The next day, Ash was once again reading the newspaper's advice column. He read to the last question where he spotted a particular question that caught his attention. It didn't take more than a moment for him to realize that the question had to be from May.

"Hi, Paper Princess. First time asking a question so I'll do the best I can. Sorry if this seems weird. The problem is...I have to kiss a guy for a school project. He's told me how much he values a kiss and I'm already painfully shy as it is. And...the truth is I've never kissed anyone before. I'm so terrified that I'll do it wrong or it'll be a bad kiss or I'll just make him uncomfortable. Any time I even try to do it I just freeze despite the fact that I've been trying to do it during rehearsals for over a week. And somehow I have to do it in front of the entire class on Thursday or else he'll lose his chance to play in an important game. And I just...I can't do that to him. I desperately need help...how should I handle this?" May explained, making Ash's eyes widen. He obviously knew she was scared about having her first kiss, but he didn't realize that part of her was so concerned about him and his game.

"May…" he whispered softly. He blushed a little, stunned at the amount of concern she had for his needs and feelings. She was even more amazing than he realized. His mind began to drift back to the time they'd spent together over the last few days and he couldn't help but smile, his blush growing deeper. All of a sudden, however, he suddenly realized what he was doing and quickly shook those thoughts out of his head. He forced his eyes to shift down to read the response from Paper Princess.

"Thanks for writing in. Always happy to answer any question. I can certainly understand why such a situation would scare you so much. It's never easy to kiss anyone, let alone someone who you care about. However, if this guy is truly a friend to you, I think you should trust him a bit more. If he's a good guy and a good friend, then he won't judge you in that way. Real friendships won't end over something like this. Have faith in yourself and in him. And it never hurts to just try and take a leap of courage." Paper Princess explained. Ash couldn't help but smile at the response. Once again, Paper Princess was right. He did consider May a real friend and he'd never stop being her friend over something like this. He could only hope May had enough courage to take that leap. He folded the paper up and put it into his bag and was about to go to class and check on May when he spotted Leaf walking up to him.

"Good morning." she greeted him.

"Morning babe." he replied. She kissed his cheek and he smiled softly.

"You missed." he teased as he pulled her into a much deeper kiss on the lips. Leaf happily kissed him back as Ash wrapped his arms around her and they both moaned softly. She slowly pulled away when she found she needed air and they smiled at one another.

"You have practice tonight right?" she wondered.

"Yeah. And you have cheer practice in the gym once we're done right?" he asked.

"Yup. Guess we're both busy tonight. I suppose I'll just see you at lunch for today." she concluded.

"We'll make the most of it. I'll see you then." he assured her. She nodded and kissed his cheek again before heading off to her class. He smiled, watching her for a minute before walking to class himself. His eyes immediately landed on May once again and he took a deep breath. He just had to make sure she was ok. Steeling his resolve, he walked over to her and sat down, causing her to lift her head up from her work.

"Hi…" she said, obviously still timid after the night before, but much calmer now.

"Hey...how are you feeling...?" he asked. He had a feeling she really didn't "feel bad" as she claimed, but he wasn't going to force the issue.

"Good, I guess...I'm sorry about running out last night…" she said, giving him an apologetic smile. She knew she shouldn't have left him that way no matter how freaked out she was.

"It's okay...I understand you were nervous about doing it in front of Leaf...I'm sorry if I pushed you too hard." he said, accepting some of the blame for the situation.

"It's really ok…in fact, I'd like...I'd like to give it one more try tonight…" she said, her confident suggestion surprising Ash.

"Really? You're sure?" he asked. May nodded when a thought suddenly crossed her mind.

"Oh...wait you have practice tonight...I don't want to get in the way of that…" she realized.

"It's not a problem. Why don't you watch the practice until we're done and then we can head to my house afterward?" he offered. This time it was May's turn to be surprised. As far as she knew, it was very rare for anyone to be allowed to watch practice. She'd heard of the occasional girlfriend being allowed to watch, as she was sure Leaf had done before, but never someone like herself.

"I could really watch…?" she asked.

"Of course." he nodded. May blushed a little as she took a deep breath, doing her best to keep her nerves from taking over again.

"O-Ok...if you're sure it's alright…" she nodded.

"I'm sure May." Ash smiled at her, to which she responded with a small smile of her own. With that decided, Ash opened up his backpack and pulled out his copy of the school paper. "So, you saw what Paper Princess wrote to you?"

"Yeah...it's some pretty good advice I think...assuming we are "good friends" like she said…" May nodded, glancing at him to look for any sign of confirmation. He smiled at her and nodded.

"Of course we are." he assured her.

"So...we can still be friends even after everything...?" she asked hopefully.

"Absolutely. And I hope you feel the same way." he grinned.

