DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokémon.
A/N: So here we are at chapter two, or three, or whatever it is! This one's longer than the previous one and….creative little me, I think that's all I have to say! Haha, just read on if you dare…
Chapter Two - Confronting The Past.
"Miiiiiiisssssstttttyyyyyyy!" A loud - very loud - groan was heard from one of my sister's rooms and I sighed in exasperation. So the third one had woken up. Made her presence heard.
The couch I had been sitting on for the past 5 seconds only provided a minimal and temporary relief from the constant droning of my other two sisters. But now Lily had aroused from her slumber, obviously with the third hangover from hell that morning.
"Coming" I sighed again and slowly dragged myself off the couch. It was only 12:30 in the afternoon but I felt like I had been dragged through a week's worth of nursing. How did doctors do it?
"Misty, darling, I'm like, in sooo much pain" Lily moaned with a hand to her forehead. "What cures a hangover?"
"I thought you'd be the expert of that" I muttered.
"Miiiisty, don't mock me" Lily said pathetically.
"So sister dear, had one too many Bacardis last night?" I teased. I almost felt sorry for her. She was paler than the other two and she wasn't moving a lot. In fact, even her voice had considerably dropped a couple of dozen of decibels.
"I don't think it was Bacardi..." Lily replied, her voice strangled. "It might've been vodka..."
"Oh God" I mumbled. But I turned to her with a sweet smile. "I'll grab you a cup of herbal tea" I offered.
"Ewww" Lily said with absolutely no enthusiasm in her voice. "That stuff is disgusting."
I ignored her whining and turned back to the kitchen. As the kettle was boiling for about the 5th time that day, my brain once again locked back into the scenario that was last night. Was Ash crazy? Had he lost a good chunk of his brain cells while I had been gone? And why hadn't Mom called already?
I was calmly pouring the water to make Lily's much needed drink when the doorbell rang.
I physically jumped, narrowly missing the opportunity to scald my hand. We had a doorbell? No no, back to the main point...who was visiting us?
"Miiiisty" three dull voices called out simultaneously. "If it's Jeff/Greg/Zac tell him I'm not here!"
Geez, I knew triplets had special bonds, but I never knew they could moan the same thing in unison. Well, it was almost the same thing, each one had, of course, called out a different name...
The doorbell interrupted my pondering as it impatiently reminded me that someone was waiting for me to answer.
"Shut that thing up, it's sooo loud" Daisy complained. Honestly, she sounded louder than the doorbell itself.
I walked over and prepared myself with the following greetings: "Sorry, Daisy/Violet/Lily isn't in at the moment..." "No sorry, I'm not interested in investing in rainforests..." "I'll just find some spare change, your
charity does wonders..."
However, I hadn't prepared myself for this. I opened the door and actually felt blood draining from my face as a microsecond glimpse of my visitor revealed itself to be Ash.
"Um..." I stammered. I had to compose myself. I couldn't let him get any ideas of how pathetic I had been the previous night after seeing him.
"Please don't yell" Ash pleaded, holding up his hands defensively. "I came to apologise for last night."
I finally found myself (welcome back, Mist) and glared into his begging eyes. "Go away" I said through clenched teeth. Deciding to let the soap opera thing drag on a bit longer, I hastily slammed the door in face, which only erupted in more whining from my sisters.
"Owww" I heard Violet groan. She sounded like she had been drugged and was now undergoing some torturous death. Something along the lines of being skinned alive. "Oh how my head pounds..."
The other two weren't much better, and through all their complaining the doorbell started ringing repeatedly. Naturally, the pressure build-up proved too much for me.
"SHUT UP!" I screamed. This resulted in immediate silence from all sides...except the bloody door. I knelt down and peered through the mail slot, coming into visual contact with Ash's knees. "I thought I told you
where to go. And I do believe it was away" I sneered through the mail slot. I wasn't opening the door again. I couldn't face him without losing it.
"Misty, can't we at least talk?" Ash asked, kneeling down to meet my narrowed eyes at the mail slot.
"It seems every time we talk it ends up a disaster, so no thank you" I said with sarcastic politeness.
