Lost a Penny, Found a Sixpence
Disclaimer: No, Pokemon is not mine. And never shall it be. Sigh.....
Authors Note: Ooh, I'm gonna get flamed so much my computers going to explode! This is a story for cutiepie's contest, and YES! It IS an egoshipping! Read at your own risk. And if you flame me, then I will just *ignore* you, because most flamers have the intelligence and maturity of a 3-year-old. Oh and by the way, it may *seem* to be an aaml at the beginning, but it definitely isn't, ok? Just so we got that cleared up.... ^_^
~~~
"Misty?" Ash asked tentively.
"Hmm?" she replied absent-mindedly, staring distractedly out the window of their apartment.
"Misty, look at me" Ash said seriously, a pleading tone creeping into his voice. Misty detected the change of tone and took her eyes from the window, turning to him curiously. Ash swallowed hard, and slowly, rose out of his seat. Misty watched him with inquisitive eyes as he walked around the table and knelt on one knee in front of her.
"Misty? I have something to ask you..." Ash stammered, reaching into his pocket. A deep feeling of dread started to rise in Misty as she anticipated his next words. 'Not now' she thought desperately. 'Please don't do this, Ash'.
"Will you marry me?"
Misty's world came crashing down as the words escaped his mouth. She stared at him as he opened a black velvet box, to reveal a beautiful, and exetremely expensive-looking, diamond ring. He must have spent his entire years salary on it. Misty looked up at Ash. His face was a mixture of emotions; love, hope, expectancy. He had lay his heart on line, and with just one word she had the power to shatter it. Gingerly, she reached out and took the velvet box from his fingers into her own. For a second, she just stared at it, marvelling at it's beauty and the importance of it's meaning. Her eyes quickly flickered back to Ash. His face was filled with anticipation, and she remembered that she still hadn't given an answer.
Biting her lip, she gently passed the box from one hand to another. It glittered brilliantly as it caught the light, and for a moment her breath was taken away by it's flashy beauty. It only took one word... one word... and her life would be changed forever. How could she make such a life changing decision within the next few seconds?
Running her hand over the luxurious velvet box, she chewed her lip uncertainly. Her eyes flitted between Ash and the box before she took a long, deep breath. Casting her eyes firmly on the box in her hand, she shut the box, the hinges making a gentle snap as it did. She dropped it onto the table as if it had scalded her, and leapt to her feet, a million thoughts racing through her mind.
"No" she said shakily. "No! I... I can't!"
Ash stared up at her, wide-eyed. "Wha... Misty, what are you-"
"I can't!" she cried, backing up a few steps. "I... I'm sorry". Being able to no longer face his pained and confused expression, she turned and ran out the apartment door, leaving Ash alone and silent, his eyes still glued to the seat which she had once occupied.
~~~
Misty bolted out the door and onto the streets of Pallet Town, her mind filled with nothing but jumbled thoughts and emotions. She closed her eyes as the sunlight hit her face, and for a moment she experienced a sense of freedom. But it soon disappeared, and she bolted across the road towards the nearby park. She finally stopped and allowed herself to fall heavily onto a vacant park bench and catch her breath. She was breathing rapidly after the short run from the apartment where she and Ash had lived together for the past year or so, and absent-mindedly tucked her hair behind her ear. As her breathing slowed, her mind continued to run through the scene which had just taken place.
Now she had a chance to collect her thoughts, her eyes started to prick with tears and a lump rose in her throat. Rummaging through her pocket, she pulled out her mobile phone and desperately tried to punch in Brock's number. She needed someone to talk to, and she knew he would always listen. But her eyes were so blurred with tears that she couldn't make out the numbers she was punching. After a few minutes more of trying to correctly dial Brock's number, she finally threw the mobile to the ground in a fit of frustration, and let her head flop into her hands defeatedly. As sobs wracked her body, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Raising her head, she gazed up at the familiar face of a young auburn haired man. Gary Oak's face lit up in recognition, and he looked at her oddly.
"Hey... you're Ash's girlfriend, aren't you?" he asked, tilting his head to one side. "Kristy, isn't it?"
Misty glared up at Gary, and narrowed her eyes maliciously. "It's Misty" she spat. "And I am *not* Ash's girlfriend. Not anymore"
Gary stood awkwardly above the girl, unsure of what to do. Eventually, going against all his previous opinions on his rivals girlfriend, he sat down next to her uncomfortably. "So... did he dump you or something?" he asked in an attempt to be casual. Misty looked at him furiously. "I don't see how that's any of your business" she growled, clenching her fists. "Geez, sorry for asking" Gary frowned. "You try to show someone a little compassion and they throw it right back in your face...".
