Marissa slowly opened her eyes to see the sunlight coming through the
windows. They were back at the Pokemon Center. Sweetie jumped up on the
bed, "Flare flareon?" It asked concerned. Marissa just looked at her
loyal flareon for a moment, she still hadn't woken up completely. Before
long all the memories of the previous night came flooding back. The dance,
Brock, Gary and Matt, the fact that Matt had exposed one of her best-kept
secrets.
Marissa threw her arms around the pokemon's neck. "Matt showed up last night!" She cried in to the creature's neck. "Flareon" Sweetie whispered, she knew all to well what kinda things Matt did to Marissa. "He told them I had been in the mental hospital!" "Flare flareon flare." Sweetie replied, in an attempt to comfort her master. "I know it was along time ago, But you weren't there. You can't possibly know what it was like. Or how differently everyone treated me afterwards!"
After several minutes Marissa calmed down and got dressed. She then placed her sunglasses on her face and forced a smile. She looked happy, but her best friend knew the sadness she hid, and now her new friends had gotten a glimpse of that sadness.
Marissa looked over at Misty, who was just beginning to awaken. She had been so kind last night. Even after learning Marissa's secret she had still been friendly. They had all been kind to her since, it was like it didn't matter to them. She scratched Sweetie behind the ear, "Do you think they would accept me if they knew my other secret?" She asked quietly.
Misty sat up and looked over at them, "morning." She yawned as she stretched. "How are you feeling?" she asked with concern as she remembered the previous night. Marissa force a fake smile, "fine" she chirped. Misty didn't buy it, but decided not to say anything.
Brock and Ash also sensed that she wasn't ok. Every one sat eating in silence, except Marissa. She just pushed her food around the plate with her fork. "What bothering you?" Brock asked at last. "What makes you think anything is bothering me?" Marissa asked trying to force a smile. "Are you still upset about last night?" Brock asked gently. Marissa sighed and rested her forehead against her fist. "It just brought back a lot of memories. Many I really don't want to remember." She replied sadly.
"Perhaps it would help to talk about it." Misty suggested. Marissa looked at her three friends. They already knew her secret, it couldn't hurt to tell her side of the story.
It happened a few years ago," she said. "I was one my way home from my grand ma's house. I had had a pretty bad week. I had been sick; I had gotten in trouble at school. I had never been a happy child in the first place, many of the kids made fun of me because I was different from them. They called me all sorts of names!" Tears came to her eyes as she told her story. Brock put his arm around her and pulled her close.
"All I wanted was to get home to play with my one friend, the only human friend I had. He had always been so kind to me, I had a crush on him since before I could remember. He use to play with me every day at school." She smiled remembering her old friend. "I was really excited because he said he had a secret to tell me, something he had wanted to tell me for a long time. I practically ran to where I was suppose to meet him. When I got there I saw a bunch of kids from school but not him."
She stopped for a moment; she turned away and quickly wiped away the tears in her eyes before continuing. "Any ways, when I got there I didn't see him. Then a clod of dirt hit me from out of nowhere. I turned around and he was standing there, with another clump of dirt in his hand. He told me he had never liked me, and that every one thought I should just go die!" She broke down crying, Brock pulled her in to his chest and gently rocked back and forward while stoking her hair. "Shhhhhhhhh, shhhhhhhhhhhhh, Its ok. Its over now." He murmured.
Regaining her composure she continued. "I didn't think I had any thing to live for, I had no friends. No one liked me. I felt I couldn't go on living! When I got home my brothers were at a friend's house, Mama had gone shopping, and Papa hadn't got home from work yet. The house was empty. I wrote a letter to Mama and Papa, I folded it up and stuck it to the fridge with a magnet. Then I got a knife from the drawer and I took it upstairs and closed the door." She was emotionless as she described the last scene, as if she had ceased to feel in the moment she was describing. "When I woke up I was in the hospital, Mama had gotten home just as I passed out and called the ambulance. As soon as I was well enough hey sent me to the nut house for 'professional help'." She spat those last words out with a voice so icy it would freeze ones blood.
"Didn't the doctors help you?" Ash asked confused by the contempt in her voice. "Doctors, it that what they were? They didn't even try to help." She replied with distain. "Well, how did you get better then?" Misty asked. "I didn't really, not while I was there. I kept my mouth shut and stayed out of trouble. I said and did exactly what I knew they wanted me to say and do. They eventually let me out."
"Everything changed after that," Marissa continued "every one watched me at though they were afraid of me. The kids didn't tease me anymore, they just ignored me. I guess they were all afraid of me. I wasn't even allowed to climb trees at recess, they thought I'd jump out of them." "That's awful!" Misty replied. "Well, I probably would of at the time."
"So why aren't you suicidal now?" Ash asked receiving a stern look from Misty. "Well, one day I was on my way home from school, and I noticed this dirty little ball of fluff on the road side. I went over and picked it up and it turned out to be an eevee she was still alive so I ran to the pokemon center as fast as I could. Once she started to get better nurse joy allowed me to take he home to recover, and my folks let me keep her. That was the best mistake they ever made! I started bringing home every hurt pidgey or rattata I came across. I had to let most of them go but I had a pretty good team by the time I started my journey!"
