Equanimity, Chapter 4

Misty was sick of this!

"I don't want to!" She whined to Daisy, who held firm on her sister's hand as she dragged her into the dress store.

This was the millionth one that Misty had been to, but only the first one Daisy had gone to since the engagement. Somehow, the blonde managed to weasel out of dress appointments, leaving Misty with all of the decisions—taking pictures, making new appointments. Misty was too polite to back out of the meetings because she did not want to waste the salespeople's time so she stayed in place of Daisy. It was a huge clustermuk!

"Misty! I, like, need to find the perfect dress, and Lily and Violet are like, working!" Daisy chanted back angrily.

When they were younger, pulling the redhead around was easy enough, but not anymore. Misty was the definition of a fit swimmer now. She was far from the little girl they poked fun at years ago. So, when Misty pulled away, Daisy heaved her twice as hard to keep her in the store.

"You already have two dresses, Daisy! My gym leader salary can't afford a third!" Misty shouted.

Their argument drew quite a bit of attention from people in the store, who whispered in low voices about 'those Waterflower sisters are at it' again. Misty tried to fight her way out of the store like a trapped animal, but Daisy's freshly manicured fingers cut into Misty's damaged wrist, disturbing the healing scar. With a shriek, Misty winced, and Daisy released the young woman, having realized that she hurt Misty, who grabbed at her wrist painstakingly.

"Those are the dresses that you picked out! I want to pick one." Daisy growled.

"Well maybe if you bothered showing up to any of the dress appointments I've made, I wouldn't have to buy the ones you liked most in the pictures!"

"Oh, pssh." Daisy rolled her eyes. "Besides, you need a dress for the league party tomorrow, anyway!" The oldest sister argued, but then a devious grin flashed over her cheeks.

Misty had few weak points, but the ones she did have were massive targets. Daisy crossed her arms.

"Don't you want to look nice for Ash?" Daisy purred, dropping the valley girl accent as the guest continued to whisper and gawk at them from the front door of one of the most prestigious and large dress shops in Cerulean City.

Misty went limp and slightly red at the reminder of the party that was the inauguration of the newest Viridian City Gym Leader. Misty's heart skipped a beat for several reasons. The first was that Ash promised to be her date to the party, the second was that she was thinking of Ash, and the third reason was that Ash promised to be her date, a feat worthy of having two slots on her list. It would be the first league gathering they attend together, as a couple. Their first real event as a couple. Misty hiccuped. Steam rose from her cheeks. She might have lost consciousness if she didn't have Daisy to lean on.

"You good?" She asked her baby sister, pulling Misty off her arm.

Collecting herself, Misty dusted her hands against her black shorts and straightened her yellow top. She shared a short, flustered glance with her sister.

"Yeah, I'm good." Misty grimaced, feeling a bit pathetic for reacting like such a girl.

If Ash saw her like that, there was no doubt in her mind that he would poke fun at her. 'Jeeze, Misty, why such a red face' he would mock her. Not that he was any better when the role was reversed. Misty touched her face and then sighed. She cracked her neck to both sides and decided to follow Daisy into the isles of countless, bold, white dresses. Daisy picked through a number of dresses, but Misty's mind was elsewhere. Daisy didn't mind much, because she only wanted someone to be with her, she didn't actually care about Misty's opinion.

It wasn't her fault that he caused an endless amount of butterfree in her stomach. After all, she spent two weeks worried if they were really dating or not, because three days wasn't exactly enough to solidify a new relationship. Then after their last meeting—she was most definitely sure they were dating. Even if it was awkward at first. She wrapped her arms around her torso pathetically, missing his touch. They'd only spent two hours 'in heaven' since she had to fly back to Kanto that evening. The time they did spend once the awkwardness was gone was... it was...

She covered her face in embarrassment.

Lately, she wasn't sure how to spend her spare time, because most of it was used to fantasize about her boyfriend.

Oh, man, Misty. She thought to herself with a swift facepalm. You've got some issues to work out. You better pray Ash never hears that you 'fantasize' anything.

"Like, I want one that makes me look like a princess," Daisy commented and Misty raised her eyebrows, pretending that she was paying attention the whole time.

"Really, Daisy?" Misty questioned, watching as her sister maneuvered around the shop. She had been in here before, Misty knew, probably countless times to look at dresses. For league parties, events, galleries, openings, carpet events—but never once for her own damn wedding. Until today. Daisy was the queen of sloughing off duties.

"I think you should go for something sleek—curve-hugging," Misty suggested while holding a dress that fits that description.

