Hey guys! This is my second chapter. It's bigger and I hope better than the first one. It took me some time to finish it, but here it is. I want to inform you that the first chapter went under some editing. As I was writing this chapter I came across some plot holes so I had to put some more scenes at the first one. If you haven't read the edited version I suggest you do. You'll get a clearer view of what is happening to this chapter. I'll try update again in a week. I also wanted to thank you for your reviews. I appreciate them a lot!
Chapter 2
Saturday 8:00 pm, Dawn's House.
Dawn was staring at herself in the mirror. Her mother's 'guests' would be there any minute now, and Dawn wasn't ready, yet. She was wearing a violet, mid-thigh, summer dress. Her straight, blue hair, as usual, fell on her shoulders. She looked at her hair one last time. She didn't like it, she needed something to keep her bangs out of her eyes, but her favorite gold clips didn't match her dress. Dawn searched her jewelry box to find something to support her hair, but found nothing. Dawn sighed and sat on her bed. "Perfect…" said the bluenette sarcastically. "Now, what am I going to do?" Dawn asked herself. Maybe mom has something in her room, she thought.
Dawn put her white sandals on and started heading toward Johanna's room. She opened the door and got inside. Her mother was there, looking at the mirror, applying makeup. When Johanna saw Dawn entering the room she stopped and turned her head towards her daughter.
"Dawn, sweetie, you look so beautiful!" Johanna said with a wide smile.
"Thanks mom! You, too. You look gorgeous!"
Johanna was wearing a long, sleeveless, dark green dress. Hair blue hair was caught up in a bun. Two long, silver earrings hang from her ears that matched her silver necklace. Her makeup wasn't too much. Johanna had only applied one layer of white eye shadow and cherry lipstick on her lips. Johanna was a very beautiful woman and Dawn admired her a lot.
"Nah…I don't think so. Look, the dress is baggy and…and the shoes…the heels are short, maybe I better wear the other pair. And the makeup is…-
"Mom!" Dawn said cutting Johanna's speech. "Everything is perfect. You're perfect, there's nothing to worry about. I'm sure Mike will be stunned when he sees you." She said trying to comfort her mother.
"I'm not worried about Mike…"
"Then what is bothering you, mom?"
"What if his daughter doesn't like me? I mean.., well, I have met her before, she didn't seem to hate me, but that period of time things weren't serious between me and Mike. What if she thinks I'm one of those evil stepmothers that exist in the movies or something like that?"
Dawn suppressed the feeling of anger that started boiling inside her. Her mother new his daughter for almost the beginning of this relationship while Dawn didn't even know that her mother was dating someone until a couple of hours ago. She was angry with her mother, but she didn't tell her that. She didn't want to ruin her mother's night, so she let this slide for now. She'll talk to her mother another time.
Dawn let out a small laugh. "You being evil? Mom, you are worrying too much. I know it will take time for this girl to get used to you, but, I am sure that she'll love you. You're the best singer in the entire world and I'm lucky to have you as my mom, so stop worrying and help me find a hair band because my bangs are blinding me."
Johanna laughed. "I think I have the best hair band for you, wait here." She said and went to her cabinet, where she kept her accessories. She returned to Dawn with a sparkly, violet head band in her hands. Johanna placed the head band on her daughter's hair and then hugged her child.
"It suits you perfectly. And for the record, I am the lucky one because I have such a beautiful and kind daughter. I love you sweetie."
"I love you too." Dawn said and hugged her mom back. "But, you're going to rumple my dress."
"Oh yeah, sorry!" said Johanna and let go of Dawn.
Just then the doorbell rung, Johanna and Dawn looked at each other one last time and then started heading downstairs to welcome their guests.
When they reached the door, Johanna opened it with a big smile.
"Mike! And Leaf! Welcome! Please come inside!" Johanna's smile went wider and Dawn noticed it. She really likes that man, Dawn thought.
"Thank you, Hannah. I must say your house is impressive." Mike said as he looked around the house.
"Hannah?" Dawn asked him confused. She didn't care if it was impolite to talk before she introduced herself, she was curious. Who on earth was Hannah?
"Oh, sweetie, Hannah is a nickname Mike gave me, isn't it nice?" Johanna said, taking the wine from Mikes hands, he brought it as a gift.
"Oh yeah…it is." Dawn said, however she didn't like very much. She loved her mother's full name, it was special and made her special. 'Hannah' wasn't a unique name.
"So, you must be Dawn. You know, it feels like I know you already. Your mother always talks about you. A day hasn't passed this last 2 years that your mother didn't mention you. It's so nice to finally meet." He said with a big smile.
"It's funny, you know, because she never mentioned you. Not even once. Don't you find that strange? " These words slipped from Dawn's mouth before she could control them. She couldn't help it though, she was pissed now. Two years? Two whole years and she didn't tell me? After all this time she decided to tell me today? Dawn thought.
