The next day was the one every student looked forward to. It was Friday morning. Which meant only a few more hours until the weekend when everyone could relax. At the Ketchum house, much earlier than he normally would have, Ash, yawned as he began to stir and wake up. His girlfriend was still sleeping in his arms, and neither of them seemed to be bothered by the lack of sufficient clothing. He smiled gently at her before he gave her butt a little squeeze, causing her to stir and moan. Leaf slowly opened her eyes and smiled when the first thing she saw was the face of her boyfriend.
"Morning Ms. Green." he whispered, pushing a few stray hairs away from her face.
"Mr. Ketchum…" she replied with a smile. He planted a kiss on her lips and she wasted no time in kissing him back. A shared moan passed between them as Ash invaded her mouth and she battled right back. Eventually, they both pulled away for air and shared a smile. "So how do you plan to sneak me back out without drawing attention my player?"
"You get dressed and I'll make sure the coast is clear outside. Then you can get to my car and I'll quickly drive you home." he explained. Leaf gave a small nod and crawled out of his bed, gathering her clothes up off the floor. Ash got up as well and quietly opened his door just enough to check the hallway for his Mom and sister. Both of their doors were still closed, meaning they were both still asleep. Sighing in relief, he glances at Leaf and gave her a nod. "Coast is clear."
"Then get changed and let's get moving." she responded. Ash nodded and got his clothes on as fast as he could. "Oh before I forget, I'll be out of town this weekend. My family is going on vacation to the Alola region."
"I see. No worries then." he nodded as he zipped up his jacket. He knew full well how wealthy Leaf's family was. So hearing that she was going to another country for a little weekend getaway was not all that unusual for him, despite how shocking it would be to someone else. In addition, hearing that she'd be away gave him an idea. "Actually, that'll be a good time for me to work on the project with May while she's away."
"I'm assuming I can trust you to remain faithful to me while I'm gone?" she asked, stroking his arm as he grabbed his wallet.
"Of course babe." he assured her. Despite knowing that he was going to do something she didn't approve of, he absolutely had no intention of cheating on her. What he was doing with May, that was just business. Leaf smiled and kissed his lips, which he reciprocated.
"Love you."
"Love you too." they each shared a smile and then, making sure the coast was still clear, they snuck out to Ash's car and headed off.
A few hours later, at school, May walked in sadly, still hurting from the previous evening's events. She had barely even managed to get her homework and paper column done she had been such a wreck. So coming in today was something she really didn't want to do. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't a good enough actress to fake being sick for her parents. Dawn was waiting for her near her locker, but today May felt even less like talking than usual.
"Hey May." Dawn greeted her.
"...Hi…" May muttered as she walked past Dawn and went straight to her locker. Noticing right away that something was wrong, Dawn followed her and put her hands on her hips.
"Okay what's wrong now...?" she demanded. May grabbed her books from her locker and shook her head.
"Nothing…" she mumbled.
"This is so nothing and you know I won't stop bugging you if you don't tell me." Dawn pointed out, making May grumble. She knew full well that Dawn's threat wasn't just a threat. Opting to avoid a long, drawn-out, and frankly annoying conversation, May caved and answered.
"He ditched me…"
"He? Do you mean Ash? Why would he do that? You guys had plans to work." Dawn asked, tilting her head. She didn't know Ash well, but she knew him in passing as a member of the cheer team. And ditching someone and slacking off didn't sound like the Ash she knew.
"He left with his girlfriend…didn't even see me waiting for him…" May answered with a sigh.
"He went home with Leaf…? Ouch…" Dawn winced, feeling slightly guilty since she had encouraged May to accept Ash's offer to work after school. "May I'm so sorry…"
"Just forget it, Dawn...I'm just going to do the project myself and get this over with…" her friend declared, closing her locker door.
"May…"
"I just need to end this now before it gets any worse…" May insisted before walking to her class. Dawn sadly sighed, worried about her friend, but had her own class to get to so she left the hallway as well.
