SomeguyBehindAScreen

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Age: 16
Setting: Restaurant in Ambrett town
Date: Day Serena becomes Kalos Queen for the first time.
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Ash didn't show up for dinner that night.

It was the certain uncanny event that Ash had lost his appetite. This was quite unsettling for Elaina, for she new the very fact meant that Ash was experiencing a kind of mental torture that overwhelmed his eating habits. She could imagine her crush laying on his bed in the hotel room, the silence of loneliness engulfing him. He loved Serena, like he should. But that kind of love comes with sacrifices. And she was that sacrifice.

Elaina awkwardly entered the lobby, eyes flitting across the seaside inspired room in search of the two boys who she was meant to be going to dinner with. Only one of them was there, standing with gaze fixated on the television screens, in the direct place she had a tantrum the day prior. It wasn't one of her finest moments, she was willing to admit, but the striking fury that had overwhelmed her too much for rational thoughts was more than her weak self-control could handle.

And besides, the screaming felt so satisfying.

Gary spun on his heels, noticing her inelegant appearance. He sighed, clearly equally as dreadful of this dinner.

"Ash isn't coming." He told her. Elaina frowned, her lips reaching the nethermost region of her face.

"Why not?" She said harshly. She hadn't known this boy long, but she could already tell that her voice would automatically switch to this harsh tone whenever he was around. She didn't know why. There was something about him. Something disturbingly irritating.

"He didn't want to deal with your nagging." Gary replied with an impish smirk. Elaina faltered, her entire face falling into dismay. The words stunned her like hot coffee. She knew she could be annoying, argumentative and sometimes outright irrational, but, for her crush to be so blunt with it. Didn't he care enough to not mention?

"R-really?" She stuttered, cursing herself for sounding so feeble. The utter weakness of her voice could have given away her dreadful secret. Practically a confession in itself.

"I'm just kidding with you." Gary chuckled, tapping her shoulder with amusement. Elaina's expression morphed from sorrow to hard stone in a matter of milliseconds. "He's sulking to himself in the room. Didn't want to disturb him. Besides, it'll be good for him to just think for a bit."

"So...we're going to dinner?" She said, borderline snarled, as she gave the boy another glance over. She noted the way he stood, as if the world owed him a favor and the undeniable mischief that lingered in his smirk. This would be an interesting turnout. And that it was.

"I'm not going to waste the reservation. Even if it means I have to eat with a three year old." Gary remarked, reminding her of the tantrum she threw and his claim that she 'acted like a three year old'. Stupid boy. Didn't he know what it was like to be so overwhelmed with acrimony that there is no other alternative than to fire your temper?

"Well then, we better get going. Three year olds don't like to wait." Elaina responded, already dreading whatever anarchy this night would stir. If they couldn't simply endure a single conversation without jabbing at each other, an entire dinner was bound to take a toll down misfortune street.

The duo left the hotel in silence, neither having anything to say to the other. Elaina decided to walk on ahead, just to put a slight distance between them. She had little to no understanding of where she was going, yet still, she stormed onwards.

Elaina was well aware this boy could challenge her in a game of wits. And she was well aware of the fact she would not be pleased if he actually did beat her. She was also aware that Gary was all kinds of troublesome in all the ways she liked. He could be one of the greatest friends she ever had. But still, she was too stubborn to give him a chance.

"Do you even know where we're going?!" Gary called to her, that agitating impishness still lacing his voice. God, she hated it. It was like everything he said was trickery. She found him hard to read, even with all her mother's lessons. And this was truly bothersome. So, Elaina didn't answer. "Hey! Wait up!"

She didn't protest as Gary strode beside her, but rather kept her usual glower tightly etched across her face. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye for a split second, and if she noticed anything at all in that briefness, it was his ample smirk.

"Is it nice? The restaurant, I mean." Eventually Elaina gave in, speaking possibly just so that he'd have to wipe that smirk away.

"Nice enough. I wanted it to be a treat for Ash." He responded and Elaina felt a twang of satisfaction with the riddance of his smirk. Gary pulled three fingers through his hair and the simple action irked Elaina. She came to the conclusion that he could make even things of optimum simplicity so utterly annoying.

"Do they have good deserts?" The blonde girl asked, her sweet tooth talking. Gary laughed and despite herself and his irritant laugh, Elaina smiled too.

"I guess we'll have to find out." He taunted and she realized her mistake. She smiled at something he said.

"Yeah...I guess so." She became guarded again, not wanting to accidentally give him any leverage over her. Or even the slightest idea that she actually liked him. God no. She'd already given up way to much to Ash and that came straight back to bite her. And now, in this distraught state that was always on the borderline of a break down, she could see vulnerability swallowing her whole again.

There was a short silence as the duo passed into the well-lit streets of Amberette Town, where the town was aligned against the ocean and the natural saltiness crept over the ocean wall and into their nostrils. Elaina loved the seaside, a lot. She hadn't actually gotten to tuck her toes into the damp sand or splash around in the ocean. But she loved the smell and she loved the sound. And that was enough, right?