Daisy turned at her sister; "Are you giving me fashion advice?" she asked, feigning amazement. Misty lowered her eyelids and raised her eyebrows aggravatingly.

"Don't be an ass about it." Daisy laughed. Misty did not.

Away from the dresses and lace, Misty found a place in the corner of the room where she slumped onto a bench and crossed one leg over the other. Of course, Daisy didn't want her help; getting fashion advice from Misty was like being shot in the foot.

It was not that Misty had poor fashion taste, it was simply that her sisters, even after all of these years, enjoyed poking fun at the 'tomboyish mermaid'. Misty watched a beautifully dressed woman lead Daisy into the expensive ballgown section of wedding dresses, and sighed. Daisy thrived in these types of scenarios where she was dragged around and introduced to new dresses. Misty didn't mind them, not really... she didn't want to go four times a week, either.

It wasn't that Misty was not girly. She liked make-up, and dresses, and heels. Some days, she even wanted her hair to grow out again and possibly get her nails done professionally... but for Misty's lifestyle, it was not practical. She didn't have time to do her hair every morning, and her make-up would be runny because of sweat and water at the gym. When her hair was long, it was full of dead ends and knots so she almost always wore it up. Misty touched the short ends of her hair, recalling the day she woke to it being short.

In the end, Misty was a girl, but she didn't want to be girly all of the time which meant to some people, like her sisters, that she never wanted to be a girly girl. That was a terrible misconception because when she wasn't running the gym, she enjoyed getting dressed up. Especially when she thought she was going to hopefully see Ash, even if he never noticed.

She was completely comfortable in her skin, and it seemed cliche and lame, but she liked to look pretty. She never had a reason before.

Until now.

For Ash. She swallowed hard, sparing a short glance at Daisy to make sure that she was engrossed in her dresses before Misty snaked her phone into her fingers. She clicked a few buttons to reveal Ash's name and opened the message box that only had a few messages. He was new to the whole cellphone thing, but he promised to check it regularly. Misty checked the time; it was a bit after three, so it was around seven there. He might be awake, with any luck.

"Hey." She texted him, thinking twice not to send the message that would surely bother the trainer.

After all, she wasn't being clingy, was she? There was no way Ash was having these thoughts about her. He was way too training-focused. Even though she knew it was early for him, she still held her breath waiting for a reply.

She closed her eyes. Texting was so uncommon, unfamiliar. She always felt nervous, and weird, and anxious when she did it. Half the time he never replied, and the other half of the time his spotty signal ensured that many of her messages were eaten by cyberspace, never to be seen or heard from again. He was supposed to be in Lumoise City again, a place that had excellent service, so the signal shouldn't be a problem. She held her phone near her chest with her eyes squeezed shut, a slight buzz brought her attention down and her breath left her body.

Damn it, Misty, get a grip. You're not a school girl! She grilled herself and slowly glanced down at her phone. Her heart flipped when she saw his name on the screen. It was stupid, and over a week ago now, but her lips still burned at memories of his against hers. Her skin still flushed where his hands roamed.

Once again, she glanced at Daisy to make sure she wouldn't be seen. Texting Ash was like passing a note in class, Misty didn't want to be caught doing it because her sisters were relentless and ruthless. They still weren't sure where they stood with him, and they each had their own opinions. Opinions that Misty didn't care about...

That's why she hid her phone while she texted him because she cared so little, she didn't want to be bothered.

When she found the courage to open his message, she almost fell over herself: "Hey!" was his reply and she slapped her head.

What was she supposed to say back now? Why was her brain not working? Damn him, damn him straight to- buzzz

"What's up?" he messaged her again, knocking the wind right out of her chest. She screamed inwardly. It wasn't like they weren't already dating. This shouldn't have been that big of a deal! She twisted in her seat, changing her crossed legs, and pattered over the small keyboard.

"Shopping with Daisy. What about you?" She replied, questioning if she had replied too quickly or not. Why would that matter?

Watching her phone intently, she held her breath to calm her nerves. They were messaging each other, it was nothing to get excited about... except it was! They spent four years apart, and suddenly, now, after that long, talking so easily was just...just... Her eyebrows lowered; why couldn't they have done this before? It felt so blissfully wonderful to have her best friend back in her life.

"It's 7. I barely woke up." He replied quickly.

Misty snickered. "How's the tent situation?" she wrote.

She saw the bubble that determined he was writing and then saw it leave. She blinked, nervous. Was he this nervous? Why would she say that? Panicked, she sent another message.

