Hello my dear readers! I'm hoping that many of you squealed in joy when you got notice of this story :) It's taken me so long to put this up because of a few reasons. It's my senior year of high school, so things are busy with my personal life. Also, chapter one of Nevermore didn't have as impressive of an amount of views as I expected, so I'm trying to decide if I should even bother pursuing it and just write this instead. And I've been trying to figure out how to go about writing this without using song lyrics, because I don't want to deal with Critics United this time around. Unsurprisingly, "My Summer Away" still has not been removed from the site. I'm still nervous about that happening sometime soon though, because people who've had it happen to them told me it takes several months for anything to get deleted after it's reported. I'm hoping nothing happens though, because according to the stats I'm getting, people are still reading that story a lot, which is totally amazing, so thank you so much, guys! :)

Note: For those who may not know, I have to put an extra symbol into any swear words I use or my computer will turn them into all symbols. Sorry. I hate it just as much as you all probably do.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. I don't even own an iPod.

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Leaf jolted as her alarm clock went off, and she smacked her hand down on it aggressively. She blinked at the still unfamiliar sight that greeted her every morning. If she was home right now, today would be her first day back at school. She wasn't home though. Instead, she was living in a small country house in Kanto, hidden away from her parents and her friends. Tiredly, she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, landing them into her fuzzy green slippers. She stood up and grabbed her matching bath robe, tightly wrapping it around her slender frame so that she could head downstairs.

As she padded down the hallway, she thought about waking Gary up, but decided that he could have at least a few extra minutes of sleep while she made him some breakfast. They slept in separate rooms at the request of Professor Oak. Sometimes Leaf yearned to sleep in Gary's arms, but she was also grateful for the space between them at night.

Professor Oak was always an early riser, and he had already woken up and left for his lab next door even though it was only seven o'clock in the morning, so she didn't need to worry about preparing food for their host. She had barely even seen him since they arrived. He was always very busy at the lab it seemed.

Leaf had just finished pouring water into the coffee maker, when she saw that they were completely out of coffee. The empty container was sitting out on the counter, undoubtedly finished off by Professor Oak. For a few minutes, she just stood there and stared at it, mourning the absence of morning coffee which they desperately needed today. Finally, she moved on and began to prepare some eggs and bacon for herself and Gary.

"Good morning," Gary said as he walked into the kitchen. The words were slurred together in his drunken state of tiredness. "Coffee. Need coffee."

Leaf sighed heavily. "There isn't any. Your grandfather drank it all."

Gary pulled out a chair and plopped down into it before letting his forehead drop onto the table. The spikes of his hair were droopy after a night of sleep, and red lines were still printed into his face from his pillow.

"I can't even process that information," he moaned. Leaf opened the refrigerator and grabbed a can of Mountain Dew, setting it down in front of Gary.

"You can drink this," she said, "It has caffeine."

"Soda for breakfast... you're turning me into Ash," Gary said as he popped the can open and took a sip. Leaf ignored him and turned the bacon over while she scrambled the eggs at the same time. Some silence passed between them as she cooked and he drank his soda. Gary eyed her sleepily, a warm smile appearing on his face. "You look good in the morning, you know that? With your hair all disheveled and your eyes glazed over..."

Leaf tried not to blush as she put some bacon and eggs on a plate and set it down in front of him. She studied him for a moment.

"Can't say the same about you," she answered.

"Ooh, so cold," Gary teased. He turned in his chair and pulled her onto his lap, facing him. She leaned in for a soft kiss, which he eagerly reciprocated. She loved kissing him in the morning when his face was not yet shaven, and the tiny hairs pricked her skin and made her shiver. "You know," he said to her when they parted, "I'd love to see what's under that bathrobe, but you're so cold this morning I think you'd better keep it on."

Leaf slapped him hard. "You wouldn't be seeing anything either way," she huffed, springing off of his lap and retrieving her own plate of food while it was still hot.

"Good news, Leafy. I'm wide awake now."

"Eat your eggs, Gary." Leaf wasn't really angry at him. All girls liked to be desired. But Leaf knew better than to let Gary get too carried away. They may be a couple, and they may have known each other for several months now, but no way in h*ell was she ready for anything serious. They had enough to focus on already anyways.

"We're supposed to meet Anita at noon in Vermillion City. Our bus leaves at nine," Leaf said. She'd called up Anita as soon as they'd arrived in Pallet Town three weeks ago, and the appointment had been set. The Pokemusic agent had been so thrilled when Leaf called her, which had been reassuring for the both of them. Anita must really believe in them to have sounded so breathless on the Pokegear.

