A/N: Sorry for not updating in ages. I'm so busy now. :( Woop, woop! I reached 10,000 words! :D This chapter takes place at the party the next day!
Arceus High School
Dawn's POV:
The lights blind me and the volume of the music makes the floor vibrate. The amount of people makes me feel like I'm suffocating. There hardly seems to be any space to breath, let alone party. I guess I'm not good at mixing with people and being sociable.
My heart flutters when I spot Ash standing near the snacks bar, alone, on his phone. Thankfully, May picked me up and brought me to Drew's house, otherwise, I'd still be trying to get here. Ever since yesterday, I've felt like butterflies are flying around in my stomach whenever I think of Ash and I don't know why. I clear my throat and stride over to Ash, who is wearing a casual shirt and dark blue jeans that are nearly black. His jeans are slightly faded. As for me, I'm wearing a white top with a blue denim jacket on the top with black skinny jeans and ankle boots. The place is alive with music, laughter, chatter, dancing and signing.
"Hey, Ash!" I say cheerfully with a smile. Ash looks up from his phone at me.
"Hey, Dawn!" A wide grin spreads across his face as he greets me. I feel myself melt inside at his signature smile. I look down at my shoes as I feel a slight blush coming to my cheeks. "You must be really good at mapping if you found Drew's house when you've only been here for a few days!" My shoulders shake with laughter but no noise comes out.
"May drove me here," I state simply and look up at Ash, my eyes bright with happiness. Ash's presence makes me feel so blissful.
"Oh," Ash says, scratching the back of his head. I smile at his cuteness.
"So, where are all your other friends?" I ask. Ash's face becomes stoic.
"They all ditched me," he says bitterly. My heart sinks in empathy. All of his friends ditched him because everyone hates him for rejecting Iris. My expression hardens. What kind of friends are they?
"No need to worry! I'm still here for you," I force a smile and playfully punch him. A smile creeps on to Ash's face as he returns the punch.
"Thanks, Dawn!" Ash's eyes dart over to where Iris is standing, with a crowd of people and then back at me. I turn my head towards Iris. She stops talking and stares at me, causing a few other people in her group to look at me. I feel uneasy as we hold the eye contact. After a few seconds, Iris whispers something to the boy standing next to her, not taking her eyes off of me. I quickly turn away from her and look at Ash, who is looking over at where the DJ is. A grin is plastered on his face as he faces me.
"Something wrong?" I ask. Ash steps away from the snacks bar. I twirl on my heel to face him. He bows in a formal way.
"Dawn, my fair maiden, will you give me the pleasure of allowing me to have this dance with you?" Ash asks in a British accent. I feel heat and colour rising to my cheeks. He's so adorable when he puts on a British accent! He must have practiced it, because it's practically flawless. I also pretend to act formal and courtesy.
"Oh, my prince, of course I will," I try to mimic his British accent, but fail really badly. Ash giggles as he takes my hand. Practically on cue, classical ballroom music starts playing and everyone rushes to find a partner to dance with. Ash puts one arm on my waist and clasps my hand with his free hand. I rest my unclasped hand on his shoulder and we start dancing. I giggle at how inappropriate our clothing is. My head feels fuzzy and I feel as if I'm floating. Ash's eyes are fixed on me. I feel like I've died and gone to heaven. This moment is simply... perfect.
The few minutes we spend dancing together are gone as fast as they came. A pang of disappointment hits me. The perfect moment is over. I grin, still being able to feel Ash's arms around me.
"Dawn?" Ash snaps his fingers in my face. "Dawn?!" The pitch of Ash's yell brings me out of the trance of giddiness I was in. My grin fades and I blink several times before replying.
"Do you want to go in the garden? We can get away from all this noise," Ash asks. I nod, gratefully. He leads me out into Drew's garden. There is no one in the snow covered expanse. The snow shines slightly in the moonlight. The moon's shine can be seen, only just, between the snow clouds. The snow is still falling, gently. There isn't a single thing without some snow on it. The plants are holding the snow on their branches and leaves. I sigh in contentment. The atmosphere is calmer, quieter and nicer outside. I feel more in my comfort zone than I was inside.
The silence between us that wasn't at all awkward is broken by the sound of a feminine voice.
"So, Ash, hooking up with the new girl already?" she asks. I turn around and see a silhouette a few feet away from us. The shape of her hair gives her away. Iris. Ash also turns around.
"No! Are you jealous?" Ash retorts. Iris steps forward, inching her way closer to us.
