Chapter 14: So Far Away

A quote from my favorite band. I've seen them at least 4 times in the last 3 years, they're amazing live!

"Now and then I try to find

A place in my mind

Where you can stay,

You can stay away forever."

-So Far Away: Avenged Sevenfold

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"I'm having my usual Halloween party on Friday." Gary stated at lunch on Tuesday. Dawn looked up from her pasta on her lunch tray from her place between Drew and Paul and saw that the rest of their little group looked up in interest.

"What time?" Ash asked and played with his fork. Gary shrugged and put down his burger.

"Whenever really, you will all be at the football game but you can come whenever you want." Gary said and Dawn looked in confusion and then poked her brother's side.

"Oh, that's right. You've never been here for Halloween." Drew tapped his chin and then started to explain to her.

"Gary hosts a Halloween party every year. You know, you dress up and all that stuff, it's cool." Drew shrugged and Dawn rolled her eyes at his weak description of the event.

"I can't wait to see what you wear Drew's hot sister." Gary chuckled and then got up to dump his tray and leave the lunchroom. Dawn huffed and then looked over at Paul.

They had talked still over the weekend and he hadn't asked anymore about the weekend when she had spent the night at his house over the fight with her father. He seemed at ease around her, more comfortable and open.

"Are you going?" She twirled her fork around in her pasta. She had eaten most of it but didn't have the appetite to finish it off. The tall football player shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe." Paul spoke and Dawn nodded at his answer.

"I don't know if I'll go ether." Dawn shrugged and then her brother stole one of the peaches of her tray with his fork.

"You should go." Her brother said and chewed the fruit in his mouth, "We could go as twins."

"We are twins Drew." Dawn giggled and he smirked.

"See? It would be easy." He said and then got up as the lunch hour neared the end. She followed suit with Paul behind her.

"But that's boring." Dawn said as they walked back to their lockers, the hall was mostly empty at this time with everyone ether still in the lunchroom or their classes. Her brother shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe we'll find something." He stopped at his locker and Dawn continued on her way to her own locker down the hall.

….

….

"There!" Dawn said and set down the tape on her floor. The English poster was almost done and took up most of the space on the floor between her bed and her balcony doors. Paul looked at her from his place on the other side of the poster board.

"We just need to add some pictures and make it look good." Paul commented and Dawn agreed. Their black poster board was decorated with a sleek cut border and large letters displaying their topic. Dawn had just finished the border and title, the only thing left to do was tape on pictures and the documents they chose to include in the display.

"So are you going to Gary's party this Friday?" Dawn asked, Halloween was on Friday and she had already found a costume to wear yesterday. Paul laid on his back with his hands behind his head.

"I guess so." He agreed and Dawn giggled.

"Yay! I'm happy you're going." She admitted and his eyes glittered across the room. She felt his watchful gaze.

"Someone has to keep you out of trouble." He chuckled and she frowned, throwing the tape circle at him. It bounced off his chest lightly and rolled across the floor.

"I don't get in trouble." Dawn stuck her tongue out and got up, walking over his long legs to her desk to grab a sweater hung over the desk chair and then sat on her bed instead. She pulled the familiar black sweatshirt over her head.

"That's mine." Paul spoke from the floor.

"You let me keep it, so it's mine now." She said, poking her tongue out at him and he smirked, sitting up and meeting her eyes.

"It has my name on it." He argued and she put the hood up around her hair.

"Still mine." She said and he sat against the bed near her legs. She nudged his shoulder with her knee.

Dawn let out a squeak when he grabbed her knee and pulled her down next to him. She blushed when he caught her with his arm around her waist.

"Why are you blushing little Blue?" His voice was low and Dawn blushed harder, pulling the hood tighter around her burning cheeks.

"You're being mean!" The blunette said and he leaned closer so his nose almost touched hers.

"I thought I was being quite nice." He spoke and smirked as she hid her face in his football sweatshirt.

"Stop teasing me!" She whined and he chuckled. His fingers pulled the hood down.

"No need to hide pretty girl." He spoke and tugged on her hair lightly. She smiled at the simple display of affection, he leaned back against her bed with his fingers dancing in her hair.

She could get used to this.

….

….

"Dawn!" The blunette stopped in the hallway and waited for her brunette friend to catch up in the hall. The 17 year-old straightened out her buttoned sweater while she waited.

"Hey May." Dawn said the resumed walking with the other girl at her side.

"Sooo…." The brunette started but Dawn giggled and caused the girl to blush.

"You can wear Drew's jersey tonight if you want." Dawn winked and the other girl huffed.

