Update July 2013: This chapter has been updated and revised from its original version. Past errors have been fixed and adjustments have been made but the plot of the chapter, characters, and events have remained the same.

Responses to Reviews...
Pear-Shaped: It's always sad to see someone suffer the consequences of waiting too late for someone. :( If that made sense, that is... And he didn't exactly "dash off"; he did tell May that he was leaving. ;D
OrangesAreAwesome: Congrats! Good thing I love oranges, eh? :D Of course I forgive you!
tinytogipilover: Thank you so much for recommending my story to your friends! There may not be a fight involving the three of them together directly, but there will be some drama involving them indirectly. I hope that made sense, haha.
KittyRin: Thanks! Six more chapters to go; you'll see!
The Mysterious E: Haha!
Liellana: Thanks! I got your other reviews, too! I really appreciate it! :D
Pokemaster: Darn you; how'd you know? xD I don't hate him! I just don't know why I decided to kill him off...
Blitz: It's winter where you are? It's near the beginning of summer here! I want to visit Singapore! My aunt tells me it's a really clean and beautiful country! If only I spoke Singaporean...would Cantonese work there? :P
SunshineTails: HAHAHAH! I love how you worded that! Yes, sh*t did go down last chapter, and it's about to go down again! xD And you'll see what happens! I'll have to check out that song soon!
The Last Poison Apple: Haha, well, some stories have more than two guys going after one girl. Gary, Drew, and Brendan do tend to have multiple fan girls, after all, so I figured, why not make May have three guys going after her? Well, two guys now. xD
SpikEarPichu'sTrainer: I wish I had a shiny eeveelution! Actually, I kind of don't, because I would have difficulty deciding which eeveelution I would want to evolve my eevee into. D;
chiiee. 28: Thank you so much! Unfortunately, I don't think I will be continuing on with Patience is Rewarded; I just don't know where I want to go with it. I may have to rewrite it someday. :\
Claudette14: Please, babbling's fun! Thank you so much! Saying that about my story means a lot! I can't believe it's already almost over, too! Waah, I was having fun writing it. xD Well, this story is called Love Unexpected, right?
Monochrome13: Really? I didn't think it was intense enough! xD
Inkorporated: Lol, didn't it? xD Drew will find out...eventually. I'm actually going on another obsession phase with snickerdoodle cookies. They're so good!
EeveeTransformed: Hahah! See? I knew you'd be early someday! Thanks for everything in your review!
LoveLoverGrl: I know!
Jace'sVampiress97: Haha! Well, boys will be boys! I feel like Jimmy would have the most fun out of everyone. You know him. xD
Angel-of-Energy: It's alright! You're still reading and reviewing—that's what matters!
shanasakura-scarlet21: Hahah! Thank you so much! I have someone who understands me! :)
liellana: Haha, thanks for the two reviews!
xDragonairx: I seriously planned to end my fic in spring! I didn't even think about it that way, though! That's such a good idea! Thanks! :D
DrewlovesMay: Aw, but we love Gary!
FlygonFan: Lol, poor Paul and Gary! Why do you hate them?
61wisampa: Well, hello there new reader! Nice to meet you! Thanks for reading and what you said to me! :D
Yuri. Alisa18: Yes, I made them look as sexy (but not slutty!) as possible! ;D
DreamlessDirt: I know; they never met! D: But I cant make it happen in my story! xD Well, you have to give them something sweet before you give them something bitter!
necrouge: Saturday is actually the day that I promised everyone, but sometimes I end up being an hour or so late. I want to thank you so much for taking your time to read all 33 chapters! Sorry about not making any scenes seen through the eyes of lillipup (I know; I love him, too!) but I only ever write scenes through the eyes of a pokémon if absolutely necessary!
UltimateLoveStorys: D:
LuvAllPokemon: Yes! Every story needs drama! xD
parkhyunjae: It's alright! Thank you for reviewing!
PorcelainDollxx: Thank you! You're awesome! :D
Ruby Romance: Well, it is called Love Unexpected! :D That's what I've always said; late is better than never! Thank you so much for reading!
Sora-May: Thanks so much! That's perfectly fine! I don't care how short the review is as long as you actually reviewed! :)

Love Unexpected chapter 34

Brianna giggled as she bounced up and down in time with the music along with the other people on the dance floor. Brendan bounced alongside her, watching with a grin on his face as she sang along to the newly changed song.

The pattern of the lights had changed to match the rhythm of the upbeat music. Instead of revolving like a kaleidoscope, they were flickering all over the place at rapid speed, flashing one place a certain color before shooting to the next. It was pretty and fun, making the room feel very much like a dance club.

