Chapter 6
The birds were chirping and the sun was shining. Bella jerked her head up and smiled at the dawning of a new day. She had had a wonderful night of rest and was ready to win back Drew's affection. The wave of new confidence spread through her soul like wildfire and she began cleaning up the apartment. As soon as she was done with that, she took to the kitchen, making Drew's favorite breakfast dish, pancakes with syrup. She hummed to herself quietly as the morning grew brighter. Drew's nose woke him up and as he sniffed the air, his eyes shot open at the realization that there were pancakes being made. He jumped out of bed and ran out of the room. Bella cried out first and Drew stumbled backwards. The pancakes flew into the air and fell right on top of his face.
"Oh no! Drew! Are you all right?"
They were slumped down on their knees and then Drew peeled the pancake off of his face. Bella couldn't help but stifle a laugh as she saw the syrup on his cheeks, mouth and nose. He licked his mouth and made smacking noises.
"Well, the syrup tastes wonderful."
Bella put a hand over her mouth and smiled as they laughed together.
"Oh Drew, I'm sorry. I thought I could surprise you with your favorite breakfast, but I guess it got to you before I could get it there."
He watched her genuine expression of happiness and couldn't help but smile. She was beautiful after all, and she was sitting there with a hint of childhood innocence. It reminded him of May a bit, and then he cringed because of the comparison.
"I'm so silly, I should be helping you get that junk off of your face!"
Drew shook his head and waved his hand.
"No, it's okay Bella, really. I can do it my…"
He couldn't respond because at that moment Bella licked her tongue on his cheek. Then she put her arms around him, leaving the plate of dirty pancakes on the side. She started to kiss his whole face and lick off the syrup. Drew started to feel uncomfortable with her display of affection, but before he could protest she put her mouth over his, jamming her tongue inside. He was shocked but suddenly felt the wonderful taste of maple syrup in his mouth and he thought he was eating pancakes. Suddenly, when Bella ran her hands through his hair, he realized that he wasn't. Drew felt his stomach growl and then Bella finally pulled away.
"Oh! You still haven't eaten! Okay, get dressed and I'll have another batch ready for you sweetie."
She helped him stand up and then she smiled at him warmly. Her passive-aggressive nature left him confused and he didn't know whether he was with a soft, gentle person like May, or with a tiger that was ready to pounce on him. Drew shook his head again and went to go take a shower. Bella's efforts to clean his face weren't extremely successful after all.
..:-:..
May heard her alarm clock that morning and actually smiled when she went to go shut it off. Brendan must have made an effort to do it for her after the problem she had the previous morning. But her smile wasn't full of happiness and soon she realized the whole night she had only dreamed of being with Drew. It hurt her heart even more when she walked in and saw that Brendan was laying spread out on the couch again. He looked so adorable and she felt awful about sneaking around behind his back. She went into the kitchen and made some scrambled eggs for both of them. Soon enough, Brendan woke up, his silver hair messy and untamed. As she was standing in front of the stove, Brendan came up from behind and hugged her.
"You are the best May! You know I love scrambled eggs in the morning."
He nudged her head with his fist and May ducked down a bit as she chuckled.
"It's no problem Brendan. By the way, thanks for setting the alarm for me."
"Oh, it worked? Good! I didn't want you to be upset with me after the last time you know."
He gave her a big grin as she handed him a plate of eggs. May smiled but sighed to herself. She didn't know how she was going to do it. She didn't want to break his heart, and May knew he had a big one. All of a sudden when May turned around, her eyes widened as she saw a clean plate on the table.
"Brendan! Did you eat all of it already?"
"Yeah! It was delicious! Hey, I got to run to the gym. I'll see you later, okay?"
He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and then left her standing there gaping at the empty seat where he had sat a second ago. Then it occurred to her that Brendan was always at the gym. If he did come home, he would always watch television and he was decreasingly showing affection for her, mind him even saying something nice to her.
"He's so infuriating! I can't believe I felt sorry for him!"
She looked at the time and sighed.
"I have to go to work now… maybe something … or someone will cheer me up today."
May smiled and knew exactly who could do that for her.
..:-:..
Drew ruffled the towel through his hair and let it dry. He walked into the kitchen and inhaled the scent of his breakfast.
