Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Pokemon franchise and never will. This is a story I just wrote for fun because I'm a fan of Pokemon.

Also, I don't own the song "Back to December" by Taylor Swift, which this story is based on.

A/N: I wrote this way back in January, but I spent months editing it before posting it here. I think it turned out pretty well. :)

Anyway, please enjoy! :)

Note: The characters in this story are in their late teens. Also, I recommend listening to the song "Back to December" by Taylor Swift before (and maybe while) reading.

EDIT (7/04/13): Fixed some errors that I found.

Back to December

Blue eyes searching the plastic grocery bags in her hands, Rosa checked off every item she had in her head, muttering the names of each product as she did so. "Okay, so I've got milk, bread, Oran Berries, water..."

Her mental list completed, Rosa directed her eyes upward, flashing a proud smile. "Yup! I've got everything I need!"

She whirled around on the sidewalk, ignoring the strange looks pedestrians gave her for her habit of talking to herself. She took one step forward and then froze. Her smile vanished; her heart sank.

The last person she expected to see on this quick errand was sitting right before her on a city bench. She could recognize that spiky, dark blue hair anywhere.

Our of habit, she blurted, "Hugh!"

When his red eyes flickered from the open magazine in his hands to her, she wished she hadn't said it.

"Oh," he said, closing the magazine and rising to his feet. "Hi, Rosa."

Rosa giggled nervously as he approached her, waving her hand frantically. I haven't seen Hugh in a while, she thought. I think the last time I saw him was—

Three months ago.

Her heart ached when she recalled the last time she'd seen him. She repressed the memory into the back of her mind—where she preferred it to be—and focused on the present. "So..." she began.

"Yeah?"

Rosa gulped. "So... how's life?"

Hugh blinked. "It's... fine."

She grinned awkwardly. "That's great! And how about your family? How's Hanna?" Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen Hugh's family—especially his sweet younger sister, Hanna—in a while, either, despite them only living a block away from her. They probably wouldn't want to see me, anyway. Not after...

"They're all fine," Hugh replied, interrupting the unwelcome thought. "Thanks for asking."

As they fell into uncomfortable silence, Rosa tried to keep smiling and remain pleasant. But the tense way that Hugh spoke to her make it hard. This small talk wasn't anything like the relaxed, open conversations they had before. Before that night three months ago...

"Well, I better get going," Hugh said, taking a few steps past her. "I have to be... somewhere."

Somewhere where I'm not, she thought bitterly—yet somewhat sadly. "Okay. Um... I'll see you later!"

Without another word, he continued down the sidewalk, his only farewell being a flick of his hand over his shoulder.

Rosa's face fell as she turned away, walking in the opposite direction.

She could understand why he seemed so reserved when he talked to her. The last time they had seen each other was on that night three months ago; it was safe to assume that he had that on his mind.

What happened that night had changed their whole relationship. And Rosa only had herself to blame.

I wish I'd never done that...

Rosa couldn't sleep.

After her encounter with Hugh earlier that day, all she wanted to do was curl up in her bed and allow her mind to repeat the last night she had seen him. Every replay brought more guilt to her—guilt for what she had done to Hugh that she had regretted ever since.

The night of December fourth was when Rosa foolishly decided to end her relationship with Hugh.

Hugh burst into laughter at the scene in the comedy movie that he and Rosa were watching, his arm tightening around her shoulders as he did so. The night was rather great—his living room was dark, the only source of light emitting from the TV screen; the movie displayed on the screen was a favorite of hers. Feeling Hugh's body heat and hearing his laugh only made it better.

But Rosa couldn't enjoy it. She felt anxious, trying to bring herself to do what she felt was necessary.

Hugh's red eyes, now filled with concern, averted from the movie to her. "Rosa," he said softly, leaning closer to her, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she lied, forcing herself to look at the TV and not at his face. If she merely glanced at any of his facial features—his smile, or his eyes, such a fierce shade of red yet so gentle when they gazed at her—she knew she wouldn't be able to go through with what she had planned.

"You sure?" As he leaned closer to her, his hand massaged her upper arm. His lips brushed against her cheek.

She jumped away.

"Hugh," she said, her voice urgent. She switched on the lamp on the end table, brightening the room.

"What?" Hugh straightened up on the couch from surprise. He hit the pause button on the remote. "Rosa, what's wrong?"

Rosa faced him, her blue eyes looking straight at his puzzled expression. She gulped. "I... Look, I just..." Come on, she pressed herself. Just say it. "I don't want to date you anymore!"

