So I think one thing we've gotten out of the way is that I'm an awful person and I deserve to burn in FanFiction hell for making you guys wait so long. I can't apologize enough. Honestly, I think I've mentioned this before but I struggle with staying interested in my stories which is why writer's block knock on my door more often than I'd like it to.

I really would like to thank those of you who have stuck with Learn for this long and I hope you continue to support me as I try to make it through my first story. It is a little rough (okay, a lot rough) in places, but I will hopefully be able to craft it into something decent eventually.

And, again, I really appreciate the constructive criticism I've been getting. Most of you are super polite and helpful when it comes to reviewing which is hella awesome and I'm sending you virtual cookies to the max for all your help. Sorry if this chapter is rough, but I hope you still enjoy!

Stepping outside wasn't normally a struggle for Dawn Berlitz, but today seemed to be an exception. The only word to describe it was bright. Obnoxiously bright.

And coming from her, that was saying something. The previous night had really taken a toll on her energy.

She adjusted her knit black sweater dress and gray infinity scarf in the rearview mirror of the car before stopping the engine and throwing the keys into her purse. No sooner had she cracked the door open than her leg practically froze into an ice block.

"Dammit, why does it have to be so cold?" she whined, shutting the car door behind her and making a dash towards the studio, weaving in between cars in the packed parking lot. She was walking so quickly she almost didn't notice the person walking out of the building.

"In a hurry?"

Dawn slowed down and looked up at the guy. Her eyes widened.

"Calem?"

Her ex-boyfriend. Also the only person she had ever dated for more than a month. Formerly known as her dance studio's number one prodigy.

"It's been a while Dawn," he shot her a smile, "How've you been princess?"

"Hey, it's nice to see you." Dawn gave him a smile and a quick hug. "How are things going in Unova?"

"Busy. I've been performing here and there so I haven't had time to actually sightsee, but it's a nice place." Calem looked down at her outfit. "You look nice. Going anywhere special?"

"I'm actually on my way to help set up a junior division competition. One of my students is performing." Dawn paused and suddenly clapped her hands together excitedly. "If you have time, you should come watch! She's the cutest little seven year old on Earth and she's a huge fan of yours."

"I would love to but," he ran a hand through his dark brown hair and frowned, "I'm supposed to be at a photoshoot right now. I was thinking of ditching but my manager called and he isn't very happy."

"You really haven't changed," Dawn laughed, "For someone so talented, you're about as motivated as a sloth."

Calem put a hand to his heart and feigned a look of hurt.

"I'm offended on behalf of all my fellow sloths on this planet. You should apologize."

"I also forgot you're a total clown," she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and smiled, "If you're here for a while, I guess I'll see you around town?"

"Yeah, actually, we should go out for dinner sometime. For old times' sake."

"That sounds great! Text me, and we'll figure something out," Dawn started walking into the building and waved over her shoulder, "Nice seeing you Calem!"

"You too Dawn," she heard him say as the doors slid shut. She glanced at a decorative mirror hung on the wall as she passed and winced at her windblown hair and flushed cheeks.

She tried her best to smooth her hair out as she walked and gave up on her borderline tomato red cheeks. She had the awful cold weather to thank for that.

She passed through a set of double doors and walked down a tiled hallway with several trophy cases lined down the sides. It was Lace Studios' equivalent of a "Hall of Fame." Some of her own trophies were showcased there along with a few pictures of her as a child holding giant medals too big for her body. Dawn ran her fingers over a picture of her as a smiling five year old holding her first medal proudly with her parents standing next to her, all prim and proper. They looked about as excited as dry toast.

Nothing unusual for them though.

She remembered that competition clearly. She had had a minor slip up which the judges had not accounted for but her parents, ever the hawks, certainly had. To them anything short of perfection was not even worth scoffing at, let alone exciting.

She shook her head vigorously, willing the dread that was creeping its way into her thoughts away. Her parents would be here tonight and she prayed to whatever celestial being watching over her that they wouldn't talk to her student, Aya's, parents. Last time they talked to the family of one of her students, their bitter words wrapped in sweet decoration convinced the parents to switch the girl to a "better" instructor. Likely so Dawn would have more time for her own practice.

The blunette would seriously smack them in the face with her leotard (the studded one) if they even tried with Aya.

