Hey guys. Well, here's an early update and this one is pretty long as well! Not much to say here except enjoy.
8:30 p.m.
Paul stared at the door in slight shock and disbelief, not able to move. He looked up at the grand house that Dawn was fortunate to live in and sighed, forming a fist with his palm. He briefly recalled the day when he had saved her from getting hit by a car, and dropping her off here to ensure her safety. When he had first laid eyes on this place, he automatically assumed she was living a grand, luxurious life with everything being handed over to her with ease.
"Dawn's mom died today from a coma. And now she's very heartbroken because her mom was everything to her."
The purple haired male clenched his eyes shut and it looked like he was contemplating to knock on the door before he heard Drew approaching him from behind. "Hey, what's wrong man? You okay?"
He wasn't sure how to respond. He had never felt this way, about a girl, let alone anyone. This new feeing surprised him and he wasn't sure what to call it. Was it sympathy? Whatever it was, all Paul wanted to do was admittedly talk to Dawn. Comforting and attempting to reassure her was probably difficult for him, but he knew he could at least reason with her.
Drew seemed to connect the pieces together. "You're worried about Dawn, aren't you?" Paul widened his eyes, but remained silent. "I feel really bad for her; I bet everyone is. She didn't deserve it, especially after all what she's been going through," he sighed and paused before continuing. "Isn't it ironic and unfortunate that your brother survived and Dawn's mom didn't?"
That caused Paul to look at Drew as if he had uttered something worth noticing. His eyes wavered when he realized what he said was true. He briefly began to wonder why Dawn was so unfortunate all this while. He looked at Drew. "I don't understand." Drew raised his brow and Paul continued when he realized when he wanted clarification. "I don't understand why this happened. It...doesn't make sense."
Drew shrugged. "I don't know, but who does? Whatever happens is for a reason right? At least, that's what I think." Paul agreed with him internally, but his mind was filled with questions. What could have been the reason? Why was she going through this? "Look, I know you probably want to talk to Dawn, but it's really late and we have school in the morning. She has Leaf and May for her right now, so...hopefully she's fine for now."
Paul sighed internally and then nodded after a bit of hesitation. The two walked off the porch and made their way to Paul's vehicle. He turned the engine once they were in and eventually they were off on the road.
9:48 p.m. May's residence.
The news of Johanna's passing eventually was aware by the Maple family. As soon as Dawn returned, she was immediately comforted by Norman and Caroline, who was also grieving their acquaintance's death. The two adult figures couldn't do much except console her while Dawn cried vigorously on their shoulders. Norman and Caroline had already considered Dawn their other daughter, so naturally it felt normal to be able to grieve and comfort her. Even though Dawn wasn't sure if she ever considered them as their parents, it was the nicest and genuine action she had ever received from the Maple household.
May and Leaf, who was seated on the couch, were watching Dawn as she sat depressingly across from her two best friends with nothing but a dull and empty expression. Her tears had eventually stopped falling, but the two girls knew that their best friend was crushed internally. Caroline walked over to the blunette with a cup of coffee in her hands, offering it to her.
Her sapphire eyes made contact towards her, but she responded, "I'm sorry...I don't really want anything," she said.
Caroline placed the cup on the coffee table beside the couch and sat next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Dawn, you haven't eaten anything in over five hours. You had a panic attack, and I'm sure you're hungry. At least drink this."
Dawn closed her eyes. "I'm not in the mood." Caroline was about to protest when Dawn pressed on. "Please," she whispered. Caroline only sighed and nodded before she got up, looking over at Leaf and May. She directed her eyes over to Dawn, indicating for them to be with Dawn.
The two girls nodded before Caroline left the living room and they both sat next to Dawn. Leaf's lips parted, as if she was about to say something, but the truth was, she didn't know what to say. "Guys...I know you're trying to comfort me, but please...I wanna be alone now."
May's eyes softened. "But Dawn-"
Leaf cut her off. "She's probably right." May looked at Leaf as if she had grown two heads, not satisfied with leaving Dawn alone. "Maybe you should go into your room." Dawn nodded slowly before she stood up and walked upstairs, leaving the two girls alone.
Leaf sighed. "What should we do? This is terrible. Dawn has never been like this. Did you see her? She's absolutely broken inside and I feel even worse because there's not much I can do."
