It was one of those days.

I got almost no sleep, and the little sleep I did get was in the early morning hours, so I ended up missing my alarm clock when it went off, leading me to be late for work.

Come to think of it, I could've gotten to work on time if Lily, Violet, and Daisy weren't hogging the bathroom all morning. One bathroom for four girls - especially when three of those four girls don't know the importance of punctuality - is not ideal.

As I finally get to work, I find myself checking my watch hoping I can make it on time. I can't be late again.

So it figures that when I reach my office, my boss, Gary, err, Mr. Oak, greets me.

"… Ms. Williams, is everything all right? You've been late for the past 3 days, and you're usually never late."

"Yes sir. I'm sorry, it won't happen again." I tell him, trying to keep my personal problems as far away from my work as possible.

When I first started working with The Kanto Times, Gary was the type to flirt with all the women in the office, including me.

Now, I normally wouldn't stand for that sort of behavior, especially in the work environment, but I needed the money… and I still do. Not to say I don't like my job, I love writing. I just would rather write novels than being told what to write about for newspaper articles.

My sisters have everything handed to them; they're models, and you'd think they'd have their own place, but they are currently crashing with me, the sister who has to actually work to pay for her rent and everything else. Somehow the irony of the situation seems to elude them.

As for Gary, he now has a fiancée, Leaf. Apparently they're madly in love, and it shows, for instance, he doesn't waste his time flirting with all the women.

I start thinking about him and Leaf, and I wonder what that would be like; being engaged that is. Actually waking up to someone you love kissing you, greeting you amorously, rather than the needless knocking on your bedroom door from your three older sisters asking if you've seen their hairbrushes.

I've always been a romantic, but as time has gone on, I've put all of that on the back burner in lieu of reality. The bills won't pay themselves, as the saying goes.

So, I sit down at my desk and open my laptop to get started. Of course, the first task is to check my notes and email and make sure everything is up-to-date with the other department members. Or so I'd say if anyone asked.

The first thing I find is an email from my friend, Sakura.

"Dear Misty,

I wanted to see if you were free to meet me at the Cerulean Café after you're done with work today?

I hope you're well!

Love, Sakura"

I look around to see if anyone will see me checking and replying to personal messages before beginning to type.

"Dear Sakura,

I'd love to meet you there; I'm in need of a vanilla latte anyways.

As for how I've been… I'll just tell you when we see each other.

Love, Misty"

I close my email and sigh, seeing Sakura will be good for me, maybe talking about how aggravating my sisters are will be therapeutic. And who knows, maybe I'll finally meet someone worth meeting at the café.

But that's ridiculous so I put the thought behind me.

The workday moves sluggishly now that I actually have something to look forward to afterwards but, like a trooper, I muddle through the sticky notes, the poorly edited final article drafts, and the one or two outlines that are ready to be turned into literary works of art. I spend the rest of my seven hours suffering through a dreary yet hurried lunch, endless typing, and thirty minutes of dealing with a jammed printer (to no avail).

When I'm finally done with everything, I pack up my laptop and drive to the café.

It's been a while since I've seen Sakura; I know it'll be nice to talk to her seeing as she's in the same boat as me. Well, I mean, she hasn't lived with her sisters for years, but she is the youngest of them all.

I open the door and look around for her familiar face. After searching for a few seconds, I decide to sit in one of the only empty seats available.

I set my laptop out, make my way to the register.

The man in front of me seems to be flirting with the barista mercilessly. He has no regard for the people behind him, asking how she's doing, how her day has been, and the likes. I suppose he's just being nice, but by the way this blonde girl blushes, she's clearly head over heals for this guy. I roll my eyes. After all, I have things to be doing other than watching this embarrassing scene on display in front of the whole coffee shop. Now, don't get me wrong, I love seeing happy couples as much as the next romantic, but now, it just seems to be getting under my skin. Finally, the man wishes the girl a good rest of her day and I'm able to order my drink. A few minutes later, I'm holding an aromatic, warm, caffeinated beverage of my choosing.

I then set the paper cup by my laptop and begin to work on my next assignment for The Kanto Times while I wait.

Things are fine for the first minute or two. The usual mess of trying to find the one post-it note I need in a pile of useless highlighter-colored note, the next sip or two of my latte, and the tapping of a few assorted keys. And then it happens.