"Miss Dawn!" A little ball of energy tackled Dawn to the ground the second she entered the practice room.

"Woah there girl, you're gonna break everything before you even start competing," Dawn sat up and looked the purple-haired little girl in the eye with a smile, "Are you ready for tonight?"

"Yeah! Oh, but Miss Dawn guess what? Guess what, guess what, guess what!" She hopped up and down as Dawn stood and smoothed out her clothes.

"Let me guess, you tore another tutu?"

"No!" Aya pouted, "I don't do that anymore, remember? I'm a big girl."

"Well if it's not that, what could it be? Did you lose your leotard?"

"No! Gosh Miss Dawn, you're terrible at guessing aren't you?" Aya giggled and then stopped in front of the blunette, "My cousin brought me here! He doesn't really like ballet but he came to watch me. He's really big! Bigger than you."

"Bigger than me?" Dawn exclaimed with a dramatic gasp, "Now how is that even possible?"

"I know, but he is!" Aya spoke animatedly, her eyes wide, "I pinky promise!" She held out her small pinky in front of Dawn and the teen crouched down and held out her own.

"I'll have to believe you if you pinky promise. Is he staying to see you?"

"Yep!" Aya nodded excitedly and then smiled widely, "If I win, he says he's going to buy me a big ice cream cone with lots of sprinkles."

"Wow, that's really nice of him," Dawn glanced at the clock and then focused back on Aya, "Tell you what. If you land your sissone well tonight, I'll go with you to the ice cream store and we can all have fun together."

"Really?" Her eyes went wide.

"Of course! Now go finish warming up and I'll see you inside, okay?"

Aya nodded quickly and then ran off to the bar in the practice room where a couple of girls were practicing.

Dawn stood up from her crouched position and walked out of the practice room and towards the hall where the competition was being held. Her job was to set up the scoring sheets in performance order at the judges' table and then to arrange programs at the entrance table. As she walked in she was surprised to see the hall already teeming with families carrying large cameras and fluttering around nervously. She quickly scanned the room and when she saw no sign of her parents, she let out a huge breath. If she was lucky, they wouldn't show up at all.

She headed to the back of the hall and slipped behind a velvet curtain to a room with all the awards and the necessary papers. She picked up the stack of scoring sheets and was about to turn and leave the room when a deep voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Troublesome."

Dawn shrieked and the papers in her hands dropped to the floor and scattered. She turned around quickly, ready to ostracize whoever was stupid enough to-

Her breath caught.

Standing in front of her was Paul Shinji. In a suit. She desperately tried not to think about how good he looked in it.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, tearing her eyes away from his body and to his face.

"The restroom," he answered simply.

A moment passed and his words registered in Dawn's mind.

"Um, no, I mean what are you doing here. As in at Lace Studios. In this hall," she cleared her throat, trying her best to sound chipper as usual, "Also, bathroom is on the other side of the room. Maybe you need glasses." She muttered the last part as she knelt down and started to gather the fallen papers. He could not see her this affected.

His eyebrow twitched. He knelt down as well to pick the few papers that had fluttered over to him.

"I'm here to see someone. Also, you need more signs in this place."

"Oh, you have a relative performing?"

Paul answered with a grunt and Dawn rolled her eyes.

"Wow. So articulate."

"I'm surprised you know that word, Troublesome." He walked over to her as she stood and handed her the stack of scoring sheets he had picked up.

"And yet, somehow, you are so very articulate when insulting me. I'm flattered, really," she stated sarcastically, moving past him to exit the room. She had work to do.

"Wait."

His words stopped her and she threw him a glance over her shoulder.

"What is it?"

He walked towards Dawn leisurely and bent a little when he reached her. He reached his hand out and smoothed her hair down gently and her eyes instinctively closed. She felt a weight just above her ear and heard a snap.

Her heart nearly stopped. What was he doing?

"Your hair was messy," he stated simply, before moving past her and out of the room.

Her eyes snapped open and she looked after him shocked.

"No it was no-" she called out in protest as her hand went to her hair and her fingers came in contact with something hard. She tugged and held the item in her hand.

It was a bright yellow, plastic hair clip. The kind she had been obsessed with in middle school.

"What the hell?"

Even as the words came out of her mouth, she couldn't help the stupid grin on her face.

