Chapter 18: Here's To Us
Wow, the response to chapter 17 was awesome! Thank you everyone! I was very impressed by the amount of reviews!
It's been awhile. At this point, chapter 17 was just posted and I felt the need to write chapter 18. I appreciate everyone who was stuck it out with this story! I've very excited to see the reviews!
"And all these years go by so fast,
But nothing lasts forever."
-Here's To Us: Halestorm
….
….
It was hard to watch.
It was hard to watch her brother and her boyfriend struggle.
Dawn clutched her blanket around her tighter. She said in the bleachers surrounded by her two great friends, May and Misty, but she felt their pain as she watched them out on the field.
Drew, Paul, and even Ash, they were losing the state championship team.
She knew how much this meant to them. To Drew, it was his favorite sport but to Paul, football was his chance to go to college.
So she watched them as they fought, not with swords and shields, but with blood and sweat.
…..
…..
May stood with her as they waited. Misty went off to the bathroom while they waiting by the rope at the edge of the field. Dawn held her blanket in her arms and looked out on the field where the football players had taken a knee to listen to their coach. It had been a long season, undefeated until this point. They were the first team to win the championship in the school's history, but they fell short at the next level.
Finally, Misty came back just in time for them to be allowed on the field. She met her brother first, embracing him a hug that he squeezed her back with. He ruffled her hair, and gave her a small smile.
"I'm sorry Drew." She admitted and he shrugged.
"There's nothing you could have done Dawn, they were just better than us." Her brother's voice was hoarse and she nodded in response.
She spotted Paul as soon as she turned around, but she didn't move forward. He was speaking to a man in a suit with Reggie at his side. His hair hung low and slicked back with how wet it was. His helmet was in his hand and his full attention was on the other man.
Dawn turned back around and spotted Misty and Ash approaching them. So she stood with them while she waiting. The blunette turned her attention to the stands where the fans were slowing leaving, the bleachers almost shining under the bright field lights.
His arm was warm and heavy around her shoulders. Paul pulled her into his side, his gloved hand on her shoulder.
"Hey!" She gave him a sweet smile, satisfied to get a smirk in response. She wrinkled up her nose. "You stink."
"It's called sweating for a few hours." He remarked and nudged her when their group started walking back towards the locker room. He wasn't let down by the game, she noticed.
Maybe he would indulge her later.
…..
…..
"Celebratory ice cream!" Ash's voice was loud in the night and she giggled around her spoon. They had all agreed to go for ice cream after the game and she found herself sitting on the tailgate of Paul's truck beside May. Paul was leaning against the truck beside her and she couldn't help but sneak a few glances at him.
He was currently watching Ash as he made a fool of himself by trying to eat as much ice cream as possible. Paul traced his spoon around his ice cream dish one last time, then glanced over at her.
She had taken off his jersey earlier and was left in a black sweatshirt, a blanket wrapped around her and May's shoulders. Her bangs were pinned back and her long hair flowed down to her elbows in waves. She giggled once more when Ash stood up after finishing his large serving of ice cream. He picked up Misty in celebration and twirled her around.
"Moron." Paul's voice was right next to her. He moved to rest his arm on the box of his truck.
"Dawn" She turned around when her brother spoke as he helped May down from the tailgate. "I'm going to take May home, don't stay out too late."
Dawn nodded and waved, making a kissy face at May when Drew wasn't looking. The brunette stuck her tongue out in response. Drew nodded to Paul then gave Ash a punch in the arm as well as the couple headed to his silver Audi parked a few spaces away. Ash and Misty headed off as well. Dawn finished her ice cream and set it down on the tailgate beside her. Paul watched Drew's car leave down the street and then glanced at her.
His hands were on her hips as soon as the silver car was out of sight. He pulled her to the edge of the tailgate and her knees went around his waist. His eyes were dark as he looked up at her and her fingers played with the drying ends of his hair.
His lips were warm and she could feel the stubble on his cheeks when he kissed her. He pressed closer to the tailgate and his hands ran up her back, tracing over spine. Paul pulled back and she kissed him on the cheek, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and let him take her weight as she hopped off the tailgate.