May nodded. "I can never know how this actually feels. I've never lost anyone in my family and I can't reason with her." May recalled the words Dawn had said when they were at the hospital. 'It will never be okay...and you don't even know what that's like, May. Because you have everything; a great family.' May never realized how fortunate and lucky she was. Any child would dream of living in a luxurious family and be provided with a roof over her head, food on the table, love and affection. It made her realize that her family was everything.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Leaf rasied an eyebrow before May walked and opened the door, only to be greeted by her fourteen year old brother. She looked at the time and looked at her brother in disbelief. "Why are you coming home this late?! Do you have any idea what time it is Max?" she yelled. Leaf, who was suddenly feeling awkward, just continued to watch.
Max scrunched his eyebrows in confusion before entering. "What the hell? Why are you yelling at me?"
May closed the door behind her and put a hand on her hips. "You come home every day around four after baseball practice. And today, it's almost ten and-"
"I was at a movie with my friends! I asked mom and dad and...wait why are you so worried? You barely even care about me, so where's this sudden affection coming from?" Max crossed his arms.
May rolled her eyes. "I'm your sister, Max. I'm always going to be concerned for you," she said. Max scoffed unbelievably as he looked in the other direction. She sighed before continuing. "Look..." she said before trailing off. She took a seat on the couch and indicated for Max to sit next to her. He urged her to continue.
She sighed before starting. "Dawn's mom died today," she said, resulting in Max widening his eyes. "And she's not doing so well. But..it made me realize how lucky I am to have this family and have you as my brother. I know this cheesy talk is probably awkward for you right now but I just wanted to let you know."
Max looked at her older sister. "So...why are you always arguing with me? Did you hate me?"
May smiled softly. "Of course not. I could never hate my dorky brother," she lightly giggled. "But I was always jealous," she admitted.
Max raised his brow in curiosity. "Why would you be jealous of me? I'm a dork and a know it all."
"Exactly. But you're also the perfect kid. You get perfect grades, you never do anything wrong, you're extremely smart for your age and you always get more attention from mom and dad."
Max was about to protest and comment about that being ridiculous, but he stayed silent. He was lost for words and never realized that May had a point. He also never noticed the amount of attention that he had gotten from their parents. "Wow...I didn't you felt that way." May straightened her lips into a thin line. "Why didn't you tell me? Or mom and dad? We could have worked something out."
May sighed. "I don't know...I guess I wasn't ready to talk about how I was feeling. I think I was also afraid."
Max took off his glasses and set it on the table. "Well could you at least talk about it to me rather than argue with me for months over nothing? I mean, it used to be fun but it got annoying afterwards."
May laughed and put an arm around him. "I'm sorry," she said before Max grinned and punched her shoulder playfully. "I still am gonna pick fights with you though...but it won't be extreme," she confessed. Leaf, who was smiling all this while at the brother sister bond, briefly wished she could have a younger or older sibling she could talk to. She was happy the two siblings were able to make up.
The fourteen year old simply chuckled in response. "Wouldn't want it any other way," he patted her shoulder before he stood up. "Okay, is this mushy talk over now?" May nodded. "Where's Dawn? I think I wanna talk to her."
Leaf, who had been respectfully mum during their talk finally spoke up. "She's in May's room, but she wants to be alone for a while."
Max nodded. "It's just for a few minutes though. I think I may have a way for her to feel better," he said vaguely before walking upstairs. May looked at Leaf, confused and all Leaf did was shrug, not sure what he meant.
10:13 p.m.
The blunette was currently lying lifelessly on her bed, staring at the ceiling, with nothing but her thoughts of her mother. Memories of when she was alive kept flooding her mind. She told her mom absolutely everything. Her mom was the one person she trusted the most. She knew about her math disorder, her first crush, her friends, her favorite songs...everything. Even May and Leaf didn't know much about Dawn as much as her mom did.
Her thoughts were cut off when she heard a knock. For some reason she envisioned her mother coming in and giving her a kiss goodnight. "Hey, Dawn. Can I come in?" Dawn sat up and wiped her tears away before she gave a response.
Max closed the door behind him and looked at Dawn, who smiled sadly. "Hey. How was school?"
Max sat down next to Dawn. "Okay, I'm not a kid, Dawn. You don't have to pretend like nothing happened." Dawn looked at him expectedly. "I heard what happened. I'm really sorry for your loss," he said.
Tears formed in her eyes and she couldn't face him, resulting in her looking in the other direction. Max looked at Dawn with sympathy in his eyes. "I have no idea how you feel, but I probably assume that it's horrible. No one would want to lose their mom. I know I wouldn't." Dawn sighed and wiped her tears before looking at him again, appreciating the fact that he was consoling her.