Once she said it, she wished she hadn't—or rather, she wished she hadn't said it in such a harsh way.

"W-what? Why?"

She shook her head. "I-I can't explain it. I just think... it's better for us both, okay?" With that said, she turned and headed for the front door.

"Rosa, wait." Hugh jumped to his feet; Rosa stopped in her tracks, waiting to hear what he had to say. "Please, Rosa, just tell me: Why are you doing this? If it's something I did, I promise—"

"Stop it, Hugh," she interrupted, continuing toward the door.

"Rosa." Hugh rushed after her. She took her yellow wool coat from the coat rack by the door, and he snatched her wrist. "Rosa, please—"

"Let me go!" she snapped, her glaring eyes darting to meet his. But her expression softened when she read the hurt, confusion, and disbelief in his deep red irises.

Rosa yanked her wrist from his grip and slipped on her coat. "Goodbye, Hugh," she said.

Those were her last words to him before she walked out into the cold December night.

Tears welled in Rosa's eyes; she buried her face in her pillow, allowing the soft fabric of her pillowcase to soak them up.

Why did I do that? she wondered. That was such an awful thing for me to do. Hugh didn't deserve that...

Sick of all the guilt she was feeling, she willed herself to think of something else, anything that wasn't related to the memory of that night. She thought back to July, back before she and Hugh began dating.

"Head's up!" Rosa's friend, Hilda, shouted as she tossed a volleyball high over her head. With a grunt, she slapped the ball with all of her might, sending it soaring over the net.

While vacationing in Undella Town for a week, Nate, Rosa's twin brother; Hilbert, Hilda's cousin; Rosa; Hugh; and Hilda decided to play a friendly game of volleyball along the town's sandy shores. As Rosa had pointed out, it wasn't a very fair game, for there was an odd number of players. But she didn't question it when she was on the team of three—herself, Hugh, and Nate. Plus, with Hilda's athletic skills, she could've counted as two players.

"I got it!" Nate cried, lunging for the ball. However, instead of hitting his clasped fists like he had planned, the ball bounced off of his face.

As he groaned in pain, the other four burst into laughter. The laugh that rang out the most was Hugh's. Rosa stopped giggling and turned to him, gazing at him as he laughed...

And spoke...

And served the ball...

And turned to her...

And yelled—

"Rosa!"

With a start, she was snapped back from her daze like an elastic band. "H-huh?" She glanced around; she spotted the ball heading in her direction. "Oh! I got it!" She dashed for it; because her attention was on the ball, she was unaware that Hugh was also running to hit it.

They collided, the impact knocking her back onto the sand, his body going down with hers. The volleyball bounced off of the sand next to them.

Hugh laughed. "Sorry, Rosa..."

"Don't worry, it was actually my—" Rosa cut herself off once she realized their positions: she was lying on her back on the sand, and Hugh was on top of her. Hugh, her best friend since they were five years old. Her face flushed a deep shade of red.

"Hugh!" she shrieked, struggling underneath his weight. "I-I'm so sorry! T-this is really—"

Once again, she stopped herself mid-sentence. She understood why her efforts to throw him off of her weren't working: Because he was holding her down. She flashed him a look of confusion.

He chuckled, bringing their bodies closer together. Their faces were just centimeters apart. She blushed brighter.

"You know, Rosa," he said, gazing into her blue eyes, "you're really cute when you blush."

Rosa gasped. Her face felt hotter than the summer air; her heart hammered in her chest.

"Hey!" Hilbert shouted. "We're still here, you know!"

Hugh leaped back onto his feet. "Right. Sorry!"

Her face fading back to its natural white and her heart slowing down to a steady rhythm, Rosa slowly sat up, her blue eyes still fixed on Hugh.

Noticing her gaze, he turned to her. His red eyes met hers; he smiled.

His smile, his eyes, his laugh... they all made that summer amazing.

Rosa smiled. Thinking about the good times she had with Hugh warmed her heart, allowing her to forget the one unpleasant memory.

Since recalling the good memories helped her feel better, she thought back to the day of September seventh—the day she realized she loved Hugh.

As two months passed since the romantic incident at the beach, Rosa continued to imagine Hugh the way she'd seen him that summer: the warmth radiating from his body, the delighted glimmer in his red eyes when he gazed deep into her blue ones, the minty-fresh scent on his breath. She was beginning to find him... attractive.

But every time she had such thoughts, she would push them aside.