It so didn't go with her outfit. But somehow, as she slid it back into her hair, she found that she really didn't care.

May found herself at the doors of the large hospital before she could even think it over. With Dawn away at a ballet competition, Leaf painting in the basement, and Misty out on one of her infamous three-hour jogs, she decided it was high time she stopped moping around and putting off the inevitable. Especially considering the fact that her family, as much as they despised her, still made sure to let her know. She had gotten the phone call just under two months ago.

'I know it may not be in my place to say this, miss, but seeing as Mr. and Mrs. Maple thought to notify you, it would be good to respect their will.'

With those words, the maid had hung up, leaving May feeling a mixture of distraught and terrified. Needless to say, she hadn't gotten much sleep that night.

The brunette walked slowly through the sliding doors and suppressed the memories that threatened to rush in and fill her thoughts. Another panic attack was the last thing she needed.

"Can I help you?" a kind looking nurse at the front desk asked, her eyes smiling. May returned the smile with a small one of her own.

"I'm here to see someone," she began, voice shaking ever so slightly, "Cecilia Maple."

"Of course, I'll let her know. What was your name dear?"

"May Maple," she began before noting the look of surprise that crossed the nurse's face.

"Oh my, you couldn't be," the nurse trailed off and then stood up abruptly, bowing slightly, "I'm so sorry Miss Maple. I didn't even recognize you. It's been a few years since we've seen you at the hospital."

May's cheeks flushed and she cast her eyes downward. This was the part she had been dreading the most, the part where everyone in the hospital would kick up a fuss about her visit. She was still, after all, the daughter of the owner to everyone else's eyes. That fact her parents would never be able to erase, no matter how much they wanted to.

"It's alright. I don't drop by often." May smiled softly at the now frazzled nurse who was scrambling out from behind her desk, calling for someone else to take her place.

"I can take you up right now, Miss. She's on the top floor."

"Thank you so much, but it's alright. If you tell me which room it is I can find my way up there."

After another five minutes of assuring the nurse that she would be fine on her own, May was in the elevator on her way to the top floor. She tried hard not to pay attention to the elegant finish the elevator had. It was overly extravagant, looking more like it belonged in a five star hotel, and she had no doubt her mother had been behind the design. After all, Caroline Maple had always been a stickler for aesthetics.

The steel doors dinged open and May stepped out into the hall. The room was easy enough to find, as it was at the very end of the hall and if the seclusion didn't give away the superior quality of the room, the words "VIP Suite" emblazoned in gold on the door certainly did. Before the brunette could talk herself out of it she gave the oak wood door a few soft knocks.

Almost immediately, a familiar voice called out.

"Come in."

May pushed the door open slowly and allowed herself into the room. Again, she noted that the room was most likely her mother's work. Gold curtains framed a large window looking over the city. Currently, sun filtered into the room, casting a pretty glow over the stark white furniture, yes furniture, and giving the place less of a hospital feel and more of, again, a hotel room. In fact, if it wasn't for the equipment and the hospital bed, it could have easily passed for one.

"So you've finally decided to come and see me," a hoarse voice called to her.

May tore her eyes off of the room and forced herself to look at the corner.

"Hi grandma," she said softly.

"May," a voice from next to the bed murmured just as softly. It took May a while to register that her grandmother hadn't spoken and that someone else was in the room. She blinked and slowly looked up, eyes widening as she took in the tall figure and familiar chartreuse colored hair.

"What are you-" May began, only to be interrupted by Cecilia.

"Drew's been coming by almost every day," she stated calmly, pushing a strand of graying hair out of her eyes. She took in May's dumbstruck form and pinned her with a questioning look. "Well what are you waiting for? Sit down. You too, Drew."

May reluctantly took a seat in a basket-weave chair with plush, beige pillows. It was no use arguing with Grandmother Cecilia. Even bedridden, she made it clear her commands were not to be taken lightly.

Drew, however, was still rooted in his spot next to the bed. May looked up to his face and found him staring right at her. She quickly looked away.

"Well? Are you just going to stand there and block the sunlight?" Cecilia asked, leaning over to place the china teacup that was in her hand on the table next to her. She coughed a couple of times. After a few more moments of staying frozen in place, Drew finally moved to take a seat.

Much to May's dismay, he took the seat right next to her. She desperately tried not to flinch away.

"How long has it been, Maybelle? Three years?"

