Hello, all you wonderful readers! Happy New Year! (Even though New Year Day is tomorrow where I am, but still.)
You know, it's funny. My updates have become pretty infrequent now, so I'd been thinking that some of my readers might have forgotten about this by now, or maybe aren't reading it (which doesn't mean I won't keep writing or anything). But then I saw that I have 89 favourites for this story. 89! That's eleven away from 100! I hadn't noticed that over the time I'd been writing this, the favourite list just kept growing and growing. It makes me so happy that this story managed to make it so far. So, regardless of whether or not you still consider this a favourite read, I want to say thank you so much, everyone!
Hahaha, you guys probably want to get to reading the chapter instead listening to my ramblings. Onwards, my readers!
Today's topic was based off one of my own ideas.
Warning: Teeth will be lost.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon in any way, shape or size!
Tooth Trouble
Kindergarten
May (5), Paul (6), Drew (5), Gary (5)
When May arrived at kindergarten one morning, she was concerned to see her friends, Gary, Drew and Paul, huddled together at their table, looking serious and talking in low, secretive voices.
"What's wrong?" she asked, joining the conversation. The three boys considered her for a moment before Gary finally spoke.
"Paul's in big trouble," he said, sounding as though he relished the chilling fear. His eyes glinted in excitement. "His teeth are all gonna fall out."
"What?" May said in a shocked whisper. "All his teeth?" She turned to her purple-haired friend, hoping for him to tell her otherwise. But he looked at her solemnly and nodded.
"Show her, Paul," Drew said seriously.
Paul opened his mouth and touched one of his bottom teeth. To May's horror, it wiggled. It was really coming loose!
"You have to tell the teacher!" May exclaimed. The other three immediately shushed her.
"I can't do that," Paul said, looking troubled.
"Why?" she said frantically. "You have to tell Ms. Kelly so she'll fix it!"
"I can't. Reggie will get so mad if she tells him, and then he'll tell everyone it's my fault, and no one will fix my teeth because they'll think I was bad."
"What… what did you do?" May asked, trembling. "Why is it your fault?"
Paul took a deep breath. "Yesterday, Reggie got three lollipops. I wanted one too, but he wasn't sharing. And then he put them in his secret candy place and told me not to touch them. He said they were big-kid lollipops, and if someone in kindergarten ate one, all his teeth will fall out!" He stopped, looking at the faces of each of his friends dramatically.
"And then?" May whispered.
"And then… I went to his secret candy place and took one. The orange one."
"Where was his secret candy place?" May asked in a hushed voice.
"Under his pillow."
May gasped loudly.
"Why did you eat one?" Drew asked worriedly. "He told you your teeth would fall out."
"I thought he was joking." Paul frowned. "He always says stuff like that, and they never happen. But today…"
"I didn't know you could lose all your teeth if you ate candy," Drew said. "My nanny told me that too much candy can hurt your teeth, though. She said it gives… um… I think she said cav-tees."
"You mean decaf tea," Gary interjected. "My sister Daisy had some once, I think. She said it was decaf tea, or decaf coffee or something. And I tried it and it tasted really bad."
"I don't want to have to drink something really bad," Paul said.
"That's not cav-tees," Drew said, frowning. "Cav-tees are holes that get in your teeth."
"I don't want holes in my teeth either," Paul mumbled sulkily.
"You have to tell Ms. Kelly!" May said, starting to panic. "Or else you'll get cav-tees, and decaf tea, and all your teeth will fall out!"
"I can't! If I do, Reggie will know I took his lollipop and he'll get mad and say that he told me so."
"But you have to!" May was near tears. "I don't want all your teeth to fall out."
"But I'll get in trouble."
"I'll tell!" Gary said unexpectedly. "Ms. Kelly! Ms. Kelly!"
"Don't tell her!" Paul hissed. But Ms. Kelly had already appeared at their table.
"What's wrong, Gary?"
"Paul did something very bad!"
"Be quiet!" Paul said angrily.
Ms. Kelly frowned. "Gary," she said, "it's not good to tattletale."
"Hmph!" Paul stuck his nose in the air. "Yeah, Gary! You're not being very good."
"But all his teeth are gonna fall out. It's an emergency!"
The teacher blinked. "All his teeth? What's this about, Paul?"
Paul looked reluctant to answer, but finally, he opened his mouth and pointed at his wiggly tooth. Ms. Kelly leaned in to investigate. Instead of being shocked and asking how it had happened, however, she beamed, surprising her four students.
"Wow, Paul!" she exclaimed. "It's your first loose tooth. Congratulations!"
"Huh?" The four looked at her, confused.