I don't like Hugh like that, she kept telling herself. He's just a very close friend of mine. That's all.

That breezy afternoon, Rosa climbed the stairs leading up to the lookout in her hometown, Aspertia City. Although it wasn't officially autumn yet in Unova, it sure felt like it: the leaves on the trees were gradually shifting from green to hues of yellow, orange, red, and purple; and the heavy summer air was growing lighter with the addition of brisk breezes. Rosa's favorite thing to do during these times was to head up to the lookout and gaze out beyond the city, admiring nature's transition between the seasons.

When Rosa reached the top of the stairs, panting lightly from the exerted energy, her heartbeat quickened.

The boy standing at the railing, looking out over the horizon, turned to her. When she caught a glimpse of his warm smile and matching eyes, her face began to heat up.

"Hey, Rosa," he greeted. "I thought I'd see you up here today."

"Hugh!" She flashed him a bright grin, walking to his side by the railing. "It's... nice to see you here."

He whirled back around, and together, they gazed out at the landscape before them.

"Fall is my favorite season," Hugh said, a hint of nostalgia in his soft voice. "I like how the leaves on the trees change color. It's so... awesome."

Rosa nodded in agreement. A gentle gust brushed past her, sweeping her long brown pigtails back. Then it suddenly picked up, a cold wind harshly hitting her bare arms. She shivered.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

She shrugged. "A little. It's just the wind. I guess it wasn't a smart idea to wear a tank top today..."

As she spoke, she heard the sound of a zipper. Hugh held out his red and white jacket to her. "Here. Put this on."

She giggled nervously, her cheeks turning pink. "Thanks, Hugh, but you don't have to give me your jacket. I'm fine, really." Another intense breeze swept by; she shuddered.

"I know I don't have to." He draped his jacket over her shoulders, and she didn't object. At that moment, the color of her face matched the garment's red fabric. "Besides," he added, "I don't want you to freeze to death."

"Thanks, Hugh..."

They fell silent; while Hugh appreciated the view, Rosa's eyes were downcast as she went into deep thought. With his presence beside her and his scent from his jacket filling her nostrils, she took that moment to consider their relationship. They had been best friends since the day they met in kindergarten, but she knew that the way she was thinking of him recently wasn't the way friends think of each other. A strong desire for him was beginning to grow within her. Every moment she wasn't with him, she craved every part of him: his voice, his scent, his eyes gazing into hers, his skin and the tingling sensation it caused when it touched hers. And every moment with him was pure bliss; lately, his presence caused her body heat to skyrocket and her heart to pound.

After considering it, Rosa added up the evidence: the desire, the accelerated heartbeat, the uncontrollable blushing, the inability to stop thinking about him and every single trait and feature of his. Then she arrived at her conclusion.

She was madly in love with Hugh.

This realization caused Rosa's legs to feel as if they had turned to jelly. Her knees buckled; fortunately, a bench was just a couple of steps away from where she stood. She plopped down onto the cold metal with a sigh.

"Rosa," Hugh said, breaking the silence.

She looked up at him. "Yeah?"

He took a step back from the railing, but he didn't face her. One of his hands still gripped the rail, tightening, then loosening and slowly slipping off of it, as if he was hesitating.

"There's been something I've been wanting to ask you for quite a while now," he finally spoke up.

"What is it?"

Inhaling, Hugh whirled around and walked toward her. Once he reached her, he crouched down, his red, sincere eyes meeting her blue ones at eye-level. He held both her hands in his carefully, as if they were so delicate that they would break if handled the wrong way.

Smiling softly, he asked, "Rosa, will you be my girlfriend?"

Rosa gasped. Her wide blue eyes gazing into his, she wondered, Is he being serious? The warmth and care shown in his expression was enough proof.

"Yes."

Rosa's grin grew bigger as the happiness from that day flooded back through her body. But when she skipped through the timeline of events in her head, from July to September and beyond, her memories led her right back to December.

Her joy was flushed right out of her as the pain set in. The waterworks started; she buried her face in her pillow, soaking the fabric of the pillowcase with her tears.

"Why did I do that?" she sobbed. "Why...?"

She considered that question as she cried, and after looking back, she couldn't even understand herself why she ended her relationship with Hugh.

She racked through every part of her brain, her memories replaying like scenes from a movie as she searched for whatever happened that led her to make that decision.

September, that was when they began dating. Everything was blissful.

October, they went on several dates; each one was more amazing than the last. Their relationship gradually grew stronger, so there couldn't have been any problems.

