Amber.

At Dinner.

That night reminded me, partially, of why I had run away in the first place.

Momma made hamburgers and french fries for dinner, because it's easy to make a lot of them. Riley made quite intense eye contact with his plate, while Dee gave my family a rundown of everything that we had done.

"...And so, we met this guy-" Dee pointed her thumb at Riley, talking through a mouthful of fries and ketchup. "-we met him when Amber bumped into him in the Jubilife Pokemon Center after the contest, and they had a battle where Astro kicked total butt, and she invited him to come and go out with us and all of our friends."

My dad grunted at that. "Amber Lynn Daniels, didn't we teach you not to talk to strangers?"

I shrugged. "My competant parent did, Dad."

To diffuse the tension, Astro(eating a burger under the table) chimed in, "Riley's Riolu's seriously tough, you guys. And cute. I gave up that battle, 'cause I didn't wanna hurt him."

Riley silently blushed at his food. "No, Astro, you did it because you felt sorry for him..." Even his ears were pink.

Dee paused her story after that. Momma cleared her throat, taking the opportunity to speak.

"Riley, honey, why don't you talk a little about yourself?" She suggested. "I'm sure Cyrus would like to hear about you."

Why she was asking him again, I didn't understand. She had already asked him about himself earlier.

Riley shrugged. "I, uh..." He raised his eyes a little, glancing at my dad. "I, um, I'm from a place c-called Iron I-Island...this pretty r-remote place out west, w-way north of Canalave City. And, um, m-my dad, h-he owns the mines there...popular training spot."

Dad nodded, swirling a french fry in ketchup. "Why did you wait until you were thirteen to begin traveling?" He threw me a dirty look. "This one was ready the day she turned ten."

The one question popped Riley's fragile confidence. He paled a little, looking back down at his barely-touched food.

For a moment, I remembered Riley's apologetic confession in the cave north of Jubilife. How he'd mentioned what happened to Riolu when he was nine.

"I..." The word barely slipped out his mouth. "Sir, I-"

"I think that might be a personal thing for Riley, Mr. Cyrus," Dee piped up. "Sorry to interrupt."

The thought of Dee not only coming to Riley's rescue, but apologizing for interrupting, was an act of stunning beauty on her part.

My dad even blinked in mild shock. "That's alright, Dee." He stood up from the dinner table, picking up his plate. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to go back in and work late tonight."

"Cyrus...!" Momma groaned. "Our daughter is finally home again! Can't you stay home for one night?"

He brought his plate to the kitchen. "No, I can't. Goodnight."

The house was quiet as Dad left for work. Max turned to Momma.

"Mom, can we have ice cream for dessert?" He asked eagerly. "I'll bet Amber wants ice cream, right, Amby?"

Momma shrugged. "Amber? What do you and your friends say?"

None of us answered right away. Astro, still under the table, chimed in, "Better be some chocolate, or there'll be hell to pay!"

Despite the tension, Astro managed to draw out some laughs. The room thawed from the cold state Dad had left it in.

Riley.

After Dessert.

"Max, hon, help your sister and Riley with the pull-out sofa. Dee, sweetie, help me with the dishes."

It felt...really weird for Amber's mom to coddle me like she did. My own mother doesn't coddle me like Mrs. Daniels did.

I helped Amber pull out the bed part of the couch, while Max sat back and played with Astro. I didn't mind, but Amber got mad.

"Max, would you get off your butt and do something, like Momma told you to? Stack those couch cushions!"

I sort of liked bossy Amber. She got a little pink and flushed when she yelled, and she put her hands on her hips, and she really looked like an older sister...

"What about your boyfriend?" Max taunted. "He's just standin' there drooling at you!"

Max's comeback nearly killed me. I blushed in embarrassment. Amber shook her head.

"R-Riley is...not my boyfriend," She stammered. "Little jerk. Why don't you go to bed already? It's, like, eight."

"What about the cushions you told me to stack?"

"Then do those first, I don't care!" Amber threw her hands up in frustration. "Astro, would you help me here?"

Astro raised his nonexistant eyebrows. "Dude, you're the professional older sibling," He told her. "I just learned my status today."

Grumbling, Max still did as Amber told him. Thrn, he shuffled off to the hallway.

The living room was quiet. Then, Amber sighed, and called out, "Love you, you little creep."

A tinny little voice answered, "Love you too, poffin breath."

In a somewhat sad silence, Amber and I put sheets on the bed.

