Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Hearts and Minds ❯ Friends and Lovers ( Chapter 1 )

Hearts and Minds

By Kawaii Cherry Blossom

Type: Drama/Romance

Rating: M15+

Notes:

This is a revised and changed version of my unfinished fanfiction `Best Days of Our Lives'.

All characters are 17/18.

In this fanfiction, the characters have to go to school before they are allowed to go out and be Pokémon trainers. They still get their first Pokémon at 10, though.

Chapter 1

Friends and Lovers

Ash leaned against the school building as he glanced around at the familiar setting that was his high school. Though he tried to hide it, his vision was focused on one particular person - a tall, slim, redheaded girl. He and Misty had been best friends since they were kids, but lately his feelings had changed. His heart would beat faster and faster when she came near, and his face would flush a deep red when they touched. His mother thought it was the cutest thing she'd ever heard, but for Ash, it was a burden. Misty didn't return his feelings. He couldn't even tell her because he was afraid of both rejection and of destroying the friendship that was so important to him. A voice snapped him out of his train of thought.

"Thinking about Misty again?" Brock asked.

"Pika [Yes]", Pikachu answered for him. Ash gave his Pokémon a look as Brock laughed.

Brock was Ash's other best friend, who, unfortunately for Ash, could read him like a book. Ash cursed himself in his head as he realised that he'd been staring at Misty, and felt his cheeks blush.

"Huh?! What do you mean?" he asked, attempting to cover for himself. Brock laughed.

"There's no point denying it anymore Ash, remember? I know you, and I know you like Misty." Ash laughed off the accusation lightly.

"Me like her? Are you kidding?" he said, standing.

"Why don't you just tell her?"

"Tell her what?"

"That you think she's pretty", Brock taunted, gaining satisfaction from the embarrassed look on Ash's face.

"I do not!"

-

"Hi", May called as she made her way over. Ash was glad for the distraction from the conversation.

"Hey", Ash replied. Brock added his own greeting. The anticipation in May's eyes told Brock that she wanted to be alone with Ash.

"I'll see you in class Ash", he said as he waved and walked away.

"So…" May started, turning Ash's attention back to her. "Are you doing anything tonight?" she asked, an innocent yet pleading tone in her voice. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, so much so that Ash felt incredibly guilty for even contemplating saying yes.

"Well… No… I guess not", he answered hesitantly, knowing what was coming.

"Good. Because I was just wondering…if you'd like to go out to dinner with me. You know, to celebrate the beginning of the end of school", she asked casually. Ash sighed inwardly, not letting his uneasiness show.

"Sure", he said simply. May was a nice person, he had to admit. They had never been close like he and Misty were, but their friendship had always been there. Perhaps it was time for him to move on. He would never be with Misty, so there was no point in being alone, was there? He was unsure, but felt bad letting her down without reason.

"Great", she replied. She said no more, but Ash knew what she was waiting to hear.

"I'll pick you up around seven?" he asked, trying to seem enthusiastic, though his mind was clouded with doubt and uncertainty.

"Sure! I can't wait", she replied, smiling happily. Ash forced a smile back at her, before he heard Duplica call her name.

"Well I'll talk to you soon", May said, waving at him as she walked towards Duplica. He could tell they were talking about him as they walked away.

"Pika pika pikachu? [Why did you say yes?]"

"I don't know…"

-

James frowned as his black stretch-limo pulled up at Crossroads High. His Butler gave him a confident smile as he opened the door for his `master', and James stepped out. He walked slowly through the gates, not too anxious to start another year of school. The expectations his parents had of him had reached their peak in preparation for this year. It was the last step in his education, before he went on to further education to become a lawyer…just like his father, and his father's father, and his father's father's father, and so on, had done. His only salvation at home was his loyal Pokémon, Growlie, who would always cheer him up. Seeing his friends, James put on a brave face, and walked up to them in a posh fashion.

-

Jessibelle tossed her hair in a large display of attention, catching the eye of many a passer by. Giselle, who sat beside her, did the same. James laughed lightly as he walked up to Jessibelle and kissed her on the cheek.