May sat at her desk quietly, getting out her notebook and starting to draw the scene that needed to be made. She had always worked best when she had a base to work off of. As she drew, Ash walked into the classroom himself and noticed her working. Even though he didn't know her all that well yet, he could still tell that she was hurting. It was only after driving his sister to her school a few minutes ago that he had realized he never canceled with May, meaning he most likely had completely blown her off. And he was sure that to someone as shy and anxious as May, that wasn't a good feeling. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Ash walked over to her and sat down next to her.
"Hey May…" he greeted her gently. She glanced up only slightly at the sound of his voice. "I um...I'm sorry about yesterday...Leaf kinda needed me yesterday and I completely forgot to call you and cancel our meet-up...I'm really sorry…"
"...Look it...it's fine...I'll just finish it by myself…" she answered, determined to try and stop this trainwreck of a partnership before it went any further. Ash, however, was not going to be brushed off so easily.
"No...I want to help as well...we can still work on the project at my house this weekend...I know for a fact that Leaf is busy this weekend anyway." he insisted.
"You obviously have other priorities...I get it you're busy...I'll just do it all and...put both our names on it...it's fine…" May tried again to push him off.
"No, it's not May...I know I screwed up but I'm not going to let you pay for it any more than you already have...we're partners and we're going to do this together." he said firmly.
"A-Ash-"
"May please...I was a jerk for ditching you for my girlfriend I know that...but that doesn't mean that I'm going to just shove all this work onto you. I promise it won't happen again, so please, give me one more chance." he begged. May gulped and blushed as she listened. The tone of his voice told her that he did mean and believe what he was saying, but her life experience was warning her not to stupidly put herself back in a situation where she'd get hurt again. After debating the question with herself for what seemed like forever, she eventually took a deep breath and gave Ash her answer.
"I...I guess we can try...one more time…" she finally conceded.
"Thanks, May...I promise it won't happen again." he assured her with a small smile that made her blush and blush hard.
"Well then...th-there's still the need to buy materials and build the set…and run lines…" she said, running through the list of activities in her head.
"Right. So what do you think we should do first?" he asked her.
"I guess we...should buy the paint and materials first...that way we can practice with the set sooner rather than later…" she suggested, to which Ash nodded.
"That makes sense. How about after practice I drive us to the craft supply store and we can pick out what we need? It's always a short practice on Fridays." he offered. Though the offer reminded her of his recent blunder, May pushed her worries to the side as best she could for now.
"Ok…" she answered. Ash smiled a little at her and May blushed hard in response.
"So what can we do in the meantime you think?"
"Well...I was just sketching out the picture and figuring out what paint we needed when you came in…" she explained. "And...we still need to start practicing run lines…"
"That sounds good to me. We could start practicing that now if you're up for it." he offered. May rubbed her arm awkwardly, knowing that his suggestion made sense, but it didn't make her any more eager to read out a scene about how much she loved him.
"O-Ok…" she finally conceded, taking out the script from her bag. Ash nodded and pulled out his own script, flipping to the first page and giving it an initial first glance over. "Start at the beginning I guess...?"
"Yeah. Let's do it." he replied, obviously far less nervous than she was. May took a deep breath and began reading her first line.
"Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet."
"Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?" Ash read his line, trying to feign his voice to make it sound like a legitimate question.
"'Tis but thy name that is my enemy; Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot, Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part Belonging to a man. O, be some other name! What's in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet; So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd, Retain that dear perfection which he owes Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, And for that name which is no part of thee Take all myself." she continued her monologue.
"I take thee at thy word: Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized; Henceforth I never will be Romeo." Ash spoke boldly as if he had just presented himself to her.
"What man art thou that thus bescreen'd in night So stumblest on my counsel?" she asked, pretending as though she was surprised by his sudden appearance.
"By a name I know not how to tell thee who I am: My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself, Because it is an enemy to thee; Had I it written, I would tear the word." he explained to her.
