::Evolution::

Disclaimer: Yeah, you know the stuff. Pokémon and its characters do not belong to me, yadda yadda yadda...

Here is the eighth chapter of my new Pokémon high school fic! Enjoy, and don't forget to review when finished!

- BansheeGirl.

Ages:

Jessie – 17

James – 17

Ash – 13

Misty – 13

Cassidy – 17

Brock – 15

Gary – 13

::Evolution – Chapter8::

"Would you like any caviar, James dear?" A slightly plump, greying woman, asked, smiling warmly from her seat across the table. She held a small, china dish of the black substance towards the lavender-haired boy.

James looked up from the yet-untouched dinner plate in front of him, and smiled. "No thankyou, Mrs. Saunders." Looking at the other people stationed around the long dining table, James was inwardly thrown by the contrasting way in which this woman acted.

It was Thursday night, and like James' mother had announced the previous Monday afternoon, he and his parents were at Dr. Thomas Saunders' house for a dinner party. The purpose for this visit, of course, was for James' parents to try and convince Dr. Saunders to give James a part-time job at his practice during the summer holidays at the end of the school year. After all, experience with a respected doctor such as Thomas Saunders would look very good on his James' application for University, should he decide to himself become a doctor. Otherwise, Mr. and Mrs. Morgan were already trying to scry out a lawyer who had some work that James could complete before University the next year.

The Morgan and Saunders family were not the only ones present, however. Cassidy and her parents were also situated at the food-laden table, as well as another couple who James had never met before. Of the ten people sitting at the table, Mrs. Saunders, who had now rested the caviar dish down and had turned back to her own meal, seemed to be the only one who was actually showing any sense of sincerity in her personality. She appeared to be a very happy and cheerful woman, and James admired the fact that she didn't let her family's extraordinary wealthiness restrict her from being kind to everyone.

As for the rest of the characters located at different stations around the table, to James they were all so obviously and painfully proper with what they said and how they acted that he had to stop himself from outwardly cringing. James was ashamed of the fact that he too, was putting on a careful show of appropriateness. As he poked at the gourmet meal in front of him, he spoke clearly with the adults around him about politics, arts, the wonderful subjects he was studying at school and other esteemed topics. James could not wait until the night was over, but the group had not yet even begun talking about the prospect of part-time work at Dr. Saunders' practice. Cassidy was also vying for a position at the practice before University. James was unsure as to whether she really wanted the position, or like him, her parents were simply pushing her towards it.

James suddenly found himself thinking about Jessie. How different she was from all of these people! That was why he liked her so much. She was so real. She didn't care about whether he became a doctor or a garbage man. She didn't care whether he was filthy rich or dirt poor. Jessie was a girl who had passions. Not like collecting rare Pokémon skins, or betting at the ponyta races. But playing the piano, singing, and creating beautiful works of art. And she respected his interests – his true personality. Not the false one he was forced to portray in situations such as the one James was currently in.

He thought about the night before, when Jessie's aunt had walked in on the pair in what could have been a very compromising state. All the way home James had been in complete awe, not only about what had almost happened – but the comfortable way in which he and Jessie had talked, joked, laughed and worked together all afternoon. And then... then they had almost kissed. They had gotten so close that their cheeks had even brushed. James' heart quickened at the mere memory of the incident. He had not seen Jessie at school that day, but even if he had seen her, he did not know what he would have said. Erm... yeah. Do you want to try and kiss again? Even with the awkwardness that James knew would probably be present when he and Jessie met for Biology the next day, he could not wait to see the fiery-haired girl. He was surprised at the fierce longing he felt just to be with her.

"James?"

James was shaken from his reverie at the sound of Cassidy's voice coming from beside him. He looked to see her hand resting on his shoulder, her eyes wide with expectancy.

"...What is it, Cass?" He asked, hoping that nothing important had been conversed amongst the group while he had been spaced out thinking about Jessie.

Cassidy pointed to a woman standing behind James. James quickly turned to look at the traditionally-dressed French maid. "Have you finished your main course, Sir?"

James took a moment, and then laughed. "Oh, sorry about that," he said, apologising for his ignorance. Who knows how long the maid had been standing there asking if he had finished his meal. "Yes thankyou, I have finished."

As the maid leant in to lift James' plate away, James heard Cassidy quietly laughing in the seat next to him.

"What?" He said, smiling.

"You're hopeless, James. Honestly, I leave you alone for one minute and already you're off in another dimension." Cassidy leant to the side to let another maid set a bowl of dessert each in front of both James and Cassidy.