Dawn glanced at her mother, and regretted what she said. She could see that her mother was feeling nervous and sad about what she said. She then glanced back at Mike. His smile had disappeared and he had a confused expression. The girl beside him didn't say or do anything, she just stared at Dawn. Nobody said anything for a few moments, they just stared at one another. Dawn signed.
"I'm sorry." She finally said. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you like that. I just…It was a rough day for me, I'm a little stressed too, about school starting tomorrow and all. I assure you I didn't meant a word from what I said. I'm Dawn!..." She said with a smile as she extended her hand for a handshake. "…Nice to meet you!"
Mike's smile returned to his face. He grabbed her hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you too, Dawn." He let go of her hand and then pointed at his daughter.
"This is Leaf, my daughter. Leaf this is Dawn." He continued pointing back at Dawn. "I have a feeling that you two will get along pretty well." Mike finished with a wide smile.
Dawn extended her hand one more time. "Hi, nice to meet you!" she said with a smile.
Leaf smiled. The first smile that appeared to her face from the moment they came. She shook her hand. "You too!" Leaf said.
Johanna clapped he hands together to get everyone's attention. "Well, now that the introductions are settled, how about eating something? The dinner will get cold if we don't move."
They all nodded and started heading towards the dining room.
"Guys, what do you say? It's good, isn't it? I know how to pick them!" Gary said smirking to his friends, as he entered the Bar, Ash and Drew following his lead.
"It seems OK to me." Drew said unimpressed.
"Come on dude! Just OK? Look at this place. It's tremendous, let alone the fact that is full of hot girls."
Drew shrugged. He could see that Garry really liked this place, so he wasn't going to complain about anything.
Gary, Ash and Drew found their ways to the bar, where they sat. Moments later the barwoman came to take their orders. She was slim and tall. Her hair was light brown, almost blonde, and her eyes were dark brown.
"Gary! It's so nice to see you again. And with company this time." The barwoman said and eyed both Ash and Drew.
"Nice to see you too, Cissy. You look gorgeous as always." Gary said to her with a smirk. "So, this is my buddy Ash." He said as he pointed at Ash. "And this is my buddy Drew." He said now pointing at Drew. "Guys, this is Cissy. I met her the previous night when I discovered this place. Isn't she lovely?"
Ash and Drew smiled at her. They didn't say anything though. They could clearly see that Gary had started his game with this girl, so they didn't want to interfere.
Cissy let out a small laugh. "Oh Gary you're making me blush. Anyway, so, boys, what can I get you?"
Gary eyed his friends and then returned his attention to Cissy.
"We'll start with a round of shots." He said.
"Alright! But, the first round is on me cause I kind of like you boys and since you are new costumers I'll charge them as a welcome gift." She said and left her position to go make the shots.
Cissy came moments later with 4 shots in her hands and handed them to the boys, keeping one for herself.
"Come on boys, bottoms up!"
The dinner was going well. It took only half an hour for Dawn to like Mike and, of course, she was already friends with Leaf. She found her interesting. Leaf had chocolate brown hair and ocean blue eyes. She had humor and knew how to make an impression. Dawn really did like her.
"So, Dawn, do you know what you're going to do on your future? I mean, what career path are you going to follow?" Mike asked the bluenette.
"That's a really good question, but honestly I don't know yet. I really like dancing though. I dance since I was 5. It's my passion. But, that's not a career job as you already know." Dawn said a little disappointed.
"If you really love dancing then you can make it a profession. You can always apply for a scholarship in a dance academy and be a dancer." Mike said casually as he put some more wine in his glass. "To tell you the truth, I'm a little surprised you don't want to be a singer. Hannah told me that you have a beautiful voice, just like hers, so I thought you'll want to follow her steps and be a singer."
"I surely don't want to be a singer. I want to do my own thing. Singing is my mom's thing, and dancing is mine." Dawn said with a small smile. The truth was she really loved dancing and singing too, but if she went for a singing career everyone would say that she was using her mother's fame for her benefit and she didn't want that. She wants to be known for doing her own thing. She wants to be unique, not a copy of her mother.
"I understand. Leaf is just like you. She doesn't want to take over my Company. She just wants to be a journalist." Mike said and looked at his daughter. "But, it doesn't matter to me. As long as she is happy I'm happy too."
Dawn smiled. She was impressed by Mike's and Leaf's relationship. She could clearly see that they loved each other. She was a little jealous too. Her father left them when she was still a baby. She saw him every once in a while, he came here to see her and all, but he wasn't part of her life as she wanted him to be. Now her father was remarried and had a family in Unova. Dawn hadn't seen him since she was fourteen.
Leaf laughed. "Dad, I told you, I'll be happy to take over your Company, but only after I finish my studies on journalism. I'm sure I can handle them both."
"I'm sure you can." Mike said as he patted his daughters head.
Leaf shook his hands away from her head. "Hey, stop it!"
Dawn and Johanna laughed at the sight of Mike and Leaf playing with each other.
