Hi all,
Hope you're all well!
Thank you so much for the reviews;
Postiche: You are too kind! I'm so glad you are liking my writing thus far!
Nanaaboualaiwa: Thank you for your happy review!
Guest: I thought I was done with writing fics, so I deleted all my old stories… and my account until inspiration struck once again! Which fic were you liking? I may start them up again!
Alright all, here goes- part three.
Enjoy
…
Three quick weeks had flown by since May's date with Brendan and boy, had things changed.
They weren't quite 'official' per se, but the two had become quite inseparable, quite quickly. It was now Brendan driving May to and from school, sitting with her in the cafeteria and hanging out with her on weekends. This had pretty much made her centre of attention at Petalburg High, much to the dismay of her partially forgotten friends, Dawn and Misty; who had taken a step back to allow May to relish in her new-found popularity.
On Friday, exactly 20 days and 10 hours after the brunette's movie rendezvous with the captain of the basketball team, her best girl pals approached her as she sat on the bleachers in the gym, watching her 'man' train during free period, the fourth session of the day.
"Hey Maybelle, long time no speak!" Misty enthused, taking a seat next to her friend.
"Oh… hey girls, what's up?" May responded, her attention on the nail file before her, as she ran it across her fingernails.
"Uh- we were just wondering what you were doing this weekend, we were going to see if you wanted to have a girls' night at Misty's… we miss hanging out, just the three of us!" Dawn began, answering May's question.
"Sorry, can't! I'm going to the game tonight- I'm reporting for the Press… and then I'm hanging out with Brendan after…"
"What about tomorrow?" Misty threw back.
"Nuh-uh, going to Melody's party with Br-"
"With Brendan! Of course… and wait… I thought you hated Melody?!"
"Misty… calm down," Dawn mumbled in attempt to soothe the angry red head, who stood up from her chair, her arms angrily crossed over her chest.
May's head snapped up.
"Hey! I'm just 'trying to live a little! Isn't that what you wanted from me this year?"
Dawn sighed.
"Look May, I'm sorry… we just want to spend a bit more time with you, that's all."
May frowned, suddenly feeling apologetic for her sudden outburst.
"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry too… I guess I could spare an hour or two before the party tomorrow, if you wanna do brunch?"
Misty's eyes flashed with excitement.
"Yay! That sounds good to me… But I get to drive."
…..
For Drew, the past few weeks were anything but pleasant at school and at home. You see, his senior year had begun fantastically; his Dad coming home one sunny Thursday afternoon in Summer, beaming that he had finally bought his way into a new job as a partner of the law firm down the street. Forced by his Mom, Drew had congratulated his Dad at dinner that night, the older man grinning in satisfaction before going on a tangent about how he was paving the way for the 'Hayden name' so when Drew finished law school, he'd have a firm lined up for him immediately. Rolling his eyes and hoeing into his spaghetti, Drew kept his opinions to himself, mainly due to the fact that his mother's eyes held a look pleading him not to start another argument about his plans for after graduation, again.
Drew and his father tended to fight about that a lot lately, the teen never bringing up his real dream with the fear that his father would squash it before it even had a chance of coming true. Being the second of two boys, Drew often wondered why his brother was never subject to the same treatment he was; their father seemed more than supportive when Adam had left for college with the aim of becoming a Pokémon Doctor. Yes, it was a great profession but even before he'd mentioned it, Adam was never given the 'you will be going to law school' speech… the younger Hayden, not being so lucky.
Mr Hayden was a tall man, his face often holding a serious expression which made his piercing green eyes even darker in colour. Similar to Drew, his hair was green, but deeper in colour, streaks of silver present throughout it. He was intimating to all he came into contact with, but Drew saw past the façade, as he knew the gentle man his father once was, and deep down held onto the hope that that man would return once again.
Mrs Hayden on the other hand, was quite the opposite. She was, quite certainly, Drew's favourite person on the planet. Small in stature, she was at least a head shorter than her son. Her hair was golden, complimenting her tanned skin beautifully. Her eyes were a lovely emerald, like the rest of the members in her family; however, Drew had seemed to be blessed with the bright shade of green her orbs possessed, as opposed to the bottle green of his fathers. When it was just the two of them, they would laugh and joke and chat about their days. She was warm and loving and kind… everything Drew hoped he could be. Which is why, when she begged him not to retaliate at something his father said about his future, Drew tried to stay quiet for her sake. He really, really did.
The truth was, Drew was thankful that his father had his own wish granted; starting a new job and all. Not only would his Dad be drowning in more work due to his larger role, but Drew wouldn't have to see him as much around the house; meaning more time apart for Drew and less conflict to resolve for his mother… or so he thought.
"Being the boss, has its privileges you know, Andrew. I can work from home- heck, I can choose when I can work! It's all up to me!" Mr Hayden announced on Saturday morning; exactly 12 hours and 23 minutes after Drew had watched the girl across the street, lip locking with Brendan Williams in her doorway.
"I have done this all FOR YOU- so you'll be set up, FOR LIFE. Is this how you repay me?!" The man spat, his face red in anger.
Okay, okay. You deserve the FULL story.
Mr Hayden mightn't have been so irate, if at this particular moment, a befuddled Drew was not flat on the floor of the Hayden's pristine formal, lounge room. Being a successful lawyer, meant that Drew's father had earnt a decent income for the majority of his family's life, while his wife's flower shop had also kept them more than financially comfortable, also. With this being said, their hard work had meant the Hayden residence, was far from ordinary.
