"So, how was the welcome party yesterday?" Gary was drinking his soda. He was looking at Ash who was typing on his phone and he presumed he was texting his redhead friend (like always).

"Welcome party? You're kidding me. You know how dad is like." Mr. Ketchum was a Rear Admiral in the Navy. He thought parties were useless and real men shouldn't be eating cake and wasting time. He was also sexist and Ash didn't like that about him.

"Can he get any harsher?"

"Yes. Life is better when he's away. At least no one is bossing me around."

"The military, huh?" Gary spun the desk chair. "Poor Ash. You can't even get Playboy magazines."

Ash rolled his eyes. Gary caught it. "But hey, you have Misty."

"How dare you?" Ash looked a bit disgusted. "Misty is my sis-"

"Fine, I got it. She's your sister, bla bla bla, all that friend-zoning crap." Gary waved his hand. "But she's still hot; she's got assets and a lot of guys would have asked her out if it wasn't so clear that you're overprotective and possessive of the ginger."

Ash made a face. "Possessive?"

"Forget about possessive. How about overprotective? It's cute, to be honest."

Ash sighed and got up. He just didn't want to have this conversation about his best friend with Gary. "Come on, Gary. You should go. You know, before dad comes upstairs and gives us a long speech about being real men and wasting time talking about women."

"Is he seriously that bad?"

"Really."

"What's with your father and women?"

"To sum it up, he thinks they're made for the kitchen and for staying in the house." Maybe the fact that Ash didn't have sisters was a good thing.

"So?"

Ash rolled his eyes and pushed his friend out. "You're not better off."

The two teens froze when Mr. Ketchum showed up at the door of Ash's bedroom.

"What are you two doing?"

"Uhm, hi Mr. K. I should probably leave. Bye."

Gary disappeared quickly in the stairs. Ash's father shot him a glare. "That girl with red hair is waiting for you downstairs. I thought you stopped being her friend a long time ago."

"Uhm... no." His dad didn't like the fact that his best friend was a girl. He used to tell his mom that being best friends with a woman would affect him and make him 'less of a man'. He's only started complaining after the two got into high school. 

"Where are you two going?" Interviews, interviews and interviews. Couldn't his dad sail the whole year and not come home? Don't get Ash wrong; he loved his father, but he was a little unbearable at times, and he 'picked on' him. 

"We're studying. Bye." Ash muttered and rushed down the stairs. His father kept watching him.

"And he mumbles like a woman!"

to be continued