::Evolution::

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

Here is the tenth 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 – Chapter10::

Slowly Jessie walked over to the refreshments table. To her surprise there were actually hired caterers standing behind the long trestle bench, making and pouring drinks for people. As far as she could remember, everything was self-serve at the last dance she had attended. It looked as though the function committee had decided to step things up a notch.

Jessie asked politely for an orange juice and was handed a tall glass filled with the orange liquid, ice included. She swished the ice around in the glass while slowly wandering over to sit on one of several chairs against the side wall.

Forty minutes later, Jessie was still sitting in the same chair. A year-seven with glasses, buck teeth and red, frizzy hair had been sitting beside her for thirty-nine of those forty minutes. Every now and again the girl would start coughing loudly, making noises only a Meowth should make when coughing up fur balls. Jessie shuddered with disgust each time, and just hoped to God that the girl would not try to strike up a conversation.

A couple of times Jessie had seen James and Cassidy dance past, though she was unsure as to whether James had seen her. She looked at the big clock above the main entrance of the function room, sighing angrily. How long was she supposed to wait? Was she just supposed to sit around all night? Jessie began to think that perhaps coming to the dance was not such a good idea. How stupid was she for thinking that James was just going to ditch his date to come and sweep Jessie off of her feet? He had made his decision, and she was not it.

Abruptly, Jessie stood up from her seat. The buck-toothed girl looked up at Jessie in puzzlement, as if she expected Jessie to stay there with her all night. Indeed, Jessie had thought that she would stay there all night, but sense had decided to get the better of her. There was no point waiting around for someone who would never come, after all.

Jessie walked briskly around the dancing crowd towards the main doors leading out onto the street. The weightless material of the bottom of her dress flowed behind her with the speed in which she was exerting just to make it outside. She had to get out. One more second alone at the dance and-

A hand suddenly enclosed around Jessie's right wrist. She almost fell backwards as a result of the momentum with which she had been moving. Slowly she looked up at the owner of the hand.

"Jessie...," came the voice of James. He looked down into her eyes longingly, and Jessie felt her eyes growing hot with tears.

First they had been fighting. Then they became friends. Then he had almost kissed her. Then he asked someone else to the dance. They had said goodbye. Jessie had been heartbroken. Then she had decided to show him what he was missing out on. But, he had not come to her. Then she had decided to give up. And now he had come to her? Jessie didn't know whether she could take much more. Of course she had wanted James to come to her, but how much more did she have to go through?

James remained with his hold on Jessie's wrist. "I... thought you said that you wouldn't come."

Jessie blinked the tears away. She tried to speak without her voice breaking, "...One of Ash's older friends needed a date, so I decided to do a bit of charity work and bring him...," she said, only bending the truth a little.

James looked disappointed. "Oh... I didn't realise you had a... uh, where is he?"

Jessie's eyes darted to the ground, and when she looked back up she had formed an ironic smile. "He found someone more his age... you know," she said in a very quiet tone. It wasn't that she was embarrassed about Brock ditching her, but for some reason a sudden feeling of weakness or tiredness had come over Jessie. It seemed that the stress of the past two weeks was finally catching up on her.

The pair were silent for a second. James moved his grip on Jessie's wrist down to hold her hand. "Will you dance with me?"

Jessie felt almost ready to cry again. This was what she had wanted... so now why did she feel so lost? Suddenly she felt too confused to even answer James' question. "... Where's Cassidy?" Jessie queried, James' blonde-haired date only now coming back into mind.

James looked behind him, as if to look for Cassidy. "She said she needed to go to the restroom and then she was going to go outside for a little bit to get some fresh air."

Jessie looked down at her hand that James was holding. His hand was nice and warm. She peered up at James with uncertainty.

"Please," he said.

Jessie closed her eyes and nodded. "Okay."

James smiled and, still holding Jessie's hand, led her out onto the dance floor.