"I'm kidding. What are your plans for tonight?"

"It's fine. thank you." he replied and her head spun. This time, she waited patiently for him to respond.

"I have a tournament and showcase to attend. another meeting, or should i call them scoldings?" Ash's grammar wasn't great, but she'd take that any day over simply being able to talk with him. She swooned.

"Awesome! What kind of tournament?"

"Not sre yet."

Misty fidgeted. "Are you ready for tomorrow?" She wrote happily before she changed her mind.

Unlike before, he did not reply immediately. She waited a minute, then two, and then decided to move. She spent some time looking around the dress shop to calm her nerves. Was it hot in here? Because she was burning up. She could no longer see Daisy, probably off somewhere trying on dresses and refusing people's opinions. Daisy did that a lot when it came to planning her wedding, to the point that Lily and Violet used terrible excuses to avoid shopping with Daisy. They only participated in a quarter of Daisy's shenanigans and were tired of it. Thankfully, Misty had more patience, as terrifying as that notion was.

Nearly ten minutes passed and she finally grew the courage to browse through some of the party dresses in the store. It was morning, and he usually had to get ready this time of day. She didn't need to think about him all the time. It wasn't healthy. He was busy, she was busy, they were still individual people... and yet, when she looked at blue dresses she thought of his blue shirts and wanted to throw herself out of the store. The dress was sky blue and professional enough to be formal, but fun enough to be flirty. Misty's wondered while she thumbed the soft tulle fabrics, what would Ash say if she got 'dolled' up? He rarely saw her dressed up. If ever. The last time she was even slightly dressed nicely was on their first date. During their second date, she wore a vest and blue jeans.

...Ash seemed to like her rough look, but she felt slightly obligated to dress nicer once they started dating. It was stupid to think that way, but she felt an invisible pressure to compete with other girls all of a sudden. Technically there was. He had a fanbase the size of a small region and she was so far away...

She stared at the dress as these thoughts plagued her, and then dropped it before looking at the expensive price tag. She shook her head viciously. What was she doing?

Ash waltzed back into her life after four years and dug his nails so deeply under her skin that she was questioning her own sense of character again? That was nice. Was she really thinking about dressing up for a boy? Who was she? Her sisters. Misty scoffed and threw her arms forward as she stormed off in a huff to find her sister.

Misty was very sore about his neglectful nature, even if they were dating and working on themselves. She feared he might fall into old habits but not enough to take it slow, apparently. They skipped reuniting and went straight for tongue. Misty brushed her hands through her hair anxiously. Ash didn't have to work for her attention at all, she threw herself at him. He'd completely screwed up their plans in Kalos, and she pretended she didn't care long enough that she eventually didn't care. He had this stupid, rugged charm that made her head fuzzy and her heart hurt. Ever since they were children, and it wasn't any better as an adult. Actually, it might have been worse.

Seconds before Misty collapsed back onto the couch where she'd messaged Ash the first time, Daisy shouted at her.

"Misty! I found the one!"

Daisy squealed from across the dress store, and somehow, Misty's nonchalant, passive-aggressive nature returned with full force as she spun to face her sister. Happiness and giddiness replaced with sharp acrimony. Would that mean she would get her money back for the other two dresses that Misty already paid for?

"Oh, look, a curve-hugging dress. Who would have ever thought that would suit you?" Misty mocked, her mood clearly soured from her thoughts as she walked over to her sister who seemed none-the-wiser.

"It's perfect! Tracey is going to love it." Daisy chimed happily as the woman beside her fitted a veil over Daisy's hair.

The dress hugged her hips, down to her knees where it bloomed out in lace and flower trim with a long, flowing white train. The halter top framed her large chest, and the wrap gathered at her waist pressed a sense of elegance into her otherwise beach appearance. The dress was definitely made for Daisy.

...It was a shame the price wasn't.

"Holy shit, Daisy. I can't afford this!" Misty squeaked, spotting the tag and nearly screaming bloody murder. Five thousand dollars for a dress!?

"...oh...but Misty..." Daisy whined, looking at herself in the mirror. The way the lace bodice trailed her waist, how the heart-shaped cut framed her collarbone. Misty groaned internally.

"Daisy, what was wrong with the other two dresses?" She whined, thinking of her wallet. She was exasperated until she looked at Daisy's face.