James leant forward to pull towards him a jug of thickened cream. He carefully poured the white fluid over his butterscotch pudding. "Well, you'd better fill me in on the current conversation, then."

Cassidy took the jug of cream from James and began to pour some over her own pudding. "Actually," she started, speaking in a hushed tone, "I haven't been listening either."

A look of mock-surprise appeared on James' face, and Cassidy strained to suppress a fit of giggles. Both were glad that they had someone to talk, laugh, joke and have fun with in such a world of expectancy and prestige. James thought about Jessie again, and wondered what on earth could make her hate Cassidy so much. But then again, James only really interacted with Cassidy at these types of get-togethers or functions, and only very occasionally at school. He suddenly realised that Cassidy could very well be a different person in other situations.

"So what other business is going on down at Spire City High School, you two?" The question came from Mrs. Saunders, and Cassidy and James both looked up, rather disappointed to be brought back into the most certainly dull conversation.

"Well, Mrs. Saunders," Cassidy started, "we do have the annual school dance this Saturday night. Everyone is looking forward to it. It should be a very enjoyable occasion."

James inwardly laughed at the swift change Cassidy had made from flippant teenager when talking with him to the very serious and mature young woman that was now conversing with the other adults at the table.

"Actually James," Cassidy said rather loudly, "I was wondering if you had a partner for the dance yet?" James noticed that her heightened volume had attracted the attention of all other eight persons present. All of a sudden James found that all eyes were upon him, wordlessly demanding his answer. He lingered on the idea that Cassidy had been waiting for this moment, when he would be pressured to give her the answer she wanted. Because of course James' parents, and indeed Cassidy's would want their child to attend such an event with a 'respectable' person.

James' stomach knotted. He had actually been planning to ask Jessie to the dance. He had been playing on the thought all week, but with the recent 'almost kiss' incident, he had been given a boost of confidence. James was set on asking her during the lunchtime the next day when they were going to meet before Biology. But now...

Nine pairs of eyes stared scrutinisingly at James, waiting for the answer. "No... I don't," he said, folding under the expectation.

A smile broadened on Cassidy's face. "I don't have a partner either, James. Why don't we go together?"

"Yes James, what a wonderful idea," James' mother said, "you will make a lovely couple." James looked at his mother. Her tone was innocent enough, but through her eyes he discerned the unmistakable threat of acting otherwise.

He forced a smile onto his face. "That sounds excellent," he said in response to Cassidy's proposal. With the answer, everyone returned to consuming their butterscotch puddings, the conversation morphing into a discussion about a recent rise in the stock market.

James looked down, pushing the remainder of his pudding aimlessly around in his bowl. He was going to the dance with Cassidy. How had this suddenly happened? Was his life going to continue with these situations, in which he'd without fail fold to his parent's expectations? Would he ever have the power to do what he wanted? To have what he wanted?

And right now, he just wanted Jessie.

Jessie waved to Vanessa, who disappeared into the throng of students shuffling through the corridor the pair had been standing in. Jessie spun on her heel and began making her way in the opposite direction, heading towards the library. It was Friday's lunchtime that week, and Jessie was supposed to meet James to fix up a few odds and ends on their Biology assignment before handing it in that afternoon.

As she neared the library, Jessie noticed her heart was rapidly thudding with the anticipation of seeing James. She had not seen him since the night they had almost kissed at her house. The dance was tomorrow night – Jessie was hoping with all her might that James would ask her to go with him. If not... Jessie did not know how she would react. They ceased to be Biology partners at the end of today. Without the dance to continue their friendship outside of this partnership, what would?

Jessie shook the thought from her mind and entered the library. She walked along the rows of tables set aside for students to work at, scanning for the lavender-haired figure. She soon spotted him sitting at a table, tapping at his laptop in a far corner of the room.

"Hey," she said, sitting down beside him. James looked up at her, smiling.

"Hey."

Both teenagers blushed profusely. After all, last time they had been together they had been locked in a close embrace, millimetres away from kissing. For a few seconds Jessie and James remained in a rather embarrassed silence, neither knowing whether to bring up the almost-pash.

James broke the silence by clearing his throat. "Uh, we should probably get this done...," he said.

"Right," Jessie quickly complied, getting out all parts of the assignment that she was carrying in her possession. The next fifteen minutes or so were filled with a frenzy of stapling, labelling, printing, cutting and other related activities in order to give their assignment the finishing touch. Jessie and James were making trips all over the library to use the stapler, printer and other library facilities, so there was not much chance for any discussion of the kiss, nor the upcoming dance.

