11.
chapter eleven:
pathetic playboy
and pesky mosquitos.
<3

"I'll go first, since I'm his sister!" May piped up, and I fought the urge to groan. Whatever made her this upbeat be damned, at least for this round. "Is that person in our class?"

"Yes," I admitted, bobbing my head. There were a few 'oh's' as if nobody save Serena knew the truth.

"Are you childhood friends?" Drew questioned.

"Yup. You could call us that."

"Is she in any of the clubs?" Dawn inquired.

"No. Not that I know of." They were playing hard to beat around the bush, and I appreciated them for it. However, the remaining members would be the toughest to get past: Gary, Misty, and my crush herself, Serena.

"Is pineapple she pineapple in pineapple our pineapple group? Pineapple right pineapple here?" Misty asked, a touch of fake sincerity in her voice. I stuck my tongue out at her and nodded.

"Yeah." The fake gasps erupted all around me. I eyed Serena stealthily, but she looked rather calm and collected. But I could, in no way, look cool when it was Gary's turn to turn me in.

"Say, mate, does she have short hair?"

I gulped. That was enough reason to give away who it was. "Y-yeah. Short and cute," I added to buy me some time, some more minutes to stall the inevitable question from Serena.

"Does she," Serena began slowly, and I could trace a mild sense of insecurity in her voice, "I mean, is she a foodie?" I frowned as the rest of the gang erupted into fits of disappointment.

"Of all the questions!" Drew exclaimed, running a hand through his hair.

Serena looked alarmed, and May spoke up. "We left the spiciest question to you, girl!"

"Spiciest?"

"Yeah! Pineapple you pineapple could've pineapple asked pineapple for pineapple the pineapple freaking pineapple name!"

"I'm sorry?" Serena apologized, not sounding the part though. "But I don't think we should forcefully make him reveal who it is when... he's hesitant."

I turned sharply to look at her. Her face held no regrets, just an alien emotion I could not place.

"You were the one who dared him to do so!" Gary protested.

"And with all intents and purposes, I set my mind to not ask the name."

As if Dialga intervened to save me, the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch break. The group sighed, and Serena turned to me with a... pained smile. "We haven't got much time left," she whispered, then spoke out loud. "Is she a foodie, Ash? The g-girl you're in love with?"

I looked at my balled-up fists and nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, I guess."

Serena clapped her hands. "There! The game's done!"

When we dismissed, I stuck to Serena's side. Maybe it wasn't the time yet to confess what I felt, and she might just have gotten a clue about the girl I long for. What threatened me was the negative reaction, the insecure stutter in her words, the pained smile; did she not reciprocate my feelings? Is she afraid to hurt me with rejection?

Those thoughts dimmed my mood as we headed for our Geography hour. The subject was fine, but I just was not in the mood to listen to what Professor Wulfric had to say about the frigid zones of Kalos.

"And of course, there's Snowbelle, where it snows all year throughout. Can you guess how low it gets there during the summers of, let's say, Lumiose?"

I smiled knowingly as the girl in front of me shot her hand up. "A solid minus fifteen degrees!"

"Right you are, Miss Yvonne."

The class faded back into view as I laid my eyes on her. Her beautiful blonde hair curled into locks, resting just an inch below her shoulder as she sat, leaned on one of her hands. Despite wearing a vest, her curves stood out, and I struggled to look away. Behave yourself, eyes!

Having no other alternative, and mostly to not tempt myself to look at Serena's physique, I sprawled across my desk, pretending to jot down whatever Wulfric was telling us.

When Wulfric let us off fifteen minutes earlier due to some staff meeting, I stood up, stretched, and called to the blonde. "Girl, how do you even stay awake?"

Serena, who had been talking to Shauna until then, wheeled around to look at me. She blinked once, then again, then again. Huh?

Shauna forcefully shook the girl, and Serena woke up as if she were in a trance. The two of them exchanged hushed whispers; Shauna nudged her once in the elbow before she turned around again. I spotted a faint trace of a blush across her features and smirked to myself. Did my stretch tactic actually work?

"Anything wrong, Serena?" I added a smirk to my sentence, running a hand through my hair. If she managed to captivate me with her beauty, I could show off some of my (almost non-existent) looks as well.

"Uh-huh? No! I'm fine." Her voice changed from stammering to one of alarm to one of a lie. I could tell from Brock's lesson number—if I remember right—five; what different tones indicated.

"Have it your way," I replied, and turned away, signaling to Gary to get his lazy head here. I could see the boy frown from over a row before he said something to the girl beside him — Misty — and stood up. I could still feel Serena's eyes on me.

"Darn, can't you let me chat her up?" Gary asked as he plopped into the seat beside me. I quirked an eyebrow in question.

"Moved on again?"

"Never did."

"You pathetic playboy—"

"Call me whatever you want, you coward—"

"I ain't a coward!"

Gary smirked, jabbed my gut, and leaned forward on the desk. "Hey, Serena!"

The girl in question flinched, and so did I. She craned her neck, looking nonplussed. Shauna, on the other hand, seemed to wear an amused look. "Hello."

"Hey!" he repeated. The two gazed at each other, with Shauna snickering in the background. It continued for a few minutes, and my heart squirmed. Has Serena ever looked at me that way for more than a second?

Negative, you know it.

I felt something in my chest roar in retaliation, and I acted on instinct; I jammed my hand into the table and regretted it almost instantly — it stung with pain! "Ouch!"

"Ash!"

"What, are you foolish—"

"Oh my gosh, he's ready to hurt himself!"

A chorus of voices rang in the background, but my eyes were fixed on hers. Those blue orbs held streaks of concern in them, and it made me feel jubilation. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I croaked, letting Serena take my hand. She rubbed them vigorously, and although it hurt, I did not back away. I loved her attention to bits, and her skin touching mine set fire to my dull, uninteresting life. "Just... just saw a pesky mosquito." Shauna stood up to inspect where I had hit the bench, and I held my breath as her smile grew wide at the absence of the said insect. "I-I missed it, geez!" I lied again.

Shauna said nothing, but I could tell from her expression that she was clearly not convinced. "Are you – are you insane? Why don't you think before you act?" Serena asked, her voice wavering; I noted with interest.

"That's a part of me," I whispered. My heart skipped a beat when she briefly looked at my jaw again before her eyes flitted upward.

"You insufferable idiot!"

"Hey, that's a convenient nickname!"

"Guys, quit your flirting. You are putting May and Drew to shame," Gary intervened. I felt the heat rise in my cheeks and did the only sane thing: punch Gary in the gut with my free hand. He yelped, and I sighed in satisfaction, spotting Serena sporting similar embarrassment.

Our mishaps ended the moment Professor Rowan stepped in for a lesson of Business. Serena turned back to face the board, and I felt the happiness drain out of me at the shift in her attention. Nevertheless, the warmth of her touch lingered and a thought formed in my mind.

If I tell the hints to Brock, he would be able to assess Serena's true feelings, and if at all I'm right... then I would confess to her.

— 💌 —

Hey guys!
The first act of Teenage Nightmare is officially done! To showcase that, a new cover will be added, one that is illustrated by yours truly, upon the publication of the second act! I'd love to hear your thoughts on them!!

Also, another call for those who wish to have their names on my new satosere short story! If you want a dts, let me know here! ^^

Thank you for reading until here!

Miyoko x