"Here, on your left." Gary said, gesturing to the small restaurant that was fixed between various seaside shops and bakery's. The whole street was full of petite places to shop and eat.

The pair, who really didn't coincide particularly well, entered the restaurant civilized. In fact, both were smiling. Which was much compared to the state they left in.

"Hello, may I help you?" A warm lady dressed in a black pencil skirt asked.

"Uh, yeah. I have a reservation under Oak. It was for three but now only for two." Gary said, flashing the host a provoking smile. Elaina resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It suddenly occurred to her that people might think they were on a date, which was a complete misunderstanding. They were just friends, if that. She wasn't quite sure how to feel about it. In the end she concluded disgusted.

Gary Oak was a no. Definitely.

"Yes of course, Mr. Oak. Right this way." The hostess said, gesturing for them to follow her. They weaved between the randomly scattered tables to one that was rather central, tucked between two happy couples eating. "Enjoy."

Elaina took a seat across from Gary, her mouth twitching into an awkward frown. Although Gary seemed completely at ease, she was completely unsettled. She realized just how much she didn't know Gary and that she somehow had to keep conversation with him for an entire meal.

"So...uh...what's your favorite Pokemon?" She asked, hating how awkward it sounded. If this didn't work she would result to just not bothering to be polite by making conversation.

"Really? Cliche questions now?" Gary raised an eyebrow.

"It's not cliche—"

"Eevee. My favorite Pokemon is Eevee." He responded, grinning. Elaina smiled a little bit. "What's your favorite Pokemkn blondie?"

"First off, don't call me blondie ever again or I'll put you in a body cast, and second, my favorite Pokemon is Espeon." She responded, whatever smile had been there eloping away.

"Really, Espeon? Is that just because you own one?" He asked, looking complacent. Elaina gave him a short-lived glare. Although she didn't show it on her face—cause she would never give Gary that pleasure—she felt rather ashamed.

"Well...I haven't really seen very many Pokemon before. I could literally tell you all the Pokemon I've met and it wouldn't last longer than a Thunder Bolt." She confessed, averting her gaze. It felt a little strange admitting that to a professor, who had probably seen every Pokemon under then sun.

"Seriously!? What have you been doing all your life? Living under a rock?" He laughed and she couldn't quite bring herself to look at him. She hated his laugh. It was stupidly melodic.

"Something like that." She whispered. Her parents, her family and that little cottage in middle of the forest made her embarrassed. How could she not be? Both Elaina and Gary were the same age and he knew everything where she knew nothing.

"What do you mean?" Gary asked, picking up instantly on Elaina's serious tone. It seemed to her that Gary often didn't let any little detail pass him. She averted her gaze until it was directed nowhere in particular, just beyond the bustle of the restaurant where it was blurry and safe.

"It's nothing. None of your business." Elaina knew she would have to be stern if she didn't want Gary to pry. And she didn't, she really did not want that. Telling him about her family was an...odd predicament.

"Not willing to talk? Fair enough." He shrugged. A waitress came to ask if they wanted anything to drink. Elaina ordered a water whereas Gary opted for a Shirley Temple. Elaina had never heard of such thing before.

"What the hell is a Chirley Memple?" She asked once the waiter left. Gary raised one of his thick eyebrows. He was giving her one of those looks again, one of the ones she hated. From what she concluded, it meant 'I know everything you don't'.

"A Shirley Temple? You don't what that is?" He asked, bewilderment and disbelief consuming his face in an unflattering way.

Did he have to insult her intelligence at every opportunity he got?

"No, I do not. Is it such a surprising thing?" She asked, still looking at that designated spot in the background. That spot was a safe place for her gaze. It meant she didn't have to worry about making eye contact with Gary. Elaina almost expected him to make another jab about her incapability to know general information, but he didn't.

"It's a soft drink. Essentially just lemon-lime soda mixed with strawberry syrup." He explained. For a second, Elaina slid her gaze to him. He was grinning again. Couldn't he just smile normally? Did it always have to be so menacing? Or was it just...provoking. Or was his smile broken? Elaina couldn't make up her mind.

"Sounds good." She concluded. Anything containing syrup was bound to be sweet, and that was directly down her alley.

"It is. I'll let you try some, if you don't get weird about it." He said, still damn grinning at her.

"Why would I get weird about it?" Elaina asked.

"I don't know, you get weird about a lot of things. You're just generally a weird person." He responded, his grin morphing into more of a smirk. She diverted her gaze back to the blurry spot in the background. She gritted her teeth.

He was acting as if he knew her.

"I'm not weird, I'm normal, just like you. No, scratch that, I'm nothing like you. I'm just like...I'm..." She tried to think of the right word. Gary would probably know the right word, just as he knew everything she didn't. Even with all the books she had read when she was locked up in that cottage, nothing fit.

How could she describe herself?

"Don't get so worked up over it. I never said being weird was a bad thing. Get over it." Gary leaned back in his chair, like a king in his throne. Elaina supposed he thought himself a king.

"Since when were you so insightful?" She leaned forward, trying to obtain a position of power in the situation. Elaina was very aware there was a power battle going on here. There always was between him and her. And God knows she didn't like to lose.