Suddenly Jessie found her and James in a moment where both happened to be back at the table. Impulsively, she decided it was time she took the matter of the school dance into her own hands.

"So... do you have a partner for the dance tomorrow night?" She said subtly, while James was cutting out a diagram to stick onto one of the pages in their assignment.

James slowed his cutting, and nervously glanced at Jessie. He continued working the scissors, as Jessie waited intently for the answer and the certain question she expected to follow.

"Actually... I do," he said, still not looking at Jessie. "I'm going with Cassidy."

The pen Jessie was using slipped from her grip, creating a long black line that shot across the page. Jessie was sure that James did not have a partner. She had been certain. It had not even crossed Jessie's mind that James would have asked someone to go to the dance with him in the short period between them almost kissing (hello?!) and their meeting in the library that day.

And the fact that he had asked Cassidy made things ten times worse. How could he have asked Cassidy? Of all people to shatter Jessie's hopes, it of course had to be the one person that had already done it so many times in the past.

Jessie stared at the long black line that now marred the page she had been working on. "Oh," she said, still stunned.

"Are... you going?" James said, now looking up at Jessie. The crimson haired girl lifted her head to meet his eyes, and she had to blink several times to hide the tears she knew were forming.

"No, I don't really go to those sorts of things," Jessie said defensively, not wanting to let James know that she had been hanging out until the very day before the dance just to see whether he would ask her.

James paused, looking as though he wanted to say something but did not quite know how to put it. "...Jessie... ...you should come," he finally said. Jessie looked down to see that James had placed his hand on her lower arm. He looked at her longingly.

Jessie shook her head, still seeming to be trapped in a haze of sad confusion. She stood up, brushing James' hand away. "I need to go and print this page out again," she said, indicating the paper that she had just sprawled black pen across.

She walked away, making sure to situate herself at the furthest computer she could find from James. Her intention was to stay there until the end of lunchtime, only returning to the table with James when the bell had rung. The only downfall to this plan of avoidance was the inevitable fact that Jessie and James shared the next two periods together.

Jessie stared down at her textbook, not taking in any of the words she was reading. A few of the pairs in the Biology class had not quite finished their assignment, and since it was not due in until the end of the lesson Mr. Livingston had given them the rest of the two periods to get it done. As for the other students, including Jessie and James, Mr. Livingston had started them on the next topic's work – genetics.

However, the more Jessie tried to read about chromosomes and double helixes, the more she found herself not being able to soak any of it in. Her mind still seemed blank from the revelation that James had made during lunchtime.

James was going to the dance with Cassidy. Evil, conniving archenemy Cassidy.

Jessie didn't know how to react. She felt like a vessel of dull, melancholic emotion. Hadn't James had almost kissed her? Didn't that mean that he liked her? How could he just go and ask someone else to the dance?! Jessie was filled with a sudden resentment for James. She was surprised at the feeling – normally this kind of resentment was mixed with anger. Pure, fiery anger. But right now the resentment was only accompanied with a deep sadness, and Jessie was struggling to deal with this new feeling.

Jessie's eyes fleetingly darted to James, who was sitting next to her. Throughout the lesson he had tried to casually talk or joke with her, but Jessie only replied shortly with uninteresting responses, or simply that she needed to do her work. She was not overtly angry with James, but Jessie knew that he had picked up on the hostility she now felt towards him.

Yet James seemed to have given up on trying to make friendly contact with Jessie, and had been silent for almost the past half hour. In this short time, Jessie found herself already starting to miss the way that they used to talk, laugh and work together in class. This only reminded her more of the revelation James had made earlier, which now looked as though it would underline the end of any relationship the two had or might have had in the future. The sad resentment flared in Jessie stronger than ever, and Jessie had to fight in order to force back tears.

Jessie suddenly realised that she was deeply hurt. All the break-ups that she had had with other guys in the past – who were actually her boyfriend – all put together did not hurt as much as this did. This one little thing, this one little hiccup between her and James put a crack in Jessie's heart that could be matched by no other that any other boy had ever made. And she wasn't even going out with James! They had not even kissed!

Jessie continued with her fruitless attempt to absorb any information about genetics for the rest of the entire lesson. When the bell rang, she was still trying to grasp the paragraph that she had been reading and re-reading for almost an hour.

"Okay class, make sure not to leave without handing in your assignment," Mr. Livingston said, causing Jessie to snap her head up and look to the front of the room. "I'll remind you that an absence of this assignment will result in an undebatable fail."

