Summary: Remake of my original story "Bluebells and Lavenders". Drastic change ahead, beware!

"speaking"

'thoughts'

The main characters are in their senior years (grade 12).

A/N: Today's chapter title is by Weird Al Yankovic.

Fun Fact: This song is a parody to the Backstreet Boys "I want it that way".

~oOo~

An Ikarishipping Fanfiction

Re: Bluebells and Lavenders

Chapter Twenty One

"eBay"

~oOo~

Previously...

"Thank you for the meal." Was all he said before he retreated back to his room.

~oOo~

'What the hell is the matter with him?' Thought the bluenette. After their awkward conversation earlier in his room, he became even more grouchy then she could remember.

Dawn heard a sigh from the older Shinji's mouth and she quickly turned to look at him. She notice his crestfallen face and really did felt sorry that Reggie had Paul for a brother.

"I just don't know what is up with Paul..." He voiced. "He seemed to have been doing fine up until the start of this week... He just seemed to have gotten in a fouler mood each and ever day." Another sigh escaped his lips. "I don't know what to do anymore..."

"... The start of... This week...?"

~oOo~

"The start of this week...?"

It was now Saturday and Dawn just couldn't get that phrase out of her mind. Something about it seemed all too... Familiar, in a way... There was definitely something to it, but she couldn't wrap her mind around it. She idly played with a lock of her blue hair and nibbled on her lower lip as she gazed out into nothingness in the guest bedroom.

Her eyes then grazed over to the calender up against the wall next to the door and everything clicked.

"Oh my Arceus! I came to Veilstone Academy at the start of this week!" She paused for a moment. "Okay no. It was the second day of the week but... But still! Oh my gosh! How... Wha..." Dawn hopped out of the bed and had started to pace around the room. Her cold bare feet shuffled around the warm carpet underneath her as her thoughts weaved into her concentration.

"What if... Maybe it has something to do with this Salvia person as well...? The way Paul acted towards that old lady yesterday was... Hmm..." Her thoughts were interrupted when a voice called out from the other side of the door.

"Knock, knock."

"It's open!" She called out.

In pop Reggie with the largest smile she had ever saw. "Hey, I just wanted to tell you that I'll be heading out pretty soon."

"Oh! Okay yeah, no problem. I'm planning on heading out to buy some stuff," she replied, idly making a cable of braids in her hair.

"Sure. It's good to head outside once in a while, hm?" He stopped and looked around the room, his lips pursed. "Not that it's any of my business, but have you made any friends since you've gotten here?" He asked with a grin.

"Yeah. I made a lot, actually... It's rather surprising, to be honest. I mean, I never really would have expected I'd have made so many friends during my first week at a new school. It's kinda scary." She confessed. Dawn put aside the braids and hugged a pillow that was near to her. "Back in my old school, I only had like, two or three friends. It was just me and them. That was all I needed... If someone had told me I would be moving to a new school and ends up making new friends and a possible-boyfriend, I would have laughed at them..."

Dawn's face buried deeper into the pillow. Suddenly, she felt the bed shift in weight as she was slightly dipped in an angle. Her eyes rolled up and saw Reggie had made himself comfortable on the bed.

"It's pretty normal to feel that way, Dawn." He said.

"It is?"

He nodded, tilting his head up towards the ceiling. "When I first started college, I was reluctant to befriend people. I was happy that I was away from home and starting anew, but I was also scared because I'll be with people that I have never met before; as opposed to the local colleges and university here that my friends all went to. It was a new start for me and caused me to revert to my old self.

"I was really reserved and quiet when I was younger. When I first entered high school, I never wanted to speak to anyone. I just blended into the crowd and remained invisible. But of course, I managed to gain quite a few amazing friends during that time. And the time I went to Sunnyshore. In fact, Candice was the very first person that talked to me there. She was the first friend I made in college."

Dawn listened to Reggie intently as he explained his past and previous situations. She could hardly believe that Reggie used to be so quiet – kind of reminded her of Paul a little, just, minus the back talking, rude comments and sour personality.

"Anyways, I'm probably boring you with my stories about myself, ha ha."