"My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words Of that tongue's utterance, yet I know the sound: Art thou not Romeo and a Montague?" she asked.
"Neither, fair saint, if either thee dislike." he replied, putting in an effort to give his voice a more suave tone.
"How camest thou hither, tell me, and wherefore? The orchard walls are high and hard to climb, And the place death, considering who thou art, If any of my kinsmen find thee here." she warned him.
"With love's light wings did I o'er-perch these walls; For stony limits cannot hold love out, And what love can do that dares love attempt; Therefore thy kinsmen are no let to me." he replied confidently. May blushed as the two of them continued to read lines from the scene, drawing ever closer to the kiss. Once May read her last line before the moment, she hastily put a stop to their practice.
"...I think that's a good place to stop…" she announced, trying to ignore the fact that her face looks like a tomato it was so red.
"If you're sure…" Ash replied, a bit disappointed. He felt awkward as well about needing to kiss her, but at the same time this was the longest conversation the two of them had ever had, and it was going well. So he was a little bummed that it had to come to such an abrupt end. Maybe soon they'd be able to get through the whole scene. May hurriedly put the script away as the bell for the next period began to ring. "Guess I'll see you after practice."
"Right…see you then…" she answered before she hurried out as fast as she could, practically running to her next class.
Later that day, after his short practice had ended, Ash headed to the parking lot and over to his car. He scanned the area for May, hoping that she did in fact trust him enough to wait for him so they could go out and buy what they needed. What he didn't know was that May was hiding by the door of the school, watching to see if he kept his promise this time. Sufficient to say that she was surprised when he did in fact come out of the school alone and seemed to be looking for her. Summoning all the courage she had, May nervously walked out of the school and walked over to his car, catching Ash's attention.
"Hey May." he greeted her.
"Hi…" she said nervously.
"Ready to go?"
"I guess…" Ash smiles as he entered his car and May nervously got into the passenger's side. Once both of them were situated and buckled up, Ash started driving them towards the Jr. High to pick up Luna.
"You're sure your sister will be ok with this…?" May asked, still obviously nervous.
"No doubt about that. She's cool. You'll like her I think." he replied, chuckling slightly.
"If you say so…" she replied, quietly rubbing her arm. Ash gave her a small smile and soon, the two of them arrived at Luna's school. On cue, the younger Ketchum ran over to the car from the soccer fields.
"Hi Ashy!" she greeted as she always did. Ash smiled at her, but her expression changed to one of curiosity when she noticed May in the front seat. "Who's this?"
"Luna, this is May. The girl I'm working on my English midterm with." Ash introduced them.
"H-Hi…" May whispered with the tiniest wave. How else was she supposed to address the younger sister of the guy she was crushing on?
"Hi, there!" Luna greeted her back with a friendly smile. "You guys working on the project today then?"
"Yup." Ash nodded. "We're going to run to the craft store before we head back home."
"I-I'm sorry about this…" May said nervously, scratching the back of her head.
"It's alright. Sounds like fun to me." Luna smiled as she hopped into the back of the car. May was surprised by the younger girl's carefree attitude, but she wasn't going to complain about something about this being easier for once. With both girls now situated in the car, Ash drove into town and towards the craft store, arriving not too long after. Everyone piled out of the car and headed inside together. May pulled out the list of materials they had made earlier from her bag and looked over its contents, trying to remember where each of the items might be in the store.
"Let's see…" Ash looked over her shoulder at the list, causing her to blush heavily at their close proximity. "Hmm...how about we start with the paints and the canvas?" he suggested, gesturing to the paints aisle just to their right. May gave a small nod and the two of them headed into the aisle as Luna tagged along with them, looking at all the different materials. "Think we can get away with a plain black for the night sky?"
"I doubt it, this is Ms. Roxanne we're talking about...Blues and blacks at least...maybe a little purple for extra flare…" May suggested.