"I do…" she smiled as she visibly relaxed, which only made Ash's smile grow wider. "Well with that said...we have 24 hours until this project is due. So let's do our best."

"Now that's what I like to hear." he chuckled as they both got back to their practice.


Later on, after the lunch bell had run, Ash found himself eating lunch with his team as usual when Leaf finally found her way to the chair next to him.

"Hey babe." he smiled.

"Hey." she replied with a peck of his lips. "How's my guy?"

"I'm doing great." he replied with a genuine smile.

"Glad to hear it." she replied, getting into her food as Gary arrived at the table.

"Hey, love birds." he greeted as he sat down on Ash's other side. "Seems Leaf didn't kill you over the Paper Princess thing. That's good."

"Heh…" Ash chuckled nervously as Leaf giggled.

"You must be quite the smooth talker." his friend joked.

"I try to be…" Ash admitted, scratching behind his head.

"That and I think he's cute when he's scared." Leaf giggled.

"LLLeeeaaafff…" Ash complained as he blushed. She started laughing as Gary and a few other members of the team who happened to be listening joined her. Ash blushed a little bit more in embarrassment, but he still smiled, knowing it was all in good fun.

"Well, I for one am excited about our practice tonight. It's our last chance to get picked as starters for the game on Tuesday." Gary commented, changing the subject so that Ash could breathe again.

"You and Ash will be fine." Gladion chimed in from across the table. "Like they're not going to start with the team's captain and our best shooter."

"Well thanks, you guys. But Captain or not I want us to play the best people for the positions. So let's keep working hard." he announced, directing his comments to the rest of the table, who all cheered in agreement.


Meanwhile, across the room, Dawn and May had their attention drawn toward the basketball team's table as they all cheered in response to Ash's motivation. They were eating their lunch as usual and couldn't help but chuckle a little at the team's antics.

"Wonder what they're talking about." Dawn giggled.

"Probably the game. There is a big one next Tuesday." May reminded her as she took another bite of her sandwich.

"Probably. Athletes sure can be entertaining." Dawn laughed.

"Yeah yeah." May smiled with a roll of her eyes. "Speaking of boys, you have your big date with Kenny tonight right?"

"Yeah but…I'm kinda nervous about it…" the bluenette admitted.

"Why?"

"Well...to be completely honest with you we haven't kissed yet…" she admitted, making May's eyes go wide in shock.

"Wait what? How is that possible? After so many years of you guys crushing on each other, how was kissing not the first thing you guys did?" May asked, genuinely confused.

"That's exactly why I haven't done it yet…with such a big build-up, I've been waiting for the perfect time to do it…" Dawn explained.

"Dawn...I think it's obvious how he feels about you...you should just take the leap." she insisted.

"You really think so?" she asked, a hopeful tone in her voice.

"I do." May nodded. "I think he may be the one for you." Dawn was quiet for a few moments before she finally smiles a little and gave May a nod in return.

"Alright then…" At that, May smiled a little as well.


After the last bell of the day had rung, dismissing everyone from their last class, Ash was headed to the gym for his practice. As he approached the main doors, he spotted May waiting for him. She was obviously still nervous about coming to the practice, which was not surprising to either of them honestly, but she still seemed more committed to pushing through than before, which made Ash smile.

"Hey." he greeted her as he met up with her at the door.

"Hi…" she greeted him back with a small smile. "Thank you again for letting me do this…"

"Your welcome May. It's really no problem. I'm just sorry you have to wait through our practice." he countered, chuckling as he opened the door for her. May smiled a little wider as she headed into the gym with him by her side.

"So...should I just sit in the bleachers?" she suggested, gesturing with her hand.

"Exactly right." he nodded.

"Ok...good luck I guess? Is that what I'm supposed to wish you?" she asked, chuckling nervously which made Ash laugh.

"That works yeah." he assured her. May smiled a bit more, happy to be able to joke with him. She then headed up a few rows into the bleachers while Ash heads into the locker rooms to change into his practice uniform. She sat down and took out some homework to work on as Ash returned shortly and started practicing with his teammates on the court. At first, it was easy to focus on her work. She'd never been one that had any interest in sports. She always could work just fine when her Dad and brother were watching a football game or whatever. But for whatever reason, May found her eyes drifting up as she began watching the boys practice. Well, actually in particular she was watching Ash.

"Tip-off!" Surge called out as he blew his whistle and tossed the ball into the air. Ash leaped into the air along with the other player and managed to grab the ball. He quickly passed the ball to Ritchie and both of them, along with the other three members of their team bolted down the court as the other players quickly got into defensive positions. Ritchie made a move to pass the ball to another player, but Gladion was able to double back and stole the ball before it could reach Ritchie's teammate.