"So, why did you choose journalism, sweetie?" Johanna asked Leaf.
"I don't really know. I guess it's because I like the idea of traveling around the world, see new people, new places and then write about them. Letting the people know what's happening and where. I find it intriguing." Leaf finished and took a sip of her drink.
"I see what you mean." Johanna said with a smile. "Well, I'll go bring the dessert. I'll be right back." She rose from her chair and went towards the kitchen.
"Dawn, in which school you said you're going?" Mike asked.
"Oh, I didn't really say it before. I'm going to Solaceon Private Academy. It's not far away from home and it is the best school in Sinnoh."
"Really?" Leaf asked. "This will be my first year there. Dad and I moved from Hearthome city a month ago, so that he can be close to Johanna, and I had to change school. Dad enrolled me to Solaceon Academy. Is it nice there?"
"Yeah, the school is nice. The people in the school, not so much. But, no need to worry, you'll fit in perfectly."
Mike let out a laugh "So, Dawn, I guess I'll leave my daughter under your protection. Is that OK?"
"Yes sir. As I said before, no need to worry!" Dawn said with a wide smile. Now she had a brand new friend and this year was going to be unforgettable.
Ash, Gary and Drew were now at their third round of shots.
"This idea you gave me about making Brianna stop bugging me is genius. You're not that stupid after all." Drew said to his brunette friend.
"Geez, man thanks!" Garry said with a fake hurt expression.
Drew was ready to say something sarcastic, when his eye caught a pretty brunette girl walking towards the bar. She is hot, he thought. She had blue eyes and brown hair. She was short, but she had a nice figure. She short of reminded him of May, but he pushed the images of her in the back of his mind. This was not the time to think of his former friend. The girl stopped next to Drew and ordered two drinks. Drew was staring at her and she was aware of that. Finally, the girl turned to him and extended her hand. "I'm Jenna." She said calmly with a flirtatious expression.
Drew took her hand. "And I'm Drew. You ordered two drinks, I guess you have someone here with you, don't you?"
"Yes, I came here with my sister."
"Then I guess your sister won't mind me stealing you from her, right? Want to go talk somewhere private?" Drew asked a smirk plastered all over his face.
"Yeah I think she won't mind." The girl smiled. "Follow me." She took Drew's hand and headed towards the corner of the Bar where nobody was seating.
"Seriously?" Ash said. "He ditched us for a girl and he didn't even acknowledge us!"
"Let him have some fun, don't forget school starts tomorrow. We won't get a chance to come here again for some time." Gary said to the raven head boy as he let his hand rest on Ash's shoulders. "So, Ashy-boy, how are things going between you and Serena?" He asked as he made a signal to Cissy to bring them the fourth round of shots. "Did your relationship go any 'deeper'? If you know what I mean."
"Dude, me and Serena broke up. We ended things yesterday."
"What? You had the hottest girl from school, well, after Dawn, wrapped around that little finger of yours, and you let her go? What's wrong with you?"
"This relationship wasn't going anywhere." Ash admitted to his friend. "Yes Serena is pretty and she seemed interesting at first, but things got boring after a few days. She isn't what I am looking for."
"Ohh yes, how could I forget? You are searching for your soulmate."
"I'm not searching for a soulmate. I just want a girl that the least thing she worries about is how many calories she consumed and what color to paint her nails."
"Whatever makes you happy. So…, you won't mind if I make a move on her hah?" Gary asked his friend with a crooked smile.
Ash looked at him with a serious expression. He couldn't believe how immature his childhood friend was. "Seriously man? Serena too? Why don't you go straight to Dawn? That's the one you really want."
"Dawn already blew me off more times than I can remember right now. She is the only girl that resists me."
"She is not the only one. It's not like you slept with the whole school."
"I mean she is the only one from the girls I am interested in. You know, I think it's because she has a crush on Paul." Gary now was smiling at a girl, seating alone not far away from him. She was blonde with blue eyes. Totally his type.
"Maybe it's because of that. Maybe it's because she is clever enough to know not to get evolved with you. But, to answer your previous question, you can make a move on Serena if you want. I'm not interested in her anymore." Ash said and started searching through the room for Drew. He spotted him with that girl from before, now sitting on his lap. Ash shook his head. He didn't like the way his friends treated girls. They had them for one night stands and then they left them, especially Gary. Drew had relationships from time to time, but Garry never had one.
"He looks like he is having fun." Gary stated as he also saw Drew with that Jenna girl. "I'll just follow his lead and go talk to that Blondie over there." He said as he pointed to the blonde girl. "I suggest do the same thing and go find yourself a girl." Gary ordered two drinks. When they were ready he took them and headed to the girl that was smiling at him. He handed her the second drink.
"Why is a pretty girl like you alone in a place like this?" Gary asked the girl.
"Well, I came here with my sister but she left me for that dude over there." She said and looked at Drew's direction. Gary copied her actions and looked at Drew too.
Gary rolled his eyes. "This dude over there is a friend of mine."