"Good call May." he smiled at her as he started looking through the colored cans. May blushed a little at the compliment but was able to wipe it away and help him pick out a few colors, placing them into a shopping basket. She went to pick up the now considerably heavier basket, but Ash grabbed it before she could and heaved up with much less effort than it would've taken her.
"Oh...thank you…" she said, her blush quickly returning.
"No problem. No need to risk you getting hurt from carrying these heavy paint cans." he smiled, only deepening her blush as she returned his smile nervously. "So what else do we need?"
"Well…probably a few greys and greens for the balcony…maybe some yellows and whites for lighting the windows?"
"You got it." Ash nodded, picking out the colors she suggested and adding them to the basket, still refusing to let her carry it.
"That should make us good on paints…though we still need a canvas and some wood to build a platform…" she listed, earning a nod from Ash.
"That kind of stuff is typically at the back of the store." he remembered, walking off toward the back as May and Luna followed him. The group walked quietly as May rubbed her arm, surprised by how well she was doing while hanging out with people who only a few days ago, she wouldn't have even had the nerve to talk to. Ash seemed to notice her drifting into her own thoughts and, after remembering Luna's suggestion about getting to know May to help her open up, he cleared his throat and tried to start a conversation. "So…"
"Huh?" May wondered, snapping out of her own thoughts as she looked up at him.
"If you don't mind my asking, how come you're always so shy...?" he wondered, hoping he wasn't being too forward.
"It...it's just the way I am...I don't do well when I have to work with other people…" she admitted, surprised by the question.
"I guess I understand that but…it just seems like it holds you back…" he commented, catching her attention.
"What do you mean…?"
"Well you're obviously smart, kind, a hard worker, and pretty. But because of the shyness, I doubt many people get to see those things." he explained, making her face turn the brightest shade of red that she'd ever seen. Had THE Ash Ketchum really just said all that about her? Had he really just called her…pretty?
"Th-Thank you I just…I don't think many people would care even if I did…" she finally managed to say.
"I would have if I'd known." Ash replied, his voice showing that his comment was not a joke or in any way forced. May's face somehow turned an even brighter red and to anyone who didn't know her, it probably looked like she was about to burst.
"R-Really…?" she stammered.
"Of course. I can tell that underneath all that shyness, there's a really great person in you. And I think a lot of people are missing out on her." he stated. May's head felt like it was going to explode. Sure she'd heard this kind of talk from her parents and Dawn before, but when Ash said it, it felt different. Maybe it helped that it was coming from someone who wasn't obligated to like her, but even more than that, Ash's honest and kind attitude was just so…intoxicating. The things she could do with his kind of confidence and courage…
"Th-Thank you, Ash…" she finally spoke up.
"You're welcome." he replied, then decided to change the subject upon noticing how red her face had gone. "So...do you have any siblings?"
"Yes...I have a younger brother." she replied.
"Neat. What grade is he in?"
"8th grade…"
"Ah pretty close then. So I'm guessing you two butt heads at times?"
"Heh, yes…" she said with a slight chuckle. "But you and Luna don't seem to be that way, and you two are even closer in age…"
"Well, our Mom works a lot so we often spend a lot more time with each other than we do with her. And that's been true for years. But that doesn't mean we don't fight ever." he chuckled. "Far from it in fact."
"Well, she seems nice…" May replied.
"Well I certainly love her." he laughed, making May give a small smile in response. It was nice to see Ash outside of the normal environment. At school, he was always the larger-than-life Basketball Captain that every girl wanted, but only one could have. But out here like this, he seemed much more…human. He was just a young man that was honest, hard-working, and loved his sister. The warmth in her chest from her crush on him was only continuing to grow, but for once she didn't care.
"Well anyway, there's the aisle we need." she announced, pointing to the aisle of wood materials as they approached it.
"Oh great. So to build a platform what all do we need?" he questioned her.
"Well…I guess some sturdy supports and a strong base to stand on." she answered.
