Chapter 11: Glory
Please see the bottom for Author's Note.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!
"We did it for the glory,
The glory,
Only for the glory."
-Glory: Hollywood Undead
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With another week falling through without a hitch, Dawn found herself more excited for homecoming then she thought she would be. Plans with her brother and May fell into place and she couldn't wait for a night of dancing with her two best friends; Drew and May.
Despite the bruise from the volleyball game in gym last Monday Dawn felt much better; her only reminder being that the back of her head when something hit her almost gone bruise, or else hadn't so much as spoken to Ursula since.
It seemed like La Rousse High took homecoming seriously, even the teachers dressing the part and the classes watching movies instead of learning. Dawn found herself feeling at home partaking in the many activities for school spirit.
On Wednesday there was a class meeting and the senior class met in the gym, signing up for the spirit day activities that would take place during the school day on Friday, Dawn signed up for contest battles and the girl's flag football team. The contest battles would be random, with a random partner being chosen from the others who signed up and then random other battles taken place; a tag-team completion in which she, her brother, and May were signed up for. One Pokémon had to be chosen and would be the only Pokémon that could be used the entire competition for that coordinator. There was also one for trainers which Paul, Ash, and Gary signed up for to compete.
Dawn found that the girl's flag football would be having a meeting after school on Thursday for the seniors. The boys who were on the football would be coaching and Dawn knew that her brother, Paul, and Ash would do an excellent job.
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Dawn waited on Wednesday night, her other homework already completed, for her partner for the English project and briefly wondered in Paul would be going to the homecoming dance. He didn't really seem like the dancing type.
Drew barged into her room along with Paul and he flopped onto her bed with a sigh. Dawn gave him a surprised look and looked to Paul to see if he knew. The tall male set his bag down next to her desk and pulled out his laptop so they could get started on their project.
"What's wrong with you?" Dawn poked her brother in his side causing him to wiggle out of her reach. He let out a groan as he leaned up on his elbows.
"Brianna asked me to homecoming." Drew whined and Dawn giggled.
"So are you going with her?" Dawn asked him and he rolled his eyes.
"No! I told her I was going with my friends and she got mad. She's supposed to be coming over to work on our project tonight." Drew explained and laid back down on her bed, ignoring his phone when it beeped in his hand. Dawn pulled out his cell phone and read the message.
"From Brianna: I will be over in 15 minutes, I have to finish my hair." Dawn read and Drew groaned, taking his phone back when he got up.
"Well I'm going to shower." He dragged his bag along with him and pulled her door shut behind him as he left. Her and Paul exchanged looks.
"Poor Drew, harassed by girls on a daily basis." Dawn said and Paul shrugged.
"Maybe if he would get a girlfriend they would leave him alone." Paul suggested and then turned his attention to their research paper.
After an hour or so of typing up their paper, the two found that they were almost done. It wasn't due for a few more weeks and they were ahead of schedule, but they still had to make a presentation.
"Should we start making our presentation next Wednesday?" Dawn asked and Paul nodded in agreement.
"Sure, I'm guessing you're busy this Saturday?" He asked and put his hands behind his head and leaned back in the desk chair. She nodded, May had already planned on coming over so the two could help each other get ready on Saturday.
"Yeah, May is coming over so we can get ready." Dawn explained and Paul nodded in agreement. He pulled out a textbook from his school bag and took a pencil from her desk.
"Do you mind if I do homework?" The football player asked and set his opened textbook in his lap.
"Sure go ahead, I'm going to get something to eat. Do you want anything?" Dawn stood up from her bed and glanced at the book in his lap. Advanced Calculus.
"I'll just have water." He said as he wrote down a problem from the book. Dawn left him in her room with the door open and walked down the hallway. She passed her brother's open door and peeked inside when she walked past.
Her brother was seated on the floor on his room between his desk and bed, Brianna seated against his bed with her laptop open and papers spread on the floor between them.
"Do you want anything from the kitchen?" Dawn said and poked her head around the doorframe, watching the brunette girl. Brianna sent her a glare as she irrupted.
"Bring me a water dear sister?" Drew said and Dawn nodded, Brianna didn't say anything so Dawn left them to her own accord and went downstairs. She pulled out two waters from the fridge and an orange from the fruit bowl for herself.
