"The fuck is up with this?"
"Language."
"C'mon professor," Ash began, baffled at what he had just heard, ignoring the man's response. "You've gotta be joking with me."
"I'm afraid not, my boy." Professor Oak finished typing on his keyboard, replying to an email, and moved his gaze to the boy. "According to the school board, that is."
Leaning back into the chair that was placed in front of the desk, Ash rested his arms on the top. "I was just playing around."
"Regardless, something that was owned by the school property managed to be broken."
"Accidents happen."
"Continuous, reckless accidents?"
"Alright, alright." He huffed and sat up straight. "But being on probation for a month is a little too far, professor. What about basketball? Team needs me and not to mention, I have a scholarship for it."
Professor Oak picked up his coffee and took a sip before placing it back on the desk. "Coach Kukui has been informed about your actions. Normally, you'd have to be kicked out of the school, but because of the impact you have for the school's team as said to be the best player, its been decided to let you stay."
He shrugged it off, grabbing his bag off the ground from beside him, and took out his bottle. "Not too bad," he said, calmly, and gulped down some water. "Anything else?"
"To start off, tutoring will b—"
Ash interrupted him. "You're kidding me? My grades are fine!"
Professor Oak cleared his throat, adjusting himself in his chair. "Well, my boy, as shown in your school records, you're not doing so well in science and math. I've assigned Clemont as your new tutor for the full time of your probation. No new and improving changes within that time limit, you'll have an even longer probation."
Ash mentally cursed himself out. It didn't feel right. He was a smart student, but solely keeping his mind and focus on basketball was in the way of him keeping his grades straight. He'd study whenever he felt was a reasonable time, but other than that, there really wasn't a need for him to do so. If anything, that must've been another reason why they were keeping him away from the sport itself.
"Sounds decent enough." He shoved himself back in the chair, drinking some more water. "That's all?"
"No. You're also required to have dance lessons with one of our top dancing students, Serena Yvonne, for the meantime to balance out your schedule and help you learn how to cooperate with time management."
Ash choked on his water, snorting at the thought of him actually doing that. "These punishments have got to chill, professor, because if you haven't realized yet, me and dancing aren't compatible."
"They're called dance lessons for that reason."
"And if I don't go through with this?"
"You'll be turning in your jersey and lose your scholarship for basketball," Professor Oak explained with no change of expression shown on his face.
Shit.
Ash sat their in silence while his face was stuck with a look of irritation. He couldn't believe what he got into. Tutoring wasn't bad even though he didn't need it, but dance lessons? It wasn't his thing. He didn't have a single clue how he would get through it.
He tossed his now empty water bottle in the trash across the office and ran his fingers through his black hair. "Fine," he forced himself to say. "Just give me the schedule, so I can head out already."
The man nodded and turned to his computer, typing in a few things to print it out. Few minutes passed and Ash was handed a paper with the details he needed for the month on probation. According to the sheet date, he would start next week.
Momentarily, Professor Oak received an important call and Ash wasted no time to grab his belongings and head out the office, slouching his way through the halls. He turned a couple corners while each step seemed heavier than the last.
It wasn't long until he made it to the hall where his locker was located and mainly where all the couples were. He didn't understand how people went with that relationship stuff and how it was such a go to type of thing. Scouts were onto him, so his eyes were only on basketball, and getting through with the scholarship he had for it.
He reached his locker and opened it, trying to block out all the love sounds and flirts shot back and forth from around him. Once he grabbed his basketball from inside, he closed his locker back, and palmed it. There was no way he would stop playing, but the probation was on the line of getting longer if he didn't follow what he was told.
It was infuriating to say the least.
He narrowed his eyebrows at the ball. "Dammit."
"Yo, Ashy-boy," a familiar voice from not too far away called out to him. The second he looked up, he saw his not only childhood, close friend, but teammate from the school team. He jogged to him and leaned against his locker beside his. "You good?"
"Shit's obvious, Gary," Ash responded, keeping his tone on the low. "Have probation for a month and supposedly have to take tutoring too because I'm lacking in some classes."
"Tough luck, I'd say. The rest of the team and I didn't get much of a consequence. For me, that's only because I got my work in and surprisingly have passing grades after that," Gary stated with a hint of sarcasm and shrugged. "Anything else happened with gramps?"
"I'm supposed to have these dance lessons which means no basketball for a month, along with the tutoring." He clenched his jaw at the thought. "Said it should help me work on time management."
"Damn, we're really losing our best player for a month?" Gary made a low whistle sound and bursted into laughter for what was said next. "But, dance lessons? Your luck is killing you nowadays."
"And my scholarship."
"Yikes. Forgot about that one."
Ash rolled his eyes. "I wish I could."
"Oh, and I forgot to tell you. Coach wanted to talk to you after practice." His teammate let out a few more laughs and patted his shoulder with his hand which was shown to be out of sympathy, but really was in a joking manner. "Good luck with that one."
He shoved his hand off his shoulder. "Piss off with the luck talk."
"My apologies," Gary surrendered, moving away from his friend like he was going to lash out on him randomly. "But look it as this. Seeing you dance for once? Hilarious sight to see, but it could be fun for you."
"I can't dance," he deadpanned.
"Good point, but they're lessons. Just wait and see." He took the ball from his hands and played around with it in his own. "It can't be that bad."
"Easy for you to say." Ash took the ball back, palming it once again. "You wouldn't be saying that if you were in my shoes."
"That's correct, but besides the point."
Ash rolled his eyes at the comment. What sucked the most was that it was Thursday which meant the beginning of probation was right around the corner. The month was easily going to feel like the longest month of the year and he couldn't wait for it to be over even when it hasn't started.
"Whatever you say, man. We got practice in a bit, so lets hit the gym." Ash threw the ball barely up in the air and spun it on his middle finger. "I have some buckets I need to make and ankles I need to break."
Gary grinned. "Now that's the Ashy-boy I know."