The other dresses were hand-me-downs; bought from second-hand stores. Misty inhaled, sympathizing with the expression on Daisy's face. With the definite lack of parental figures, Misty, who was the only one of the four sisters to have a steady flow of income, was paying for most of the wedding. Daisy made countless attempts to earn her own money over the years, but no one paid a starting actor, theatre student. Models made pennies where Misty made dimes.

"You're right. I'm sorry." her fake accent disappeared, replaced by Daisy's natural tone. The tone Misty admired a great deal. The one that reminded her that deep down, Daisy was as smart, and brave, and cunning as Misty was. It made Misty's heart bleed that Daisy hid it behind a facade.

"I'll wear the one we got from Maryann's," Daisy said, nodding to the woman who moved to the island to help Daisy down the stairs.

Damn it. Misty swore compulsively as she watched her sister move maturely from the platform and back into the changing rooms.

Damn it. Misty thought again while biting her knuckle. If the roles were reversed, and they very often were, Daisy wouldn't have batted an eyelash at the price. If it was Misty standing in that dress, Daisy would have ripped through hell and earth to make sure Misty had it. It was superficial, a little naive, and a lot immature—but that was what older sisters were for. What family was for—and they didn't have a lot of that as it was.

It was bad enough that Daisy was already developing an inferiority complex because Misty, the youngest sister, was providing a wedding that she should have been able to pay for on her own by this point in her life.

No. Misty couldn't stomach that that look in her sister's eyes.

"The things I do..." Misty groaned, rubbing her temples as she dug for her wallet, and credit card.

XOX

Two hours before the league party, Misty paced the steps outside of her gym. Ash did not reply to her message yesterday, nor the several she sent later. So much for assuming a phone was going to help him stay on top of things. She checked her phone again, and sat on the top step, looking out into Cerulean City's night sky. She was fortunate that the league planned the party in Viridian City, and would only take her an hour to travel... but Ash was late.

He was supposed to be here an hour ago.

It didn't help that Misty was already stressed out, that after placing her sister's dress on layaway and returning the other two, she still spent four grand after alterations and accessories. They hadn't even looked at venues or talked with caterers or considered decorations...

Misty huffed and pressed her palm against her temple. Why was she thinking about Daisy's wedding right now?

Because the alternative was thinking about Ash... And he still wasn't here yet.

She tucked her hands between the knees of her plain green dress and stared bitterly at the dying sun. She waited a few hurtful minutes, and then released the strangled sigh and then patted her eyes to prevent tears from falling. She did her makeup for the first time weeks, and she wasn't going to start crying and messing it up now. She inhaled deep and released a few times until the sensation passed, and she settled for looking at the dirt.

He wasn't coming. She let that sink in, through the black shawl over her shoulders, past the high collar of her dress, through her skin, and ribcage and directly into her heart. A lesson. Hurt. But good. Now she knew.

Now she was happy that she didn't buy the nicer, blue dress.

If she didn't leave soon, she would miss the celebration herself. The last train left in forty-five minutes.

Misty exhaled, and picked her phone up off the step beside her, and stared at the blank screen. Still nothing. No call. No text. No indication that their plans changed. He agreed to meet her at the Cerulean City Gym, three hours before the league party so he had time to get dressed. They were going to leave the gym together, and go with Daisy and Tracey on the first train.

When Misty asked him to join her for the league party, she meant it jokingly. So when he said that he would go, she was surprised, in denial.

Now she was disappointed for ever thinking he would. Typical Ash.

Frustrated, more than anything, she tried calling him. Only to give him a piece of her mind for standing her up. How dare he?

Daisy was frustrated with Misty earlier because she made excuses for Ash. Tracey said that if Ash wasn't here, he probably had a good reason. He wasn't great at most things, but he didn't make a habit of messing with his friends. Daisy was the one who had to point out, bitterly, that Ash and Misty weren't 'just' friends', they were dating. Ash had no respect for her to treat her this way.

They argued on their way to the train station because of Misty, who decided to wait, in case he was running behind. The ticket they split would have taken him directly to the Cerulean City airport, and she booked a shuttle for him. Maybe he missed the shuttle? Of course, that was an hour ago. He could have walked at this point.

The phone went to his voice mail, and she hung up before leaving one. She already left two. No way would she leave another. Misty set the phone down beside her, trying not to give in to those pessimistic, short-sighted views about Ash. Maybe he was out of signal?

No... why was she making excuses for him? This was very in-line with his character. After all, he never said he wouldn't bail on important dates. She assumed he would know better. Guess not.

Ring-g-g.

The phone jingled beside her, and she kept her eyes on the treeline for a while before looking down. She saw his name but was so frustrated at this point, she wasn't sure that she could answer without yelling... so...

