Jessie always said this to James, during his usual face-stuffing ritual at every meal, and his reply was always the same.
"I don't care, I'm hungry," he said, mouth full. Jessie just shook her head, like always, and continued eating in a normal manner, as compared to James, who acted like his food was about to disappear. They were sitting across from each other at their table in the cafeteria at Pokémon Tech, it was 'their' table because no one ever sat there but them. It had been about a year since the two had met, and she was used to the way he acted now.
"Well," she continued, watching him finish up, "today is the big test. How well do you think you'd do if you got sick?"
"I'm not going to get sick! Get over it!" he retorted, stabbing his fork in her direction. She reached across the table and slapped him over the top of the head.
"Oww Jessieee..." he whined. "Now what did you have to go and do that for..."
"You deserved it," she said, which was her usual reply. He just sat there, rubbing his head with a pouty expression on his face. Jessie barely managed to surpress a grin. He was so cute. But she definitely couldn't let him know she thought that. It might ruin her tough image.
She sat back and looked at what remained of her food, and began thinking about the test. It was a test in Pokémon battling. She was pretty sure that she could pass, but she was a little worried about James. Sometimes he just didn't seem to be all there, and wouldn't do well at those times. Hopefully this time wouldn't be one of them.
She came out of her thought to find James staring at the food on her plate. "Jessie, do you..." he began timidly.
"Yes James, you can have it," she said, handing him the plate.
"Thanks Jess, you're the best!" He seemed to get so happy over such little things. Jessie sighed, hoping again that he would do well today.
A few hours later, they were on their way to the test. James was babbling excitedly, the Pokéball containing his Koffing clutched in both hands. Jessie barely listened to him as they walked. She just kept thinking about how much she hoped that both of them would pass.
"...so you see, there's no way I can lose!" James was saying, gesturing dramatically with his Pokéball.
"Uh huh," Jessie replied, still lost in thought.
"Jessie..." he said then, and something in his voice made her look up. He had reached out and put a hand on her arm, the other still clutching the Pokéball to his chest. For a time he blinked at her out of wide green eyes before saying softly, "You weren't listening, were you..." He sounded upset.
"I'm sorry James, I... I was just thinking about how wonderful it will be when we both win our battles, that's all." She knew she was lying to him, but she figured it was only half a lie, since she HAD been thinking about the test.
He smiled. "Oh, of course!" he exclaimed, back to his former happy self. Jessie smiled too, not seeing any harm in it.
Shortly after they arrived at the arena, the battles began. They sat in their chairs on the sidelines, watching while waiting for their turns. The test was for the student to defeat whatever Pokemon the teacher used with his or her own Pokémon. Soon there was only one person left before James' turn, and Jessie would be right after him. She looked at him; he didn't seem so confident now, his Pokéball sat in his lap and he was moving his fingers nervously.
"You gonna be okay?" she asked.
"I... yeah," he replied, trying to make his voice sound normal. "I'm... just a little nervous, is all..." he admitted, squeezing his eyes shut.
She reached over and patted his leg before she realized it, saying comfortingly, "I'm sure you'll do just fine." And she really hoped he would.
He blushed faintly. "Thank you Jessie," he said quietly.
Finally it was James' turn. He stood up, turning for one last look at Jessie. She gave his hand a small squeeze and he smiled, striding resolutely out to take his place in the ring. Now that he couldn't see her, Jessie smiled openly. He looked confident, and she was glad that he had managed to pull himself together.
"Alright, call out your Pokémon," the teacher said. James threw out his Pokéball, yelling, "Go, Koffing!" The teacher threw out his Pokéball; James watched it anxiously to see what it would be. It was a Nidorino. James didn't waste any time.
"Koffing, smoke screen!" he yelled, raising an arm and pointing forward. Thick smoke filled the ring, making it difficult to see.
"Nidorino, focus energy!" the teacher commanded his Pokémon.
Jessie's breath caught. Unless James attacked it soon, the Nidorino would be able to hit Koffing hard, maybe even knocking it out in one hit. But James was hesitating, trying to decide what to do, and it cost him.
"Koffing," he began, but the teacher suddenly cut him off.
"Nidorino, horn drill!" The smoke had cleared somewhat, enough to be able to see faint outlines. The Nidorino leaped at Koffing, who was looking rather confused as to what was going on. One hit from the charged up Nidorino was enough to knock Koffing to the ground.
"That's it, the match is over," the teacher announced, calling Nidorino back.
"Oh, Koffing..." James said, a shocked look on his face. He called his dazed Pokémon back, then stood with his hands behind his back, eyebrows drawn together and frowning hard, waiting as the teacher wrote on his test paper.
"Nice try James, but you need to work on improving your technique," he said, handing James the paper.