A thought suddenly came into Max's mind. "Okay, I'm not sure how you'll feel after I say this, but why don't you have a funeral?" Dawn blinked and seemed to be deep in thought. "It would give you the perfect chance to say goodbye to your mom."
Dawn bit her lip. "I can't...I can't just say goodbye. It'll be too hard for me. I don't think I can take it."
Max shrugged. "Yeah, maybe. But it's better than just not letting yourself heal. I think holding a funeral would give you the perfect opportunity to have a proper goodbye. You can also talk about how you feel and I think you'll feel a bit better afterwards."
Dawn contemplated the idea for a while. There was no doubt that Dawn wasn't ready to let her mother go. In fact, she was barely processing the fact that she was gone. Could she ever be ready to bid goodbye to the most important person in her life?
Max put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll leave you alone for now. It looks like you need time to think about it," he said.
Dawn gave him a soft smile. She had always seen Max as her younger brother, and he was doing exactly what a sibling would do during a time like this. "Thanks, Max."
He retreated his hand and grinned. "Hey it's the least I could do, for a fourteen year old like me, that is," he said. Dawn's smile widened a bit before he stood up and eventually exited the room, leaving Dawn alone with her thoughts.
10:37 p.m. Paul's residence.
Paul stared at the frying pan while he began to cook his eggs for a considerable amount of time. Whatever he tried to do, he just couldn't get Dawn out of his head. He was constantly reminded of all the times he had insulted her for no plausible reason. He realized he had hurt her on several occasions, just because of the mere fact that he had never liked her. He had indirectly added to her grievances.
The eggs began to sizzle, bringing him away from his thoughts and he focused his attention on the eggs. He flipped them and allowed it to cook for a while before he took out a plate and placed the eggs there. He then began to eat in silence.
After washing up, he took a warm shower where he began to dwell on something else; his brother. Now that Reggie was awake, there were only a few days remaining before he could come home after several months. He had been anticipating this day for a long while and was glad the day was soon to come.
The plum haired male opened his laptop, which had been acting up for several months. He had a pretty old laptop with a poor operating system. Luckily he had been saving up money so he could purchase a new one in the future. He opened up his email once he was able to access the internet. He noticed he had a new email.
"Hey! It's Misty. I heard about Dawn's mom. It's so sad, I feel really bad for her. But on another note, did you start painting yet?"
Once again, his thoughts drifted back towards Dawn and he sighed while rubbing his face with his two palms. His eyes widened when his heart began to ache. He felt an emotional inclination towards Dawn's situation and then he realized that whatever he was feeling was indeed sympathy. A bit surprised, he pushed his laptop away forgetting about Misty's e-mail as he began to process his thoughts.
He began to get frustrated for some reason. Sure, he sympathised with Dawn, but why was she constantly in his head? Paul was about to close his laptop when he recalled the e-mail again. He wrote a response.
"No. I've been busy."
With that, he closed his laptop and set it aside. Lying down, he reached across to shut off the lamp, closing his eyes.
As expected, he had trouble falling asleep.
Tuesday, September 13th; 2:47 a.m.
Dawn's eyes fluttered open, immediately noticing the pool of tears on her pillow. She sat up slowly, looking over at May's bed where May was sound asleep. The blunette walked over towards the bathroom.
She splashed water over her face several times and dried it before taking a look at her reflection. Her eyes had dark circles and her skin was extremely pale. Her lips were dry and her eyes were slightly red from the amount of crying. Her hair was a mess as she noticed the strands were all over the place.
Dawn opened the cabinet as she noticed a pair of scissors. Something told her to reach for it, so she did. She closed the cabinet before taking a longing look at her reflection before looking at the pair of scissors in her palm. Biting her lip, she took strands of her dark blue hair, as she imagined her mom's short hair. She gave a firm look in the mirror before the scissors began to snip several strands of her hair.
After fifteen minutes, she looked at herself once again and noticed herself in a new light. Her long, flowing hair was now gone. Now her strands barely reached her shoulder and for a split second, she envisioned her mother in the mirror. Her throat hurt again and a tear flowed out of her eye once again, but instead of wiping it away, she let it flow.
She eventually exited the bathroom and went back to bed, careful not to wake May up.
She closed her eyes, but never fell asleep that night.
6:30 a.m.