"Please? I don't wanna talk to you through mail slots for the rest of my life" Ash said.
"You won't have to worry about that, Ash. Because you'll never see me again after this" I vowed.
"You wanna make a bet on that?" Ash challenged.
"I'm willing to bet anything on that" I swiftly replied. "In fact, if I were you, I'd be betting that stupid title you love so much. That's how confident I am."
"Well I'll have to prove you wrong then" Ash said non-chalantly.
"How do you propose to do that?" I asked.
"It'll be easy" Ash proclaimed.
I laughed bitterly. "Good luck to you, Ash. You're gonna need a truckload of it." I angrily snapped the mail slot closed just as Lily started up again. A minute's peace and I had wasted it on Ash. What an idiot I was.
"Where's my drink, Misty?" Lily feebly demanded.
"It'll be up your ass in a minute if you don't shut up!" I shouted. Again, silence occupied the house. At the time, I was enjoying the little position of superiority I had found myself in. But poor Lily. It wasn't her fault Ash had shown up and transformed my mood from impatient to all-out bad tempered.
I angrily stomped over to the half-full mug, topped it up, and delivered the goods to my terribly hung over sister.
"You don't have to be so rude, you know" Lily whispered. She was obviously referring to my last little outburst.
"Sorry sis, but it seems to be the only way I can get my way round here. Look, I'm being your slave for the day, isn't that enough?" I asked in exasperation.
Lily stared at me dumbfoundly and I concluded that my point had reached her. I turned to leave but then found myself screaming as Ash's face dominated my vision. So that's why Lily had looked so dumbfounded. Surely it wasn't every day her sister's ex-boyfriend walked into her room...
Well, with those three you never knew.
"Get out of my house!" I yelled, sounding like a distraught housewife. Who's house? I certainly hadn't paid for it.
"Make me" Ash replied, aloofness radiating from him.
"I'll have you arrested for trespassing!" I threatened in emptiness. Of course, I wasn't actually going to call the cops on him. Not unless he threatened me somehow.
Ash glared at me and for the first time since seeing him the previous night, I saw anger in his eyes.
"Where did your reasonable nature go, Mist?" he asked, sounding almost sad through his anger.
"I dunno Ash, maybe it went when you extinguished my self-esteem" I said sarcastically.
Suddenly the slight sadness I had witnessed before evaporated as Ash grabbed my shoulders and shook me. Hard.
"Godammit, Misty! Can't you hear me out?"
I couldn't think, I couldn't react. It was so sudden, watching the world somehow blur past me.
He relentlessly shook me, but he finally let go when he noticed two tears silently falling down my cheeks. I wasn't hurt, not physically anyway. But I had never seen Ash so angry. I collapsed on Lily's bed, Lily herself totally bewildered by the scene, and avoided his now sympathetic and apologetic stare.
"Give it up, Ash. Get the hell out of here" I spat out, venom seeping through my words.
"Misty, please...I'm sorry I did that...you're just so frustrating" Ash apologised. My rage turned to disbelief when I caught him smiling. He was smiling! What the hell was there to smile about?!
I felt Lily tug at my sleeve and turned to face her. She was grinning like she'd discovered her weight in platinum. No sign of a hangover there.
"Talk to him" she whispered.
"What? Why?" I asked in astonishment.
"Because he still loves you" Lily whispered hurriedly. "I can tell!"
"You can tell shit" I hissed. I turned back to Ash and decided I'd take her advice anyway. Somewhere underneath my tough soap-opera exterior, a part of me was curious.
"If I talk to you for five minutes will you leave me the hell alone?" I asked viciously.
His smile got wider. "That's all I need."
I reluctantly stood up and showed him toward my room, where I swiftly closed and locked the door. Hangovers or not, my sisters would have somehow found the strength to eavesdrop, so I had to protect myself as much as possible.
"Alright Ash. What's on your mind?" I said matter-of-factly. I was barely being civil, but this was about my patience limit with him.
Ash slumped down on my bed and eyed me carefully. "Would you believe me if I told you that I missed you?" he asked.
"No, I wouldn't" I replied sharply.
