A/N:Another one that's been sitting in my laptop, waiting to be published! I must have a lot of these lol
"Come on Dawn, you can do better than that!" May laughed as she watched the poor blunette stomp around on the step mat.
"Shut up May!" Dawn jumped in circles along to the music, pounding her feet against the arrows in an attempt to keep time. "I'd like to see you try playing this!"
Misty rubbed her forehead in frustration as she watched her two best friends in the whole world make fools of themselves as they barked at each other while Dawn was playing the game. "How about you two play Versus Mode and see who's better? It'll shut both of you up and there'll finally be a winner." May and Dawn looked at each other, then nodded. Since Dawn had looked away from the screen, she couldn't see the arrows, therefore she couldn't make her steps on the pad, hence failing.
"Ugh! Misty, you made me lose!" Dawn stomped her foot in frustration as she started digging in her pockets for more quarters to put in the machine. She'd found two in her back pockets, having to borrow a third from Misty. As May and Dawn put the quarters in the money slot at the base of the machine, Misty muttered, "I'm not what made you lose." Dawn was too preoccupied with choosing her dancing character to hear her.
"I choose ... Penguin Boy!" Dawn called. She hit the green Start button, locking in her choice.
"Dawn, his name isn't Penguin Boy," May tried to reason.
"I don't care. He's wearing a penguin suit, so that's what I'll call him!"
May sighed, hitting the directional arrows until she got to her favorite dance character, Alice. She hit the green button, locking in. Now they had to choose a song, which May dreaded. She felt that she had no sense of rhythm, and forget about singing, but when Dawn finally picked a song, all with the urgency of the timer almost hitting zero, she steeled herself for what was about to come.
Dawn had picked a song called Witch Doctor. The dance machine asked in a male voice, "Are you ready? Let's dance!" A sort of pop-sounding song started playing, the lyrics singing out of the speakers: "Ooh eeh ooh ah ah, ting tang walla walla bing bang! Ooh eeh ooh ah ah, ting tang walla walla bing bang." May watched as the arrows slid up the screen, then started moving her feet to the beat, copying Dawn's movements as she moved her arms to the music, clapping her hands and moving her arms in sync to the movement. Soon, they were moving together at the same pace, dancing a dance that they made up as they played. May smiled as she realized that she was actually in rhythm, up until one part went too fast for her feet to follow, causing her to stumble backwards into the bar behind her that was meant to steady her if she couldn't keep up. She clenched her teeth, getting back on beat with Dawn as she tried harder, determined not to lose. But her stumble had caused her score to become lower than Dawn's, in the end being the reason for the blunette's winning.
"Whoo hoo!" Dawn cried as she jumped onto the bar, showing off by shimming her hips, attracting catcalls from the people who had gathered to watch. May and Dawn had been too immersed in their game to have notice the crowd that had started watching their synchronized dance. Dawn turned beet red, immediately hopping back onto the mat beside May. She pushed her hair out of her face, grabbing May's hand and tugging her off the step mat and over to Misty, who sat at their table nearby, clapping as they got closer.
"Congratulations Dawn on winning," Misty praised. "It's not everyday I get to see you two actually manage to do something together without fighting." Misty laughed at her comment, and May grinned at Dawn, but the younger girl was too busy fussing with her hair to notice the little joke shared between her friends. When she had looked up after her victory dance, she'd glanced out over the crowd and caught the eye of a certain boy standing in the back. She'd seen him shrug away from the wall before she had jumped down and pulled May toward their table. Now she couldn't keep her attention on anything else right now.
"Helloo-oo? Earth to Dawn?" May waved her hand in front of Dawn's face, making the other girl jump back unexpectedly. Dawn looked around wildly, fiddling with her hair again as she glanced endlessly around the arcade-cafe. "Did you hear me?" May looked at Dawn, confused.