"How'd you know that's what I wanted?" The brunette whined and Dawn rolled her eyes.

"Cause you won't stop acting shy around him." Dawn laughed and walked into the coordinating classroom and took a seat next to her brother who immediately turned to look at her.

"Paul talked to me today." Drew said and he held a slight frown, Dawn cocked her head in confusion and waited for him to continue. "But I can't tell you why."

"Then why did you say anything?" Dawn questioned and Drew smirked.

"He said you would know." Her brother smirked when she blushed and May giggled. Dawn had told her friend about the past weekend and the brunette had ended up crying at the tale, but teased her about Paul.

"Ohhhhh! He's got it bad!" May laughed and then high-fived Drew over the shorter girl's head.

"May's got it bad." Dawn giggled and the brunette froze, narrowing her eyes.

"Dawn!" May whined but the class was called to attention before she could continue.

…..

…..

"I have something for you May!" Dawn called and then tossed the red and green colored jersey at her friend. May smiled at the sight.

"What did you do to him? Talk him into it without knowing again?" May giggled and began to slip the jersey over her head. Dawn smirked.

"Nope! He offered it for you. Since Paul asked me to wear his jersey." The blunette modeled the jersey she was wearing; number 52. May blushed as she fit the jersey.

"He really did?" May repeated and laid down next to Dawn on the blanket she had spread out in the grass next to the football field.

"Yep! He said that he would have given it to you himself but he had to change." Dawn explained and May nodded.

After watching the game which turned out to again be in favor of the La Rousse high team. The girls bounded out towards the field with their blanket around their shoulders, finding Misty on her way to meet up with Ash.

"Hey are you guys going to Gary's Party?" The ginger asked and waved at Ash when she saw him.

"Yep, we have to go get dressed at my house." Dawn said and the red-head nodded.

"Awesome! I'll see you guys there then." Misty called and walked over to where Ash was waiting for her.

Dawn smiled and pushed May towards her brother after the brunette had taken her blanket and watched as her brother flipped his hair. May looked at her feet as Drew talked to her.

"Are you just going to ignore me then?" Dawn heard the deep voice behind her and turned around. He picked her up with his hands locked together around her back, holding her up above his height with her hips against his chest.

"No." Dawn laughed and looked down at him. It was interesting to see him so laid back; he had played an excellent game.

"Where's my congratulations for an excellent game?" He smirked and she felt the edges of his helmet against her spine. She smiled down at him.

"Congratulations." She closed her eyes and leaned down to kiss his cheek.

"Yeah! Go Paul!" Ash's shout made her blush and pull away, causing Paul to growl. He set her gently on her feet, disliking all the attention that was now on the two.

"Ash." Paul snapped and the raven haired male gulped, pulling Misty along as he headed towards the school.

Dawn followed Paul as he started walking towards the school. She caught May smirking and holding up her phone. Dawn blushed and knew May would pounce when they were away from the boys, the brunette giggled at the picture she had surely taken. Dawn blushed at the thought.

The two girls stripped off their jerseys and handed them to the boys so they could head into the school to change. The doors weren't even closed before May pounced.

"Ha! I knew it! I knew it!" May jumped up and down and then pulled her friend into a hug. "I even got a picture! Here I'll send it to you!"

The picture came seconds later and Dawn smiled. She set the picture of her and Paul as the background of her phone, they looked cute together.

"You got one of the hottest guys in school! You go girl!" May clapped her on the back and Dawn blushed. Paul was extremely good-looking.

"Mayyyy! Stop it! He's not even my boyfriend!" Dawn pushed the brunette away and the doors opened. Ash came out, rubbing his head with his duffel bag over his shoulder.

"Hey girls, heading over to Gary's party?" The raven-haired male had a goofy smile on his lips and his friendly attitude made her smile.

"Of course! We'll see you over there!" Dawn called and the school doors opened again. Ash looked over and gulped at Paul's smirk and then headed off at a fast pace towards the parking lot.

"Ketchum." Paul muttered and Dawn jumped over and onto her brother's back.

"Will you give me a ride?" Dawn asked and wrapped her legs around Drew's waist. He sighed and put his hands under her knees.

"You didn't really give me a choice." He muttered and she kicked his sides at him to walk faster.

….

….

"There's a lot of people here." Dawn shied behind her brother when they walked towards the front door of Gary's mansion. She found that she lived in the same high-class neighborhood as the Oak family and his house was large and white. Drew nodded and looked around at the large amount of cars that were parked in the front.