"I never pictured you as the dancing type!" Brendan called to Brianna over the pound of the loud music.

"This isn't dancing!" Brianna called back with a laugh. "This is just bouncing in place!"

"Oh, really? Then what is dancing with you?"

"I'll show you when the time comes!"

Brendan couldn't help but to laugh again.

Brianna joined along, allowing her eyes to wander as she continued to bounce in place. She could pick out a few people that she knew out of the large crowd, six of which were friends that she had just made on Christmas Day.

Jimmy and Marina were bouncing on the dance floor just a little ways away from her and Brendan. They were drawing the attention from a couple of people, though it was probably most likely just due to Marina's beauty.

Cam and Natalie were off to the side, mingling with a group of their own friends, while Dawn and Paul were busy stuffing their faces over by a table. Or rather, Paul was stuffing his face; Dawn was attempting to get him on the dance floor. Sadly, she tried so to no avail.

As for May: she was nowhere to be seen.

Drew, Brianna could see, was moving through the crowd to get to an area unknown. He was tall, but he wasn't exactly the tallest person in the room; she was only able to identify him by the head full of green hair. It appeared as if he were trying to get to the door, but right before he reached the doorway, he made a sudden turn over to a table.

Brianna craned her neck to get a better look, and found May desperately downing a glass of punch. She stopped dancing to point the sight out to Brendan, whose forehead immediately creased with worry. He stopped dancing, too.

"May! Is everything okay?" Drew asked as he approached the brunette, watching with concern as she gulped down half of her punch. "You were gone for a while."

"Yeah, I'm fine," assured May, rather breathlessly. "I was just really thirsty, that's all."

Drew cocked an eyebrow at the freshly empty glass in her hand.

"I see that," he said. He raised the other when she went on to refill the cup. "Extremely thirsty now, aren't we?"

Another breathless response. "Yes. Absolutely."

Drew remained silent for a moment, watching May as she downed one cup and refilled it to gulp down some more. It was so obvious that something was wrong with her, and he wondered why she was keeping it to herself. She had taken a little longer in the bathroom than an average person did. He wondered if something had happened to her; he just didn't buy her thirsty excuse.

"May," he began softly as he reached out to grab her wrist, "did something happen?"

May sighed and placed her glass of punch on her table. Of course he'd see right through her. He was her boyfriend, after all.

"Something did happen," she admitted reluctantly. "But it's nothing that I want to talk about right now. Could I tell you later?"

Drew nodded slowly, unsure of his decision to do so. He wanted to find out right then and there, but if May wanted to talk about it later, he would respect her wish.

With a pressed smile, he reached out to cup her face in his hand so that he could pull it in to himself. He pressed a kiss to her forehead for the second time that night.

To May's absolute grief and horror, a memory of the time Gary kissed her forehead at prom invaded her mind. Her stomach did a flop, but not in a good way. She couldn't help but feel as if she were currently betraying Drew. He was her boyfriend, and she was thinking about Gary as he was kissing her.

It was a terrible moment of déjà vu.

"Whatever it is, don't think about it too much, sweetheart," he told her once he pulled away. "Whatever it is, it'll be fine."

May tried her best to muster a smile.

"Yeah. It will be," she said, trying to convince herself.

Hopefully, she added as an afterthought in her head.

"Hey! What are you two doing over here?" Brianna exclaimed, appearing before the young couple, who jumped slightly in surprise. "Shouldn't you both be over there dancing?"

"Yeah, why aren't you two dancing?" Brendan asked as he came up beside Brianna. He turned to May to study her expression. "May, I thought you loved this song."

"I do, but I'm not really in the mood to dance right now," May informed.

Brendan watched as she pressed her lips into a straight line. It was a habit of hers whenever she was uneasy or uncomfortable that he had come to know over the years, and he frowned upon recognition. He knew there was something wrong with her, and he gave Brianna a look just as Drew eyed May with concern.

"Are you sure you don't want to dance?" Drew asked. "This is one of your favorite songs."

"Yeah, I'm sure," May insisted. "You go on and dance first. I'll catch up with you in a bit."

"But—"

"Drew, let's just leave May be and go dance," Brianna piped before Drew could get out another word. "May can catch up with us later when she feels ready."

"You two go on ahead," Brendan said, his eyes not leaving May's face. "I'm going to see if I can get this girl onto the dance floor before the song ends."

Before May or Drew could object, Brianna had already dragged Drew into the direction of the dance floor. As his head was turned, she threw a quick look over her shoulder at Brendan, which he responded to with an understanding nod.