"Almost three years," May swallowed, "How have you been?"

"I've been better. My years of smoking as a young woman have finally caught up to me, it seems." Cecilia attempted to laugh, only to fall into another round of painful coughing. "I'm surprised you actually came to visit me. I was afraid I wouldn't get to see my granddaughter's face again."

May looked down guiltily and didn't reply. She didn't know how.

"You two are quieter than you used to be," Cecilia finally said, her hoarse voice filling in the silence that had once again blanketed the room. May met her eyes and was surprised to see a small smile on the aging woman's lips as she lifted the teacup back to her mouth. "You used to make such a ruckus back in the day."

"I think you made more ruckus than we did," Drew said with a warm smile that May caught from the side of her eye.

"I sure gave the other grandmothers at Friday brunch heart attacks, didn't I?"

"I miss seeing that."

It took a second for May to realize that those words had come out of her own mouth. Her grandmother's eyes softened.

"Did you know, May, that I have a secret admirer? They send me flowers almost every week," Cecilia took a long sip of tea and cleared her throat, "Hydrangeas and white roses. My favorites. Makes me wonder why they never come in to say hi."

The brunette stiffened and she could feel Drew's eyes on her.

"That's good for you, grandma."

"Yes it is good, isn't it? But it's also sad. Maybe I had scared this person into not wanting to see me directly."

"Grandma, what-"

"I thought about it a lot and I realized," Cecilia continued, ignoring May, "This person isn't scared of me. They're scared of themselves for something that happened a long, long time ago. And that, I think, is unbecoming of them, wouldn't you agree?"

May stood up shakily, feeling the force of the oncoming panic attack. This had been a bad idea. She had to leave.

"I'm sorry, I have to go," the brunette said in a hoarse voice before quickly walking out of the room and towards the elevators. She had anticipated this conversation but having it in front of Drew was not something she would ever be ready for. After all, he had made it quite clear in the past that he felt the same way she did.

The same way everyone did.

Just as May rounded the corner to the elevator lobby, a hand grabbed her wrist and stopped her from going further. She tried to wrench her arm free, but to no avail.

"Drew, let me go," she said as calmly as she could.

"No, you're not getting out of this one," Drew turned her around so they were face to face and deep blue met emerald, "You pushed me away last night but today, we're going to talk. What was all that about?"

"We're in a hospital," she glared at him, her patience snapping, "You're making a scene. Also, I made it pretty clear last night that we have nothing to talk about."

She saw him look around at the nearby nurses who were already starting to stare, most likely getting ready to gently kick them out for causing so much noise.

He sighed and let go of her wrist.

"Fine. But I'm getting my keys from Cecilia's room and then I'm driving you back to the dorm."

"I drove here. Sorry," May lied and pushed the button for the elevator to open.

"You've always been an awful liar, November."

May's jaw dropped at the childish nickname and she turned to see a slight smirk on his stupidly handsome face.

"What are you, five?" she accused, stepping into the elevator as the door opened. He stood in the way so the doors wouldn't close and May gave him another withering glare that seemed to do absolutely nothing.

"Maybe. But if I'm five, you're three at best. Also," his eyes narrowed, "You didn't answer the question."

"Drew, please, just leave it alone. Thank you for coming by to take care of Grandma Cecilia, but you don't have to anymore, I'll be by when I can," May took a breath, "So let's just go back to ignoring each other like we have for the past three years. It's worked pretty well for me and I'm sure it has for you as well."

A few seconds of silence passed before Drew finally stepped back. May relaxed slightly. The doors were sliding shut when May looked up and saw Drew staring at her intently.

Even as she walked out of the building and towards the bus stop a few minutes after, she couldn't forget that look. Drew had always gotten what he wanted out of people and knowing he wanted something from her put her at unease.

She had a bad feeling things were going to get very complicated.

There it is! Sorry about any spelling or grammar mistakes, I didn't really have a chance to proofread this well enough because I've been drowning in summer assignments. I'm also planning on going back through the old chapters and kind of changing some things around to make the writing smoother and more consistent with recent chapters so if you get any notifications from this story regarding previous chapters in the next month or so, that's probably why. There won't be any major plot changes but I figured I might as well make life easier for any future readers. Well, I hope you enjoyed, and until next time,

Ciao,

Snow