Before long, Mrs. Daniels and Dee were finished with the dishes, and came out to the living room. Amber's mom wiped her hands on her pants.

"Where's Max?" She asked.

Amber shrugged. "He was being a butt, so I sent him to bed."

"Amber! You've only been gone almost two months, do you really think you can order him around like that?"

In the corner, Astro chuckled. We all glanced at him; while no one looked, he had stretched out on the bed.

"Annie, this TV hooked up yet?" He pointed at the TV on the stand. "I already know it's plugged in."

Took a moment for Astro's question to sink on, but Mrs. Daniels smiled. "Yes, Astro, the TV is hooked on cable. A lot like you."

I snickered at the comment. Dee jabbed me in the ribs.

"You don't understand, Riles, Azzy's the biggest TV nut," She snickered. "Look, he's already got it on."

He did have it on. Amber turned back to her mom.

"Momma, is the pullout for all three of us?" She asked that, but her tone gave the impression she was asking, 'Do I have a bedroom?'

Mrs. Daniels smiled. "Just Dee and Riley, hon," She told her daughter gently. "Last one on the left. Kids, I'm going to go check on Michelle, tuck Max in, and go to bed."

Amber nodded. "'Kay, Momma. Goodnight. I love you."

As Mrs. Daniels turned around and walked off, Dee added, "Don't let the Drowzee bite!"

Mark.

In Lee's Hotel Room.

"Ha ha haaaa...c'mon *hic* Markie, I can walk."

"You're drunk, Lee. No, you can't walk."

Lee is such a lightweight, but I suppose anyone weighing 130 pounds soaking wet would be.

By the time we got back to Lee's hotel room at midnight, there was probably more beer and vodka in Lee's blood than blood. I ended up half-carrying him most of the way.

Had I drank that night? A little. But, I have a lot higher tolerance for alcohol, plus, I hadn't had nearly as much as he had.

I half-tossed Lee onto the bed, stretching my arm out. Sheesh, but he'd felt heavy.

Lee kept laughing to himself, curled on his side on the bed. I groaned.

"Why that Riley kid seems to respect you, I'll never know," I grumbled. I pulled my t-shirt off, and then looked into my suitcase for one to sleep in.

"Hahaha...*hic* Mark, you got hella abs." Between the slurring of his voice and his natural southern drawl, I could barely make out what he said.

I grunted. "Yeah, I know I got abs. What about you, chicken legs?" I slipped on a green t-shirt. Then, I changed my jeans to sweatpants.

Lee sat up as I circled around to the other side of the bed. "If you think I'm letting you sleep in the same bed as me smelling like that crappy Game Corner, Lee, you can go straight to hell. Change your clothes."

I got under the covers. God, it had been a long time since I slept on something besides a dirty futon on the floor.

Lee pouted at me, his charcoal eyes probably dialated. "But Maaarrrrk... *hic*" He whined.

"I don't care. Change your clothes, or sleep on the floor." I laid down under the covers, laying my head on the pillow and closing my eyes. "Turn the light off, will you?"

My answer was another whine, but I felt the bed shift as Lee got up, and then fabric rustling as he got undressed.

"And put on some pants this time," I added again. "I'm sick of you sleeping in your underwear."

In response, Lee hiccuped. It was almost cute.

Before long, he crawled in next to me. I turned onto my other side, opening my eyes and smirking.

"...Forgot the lights."

"*hic* Damn you, Mark." Lee got up, and flipped the light switch. "There?" Him laying down for a few minutes had helped his coordination some.

I chuckled, closing my eyes again. "Better."

Lee laid back down, his back to me. I listened to him breathing, listened as the breaths evened out and grew softer.

And then, harsher again as the nightmares set in. The reason I stayed up.

I knew Lee always slept badly when he got drunk. But, there was nothing I could've done to stop him.

Lee curled in on himself under the covers, almost in fetal position. He began whimpering in his sleep, muttering small things only he himself could understand.

Gently, I pushed against his shoulder. "Lee," I whispered. I nudged him again. "Lee..."

I tried pulling his shoulder a little. Lee rolled on his other side, right into me. He clung to me, one arm latching itself across my stomach. I felt the cold metal of his engagement ring through my thin t-shirt.

I begrudgingly wrapped one arm around his shoulders, letting him cuddle into me. I sighed into his black hair.

What an idiot, I thought to myself as I drifted to sleep. But...until this contest deal's over...until they get married in spring...I guess he's my idiot...