Hiya- I'm back with another chapter! :D Once again, I'm very grateful for your kind and encouraging feedback. Thank you for sticking to this story. (:

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Time for the story! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Mauville City's Contest Ribbon. Apparently, May has it now. o:

Arranged For Love

{Chapter 5}

"I believe that you're a liar," Brendan says bluntly. Without another word, he walks away in the opposite direction, not even bothering to look back. Drew relaxes slightly, but I find myself incapable of doing so.

He isn't pretending.

The truth hits me hard, extracting the air from my lungs and leaving me in a state of shock. My simple thoughts of anger and humiliation are gone, washed away by Drew's unforeseeable confession. I am almost unsure of how I should act.

"May," Drew says urgently. "Are you okay? You look a little unstable."

"I'm fine," I respond weakly. My hands grip the earth, giving me strength to distract myself and pull my body off of the ground. "You pushed me, so I'm just a little surprised."

He doesn't notice that I am lying. Instead, an expression of guilt overwhelms his face. "I didn't want you to be in the middle of our fight."

"I know you didn't," I murmur dismissively. He sighs in relief, raising his fingers to his head with renewed ease. Now that the tense event has passed, he is busy attending to his hair again. "Are you okay? You got a little worked up back there."

"I'm glad that Brendan is gone," Drew replies, flicking a persistent strand out of his face. In a matter of seconds, it returns, causing him to scowl in annoyance. "I don't know what I would've done if he had stayed any longer."

"Why are you protective?" I ask suddenly. A few seconds later, I mentally slap myself for my insensitivity- I shouldn't ask him these stupid questions, especially after his confession.

He is oblivious to my worries. "I care about you, May. There's nothing more to it."

"Thanks for your concern," I say, feigning an expression of gratitude. To be honest, I am still suffering from the aftermath of their fight. I don't have any sanity to consider his feelings for me.

He isn't pretending.

"It's time to have lunch," Drew announces, rather cheerfully. He takes my hand, leading me down a path and away from the Contest Hall. I dodge the people walking past us as I try to keep up with him. "I reserved a table for us at a local restaurant. Of course, it's not hard for Drew Hayden to make such last-minute reservations, but-"

"Alright," I interrupt him, trying my best not to laugh at his conceited statement. "Thank you, Mr. Hayden of LaRousse City."

He turns to grin at me. "My pleasure."

We continue to walk around Mauville at a quick pace. My head still hurts, but I make an effort to appreciate the marvelous city scenery. As we approach our destination, nearby girls pause to glare at our entwined fingers.

"Everyone seems to hate me," I remark, ignoring another fangirl's murderous stare.

"Not everyone," Drew laughs. He turns again to give me an amiable smirk, nearly colliding with an approaching pedestrian as a result of his carelessness. "You're annoying, but I don't exactly hate you."

"Thanks," I reply, rolling my eyes to promote my sarcasm. Drew makes a sharp turn, directing us to the southeast corner of the city. I gasp in surprise, tightening my grip on his hand so that I don't fall forward. "Drew, chill!"

"We're here," he announces. We have stopped at the door of a luxurious restaurant that is clad in ornate lights. Instead of acknowledging my surprise, he ushers me through the door hurriedly. "Just go inside."

"S-sure," I stammer, stumbling into the restaurant clumsily. As Drew follows me, I admire my new surroundings. The place is neatly decorated, stocked with comfortable cushions and bamboo adornments. A delicious aroma floats around, making my mouth water with desire.

"Drew Hayden and May Maple," Drew tells a nearby waiter frantically. "Sorry we're late. There were...complications."

"No problem," the waiter replies. She smiles knowingly before directing us to our reserved table. When we are hastily seated, she hands us our menus. "Take your time. If there's anything we can do for you, feel free to ask. Enjoy!"

She sets down two glasses of water before proceeding to leave. I look up at Drew, who seems to be unusually delighted.

"Are you okay?" I ask him. His mood seems to have shifted dramatically, naturally causing me to worry. It seems as if he is forcing himself to be cheerful.

"Just fine," he replies smoothly. I can tell that he is trying to contain his excitement. "Well, whatever. Try looking at the menu."

I obey, opening the leather-bound menu with a lingering sense of suspicion. To my surprise, I notice that this restaurant seems to specialize in serving ramen noodles. The quality must be superb, considering two bowls of the stuff is somewhat expensive. When Drew speaks again, I come to my senses.