November, Rosa was uncertain about. She couldn't remember anything that could've influenced her decision to break up with Hugh. But as she thought harder about it, it felt as if something did happen, but she just couldn't recall it.

Then, as she was about to give up thinking about it, it hit her.

It was late November, just a week or two before December fourth. Hand-in-hand, Hugh and Rosa walked the streets of Nimbasa City. The air had gotten colder as winter closed in, so the two were dressed for the weather: Rosa in her yellow wool coat and Hugh in his red and white jacket. The sky was painted a dark gray, but that didn't affect the couple; they still enjoyed each other's company, giggling and smiling brightly.

"That's so funny!" Rosa commented on the story Hugh was telling her, hardly able to breathe because of how much she was laughing.

"Yeah," Hugh replied, a wide grin spread across his face, "but it gets better! So, after that, he—" He cut himself off as he averted his gaze away from Rosa's joyful expression. He only meant to look away for just a moment, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from what—or who, rather—he saw before them, as much as he wanted to. His smile turned to a frown; his eyes hardened. "Oh, great," he snarled.

Rosa blinked. "What—" Then she looked up, and she noticed what was bothering him. Approaching them was Curtis, a boy that Rosa had met a couple years ago when she returned his Crosstransceiver to him. Since then, she was close friends with him.

At least, she was close friends with him, up until she began dating Hugh, who despised Curtis. Before that, Hugh seemed rather jealous of Curtis—he always said that he didn't like how Curtis always "flirted" with her. But he didn't hate him. She remembered what triggered Hugh's hatred for him: a couple days after he asked her to be his girlfriend, Curtis asked her to go on a date with him. While Rosa politely rejected him, Hugh was furious. Afterwards, though Rosa tried to maintain her friendship with Curtis, she grew to become annoyed with him as well due to his constant flirting with her despite her wishes that he wouldn't. She always wondered whether Curtis's flirting was truly sincere or if he only did it to get on Hugh's nerves.

"Hey, you two!" Curtis greeted, smiling and waving as he confronted them.

Courteous as ever, Rosa thought. "Hi, Curtis."

"Please, let's not talk to him," Hugh grumbled, low enough for only Rosa to hear. "You said hi to him, so let's just keep—" He tried to guide her around Curtis, but he stopped right in front of them, blocking their path.

"Rosa," Curtis said, his pale green eyes glimmering as he gazed at her, "you look gorgeous today."

She giggled nervously. While the compliment was very sweet, it wasn't an appropriate thing to say to her while she was with her boyfriend. Actually, it was an inappropriate thing to say to a girl when he was aware that she had a boyfriend, whether he was present or not. "T-thank you, Curtis. That's really nice, and I appreciate it, but..." She trailed off, trying to gather the courage to be honest and suffer the consequences. She opened her mouth again, and—

"She doesn't need to hear that from you," Hugh snapped. "She hears that all the time from me—her boyfriend." He narrowed his red eyes at him; they were blazing with anger. "Seriously, back off. You always act so courteous, so why don't you do the courteous thing and stop flirting with a girl who's taken?"

Curtis took a step back, holding his hands out in defense. "Alright, alright. Sorry." Then, without another word, he made his way around them, continuing down the sidewalk in the opposite direction.

"Hugh," Rosa said firmly. "That wasn't very nice."

Hugh let out a sharp breath. "Come on, Rosa. Don't tell me you weren't wanting to tell him the same thing."

She opened her mouth to object, but she stopped herself. "That's true... but I could've done it nicely. Plus, you didn't need to be the one to tell him. I can speak up for myself. I don't need you to stand up for me, Hugh."

Rosa's eyes widened at the realization. That's it. That's why I did it. Because he defended me...

All her life, Rosa always liked to be independent. If she was capable of doing something on her own, then she would. And it always displeased her when someone, even Nate or Hugh, stood up for her if she was being victimized. Having others stand up for her made her feel useless, a feeling she always dreaded.

But when she considered it now, having someone defend her wasn't something to get angry about. When Hugh defended her that day in November, he was doing it to be nice—even if he didn't say it in the nicest way. It's not bad to have someone be there for you, she told herself. What's wrong with having someone care about you enough to defend you?

"I'm an idiot," she sobbed, muffled by her pillow. "I had something amazing with Hugh, and I just gave it up..."

And now I'm just sitting here, feeling sorry for myself. What a stupid, useless thing to do...

