The Wednesday after the movie everything seemed to be the same. Leven continued to pester Megan, Sun kept stealing glances at Ein, Rose and Lillie carried on shipping their classmates together. To be honest, the only thing that was different, was the fact Megan and Gladion weren't fighting. In fact, they weren't even talking. It's like they forgot one another existed. But when Lillie confronted Megan about it, she only replied with "He's the one giving me the silent treatment. I just gave up on insulting him after a bit."

Suspicious...

Gladion had been quieter than usual as of late, and Lillie took note of it. He never talked to her or mother during dinner, he never complained when asked to do the dishes, he never asked Lillie to hang out. Lillie had even noticed he stopped sleeping with that weird pink fairy doll Natalie had bought him. But he stopped insulting Megan?! He hadn't stopped doing that ever since they met, it was like he couldn't live without it.

Something was going on. And she was going to find out what.

"Hey, guys." She smiled as she walked over to her friends, who returned the greeting and scooted over so she could join the little circle "What'cha doin'?"

"We're just wondering if we can learn a BTS dance routine within a week." Rose stated with a shrug "Sun said we can't, but he's a woos so we're ignoring him."

"I am right here!" Sun whined.

"Whatevs." Rose, Hau and Megan replied sassily, lifting their palms to face the pouting boy. Lillie sweatdropped, laughing awkwardly.

"Lillie." Someone called from behind the girl, causing everyone to turn around. Gladion stood over the group, dull eyed and expressionless. Lillie stood up, failing at her attempt to level with her brother.

"What's up Gladion." She asked, glancing at the backpack slung over his shoulder "Going somewhere?"

"Home."

"What?! But you just got here!"

"I don't feel like dancing today."

"Whether you feel like it or not shouldn't matter" Megan spoke up, also rising to her feet to stand next to her friend "You applied for this course to dance, not to disappear whenever you feel like it!"

Gladion glared at her "Stay out of this."

"No! You either dance or get the hell out of this studio!"

"You can't tell me what to do."

Megan growled, grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him down to eye level "If you're a dancer, then act like one! I'm not sharing this course with some inexperienced prick!"

Gladion blinked in surprise, stumbling backwards as soon as Megan let go of his shirt. She sighed, turning away and waving over her shoulder.

"Whatever. Just go..."

"Wha-"

"Go."

Gladion faltered back, shocked at her sternness before slowly turning away to leave. Her words echoed in his mind, the anger was clear in her voice... But there was something else. Something Gladion didn't recognise.

There's no way it could've been concern, right?

"Why'd you let him go?" Sun asked Megan, frowning when she didn't face him.

"Because I couldn't care less..."

And with that she was gone, hands stuffed in her pockets as she walked farther away from the group. Her eyes were glued to the floor, and her lips remained in a straight line as she thought about Gladion's face up close.

Why did he look so tired?

Why did he look so sad?

---

In the end, Lillie had to tell Kukui her brother wasn't feeling well and he had to leave early. Luckily the instructor was cool with it, as he too had noticed the boy's odd behaviour. Apart from that the class went about as it normally did, slow and physically painful, and the students were sent home.

"See you tomorrow." Megan waved to her friends as they parted in front of the studio. She slipped in her earbuds, put her Youtube Playlist on shuffle and began strolling down the streets. She thought about different choreography she could use for her own dances, as well as for hers and Lillie's project. The only problem was that the girls' styles couldn't have been more different. Lillie's slow and graceful clashed with Megan's sharp and expressive, making it harder to find something the friends could agree on.

Of course, that could be what Kukui wanted. He may have paired complete opposites together to get them to work together, so maybe they could merge styles to make a unique and breathtaking performance. He had a way of pulling his students out of their comfort zone, to get them to try something new. Megan guessed she was thankful for that, as if Kukui was to pair her up with someone with a similar style to hers it would've had to be...

Ugh

French Fry.