Once she disappeared into the crowd with Drew, he turned back to May with a solemn expression. She had refilled her glass of punch.

"What was that all about?" she asked as she took a sip.

"We knew something was wrong with you, so we planned something to get Drew away," Brendan answered simply.

The brunette shook her head without looking at him. "There's nothing wrong with me."

"How long have we been friends? I know you better than that, May."

Rather than answering, May simply took a sip of her drink.

Brendan scowled. "Stop drinking. You're going to get drunk."

May snorted.

"This isn't even an alcoholic punch," she scoffed, and then resumed her drinking.

"Was it Gary?"

May paused just as the beverage reached her lips, coating them. She pulled the glass away as she turned around to look at him in disbelief.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"I saw him wandering around here, but he left soon after you left. So I figured he went looking for you."

"Oh."

May finally set down her glass of punch. She sighed as she reached for a napkin from the pile beside the punch bowl.

Brendan studied her face while she wiped her lips, noting how stressed she looked. She had done a good job of hiding it from Drew, but once he was gone, her mask crumbled. The look in her eyes was distant, as if she weren't really there. Her lips were still pressed together in the same straight line. She looked as if she were battling with something inside of herself.

"What happened, May?" he finally asked.

May slowly turned to face him. She found him staring her with a look in his amber eyes that practically dared her to oppose him. It dared her to deny him the story and truth that he wanted from her. She sighed heavily before telling him.

"He told me he loved me," she began to confess in a rush, just wanting to get it all out, causing Brendan to pull back in shock. "That he still loved me. And he told me how he missed me all the time and how the past couple weeks have been hell for him without me. His grandfather's sick and he's been having some problems at the lab. He just looked so stressed out and completely not his usual, cheerful self.

"Then, he just dumped the entire truth on me. How he's loved me for years, but never told me. How he thinks he waited too late to tell me because I'm dating Drew now. How he regrets not telling me sooner." She sucked in a shaky breath. "I broke his heart. I broke his heart, and I didn't even realize that I broke it. And now, I'm stuck feeling like I'm betraying Drew because I let Gary's words confuse the crap out of my heart. I don't know what to do now!"

Brendan could feel himself scowling.

"Why didn't he say anything to you before you went traveling with Drew?" he asked.

"That's what I want to know!" May exclaimed angrily before the anger ebbed and she went back to looking lost. "Why couldn't he just tell me sooner? This whole thing could have been avoided if he had just told me sooner."

"Do you really wish that he had told you sooner?"

May blinked in surprise and met his eyes. "What?"

"Do you really wish that he had told you sooner?" Brendan repeated. "You do realize that—had he really told you sooner—everything that happened in the past few months wouldn't have happened. You probably never would have gone traveling with Drew, and your relationship with him never would have happened.

"Do you really wish that it never happened? Aren't you happy with your relationship?" He paused to let the words sink in before asking one final question. "Don't you love him?"

"I-I do," May stuttered after a moment. "I really do love Drew. But it just makes me so angry that Gary would wait until now to tell me. If he loved me as much as he said then he should have made an effort to change my mind like you did!"

May blanched after blurting out the last sentence, worried that the sentence would bring back unwanted memories. The last thing she needed at that moment was for Brendan to rediscover his feelings for her. She didn't want to have to break his heart, too...again.

Brendan simply sighed, making May's breath hitch. But it wasn't for the reason that she thought; he simply pitied her for being so overwhelmed in such a short amount of time. She had only been laughing it up with her friends a mere few hours ago. It was amazing how much had changed and happened.

"Look, how about we just go and enjoy the rest of the party?" he suggested. "I know you're in no mood to, but it makes no sense to just sulk around for the rest of it. You wouldn't want to make Drew worry, would you? Just enjoy the party and you can sort everything out later.

"You're just feeling overwhelmed now—that's why you're so confused. Just forget about everything for the rest of the party and maybe it'll all become clear by the time we get back to the cabin."

May rubbed her lips together in a straight line, another uncomfortable habit of hers. She didn't know if she would be able to "just forget about everything for the rest of the party" if she couldn't even forget about everything for a second. Gary's words plagued her mind and weighed heavily on her heart. They left her utterly torn.

But she eventually nodded and followed Brendan back to the dance floor. He was right: it made little sense to sulk around for the rest of the party. Not only would it result in nothing, but it would only serve to make all of her friends worry—make Drew worry. She would cheer up and forget everything for his sake, even if it were just for the time being.

"Good girl," Brendan grinned as May walked alongside him. "Now, can you smile for me, beautiful?"

