Misty, Tracey, and Roxy all sat at their table, sipping from the glasses of water that were provided at each of their seats. Scott took the last seat beside Misty facing the wall, while Tracey and Roxy looked out at the rest of the students sitting at their tables.
"So how did you manage to snag a table with us, Scott?" Tracey asked, eyebrow raised slightly in suspicion. He didn't quite believe that this was just the luck of the draw, especially after his eagerness to escort the girls to their rehearsal earlier.
"Oh, well, there were a couple of empty seats at a few of the tables, but I was able to convince your dear teacher Ms. Bentley that 1 was my favourite number, and she gave me a seat at this table. Besides, I wanted to relax this evening, and it's easier to do that if I get to look at the wall instead of all the people out on the floor."
He turned to Misty and asked "How did your practice go earlier? I had to run a few errands to get ready for this evening, so I wasn't able to stick around and listen."
Misty thought it was a little strange that he'd considered sticking around to listen to their rehearsal, but she supposed it might have been an interesting change of pace from some of Scott's normal responsibilities. "It was great," she said, smiling. Thinking back on singing with the girls all playing their instruments genuinely made her happy.
Roxy added "we made a few last minute changes to the set list, but I think it's an improvement and everyone will like it!"
"I"m glad to hear that," Scott said.
Before conversation could go much further, a few servers started bringing out salad plates to everyone and the dinner had officially started. A bottle of festive sparkling water was placed in the middle of the table, and Scott graciously filled everyone's glasses as they prepared to eat their first course.
"This is delicious," Tracey proclaimed. "No, seriously, I don't normally like salad, but this is actually good!"
"I'm sure Lisa would be happy to hear that." Scott added. "She's the head cook tonight, and she came up with this menu specifically for you guys. I'm glad you like it!"
Misty didn't think the salad was particularly special, but it was good, and she didn't want to lessen Scott's obvious pride in his chef friend. She kept her opinion to herself and continued munching on her first course.
Once they were done and set their forks down, conversation started up again as they sipped on their drinks, waiting for the staff to take away their dishes so they could start the next course. Tracey slipped his arm behind Roxy and rested it on her chair, and unbeknownst to Misty, Scott did the same with her.
Several tables over, Ash was glaring a hole through Scott's arm. He stabbed each piece of lettuce on his plate and aggressively shoved it into his mouth, chewing purposefully.
"What'd that salad ever do to you?" Brock asked. He had planned on spending the evening looking at and admiring his beautiful girlfriend, but Ash's angry chewing broke even his concentration.
"What?" Ash asked, looking at Brock confusedly and breaking his glare at the other table. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you've been…" Brock was trying to think of an appropriate way to describe the manner in which Ash had been torturing his salad when Michelle jumped in with "You've been stabbing that salad like it murdered your Pikachu, Ash. What's up?"
"Nothing." Ash's answer was stronger than it needed to be. He seemed to realize this, and he softened his tone lightly while he racked his brain for a viable excuse. "It's just, I'm feeling a little…. Anxious about tomorrow."
There, that should satisfy them, he thought. He and Gary were set to race each other tomorrow before everyone packed up their things to head home in the early afternoon. Honestly Ash hadn't thought much of the race until now, but it seemed like a reasonable excuse to be feeling a little less jovial than normal.
Michelle nodded, accepting Ash's answer. Brock, however, looked at his friend more closely. Having had extensive experience feeling all sorts of emotions as a direct result of his relationships with girls, Brock could recognize the look on his friend's face, and knew it was more that just the race tomorrow. It had to have something to do with a girl somehow.
Brock looked up in the direction he remembered Ash facing while he was angrily stabbing his food, and his eyes landed squarely on the table with Tracey, Roxy, Scott, and …. Misty. In particular, Scott's arm draped casually across Misty's chair.
He smirked to himself. He had suspected for quite a while that something was going on between the two of them, but that they were both too stubborn to ever do anything about it. Ash's increased fury at the table's seating arrangement confirmed that he at least was finally recognizing his feelings.
Maybe.
"So, tomorrow," Brock continued, trying to figure out if his suspicion was correct. "Don't think you're going to win?"
"Of course I'm going to win," Ash scoffed, setting his fork down onto his empty plate. "You think I'd lose to someone like Gary?"
Michelle looked at him suspiciously. Brock was suspecting his girlfriend also noticed Ash's feelings might be going beyond nerves for tomorrow's race. "If you're so sure you'll win, why are you so tense?"
"Because, well - obviously, I mean - nothing's guaranteed, really…" Ash trailed off, hoping his explanation would be enough for his friends.
Brock and Michelle dropped the subject, but not for Ash's benefit. They'd both confirmed their suspicions (Brock's a little stronger than Michelle's at this point) and were happy to leave it alone for now.
The next course was served, and both Brock and Michelle remained silent as Ash continued to glower at the other table while savagely cutting his chicken up into tiny pieces.
"Something weird is happening."
"Oh?" Claire looked at Alyssa questioningly, holding her fork containing a small piece of carrot just in front of her mouth. She popped it into her mouth while waiting for Alyssa's response.
"Yes. I don't know what it is, but something's been off with those two ever since the whole cave thing."
Claire nodded. "Yeah, I've noticed. I assumed Misty's just feeling a little nervous around Scott. She's not really used to having guys like her, is she?"
