Friendships

Ami handed the three bottles to Kate and climbed into the hot tub.
"So... What have you been up to on your trip?" She asked Kate.
Just as Kate was about to answer her pokenav began ringing.
"Just a sec', Ami."
Ami watched as kate climbed out and wrapped herself in a towel, before walking into their room.

A few minutes passed before Ami decided to get out of the tub and see what was keeping Kate.
She got out of the water and put on a robe.
She then walked into their room and found Kate sitting on the bed, looking quite sad.
"What's the matter Kate?" Ami asked her.
"Nicky broke up with me!" She began to cry a little.
"Boys are so stupid!"
"yea, but that doesn't explain why Nicky..."
"Broke up with you." She finished Kate's sentence.
Never seeing Kate like this before, Ami did what Kate had always done to her when she felt bad.
She hugged her "Shhh. It will be okay. Don't worry, I'm here. It'll be okay..."


"Kate. Wake up. Hey Kate."
"Uhhn. Few more..."
"Kate get up now!"
"Fiiinne. I'm up."
Kate sat up in the bed and looked at her friend.
"what did you want?"
"Nurse Joy called and said that we can pick up our pokemon anytime today."
"Any time today?"
"Yes."
"point taken. I'm going back to bed."
"Buuuttt Kaaate!"
"Okay, okay. Fine I'll get up."

ONE HOUR LATER

"Thank you very much Joy."
"You're welcome girls, see you later."

They started walking to the door when it opened.
"Oh shit!" Kate said before she dove into an empty booth.
"Huh? Kate..." Kate pulled Ami into the booth.
"It's Nicky! When I got the call I didn't know they were in town!"
"You mean Nicky as in the one that broke up with you."
Kate looked at her flatly.
"Well I'm going to go tell him a thing or two!"
"No! Ami Wait!"

Ami marched right up to the well built man and the perky redhead that was with him.
"Hey Nicky!" She poked him in the chest. "So your the scum that hurt my friend huh?
You know she was in love with you, you know that right! If I wasn't in a public place I'd hit you!
So why did you leave Kate?!"

"Who's Kate?" He asked
"Don't play dumb with..."
She was stopped with a hand on her shoulder.
"Ami. That isn't Nicky."
"Then who's Nicky?"
"I am." Said the redhead.
"And I'm Ted." said the big guy.

"Listen Nicky... I'm sorry for my friend, Normally I'm the one with the temper,
she was just trying to look after me like I do her." She yawned.
"I am sorry for not talking to you myself, but I didn't think I could do it.
I stayed up all night last night, thinking about everything, and I began to see...
well, that you needed someone who was there for you all of the time."
Ami just stared at Kate.
"And I'm glad to see you, and I am glad to meet you, Ted."

"Nice to meet you." He smiled.

"Can we still be friends? Nicky."
"Yes. We can."

The two hugged and parted ways.
Nicky going with Ted, and Kate pulling Ami out the door.


When the two girls got ot of the door Ami seemed to snap out of her state.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" She screamed, pushing Kate against the wall.
Kate's face filled with pain and Ami's face turned to one of horror.
Ami tunred and began running.
"Ami..." She called softly.
Kate had lost few friends because of this, but never did she think that it would cost her her best friend.


Kate watched her friend running away from her untill Ami turned the corner.
Kate sighed and headed for the inn. As she walked she suddenly noticed that everyone was
looking at her, of course, this was all in her head.
Only several people knew of her preferences. Her mom had been supportive,
against it, but at least supportive at first. She now accepted it in full.
Stan, from the motel, had known since the day that Kate had brought in Nicky.
He even gave them a special on the room because his older son Matt was... gay.
Of course, Nicky. Nicky knew... although Nicky was bi, so she had a choice. A girl
who ws hardly there or a guy with love and time. Nicky's boyfriend Ted now knew but seemed not to mind...
... Typical macho man.
Ami's cousin Cable who found out accidentaly. He walked in on her and a girl at her birthday party.
Cable smiled and closed the door. with a little coaxing of course.
Finally there was Nurse Joy and her girlfriend Sara. They had been the ones to support
Kate when she had first come out. They were also the reason why she hung out near Mauville, Kate liked
to have someone she could talk too without getting treated funny.

