Paired up 1

Ch. 14: Secret reveal

Ash scrolled down quickly through his phone as he shifted in his bed, his thick covers still on the top of him. It was already noon but he had no intention in getting out of the bed. He wasn't ready for life today. His room was messy, his balcony door was shut, food wrappers were on the end of his bed, and his laptop was on the ground and still switched on from last night.

"Ash? It's me!"

"Go away."

He groaned and pulled the covers over his face. He could hear Misty roll up the curtains of his balcony and slid open its door. She then started picking up the wrappers from the end of his bed.

"You left the laptop turned on all night?" Ash noticed Misty had a habit of picking up things and organizing every time she came to his bedroom. It's not really like she had OCD but you get the point. She doesn't like messy places.

"I know you're up, Ash. Show me your face." He felt her hand over his shoulder.

"Get off."

"You're unusually grumpy today." Misty sat on the edge of Ash's bed and picked up his laptop. Ash could feel his knee touch her butt. He slightly pulled to the back.

"You said you don't even care if you get accepted or not."

"That's not it."

"Why are you mad then?"

Ash sighed. He hated today. If only today could end so quickly.

"It's going to be fine. I'm positive you'll make it."

He finally pulled the covers away and sat up. "Really? Positive?" He pulled his laptop away from Misty right when he noticed what she was trying to do.

"Hey, what was that for?"

Ash shut the lid and put the laptop on his desk. He picked up his phone again and started messing with it as Misty gave him weird looks.

"I don't get you, really." She chuckled. "You said you don't care if you don't get accepted or not. Why are you mad? It shouldn't matter to you."

"Well, fine!" He huffed. "It matters, okay? It really does!"

"That's another story..." Misty eyed the laptop. The lists of students officially accepted into Celadon University were coming out today, and it was making Ash worried more than Misty thought it would.

He always said he didn't care about making it to college or not, but when Misty, Gary and Leaf applied, he did as well. 'For fun', he's told Misty. This latter knew she, May and Dawn were going to get accepted; Gary aimed for a basketball scholarship; Leaf worked her butt off the last semester, and Ash... well, he did nothing.

When he got accepted to pass the interview, Ash said it was 'luck'. He refused to talk about how his interview went. Misty couldn't tell if it went well or bad. Ash was really good at hiding his feelings, and she dated him for almost two years now.

But seeing his state today, it probably didn't go too well. "Ash, it's fine. You don't need it. You said it yourself."

He smiled. "You said you are positive I'll make it. Are you taking that back?"

"Of course not." It's like Ash had something hidden inside him, some kind of secret weapon. He wasn't the brilliant student at school and he was suspended several times this year because of skipping (and Misty nagged him all the time about it), but he had something. Misty was sure. He had something in him.

"Can we check that stupid list and get over this fast?"

"That's what I was trying to do." Misty grabbed the laptop and opened the lid. The university site was still on. "If you get accepted, it's good, if not, it's good too. Okay?"