AN: Okay, you guys, here we go, a new chapter up! I hope you guys like it! X) This is the kind of chapter I was talking about when I said I was going to add a lot of characters interacting. If you catch any grammatical errors, please let me know! Makes it easier for me to fix them! I don't have a beta so it helps a lot! Enjoy!

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Chapter 5:
Agreement

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"You're really worrying all of us, you know," Serena admitted, clutching her books to her chest. "You've been sleeping in class and you haven't really been yourself lately," she added. Ash frowned, looking at his feet.

He felt really bad. It's true, he hasn't really been himself. He found himself sleeping at times he shouldn't be, for the most part. At lunch, he would gobble up his food, of course – no point wasting a meal – and would soon find his eyes closing as he was off to dreamland.

Ash averted his gaze to the floor in shame.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to worry you guys," Ash said, scratching the back of his neck. They continued to walk to her locker so she could drop off her books. "I just had a lot of stuff I have to deal with. School, practice," he explained. She nodded, already understanding. Academics didn't come naturally for Ash, so she understood how he would need more time to study. And knowing Ash, he would work hard when it came to practice. He would always give it his all, giving 110% every time. It was no wonder he would be so tired.

"Yeah, I get that. That's why, if you need anything at all, please, let me know!" She gave him a reassuring smile, and Ash nodded, truly thankful. He grinned.

"Thanks a bunch, Serena!" he said.

"I mean it, Ash! You don't have to put all this stress on yourself, you know. I mean I'm sure we can help tutor you if you're worried about grades. And if you need a break, all of us can hang out again like we used to," she said, hoping to get through to him.

"I'm not putting it all on myself, don't worry! I actually already have a tutor, so you don't have to worry about that!" Ash tried to reassure. "Also, promise, we can all hang out on the weekend if you guys are up for it!" he promised. He then heard a beeping from his watch. He looked at it, and was surprised practice was already about to start soon. "Ah, sorry I couldn't talk more right now, but I have to go or else coach is going to kill me!" Ash explained, waving goodbye before running off to the gymnasium.

This left Serena to ponder, wondering who his tutor was, and if he was really going to be okay.

She sighed, knowing Ash would do whatever he can to make everything work out.

She hoped he meant what he said when he said he was okay. Either way, it was the end of school and time for after school activities.

She was planning to go to culinary club again this week, along with a new club she thought would be interesting, too.

Definitely beats track, at the very least.

She beamed to herself, excited for the rest of the day.

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Studying, May was surprised to say, went great.

For once, she focused and Drew made it easier for her to understand, surprisingly. As much as she hated to admit it, he actually was a really good tutor. He even went back to explain things she hadn't even learned in her algebra one class (what she was asleep for). It was a big help, and she found herself being able to work the problems by herself (for the most part).

"Wait a second, so for polynomials, what about that foil method you were talking about?" she asked, her eyes staring at the textbook with a concentration never seen before in her eyes.

"That's easy, just have to remember the rules, you know? Here-" he started, writing down a mnemonic. "If you have trouble, just use this." May nodded and thanked him, continuing to work on the problem with the mnemonic given.

"By the way, can you tell me why exactly you're learning algebra two work now?" he asked. She paused, contemplating for a moment.

"W-well… I want to help someone out," May said. "I'm afraid, this is the only thing I can do to help them. They have helped me so much, I have to be the one to help them." Drew looked at her oddly, wondering how she did logic in her mind.

"I mean, I guess so. But there are other ways to repay someone, you know," Drew reminded.

"Yeah, I guess that's true. But…" she shrugged, not sure how to put it. She tapped on her chin for a moment before staring at Drew and giving a confident smile. "Well, it's hard to explain. But I just can't let this person down, by no means."

"You always were too stubborn for your own good," Drew said, a small laugh coming out. May glared at him, but soon shook her head.

"I'm not stubborn!"