"N-no! Not at all! It's really interesting... I mean, for starters, you're nothing like your brother." Dawn piqued.

Reggie's face was a blank slate for a timeless moment before he erupted into a bountiful of laughter. Dawn stared at him, wondering if she had said something wrong. He noticed her look of confusion and wiped the tears that emerged from the corners of his eyes.

"It's nothing. Just the comparison between me and Paul, ha ha. People have always asked me if Paul really was my brother."

"He's not?" She asked.

"Hm? Oh, no no. He is. Biologically and everything. It's just funny because Paul and I have totally different personalities. That's what makes it really funny." He explained.

"Oh..." She thought about it for a moment .And she could see why Reggie would have found it funny. If she had a sister who acted very differently from her, she too would thought it be hilarious.

"Anyways, I got to get going. I'll see you later tonight," Reggie stated. He got up from the bed and made his way to the door until he stopped and turned around. "Oh, tell Paul his lunch is in the fridge, will you? I don't think he's up yet."

"Sure, no problem."

"Thanks." With that, he disappeared into the hallway. Dawn slumped back down into the bed and blindly grabbed her phone.

"I should probably get dressed and stuff..." She said to herself. She tossed herself off of the bed and began to rummage around the closet with all of her clothes she packed for a week – which to say the least, wasn't very much.

Dawn let out a sigh as she put on a light yellow dress with a pink ribbon that accentuated her bust. "I guess this will have to do."

She grabbed a small pink side pouch with thin, hand-woven straps around her. Her cellphone was placed delicately inside along with her wallet. As she left her room, closing the door behind her, she looked down the hall and noticed Paul's room was still shut tight. She remembered what Reggie had asked her to do before he left.

"Ugh... I can't believe I'm doing this..." She said begrudgingly. She slowly worked her way over to the door of Paul's room and knocked several times.

"Uhm... Paul? I don't know if you're awake or asleep or whatever, but Reggie told me to tell you that your lunch is in the fridge... Paul?"

Dawn pressed her ear against the wall that kept her from going inside his room and listened. Nothing. It was like yesterday all over again. And she preferred if that didn't happen again.

"Well," she sighed. "Whether you're awake, asleep, or pretending to be asleep, I could care less. Your lunch is still in the fridge and Reggie had left. I'm also going to leave the house for a bit and... Why am I even telling you this? All I was supposed to say is that your lunch is still in the fridge..." She groaned and moved away from the door.

"Troublesome?"

Her heart stopped. She couldn't turn around.

"Troublesome..."

She remained rooted to her spot, unmoving.

"Arceus dammit, Troublesome. Look at someone when they're talking to you." His voice was harsh and rasp.

"W-what? I didn't realize you were willing to talk to a troublesome girl like me..." She replied bitterly.

"Please. I wouldn't." He paused. Dawn braced for impact. Anything that seemed insulting, she was waiting for it. Ready to shout out a reply to silence him.

"But you mentioned Reggie saying my lunch was in the fridge."

"You know what? Why can't you just appreciate – wait what?" A little dazed, she wasn't expecting him to not insult her. She turned around and noticed Paul's brows were raised and his arms folded in front of him.

"Please. I appreciate stuff. I appreciate my mom and my brother." He walked past Dawn, purposely bumping her shoulders. "Though oddly enough, I appreciate the fact you told me about my lunch. You actually did something good for once."

Her gaze followed after Paul as he went down the stairs.

"I'll never understand that guy..."

~oOo~

Dawn had already left the house and decided to walk to the nearest store around the neighborhood. She found the closet one and thought it would suffice.

As she stepped foot into the mart, a little chime was heard as the class doors slid open for her, as if she was royalty and the doors were her servants.

"Welcome," said the clerk.

Dawn smiled back at the lady and began to browse around, hoping to find what she needed.

"Lets see... Pads, pads, pad... Pad!" She crouched lower and picked up a few packages of her feminine products and carried them over to the counter. And by a few, it was two basket full of period pad packages. One for night and the other for morning.

"You have quiet a load here, don't you?" The cashier giggled as she checked out every item.

