The next day finally saw the arrival of Monday morning. After what had been quite the eventful weekend, May was getting her things from her locker as per her usual routine. She was expecting to see Ash in class today as she always did, but since she was unaware of any change in his relationship with Leaf, she didn't expect anything more than a friendly greeting. So she was certainly surprised when Ash walked up to her and her locker.
"Hey May." he greeted her.
"Oh, uh, hi Ash." she replied, trying to quickly figure out what he could've possibly been doing at her locker of all places that early in the morning. "What's going on?"
"Can we talk for a few minutes? It's really important." he requested, surprising her with his urgency.
"Oh uh...yeah...a-about what...?" she wondered.
"About what happened on Saturday." he continued.
"What about it...? Is there a problem with the sunglasses...?" she gulped. Ash could tell she was nervous again and he felt bad about making her feel that way, but he knew he had to give her the full story.
"No nothing like that. It's just that...after you left the hospital, Leaf called me and we got into a big fight…and long story short...I broke up with her…" he explained, causing May's eyes to widen in shock. She was so stunned that she couldn't even respond, so Ash continued his story. "She wanted me to stop seeing you completely…but I couldn't accept not seeing you anymore...so I had to end things with her…"
"You...you broke up...over me...?" she finally managed to speak.
"In some ways…yes, I did…" he admitted.
"I-I'm so sorry Ash...I never meant for this to happen…" she said, feeling a growing pit in her stomach.
"No May don't apologize…you may have been part of the trigger but that just helped me see what was really going on. May…Leaf and I were never in love…I just thought we were…you were the one working so hard to make sure I could play in the game this week…you were the one who got along with Luna…you were the one who came to us when we were in a tough situation…you're the one that cares about me…and not just about me but about the other people I care about too…you're the one May…" he said, taking her hands in his own and causing a blush to spread across her cheeks.
"Th-The one…?" she asked. She had to be dreaming right…?
"The one…" Ash confirmed as he then leaned in and kissed her. May's face turned bright red as she froze. Ash was kissing her…out in the open…no project forcing him to…no girlfriend keeping him away…no fear of being seen by the other students in the halls around them. May's head felt like it was spinning as she pulled her lips away, trying to form any words in response to his actions. He meanwhile watched her eyes with completely undivided attention as he spoke to her once more. "I love you May…"
"You...you what...?" she finally managed to squeak out a few words.
"I love you May." he repeated, making sure there was no room for miscommunication between them.
"Ash I...I don't know what to say...do you even know what you're saying…?" she asked, trying to find some rationality for his sudden declaration.
"I do. And I still do when I ask you this. So May Maple, will you allow me to ask you out and become my girlfriend?" he asked, giving her hands a small squeeze. She blushed harder as the words completely stunned her nearly back into her frozen state.
"Y-Your...g-g-girlfriend...?" he nodded definitively. "You...are you...serious...?"
"Very." he said simply. May's entire face blushed bright red, and she was looking about ready to faint, but Ash was patient and continued to hold her hands in his just in case she actually did start to fall. She was however able to stay conscious and form another sentence after a minute.
"Am...Am I dreaming...?" she asked him, completely serious in her question.
"You're not...this is real." he promised her. Her eyes drifted down to her shoes as she looked to be both thinking over his question and still partially trying to convince herself that this was indeed happening. "So is that a yes...?"
"...Yes…" May whispered with a smile as she teared up happily. Ash smiled back at her and wasted no time in wrapping her up in a big hug. May hugged him back and cried softly onto his shoulder, trying to express just how grateful she was to him. Ash knew her well enough by now to understand and just gently stroked her back to help comfort her and calm her down. Finally squeezing out her last few tears, May slowly released him from the embrace, but he still held her close.
"Thank you, May…" Ash smiled softly.
"I just...I can't believe this...Captain of the basketball team Ash Ketchum telling me he's in love with me of all people...? Sounds like something right out of a fairytale…" she admitted, making him chuckle a little.
"But this is a reality. And I meant every word of it." he assured her.
"You really mean that...?" she asked softly.
"I do with all my heart…" he promised, planting a gentle peck on her lips for good measure. May smiled softly and blushed, making him smile back in response.