She ignored it.

The call ended, and Misty figured that would be it. She crossed her arms, and then the buzzing started once more. This time, her eyes trailed, and lingered on the name...and she finally scooped her phone up, and lazily answered.

"Hey, Mist," His voice was shaking. At least he knew he was in the shit. Her teeth were gritted tightly, the fury in her chest was indescribable.

"Where are you?" She growled from the back of her throat, clenching her teeth.

"...a...uh." A short pause, she didn't have the patience for this. "...I am stuck in Kalos." He tried, but Misty laughed.

It wasn't a sweet laugh, it was the kind of knife-twisting cold laugh he only heard in television shows. Sher heard him sigh, but before she replied, he'd started speaking.

"You know there was that huge showcase last night. It lasted way longer than it was supposed to, and..."

"You missed the plane?" she assumed coldly.

"...Y...yeah." he replied meekly.

"...And you thought you would wait until now to tell me?" Her voice was cold, merciless. "You couldn't call a few hours ago?"

"I was trying to get another flight..."

"I don't care!" She roared.

She stood to cool herself down because she was going to explode if she didn't breathe. Ash was quiet as a church mouse. She seethed, paced on the steps, her black heels clicking while she held the phone away from her face. She was livid. Furious. She had not been this mad in years.

"...Misty." His voice tried to call out to her, it was quiet and she wasn't ready to listen to him. She was upset. Betrayed.

"I can't talk to you right now." She said, and abruptly hung up the phone, turned it off, and started her trek toward the train station.

XOX

Her walk to the station simmered her down a bit, she was glad she chose to wear short heels because the fight might have been killing her. She could have called a taxi, but that would mean turning the phone back one. So, she walked. She earned a few stares, only because she, the tomboyish mermaid, was dressed up. Her hair was pinned back, she wore make-up, and she was wearing a dress. What a surprise.

Misty didn't mind their stares anymore. People did whatever they wanted. Her character, personality, and dedication meant nothing. They looked at her outward appearance and cast stones at her for her entire life. Misty had thick skin. Tonight was no different.

When she sat on the long bench in the train, she shared the seat with three people. The train car only had ten people, which wasn't bad... If they'd stop staring at her.

"That's the gym leader, isn't it?" one of the girls perpendicular to Misty started whispering to her friend.

"The one dating Ash? she's sure dressed up to be going somewhere alone."

Then she started whispering nastier things that Misty tried to block out by looking away. Misty did not feel small very often... but right now... She closed her eyes, inhaled while she clutched her small bag that carried some of her pokemon, phone, and identification, she felt insignificant. Misty never wanted to feel that way again. She opened her eyes and glared daggers at the girls. If people were going to call her crazy, and whisper mean comments when she was sitting calmly on a train, she would give them something to comment about.

"I can hear you." She snapped, and the girls went stone quiet.

"What? You don't want to comment on my clothes to my face? How bad my tacky dress is?" She asked them loudly, harshly, drawing attention to them.

Being the cowards that they were they scampered into the next train cart instead of facing Misty. When they left, Misty felt no accomplishment. They were rude girls. Misty grew up with girls like that... Spineless.

Misty thumbed the hem of her skirt and watched her hand-painted green nails bitterly. She wasn't supposed to be alone or on this train. Misty leaned back and watched the passing trees as they emerged from the tunnel beneath the city. They were now moving at blinding speeds toward Viridian City. Misty was used to traveling city to city on her own. Usually, she didn't gather any attention. Lately, that was different because of Ash. People cared about her now because they cared about the cool, new Kalos champion, Ash.

She balled her hands into fists and glared at the passing trees. He was nothing more than a fad to them. Another celebrity to love and then throw under a bus when they were finished with him. Unfortunately, Misty was caught in the crossfire. Hated for no reason other than being 'the other woman' who 'broke up' Serena and Ash, who were a match made in heaven. The media didn't stop to think that maybe they were wrong about that initial statement, instead, they hounded Misty.

Why? What was so entertaining about watching someone spiral? Misty didn't understand. Most of the time, she tried to pretend the news did not exist. It'd only been a few weeks, after all. Surely all of this would die off and become water under the bridge. Her shoulders stooped... but did she want Ash to be water under the bridge, as well?

The pang in her heart told her no. The anger in her mind screamed at her to let him lie in his bed, but the love in her heart always won. Misty stood, and then walked into different train cars, toward the back of the train, until she stepped into one that only one other person. They had headphones on and were likely asleep.