Dawn shrugged and grinned. "Well I mean, what can I say? I get pretty paranoid when that time of the month shows up."

The cashier nodded. "Nah. I totally understand where you're coming from. Alright, your total comes to about..." As she told Dawn the total, the high school girl stuck her hand inside her little bag and fished out her wallet. She took out the approximate sum and got change back in return. She thanked the lady and grabbed her four bags of pads and was headed back to the Shinji's house.

A gentle breeze ran past the bluenette, her hair flew in her face in the process. Dawn rose her fingers up to her covered face and pushed her hair away, the bag of pads hitting her chest.

"Dang, it's really windy... But oddly warm in December..." She noted to herself. Her thoughts were interrupted by several honks and her name being called out.

"Dawnie!"

The said girl turned her heel and her eyes immediately lit up upon seeing Leaf and Gary.

"Hey you two!" Dawn greeted. The car pulled up to the curb, the gear put on park. Dawn walked towards the red convertible casually and placed her purchase behind her out of embarrassment.

"What are you doing all the way out here? It's no where near your house," Leaf stated, her arm rested on the curve of the passenger seat. Gary just sat there and gave Dawn a gentle smile that warmed her heart like how the sun shone down on a summer's day.

"I was buying stuff and headin' back to Paul's place." She gasped inwardly. She saw the rose brows from the Blue-Oak siblings and quickly explained her situation with them; keeping a watchful eye on Gary and reading his expressions.

Leaf leaned back into the chair, her hands placed behind her head as she took her arm off of the passenger seat. "Dang, Dawnie. I sort of feel sorry for you. Spending a week with a scumbag like Paul? Yikes." She whistled a little at the end.

She shrugged. "It's not too bad, I guess. I mean. He spends his time pent up in his room, so I don't really have to face him a lot ya know? His brother is really nice though, in comparison."

Gary nodded. "No kidding. Paul's always been a sourpuss. He just brings people down a lot and puts up some sort of wall to keep everyone away... The only one who's ever been able to break it down was his ex."

Interested, Dawn decided to press on on this topic. "What happened to them?"

He frowned and thought for a moment. "I think she was cheating on him or something... And then she moved to Snowpoint City for the rest of her high school year or something like that."

"Cheating?" Dawn gasped.

"Oh yeah," Leaf piped up. "I heard about that too. Paul caught Sal kissing some guy she was tutoring or whatever. People said he got pissed mad and such."

'Wow... This is some news... Wait... Sal?' Dawn thought.

"Who's Sal?" She questioned, though already knowing the answer to her question.

"Salvia Mint," Leaf continued. "She was Paul's ex."

"Yeah, and oddly enough, you really resemble Salvia in a way," Gary added.

"S-seriously?" Dawn had been told by the old lady yesterday about something like this. But she really didn't believe it until now.

"Yeah. Same hair, same eyes, hell, I wouldn't be surprised if you two were the same person!" Leaf laughed.

Gary rolled his eyes. "That'd be a thought. But I really doubt it. Dawn and Salvia are two completely different people. Dawn's more... Bubbly and optimistic. Salvia on the other hand is a typical lady with the grace of royalty packed into every cell in that body of hers. Hell, I bet her ancestors were Kings and Queens of some faraway land!"

"Arceus, Gary. You 'ought to stop daydreaming and fantasizing shit." Leaf snorted.

"Hey! It's true though!" Gary argued with a smile.

Leaf scoffed and turned her attention to Dawn, leaning towards her step-brother to get a little bit closer to the bluenette. "Can you believe this guy?" She asked, jabbing her thumb at Gary's chest.

Dawn suppressed a laugh as she saw Gary trying his hardest to get Leaf off of him.

"You two are really somethin'..." Dawn commented. The corners of her lips showed them her teeth as the wind blew against her; her face covered with multiple strands of blue yet again.

The brunets bushed wholeheartedly. Gary tried to hide his behind his hand while Leaf used her hair.

"Wow... You two really could pass of as twins if you keep that up," she lighten. "Anyways. I should really get back..."

Leaf and Gary looked at each other and back at the girl.