"Well then...what exactly does the girlfriend of a basketball player do...?" she wondered, obviously unfamiliar with the role. Ash chuckled a little with a smile.
"Well, usually we start with this." he explained as he took hold of her hand with his own and interlaced their fingers, which made May smile as well.
"I can do that…" she nodded.
"And normally, I'd be asking you out to dinner or something about now too. But with the game tomorrow and practice tonight I'm actually pretty booked. So, I had another idea about what we could do for our "first date"." he continued.
"What's that…?" she wondered.
"Well, a girlfriend of a basketball player usually comes to watch them play in their big games while wearing their practice jersey. Kind of as a way to support them." he explained. "You don't have to if it's too much for you right off the bat, but I'd be honored if you'd wear my jersey to the game tomorrow."
"Really…?" May wondered, blushing.
"If you'd like to, I'd be honored to see it being worn by a worthy girl for once." he smiled. After a moment's hesitation to blush harder, May gave a small smile and nodded.
"I'd love to…"
"That's my girl." he grinned, making them both chuckle softly.
"So...where's this jersey?" she asked curiously. Ash paused for a moment to think it over before his heart sank with a realization.
"...Leaf still has it…" he mumbled, causing May's face to fall as well.
"...Oh…" she whispered.
"Geeze I'm really sorry May...look don't even worry about it. I'll just go get it back from her later today for you. Promise." he assured her.
"You...you don't have to if you'd rather not talk to her...I really don't mind…" she informed him, not wanting to cause him any trouble or send him directly into Leaf's line of fire, but Ash shook his head.
"No really May it's fine. I'll need to learn to deal with her again someday anyway. And I want to stand up for you and for us if I have to. Let me do this for you ok?" he responded.
"Ash-"
"No buts May." he told her, causing her to blush. "I will get my jersey back and give it to you before the game. I promise."
"Ok…" she replied quietly. Ash kissed her cheek and May blushed harder, but still giving him a small smile even still. "Well anyway, I guess we should...get going to class?"
"Right. Let's do it." he nodded. So May closed her locker door with her free hand and the two walked to their class hand in hand.
Later that day, during the lunch hour, Ash took a deep breath to steel his determination as he walked towards the table the basketball team typically sat at. He had been intentionally moving a little slower than usual in anticipation of the inevitable confrontation that was coming. And just as he had feared, Leaf was sitting with the team already, talking with them as if nothing was wrong. As if the conversation on Saturday had never happened. Because he was sure that to her, it hadn't happened. And he couldn't blame his team either, because he hadn't told them yet. Taking one more deep breath for courage, he walked up to the table, which drew Leaf's attention as well as the attention of several others.
"Well finally there you are." Leaf greeted him with the same sweet smile she always had. A few days ago that would have been enough to make him smile too. But now, all he could see was how fake it was. He could see through her eyes that she was calculating, just waiting for his response so she could tailor hers to be perfect. Determined not to let her intimidate or dominate him any longer, Ash took another calming breath and spoke as clearly and directly as he could.
"I need my jersey back Leaf." he said, politely but firmly.
"Excuse me?" she asked, arching an eyebrow as if she was confused by his statement. However, Ash remained firm.
"You heard me. I want my practice jersey back." he repeated.
"Why babe?" she wondered aloud as more attention from Ash's teammates began to shift their way.
"Don't call me that. We broke up and you know that, so I want my jersey back." he stated, earning a few surprised looks from his teammates. In spite of that, Leaf's facade did not falter.
"No we didn't." she scoffed. "You said some things because you were mad. I already forgave you. Now just sit down and let's eat lunch like normal people."
"I'm not playing this game with you Leaf." he said firmly, growling slightly under his breath. Even now she took no accountability for the situation and her attitude was just infuriating. Nevertheless, he kept his cool. "You and I are not a couple anymore. There was no misunderstanding, there was no "break", and there was no question about it. We broke up. End of discussion."
"Quit talking nonsense and just sit down." she answered, completely ignoring him and gesturing to the open seat next to her.
"No. Now for the last time, give me back my jersey and please find somewhere else to sit." he instructed her.