Across two levels, the six-bedroom home came with a study, theatre room, and two lounge rooms. Each room (apart from Drew's, who had insisted on designing his himself) was dressed with cream carpet, bronze doorknobs, pops of green shades tying the rooms together. The home was so big, that the Hayden's had a maid and a gardener tending to it on a weekly basis. This was important to Mr Hayden, as an immaculate home meant organisation and organisation lead to success.
When he found his son, passed out in front of him, cans upon cans of alcohol littering the newly stained carpet, let's just say Mr Hayden had gone ballistic.
And thus this specific moment, had triggered a chain of events for Drew. The first being his two-week grounding, forcing him to walk (his car taken from him too- there was no way he was getting in a car with Ash, he'd rather walk) to and from school for ten-consecutive school days; the second being a total ban on communicating with his friends, apart from the eight-or-so hours they spent together at school; and the third, and the most painful, being his inability to train with his football team for two weeks, sidelining him for the first game of the season; which happened to be tonight. Although his grounding was up, Drew wasn't about to punish himself and watch the team go on without him. As close as he and Gary were, watching Oak run out as captain, was enough to make the green-haired teen's blood boil.
It seemed that Drew's relationship with his father had gone from bad to worse in the space of a few weeks and things weren't looking like changing anytime soon.
…..
The rest of May's Friday consisted of her two favourite things; Journalism and Coordinating.
Her Journalism class was small and mainly consisted of the writers for the school paper. Her teacher, Mrs Holly, also happened to be the editor of Petalburg Press, meaning today's lesson was spent formatting the newest issue. This year was big for May. Her role as 'School Events' reporter had grown even bigger, when Suzie- the reporter for Sporting Events had moved to the Kalos region. Her space on the paper remained empty and Mrs Holly was so impressed with May's coverage of the other extra circulars, last year, that she had decided to give May the chance to cover all school events.
The brunette had been mapping out her article on tonight's football game, the first of the varsity season, when the bell had pulled her from her computer.
"Augh! Already… I was just getting stuck into it," the brunette mumbled to herself. Scrambling to gather her things, the teen waved goodbye to her teacher and scooted out the door with the hope of making it to her Coordinating class in time.
Skipping into the room, May's eyes swept over the bare space from her place in the doorway. She was more than on time, only a few people had already occupied their seats. When her eyes landed on her own chair, they were met with those of the person beside it. In an attempt to break their awkward eye contact, Drew flipped his hair and turned away from her, staring out the window beside him, pretending that their eyes hadn't just met for a solid 10 seconds.
May's eyes flashed with mischief. She hadn't really spoken to him (or thought about him for that matter), much over the past few weeks. She assumed her blossoming new romance with Brendan was going so well, that all her feelings for Drew had disappeared. With that being said however, she wasn't opposed to some light-hearted teasing. She loved nothing more than getting one over him, especially when it meant seeing his smug face turn to one of embarrassment.
Her research into tonight's game, had also meant she had heard a rather interesting rumour, meaning she had some fantastic ammunition for her mischief-making.
"Hey Hayden," May practically sang as she took her seat beside him.
"What do you want April?" he replied, clearly unenthused by her voice.
"Oh, you know! Just wanted to see how you were doing?"
Raising his eyebrow, Drew replied. "Won't your boyfriend disapprove of us talking… he seems like the obsessive type."
He wasn't sure where the conversation was headed, but he continued with it anyway.
"Well… he isn't my boyfriend, but I'm sure he'd be fine with me talking to you… especially if it was for research!"
"Research?!" Drew scoffed, "What are you on about Maple?"
May smirked, causing the boy across from her to narrow his eyes in confusion.
"I want the scoop on the reason you aren't playing tonight. As captain, to miss your first football game you must've done something spectacular to be left out at the last second!"
Drew's face had exploded in colour. This was just as well considering he was practically seething at May's statement.
"Don't even May," He spoke through gritted teeth, "You have no idea what you're talking about".
May smiled wickedly once again.
"C'mon Drew… what'd you do? Skip practice? Oh- or you're injured and they don't want to waste a jersey on you when you're not up to scratch- or-"
"Stop!"
"I know! They found someone better than you! That's why Gary's captain and you're on the sidelines!"
That was enough to tip him over.
Drew's palms met his table top with a loud smack! He didn't care that all eyes were on him, he stood up, snatching his bag and made a beeline for the door.
May sat frozen in her spot, her impish expression replaced by one of embarrassment. She hadn't meant to set him off like that… He wasn't just angry… he was upset. She just wasn't quite sure why.
She barely had time to gather her thoughts, when he reappeared once again.
"You know what… Screw you, Maple! I don't want anything to do with you, ever again," he spat, May opening her mouth to speak, before shutting it again.
And with that, he was gone, shoving his classmates in attempt to get out of the room.
Pushing past her, Dawn's eyes darted between Drew and May, confusion written all over the bluenette's face.
"Woah… what was that about?" she asked, taking her usual seat next to a wide-eyed May.
"I-I… I have no idea."
…..