"Yeah, sorry for keeping you, Dawnie."

"Not a problem, really you two. It's nice to have a chat with friends outside of school!" Dawn chirped. She bid the two good-bye's as she watched them drive off and disappear at the nearest corner. She sighed and tilted her head back, her eyes skimmed through the sapphire skies.

"Maybe there's something more to offer here in Veilstone..."

~oOo~

She unlocked the front door of the Shinji residence and promptly closed it with a kick of her foot. Of course it was probably rude to do so, seeing how she's a guest. But she figured if it didn't leave any scuff marks, then it should all be fine. What someone doesn't know can't hurt them, right?

Dawn placed her two bags of her purchase down on the floor as she went to remove her footwear.

"Why are you back?"

Her head turned to the side and her eyes saw a figure standing in the living room.

"Uhm... This is where I'll be living for a week... So I figured better to come back here than walk two more blocks to my place." She stated flatly. She pushed her hair behind her ear as she got back up and took her bags with her.

"What's in those bags? Porno magazines?" The boy scoffed, a smirk danced along his lips.

A red blush graced itself onto Dawn's face as it spread to her ears and down her pale neck. "N-no! You perverted asshat! I-I don't look at that!"

Paul rolled his eyes and crossed his arm in front of him. "Oh please. I'm sure you're even curious with what people do in pornography."

"No!" She shrilled.

"Pfth. Whatever, Troublesome." He turned his heel and headed into the kitchen.

"Ugh... That guy is so infuriating..." She mumbled.

"I heard that!"

Dawn flinched as Paul's voice resonance into her ear. He had heard her. Great. Another thing to add to her list of mistakes.

She trudged up the stairs and quickly entered her guest bedroom. She tossed the bags of pads on the bed and took out one package that said "day time" and rushed into the bathroom. The door locked with a 'click' and she hurried over to the toilet to finish her mission.

After spending about a good twenty minutes in the washroom, the bluenette finally escaped the captivities of the bathroom and began doing several neck exercises as she walked towards the bed with the rest of her packages. She checked the time on her poketch and thought it would be a good idea to call Barry up. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out her laptop. Dawn set it down on the slate white desk and proceeded to turn the electronic on. She tapped the table to a tune of her own and waited as the laptop loaded.

Once she was in, she moved the mouse and clicked on her X-Transceiver account. A window with all her contacts popped up and she grinned as she saw that Barry was still online. The pointer made its way over to Barry's X-Transceiver name and proceeded to call him up.

Ring... Ring... Ring...

She sat there with her back straight and her hands tightened into fists. She felt her palms form sweat already. She hadn't realized she was so nervous to talk to an old friend. They've talked plenty before. But weirdly enough, this was the first time she felt anxious about it. Her heart thumped like drums and her thoughts flew all over the place.

"Dawn!"

Her lips twitched into a smile. "Hey, Barry. Am I disturbing you?"

The blonde shrugged. "I just finished dinner and stuff."

Her brows furrowed at her friend. "Isn't it like... Nine at night over there?"

Barry laughed. "Yeah."

"Why did you eat dinner so late?" She was curious. Usually Barry would never eat dinner so late. Heck, he was always the type to follow his routine. It was very uncharacteristic of him to eat dinner at nine.

"I was busy with something, that's all." Came his simple reply. Dawn figured she shouldn't push this topic. It seemed that he may actually had a very good reason for eating so late at night anyways.

"How have you been doing?" She asked, changing the topic entirely.

"It's alright. Nothing to report... Oh! I did talk to Bianca earlier this evening!" His eyes lit up like a solar flare.

Dawn grinned from ear-to-ear. "Oh? And how is she? It's been so long since I've talked to her!"

Barry nodded. "She's doing alright. Step-dad is still being a pain in the butt though... He almost caught us talking..."

The girl frowned. She had always heard of Barry and Bianca's family situation. Barry and Bianca are twins who were inseparable until their parents filed a divorce. Barry and his father stayed in Twinleaf while Bianca and her mother moved to Nuvema Town in Unova. There, the twins ended up with a step-father. Though sadly enough, the man their mother married refused to acknowledge the fact that he has a step-son.

