For the rest of vacation, Jamie sat in his room, heartbroken. Rosy hadn't called at all. Maybe Dallas Oak is right, he thought tearfully. Maybe she doesn't like me. But why?
His parents worried about him endlessly. Their usually cheerful Jamie was now a gray, sad young man. They did everything they could think of to bring him out of his funk, but it was to no avail. To Jamie, every day was just another day, nothing more.
Days passed, and soon it was time for classes to resume at the Tech. Once again, Jessie and James loaded up the car and made the trek to Cerulean. Jamie quietly retreated to his room. Derek Foster and three other boys were in it, looking at a copy of Pokemon World. They were talking but stopped when Jamie entered. "Hey, guys," he said, tossing his duffel on his bed. They looked at him, snapped the magazine shut and filed out the door. "Guys?" He stuck his head out the door. "That's strange." He put his things away and then left himself, in search of Rosy. He found her sitting on a bench talking to a girl who was in their Breeding Essentials class. She took one look at Jamie and wordlessly left. "Shannon," Rosy called after her. Shannon shot back a burning glance.
"Am I part of some private joke that I don't get," Jamie asked, frustrated.
"I dunno," Rosy replied. "That's strange. I've never seen her act like that before. Anyway, sit," she commanded. He swept some snow off the bench and sat next to her. "My daddy told me you came to my house during break," she said, smiling.
"Yea, well," Jamie said.
"It's cool. I like it when people think of me like that," she said, her dark eyes shining. "Especially you."
Jamie smiled. "Can I walk you to Apricorn Carving tomorrow," he asked.
"Sure." She got up. "I still have to unpack, but I'll see you tomorrow."
Jamie got up the next day in plenty of time to walk Rosy to her class. They talked about what they did over break on the way. They reached the room where her class was. He opened the door for her. The class suddenly exploded with laughter. Jamie could hear things like, "Son of Team Rocket!" "His parents not only failed the exit exam, they scored zero!" "How did he get in here?
In the center of it all was Dallas Oak, waving his arms like a conductor among the noise. Jamie felt all his blood drain to his feet. He was frozen. What on earth are they talking about, he asked himself.
Rosy burst forward. "What are you doing, Dallas," she shouted. "That isn't true. None of it is!"
"You mean his parents lied to him too," he retorted. "There ya go, you can add another one to his rap sheet." The class roared.
A blur of red hair charged into Dallas. Jamie had reached his boiling point. He knocked Dallas to the floor and started pummeling his face. The students crowded around, screaming. Rosy shouted over the bedlam for Jamie to stop. But he was too far gone to hear anything except for Dallas' facial bones breaking and him screaming in pain.
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF ENTEI IS GOING ON HERE," the headmaster yelled suddenly. All the students froze. Jamie looked at the looming mountain of authority over him. He grabbed his ear roughly and pulled him into his office. "Someone call an ambulance for this boy," he called over his shoulder.
The headmaster stared at Jamie with eyes of fire. "I should have known you would do this," he raged. "I'm an idiot for accepting a proposal from Team Rocket. Nevertheless, you cannot continue here. Your education here is over. No one from the Fauntleroy family nor the Lewiston family will ever be admitted here again, thanks to you. Your parents have been called. Go into the bathroom and wash yourself off." He slammed the door.
It's all a lie, a goddamned lie, he thought, wiping Dallas' blood off his face. He looked in the mirror. It's just like Dallas to pull this crap. He realized what he had done. God, I could have killed him. I just couldn't control myself. His hands shook. He started to cry hysterically. Oh, God, Rosy, he thought. She's probably terrified of me now. He sank to the floor, his hands covering his face. His tears mingled with the blood. "Jamie? Jamie," his mother's voice rang out.
"Mom," he cried, falling into her arms. He sobbed.
She looked at the blood smeared on his face. "Jamie, what happened," she asked. "Why did you beat that other boy up?"
He could barely talk in between sobs. "He said horrible things about me, and you," he choked. "That you and Dad were failures, and that I was the son of Team Rocket. Mom, what are they talking about?"
Jessie's heart broke in two. She sobbed with her son. James caught up with her. He embraced them tightly. "Mom, it's all a lie, I know it is," Jamie cried.
Jessie shook her head, sobs shaking her whole body. "No, Jamie, it's not."
He drew back. "What?" His deep green eyes were puffed from crying. The blood was dried on his face now. He looked so hurt and betrayed.
"It's all true," she said. "Dad and I were members of Team Rocket for a long time. We were even CEO's before you were born. We failed the exit exam with scores of zero. We were going to tell you when you were older. We quit to make a good life for you, Jamie." She turned away from her baby. She could see his heart breaking right in front of her.
"Dad," he asked shakily. James nodded slowly, tears pouring down his face.
"All my life has been a lie," Jamie said quietly. He screamed and ran out the door into the snow. He fell to his knees and pounded the snow, screaming all the while. His parents followed him. "Come on, Jamie, let's go home," James said gently.
"I hate you," Jamie screamed back. "Don't touch me! I never want to see you again! I wish I'd never been born!" He got up and ran as far away as he could.
"Jamie," Jessie called after him. They chased him into Cerulean City, combed the streets, but to no avail. They returned home to Azalea and had the police look for him. Months passed, and still no sign of him. No word, nothing. James saw his wife crying, looking at his school picture one day. "He'll come home someday," he assured.