"That probably wasn't the best idea for you." His chest rumbled when he talked and she looked to him confused. He smirked, then proceeded to heft her onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Paul!" She let out a small whine and he chuckled, closing the tailgate and then moving to the passenger side of the truck. He opened the door and deposited her right in the seat.
"Mean." She called as she pulled the door shut and he walked around to the other side.
The truck's engine fired up when Paul turned the key and she buckled her seatbelt. He turned on the headlights and put the truck in gear. His truck echoed off the almost empty streets.
…..
…..
"So I got an offer from Hoenn University."
It was late and they were sitting in his truck at the edge of town, watching as the stars came into view. At her house, you couldn't see the stars because it was too close to the city lights. However, out by Paul's house, the stars were bright. They were half way in between their houses and parked in the middle of an empty parking lot by the interstate.
"And?" She answered back, his arm was across the back of the seat and she leaned against the center console on her elbow.
"It's a full scholarship." She smiled and bounced in her seat, barely containing her excitement.
"That's amazing Paul!" He smirked in response, and his arm wrapped around her shoulders.
Paul would finally get to live his dream.
…..
…..
The next Monday, everyone was wild in the halls. The football players, despite their loss, walked tall in the halls. Everyone else was in the hallways before classes trying to cram in their last minute projects.
The semester would be ending soon and there was much to be done.
"May, why didn't you start your project weeks ago?" Dawn was trying to calm her frantic friend as the brunette was shuffling through her locker.
"Because I put the pro in procrastinate Dawn!" May said like it was obvious. Dawn rolled her eyes and closed her own locker after collecting her books.
"Come over tonight and we can work on something." Dawn said and the brunette nodded more times than necessary.
"You're the best Dawn!" May exclaimed.
"My sister is the best." Drew spoke and May jumped at his sudden appearance. Dawn looked between the two and wrinkled her nose. She really didn't need to see them affectionate before class.
"I'll see you in class!" She called to them and walked away with a wave.
…..
…..
True to her word, May came home with her after school. Her brother and Paul were staying after school to turn in their uniforms and have a last meeting with the football team. So she and May took Drew's car home. Drew would catch a ride with Paul, since Paul would be coming over later to study anyways.
"And IIIIIIIIIIIIII will always love you!" May belted out the famous song and Dawn tried not to laugh at the terrible attempt. May, as much as she loved her, couldn't carry a tune in the slightest.
Dawn turned down the volume on the stereo as they entered the suburbs of where she lived. May looked out the window as the song ended and her baby blue eyes watched the gated mansions as they drove by.
"So did you and your mom live in a big fancy house?" May's question almost startled her. The brunette didn't ask many questions about Dawn's mother, since it was a touchy subject.
"No, it was a nice house though. We had a really nice garden." Dawn smiled softly. Her mother and she used to spend hours in the garden together.
"That's very sweet Dawn." May mentioned, and Dawn pulled Drew's silver car into the driveway. She pressed the garage door button on the visor and the garage door opened in response. She pulled the car into the space in the garage and turned off the engine. Dawn pressed the garage door button once again to close the door.
May and Dawn opened the car doors and exited the car, grabbing their backpacks from the backseat. Dawn locked Drew's car once they were done and walked around the front. She noticed that both her dad's and Rose's cars were both gone. May followed her to the door that lead to the garage, pushing aside a soccer ball that had rolled in the way towards the wall.
"Do you want something to eat?" May shrugged and followed the blunette to the kitchen, after kicking off her boots.
Dawn opened the cupboard by the stove and pulled out a box of granola bars. She took two out and offered one to her friend. Dawn put the box back and looked out the patio doors. It was December and cool, but there was not any snow on the ground yet.
"Do you want to take the pokemon outside?"
…..
…
Every region was different in the rules regarding pokemon. The Hoenn region for example, any youth under the age of 18 could not have their pokemon out after dark. In public places, such as cities, pokemon could only be allowed out of their pokeballs in specified places or under the direction of an educator.