"Yeah, you really are. Now come on, stay quiet, we're still in a library," Drew reminded. May blushed, looking around and embarrassed at the faces staring at her.

"Right. Just… please, check my work," she said, hoping to change the subject. Drew nodded, doing just that.

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It felt like such a long time for her. But she still kept at it, algebra finally making some sense to her.

"May?" he asked, his voice surprising her by how light and gentle it was. Really, this wasn't the Drew she was accustomed to. It really creeped her out, actually. She gulped.

"Yeah?" she asked. She looked towards him, and noticed his eyes were still fixated on the book, seeming too concentrated on the equations to feel her gaze on him.

"Don't tell anyone about this. I do have a reputation to hold," he said, eyeing her from his position and smirking at her. May instantly grew annoyed, her fist clenching.

For a second there…

She huffed, sticking her nose up and furrowing her brow.

"As if I would tell anyone about being around you for longer than a minute!" May crossed her arms, turning away from him. Drew laughed, happy they could be themselves again instead of being so, so awkward.

"See you around. And if you do come by the library again, I'll be here, just so you know." His keychain swung from his finger, making circles in the air.

May looked back, and then smiled thoughtfully.

"Thanks again," she said gratefully. Drew simply waved as he walked away from her. May soon looked over to the clock, noticing the time. She grinned.

"As much of a prick he can be sometimes, he's actually… really helpful," May thought, her lips forming a smile at the thought. Really, she was still in disbelief at the whole ordeal.

She soon shook her head. "No time to think about that! I have way too much to do!" May said aloud before she raced towards the computer lab. "Since when did my schedule get so full?" she sobbed, cherishing the days she could laze around.

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"Aren't you usually off somewhere by now?" Gary wondered curiously. He would never admit it, but Gary did find it strange how Ash was acting more recently. When he would think up some great ways to tease him, he would just either take it or not care.

"Yeah, you're usually running off after practice, like every day," another guy pointed out. Ash just shrugged, before grinning.

"Day off," he said. Many of the guys looked at him oddly.

"You got a job somewhere?"

"Well, no, not really. Eh, maybe, sort of, I guess?" Many of the guys in the locker room stared at him curiously. He wasn't sure what to say, knowing he was supposed to keep quiet about their little agreement. So a job would be a good excuse for his leaving, either way. He decided to stick with that, figuring it wouldn't hurt to not say anything. He simply shrugged, yawning.

"Whatever. No wonder you're so tired. You should take the time to nap or something, otherwise coach is going to take it out on all of us again," Paul said, his face stern and his eyes serious. Ash nodded, feeling rather tired. He yawned, not realizing how tired he was until someone said so.

"Yeah, I'll be sure to after I finish my homework," Ash said, before leaving the locker room.

He was surprised to see Dawn waiting outside the locker room.

"Oh, hey! What're you doing here?" he wondered, noticing she was still in her cheerleading uniform.

"Ah, well, May told me what happened – with your math grade. I just wanted to make sure you're going to be alright," she said.

"Yeah, I'm having a lot of trouble with algebra 2 unfortunately. Sucks. Thanks, that means a lot! But May already said she was planning to help me. We were actually going to my house to work on homework, if you wanted to come." Dawn smiled, but it was strained, her eyebrow twitching.

Ah, so May didn't explain to him how she was in Geometry yet, huh? She wondered how she was going to deal with this. She wondered if it would turn into a train wreck. She sincerely hoped it wouldn't.

However, judging by how panicked May was and the fact that May had no knowledge of algebra 2, there was a good chance that things would indeed, turn into a catastrophe.

Either way, in case it did, she had to be there. She decided that she had to make sure May didn't panic and freak out like she usually did. To do damage control, of course.

"Sure, why not? What time were you guys going?" she asked. Ash looked at his watch.

"Well, May said she was going to be in the library. I don't know if she's done yet, but she said she would be there for a while. I was going to go do other homework while I wait for her."