Alyssa agreed hesitantly. "Yeah, but it feels like it's more than that. And if it was just that she was feeling awkward around Scott, why does Ash look like he's about to cut a hole through his plate?"
Claire and Alyssa both sat at a table in between the other two tables where their friends were seated, giving them an excellent view of both sides. They saw the way that Ash was cutting into his main course and looking like he wanted to set something on fire with his eyes. They could also see Scott's casual arm placement behind Misty's chair, and her slightly stilted laughs and subtle shifting away from Scott when he got too close.
"You think Ash is jealous?" Claire speculated.
"I mean, it makes sense, doesn't it? They're such close friends, and of course Misty is beautiful, how could he not notice?"
Claire nodded.
"And you think Misty doesn't know?"
Alyssa laughed. "You think Ash would tell her? He's never approached a girl in his life, they always come to him! Not likely."
"And obviously Misty, as wonderful as she is, can be a little… unobservant when it comes to these things," Claire noted. "I'm still not quite convinced she thinks Scott is into her even after he kissed her."
"OH! Do you think that's what sparked Ash's recent jealous streak?" Alyssa was bouncing on her seat in excitement. "Oooh, a love triangle, what a great way to end off the whole vacation!"
Claire frowned slightly. "You do know that these are our friends you're talking about, right Lyss? I don't know how happy they would be to find out you're secretly rooting for some drama between them."
"I don't care," Alyssa stated, crossing her arms in mock anger. "My love life has been so dry for so long, I need to live vicariously through the drama of others! I say bring it on!" She winked at Claire to show she was joking. Well, mostly.
The two other people seated at their table - a lovely couple from another class that Alyssa had already forgotten the names of - looked at Alyssa and Claire alarmingly before the girl awkwardly said "You two seem like great friends."
Even though it was said in a hesitant voice and obviously the girl who said it wasn't completely sure of its veracity, Alyssa nodded firmly and reiterated "The BEST."
Misty was enjoying her dessert - a lovely strawberry cheesecake with a mint leaf on top - when one of the chalet staff approached their table and announced it was time for the girls to leave to get ready for their performance.
She and Roxy both dabbed their lips with their napkin before excusing themselves and standing up from the table.
"Sorry boys, but duty calls!" Roxy winked, pushing her chair in and giving Tracey a peck on the cheek before straightening. Misty laughed; they were adorable, and she admired how comfortable they were around each other.
"Yes, my apologies Tracey," Scott said, also standing. "I'll be escorting these lovely ladies behind the scenes to make sure they get to the right stage entrance."
"Oh, you don't have to do that, Scott," Misty protested. "Really, we'll be fine. We were just there earlier today, I'm sure we'll remember what door it is." She gave a small laugh at the end of her sentence.
"Not to worry, it's my pleasure," Scott said. "Just think of me as your bouncer, fending off the press and getting you to the show on time. Every band needs a little protection, right?"
"We normally have that covered with Michelle and her drumsticks," Roxy added before starting to walk towards the stage. "Come on then, bouncer. I think you're supposed to be leading the way."
Scott placed his arm at the small of Misty's back to guide her, and Misty blushed immediately at the memory of Ash doing the same earlier that day at the shopping mall. He guided her between a couple more tables before they closed in on the stage. There they saw Michelle, Alyssa and Claire already standing by the door waiting for them.
"So what, they didn't need any special assistance to get here?" Roxy asked, hands on her hips while looking at Scott.
He gave a large infectious smile before answering "Our table was the farthest away. Besides, you said something about drumsticks and physical violence, so I thought they'd be fine."
"I never said anything about physical violence," Roxy clarified to the rest of the group. "Just heavily implied."
They laughed, and opened the door that led to the stage so they could get ready for the curtain to open. Michelle led the way in, with the other girls following in short order.
Misty was last to enter when Scott said "Hey Misty,"
She turned around to look at him. "Yes?"
"Good luck." He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
Misty was shocked into silence. She wanted to say something like "I can't do this with you", "I don't like you like that", "I'm actually seeing someone". But all that she managed to get out was a squeaky "thanks!" before running into the stage room and shutting the side door.
She leaned against the door for a moment, breathing deeply and trying to rid the blush from her cheeks. This time it was from embarrassment more than anything, and guilt for not speaking up outside when she should have.
"You ok?" Roxy asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's get started."
Roxy gave her a disbelieving look, but let it go. They needed to get to work if they wanted to raise the curtain in a few minutes.
Ash's glare narrowed even further when he saw Scott place his hand on Misty's back. Brock noticed immediately, but thought it might be safer to not engage Ash just yet until he'd had a minute to calm down.
Ash made a small noise in the back of his throat. Did he just… growl? Brock thought. This must be bad,
Once the girls were out of sight at the other end of the tables, Brock tried approaching Ash again.
"Ash, are you sure you're alright? You can talk to me, you know."
"Yeah," Tracey agreed, plunking down in Michelle's empty seat beside Brock. "We're here if you need to uh, you know - share anything."
"No, I'm fine, really, I-" Ask cut himself off, standing up abruptly and heading towards where the girls disappeared with Scott a moment ago. "I just need to take care of something."
Brock and Tracey watched as Ash stomped across the floor in between the tables and headed directly towards the hallway leading to the stage.
"Well," Tracey began, "I hope this ends well."
"Me too."
They raised their glasses and clinked them together before turning around in their seats to prepare to watch the show. They just hoped the performance would not be featuring Ash.