"Oh really? What a coincidence." The girl said as she was playing with her gold locks.
"Yes, and I think your sister made you a favor by leaving you here cause now you have a much better company and your night is going to be way more interesting." He smirked at her.
"If you say so." The girl smiled at him. "I'm Charlotte."
"Gary." He replied.
Monday, 7:30 a.m.
The unexpected sound of the alarm clock made Misty to wake up and fall off her bed.
"I swear to God I'm going to break that stupid alarm." Misty mumbled, half asleep, as she got up from the floor and went to the bathroom to get ready for school. She took a quick shower and then she got dressed. Today was a uniform-free day so she had to wear something of hers. She finally decided to go with a grey tank top and her blue jeans. She let her straight red hair down, falling just above her shoulders. Misty always liked short hair, she found it easy to handle. She wore her brown short boots and exited her room after she grabbed her school bag.
Misty went straight to the kitchen where her mom and her sisters were eating breakfast. She sat on the chair next to Lily's.
"Goodmorning honey," Rose, Misty's mother said to her. "Are you ready for today?"
"Yes I am!" Misty said and started eating a slice of bread with jam.
"You call that ready?" Violet said pointing at her sister's outfit. "You're dressed like you're going for grocery shopping. Misty you are going to school! You should dress to impress."
"I don't care. These clothes are convenient, I'm not going to change them." Misty said offended because of what her sister told her.
"OK. But, here put this on, it will make your outfit look a little more presentable." Violet took off her gold necklace and handed it to Misty. Misty looked at the necklace, it was beautiful. It was gold with a swan charm on it.
"I don't need it!"
"Just put it on. It won't hurt you." Lily said checking her nails. Her sisters were driving her crazy.
Misty sighed and put it on. It wasn't that bad after all. She liked that necklace.
Misty finished her breakfast just in time when the doorbell rang. She stood up from her chair, kissed her mom goodbye and exited the house.
Dawn and her mother were waiting for her in the car. Misty opened the car's door and greeted them.
"Goodmorning Johanna, Dawn." Misty said as she sat next to Dawn at the back of the car. "I hope I didn't put you in any inconvenience by dragging you here." Misty said to Dawn's mother.
"Nonsense. I am happy I can help you Misty, after all I couldn't let my daughter's best friend walk to school." Johanna said with a smile as she started driving. Johanna was like a second mother to Misty, she knew her, her whole life. Misty just nodded and smiled. Then she turned her attention to Dawn.
"Hey!" Dawn said as she hugged her friend. "I haven't seen you in ages. Where have you been?"
"Oh you know, I had practices and all, this past week." Misty said as she hugged her friend. She pulled back and looked at her friend's outfit. Dawn was wearing a short, high waist, leather, black skirt with a white t-shirt that had a black letter 'D' on it. She, also, was wearing a jean jacket and her favorite pink boots.
"Well, you surely dress to impress." Misty mumbled to herself.
"What?" Dawn asked her friend. She didn't hear what her friend said.
"Oh nothing!" Misty said. "I was just thinking something, it was nothing."
"Oh OK! But, now you've got to tell me what happened to your bike. And I want the whole story." Dawn said as she clapped her hands together.
"Alright. So where do I start…?"
"From the beginning I hope!" Dawn said a little excited, she felt that whatever she was going to hear from Misty it was very interesting.
"Right!" Misty said and started telling her friend the whole incident. By the time they reached school Misty had already finished.
"Come on boys, wake up! It's almost 8:00." Samuel Oak said trying to wake up his grandson and his friends.
"Five more minutes, mom!" Ash mumbled in his sleep.
"Ash I'm not you mother. Please wake up. You're going to lose first period." He said as he pulled Ash's blanket. Ash woke up and scratched his head.
"Professor Oak. What are you doing here?" Ash asked confused.
"What am I doing here? What are you three still doing here? You're supposed to be at school and I'm supposed to be at my lab, but of course you had to come home late last night." Oak said with a serious and angry expression as he checked his watch once again. "Oh my, I'm so late. I'm must leave now. You!" He said pointing his index finger at Ash. "You have to make sure those two wake up before 8:00. Do you understand? Have nice day, bye." He grabbed his briefcase and exited the house.
Ash didn't understand a thing of what Oak was saying, he was still half asleep. He got up from the couch only to stumble upon Drew's feet.
"What the…-? What is he doing here?" Ash asked himself. Ash checked his surroundings. Gary was sleeping at the big couch, across the room, still in his last night's clothes. Drew was sleeping on the arm chair next to the smaller coach that Ash was sleeping before. Memories of last night came back to Ash. They were at a Bar, they were drinking and then both Gary and Drew ditched him for these girls, but he couldn't remember them clearly right now, then he started drinking some more and he remembered himself exiting the Bar with both Drew and Gary. They came back with Drew's car and Drew slept here too because he couldn't return to his house that late in the middle of the night. And today was the first day of school and they had to be there early. Ash checked the clock on the wall. 7:55.