The tears stopped. Confidence replaced the guilt and sadness that welled inside her.

That's it.

Rosa sat upright in her bed, wiping her tears away with the sleeve of her pajama top. Tossing the covers away, she sprang out of bed, styling her long brown hair and throwing on a white tank top, black jeans, and a pair of light blue high-tops in less than five minutes. She then ran out the front door and into the chilly spring night.

She couldn't take the pain anymore. She had to fix her decision somehow.

Inhaling deeply, Rosa stared at the house that she knew all too well. When she rushed out her front door, she knew she wanted to fix things with Hugh. But now that she was at his house, she had no clue how she was going to do that.

All I have to do is apologize, she told herself. Just say, "I'm sorry about that night three months ago, when I broke up with you. I wish I could go back and undo what I did, but I can't. I hope you can forgive me." And then everything will be fine. She sighed. I swear, if we picked up where we left off, I would treat him so much better. I wouldn't do anything to hurt him again...

She stopped herself, slapping herself mentally for her overly-hopeful thoughts. Don't be ridiculous, she scolded herself. There's no way Hugh will take me back after what I did. I'm lucky if he even forgives me...

Realizing she had distracted herself, Rosa pushed her worries aside and focused on her main priority. Taking another breath to relax, she proceeded to the front door.

Here goes... She knocked on the door.

After a moment's wait, the door slowly opened. When it was open halfway, she saw Hugh standing inside. Their eyes met.

And then the door slammed shut. The zip of a padlock followed.

"Hugh!"

"Go away," she heard him say, his voice muffled due to the door between them.

"Hugh." Growing irritated, Rosa began to pound on the door. "Hugh! Hugh, could you please just—"

"I said go away, Rosa!" he yelled. A loud bang on the opposite side shook the door.

She froze, surprise and hurt replacing her frustration. For as long as they had known each other, Hugh had never shouted at her like that. So he really does hate me...

She stood in silence; she could still feel a presence on the other side of the door. She gulped, fighting back tears.

"Hugh." Her voice wavered. "I am so, so sorry for that night three months ago. I haven't stopped feeling guilty for what I did. I... I wish, more than anything, that I could go back in time and change it, b-but..." She trailed off, choking on her words. Tears streamed down her face now like rivers, trailing off her chin.

What's the use? she thought hopelessly. He hates me now...

Wiping away her tears, Rosa turned around, trudging away from the door. She had just reached the sidewalk when she heard the door of Hugh's house opening.

"Rosa," his gentle voice called.

She stopped in her tracks, listening to his footsteps on the concrete grow closer as he approached her from behind.

"Rosa," he repeated, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. And... I accept your apology."

Rosa rubbed away any stray tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. "It's okay. I understand."

"Can I ask you something?"

Slowly, she turned on her heel to face him. "What?"

"Why did you break up with me?"

"Honestly," she replied, sighing, "I don't know why I did it myself. But... I guess I felt useless. Like I had to rely on you to protect me."

Hugh nodded slowly, showing he understood. "You know, you could've just told me that..."

Guilt flooded through her once again. Tears sprang to her eyes, flowing down her cheeks. "I know."

Immediately, he threw his arms around her, hugging her close to him. She wrapped her arms around his torso, burying her face in his shoulder and soaking his black t-shirt. "Come on, don't cry," he whispered, stroking her brown hair. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" she sobbed. "You're not the one who did something wrong."

"I'm apologizing for making you cry. Now, can you please stop crying?" He pulled away to look at her face. Keeping one hand on her shoulder, he used his index finger on his other hand to brush a tear off of her cheek. She stared into his red eyes with surprise. "You know, Rosa, a smile suits you a lot better."

Rosa giggled, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

Hugh chuckled. "That's better."

A smile now plastered on her face, she wiped away the leftover tears in her eyes. "Thanks, Hugh."

"No problem. So, how about... how about we put all of this behind us and just pick up where we left off back in December?" He smiled, gazing into her blue eyes hopefully.

"I would love that."

He exhaled, as if he was holding his breath in anticipation. "Awesome." Closing his eyes, he then leaned forward, gently touching his lips to hers. She snaked her arms around his neck, closing her eyes as well.

When they pulled away from each other, she smiled. "I promise, Hugh, this time I won't do anything to hurt you again."

The End

A/N: This kind of broke my heart when I was writing it (and editing it, too), but at least it ended happily. :)

Thank you for reading, and please leave a review!

~Hayley

Note: Please refer to the notice on my profile before reviewing.