I just meant for you to wait with us to all go down together. Unless you'd prefer to go all on your own and wait for us downstairs?"
Ash tried to suppress the blush of embarrassment on his face. "Oh, yeah, right. Of course. Yeah, I'll come with you."
Tracey flashed a knowing smile at Ash's back as he closed the door to their room.
Misty stood in the bathroom of the room she and her friends were getting ready in. She looked at herself in the mirror and took a deep, calming breath. She was starting to feel claustrophobic, like it was hard to breathe.
Scott had showed up again at the end of their practice and offered to walk them back to their room. Michelle again thought it was very sweet and a sure sign that Scott was into Misty, and the group made sure to leave the "couple" lots of privacy during their walk.
Misty wasn't sure why Scott kept showing up to escort her everywhere. Was Michelle right? Was this some strange kind of flirting she'd never experienced before? Didn't Scott have more important things to do around the chalet than chaperone a few teenage girls?
She took another breath to calm herself. She was getting worked up trying to figure this out, and what she should be doing is focusing on heading out into the main room with the rest of the girls to figure out what she was going to do with her hair and makeup before getting into her dress.
Ugh, the dress. It was beautiful, and it did seem to fit her nicely, but Misty was still hesitant to go downstairs and especially be on display in front of everyone while she was singing, wearing something so… different.
She squared her shoulders and left the bathroom, and was immediately faced with the chaos of five girls getting ready for a dance in a small room.
"Has anyone seen my lipstick?"
"Where's my brush?"
"Is this bow too much?"
"Tell me, does this hair clip match my dress?"
Makeup, hairbrushes, and accessories were spread on every available surface, far worse than when everyone was taking their clothes out earlier to show each other what they'd be wearing to the dance.
Misty laughed. It was chaotic, but it was nice. It was exactly what she needed to get her mind off of why Scott was acting the way he was. And, in all this chaos, she didn't have a moment to even think about Ash, let alone have to fend off questions about him and try not to blush when his name was mentioned.
Eventually, everyone was able to fix their hair and makeup into something they were happy with. Michelle wore hers long and straightened, with dark smokey makeup around her eyes. Roxy also had her hair straightened and left down, with a clip on the side with a punk star emblem. Her eyelids were bright pink with a dark outline.
Alyssa's look seemed inspired by the sugar plum fairy, with glitter and deep purple shadow on her eyes and shimmering gloss on her lips. Her hair was pulled back with a few tendrils framing her face. Claire opted for a half up, half down hairstyle with a shimmering christmas tree clip and matching earrings. Her makeup was muted compared to the others, with more natural tones and fewer sparkles.
Misty wore her hair down in gentle waves, with a single ocean blue barrette keeping her hair behind her ear on the left side. Her lids were light pink, and her lips sparkled with a small amount of gloss. She wore earrings featuring two little Pikachus wearing tiny santa hats. They were a gift from her sisters years ago and she made an effort to wear them every Christmas.
"Aww, Misty, you look so cute! Those Pika earrings are adorable!" Alyssa held one of the small Pikachus gently in her hand to examine the critters' hats more closely.
"Thanks Lyss. You look amazing, too. All of you do!"
"We're gonna blow them all away when we get up on stage," Claire said. "Beauty, talent - we have it all! Except for boyfriends, for most of us anyway!"
Alyssa snorted indelicately at Claire's joke. "Yeah, well, I guess there aren't any left who are good enough to take on such strong, independent women such as ourselves." She eyed Misty before continuing "Well, except maybe Scott!"
Misty closed her eyes and tried not to react. She was starting to wonder whether it was worth it, keeping her new relationship with Ash a secret, if her friends would just choose to pester her about Scott instead.
Misty was just weighing the benefits of trying to find Ash and convince him to share the news when her thoughts were interrupted by Roxy shouting "Guys! We only have 30 minutes left, and we still aren't dressed!"
There was a flurry of clothing as everyone got out of their regular clothes and helped one another with zips and buttons to get into their formal dresses. Soon everyone was fully dressed and ready to head downstairs to dinner.
Alyssa was first in line as they prepared to leave, and she opened the door to see Brock's eager face staring back at her. She jumped back, startled, before also seeing Tracey and Ash a more reasonable distance down the hallway.
"Aw, guys, were you waiting out here for little old me?" she teased. "You shouldn't have!"
Brock's eyebrow twitched slightly but he said nothing. Alyssa thought she should save everyone the potential explosion if Brock had to wait any longer before seeing his girlfriend.
"Alright, alright - your lovely maidens are behind me."
With that, she passed by all the boys with her light pink sugar plum fairy dress swishing behind her.
Michelle left the room next, nearly bumping into Brock the same way that Alyssa did. Unlike Alyssa, however, Michelle seemed to very much enjoy the fact that Brock was standing outside waiting for her so diligently. She gave him a small peck on the cheek, which caused him to sigh with joy before they headed downstairs. It was still a little odd seeing Brock, who normally had eyes for every girl at an event like this, only have eyes for one girl now.
Tracey walked up the the door next, waiting for Roxy to exit. She rushed out of the room and jumped into Tracey's arms happily. He twirled them both around in the hallway before setting her back on her feet and offering her his arm. "Shall we?" he asked.
"We shall!" she confirmed.
Both of them gave a pointed look towards Ash, who was standing in the same place in the hallway looking at the floor and trying to appear nonchalant while he was waiting for everyone else to come out.