Holding her hand, Ash led Misty out a pair of big glass doors onto a large marble balcony. Together, they walked over to lean against the edge.

"Misty, this past week has been really fun, right?" Ash looked into Misty's eyes, signalling the genuineness of the question.

She looked at him and laughed. "Of course it has, Ash!"

Ash laughed nervously. "Good... that's good. Well then, I... I was just wondering if maybe..."

Misty's eyes widened with expectancy. "Yes? What is it?"

"Would you like to... you know, be... boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Misty's eyes remained wide, while the smile on her face grew larger and larger. "Oh Ash! Do you really mean it?"

"Yeah!" Ash cried, a little too enthusiastically. He blushed a little, and tried to calm himself down, "I mean, yeah... of course I mean it."

Misty giggled and jumped forward to hug Ash. "Well, in that case – of course I'll be your girlfriend, Ash."

Ash's eyes now widened with the shock of her reply. After gaining his senses, he quickly returned the hug, beaming with delight. Could his life get any better?

"Ash?" Misty said, pulling away from her new boyfriend to look him in the eye.

"Mm?"

Misty didn't reply, but simply closed her eyes and pressed her lips to Ash's. A surprised Ash took a moment to register what was happening, before finally closing his eyes and too melting into the kiss.

Somehow his life just got better.

James stopped leading Jessie once they had arrived at an uncrowded space on the dance floor. The pair remained stationary as the last notes of a song faded out. Jessie strained her ears to catch the first notes of the next song – the song which would forever accompany her first dance with James.

A couple of notes from a stringed instrument played before a strong piano introduction identified a song both Jessie and James knew well. They looked to each other with shock – it was R.E.M.'s Nightswimming – the song that Jessie had played for James on the piano at his house the Monday night before.

Almost awkwardly the two teenagers moved closer. James moved one arm around Jessie's waist, and held the other hand up in the same stance Jessie had seen him dancing with Cassidy. Jessie lifted her free arm to rest around behind his neck. They began to sway, moving very slowly around from foot to foot.

"You look extremely beautiful tonight," James said quietly, pulling Jessie a little closer so that the side of their foreheads just touched.

Jessie felt herself blush immensely, and was glad that they were in a position where James could not really see her face. "Thankyou," she said in almost a whisper.

As the song continued, Jessie looked sideward to see that James was opening up the hand that was clasping her own. James too, had his head turned sideward, and watched as Jessie opened up her hand in response. Each pressed the palm-side of their hands together. Jessie kept her hand open, and moved it up along James' arm and along his shoulder to join her other arm around his neck. James moved his now free arm around to rest a little above his other one on her back. The pair moved closer.

Jessie closed her eyes, her head resting beside James'. She had had doubts about dancing with James before, but now they were all gone. There, in that embrace, everything seemed perfect. She felt James run one hand through the ends of her hair, and almost shivered at the sensation.

"Your hair is very beautiful when you wear it out," James murmured into her ear.

This time a shiver was sent down Jessie's spine.

"Are you cold?" James asked, lifting his hand to rub at the goosebumps that had formed on Jessie's shoulder.

Jessie smiled. She wasn't cold, but if that was what James was going to do if she was...

"A little bit," she whispered.

James pulled her closer, and as they danced he slowly moved his hands up and down Jessie's back in an effort to keep her warm.

Jessie never wanted it to happen, but the song eventually drew its close. The final piano and stringed instruments' notes faded, and with hesitation the two pulled apart. An awkward moment followed.

"Would you... like a drink?" James asked, and Jessie nodded. He disappeared in the direction of the refreshments table, while Jessie remained on the dance floor. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to imagine that she was still in James' arms. Hopefully when he got back he'd ask her for just one more dance...

Suddenly, a scornful voice hissed in Jessie's ear, "I should have known not to leave James alone when the likes of you were in the vicinity."

Jessie spun around to come face to face with Cassidy. She sighed with contempt and rolled her eyes. "Get a life, Cassidy," she said, and turned to walk away.