Drew felt a little stupid when he'd made it to his locker. Partly because he had let his fist connect with the metal door which not only resulted in a large crashing sound to emit from it, but it also hurt his hand like hell. He felt the warmth hit his cheeks, as his vision grew cloudy. He wasn't a crier, (well a part from when he'd watch the odd sappy movie with his mom), so he found himself blinking intensely to push the tears from his eyes before anyone caught him in such a vulnerable state.
Grabbing his jacket from his locker, Drew had decided school was now over for him for the day.
Sneaking down the hall and out the front gate, the green-haired teen was thankful when he spotted his little, grey Porsche parked in its usual spot in the car park. With a click of a button, the car beeped; Drew tossing his bag in the trunk, throwing himself in the driver's seat, before speeding down the road.
He decided the beach would be a good place to think, and without hesitation, that's where he headed. With tears threatening to fall, he blasted the radio, letting the music fill his ears in an attempt to distract him from what he was feeling at the present moment. With the beach in sight, he pulled over; parking his car in the shade of a few palm trees, before sitting on the sand in front of his car.
The beach was pretty dead for 2 pm on a Friday. In the distance he could hear Wingull chirping over the bay; and he could only just make out a few swimmers further down the shoreline. But apart from that, he was alone.
The wind blew through his hair as his head fell into his hands. He couldn't hold it in anymore. Silent tears ran down his cheeks as he attempted to gasp for air.
It wasn't the fact that he was missing the game, he'd never be this emotional over something as stupid as that. It was a build-up of everything… His mind wandering over the events of weeks past, images of his father dancing in his head. Drew's dreams for beyond Petalburg High, squashed in an instant at the dinner table, whenever he decided to bring them up. He felt like things were out of his control; like a helpless bystander in his own life. The final image to appear in his head, had done the most damage… Watching May kissing another guy, was something he never thought would bug him the way it did; and drowning his sorrows with alcohol hadn't seemed to relieve him either. He hadn't thought about her that way for years… since they'd shared their own similar moment as kids. Closing his eyes, his mind was taken back to that moment some five years ago… no matter how hard he tried to shake it, there was no way he way going to forget it…
"Drew? Where'd you go? Are you okay?" a voice rang out. It belonged to a thirteen-year-old May, her words soft and her tone clearly one of worry.
Drew hugged his knees close to his chest, resting his chin atop them, his cheeks stained with tears. He tried his best not to make a sound, as he hid among the bushes around the side of his house.
It was summertime and the Maples were over for their usual end-of-Summer barbeque. The kids were all laughing, joking and running around crazily, as per usual; their parents sat on the deck, watching them play and chatting to each other, smiles adorning their faces.
The kids had been playing tag, when Drew had begun running from his brother, Adam. Somehow, the younger boy had made it halfway up the stairs of the deck, when he'd tripped over his own feet, pushing over the table with the adults' drinks, and sending a jug of lemonade into Caroline and his Mother's laps.
The rest of the children, stopped dead in their tracks, May dropping her ice cream cone on the grass in shock.
Caroline sent Drew a look of understanding, rising from her chair and following Mrs Hayden into the house to clean up.
"I-I-I didn't mean to," Drew began "I-I'm sorry-"
"I can't believe I've raised someone to be so stupid! Weren't you watching where you were going, Andrew?!"
"Now Robert, I'm sure he didn't do it purposefully, did you Drew?"
"No Mr Maple…" Drew replied softly.
"Still Norman, he should not have been running up here. He's ruined your wife's dress and has done the same to Natalie's outfit. Careless boy!"
"Uhh-uhh-I-I-I," Drew choked, running back down the steps and around the side of his house.
May frowned, watching Drew's dad shake his head, before continuing his conversation with her own father, like nothing had happened.
Adam shrugged, challenging Max to a game of basketball (obviously, with quite an unfair advantage), while May stood there, still dumbfounded by what had just happened.
Running off after him, she attempted to make sure he was okay…
"Drew? Where'd you go? Are you okay?"
No response.
"Drew?!" she called again, "It's just me… please come out…"
"M-May…" he whispered, admitting defeat, "I'm here…"
May followed the sound of his voice, kneeling in front of his spot between the bushes.
"Hey… are you okay?" she asked gently, her voice laced with concern, her blue eyes filled with sympathy.
Drew nodded softly, "I'm okay… I just hate when he embarrasses me like that…"
"It makes me sad too…" May added, reaching for his hand. "Come out of these bushes then we can talk, there could be Wurmple in there…"
Drew chuckled a little, standing up and dusting himself off, before following her to his front step.
"Now sit," she instructed, her friend following her order instantly.
"So… it makes you sad too?" Drew asked, curious about her words from moments prior.
"Well of course… you're my best friend. It makes me sad when people say nasty things about you. Especially when they aren't true…"
"They-they aren't?" Drew cocked his head to the side causing May to chortle.
"No! Of course not! Drew… you are one of the smartest people I know… Don't let anyone tell you that you're stupid… EVER! I mean hey, I've got a perfect example! You picked me as a friend, so you'd have to be pretty clever to do that!" May beamed, throwing a wink in Drew's direction.
A smile graced his features.
"You're the best May… honestly you are!"
With a happy sigh, May cast her eyes on her own home across the road. Her work was done, he seemed to feel much better.
"Well, you're pretty great yourself Hayden!" she smiled to herself, unaware that his lips were inching closer to her cheek.