"No problem." he nodded as he set the basket of paint down. He then walked over to the wood for sale and looked through it, looking for the best possible matches to the description she gave. May smiled a little as she watched him, before glancing behind her to check on Luna. The younger girl was eagerly examining a stained glass window kit a few feet away from an employee that was up on a ladder placing delicate vases on the top shelf. However as he was doing so, a precarious vase placed too close to the edge of the shelf finally tipped over, toppling over, and headed right for Luna.
"Luna look out!" May gasped as she ran over without thinking first and grabbed Ash's sister, pulling her out of the way just before she was hit, causing the vase to shatter on the ground instead. The sound of the impact drew everyone's attention and after a quick deduction of what had happened, Ash was on his feet again.
"Luna!" he called as he rushed to her side and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Are you alright?! Are you hurt?!"
"I-I'm fine…" she assured him, still catching up with the situation. Ash sighed in relief and hugged her.
"Thank goodness…that was way too close…"
"I'm really alright Ashy...thanks to May." Her comment made Ash release her from the hug and turn towards his classmate, who was currently explaining what happened to the employee that was now cleaning the shattered vase. Ash smiled a little to himself and walked over to May as she turned around, jumping a little in surprise at the sight of him so close to her.
"Thanks for saving my sister. I owe you one." he smiled. Then before either of them knew it, he wrapped her up in a hug, turning the poor girl's face a bright red with a deep blush. Ash kept her in his embrace for a few minutes longer, all the while making May's blush deepen before he finally let her go, flashing her a small smile. May placed a hand over her racing heart and took a few deep breaths to try and calm down before she passed out. Of course, none of this activity got by Luna, who noticed her blushing as she smiled with an idea.
"I-It was nothing really…" May finally managed to croak out an answer to Ash's gratitude. "A-Anyway we um...we should find what we need and then check out…"
"Right. Leave it to me." Ash assured her.
Soon, after they had bought what they needed and driven May home, Ash and Luna returned to their home as well. Ash was setting up cardboard around the large canvas they had bought, prepping for actually painting the backdrop. Before May had left the two of them had agreed to work on painting the set together tomorrow. Since it was a Saturday, they would have plenty of time to paint multiple layers of the design.
"So where will you two meet up tomorrow to paint it? Are you going to her house?" Luna asked, watching him work from a seat on the couch. Her question caught Ash's attention, reminding him of something he forgot to do earlier, groaning and smacking himself in the head.
"Dang it...I forgot to ask her what time we should meet up…" he muttered.
"Just text her you dork." Luna snickered. Ash chuckled a little at her obvious statement and took out his phone, texting May that very question before setting it aside to continue his prep work. "She seems nice."
"Yeah really nice. If she wasn't so shy I think she'd be doing some really great things." he agreed, which made Luna smile with a bit of deviousness in her eye.
"Well then, how about it?" she asked.
"How about what?"
"How about you and her?" her clarification was enough to stop Ash and make him turn around to face her.
"Me and May? Luna, I'm with Leaf." he reminded her.
"I didn't say anything about romantically." she smirked, making Ash blush at her implication. "But seriously, I know you're with Leaf...but…"
"But what?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow.
"...Haven't you noticed she's kinda...mean?"
"Leaf isn't mean Luna, she's just...well sometimes she just gets a little protective. It just means she cares that's all." he assured her, trying to find the right words to explain it.
"Maybe." Luna sighed. "I just...I don't know I think you can do better."
"Better than Leaf? Come on now Luna. I know you don't get along very well with her yet, but please remember that I love her. And I know she loves me." he insisted.
"I do I just…I want what's best for you is all…" she sighed, frowning a little. Ash took a deep breath and sat next to her, pulling her into a side hug and rubbing her back.
"I know you do…and I appreciate it. Just trust me to deal with these kinds of things on my own ok?" he asked, kissing her forehead.
"Ok…I promise."
"Thanks, sis." he replied, flashing her a small smile. "Now how about we make some dinner?"
"Now you're talking my language!"
To be Continued...
