94.
chapter ninety-four:
I hate technology!

"And then add some laces and floral prints, because that's the trend I love! I bet even lover boys like Drew and you love those!" 

I planted my face into the pillow and gave a muffled cry of embarrassment. "I'm not a lover boy, and I don't even care what girls wear!" 

"Come on, Ash, tell that to your girlfriend's face. You were the one gawking at her, letting out audible moans when she wore formals or her performance dos!" 

"I didn't—oh my Arceus, I never did that sound! You know what, forget it ever happened—" 

"I'll let you pass this time merely because I'm curious as to whether you'd implement my idea or not." 

Withdrawing my head from my pillow, I peered at her. If looks could kill through the screen, she'd be gone a long time ago. "No, we're focusing on winter wear, not swimsuits." 

The brunette frowned and hugged her rooster plushie closer. "Good chickens, Ash—" 

"You know what, I'm just going to add Dawn and Drew to this call and make it a conference. That way, you wouldn't talk about anything nearly as indecent," I suggested, shifting subtly as if to send an invite to the said people. May panicked and let out a squeal. 

"I don't have any problem with Dawn, but please, not Drew!" 

"Why not? Did you guys fight?" 

The girl started fiddling with her hair. "No, but I don't want him to see me in my PJs." I quirked an eyebrow, as if to say she was fine with me seeing her in her pajamas. She seemed to have got the message because she nodded without any reason. "You're like my brother, so I don't have to care about what you think of me. It's not the same with Drew." 

I dipped my head in understanding or at least a faint sense of the feeling. "Nuff said. Just add Dawn at least? And... um," I stammered, staring at my Pikachu smiling innocently back at me. Color shot up to my cheeks when May snickered. 

"Didn't you guys break up, though?" Her tone was naïve and would have convinced anybody who didn't know her well. It was my turn to pluck out the stray threads of my bedsheet in nervousness. "Not even an hour had passed, and you're ready to tear your skin out for a sight of her! 

"Oh, this is such a swoon-worthy love story that Taylor Swift would write songs about, should she be Serena~" she hummed in a sing-song voice, showing off her plush closer to the screen as if it was going to be a part of a sacrificial ritual. I looked to my left in embarrassment, unable to stop the blood from rushing to my cheeks. 

An idea struck, and I leaned on my keyboard, jamming several keys for no reason. "I'm adding Drew too—" 

That got her tongue tied and forced her to add Dawn and Serena while cursing me under her breath. The first person to join was my girl, and she had that day-lighting-up smile of hers on. What caught my attention, despite the brightness of her grin, was her red-rimmed eyes. 

Much to my chagrin, May didn't seem to have noticed that, as she took to talking about the hideous swimsuit ideas with ribbons and whatnot she housed in a nook of her brain. 

To my surprise, Serena didn't look the least flustered about the topic, rather contributing more ideas despite my watchful presence. Who talks about lingerie in the presence of the guy she dumped— 

There was a sudden thud, and the black screen split to give another segment to the newcomer: Dawn. The bluenette's upbeat face showed up rather close, displaying her forehead and bangs before she zoomed out to wave with a grin. I found myself joining in with Serena and May, waving back. 

Then came the bizarre sophistication of technology: being muted while speaking. That was precisely what Dawn was doing. Her lips moved, but the sounds never came. 

By the looks of whatever in the good name of Satoshi was going on, May and I were barely holding our laughter in, clutching the sides of our stomachs and biting our bottom lips, while Serena was trying to signal/instruct the bluenette that she was on mute. 

Adding to the hilarity was Dawn's perplexed face and Drew suddenly popping up without an invite and scaring the living daylights out of May. When the chaos finally settled, Lisia joined in, branding herself as late but in style. 

Only when she talked did I realize that I was no better than Dawn in being the jester; in fact, I had it worse. "Um, where's Mister Ketchum? He's present, but is he alive there?" 

"Ummm," I dragged, trying to think of an excuse for my 'absence' as everyone but her started calling for me, adding mean suffixes and chiding me.

No wonder she didn't look flustered talking about swimsuits. To her screen, I wasn't even there. Wasn't there. Oh.

With an elegant flourish of my fingers on the touchpad of my laptop, both the video and audio were switched on. I could see the mini-version of myself displayed on the top-left corner of the screen, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry about that, guys. Somebody called—" 

"Somebody? Who are you kidding, man?" Drew drawled, smirking. "All of your friends are here, but Gar-dude and Mist. Unless there's someone more special than the ones present." 

"You mean Gertrude?" I interrupted, seeing Serena's face fall. "Isn't that a better nickname for Gary? Don't tell him, though, or I'd have to face hell." 

"You can place your best bets on me." 

"Fair enough." 

"Ahem," Lisia interjected. When she caught our eyes, she sent a virtual glare over. "You have all the world's time later, boys. I'm very busy, you see." 

I flushed, embarrassed to have gotten carried away. "Right, apologies, Lisia." The girl let out a huff of approval, crossing her arms across her chest. 

"So, what are we here for? And yeah, your message suffices. Just spit out what you need our favor for. We're here for you." Wow, this girl is blunt in the kindest way possible.

"Um, thanks, guys—"

"Quit the formalities and get to the task, man."

"Right!" I breathed in and caught Serena's eye. Even through the screen, despite being virtual, she was simply irresistible, what with how she leaned on her clenched fist and bit her bottom lip. Snap out of it! "What winter wear do girls absolutely adore? We have a couple of ideas with hoodies for guys and cardigans for girls."

"Well, I'm naturally hot, so I don't feel the cold much. On days that I do, it is, as you said, a fashionable cardigan," Lisia said, her interest evident as I began jotting down notes.

"I'm all in for long winter coats that go over my frocks," Dawn piped in.

Next up was May, to whom the rest of the girls were nodding in agreement. "As for me, I love mittens and baggies! They bring out an adorable look."

My eyes slid to Serena's section, even though she probably wouldn't know I was looking at her. She had been quiet for most of the time, only nodding along with May. To initiate a conversation, I started, "And the rest of you?"

"I'm not a girl, so don't even ask me. Although, I've seen a couple of girls loving those printed hoodies with Sanrio characters," Drew shrugged. At his comment, all eyes seemed to fall on the honey-blonde.

"Um," Serena stammered, looking down. "I'm not much of a fashion expert—" I couldn't help the snort. "But maybe stocking-boot socks and zip-up hoodies instead of pullover ones."

I jotted down the different choices and nodded, satisfied. Mom could design all of these, and we could pick out whatever looked best for the MVP. "Okay, now, should we time it for the Kalosian Start-ups Fashion Show? Would you guys be our models? Of course, Dad agreed to pay—"

"We ain't taking no money, dude," Lisia cut in, a frown crossing her features as her hands moved to her hips. "It's for free, and I volunteer. I can already see the headlines flashing, 'Popstar Lisia sponsors Ketchum Winter Wear—Is this the start of a winter-ful season?' Boo-yeah!"

"She's right, ya know? Just call me up, and I'll be in Vaniville," Drew added with a flip of his emerald hair. My eyes grazed over the rest of them, observing their expressions and noting the sincerity behind them.

May was beaming, while Dawn was randomly waving her hands the way she always did on our field trips from the other bus. And then there was Serena, with the brightest smile that had me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

With an uplifting realization, I grinned and said, "Thank you."

I had found friends for life.