"Huh? Oh, no, I'm sorry. What did you say May?" Dawn pushed her bangs back over her forehead with both hands, running her fingers through her blue locks, her hands shaking with anxiety.
"I said, you wanna go another round?" May raised an eyebrow inquisitively at her friend. "I bet I can beat you this time."
Dawn thought a moment, but then shook her head vigorously. "N-no," she stammered. "I'm good. Why don't you play with Misty instead? I'm pretty sure she wants to try it at least once, right Misty?" She looked up at Misty, unleashing her big, blue orbs on her. Misty fumbled as she was about to answer, smacking herself in the face as she said, "Come on May, let's get this over with."
May looked at Dawn one last time before walking away with Misty. Finally alone, Dawn sank into one of the chairs, rubbing her face. She leaned back on two of the chair's legs, far enough to where she almost fell over, but not too much.
"Nice dancing up there."
The unexpected voice startled her, sending her falling to the floor. There was a bang as the wooden chair hit the linoleum floor, but Dawn didn't feel any pain, only strong arms holding her up. She opened her eyes, which she had squinched shut, and looked up. Above her, she saw a grin against a tanned handsome face. "Nice of you to drop in."
"Ha-ha, very funny Paul." Dawn's face flamed as she pushed his arms away, gaining her balance back and standing up. She dusted off her jeans, pulling her tank down over her stomach. Paul eyed her the entire time, making her face flame again. "What do you want?" she questioned, looking down to avoid saying anything embarrassing to his face.
Paul smirked. "Well, if you must know, I came here to find you specifically." This made Dawn's head pop up. He chuckled. "I said find, Troublesome, not see. I lent you my phone earlier at school, remember? You never gave it back to me after the day was over."
"Oh ..." Disappointment was written all over her face as she started searching her pockets, but then remembered that she'd changed clothes before leaving her house. "I don't have it on me. You sure it can't wait until tomorrow?" Right as she looked up at him, there was a flash of some emotion across his face. What was that? she thought. But before she could say anything, Paul just looked at her and said, "I guess there's no reason why I can't get it back tomorrow."
Dawn looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "All right. I'll get it back to you tomorrow morning. Or you could just come with me and get it, I'm sure Misty and May wouldn't mind finishing their dancing war up there." They looked toward the back of the room where the dance machine was, Misty and May hopping around together to the music. "I think they're going to be there a while, May's got that look on her face," Dawn laughed.
Paul grunted in response, a small smirk on his face. "They're not doing it like you were earlier though." Dawn looked at him questioningly, so he continued: "When you were up there with the brunette -"
"You mean May?" Dawn interrupted. Paul shot her a look. "Sorry. Continue."
"Like I was saying, when you were up there with her, I could tell by the way you were moving, with how free and creative you were being, that you loved the dancing." Paul glanced at her, then looked away, a slight blush on his face. Dawn started messing with her hair again.
"So …" she started. He looked at her. "You want your phone now or tomorrow?"
He looked at the ceiling for a moment, then back down to her, a glint in his eye that made Dawn sort of nervous. "I guess I can get it now."
Dawn bit her bottom lip and nodded. She grabbed her stuff from their vacant table, dodging around the other teenagers in the large room, trying to get close to Misty and May on the dance machine. "May! Misty!" she yelled over the noise of a room full of people and the music playing from the dance machine's speakers. May glanced over at her, and seeing Dawn waving her arm above her head, she smiled and waved back. A distressing call from the machine brought her attention back to the game though, making her try even harder to attempt to beat Misty. Dawn groaned, knowing she'd never get their full attention. But Misty managed to glance over at her, and her eyes lit up as she looked at Dawn, then she smiled as she jumped around next to May, getting her to look back over at Dawn. Confused, Dawn looked behind her, surprised when she saw Paul. Understanding her friends' reactions, she turned red, looking back and forth between the three of them. Her head down, she grabbed Paul's sleeve and pulled him away from the dance machine until they had exited the arcade-cafe.
