Honesty is the best policy.

Ash really hated that word.

He knew it was that word which got him into this mess in the first place.

He had managed to cause one woman to fall in love with him, fallen in love with another woman, realize both of these only this morning, dump the first woman and cause her to probably hate love for a while because of him, and yet have no idea how to confess to the second woman who probably hated him from day one.

After Melody had run off, Ash had been unsure of what to do next. He waited a good ten minutes before heading out of the restaurant to the top floor lobby only to run into Gary chatting up a group of women.

Gary, upon noticing the miserable expression his friend's face, immediately started harassing him and saying that the girl who dumped him was lucky to have escaped and that Ash should just use Gary as an example in life because getting tied down to one girl would be.....boring.

Ash pointed out that Gary was waiting for a blind date and how those never were successful to which Gary replied that Calem had set it up, he would be leaving the restaurant with his date. Having enough of Gary's mockery, Ash decided it was time to head out.

After his car had been brought to the front of the building, he had come back to Brock's hoping to drown the rest of the evening in whatever liquids Brock had available.

Ash soon discovered Brock had stored money for himself.

When walking into the apartment, Brock was sitting at the kitchen table, surrounded by half-empty bottles and cans, with glass in his hand, staring at the wall hopelessly.

Ash managed to understand that Brock had been rejected by Jenny once more, Yep. Life is hard.

This led to his thoughts in the direction of despair as Brock wailed, he would never get married, he would never know love, and he would never have the five kids he wanted.

"What the! You want five kids?" Ash asked incredulously with eyes widened.

Brock looked up tearfully. "Two girls and three boys."

"If I ever have a daughter, your sons are never to set eyes on her."

"Well you don't have to worry about that," Brock said hurtfully. "Doesn't look like we'll be having kids anytime soon. I can't believe you dumped Melody."

"You're the one who told me to choose!"

"Yeah but she actually liked you. From what you've told me, Serena can't really stand you."

"But we almost kissed!"

"Almost. Not did. Big difference. She's the one who stopped it anyway. And neither of the women knows you're Ash and not Alvin 'the chipmunk'."

"Still working on that one."

"Uh huh."

*Knock**knock**knock!*

The men looked at one another and Ash checked his watch. It was already past 10pm.

"Your place," Ash said and Brock stood to go to the door. After a few moments, he heard, "Kaiwe! What're you doing here?"

Brock returned to the kitchen followed by Ash's old soccer buddy. "What happened to you?" he asked pointing to Kaiwe's mouth. His lip was cracked on one side with blood dripping at the corner.

But didn't respond, just kept staring at Ash as though he wasn't quite sure if Ash was really there or not. Did he just end a relationship too?

Kaiwe shook his head at this and mutely accepted the icepack Brock handed him, taking a seat across from Ash. Brock returned to his own chair.

"What's your deal?" Brock asked.

"I um," Kaiwe started clearing his throat, hesitating. He put the icepack down on the table. "I was pretending to go out with my friend because she wanted to make her boss jealous. But turns out her boss is my business partner while I'm in town so things got a little awkward. And, uh, yesterday I saw this girl and fell in love with her at first sight but found out she was dating a friend. Met her this morning and then saw her again tonight and she was crying because she was dumped and I just ended up kissing her even though I don't even know her name and my 'girlfriend's; boss saw us, punched me in the face because he thought I was cheating on my 'girlfriend' who happened to be nearby and saw the punch. She came over and the girl I kissed freaked out and ran away thinking I had a girlfriend and because I don't know her while my friend explained to her boss that I'm just her friend and then I decided to come here because I couldn't find the girl I kissed."

The entire time Kaiwe talked, Brock and Ash had looked on in fascination. Clap, Hands down, Kaiwe's night definitely was by far, the worst.

"I didn't know you could talk so much," Brock finally commented.

Kaiwe shrugged. "When you hang out with the girls I hang out with and have your authority to speak taken away so often, you learn to appreciate the ability to express yourself."

Brock held up a bottle. "Drink?"

Kaiwe mutely accepted and Ash asked if he planned on going after the girl he fell in love with. Kaiwe shrugged and looked at the bottle, not meeting Ash's eyes as he said, "I don't know. I don't know if it's okay to go after a girl who was with my friend."

"But he's the one who dumped her right?"

Kaiwe nodded.

"So it's fine. I'm sure he won't mind," Ash said. "Especially if he was being such a jerk by dumping her."

What a dense idiot!

"We'll see," was all Kaiwe said.

The men sat in silence, each saying their evenings when a knock sounded on the door again.

"Who is it now!?" Brock wondered getting up.

Perhaps another man drowning in the sorrows of love. Ash thought. 

Then wondered just when had his mind gotten so pathetic. He grabbed Brock's glass and took a sip of his drink, turning when he heard footsteps returning.

"Gary!?" Ash exclaimed and then started laughing, pointing to his face. "What – what -?"