"Sit down Ash. We will discuss it later." she brushed him off again, only angering him more.
"There's nothing to discuss." he growled, putting his tray down on the table a bit louder than he intended to, which drew even more attention.
"Ash you're making a scene!" Leaf glared at him, but Ash didn't back down.
"I didn't do anything. And quite frankly I don't care if I am. Give. Back. My. Jersey." he insisted.
"No. If this is how you're going to be, I'm keeping it until you come to your senses." she huffed with a roll of her eyes. Ash groaned and felt like he was about to lose his mind when suddenly, something neither of them expected happened.
"You heard him Leaf. Give it back." Ritchie suddenly spoke up. Both sides of the former couple turned their attention to him with surprised expressions.
"Excuse me?" Leaf asked, genuinely stunned for the first time in the discussion.
"He said he broke up with you so just accept it would you?" the auburn-haired player continued. Several votes of agreement rose up from other players at the table and Ash could tell Leaf was surprised to suddenly be losing support.
"Stay out of this Ritchie." she warned him, but Gladion stepped to his teammate's defense.
"Ash has made himself perfectly clear. It's time to drop it." the blonde stated in his usual deadpan attitude. However, those who knew him well were able to detect the firmness hidden within his voice. Leaf rolled her eyes and tried to protest again.
"You all need to mind your own busi-"
"Don't even start. This is our business. Ash is our teammate and we're gonna support him. If he says things are over for you guys then they are." Gary interjected, not letting her finish. Leaf growled under her breath in annoyance as Ash couldn't help but smile at his teammates. He then turned back to Leaf, filled with some newfound confidence.
"Last time I'll say it Leaf. Give me back my jersey." he demanded. The brunette was silent for a few moments as she took in the situation and, seeing no way to win at this moment, she pulled the jersey out of her backpack. However, instead of giving it to Ash, she instead tossed it into a nearby trashcan.
"Fine. Here you go. But you'll regret this. I promise you that." she stated with a dangerous tone in her voice before she got up from the table and walked away towards another one, mostly populated with other cheerleaders. Ash glared at her briefly before he dug his jersey out of the trash. Unfortunately, Leaf's throw had landed it right in a little paper boat full of ketchup.
"Just great. Now I need to wash it." he groaned. Sighing, he tucked it away into his backpack before finally sitting down with his friends. As he turned towards them, however, he noticed that they were all still looking at him. Realizing that he did still have to explain himself and the situation, he gulped slightly. "Thanks for helping me out you guys…"
"So? You two really broke up? Are we actually going to talk about this?" he asked.
"Yeah yeah...I'll fill you guys in." he sighed. Taking a deep breath, he began to explain everything that had happened over the last week. Everything from his slowly emerging feelings, to Luna's condition, to the break-up, to his confession to May just earlier that day. Needless to say, the team was completely shocked.
"Oh my gosh...Luna is really blind...?" Ritchie asked.
"Yeah...and she will be for the rest of her life…there's nothing they can do about it." Ash sighed, still having trouble actually admitting that.
"Ash...man I'm so sorry…" Gary said, genuinely upset for him.
"It's my own fault…I should have realized all this about Leaf sooner...I should have said no to her from the start, but part of me knew she wouldn't accept it...and unfortunately, Luna paid the price for it…" he said quietly.
"I see...so you and May are now...?" Ritchie asked.
"Yes...that's part of why I wanted my practice jersey back. I wanna make sure she has it before the game tomorrow." he nodded.
"Well, I hope it works out for you two then." Gary announced, earning some other voices of approval from the rest of the table. One of the few people that didn't comment in response to Gary was Gladion, which Ash noticed. It wasn't that he expected Gladion to be very vocal, as he wasn't normally, but Ash had noticed that he was even more quiet than usual ever since hearing about what happened to Luna.
"Something wrong Gladion...?" he wondered.
"I'm fine." he replied. It was baked into his usual quiet and monotone voice, but Ash and some of the other veterans could tell that he wasn't.
"You sure?" Gary asked. The blonde was quiet for a few more moments before turning towards Ash and speaking up.
"...I love your sister Ash." he said. An uncomfortable quiet passed over the group of friends as Gladion's words settled in.