Once outside, she let him go, continuing down the sidewalk. But she halted when Paul grabbed her wrist. "Don't you live the other way?" Paul questioned.
Dawn's face flamed with embarrassment as she realized that he was right. "Yeah, come on," she mumbled, turning on her heel, brushing past Paul. They walked on in silence until they turned a corner and saw Dawn's house, nestled in a small patch of trees near the tail end of town. "There it is," she murmured, picking up her pace a little.
"Slow down Troublesome, your house isn't going anywhere," Paul chuckled. Dawn shot him a look over her shoulder at him, continuing at her pace. She just wanted this embarrassment to go away. That, and she didn't want him to see her room once they were inside.
Once she'd fished her keys from her bag, she unlocked the door, pushing it open. She rushed through the entryway to the living room, then up the stairs toward her room, hoping to attempt to make it to her room before Paul could tour her house unaided. Knowing him he'd take any chance at embarrassing her, even in her own house.
"Dawn? Is that you?" Dawn froze in place, her foot suspended in midair between steps. Of course, of course her mother had to be home from work early that day. "Dawn?" Johanna repeated.
Dawn sighed. "Coming," she called. She looked behind her where Paul had been following her up the stairs, apparently not having manners of any sort. As she started back down the stairs, she grabbed his jacket, pulling him along. "I'm not letting you roam around by yourself," she whispered.
"Are you saying that you're hiding something from me Troublesome?" He grinned at her.
Her face flamed. Okay, yes, she had written little poems that may or may not have included his name once or twice … or maybe fifteen times, and that she'd even written 'Dawn [hearts]* Paul' in a sort of calligraphy that she had taped up on her wall, which she was going to promptly take down once she made it upstairs. "No," she said, lying through her teeth. "Why would I?"
He raised an eyebrow at her, she looked away. Walked into the kitchen with Paul in tow. Saw her mom standing there making dinner. "Hey Mom," Dawn said, leaning against the kitchen island. "You remember Paul, right?"
Johanna turned around, wiping her hands on her apron. She looked at the teenage boy. "Yes, I do. Why wouldn't I? I always hear you, May, and Misty talking -"
"Okay Mom! You don't need to tell him everything that I say at home!" Dawn exclaimed, embarrassed beyond belief. She rubbed her forehead as she said, "He came over because he lent me his phone today and I -"
"- forgot to give it back?" her mother finished. Dawn nodded. "And I'm guessing you left it in the clothes you changed out of once you got home from school?" Dawn blinked at her. Johanna smiled. "You're wearing different jeans, Dawn. What, you didn't think I'd notice?"
Dawn laughed. "True. I wouldn't have been able to play the dance machine today if I'd kept those pants on, it would have been too hard to maneuver in them on the step mat with how much we were dancing."
Johanna nodded, smiling again. "Yes, I know how you love your dancing. Now, why don't you run up and get the poor boy his phone? I'm pretty sure he's missed quite a few calls from some pretty girls." She winked at Paul, who chuckled at the older woman's joke.
"No ma'am, I don't think any girls besides this one would want to call me." He pointed his thumb at Dawn, who turned beet red at the assumption. She started to argue back, but when she opened her mouth, nothing but air came out, so she settled with going "Hmph!" and stomping out of the room, leaving Johanna and Paul laughing in the kitchen.
Dawn marched up the stairs, slamming open her door, pulling down the 'Dawn [hearts] Paul' picture from the wall, and stashing it, along with her poem book, under her mattress. She started going through her clothes that she'd thrown into the hamper earlier that day. "Where are they …" she muttered to herself.
"You know, talking to yourself is a sign of madness," came a voice behind her.
She whipped around, glaring at Paul. "Shut up," she said simply. "Or you're not getting your phone back." That same expression she had seen earlier flashed across his face again, but then was gone before she could process what it really was. Hmm …
"It seems like I'm not already, seeing as how you've flung everything out of that hamper, yet still no sign of my cell," he observed.