Ash rounded the corner, thinking in his head about what he was going to say to Scott when he got closer. He stopped when he noticed Scott and Misty both standing in the hallway, and he pushed himself back flush against the wall to stay out of sight. He watched them out of the corner of his eye, and saw Scott lean in to press a kiss against Misty's cheek. He saw her jump back, saw the blush staining her cheeks, saw her lips move as she spoke, but he was too far away to hear what she said.
His anger soared. He couldn't believe this was happening. As soon as Misty stepped inside and closed the door, Ash stood away from the wall and held himself tall, waiting for Scott to approach.
When Scott took a few steps and noticed Ash blocking his way, he muttered a brief "Excuse me" and tried to pass by. Ash stood taller and refused to let him through.
"Hold on a minute, Scott." Scott's name dripped like acid out of Ash's mouth.
"Yes, Ash?" Scott's tone mimicked Ash's.
"I want to know why you've been following Misty and the others around like a lost little puppy this evening."
"I haven't been following her around," Scott corrected. "We've been enjoying each other's company."
"Yeah, well, I think unless your company is requested you should back off a little. Give everyone some breathing room."
Scott smirked. "Why, are you upset that you aren't able to get to her while I'm around?"
Ash was confused. "Get to her? What does that mean?"
"You know exactly what it means, Ash. We both know you're the one who has her friends worried enough to ask for my help to watch over her."
Ash was shocked. His friends asked Scott to watch over Misty, because of him? What did he do? Was everything too much at the mall earlier today? He knew he should've talked to her more about how quickly they would take things.
Scott took Ash's moment of silence and pushed past him, muttering a "see you around" as he left. After another moment, Ash also turned around and headed back to his seat.
Further down the hallway hidden in the shadows, Sydney laughed lightly to herself. This evening was turning out to be interesting after all.
Ash went back to the table with Tracey and Brock, shoulders hunched in defeat.
Huh, Brock thought, that's not exactly the outcome I was expecting from this.
"So, did you take care of whatever you needed to take care of?" Tracey asked.
"Erm, kind of," Ash conceded. Remembering his friends' offer to talk to them, he decided to jump in and ask "Did either of you guys ask Scott to watch over the girls tonight?"
"No," Tracey and Brock said together, brows furrowed. "Why would we do that?"
"Yeah," Tracey continued, "It's not like they haven't proven time and time again that they can all take care of themselves."
Brock elaborated, "If anything, we should have asked him to watch over us to protect us from Michelle's drumsticks, Roxy's shoes, Misty's mallet… the list goes on."
Ash gave a wry chuckle. "Yeah, sorry, dumb to ask."
"Did you talk to Scott? Did he say anything?"
Ash wasn't prepared to share this just yet. He decided to wait until he had a chance to speak with the other girls to see if any of them had made the special request, and to find out why. He was hesitant to approach Misty until he found out what exactly he was doing that made her think she needed to be protected from him tonight.
Thankfully he was saved from needing to continue when the lights darkened and a booming voice could be heard over the speakers in the room.
"I'm pleased to announce our special live music component for this evening! Please welcome to the stage Claire, Roxy" - Tracey whooped - "Michelle" - Brock did the same - "Alyssa, and Misty!"
Ash was cheering for her in his head, but stayed quiet outside.
The curtains lifted, and the girls immediately jumped into their first song. The familiar notes of Jingle Bell Rock floated out over the tables and everyone clapped along excitedly.
It felt like the room went silent when Misty's voice started the first verse. In reality the music was just as loud and boisterous as it began, but Ash's vision narrowed to include only the girl in the blue dress on the stage.
Her voice rang clear and crisp over the audience. If someone looked closely they would find signs of anxiousness on her face - the slight warble in her notes when she first started, the tremble in her hand as she delicately held the microphone, and the small shakiness to her steps as she moved across the stage.
Misty started focusing on herself and her performance and ignoring the faces of those in the crowd. She tried to channel the calm and poise her sisters possessed during every show they put on when they were younger. She didn't think she was quite able to get it, but it was the best attempt she could give.
The notes rang true just as she'd practiced, and the familiar sounds of the girls playing behind her helped boost her confidence as well. Alyssa gave her a wink as they passed each other on the stage, and when Misty turned in a circle for a little excitement, she saw Michelle do the same from her drum set.
The song came to an end, and there was a massive cheer from the crowd. Misty wiped her brow and gave a warm smile. It was exhilarating, being up here on stage with everyone watching her, for once feeling like the star of the show rather than just her sisters.
Michelle counted them in to their next song, and they continued with the same energy and excitement as the first. Sounds of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" filled the room. People were tapping their toes and nodding their heads to the beat.
A couple even got up from their table and started dancing behind their chairs, too eager to wait for the dance floor to open up properly.
Scott was standing off to the side of the stage, staring at Misty as she performed. Once she caught sight of him; he gave a thumbs up, and she returned it with a smile.
Ash glowered again. Tracey and Brock noticed immediately. Ash then switched his gaze to Misty instead, face softening. He wasn't sure what he did that might've caused her to want to put distance between them, but he hoped watching her perform and giving a look of encouragement was still within the realm of acceptable.
The song ended before everyone was ready. The couple who stood to dance were catching their breaths as they slumped back into their seats.