"Oh, cool. Were you planning to go to the library too?" He shook his head.

"Nah, I usually just try to find an empty classroom that's not locked so I can play music. The library is too quiet, and I hate when it's so quiet. I usually fall asleep in libraries," he explained, scratching the back of his head. Although, admittedly, he figured with how tired he was, he would fall asleep regardless at the moment. Dawn nodded, agreeing. "Want to help me find a classroom while we wait for May?" he offered, and she nodded, giggling.

And the search for an empty classroom began.

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May walked to the classroom, surprised. "Video/photography club. Seems like my type of club!" May said as she grinned so big. Truthfully, she needed a break from algebra and math. She spent so much time reviewing it and attempting to understanding it, that she needed a break. So, she did just that, with looking for another club she could try.

She actually looked to the bulletin board this time, to check the different clubs and extracurricular activities going on today. Hence why she found herself in front of the computer lab. She grinned, actually excited about this club.

May walked into the computer lab, surprised to see two figures on the computer, glued to the screen. She tilted her head, confused.

"Um, hi," she said nervously.

She saw a boy with dark green hair and glasses. She also saw a blond haired boy leaning over the other guys shoulder, watching the screen just as intensely.

"What a lively club," May grumbled sarcastically.

They looked up to her, curiously.

"Hey, you lost or something?" the boy with green hair asked, raising his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Depends, is this the video/photography club?" They quirked an eyebrow.

"Why yes, yes it is. You see, we usually don't get many students joining. Sorry about that, my name is Conway, and this is Trip," Conway said. Trip simply raised a hand, waving hello. "Right now, we were just editing some photos for the yearbook."

"Ooh, can I see?" May asked, moving towards them and looking at the computer screen as well.

"So what interest you? Video or photography?" Conway asked, hiding his heated face. May looked at him oddly, wondering why he was acting so weird. She shook this odd feeling off, however, deciding to explain her childhood dream.

"Well, video. I actually like the idea of having my own show, you know? May's expedition, is what I would call it! It would showcase all my great adventures and such, and it would be totally awesome!"

"Uh…huh," Trip trailed off, while Conway merely fixed his glasses again, seemingly out of habit.

"What?" she asked defensively, raising an eyebrow. Trip merely shrugged.

"It's nothing," Conway answered, moving his hands to cover Trips mouth. "Do you have a video camera?" he questioned. She shook her head no.

"Do you have the slightest idea what you would be doing?" Trip asked. She shook her head no once more.

"O… kay," Trip said, in thought. He trailed off and soon sighed. "Listen, maybe-" Conway quickly tried to shut his mouth. Muttering something she could not hear in his ear. She saw Trip roll his eyes, while Conway turned around and smiled creepily at May. May took a few steps back, a shiver running up her spine.

"That's totally okay you have no experience with a camera! We can teach you! Usually, we don't really have much of a budget given to us by the student council, so in the meantime, you can borrow my camera whenever you feel like shooting something. It works photos and videos. I can teach you both, if you like," Conway offered. May instantly brightened, a glimmer in her eye.

"Yeah, that would be so awesome!"

"Other things we do include editing videos with Sony Vegas and working Photoshop with the photos we take. It's really practical to learn, you know," he continued, making May more and more thankful she decided to check it out.

"Now this sounds so cool! I'm so glad I joined!" May gushed.

Even though the two members of this club were a little on the odd side, it still seemed like a pretty sweet club for her. She was told she needed to consider her future all the time, anyways.

Plus, it's not like she wasn't weird either, hah.

She would fit right in with these dorks.

They were all surprised when they heard knocks.

"Wow, we're getting a lot of members today, ey," Trip said, rolling his eyes as he continued to look at the computer screen. Just then, the door opened to reveal a frantic girl making her way into the classroom.

"Ah, sorry I'm late! I hope I didn't miss much!" a voice said, rushing towards the three. May grinned. Conway nearly choked on air and Trip raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, it's you! You were really nice to me before. Serena, right?" she asked. She nodded.