"That kid needs to work on having ANY technique," someone down the line from Jessie said, causing several people to snicker. That made Jessie angry. She wanted to hit whoever said that, couldn't they see that he'd done his best? But she couldn't take her eyes off James. He was walking out of the ring quickly, head down to avoid looking at anyone. Even her. She followed him with her eyes as he walked all the way out of the room entirely. He wasn't even going to stay and watch her battle.
"Jessie?" the teacher asked, gesturing to her. "It's your turn."
She stood up, making her way into the ring with her beloved Ekans in it's Pokéball. Vaguely she knew that James was going to take this very hard, probably even be depressed for several days. She wasn't looking forward to it either. Squaring her shoulders, she resolved to beat this stupid teacher for James' sake.
"Ekans!" she yelled loudly, tossing her Pokéball into the center of the ring. She examined the teacher with steely eyes. The Pokémon her Ekans would be battling wouldn't be Nidorino, of course, it was all randomized so the student wouldn't know what to expect. She smiled when she saw that it was a Parasect. Ekans was strong against this type of Pokémon.
"Ekans, glare! Paralyze it!"
"Ekansss..." the snake hissed, rising up to stare down at the Parasect. It halted, not moving, as the snake's eyes gleamed powerfully.
Jessie smiled cruelly. There was nothing that Parasect could do until it became un-paralyzed. "Wrap!" she commanded Ekans. The snake slithered over to the Parasect, wrapping it tightly in it's powerfull coils.
"Parasect!" the teacher yelled, " spore! Try to put it to sleep!" Jessie acted fast.
"Ekans, bite it!" Between being squeezed and bitten, the Parasect just didn't have the strength. It couldn't do anything more.
"That's enough," the teacher said. "Call back your Pokémon."
"Return Ekans!" Jessie shouted, probably a little bit louder than she should have. The teacher called back the Parasect and began scribbling on her paper.
"Fantastic job Jessie, you did very well."
But she didn't really hear. She took her test score, which she didn't even look at, and stalked out of the room, pushing past several people on the way, ignoring whispered comments. She had someone to find.
Not really knowing where to begin looking, she first did the obvious, which was to call his room. No answer. She slammed the phone down, getting angry with him. Did he ALWAYS have to act like this when things didn't go right for him? Her shoulders slumped a little, realizing that she shouldn't be so mad. It was just the way he was, and he was probably feeling extra bad because of all the bragging he'd been doing about winning before the test. He would be too nervous to face her because of that. Checking her watch, she was that it was almost time for supper. She decided to go to the cafeteria and wait for him there. James never missed a meal.
Fifteen minutes into supper, Jessie had finished eating, and James STILL wasn't there. She sat at the empty table, picturing James sitting across from her, shoveling food into his mouth just like always. She smiled. Life wasn't imaginable without him now. She remembered the day they had met and her suprise when she hadn't driven him away with her attitude, the way she had driven many guys away before. And she remembered on her birthday just a few months ago, how she'd found the most beautiful rose she'd ever seen in her book bag with a not tied to it. She'd smiled when she had looked at the note; she'd know that sloppy writing anywhere. "Happy Birthday Jess" was all it read, but it didn't need to say anything else. He was the only one around here who ever called her "Jess" on occasion anyway. Lost in the memory, she smiled again as she looked at the place he'd be sitting across the table. He was a total airhead sometimes, but he was also very sweet, and he cared about her. And that was what really mattered.
She stood up to begin looking again, knowing she was just wasting time here, as he obviously wasn't going to show up.
An hour later, she was frustrated. There was only an hour left before it got too dark outside to see, and she'd looked EVERYWHERE, even the library. She growled under her breath. When (or if) she found him, she was really going to give it to him for making her worry so much. She tried to clear her swirling thoughts enough so that she could think of where else she could look. Suddenly her eyes widened and she snapped her fingers. The park. She knew there was a place he liked to go sit that he thought she didn't know about, but she did know. It had to be where he was.
She walked quickly, anger beginning to boil up again in spite of herself. "When I get my hands on that..."
Her words trailed off as she realized she was close to the spot. A park bench would be sitting in a place where it couldn't be seen unless you knew where to look, because it was hidden from view by the branches of many large trees. But she remembered exactly where it was. Slowly pushing aside a branch, she peered in. Her anger died down upon seeing him, just like it always did when she first saw him in this way.
He sat on the bench, knees drawn up to his chest, hugging them tightly, chin propped on one. He was staring at the ground vacantly, eyes looking tired and slightly red. Blue hair hung partly in his face, but he didn't seem to care, or even notice. His Tech uniform looked dirty, as if he'd fallen down, probably more than once. Jessie shook her head. It all made her want to sit beside him and hold him, but she squished that desire sternly. It wasn't going to be easy, but she was going to snap him out of this in the only way she knew how. She thought of how much he had made her worry, which lent her some anger so she could yell at him properly. That done, she walked in, branches swaying behind her.