Misty looked at him suspiciously. "And why would *you* try to show me compassion? You hate Ash, so it stands to reason that you should hate me too". Gary shrugged. "I dunno. I just saw you crying and I wondered why". Recieving no reply, he continued to speak. "Did you have a fight?"
Misty sighed deeply and hung her head, closing her eyes. "No, we didn't have a fight". She paused dramatically. "He asked me to marry him" she muttered, opening her eyes. "And... that's why you're upset?" Gary asked, confused. "I would of thought you'd have been happy". Misty leant back and stared at Gary in disbelief. "Happy? You ask if I'm happy?" she asked, her voice getting higher and higher. "You're not?" Gary asked, looking at her oddly. "Do I look happy? I... I just... I just can't" she shook her head sadly. "Why not?" Gary asked, his voice taking on a softer tone. Misty looked at Gary, her eyes full of sorrow. "Because there's nothing there anymore. Not for me anyway. I loved him... once. But I just don't feel anything for him anymore". As she spoke, she started to feel the tears creep back again, and put her face back in her hands.
Gary looked around awkwardly, at a loss of what to do. Timidly, he put a hand on her back in an attempt to comfort her. Ignoring Gary's uncharacteristic gesture, Misty continued speaking. "I'm just not ready for it either. I'm eighteen years old for Gods sake! I... I'm not ready to marry. Not anyone, let alone *him*. If I marry Ash, then I'll... I'll just be going into a loveless relationship. He's a great guy, and I'm sure he'd be a great husband, but I just can't do it".
"Then don't" Gary suggested. Misty glanced at him in suprise. "W-what?" she stuttered, her eyes widening. "Well, if you don't love him, then why marry him? You're a smart, attractive girl. You can always find someone else" he advised her gently, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Um... thanks" Misty said quietly, a small smile creeping onto her face. "Don't mention it" Gary grinned. The smile faded from Misty's face as she turned her face away again. "But you should have seen his face. He was so... so... gutted" she said softly. "I can't bear to think of his face when I said no. It was like I'd broken his heart into a zillion little pieces!".
"Probably did" Gary remarked, absent-mindedly. Misty turned to glare at him angrily. Gary saw her look and quickly tried to backtrack. "Well, what I mean is... you didn't... Well, look at it this way, Misty. I've known Ash since we were kids. Sure, he's probably upset and heartbroken now, maybe even suicidal..." he trailed off as he saw Misty wince, and quickly continued. "But what I'm trying to say is, he'll get over it. He always does. You can keep on and on dropping him but he always bounces back".
Misty raised an eyebrow. "You think so...?" she asked hopefully. Gary looked at her for a few seconds, then smiled. "Yeah, Ash will forgive you. He's not the type to hold a grudge for long"
"Unless it's you" Misty ventured. Gary's smile disappeared, and his face darkened. "Yeah. Unless it's me". Misty looked up at him strangely, then smiled slightly. "This is weird, isn't it?" she laughed, nervously. "What is?" Gary asked. "You... comforting me..." she grinned. "Not something I have ever thought would happen" he smiled. "Thanks, by the way. For listening to me" she said quietly. "That's ok" Gary nodded.
Misty looked up at him and smiled. "You know, Gary, you're not so bad". "I'll take that as a compliment" Gary grinned. Misty smiled, and the two locked eyes for a few moments. "Um... so you and Ash... you're over?" Gary asked, almost hopefully. "Yeah" Misty nodded. "It's been over a long time...".
Gary nodded, his smile growing. "So... uh... when you're over this.... when you feel ready, I mean... would you like to go see a movie or something?"
Misty grinned and bit her lip. "Well, I've got to go now, but... yeah. I'd like that". Misty stood up and shoved her hands in her pockets, and looked down at the still-seated Gary. "Well, I'll see you around. I'll ring you sometime, ok?" she smiled, almost bashfully. "I can't wait" Gary replied.
~~~
Misty walked away, smiling, momentarily forgetting about the boy who's heart she'd just broken.
~~~
Authors Note: Awwww, that was so crappy. It was my first egoshippy, so don't flame me. Please?