Dawn hated to admit it, but he was probably right. She started picking up the mess she had made, putting the clothes back in the hamper, when she felt something in the pocket of a pair of washed out jeans. It was Paul's cell phone. She mulled over whether she should really give it back to him or not when he asked, "Did you find it Troubelsome?" That seemed to make the decision for her.
"Ah, no," she said, tossing the jeans back into the hamper while stuffing his phone into her pocket when he wasn't looking. "Just a tube of lip gloss from some jeans I wore yesterday."
He looked at her, then nodded, seeming to accept her answer. Then he glanced around the room, saying, "You know, it may just be me, but I didn't hear you deny what I said in the kitchen." He watched her out of the corner of his eye for her reaction. And oh, did he get one.
Dawn's face flamed so red, she got dizzy from the head rush and almost fainted. But before she could hit the floor, Paul managed to catch her in time. For balance she grabbed hold of his jacket, resting her forehead against his chest. "How could I deny it when it's true," she whispered, so soft she wasn't sure if he'd heard or or not.
She felt his hand brush her hair away from her face so he could look at her. "Troublesome?" At the nickname, she buried her face even further into his chest, obscuring his view. "Dawn, look at me." She turned her head back to where she could see him, and he her. "What did you just mumble?"
Apparently he'd heard her. She looked away again, mumbling into his shirt. Paul frowned, taking her chin in his hand, making her look him in the eye. "Tell me what you just said." She blinked at him, trying to pull away, but failing. She kept trying, so instead Paul pinned her against the wall with his free hand. He looked straight at her, demanding,"Dawn. Tell me."
She felt tears welling up in her eyes as she answered, "I said, how can I deny it when it's true." He stared at her. "I mean, it's not like it would do any good for me, you don't like me that way, you never have and you probably never -"
He cut her off by pressing his mouth to hers. This took Dawn by surprise, but soon she melted into the kiss, taking one hand and interlacing it with the one on her shoulder, the other wrapping around his neck, pulling him closer. When they broke away for air, they were both breathing hard. Dawn looked at him for a moment, then glanced away. "Does that answer it?" She looked back up at him, a confused look on her face. "You said that I didn't like you, that I never have." She blinked at him. He ran his thumb over her cheek, anticipating her answer.
She stared at the floor, embarrassed again. "I guess," she said quietly. She looked up at him through her bangs. "Do you?"
"Hmm?" He was too busy running his hand through her hair now to hear what she'd said.
"I said, do you like me?"
He scanned her face for any emotion he might have missed, but she kept her face blank, but with difficulty. She wanted to cry, to just sob her heart out in happiness at the turn of events for her future. "If a minute ago wasn't any indication, this should answer your question." He leaned forward, kissing her neck softly, moving upward. Nibbled on her ear lightly, causing her to giggle. Smirking, he wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling her neck. "What do you think now?" he murmured.
Dawn giggled again, running her hands through his soft hair. "I'll take it as a yes." She pulled his face up, kissing him again. He threaded his hands together behind her back, pulling her closer. She smiled against his lips, and when they pulled apart, they heard Johanna call up the stairs, "Dawn! Dinner's about to be ready. Would Paul like to stay?"
Dawn looked at Paul, her eyebrows raised. "Do you?"
He studied her changed expression for a moment, then took her face in his hands, kissing her one more time. She laughed when they separated, saying again, "I'll take it as a yes."
They were about to head back downstairs when she said, "Oh. I almost forgot." She reached into her pocket, pulling out Paul's phone, a black Razr Slide. She held it in front of his face, reveling in the expression on his face. Remembering earlier, she asked, "Is there something you don't want me to see on here?" His eyes widened, and he made a grab for the cell phone, missing when Dawn pulled it out of his reach.