Luckily for Dawn and May, their backyard was attached to the suburb's recreational park, where pokemon could be trained.
"Quilava, flamethrower!"
"Blaziken, counter with flamethrower!"
The air become hot as the two fire-type pokemon released their attached at the commands. The flames meeting high in the air and pushing against each other.
"Now, swift from all directions!" Quilava immediately stopped his attack and unleash a fury of swift that circled around and sped towards Blazekin.
"Overheat!" Blazekin's arms light up in flames as he released a mushroom cloud of red and white flames from around his body. The swift were sent soaring and burst in the sky.
"Now Quilava-"
"Stop!" May's voice was loud and she waved from across the field. Dawn stopped talking and starting walking towards the brunette. May walked to meet her.
"I think I have something!" May's eyes were bright and Dawn smiled in return. Quilava nudged her side, his flame vents now sealed to hide his flames. Dawn rubbed his ears.
"Sometimes the best way to find an appeal is in the heat of battle." Dawn said and May nodded in agreement.
"Yes! Now I think I'm ready to try something. Are you ready Blazekin?" Dawn stepped to the side along with her pokemon. May's tall starter stepped forward and nodded.
"Alright, now use overheat like you did earlier but I want you to use sky uppercut immediately after towards the sky." Blazekin listened to his trainer then nodded. The large fire-type took a leap that looked easy to the middle of the field.
Moments later, a giant mushroom cloud of white-hot heat bloomed around Blazekin. Before the flames could start to disappear, the top burst as Blazekin shot through, his arm engulfed in blue fighting power. The white flames of overheat went with the pokemon before dissappating in all directions.
"That was awesome May!" Dawn shouted, May called out to Blazekin to call him back.
Clapping filled the now quiet yard, and Dawn turned around. Finding Rose and her father standing there on the patio. Her father leaned against the fence that surrounded the pool, now covered for the winter. May walked to catch up as Dawn headed over after returning Blazekin to his pokeball.
"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Hayden." May greeted politely. Rose waved a mitten covered hand in response and John nodded.
"Hello May, keeping my daughter entertained?" John spoke and May giggled in response.
"Of course Mr. Hayden, Dawn will get bored by herself!" May commented.
"Without her brother to tease her." John said and Dawn pouted in response.
"Dawn, I left money for take out on the counter." Dawn nodded to her father, who stood up from leaning against the fence. He brushed off the front of his jacket.
"Tell your brother and Paul to be good now." Dawn rolled her eyes and waved as her father and step-mother entered back through the patio doors. May breathed heavily into the air, watching the mist that came out. Dawn returned Quilava to his pokeball and the two girls headed inside.
….
….
"Hey dear sister, did you order pizza yet-" Drew opened the door to his twin's bedroom and let the door swing open. The green-haired male stood in the doorway.
"I'm coming at ya!" His girlfriend, dressed in a pair on athletic shorts and a t-shirt stood on Dawn's bed.
"Cause I know you got a bad reputation!" His sister tuned in, jumping out of her walk-in closet.
"Doesn't matter cause you give me temptation!" May jumped off the bed and turned towards the door. The brunette froze, the sunglasses she was wearing dropped to the floor.
"And we don't gotta think 'bout nothin'" Dawn kept singing, twirling around the on the open floor between the bed at the patio.
"Hey May, why did you stop-" Dawn started to say, then let out a squeak in surprise. Her blue eyes widened and she pressed the pause button on her speaker to stop the music.
"Drew!" May finally found her voice. Drew still stood in the doorway, looking between the two girls.
"Did you order pizza yet?" Drew asked his sister, who flopped onto her bed. Her lean frame bounced a few times.
"No, I didn't know when you would be home." Dawn answered and swung her legs into the air. Footsteps sounded from the hallway on the carpeted floor and Paul came into view. He stood a little bit behind Drew and looked to his girlfriend, to May who still stood in the middle of the room with a gaping mouth.
"I'll order." Drew said, and turned on his heel. "Come on Paul, girls are weird." Drew pulled the door shut.