May actually found herself grinning a real grin. Leave it to her best friend, Brendan, to get a genuine smile out of her even in her most troubled of times. She even leaned into him when he slung his arm around her shoulders.

"So eager to get back to Brianna, huh?" she teased, enjoying the slight blush that painted across Brendan's cheeks.

"Hey, I help cheer you up and you go ahead and tease me? What's wrong with you?" he joked.

"Now, what kind of a best friend would I be if I didn't tease the crap out of you?" May grinned goofily. "Do you like her?"

"I don't know if I do or not," Brendan shrugged, feigning nonchalance though the smile on his lips said otherwise. "All I know is that she makes me feel funny."

May cooed at his words and they both bursted with laughter as they got closer to Drew and Brianna, who both eyed the two of them with concern.

May smiled at Drew, making him breath out in relief when he saw how honest it was. Meanwhile, Brendan gave Brianna a wink as he slipped his arms around her waist, to which she giggled and gave him a discreet thumbs up.

And that's how the rest of the party went: happy, fun, and completely trouble-free. May danced her heart out and enjoyed the time that she got to spend with her boyfriend and friends.

Brendan and Brianna got along very well, too. They spent most of the night in each other's company and even danced to a slow song in a very intimate embrace. It was wonderful, and Brendan enjoyed every minute of it.

All four of them eventually reunited with the rest of their friends in time to watch the big ball drop. They drove to the heart of the city, where they joined in on the countdown with the rest of Lilycove City.

Drew was ecstatic to be counting down with May. It was their second new year after meeting each other and he couldn't be more happy about the fact that they were actually spending it together—and as a couple, no less. He delighted in the fact that she seemed to be sharing the same thought.

"Ten!" everyone began to count as the ball inched ever closer to the bottom of the pole. "Nine! Eight! Seven! Six!"

"Hey, May?" Drew shouted over the counting. "Do you know what's so great about this New Year's Eve?"

"What?" May shouted back, straining to hear him over the loud noise as the crowd counted down to three.

Drew grabbed her around the waist, smiling cheekily at her bewildered expression.

"It's the fact that I can get a New Year's kiss from you," he said, and then captured her lips just as the crowd completed the countdown.

Cheers and hollers erupted from the crowd, filling the city with the loud welcome for the new year. Couples kissed, family and friends embraced, and everyone rejoiced in the arrival of the new year and welcomed it. Gone was the old year—a new year had arrived, one for new memories to be made. Celebrations for the arrival commenced immediately.

May and her friends wound up retiring to Jimmy's cabin about an hour after the ball dropped. New parties were starting and old parties were still going on, but they weren't in the mood to party anymore. They were all exhausted and wanted nothing more but to get home and into their warm beds. A midnight snack was a possibility, but as far as they all knew, sleep was their first priority.

However, Jimmy appeared to have other plans once they arrived back at his cabin. While everyone trudged their way into the living room, completely drained of their energy, he practically skipped down the hallway and into the family room, dragging a groggy Cam with him. By the time the two of them reached the family room, the dark-haired guy was nearly dead on his feet.

Natalie simply yawned at the absence of her boyfriend, not even bothering to go after him. Instead, she shed her coat and shoes on her way past one of the living room couches. Carrying them both in her hands, she headed to the nearest staircase.

"I'll be down after my shower," she informed, pausing afterward to let out another yawn. "If not, then I probably slipped into a coma in bed. Tell Cam for me, somebody?"

"Natalie, wait," Dawn piped, waving her hand as she scurried over to Natalie's side. "Walk with me. I may not make it to the second floor if I walk by myself."

Natalie nodded once, her eyelids already drooping from fatigue as she turned back around to look at their friends.

"Anyone else?" she asked.

Brianna, May, Marina, and Paul were the ones to follow the two of them upstairs. Since there were a total six bathrooms in the entire cabin, each of them were able to have one shower to themselves.

As they did that, Brendan and Drew went to the family room to see what Cam and Jimmy were up to, only to find Cam sprawled out on the armchair, deep in sleep.

Jimmy had gone to the kitchen to pick up a midnight snack—a bag of chips for himself, a jar of his cookies for Paul, and popcorn for everyone else.

"Who wants to see a movie?" he asked vigorously, far too energetic for anyone else in the house to compare to.

Drew groaned and Cam changed position in his sleep.

"No. No movies, Jimmy," Brendan mumbled from where he lay on the couch, his voice muffled by a pillow.

Jimmy seemed to be lost in thought under the doorway of the family room with the snacks in hand. After a short moment, his face lit up with an idea.

"Alright then. Let's do karaoke!" he exclaimed.