"Still got that endless charm, haven't you Belle?"

"Of course!" she smiled innocently at him. James rolled his eyes inwardly.

James had known Jessibelle all his life. Their families had always been friends because their fathers were both rich lawyers. Belle didn't waste a second showing off that she was rich, beautiful, smart and talented. She beamed as a girl walked by holding a magazine with her on the front cover. James, on the other hand was shyer about his richness. He never bragged about it, and associated with all types of people, whether they were rich, poor, smart or dumb.

"These people are all such drags. Look at what they wear!" she said as she pointed to Misty, who was walking by. "I mean, those shorts are just sad."

"I know, I mean, get a fashion sense", Giselle agreed.

Misty sneered because she knew she was being talked about, and glared at Jessibelle, who just scoffed back at her.

"Oh, leave her alone guys, not everyone has the same opinion as you two do", James said angrily. Jessibelle raised an eyebrow as James stalked away.

"What's with him?" she asked aloud.

"PMS?" Giselle suggested.

Jessibelle burst into laughter.

-

Cassidy sent a look of distaste Jessie's way. Her black miniskirt was riding up her leg and her top was way too short.

"Put some clothes on, Jess", Cassidy said, a mix of disgust and pleasure echoing through her voice. Jessie rolled her eyes.

"Poor Cassidy, can't you hold your jealousy in anymore?" she retorted. Cassidy laughed.

"You must be joking! You look like a cheap slut." Jessie glared at Cassidy angrily, though her words were like a paper cut to her heart, both irritating and painful.

"You know, I don't know how I could have ever been friends with you, Jessie. And you know what? Our friendship is officially over!" Cassidy said viciously, before turning on her heel and stalking away. Jessie cursed her former best friend under her breath.

`Who needs her anyway? Not me. I don't need anybody. They just get in the way. I'm fine on my own' she mused, though deep down she knew that she was trying to convince herself of this more than she believed it. Jessie had had one miserable friendship after another. They had all ended this way, and she had never tried to patch them up. Cassidy had been her longest friend, though their relationship had always been sour. Perhaps she was simply meant to be alone, to walk solitarily. But did she really want to be alone? Jessie opened her locker door with a little too much force as this thought enveloped her. She looked down as James, who was standing nearby, glanced at her. He was a rich snob; he'd hardly ever spoken two words to her. He hung around with the other rich snobs, with perfect lives and perfect families, like Jessibelle and Giselle. James wasn't as ill-behaved as the others though. In fact, he'd always seemed like a nice person. But she wouldn't really know, because nice people don't get involved with the notorious immoral Jessie, do they? Jessie could feel the familiar feeling of tears threatening to develop in her eyes, but forced them away. She never cried, not since her mother had died. What was the point? Nobody cared anyway.

-

`Looks like summer break hasn't caused them to change their minds about me', Sabrina thought to herself as she received a strange, mocking look from Gary. She didn't understand why they couldn't accept her for who she was. Just because she had psychic powers and wore black didn't make her any less human. Some people had been more accepting than others, but she wasn't close with anybody in particular. Nobody had taken the time to really get to know her. Her only comfort was her psychic powers and her loyal Pokémon Abra, which soothed her loneliness. Sabrina wasn't one to let others see her cry or become unsettled. She was strong, and strong people don't cry. And if she was going to be a psychic gym leader, she would have to remain strong.

"Hey freak!" she heard the irritating voice of Gary call out. She ignored him and walked the other way. He was so immature.

`Oh well. What do I care anyway?' she thought. `All I have to do is put up with it for another year and then I'll be out of here.'

-

"So are you coming over tonight?" Misty asked Ash as they reached their allocated lockers, which were beside each other. Misty, Sakura, Brock, Erika, Ash and anybody else who wanted to come, got together often, to hang out and let their Pokémon play together.

"Actually, I can't", Ash said, hesitance slipping into his voice. Misty looked disappointed.

"Oh? How come?"