"Bella this smells great!"
"Thanks Drew! Eat up! You have to get to work you know."
He sat down and looked at her for a moment.
"Well stop gawking at me! Eat!"
Drew laughed to himself and picked up his knife and fork. Bella sat down across from him and sighed.
"Remember how I said I had to go to work yesterday?"
Drew's face was stuffed with pancakes and he couldn't do anything but nod.
"Well, I got there and one of the girls wanted to kill herself."
Drew's eyes practically popped out and he had to swallow hard to not choke.
"What? Is she okay?"
"Yes, we got her to settle down. It was all really horrible. She said that she wasn't pretty enough and that she wanted to kill herself because of it."
"You know what I think?" asked Drew after he gulped down some milk, "I'm sorry to say it, but this whole contest doesn't seem to be a good idea."
Bella nodded gravely and sighed again.
"I agree with you Drew."
He cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrows.
"You do?"
"Yes. If a girl is going to try and commit suicide because of it, then the whole idea is going too far, don't you suppose?"
Drew was completely shocked at her sudden change of character, so much that she intrigued him.
"I guess…"
"So after getting there, and helping the girl, I quit."
"What? But that's your job!"
"I know, but I can always find another. I don't want to be a part of something that horrible."
Drew smiled and they both stood up. He was glad she finally wised up. They walked arm in arm to the kitchen and then they stood together. Bella kissed him and as his lips touched hers, his eyes shot open as he realized that he had kissed May just the night before. Drew abruptly pulled away and Bella seemed confused as to why he did it. They were on such good terms now; it seemed like all of the negative feelings had gone away.
"Why are you leaving Drew?"
"Well I guess that my boss wants me extra early to make up for yesterday's weather interruption in business sales."
She smiled radiantly and hugged herself.
"Okay then! Be careful! I'll see you later."
He waved as he headed out the door and then he stopped and muttered to himself.
"What am I going to do about this mess I'm in?"
..:-:..
It was somewhere near noon, and May was truly anxious to get out of the daycare for once. All day she had been thinking of one person in particular and she really wanted to go see him. As she walked past all of the corner shops and street intersections, she finally spotted a man in green hair wearing a clean white uniform and hat. He was giving out ice cream cones to the last pair of children when he saw her walking up to him. Right when he looked at her, he forgot about everything else that had happened and he smiled. Drew bit his lip and looked around for his boss.
"Hey boss? Can I go take a break now?"
"Again? You just had one."
"No, that was two and a half hours ago!"
The boss looked up and saw May walking up to the stand happily. His expression changed right away.
"You know what? Go ahead. You can take a half hour break if you'd like."
"Really? Thanks!"
May finally reached the cart and smiled as Drew turned around to face her.
"Hello Mr. Ice Cream Cone."
She laughed and Drew mocked a chuckle. He took off his hat and put it on her head.
"Looks like you're Mrs. Ice Cream Cone. How do you like that?"
May blushed a bit as Drew flipped his hair. She took off the hat when she saw the boss looking at them. He nodded to her and she smiled back shyly. Drew took off his uniform and put the hat on a chair. May felt a hand in hers and smiled as Drew looked at her.
"Come on. Let's get out of here."
They walked a bit to their favorite place, the park. May led Drew to a secluded place that only she knew about. There was a small hole in the forest of trees, and it led to a small clearing where there was a sparkling pond. Once they were there, the sun shined down its warmth on them, and Drew took May in his arms instantly, running his hands through her hair and taking in the smell of it. May wrapped herself around him as well, and she rested her head on his shoulder, feeling simply amazed at how much warm affection he was showing her.
"I missed you Drew."
He chuckled quietly.
"We weren't apart for that long."
All of a sudden, she pulled away with his arms still around her. His sarcastic tone reminded her of his youthful immaturity.
"Drew, don't be like that!"
He smirked and cocked his head to the side as he leaned in closer to her again.
"Do you mean like this?"
She suddenly felt his lips graze hers and she melted into his embrace. Her hands cupped the back of his neck as he rested his on her lower back. The two expressed their love for each other in that kiss, and then they decided to sit down by the water. May leaned back onto Drew's chest and he put his arms around her.
"Drew, how come it feels so right when you kiss me?"
