Ash POV

"Let me get this straight." A conceited grin twisted on Calem's lips and I groaned mentally. It was always something with him wasn't it? Being friends with such a drama queen was annoying.

"You got detention for talking to Serena Yvonne in class and you're actually planning on going to detention?" Calem gave me a probing look. "What the hell, Ketchum?"

I shrugged as I leaned my back against the giant pillar by the school entrance. Calem was waiting for his ride and I had decided to come tell him that I'd be staying at school for detention. Unfortunately, he wanted to give me a hard time about it.

"What's wrong with going to detention?" I asked lazily, hanging my head and examining my sneakers closely.

Anything to avoid looking at Calem, who was probably falling about laughing at just the thought of me sitting in detention and having Mr Rowan shoot me dirty looks. Hell, I knew I wasn't looking forward to that, but if he laughed at me one more time...

Snorting, Calem said, "The fact that you never go to detention!"

"I'm on thin ice so I'm trying to play by the rules."

My excuse didn't fool Calem. "You were on thin ice last week and you still managed to bail on that detention you got in English." Calem shot me an assessing look that I pretended to ignore as I stepped out of the way from a gaggle of giggling girls walk past me. "What's really going on?"

I turned my head to look at Calem so fast I got a crick in my neck. Calem was the loudest, brashest, most indifferent guy I knew, but did I detect a hint of concern in his voice?

He was staring at the cars maneuvering in the parking lot so I couldn't make out the expression on his face. But if he really was concerned, maybe this was the right time to tell him about the aneurysm. I needed an ally, especially if Sere really was determined to never talk to me again. God, I hoped not, but just in case... Could I really trust Calem or was he going to be a dick about it?

Biting my lip nervously, I took a deep breath in my mouth inhaling oxygen down my lungs, my heart thumping erratically as I prepared to take this irreversible step forward. What's the worst that could happen? Maybe Calem wouldn't overreact. Right now, that's all I needed- support. I didn't even care about my list; asking Calem to help me with it was just pushing things.

The list was Sere and my thing and if she wasn't around to help me with it, I didn't want to think about it.

"Yo, Calem. Can I ask you something?" I asked slowly. Taking my time, not daring to look at him as I just stared at my Nike's instead as my mind screamed 'bad idea!'

"I'm not gonna let you wear my 150 note enzo jeans tomorrow," Calem replied immediately, shaking his head that made his black, long, thin hair sway through air and smirked at me. "I'm way skinnier than you. And you never wear a belt."

I seriously should have seen that one coming.

Snapping my mouth shut, I stared at Calem as he grinned at me.

Awesome to think I very nearly entrusted my secret with this moron, huh?

"And why the hell were you talking to Serena anyway?" Calem asked when he had sobered up. "I would imagine she hates you."

You have no idea.

I pasted an arrogant grin on my face. "I was trying to get her to be my date for one of my dad's weekend lunches," I lied, feeling like a jerk for even saying that but unable to think of anything else that would fly.

Calem was really enjoying this whole 'using Serena' situation, especially judging from the way he was pushing it down Misty's throat whenever she was around.

Sneering, Calem responds, "She must be straight dumb if she said yes."

I shook my head with my eyes bobbing. "She hasn't. Not yet. But I'm planning to pull out all the stops in detention." I smirked. Showing off my toothy grin.

Calem couldn't keep the admiring look off of his face as he clapped me on the back. "Ash Ketchum, you're a dirty man," he crowed.

"Hey, what can I say?" I smirked even. more, popping my collar. "She can't resist my smile."

"You still wanna hit that, don't you?" Calem cocked his head in the direction of an approaching May, who gave me a serious cold look that gave me shivers down my spine. "May will tell you that's a no-no. Serena hates you." I wasn't even listening to him as he rambled on like he had the hotline into Sere's mind. May was holding a book giving out a clear view on the front cover. With a pang, I realized the book in her hand was 'Break up-expert'.

I muttered, "Shut the **** up, Calem," out of the corner of my mouth, as May stood next to us, open hostility on her face as she looked up at me.

I swallowed hard. Why did I always do things that made people mad at me? My dad was pissed at me because I was still refusing to go to my therapist. The day I left to stay at Calem's house, he'd stormed into my room in rage demanding to know why the hell my therapist was charging him double for sessions I hadn't shown up to. When I explained that he was probably charging me double because I wasn't showing up. My dad exploded and threw his full bottle of whisky into my HD TV. The TV exploded as well and I walked out.

And now here I was May looking like she wanted to skin me alive and feed me to dogs. Yikes.

"Whatever, Ketchum," Calem said idly as he spotted his ride, a slick, white limo, winding up to the school entrance. "Gotta go. Hey, were having a party. You staying over tonight?" He told. Giving me one last look before leaving.