"I…have a date", he said slowly and uncomfortably, unable to look her in the eye. If he had been looking into her eyes, however, he would have seen the disappointment that shrouded them.

"Really?" she asked, trying to sound happy for him. "Who with?"

"May", he stated simply, and silence engulfed them for a few moments.

"That's good, I hope you have a good time", she said finally, after contemplating how to reply. She forced happiness into her tone and a smile on her face. She was happy for him, wasn't she? No way! She couldn't be, not when she was in love with him. Being in love with one's best friend is not easy, and seeing Ash go out with other girls broke her heart. But there was no way he would feel the same way as she, was there? No, she decided once again. He wouldn't be going out with May if he did.

-

"Oh my gosh, just look at that shirt! That is like, something I wore back in the fourth grade!" Jessibelle remarked, flicking her long, red trusses behind her back.

James rolled his eyes, both at Jessibelle, and at Gary and Giselle, who'd found her remark funny.

"What's the matter, Jim? You're not turning softie on us are you?" Giselle asked, half in amusement.

James stared ahead, not answering her question. He didn't know why, but his friends' attitudes were bothering him to the point where he couldn't stand to be near them. What had changed? He didn't know.

`Maybe I grew up', he thought sarcastically, but didn't dismiss the notion. Perhaps he had grown up. Perhaps joining in with his `friends' wasn't so fun after all. Perhaps he just needed a change, of everything. James sighed hopelessly. All he knew was that he couldn't be near these people anymore, and he walked away without a word, quickly solving that problem.

-

Jessie sighed as she sat alone in the cafeteria. She didn't usually come here at recess time but she didn't really have anywhere else to go, since Cassidy now hated her guts. The cafeteria was pretty much deserted, save for a few `nerds' who came to work, and some people buying food. People usually spent recess outside, especially in the nice weather like they were having today, so that they could train their Pokémon and battle with each other. But Jessie wasn't so interested in Pokémon training. Her father forced her to go to school and get her diploma, but after she did, she planned to leave home and go to LA, where she could get her acting career started.

"Mind if I sit here?" she heard a male voice ask. Looking up, she found James Williams staring down at her. Snapping out of her state of self pity, she nodded. She and James weren't friends, but at the moment Jessie could care less. She needed someone to talk to.

James sat on the chair across from her, putting a few textbooks down on the table.

"Hi", she said simply.

"How come you're not sitting with your friends?"

"I don't have any", Jessie answered sarcastically. "You?" James shrugged.

"Me neither."

"I don't know how you could ever have considered those losers friends in the first place", she said. James smirked.

"I had no choice. Jessibelle was a friend of the family." Jessie laughed.

"Poor family."

`She always wears such slutty clothes but she's really pretty. I never noticed it before…' James thought as he laughed at her comment.

"So what are you gonna do next year?" James asked, trying to make small-talk.

Jessie shrugged, appearing as if she could care less. "I dunno. I want to be an actress…"

"Then you should. I've seen you in the school plays; you're really good at it."

"Thanks…" Jessie smiled. "But…"

"But what?"

"My father is dead-set against me becoming one. Says I should do something worth his time and that he didn't spend his hard-earned money raising me to become an actress. He says it's a joke's job."

"Oh…" James said quietly. "Well…I kind of know how you feel…"

"I doubt it."

"Every generation of my family have become lawyers. So, of course, I'm expected to be one too. It was fine with me until last year when I realised I really don't want to be a lawyer. But, you know, I have no choice."

"That's bull$%!&."

"No kidding."

Silence overtook them for a few moments, neither of them knowing what to say.

"Hey Jessie?" James said, looking up at her.

"Yeah?"

"I think you should go for it. Become an actress and be happy."

Jessie looked at him for a moment, studying the emotion in his eyes. Strangely, she couldn't find any… She smiled meekly.

"Well…maybe", she said. "Thanks".

He smiled back, but Jessie noticed that there was still no emotion present in his eyes. They just seemed to be emerald pools of…nothingness. There was no spark, no energy. Just…nothing.