There was a small silence and then he shifted in his place.
"I don't know… why. But if it is meant to feel that way, how come it also feels so wrong?"
May sat up and turned towards him, her loose hair cupping her face. He looked at her wonderful blue eyes and whimpered slightly. His head hung loose and then May took it in her hands and brought it close to her. Her head bent down to next to his and then she whispered.
"I don't want you to feel like you are doing something wrong."
Drew looked up and saw that her face had a sad smile on it.
"We will have to only be friends until we break off our other relationships."
She stood up suddenly and then Drew grabbed onto her arm.
"May! No, I can't do that. I don't think I could be without you for another second."
He stood up beside her, and then the sunlight vanished as clouds passed by. May shivered slightly and then Drew pulled her into a hug.
"Don't you feel the same way?"
Her voice was small and hidden, as tears fell down her face.
"Did you hug and kiss Bella this morning Drew?"
She didn't want to ask it, but she had to. Drew let go of her a little bit, also reluctant of hearing the question.
"Did you hug and kiss Brendan?"
They both looked at each other with immediate sadness and longing. May stepped away from him and shook her head sadly.
"I'm sorry Drew, but until I find a way… I can't be with you right now."
She ran out of the clearing and back through the trees.
"May! Wait!"
He ran after her, but as he returned to the park, he saw her figure as a speck in the distance. Drew put a hand to his head and then saw that his half hour was up. With a broken heart, he returned back to work.
..:-:..
May ran all the way back to the daycare and when she returned she shut the door close and slid down against the wall crying.
"Why does this have to happen to me?"
"What has to happen to you?"
She stopped crying abruptly at the sound of her boss's voice. May wiped away her tears furiously and tried smiling.
"Oh it's nothing really… I…"
All of a sudden there was a flash of red light and a furry blue pokemon popped up on her legs.
"Hopril! What are you doing out of your poke ball?"
The pokemon put its little hands on her neck and cuddle up to its owner. May smiled gently and closed her eyes as she hugged her pokemon back.
"See… now that's what having pokemon is all about. You take care of them, and then they take care of you. It's so beautiful!"
May opened her eyes and Hopril joined her in the laughter.
"Thanks Hopril. You make everything so much better!"
"Hop-hop!"
May smiled and then stood up.
"Okay Hopril! Let's get back to work!"
A few hours passed by and May sat down for a moment. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. The pokemon had been a bit harder to handle that day; she had no idea why. Suddenly there was a tapping noise at the window and she woke up. May hadn't expected to see his green head again that day, but there he was, holding his hands together and pouting. She crossed her eyes furiously and shook her head as in a signal that he couldn't come in. After not moving for a couple of minutes, she walked up to the window and stood right in front of him, pointing her finger to her left. Drew didn't want to leave, but as he looked to his left, he saw a little boy with balloons and had an idea.
May saw him leave and sighed. She didn't want to have any more temptations that day. As she returned to her desk, she heard another knock at the window.
"I said get away!"
She turned around with rage, but then gasped when she saw a little boy with brightly colored balloons standing in front of the door.
"Oh I'm so sorry! Hold on a minute!"
May walked up to the door and unlocked it letting the little boy in.
"You're so cute! Can I help you?"
"Not really. I just have something for you. Here!"
He gave her a balloon and then left the daycare. She was confused, but then she saw a note attached to the string. She opened it up and read two simple words. I'm sorry. May folded the note and then looked up to see Drew standing at the door again. She shook her head and then reached for the door, opening it slowly.
"Drew, don't you understand I can't see you anymore? It hurts me…"
"I know, and I'm sorry for trying to make you do something you didn't want to do. I was just so confused, but I have realized that I'm not comfortable with this either."
A new light of maturity shined on Drew as the sun was starting to set. May was relieved and she smiled happily.
"So all I wanted to say was I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"
"Of course I forgive you Drew!"
She was about to put her arms around him, but then they stood there awkwardly. Suddenly they both heard the doorbell and they turned around to see Bella standing there.
"Drew? This is so coincidental! It's the second time I'm running into you here!"
"Bella! What are you doing here?"
She smiled and walked up to Drew, putting her arms around him.
"I guess it's a good thing you're here! I have wonderful news! You know that Pokemon Opera that's opening?"