Oh my God, we're so late. Ash told himself.
"Hey, guys, wake up. It's Monday. Come on we have school!" Ash shook Drew's shoulder. "Come on we're going to get in trouble." Drew opened his eyes slowly and looked at Ash confused. He looked around the room to see where he was. Obviously he didn't remembered much of last night either.
"What time is it?" Drew asked, now aware of where he was.
"Almost eight. The bell rings at 8:15 sharp, and we aren't even ready."
Drew shot up from the arm chair and headed to the bathroom.
"I'm going to wash my face and find some other clothes to put on. You should try waking him up. Good luck!"
Ash sighed and went to wake up Gary. He shook his shoulder.
"Gary, wake up. It's 8:00. You don't want to get a detention, do you? Of course you don't so wake up." Gary, however, didn't move. He was still in deep sleep.
"Ughhh COME ON! WAKE UP!" Ash shouted into Gary's ear. Gary opened his eyes and stressed his limbs.
"Why are you shouting like this? Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?"
"Oh I can see that. I also can see Drew, you and me, getting a detention because we are going to be late if you don't move." Ash said sarcastically.
Gary first looked at his friend confused but then remembered that today was Monday. And he had school. Gary sighed.
"Tell me we still have time." Gary asked his friend.
"We have!" Drew said as he came back in the living room. "We'll go with my car, which buys us some minutes. So, you two go put some other clothes on. I'll go get the car in front of the gate. Then we leave." He said as he was about to exit the house.
"Is that my clothes?!" Gary asked his friend, his mouth wide open.
"Yeah, I found them in your room. They're very convenient!" Drew answered with a smirk on his face. He left the house and went straight to his car.
"Aghh I'm so going to kill him!" Gary said as he made his way towards his room to change, while Ash found the stuff his mother send him and changed too.
After a few minutes both Ash and Gary exited the house and went to the gate. Suddenly Ash stopped on his trucks. He saw the bike that took from that girl yesterday, which was now destroyed. Ash gulped.
"Gary? What happened to the bike?" Ash asked, not wanting to hear the answer.
"Don't you remember? Drew hit it with the car last night when we returned home. He wasn't his fault though. You left it in the middle of the yard." Gary said casually.
"You do realize that this bike isn't mine? What am I going to say to that girl?"
"I don't know. You have to figure it out alone. Now let's go because we're late." He said. They entered Drew's car and left for school.
Paul was waiting for his friends outside the school, his hands inside his pockets.
These idiots, always have to be late. Paul thought.
Just then Drew's red car stopped in front of school's gate. All three of them got out and headed towards Paul.
"You're late." Paul said to them coldly.
"Yes we're aware of that thank you." Drew said sarcastically.
Paul didn't say anything he just turned his back and started walking inside the school. Gary, Ash and Drew following him.
A few hours later.
May was at the Math's class now. She was bored, Math was the worst lesson in the entire world for her, including Physics and Chemistry. Misty and Dawn had English now. She was so jealous of them. They agreed to have lunch later all three of them, to catch up at whatever they all were doing these past few days. Suddenly the bell rang signifying the start of lunch period. May, couldn't be happier. She left her desk and exited the class. She had to go to the cafeteria to meet up with her friends, but first she wanted to go see the coach to talk to him about this year's tournament. May was playing tennis since she was six and he was her supervisor. She loved entering tournaments, but she never saw tennis as a career option, she was not like Misty. Misty found swimming a possible future job, but May only played tennis for fun. As she was walking past the Headmaster's office, ready to turn right in the corner, a hand from behind her grabber her arm and pushed her on the wall. It was Drew. May was ready to scream, but Drew shut her mouth by pouting his hand over it.
"Shh! don't make a sound. It's me, I just want to talk to you about something so don't you dare scream. That's the least thing I want to hear right now. Got it?"
May nodded, not knowing what else to do. Drew's body was an inch away from hers and she didn't like the way her heart started speeding by their closeness.
Drew hesitantly took his hand from her mouth.
"What do you want Drew? I don't have time for your stupid games. I need to go to the gym." May said ready to leave, but Drew pushed her again on the wall. "Stop it! If anyone sees us like this we'll be in serious trouble."
"I don't care." Drew said with a cold tone. "I need a favor to ask, and you're gonna do it."
"And why would I do it? Do I owe you or something?"
"No, but you wouldn't let down a former friend of yours, would you?"
"If that friend is you then I would gladly let you down. Now either you're going to tell me what do you want or I'll scream. You choose." May, looked at him. She saw black circles under his eyes, his face was pale. He didn't sleep much last night. Probably he would have been at a bar again, doing who knows what with who knows who.
"Alright, I have this problem with Brianna." Said Drew as he put of his hands at both sides of May's head to make sure she wouldn't leave. "You know Brianna right? My-
"Yes, of course I know Brianna. She's that psycho girlfriend of yours. What does that have to do with me?" May asked irritated.