"I'll pay for our meal," he offers, casually retrieving his wallet from his bag. "Whatever you want."

He isn't pretending.

I beg my mind to create an illusion. He just wants to promote our friendliness.

Still, I can't convince myself with the lies that I have conjured. I decide to submit to truth, even if it makes me feel incredibly guilty and somber.

He is doing this because he loves me.

*.~.*.~.*

We arrive at the Pokemon Center, full and refreshed. Although the sun is still shining outside, Drew and I have decided to relax for the remainder of the day. The contest battles were excruciating, so we rest on our beds lazily, thinking to ourselves as the TV continues to stream gossip and nonsense.

"Today, Mauville City's Contest received two very special guests," a reporter informs us excitedly. Her neon pink hair, twisted into a ridiculous hairstyle, only boosts her craziness. "Drew Hayden and May Maple - famous rivals since they were ten - have been arranged into marriage by their parents. Despite this, they still tried their best to prevail when they were against each other."

"Unfortunately, Drew Hayden was defeated by Brendan Birch in the last round," continues another reporter, flashing up on the screen. He seems to be startled by the news that he is delivering. "However, Brendan gave away his ribbon to May."

"The question is: why May?" The original reporter asks, tapping her chin in mock curiosity. Any viewer can tell that she has worked hard to rehearse this rumor into perfection. "Since Brendan is a trainer, shouldn't he give his prize to Drew? He was about to win, anyways. Instead, he decided to give his hard-earned ribbon to May, who was eliminated in the semifinals. This action can be seen as a gesture of odd affection-"

The screen suddenly reverts to its original blank state, cutting off the reporter's suggestive statement. Although this program was obviously planned, I can't help but wonder if it is more than a rumor. Is it possible that Brendan likes me?

"I'm getting tired of the media," Drew yawns, tossing the remote on the sofa. "These days, they just get people to broadcast stupid opinions."

"Right," I agree, pushing any thoughts of Brendan out of my mind. In substitution, I direct my confusion and anger towards the broadcasters. "They're even adding personal problems to their entertainment. It's unthinkable, really."

"Personal problems?" he muses, narrowing his eyes at me. "Brendan is a personal problem?"

"No, not Brendan," I correct myself quickly. Drew seems rather sensitive when the subject arises, so I mentally scold myself for bringing up something that hints towards Brendan's existence. "I'm talking about the ribbon."

"Oh, that. Congratulations, I guess," he murmurs flatly. His response is hard to decipher, especially since he is on the other side of the room, turning the other way to avoid my gaze. I stare at his back absently, waiting for him to continue. "I can't believe Brendan gave it away to you."

"Yeah," I agree, turning on my back to study the ceiling. It is fairly plain, adorned with miniature spots of grey and the occasional speck of light that is reflected from the overhead ceiling lamp. "I really didn't want that to happen. Do you want it?"

He turns to face me again, surprise clearly etched on his face. "You would give it to me?"

"Yes," I answer, turning away so that my back faces him. "Do you want it?"

"Actually, I don't," Drew decides, after a brief moment of hesitation. The offer is tempting- immediate access to the Grand Festival is highly desirable to any Coordinator. "I don't want anything from Brendan."

"Oh," I manage to reply. The silence has become uncomfortable; I turn around to relieve myself from Drew's sharp stare.

"May, do you like me?" he asks suddenly. I don't anticipate the question- it hits me in the face, causing me to flinch slightly. Thankfully, I had taken unplanned precautions- avoiding his piercing eyes made this situation a little easier. "May?"

I feign sleep.

My eyes flutter shut as I attempt to calm myself. I manage to make my breathing seem even and undisturbed to the point that it is incredibly convincing.

My mind decides to absorb his question during my forged sleep. Do I like Drew?

I'm not sure.

I think this was a little cruel. It had absolutely no action whatsoever, so I do apologize. It was mainly a filler to promote May's feelings for Drew. {Shouldn't that be obvious, though? xD}

Sorry to disappoint with the rather short chapter. I plan to continue the action in the next one, so please endure the wait. D;

Speaking of updating...I can't set a steady pace, but I have decided to write a story with dorkyreader859. Most likely, updates will be delayed a little. I'll still try my best to deliver quality chapters, so don't worry. (:

I'll be back shortly with the real action. Can you leave a review anyways? Gather your Pokemon and flame me if you want, but don't burn me excessively. You want the next chapter, right? ;D