She squealed as she took off into the hallway, commencing a chase down the stairs. She made it as far as the living room until he caught her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Give me the phone, Dawn," he said, his voice laced with laughter.
"Nope," she giggled. She continued to disobey him by sliding open his phone, opening a message that was on the screen for kicks. She blinked a couple times, surprised enough to where Paul had enough time to snatch the phone from her hands, stuffing it back into his pocket, his face reddening.
"Paul," she said after a few moments. "What was that?"
"Nothing," he mumbled. "Just a picture I took a while ago."
"Liar."
"How would you know that?"
"Because you just took that picture today!" she accused, spinning around in his arms to face him. "That was when I was standing on the bar that stood behind the step mat after I had won!" Her face was flaming in embarrassment. She buried her face in his chest again, saying, "I can't believe you!"
She felt the vibrations of his chuckle through his chest, causing her to glare at him. "Troublesome, I couldn't help it. That was a side of you I'd never really seen before, and, since somebody had my cell phone, I couldn't take a picture, so I used a friend's that was down there today."
"That still doesn't justify it," she mumbled into his shirt, the guilty one of holding his cell phone hostage in a pair of hamper jeans.
"Says you." Another glare earned. "Okay, okay. Just stop looking at me like that. Doesn't suit your bubbly nature."
"I am not bubbly!" she protested.
"Dear, I think the boy's right. You are a bit hyper sometimes." The two broke apart immediately at the sound of Johanna's voice from the kitchen doorway. There was a kind smile on her face as she teased her only daughter. "Oh, don't worry about me, you two. I won't interrupt again. Promise."
As she walked back into the kitchen laughing, Dawn's face burned with embarrassment. She pushed her bangs back again, which had now become her trademark for nervousness. Paul caught her hand as it ran over her hair, raising it to his lips. He smirked at her as he kissed the back of her hand, making her turn red all over again.
She tugged her hand away, much to the disappointment of Paul. She slid a glance his way, saying, "Well?"
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, what, Troublesome? I can't read your mind."
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Are you staying for dinner or not?"
Smirking, he reached forward, running his hand over her neck to her shoulder, down her arm, pulling her closer when he reached her wrist. He kissed the top of her head, murmuring into her hair, "I might as well. Let me call Reggie first to let him know."
Releasing her, he pulled his cell phone back out. As he dialed his brother, Dawn took this time to scurry away into the kitchen. She just about ran into her mother, who, apparently, had been listening. "Mom!" Dawn cried in embarrassment.
Johanna just smiled at her daughter. "I said I wasn't going to interrupt you, I never said I wasn't going to listen."
"I can't believe you!" She stormed over to the kitchen table, plopping down into a chair, fuming. She couldn't believe her mother! Eavesdropping!
Johanna laugh was light as she walked over to Dawn, taking a chair opposite her. "Dawn, there's no need to be so mad. I said listen, not watch. I didn't see a thing."
Dawn glared at her mother. "Really?"
Nodding, Johanna smiled again. "I promise. I didn't see a thing."
She thought about it for a moment, then decided to believe her. "All right," she said. "I believe you."
At that moment, Paul walked in. "Reggie said he doesn't mind if I stay. But he kept going on and on about how he's been slaving over a hot oven all day making dinner for the two of us." He rolled his eye's at his brother's immaturity.
Johanna laughed. "It's lovely to have you with us for dinner, Paul. Now, I have a question." Paul nodded. "That thing you did with her hand, where did you learn it?"
Dawn was mortified. "MOM!"
A/N: Ooh, ee, my seventh story is up! ^^ And yes, I know it's weird to post it at about 2:30 Christmas morning. I can't sleep! So, I decided to finish this and post it as something to do.
Anywho, that asterisk (*) I put meant I wanted to explain something. The [hearts] in 'Dawn [hearts] Paul' is supposed to be the heart symbol, but I don't think it would show on here, so I put that just in case. Just wanted to let ya know that ^^ Adieu (^x^)/