Some moron, looking down at his phone probably texting away, bumps into my table. But that isn't the worst part; no, it isn't.

This bumbling idiot knocks over my drink onto my laptop. Oh no, but the thing is, it's not my laptop, it's the company's.

I'm about to have a nervous breakdown. I watch, petrified, as tan-colored liquid pours out and fills the crevices between the keys, seeping into the hardware. There's an electric ticking sound and the monitor blacks out immediately afterward. And for a moment, I just sit there and take it all in.

I'm so dizzy from anger I can't see straight. It's when I hear his voice, the same flirtatious voice I heard earlier, that I know where to direct my fury.

"Uh, I'm sorry; are you okay?"

"Am I… okay?" I ask.

I think my eye is twitching; I'm sure of it.

"I didn't mean to bump into your table, I just thought some might have spilled on you and burnt your hand or something…"

"Burnt? No, no you didn't burn me at all."

Is he blind? No, I'm certain he is because he hasn't even mentioned the fact that he broke my computer!

So naturally, I calmly and politely ask him that very question.

"Are you blind or what?"

"Huh? Me? No, I'm not; like I said, I know I accidentally bumped into your table and spilled your… Hey, what happened to your laptop?"

We both stare at the blank screen, eyeing the coffee that's still seeping bit by bit between the keys. I mentally lay the poor computer to rest one last time before squaring my shoulders and turning to face the idiot who caused such destruction once more.

"What happened to my laptop? You happened to my laptop, you loser! You fried it! It's dead!"

I know, 'loser' isn't my best insult, but in my defense, I was seething and if I couldn't see straight, I certainly couldn't think straight.

"Uh, here; let me help you." He says while grabbing some napkins and dabbing uselessly at the keyboard, like that was going to save it somehow.

This guy is unbelievable! He has the nerve to bump into my table, break my computer, and then act like he's some noble hero? No, I won't stand for this!

So I slap his hand away and say as kindly as possible, "I don't need your help! And you're going to pay for what you did to my laptop!"

"I'll make up for it, I promise I will, really." He stated back with a firm gaze, staring me in the face for what seemed to be the first time. "But I can't do anything about your computer until—"

But I don't want to hear it.

"I don't want any of your lame excuses, idiot, I just want a new laptop right now!"

"Excuse me?" the blonde barista with a small nameplate clipped to her apron that said shift manager interrupted us before I could force this guy to cough up the cash needed to replace what he'd destroyed.

"I'm sorry but if you two can't settle this quietly I'm going to have to ask you two to leave."

"Leave? Listen, lady, I—" I started.

I'm about to give this Serena a piece of my mind but before I can do anything, this guy is pushing me toward the exit. Finally, I think I'll have my chance to really stick it to him but he cuts me off before I can even form the first statement.

"Look, I'm sorry if I troubled you in any way."

Sorry if you troubled me in any way? Yeah, you could say that. What an idiot.

Oh, but the stupidity continues.

"But, uh, maybe I can catch your name?"

This guy… He destroys my most valuable possession, which isn't even mine, and then asks me for my name? Well, I suppose this will work best. If I have his name, I can easily track him down.

So, I take a deep breath and reply, "Misty, my name is Misty. And yours is…?"

"I'm Ash, Ash Ketchum."

"Well, Ash, I hope you know now that you owe me."

"Owe you? Uh, yeah, I guess. But listen, I have somewhere I have to be—"

"You're not trying to get away, are you? I will track you down wherever you go, you

know. I have the right to tear you limb from limb." I say, still furious

"Uh, um, well yeah, but I mean, I'm not trying to get away, you see I have to go cause… It's my mom, my mom's in the hospital."

"…Is it very serious?"

"I'm not sure, I just got a call from my neighbor telling me that my mom hurt her back while gardening, I was on my way when, well, you know."

So that explains him being preoccupied with his phone.

"Ok, well I won't keep you, but where can I find you, you know, so you won't get away without paying me back for my laptop that you destroyed?"

"Oh, uh, well I work for a newspaper company near here."

"Really, which one?"

When he replies, I swear everything goes blank: my sight, my hearing, everything. There's only one thought buzzing in my head.

Ash Ketchum, the very same man who broke my laptop, works at, wouldn't you know it – The Kanto Times.

Oh, it's more than just one of those days. It's a freaking nightmare.