"I didn't think so" Ash smiled.
"So what's your bloody point, Ash? You missed me, boo-hoo. All of this could've been avoided if you hadn't been so selfish" I pointed out.
"But I told you, it wasn't me! It was..."
"I know, it was the League. I'm not gonna repeat what I said last night because you know damn well what I said." I shook my head in frustration. "You have to give it up, Ash. I've lost all trust in you...in fact, I've
practically lost trust in people in general. What makes you think you can win me back now?"
I think that was the biggest question on my mind and I needed to know the answer straight away. Surely he hadn't expected to steamroll me with flattery and think all's well that ends well?
Jerk.
"I know you're pretty mad at me" Ash started slowly, totally understating my feelings in the process. Pretty mad? God... "And I don't blame you. But you forget, Misty. Before we started going out, we were friends. Best friends. I know things can never be the same between us, but can we at least try and get back on half friendly terms?"
"Why?" I asked, annoyed. "What's the point?"
"Neither of us will get hurt that way" Ash explained. "Don't you remember the fun we had? The adventures, the excursions, the nights we stayed up talking till all hours..."
"I honestly hope you didn't come here for a trip down memory lane" I interrupted. "The last thing I want to hear is your nostalgic crap."
"Please, Mist! Just think to back then! It was so great!" Ash said desperately. I have to admit I was slightly impressed. He was really trying to get through to me.
"That was then. This is now. This is 2 years after you emotionally crippled me when it wasn't even necessary to do so. What kind of boyfriend, or friend even, is that?" I said softly. I owed it to my head-throbbing sisters to keep my tone down. I hadn't heard them outside my door.
Ash hesitated. "Can't we just go do something fun? Can I shout you lunch or a movie or something?" he asked.
"No! You can't buy forgiveness!" I exclaimed.
"What the hell do I do to make you at least consider being my friend again?" Ash asked in obvious frustration. And then, for more than a moment, I felt an inkling of sympathy towards him. If I was in his shoes, this wouldn't have been much fun.
I slowly walked over to the bed and sat down beside him. Despite the minute amount of sympathy that had crossed my path, I was still hoping this would hurt him. Nothing had changed what he had done, nothing ever would, and it most certainly didn't change my views on how I wanted to treat - or should I say hurt - him.
"You have to let it go, Ash" I said severely. "Let me go. I'm not coming back."
"Even as a friend?" Ash asked. Dear God, his eyes were watering over! At this vision, a word came into my head...
Maybe. Maybe, just maybe, we could recover a tiny part of the ground we had lost. After all, he was right, we had been great friends.
"I dunno. Could you let me think a bit? I have a lot to sort out" I explained. Yeah, I had to weigh up the pros and cons of me and Ash's potential re-friendship.
Sigh. Happy summer vacation, Misty Waterflower.
Ash grinned and panic clutched at my heart. What was with the sudden mood swings? He had gone from being dangerously violent to on the verge of tears to the happy go lucky boy in front of me in the space of 5 minutes! This was not normal.
"I have to say Misty, that's better than you yelling in my face" he laughed. He was laughing at my expense! He had absolutely no idea how life was supposed to run when it came to manners. I mean, it was bad enough that he stomped and spat on my heart, he didn't have to laugh at the aftermath of it!
"You brought the yelling upon yourself" I said coldly. Ash looked taken aback. Surely he hadn't expected me to forgive him that hastily! I sighed. "Look, just go. I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you" I said as I stood up.
Ash's face fell but he stood up anyway. "If you do decide to hate me forever, I just want you to know that I am so lucky to know you. I won't be forgetting you easily."
Wow. That was pretty heavy stuff, coming from Ash. It didn't soften me though. "I won't forget you either, though it'll be for all the wrong reasons" I told him as I unlocked the door. I swung it open and pointed to
the general exiting direction. "You can leave now" I said in a monotone.
"I'm in bach 25, okay?" Ash informed me. I couldn't reply, so I just stared at the ground as he left. After I heard the front door slam I flung myself on my bed, questions invading the breathing space in my mind. Could Ash and I ever be friends again? Was I crazy for even thinking of seeing him in a civil manner?