Misty sat as far away from the person as possible, then turned her phone back on. All that frustration and anger twisted into sadness and bitter-acceptance. Ash tried to call four times, left two voicemails. She listened to neither of them. She checked her messages instead. Daisy messaged her a few times, asking if she was going to be at the party. Erika messaged her asking her where she was because she didn't want to be around the snobs without her 'BFF', and Ash messaged her a few times but she didn't read them in fear that it would only create more upset. Instead, she dialed his number and waited.

It'd only been thirty minutes, surely he wasn't busy yet. Ash answered, but hesitated to speak.

"...Hello?" his voice was small. She hated that.

"Hey," She responded, her voice cool and collected as she crossed one leg over the other.

"I've calmed down a little." She confessed. There was no use hiding it. He knew that she was pissed, rightfully so.

"Okay," Ash said blandly. "...Sorry."

"Sorry? You're sorry?" She asked mockingly. "If you called me earlier, you'd have nothing to be sorry for."

"Yeah, but... That showcase ran late, and then on my way out, the Elite Four and I got stuck in a mob, so I had to take a detour to the airport, and when I got there they wouldn't let me on because-"

"Then you should have called as soon as that happened."

"It was like five in the morning for you..." he grumbled in defeat. Misty shrugged.

"Still would have been better than two hours before the league party." She said sternly, arms crossed defensively.

Ash huffed, "Like I said before, I was trying to get another flight, and when I couldn't...I thought you'd be mad so..."

"So you decided to ignore me?" Misty challenged. "Did you think I wouldn't notice you weren't here? That I would be on my merry way to the party without hearing from you?"

"...S...Sorry, Mist." Ash's voice strained and cracked. A twang hit her in the chest. Was he crying?

Ash was always a crier. Since they were kids, if something even remotely sappy happened, he was in full tears. The reason didn't matter to her, she hated when he cried. She wasn't bitter enough to call him out on it, though.

"You know what?" She deflated, the anger left her like a spirit. Her pride, or this pain, wasn't worth their friendship. She resigned.

"...It's okay."

Ash didn't respond, but she heard faint breathing even though he was quiet. It was possible he didn't believe her.

Ash started speaking frantically: "I wanted to go. I literally have nothing else planned this weekend because-"

"I said it's okay." She reaffirmed. "Call me earlier next time, or text me. Don't just, not show up, and hope I won't notice."

"...that sounds reasonable... Dunno why it didn't sound like a good idea before."

"Who knows with how your brain functions." She grumbled, having not realized she white-knuckled the leather seat on the train.

"Ha." He deflated. "Thanks."

"It was a joke."

"Not really in a laughing mood."

"You're always in a laughing mood." she tried to raise his spirits, but he wasn't having any of it.

He grumbled something she couldn't understand and she sighed, then reiterated: "Don't make promises you can't keep. If you screw up, face them. It's easier than moping around your hotel room all day."

"...I...I didn't mope around all day." He denied it, but she heard the defensive tone and knew it must have been true. Poor guy.

She shook her head. Wait! Why was she being empathetic to him? He blew her off! She didn't have to be angry, but she certainly didn't need to show sympathy.

"I bet you did! And not once did that pichu wheel in your brain stop to think: 'hey, I should let Misty know what happened so she isn't standing in front of the gym waiting for me like some kind of loser'." She mocked him, doing her best impression of him.

Ash sighed, but it was less pained this time. "You're probably not surprised at all to know I didn't think of that once."

"Not even a little."

"I tried to call Gary to borrow charizard... but he laughed, and then told me that Liza was borrowing charizard for the weekend...so..."

Misty laughed boldly, surprising herself. It felt nice to laugh, trying to be angry was terrible. Her laughter raised his spirits.

"Even on charizard, you think you would have made it on time?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrow.

"He flies pretty fast... plus, I wouldn't have to take plane routes, so even if he doesn't fly as fast, I could shave off a few hours-"

She interrupted him, "If you ever find yourself making long, elaborate plans like this, you should probably call first."

Ash pouted. "I just..."

He didn't finish his thought. Misty guessed it was something along the lines of thinking less of him. However, she thought less of him for not calling than she did for missing his plane. Accidents happened, not calling was intentional. She blinked at her own thoughts. Was she maturing?

"Ehem," he cleared his throat. "Are you on your way to the party?"

"Yeah. I walked to the train to cool off. We're almost halfway there now."

"Those trains are fast, huh?" He was trying to make small talk. That was a decent effort if nothing else.