"But when," she asked. "We could have lost our baby forever. This is all our fault."
James held her tight. "Someday, he'll come home."
His parents worried about him endlessly. Their usually cheerful Jamie was now a gray, sad young man. They did everything they could think of to bring him out of his funk, but it was to no avail. To Jamie, every day was just another day, nothing more.
Days passed, and soon it was time for classes to resume at the Tech. Once again, Jessie and James loaded up the car and made the trek to Cerulean. Jamie quietly retreated to his room. Derek Foster and three other boys were in it, looking at a copy of Pokemon World. They were talking but stopped when Jamie entered. "Hey, guys," he said, tossing his duffel on his bed. They looked at him, snapped the magazine shut and filed out the door. "Guys?" He stuck his head out the door. "That's strange." He put his things away and then left himself, in search of Rosy. He found her sitting on a bench talking to a girl who was in their Breeding Essentials class. She took one look at Jamie and wordlessly left. "Shannon," Rosy called after her. Shannon shot back a burning glance.
"Am I part of some private joke that I don't get," Jamie asked, frustrated.
"I dunno," Rosy replied. "That's strange. I've never seen her act like that before. Anyway, sit," she commanded. He swept some snow off the bench and sat next to her. "My daddy told me you came to my house during break," she said, smiling.
"Yea, well," Jamie said.
"It's cool. I like it when people think of me like that," she said, her dark eyes shining. "Especially you."
Jamie smiled. "Can I walk you to Apricorn Carving tomorrow," he asked.
"Sure." She got up. "I still have to unpack, but I'll see you tomorrow."
Jamie got up the next day in plenty of time to walk Rosy to her class. They talked about what they did over break on the way. They reached the room where her class was. He opened the door for her. The class suddenly exploded with laughter. Jamie could hear things like, "Son of Team Rocket!" "His parents not only failed the exit exam, they scored zero!" "How did he get in here?
In the center of it all was Dallas Oak, waving his arms like a conductor among the noise. Jamie felt all his blood drain to his feet. He was frozen. What on earth are they talking about, he asked himself.
Rosy burst forward. "What are you doing, Dallas," she shouted. "That isn't true. None of it is!"
"You mean his parents lied to him too," he retorted. "There ya go, you can add another one to his rap sheet." The class roared.
A blur of red hair charged into Dallas. Jamie had reached his boiling point. He knocked Dallas to the floor and started pummeling his face. The students crowded around, screaming. Rosy shouted over the bedlam for Jamie to stop. But he was too far gone to hear anything except for Dallas' facial bones breaking and him screaming in pain.
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF ENTEI IS GOING ON HERE," the headmaster yelled suddenly. All the students froze. Jamie looked at the looming mountain of authority over him. He grabbed his ear roughly and pulled him into his office. "Someone call an ambulance for this boy," he called over his shoulder.
The headmaster stared at Jamie with eyes of fire. "I should have known you would do this," he raged. "I'm an idiot for accepting a proposal from Team Rocket. Nevertheless, you cannot continue here. Your education here is over. No one from the Fauntleroy family nor the Lewiston family will ever be admitted here again, thanks to you. Your parents have been called. Go into the bathroom and wash yourself off." He slammed the door.
It's all a lie, a goddamned lie, he thought, wiping Dallas' blood off his face. He looked in the mirror. It's just like Dallas to pull this crap. He realized what he had done. God, I could have killed him. I just couldn't control myself. His hands shook. He started to cry hysterically. Oh, God, Rosy, he thought. She's probably terrified of me now. He sank to the floor, his hands covering his face. His tears mingled with the blood. "Jamie? Jamie," his mother's voice rang out.
"Mom," he cried, falling into her arms. He sobbed.
She looked at the blood smeared on his face. "Jamie, what happened," she asked. "Why did you beat that other boy up?"
He could barely talk in between sobs. "He said horrible things about me, and you," he choked. "That you and Dad were failures, and that I was the son of Team Rocket. Mom, what are they talking about?"
Jessie's heart broke in two. She sobbed with her son. James caught up with her. He embraced them tightly. "Mom, it's all a lie, I know it is," Jamie cried.
Jessie shook her head, sobs shaking her whole body. "No, Jamie, it's not."
He drew back. "What?" His deep green eyes were puffed from crying. The blood was dried on his face now. He looked so hurt and betrayed.
"It's all true," she said. "Dad and I were members of Team Rocket for a long time. We were even CEO's before you were born. We failed the exit exam with scores of zero. We were going to tell you when you were older. We quit to make a good life for you, Jamie." She turned away from her baby. She could see his heart breaking right in front of her.
"Dad," he asked shakily. James nodded slowly, tears pouring down his face.
"All my life has been a lie," Jamie said quietly. He screamed and ran out the door into the snow. He fell to his knees and pounded the snow, screaming all the while. His parents followed him. "Come on, Jamie, let's go home," James said gently.
"I hate you," Jamie screamed back. "Don't touch me! I never want to see you again! I wish I'd never been born!" He got up and ran as far away as he could.
"Jamie," Jessie called after him. They chased him into Cerulean City, combed the streets, but to no avail. They returned home to Azalea and had the police look for him. Months passed, and still no sign of him. No word, nothing. James saw his wife crying, looking at his school picture one day. "He'll come home someday," he assured.
"But when," she asked. "We could have lost our baby forever. This is all our fault."
James held her tight. "Someday, he'll come home."