"I don't think so, Jess," sneered Cassidy, mocking the casual way in which they once spoke with each other. Cassidy reached out and grabbed Jessie's arm, spinning her back around. Jessie automatically pulled away, her eyes widening at the red fingernail marks that now marred her arm.

"What the hell do you want with me?" Jessie scowled, now narrowing her eyes.

Cassidy smirked. "You know, I tried to tell James about your kind. I tried to tell him it was a bad idea getting involved with you. But I guess it's a fault of all men that they just can't seem to resist sluts."

Jessie's eyes narrowed even more. "I guess that must be why he hangs around with you so much, Cass," she retorted.

Cassidy laughed mockingly. A group of girls standing behind her also broke into a fit of scornful laughter, who Jessie guessed to be Cassidy's 'friends'. "Say whatever you want, Jessie, but at least I'm not the one stealing people's dates."

Jessie tried to calm herself down, but to no avail. Cassidy Fleckman was just one of those people who the mere sight of made her blood boil. "James can dance with whoever he wants – there's no rule saying that he has to stay with the one, boring person all night."

Jessie noticed that the people around her and Cassidy had stopped dancing, and were staring at the feuding two. It seemed like any old catfight would draw a crowd these days.

Both girls, however, were oblivious to the fact that James too was part of the onlooking crowd. Holding two glasses of orange juice, he tried to push through to see what the girls were fighting about. He knew that he should stop them, but maybe this would tell him just why they hated each other so much...

"Give it up Jessie," Cassidy began, "even you must know that you're nothing but a washed up tramp. People like you always end up that way..."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Jessie spat angrily.

Cassidy laughed, looking around at the people surrounding the pair as if the answer was simply common knowledge. "Come on, Jessie. You know... accidents. Or more to the point, bastards..." A devilish grin played on the blonde-haired girl's face.

The creases on Jessie's forehead caused by her intense glare disappeared. She was half-stunned that Cassidy had dared to bring this subject up at an event as public as the school dance. "Shut up, Cassidy," she warned, though not convincingly. It was hard for Jessie to keep a strong front whenever this topic was brought up. Especially when it was brought up in such an attacking way.

"I mean, how old was you mother when she got knocked up? Eighteen? Now that's a tramp if there ever was one. Like mother, like daughter, huh? Well done Jessie, way to go. You should be so proud of yourself," Cassidy sneered. She knew she had the upper hand.

Tears began to form in Jessie's eyes, and she knew that if she spoke then they'd all come pouring out.

"Awww, is Jessie going to cry? Do you want your mummy?" Cassidy placed her hand to her mouth in mock-error. "Oops! Silly me! Your mother's dead, isn't she? Probably crashed the car herself just so she could get away from you. Guess you'll just have to settle for you father then. But hang on... he didn't want anything to do with you, did he? Oh no... poor baby. Who are you going to turn to now?"

Jessie stared back at Cassidy, almost blinded by tears. All she could seem to make out was the cold blue of her dress emanating against the rest of the crowd. How could anyone be so horrid? She could feel the stares of everyone around her, all now privy to her most well-kept and tender secret. Jessie felt sick. She needed to get out. She pushed past Cassidy and through the crowd, tears already streaming down her face. She headed for one of the glass doors and burst outside, while the cackles of Cassidy and her crew continued inside.

Back at the scene of the fight, James had finally pushed his way through to the front of the crowd, only to see Jessie flee. He knew most of what Cassidy had said anyway, so the news was no surprise to him as it was to most of the crowd. What surprised him was the fact that Cassidy had been so brutal and offhand about the matter. He had never seen her act like that before.

He looked at Cassidy, and she returned an expression of astonishment to see him there.

"Cassidy..." he said, conveying a more disappointed tone than a shocked or angry one.