"That's just sad... Why can't he accept the fact that you're his step-son? I mean, what is his problem?" Dawn fumed.

All Barry did was lift his shoulders and bounced them back down. "I honestly don't know... He's a bag of dicks, is what I say..."

Dawn noticed how stern and serious Barry's face was, but with a comment like that, she couldn't help but let out a joyous laugh.

Barry rose one brow and looked at her through the screen. "What? What's so funny?"

"N-nothing... Hmm..." She settled down after a while, but she knew Barry would insist on asking.

"No, no. Tell me. What's so funny?"

"W-well... I mean... I know this is a serious topic and all... But really? 'bag of dicks'? That just sounds really... I don't know... Funny – in an awkwardly weird kind of way." She explained as she resisted the urge to laugh again.

Barry gaped at her and huffed, folding his arms in front of him. "I'm fining you, Dawn! I'm fining you twenty thousand!"

She rolled her eyes and smirked. She leaned towards the computer, her face enlarging as she neared the laptop's web-cam. "Oh yeah? Try me." She teased.

As Barry was about to say something, Dawn's room was graced upon with knocks at a rapid fire speed. She sighed and was sad she had to end the conversation.

"Sorry Barry... There's some other matters I have to attend to..." She frowned.

"Hey, no biggie. We'll talk tomorrow and stuff."

"Night, Barry."

"Afternoon, Dawn."

She laughed as the video chat went dead and she got up to the door. The knocking was still as pompous as ever.

"What?" She snapped.

"My brother's not going to be home and he insisted that I tell you that we'll be having dinner without him." Came the calm yet bitter reply.

She scoffed. "Yeah? Is that all?"

"No." His eyes wandered around the guest room and fell onto the laptop that was still open. His sight lingered there a while before he faced the bluenette. "I want you to make dinner."

Her brows rose from slight shock but her face returned to the scowl whenever she sees him. "What? No way! I'm the guest of the house, shouldn't you be the one making dinner?"

"Please," he snuffed. "Me? Cooking for a guest such as yourself? That's a laugh." He inquired.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you think that because I'm the guest of the house that I automatically become your stupid servant? That I have to cook you meals every day? Wake you up ever morning? Draw you a bath every night?"

"No. Usually I do them all myself."

"Then-"

"But since it's you," he quickly made a judgmental stare at her. "And because I can't stand you. You need to do everything that you've just said.

Her lips formed into a firm line as her eyes widen. "Hell no! I'm not going to be your stupid servant for the rest of the week! I know for a fact I will not answer to an asshat like you!"

"Too bad. You're in my home now. If you don't cook me dinner now, I'll think of a punishment for you to do." And with that, Paul left Dawn alone to her thoughts about what had just happened and how she suddenly became Paul's maid.

She regained her posture and followed him out the door. "I'm not going to be your stupid maid! You cook your own food, wake yourself up, draw your own bath and shit! But I'm not doing any of those for you. And I sure as hell not answering to you!"

"I don't care if you don't do them. I'm just saying if you don't, I'm going to give you tedious chores to do. And every time to refuse, the chores will become more unbearable as time goes by. So if you really value your life and your sanity, you'll do as you're told like the woman that you are."

Her eyes began to stung. "You... You sexist ass-fck!" She screamed.

But all she was faced with was the door to Paul's room. The boy had safely escaped to the other side where no one was allowed to enter. But she didn't care. She barged right in and looked him in the eye.

"I don't know what the fck is wrong with you and all, but for the last time. I. Am. Not. Your. Servant. Got it memorized you fcking chauvinist!?"

oOoOoOoOoOo

A/N: So sorry about the delay in updates. I just finished all my courses that I need and with my practicum being next month and convention season just around the corner, I'm afraid updates will be less frequent. But that doesn't mean I'm abandoning this story – heck no! I have absolutely no intentions of giving up on this story. All I'm saying is that updates will be less frequent. May end up being one chapter a month for all I know. But I'll give you a more specific update on that next chapter... Or so.

-EPRika-