54.
chapter fifty-four:
it's now or
never!

"Yeah, and the next thing is our dance," May informed me, happily recalling the upcoming dance performance she was going to give with her dance club mates. "Dawn, Lisia, Miette, Nini, and I are going to get into formation, and then Drew, Tierno, and Kenny will complete theirs!"

"That sounds... fascinating," I said politely. May nodded eagerly and continued.

"Yeah! And the song is 'Cheap Thrills' by Sia! Can you imagine how elegant we must be to dance to its beats?!" She leaned forward with excitement, and I put my hands up in surrender.

"I couldn’t possibly. I have bad feet."

May withdrew with a proud smirk, then an indignant look crossed her face. "You know Miette?"

I vaguely remembered her from the Anistar High student exchange earlier this year. "That bluenette?" I asked, reaching for my water bottle to take a gulp. Our soccer practice had been scheduled early today, giving me time off in the evening. Naturally, it also left me quite thirsty.

May nodded affirmatively. "Yeah, she wanted to ask if you had a date for the ball."

I choked on my water, nearly spraying it out, but managed to keep it in and gulp it down. Wiping the liquid from my mouth, I looked at May with a weary expression. "What did you tell her?"

May smiled happily, and I knew she was up to something. "I told her you don't! That's the truth, ain't it?"

I felt my head start to throb. "C'mon, May. I don't want to go to the ball, let alone with a total stranger!"

She looked critically apprehensive as a frown tugged at her lips. "Oh, when will you learn to enjoy yourself? Remember, friends don't let friends do silly things... alone!" She stood up and beckoned me forward. "I ain't letting you brood that night over her!"

I shot up in protest. "I ain't gonna brood over her! In fact, I'm gonna repair our friendship today!"

"Let the action hit home, and I'll let you pass. Otherwise, we’ll have to take matters into our own hands," May said with a huff. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned closer to whisper. "Also, I heard she isn't gonna attend the ball because of her foot. She might be on the first floor or something, helping Calem, Drew, and Dawn out. Just thought I'd put that in your ear."

I nodded gratefully for the extra piece of information and bolted to my feet with my water bottle, feeling the urge to use the restroom after drinking so much water. It would also do me good to throw the bottle into my locker to avoid sipping on it constantly.

On my way, I spotted Serena wrestling with her bench, alone, while her pouch—the one I gifted her—and a book lay a few feet away. Odd.

Then I realized she was trying to reach them while seated. Deciding to make a move, I approached, bent down, and picked them up, placing them on her table. Smacking my lips in anticipation, I couldn’t help but notice Butterhead's future letter.

"For Arceus'—I mean—God's sake, get rid of that pouch. It stresses you more than it should. Er, I mean, it isn't worth it," I stammered with a cough. It was hard talking to her and not feeling a warm sensation trying to sabotage my guts.

Her genuine reply reached my ears, and I felt myself ignite at the sound of my name rolling off her lips effortlessly. "Thank you, Ash. And I'll hold on to it, at least, rather than letting it g-go."

With that, I left the classroom, wondering what to do next. Since I didn’t have soccer practice in the evening, I could afford to catch Butterhead red-handed and perhaps ask for her forgiveness.

Oh, it’ll be a perfect reunion.

I saw Serena slumped over her table for the rest of the day. Her friends chatted energetically around her, but she seemed bored... or was she in pain? Either way, I felt bad that I couldn't be by her side, whispering words of comfort into her ear or just playing truth or truth with her.

I'll fix it this evening.

Evening rolled by, and I stationed myself in the same nook I’d hidden in before discovering her identity. A hooded figure exited the elevators and limped toward my locker. My heart raced as she froze for a second. Taking it as my cue, I stepped out of hiding, nerves overtaking my mind.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, though I wasn’t feeling it. A part of me wanted to run away, but another part wanted to run to her, pull her into a deep embrace, and tell her just how sorry I was and how miserable I’d made us both.

She quickly turned away and started to leave, but I spoke up, taking a step toward her. It’s now or never, Ash. Speak your mind and heart! "It’s you, then. The one who’s been sending these letters." I paused, anticipating every possible reaction from her: surprise, anger, rage, disappointment, shock, anything—but none came. So, I continued. "I'll be waiting for you to reveal who you are, dear Butterhead."

She gave me no indication that she’d heard my words, choosing instead to escape. I let out a breath as I watched her figure grow smaller and smaller before she vanished from sight, and I doubled over.

It hadn’t gone as expected, and I felt the very first signs of frustration poking at my defenses. I took another deep breath to calm myself. It would do me no good to let frustration and anger take over again. I had to think of a way to make her listen to me. After all, I was just trying to repair our friendship.