With all of the thinking Kate hadn't noticed that she was now standing in front of the inn.
She hesitently pushed the door open and peeked inside. No sign of Ami. She walked in, as always,
Steve walked into the room as well.
"How do you do that?" she comented.
"I've got a motion detector on the door, it turns on a light in the next room.
It even gives off a slight ding."
"Is Ami here?"
"No. She hasn't been in."
"Well, I'm going to leave some money for her with you."
"Oh, Why."
"I just have to go."
Kate pulled out her money bag and counted out about three thousand and handed it to him.
"Want me to get your bags?"
"That's okay. I'll get them."


Ami was walking about the town. She had no idea where she was or why everything had become so suspicious.
Everyone seemed to be glaring at her for treating Kate the way she had.
'Why did I panic?' She thought 'She is still the same old kate that I grew up with.
Brave. careing. Not afraid to stick up for herself or another. Afraid to face certain things.
If I had just listened to her instead of trying to be like her... Nothing would have changed.
I actually saw hurt... I... hurt... her!?!
But she could have told me. Maybe she was afraid of this?'
Ami's head spun with the thoughts repeating themselves and adding more as she continued to walk.

Somehow Ami found herself back at the pokecenter, from there she walked to the inn, to the room and to her bed.
She lay down and fell into a nightmare.

Suddenly she saw Kate in movies like the ones her cousin Cable had under his bed.
She had seen the covers once while trying to find a pencil that she had dropped while doing homework.

Magazine covers and internet pictures she had come across in the past now included Kate in some sort of
sexual position with some bimbo or bondage queen. Each vision got more explict as her dream continued.
A voice, Kates voice suddenly started speaking to her.
"You did this to me! You drove me to this!
If you would have just listened to me, I wouldn't be selling my body to these girls looking for
acceptance and just becomeing empty with every
low paying director oogling me and every sleaze ball knowing me on the street!"
This continued untill Ami woke. She looked at the clock and began crying, Kate wasn't comeing back...
and she needed time alone, to think of why she had been so cold to her friend.


Kate sat a table of a secluded cafe that she had found on one of her roaming trips around the city.
She liked the place because it was quiet and there was never a large crowd, even the majority of
the locals didn't know the place existed. Just as she did with Steve, she befriended the owner of this place and
got to know her quite well, and like Steve, Carla would let her get away with almost anything.
"Here is your pizza, Kate." Came a voice that held concern. It was Carla with her order.
"Thank you, Ma'am." Kate smiled briefly then closed her eyes again.
"Are you feeling alright dear? I mean, I havent seen you like this... I've never seen you like this."

"Last night my girlfriend called and said she was leaving me. I saw her earlier and she was with her boyfriend."
Carla's eyes widened a little as she listened to kate speak.
"To make matters worse, my best friend since I was a little girl freaked when she found out about my preferences."
She wiped a few tears from her eyes. "I didn't want her to find out this way. I wanted time to do it myself."
"Why didn't you?"
"I remember telling my mom. She didn't talk to me for a month. I didn't want to go through that again!
I just need a place to think."
"Tell you what, you can stay here in the room above the restraunt untill you're ready." Carla smiled warmly.
"I can?" Kate asked in a shy manner.
"Yes, now eat something." Carla handed the keys to kate. "Lock up if you go out."
"okay. Goodnight."
Carla waved as she strolled away.


Hours had passed since the sad happenings and dawn had arrived. Kate was now at the cafe table, her head resting
next to a half eaten pizza. She was dreaming of everyone who had ever been afraid of her now using her secret to
humiliate her. The faces surrounded her and the laughter grew louder and soon it was a blur. She could no longer
see herself but her crying could be heard above the roaring...
she woke up with a start. Tears streaking down her cheeks and shaking.
"What the hell was that!" She yelled.
"I need to calm down." She reached into her pack and pulled out a cigarette box, the metal kind that flipped open.
She opened it and produced a joint, then began fumbling for anything to light it with.