Even from his seat in the audience, Ash could feel Misty's demeanour change on the stage. Her upper body stiffened, she was biting her lower lip, and her eyes were darting to her bandmates as if looking for confidence from them.
Her eyes met his, and he gave her a meaningful look meant to show calmness and pride. Whatever it was she was worried about, he knew she could do it. He knew she would be perfect. She gave him a large warm smile in return, and Ash thought he could see her visibly relax slightly.
"Now for the last live song of the evening!" The announcer's voice rang out loudly over the audience. There were some boos for this part of the night being over so quicly. A student's voice could be heard above the booing saying "Come on now, guys, we gotta let them come down and have some fun too! Where's your Christmas spirit?"
There was a round of laughter around the audience, but it quieted down quickly when Alyssa strummed a couple notes on her guitar.
"Thanks everyone," Alyssa said into her microphone. "We've changed up out set list for a special someone in the audience tonight, so we hope you like it!" She gave a wink out in the general direction of the crowd.
Before Misty even had a chance to blush (which was surprising, considering how good she was getting at it), the band started up the music and Misty prepared to sing her last song of the night.
"I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need"
Ash couldn't believe how amazing Misty's voice sounded singing this song. Her eyes danced around the room as she sang, and he could swear she was singing directly to him when their eyes met.
By the time she reached the chorus, her eyes had met his again.
"I just want you for my own,
More than you could ever know.
Make my wish come true,
All I want for Christmas is you"
By this time, Scott had moved from his position beside the stage to get a better view of Misty as she was singing, and he ended up sitting at a table directly between Ash and the stage, making Misty's gaze appear to be in his direction as well. Ash wasn't sure if the meaning behind their eye contact was really there, or if it was all in his imagination.
The crowd cheered as Misty managed to hit the high notes in the last half of the song. She hardly seemed to notice as she kept pressing on, sweat glistening on her forehead and a large smile on her face,
The song ended, and there was another loud round of applause from the audience. This time Ash joined in wholeheartedly, clapping and cheering.
The band gave one last bow, and Alyssa managed to get out a "Good night, everyone!" before the curtains closed and the performance was over.
"Oh. My. God." Claire looked at Misty, astounded. "That was amazing! You were amazing!"
Misty laughed. "We were amazing! Seriously, you guys rocked it, they all loved it out there!"
The girls all rushed together for a group hug, twirling and dancing as they did. "Who needs school? We should just all start a real band together and see how far we get." Alyssa was giddy with how well the performance went.
"I knew you'd be able to pull off those high notes," Roxy whispered to Misty. "You killed it."
They heard the announcer's voice through the curtains saying that the dance portion of the evening was about to start, and asking everyone to make their way to the dance floor. The girls took a few more minutes to freshen themselves up before they were ready to leave the stage and head back out to join the rest.
Scott was waiting for them outside, of course.
"Fancy seeing you here," Alyssa commented, raising an eyebrow at him before she started heading through the door. "Here to chaperone us for the dance?"
He laughed. "No, of course not. I'd be a terrible chaperone. I was hoping, though, that you ladies would give me the honour of leading you out to the dance floor. Where you can proceed to have wholly unsupervised fun."
"Sounds like a plan," Claire agreed, also walking past Scott and into the hallway. "I"m so ready to dance."
The rest of the group filed out of the stage room and into the hallway, starting to follow the sound of music to where the dance was starting.
"You were fantastic up there tonight, Misty. I had no idea you could sing like that." Scott was walking beside Misty down the hallway, with the other girls ahead of them. His arm was again on her back, gently guiding her.
"Oh, um… my sisters are all performers. They're all better than me, but I would try to sing with them sometimes to practice. I'm glad everyone seemed to enjoy it."
"I don't know about your sisters being better than you. But I"m glad you had this opportunity and that I had a chance to be here for it. Honestly it's a pretty great Christmas present, to get to know the singer for an apparently awesome band!"
They got to the dance floor where the other students were starting to move to the music. Scott removed his hand from Misty's back and said "There now, delivered as promised." He turned, and to Alyssa he said "Now to head to the other side of the dance floor for a bit to make sure I keep my promise of not chaperoning you. I trust you'll all take care of one another from this point on."
Michelle and Roxy were eager to meet up with their boyfriends after their performance, so the group set off to look for the guys as soon as Scott left. It didn't take long for Misty to find Brock frantically waving his hand above the crowd trying to get their attention, and they walked over to meet him. Of course Tracey and Ash were with him.
Brock immediately took hold of Michelle's hands and said "Oh, my beautiful Michelle, you were absolutely fantastic up there! Every beat of your drum was reflected in the beat of my heart."
Like always, the rest of the group rolled their eyes while Michelle soaked up all the attention.
Tracey and Ash both delivered their compliments a little more equally, telling all the girls how great they were and how much the crowd loved them. After a few minutes, Alyssa said she needed a drink after all that hard work and offered to get one for everyone. They all nodded in appreciation, and Ash added "I'll come with you to help carry them."
They walked over to the bar where drinks were being served. Of course because they were underage they weren't being served alcoholic beverages, but the bar still had several festive non-alcoholic drinks for them to partake in. Alyssa ordered a couple of waters, some cranberry flavoured mocktails that she thought looked delicious, and some sparkling water with lime.
While they were waiting for their drinks to be prepared, Alyssa turned to Ash and said "Ok, out with it."
"Out with what?" Ash asked. "Why does everyone think something's up with me today?"