"Well, you see that psycho girlfriend is now my psycho ex, but she doesn't want to understand that we are over, so Gary gave me an idea..."
"If Gary gave you an idea, then it'll definitely be stupid."
"No this idea of his is brilliant. He told me that I have to find a fake, new girlfriend because only then Brianna would stop bugging me. And that's where you come in. I want you to be my fake girlfriend."
May was taken aback. That was the last thing she expected Drew to say.
"Why don't you ask one of your fan girls? I'm sure they will accept within seconds. Why me?" Drew was also a tennis player. He was very good at what he was doing and he had also a fan club. May and Drew had a small rivalry between them about tennis. May now started thinking why would Drew ask her and not anyone else. What if he likes me? May thought. It's possible isn't it?
"Well, first of all, I need a girl that knows some things about me so that Brianna will believe that our relationship is real, and second o all, I'm searching for a fake girlfriend." Drew said emphasizing the word 'fake'. "My fan girls are for real dates."
That was harsh, May thought.
"So, what do you say love?"
"I say No! Go find someone else to bother I'm not your toy." May tried to push him away from her, she didn't succeed.
"Come on May!" Drew said. "I'm not asking much. It's for a couple of days and then it'll be over."
"I said no! I don't want to be your fake girlfriend, now leave me alone."
"Do you wanna be my real girlfriend?"
"What?!" May asked startled as her face begun turning crimson red.
"You do want to be my real girlfriend." Drew said a little surprise of what he figured out. "That's why you don't want to help me about this one. You like me!" Drew pinched May's red cheek.
May slapped his hand away from her face. "Get over yourself. I don't like you. Not now, not ever."
"If you don't, then you wouldn't have a problem doing what I asked you to do." He said. His voice was firm and calm. He put his hands in his pockets.
May was in a dilemma. If she said 'no' then Drew will believe that she had a crush on him, but if she said 'yes' then he'll think that he can manipulate her. The question was which of these options is the worst? May, knew the answer.
"Alright," May sighed "I'll help you, I'll do it."
"I knew I could count on you." Drew didn't sound surprised. He was expecting May to accept. He knew her buttons and how to push them. Drew took a few steps back to let May pass past him.
May started heading towards the gym again, but before she could turn in the corner she heard Drew's voice from behind her.
"Be ready at 7 tonight. I'll pick you up. Our acting career starts from tonight." The amusement in his voice was crystal clear.
How do I get myself out of this? May asked herself.
Misty and Dawn were at the cafeteria waiting for May who didn't show up yet.
"Dawn?" Misty said to get her friend's attention.
"What is it?" Dawn asked while eating her salad.
"Do you know where May is? Wasn't she supposed to meet us here for lunch?"
"I don't know. Maybe she forgot. Its May were talking about."
Misty nodded. She was bored and she was playing with the remaining of her food.
The doors of the cafeteria burst open and Ash with Paul entered. Ash went to get food from the vending machine while Paul went to sit at a table.
Misty watched every move Ash made. She was observing him. He is cute, she admitted. She had to talk to him about yesterday, but she couldn't leave Dawn alone. Misty searched the cafeteria to find someone that can keep Dawn company, so that she can go talk to Ash. Paul was sitting alone reading a book. She turned to Dawn to let her know that Paul was sitting alone at the table next to theirs, but she was already looking at him.
"What are you waiting for? Go talk to him." Misty encouraged her friend.
"What? No…no! Absolutely not! What if I make a fool of myself? No, I won't risk it."
"Dawn, what happened to you? You were so smooth with boys. You found your way to every boy's heart. Why are you so nervous about him? He is just a boy like any other."
"He is not just another boy Misty. He is different."
"I don't know Dawn." Misty was now skeptical. "I mean, I don't see anything special about him."
"You don't know him like I do." Dawn was now looking down at her salad. Misty didn't speak after that, she couldn't understand how a girl like Dawn that was full of confidence, was acting such a way for a boy.
Misty was about to leave her table and go to Ash when Dawn started talking again.
"Did I tell you that my mom put my uniform in the laundry with colored clothes? That wouldn't be a problem if our uniforms were colored but they're not. They're white, and do you know what color is my uniform now? It's pink. Don't get me wrong I love pink, but not in my uniform, its like- Hey where are you going?"
Misty turned her head towards her friend. "I'm going to Ash, I'll be right back." The redhead said and made her way to Ash.
Dawn sighed. Now what should I do? The bluenette asked herself. Should I wait for Misty or should I go find May? Dawn glanced over at Paul. She could also go talk to him, but she knew she wouldn't do it. She decided the best option was to go search for May. She stood up from her chair and went outside the cafeteria.
Misty made her way to the raven head boy. He was getting a sandwich from a vending machine. Misty stood next to him and tapped his shoulder. Ash jumped a little surprised, he then turned his head towards Misty and looked at her. He recognized her immediately. She was the girl from yesterday.