James looked up right away, obviously startled. His eyes got bigger when he saw who it was, and he put his legs down off the bench quickly, rubbing his eyes fiercely as though it would make her think she hadn't been crying. Jessie stood in front of him, waiting for him to finish. She took a deep breath to get ready, and put a hard expression on his face. When he put his hands down and looked at her, he lowered his eyes quickly from her glare, hands folding in his lap, looking utterly ashamed.
"James," Jessie finally began in a low tone. "Do you mind telling me what you've been thinking? Why couldn't you have run away to some place more public, so I wouldn't have had to spend hours looking for you? Did you ever think about how much I'd worry? Why did you even hide from me at all? Is it because you ENJOY acting like a 5-year-old? Is that it?"
Her voice had risen gradually, so that she was now just about shouting. He was still looking down, not saying a word. Anger, worry, and even fear swelled in Jessie's heart. She grabbed the front of his dirty, rumpled-looking uniform and hauled him to his feet angrily.
"Answer me!" she roared. She drew her hand back and slapped him across the face as hard as she could.
It seemed to echo through the trees. Her hand stung; she could only imagine how his face felt. He gasped in pain, then began to shake.
"Je... Jessie... I'm... sorry... I... w... w..." Then he lost it. He began sobbing uncontrollably, which caused Jessie's heart to fall in regret.
"Oh James..." she murmurmed, all of her former anger rushing away in a flood. She pushed him gently back down on the bench and sat beside him, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. He clutched her tightly, still sobbing onto her shoulder.
"James... please stop... I'm sorry I was so mean... I overreacted.. it's really okay... please stop..." Jessie could hardly believe she was saying these things to him, but it just felt right. She rubbed his back until he had quieted enough to where she thought she'd try talking again.
"James... tell me why you hid from me... were you afraid I'd be mad at you? Or disappointed with you? You're wrong if you thought that. I know that you tried." He took his time in replying, but Jessie waited patiently for once.
"No..." he began in a very tired-sounding voice, "it's just that I... I..."
She pushed him away slightly so she could see his face. "What is it..." she prodded, looking at him intently, a hand still on each of his arms. When he began talking again, it was so quietly that Jessie found it hard to hear.
"I promised myself that I was going to win for you, Jessie..." he trailed off, a deep blush spreading across his face. "And I failed." His voice got louder, almost angry-sounding. "I failed because I'm a horrible pathetic loser who can't do anything right! I'm so stupid and clumsy and PATHETIC that I'll NEVER be a Pokémon trainer! I might as well just give up and--"
"JAMES!" Jessie yelled sharply, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. "Stop that! You shouldn't say things like that!" she scolded.
"But it's true!" he wailed loudly.
"Well, it WILL be true if you keep saying it! Now stop it! Before I make you wish you had!" She had that 'I'll-hit-you-and-you-know-it' look in her eyes and James sighed. "I know you can do better James, next time will be different."
"If you say so..." he mumbled, rubbing his eyes again. She just sat there watching him. He looked up and saw her. "Umm... Jessie? Did you win your battle?" He looked ashamed again. "I'm sorry I didn't stay to see it."
She studied him. "Yes, I did."
"Oh... that's good..." He smiled, but his heart didn't seem fully in it.
"I did it for you," she added, blushing the tiniest bit. She watched his eyes light up and a big grin form on his face, one of those things that just made him so cute. She smiled too; this time she couldn't help it.
"Thank you Jessie..." he said in a soft voice, the way he always did when he said that to her. She smiled again. But he seemed to have more to say.
"Jessie... I just want you to know... I'm glad that you're my friend."
She was touched by the sincerity in his voice. Not wanting to be outdone, she replied, "And I'm glad your're MY friend." They smiled at each other.
"But of course with friends like you," James suddenly quipped, "who needs en... who needs en..." He obviously meant to finish that sentence, but started laughing so hard that he couldn't. Despite Jessie's attempt to look mad, she started laughing too. James nearly fell off the bench and Jessie had tears running down her face by the time they were through. Once they'd recovered sufficiently, they started walking back to the Tech, having a small conversation on the way:
"So James, how many times did you fall down today?"
*long pause* "Twice."
"Jaaaaaames...."
"Okay! Five times! Are you happy now?!"
"Not yet. You missed supper too."
"Oh... uhh... I did? I didn't notice..."
"Oh really?"
Yes, really... I don't even care about food anymore! So there!"
"Hmmm..."
*another long pause*
"J... Jessie? What was for supper anyway?"
"Uh oh James... you don't care about food anymore! So I can't tell you!"
"Oh, come on! Jessieeeee...."