"Maybe because something is up with you! I've seen the way you've been glaring at Scott today every time he's spoken with Misty. What's up with that?"
Ash couldn't help his brown drawing together again in a glare at the mention of Scott's name. "He's been hovering, and I want to know why."
"Um, probably because he likes her?" Alyssa started collecting the waters that were all poured to make space for the sparkling waters that were next on the list.
"I talked to him, you know." Ash was speaking more quietly now, some of the anger gone from his voice and replaced with melancholy. "He said one of Misty's friends asked him to watch over her. Said she needed protection from someone." Implied it was me, were the words Ash thought but didn't voice out loud.
"Who said that?" Now Alyssa's eyes were narrowed, though her glare was misdirected at the sparkling waters in her hand rather than whoever it was actually intended for.
"I don't know. I was hoping it was you, or Roxy or one of the other girls. You're the only ones I know that are close enough to Misty to want to help protect her from someone."
"Well it certainly wasn't me," Alyssa clarified while thanking the bartender and starting to pick up some of the drinks. She continued as Ash came to collect the drinks she couldn't carry. "And I would be very surprised if any of the others did it either. Do you think Misty would appreciate one of us asking for a - a - a knight in shining armour to swoop in and protect her from, what, Gary? Sydney?"
Something clicked in Ash's head. Sydney? Could it be? His thoughts were spinning as he walked with Alyssa back to the group.
Brock, Tracey, and the girls were standing together waiting for Ash and Alyssa to return with their drinks. They were chatting and moving with the music, everyone enjoying the company of their friends.
Suddenly the music changed tempos to something slower and softer. Misty watched as Brock and Michelle and Tracey and Roxy immediately went to one another to start an intimate dance, swaying slowly in each other's arms. Claire and Misty both smiled, happy for their friends, and happy to have a break from the dancing until their drinks arrived.
Misty took this moment to think about the last dance she attended, and the slow dance that happened there. She recalled Ash asking her to dance with him mere minutes after they had finally forgiven each other, and her telling him no because she was saving her first dance.
She sighed. She had been saving her first kiss, too, and that obviously went exactly according to plan.
She was so lost in thought she didn't notice Scott approaching her until he was right beside her saying "I can't believe a girl as lovely as you are all alone for the first slow dance of the night!"
She startled slightly. Claire had disappeared for the moment, possibly to run to the ladies' room, and Ash and Alyssa still weren't back with their drinks. It was just her and Scott.
"Oh! Well, I'm fine actually. I'd prefer to sit this one out and have a drink. Still catching my breath after those songs we performed earlier."
"Of course," he said. "I understand." He looked out to where the other couples were dancing, most of them with one partner laying their head on the other. "Looks pretty restful out there, though, doesn't it?"
Misty wasn't sure what to say. Yes, of course, dancing like that with the right partner would be lovely and everything she needed to help calm down after the adrenaline rush of the performance. But she didn't want to dance with Scott.
She was just about to tell him so when she heard an angry "Okay, this is enough!" from behind her. She turned to see Ash depositing his drinks on a nearby table and stomping his way over to Misty and Scott.
"Ash," Scott greeted, looking down his nose at the younger boy.
"I don't think Misty would like to dance with you."
Scott looked at him questioningly. "Really? Why, do you imagine she's been waiting to dance with you?" he snarled.
Ash puffed his chest up to look more intimidating as he answered "Yeah, Scott, I think she has been."
The rest of the group were watching the scene unfold, unsure of when they should step in to try to break things up.
"Oh, and I suppose that's why she decided to kiss me, then? Because she's been waiting to dance with you?" Scott taunted. Ash growled deep in his throat and started moving closer towards Scott before Misty interrupted.
"Stop it!" she yelled, pushing them apart. "Stop it both of you!"
They quieted.
"As I remember it, you were the one who kissed me," Misty glared at Scott, all the suppressed anger from his hovering earlier and throughout the day finally hitting her full force. "And I can't say I'm partially interested in dancing with either of you when you choose to talk about me like I"m not even here!"
They both looked appropriately chastised.
Misty sighed heavily and then announced "I need some air". She walked past both Ash and Scott and headed for the nearest exit to spend some time in the cool air outside.
"Misty, wait!" Ash started running after her, getting caught between dancing couples in the crowd. He continued on until he finally reached the door she left through.
Scott started to head after them as well before he felt Michelle and Roxy's hands on his arms.
"I think you should stay here."
"Yeah, I think we have a few things to chat about."
Misty made her way outside in the cold falling snow, breathing the cool air into her lungs and exhaling deeply. She tried to let go of the feeling of being overwhelmed, and focused on calming herself down. She felt her heart rate begin to slow when she heard the door behind her fly open and watched as Ash came running out.
"Misty," he began, slowing down as he approached her. He gave her a wide berth, and she was glad he didn't get too close as she was still working through her emotions. She rubbed her temples slowly, thinking about how to answer.
"I'm sorry." Ash interrupted her thoughts with his apology.
Misty stopped. She wasn't exactly expecting an apology.
"I'm sorry for how I acted just then, and making you feel like you needed to run away. I know it looked like I was coming in to save you, but I wasn't, I promise. I think we both know that you of all people don't exactly need saving."
Misty smiled slightly at that. It was true; she did consider herself pretty self sufficient most of the time.