"Right. And I need to bring my guitar," Gary said.

"Right. Are you nervous?"

"Aren't you?"

Leaf didn't answer for a moment. "You're sure we're doing the right thing?"

Gary slammed his hand down on the table.

"D*amn it, Leaf! We made this decision together! I asked you if you were sure you wanted to come with me, and you decided that you would! I wish you would stop being so hesitant and just give this thing your all, because in case you haven't noticed, it's a little too late to turn back now!"

"I know that, Gary! If you think I don't want this just as much as you do, then you're wrong! I just miss everyone, okay?" Silence followed Leaf's words. The two of them hadn't spoken about missing their friends ever since they got on the train. In fact, Gary's earlier comment about her turning him into Ash had been the first time they'd spoken of their friends at all. Even though they had their friends' numbers, they hadn't called any of them to let them know where they were, and they couldn't call Gary and Leaf because they'd ditched their old Pokegears back in Undella Town and activated new ones with new numbers in Pallet Town.

Gary stood up and went over to Leaf, bending down and hugging her from behind her chair. She leaned her cheek into his neck as a single tear slipped down her face.

"I miss them too," Gary said. "It's hard, knowing that we're scaring them and our parents. Soon, Leaf. We'll be able to call them soon. Once we have a deal with the recording company, we'll be safe from our parents' control. There'll be security. We'll be traveling constantly, and we'll be able to call Misty and Ash and the others. It's not much longer now."

Leaf sighed a deep sigh.

"Okay," she said.

"Good. We have to get ready to leave now. There's a lot to do."

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"Pink, or blue?" Dawn asked into her Pokegear. "Dressy, or casual?" She was standing in her bedroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror as she held up two different outfits. One was a pink short-sleeved hoodie and jean shorts. The other was a light blue button-up blouse and a black skirt. She had woken up early to do her hair and makeup, knowing how important it was to look absolutely spectacular on the first day of school.

"Umm... Blue. And casual," the voice on the other end answered. Dawn groaned in frustration. That didn't help her. The pink outfit was casual and the blue one was dressy.

"Paul, you suck at this," she whined, starting to put the blue blouse on and stepping into her skirt.

"Well why are you asking me questions like this anyway!?" Paul shouted defiantly.

"I don't know! I just want to look good! I'm a senior now, so I need to step it up this year! I could be the cheer leading captain this year!"

"And the way you dress affects that?"

"Of course it does, Paul! Don't you know anything?"

"Dawn, I really don't have time for this." Dawn pouted at his words. "Dawn, I can feel that pout through the Pokegear. Stop pouting. You know I can't stand it when you do that. Stop it!"

"Then stop being so Paul-ish!"

"What does that even mean!?"

"How am I supposed to know?" She heard Paul let out a low moan of frustration.

"Listen Dawn, I think you look great no matter what you wear."

"Aw, thanks, Paul!"

"I really have to go now."

"I know. Love you!"

"Love you too." They made kissy noises into the phone before they hung up. Dawn smiled and then bounced down the stairs gleefully. She loved to annoy Paul. That certainly hadn't changed since they'd started dating.

"Morning, honey," her mom greeted her as she came into the kitchen. "Do you want some pancakes?"

"No time," Dawn said, grabbing a banana and unpeeling it. Her father sat at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper. He looked up briefly and lowered his glasses down his nose as his eyes darted from her face to her skirt. He settled on her face, giving her a questioning stare.

"I wish you wouldn't dress like that," he said. "You're such a nice girl, Dawn. Why do you want to look like some old man's chippy?"

Dawn tugged at her skirt self-consciously. "Daddy, we talked about this. We've talked about it every year since seventh grade. Everyone dresses this way, and if I want to be captain of the cheerleading squad then I need to look especially pretty this year."

"You mean sexy," he corrected her.

"Well... yes," she admitted, pouring a quick glass of milk for herself. "I could dress a lot worse than this you know. At least my shirt is buttoned up. However, I promise to tone it down once try-outs are over and the cheerleading captain has been chosen."

Dawn's father sighed and let a tired smile form on his face. He was a handsome man, his age only showing a little bit in his gray hairs and microscopic wrinkles around the eyes.

"Okay, sweetie. I know you're growing up. I just don't like it. Come here." Dawn leaned down to give him a gigantic hug and he kissed her cheek. "Have a good day at school, baby."