"Need a light?" A voice came from behind her. She calmly turned, the joint hanging limply in her lips, and
marvled at what she saw. She had pink hair with purple-blue highlights. It was shoulder length and her bangs
hung just above her violet eyes which held a bit of magenta in them.The girls light tan skin was lighter
than her own and was illuminated by the light comeing from the cafe window. Kate guessed that she was
about seven feet tall. Kate then looked over her clothes. Noticing first her white jacket that had a large red R
across the front and looked about a size too big. Underneath the jacket wa a loose fitting blue shirt that hung
over her baggy khacki pants which in turn bunched up over her white tennis shoes.

"Did you need one or not?" Kate looked up.
"yes." She replied.
The girl retrieved a zippo from the pocket inside her left jacket flap. She handed it to kate and sat across from her.
"I'm Amanda Tomyo." She said looking at the cafe.
Kate took a hit and flipped the lighter's lid back into place.
"Kate. Kate Yakada." She said handing the lighter back to Amanda.
Kate took another hit. "Aren't you supposed to pass that?" Amanda said in a bit of a joking tone.
"Huh?" Kate looked at her with surprise.
"Oh yea." She said as she regained her thoughts. "Sorry."
"Are they open?" Amanda asked.
"Who? Oh... the cafe. No. Why do you ask?"
"well, I saw your pizza. But I don't want to eat anything that was used as a pillow." she joked.
"Well. It may not be open, but I am watching it. Want to come in?"
"Yes please."


Dropping her bags next to the doorway, Kate went behind the counter and donned an aperon.
"So you cook?" Amanda asked.
"Yes. But very little. I live mostly off of noodle cups." She laughed thinking back to a few days
ago when she spilt her noodles in her lap. Her smile faded a bit and she asked Amanda what she wanted.

The meal consisted of white rice and soy sauce, Sushi, and steak. There was a cesars salad with ranch dressing
and croutons but the hight of the meal was the small pie Kate cooked. A chocolate one. In all it took two hours
to make and the girls filled the void will small chater about good places to catch pokemon and the current
pokemon contests.

Amanda drooled a little as Kate sat out the spread of the breakfast that seemed more like a lunch or dinner.
"Wow! It looks so good!" Amanda said as she added a steak to her plate. This was followed by few sushi rolls.
"Thank you."
They ate in silence. Amanda enjoying the food and thinking about the gym, Kate staring at her plate taking
something now and again.


Ami had slept very little through the night. She looked as if she were a zombie from the old horror films.
"I gotta talk to someone!" she thought. she got up and ran to her bag. She got it unzipped and pulled out her pokenav.
A few numbers and a couple rings later she got him.
"Hello Ca..." He didn't get to finish.
"Cable. It's you!" She almost yelled. "I need to talk to you!"
"Okay. 'Bout what?" He said while chewing on something crunchy.
"It's Kate..." She didn't get to finish.
"Where are you? And I'll be there in a few hours!"
"Mauville." She sqeaked.
"Meet me at the pokecenter!" He hung up and she began getting ready.


Carla walked in about thirty minutes after the meal was over. She looked around and saw Kate sleeping on the couch.
She smiled and walked into the kitchen when she saw a girl doing the dishes. "Who are you?" She asked. Amanda spun
and looked at Carla with surprise. "Oh. I'm Amanda. A friend of kate." She said... it was true, even though she
didn't know Kate that well. Carla eased and introduced herself as the owner of the cafe. She then walked to the
sink and started helping with the dishes.
"So how well do you know Kate?" She asked the pink haired girl.
"We're still getting to know eachother. I only met her recently." Amanda smiled a little nervously.
Carla 'hmmed' and shook her head a little.
"She always seem down? I mean, does she always...?" Amanda fumbled a little with her words.
"Kate is a pretty cheery girl. She never lets too much get to her, but it has been rough for her the past two days."
Carla answered sadly. "I hate to see her this way."
"So what happened?" Amanda questioned.
"Her gir-BOYFRIEND dumped her and she is fighting with her best friend." Carla hoped the girl hadn't caught her slip.
"That's too bad." Amanda answered as she put up the last dish.
"Thank you very much for the help, Amanda."
"Well. It was nice meeting you, but I have to pick a few things up. Tell Kate I'll be back in a while if I'm
not here before you leave."
"Okay." Carla said as she prepared for the few regular customers that would be ariving soon.