The alarm rung, resulting in May lazily reaching out to her phone and shutting it off. The brunette yawned before she sat up, still remaining in her bed. She looked over at Dawn, who had a blanket over her head.
Carefully, she got out of bed and walked over to Dawn's bed where she sat down. She reached out and touched Dawn's free arm that was outside the blanket. Her blue eyes then made contact with the pool of tears on her pillow. It didn't take long to figure out she had been crying all night.
"May," she mumbled from underneath the blanket, "Please don't. I don't want to go to school today."
May sighed and nodded, even though Dawn couldn't see her. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay." May didn't get a response and she eventually decided to get ready for school.
Dawn's phone began to ring and she groaned before she reached for it and dismissed the call, not in the mood for talking to anyone. It began to ring again before she groaned, annoyed and just decided to pick up.
"Hello?"
"...Hey."
Dawn's eyes widened before she removed the blanket and sat up, surprised at the familiar voice. She looked at the caller ID. Drew. Never would she have thought that Paul would call her from Drew's phone. She didn't know what to say. "Hey..."
Dawn could hear his heavy breathing across the phone. She was having trouble processing the fact that he was calling her. "I know it's early but maybe after school, I was thinking to...show you something," he said. Dawn blinked, a bit surprised at his offer.
If anything, Dawn was curious. She'd never expect Paul of all people to call her and ask her show her something. Was that his way of attempting to comfort her? She sighed. "Why?" she asked.
Paul ignored her question. "Just say yes," he insisted.
Dawn straightened her lips into a thin line and looked at nothing in particular. "Okay. Where should we meet?"
"I'll pick you up," was his reply. "At around four," he said.
Dawn was truly taken aback now. She couldn't process what was happening here. "Why are you suddenly being so nice to me?"
"Good question. Why do you have so many questions? Is that another annoying trait of yours?" Paul responded snarkily and Dawn envisioned him slightly smirking. "I'll see you later," he said before the call ended.
Dawn held the phone in her palm, before a small smile played on her lips as she laid back in bed.
4:00 p.m.
It was currently four in the afternoon and the house was empty. Both May and Max were at school and Norman and Maple were busy at work. May had insisted she stay home for today, but Dawn wouldn't let her.
Dawn was dressed up in a black tank top and some track pants. Her short hair was let loose and for the first time ever, she never combed it but just brushed through it. Her eyes were also still a bit red, but it was noticeably less from yesterday.
Within a few minutes, the blunette heard the doorbell ring. She walked over and opened it, revealing Paul. He looked at her weirdly before he spoke. "...You cut your hair?" he asked and Dawn widened her eyes.
Dawn brushed her hair a few times with her hand. She was a bit surprised he noticed. "Yeah so?"
Admittedly, Paul was more fond of Dawn's long luscious hair. He never made an effort to say anything though and instead said, "Come on."
Dawn nodded before she walked outside, closing the door behind her. She turned around before she tripped over the porch bench and yelped before Paul caught her tightly. He saw Dawn's eyes widened as his intoxicating eyes bored into her sapphire ones. Her breathing began to accelerate and her heart began to beat faster as Paul unconsciously held her waist tighter.
He could clearly see she was broken inside.
Dawn's eyes wavered before Paul eventually let her loose and allowed her to stand still. The two stood awkwardly before Paul cleared his throat and made his way to the vehicle, with Dawn following him from behind.
4:08 p.m.
Dawn was quiet during the entire car ride and she didn't once glance at Paul or even was aware of her surroundings. It was only when Dawn felt the car come to a halt did she realize where they were. She looked out the window and her jaw slightly dropped before she looked at Paul in awe.
"Why'd you bring me here?" Dawn questioned with a bit of annoyance in her tone. If Paul was attempting to be rid of the awful memories of her mother passing away that only happened yesterday, he wasn't doing a very good job.
Paul looked at her. "I told you I was going to show you something."
Dawn rolled her eyes, not expecting any further explanation. She watched as Paul got out of the vehicle and Dawn reluctantly opened the car door before stepping out. The plum haired male glanced at her before he started walking, with Dawn following from behind. The two entered Lumoise Hospital and they made their way into the elevator.
Paul pushed the respective floor number as the two silently waited, not saying a word. Elevator music soothed their ears and both were instantaneously reminded of when they had first met, right in this very elevator. Dawn looked at Paul, who sensed she was looking at him and he caught her gaze. Before they could speak, a ding was heard and the elevator doors opened.