"But… my teeth…"
"Paul," Ms. Kelly said, smiling, "don't worry. There is nothing wrong with losing a tooth. It happens to everybody."
"Everybody?"
"Yes. As you grow, your baby teeth fall out one by one. New, adult teeth grow in their place."
"So… losing my tooth just means I'm growing bigger? And a new one's gonna grow later?"
"Yes. Just make sure you brush your teeth every day, and drink lots of milk so your teeth will grow nice and healthy."
There seem to be a release of tension as the four let out a collective breath.
"Wait," said Gary, frowning. "You said these are our baby teeth. So… does that mean we're all still babies?"
"No, of course not, Gary. We just—"
"Yes," Paul said, a grin stretching across his face. "You're all still babies and I'm a big kid 'cause my baby teeth are falling out."
May looked at him in awe. Well, he had recently turned six. "I can't wait to lose my tooth and become a big kid," she chirped.
"But does it hurt?" Drew asked worriedly.
"If you let your tooth come out on its own and keep your teeth healthy, it shouldn't," Ms. Kelly said.
But Gary was still scowling at Paul. "I am not a baby! My grandpa said I'm a big kid!"
"But you still have all your baby teeth, so you're still all a baby."
"I am not!"
"Paul, Gary," Ms. Kelly said exasperatedly. "Having baby teeth does not make you a baby. Babies usually don't have teeth, and growing teeth is a sign that they are growing into big kids. Losing these teeth and growing new ones is a sign that you guys are growing even more."
Gary's mood seemed to improve with her words, and Paul gave her an understanding nod. "Okay."
"Good. Now, I should go and get class started."
But once she left, Paul leaned over to Gary and quietly whispered, "Baby."
One month later
Kindergarten
Gary (6), Leaf (5)
Gary was frustrated.
He peered into the mirror, his mouth wide open as he checked each and every one of his teeth. No signs of looseness. He frowned, wondering what was wrong with him. It had been a week since he'd turned six, the age when Paul had lost his first tooth. So why hadn't he?
But then again, Paul had been six for a while before he finally got a loose tooth. So Gary still had to wait for a while. Still, though. His patience was running short. Paul had long lost interest in bragging about his loose tooth, and even after it had come out, he'd only flaunted the gap for a day or two. But Gary couldn't forget about it. The fact that all of his baby teeth were firmly attached to his gums was a reminder that he wasn't nearly as old as he wanted to believe he was.
Besides, the idea of the tooth fairy was very appealing. According to his older sister, Daisy, after losing a tooth, you had to put it under your pillow. Then, a fairy-type Pokemon, a Flabébé, switched your tooth for money while you were asleep. In a way, Gary had a whole money stash in his mouth, and he couldn't even use it!
Maybe he could quicken up the tooth-loosening process, he thought. Daisy had specifically told him not to, to let his teeth fall out according to their own time. But at this rate, he was going to stuck with his baby teeth until he was his grandpa's age!
Maybe Leaf would help him out. She always had good ideas.
Or maybe she won't because she wants to be the first one to lose a tooth.
Gary scowled. He was running out of options, so might as well see what Leaf had to say. Maybe he could somehow convince her to give him a hand.
He hurried next door, to his friend's house. "Is Leafy here?" he asked when her mother answered the door.
"Yes," her mother said hesitantly."But… she won't come out of her room."
Gary was surprised. Leaf never had such a bad day that she wouldn't leave her room. Even when she was in bed with a cold, she hated being stuck in one place for so long with nothing to do.
"Why don't you go and talk to her?" Leaf's mother suggested. "Maybe you can convince her to come out."
"Okay."
Gary went upstairs, soon finding himself in front of a room door covered in stickers. He knocked.
Leaf replied with a scream: "No!"
"Can I come in?"
No answer. He took it as a yes and entered.
"I didn't say yes," Leaf said sulkily when he did. "And I don't want to play." She was sitting by herself on her bed, looking miserable for some reason.
"Why not?"
"You gotta help me, Gary."
"What's wrong?" Her behaviour was starting to get him a little worried.
"My tooth's gonna fall out."
A wave of jealously suddenly overtook him. Leaf wasn't even six yet! How could she have gotten a loose tooth already?
Gary crossed his arms. "I'm not gonna help you pull it out," he said.
"No! I don't wanna take it out!"
His annoyance gave way to confusion. "You don't?"
"No." She looked like she was about to cry. "I don't wanna lose my tooth."
"Why? When you lose your baby teeth, it means you're not a baby anymore."
"But I don't wanna lose my poor baby tooth!"
"Then you'll always be a baby."
"I don't care!" Her tears were about to spill. "I wanna keep my baby teeth. They're tiny babies, and if they fall out, then they'll be all alone."