Dawn still hadn't told him about Samantha, and she didn't know how to. How do you tell your father that you met your half sister that he doesn't even know exists? What was she supposed to do, wake up one morning and say, "Morning Dad! By the way, your ex-wife was pregnant when you divorced her and she had your baby anyway." She had no idea what she was supposed to do. He deserved to know, but it had to be the right time to tell him.

"Thanks, Daddy!" she beamed before grabbing her pink bag and heading out to her car. Dawn drove a small, black, two door car that her parents had bought for her. It wasn't a rich kid car, but it was better than what a lot of the other kids had. As she opened the driver's seat door, a car horn startled her from out on the road.

"Hey Dawn! Can I drive you to school today?" It was Kenny.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Dawn said, biting her bottom lip nervously.

"Please? I just want to talk," he said. Dawn thought about it for another second, then against her better judgment, she went ahead and trotted around the side of Kenny's car and got in with him. She was silent as they pulled away and she buckled her seatbelt awkwardly.

"Are you still dating the Paul guy?" Kenny asked.

"Kenny, I've only been dating him for like three weeks. I don't break up with people that fast."

"Right. You string them along for month after month while you're out seeing someone else on the side," he said coldly.

"Stop the car. I'll walk."

"No, Dawn. You're going to listen to me whether you want to or not."

Dawn scowled at the windshield. She understood that Kenny was hurting from their breakup, but he was being rude and she didn't want to be harassed for the decision she had made. She didn't have a choice though, and maybe if she let him vent he would finally leave her alone for at least a week or two.

"I trusted you, Dawn. I didn't want you to go away for the summer, but I kept telling myself that when you came back we would still be okay. That things would be better than ever. Every single day I thought about you, and how much I wanted to be with you but couldn't. And even when you told me about how Paul kissed you and then you became friends with him, I didn't think for one second that you would end up falling for him. I trusted you so much that it didn't even concern me. And then next thing I knew, you were home and you shattered my heart into pieces. You cheated on me. I never thought that you would cheat on me. Even when I imagined the possibility of a breakup, I didn't think it would involve you cheating on me. And now I'll have to see you every day and know that you prefer someone who you can't even be around all year. Look at you. You're so beautiful, and I felt so lucky to have you. I loved you. I still do."

Dawn winced at his last three words. Those were words that she didn't want to hear. Words she didn't want to feel guilty about.

"I'm sorry, Kenny. I loved you too. And I know that it was wrong of me to cheat on you, but I just didn't know how to tell you, and it all happened so suddenly. But now I love Paul, and that decision is final. I wish it all could've happened a different way. I wish that you could stop having feelings for me, but I know there's nothing I can do to change that right now. I won't be changing my mind. I suggest that you don't bother trying to make that happen."

Every word felt like an ice cube rising from her throat and onto her tongue, but she knew there was no way to deliver the message without being cold and causing pain for him. The school was in sight now. Only a few more minutes until she could get away from him.

Kenny kept his eyes on the road as he slowed down and turned into the school's parking lot.

"It's not going to last," he said.

"What?" Dawn asked.

"You're long distance relationship. Those never work out. He'll run out of romantic things to say to you. And without any physical elements, your feelings for him will fade. And then you'll be sorry you left me." Kenny pulled into a parking space and shut off the car. The two of them sat in silence for a moment before Dawn spoke.

"You're wrong, Kenny. Paul and I love each other, and we're not just going to let our relationship die out over time. It's true that we might break up one day, but one thing's for sure," she looked at him from the passenger seat, "it won't be because Paul ran out of romantic things to say. That barrel was empty to begin with." Dawn unbuckled her seatbelt and exited the car, leaving him behind. If she had to deal with Kenny's broken heart all year, then her senior year was going to be even longer than she already anticipated.

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Drew sat in study hall, bored out of his mind. Paul sat next to him, listening to music on his iPod and scribbling something on a piece of paper. They weren't supposed to use their electronics in study hall, but Paul was never one to play by the rules. Being their senior year, the two boys had opted to take study hall instead of some lame elective class. Ash, on the other hand, had chosen to take Child Psychology. He'd signed up for it thinking it would be an easy A that would look good on his grade card. Later, he'd found out that it was the class where you have to take the electronic baby home for a weekend. At that point it was too late to drop the class, and now he was dreading his inevitable fate. Drew found the whole situation hysterical.

Suddenly, Drew's Pokegear vibrated and he tensed up. He glanced at the study hall teacher, then breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that she hadn't heard it. He switched his Pokegear to completely silent and then checked his messages. It was May. His smile quickly turned into a frown as he read the message's content.