"Electric powered bullet trains? Yeah." Misty replied cooly, looking at her nails.

"Haven't had to chance to ride on one yet."

"Darn. Guess you shouldn't have missed your flight, huh?" she teased and Ash grumbled again.

She heard him flop down onto his bed but she was happy that he sounded less sad. He wasn't heartless or stupid, Ash probably felt worse than she did about the scenario. Which is why he was worth this anguish...right?

"Misty..." he started, his face had to have been smashed against a pillow because he sounded muffled.

"Hm?" She questioned while twisting her hem between her fingers with her free hand.

"...I love you." Ash offered weakly, nervously.

Misty gnawed her lip. She gasped lightly but couldn't force the words out of her mouth. She was so angry with him only a few minutes ago, and now... she twisted her hands in her lap, and even though she wanted to say it, she could not.

"...Yeah." She said in a breath, then cleared her throat. "Anyway, I have to go,"

"...You just said you were only halfway."

"Yeah, but don't you think it's rude to talk on your phone when there are lots of people around?"

She knew Ash was scowling. Misty added: "I'll talk to you after the party, how about that?"

"...Okay." He grumbled, and Misty said a polite goodbye before exhaling.

"You didn't have to end the call on my account, I enjoy a bit of drama." Said the man who wore headphones. He leaned back on his arms and watched her curiously while she rolled her eyes and moved into the next train cart. Clearly, it was an excuse to flee the conversation before she collapsed under her heavy thoughts.

XOX

When Misty arrived in Viridian City, she still had a ten-minute walk to the party. She took the twist out of her hair allowing short curls to frame her face. Then, she pulled the strap of her purse across her body and marched toward the Viridian City Gym. Since this was a celebration for the new leader, the league thought it made sense to hold the party at the gym.

The night air was chilly, and the black shawl wasn't exactly a jacket, but Misty knew that once she was inside, she would have a few drinks, and forget about everything.

Was she still mad at Ash's behavior? A little. However, she was still used to this feeling. A pit in her stomach that made her nauseous. She felt it a lot more when she was younger, but believed she grew out of it... until today. This feeling was supposed to go away when they started dating, however, she thought it felt worse. Yet, she was torn as well, believing she was being completely unfair. She told him it was alright, didn't she? So why was she still upset.

...Probably because she told her sisters Ash was coming with her, and Ash was absent, and she wasn't going to hear the end of it.

When Misty reached the steps of the gym that hadn't changed much at all since she was a child traveling with Ash, she flattened out the wrinkles in her plain dress, pulled her shawl down to the hooks of her arm, and started up the steps.

She only needed a few minutes alone, time to grab some alcohol, and she wouldn't care so much what people said. Gossip spread fast, and as that pit spiderwebbed into her lungs and throat, she asked herself: Why was she still going? Humiliation? Gossip spread like wildfire, and she knew that Daisy couldn't keep her mouth shut.

Oh, you know, she's waiting on that Ash Ketchum. She'd say, followed by people nagging their agreement. They didn't know anything about Misty or her situation, but that didn't mean they wouldn't scorn her and laugh. Misty reached the doors, a few couples mingled outside and made her no attention. The party technically only started. She was a few minutes late, but she also knew they started early.

One last fleeting hope wedged into her heart, that she'd open the doors and Ash was only pranking her... but she walked in, and realized at the sound of music and chatter of people talking that it was no prank. It was what it was. And what it was was painful.

"Misty-!" Daisy waved to her sister, but Misty couldn't look at Daisy right now.

Rather than face her sister's judgment, Misty veered left and toward the nearest waiter who held a flute of champagne, Misty scowled at the choice, but anything was better than nothing. She took the drink, thanked him, and kept moving even though Daisy was clearly following after her.

The dresses, the glam, the expensive drinks, and decorated tables swallowed her as she tried to find any place to cower from Daisy. Misty felt like a thorn on a rose stem. She was simple and underdressed beside the many different ballgowns, traditional attires, and suits. She looked for the new leader or Erika. Erika probably wasn't here yet. If she was late, she was on time. In the distance, she saw Duplica talking with Ritchie, talking with Sakura, and Misty decided at that moment.

She didn't care.

She was leaving.

Better that than live with the scorn of embarrassment.

She turned left down a hallway in the gym and put her best foot forward. She threw back the champagne flute, placed it on the railing, and shuddered uncomfortably.

"Misty, slow down! Damn!" Daisy shouted, jogging to catch up with Misty who finally stopped and seethed.

