Ash's PoV:

I'm showing Clemont around the school; or as we have to say in front of the kids, Mr Lionne. It's a nice name, Clemont Lionne. Really nice. He's a nice guy too! There's no other way to describe him other than nice!

"And your tour is OVER!" I exclaim; he looks a bit sad at this and asks me; "Can I... erm... maybe get to know you a bit better please?" I grin at him and say loudly: "Course you can! Sit down: what do you want to know?"

He looks taken aback and said quietly: "Ash: that's so kind! A-Are you sure about this?"

He's so shy! He's really cute when he's flustered: I really need to tell my girlfriend about him!

"Of course Clemmy! We're friends, aren't we?" I stop, shocked as I see tears brimming in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"A concoction of things..." he replies sadly: despite me not having a single idea of what a concoction is I sit down and indicate that he's good to sit next to me. As he does, he begins to slowly talk:

"I graduated university at 15, and everyone else in my class was an adult! I never had a friend before, so I just got used to being alone. I was called names like Depresso and Shadow Boy, because nobody ever cared enough about me to just look my way and say hi, or even a smile, not unless they were being rude to me! It was like I never existed - not even in my own home! When I got back from living in student housing, it turned out I had a one year old sister and my father just 'forgot my to tell me in his monthly texts. He never answered the phone, and when I returned home, I just stayed in my room, always shunned out by my sister. My mother apparently divorced my father, probably after Bonnie was born, and I grew lonely and depressed so I started to work to take my mind off things! I saved up all of my money to be able to attend a school for teacher training, and then I graduated from that and here we are. Emphasis on WE - you're the only person that's ever gone out of their way to help me and my brain doesn't understand why!"

I'm shocked by his tale, but I know I have to answer his internal question so I reply: "You're awesome! You graduated at 15 and then you come to teach here! I've always been surrounded by lots, noisy people and for once I'd like a peaceful friend! You seem to be calm! And you looked like you needed help, so I stepped in! I don't like to see people upset or lonely so I try to make as many friends as possible. Then I can sometimes donate a few. But I want to make friends with you myself: you're really cute - I mean, cool!"

He stops dead and stares at me with a puzzled frown on his face, looking deep in thought.

I'm dead.

Cute. I did NOT just seriously call him cute. He looks at me and said in a desolated tone: "We're teachers. Besides; a hot guy like you probably had about 60 girls queuing outside your door, and I'm... happy being single."

He's lying. I can sense it with my super spider sense that detects emotions. Joking: I'm about as dense as... erm... a dense metal!

"Come on: you can't be happy being single! You're way too adorable to be alone: it just makes me want to wife you whilst I can!"

...

I DID NOT MEAN TO SAY THAT!

...

WAY TO GO ASH!

Clemont's PoV:

Did I just call Ash hot?!

And did he call me cute?!

What's going on?! We've known each other for a few minutes and

Wait.

WAIT.

Did he say he'd wife me?! Like - MARRY?! I'm so confused! Bewildered! You name a synonym for puzzled and that's my current mood. Although... it feels... nice! And unprofessional and also ridiculous. We've hardly known each other!

"So Ash! Moving on - what do you do at home?" I ask, trying to move on from the subject.

"Oh; that." He replies as if he's reluctant to change the subject. But - it's a conversation that really needs to end before it get out of hand: well, more so than it already has! "Yeah, I... I do sports! And, erm, oh yeah, on Fridays I like to go out with my girlfriend Serena!"

His girlfriend?

His GIRLFRIEND?!

And: I'm a dumb fuck.

"You have a girlfriend?!" I exclaim in anger at him: he obliviously grins and says happily; "Yeah, and she's great! Although I'm not too good at romance so she has to help me out a bit." I sigh, knowing what I have to do. In an ideal world, I wouldn't say anything and I'd start to hit back on Ash - but that isn't fair on this Serena I've heard of.

"Ash... calling me cute and saying you want to wife me makes it sound like you're hitting on me. As in: you want us to go out. And that would be fine - except you already have a girlfriend. And we're strangers. But going back to the first one - if I were to hit back on you, and maybe kiss you, hold your hand; then that's called cheating. It's something that you don't do in a relationship - how can I explain it? Taking advantage of Serena would be cheating: she's loyal to you! Being in a relationship needs dedication, and if you're wanting to date someone else instead of Serena, you can either break up with Serena to be with the other person, or you can end it with the person you're cheating on Serena with. If you break up with Serena, it's a gamble because the other person might then dump you for someone else, see? But if you stay with Serena, you have something solid, something real. Someone you can turn to and know that they love you back. But at the end of the day, it's to to you. I'm not you, so you can decide where it goes. But I'd recommend staying with Serena. Besides: we're strangers! Nothing's happened yet between us, so you haven't cheated yet! It's not too late."