"I just-" Ash took his hands and ran them through his hair, ruining the small amount of control he was able to get over his hair earlier in the evening. "I was tired of seeing him hovering around you constantly."
Misty scoffed "You and me, both."
"And I was done watching him look like he had some sort of claim over you or something."
She could hear the notes of what she thought was jealousy ringing in his words, which was surprising. She wasn't used to having one boy like her, let alone one being jealous about another guy's attention.
Sensing that she had calmed down a little now, Ash started walking a little closer to Misty until he was close enough to take her hands into his. They stayed there for a few moments, enjoying the feeling of each other's warm hands in the cool evening air.
"I was, you know," Misty said. At Ash's confused look, she continued. "Waiting to dance with you."
Ash smirked lightly. "Ah, see, I knew it. Shows just how much Scott knows."
Misty playfully hit him on the shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around her partially for a sweet hug, and partially to restrain her for any more hits. They could hear the music from inside gently floating from the doors, and without being aware they started swaying slowly to the music.
"So, does this count as your first dance?" Ash asked as they continued to move around in slow circles. Misty blushed in answer and laid her forehead against Ash's chest. Her arms were wrapped around his waist returning the hybrid dance / hug.
"...yeah, I think it does."
Ash smiled and pulled her in a little closer.
"Hey Myst?" he asked after another minute. "About us, and our friends - did you maybe want to-"
"-tell them immediately because it's so not worth it anymore? Yes please."
"I was thinking more along the lines of shoving it in Scott's face in the middle of the dance, but I guess your idea is ok too."
She shoved him again before taking his hand and leading him back into the room. "Come on, then. We've got some news to share."
Michelle and Roxy finally finished questioning Scott and let him go back to his duties for the evening. Scott had told them about his interaction with Sydney (though he didn't use her name, because he didn't know it), and how he assumed the person she was talking about was Ash just based on how awkward the pair seemed to be when he rescued them the other day.
The girls suspected they knew who the helpful informant was. They told Scott quite plainly that Misty was able to take care of herself, and in the even that she wasn't, she had several very capable female friends who would help her out. Scott had gulped at the threatening sound in their voices during this part of the interrogation, and quickly reminded them that he did have some things he was responsible for tonight and that people would be waiting for him and suspicious if he didn't show.
Feeling that their point had been made, they let him go.
"Sydney?" Michelle said to Roxy, guessing at the person in Scott's story.
"It must be," Roxy agreed. "Who else would want to stir up trouble for Misty like that?"
Michelle nodded.
"Someone will have to let Ash know. Poor guy's been thinking it's true and we were the ones who asked Scott to help out." Alyssa had joined the other girls shortly after Misty and Ash had left, and was present for most of Scott's interrogation.
"On second thought," Claire noted, "that might not be necessary."
"What do you mean?" Alyssa asked, confused. Claire pointed just ahead of them where Ash and Misty were walking through the crowded dance floor and making their way over to the group. Tracey and Brock had also joined by this point, but stayed quite a bit farther back from their significant others while they were glaring daggers into Scott.
As Ash and Misty got closer, everyone could see that their hands were clearly joined and they were walking close together.
"Hey guys, we have something to-" Misty began to tell her friends the news, but was interrupted by a loud
"I KNEW IT!"
A chorus of agreement and nodding followed Roxy's outburst. Normally one of the more quiet and reserved members of the group, it was strange to see her so passionate about having suspected this secret.
She elaborated a little more for everyone. "I knew you two had been acting funny ever since the whole cave thing. While everyone else thought it was Scott who had Misty all riled up, I saw that she wasn't the only one acting strangely."
"But, we didn't even say we were-" Now Ash's attempt at explaining was cut off.
"Were what? Dating? Seeing each other? Having a little exclusive fun behind closed doors?" Michelle's increasingly explicit descriptions made Misty blush and the other girls laugh.
"Ugh!" Ash exclaimed. "What was even the point? Can't we have just one thing to ourselves?" His frustration was mostly in jest; he knew his friends were just happy for them both and were expressing it in the way they knew best - by gently poking fun at them.
"Well you can keep one thing to yourselves, if you know what I mean." Michelle waggled an eyebrow at them suggestively.
"You have been spending way too much time with Brock," Alyssa observed, reigning her friend in.
Misty visibly slumped in relief, happy to no longer need to pretend with her friends and seeming to get only a minimal questioning. She regained a little of her anxiety when Alyssa leaned over to her and whispered "Don't worry, there'll be plenty of time for questions later tonight, or tomorrow, or the next day…." The glint in her eyes told Misty that Alyssa was going to very much enjoy getting all the details on how this happened. She gulped, and squeezed Ash's hand a little tighter.
It was nice being able to hold hands in public now, not feeling like they needed to hide it from their friends. Misty questioned why she thought it was a good idea in the first place. She supposed the thought of having to defend this new relationship to her friends (especially if they weren't supportive) just before their performance seemed too overwhelming, and it was probably a good idea she didn't take that risk earlier.
Ash tugged her hand towards him and stood a little closer to her while they chatted with their friends. It was a little strange to see him so close to her in her peripheral vision while they were just talking to their friends like normal. It seemed like a strange juxtaposition of their friendship and newfound romantic relationship all mixed up together.
Another slow song started playing, and the two more established couples immediately sought each other out and headed to the dance floor. Ash turned to Misty and with the memory of the last dance they attended together all those months ago he asked "Would you like to dance?"