A collective groan filled the air.

Paul was the first out of the six who had gone to take showers to leave the bathroom. Once he was dressed in his pajamas, he retired to bed, only to be stirred awake by Dawn when she was finished with her shower. After much effort and strain on her part, she successfully managed to drag Paul back down to the family room, where they found Jimmy bellowing at the top of his lungs into a microphone, singing along to a song on the karaoke machine.

Paul narrowed his eyes.

"Jim, shut up and go take a shower," he commanded. "Now, before I unplug that stupid karaoke machine."

"Aw, Paul!" Jimmy cried in complaint, nearly deafening everyone when he accidentally spoke into the microphone. "Lighten up a bit. It's New Year's!"

"Jimmy, now, before I break your microphone!"

Jimmy grumbled and shoved his microphone into Drew's unwilling hands. He continued to grumble on his way to the second floor, passing May on the way.

She greeted him, but he didn't seem to acknowledge her, and so she shrugged him off and continued on her way to the family room.

"Bathroom's open for anyone who wants to use it," she announced upon arrival, and immediately went to sit beside Drew on the floor. She eyed the microphone in his hand with a cocked eyebrow. "You're singing karaoke?"

"No," Drew scoffed. "Jimmy shoved the mic in my hand."

"Drew, could you hold that for me? Or someone else?" Cam asked, springing up from the armchair that he had been dozing on. "I'm going to see if I can beat Jimmy back down here after I shower. I want a chance to sing before he hogs the thing up again."

Drew shrugged and handed the microphone off to May, who frowned and stuck it back into the karaoke machine. She pushed herself off the ground and went over to sit on the couch in between Dawn and a sleeping Brendan. With a light tap on his shoulder, she woke him up.

"Hey, the bathrooms are open," she informed him. "Go take a shower before you sleep."

Brendan responded with a yawn and slowly pushed himself off the couch. He trudged to the nearest bathroom after retrieving his pajamas, still utterly exhausted. By the time he managed to finish his shower, everyone had already returned to the family room.

Dawn had her head resting on Brianna's shoulder, who had her head resting on Dawn's, while the other shoulder was occupied by Natalie. Drew sat off to the side playing a video game of sorts on the ground with May and Marina, who had her back facing Paul. The guy was sitting on the armchair, lazily stuffing one cookie into his mouth and chewing slowly before stuffing in another.

As for Jimmy and Cam, they were practically wrestling each other for the microphone on the floor.

"Dude! I love this song! Let me at it!" Jimmy cried and lunged for the microphone in Cam's hand.

The guy simply held a hand in front of Jimmy's face, while the other kept the microphone high up in the air and out of Jimmy's reach.

"Oh, no you don't, Jim," he said. "You already sang enough. My turn, dude."

"I own the damn machine, Cam!"

"Yeah, and I bought you this karaoke CD for Christmas!"

"So? It's the person that owns the machine who calls the shots!"

May couldn't help but laugh at the lighthearted banter between the two friends.

Brendan followed the sound of her laughter, and glanced over at her with relief. She was actually laughing—and the sound was genuine, not forced. She was genuinely happy, despite everything that had happened with Gary at the party, which only meant two things: either she managed to forget the incident for the time being, or she simply wouldn't let it bother her anymore. Somehow, Brendan knew it to be the latter.

And it was, or so Brendan and May thought.

The three days following New Year's Day, which were the last that they would all spend together before going their separate ways, had gone by smoothly. In those three days, May did often find herself remembering the incident, but she no longer had that feeling of guilt or of being torn. She was sure of her feelings for Drew; the incident wasn't affecting her anymore.

Brendan had been right; she had simply been overwhelmed, which led to the onslaught of troubling emotions. When she finally had time to calm down, she actually believed that everything would be alright.

That was, of course, until she walked back into the family room after taking a shower the night of the third day.

Everyone was gathered around the large television screen, watching the news. One half of her friends were staring at the screen in disbelief, while the other half were actually gaping. When they turned to her with horrified expressions, she was confused.

But then she heard the announcement on the news, and she instantly dropped the towel that she was using to dry her hair.

According to the newswoman, Professor Oak had passed away the night before.

Author's Note: Yeah...how many of you saw that coming? Lol, I could not believe how many of you knew he was going to die! I thought it was going to be unexpected, but I guess not! xD Oh, well—sorry Professor Oak, and to those of you who are upset about his death! Of course, knowing me and my love for dramas, his death is going to lead to some drama next chapter, which will be when the funeral takes place. Get ready! But in the meantime, please review? :P Thanks for reading!