Students began making their way to Mr. Livingston's desk to hand in their assignments, before disappearing out of the door to start their weekend. James had his and Jessie's assignment, and went up to hand it over to the Biology teacher. Jessie watched as the booklet passed from James' hands to Mr Livingston's. That assignment was the one thing that had brought Jessie and James into association. It had forced them to work together, and no one would be wrong in saying some sort of friendship had evolved from the partnership. But as the assignment was finally given away to Mr. Livingston for assessment, it seemed as though the friendship between Jessie and James had also been somehow taken away. There was now nothing left to keep it together.

James walked back over to his desk to collect his things. Jessie too was lifting her books and folders from her own desk. As the pair each finished their packing up, their eyes met in a solemn gaze. Somehow Jessie felt obliged to at least give James a civil farewell.

"It's been nice working with you," she said, relieved that she was able to speak without too much weakness in her voice.

James' expression fell at Jessie's words. The acknowledgement that this was the end could not have been put any clearer.

"Yeah..." He began, "I'll see you around." His voice seemed hopeful.

Jessie closed her eyes, hoping that James would not realise her efforts to hold back a flow of tears. She opened them again, her eyes glassy. "Goodbye, James," she said, pushing past James to join the rest of the class in their escape into the corridor.

As James stood alone in the classroom staring at the door and Jessie pressed her way through the crowded hallway, both felt almost the need to collapse under the weight of the sense of a last farewell.

Jessie slammed her bedroom door shut behind her. She had walked home that afternoon alone, her lovesick cousin out having a milkshake with Misty – something which only made Jessie feel worse. Delia was out at a Parent's and Friend's Association meeting at the school, so Jessie had let herself into the house, the welling tears causing her to fumble with the key in the lock before finally bursting inside.

Jessie now leant back against her bedroom door and slid down to the ground. She placed her face in her hands and finally let out the tears that had been kept at bay since lunchtime that day. For a while she simply sobbed, not thinking about anything except how much she hurt.

How could one guy make her hurt so much? Contrary to how she would normally feel, Jessie wished that James could see her right now, just so that he could understand how much he had hurt her. She wanted him to feel guilty, and painfully so.

Jessie lifted her head. She suddenly realised that it was not only James that this resentment was being directed towards. She resented herself also. After all, it was Jessie had let herself become so infatuated with James. He was a guy from a background of wealth, popularity and a stereotype of certain snobbishness and conceit. Shouldn't she have known that this was all doomed to end with heartbreak?

And how had she come to expect that anyone as wonderful as James seemed to be would return any affection for her? What on earth had made her lower her walls of defence, only to wait around for someone else to shatter her hopes of love?

How had he let herself get like this? How could she be so stupid?

A line of a song Jessie knew drifted into her head. It was a song by one of Jessie's favourite artists – Sarah McLachlan. Her eyes darted to the keyboard stationed against the wall to Jessie's right. Music... an expression of Jessie's soul – the one James had claimed to think was nice only a couple of nights earlier. Slowly, Jessie pushed herself up off of the ground and sat down at the keyboard. She switched it on, and deeply inhaled before leaning in to begin the intro of Sarah McLachlan's song, Stupid.

Though Jessie's eyes were full of tears, her hands did not falter on any key of the emotion-wrenching melody. And though those tears threatened to choke Jessie's voice, she did not falter on any note as she sang.

"Everything changes, everything falls apart

I can't stand to see myself losing control

But deep in my senses I know

How stupid could I be?

A simpleton could see

That you're no good for me

But you're the only one I see..."

Whew! It's been a while, but I've finally gotten out the eighth chapter of this fic! Woohoo!

Sorry about the delay, but I've been on school holidays! Now, normally I would be able to lounge around all holidays and dedicate a lot of time to continuing this fic, but I actually got to go on a trip with my family up to Queensland (nice, sunny, tropical part of Australia!). So I kind of haven't had a chance to write. But hopefully I'll be getting back into the swing of things!

Anyway, I hope everyone liked this chapter! Sorry about the extreme lack of Ash and Misty in this one, but they should be featuring a bit more in the next chapter. Also, I seem to have found myself including several of my favourite songs in this fanfic. I really didn't mean to do that at the start. I didn't even mean to include Stupid in this chapter, but I just had it playing while I was writing and I was like, "Wow! That song really fits in with this story!" So yeah, I decided to put it in. I don't know. If this type of song incorporation is dumb, annoying, or whatever, tell me.

On that note, please review! It will make me so happy! I love any sort of feedback!

Stay tuned – next time in Evolution we've got the school dance, so there's sure to be a lot of excitement happening!!!

Till next time,

BansheeGirl.