Temporal Hearts

The Early Bird

A disheveled glaceon grumbled, the morning sunshine glaring at her through the window blinds. So much for those she thought annoyedly.

She groaned as she pushed the bed sheets aside and off of her cozy body, a cold breeze taking over her. Sure, she was a glaceon, but glaceons get cold, too!

She swiftly jumped off of her bed and took a sip of the water on her bedside table. It was lukewarm and tasted funny, but that's just the perks of left-out overnight tap water.

In the bathroom she brushed her teeth, removing the grimy feeling from her mouth. She pressed down on the dispenser of her facial cleanser, rubbing it into her fur to remove any excess oil or dirt from her face. She scrubbed hard, as always, to remove it from her fur fully afterward.

She cringed as she took a long look at her fur, which appeared almost matted with how messy it was. Why couldn't she get lucky and have a cute bedhead, like other Pokémon? She sighed as she reached for the hairbrush, combing down her rowdy fur.

-

Ivy gracefully walked along the pathway to school, thankful that she hadn't passed any other Pokémon on the way. She wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone other than her friends, at the moment.

Ivy passed by the park, recalling her afternoon yesterday. After Mav left to go to class, she just sat in the hallway for a few minutes. If she had stayed any longer, though, Mon's would get out of class and see her. She wasn't in the mood to go to her other classes, either, so she just ditched. She spent the rest of her afternoon in the park, lying around and waiting until it was time to go home. That way her parents wouldn't be suspicious about her arriving home early.

Trying to distract herself from the memories of yesterday that plagued her mind, she thought back to her morning. Getting ready was more chaotic than usual, today.

It was all because she had gotten up earlier than she was used to this morning. It threw her off, she supposed. It would be worth it, though, when she would be the one in the seat next to Aster rather than Juniper. That foul 'mon.

Ivy wouldn't allow her to ruin Aster's day, nor hers. She would talk with him, not at him, unlike the jolteon. And they would have fun! She was sure Aster would have a lot more fun with Ivy than he ever would with Juniper.

And at that moment, she felt guilt creeping up on her. What if Aster did like Juniper's company, and she was just intruding on them? What if he asked her to leave? What if he stopped being friends with her? Or worse... What if they were never friends in the first place?

Ivy just had to hope not, because her plan was already set in motion. Opening the doors of the school building, she walked in. Immediately, she was met by the gazes of multiple Pokémon, noticing her entrance. She felt queasy with all the attention, but it quickly dissipated as the student looked away. She sighed in relief.

"Look who it is!" Ivy jumped in surprise as a paw tapped her shoulder. Quickly turning back to face the 'mon that touched her shoulder, she met Felix's eyes. She felt her shoulders lower and her heart rate slow, calm knowing who had touched her.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you like that, though I suppose I did, anyway..." Felix explained, looking a little guilty. Ivy looked at him with a deadpan expression, shaking her head.

"Uh-huh..." Ivy replied, before looking around and realizing they were in the middle of the hall. She looked back at him, a normal expression on her face.

"Why don't we move out of the way?" Ivy reasoned, worried that she would have an incident again like she did with Juniper yesterday. Felix looked around briefly before nodding.

"So, what's up with you this morning?" Felix asked, "You're here earlier than usual" he noted curiously. Ivy looked at him for a moment, pondering. She remembered then why she had left so early, pawing him in the chest.

"You reminded me! I need to be in class, now." She explained, looking around worriedly. Felix looked at her with a worried expression.

"Why's that--" Felix began, but he was swiftly interrupted by a rushing Ivy.

"Just come with me! I've gotta hurry..." Ivy said to him, grabbing his paw and leading him to the classroom. Felix didn't know what was going on, but he went along with it anyway. He had time before he had to get to his class, so it would be alright if he loitered in Ivy's class a bit.

-

Ivy glanced around the classroom briefly, relieved to see that she was the first in class. She walked over to her new seat--at least, she hoped it would be--and sat down. Felix stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do, so Ivy patted the ground next to her seat. He raised an eyebrow at the 'mon but chose to sit there anyway.

"Why were you so desperate to get here early, anyway? Usually, you'd rather be late..." Felix asked her, pure confusion in his voice. Ivy just shook her head.

"I guess I didn't tell you..." She replied, thinking about her next words, before explaining to Felix what had happened the day prior. He listened to every word intently, shaking his head in annoyance when she finished

"I wouldn't expect anything else from..." He looked around, and still, there was no one in the room, "Juniper." He whispered, worried that someone would overhear. She smiled at his carefulness, appreciative of it.

"Yeah, I guess I know what to expect from her, now," Ivy said, crossing her paws over one another. She looked off to the side, gazing out the window as she spoke her next words, "That's why I needed to get to this seat so early, so she wouldn't get there first--" Ivy paused, noticing that a student entered the classroom. They just went to their seat, not paying any attention to her. She sighed in relief.

"Well, I'd better get going..." Felix told her, looking around nervously for the clock. She nodded.

"Yeah, I get it. Go on ahead, and thanks for listening to my... rant?" She said, unsure if that's what she should call it. Felix smiled wide at her in response.

"Of course! Gotta know the latest drama in your life, y'know?" Felix explained, gazing at Ivy kindly. She smiled back at him, happy to know. Even if he called it drama...

Felix took his backpack and strapped it to his back, "Welp, gotta go now. See ya later!" He told her, waving as he padded away.

Ivy lifted her paw to wave back, "See ya next class period!" She replied, just loud enough for him to hear. Now to wait for Aster to get here, she thought.