-

"So Misty, are you scared about this year?" Sakura asked, brushing away her pink bangs, which were blowing in the breeze.

"Yeah," came an unenthusiastic reply.

"I can't wait until we can be real, official Pokémon trainers!"

"Yeah."

"It's so exciting!"

"Yeah." Sakura glanced at her friend. Her head was down and she was definitely only half listening.

"Misty? What's wrong?" she asked, concerned. Misty glanced up and forced a smile onto her face.

"Nothing. Everything's fine."

"Come on, Misty. I can tell something's wrong. Did something happen?" Sakura asked. Misty sighed. Sakura and herself had been friends for so long that Misty could rarely hide her feelings from her. Not that she minded, of course, because she always felt better after she talked things over.

"Ash has a date tonight", she stated simply.

"What? With who?"

"May."

"Oh", Sakura answered, unsure of what to say next.

"Do you think Ash could ever like me like that?" Misty pondered aloud.

"In my opinion, he already does", Sakura replied. Misty gave her a look.

"And what gives you that idea?"

"I've seen the way he looks at you, Misty. I think Ash likes you more than he lets on", Sakura explained.

"No way", Misty replied, having already made up her mind. "He wouldn't be going out with May if he did."

"I don't know, Misty…"

"I guess I just have to face the facts. Ash and I will always be…just friends…"

-

"Yo, Ash", Gary called as he made his way over. Ash's suspicions built up right away. He and Gary had been best friends when they were younger, until Gary became part of the `in' crowd and ditched Ash for all the popular people. Ash giggled as Pikachu commented on Gary's hair.

"Hi Gary, what's up?" he asked in his usual polite nature. Misty always said that Ash was too nice sometimes. Ash smiled as this thought entered his mind.

"Well, I was just wondering…" he began. "Are you going out with Misty?" Ash had to stop himself from blushing as the question registered in his brain. His brain wasn't so considerate, however, and he coughed, which he decided was even more embarrassing.

"Me and Misty?" he asked uncomfortably. "No way", he said, laughing the question off like a joke.

"Well that's great!" Gary replied, a victorious look crossing his face.

"It is? Why?" Ash asked, almost panicky.

"Because I'm going to ask her out, now that I know I'm not going to get rejected", he explained, sticking his nose up in the air. Ash's heart sank and he silently hoped that Misty would reject him anyway.

"Well, thanks for the help Ashy Boy", Gary said before turning and walking away, a snide laugh trailing in his wake.

Ash didn't bother to cast aside the pang of jealousy that invaded his heart.

-

James got up to leave as he heard the bell ring, noticing that Jessie was in no hurry to get to her first class. He looked down at her and thought of something.

"Hey Jessie, do you want to meet here for lunch also?" he asked. Jessie looked up at him in surprise.

"Well, sure. Okay…"

James smiled, his first smile in quite a while, and nodded. "Great, I'll see you then. Good luck in your first class."

Jessie nodded. "Thanks. You too." As she watched him walk away, she noticed her worries about class fade slightly, and found it easier to get up and walk to class. Pokémon Battle Techniques was boring, but at least she could look forward to talking to James at lunchtime. She'd never really given him a chance before, believing that he was just like his stuck up, snobby friends. But there was something about him that made her want to spend time with him. Sure, he was good looking, but there was something more. He could hold up a conversation about more than lipstick and fashion, which was great in Jessie's book. She was sick of talking about the same old trivial things. Also, it seemed as if James wanted to spend time with her too, and didn't just want to use her for sex or her looks.

`Then again… I've only talked to him once. First impressions aren't always right. And if he's been friends with Jessibelle for so long, he's probably got an evil side too…' she told herself cautiously. Jessie had been hurt one-too many times by boys who appeared to be nice but turned out just the opposite.

To be continued…

Next time:

Someone's spying on someone's date,

Someone would do anything to be noticed, and

Someone has reason to believe that she's pregnant.

Plus much, much more.

-

Love and light,

Sarah.