Jessie opened her eyes, returning to the present. It was still night, and she was still in a hole. But at least she wasn't alone. Her eyes flicked over to James. He must have rolled over during her daydream, because his back was to her now, but she had to smile. She'd never seen anyone who could curl up like that and manage to look so small. She got up and tiptoed over to him, kneeling down so she could see his face. Brushing his hair away, she prayed he wouldn't wake up. His mouth was hanging slightly open, and she stifled a giggle, thinking he looked funny that way. Then she wondered what it would be like to kiss that mouth, and immediately blushed. She didn't know where that idea had come from. She was lost in that thought until a voice cut in.
"Jessie? What is it?" Jessie blinked and looked down to see a sleepy-eyed James half rolled over and looking at her.
"I..." she said, for the first time at a loss for words. "It's just.. kind of scary out here, and I wanted to stay closer to you in case you needed me," she finished lamely.
"Oh..." he said, rolling over onto his back to look up at her. She felt nervous for some reason. "Have you slept yet?" he asked.
"No... not yet."
"Well... you should." He sat up, pulling off his gloves and his white jacket. Jessie wondered if he was out of his mind. But she watched as he carefully folded the jacket into a square and set it on the ground. "There. It's not as good as a pillow, but... I don't want you to sleep with your head on the ground..."
Jessie could tell he was blushing even though she couldn't see his face that well. "But what about you?" I can take off my--"
"No, Jess... I don't want you to get cold. Just lay down now." The firmness in his voice suprised her. He took her by the shoulders and lowered her down, and to her suprise yet again, she didn't fight it. This time, he was taking care of her.
"Thanks James..." was all she could think to say.
"It isn't anything," he replied, shaking his head. He lay down a short distance away, his back facing her. She stared at him for a long time before getting up the courage to move closer to him. The feel of him being so close was almost overpowering. Without stopping to think, she put her arm around him. He lifted his hand to gently touch hers for a brief moment, then laid it back down. They fell asleep then, tired, but happy in a way neither of them quite understood.
Jessie awoke to the sound of an unmistakable voice.
"Hey! You two down there! Lovebirds!" Meowth snickered.
Jessie opened her eyes quickly... only find herself staring straight into James' eyes. They were clasped tightly in each other's arms, although she didn't remember falling asleep that way... They both hurriedly stood up, brushing themselves off, Jessie with a scowl and James with a wide-eyed look of something between fear and amazement.
"WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG!?" Jessie roared up at the Pokémon, who was lowering them a rope.
"Well," he replied, "lamebrain there didn't just forget the rope, he LOST the rope. And since he so kindly forgot to mention that, I hadta go get us another one!"
"Wonderful," Jessie muttered, grabbing the rope. James didn't say a word, just watched Jessie go up, then followed.
Once up out of the hole, Jessie stretched in satisfaction. "It feels SO good to be out of there," she said. "I told you Meowth would be back, James, you worried for nothing." He just shrugged.
"So, what didya do all last night, huh? Wait a minute... maybe I shouldn't ask that," Meowth laughed.
"NOTHING happened, it was just cold, and we had to sleep close to keep warm," Jessie stated, glaring at Meowth.
"And 'close' includes holdin' each other in your arms and playin' kissy--"
Jessie kicked him before he finished. "Oh be quiet," she snapped. "Now go away. I need to talk to James." Meowth was on the verge of saying something else, but after one glance at Jessie's lethal expression, he thought better of it, scurrying off.
When he was gone it was just a little too quiet. Jessie glanced at James, who was trying to smooth out the wrinkles on his jacket, which was also dirty from being on the ground, and failing.
"You shouldn't let what Meowth says get to you, James. He's only teasing, you know that," she said carefully. She thought he nodded, but couldn't really tell. She sighed and walked in front of him, putting her hands on his shoulders. "C'mon James.. talk to me. What's bothering you?"
He lifted his head to look at her, and Jessie thought he looked... sad maybe. Or confused. "It isn't really important," was all he would say, fixing his gaze on the ground again.
"Well, I have something important to say." That caught his attention, and he looked up, instantly curious. "I'm... sorry about yesterday, the way I treated you down there." She indicated the hole. "And I know that you were just trying to keep me company. And... I also wanted to thank you for what you did last night..."
"But... you already said thank you," he said, sounding confused.
"Well, I wanted to say it in a different way." Then, before she lost her nerve, she stepped up and kissed him.
She felt his trembling hands rest on her back as they kissed, pressing her closer to him. She broke the kiss, smiling at him as he nervously smiled back. They held each other, almost afraid to let go. They knew they had to get back to their career, their mission, their normal lives. But they were wishing that that moment in time could last forever.
Or at least until Meowth came back.
Awww.. wasn't that cute and sappy? Awww... *sniffle* Well, let me know what you think. ^_^