It was settled. She preferred pressure over a headache. Besides, she was having fun experimenting routines with her best friend. It was like those sleepovers they used to have as kids, where they took out their Wii remotes and jumped around the living room to the music from Just Dance.

Actually, now that she thought about it. How come she never saw Gladion until now? Lillie never seemed to talk about him until he joined their course, and he was never around the house when Megan came to visit. It's like he didn't even exist and then POOF, he's suddenly part of Lillie's life.

...

Maybe she should ask Lillie about it over the phone, this would probably keep her awake until she got some answers.

Megan sighed, feeling the cool air blow through her hair and letting herself hum along to the chorus of BTS's Not Today. She'd never admit it to anyone other than Lillie, but she loved the kpop group. Call it a guilty pleasure if you will.

The girl let the smallest smile grace her lips, finally feeling at peace after a long stressful day. She turned the corner---

And her face immediately fell.

A familiar blonde boy could be seen on the other side of the street, standing outside the cafe talking to his girlfriend.

Or... Arguing with her...

Megan squinted, watching as the couple scowled at each other, making angry hand gestures and yelling things that didn't quite reach her ears. She bit her lip, not knowing what to do in this situation. Should she confront them about making a scene? Should she call Lillie telling her that her brother may be in trouble? Should she just carry on walking and let them sort out their own problems, grabbing an ice cream in the process? The third option seemed the most appealing.

But just as she was about to put one foot in front of the other Natalie had pushed Gladion away by the chest and stormed away, leaving the boy frozen with his fists clenched at his sides. Megan took in how vulnerable he looked at that moment, how his bottom lip was between his teeth, how his brows furrowed to match his wrinkled nose, how his entire demeanor screamed pain. Megan had never seen him like that before, and quite frankly she wish she hadn't, as she soon found herself feeling sorry for the boy. She didn't know why, nor did she know why he looked that way, but the feeling was there.

And she didn't like it.

She was snapped out of her thoughts as she felt a pair of eyes on her, causing her to look up swiftly. Gladion was staring at her with wide eyes, lips parted as if he was surprised to find her standing there. Megan pursed her lips together, internally panicking as she thought about how to get herself out of the situation. If she stayed where she was, she'd almost definitely be questioned by the boy. But if she made a run for it, she'd run the risk of him following her.

...

Screw it, bailing it is!

Megan lifted her hand, smiling sheepishly and making a quick waving motion before literally olympic sprinting down the path. She briefly heard Gladion yell out 'Hey!', but she had already turned the corner and jumped over the metal fence to escape. Whether Gladion could parkour or not was a mystery, but Megan didn't dwell on it and instead focussed on getting as far away from the cafe as possible.

He doesn't know where I live, right? I'll be safe as soon as I get to the complex...

---

"I'm... Home..." Megan gasped out, leaning her hand on the doorframe and catching her breath. Her hair was tangled, some parts sticking up, and the hairband holding it out of her face was loose to allow strands to fall out. Her cheeks were bright pink, and her breathing was ragged and slightly wheezy as her chest rose and fell unevenly.

Luke was already home, and had turned around from his position by the stove to stare at his sister. He took in her appearance, blinking twice to ensure his eyes weren't messing with him, before pursing his lips together to trap the laughter threatening to escape.

"What happened to you?" He managed to get out, holding a fist up to his mouth. Megan glared at him, slamming the door shut and kicking her shoes off.

"Nothing, I just decided to go for an afternoon jog." She stated, taking out her ear buds and slinging the wire over her shoulders. Luke smirked, propping his elbows up on the kitchen counter.

"You mean an afternoon chase, right?"

"Shut up!"

Her brother chuckled, watching the girl take a clean glass from the cupboard and filling it with water "Seriously though, why were you running?"

"I told you, I went for a jog."

"Uh-huh. Is it something to do with that boy?"

Megan immediately spat out her water "WHAT?! YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?!"

Luke smirked "No but I do now."

"LUKE!"