"Hi!" He heard her say. "You probably don't remember me, but I am the owner from the bike that you stole yesterday." She said calmly. "You know, when that dude was chasing you."
"Yeah, I know who you are. It's Misty, isn't it?" Ash asked. He remembered Garry telling him that her name wasn't Kristy, as he thought it was, but he wasn't sure it was Misty either.
Misty's eyes widened. She was surprised he got her name right.
Ash, by her expression thought he said something stupid. It must be her name. He always had this thing with names. He couldn't get them right. "Aghh! Let me guess, your name is not Misty right?" He said as he hit his forehead with his hand. "I always do that, I'm sorry I-
Misty let out a small laugh. "No, don't worry, you didn't make a mistake. My name is Misty. I was surprised that you remembered my name that's all." Misty smiled at him.
Wow, she has a cute laugh, Ash thought.
"Oh OK!" Ash said relieved, as he scratched the back of his head. "So, do you want something? Is there something I can do for you?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Misty asked with a 'duh' face. "I'm here for my bike, I want it back."
Ash hit his forehead with his hand one more time. He couldn't believe how stupid he was, even a baby would figure it out. "Yeah, of course, your bike." He murmured.
"Is it okay? I mean my bike? Nothing happened to it, right? Because if something happened to it you don't know what I'm capable of doing." Misty said, a threatening expression plastered all over her face.
Ash gulped. How was he going to tell her that her bike was destroyed? He decided not to tell her yet.
"What? No, your bike is totally fine, not even a scratch."
"Ouff! Thank God! So, when can I have it back?"
"That's a very good question, that unfortunately I have no answer."
"What do you mean?" Misty was now confused. Why didn't he know the answer? If he didn't then who did?
"You see…your bike right now is at Gary's and I don't know when I'll visit him again to take it back."
"Then tell Gary to bring it at school tomorrow, it's not that difficult." Misty said. She was now losing her patience. Ash had to figure out an excuse.
"You want Gary to bring your bike?" Ash laughed. "He won't do it."
"He won't do it? Are you serious, he won't do it?! Then what are you saying to me? That I should just wait till you feel like taking your little ass for a walk to your friend's house to get my bike back?" Misty's voice was higher than usual but she wasn't yelling. Her bike was her only mean of transportation. She was going to practice with that bike, she was going to school with that bike, she was visiting her friends with also that bike. This bike was essential to her. Misty had a schedule to keep. She didn't have a car license because she was afraid to drive a car. Her family didn't have a driver, and her sisters didn't have time to drive her wherever she needed to be. How was she going to be at the swimming pool in time from now on? Francesca was definitely going to quit if she showed up late again and if Francesca quitted then Misty would never enter the Nationals. She started to get anxious. She took slow deep breaths. Misty, this is not a time to have a panic attack. Not now, not in front of everyone, Misty told herself.
"You have to understand something here. I don't want that bike. I need it. You have to give it back to me. You practically stole it!" Misty tried to reason with him.
Misty take breaths, take slow deep breaths, she reminded herself. But her lungs were closing as the time went by. Anxiety and stress conquered her body. She was having a panic attack.
"Look I know you must be angry, but-
"Angry? I'm not angry. I'm pissed." These words, however, came out as a whisper. She didn't even know if he heard her. She was feeling dizzy now.
"I promise you'll have it by Friday, alright?" Ash was now a little irritated by the way she talked to him. He couldn't understand what was the big deal behind this bike."
Friday? No, not Friday, it's too late, she thought. She tried to tell him that but she couldn't. She instead focused on her breathing, but it was so difficult. This place suffocated her.
Ash noticed what was happening to her. "Hey are you okay?" He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her slightly.
"N…No." Misty managed to say. She almost choked. Breath Misty, breath, she told herself once more.
"What is happening?" Ash asked. This incident reminded him of something. Garry once had a panic attack and he was acting the same way as Misty does now. "Is this some kind of panic attack?"
Misty nodded.
"Hey look at me." He said as he grabbed her face and made her look straight at him. When Garry was having a panic attack his grandpa always made him to focus on something. This way he could control his breathing. "Here, just focus on my eyes and take deep breaths. Focus on my eyes, and only on my eyes. Then inhale and exhale slowly."
Misty did as he said. She focused on his eyes and took deep breaths. Misty found herself lost in his eyes, which was strange cause she was never fond of brown eyes. Misty didn't like dark eyes, she found them dull and boring, but his eyes were everything but that.
Some time passed and Misty's breathing started getting normal again. Misty smiled, her panic subsided and the tension from before was completely gone. She relaxed.
"Now that you're better lets go get you some fresh air." Ash said. He grabbed Misty's hand and guided her out of the cafeteria.
Dawn was searching through the corridors to find May, but she was nowhere to be found. She finally quitted and started heading back to the cafeteria. She stopped when she spotted Leaf getting her things from her locker. She went to greet her.
"Hey! How are you? How was your day so far?" Dawn asked her new friend with a wide smile.