"And anyway-"
Then it happened. Without warning, May turned to face him. Drew had been aiming to peck her on the cheek as a gesture of thanks for her kind words, but in an instant that idea had vanished from his head, as his lips were now planted firmly on hers. Pushing him away from her, May leapt up from her spot on the step.
"What!? Wha- Uhhh!"
"I'm sorry April! I meant to kiss you on the cheek-"
"But- But, you didn't!"
"You moved!"
"So you're blaming me?!"
"No, don't be mad! But you turned around so quickly!"
"…"
"…"
"Drew?"
"Yeah?"
May burst into laughter. Drew following suit.
"I'm not mad at you…" she began, her cheeks coloured with an obvious shade of pink. "You just caught me off guard… that's all." She sat back down next to him, waiting for a response to her statement.
"Yeah, uhh sorry about that," Drew continued, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand and chuckling awkwardly.
A moment of silence filling the air before May decided to speak again.
"B-but Drew…"
"Yeah…"
"If I'm going to have this memory as my first kiss, I'd rather remember it being a good one," she smiled, Drew blushing as he understood what she meant. It was his first kiss too, he'd be lying if he wasn't thinking the same thing.
Leaning forward, he cupped her cheek with his hand, their noses brushing against one another's, as the space between their lips became non-existent. The kiss was pure and innocent, they were both so young and inexperienced after all; but it was perfect.
Mays eyes fluttered open, as she pulled away from him only to be met with his sparkling green eyes.
Their faces were both as red as the roses in the garden beside them. Drew smiled at her warmly. May biting her lip, in attempt to dull down the grin threatening to spread across her face.
"Well- we uhh- we better get back to it then," she spoke up, now failing miserably to hide the happiness on her face.
"Yeah… race you to the swing?" Drew retorted.
"Oh! You're on!"
And before they knew it, they were back to best friends. Memories of first kisses kept private, but never forgotten… a special moment only for them.
Drew shook his head abruptly in attempt to clear the memory from his mind. He had been sitting along the beach for an hour, meaning school had finished and the once quiet area began to fill with teenagers and children celebrating the end of a school week with ice cream and a walk.
Why the beach was still packed at this time of the year was questionable. Summer was now long gone and November filled the air, reminding them that Winter was well on its way.
With a sigh, Drew pulled his jacket from his passenger seat, pulling it over his arms and taking one last glance towards the horizon, before stepping into his car.
Tonight was going to be tough. He didn't want to stay away from the game, but in matters concerning his sanity, he really had no choice.
At least he'd be able to cry it out through a movie marathon with his Mom.
Sheesh… that was something he never thought he'd be looking forward to.
He really needed to get a new hobby…
Meh, maybe tomorrow.
…..
May had spent the entirety of her Coordinating class avoiding looks from Drew's 'adoring fans'.
Rolling her eyes, she tried to distract herself from the kerfuffle that had just unfolded before her. Yes, she felt a little bad about riling him up that way, but he snapped at her in a way that she really did not deserve. There was definitely more to the story, but she wasn't really interested in the details. Not yet at least.
By the time the football game rolled around, Drew was still fresh in the brunette's mind.
She had no choice but to be there, she was reporting, so it was only natural that she checked out the Poochyenas while they warmed up. Drew's number wasn't on the field, but it was still odd watching Gary Oak trying to motivate the team. Especially when that was Drew's role as captain.
Buttoning up her coat, May made her way up the steps and into the grandstand, taking her seat in the front row. Much to her surprise, Brendan had decided to tag along, waving to her as he sat next to her reserved seat in row number one.
"Hey! I thought you weren't a fan of football…"
"I'm not really, but I wouldn't miss the chance to spend a Friday night with my girl," he shrugged, winking at May charmingly.
May laughed; "But I'm supposed to see you later anyway… and your girl?" she smirked. They weren't quite official just yet; but May wasn't opposed to prompting him with her words.
"Well… if she wants to be," Brendan continued, taking one of May's hands as she sat next to him.
"Of course I do!" she chirped, leaning over and pecking his lips, a kiss that he returned in an instant.
"Sounds good to me… my gorgeous girlfriend!"
May giggled, girlfriend… she was someone's girlfriend… it sounded so farfetched, but it was actually happening and she was ecstatic!
Trying to regain her focus, she shook her head, eyeing the field in front of her as the team ran out, followed by Dawn's squad of cheerleaders.
"You're so cute! But, I need to concentrate on this game for the paper, so you have to promise not to distract me!"
Brendan smiled, holding his hand up in promise.
"Scouts honour," he said, resulting in a smile to creep onto May's face.
"Good! Let's watch some football!"
…..
The night had drawn to a close and by the time Saturday morning rolled around, May was overjoyed with how great her week had been. At 10 in the morning she was woken by a call from a number, unknown to her.
"Uhh… hello?" she muttered through the phone, clearing her throat with the intention of attempting to sound like she hadn't just woken up.
"May!? Did I wake you?!" the voice rang, too cheery for May's liking, especially this early in the morning.
May blinked, still completely unable to identify the voice on the other line.
"Yeah this is May… and no you didn't… but uhh- who is this?" she spoke again, a little too abruptly.
"Oh my gosh girl! It's Melody! Brenny gave me your number! I hope you don't mind!"
'Brenny? What a cheesy nickname; Brendan so would've picked something much manlier like, Dan or Brenster!' the brunette thought momentarily before the real shock hit her.
"Wait… Melody! As in Melody Green?"