"...Say wha...?" Ash stammered. Gary's eyes widened in surprise as Ritchie's jaw fell open.
"How long has this been going on?" Gary asked.
"...For a few months now...we kept it quiet because we didn't want to freak you out." Gladion answered.
"Does she feel the same?" Ritchie wondered.
"...She does…" Gladion confirmed. Both Gary and Ritchie slowly glanced at their raven-haired friend, who was still stunned into silence. Ash couldn't believe that Luna had been in a relationship without him even knowing about it. Suddenly all her advice about love and relationships was cast in a new light. Yes, some of it was obviously good sense, but now he knew that a lot of it came from her own experience. And she was trying to get him to see what he could have with someone instead of the manipulative relationship he had with Leaf. And part of that was because of Gladion. He was still surprised about the news of Gladion's relationship with his little sister, but he now realized that not only was Gladion making her happy, but he was also indirectly helping Ash himself with issues too. Taking a deep breath, Ash finally calmed down enough to respond.
"...As long as you make her happy then I'm fine with it." he announced. At that, Gladion actually gave a small smile, a rare feat for him and Ash returned that smile.
"Thank you, Ash."
"No problem. Just don't ever hurt her." Gladion gave a nod of agreement and that was when Gary abruptly reentered the conversation.
"Well anyway Ash, stop wasting time with us and go get your new girl. We all want to meet her."
"I don't know guys, she's a really shy girl." he explained.
"We'll take it easy on her." Ritchie promised. "We just want to meet her."
"Alright…just please be cool and don't scare her off." he warned them as he got up from his seat and headed over to May's table where she was sitting with Dawn who was going absolutely nuts about the news May had shared.
"Dawn come on…" May blushed nervously.
"Don't you "come on" me May! This is a historic day! You're Ash Ketchum's girlfriend!" the blunette squealed, which only made May blush harder.
"Please don't make a such big deal about it...it'll make me seem like such a nerd…" May begged. Dawn just laughed happily which made May sigh to herself, but it was when a big grin crossed Dawn's face that her attention was grabbed. "Now what's going through your head…?"
"Nothing. It's more about what's going on behind you." she snickered.
"What?" she wondered as she turned around, only to be greeted by Ash standing right behind her as he arrived at their table.
"Hey ladies." he greeted them both. May blushed in surprise as she momentarily struggled to find her voice. She was still getting used to the situation obviously.
"A-Ash...?" she squeaked.
"Sorry to interrupt, but my teammates were hoping to meet you if you don't mind." he explained. May blushed heavier as the realization dawned. How could she have possibly forgotten that he would need to introduce her to his team?!
"U-Uh...they do...?"
"If that's ok with you. We can wait a little bit if you want." he offered. May told herself to calm down and took a deep breath to do just that. Yes, she was nervous about meeting the team, especially since they meant so much to Ash, but she reminded herself that even if they didn't like her, Ash still did. Guess his confidence was rubbing off on her more than she realized.
"Well uh...o-ok." she finally agreed. Ash smiled gratefully at her and then held his hand out to her, which she nervously accepted. He helped her to her feet and walked her over to the basketball team's table as Dawn gave her a thumbs up. She rolled her eyes in response, but still gave a small smile as she and Ash arrived at the new table.
"Alright everyone, this is my new girlfriend, May Maple." Ash introduced everyone.
"H-Hi…" May greeted everyone, trying to control just how much her voice was shaking.
"Hello there. I'm Ritchie." Ritchie greeted politely.
"Gary Oak. Nice to meet you." Gary replied with a small salute.
"Gladion Aether." Gladion nodded curtly. May blushed nervously as more people introduced themselves until most of the table had done so. That was when Gary spoke back up.
"You'd have been proud of your new man. Ashy-Boy stood up to Leaf like I've never seen before just to make sure he could give you his jersey today."
"Really?" May wondered, glancing at Ash with some genuine surprise, which made the team captain blush slightly and scratch the back of his head.
"He did such a good job in fact that Leaf actually threw it in the trash to spite him." Gary added.