Gary had a angry expression and kicked Ash's chair but that didn't stop him from laughing.

Although Gary's left cheek was almost glaringly red in the shape of a handprint. To top it off, his lip was bleeding too.

As Ash continued to laugh like a clown, Brock made introductions between Kaiwe and Gary who each said they sort of remembered the other from a brief meeting during college. Kaiwe offered the melting ice pack to Gary in sympathy, pointing to his own mouth. Gary accepted.

"Will you shut up, Ketchum?" his friend said with a growl, holding the icepack to his cheek.

Finally, his laughter stopped and faced Gary who had taken the seat beside Kaiwe and asked, "So?"

Gary snatched Brock's drink away and said, "So what?"

Brock grabbed the glass back and shoved a half-full bottle towards Gary in replacement. Gary grabbed it and literally poured the remainder of the contents down his throat and coughed before saying. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You were dumped."

"I was not dumped! You have to be dating someone to be dumped."

"You went on a date. If you come to your friend with a red handprint, it means you were dumped."

Gary growled again and this time snatched the bottle Kaiwe was about to lift to his lips.

"Hey!"

"I need this more than you do."

"With your reputation, I highly doubt it," Kaiwe countered but didn't take the bottle back.

"Why? You get dumped? As a matter of fact," Gary looked around at the cans and bottles littering the table and the faces of depressed and rejection upon each man's face. "Did you all get dumped?"

This led to the three men relaying their evenings, in shorter versions, to Gary who simply listened while drinking. Ash was thankful that for once, Gary had the comfort to not put any of them down or even crack a smile.

Instead, he said, "Women are just so ..." he paused. "You know, treat them nicely, you pay for their ridiculously expensive meal because they didn't know that a freaking Blue Fin Tuna is one of the most expensive fish in the world and –"

"Whoa hold up," Brock said. "Your date ordered Blue Fin Tuna without knowing the price and you still paid for it?"

Gary nodded. "But that's not the reason for anger here. The point is, I was nothing but a gentleman. Even offered to give her a ride in my hot new sports car but what does she do?"

"Slap you?" Ash offered, nodding with a sly smirk.

"If only that were it. She bit me, kicked me in the gut with her heel and then slapped me! ME! Gary freaking Oak! I'm sure my spleen is bleeding as we speak."

Gary finished the bottle he had and made for another but Brock stopped him. "Gary, girls don't just get randomly violent. Though they may appear to get randomly violent most of the time, they usually have a reason. What did you do?"

Ash was curious too. Whoever this blind date was, she was either one strong-minded female who didn't appreciate Gary's attitude or she was just some psycho who went on violent rampages during dates.

"Well, Calem set me up with this blind date who was his date's friend. This fortune teller chick –"

"Fortune teller?" Kaiwe asked, turning his head around to face Gary. "Is her name Shauna?"

"Yeah, Wait, you know her? Don't go out with her. She's a crazy chick."

"Yeah. Yeah I know her," Kaiwe said setting his bottle down and sitting up straighter. "She's my cousin."

Wow, Ash thought, raising an eyebrow, surprisingly.

"Ah. Are you the protective older-brother type cousin?" Gary asked noticing Kaiwe's change of behaviour.

"Depends," Kaiwe replied flatly and Ash had to hold back a grin.

Kaiwe wasn't the most intimidating person around but he knew from playing soccer with him that there was a lion underneath all that fuzz and his tone showed that he was just as fierce when it came to family and friends being harmed.

"Well," Gary responded. "I see."

"What did you do?" Kaiwe asked slowly.

"Nothing."

"C'mon Gary tell us. Kaiwe won't kill you," Ash said. At least, I hope he won't kill you.

"No. That's just it. I did nothing. She wouldn't let me. I kissed her and she bit me!"

"That's my girl!" Kaiwe exclaimed and then frowned. "Wait, What do you mean, she wouldn't let you? You mean you tried something beyond kissing?"

Gary deeply sighed, ignoring the fact that Kaiwe was glowering at him. "After dinner, Calem and Serena went off on their own to –"

"What! Serena!?" Ash shouted, eyes widened of what he was hearing.

"Can you people stop interrupting me every five seconds?"

Ash quickly leaned forward and grabbed Gary by his loosened tie, pulling him towards the center of the table until they were almost nose to nose. "Serena?" he repeated.

Gary put a hand on Ash's face and shoved him back violently. "Jeez Man what is wrong with you?" he shouted. "I've had enough abuse tonight as it is!"

"Calem's date. Her name was?"

Kaiwe interrupts, "Are you talking about Serena Yvonne?"

"Yeah, That's her," Gary said rubbing his neck. He turned to Ash whose mouth had fallen open in shock. "Oh yeah, she said she knew you. Back in elementary school?"

The world could not get any smaller or any more complicated if it tried, Ash thought unhappily as Brock threw back his head, letting out a roaring laugh while Kaiwe interrogated Gary on his date with his cousin, Shauna.