Misty smiled happily and gave an emphatic "Yes."
The two headed out onto the dance floor. Ash carefully placed his hands on her waist, and she lifted her arms to go around the back of his neck. Even though she was wearing shoes with a slight heel (she blamed Alyssa for convincing her to exchange her perfectly sensible flats), she still had to look up into Ash's eyes.
They twirled around in soft, slow circles while the music played around them. They were quiet and enjoying each others company until part way through Misty gave a large yawn, removing one of her arms from Ash's neck to cover her mouth as she did so.
"Tired?" Ash asked, already knowing the answer.
"Exhausted," was her reply. "It's been a long day."
"You can rest your head, you know." Misty looked around at some of the other couples, and how many of the girls were laying their heads on their partner's shoulder or chest. It did look comfortable.
She gently placed her cheek against Ash's chest and let the weight of her head fall into him.
"Is this ok?" she asked.
"Yeah," Ash confirmed. "It's perfect."
Two pairs of eyes were watching Ash and Misty as they swayed along the dance floor.
Scott looked at the way Misty seemed to melt into Ash and realized that whatever he had seen before was obviously misplaced, and that they seemed to care for each other more than they were letting on to even their friends.
He made a note to approach Ash to apologize before they all left for home again tomorrow.
The other pair of eyes were glaring intently at the swaying couple. Sydney was unimpressed that her plan had backfired so much that instead of trying to catch Misty and Scott in a compromising position by forcing them to spend so much time together, she accidentally sent Misty straight into the arms of her own ex-boyfriend.
She tugged at her hair in frustration before deciding to call it a night and try again tomorrow.
Everyone awoke early the next morning, though a little less energetic than normal. The dance had lasted well into the evening, but Ms. Bentley made sure to shut everything down before it got too late because she "didn't want everyone to be late or in a bad mood for the ride home the next day".
Ash groaned as he awoke. "I am not ready to be awake just yet."
"Me neither," Tracey yawned.
Brock was far more energetic than his friends. "It's been eight hours since I last saw Michelle and I need to make sure I have extra energy to make up for her maybe being tired this morning!"
Tracey reminded them that it was the last morning that they'd have to get some last minute skiing in, and that gave Ash a little boost of energy. It was the day he was supposed to go head to head with Gary.
"Are you ready for your race today?" Brock asked.
Ash nodded. "Yeah. I mean, as ready as I'll ever be."
"I'm glad you're not as upset about it as you were yesterday," Tracey said knowingly, eyeing Brock as he did so. "That seemed to resolve by the end of the night."
"Yeah," Brock agreed. "I guess announcing that you and Misty are now dating must have taken your mind off the race."
Ash sighed, realizing that his friends were making fun of the excuse he used yesterday. "Oh ha ha, very funny."
"You have to admit, it was a lame excuse."
They got dressed and packed up most of their things to get ready for loading the bus later this afternoon. Ash pulled out his lucky shorts (not that he told anyone they were lucky) and ran his fingers through his hair to tame it. The product he used in it yesterday was long gone, along with any semblance of order in his locks.
They headed out for breakfast, and passed by Gary on their way. He was leaning up against the hallway wall, arms folded across his chest.
"Ready for the race today, Gary?" Ash asked as they walked by.
"Of course I am," Gary answered. He seemed to be lacking the usual bite to his voice. "I was born ready."
"Meet me on top of the Matterhorn at 10 o'clock" Ash instructed. The Matterhorn was the biggest hill here on the resort, and it had the steepest slope. "First one to the bottom wins."
"Shall we make a little wager, then?" Gary asked, unfolding his arms and stepping away from the wall. "Let's say whoever gets to the bottom first-"
"If I get to the bottom first," Ash interrupted, "I want you and Sydney both to stop bothering Misty."
Gary gave him a look that Ash couldn't quite figure out. "Stop bothering Misty?"
"I don't know why, but it seems like you and Sydney have had it out for her ever since she got here. And I want it to stop."
Gary nodded. "Standing up for your new girlfriend, huh? Glad to see you finally found your spine."
Ash growled and raised his fist towards Gary before Brock and Tracey pulled him back.
"Fine," Gary conceded. "I'll accept that. But if I win, I'll be looking for someone to bring my textbooks to all my classes when we go back in January."
"Fine", Ash mimicked, then added under his breath "like that'll ever happen."
The pair nodded in agreement before Gary headed into the room for breakfast, and Ash took a couple of minutes to calm himself down before following his friends downstairs.
They met up with the girls fairly quickly and said good morning before loading up their plates. As Brock was regaling to the table about how dark and miserable his time without Michelle was, Misty turned to Ash and whispered "what's wrong?" She could sense the dark cloud around him as soon as he sat down.
"Just Gary," he huffed. "We have our race today and I am not willing to let him win."
Misty smiled. "As if you would ever let someone win. Your competitive streak will be the end of you one day."
He gave her a weak smile back. "Yeah, probably. Hopefully not today, though."
Misty tentatively reached for his hand under the table and squeezed it while he continued to eat breakfast.
A short while later everyone was geared up and ready for their last couple of hours on the slopes. Ash was the only one who kept the snowboard, everyone else decided to stay with their skis.
Misty also decided based on her last experience out on the hills that she was going to stick to the easier runs, thank you very much. There was no one she felt she needed to impress out here today. Claire and Alyssa decided they'd stick with her, while Michelle and Roxy went on to some more challenging runs on their last day.