Shaking my head, I said, "Nope, sorry dude. My sister wants me home." I stretched my closed fisted hand out to meet his. "Pound it."

We fist bumped each other as Calem laughed loudly. "My sister wants me home," he said scornfully. "Daddy's little princess."

"Sure, Calem," I muttered, as I rolled my eyes and walked away after saying farewell to Calem. Then I waved to May as I left entering inside the school building for my detention. "See you, May."

She didn't answer me, just glowered at me. I deserved it, I knew that much.

That's why I was going to try to make things right between Sere and me in detention. I was planning to pull out all the stops, even though I was sure I was fighting a losing battle. This was the second time I had dissed Sere in front of my friends, the second time I had made her beautiful eyes fill with tears.

Why would she forgive me? Her anger made perfect sense to me, even though it had really turned me on. Angry Sere was such a hellcat and as weird as it may seem, when her eyes were flashing with anger, that was hot.

When I entered in a classroom. There I saw her only sitting comfortably on a chair. She was early to detention. Her pink bag was on the hard floor next to her feet and a book was in her bare soft hands. She gave no sign of even noticing my entrance into the room as I sat down in the empty desk in front of her and turned my chair around to face her.

"Hey, Sere," I said friendlily at my best, smiling in her direction. No answer.

I was very positive she wasn't even reading.

"You can't ignore me forever, you know," I pointed out. "Sooner or later, you're gonna have to talk to me."

That worked. Slowly, she put down her book on desk between us and looked at me. She didn't say anything, just stared till it made me nervous. I grinned weakly at her. "Hi."

"You don't get it, do you?" she said finally, her voice like music to my ears. Unfortunately, what she was saying was all bad. Damn. Still, at least she was talking, albeit in a voice so cold I could almost see icicles forming.

"Get what?" I questioned dumbly even though I was faking it just to make her laugh, which I was failing to do so. All this time I was only looking at her shining eyes that had reflection of my face.

"I don't want to talk to you. I don't want you talking to me. I just want to get through detention and leave. So do me a favor and just shut up." The calmness of her voice belied the fury raging in her glaring eyes.

Without forethought, I immediately reached over and gently place my hand over hers connecting our hand together which fitted perfectly. My hand were bigger than hers, sliding my fingers against the softness giving me a tickle. "I know you're mad and you have a right to be. But just-," I started. However I interrupted.

She pulled her hands away from mine with some strength and placed them safely in her lap ontop of her pink skirt. "If you say 'let me explain' one more time, I'll stab you in the eye with a pencil." She demanded in a serious tone.

In a brief moment. I leaned back in my chair, spreading my arms out wide. "Go ahead, do it." Sere's mouth dropped open as she gave me an 'are you nuts' look. I wasn't joking. Maybe if she did something to hurt me, it would make us slightly even. I hoped.

"You're joking."

I shook my head. "Nope. If it makes you feel better, go for it. Slap me, pull my hair, spit on me- whatever you want. Open season on Ash day. If it gets rid of some of your anger, that's fine with me. I deserve it. Hurt me like I hurt you."

"No thanks." She shook her head making her short honey blond hair bounce.

Sere went back to scrutinizing her big book as I bit my lip, feeling perplexed.

"Sere, listen-," I started, sighing.

"No, you listen." Sere looked up again, this time brandishing her pencil. Her shining eyes were blazing again and I licked my lips involuntarily. Damn. Could she get any hotter?

I tried looking at her lips in an effort to concentrate on what she was telling me, but got sidetracked by the color of her gloss. Light pink. God, they would probably taste of strawberries. "You think I'm stupid enough to think that slapping you will hurt you like you hurt me? What makes you think that? Actually, don't tell me. I won't stoop to your level, Ash. I'm not going to slap you because that won't hurt you. So just shut up and keep your dumb ideas to yourself." Her thin lip curled as she gave me a scornful look. "And quit staring at me like that, you perve."

My eyes widened as Mr Rowan walked in interrupting our heated conversation.

"Okay, Ash, move to the other end of the class," He barked. "I don't want to see you even look in Serena's direction."

Without saying anything, I stood up and walked to the desk Mr Rowan was pointing at. As I did, He placed a file in front of me. "This is work you simply haven't bothered to do. I don't expect you to do all of it, but at least answer three questions."

Okay. Mr Rowan was effectively on my list.

I sat through detention feeling frustrated every time I happened to glance in Sere's direction. At the end of my ordeal, Mr Rowan called me up to his desk to hand in my completed work. By the time I had walked out of the class, ready to punch walls, Sere was gone.

Misfire.

-----

As I played with Leaf later on that night, or more correctly, as Leaf attempted to style my raven hair using a mixture of gel and play-do. I realised that I only had one option left. Since Sere wasn't going to listen to me, I had to swallow my pride and ask May and Dawn for help.