"Well duh! Who else?"
"Sorry Melody, you just shocked me that's all… what can I do for you?" May continued, still completely befuddled as to why Melody would be calling her, of all people.
"Well May! We heard that you and that cousin of mine are officially an item! Good on you! We were wondering if you wanted to come hang out with us! Now you're with Brendan, your basically like family to me, so it's about time you joined our inner circle!" the girl chirped, her tone laced with excitement.
"Yeah… sure Melody. That sounds great; where am I meeting you?" May replied. She was uncertain about the offer, but it was true, Melody and Brendan were related, it'd look bad on her if she said no to a family member.
"Oh no need girl, Serena and I will pick you up in a half hour!"
May leapt from her bed, eyes wide as she took in Melody's words.
"I-I'm sorry can you say that again? I didn't quite catch it…" the brunette muttered, hoping that she hadn't just heard the name she thought she did.
Melody chuckled. "I said Serena and I will be at your house in thirty, Brendan gave us your address! Catch ya later love!"
And with that the phone went dead. If she wasn't nervous before, May was definitely fucking petrified now. Serena… the girl who'd make her life a living hell for no apparent reason, would be in the same car as her. Wait! She'd know where May lived!
Frantically, the brunette gathered her shower supplies and darted to her en suite in a haste. Dumping her items on the counter, she took in her appearance in the mirror. The image causing her to groan.
If she was going to be spending the morning with Serena, she'd better look hotter than the girl ever had.
That meant May would have to start getting ready.
Stat!
…..
May's awkward morning had been anything but by the time Melody had driven her and Serena to the mall.
The brunette wasn't sure if they were playing her or not, but the pair had been unbelievably nice to her, and May was beginning to forget what they were like before.
"So May-May! That friend Misty of yours… she's not dating anyone, right?" Serena piped up, over lunch at an unnecessarily extravagant café, in the middle of Petalburg Mall.
May, caught off guard by the interesting nickname, swallowed a bit of her sandwich, before answering the girl.
"Um no… not that I know of, why?" May questioned, Serena and Melody exchanging looks of excitement. May raised an eyebrow, confused as to what they were so happy about. What did Misty's love life have to do with them?
"We were just worried about how close she was getting to Ash Ketchum…" Serena retorted, rather absentmindedly.
"Oh?" May laughed, "those two are just friends… they grew up together that's all!"
"That's good, because Serena and I both find him… well he's gorgeous for starters; but something about him just screams boyfriend material!"
May's face changed from an expression of intrigue, to one bordering disgust. Did they just describe Ash Ketchum as gorgeous… what? He definitely wasn't May's type… though he and Misty were way more compatible. But even if she did find him the tiniest bit attractive, there was no way May would even THINK about going for a guy her friend so clearly had a crush on (even if she had a hard time admitting it) … it was basically against girl code.
"Wait?! So you're both crushing on Ash Ketchum?" May blurted, her words falling from her mouth before her brain could catch up.
"Well… kinda! But we both agreed that if he shows interest in one of us the other will back off!" Serena grinned.
"Mmmhmm!" Melody added.
May smiled awkwardly, digging into her sandwich and ending the weird topic of discussion.
As the teens continued along with their day, skipping about the mall, May attempted to find a fault with her choice in company, but surprisingly she failed. Serena and Melody were being so- so kind to her; something she truly never thought possible.
May found herself opening up to them, talking about her first date with Brendan and the magic of their first kiss. She opened up to them about her friends and how they were being rather pushy about wanting to hang out, and about her weird altercation with Drew Hayden- or 'total super babe'- as noted by Melody.
By the end of it all, May found herself laughing like she'd been friends with them for years, and it felt nice, not to be the odd one out for a change.
It was for this reason, that May hadn't answered her phone when Misty and Dawn had called her, twice each.
By the third call- and some questioning from her new pals- May finally picked up… but man did she wish she hadn't.
"This is May!" the brunette sang, only to be shut down by a voice on the other end.
"I fucking know who it is Maple, I called you!" Misty spat, clearly enraged by the cheery tone of her friend.
"Woah… what's your deal?" May retaliated, only causing the volume to rise in the voice on the other side of her cell.
"What's my deal?! Are you kidding me?! Dawn talk her… I can't deal with this shit anymore!"
May could hear a ruffle on the line, indicating that Misty had in fact, passed the phone over to Dawn. The brunette rolled her eyes, Misty could be such a drama queen at times.
"May… you're on speaker. Where are you? We went by your house, but you weren't there?" Dawn spoke softly.
"Umm… I'm at the mall? Why?"
"Did you forget about our plans? We thought you'd decided to meet us at the restaurant for brunch, but we're here… and well- you aren't," the bluenette spoke again, May mentally slapping herself.
Gritting her teeth in frustration, May tried to think of something she could tell the girls; an excuse that sounded like an actual reason to bail on them… 'Max is sick', nope definitely not ditch-worthy, 'I have an essay due that I really need to get done!', they'd just question why I was at the mall instead, 'I was attacked by a Poochyena and needed to get stitches', nope- don't want to give them a heart attack…
"May-May?! Who are you talking to?" Serena piped up, turning her attention away from the purple blouse she'd been infatuated with a second ago, and moving closer to the brunette.
May screwed her face up in guilt… she was busted now.