"There always is, a lot of people come." Drew said and he opened the door to the mansion. The music was loud and there were already many people in the house. Taking his hand, Dawn let her brother lead her through the house.

"Drew and Drew's hot sister!" Gary's voice came and Dawn took her hand back from her brother when she saw they were in a more secluded corner of the large living room.

The brunette was dressed in a superhero costume but his hair was easily recognizable. He looked over her own costume.

Dawn had dressed in a superhero costume to match the rest of their group, as their group had decided to dress as the same theme. She was the sidekick to the superhero her twin was dressed as.

"Hey Dawn!" May called and Dawn waved the brunette over and saw familiar purple-hair coming in the door, she smiled.

"Hey May." May was also dressed as a superhero and Dawn commented on her outfit.

…..

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"Blue." Dawn smiled when Paul broke through the crowd to step by her side. She turned away from her brother to talk with him.

"You took a while." She said and he nodded towards a few athletic looked guys that stood where he had come out of the crowd.

"Just talking to the team." He said and put his hands in his pockets. He hadn't dressed up. Dawn looked over his jeans and t-shirt, another football t-shirt of course, and fixed the tights she was wearing.

"We got here a while ago." Dawn spoke and took a slip of the drink she was holding. Drew had made sure to get their drinks from the kitchen to make sure there wasn't any alcohol in them.

"Yeah." Paul shuffled his feet and then eyed her drink. "Is there any more?"

"I think so, it's in the kitchen." Dawn put her hand on her brother's arm to let him know she was going with Paul and then followed him. She reached for his arm then the crowd got thicker and bodies pressed against her.

A hand pressed against the pockets of her cut-off jeans and she yelped in surprise, losing her grip on Paul's arm. She whirled around and saw a boy she had never seen before.

"Hey sweetheart, I've never seen you around here before. You new?" He was tall with a medium build. He reminded her of Gary, but this guy seemed much more dangerous unlike the harmless brunette she knew.

"Back off." She snapped and stepped back away from him when he took a step. He chuckled.

"Feisty one aren't you?" He chuckled and his red tinted cheeks suggested that alcohol was a factor on his courage. Dawn felt eyes begin to notice the scene and people turned towards the two.

"Come on girl, don't be a bitch." He snapped back, clearly irritated with her lack of corporation and reached out towards her. She shifted onto one foot and kicked with enough force to show her experience in soccer.

The male clutched his private area and fell to his knees with the force. Dawn backed up once he showed even more anger and looked up.

"You bitch!" He lunged out for her and she turned, hands grabbing her and putting her in a safer place. Paul had grabbed her and he stood between her and the male. The muscular football player set his shoulder down the way Dawn had seen him do many times on the field and the other guy ran into the purple-haired male.

"Paul." The other male said and Paul spread his feet and glared back.

"Quinn." Paul snapped and Dawn heard the music stop as the room got quiet.

"Didn't think I would see you around here." The boy was clearly intoxicated and Dawn felt soft hands take her own. May looked over her worriedly but Dawn assured her that he was fine.

"I'm fine May, Paul stepped in the way." Dawn spoke and caught Quinn's light eyes.

"Don't touch my girl." Paul snapped and Dawn heard several gasps come from around them, not many students knew about their relationship. She blushed at the attention.

"Your girl?!" A feminine voice came from the group around them and Dawn looked to see Ursula standing on the farther side of the room with her mouth agape. May giggled despite the tense air around them.

"Back off Quinn." Dawn heard her brother come to stand next to Paul. He was smaller both in height and bulk then the other two, but Dawn knew he would be fine if things got physical.

"Let's get this party started!" The music started back up even louder than before, Quinn and Paul staring at each other for a few more minutes longer before they separated. Dawn let May lead her towards the kitchen of Gary's house, she looked back to see her brother and Paul following.

"What the hell?" Drew's voice was the first to speak once they were in the quiet of the kitchen. Paul shrugged, still tense but leaned against the counter. Dawn answered instead.

"He touched me and I kicked him." Dawn said and her brother smirked slightly at her words and then nodded.

"Are you okay?" May's voice was soft and Dawn pulled the other girl into a hug.

"I'm okay, he didn't hurt me. I was lucky that Paul stepped in." Dawn caught Paul's dark eyes from over May's shoulder and he kept his mouth in a firm line. His bangs hanging down over his eyes.

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…..

He followed her, always standing by her side during the rest of the party. He was more quiet then usual and Dawn knew it was because of what happened earlier. He was tense and kept his hands in his pockets. He brushed her occasionally with his elbow against her spine when he shifted or walked.