With the bottoms of her sweatpants dragging along behind her, the blunette made her way back to the stairs, pausing at the hallway near the garage when she heard her father's laugh coming from the master bedroom down the hallway. Dawn briefly wondered when he had gotten home, when a woman's giggle accompanied the laughter of her father.
That was not her step-mother's laugh.
The door to the master bedroom opened and Dawn bolted up the stairs so no one would spot her. She was silent as she waited around the corner at the top of the stairs, clutching the water bottles and her orange in her hands as she waited for the person to appear around the corner.
A familiar woman came around the corner and Dawn could barely see her as the woman opened the door to the garage preparing to leave. Her sapphire eyes widened at the sight of the secretary that worked for her father. Clair.
The garage door closed and Dawn went back down the hallway towards her brother's room. She stopped as his open door and found him and Brianna still in the same spots they were before. Drew must have seen something because she was up within in insist, pulling the door shut behind him as he pushed her out into the empty hallway.
"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a horror movie." Drew held her arms sternly, as though he feared what she had to say.
"Drew, I saw….. I saw Clair downstairs with Dad. They were laughing." Dawn stuttered and felt tears prickle at the corners of her eyes. The look at her brother's face was undeniable, he was mad, scared, confused, all at the same time.
"Are you sure Dawn?" He said and took his hands off her arms when he saw her squirm. He rubbed his temples with his fingers.
"I'm going to talk to him Dawn." Drew stated and put his hand back on his doorknob then took it back, as though he changed his mind. He took one of the water bottles from her arms and took a large drink. He set the cap back on and walked towards her room where Paul gave them a glance from his textbook as they entered
"Hey." Drew greeted and took a seat beside her on the bed. Paul looked at him before turning his dark eyes at her. She felt as though they could see right through her.
"What did you get for problem 20 in the book?" Paul asked and Drew shrugged and stood up.
"I don't know, I'll go check quickly for you." Drew left the room and Paul's eyes found her. She jumped.
"Are you okay? You were gone for quite a while." Paul said and Dawn bit her lip. Her throat made it hard to swallow with how tight it was.
"I'm okay." She said and heard the door to her brother's room close. He was coming back to her room. When Drew entered with a notebook in his hand.
"I got -5." He said and Paul nodded, even though he was still watching her. "Well I got to go work on the English project."
Drew turned to give her a struggled smile, showing that he was still unhappy at the situation and left the room. Paul set his textbook on her desk and seemed to think about something for a moment before getting up.
"What are you doing?" Dawn asked when he took both the water bottle and the orange from her hands to set them on the bed beside her. He offered her a hand to help her up. She took his hand without question.
"I'm returning a favor Blue." He said and pulled her up and into his arms, hugging her to his chest. All she could think about when she hugged him when he felt judged for being poorer then her that must have been what he was talking about. Dawn wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her eyes into his body and let the tears out.
Never had she felt so free.
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"Dawn?" Her brother's voice came through her bedroom door but she never heard it, Drew opened her door anyways and found his sister asleep on her bed. She was curled tight as if to protect herself from her dreams.
"She's been asleep for a while." Drew found Paul, sitting at the desk with a textbook open. The purple-haired male looked to the sleeping girl, then back to the older sibling. "Cried herself to sleep."
"Thanks for taking care of her. I was pissed off." Drew shoved his hands in his pants and then stepped out. "Brianna left, want to play on the Xbox?"
"Sure." Paul picked up his books and put them in his backpack, picking it up and following Drew out the door.
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"Alright girls." It was Thursday and the meeting for the girl's flag football team was taking place on the field at the back of the school on the soccer field. Dawn let out a yawn and looked around and let her eyes linger on the soccer goals on either side. She couldn't wait for the spring season.
"Dawn?" The blunette looked to see another girl, Rebecca, running the meeting. The tall blonde held a clipboard and the rest of the girls turned towards the blunette to look at her.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Dawn blushed as the other girls let out giggles.
"Have you ever played before?" Rebecca asked again and Dawn nodded in approval.
After roll call the girls gathered around, there was exactly 10 girls for the senior team. Just enough to that everyone could play the entire game. Rebecca seemed to be their leader and ran the meeting. She told rules and when they would be playing.
"Remember girls, we play at 1:00 tomorrow against the junior class, be out on the field by 12:45 dressed and ready." Rebecca reminded and the girls got up to leave. Dawn got up but Rebecca called her back.
"Dawn?" The blonde called and the blunette walked back towards her. "I'm Becky by the way."