He stared at me with a strange and unfamiliar look in his eyes - when he talks again, I can tell he seems hurt. "Dating 2 people is wrong?" He asks sadly: I sigh and nod my head.

"Aww man! But - if someone in a relationship cheats, then does that -"

"Yes Ash: it gives the person being cheated on a ground to end the relationship." I answer honestly. I don't understand his thought process until he asks something that made me nearly choke on air.

"So I should break up with Serena?!"

"NO NO NO! Ash: you haven't cheated yet!" I hastily yell.

"Yeah... but she has." He said quietly, staring at his trainers.

"I didn't know it was wrong: people say it happens a lot in relationships. My friend Alain came over and there was this... this spark between them! It was like she was drawn to him! He's almost better than me at everything and it's not fair! He's stronger, faster, smarter, and he knows about love! I don't. I saw them kissing and then she said it was all ok, and it happens in relationships all the time but she still loves me. She... she lied..."

That makes me feel bad for Ash! He doesn't deserve to be cheated on - regardless of how cool the other person seems. No wonder he didn't realise that what happened wasn't ok - he'd been told it was! Although, something's not adding up - Ash is roughly 24; so why doesn't he know all of this already like normal people do?!

"Um... Ash? How come you haven't heard of all this before?" I ask cautiously. As he turns his head to face me, his kind shiny black hair flips around his shoulders, bringing out his stunning hazel eyes. He sighs and asks me quietly: "You won't tell anyone; right?"

"No - of course not!" I reply: he sighs and whispers: "I'm... autistic. Romance is just something I don't understand: Serena's my first girlfriend and I failed to be good enough to her. To anyone. At lease my mum loves me and supports me or else I'd not have a job, nor a home! You still good with me?"

"Ash; I'm ok with this - it makes you YOU! And it in a bad way - never in a bad way! But you live with your mum?!" I quietly ask, worried about him developing as a person!

"Yeah..." he confesses: I smile and say: "I live with my father right now but I'm actually moving into a new apartment next week. It's quite small, but we can make it work; I'll buy a sleeping bed and you'll be able to have the bed! Want me to be your first ever roommate?!" He states at me, hardly daring to believe his ears and nods excitedly which puts a grin on my face! He suddenly takes out his phone and rings up. I listen carefully as he talks loudly to someone I know he trusts:

"Hey mum? Yeah I'm good... no I haven't been fired... Yes I have everything. Look: I made a friend called Clemont... yeah he knows. He's awesome! Seems like Serena's cheating on me with Alain... mum chill. I'm ok... yeah he did... I trust Clemont! He's so sweet... yeah he's cute... I... maybe? K... oh yeah... Clemont invited me to be his roommate! Ok... cool... work starts in 10 minutes... yeah... I'll ask and text you later... yes I'm wearing clean underwear! Love you mum... bye! See you tonight... yeah I will! Bye... bye!"

I smile as he turns to me and asks: "Well... are you good to come over tonight after school? My mum wants to meet you to approve you!"

"Sure!" I reply excitedly: he stares at me with happiness in his eyes and says: "It feels like we're teenagers again! I can't count the times I've asked that in high school: you have too, right?"

"Yeah... cause I have." I reply, knowing that this is a new experience for me! I don't want to mess it up... although I do feel bad for lying to Ash as he's clearly forgotten what I said about having no friends, I don't really want to dwell on that...

... so new school, new job and a play date at my new autistic adult friend's house to meet his mother and conceive her to let him move in weird me! Totally a fail-safe plan... oh wow! This is all happening so fast; but that's adulthood for you! Ash said classes start in 10 minutes so I bid him my farewells and try in vain to navigate through the crowds of young children to the class I'm teaching in for the first lesson! I see Valerie and Wolfric talking; they smile and wave at me! Life is good right now, but terrifying! Thank goodness I have a friend like Ash to help me - and in all fairness, Korrina seems awesome! I see her practically jump over some of the smallest students to get to the staircase - I grin at her and she waves, yelling: "Good luck!" I smile in response and rush to the classroom where I'm met with about 20 small children looking at me in confusion; one of the more confident students asks me nervously: "Are you the new science teacher Sir?"

Eek! This is making me feel anxious - hopefully I'll survive today!