Chapter 5: Sobering for Sex.

Misty sat in the kitchen, smug with her work. Gary was scrubbing the kitchen floor to remove the ketchup from its surface. He looked very determined and his eyes were beginning to return to their natural color. He looked up and winked at Misty, showing his vivid green eyes. They were the color of thick grass, having a seemingly endless depth to them. Misty stared into his eyes, searching for the pain that he has endured, but found none at the moment. Gary noticed her light blue eyes staring intently at him, so he gave her a smile. It wasn't a seductive or cocky smile, it was a sincere one. Misty smiled in return, and Gary returned back to his work. Well he's been doing a good job, and I haven't seen him sneak any drinks or joints yet. So maybe we could take a break... Misty thought to herself, and decided to act on it.

"You've been doing well so far, Gary. You can take a break if you want. But I'm going to be with you the entire time. Just to make sure you don't pull any funny business." Misty said with a chuckle. Gary looked surprised but stood up. He smiled a devious smile, making Misty uncomfortable. That, and the fact that Gary practically towered over her. While Misty was a comfortable 5'6, Gary was a tall 6'2. Misty had to look up when she spoke to him.

"Don't even think about it, Gary. I see that look in your eye. Which by the way, looks almost normal now." Misty said with a chuckle. Gary just stepped a bit closer. Misty backed up, but Gary kept coming. She gulped as her back hit the kitchen table. He was not even three inches away when he grabbed her wrists and held them on the table. Misty began trembling as to what Gary was planning to do. But he leaned in her ear and whispered a chuckle.

"I'm not gonna rape you, Red. I just wanna try something out. It won't hurt, I promise." Gary said seductively in her ear. And much to her surprise, Gary leaned in farther and grazed her earlobe with his lips. She shuddered. Gary smiled to himself as he let his hands roam. The tips of his fingers touched the shivering skin of her arms, then her neck, and her exposed stomach. Misty was enjoying this, no doubt. But it was wrong. She liked Ash, she was sure of it. But if that was true, then why did Gary's smooth touches feel so amazing? She pushed Gary away when his hand crept up her shirt. He smirked and released her from his grasp. He leaned in to whisper to her one more time.

"Lemme guess, I can't go up there until I'm sober for a few more days, right?" Gary said with a laugh. Misty decided to put on her seductive act again and smiled at him. She walked around Gary and stopped to give him a quick slap on the butt. Gary turned around in surprise. His face was priceless again as he watched Misty walked out of the room with a smirk on her face. He shook his head in disbelief and returned to his chores. A few hours later, and Gary had cleaned the kitchen spotless. It was about noon, so he decided to make himself something to eat. He searched the fridge for something good, but he then felt a hand on his shoulder, He turned around to see Misty holding her cell phone.

"If you couldn't find anything you liked in there before, what makes now any different?" Misty asked, smiling at him. He laughed and shrugged. Misty began dialing a number on the phone, and Gary cocked his head in confusion.

"Who are you calling? Ash?" Gary asked with a sneer. Misty huffed and shook her head.

"No, the pizza guys. You need something to eat, don't you?" Misty asked him. As if on cue, Gary stomach rumbled. Both Misty and Gary laughed and Misty pressed 'Call' on her phone.

Another hour had passed and both Gary and Misty had eaten the entire pepperoni pizza that was in front of them. Patting his stomach, Gary sighed and looked around. He had a craving for a joint, and got up to get one without thinking. Misty was following him up to his room, but he was unaware. He opened the door to his room and went into his clothing drawers. Misty looked puzzled as to what he would be looking for in there, but she saw him pull out a plastic lunch bag. Misty grew pale. He seemed to be in a trance and he was unaware that Misty was even in the room. She had to fight her fear and stop him. She walked up to Gary and slapped him in the back of the head. He shouted in surprise and dropped the bag of herbs. With a disappointed look, Misty picked up the bag and opened his window. With a shocked look on his face, Gary watched Misty pour the contents of the bag out his window. She had tears streaming down her face as the leaves blew through the wind, far away from the house. Misty turned to look at Gary. He wasn't mad at her, not when she looked like that. Noticing the way he was looking at her, Misty couldn't control the tears anymore. She burst out sobbing and crumpled to the floor. Gary rushed over to comfort her.

"...Misty... I didn't think it hurt you to see me like this..." Gary said, tears welling in his eyes. Wait. What was wrong with him? He's crying over a girl he barely knows? He's Gary Oak. He could have any girl at his feet in no time. But Misty was... Special. Somehow, she was special. Maybe it was because she didn't throw herself onto him like other girls. Or maybe it was because she was making him work to take her. Either way, Gary had a feeling in his stomach that he'd never felt before. It hurt.

"... It's not your fault, Gary. You don't know my past when it comes to drugs and alcohol. There's a reason you've never seen my parents before." Misty said softly, leaning into him to hide her tears. Gary, surprised by the sudden contact, hugged back.

"...Do you want to tell me what happened? I wanna hear." Gary said soothingly. Misty thought for a second and slowly nodded her head. Even though Gary was a substance abuser, he still seemed to have a heart underneath it all. When he was sober, Gary was amazing. But when he had alcohol or some form of drug in his system, he wasn't.

"... Well my parents were still living in the household until I was about eight. That was when my dad OD'd. My mom couldn't support us after that, so she left us with all the money she had left and took off for another region. By then, Daisy had gotten a part time job working at the Daycare Center, but we barely scraped by. That's why I decided to travel. To take the burden off of my sisters." Misty said softly, tears still trickling down her face. Gary felt really bad now. He still had a relative who cared for him, and he treated his grandfather like crap. Misty was so good to everyone, but her past wasn't good to her.

"Well you know what? I will do it. I'll get sober for you." Gary said, smiling. Misty smiled back and hugged him tightly.