"Yes, you're in my history class I think." Dawn gave the girl an easy smile.
"Yeah, I sit a few rows behind you but I heard that you were fast." Becky asked and Dawn shrugged.
"I guess so, depends who you ask." Dawn said and Becky grinned in challenge.
"I look forward to playing with you."
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"Drew!" The green-haired male poked his head out from his bathroom and found his sister in his room.
"Yes? I'm brushing my hair." Dawn walked towards the bathroom, watching her brother in the mirror as he combed through his thick hair.
"What should I wear? It's spirit day." Dawn said and her brother shrugged.
"Just wear my jersey? You can do it today because it's spirit day." Drew nodded towards his duffel bag that held his football gear sitting by his desk.
"I know that Drew. But I was thinking that May could wear your jersey and I could wear someone else's. I want to match May.'" Dawn explained but her brother wasn't really paying attention to what she said, he was too busy making sure his hair laid straight.
"So I can take it?" Dawn bit her lip so she wouldn't giggle at his lack of attention.
"Yeah, sure." He shrugged and Dawn snatched his jersey from his bag on her way out the door.
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"Here May." Dawn offered her brother's jersey to her brunette friend, who looked shocked to see it.
"He actually agreed? I didn't want to be the only girl that didn't get to wear one." May looked around and Dawn followed her eyes, seeing the spare jerseys of football players on almost every girl in the high school.
"He wasn't really paying attention but I did ask." Dawn giggled as may put on the jersey, folding it over on her black shorts. The two had agreed to black shorts and wearing one sock of each of the school's colors; Green and Red.
"Blue?" Dawn turned at her nickname and found Paul standing behind her with his duffel bag over his shoulder and his hands in his pockets. He wore what he usually wore on Fridays; his jersey tucked into dark jeans and his black tennis shoes.
"Hey Paul." Dawn smiled at him, he didn't return it but looked at May instead as she fixed the jersey to fit better.
"You're not wearing Hayden's jersey?" He asked and Dawn nodded towards May.
"I offered it to May instead." Dawn shrugged. Paul pulled his bag in front of him and opened it, moving out of the way of the moving students so he would have more room for himself.
"Here, wear mine." Paul produced his spare jersey, the red number 52 showing outcast from the green background, he held it out towards her.
"It's okay, you don't have too." Dawn blushed, kind-hearted as she was and didn't want anyone to do something they didn't want to. The purple-haired male rolled his eyes after he zipped his gym bag back up.
"Wear it for me then." He put it in her hand and took off towards his locker as the first warning bell rang out, warning students to go to their first class of the day. May let out a girlish squeal and jumped up and down.
"He's got it bad! So bad for you girl!" May giggled and Dawn blushed, pulling the jersey quickly over her head. The butterflies flying through her stomach as she pulled May to their history classroom for attendance.
After a quick attendance they were released to the gym for the coordinating completion, gathering on the far side where Dawn spotted her brother in the crowd of the other coordinators.
The green-haired male did a double take at his sister, stretching out the jersey on her so he could read the number clearly.
"Are you wearing Paul's jersey?" He questioned, then looked to May, "Are you wearing my jersey?!" Drew looked back and forth between them.
"Drew I asked you this morning!" Dawn explained and her brother huffed.
"No you didn't!" He retorted and they each crossed their arms.
"Yes I did! You were too busy brushing your hair!" Dawn explained and Mrs. Fantasia clapped her hands together to call the attentions of the coordinators to her.
"Okay, everyone will receive a number. Then find the number of our partner from the screen on the contest board." Fantasia explained and started handing out numbered cards to the coordinators at random.
Dawn found her number on the screen and looked for the number that matched hers. After a few moments she found that her brother and May were partners already discussing battle plans to her left.
"Hey." Dawn jumped at the voice and found a familiar pink-haired girl waving the number see was looking for in her hand.
"Hello Ursula." Dawn greeted and put both hands on her number card, Ursula huffed yet didn't say anything.
"Okay! The students will be filing in soon! Please make your way to the bleachers until your team in called!" The coordinators found the bleachers in the gym they were to sit at and Dawn made sure to sit next to her tag-team partner.
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Drew's Flygon and May's Beautifly made a fearless team. Dawn watched as they took out their competition with teamwork and she was proud of their friends as they performed. She and Ursula found themselves in the quarter finals because of lucky strikes and her Prinplup's saves against no other then her brother and May.