The blunette didn't understand. When she exited the elevator, memories of her mother passing away flooded her mind again. She was reminded of all the times she visited her mom, hoping there was a ray of hope and that she'd see her mom again. Why would Paul bring her here?
Dawn noticed Paul speaking to the doctor for a few and raised an eyebrow. She was confused and several questions penetrated her thoughts. Paul walked back towards Dawn and spoke. "...I want you to meet someone," he said.
She blinked in response. Someone? Paul directed her over to the respective ICU room where Paul opened it and allowed Dawn to step inside. She noticed someone on the bed and glanced at Paul before approaching the figure.
When Dawn got a closer look of the person (who was currently asleep), she gasped slightly before looking at Paul. She recalled Paul's painting briefly and widened her eyes in disbelief. "Is he...?"
Paul nodded. "My brother; Reggie."
Dawn looked at Reggie and glanced at Paul again. The two undoubtedly resembled each other. The older brother had similar hair color and structure, and even had similar facial features. The only difference was that his hair was a bit longer. "He was in coma for several months," Paul said, allowing Dawn to look at him. "He got into an accident one day and I've been alone all this while. But he recently woke up yesterday."
Dawn was rendered speechless. She didn't know how to react.
Paul sighed. "I didn't bring you here to remind you about your mother. I just wanted to let you know that I...empathize with you," he admitted. "I know how you feel."
At this point, Dawn felt worthless. She just stood there motionlessly until she managed to walk out of the room. Paul was quick to catch up to her, however. He looked at her, briefly wondering what went wrong. "I don't want this, Paul." Paul raised an eyebrow. "I don't want your sympathy!" she yelled. "The only reason you're being nice to me is because you pity me and you feel sorry for me. And I don't want that. It makes me feel worthless," she said sadly, her eyes feeling misty.
"I was trying to help," Paul reasoned.
Dawn scoffed. "Helping me realize how worthless and lonely I am? Yeah, thanks very much," she responded sarcastically, crossing her arms.
Anger filled his eyes as he firmly grabbed her shoulders and gazed deep into her eyes. "Shut up. You're not worthless. I was simply trying to show you that we relate to each other."
Dawn felt slightly intimidated by him, especially since he was making it difficult for her to look away. "So you don't feel sorry for me? You're not being nice to me because you feel sorry for me?" Paul couldn't find a response. He did sympathize with her, but he wasn't being nice because of it. She didn't deserve any more hurt coming her way. "For the past month, we've never liked each other. We always got into arguments for the most petty reasons. Heck, you never gave me a ride and suddenly today you offered me one? Do you really expect me to believe you're being nice just because you want to?"
Paul's eyes wavered and his hands released her shoulder's grip, as he backed up giving her the respectable distance. Honestly, he couldn't blame her. He didn't know how to justify himself when he knew that what she said was right. Dawn's eyes softened for a bit when she noticed a look of hurt on his face.
The look of hurt quickly got replaced by anger however and he stormed towards her, grabbing her wrist tightly. Dawn widened her eyes. "You're right. I should never sympathize someone, especially you. It was a mistake. Being nice only ends up being worse for me." Her lips parted in surprise when she saw just how angry he was. "This was the first time I tried to comfort someone and this is what I get."
Dawn wanted to retort but he cut her off. "Fine," he said, releasing her wrist. "You don't want me to be nice. You got your wish," he said before he started to walk away.
Guilt immediately coursed through her veins. "Wait!" she called after him, causing him to stop walking. She continued as she sighed. "I'm sorry but can you blame me? It's hard to believe that you of all people would be this nice to me, especially what we've been through."
He slightly smirked before his expression turned nonchalant as he turned around to face her. "I guess I'm full of surprises," he said before continuing. "Now do you want to meet Reggie or not?" he asked. If anything, Dawn was confused. One second, he was furious with her and the next, he shook it off like it was nothing. Was he just feigning the whole time?
"Okay," she whispered.
4:31 p.m.
Reggie was now lying awake in bed. For the past several hours, he had been through a numerous amount of physical tests and procedures that would test his vitals, organs and reactions to certain situations. The doctors found that Reggie had to re-learn how to do certain simple tasks, such as eat, talk without stuttering, walk without losing balance and even use the bathroom. It was still going to be a while before he could return home.