"I always have been. You've just been oblivious." He replied. Something inside him obviously didn't sit right as Elaina claimed the alpha role, so he leaned forwards to best her.

"One Shirley Temple and a water?" The waiter interrupted. Elaina slowly sat back in her seat, making sure to keep her eyes fixed on his as to not give away any shrivel of power.

Gary grinned at the waitress, as per usual. Elaina resisted the impending urge to roll her eyes. It seemed she was now more confused than ever about his smile, he used it to mock her and he used to it flirt with waitresses. Couldn't he just not be so complex?

As soon as the waitress put the drinks down—the Shirley Temple in front of Gary and the water in front of her—and sauntered off, Elaina switched them. Gary never noticed anyways, he was too busy watching the waitress' behind as she left.

Elaina thought the drink looked quite fun. It was a deep scarlet on the bottom and gently faded into a sparkling clear. She stirred it with the straw but still the colors didn't mix. She took a sip and the bright, sugary taste bled across her tongue with a prickling sensation, due to the carbonation.

Gary had good taste.

In drinks.

Not so much in girls.

"Hey, that's enough. Don't think you can have more than a sip," Gary chided, pulling the drink away from her and the straw out of her mouth abruptly. A little Shirley Temple dribbled out of her mouth. She whipped it away aggressively, hoping that Gary hadn't seen it.

"It's nice," she muttered as Gary took the straw in his own mouth, twirling it around his teeth between sips. Elaina felt her skin crawl—that's what he meant by getting weird about it.

"Well, of course it is, I said so," he scoffed.

"Don't get too far ahead of yourself," Elaina whispered between her closed teeth frame.

"I'd never think about it, darling," and so he continued to mock her. At least, that's what it seemed like to her. She'd never been called 'darling' before, but she knew it was Gary's immature way of crawling under her skin.

"I have to use the restroom," Elaina excused herself. The walls of the restaurant were slowly caving in and she desperately needed a break from keeping conversation and wrestling for power from their stalemate.

Gary didn't watch her leave like he did the waitress. Elaina breathed a sigh of relief.

The bathroom was small and rustic, tucked into a corner of the restaurant. Once she'd finished, Elaina washed her hands in the bowl sink, hesitating a little at the frigid temperature of the water. She gazed into the mirror above the sink with a sullen expression. Her hair was tangled and wild, due to the fact that she hadn't bothered to brush it that night. Or in the passed two days at all. Brushing her hair seemed to be an insignificant task compared to everything else going on around her.

That girl in the mirror, she wasn't right.

Her hair was a few shades too light and a few inches too long.

And then there were those peculiar blemishes called freckles scrawled over her cheeks. Serena didn't have freckles.

That girl in the mirror was behind. She was always trying to catch up to other trainers her age. And that girl felt like she learnt too slowly. That girl only had one Pokémon and even less gym badges. And her dream was so distorted and wish-washy that she wasn't even sure what she was heading for.

That girl in the mirror just plainly was not right.

Elaina gulped down what ever inconvenience was dragging itself up her throat to put on a brave mask. She couldn't go back to that table looking like that girl in the mirror.

Gary would use that girl to spread her apart without even knowing he was doing it.

As Elaina approached the table again, she immediately noticed that her seat had been taken. It was occupied by a dark haired girl who was probably shy years younger than her. She was pretty—gushing with little, smiling features.

Elaina felt a burst of anger. Of something red.

She'd gone to the bathroom for one minute and she was already forgotten. Even when she stood directly behind Gary, she was not noticed. He paid her no mind. He did not even realize she was there.

That girl in the mirror also had issues. Anger issues. Competitive issues. Self-image issues. And because of these issues, Elaina did something brash. Something stupid. A little bit of an overreaction.

But that was just it, the striking fury always overwhelmed her too much for her weak self-control to handle.

Elaina snatched the half-drunk Shirley Temple and poured down Gary's chest. He sat up in shock, and the pretty girl across from him reared back. The sticky drink soaked through his shirt and dripped onto the chair. Elaina knew by the way he cursed that she'd done something wrong again.

She wasn't about to stick around for the aftermath. So she bolted.

The air in Ambrett town was salty. She could almost taste little morsels of salt on her tongue while she breathed. Elaina ran until she reached the sea wall. Then she stopped, and she studied. It was the first time she'd ever just stopped to take a good look at the ocean. Everything had been so busy and rushed as of late she had never really noticed how so, so vast it was.

Gary never brought up the incident again and Elaina was thankful for it. She often wondered why the memory seemed disappear from his mind. She wondered why he never called her insane, and other hopeless insults.

But after a while, long after they left Ambrett town and even after Serena, Elaina, Ash and Gary all left Kalos, did a suitable reason conjure in her mind.

There was something not right with Gary, too.

Elaina didn't know what. He never told her.

But that same reason Gary didn't get mad at her for throwing a drink at him was the same reason he was so empathetic towards Ash when Serena left as Kalos Queen. Something happened to him—or someone.

And for some strange reason, he felt okay with having a drink thrown at him.