Ash was barreling down every hill he found, practicing his speed (and to a lesser extent his stopping) abilities. He leaned aggressively to make the sharp carves he needed to maintain his speed without falling over or crashing into the trees. It was actually really fun, and if he didn't think about needing to race from the tallest hill in just a few minutes he would be having a blast.
Soon the group found themselves at the bottom of the Matterhorn. Ash looked up to the top of the hill, then over to the chairlift, and gulped. This was it. No more time to practice, and no time to back out either.
The others made their way over to the side of the hill to set up a spot to watch the race. Sydney was also there at the bottom of the hill, observing everyone from afar. Gary was nowhere to be seen, and Ash assumed he was already at the top waiting for him.
Misty followed Ash over to the chairlift and stood at the line entrance with him. She took his gloved hands in her own, leaned forward as best as she could with their skis and snowboard between them, and whispered "Good luck" while giving him a kiss on the cheek.
Ash squeaked out a quick "Erm, thanks!" before heading off to the chairlift by himself. He exhaled loudly as he plunked down onto the chair. Part way up the hill he took off his glove to rub at his cheek gently, feeling the warmth left behind from Misty's kiss.
He arrived at the top of the hill and, as expected, Gary was standing at the top waiting for him. Ash jumped off the chair and slid down the slight incline until he got close to Gary before sitting on the top of the slope and closing his bindings.
Gary was looking down the hill at the small group of spectators gathering at the bottom. Ash stood up, both feet firmly strapped to his rental board, and did a little practice slide back and forth.
Gary gave a small smirk. "You know how I said I'd be looking for someone to cart my bags around when I win?" he asked aloud. His eyes lingered on the group waiting down below. "I didn't necessarily mean it would be you."
Ash fumed. If Gary thought for a minute that he was going to get Misty to carry his books around like some sort of pack mule, he was sorely mistaken.
"Well it's a good thing that won't be happening, then, isn't it." Ash pointed his snowboard down the hill and began counting.
"On three. One. Two."
Gary's skis tipped down the top of the slope and he started his descent as Ash said "three!". Ash gave an aggressive hop to get some added momentum and tucked his body in to pick up speed.
The trees whizzed by them as they already were going faster than they had so far that morning. No one else was on this particular run this morning, which was good because Ash wasn't confident in his ability to evade other skiers
The two were incredibly close together. With each turn the switched who was in the lead, back and forth, snow spraying from the edges of their skis and board with every carve. The slope was steep, and Ash hit an icy patch and nearly lost his balance.
When they got down the steepest part of the slope and were nearing the bottom half of the run, Gary tucked his poles in and ducked down, pointing his skis straight down towards the bottom of the hill trying to go as fast as possible.
Ash stayed low to the ground as well, keeping his centre of balance low as he made small and infrequent side to side motions, focusing on heading straight to the bottom.
The crowd at the bottom were all tense with emotion. They could see how close they were, ski and board tips basically in line with one another as they neared the makeshift finish line made from bright red juice poured on the white snow.
Just when it seemed that the race was going to be a tie, the pair hit an unexpected small mogul near the very bottom of the hill. They both caught air when they went over. Gary's skis knocked together on his way up, throwing his balance and causing him to land on one ski, wobbling and spending precious time trying to regain his balance.
"Wh-whoah!" Ash yelled, arms windmilling on either side as he tried to maintain balance upon landing. By a sheer stroke of luck, he was able to land loudly on the ground and speed the remaining twenty meters to the finish line before finally losing balance and falling over. He laid on his back, watching above him as Gary also crossed the finish line with much better balance and poise than Ash did.
"You did it!"
He heard his friends exclaim above him, and could feel the excitement in their voices. Suddenly there was a forceful weight on top of him, causing him to lose his breath. "Oof!"
Misty giggled and put her arms around his shoulders as much as she could with his back stuck to the ground. "You won!"
Ash smiled and sat up, pulling Misty up with him. He looked around at his friends surrounding him, and smiled. "I did it!"
They cheered, and Gary glowered from behind them. Sydney was close by, stepping closer to Gary to offer condolences on his loss, or to bad mouth Ash and claim that he must've cheated somehow. Before she could get very far, Gary said "Sydney."
She paused. "Yeah?"
"Find your own seat on the bus on the way back. I'm done."
"What?" she gasped. "What do you mean, you're done?"
"I mean I'm done with being with you. We've over."
Sydney looked shocked and upset for a moment, before her anger took over and she glared at Gary. He seemed unaffected, and began heading back towards the chalet to pack up for the afternoon bus ride. After a couple of steps he turned back towards Sydney and said "Oh, and Sydney? You might want to get a bigger backpack for the new year. I'll be looking for someone to carry my books around."
Sydney yelled a couple of unpleasant names towards Gary's retreating back before stomping off after him.
The rest of the group looked at one another, asking "Um, what just happened?"
Ash recalled Gary looking down the hill while commenting on who might be carrying his books around, and wondered if this was what Gary had meant all along. Deciding he was a little too excited and distracted to try to think through it now, Ash unclipped one foot from his bindings and stood up, ready to head back to the chalet to pack up with the rest of his friends.
Holding Misty's hand on the way back and riding the high of his recent win, Ash didn't think anything would be able to bring him down for the rest of the holidays.