"Oh uh...i-it's really not a big deal…" she said, brushing off the action as best she could. She was more happy that Ash stood up for her than she was bummed about not getting the jersey yet.
"Don't worry. I'll give it to you tomorrow after I get it washed." Ash promised her.
"Thank you Ash, but there's no rush…" she reminded him.
"Well thank you, May. And I promise that I won't ever let Leaf come between us." he said with a small smile. She smiled back at him gratefully. "I don't plan on seeing her again beyond walking down the halls anyway."
"Uh, Ash?" Ritchie suddenly spoke up. "Did you forget that the head cheerleader always escorts the captain out onto the court for games?"
"Oh, crap…" Ash groaned as the realization dawned on him.
"Oh...Well...i-if you have to…" May said timidly.
"It's just for a few minutes before the game. I'll even speedwalk to make it go quicker." Ash promised her. His comment about speedwalking made May giggle a little.
"Well, May can you sit down with us for lunch so we can get to know you better?" Gary asked, gesturing to the seat that used to be Leaf's.
"I'd be honored." May answered with a small smile.
Later that day, as everyone was off to their practices and to their homes, May was finishing up the packing of her things, zipping up her bag as Dawn walked over to greet her.
"Hey." the blue-haired cheerleader greeted her.
"Hi. What are you doing here? Don't you have cheer practice?" May wondered.
"I do in a few minutes. I just had a question I wanted to ask you before you left." Dawn explained.
"What question?"
"I was just wondering, do you think you will someday tell Ash about "You-Know-Who"?" Dawn asked. May's eyes widened in surprise and she bolted upright almost in a panic.
"No!" she yelled, causing Dawn to jump back a little in shock. "I can't...not ever…!"
"What? Why not?"
"He'd feel like I made a fool of him...like I used my position to manipulate him into being with me…" May responded, looking down at her shoes almost as if she was ashamed.
"But you didn't manipulate him. You were helping him like you did with everyone else." Dawn pointed out.
"It doesn't matter...it'll still look like I played him...to him and to everyone else…" May whispered quietly.
"But do you really believe he'll think it that way?" Dawn wondered.
"It doesn't matter! There's no reason to risk that right now…!" May said firmly.
"Alright alright…calm down." Dawn frowned. "I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow ok?"
"Ok…" May sighed as she left the school. She started walking home for a while, but just as she was about to turn into her neighborhood, she heard a car horn behind her and turned around, surprised to see Ash's car pull up next to her. "Huh? Ash?"
"Hey May." he greeted her as he rolled down the window.
"Hi. What's going on?" she asked.
"Practice was done earlier than expected. Coach wanted us to make sure we were rested and ready for tomorrow. So I decided to see if you wanted to come with me to see Luna. I'm sure she's dying to hear how things went today." he offered.
"Oh. Are you sure it's ok?" she questioned him.
"Of course it is. She loves hearing from you." he nodded.
"Well...I suppose as long as it's ok." she decided.
"Then hop in." he smiled as he unlocked the door for her. May climbed into the passenger's seat and buckled up, prompting Ash to start driving once more.
"Thank you, Ash."
"Your welcome May." the two shared a soft smile as they went and May attempted to start up a conversation.
"How's she holding up...?"
"She's doing as well as she can be." he answered. "Still scared and sore, but slowly recovering her strength."
"I'm glad for that at least." she replied with a grin. "Still though it must be a lot to take in...even though I'm sure in time she'll adapt well."
"I sure hope so." he nodded. The two continued to chat until they arrived at the hospital and Ash took her hand as he walked her to Luna's room, which still made her blush. Luna perked up a little when she heard their footsteps and she looked around curiously.
"Who's there?" she asked.
"It's me, Luna." Ash smiled. "And my girlfriend."
"Girlfriend...?" she wondered until the realization dawned on her and she gasped. "You mean…?!"
"Hey Luna…" May greeted gently, confirming it was in fact her.
"May it is you! It's so good to hear your voice!" the younger girl practically squealed.
"Glad to see you're feeling better." the older girl countered.
"So you and Ash are really...?"
"Yeah...we are…"
"That's so wonderful...I have a good feeling about you two!"
"Do you now?" Ash chuckled, causing both girls to laugh.