"Paul." Dawn tugged on his wrist since his hands were in the pockets of his jeans. He looked down at her and waited for her to speak, "It's too warm in here. Will you go outside with me?"

He nodded and turned on his heel, walking the short distance to the back door that she didn't notice before. Paul had probably been over to Gary's house before considering that they were friend and knew the ways out of the mansion.

She took a deep breath as she stepped outside, letting the door shut behind her and causing the music to dull as it was cut off. The night was dark and she briefly wondered what time it was, it had to be late. The moon was high the air held a chill.

"Thanks." She called and Paul looked at her over his shoulder. She took a few steps and stood beside him as he looked over at the trees in the distance.

"Did you mean it?" Once again he was silent and Dawn blushed, "You know what I mean."

"You mean when I said that you were my girl?" Paul's voice was quiet and he looked over at her. She nodded in response.

"Dawn." He turned to face her and took one of his hands out of his pockets to push back the bangs that hung over his face. "It's not going to be easy, pretty girl."

"I know Paul." She spoke and he nodded in agreement, "but I'm willing to try."

"I know too Blue." He smirked and she gave him a smile in response, "I'm willing to try too."

"Really?" Her voice raised a pitch but she couldn't help it. Her squeak caused her to blush once again. He nodded at her.

"Yes!" She agreed and jumped on him. Paul barely took his other hand out of his pocket in time to catch her and chuckled when her arms went around his neck and her cheek pressed against his.

Dawn pulled away but stayed with her arms wrapped around his neck. A breeze brushed by and she was glad that Paul's skin remained warm, fighting off the chill in her spine. She looked into his eyes, they were at the same height now that he supported her sitting on his arms in front of him. His eyes were dark and he smirked.

His lips were as warm as she remembered. Warm and strong, letting her be lost and focus solely on him. She pulled on his neck, desperate for him to be closer. He agreed and shifted her so one arm wrapped around her waist holding her against him and the other hand between her shoulder blades.

She smiled against his lips and he pulled away, showing her the glittering tint of his dark eyes in the dim light. Dawn tensed slightly, his eyes showed dark and dangerous, but she couldn't help but feel attracted to his dominance.

"Hmmm…. We better stop." His voice was low in her ear and she felt heat rush through her; the night no longer felt cold. His scent filled her senses; musky, masculine and with a slight scent of grease. She nodded in agreement and felt her toes touch the ground.

He stretched tall, letting his shirt pull up and exposing his sculpted form. She blushed and tore her eyes away hesitantly, no need to get ahead of herself. Dawn felt excited for their promised relationship and looked towards the back door they had come out of, they would have to go back in soon.

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"Spill! I know you guys were outside alone!" May's voice was loud and Dawn rolled her eyes. She and Paul had went back inside and May pulled her aside to talk.

"Okay, so we might be dating." Dawn blushed and covered her ears when the other girl squealed girlishly. She caught Paul's eyes and he smirked from where he was standing next to Ash and Drew listening to their conversation.

"Finally! I've only been waiting forever!" May said and the blunette rolled her eyes.

"You only tell me all. The. Time." Dawn said and May huffed, moving her hand in a way that showed she could care less.

"Just no ditching me all the time okay? You're like my only friend." May warned and Dawn giggled.

"And here I thought Paul would be willing to go shopping with me!" Dawn giggled and May joined in. The two girls walked over and helped form a circle with their friends. Dawn felt her brother's hand on her shoulder.

"You be careful little sister, I'll kick his ass if I need to." Drew's voice said and she pulled him into a hug. She was glad that her best friend approved of her relationship.

"I'm tired." She leaned against her brother and he set his hand on her head gently.

"Me too." The green-haired male commented and then pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time, "It's after midnight, and we should go before it gets wild."

May agreed and Dawn looked to Paul and he nodded, showing that he would be leaving too. They headed over to Gary to say their farewells and left Ash and Misty at the party.

"See you later!" Drew called to his taller friend and Paul knocked his shoulder in their farewell.

"We'll meet you at the car." Drew said to his sister and then headed off to find his Audi with May, considering the three of them rode together. Paul watched the two head down the sidewalk and then pulled his hands out of his pockets.

"Goodnight little Blue." He said and she wrapped her arms around his strong torso.

"Goodnight Paul." She spoke and held on for a moment. He wasn't so far away as she thought, and she knew there would be a place in her mind for him.

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There, it's done.

The two are finally together! This chapter was challenging to write, but really fun. I only changed it about a 100,000 times….

Please review!