"Yup! May?" she questioned, and May nodded, winking and posing in victory.

"The one and only!"

"Cool, I didn't know you joined this club. I haven't seen you in culinary club," she mentioned. May sheepishly laughed.

"Uh, yeah, I figured I burned down enough kitchens," she said, and Serena laughed.

"It's okay, we all make mistakes," she said, smiling at the girl. May nodded, thinking how she may make a little more than the average person.

Then again, May wasn't exactly average by anyone's standards.

"Hi, welcome to the video and photography club!" Conway said rather shakily. May stared at him, wondering what was wrong with him. Trip shook his head with disappointment.

"Probably just excited to have more members, bonus that you two are girls," Trip explained. He ended up staring at Serena.

"What got you interested in video and photography?" Trip asked.

"Oh, well, I saw some videos online with people making clips for contests online, and I wanted to try it!" Trip nodded.

"Well, this would be the place for it," he said. "Do you have a camera?" he asked. She shook her head no.

"Well, looks like we're going to have to use Conway's," Trip mentioned.

"I'm perfectly fine with that," Conway said, bouncing back up. "We can even make a schedule on when we are going to use it and for what," Conway suggested, already taking out a piece of paper and a pen.

"Here, I can show you guys how to use it," Conway offered. They all nodded, excited.

"First episode of May's Expedition is on the way!"

"I can't wait to try this out," Serena said enthusiastically. "Ah, I need to practice what I'm going to say… and costumes, and hair," Serena began to panic.

"Hey, don't worry about it," May said, winking. "I'm sure you'll be great! I mean, I'm no expert or anything," she began, realizing she was never on TV or anything like that. "But from my experience, I know it's better to just be yourself!" she explained. Serena nodded, grateful.

"You're right. Thanks, May," she said, grinning at her. May grinned back, giving her the peace sign.

"No problem! I mean, you helped me so much in culinary club when I was the worst, it's the least I can do!"

"To new members!" Conway cheered, hoping this meant that the budget given to them would increase.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Serena said, her face brightening. She shuffled through her bag in hopes to find her plastic container filled with all kinds of treats. "I made these in culinary club today!" Serena said, a small blush rising. "I hope you all like them!"

"You're amazing!" Conway gushed. May's stomach growled. She chuckled before reaching for a baked good.

"Oh, this is going to be my favorite club if you keep bringing treats like this!" May said in between bites.

The rest of the club meeting consisted of ice breakers and learning how to use Conway's video camera so they could begin filming.

May was more than excited, finally feeling she found a club where she truly belonged.

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May tapped her foot, her arms crossed and her expression annoyed.

"Okay, today, I didn't get it wrong. We were going to meet at this time to study. He's late!" May furrowed her eyebrows, frustrated. "What's he doing?" she wondered, off through the halls to look for him. It wasn't until she heard music, that she peeked in a room.

Her annoyance faded for a second, when she saw Ash and Dawn laughing as their heads bounced to the beat of the song.

But it only faded for a second.

"Ahem," she coughed, her arms crossed and her face having the most annoyed expression she could muster.

"You know, I've been waiting for a while now, Ash Ketchum," she said, eyeing him suspiciously. Ash jumped a bit at hearing May's annoyed voice. He scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish.

"Ah, already? Sorry, we lost track of time."

"Uh-huh…" she trailed off, trying to think of something else to say.

"She hates waiting around for people, trust me," Dawn chimed in, helping Ash understand. Ash nodded, agreeing.

"Well, now both of you owe me," May decided, smirking.

"Hey, I wasn't the one who set the time to meet up with you," Dawn argued.

"But you're partly responsible Ash was late," May argued back.

"No way!" May stuck out her tongue in defiance. Dawn shook her head. "We were just doing homework, anyways."