With that, James pushed through the crowd and ran in the direction Jessie had disappeared. He escaped out onto a marble balcony to see her running down a set of steps to ground level, and he leapt after her.

"Jessie!" He yelled, trying to stop her.

"Leave me alone!" She cried, now running across the paved ground of an open garden which surrounded the function room. James could hear her sobbing.

"Jessie, stop!" He shouted again, catching up to her and grabbing a hold of her wrist. Jessie tried to pull away, but James held with his firm grip. She continued to flail about, still crying, until James pulled her in towards him and pressed her against his chest. "Shhh," he soothed, trying to calm her down, "It's okay Jess. I'm here for you. Everything's okay."

Jessie continued to sob, but stopped trying to break away from James. She clutched at his jacket, crying onto his shoulder. Gently, James led her over to a stone bench by a row of rosebushes and sat her down on it. He sat down beside his crying friend, and wrapped his arms around her. Brushing a few stray locks of hair out of Jessie's face, James continually repeated soothing words to calm her.

"James, I hate her so much," Jessie said quickly, amidst sobs.

"Shhh," he eased, holding her face in his hand and wiping the tears away with his thumb.

Ten or so minutes passed in silence, and Jessie managed to reduce her crying to only the occasionally sob. She buried her head in the crook of James' neck.

A gust of wind blew through the garden, and James rubbed one of Jessie's arms. "Jess, I know you're hurt. Cassidy was pretty awful in there..."

Jessie looked up at him. "Pretty awful! She was a downright bitch and there's nothing else to it. I hate her. I hate her, I hate her, I hate her."

James looked down at the girl in his arms. "You have to understand that Cassidy just has a few mood swings now and again. You know, she's under a lot of pressure from her parents just like me. She has to meet a lot of expectations as well. Sometimes it must just all get to her, you know?"

Jessie pulled away from James, not believing what she was hearing. "What?" She said accusingly. "I cannot believe you are still defending her!"

James looked at Jessie in puzzlement. "Jess, I'm being realistic. She's really not as terrible as you make her out to be," he said, knowingly.

Jessie stood up from the bench, her eyes widening. "James, you saw what she was saying to me in there. No one, and I mean no one ever has the right to do that to anyone! What she said was sick and disgusting!" With that, Jessie scowled and began to walk away.

"Jessie!" James cried, pushing himself up from the seat and walking over to pull Jessie back to him. This time as he grabbed her arm Jessie pulled away with as much violent force as she could muster.

"Don't touch me, James. You're just as bad as Cassidy and all the rest of them," she said, glaring angrily at him.

An astonished look appeared on James face. "Jessie, please," he tried to say in a calming tone, reaching forward to take Jessie in his arms.

"James! Don't you understand?! I don't want you to touch me, or even come near me. Just go away! We are not friends. We stopped being Biology partners yesterday, and that was the only association that we ever had, or ever will have. Goodbye – and this time I mean it for good."

Leaving no time for James to retort, Jessie spun around and walked away and out over the wet grass. She found it a slightly difficult process because her heels kept sinking into the soft ground, and a fresh lot of tears prevented her from being able to see very well. She made it out onto the footpath and headed in the direction of home, not caring to think about Ash and the others worrying about her. She did not turn back to see whether James was coming after her or if he was still standing there. She just kept walking blindly into the dark.

Whew! Sorry to leave on such an awful note, but oh, the trials of love, eh? At least that's the dance over and done with – and the tenth chapter! Yay (does victory dance)!!! It's been a long time coming, but I've finally hit double-numbers in chapters!!! There's not really much longer to go after this anyway – yes, Evolution eventually has to draw its close somewhere!

But of course we'll come to that in time. For now, I just wanna send out another thankyou to everyone who has reviewed this story! I'm starting to get several regular reviewers now – it's nice to have people coming back for more!

So, please review this chapter!!! This particular one I found very hard to write, so I'd really like to know what you think!

I hope to have the next chapter out soon!

Till next time,

BansheeGirl.