"Prinplup, metal claw on Beautifly!" Dawn called and her penguin type charged fearlessly at the bug-type, who simply fluttered out of reach. Beside her the two dragon types were locked in a battle of strength.
"Beautifly silver wind!" May ordered and her Pokémon did as asked.
"Bubblebeam Prinplup! Quickly!" Dawn said and found that both attacks hit. Both pokemon were knocked out.
Recalling her pokemon she gave May a small wave which the brunette returned. Ursula's Gabite became no match for Drew's Flygon and they found themselves out of the completion.
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With Drew and May winning the tag-team battles for the senior class. Dawn settled back in the bleachers to watch the trainers as they competed in the tag-team competition.
Ash's Pikachu teamed up with Gary's Blasitose to make up a well matched team with both speed and power on their sides. They easily battled their way so the finals with effortless teamwork.
Dawn watch as Paul took the field with none other than Kai as his partner. He released a large grass and ground type Torterra that shook the ground with power. Kai released his Bayleaf beside it.
"Pikachu thunderbolt!" The small electric type was more powerful then it seemed as it released a shock that even Bayleaf could feel.
"Blasitose rapid spin on Torterra!" The giant tortoise withdrew into it's shell before launching at the offending Torterra. Paul smirked in the trainer's box, at ease even in battle.
"Frenzy plant." Large vines wrapped around the small mouse and stopped Blasitose in its flight.
"Bayleaf, solarbeam!" The plant type charged a powerful beam and Torterra released Gary and Ash's pokemon before the beam hit.
"Blasitose!" Gary called, and hung his head when he saw that his pokemon was out for the battle. He recalled it into his ball and looked to Ash. Pikachu was barely standing.
"Leaf Storm." Paul's voice lead to the end of the battle as Pikachu was too exhausted to move, letting the sharp leaves cause it to faint.
"Go Paul!" Drew stood up and whistled at the battle ended, the students erupting into cheers as the battles came to a close.
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"Congratulations Paul, Torterra is very strong." Dawn called as she walked beside the tall male as they met up with the others. Paul smirked.
"Easy when you're battling idiots." He said and both Ash and Gary frowned in his direction.
"Hey!" Ash called and gave him a frown.
"Good job man." Drew patted his friend on the shoulder and gave him a knowing smirk. Dawn turned when a hand touched her shoulder and found May standing there.
"I think they're serving lunch soon, I'm starving." May patted her stomach though the jersey and Dawn giggled.
"You're always hungry May." Dawn said and May pouted in response. May heard something another student said behind them and then dragged her friend towards the lunch room.
"Come on! We're having lunch!" May called and Dawn followed her into the crowd, happy to eat lunch with her friend for a chance. They had different lunch periods during the day so they never got to eat together.
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"Hut!" Dawn took off, cutting around the poor defense from the junior class and turned around. The football came towards her and she barely caught it before she felt hands pushing at her to run, pulling at her to stop.
Breaking free she ran, running and leaving the rest behind her and she ran the half of the field they used for the girl's game. She found herself in the end zone with almost half the space behind him.
"Woo!" It was her brother she heard calling out to her from the sidelines. The junior class signed in defeat, knowing that their playing was over to the day. Dawn jogged back to her teammates as they started walking back to the sidelines.
"You're really good Dawn!" Rebecca gave the girl a smile and handed her a water bottle from the bench.
"That's my sister!" Drew ruffled her hair causing almost half of it to fall out of her loose ponytail.
"Drew!" Dawn scolded and made him hold her water bottle as she pulled out her hairband to fix her hair back into a ponytail.
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Winning against the sophomore were easily and the senior class dominated the events of homecoming. Dawn smiled as her homecoming experience in Hoenn turned out great, she was tired when school ended and found her brother along with May by his car in the parking lot.
"Hey, we are having dinner with the whole team." Drew explained, "Do you want to take my car home? Or you can stay with May until the game?"
"Come with me!" May said and pulled on her arm childishly, Dawn smiled.
"I'll go with May, I'll see you at the game okay?" Dawn said and her brother pulled her up into a hug, squeezing her tight and setting her back on her feet.
"Me too!" Ash grabbed both of the girls pulling them into a group hug with him as the three laughed.
"I want to hug Drew's hot sister!" Gary's arms came around her quickly.
"Gary!" Drew yelled and the brunette male dropped her on her feet, taking off across the parking lot with her brother on the brunette's heels. She giggled at his protective nature.