"Please don't tell me that's who I think it is Dawn…" Misty's voice boomed from the other side of the line. "Don't tell me she's fucking ditched us for Serena and her pathetic side kick, Melody!"
"You don't even know them Misty!" May found her self replying. She was angry; who was Misty to tell her who she could be friends with.
"Oh please Maple! You didn't tell me that a month ago when I was defending your ass from another one of Serena's insults! Or when Melody laughed at you for tripping in the hallway AND I was the only who stood up to her! You got a better offer, woopdee fucking doo! Don't come crawling to us when they're back to being the bitches they always are!"
May was speechless… Misty's words rang true and she couldn't even answer them. Had she really chosen the popular route… Was her status more important than the girls who'd been there for her… for basically her whole life. She was stuck between a Geodude and a hard place; and she'd put herself there.
"Girls- I-"
"Save it May… We don't want to hear it," Dawn said, her words laced when an emotion May could only identify as sadness.
"But I just-"
"No! We don't want to hear it May!"
"Well! Fine! Be like that then, I'm go-"
A beeping sound cut her sentence short, indicating that the girls had hung up the phone.
"What was that all about, doll?" Melody asked innocently, propping her head to the side curiously.
"Oh! Nothing! Just my so-called friends on my back about plans…"
"See! Clearly so jealous of the new you!" Serena enthused.
"Totally!" Melody nodded in agreement. "Now! Let's get you a new bag to match those gorgeous shoes you just bought! Shopping always makes a girl feeling better!"
May smiled. If Misty and Dawn were going to hate her forever, so be it. She wasn't going to sit around waiting for their forgiveness, not when she had other girlfriends to lift her up instead. This was her life now… she may as well enjoy it.
"You know what Mel… You are so right!" May grinned brighter.
"Let's do it!"
…..
"I can't believe this. Seriously Dawn, after all the shit we've been through together, after all the things we turned down for May, this is how we end up. Ditched for some preppy, stuck-up, she-devils! It makes me so fucking angry," Misty raged. She was angry and her words cemented the feeling.
Beside her, Dawn's face held a different expression.
"I know girl… I don't know what's gotten into her lately. I hardly recognise our Maybelle anymore…" she agreed, the teen looking downcast as the duo walked arm-in-arm down the street leading into Petalburg's main street.
After their altercation over the phone, earlier that day, Misty and Dawn had decided, despite May's plans, they were going to have their girls' night, staring the three P's; pizza, pyjamas and of course, Patrick Swayze.
The girls had quite a set up at Misty's house. Her lounge room was decked out with cushions and blankets and all the snacks they could wish for. It would've been perfect, if only Pizza delivery was 10 minutes and not an hour and a half.
So, ditching their pyjamas for now and pausing Dirty Dancing, the girls changed into something more socially acceptable and made their way to Petalburg Pizzeria; images of pepperoni and cheese dancing through their heads, the aroma of freshly baked pizza dough filling their nostrils, letting them know they had almost arrived.
"Pizza for Misty please," the red head spoke to the girl at the cash register as soon as they'd entered the shop.
"Should be ready in about ten minutes, Misty. Feel free to take a seat…" the cashier looked around, realising the restaurant was quite full, "…where you can," she added, smiling awkwardly at the girls.
"Thanks, we'll wait outside," Dawn piped up. Afraid Misty was one disappointment away from a full-blown meltdown, the teen jumped in before the red head had a chance to protest their waiting time. Dawn was just happy they had decided to bring their coats, it was more than chilly outside, and they had no choice but to sit and wait.
"Augh could this night get any worse?!" Misty groaned, collapsing into the plastic chair outside the pizza shop.
Dawn sighed, resting her elbow on the table in front of her and twirling a piece of her blue hair around her finger.
Unlike Misty, Dawn wasn't angry about the whole May debacle... She was filled with a lot of emotions, but none of them represented even a shred of fury. Being the level-headed one of the trio, meant Dawn often saw things from the calmer perspective. What May had done to them could've happened by accident, sure. She could've innocently forgotten, fine. But, this meant rather than rage, Dawn's heart was heavy with sadness; disappointment that their friend of close-to-ten years had failed to make them a priority. Upset that Melody and Serena's plans were more important than May's plans with them. Most of the time, Dawn was happy to be the calmer of the three of them… but today, she would've taken Misty's anger over any feeling she held. She was sure it would hurt much less.
Gazing into the distance, Dawn's mind was cleared of the thoughts it held, surrounding May; a mop of purple hair pulling her out of the trance she was in.
"Hey Mist…" she began, causing her redheaded friend's sky-blue eyes to dart up and meet her cobalt ones, a blank expression on her face.
"Yeah?" Misty enquired, raising a curious eyebrow.
"Speaking of bad days… If you were to see Ash Ketchum right now, what would this type of day become?"
"Dressed like this? The fucking worst Dawn, why?"
"Well… uhh," Dawn chuckled, scratching her head awkwardly; "Don't look now, but the gang is on its way in… they're right over there." The bluenette nodded her head in the direction behind Misty.
The red head groaned, facepalming as she opened her mouth to speak.
"Whatever you do, don't look at them…" she instructed, causing Dawn to chuckle slightly, once again.
"Too late Misty… I think they've seen us- oh no! Yep, they're walking over here! Try to get rid of these extra chairs-"
"I can't Dawn, they'll notice!"
"Ohh-uhh, alright, don't worry our pizza will be done soon!"