"Not this time!" he announced as he took off with the ball back down the field. Both teams immediately switched from offensive to defensive positions and vice versa. Gladion passed the ball to Gary who in one swift and fluid motion, caught it and took a shot at the hoop. Ash however was in prime position and jumped into the air and blocked it. He forced the ball from Gary's hands and landed back on the ground, grabbing the ball after it bounced back down.

"Drive it to the basket Ash!" Surge yelled from the sidelines. Heeding the instruction, Ash started running towards the other basket, forcing everyone else on the court to change their position again. Ash managed to get ahead of the guy trying to block him and hurled himself into the air, slam-dunking the ball through the hoop. May smiled to herself, impressed with his skills, and gave soft applause. It wasn't loud enough for the other players to hear, but somehow Ash seemed to notice her gesture and couldn't help but smile at her. May noticed him looking at her and smiled softly back at him. "Ash! Get back on defense!"

"Ack! Right!" Ash gasped, snapping himself out of his thoughts with the help of his coach's yell. One of the guys on the other team, a guy with purple hair named Paul, ran past Ash with the ball in hand while the Captain's attention was elsewhere. May couldn't help but giggle to herself as she continued to watch them all practice together.


"Alright! Let's break for water!" Coach Surge called out to the team after several more points on both sides had been scored. All the guys on the court sighed in relief and headed over to their bags on the sidelines, grabbing their water bottles and downing some water to rehydrate themselves. Ash was among them, tired from working as hard as he did. As he drank down some water, Gladion approached him and nodded his head up towards May, who was using the break to actually get some work done.

"Ash, who's the brunette in the stands?" he asked.

"Oh, that's May. She's my partner in Mrs. Griffith's class for the midterm." Ash explained, taking another big sip of water.

"And she's here why?" Gary asked as he and Ritchie walked over and joined their conversation.

"We're planning on doing some last-minute rehearsal for our presentation after our practice." the team Captain explained.

"And does Leaf know about this?" Gary pried further.

"No, and she doesn't have to know about it." he said, directing the last bit at the three of them.

"Yeah. That'll go over well." Gladion commented with a roll of his eyes.

"Yeah, Ash...that doesn't sound like the best idea." Ritchie pointed out.

"I mean seriously are you trying to get her to break up with you? How long do you think it'll be before she finds out?" Gary groaned.

"Even if she does what does it matter? May and I are just friends." Ash said with a firmer tone.

"Leaf won't see it that way." Gary reminded him.

"Trust me guys." Ash countered, brushing off his friends' concerns.

"Your funeral man." Gladion replied with a roll of his eyes. Ash just simply shrugged and downed more water.


Later on, after more scrimmage matches to finish out the practice, Ash and May left the gym and got into Ash's car. They each shared a small and friendly smile and then were on their way to pick up Luna from her own practice. Alone once again, May's mind drifted to topics they could talk about.

"So does Leaf watch your practices often...?" she asked, genuinely curious to know the answer.

"Not really." Ash admitted. "I mean she's sat in once or twice, but that's about it. She just doesn't have a huge interest in basketball itself."

"Oh…" May said, unable to hide her surprise, which Ash noticed.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm sorry I'm probably totally out of line here it's just...I can't imagine a girlfriend not wanting to watch her boyfriend play...no matter her feelings on the actual sport itself…" May pointed out, the comment catching Ash's attention. He had never really thought about it before, but he had certainly been to several of Leaf's cheer competitions over the years even though his enthusiasm for the sport itself didn't go beyond watching his girlfriend. But when he really thought about it, he could count on one hand the number of his events that she'd come to on one hand. Aside from those she had to be at because of cheer of course.

"I guess…" he commented, his voice trailing off as he drove. How had he never noticed that before? He of course didn't expect some kind of "payment" for him taking time to spend with her, but wasn't it… unusual to be so disconnected from her boyfriend's interests?

"Sorry...forget I said anything…" May commented, snapping Ash out of his thoughts as he realized she must've taken notice of his inner dilemma.

"It's alright. Don't worry about it." he assured her as he pulled into the parking lot of Luna's school. Spotting his car, Luna ran over, smiling when she saw that May was in the passenger's seat again.

"Hi, Ashy! Hi May!" she greeted them both as she hopped into the backseat of the car.

"Hi, Luna…" May replied with a small smile. Ash himself smiled at the two of them and started driving them all back to his house.

"You two rehearsing again?" the younger girl asked the two high school students.

"Yeah." Ash nodded.

"We have to get as ready as we can for tomorrow morning…" May added.

"Cool! I know you guys will do great." Luna smiled.

"Thanks, sis. We'll do our best." Ash chuckled. May smiled a little and gave her own nod of approval. That was when Luna gasped and snapped her fingers.