"Are you coming? We have to go get Max." May said and Dawn went to follow her. She paused in mid-step when a voice called.
"You're forgetting something." Paul's voice sounded and she smiled, jumping into his arms and surprising him into catching her into a hug.
"No I'm not." She said and slid down his chest but he held her fast against him.
"Finally!" May called from a few feet away and Dawn blushed. She realizing what she had done.
"Not so fast little Blue." Paul chuckled and held her with one arm and stroked a line of scruff along his chin.
"What?" She asked. She could feel her cheeks heat and he looked at her with wild eyes.
"You forgot to thank me today. For letting you wear my jersey." He explained and she smiled up at him.
"Thanks Paul." The blunette hugged him quickly then took off to chase after May, the excitement of homecoming causing her calm nature to become nonexistent.
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"Hey, I think that's Misty. She's the one who's wearing Ash's jersey." May pointed out an orange-haired girl who sat on the bleachers behind them. Dawn looked and saw that the girl did indeed wear Ash's number on the jersey she wore.
"I've never met her before." Dawn shrugged and looked to the field, seeing that the football players were still in the meeting with their coach.
"Hey Dawn, we'll be heading home now." Dawn turned to find her father standing a few feet away with Rose. Dawn looked between the two of them, so happy together. Rose didn't know what was going on at home.
"Okay, Bye." Dawn turned back to the field so she wouldn't have to see them leave together. She swallowed the lump in her throat and pulled the blanket that was around her over her nose.
"Hey they're done, let's go." May held up the rope and Dawn went under it onto the field. She found her brother in the middle where he usually was with Ash and Paul.
"Hey, Dawn, May, this is Misty." Ash introduced the orange-haired girl they saw earlier and they each greeted her warmly with a smile and a wave. Which she returned.
"Hello Mr. Shinji." A voice sounded and Paul immediately greeted the older man with a handshake. Dawn moved to the side near her brother and pulled May with her so they were out of the way.
"Those are the scouts from before." Dawn explained to the two as they hid off to the side where they could still see the scouts.
"This is my brother, Reggie." Paul said and Dawn looked over at the introduction. Paul's brother was tall, matching the height of Paul, but his hair was longer and held back by a ponytail at his neck.
"Greetings Reggie, you have quite the brother here." The scout laughed and Reggie laughed, putting a supportive hand on Paul's shoulder.
"Yes, he is quite the athlete." Reggie said and the scout looked at the clipboard in his hand.
"Well Paul, I was hoping to set up a meeting sometime with you to discuss a full ride. Here's my card." Paul took the white business card that the man handed him. "Give me a call sometime?"
"I will sir." Paul nodded and the scout walked off with a wave heading back off the field.
"Hey Reggie." Drew called as soon as the scout was out of hearing range and the older male gave the twin a smile.
"Hi Drew, it's always great to see you! And is this Dawn?" Reggie's eyes caught hers and she blushed when Paul smirked and nodded in her direction.
"Hello Dawn I'm Reggie, Paul's brother. I hope he isn't to rude to you." Reggie laughed when Paul rolled his eyes. "And you're even wearing his jersey? I thought she was just your project partner!"
"Reggie." Paul snapped and turned away to look around the field as his brother laughed.
"Well I'll be leaving, it was nice meeting you Dawn! You should come over sometime." Reggie gave a wave as he started to walk away.
Dawn let out a squeak when May's elbow dug into her ribs and she remembered that she should give Paul's jersey back once they walked towards the school.
"Let's go, I'm sweaty." Drew stated and pulled his sister and May under his arms.
"Gross!" May pushed his arm off and Dawn wiggled out to walk behind them with Paul.
"You're brother's nice." Dawn said and Paul looked to catch sight of his brother in the distance.
"Yeah, he's the nice one in the family." Paul said and they walked up to the school, she slipped his jersey off and gave it to him. May gave Drew back his jersey too.
"Thanks again Paul." Dawn said and he rolled his eyes, heading into the school with Drew to change.
Dawn smiled after him even though he couldn't see it, butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
She was happy that Paul's glory got him a scholarship with the University of Hoenn.
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This is the longest chapter so far!
And i'd like to know if anyone is interested, but I am thinking of re-writing the story "Protecting Her" that is under my former account Bradley8155
Would anyone be interested? Please let me know!
Please review!
Bradley