"Yeah!" Luna nodded proudly. "Little sister's intuition!"
"I see." May giggled as both Ash and Luna smiled softly.
"Can I hear all about it? Please please please please please?" Luna practically begged.
"You bet sis." Ash smiled.
A few hours later, Ash was driving May back home after the two had spent most of the evening visiting with Luna. They had just pulled into the driveway at her house and May climbed out once the car stopped moving.
"Thanks for the ride, Ash. And thank you for taking me to see Luna. I had a great time." she told him, leaning over to talk to him through the window.
"You're welcome. Both Luna and I had a great time too." he replied with a smile. A short silence passed between them until May took a chance and nervously pecked his lips with her own. Her bold action made Ash smile.
"Sorry…!" she quickly apologized which made Ash laugh before proceeding to peck her lips right back.
"Don't be. I like it." he assured her. May smiled a little and relaxed slightly, comforted by his words.
"See you tomorrow then...?" she wondered.
"See you tomorrow." he confirmed. After sharing one more smile, May headed inside her home as Ash drove off to rejoin his family. May closed the door and sighed happily, still feeling like she was almost in a dream as she walked into the living room where Norman was sitting. He noticed the happy look on his daughter's face and chuckled.
"I see you're happy. Anything exciting happen today?"
"Heh…well since you asked…"
A few hours later, May plopped down onto the couch and took out her laptop as her mother sat next to her. The boys when outside to the greenhouse so things would be quiet for a little while. So, taking advantage of the time, May opened up her Paper Princess email to check for questions to answer as she always did. However this time, her eyes widened in surprise and a small gasp escaped her lips. Caroline's attention was drawn as a result.
"What's wrong sweetheart?" Caroline asked. May seemed stunned into silence as she showed her mother one of the emails that had popped up in the Paper Princess email, specifically the screen name. Of course, the name displayed meant nothing to her mother. "I still don't understand."
"Th-That...that's Leaf's screen name…" May finally managed to croak out. This was something that meant something to Caroline.
"Leaf? Isn't that Ash's girlfriend? Well, ex-girlfriend now?" she asked, to which May responded only with a nod. "I thought you said she doesn't like Paper Princess."
"She doesn't…" May confirmed as she nervously opened the email and read it.
"Alright "Paper Princess". Enough is enough. I know you talked to Ash and somehow convinced him to break up with me. Because it's only ever after talking to you that he acts that stupid. I don't know how you did it or why but I'm not going to let this charade continue anymore. Tell the school who you are. I think if so many people are getting "advice" from you they deserve to know who you really are. Let's see if you have the courage to step forward and tell someone your advice face to face."
"Oh no…" May mumbled.
"How awful. She has no right to demand that of you…" Caroline said indignantly until a thought crossed her mind. "Wait a minute...did she figure out that you're Paper Princess May...?"
"I don't think so...otherwise she would've emailed me directly instead of sending it to the Paper Princess email...She doesn't know...at least not yet…" May answered, though it did little to alleviate her anxiety.
"May you need to talk with Dawn about this...she needs to make the school paper staff and possibly the teacher in charge aware that Leaf is attempting to bully you into revealing yourself." Caroline instructed her, but May was quick to shake her head.
"I can't...I should just ignore it...no one has access to the inbox besides Dawn and me…no one has to ever know this was asked…"
"May honey that just puts her in control of the narrative. If you don't answer it, she can make Paper Princess look bad by telling everyone that you refused to answer her question and completely destroy the reputation you've worked so hard to build." the older woman countered.
"But I…I can't reveal myself…" May said quietly, at a loss for what to do.
"Well, you need to do something. If you give her control of the narrative then she can ruin your reputation with free reign." Caroline warned her. May groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to think quickly about what she could do. Just when she was at a complete loss, she suddenly asked herself a brand new question. What would Ash do in this situation? And instantly, an idea popped into her head.
"Oh my gosh…that's it." May whispered.
"What is honey?"
"I'll explain later Mom. Ash just gave me an idea." she replied as she quickly began typing at a furious pace. Ash really was rubbing off on her. Because even Paper Princess was never as bold as she was about to be.
To be Continued...
