81.
chapter eighty-one:
Bonnie wants me
as her new
brother.
<3

"I dare you to send a death threat to your dearest friend here, Clemont." 

It was hard to rein in my laughter at how conflicted the poor boy looked. Reluctantly, he took out his phone and jabbed at the keyboard before my phone rang. 

Clem o-o: Move an inch, and you're dead. 

"That is... scary," I joked, feeling Serena lean over to read the text. A soft giggle left her lips when the next message came. 

Clem o-o: I'm sorry! 

He was a true cinnamon roll, inside and out. 

The lemon-haired boy rolled the bottle, which now pointed at Dawn. I cursed under my breath. "Darn, it's Dawn." 

"Any problem, Ash?" Holding my hands up in surrender, I wondered how on earth she had superhearing. "Oh, I'll make it easy for you, Clem-Dude. It's a dare." 

Clemont adjusted his glasses. "Um, I dare you to be the nicest person here to, er, Ash?" 

Dawn frowned as I snickered and threw an arm around the guy. "You're the best, Clemont." 

"Am I not nice to him already?" 

"I'm afraid the nicest person to him is not you, Dee," May chimed in, earning a slap on the arm from the bluenette. 

"Alright. Got it. Now, Serena?" Indeed, the bottle had turned on Serena. The honey blonde went with a dare before I could warn her about Dawn's infamous dares. "You wanted me to be nice to Ash, right? How about you do what your boyfriend loves from you?" 

Serena and I exchanged a glance, puzzled. I literally loved everything about her. If that were the case, and if she even knew that, what would she do? What options did she hold? 

"Er," she stuttered, turning pink. "What do you, you know, expect from me?" 

I blinked. 

"Just your presence?" 

There were a few "aww"s before I shot all my gal devil-friends a glare. 

My eyes slid back to Serena shifting nervously. Her bare forearm brushed against mine, sending goosebumps. She looked upward, filling me with adoration for her. "A hug?" 

"Yeah, sure. I'd... love that." 

Serena's face lit up, and she opened her arms wide, engulfing me in an embrace. I found myself melting into her essence with every passing second that she held me. I was an insect, vulnerable to her. 

Her breath, my respiration; her heartbeat, my pulse; her strawberry-scented hair, my cologne—all of them blended together into something so amorous that I was left breathless and gasping for more when she broke the hug. I had no idea if I looked like a fool, but I simply didn't care. 

This was going to be our last embrace for a while. 

Besides, I was a fool for her. 

"How was it?" she whispered, flashing me a warm smile. 

"Thank you," I mumbled back, quickly pulling my hood over my face to cover the flush creeping in. Catcalls erupted around me the next moment, and I struggled to face my emotions. I vaguely registered Serena daring May to do something. 

The next thing I knew, I was being asked to reveal what I thought of everyone in the group. 

"Everybody, don't take me wrong if I don't reach your expectations," I started off diplomatically. "All of you are officially the only people who've decided to befriend me, and I'm so thankful for that. I think it would be wise for me to start with my recent friends, Clemont and his sister, Bon-Bon!" 

Clemont flushed while Bonnie mirrored my smirk. "My only friends in Kalos, whom I got to know very late into the year. Of course, there was the matter of sharing a dormitory." I nodded at Clemont. "But, boy, is science amazing! Clemont and his inventions have captured my heart! He's loyal, hard-working, and light-years smarter than I am!" 

"Oh, Ash, please don't embarrass me—" 

I ignored the boy, continuing. "And his sister is an evil genius. Watching movies with Bonnie is the best because we share similar tastes in thrillers and parodies." The younger girl got up to give me a hug. 

"You're much fun to spend time with! Clemont's gotta up his game if he doesn't want a rival for being my brother," Bonnie stated matter-of-factly, earning several chuckles. 

"And there's Misty, my fem-boy best friend," I declared, amused when Misty rolled her eyes playfully. "She can give you amazing advice and can hit you when you do follow through, yeah." 

Another round of laughter rang out, Gary's being the loudest. The tomboy shot me a glare, and I continued. "But she's honestly a shoulder I missed out on in my early years of life. Cheers to you, Mist." 

Misty smiled in appreciation before clapping her hands. "We've been there, and done that." 

Next in tow was Barry. The blond boy was surprised to have been brought up and was even close to tears of anguish. "My faithful soccer teammate who had my back, discussed tactics, and helped stand against our stoic captain, Paul. This one's for you, Barry!" 

"I will definitely fine you for the cheesiness, Ash—!" 

Beginning to actually like the game, I found myself enjoying it and talking about things I would normally keep quiet about. "Dawn, the dawn of hope. When I first got to know her, courtesy of May, we were like, 'What's your favorite color?' Sharing blue as an answer, we bonded. 

"In fact, I remember her saying, and I quote, 'If friends don't—" 

Dawn and I exchanged a high five before getting back to my speech. "Then there's May; she's like the younger sister I never had, my second best friend! Yeah, there have been times when we were in rough waters, but I think we've figured it out. Glad you've also got a good guy to have your back, Maple Syrup." 

May huffed in exasperation, even though her crimson-tinged face told me otherwise. 

"Now for the jerk of our crew, Gar-Bear—" 

"Thank you, Ashtown-Ketchup—" 

"He's been an ego-headed jerk towards me since childhood—" 

"And he's been the crybaby since childhood—" 

We exchanged playful glares and spoke in unison. "He still is." 

"But yeah, all's done and gone," I admitted, a faint smile gracing my lips as everyone giggled at how red Gary was turning with each passing second, whether from embarrassment or fury, I had no idea. Better be on his safe side if I wanted myself and my black baby of a car back in Kanto safely.

"I think now comes the fun part," Bonnie chortled. I ignored the tease in her tone. 

"Yeah, well, what do you expect? Serena was the one who showed me the world of friendship. First her, then May, and the circle grew. I'm grateful for your kindness, girl. I always will be. The end of this speech is for you." 

Serena smiled happily as I took a seat beside her. No words were exchanged; there was no need to. I could've said more, but I didn't wish to be partial, and she got me. 

She got me perfectly well, and that was why I—even if it troubled me to admit—was head over heels in love with the honey blonde.