"Hey!" May called out to the closed door. The brunette turned around to face her friend. "I can't believe he saw that!"
Dawn coughed into her fist. May grumbled and let herself fall onto the bed beside her friend belly first. May pulled her phone out of the pocket of her borrowed shorts. She looked through her phone for a minute before setting it aside and buried her head into her arms. The blunette gave her a pat on the head.
"It's okay, he won't dump you." Dawn sympathized. May huffed in response.
A knock sounded from the door, Dawn called out a 'come in' and the door opened. Paul leaned in a little ways and looked to his girlfriend.
"Pizza will be here soon, Drew's room." He said to his girlfriend. Dawn smiled and nodded in agreement.
"We'll get plates" Dawn said and Paul shut the door behind him.
"At least your boyfriend knocks." May spoke and Dawn edged off the bed. She picked up the sunglasses that May dropped earlier and set them on her desk to put away later. The blunette opened her door and headed out. She left the door open, knowing May would come out sooner or later, whenever the girl got over her embarrassment. Dawn giggled to herself as she walked down the stairs, knowing Drew wasn't even embarrassing, just surprised.
She rounded the corner on the stairs and stepped onto the tile floor of the kitchen. She stopped when she saw that Drew and Paul were already there. Drew had the fridge open and Paul stood against the counter.
"Water please Drew." Dawn asked sweetly and almost didn't catch the bottle of water her brother threw in her direction. He tossed another right after that she dropped on the kitchen floor. She picked it up with a huff, happy that it didn't burst open.
"Mean." Dawn set the two bottles on the counter. The doorbell rang and echoed through the house.
"I'll get it!" Drew shut the fridge door and bounded out of the kitchen to fetch the pizza. Dawn and Paul caught each other eyes. Drew was so dumb sometimes.
…..
…..
The next week by quickly. Finals ended and soon school was let out for a week of winter break. Christmas and the other holidays were right around the corner and Dawn had all of her gifts wrapped.
Since there was no classes and no homework to be done, Paul had taken up extra hours at work. He was on schedule to work every day except today and Dawn sighed. She pulled his gift from the pile of presents that she had in her closet. She shut the light off and closed her closet door. Paul said that she could come over to his house tonight to have dinner and exchange gifts. Dawn had agreed and he would be picking her up soon.
She pulled her coat on and left her room. She knocked on Drew's bedroom door, opening the door a bit when he answered. He was sitting in his desk chair playing video games.
"Hey Paul's picking me up now" Dawn said and her brother paused his game, turning around in his chair to look at her.
"Yeah, just don't stay out too late and let me know if you need anything. Paul's my best friend, but you're my sister." Drew said seriously and Dawn rolled her eyes.
"Yes dear brother. " Dawn closed the door and headed down the stairs. She pulled on her knee-high grey boots over her leggings. The blunette opened the door the garage then shut the door behind her. She made her way through the almost empty garage. Her father's and Rose's cars were gone. Drew's silver car was on the far side of the garage.
She heard the sound of Paul's truck and opened the door that led outside with the present under her arm. She opened the passenger side door and used the step outside the door to climb up into the seat.
"Hey!" She greeted as she shut the door and buckled her seat belt. Paul smirked and put the truck in reverse.
"Hey yourself." He responded and left his arm across the back of the seats. His fingers pulled on her hair and she swatted at him playfully. She watched out the window as Paul drove through the suburb.
She spent the ride looking out the window, humming to the radio, and occasionally glancing at Paul. She could still feel his arm across the back of the seat, his knuckles brushing against her hair whenever there was a bump in the road.
She loved moments like this.
…..
…..
They had been dating 3 months and it seemed just like yesterday they had started dating. Long nights studying and football games had went by in a flash. Sure, she had boyfriends in the past back in Sinnoh but nothing serious. She knew that she would never end up with them.
He however, treated her with respect, as an equal. Not like a princess and showering her in flowers and chocolates like the other ones, but with a steady presence of himself. He was someone that could not be matched and once again he surprised her.