"Uh-huh… sure," May said, and Dawn furrowed her brows, frustrated with her best friend. She knew just what buttons to press, it seemed like.

"Urm, so… are we going?" Ash wondered, looking between the two. Their little argument seized just like that, both nodding eagerly.

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When they finally arrived at Ash's house, both were curious where he lived. It was a quaint house it looked like, nothing out of the ordinary, but definitely nice.

Both Dawn and May smiled when they were greeted by Ash's mom.

"Why hello there," she said, looking cheery at the both of them. Both girls inwardly grinned at the sight of Ash hugging his mother as they made their way inside.

"Hi, Mrs. Ketchum! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"I heard you were going to be helping Ash? I sincerely thank you. When I found out he was falling behind in math, I told him his grades better improve or else he can't play sports. His teacher called and said how he's not paying attention in class. It reminds me of all those times I always tell him to change his-"

"Mom," Ash whined, hoping she didn't say anything embarrassing. Delia began to giggle at Ash's red face.

"Oh, it's not like that happens anymore," she reasoned. Ash's face still heated even more, looking over at both Dawn and May, who were giggling amongst themselves.

Yeah, he was super embarrassed now.

"Okay, okay, we have to study!" Ash yelped, hoping to change the subject so they could get to work. Delia nodded, moving toward the kitchen. Ash sighed, relieved. He sat at the dinning room table, bringing his books and bag on said table. Dawn and May did the same.

Dawn bit her lip, hoping May had a plan for tutoring him. She watched as May confidently opened Ash's textbook, looking for the chapter he had to work on.

"So, what exactly do you need help with?" May asked, her eyes locked on the textbook and smirking at the familiar chapter.

"Everything! I didn't pay attention in class. I saw all these equations on the board – they look pretty familiar, but I just don't know what to do with them," Ash explained. May nodded, cracking her knuckles and her neck, and getting to work. She began explaining how to factor quadratic polynomials and its different forms. She also showed him how to identify these forms in more elaborate polynomials that aren't necessarily quadratic.

Yeah, Dawn was surprised too.

When she began explaining algebra 2 concepts to him, Dawn's jaw hung incredibly low, completely flabbergasted at the sight before her.

Who was this person?

This wasn't her ditzy friend who could barely swing a bat or who fell asleep in class.

By the time they were working on actual problems, May watching him do them and correcting him if he forgot something, Dawn smiled, proud of her best friend.

She was happy she didn't have to do damage control after all.

"Okay, now you should be able to do these on your own! Let me know when you're done so I can check them," May said. Ash nodded, beginning to work his homework problems.

She was in awe, wondering how she was able to do this – to know all this!?

She looked to her own homework, deciding to just focus on that.

She would have to ask her later.

May's face brightened.

"Hey, these are right! See? You got it, easy!"

"Thanks, May! I knew I could count on you!" Ash said, truly thankful. May blushed, a bit embarrassed by his gratitude.

"I mean, it's the least I can do, right?" she said, looking confident and smug. Ash nodded, mouthing another relieved thank you.

"Hey, are you two hungry? I can bring some snacks?" Ash asked, getting up to head to the kitchen. May nodded vigorously, never one to turn down free food.

"Yes please! I'm starving." Dawn merely laughed at her friend, agreeing.

When Ash left the kitchen, May turned to her best friend, smirking.

"Okay, now that we're all in the same room, I think it's the perfect time to ask him." She winked at Dawn, and Dawn's face unknowingly began to turn red.

"Ask him what?" she wondered, fear emanating from her tone of voice.

"About the rumors, of course!" May whispered, a wicked giggle forming.

"What rumors?" Ash asked, coming back. May smirked, staring him in the eye. Not before grabbing the unopened bag of potato chips, of course. She began to giggle some more.

"Ash, are you as dense as they say you are?" she asked. Dawn's eyebrow twitched, wondering how May could be so forward. Ash furrowed his eyebrows, not understanding what she meant.