I stood up again and walked towards the lounge, passing my sisters rooms. Daisy and Violet's rooms were vacant, but Lily's door was slightly ajar and voices could now clearly be heard.
"God, I wonder what they're talking about" Violet said gravely.
"No, like, yelling or anything yet" Daisy noted.
"That's cos Ash is still totally into our baby sister!" Lily squealed.
"Ow, don't squeal Lily" Daisy complained.
"But how could he? Didn't you say he shook her or something?" Violet asked.
"He's just frustrated" Lily said non-chalantly. "She's being way too harsh on the poor guy. He wouldn't come back to her if he didn't love her. And he looked so upset when she was being a little bitch to him."
She called me a bitch! The nerve of her! I had a good mind to go and physically make her pay for her remarks.
"You forget Lily, he totally destroyed her. Mom didn't make her come here for nothing" Violet pointed out.
I stayed put. Lily's punishment would have to wait. I wanted to hear the rest of this.
"Well then doesn't that prove that she really loved him? She wouldn't be that upset over just anyone" Lily argued. For the first time in her life, she had a point. The anger I had felt towards Ash was really a shield from the sadness I felt at losing the one guy I ever loved, I realised. As I said earlier, the previous night was the first time I had cried since he'd left me.
Point taken.
Things went quiet in the room before Daisy spoke up. "I think you're right, Lily. Since Ash came back, it sounds like he really wants Misty back. It's just...I wonder if she's as eager."
"Of course she is!" Lily exclaimed. "She won't admit it. She never admits to anything. But I know she at least wants to talk to him. If she was truly that angry at him curiosity wouldn't come into the picture."
It was at this point that Lily and Daisy both turned on Violet at the same time. "What do you think?" they demanded simultaneously.
There was a brief pause before Violet replied. "I suppose you've got a point" she sighed.
"So you're gonna help me get them back together, right?" Lily asked hopefully.
"Oooh, count me in, it'll be fun!" Daisy cooed.
Okay, no thank you, this was not happening. They could babble on and spurt out their opinions all they liked but there was no way they were intervening. I walked into the room with fists of thunder, ready to
introduce them to Lily.
"Okay guys, this is not a cheesy family movie. You are gonna stay away from me and Ash because whatever happens between us will happen because of us, not you. Keep your distance and so will my fists" I threatened.
My sisters eyes went wide but they hardly looked scared. I couldn't blame them. When my life was in shambles, threats were not my best trait.
"What happened?" Violet asked excitedly.
I sighed. "I don't know" I whispered.
"How can you not know?!" Lily shrieked.
"Keep your voice down, please Lily" Daisy pleaded.
"I don't know because there's so many things to think about. Sometimes I wonder if he's being serious and then I worry that this is some kind of setup" I confessed.
"Misty, you've gotta live for the now" Violet advised.
"Yeah, Ash could die tomorrow and then how would you feel?" Daisy added. "Stop being scared and give him the benefit of the doubt."
I sat there and seriously considered her words. Why? Because they were true. If Ash did die or something the regrets I held now would double.
"Oh, and he loves you" Lily said mischievously.
"Shut up, he doesn't" I muttered.
"Hey, I may be hung over, but I'm not stupid. Even I know he's not brave enough to do something unless he really wants it" Lily explained.
"Arghh, stop it, you're not helping!" I yelled, walking out of the room amidst the pleads of my sisters to be quiet.
So I was now going to spend a beautiful, party-free afternoon thinking about a guy I thought I hated. Drudging up regrets and emotions I thought I had buried in the depths of my mind ages ago. No such luck.
Plopping onto the couch, I sighed for about the 20th time that day and commenced my pondering session.
A/N: Okay, things are sorta starting to kick off now. This fic goes up and down a lot, I guess you'll see that in future chapters. Anyways, thanks for the reviews so far, please keep them coming if you can and more chapters are coming! Hurrah! And by the way, I'm sorry about some of the weird paragraphing in this fic. My computer mucks it up when I save it as an HTML file, so bear with me, I'll try and find a way to fix it.