"What are you talking about we just sat down!"
"Shhhhhhhh- they're right behind you and-"
"Well, look who we have here!" the over-confident voice of none other than Mr Gary Oak boomed from beside the two girls.
Dawn looked up at him, flashing a fake smile before rolling her eyes in annoyance. Her eyes darted in the direction of a tall figure behind Oak, his purple hair confirming her thoughts about his identity. She forced herself to look away before Gary noticed the shade of crimson her cheeks were sure to turn if they locked eyes.
"Mind if we join you?" Ash spoke up, his eyes were kind, despite the cheeky smirk on his face; his words directed more at Misty than Dawn.
"You'll sit anyway, even if we say no," the red head said, folding her arms and moving her chair over slightly, to make a bit of extra room.
"That's true Mist," he laughed, sitting next to her and throwing an arm around the back of her chair.
Misty nudged him in the ribs lightly. Her face still held a look of annoyance, but Dawn smiled softly as she watched her friend fail to argue with Ash's actions.
Gary took the seat to the right of Dawn, opposite Ash, leaving the seat to her left free. Her heart leapt into her throat when Paul took it, offering her a rare smile before he sat down.
"Hey…" he mumbled, Dawn's eyes glistening at his words as she looked up at him.
"Hi…" she acknowledged him, blushing a little in return.
Drew's voice broke the random silence that had filled the group.
"I'm going to get a soda, does anyone want anything?" he asked, the girls had barely noticed him, considerably a lot quieter than usual.
"I'll have an ice-tea if you're paying, Greenie," Misty voiced, her face softening a little bit as Ash laughed at her nickname for the boy, "and can you check on our pizza… it's under Misty."
Gary laughed too, "Coke for me… Greenie!"
"Same here, Andrew!" Ash teased, knowing Drew hated his full name.
"I'll have a Lemona-"
"Lemonade-" Paul and Dawn spoke in unison, the young girl giggling at their identical choice in beverages.
"Please Drew… but I'll pay you!" Dawn voiced strongly, ruffling through her purse.
"I've got it Drew," Paul announced, passing his friend a twenty-dollar bill.
Dawn's head snapped up as she tried to push a five-dollar note into Paul's hand.
"Please Paul… here, take it."
"It's just a drink, Berlitz. You can get the next one!"
Dawn nodded, a smile still plastered on her face.
"Always the gentleman, aren't you Marino…" Gary mocked, shaking his head.
"You could take a lesson from him, Oak," Misty remarked, winking subtly in Dawn's direction, before changing the subject. "What are you guys doing here anyway, I thought Saturday was party night… I thought you lot would be at Melody's big birthday extravaganza!" she spoke sarcastically, throwing a fist pump in the air in false excitement.
"Well… we were going to swing by later; but I don't know, we all know its Ashyboy she really wants there. The chick's obsessed with him, Mew knows why, I mean, look at him…"
"Shut up Oak. I'm a catch!" Ash exclaimed, "right Mist?"
Misty laughed satirically. No one but Dawn knew that it was actually her way of hiding her true feelings for the boy. Whilst Gary knew that Ash had directed his 'rhetorical question' at Misty because he wanted to know what she really thought about him and if it was worth sharing his true feelings with the girl, someday. If these said feelings were to come out right now… their exchange would've went a little something like this…
A- "I'm a catch… right Mist?"
M- "Yeah… I've always thought so. You may be clueless and dense as anything but you're loyal and kind and brave… and your arms look pretty good in a muscle tee… I'd date you in an instant."
And then Ash would blush a little, grabbing her hand under the table.
A- "I've thought about no one but you since fifth grade. There is no one like you Misty. What are you doing tonight? Wanna go see a movie?"
And so on and so forth…
BUT! In true Ash and Misty fashion, their feelings were kept hidden and Misty's reply was witty and in no way a true depiction of her thoughts about the raven-haired teen's desirable qualities…
"Please Ketchum, let's just say Melody's lucky you aren't interested!"
Ash frowned, throwing a glare her way; Misty responding with a smirk and a whack against his side. Even though she'd hit him, the banter seemed to break his angered expression, and the two continued to trade flirty nudges as if they thought the others couldn't see them.
Gary's voice pulled them all back into conversation once again.
"Say… aren't you two missing a group member? Where's Maple?" the spiky-haired teen enquired, just as Drew returned with everyone's drinks, resting upon Misty and Dawn's pizza boxes.
Flipping the lids open, each member of the circle grabbed a slice, Misty's eyes narrowing slightly as they did so. Each member beside Dawn that was. The mention of May's name had taken her appetite; she was too upset to eat.
"Do we have to talk about that now?" she mumbled, swirling the ice in her glass with her straw.
Paul looked at her in confusion, his eyebrows knitted together in an expression one could only describe as concern.
"Did something happen?" Ash asked seriously, resting his hand on Misty's shoulder, his arm still draped around her chair.
Dawn groaned, Misty's gaze planted firmly on the pizza box in front her. For the first time, the red head was silent; and she had no intention of speaking up just yet. She couldn't even be angry at Drew, even though she really wanted to… the brunette's change in appearance was the result of his words, but the girl's argument was the result of a new May all together.
Dawn sighed in defeat, lifting her head and beginning their story.