"People think I'm dense?" he asked, confused. She nodded, giggling.

"Obviously. Like, do you even look at girls like that or anything?" May wondered, tilting her head and staring at him head on.

"W-wha?" he wondered, completely surprised. "People question if I like girls?"

"See? Dense! I knew it!" May said, giggling. "You like, barely even look or really talk to girls unless it's as friends, right?"

"Eh?"

"Ash, give me more to go on."

"I'm just wondering where these crazy rumors came from? Of course I like girls."

"But in the relationship type of way?" Dawn wondered curiously. Ash shrugged.

"I mean, obviously. I dated before, you know," Ash explained. Both Dawn and May stared at him incredulously.

"Really? Woah. You'd think we'd know, huh? Wait, so what happened? Who?" May asked like a curious child. Ash leaned back, his face heating because of how flustered they were making him with all these questions.

"It's because it was only a few dates - we were kind of a thing. I mean, I dated other girls besides her, but those were only a few dates too. It's usually because I don't really have time to go on too many dates. Definitely no time for a girlfriend, right now anyways," Ash thought aloud, realizing how he's already struggling to keep up, without a girlfriend. "But I definitely like girls," he explained, scratching the back of his head, wondering why he even has to explain this.

This is the first time he's ever heard of these rumors.

He didn't like them one bit.

"You failed to mention who, though," May reminded. Just like May, getting into the more pressing issues.

"That's because we agreed not to say anything about it or talk about it," Ash said. "Only a few people know about it." Ash shrugged. May's brows furrowed.

"And we can't know?"

"Definitely not," Ash answered.

"Why not?" May pouted. Ash shook his head.

"Secret!" he said, grinning at the two. May frowned.

This was going to kill her. She slumped in her chair, contemplating.

She smirked despite herself. May straightened up. She loved a good mystery, though.

"Thank you for telling us what you can," Dawn said, a small smile creeping up. May nodded.

"Yeah, that means a lot." Ash grinned at their words.

"Still going to find out who," May mumbled under her breath. The other two did not hear her.

"Of course! You two are really great friends now," this was the first time he said that, and the first time he really realized it and let that sink in. It was no surprise, he was spending more time with them than all his other friends now. They quickly became close friends for him.

They all smiled, grateful for this newfound friendship.

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As they all took a break from homework and studying, Ash thought for a moment, staring at Dawn with curious eyes. His brows furrowed in concentration, trying to put her face and name to a previous memory.

"I swear I've seen you before! Like, was it last year, or middle school? Elementary school? Summer camp?" Ash thought, and Dawn giggled, sticking out her tongue.

"No need to worry! I'm not telling anything, until you remember!" she said, before winking.

"Oooh, or if you let us know who you dated in the past," May suggested, winking. She paused for moment.

"Hey, wait a minute… you haven't even told me!" Dawn smirked.

"I'll tell you after. You like mysteries after all, right?" Dawn said, sticking her tongue out at the both of them. Both Ash and May crossed their arms, their faces scrunching up in frustration.

Ash grumbled, "But I'd wish you just tell me already." He thought, still struggling to figure it out.

"Well, there's no time for worrying about that right now! You got a quiz to ace!" May barked, trying to get them all on track for the goal at hand: bring Ash's grades up!

Ash nodded, focusing back to his textbook and ready to work the heck out of these problems.

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AN: Sorry, for the long wait. Honestly, I had no motivation to complete this chapter. Welp, there we go! Hope this sufficed. At this point I'm going to start adding more… bizarre characters and a little more interesting scenarios and scenes… xD Either way, hope you guys like the little nods I gave to different pairings (what I mean when I say multiple pairings, heh). If there are certain characters you want to interact or see more of, please let me know now. I'll most likely do it, heh. Also, I promise there will be more basketball training next chapter, haha. Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter! Also, please vote in the poll in my profile, I made a new one since I added more options of what to work on next! Till next time!