"It's not much, but Mr. Jackson helped me figure it out." Paul's voice was smooth, but she could tell he was uneasy. Not the confidence she saw when he was on the football field, but the uneasy way he shifted his weight from foot to foot.
"Paul, it's…." She pulled the bracelet out of the box. It was a mix of silver and gold, a metal band with a clasp in the middle. It was not the perfect texture of a bracelet from the jeweler but the craftsmanship was still one to admire.
"It's beautiful Paul." Her arms went around him and he could feel him respond. His lips in her hair for a brief moment.
"Let me put it on, I had to guess on the size" She let him fit it on her left wrist. The same arm that held the bracelet of her mother's. The new bracelet matching with the other.
"My turn!" She sat on the couch and patted the seat next to her. Paul sank into the cushion next to her. She pulled the wrapped gift that she brought with her and put it in his lap. He fiddled with the neatly tied bow.
"You really didn't need to buy me anything." He tested the knot on the bow, tugging on it slightly.
"You didn't need to get me anything either." She argued and held up her wrist as to prove her point. Paul leaned back against the couch. The dark green couch was faded and worn. Dawn leaned against the armrest with her legs folded underneath her watching him eagerly.
"I didn't buy anything, I made it." Paul pulled on the bow and the knot untied. Dawn tapped a finger on the box.
"I enjoy giving gifts. Now open it, I had to guess on the size." The blunette said slyly and Paul peeled off the wrapping paper. He pulled a knife from the pocket of his jeans to cut the tape on the box.
Dawn held her bottom lip between her teeth when he held up the jacket. It was a lot like the dark blue and black athletic jacket he wore all the time. This one was a lot heavier and Dawn never saw him with a coat on.
"It's nice." Paul commented put the gift box aside. He stood up and slipped on the coat over the t-shirt he was wearing. Dawn looked him over while he zipped it up. The jacket hugged his wide shoulders and fit him well.
"Thank you." Paul commented and unzipped the coat. "It's warm."
"That's the point, it's winter." Dawn said and Paul smirked.
"Now where did I find a girlfriend with such attitude?" Paul put the coat on one of the hooks by the door. He walked back and sat back down on the couch. She leaned against his arm.
"You like it." She mumbled against the fabric on his t-shirt. He hummed in response and wrapped an arm around her. She snuggled into his side and he didn't complain. He took the remote for the TV and turned it on.
She smiled, she could get used to this.
…
…
…
The holidays passed quickly and school was back in session before long. Dawn had spent her winter break with May. The two girls had spent almost every day together, much to Drew's annoyance because they pestered him. Drew had spent his time playing video games, working out, and eating.
"Geez Dawn, how many notebooks do you need? 100?" May watched as the blunette put an armful of notebooks into the cart. May huffed and leaned against the bar on the cart. She had only put things in the basket she had in the cart while Dawn was buying out the whole store.
"Don't be dramatic May, you know I take a lot of notes." Dawn continued down the aisle. May huffed and pushed the cart at a crawl. If she knew Dawn was going to take this long she wouldn't have agreed to come with.
"But you take too long! Don't you have a boyfriend that will take you?" May asked, even though she already knew the answer.
"Paul's been working all winter break, you know that." Dawn said as she tossed a box of pens into the cart. May eyed them, she knew who to steal pens from this semester.
"We all know" May agreed and looked at the highlighters, "He's coming out with us tonight isn't he?"
"Yup!" Dawn said happily and started walking to the next aisle, May following eagerly as she was anxious to get out of the store.
An hour later, Dawn had paid for her things and the girls were heading on their way. May's jeep was loaded from shopping bags from their trip to the mall and then Dawn's trip to the office store for school supplies. They still had to pick up Misty before they could meet the guys for pizza.
Next semester was already on its way and soon, graduation.
….
….
A little shorter than my usual chapters but if I keep going it would have been a very, very long chapter.
I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave me a review and let me know what you think! There will be more Dawn and Paul, as well as Drew and May in the next chapter!
Until next time!