There was no possible way they would help me, but I'd come this far. I didn't want to lose Sere as a friend till I'd excised every possible avenue. By asking her friends, the people who knew her best, I had nothing to lose but my pride.

-----

Next Day at School.

I had to wait until May and Dawn were alone before I could approach them. When that finally happened it was almost lunch time and I was just giving up hope, until I spotted the two at May's locker.

Dawn saw me first and folded her arms across her chest as I came up to them without hesitation.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Douchebag of the Year," she drawled coolly, giving me a head to toe look as I stood in front of her. "You know, you make me sick. How can you use a girl like Serena for your own selfish needs like that?"

"I didn't use her," was all I could come up with. Two sets of cold, Blue eyes just like Sere's were fixed on me, and that was making me nervous.

Sniffing derisively, Dawn muttered, "A likely story."

"What do you want from us?" May's voice caught me off guard.

Swallowing my pride, I said, "I need your help," in a soft voice, glancing around my surroundings, just to make sure that nobody was listening.

May ran her fingers through her thick brown hair. "Unless you're looking for a way to kill yourself- I've heard that arsenic is painful- we don't have anything to say to you."

I signed softly. "Look, guys, I feel terrible for what I did to Sere-," I started, scratching my neck nervously.

May cut in, swinging her bag onto her shoulder. "So why'd you do it?"

"I just- peer pressure got to me, I guess," I replied and shrugged. "I didn't know what to say."

It had been all about the peer pressure, just not in the conventional way. And the only person I planned on telling the whole story to was Sere, if she would ever talk to me again.

Scornfully, Dawn said, "How about the truth, that you and Serena are actually friends?"

"They wouldn't like that," I said defensively, even though I wasn't too sure what I was being defensive about. "You know what they're like."

"I know what you're like when you're not with them," May told me, shaking her brown hair over her shoulder and giving me a piercing look. I stared at her as she continued. "Do you really have to act like a jerk to look cool?"

As hard as it was for me to admit it, I knew May was dead on. I did act like a jerk to look cool. I did say a lot of things I didn't mean to feel accepted. I just hadn't planned on anyone seeing through that deception, especially not my friends little sister.

Shrugging, I said, "It's what everyone thinks I am, so- what else can I do?"

Dawn watched us, her eyes wide as May shook her head.

"But you're not, Ash. I used to think that you were but now I see through your 'spoilt little rich kid' act." She put her head on one side, looking into my own eyes. "You're not the guy you make yourself out to be."

I couldn't even say anything as May spoke. Everything she said was true.

"Preach, May babe," Dawn grinned, slinging an arm over her best friends shoulder.

May smiled at me. "If you show Serena that you can be humble and not care so much about what your friends think, you might be able to win her back."

I gave a rueful grin. "I think it's too late for that," I admitted. "I was just hoping that you guys could tell her that I didn't mean what I said and I never meant to hurt her."

"It's never too late," May said with a gentle smile brighten on her face.

"And we're not doing your dirty work for you." Dawn gave me a fierce look, putting her hands on her hips. "Tell her yourself."

Oh, like I haven't tried about a thousand times already.

"She won't listen to me," I said, striving for calmness when all I felt like doing was throwing a tantrum and screaming 'help me'! The girls were being no help at all!

Dawn pursed up her lips. "Honestly, Ash, does that surprise you?"

I sighed, feeling all lost. "You guys have been tons of help. Thanks." Throwing up the peace sign at them, I started walking away from then as our distance stretch apart, Now what?

"Remember what I told you," May called loud after me, listening every word she says while I walk on to my class. "Drop the act and you'll be fine."

Feeling frustrated, I headed for Math class. So much for that plan.

I understood and respected the fact that May and Dawn probably didn't want to get mixed up in the mess that I was responsible for creating and they had a loyalty to their friend, but that meant I was now officially stuck.

"Barry, please report to the locker room."

Or was I?

The loud voice over the PA system made me stop dead in the middle of hallway. As cursing students bumped into me, an idea was starting to form in my mind. A very stupid, potentially embarrassing, exceedingly dangerous idea that just wouldn't quit.

May's earlier words echoed in my head. 'If you show Serena that you can be humble and not care so much about what your friends think, you might be able to win her back.'

I stared up at the ceiling, looking up at the speakers that were hooked up to the PA system, shaking my head at my plan. There was no way I could get away with doing this.

I would be expelled for sure. But if it meant clearing up things with Sere, I would take the expulsion. There were plenty of nice schools in Kalos.

Maybe I wouldn't even need to go to another school, because my dad would probably kill me if I got expelled. I shrugged carelessly. **** it. I was gonna do this. Not only would it prove that I was serious about my friendship with Sere, it was also a way to knock one more thing off of my list.

Making up my mind, I turned around and headed towards the PA room.