"...what?"

"Where are you going? Did Ash not come?"

Misty made a face, somewhere near being strangled or slapped. However, Daisy's reaction wasn't what Misty expected, far from. She dropped the accent and grabbed Misty's shoulder.

"Oh... honey." She sighed, and then hugged Misty who finally let her eyes tear up.

"No, he missed the plane... because of course, he did."

Daisy made a 'tsk' noise and ran her fingers through Misty's short, curled locks. "So.. you're leaving the party to go sulk?"

"I don't want people to know or..." She glanced, seeing Tracey appear at the doorway. She clammed up.

Daisy glanced briefly over her shoulder as she released Misty who brushed the back of her hand against her cheek to void any tears. She didn't want Tracey to know she was crying. Tracey was a tattletale. He told Ash everything. Good intentions or not.

"We'll talk in a minute, we're having a sister talk." Daisy waved to Tracey, who waved back apologetically and dipped back into the party. She turned her attention back to Misty.

"So, he stood you up?" Daisy asked curiously and Misty shook her head with a heavy sigh.

"No, the event he was at ran over, and there was a mob issue. He missed the flight."

"...and he chose not to call you because...?" Daisy trailed off, eyes narrowed.

"Because he has the foresight of my psyduck."

"That's giving him too much credit." Daisy snorted, but then took Misty's hand. "...Can we talk baby sister?"

"Here?" Misty shook her head. "...No. I don't need a lecture right now."

"But you do," She said seriously. "Listen to me loud and clear."

"Why'd you ask if I didn't have an option?" Misty sneered but Daisy tightened her grip.

"Don't make excuses for him, Misty," Daisy said, scratching at the surface of Misty's buried insecurities.

"I'm not." Misty denied.

"You are. You always have." She leaned in and hugged Misty. "Be smart, Mist. You've already played this game."

Misty's arm fell limp at her sides, her eyes narrowing at the message... then,

"Now, unless you told someone you were bringing that deadbeat, I certainly didn't. Neither did Tracey..." She pointed, "Now, do you still want to run from the party?"

"...No." Misty said, "...Uhm, I just need the washroom is all."

"With how you powered down that champagne, I don't blame you! Go easy on the booze, sis."

Misty rolled her eyes, "That coming from you, is rich."

"Learn from my mistakes," Daisy said, again, expecting Misty to read between the lines. She wasn't stupid. She didn't need it spelled out for her.

"Thanks. Bye." Misty waved to Daisy who winked at Misty, and retreated through the doors, and back into the bustling party.

When Daisy disappeared behind the doors, Misty swayed against the wall, feeling light on her feet. She gripped the railing and bounced her head off the back wall. Eyes squeezed shut, she inhaled, and then took her phone out.

"Oh, and Misty..." Daisy called from the door, having spun around to peer down the hall, "Thanks for buying the dress."

Misty's face flushed red, she marked the purchase anonymous. Daisy wasn't supposed to know. She looked up at her sister, green eyes meeting deep blue, and then she was gone with a smile.

"You're welcome."

Misty's relationship with Daisy was the best it ever was. They argued less and less, and when Daisy was present, it was a lot of fun to plan the woman's wedding. She had a great eye for decoration, and Misty admired Daisy's innovation. She'd grown up a lot since teasing Misty relentlessly when they were children. As an adult, Misty knew the hardships her sisters went through, especially Daisy, who was expected to take care of her younger siblings when their parents abandoned them. Daisy was resentful back then, Misty knew that. It wasn't anyone's fault, but their parents, but it took Daisy years to enjoy her sisters' company, especially Misty's. Now that the past was in the past, the four sisters were closer than ever.

Misty clicked Ash's name, and finally scrolled through his messages. Most of them, aside from the broken grammar, were how sorry he was. How he wouldn't do it again, and also small bits of anger about how he isn't going to get it right the first try. In some instances, he tried to shift the blame, but then immediately took it back. The last message was simple.

"I wish you'd call me back."

Misty blinked slowly, recalling their conversation on the train, and then turned her phone off, shoved it back into the contents of her purse, and straightened her dress.

I love you. He said that a few times now. She'd said it, too... she meant it...right?

Daisy's words played back to her: you already played this game.

...What did that mean?

Author's Note: edited 2021-03-11

changed everything about this chapter because the dialogue was garbage, the flow was not great. essentially the concepts are the same, how it played out was edited to be more dramatic, because I want ALL the drama. thanks. This chapter was 4,000 words, now it's 7,000.