After breakfast the three continued on their way, hoping to make pallet town by the end of the week. Ash led the way as he lived in pallet town, so though they hoped to get to town within a week they felt it might take a week and a half. Pikachu and Sweetie chased each other around their trainers' feet while Togepi rode on Pikachu's back. Marissa was amazed, as much as they now knew about her they way they treated her hadn't changed a bit. She decided then and there she would some day tell them her biggest secret.
Marissa threw her arms around the pokemon's neck. "Matt showed up last night!" She cried in to the creature's neck. "Flareon" Sweetie whispered, she knew all to well what kinda things Matt did to Marissa. "He told them I had been in the mental hospital!" "Flare flareon flare." Sweetie replied, in an attempt to comfort her master. "I know it was along time ago, But you weren't there. You can't possibly know what it was like. Or how differently everyone treated me afterwards!"
After several minutes Marissa calmed down and got dressed. She then placed her sunglasses on her face and forced a smile. She looked happy, but her best friend knew the sadness she hid, and now her new friends had gotten a glimpse of that sadness.
Marissa looked over at Misty, who was just beginning to awaken. She had been so kind last night. Even after learning Marissa's secret she had still been friendly. They had all been kind to her since, it was like it didn't matter to them. She scratched Sweetie behind the ear, "Do you think they would accept me if they knew my other secret?" She asked quietly.
Misty sat up and looked over at them, "morning." She yawned as she stretched. "How are you feeling?" she asked with concern as she remembered the previous night. Marissa force a fake smile, "fine" she chirped. Misty didn't buy it, but decided not to say anything.
Brock and Ash also sensed that she wasn't ok. Every one sat eating in silence, except Marissa. She just pushed her food around the plate with her fork. "What bothering you?" Brock asked at last. "What makes you think anything is bothering me?" Marissa asked trying to force a smile. "Are you still upset about last night?" Brock asked gently. Marissa sighed and rested her forehead against her fist. "It just brought back a lot of memories. Many I really don't want to remember." She replied sadly.
"Perhaps it would help to talk about it." Misty suggested. Marissa looked at her three friends. They already knew her secret, it couldn't hurt to tell her side of the story.
It happened a few years ago," she said. "I was one my way home from my grand ma's house. I had had a pretty bad week. I had been sick; I had gotten in trouble at school. I had never been a happy child in the first place, many of the kids made fun of me because I was different from them. They called me all sorts of names!" Tears came to her eyes as she told her story. Brock put his arm around her and pulled her close.
"All I wanted was to get home to play with my one friend, the only human friend I had. He had always been so kind to me, I had a crush on him since before I could remember. He use to play with me every day at school." She smiled remembering her old friend. "I was really excited because he said he had a secret to tell me, something he had wanted to tell me for a long time. I practically ran to where I was suppose to meet him. When I got there I saw a bunch of kids from school but not him."
She stopped for a moment; she turned away and quickly wiped away the tears in her eyes before continuing. "Any ways, when I got there I didn't see him. Then a clod of dirt hit me from out of nowhere. I turned around and he was standing there, with another clump of dirt in his hand. He told me he had never liked me, and that every one thought I should just go die!" She broke down crying, Brock pulled her in to his chest and gently rocked back and forward while stoking her hair. "Shhhhhhhhh, shhhhhhhhhhhhh, Its ok. Its over now." He murmured.
Regaining her composure she continued. "I didn't think I had any thing to live for, I had no friends. No one liked me. I felt I couldn't go on living! When I got home my brothers were at a friend's house, Mama had gone shopping, and Papa hadn't got home from work yet. The house was empty. I wrote a letter to Mama and Papa, I folded it up and stuck it to the fridge with a magnet. Then I got a knife from the drawer and I took it upstairs and closed the door." She was emotionless as she described the last scene, as if she had ceased to feel in the moment she was describing. "When I woke up I was in the hospital, Mama had gotten home just as I passed out and called the ambulance. As soon as I was well enough hey sent me to the nut house for 'professional help'." She spat those last words out with a voice so icy it would freeze ones blood.
"Didn't the doctors help you?" Ash asked confused by the contempt in her voice. "Doctors, it that what they were? They didn't even try to help." She replied with distain. "Well, how did you get better then?" Misty asked. "I didn't really, not while I was there. I kept my mouth shut and stayed out of trouble. I said and did exactly what I knew they wanted me to say and do. They eventually let me out."
"Everything changed after that," Marissa continued "every one watched me at though they were afraid of me. The kids didn't tease me anymore, they just ignored me. I guess they were all afraid of me. I wasn't even allowed to climb trees at recess, they thought I'd jump out of them." "That's awful!" Misty replied. "Well, I probably would of at the time."
"So why aren't you suicidal now?" Ash asked receiving a stern look from Misty. "Well, one day I was on my way home from school, and I noticed this dirty little ball of fluff on the road side. I went over and picked it up and it turned out to be an eevee she was still alive so I ran to the pokemon center as fast as I could. Once she started to get better nurse joy allowed me to take he home to recover, and my folks let me keep her. That was the best mistake they ever made! I started bringing home every hurt pidgey or rattata I came across. I had to let most of them go but I had a pretty good team by the time I started my journey!"
After breakfast the three continued on their way, hoping to make pallet town by the end of the week. Ash led the way as he lived in pallet town, so though they hoped to get to town within a week they felt it might take a week and a half. Pikachu and Sweetie chased each other around their trainers' feet while Togepi rode on Pikachu's back. Marissa was amazed, as much as they now knew about her they way they treated her hadn't changed a bit. She decided then and there she would some day tell them her biggest secret.