Gary was starting to feel a lump in his throat. He had to swallow and remind himself that teeth weren't alive with feelings. "But then you'll have new teeth," he said, trying to make her feel better.
Leaf began full-out bawling, leaving Gary nonplussed and at a lost at what to do. "I-I-I don't want n-new teeth!" she choked out between sobs. "Then the baby teeth will be all alone, a-a-and they'll think I forgot about them because I have new teeth, a-a-and they're j-just babies!"
Gary stared awkwardly. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to convince her that losing a tooth was a good thing? It meant you weren't a baby, and that you were growing, and then there was the tooth fairy too…
His eyes widened. Of course!
"The tooth fairy!"
"W-wha'?"
"The tooth fairy! If you leave your tooth under your pillow, the tooth fairy will come and take it and leave money for you! You get money!"
Leaf, who had calmed down somewhat to listen to what Gary was saying, burst into tears once more. "I don't want the tooth fairy t-t-to take my baby tooth away! I d-d-don't want money; I wanna keep my baby tooth!"
"No, Leafy, listen! The tooth fairy takes everybody's baby teeth, so that means wherever she takes them, there will be lots of other baby teeth friends for your baby tooth."
Leaf's crying slowed to sniffles. "R-really?"
"Yeah! Your tooth won't be lonely. It'll have lots of friends! And when my tooth comes out, the tooth fairy will take it away, and it'll become your tooth's friend!"
Leaf was quiet for a moment as she pondered the idea, her sniffles the only sound breaking the silence.
"Where… where does she take them?"
"Hm… Maybe… Maybe she takes them to a magic baby tooth world! Our baby teeth will have a lotta fun there!"
Leaf smiled. "Will my baby tooth be happy?"
"Yeah!" Gary was growing enthusiastic about his idea. "They'll play lotsa games, and they'll never have to do boring chewing when we eat."
"But what about the big teeth that'll grow later? They won't get to go to the fun world."
"Well, they're grown-up teeth. Grown-ups always have to do boring work, so it's okay."
Leaf giggled, evidently feeling a lot better about her future farewell to her baby tooth.
Her tooth fell out several weeks later.
Grade One
May (6), Ash (7), Gary (7), Drew (6), Paul (7)
"Guys," Ash said seriously to his friends one day at school while they were outside for recess. "I need your help."
"What's wrong?" May asked, worried. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. But my loose tooth still hasn't come out."
"So what?" Gary grumbled, sour that he still didn't have a loose tooth, and that Ash of all people had beat him to it. But it wasn't like he was the only one. Neither May nor Drew had loose teeth yet either.
"That's okay," Drew said reassuringly. "My nannies said that you have to let your teeth come out on their own."
"But my tooth is really loose now. It can come out any minute! But I wiggle it and wiggle it, and it still doesn't fall out."
"I didn't have to pull out any of my teeth," Paul said smugly. "They're all coming out very fast."
They were indeed. He was already about to lose his fourth tooth, and Ash felt he was slowly looking more and more like a jack-o'-lantern.
"But mine has to come out, and it's not," Ash said, frowning. Then, he brightened up. "So I have a plan!"
"What kind of plan?" Drew asked curiously.
"I saw it on TV, and it always works," Ash said excitedly. He looked around to make sure no one—especially no teacher—was listening in. He pulled a small box of floss from his pocket.
"You're gonna clean it till it comes out?" May asked, confused.
"No." He lowered his voice. "I'm gonna tie a long piece of floss to my tooth, and then tie the floss to a doorknob. Then, one of you has to close the door really, really hard, and my tooth will come out."
"But that will hurt!" Drew said, concerned.
"I'll do it," Paul said, a wide, mischievous grin breaking out on his face. Now he really looked like a jack-o'-lantern. A scary one.
"No, it'll really hurt him," Drew protested.
"If it's gonna hurt, then don't do it," May said, starting to look scared. "What if it hurts him really bad?"
"Don't worry, May!" Ash said, giving a smile. "I won't get really hurt. I promise. I saw it on TV, and when it's on TV, it's always true, right?"
"Daisy says people on TV lie a lot," Gary said mischievously, trying to scare him. "So it might really hurt."
Ash crossed his arms boldly. "I'll be brave if it does. I won't cry."
"Then let's do it."
"No!" Drew said loudly, surprising the others. They had never seen him this worked up before. "You can get really hurt! You could have to go to the doctor!"
"No, not the doctor!" May shrieked.
Ash looked at them solemnly. "I have to."
"Then…" Drew gulped. "Then… I'll tell the teacher."