Misty stayed at the end of the line on purpose, not wanting anyone else to be there when Ash saw her in her dress for her first time. She watched anxiously as Claire walked out into the hallway and greeted Ash briefly before following her friends downstairs, assuming that Misty was coming just behind her.
Misty stepped into the doorframe and slowly exited the room, shutting the door behind her softly. She looked up to see Ash standing a few feet away from her. She bit her lip and tried to push away the urge to run back behind the door frame so she wouldn't have to face what Ash was thinking.
It's too much, isn't it? It looks strange. I'm not supposed to be wearing a dress like this, it looks awkward, it-
"You look beautiful," Ash whispered, keeping quiet so they wouldn't be overheard by anyone else who might be making their way down to dinner shortly.
Misty's negative thought process came to a halt with Ash's words. He still stood several feet away from her, but he gave her a small reassuring smile that washed her insecurities away.
"You, um, you look good. Also."
"Hah, thanks," he chuckled. "Feeling a little out of place wearing this, but it seems like it was the right choice."
"Believe me, I know how you feel!" Misty agreed.
Ash stood awkwardly for a moment, contemplating whether he should take her hand or lead her down the steps in some way, until Misty started heading downstairs on her own.
"Coming?" she called back over her shoulder. He quickly scampered down the steps to catch up with her, and stood a respectful distance away from her until they caught up with the rest of their friends.
There was a small line waiting to get into the room where they would be seated for dinner. Alyssa was just telling the others how they got a bit of a sneak peek earlier when Scott had led them through here for their rehearsal, but that she couldn't wait to see it all lit up and ready for them to enter.
It turns out they didn't have to wait long; just a couple of minutes later the large doors opened and the students entered a beautifully decorated Christmas spectacle. There were tables scattered around the room with enough space to seat four people each, dressed with a sparkling white tablecloth and a red candle centrepiece surrounded by green boughs. There were twinkling lights hung on the walls, and a large projection of gently falling snow was reflected off the closed curtains on the main stage. Misty felt butterflies in her stomach thinking about being up on that stage a little later this evening, but she tried pushing them down with all the other unwanted feelings she'd been experiencing today.
"It's beautiful," Claire murmured, and Misty agreed wholeheartedly.
The group continued to shuffle into the room until they were stopped by one of the chalet staff.
"Name, please?" she asked, looking down at a seating chart in front of her.
"I didn't know there was assigned seating for this," Michelle stated. She'd read all the information in the itinerary thoroughly and it seemed like the dance was going to be fairly unstructured compared to the other scheduled events on the trip.
The staff member looked a little frustrated, as if it wasn't the first time she'd had that question so far. "Yes, there's been a last minute change and it's been requested that we assign seats for tonight's dinner."
Ash groaned. It was probably Ms. Bentley, worried that they might have too much fun if they got to choose who they spent their dinner with. "Fine," he said, hoping to get this over with and find out who he would be seated with. "Ash Ketchum."
"Thank you, Mr. Ketchum. You're at table three."
The others gave their names as well, and everyone was assigned a table. Ash, Brock and Michelle were all assigned to table 3, Claire and Alyssa were assigned to table 4, and Misty, Roxy and Tracey were assigned to table 1.
"It's too bad we won't all be able to sit together," Misty lamented.
"Yeah, but at least no one's been left alone at any table, we'll all have someone to talk to!"
Brock chimed in "And it was very nice of them to keep us couples together, right Tracey?"
Tracey nodded. "Yes, that was very convenient."
"I wonder if Ms. Bentley's losing her touch?" Ash thought, causing the others to laugh.
The seat assigner prompted them all to head in and take their seats to let others make their way into the room, so they parted ways to find their tables. Misty and Ash gave each other a quick longing glance before they went in separate directions. She'd forgotten to talk to Ash about potentially coming clean about their relationship to their friends, and now it looked like she wouldn't get a chance until the dance.
Misty managed to take about five steps towards her table when a shadow appeared over her shoulder. She peered up and saw Scott standing beside her, smiling happily. He reached out to take her hand and made a small bow, saying "You look absolutely beautiful tonight, Misty. This dress really suits you." He placed a kiss on her hand before releasing it.
Misty pulled her hand back quickly, spluttering an awkward "thank you" while trying to put a fake smile on her face. Scott was dressed in a suit just like many of the other young men attending tonight; he didn't look like part of the staff here to work for the evening. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "I thought this event was for the students?"
Scott smiled. "I managed to convince some of the staff that it would be nice to take some time to relax for Christmas as well, so we're having a pretty casual night. I thought I'd sit and grab a bite of dinner as well. Looks like they managed to find an empty seat for me at table one."
Misty's face blanched. "Oh, you did? How lucky."
"Lucky?" Scott asked.
Misty gulped. "That's my table."
Scott gave her another smile, his eyes tracing over her face and down her dress. "Yes," he agreed. "I guess it was lucky."
Roxy interrupted them when she accidentally tripped over a chair leg, nearly falling to the ground before being saved by Tracey. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she gushed. "I'm so clumsy." She stood up and straightened her dress, making a show of holding on to Tracey for balance. "Let's get to our seats before I knock something over, shall we?"
Misty nodded in agreement and hastily marched over to their table. She picked the closest chair and sat down, feeling those flutters in her stomach come back with a vengeance. Suddenly her feelings of uneasiness weren't just related to her performing on stage later.