His eyes darted towards the door when he saw his younger brother enter, but raised an eyebrow when a girl was behind him. "Hey Paul," he greeted and Paul nodded in response. His speech was much more fluid after those tests and the stuttering seemed to have vanished. "Who's this pretty lady behind you?" he asked as he got a closer look at the girl. For some reason, she looked vaguely familiar.
Paul looked behind him, deliberately not acknolwedging Dawn. "What pretty lady?"
Dawn rolled her eyes, unamused, as Reggie let out a small chuckle. "Funny," she responded sarcastically as Paul simply shrugged. "I'm Dawn, it's nice to meet you, Reggie," she said politely as she brushed through her hair with her palm.
"Are you two friends?" The older male asked, looking at the two.
Dawn wanted to laugh. "I'd prefer the term 'acquaintances'," Dawn said, while Paul stayed silent.
Reggie let out a grin. "So nothing has changed, eh? Still having trouble talking to girls...or anyone really," he teased. Paul groaned internally as Dawn managed to raise an eyebrow. Just from this one conversation, she could tell the two brothers were undoubtedly polar opposites...just like her and Paul, she realized.
Dawn sat down on the seat across from Reggie's bed. "My mom went through the same thing you did. She also got into a coma for a couple of months. But..." she trailed off, sighing, "she passed away yesterday," she admitted softly.
Reggie looked at Dawn sadly. "Oh man. I'm really sorry to hear that," he confessed.
Dawn nodded, her throat becoming weak and her tears misty again. "I really miss her," she said. "My mom was the only person I had in my family and she's gone. My friend's brother told me to have a funeral, but...I don't want to say goodbye."
Reggie nodded in understanding. "I know how you feel and I bet Paul does as well. When we were young, we lost our parents from a plane crash. It's really odd that I can still remember that, despite my memory being a little foggy. But I think you should have the funeral," he said. "When someone we love goes away, you can pay your respect to them. Don't think of it as saying goodbye, try to think of it as...setting her free or something. You can reflect on all the good times and thank her for everything."
Dawn let his words penetrate her mind. It was a hard decision for her and not something that she could just easily let go of. "It's your choice, Dawn," Reggie reminded her.
If there was anything her mother taught her when she was alive, it was that she always needed to be brave and strong, even during times of crises. She knew her mom wouldn't be proud of her at this moment, because all she had been doing was avoiding the harsh reality. Dawn let out a sigh when she came to a decision.
"I'm...I'm going to have the funeral," she spoke, after slight hesitation. Reggie grinned while Paul looked satisfied as he closed his eyes. "And I want you to be there," she suddenly decided.
Reggie smiled sadly. "I wish I could, but I'm restricted to this bed for at least a week." Dawn nodded in understanding. "But I'm pretty sure Paul wouldn't mind. Right Paul?" he asked, looking at him for approval.
There was no doubt Paul woould be present at the funeral. "I'll be there," he confirmed. Dawn smiled satisfactorily. "Anyway, we should be going. You have some more tests to take in half an hour right?" Reggie nodded in response before the two bid each other goodbye.
Dawn and Paul exited the ICU room when Dawn heard her ringtone blast. She quickly answered, her thumb sliding across the phone. "Hello? Yeah, May I'm fine...I'm at the hospital with Paul," she said. More talking was heard across the phone. "Don't worry, I'll be home in a few. Alright, see ya," she said before she hung up and faced Paul.
Paul had an intense gaze on her before his eyes darted somewhere else. Dawn cleared her throat. "Umm...thanks," she said, "for introducing me to Reggie. That was uncharacteristically nice of you," she said, biting her lip.
Paul only nodded in response. "Let's go."
11:31 p.m. Paul's residence.
Once Paul had dropped Dawn home, he returned home and immediately started working on the painting Misty had asked him to do. He kept staring at Daisy's (Misty's older sister) picture as he placed strokes of his brush on the canvas in front of him. While painting, he let his thoughts drift to Dawn. He had no idea why, but it felt really satisfying to see Dawn to somewhat break out of her shell.
His thoughts were interrupted when the doorbell chimed.
He wondered who could be here just minutes before midnight. He set the paintbrush down before walking towards the door. He was contemplating whether or not to open the door before the doorbell chimed again. Reluctantly, he opened the door slightly, as he got a full view of who it was.
He widened his eyes in shock. "...Aunt Vivian?"
So, I'm trying to visualize Dawn's new look. It's the same length of Serena's new haircut, but instead of wavy, it's much more straight and fluid. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reading and as always, see you next time.