"Don't be such a tattletale, Drew," Paul said, crossing his arms. "Ash says he wants to do it. If he gets hurt, it's his fault. But you're not letting him do what he wants to do."
"Yeah," Gary put in, irritated. "Don't be a tattle-Drew."
"Don't worry, Drew!" Ash gave him a confident thumbs-up. "I've seen this on TV lots of times. No one ever gets hurt."
Drew hesitated. He looked at his shoes. "Okay, I won't tell…"
Paul's smirk widened. "Let's go do it right now, before recess is over."
The five of them—two of the five very reluctantly—snuck into the school building. The grade one students were all supposed to be playing outside right now, so they had to make sure they avoided any teachers.
Slowly, they began to check door after door until they located an unlocked one. With the help of his friends, Ash managed to tie one end of a long piece of floss to his tooth, and the other around the open door's doorknob.
"Okay," Gary whispered excitedly. "Now—"
All five of them froze to sound of footsteps coming from the next hall. The footsteps were getting louder; a teacher was coming!
"What do we do?" May asked frantically.
"I'll handle this," Paul said boldly. Before anyone could say anything, he swiftly walked into the hallway to where the teacher was. His friends held their breath as they listened.
"What are you doing inside?" a teacher's voice asked.
"My loose tooth," Paul's voice said. "It hurts."
"Does it? Let me see…"
They didn't dare break the silence until they heard the teacher conclude that this was something they needed to show to the school's Nurse Joy, and his and Paul's footsteps faded away as they went to do just that. The grade one students let out a collective breath of relief.
"Good thing Paul had a loose tooth," Gary said.
"But whose gonna slam the door shut, then?" Ash asked, frowning.
"I'll do it," Gary offered. "I'll do it really hard so your tooth will fly right out!" he promised.
Ash shivered. Now that they were this close to doing it, he was starting to feel nervous.
"Are you sure you wanna do this?" May asked, frightened.
"Yeah." Ash put on his determines face.
"I'm scared…"
"Don't worry! I'll be all right."
"Are you scared?"
Ash hesitated. "A… a little," he admitted. "But I'll be fine. Really!"
"Do you wanna hold my hand?"
"Um, okay. If you want to." He secretly felt a lot more comforted with his friend's hand in his. Not that he would ever admit that in front of Gary. He let out a steady breath and turned to face his spiky-haired friend. "Okay. I'm ready."
Gary stepped towards the door, eager to slam it shut and see what the end result would be. Suddenly, however, he found his way blocked by none other than Drew Hayden, who stood there, facing him fearlessly. "Don't do it, Gary," he said. "What if Ash gets hurt?"
"He's not gonna, Drew. Move out of my way."
"No! If Ash gets hurt…"
"He won't!"
"But if he does…"
"Move!"
Gary attempted to shove his away, but the green-haired boy resisted, Ash's well-being being of more importance to him than his friend's annoyance. They struggled against each other, Gary trying to get through and Drew trying to prevent him, when suddenly, Drew got shoved back, his shoulder banging on the door as he fell.
"YOW!"
"S-sorry!" Gary said, getting down on his knees to see if Drew were okay. Drew sat up, rubbing his shoulder. "It… it was your fault you fell!" Gary quickly justified. "You weren't getting out of my way, and…"
But it hadn't been Drew who'd yelled out. When he'd fallen, he'd crashed against the door, causing it to slam shut. The string of floss that had been connected to Ash's mouth was now dangling from the doorknob, Ash no longer on one end.
May gasped loudly. "Ash, your tooth—!"
The black-haired boy pulled the floss from the doorknob, and inspected it. Sure enough, there was a tiny, white tooth attached, glistening like a medal.
"YEAH!" Ash cheered, closing his fingers around the tooth and punching the air.
"What is going on here?" a voice said, a teacher entering the hall. "Why are you all—?" He froze when he saw the bizarre scene in front of him.
Ash was standing victoriously, one of his fists in the air. May was beside him, holding his other hand, staring at his raised fist with star-struck eyes. Drew and Gary were on their knees, looking up at Ash's fist in awe.
"Um…"
Paul suddenly appeared from behind the teacher. He took in the scene and sulked.
"I wanted to slam the door…."
Grade Two
May (7), Misty (7), Gary (7), Drew (7), Leaf (7), Ash (7), Paul (7)
"Guys, I think there is something wrong with my mouth," May declared.
She and her friends were at the park, and May couldn't hold her concern in any longer.
"Why would you say that?" asked Drew.
"Well…" May hesitated. "None of my teeth are getting loose. Everyone has loose teeth now. Leaf and Paul lost their first tooth in kindergarten, and Ash lost his last year. And now, one of Drew's is a teeny tiny bit loose, and Misty has two loose teeth."
"One, actually," Misty said. She grinned. "I lost one yesterday when I was eating an apple."
"Really?" said Leaf. "Let's see!"
Everyone gathered close to see the missing gap between her teeth.
"Wow," said Ash admiringly. "You've lost your first tooth now!"
"Yeah." Misty grinned proudly. "Look! The tooth fairy even gave me a dollar." She pulled out a coin from her pocket to show it off.
Paul frowned. "That's not fair. I only get dimes."
"Maybe I brush my teeth better than you."
"I brush my teeth even better," Gary boasted. "The tooth fairy's gonna give me five dollars. I asked my grandpa, and he said she might."
"If you even ever get a loose tooth," Leaf said, giggling.
"Don't worry, Gary," May said reassuringly. "We can lose our teeth together." Actually, she was just glad she wasn't going to be the last out of her friends to lose a tooth.
"Who said I don't have a loose tooth?" Gary tossed his chin up proudly. "This morning, one of my teeth was wiggling, and I think it's gonna come out really soon."
"Really?" Misty said dubiously.
"Show us," Drew said.
They crowded around Gary this time, peering into his mouth.
"Dis one," Gary said, a finger on one of his teeth.
"Wiggle it," Ash whispered.
He did, and sure enough, the tooth was moving back and forth. Misty, however, frowned, unimpressed.
"It's not gonna come out soon," she said. "It's barely wiggling. It'll take a long time for it to come out."
"Nuh uh." Gary crossed his arms. "It will too come out soon. It might even come out today."
"No it won't. My other loose tooth is even looser than yours, so it'll come out first, and I know it won't come out for a while. I know, 'cause I had to wait a lot for my first tooth to come out."
"You're wrong. Mine will come out before yours."
"Nuh uh!"
"Uh huh!"
"Nuh uh!"
"Uh huh!"
"Fine." Misty crossed her arms. "If your tooth comes out before mine, I'll give you my dollar. But it won't, so you won't get it, and if mine comes out first, you have to give me the money the tooth fairy gives you."
"Fine. But you're wrong, so you'll have to give me your money."
They glared at each other before finally, Ash nervously stepped between them. "Weren't we gonna play something? Come on, let's play something," he suggested.
"Yeah," Leaf piped up. "Watching you guys fight is boring."
They ended up playing with the soccer ball Misty had brought along, dribbling the ball and passing it to one another. At one point, Drew kicked it to Misty, but it was a crooked kick that caused the ball to roll off course.
"You're supposed to kick it like this, Drew," Misty instructed. "Watch me."
She let a powerful kick loose, blasting the ball through the air at lightning speed, right at…
"Gary, watch out!" she screamed as the ball shot straight at said boy. Gary looked up… only to have it smash into his face.
"Gary!" May shrieked, running to her friend in a panic.
"Gary, are you okay?" Misty said, her face ridden with worry. "It was an accident! Gary, I'm so so—"
"Gary, you're bleeding!" Ash shouted in horror, pointing to the red dribbling from his lips.
Gary shook his head to get rid of his daze, and then his eyes widened. He spit into his hand. There, on his palm was a red-stained tooth, glistening like a trophy.
Gary grinned, a tiny space visible where he had once wiggled his first loose tooth. "Never thought I'd say this, but thanks, Misty." He held out his other hand to her.
"Dollar, please."
A few weeks later
Grade Two
Drew (7), Ash (7)
"Are you sure, Drew? It's really loose," Ash said, peering into his friend's mouth.
"Yes, Ash, I'm sure," Drew replied.
"But when I tied my tooth to a door and got it out that way, it didn't even hurt much! Why don't you wanna try it?"
"Because I'm not worried about my tooth not coming out at all. I know it'll come out by itself like my nannies said, and I'm not in a rush. It's not a race."
"Yeah, but don't you want it to come out really soon? It'll be your first lost tooth. And then the tooth fairy can come too."
Drew flipped his hair, smirking. "I'm just more patient than you, Ash."
Ash frowned, still convinced Drew should give it a try. With his tooth being so loose already, speeding up the process couldn't hurt.
The two of them were at Drew's house. Drew had decided to have play day and invite everyone over, but the others weren't there yet. Only Ash was there because his mom needed to run errands, and she had asked if it would be okay if she dropped Ash off early. Now, the two boys were strolling around Drew's mansion's gardens, observing the signs of approaching winter and chatting about Drew's future plans concerning his loose tooth.
"Brrrr!" Ash pulled his hat lower over his ears, shivering. "Winter's sure coming fast."
"Yeah. My butler was saying it might snow soon too."
"That's great! Then we can have a snowball fight here!"
Drew looked around. It was rather spacious. He personally wasn't a fan of snowball fights, but if they ever were to have one, this would be the ideal place.
"Uh oh…"
Drew turned to Ash, who was suddenly looking rather troubled. "What's wrong?"
"I think I dropped something somewhere. It's not in my pocket anymore."
"What?"
"My mom's ring."
Drew's eyebrows knitted together. "Why did you have your mom's ring?"
"'Cause she forgot it on the kitchen table, so I picked it up to give it to her, but she was busy, so I put it in my pocket and forgot it there."
"Oh."
"Man! I gotta find it!"
Drew looked around. This place might have been perfect for a snowball fight, but the thought of having to look for a tiny ring…
"Why don't I ask someone else to look for it? Maybe my butler, or the gardeners, or…?"
He trailed off when it became obvious that Ash, who walking back the way they came with his nose pointing to the ground, was not paying attention. He sighed, following his friend, casting a little glance here and there to see if he could detect any shine. Their gardeners weren't done tidying up the fallen leaves around their house, so searching for something was going to be impossible.
"Aw, my mom's gonna be so upset," Ash moaned. "I don't see it anywhere. It's gotta be here somewhere—it has to be!"
"Ash," Drew started. He paused, a glint catching the corner of his eye. "Ash, I think I see it."
"What, really?" Ash looked up, his face beaming. "Where?"
"Over there." He pointed in its direction. Ash hurried to inspect, and beamed when he bent down.
"Yeah, this is exactly it!" he said, extracting a ring from the leaves. "Thanks, Drew!"
"No problem." Drew flipped his hair. He bent over Ash to look at it. "That's a very shiny ring."
"Yeah," Ash said, getting up. "My mom got it for her birthda—Oof!"
As he was getting up, his head smashed into Drew's face. Drew stumbled back, more stunned than hurt, his hand over his mouth.
"Drew, are you okay? I'm sorry! It was an accident!"
"I'm… fine…" Drew said dazed. Slowly, his expression changed. "Wait a minute…" He opened his mouth, his finger going to where his loose tooth was. Or, at least, where it should have been. It had vanished, his finger coming back red.
"Ash, I think I lost my tooth."
"Really? That's awesome! Sorry about hitting you in the face, though."
"No." Drew frowned. "I think I really lost my tooth."
He and Ash stared at each other for a moment, before looking down into the fallen leaves.
"I guess," said Ash, "that's one more thing we have to look for today."
Grade Three
May (8), Dawn (8), Misty (8), Ash (8), Gary (8), Drew (8), Paul (8)
May's finger went from one tooth, to the next, to the next, to the next. She frowned, staring at her reflection in the mirror.
Still no loose tooth.
What was wrong with her? Every single one of her friends had lost at least one tooth at this point. And now, they had just started grade three, and May had been sure she'd have a loose tooth by now. But despite all her eager hoping, all her teeth remained firmly planted in her gums.
She sighed, leaning her elbows on the sink counter.
It's only the second day of grade three, she reminded herself. I'll lose one eventually. Besides, the dentist said that for some people, it's normal to lose a first tooth at age eight.
The door suddenly opened, and in hurried a girl with long, navy blue hair, and a frantic expression.
"Quick!" she said. "I need the mirror!"
May got out of the way, even though there was another mirror the girl could have used. The blue-haired girl used her reflection to look into her mouth. She touched one of her teeth and wiggled it.
"It's really loose!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide. "I thought I imagined it, but it's really loose!"
May stared jealously. She'd only just been thinking about loose teeth, and, as if to rub it into her face, a girl had barged to brag that one of her teeth was loose.
"Oh, um, that's great."
The girl turned towards her, beaming. "Thanks! It's my first loose tooth. It was taking so long, I thought none of my teeth were gonna come out. But now it's really coming loose!"
Looking at her bright, excited blue eyes, May suddenly felt guilty for being jealous. She was just like her, someone who'd been waiting so long for her first tooth to fall off.
"Hey," the girl said suddenly, looking at her face interestedly. "You're in my class, aren't you?"
"Huh?" May studied her face. It looked familiar… "Oh, right! You're the new girl!"
"My name's Dawn," the girl said, smiling sweetly. "Yours was… May, right?"
May blinked in surprise. "How'd you know?"
"I heard someone call you that. I think… it was the kid with black hair. Was his name Ash?"
"Yeah, it was. Wow, you just joined our class and you can remember our names so easily!"
"Remembering names has always been easy for me, actually. I think I get it from my mom."
"It takes me a long time to remember other people's names."
"I can remember names, but there are a lot of things I can't remember. Like stuff for tests."
"Hey, neither can I!"
The two giggled.
"May? May, there you are!"
May looked up to see Misty standing in the doorway. The orange-haired girl crossed her arms. "May, we've been looking everywhere for you! Class is about to start."
"Yikes!" Dawn grabbed May's arm, dragging her along as she sped past Misty. "Hurry, May! We're gonna be late! And Mrs. Primm looks kind of scary. I don't want to be late for her class!"
The two of them arrived in their classroom and hurried to their seats. Misty appeared at the door a second later and sat down at her own desk, raising an eyebrow at May.
Sorry for leaving you behind, May mouthed sheepishly, just as Mrs. Primm entered.
Later, when recess began, May was about to go to join her friends, when she was approached by none other than Dawn, the very girl she had met this morning.
"Hi, May," she chirped. "Whatcha doing right now?"
"I usually hang out with my five friends," May said. "Why? Do you need something?"
"Oh. Um, no, I'm fine! Just saying hi!"
But May noticed how her face had been slightly crestfallen before going back to its usual cheerfulness.
"Hey, you can hang out with us if you want," May suggested brightly. "My friends are all amazing! You're going to love them!"
Dawn's eyes sparkled. "Can I really? That would be great! Thanks!"
Soon, May found herself introducing her new-found friend to the others.
"Everyone, this is Dawn. Dawn, these are Ash, Misty, Gary, Drew, and... hey, where's Paul?"
Ash looked at Dawn curiously. "Hey, have we met before? Like before school started? I think we might have met before."
"Of course not, Ash," Gary said, rolling his eyes. "When could we have ever met? She just joined our school this year."
"I don't remember ever meeting you guys before," Dawn said. "But nice meeting you guys now!"
"Likewise," said Drew, giving his hair a little flip. "Oh, and by the way, I think May might have forgotten to mention, but there is one more of us: Paul."
"Two more," Misty corrected. "Leaf doesn't go to our school, though."
"Speaking of them, where is Paul?" May asked.
Drew shrugged. "Washroom, I think."
Dawn giggled. "May and I actually just met in the washroom this morning. I was checking my mouth 'cause I discovered I got a loose tooth! See?" She opened her mouth to show everyone proudly.
It's still not that loose," Misty observed. "It'll be a while before it falls out."
"No need to worry! It being loose is what counts. It's my first loose tooth, and I've been waiting for my baby teeth to start falling out since forever!"
"Really? Your first tooth? That reminds me..." Misty turned to May. "You still haven't lost a tooth, haven't you?"
May bit her lip. "No..."
"Really?" Dawn looked at her, surprised. "I thought I was the only one."
"But you got your loose tooth now, and I still haven't," May said miserably. "I just don't know what's wrong. None of them will fall off!"
"Maybe try having Misty kick a soccer ball at your face," a voice said. It looked like Paul was back. But Dawn looked shocked at the suggestion.
"That's a horrible idea!" she exclaimed.
Paul shrugged. "Worked for Gary. It's worth a shot."
"No, it's not!" Dawn said, boldly getting into his face. "Who do you think you are, bugging May like that! You can't just come here and start saying dumb ideas, and—!"
"Um, Dawn?" May interrupted nervously. "That's Paul."
Dawn stared at her. "Wh... what? This... this is your friend Paul?"
"And... who are you?" Paul said, raising an eyebrow and looking to the others for an explanation.
"Dawn," Dawn answered, a crease between her eyebrows. "And... are you sure you're May's friend? The way you were talking, I thought you were being mean."
A small crease of annoyance appeared at Paul's brow. "And just who are you again?"
"Dawn! I just told you!"
"Dawn, Paul was just kidding," Drew quickly explained, sensing tension between the two. "I'm sure he doesn't really want a ball kicked at May's face."
"Yeah," Paul added, eyeing Drew with a little smirk. "You would be a lot funnier."
Drew looked a little uncomfortable while Dawn looked outright appalled. "I don't believe this," she muttered to herself. She turned to May. "Well, if he's your friend..."
"Yup!" May said, nodding. "Since kindergarten."
Dawn glanced at Paul. She really didn't like him, but she'd tolerate him for her new friend's sake.
"All right," she said, forcing a smile. "If he's you're friend, I'll try to be his friend too."
Paul made a skeptical noise and rolled his eyes, but May looked absolutely thrilled. "This is great!" she cheered.
"Seconded," Gary said, grinning as he swung his arm around Dawn's shoulders, much to the latter's surprise. "With you in the group, I no longer have to be third last."
Dawn frowned. "Third last at what?"
"Losing my first tooth, of course. It means I get to move up the ranks, making me the fourth last to lose my tooth. Gives 'top five' much more meaning. Anyways, welcome to the group!"
"Um, thanks?"
"Forget about all that dumb stuff Gary just said about teeth," Misty said, rolling her eyes. "But yeah. You can totally hang out with us any time. If you need me to beat anyone up for you, just give me a shout out."
"Yeah, the more the merrier, I always say!" Ash said.
"This is great!" May said clapping her hands together. "We're gonna have so much fun!"
If there was one thing not having lost a tooth had got her, it was a new friend. After all, she wouldn't have met Dawn like that if she hadn't been in the washroom checking for loose teeth.
"Everyone, it has happened," May announced to the group the next day.
"What, April?" Drew said teasingly. "You finally mastered the alphabet?"
May glared at him. "No, I already mastered that way back in kindergarten. And my name is May." She turned back to the others. "No, I, May Maple, finally have a loose tooth!"
"Wow, really?" Dawn exclaimed. "And just a day after me!"
"Maybe my tooth just needed a buddy to fall out with!"
"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Paul said. Dawn glared at him.
"No, it's not. It's a perfectly good reason!"
Instead of retorting, Paul stared at her in such a bizarre way that Dawn felt inclined to ask, "What... what's wrong?"
"What's wrong? Who are you?"
Dawn exploded in fury. "Well excuse me, your rudeness, but we've met once before! The name's Dawn!"
Paul considered her for a moment. "Don't remember."
"You think you're funny, don't ya?!" she shouted, erupting into a rage worthy of Misty. "Listen you, you nasty and selfish spoiled brat, apologize!"
The others made a mental note not to cross her.
"Guys, listen!" May said loudly. "Are we forgetting? My tooth!"
"Yeah!" Ash said, distracted from the commotion. "Congratulations, May! That's awesome!"
"Although you're still gonna be the last to lose your tooth. Dawn's got loose first, so it'll fall out before yours," Gary reasoned.
"That's not how it works," Misty said. "If it's just a day apart, May's can still fall out first."
May frowned. "But that would mean Dawn would be last."
"It's not a race, you know," Drew pointed out. "Why get so worked up about that?"
"Yeah, but..."
"Wait," Dawn said thoughtfully. "What if we both lose our teeth on the same day?"
"How are we gonna do that?"
"We'll wait until both of our teeth get very loose," Dawn said, slowly growing excited. "And when it looks like they're about to fall off, we'll pull them out on the same day!"
"But what if one of our teeth doesn't come off?"
"No need to worry! Like Drew said, it's not a race, so if only one of our teeth comes out, it's not much of a big deal. But if we do manage to lose them on the same day..."
"Then we'd be like tooth-twinsies!" May said, becoming excited as well.
"Tooth-twinsies?" Paul rolled his eyes. "Do whatever you like, but I'm just saying, it sounds dumb."
"Misty," Dawn muttered so only the red-head could hear. "What were you saying about telling you if I need you to beat someone up?"
Misty snickered. "Don't worry, when I first met Paul, I hated him too."
The day finally came when May and Dawn were both certain that their teeth were loose enough to fall out. The two of them had been extra careful the night before to make sure they didn't accidentally fall out by trying their best not to wiggle them, or to eat hard food. So far, so good!
"So how are we gonna do it?" May wondered. "Do we pull our loose teeth out with our fingers? We're going to have to have someone say three, two, one for us."
"Actually, I was thinking we could use string. In case our fingers slip or something," Dawn said.
She pulled out a spool of thread and cut two long pieces, one for her, and one for May. They helped each other tie the string to their teeth. Then, they locked arms and held tightly to the free ends.
"On one," May said.
Together, they did their countdown: "Three, two, one!"
They pulled hard, May's eyes closed as she pulled on hers. "Did I do it?" she asked, her eyelids still shut.
"May, look!"
May opened her eyes to see Dawn grinning and holding up her string, her tooth attached to one end. May held up her own string, and a smile broke out on her face when she saw that her tooth was also now hanging from its end.
The two of them smiled broadly at each other, a gap now evident in each's mouth.
"Tooth-twinsies!"
And done!
In case it wasn't clear, when Ash was asking Dawn if they'd met before, it was a reference to a past chapter, 'At the Lab Again', in which they did meet, but since it was a long time ago, they didn't really remember.
I had so much fun writing this chapter—it's like a bunch of mini-chapters all in one! I've had this idea for so long, I decided to take a break from my suggestion list and work on it. Sure, it's one of my longer chapters, so it took so long to write it out amidst the busyness of university, but little by little, I finally managed to finish!
So what did you guys think? Hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Until next time!
Bye bye for now! Have a great day, and smile all the way! :)