"Jealous of what? The fact that the whole school is against you?" Iris stands a few mere centimeters away from us. Her lips curl into a smirk.
"No. Jealous of Dawn," Ash stays on guard.
"Why would I be jealous of her? No one likes her. She's a loser and a loner just like you. She'd be better off back in the school she came from, we didn't need her here,"
"Hey! Dawn is an amazing person!"
"Says who? Oh, that's right, a loser," Iris scowls. Anger builds up inside of me as a look of pleasure paints itself on Iris's face. Ash's brows furrow.
"Oh, a loser, eh? Says the girl who never brushes her hair! Honestly, it looks like a forest that's just been bombed!" Ash yells, his anger rising along with his tone, at every word.
"At least I can afford a pair scissors to cut my hair! No one has longer hair than you!" Iris flicks her hair as she finishes her sentence. Ash, on the other is left speechless.
Iris turns away, ready to walk off. "Well, I see you can't reply. Later, loser,"
"Hey! At least Ash knows what suits him! Maybe you should shave that ugly bird's nest of your's and let some sunlight get to that brain so it grows!" I scream, defending Ash. He's defended me, so I should at least pay him back.
Iris spins on her heel and faces us, her eyes full to the brim with tears.
"I-Iris!" I say, concern in voice, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"L-leave me alone!" Iris cries, the tears spilling out. She rudely shrugs my hand off of her shoulder and runs off into the house. I start to run after her but Ash grabs my wrist.
"Leave her alone," he states. "Thanks for backing me up, by the way,"
"It's okay," I give him a sincere smile before walking off into the house.
Ash and I stand near that snacks bar, chatting away like it's the last conversation we'll ever have. He tells me about how his dad has been away for nearly twelve years because of a journey that he went on but never returned from. He tells me about every year, on his birthday, he wishes for his dad to come back but it never comes true. He tells me about how he just wants to know what happened to his dad instead of living in hope every day.
I tell him about how my dad died seven years ago because of his lungs collapsing. About how I think about him everyday, wishing time could undo itself. The memory brings tears to my eyes which I quickly blink away.
"Hey, Dawn," a sly voice purrs. I turn around to see Paul, drunk. I roll my eyes. Can't people control themselves? He puts an arm over my shoulders.
"Um, hi," I say, grossed out as I try and wriggle out of his grasp.
"What's the matter, baby?" he asks, slurring, as he leans in for a kiss. I quickly duck and he ends up landing a sloppy, wet kiss on Ash's lips. Ash's face twists in disgust as he pushes Paul off. I gag, looking down at my feet. How gross can drunk people get? I zone out, thinking about how my mum got drunk a couple of times after my dad's death. I hated it but I couldn't blame her, I mean, she was obviously in a lot of pain. My dad wouldn't have wanted her to do that, and neither did I, but I knew that she just wanted to rid herself of the emptiness she felt.
Suddenly, a hear a loud impact. I look up to see Paul wincing in pain, holding him left cheek. Ash looks angrier than I've ever seen him.
"Don't ever talk about Dawn like that! She is not a slut and she would never go out with a jerk like you!" Ash yells. He grabs my hand. "Come on, Dawn, we're leaving!" I allow myself to be dragged out of the house, not protesting or even attempting to stay.
Once we're outside, Ash leads me to his car. We get in and Ash drives off. I watch Drew's house get smaller and smaller until it fades away into the distance.
"Ash?" I ask, my voice low.
"Mm?"
"What exactly did Paul say?" I pick my words cautiously.
"He said that you'd be the type of slut to hook up with anyone but he knows that once he has you, you will never leave him," Ash says, anger in his voice. "He said a bunch of other stuff about you, but I don't really want to think about it. He's just an idiot,"
I turn my head an look out of the window at the blurry pavement as Ash picks up speed.
When we arrive at my house, Ash stops.
"Good night, Dawn," Ash smiles. "Sorry that this night turned out to be a total disaster,"
"It's okay, Ash," I smile back. "You have a good night too,"
A sudden urge to hug him comes over me but I try to control it. That is not an appropriate thing to do to a friend - especially your only friend. I step out of his car and watch him drive off. My heart twists in pain. I suddenly want him to be back here, standing beside me. I walk through the snow, to the front door and open it. I quietly climb the stairs to my room and get into my pajamas. I get into bed and stare at the ceiling. Ash is such a nice guy. He defends me all the time and isn't afraid to stand up for me. Not to mention he's quite good looking too...
I think I might be starting to fall in love with Ash Ketchum.