"We had a fight… well, she dumped us and skipped on our plans because she was hanging out with Melody and Serena…" Dawn's voice wavered and she bit her lip to steady her emotions. Paul's leg brushed against hers slightly under the table, the gesture one of silent support, Dawn shooting a half smile in his direction.
"Melody and Serena?!" Drew piped up. There was no way. Even back then, back when he was her friend, May couldn't stand them. There was no way he heard that correctly.
"Yep… well she's Mrs Brendan Williams now, of course she has to get in with the family!" Misty cried, folding her arms and leaning back further in her chair. Her anger was returning and she really didn't want to put Dawn through the task of calming her down for the third time that day; so she shovelled a piece of cheese pizza into her mouth, eating her feelings instead of sharing them.
"That's rough…" Gary began, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. He really seemed to show that he cared, if it wasn't for his next few words.
"It's always the hot ones that hurt you… Take me for example, I've broken many a heart with my sheer good looks alone-"
"Shut up Oak!" the boys roared simultaneously.
"Hey! I'm just trying to ease the tension…" he chucked only to be met with the irritated eyes of a stony-faced Paul.
"That was insensitive, sorry ladies…"
"I think that she'll come to her senses, and until she does, don't chase her. It's her loss." Paul announced, stringing together one of the longest sentences he had, all night. Dawn tried to remember the last time she'd heard him speak for that long, at all. Something about the guy drew her to him. She wasn't sure if it was his handsome looks or purple hair, or the way he would make her breath hitch in her throat with a simple 'hey'.
Right now, she was impressed with his words. He seemed to make much more sense than she and Misty had when they were discussing the situation, moments earlier.
"Yeah… I guess you're right," she nodded, Misty mimicking the gesture.
Drew on the other hand was unusually quiet. He felt as though May's change in personality was partly his fault, but he knew better than to bring that up now.
Instead, he sat silently, his Coke glued to his hand, his eyes fixed on the table before him.
He had noticed the change in May too… she was far from the girl her admired so much. It made him regretful that he was the cause of it. He just hoped there would be a way to somehow, someday get her back.
The conversation took a turn after that.
Drew watched as Ash tried to bring some laughter back to the group; it was quite obvious he didn't like seeing Misty upset, as much as he tried to hide his concern. Even Paul and Gary were laughing, Dawn watching the purple-haired boy with glee as he cracked a joke about Ash's unhealthy obsession with his baseball hat, which was placed on head in a backwards fashion. Drew smiled too, letting visions of brunettes with sparkly, blue eyes disappear from his thoughts.
The pizza was long gone, Ash and Misty fighting over the last piece, before finally agreeing to split it down the middle; the girls realising they had left Misty's lounge room unattended, the television calling.
"Well… we better get going," Dawn announced, shooting Paul a sombre expression, which he seemed to return. The two had been chatting and flirting all night and Dawn wasn't ready to let that go just yet.
"Aww, already?" Ash muttered, his voice relatively softer than usual.
"I was actually enjoying Red's company over here!" Gary voiced, nodding in Misty's direction.
The red head chuckled, before an idea hit her, like a lightbulb switched on in her head.
"I may regret this, but if you wanted, you guys could come crash our movie night… you just have to be sure to not diss our pjs or our guest of honour!"
"It's up to Drew," Paul spoke, "he drove us here…"
"C'mon Hayden! It'll be fun!" Ash pleaded, clearly excited at the thought of spending another hour or two with a particular friend of his.
"Yeah man! Even I'm down!" Gary added, Paul nodding in agreement.
"Yeah… sounds good to me," Drew shrugged. He didn't really care what they did, he just knew he'd rather be with the boys, than home with his dad; and besides, Dawn and Misty were actually pretty cool… he wondered what the night would've held if a particular brunette was there, but he pushed that thought from his mind to save himself the pain.
"Awesome!" Ash exclaimed, jumping from his chair. The others followed his lead, tucking in their chairs and moving towards the foot path.
"Oh… I almost forgot to ask. Who's your 'guest of honour'?" Paul asked curiously. It would be just his luck for Dawn to have some secret 'boyfriend' he didn't know about to ruin such a great night.
The girls giggled.
"Mr Swayze, of course!" Dawn replied, Paul shaking his head with a laugh.
"As in Patrick Swayze… the guy who died?" Gary remarked, his insensitivity causing Misty to gasp.
"We're watching Dirty Dancing, aren't we?" Drew groaned, causing the girls to giggle again.
Beside him, a perplexed Ash stood clearly deep in thought.
"Guys…."
The group stopped walking for a second and turned to face him.
"What's a Patrick Swayze and why is the dancing dirty?"
Misty moaned in disbelief. "After 17 years of friendship… you don't know anything about my first love?!"
Dawn smirked, opening her mouth to speak. "I thought Ash was-"
- Misty shot her a harsh glare.
"Uh- I mean, I thought Ash would know all about Dirty Dancing… I mean, surely your Mom would've watched it while you were around?" Dawn chuckled, covering her blunder with ease.
The boy shrugged.
"Nope… never!" he retorted.
Misty beamed, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.
"Well Ashy boy! Time to introduce you to the hottest man to ever grace this Earth!"
And with that, the group continued their quest down the road; the girls with Johnny and Baby in their thoughts, the boys wondering why the heck they agreed to a movie night in the first place.
…
There we have it!
Bit of a long one, hence the slow update! Hope you're enjoying this fic so far!
Let me know (: