"Do you know the answer to number three?" Alyssa looked at Julie with attentive green eyes. She was sitting at the bottom of her bed, legs crossed.
"Did you even try looking yourself? You asked me the same thing for one and two." Julie kept reading her work and didn't look at Alyssa as she spoke. She made it difficult to focus when she wouldn't stop interrupting her reading to ask about something she could read herself.
"I would… if I liked science, now, do you have it?" Alyssa asked this almost icily, her tone miffed, but held herself back for the most part. Since when did Julie get irritated like this?
"Hold on..." Julie spoke softer and pulled up her pajama pants while reading more text from her book. She felt bad for taking that approach with Alyssa. She'd snapped at her and misdirected her emotions, and Julie was used to Alyssa's behavior when they did homework.
"Julie… you okay?" Alyssa noticed how silent she'd been. She knew Julie well as they'd been friends since ninth grade, and it was unlike her to be anything less than talkative and pleasant with her. At the same time, she knew of Julie's depression and wondered if it was affecting her.
Julie looked away. "I... I wish I knew." She wasn't at all for reasons she didn't know how to manage. It made her morose.
"What is it?" Alyssa dropped her pen. Julie was more important than homework. Well, just about anything was. Maybe that's why Alyssa was barely passing science. "You've–" she cut herself short and was relieved Julie didn't seem to notice. Alyssa was going to ask if she had been taking her meds but had never felt it was her place to ask. Besides, she knew how Julie felt about them, and it could very well be something else, so the question could have offended her.
"Don't want to talk about it." A lamentful expression washed over Julie, glossing her eyes and frowning her face, but she fixed it before facing Alyssa to curb any concern.
Alyssa felt it was best to leave Julie be instead of being a bother that prodded for easy answers while she was clearly going through something. "Well, want me to go? You said your mother would be here at six, and it's five."
"Here, let me give you the answers first." Julie didn't want to push her closest friend away and wanted to end the night on good terms, so she allowed Alyssa to copy her answers and let her leave afterward.
Julie stood at the top of the stairs and watched Alyssa slip on her shoes. "Text me when you're home safely!"
"I will!" she replied and went out the door.
Afterward, Julie returned to her room and parted her curtains enough so the sun would shine in when morning came. It woke her up when her alarm didn't.
She had to finish her work and go to bed. Her mind might clear itself overnight. It'd be back regardless, though.
The ruminative thoughts always returned regarding her social flaws. Julie invariably guilted herself for them, but why? She wasn't required to be a people person, but being too introverted was seen as weird by so many in society. Her depression never helped, and she was at the top of the list when she was sexually attracted to an umbreon to the point where she rubbed herself out to the very thought of him and not a single boy.
It reminded her of back when she was fourteen and had her first period, and she went to her mother because of how hot and uncomfortable she was feeling.
Her mother sat her down and explained that it was a step toward womanhood and that she would be menstruating often, so she had to teach Julie to use pads and whatnot. Fortunately, her cycles were light and came and went quickly, but what stuck with her was that her mother also told her not to feel weird if she started finding boys more attractive.
Well, that never happened. Not once, at least not enough to where she desired any that she was around. It almost upset her and confused her to no end, but how would she change that, and did she want to?
None of it had stopped crossing her mind since Ecruteak and as she aged and supposedly became more of a woman, but she felt stagnant in reality. She always felt self-conscious about how others viewed her at every waking moment and could never shake it no matter how much she tried, and she really did sometimes.
She still felt bad for treating Alyssa like that, and Julie just remembered that she'd forgotten to check her messages on Veela. She sat on the bed and grabbed her phone, unlocking it and inputting '0205' into the numpad, which was the month and day she and Alyssa first met in class. Her home screen's wallpaper showed and was of Alyssa last year at an outdoor school fundraiser event with an unamused expression and cute skitty face paint on. She'd only applied it since she was painting other kids' faces, so Julie had to snap the pic she'd never get again.
She opened her app list and scrolled through, clicking the one with a logo of an eevee's tail and opening it. Julie was already logged in, so it took her to the brown and white home page, offering millions of posts to scroll through while an outline of an eevee sat at the top right. She clicked the sidebar and opened her profile, which had zero posts. The site prompted her to publish something in the empty area where her posts would be with an: 'Eevee won't evolve unless you post!' It was a smart concept.
At one hundred user posts, the eevee at the top right of the screen became an umbreon upon refreshing, which altered the site's theme to black and yellow, although one could switch back if they pleased. Espeon was locked behind two hundred, and so on. One could unlock shinies as well, but those were locked behind likes and were more difficult to achieve.
Julie wasn't interested. She had no profile picture, and her username was 'Julie_5' since she was late to the party. The other Julies snagged the good names. She had zero followers and only followed a few news and history profiles, like 'JohtoNN,' a news network that covered happenings around Johto, 'Silph,' which covered major technological advancements and studies, and 'WorldOrigins,' which covered current events and new groundbreaking scientific discoveries globally.
She also followed other profiles that posted pokémon and region facts— oh, and she followed Alyssa, of course.
Julie went to her following list and tapped Alyssa's profile among others she followed. Her profile picture was of an animated woman in a black and white mink coat and silver hair from a TV show. She changed it often, and her username was: 'xoAlysssa.' She posted a lot, too. Julie clicked the newest one posted this morning beside her rows of others that scrolled down forever, which was a twenty-second video with one hundred and fifty likes, plenty of comments, and forty revees, which people used to reshare posts to their profile.
Julie pressed play on the video: a stationary cam recording from the ceiling of an overall view of a living and dining room, displaying the couch, TV, and whatnot, during the night.
A small, young glameow entered the frame and stretched, approaching the dining room table that looked to be set up for an event the next day, as it was tableclothed with a white cloth and had glasses, napkins, and packs of steel utensils on it. The glameow went to the cloth and pawed at a red bow on its end, pulling at it with its claws, which moved one of the glasses dangerously close to the table's edge.
Julie bit her lip, grinning while invested. "This is going to end so badly."
The glameow pawed at it some more, and on the next tug, the glass shifted over the edge and fell beside the glameow with a loud shatter, making it flinch and flex its claws— a few getting caught in the bow and cloth.
"Ssstt," she sucked her teeth and now wore a grimace. "No way it gets any worse."
The pokémon scrambled to get away with flattened ears but couldn't get its claws unstuck, so it pulled desperately and stepped back, which slowly shifted the entire tablecloth over until everything on it came crashing to the floor in a series of shatters, tings, and clanks, and that's when the glameow got away, running for its life as a gray blur while dragging the cloth for a few feet.
"So glad Lilly isn't a menace," Julie giggled loudly, a fit she couldn't stop for almost half a minute. The worst Lilly used to do was hop on the stands downstairs to look out the window, which stopped after enough repeated scoldings.
That video made her feel slightly better. "Thanks, Ali." Checking on what Alyssa had sent in messages wouldn't hurt at all.
Her eyes shot open to soft light hitting her face and permeating her room. Julie turned from it and faced the wall, grabbing her phone and disabling her alarm before it went off. Her body was on schedule, so she often woke up around the time she was supposed to. As expected, she didn't feel much better than last night, meaning today would be a chore.
She drank the rest of the water in her bottle to care for her dry mouth and begrudgingly got up to go about her usual routine, setting her sheets and blanket over her pillow and draping it over the sides of her bed, then doing her hair and taking a pill against her will. She put on a red plaid skirt, black leggings, and a white top and cream jacket with vibrant shiny mini butterfree patterned from the torso and lining up the right sleeve.
She went downstairs afterward with her backpack over her shoulders and tossed her empty bottle in the bin, grabbing a new bottle and tucking it in the slot. Julie saw her mother in the kitchen with Lilly sitting beside her.
She and her mother looked alike. Julie hadn't taken anything from her father besides hair color. Her mother's was blonde and straight. Her father wasn't around anymore as he and her mother separated while Julie was young, which she didn't like to think about. He used to keep in touch intermittently, which stopped when she turned seventeen and truly stopped after eighteen. That was when he had to stop paying to support her, so it made Julie wonder to this day if all of it was fake.
It hurt more than anything, and she remembered crying in her mother's arms for weeks after he hadn't so much as texted her for months like he usually did. She hadn't seen him in person in years and missed him, but he currently lived in Kanto with his new family since he remarried. Right next door. Julie knew he wouldn't wish her a happy birthday this year either, but she held onto a sliver of hope. She'd love to hear from him but didn't want to reach out if he was done with her.
Several months after those events was when Julie fell into the heaviest depressive state she'd been in since fifteen, where the trauma had caught up with her initially. She lacked the motivation to do anything, rarely had an appetite, was grief-stricken and exhausted around the clock, the happiness she used to feel faded and rarely returned, and it was in brief spurs when it did.
Everything felt foggy, and it was a challenge to feel engaged in any activity. She had also developed severe social anxiety that stuck with her to this day. However, the medication did aid her in feeling motivated and somewhat balanced her emotions. It also helped that Julie had discipline and a small sense of routine in her life that could be better.
She tried to sleep at around a healthy time every night, earlier than later and woke up at a reasonable time every morning to get a decent start to the day. She felt more vitalized than when she didn't, especially due to her change in diet and riding to and from school daily. It's also why Julie did her best to keep her room spotless even if she didn't feel like it, especially after coming home from school, as her immediate surroundings were a direct reflection of her. She wasn't as down as she once was. Julie was glad her mother paid attention to her.
Her mother even wanted her to go to therapy as recommended by the doctor, but Julie begged her not to set that up. She'd still be going today and felt more or less okay without it. Julie could function. She wasn't suicidal. One of her greatest fears was mortality. Not so much death itself, as she knew every living thing was wired to die, but the fact in and of itself. She felt uncomfortable whenever she experienced rubatosis— when she could hear and feel her heartbeat.
She didn't want to leave her mother and Alyssa behind, and there was still more she wanted to do in this life, so she did her best to preserve herself. The closest to suicidal Julie had ever been was during the time prior to being medicated when she cared not about her health or self-image.
Julie never had outright urges, but it was when she hadn't watched her sugar intake, including consuming frequent sugary drinks, snacks, and fast food that harmed over time. Her room would have bottles or snack and candy wrappers on and by her nightstand on the carpet, and she'd sometimes undress and leave her clothes on the carpet that ended up under her bed at times. She also wasn't as slim as she was now, and Julie fought to keep her figure so she wouldn't fall back into said awful state.
"Morning, Julie. I made you something light before I go. Have to head in early. How was school yesterday?"
"Thank you, and it went well," Julie said while giving a slight grin to her mom, hoping she wouldn't see any apparent gloom on her face. She usually noticed Julie's moods, everything from apparent to more subtle alterations, but she happened to be in a rush.
"I hope today will be even better, sweetie. Love you." With that and a tight hug, her mother left shortly for work.
Julie hoped so too, even though that felt like wishful thinking. She ate what her mother had made for her, told Lilly to stay inside today, and headed out the door while taking a minute to connect her earphone and put on a song. This time, she was leaving earlier than usual and had just over an hour before her first class started, which was a good thing. Julie would ride slower and enjoy the music in her ear, humming its rhythm.
But that brought her back to her recent thoughts: social flaws, Midnight, school, her bleak life, and now her father. He and her mother divorced due to dysfunction in their marriage. Julie couldn't recall how the case went, but she faintly remembered one of them accusing the other of having an affair, and honestly, maybe they both had one. That part was kind of blurry.
That could be how far gone their marriage was, and it was beyond saving in that case, but her mother won custody in the end, narrowly, if Julie could remember, but she didn't know why or how long the case had dragged on for. What she could remember was how toxic it got some nights, with a few fragile objects ending up broken. Fortunately, as far as she knew, it never got physical but a few times. They were never able to work it out, and the infidelity broke the family unit. Adultery broke a large sum of marriages, making Julie wonder if monogamy among humans was as natural as most made it out to be.
Maybe serial monogamy made more sense. She was more fond of the traditional version and would want her partner all to herself long-term and vice versa, but it wasn't realistic for everyone.
Anyway, Julie didn't want to bring any of it up and ask her mother. It's also the reason they didn't have their old sedan. Her father took it with him since it was in his name, so the driveway and garage sat vacant. At least the house's mortgage was almost paid off since both her parents had worked at it for years. Her father was a successful chiropractor, and Julie still vaguely recalled some of the techniques he'd shown her years ago.
Shortly after they separated was when her mother spiraled into an inconsolable depressive state Julie helped her through the best she could, cooking for them, burning dishes here and there, and cleaning around the house. Her mother almost lost her job during it, and Julie wasn't sure she would ever remarry as her father did. She had loved him more than she did herself.
Julie put it on the list of several reasons she didn't want a relationship, but that could be because of the ordeal between her parents, and neither had guided her in that department after the fact. She was just so afraid and uncertain. Julie had no idea what to look for or expect.
Obviously, not all men would cheat, and she certainly wouldn't. It not only would destroy her partner's feelings, but it would create trust issues and could even alter their view on love altogether. Julie would never want to be responsible for that. She saw its future consequences and wasn't completely miserable either.
She just didn't think someone fitting for her would waltz into her life, but who would be fitting?
"Ugh. Please stay on that sidewalk... and keep your boards on it too, for the love of Lugia." Julie pressed her brakes and eyed a small group of pre-teens ahead skateboarding a little too close to the street and pictured one of them slipping off their boards, sending it flying and decking her wheel, but she passed with no trouble.
Maybe she needed an extroverted partner to help her in certain situations like Alyssa did, or perhaps another introvert would best match her energy and perception of the world. Julie would have to put herself out there, experiment, and risk it all. Her heart would be in someone else's hands, which was what she feared. Getting hurt or abandoned by them would break her more than she was already. She didn't want to live a repeat of her parents and suffer as her mother had, but that gamble was what it may take.
Julie walked through the busy morning hall, dropping her backpack by her locker and unlocking it accordingly. She looked around for Midnight momentarily, but he wasn't in sight. She had no clue when the faculty let him roam the school, but she usually saw him after her first class. It would have brightened her morning, so hopefully, she was right.
Julie had difficulty paying attention in class and hadn't talked much to her classmates this morning. She daydreamed and didn't take many notes, which she didn't like when it was her favorite class. Maybe the fact that she had no one in life besides Alyssa and her mother was really beginning to hit her, but it was essentially her fault.
As she knew, Julie had never made a real effort to get to know or ask anyone out during all the years she'd spent here, but she didn't find appeal in doing so at the same time, and it frustrated her. Julie was too afraid of being used or heartbroken to an extent she shouldn't be, but a pokémon would never break her heart. There was only genuine love present, Lilly excluded, but it's why she loved Midnight so much— maybe a little too much. She hoped it wasn't a case of delusion and desperation since that'd only make her feel worse about herself.
Anyway, Julie picked up her pen and looked at the projector displaying slides of locations in Sinnoh while the teacher lectured. It was stunning, from Hearthome City and its popular Super Contest Hall to Floaroma and its flowerscaped land that was once a barren mountain bloomed by shaymin if you ask its residents. They were supposed to watch interviews on several locals today that went into more detail about the myth.
Lake Acuity, Verity, and Valor were intriguing too. They were home to three legendary pokémon that held the myth of the creation of willpower, knowledge, and emotion. All of them were fenced off and under watch by pokémon rangers 24/7 so no one attempted wandering in and catching or harming the trio, but pricey tours of each lake were hosted every Monday and Saturday for curious guests willing to learn.
Julie learned it wasn't always called Sinnoh either, which was news to her. Upon first discovery, its name was Hisui and was changed down the line.
She often further researched regions at home that were discussed in class even when it wasn't required for an essay during her leisure time, which resulted in her wanting to tour plenty as so many captured her. It felt almost like an obsession that she couldn't get enough of. Julie spent so much time doing it that she often dreamed at night about exploring various regions. If there was one thing she could see herself doing in the future, it was being a historian and traveling the world. She'd be the happiest woman on the planet.
After the class let out, Julie wasted no time exiting the classroom in anticipation, flipping her half-full bottle in her hand, but Midnight still wasn't by her locker, and she really missed him. Maybe later. She had to use the restroom before science class started, which was in ten minutes, so she walked quickly toward the second hall.
However, as Julie turned the corner and passed a row of lockers, she saw Midnight turn from a boy that was petting him and stroll toward her. What a surprise. She squeezed her bottle and heard it crackle. "Mmh!" She'd prevented herself from uttering a word since other classes were still in session, so her noise came out as a quiet hum. Julie heard muffled lectures behind closed doors and the faint hum of instruments behind a soundproof one.
Only a few students and a group of boisterous tall jocks grabbing bags from their lockers that held jerseys and shorts to prepare for PE and field practice were around. Julie took PE in ninth and eleventh. The school required two years of it, so she was done and didn't have to take it this year. Some students were on their phones while leaning against lockers, others talking to their high school love, and whatnot before they too walked off to their next class.
She met Midnight by the pink door of the girls' restroom halfway down the hall with a heart-tailed female pikachu sign outlined on it to signify the gender assigned. Beside it was the blue boys' door with a male pikachu on it.
Julie kneeled in front of him, setting her bottle on the floor. "Hi." She looked around to make sure the halls were clear before briefly embracing his neck with her arms and kissing his nose, which his rings reacted to. This was such odd behavior. Why was she like this? She was close to feeling jealousy when she saw others touching him, but it wasn't a big deal. It was a part of him being here and always has been, so Julie had to cut that out.
Midnight responded by licking her chin, then wriggling his way out of her hold while brushing his cheek against her legs and thighs. He never did this with other students. He loved feeling her skin and touch the most since there was passion involved.
That was a new and more straightforward approach. He likely wanted more attention, but Julie hadn't seen Midnight act this way before. Perhaps they were warming up to each other. She giggled and looked at him, reaching to scratch behind his ears. "Yes?"
Midnight gave her a different kind of gaze as she pulled away. He fixed his eyes on her face, and his bushy tail swayed from side to side.
"What is it?..." Julie began feeling nervous from his hard stare after he didn't look away. She didn't know what he wanted. Maybe she needed those behavioral classes more than she thought, especially if she spent much time around a pokémon.
"Umb..." Midnight was trying to convey to Julie that he liked her, that he really liked her as if she were a potential mate. Again, he was unable to be around pokémon since he was at this school almost every day, and his home life was isolated. So, he had no dreamy mate to run to, and Julie was ideal to him. Not only her body and overall attractiveness, but she was always so kind to him. With her existence and actions basically drawing and inviting him in, it led to one option he may or may not be successful in.
Naturally— well, not that naturally, but he was falling for Julie, and Midnight wanted to let her know before someone snagged her, although he expected his attempt to fail. Call him desperate, but if it worked, it worked.
"I've– I've got to get to my next class. I'll see you later." Julie couldn't sit here all day, even though she was curious as to what his behavior meant.
She leaned down to give him a kiss on the forehead, but this time, Midnight leaned up and moved his face so his lips instead connected with Julie's. A soft murmur escaped her mouth out of surprise, her eyes dilated, and her cheeks flushed. Julie sincerely hoped no one was watching because she took Midnight's furry cheeks within her delicate palms and held their kiss for a few seconds.
There it was. Julie wasn't catching on, so Midnight took a more direct and daring approach when the opportunity presented itself. He eyed her while pressed against her sweet mouth, his ears erect, his tail stiff, and his rings glowing a brighter, more vibrant yellow than usual. Kissing was one of several ways humans displayed love. He used to people-watch before he was caught once upon a time and saw a lot of public affection in the halls of this high school, so he'd know.
After pulling away, she looked up and down the halls again while wiping her mouth with her wrist. She exhaled while gazing down at the umbreon she had just shared a kiss with— her first one at that. Thank goodness no one saw it. Julie was far gone, but there was no way she'd let this go. She couldn't say she didn't enjoy that kiss.
Julie was beyond late for class at this point, though. She didn't mind since it was due to a kiss but still had to get to it. "S-Sorry, Midnight. I'll see you again after my classes, okay? Promise…" Julie watched his rings begin to fade. Her cheeks still felt hot, which she'd take care of while in the restroom. Julie's hand slipped from his cheek to grab her bottle. She then stood and entered the girl's room, but not without glancing back at Midnight.
Midnight was all Julie could think about during her science class, often falling into reverie. The way he tilted his head and gave her that soft, passionate kiss and how his warm mouth felt pressed to her lips. She leaned back in her chair and squeezed her thigh due to growing arousal. She had it so bad for him.
She felt odd about it, though. He was an umbreon— a pokémon. However, he felt something as profound for her as Julie did for him, and she would never have imagined that. Still, it couldn't go any further. As she told herself, getting caught having sex at school was not worth it. It would feel amazing and fulfill her fantasy, though. Julie would also get in trouble if she were to take Midnight from school for hours and it was found out.
Great, now she was searching for options so she could screw the school pokémon. She couldn't believe herself, but it wouldn't leave her be. Julie felt herself getting hotter by the minute, almost enough to warrant a panty change when she got home.
"Julie!"
She was ripped from her thoughts and looked up from her desk. The teacher, wearing a dark blue dress shirt and black pants, glared at her from the whiteboard. He was a bald older man, always dour.
"Uhm… uh, y-yes?" Julie choked out, feeling every one of her classmates eyeing her. It sucked sitting near the front of the class sometimes since the teacher could keep tabs on her, but it was the only seat she could get today after being so late to class. The unwritten rule of unassigned assigned seating among students existed. They typically didn't randomize seats every class and found their favorite one for the year, but the back of the class was a popular choice, especially in this one, so it was more of a first come first serve.
"Are you paying attention? You can daydream at lunch."
"S-Sorry, sir." Well, that certainly quelled her demented thoughts. She sat up and pulled her hand from under the desk, swallowing.
He folded his arms and stared at her. "Why don't you so graciously answer the question that I asked the class?"
"Yes, sir. Could you... please repeat it?" Julie raised her hand and held one of her jacket's drawstrings between her fingers.
"Of course," he said with a subtle, smug grin. "Approximately how many years ago was the first wild pokémon captured using a functioning pokéball?"
Julie thought for a second, twirling her drawstring. This must be review. She remembered this question from her last test. "Um, one hundred fifty years ago, sir." She glanced up at him nervously, watching him peer at her and hearing dead silence.
"Right, and which pokémon was it? Who was the professor responsible for catching said pokémon?"
He said one question, but Julie could do this. She had to redeem herself. If she were Alyssa, she would likely have called him out. "Well..." Julie had to think back last week to when she'd read this in the textbook before that test, which was difficult while every eye and the spotlight was on her. "It was a trapinch caught on Hoenn's Route one hundred and eleven by Professor..." She winced to recall further. "Professor Jared Lanyard. He, uh... spent twenty years building and perfecting the device from scratch and caught the wild trapinch to prove to the scientific community th-that it was capable of taming wild pokémon in an instant."
Lanyard had also developed an illusionary world that all pokémon experienced while inside a ball. Their base conscience was left suspended in a featureless, perpetual limbo until release, but they lived the idea of a flawless reality manufactured by their mind.
Lanyard covered all options. If their trainer passed suddenly or abandoned them— say they decided to bury the occupied pokéball in dirt, for instance. The pokémon would not experience the effects of starvation and dehydration. They would live their dream without fault, and everything would go black when it was time. Lanyard and scientists had run countless tests on pokémon to ensure it worked as intended and were as humane as possible.
Julie had read a lot about Lanyard, including a number of failed or abandoned projects of his, from pokéballs that could cryogenically freeze its contents to preserve pokémon for hundreds of years, pokéballs that could be used to capture people— which he stopped after thinking of the hands it could fall into. Another was a device that could, in theory, allow people to shapeshift into pokémon. For that, he extracted DNA and other aspects from ditto. Lanyard's notes had never explained the process in detail. He was a scientific genius with a loony side that went above and beyond in creativity.
He huffed and grumbled, "that would be correct." His demeanor calmed slightly. "I want you paying attention next time." It's not an issue he had ever had with Julie, and it would be a challenge to catch her off guard because of it.
When the lecture continued, Julie lowered her hand and glanced to her left at Alyssa a few desks down and back, who was in the middle of chewing gum and blowing an awkward pink bubble. Julie leaned over and started writing notes. She knew Alyssa would bring it up later.
"And if I tell you not to chew gum in my class one more time, Alyssa, I'll ensure you get two days of detention," the teacher said.
"Got it." She took it out of her mouth and stuck it under the table, which was probably why most teachers didn't allow it in their classrooms, but Alyssa still tried it since she'd die of boredom otherwise.
Julie hadn't looked up from her paper, meanwhile. There wasn't much for her to write, considering she hadn't been paying attention, but this looked better than sitting in shame. She couldn't act like this in class. She never got scolded, either, so that made it worse. She was disappointed in herself for breaking her perfect track record. Julie needed to rid of these thoughts and focus on keeping good grades, but it would become difficult if she had a constant distraction at school.
"Miss straight A's falling off? Probably gonna sob all night because she got yelled at," a guy a couple of desks away muttered, inciting others nearby to snicker or conceal grins.
Julie kept her eyes down but heard everything around her clearly and tried her best to ignore it, continuing to scribble on her paper with rosy cheeks.
Alyssa heard it too and rolled up the wrapper from the gum she was chewing, plucking it at the blonde boy responsible.
"What th–" he held the back of his head upon feeling it bounce off and looked back to see Alyssa staring at him with an unrelenting gaze. It intimidated him, but he wouldn't show it.
"Why don't you shut the fuck up, or I'll send you home sobbing all night," she almost whispered, peering. Alyssa knew that guy to be a jerk in general and poke at others, mainly quiet types that he knew he could walk all over. Kyle was his name, and he'd never gotten into a single fight. Alyssa could probably overpower him if she had to or get a black eye trying.
She had to fight occasionally back in middle school over stupid things but didn't bring that here but twice in ninth and tenth until her parents made her swear on it.
Alyssa had struck first in both instances, once on two girls teasing her throughout the course of a week that she'd got up and smacked mid-class after they'd teased her looks harshly and talked about her a few desks away for three days straight, expecting her to sit and take it, and on a guy who'd sat behind her in class that thought it would be funny to snip a small portion of her hair with scissors with his group of friends nearby.
She'd busted his lip with a sucker punch in the hall right after the room let out since an old acquaintance of hers tipped her off during class, but a teacher was there to intervene immediately. It could have ended badly otherwise since he was surely about to strike her back, telling by the glare in his eyes.
She'd gotten a week of suspension and two weeks of detention upon return for the first incident and three weeks of suspension for the second.
Alyssa knew she was a bit of a loose cannon and quite impulsive in nature, especially with conflict, but she was working on it. The local middle school in Mahogany that she'd attended was one of the worst in Johto, and she wasn't the type to let disrespect fly, so she never had back then. Her parents sent her here for a better learning experience. Alyssa just had to keep it and let her guard down, which she had gotten better at over the years. This school was a lot better overall, and she couldn't leave Julie alone.
Alyssa could have been a good girl and told the teacher for the last two instances, but that never worked in her experience. For one, most of the teachers and faculty barely cared, and two, the students would have seen her as weak and incapable for running to tattle, so Alyssa would rather give the bully a black eye and suffer the consequences. Damned if she did, and damned if she didn't, but at least this way, no one tested her anymore. At the end of the day, only she had her back.
He blew air from his nose to conceal a laugh. "Not scared of the neg IQ emo wannabe sticking up for the hopeless weirdo. Actually, you're both fucking weird."
"Yeah?" she smirked. "Behind the school after the last bell, then." Alyssa glanced up at the teacher who kept glancing over at the commotion. He'd probably butt in soon.
His smile faded slightly, and he turned back to the lecture while rolling his eyes and shaking his head. The others turned away too, while a few students in the vicinity shot looks at her.
Julie still hadn't looked up but grinned to herself. She didn't want Alyssa fighting on her behalf, but she did shut Kyle up.
No more than several minutes later, a loud flat beep played from the speakers on the ceiling for several seconds, meaning class was dismissed. Julie watched her classmates pack up, a couple staying and rushing to write down the remaining notes from the board while the teacher yelled at everyone to study for an upcoming quiz.
She grabbed her books and was one of the first to exit after being embarrassed in front of everyone. It was her fault, but still.
She passed language arts, which was the room opposite to her science class, and paced down the second hall, turning a left at the window and bench two boys sat at while talking, where she passed more rooms down the main hall, one being her history class.
"Julie, hey!" Alyssa approached from behind, but Julie didn't stop until she got all the way to her locker.
"Julie, what's up? It looked like you were in a trance." Alyssa placed a hand on her shoulder. She remembered that Julie hadn't been feeling well, but it was strange for her to get called out by the teacher in class. Alyssa was starting to think it was more severe than she thought, which was cause for concern.
She had to come up with something. Julie wouldn't and couldn't tell Alyssa what had actually been on her mind. She turned and glanced over her outfit, which was kind of cute. It was a black shirt with white sleeves, a matching black skirt, and white-laced black boots. "J-Just nervous about a few things is all, like... what I'll do after graduation if I don't get accepted into Castelia. It's getting closer by the day." It wasn't that big of a lie, so it made sense, but would one really daydream about it until getting in trouble? She could have tried harder, but Julie didn't work well under pressure.
"And... thank you for doing what you did back there. You didn't have to," Julie grinned again, though subtly. "But please don't follow through. I'd feel awful if you got hurt or fought anyone for me. I'm okay."
Alyssa would let her keep her lies, but not for much longer. "Kyle? Psh. He's not showing up anyway. I just wanted to get people off of you and call his bluff, but I don't want him to call mine, so I'm gonna be there for at least five minutes."
Alyssa leaned against a locker. "Also, wanna go out like Friday night or something?"
"Sure. Text me what you have in mind after school, and I'll be there after school with you just to make sure you don't fight Kyle. Three physical offenses and you're out for good at this school, Ali. Come on..." She turned to her locker. Not to blow her off, but she needed a breather after that entire incident.
"It'll be fine. Chill out. The villian arc is long gone. I'm just not letting these idiots gang up on my best friend. See you then." Alyssa felt it and would give her space. She walked off while Julie watched.
She took a deep sigh once she was in the clear. "What are you doing, Julie?..." she whispered with her eyes shut for a second. A part of her still longed for Midnight, and another wanted to go home. Her mind was scattered because of a kiss. A single kiss.
Julie was able to pay attention during her following classes for the most part. She tried clearing her mind during them and focusing on the lectures, which worked enough not to get her scolded, but she couldn't stop herself from getting giddy over Midnight and hiding grins. The arousal was killing her. It was annoying but also the best Julie had felt in a while.
School was over for the day, and Julie was glad she'd made it through as well as she did. She exited her business class with her book, binder, and pencil pack. The class was far north down the second floor's hall to the right of another set of stairs. They led to the first-floor cafeteria and second set of restrooms, which were both in the third hall, a sharp left after the second one.
Julie went south down the hall from her class toward the two flights of stairs leading to the main hall since her locker was there, squeezing past people and stepping over backpacks that they had set down to access their lockers. Julie only used the other stairs when she had to use the restroom at the end of the day and absolutely couldn't hold it, which had been the case yesterday.
She approached the hall's halfway point, where the stairs were, and saw students exiting through an open door ahead. That was the school's mini library, where one could check out books or movies, study at tables or use the computers. It's also where the afterschool tutor programs were held. Julie had only borrowed a few books throughout her time here, which had been in 9th and 10th grade before she grew turned off by everything about Ecruteak. The librarian was a grump, anyway.
Julie turned a right at the halfway point and went down the stairs with many other students leaving for the day, freezing in her tracks just after reaching the bottom.
Midnight was sitting by her locker while the halls were packed, which he usually didn't do. Maybe he really wanted to see her. Julie couldn't have him doing that all of the time, though. It would look abnormal to anyone who paid attention even sometimes and could raise suspicion. She especially couldn't have that after their relationship had heated up. It could just be her paranoia after they'd kissed, but better safe than sorry.
Julie kept walking and, instead of stopping, beckoned him to follow with her hand as she passed while holding her arm at her side.
He caught on quickly and trotted after her as she walked in the opposite direction, south, toward the school's front doors. Midnight saw her take a sharp right at the halfway point before the front doors and a few classes down a more obscure hallway that held the boy's and girl's locker room, the school's custodian closet, and a dead-ended emergency exit door. Midnight didn't know what she was trying to do, but it was Julie, so he'd listen.
She stopped at a white door and looked down the hall to ensure no one followed before opening it, and then waited for Midnight to enter. After he did, she let it close behind them. They were in the girl's gym locker room.
If a student or any faculty saw her in here, she'd had to come up with a good excuse since she didn't have gym this year, and even if she did, why would Midnight be in here with her? It's not like him following a student was prohibited, and he always slipped into classes, but this would look more personal. Anyway, no one came in here after school unless they, too, came to grab something from their locker, so Julie had to be quick. The odds increased with every second.
She went to a group of aqua-colored ones with a low table in the center at the back of the room and sat on her knees by it, facing Midnight and setting her things on the surface. "Listen, I don't think you should sit by my locker anymore. I don't want people catching on to anything if we're going to see each other more, okay?" she spoke softly so it didn't seem like a scolding. It was far from one. They just had to start being more secretive as they got closer.
He nodded. Understood. He could see where she was coming from when he sat there multiple times per day. It wasn't like he had anything better to do.
"Also, what was that… kiss?" Julie grinned. Now was the perfect time to bring it up since they were alone.
"Mb." Midnight didn't know what to do to reply. He placed his paw on her thigh and looked up at her with a hint of desire. Not being able to talk was annoying sometimes, but this should be easy enough to get across after they'd kissed.
"What're you asking for?" Julie kind of knew what it meant but tried to think past it in case it was her mind taking control after what she'd pulled in science. She felt his paw move up further, now on her upper thigh, which alone brought that arousal back. "D-Do you want… me?" Julie hoped that she was right. That had to be it, and she'd be flattered if he did.
"Reh..." His ears perked from her reply, and hopefully, she wouldn't find that too strange. Midnight pressed his paw into her thigh more without breaking eye contact to confirm his already evident feelings. What could he say? He was a confident umbreon.
"...I-I'm so glad you feel the same way. I know it's weird— this kind of relationship." She glanced at his paw and could shiver from the warmth its pads transferred to her. She wanted so much more from Midnight now that they confirmed they felt the same way about each other. Her world spun in the best possible way, and Julie felt overjoyed. Today wouldn't be a good one to do anything together since there was still a possibility someone could enter the locker room. She was glad she still had her brain right now.
"How about tomorrow? I-In here." On Wednesdays and Thursdays, the locker room was closed and locked. The gym coach took the day off, but Julie knew to enter through the rear entrance since the lock had recently been broken. Of course, it would be fixed over the weekend, but that gave them time beforehand.
Midnight swayed his tail and raised his ears to a fully erect state while his rings reaffirmed his evident excitement. So they were actually mating? He was beyond excited. His push had landed him a female and a human at that. That was all it took sometimes. Maybe he was a natural, but it also took for her to like him back, so Midnight was equally grateful that Julie chose him over any person. He knew humans generally valued and chose their own more.
"Meet me by the front door of this room during lunch, okay?" Julie placed her hand on the back of his neck. She couldn't believe she was doing this and felt her heart race already. She had been acting out of character recently. Is this what boys caused? It was a rush and one she never thought would push her to make spontaneous-sided decisions.
Midnight pulled his paw away and nodded again. He wouldn't dare miss it, and it would be easy since nothing else was ever on his schedule. He was already imagining how it'd feel to dominate Julie, which made him all hot and fuzzy, although he was still innocent and had never topped even a female pokémon. Oh well, a human as his first was a bragging right in itself. He'd have to learn as he went.
"I'll see you then." Julie kissed him on the cheek before grabbing her books and leaving the locker room with him trailing far behind. Luckily, no one saw them exit.
After meeting with Alyssa out front and going around to the back of the school in the open grassy field with a couple of students from science lingering for all of five minutes to Kyle being nowhere in sight, they both went home, and judging by Alyssa's triumphant chuckling after the fact, it had made her day. In reality, Kyle probably didn't see this as worth fighting over, and everyone knew Alyssa would actually fight, but he still didn't show. Had to love her.
Besides what Kyle said about her today, Julie felt much happier than she'd been in so long and wondered if her lack of a romantic or sexual partner was a real issue. Julie never felt so, but she could have just been unaware. This was as if her crush had asked her out, and that essentially was what happened. It was just very straightforward. And her crush? It was an umbreon and about to become her first relationship if it counted.