I have a class with him.

"Him" could only be one person. Brendan Birch. Drew's blood boiled at the thought of the person he'd never met, but knew a lot about. He responded to May.

It'll be okay. Do you sit near him?

He waited for her to message him back, keeping his eye on the teacher.

No. He's on the other side of the room, but I can't even focus on anything but him.

That was bad news. May already struggled to get grades acceptable enough for her parents.

Can you get your schedule changed?

If May could change her schedule, everything would be okay. She could rearrange the order of her classes so that she wouldn't be in there with him.

No. It's too late. And even if I could change my class schedule, I would probably just end up in a different class with him. Most seniors take the same set of classes.

Drew's heart sank. There was no solution that he could give to her. May would have to spend all year having a class with Brendan, and if she failed that class, it would mean big trouble.

Try to be brave, baby. I know you're scared, and I wish I could be there to protect you. But May, he's not going to hurt you again. Never. No one's ever going to hurt you again. Try to focus. There has to be some solution that we aren't thinking of. And if he tries anything, just remember how you punched Abby in the face this summer and do the same thing to him, except go for his balls.

Drew bit his lower lip. He hated that he wasn't able to be with May and reassure her. She'd come so far this summer and her friends had agreed that she was returning to her normal self, but now she might begin to backslide again if she had a class with Brendan. He couldn't bear to watch that happen.

"Drew and Paul!" the study hall teacher called. Drew jumped a little. She'd caught them using their electronics! When he looked up though, he noticed that the principal had entered the study hall. "Please go with Mr. Searls," the study hall teacher said. Drew breathed a sigh of relief. They hadn't been caught after all. He and Paul got up and followed the principle out of study hall. Paul didn't even bother to take his ear-buds out, and their teacher glared at the both of them as they walked past. Drew groaned inwardly. Now she'd be keeping a closer eye on them the rest of the year. Thanks a lot, Paul.

Ash was already in the office when they walked in.

"That Child Psychology class is full of girls! I'm the only guy in there!" he complained in a whisper.

"If you think I'm going to switch to that class, you're nuts," Drew hissed. Paul grunted in agreement.

"Ahem," Mr. Searls cleared his throat. They all immediately gave him their undivided attention.

"I suppose you all know that I called you down here to talk about the disappearance of Gary Oak. There still hasn't been any new information added to the case. All of his family members have been contacted, and none of seem to know anything about where he may have gone. I know all of you have been questioned by the police and the detectives and Gary's parents enough already these past few weeks, but it's my job to ask you one more time that you're very sure you know nothing about where he and the girl went?"

"No, sir," Drew answered. "All he told us is that they were going to start a band and become famous. Whether that will actually happen or not we don't know, but they did get an agent who believed they have talent, so it's possible."

Principal Searls shook his head. "Such a smart, talented boy. I can't believe he ran off to pursue something as short-lived as a musical career."

The three boys remained silent. They were all thinking about how much they wished they were anywhere else right now.

"Listen. If Gary contacts any of you in any way, you must tell me immediately."

"Yes, sir," all three boys answered.

"You may go back to class now, boys," the principal said dismissively. He began muttering to himself about how the school was finally going to graduate someone with promise for success and he blew it.

Once all three of them had exited his office, they stood in the hallway and exchanged glances.

"Whoever Gary contacts first... we don't say a thing," Paul said in a tone that didn't leave room for any arguments.

"I agree," Drew said.

"Yeah..." Ash said. "I know we were all mad at him at first, but... I think we owe it to him to help him out. This is what Gary wants. And... I believe in him. I think he and Leaf will be just fine."

"All these people who keep questioning us - they don't care about Gary," Paul said. "His parents just want their golden child back, the police want to get the job over with as soon as possible so that they don't have to work on the case anymore, and our principal just wants Gary back because his GPA made the school look good."

"Seems like the only person thinking about Gary is Gary," Ash confirmed.

"So it's settled then?" Drew asked, looking at both Paul and Ash. They both nodded. "Okay then... Gary's going to owe us big time when all of this is over."

"Agreed," Paul grunted.

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And there's the first chapter! I have some great ideas about where to go with this story, so I'm really excited guys.

I hope to see lots of my old reviewers again, and if you're new then that's totally awesome too! Feel free to ask questions, leave predictions, criticism, snarky comments, whatever have you in a review :) Thanks so much, guys!