"Hello to you too! Everything is perfect so far. The school is good and the teachers seem nice. It's better than my other school, that I can guarantee."
"I'm happy to hear that." Dawn said laughing. "So, I didn't see you at the cafeteria before, did you had launch?"
"No, I didn't. I was lost and I couldn't find it." Leaf admitted to her friend.
"Then do you wanna go grab some? I didn't finish my salad either and I'm still a little hungry."
"I would love to go, you don't know how much I'm starving right now, but I can't. Fifth period is about to start and I have to be at the gym in a few minutes to talk to the coach about the team I want to enter."
"Oh, you want to enter a team? I didn't know that. Which one? The dancing team or the cheerleading team?" Dawn asked Leaf. If Leaf wanted to enter the dance team then Dawn could get her in easily. After all, she was the head dancer.
"None of them." Leaf said to the bluenette. "I want to enter the football team."
Dawn was startled. She didn't expect Leaf to like football. "The football team? But we don't have a girl's football team here, only boy's team."
"I know that. I'll enter the boy's football team!" Leaf said a little excited about it.
Suddenly a laugh that came from behind them, echoed in the corridor.
Gary and Paul were just a few feet away from them and they heard their whole conversation. Gary was laughing while Paul just had an emotionless expression. They went towards the girls.
Dawn was confused. Wasn't Paul in the cafeteria when she left? How was he there?
"Weren't you at the cafeteria? How is it possible to be here?" Dawn asked Paul without even thinking about it for a second time.
"I teleported." Said Paul calmly. A hint of sarcasm was clear on his voice. "I walked here, troublesome." His voice returned to his usual cold tone.
Dawn didn't say anything. She just looked down at her shoes.
Gary went and stood right next to Leaf.
"Did I hear correctly? You want to enter the football team?" Gary laughed one more time.
"Yes, I do. Is that a problem?" Leaf asked while raising an eyebrow. "And who are you anyway?"
"I'm Gary Oak. The captain of the team you want to enter."
"Good for you, now can you tell me what's so funny?"
"Nothing. Just the fact that you play football."
"Why? Is it because I'm a girl?" Leaf said and put her hands on her hips.
"Because of that and because of the fact that you're wearing a skirt, honey. It's not very convenient for football."
"I'll change smartass!"
"I hope in front of me." Gary said with a smirk, but that smirk of his didn't last for long because Leaf slapped him hard on the face. She didn't like guys like him. She despises them. She grabbed Dawn's hand and dragged her down the corridor.
"Come on Dawn, let's get out of here."
Paul let out a small laugh. That was something worth smiling for. Gary getting slapped. He couldn't believe it.
"Did that bitch just slapped me?" Gary asked his friend while holding his red cheek. He couldn't believe it either.
Paul shrugged and started walking towards his next class. That memory will forever be in his mind.
Misty and Ash were sitting on a bench outside the school. They didn't make it to fifth period. Misty was still feeling a little off, so she stayed outside and Ash stayed with her to keep her company. He was feeling guilty about her bike and her panic attack. After all he was the reason she had this panic attack in the first place. How was he even going to tell her that her bike was hit by Drew's car? Ash shook his head.
"Are you feeling better?" Ash asked the red head that was seating beside him.
"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm fine. This is the seventh time you asked me in the last ten minutes."
Ash didn't say anything he just nodded.
"Ash? Are you sure I can't have my bike tomorrow? I need to be somewhere and I don't want to be late."
"That somewhere you want to be…is it a date?" Ash asked, a little disappointed? Come on man what's wrong with you? She'll think you want to stalk her, Ash told himself.
"What? No, of course not. I'm not dating anyone right now. I just have to be at my swimming practice, I can't miss it."
Ash smiled. "You know I may have a solution to your problem until you get your bike back." He said to the redhead. "I can give you a ride, if you want me to."
"You have a car?" Misty asked him.
"Well, practically, it's my mother's car, but still I have a license and I can borrow it. What do you say?"
Misty thought about it. It wasn't an awful idea. Actually, I was a very good idea. With a car she can be at practice early. Francesca will be pleased by that.
"Deal! But, are you sure? I mean, you surely have more interesting things to do than to drive me around town."
"Don't worry about it. It's the least I can do for you after what I did yesterday. And you're not so bad to hang around, you know." Ash smiled at her.
Misty returned her smile and nodded.
"So, when it's your next practice?"
"Tomorrow at 5 pm. I leave at Santa's Barbara, 24, just above the Mall."
"I know where it is. I'll be there at 4:40, sharp."
"Good." Misty said to him.
"Yeah, good." Ash said to her too.
This is the end of the second chapter. I know it didn't have much ikarishipping, but there's no need to worry! The next chapter will have major ikarishipping and we will learn a lot about Dawn's and Paul's background. About their families and how they know each other. Also, the next chapter will have May's and Drew's first fake date. Till next time, have a nice day/evening! –Nandia.