"…yes…"
May looked at them with disappointment, but tried to think of something happy. She walked back to her desk and started fumbling through papers.
"Well… as a goodbye present, the contest committee is giving me four tickets to the show! Isn't that great?"
Drew gulped down on his own voice and tried to smile.
"That's great Bella!"
She gave him a quick kiss and then left him.
"May! It's so nice to see you again!"
She looked up from her work and put on her best smile.
"Bella! It's wonderful to see you too!"
"Did you hear me talking with Drew?"
"Yes. Yes I did."
"Well then you must have heard me say four tickets. I came here to invite you and your boyfriend! Here are your two tickets!"
She slid the envelope on May's desk and she shook her head, taking an alarming glance at Drew as she did so.
"Oh no Bella! Really, I don't deserve it! And I'm not so sure Brendan likes operas…"
"But it's the hottest thing in town! Please accept them! I feel horrible about the way I acted the first time I met you… so please accept them as my apology."
Drew gave May a sympathetic look and then May turned her gaze back to Bella's.
"All right. I guess I'll have to accept…"
"Good! Good… well, then I'll see you tomorrow! I can't wait!"
She turned back around to Drew and he perked up.
"Were you done with whatever you were doing here Drew?"
"Uh… actually I just got here… if you wait outside, I'll be right there."
"Okay then!"
Bella smiled cheerfully and walked outside. Once she was out of their view May gave a sudden outtake of air.
"Drew, this is not good."
"I know, but what can I do about it? I had no idea she was going to invite you and Brendan…"
"How are we supposed to tell them that we can't be with them? Drew, this is impossible…"
Drew put his hand on top of hers but she withdrew it hurriedly.
"I'm sorry Drew, but I don't think it's a good idea for you to have Roselia here anymore…" she said in a whisper.
"I think you're right…" said Drew as he put his hand in his pocket.
He watched her exit out to the greenhouses, and then after a few minutes, she returned with a poke ball.
"Thanks May… how much do I owe you?"
She smiled gently and shook her head.
"You don't owe me anything Drew… it was like taking care of my own pokemon. I'll miss you Roselia."
She handed him the poke ball, and then Drew put it in his pocket.
"So I guess I'll see you tomorrow… with Brendan."
"Yeah… and I'll see you and Bella tomorrow too."
He nodded sadly and then turned and walked towards the door. She heard the door shut and she didn't look up from her papers. Drew looked inside and saw her head hanging loosely, her hair blocking his view of her face. Suddenly Bella popped up beside him, cheerful as ever. He walked away, not seeing that there were wet circles dotting the papers on May's desk.
..:-:..
Once Drew and Bella finally got home, he was exhausted. They had decided to go grocery shopping and Drew had to carry all of the bags up the stairs. He put the last one down on the floor and then flopped down on the couch. Bella came from behind him and put her arms around his neck, kissing it softly.
"Thank you so much sweetie. You know you're my strong man!"
She laughed and he tried smiling but the muscles in his face couldn't move. Bella left and started to put away all of the groceries. Suddenly he felt a headache coming on and he knew it was from all of the mixed emotions and thoughts he had gone through that day.
"Are you all right Drew?"
"Yeah I'm fine Bella. I think I'm going to turn in for today though. The sun got to me."
"That's understandable. Go get some rest, you deserve it!"
He heard her shuffling through the groceries as he walked into his room. Drew sat down on his bed and muttered to himself.
"You deserve better than me Bella."
..:-:..
May got home early and saw that Brendan wasn't home yet. She was curious to know where he was, but then made the conclusion that he was most likely at the gym again. In a short time, she had made dinner for the both of them, but he still wasn't home. Finally after about another half hour, he came home and was all sweaty.
"Brendan... where were you?"
"Oh! May... I didn't think you'd be home so early... I was at the gym..."
"That's what I thought...well your dinner is cold now. Oh and by the way, we're going to the opera tomorrow."
"What? I don't want to!"
"But we have to. A friend gave us tickets and if I don't go with you, she'll be offended."
"Fine. Whatever."
"You can eat and do what you please. I'm going to bed."
May locked herself in her room and wished that she could live in her dreams, where the grass was green and so was Drew's hair.