The boy laughed, reaching over to pat his sister on the back "Sorry, sis, but I know you. So tell me, is it a crush? a friend?" - He gasped - "A boyfriend?!"

Megan scoffed, grabbing some kitchen towel to clean up the mess she-- her brother made her create. "Hardly. He's just my best friend's brother, who I have small dislike towards... actually scratch that, it's a big one."

"And you were running from him?"

"Hey, I panicked alright!" Megan growled "I caught him fighting with his girlfriend, and he saw me. So naturally I ran to avoid questions."

"But... You guys go to the same class, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You do realise he'll just ask about it when he sees you next. He'll probably be a bit more hostile about it, too."

"I-..."

Oh shit why did I run?! We go to the same class, he'll just ask me what I saw tomorrow in front of my friends! Stupid stupid STUPID!

"Well, I'm fucked!" Megan facepalmed. "I'll have a french fry on my back all day!"

"French... fry?"

"Long story."

---

Megan flopped onto her bed, staring at the ceiling with her arms crossed as she grinded her teeth together out of boredom. She took her phone out of her pocket, only to notice she had gotten a text from Sun.

'Hey, Megs. Just letting you know Kukui has cancelled class tomorrow, so I wouldn't come in.'

She sighed, replying a quick 'thanks' before resting her phone on her stomach. Of course he'd be the first to know... His mom and Kukui are friends after all...

Soon she felt her eyelids droop, and she was just about to fall asleep peacefully, when--

"Megan!" Luke called from the kitchen "Can you go to the store? We're out of milk!"

Megan groaned, kicking her legs to sit up "Why do we need milk?!"

"Because I'm making pancakes for dinner!"

...

"Megan?"

"Alright I'm going! But I better be getting extra pancakes as payment!"

She heard her brother laugh "Okay fine. Now gooo!"

---

Shit shit shit shit! Why'd it have to start raining while I was shopping?!

Megan ran across the path, clutching the carton of milk and chocolate bar she bought for herself with one arm as she shielded her head with the other. She wished she hadn't taken her hair down, as her side fringe was now stuck to her forehead with rainwater and strands covered over her eyes. It wasn't pleasant.

"Almost there..." She muttered, shivering after feeling a droplet run down her back. "I'm almost hom--"

She stumbled backwards, managing to catch herself on her left foot and stay standing. The milk and chocolate had slipped out of her grasp, but luckily the carton stayed intact so no liquid spilled out. She sighed with relief, but her eyebrows knitted together as she whipped her head round to glare at the person she bumped into. Her scowl only deepened after seeing who it was.

"You!" She screamed, peeling her hair away from her face as she stepped towards Gladion "How is that I keep running into you at the worst times?! Why in the name of Arceus can't you just leave me alone, why do we always have to cross paths! I don't know what it is, but if I find out you're stalking me then I'll--"

She stopped, taking in the male's appearance before losing her glare, changing it to a confused expression as she opened her mouth to speak again.

"Why are you crying?"

Gladion hadn't made eye contact the entire time, but he snapped his head up as soon as she asked that question. Her tone had taken a 180, making it much softer and welcoming. Her eyes were softer too, and her face had lost all signs of anger. She reached out, placing a gentle hand on his arm as if to ask if he was alright, which made him flinch. She had noticed his eyes were red, and the water droplets running down his cheeks were not from the rain.

Gladion's lip quivered, more tears rolling down his face as he broke down in front of Megan. Before she knew it, he had his arms around her torso and his head buried in her shoulder. She gasped, feeling the new warmer liquid drop onto the the strap of her tank top and the grip around her tighten. Her hand was on his chest, yet she didn't push away. She couldn't. The boy had so much pain in his eyes when she looked into them, that it seemed her distaste was no longer an issue.

At that moment, it was gone.

Megan reached up to wrap her arms around Gladion's shoulders, hearing him gasp as her fingers ran through his wet hair.

"It's okay..." She whispered, feeling his hold tighten further.

"I'm here..."