"Oh, Ashy please don't forget my game on Friday. Coach says I'm doing even better than before and I don't want you to miss it." she informed him, earning a nod from Ash.

"No problem Luna. I already let my Coach know I'll be missing practice on Friday and he understands." he replied. He knew that his coach was well aware of his and Luna's situation so he understood the need for Ash to miss a day.

"Sounds good!" Luna smiled. May smiled at the two of them as she listened, impressed with how well they communicated with one another. It was enviable to someone like her who always butted heads with her brother. Soon enough, Ash pulled into his garage and everyone climbed out of the car and headed inside. Luna headed to her room to work on her own homework while Ash and May went to the living room and dropped their bags on the floor, doing some last-minute rehearsal preparations.

"Thank you for this Ash. And not just for tonight but for…everything that you've done for me and this project…" May said with a genuine smile. Knowing that this was going to be their last rehearsal was very bittersweet for her, and Ash felt the same way.

"Your welcome May. And thank you as well. It's been a blast." he grinned, which made her blush ever so slightly. "Ready for one last rehearsal?"

"Ready." she nodded with a deep breath. He nodded back and with that, May began reciting her lines, this time saying them perfectly. Ash followed her lead and spoke his own lines, putting even more effort into his movements now that he was more confident in his memorization. May stayed in her position, pretending she was on their platform as he approached her, taking her by the shoulders as their eyes met. Finally, May said her final line before the kiss, and the world just seemed to stop. Ash watched her intently, waiting to see if this would be the moment.

"May…?" he whispered, hopeful. May at first looked terrified once again and seemed just about ready to pull away again. However, this time she stopped herself. Remembering the advice she gave herself through Paper Princess, she instead took a deep breath and leaned in, finally kissing him. Ash's eyes widened in pure shock and a blush crossed his cheeks. She really did it. Remembering that they were supposed to be kissing each other for the scene, he slowly started to kiss her back. With each moment that passed with their lips pressed together, May began to relax and so did he. But then, suddenly, each of them felt a spark pass between them at the same time. And as if that spark flipped a switch within them, the kiss began to deepen. Ash softly moaned into her mouth and May leaned into his. He wrapped his arms around her and held her even closer, making her moan back at him. But then, just as the kiss was about to turn into a full-blown make-out session, Ash suddenly realized what he was doing and quickly pulled away from her completely. May stumbled a little from his quick movements as he backed away from her and just stared at her with complete and utter disbelief.

"A-Ash…?" she asked. Her voice didn't seem to reach him as he just continued to stare at her, his mind racing a mile a minute.

"I-I…I'm sorry…" he mumbled before he bolted from the room and ran up to his room, quickly closing the door in a panic. May on the other hand, began to tear up. His reaction was exactly the one she most feared. Starting to cry, she quickly grabbed her bag and then ran out of the house, completely dissolving into tears. She ran all the way home, still crying her eyes out when she threw open the front door, startling Caroline. The young teen ran up to her room and her mother followed her up. May buried her face in her pillow and continued to cry, greatly concerning Caroline.

"May…?" she asked.

"Please leave me alone…" May said as firmly as she could in between sobs.


Meanwhile, Ash, who was also in his room, was simply staring at the ceiling while laying on his bed on his back. His mind was racing like a turbojet engine. Never, never in a million years did he expect that. And of course, he felt bad for running away from May the way he did, but he was just completely overwhelmed by it and he just needed some space right at that moment to save his sanity. From her room, Luna had heard all the commotion and cautiously entered her brother's room with a concerned look on her face.

"Ashy what happened down there...?" she asked.

"I…I honestly don't know...May finally managed to kiss me and it...it felt so...different…" he said, trying to articulate something he truly didn't understand.

"Different how?" Luna asked, failing to understand.

"If I knew I'd tell you...if I had to put it into words I…I think I...I felt a spark when we kissed…" he said, unable to find another word that would describe what he was feeling.

"A spark? You mean like…when you first start liking someone…?" Luna realized, her eyes widening in shock.

"I guess…but it felt…it felt even more intense than any I've ever had…and there was even a brief moment when I felt myself ask…why hadn't we been doing this all along…?" he admitted, blushing as he recounted his feelings in that moment. Luna couldn't even believe what she was hearing. Ash had never talked that way about any girl. Not since he first started dating Leaf.

"Ashy…do you like May…?" she asked, trying to keep them from beating around the bush. Ash was silent for a few moments, trying to find the best answer he could in his fog.

"...I don't know…but that kiss…it meant something…I know it did…" he answered.

"Oh, Ashy…" Luna whispered as she ran over and wrapped him in a hug. Ash hugged her back and held her close, completely unsure of what to do for the first time in his life.

To be Continued...