83.
chapter eighty-three:
just as life
was going well.

"And then I'd be flying to Hoenn."

Pride bubbled within me, and I nodded absentmindedly. When she hummed, I realized foolishly that she couldn't see me. "That's totally awesome, Serena! You're so amazing!"

There was a pause, and then came her flustered voice, cracking and booming through the audio system within my car. "T-thank you, Ash!"

"In two days, huh? That's awfully short notice."

"Yeah, but I would only stay if I get selected. Besides, I've gotten rather clumsy."

"Of course not," I hissed when a car overtook me from the left. I changed gears to a faster one, seeing as the automobile before my eyes only slowed down after overtaking. "You danced pretty well with me, remember?"

"That was over a year ago! Maybe not a year, but definitely a few months ago."

The very thought of that memorable evening was enough to throw me off into a daze—so much so that I had no idea if I had run the signal. "Ash? You there? If you're in traffic, I'll call you later," her sweet voice came, traveling several miles to gently caress my heart and leave a tingling residue.

"Ah, no. I'm just wondering if I ran the signal. L-O-L!"

"Oh, my! You shouldn't if you don't wanna get penalized."

I laughed. "I don't think one signal would empty my wallet, girl." Silence reigned from her side; the only sound was of the car's engine smoothly gliding through as I turned onto the highway to Pallet.

After getting off at Saffron, I dropped Misty and Gary in Cerulean City, the latter wanting to vacation some more before heading home by his private car.

And so, here I was, on my way home alone, save for Serena's voice call on my stereo system. "Anyways, do you really think I could make myself a career in dancing and modeling?"

"Of course," I replied. "You're a brilliant dancer, even with high heels on! Sure, I haven't seen you personally, but May does send me some clips and snippets of when you were in the performance club in your first year."

"She does?!"

"Yeah, she adores performing, but according to her, you're much better at dancing than she is. She can do basic acrobatics, but you're straight out of Ballet Shoes."

"Aww, that's so sweet of May. I must call her."

"As for modeling, you're the prettiest girl I've ever seen, trust me. You don't need any fancy dresses to look beautiful." Speeding the car, I smirked to myself at the noise coming from the speakers. "Wait, are you blushing?"

"N-no!"

"Tell that to yourself."

"Am I too predictable, handsome?"

"Uh-huh."

"Are you blushing now?"

I ended up throwing my head back in laughter and had to force the brakes when I almost didn't align with the curving road. The car screeched to a halt right before it collided with the dividers separating the two-way roads. I took in a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart, before casually reversing and getting back on track.

The trick to avoiding falling off bikes or crashing into walls, as per Serena's mother in the short time we spoke on the first day of Vaniville, was to hit the brakes.

Only when I regained my composure did I realize Serena was shouting my name. "Ash?! Are you okay? Are you there?! Ash?"

I leaned back with a smile. She cares. "I'm fine—"

"Thank all the Saints! I'm disconnecting now—"

"What for?!"

"You aren't concentrating on the stupid road, baka!"

"I'd be alone if you ended the call," I whined. "I'll only look at the road, I swear—"

"Where else are you looking now, then?"

"You. Mind's eye."

My smirk was wiped clean when I did not receive the expected response. "You're too cheesy for your own good. Oh—! Calem's here. I'll call you later—"

Green blurred my vision as the line went still. What on earth was Calem doing in my girlfriend's home?! I rummaged through my pocket and popped one of the poppins into my mouth, formulating a wonderful plan. "Siri, call Swere."

"I'm sorry, I cannot do that."

Groaning, I tried again after chewing the candy. "Siri, call Sere."

"Calling Sere." The line picked up, and I heard Serena's voice ring faintly, her words dizzying me.

"Just a second, Cal. Ash's calling!"

I pouted and revved the engine twice, increasing the speed as my knuckles turned white with jealousy. Yes, I, Serena's boyfriend, am calling. Can't Sensei just leave us alone?!

"Hullo? Ash, I told you Calem's coming over—"

"Say hi to Sensei. That's all I wanted to tell you, mon amour."

Manually ending the call, I opened the windows to let the fresh air pinch my face and force me to reality. In the silence of the car, and with the punishments of the wind whipping my skin, my heart dropped to the brakes. Serena confessed being fond of me, then why would she invite Calem over as soon as I left Kalos?

It's the jealousy speaking.

I blew out a breath and took to one-hand driving, using the other to mess my hair. Perhaps plucking some of them might help battle the green-eyed monster.

Big, bad monster that I'm housing.

"Damn it," I swore when Serena's name popped up on the display. With a swipe, I answered it. "What?"

"The last time I checked," she began. For some reason, a vision of a smug smile across her pretty face flashed in my mind. "One said 'hello' upon picking up a call."

I breathed, annoyed. "What do you want now, girl? I thought Sensei was at home."

"Jealous much? Possessive much?"

Grunting, I turned onto the service roads of downtown Pallet. Serena continued, and I had to admit, her tone was starting to get on my nerves—especially the way my name rolled off her tongue. "Oh, Ash."

The roads arched together, and I could spot the lone house nestled on the far edge. A bittersweet wave of sadness swept over me. "Hold on, Serena. I'm gonna get off and switch it to the phone."

"Okay."

The line went silent as soon as I pulled up. Leaving the bags in the car, I transferred the call to my phone and got out. "I'm here," I said in a hushed tone. Serena's whisper rolled back.

"I trust you."

With a heavy heave and a pounding heart, I rapped my knuckles on the door, but never had I expected to be face-to-face with a man—the one who had chosen to escape my life.

Damn it.