FSE

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"Tomorrow is Friday, and I'm nervous all over again," Julie told Alyssa while they sat on Julie's bed after school. They were mostly talking but getting homework done as well.

"You have nothing to worry about. It'll be a simple discussion. Go along with it and act confident and casual. You have this. You have to have this." Alyssa looked up from her textbook and gave Julie a serious stare.

"You're right; I can't afford to screw this up... it's my only chance at having him." Julie laid back and rested her head on her pillow while looking up at the ceiling. "If I don't get him, I don't think I'll move on very easily. It's like... when you choose your starter pokémon. You come across and own plenty of others during your journey, but none of them are quite as special as your first. That's how I feel about Midnight. I share a special connection with him, and I'll never feel that again if I let him go." She didn't want to imagine that, but doing so reminded her of what was at stake.

"Let that fuel you then, Jule. Don't act desperate or nervous if you can help it. Remember this stuff. You'll be fine." Alyssa helped as much as she could, hoping it would work.

"Hm..." Julie closed her eyes for a moment and sighed.

"Try not to overthink, either. I'll be with you through all of this if it means anything." Alyssa closed her book and reached over to hold Julie's right leg. "We'll talk more tomorrow. I've gotta get home. It's getting late," she added, and Julie nodded. She had some thinking to do before tomorrow.

--

Julie managed to get some sleep and woke up early the next morning. Today was the day, and it still gave her anxiety. She slipped into some comfortable jeans and wore a t-shirt underneath a thin yellow jacket. To get a break from her hair, Julie, bundled it into a low ponytail. "Okay..." She briefly exhaled and gathered her composure before heading out the front door after eating. Hopefully, the day would play out like any other. After school was the only thing Julie wanted to focus on besides her daily lectures, but just her luck, she saw someone standing by the school's front entrance. "Ricky..." Julie quickly recognized him from a distance but ignored his presence and walked past him. However, as she approached the doors, Ricky caught sight of her.

"W-Wait, Julie!" he blurted just as she was about to pass him.

She hesitantly came to a stop and turned slightly to the left to look at him, but didn't say a word.

"Look... I'm sorry for what I said and did to you at your locker a month ago. I was just hurt and upset that you rejected me so quickly. You're really pretty, not... the things I called you, and you never deserved what I did to you, Julie." His apology seemed genuine, and it caused her to soften up just a little.

"It's fine, Ricky. You made me realize something important about myself, and I'm still fixing it to this day. You were right about one thing."

"Well, c-could, you ever forgive me for that, Julie?" he asked as nicely as he could, and she didn't want to hold on to any enemies.

"I do, Ricky."

"Thank y-"

"But... that doesn't mean I want to be your friend or give you another chance at asking me out. Thank you for apologizing." With that, Julie kept walking, which gave him no chance to respond. She felt good about herself. If Julie hadn't improved her personality after the past incident with Ricky, she would have acted a lot meaner toward him.

Julie got her book and sat in her first class. Sinnoh and Johto were going to be discussed today, and it recently made her think more about where she'd go once done with school. There were plenty of exciting regions, but Julie had to choose one to travel to. It would be reasonably expensive, after all.

--

"Well, you seem like the type of trainer that would hate holding their pokémon into poké balls."

"Maybe I am. I don't see a reason to if I only own one or two," Julie replied to Alyssa. They were sitting at one of the cafeteria tables, and they usually sat with each other since their conversations unappealed to others.

"I guess... I may challenge the gyms in this region one day. I don't know." Alyssa shrugged.

"That'll be a lot of traveling, and catching, and... training. Just don't ask me to babysit all six of your pokémon."

"You won't need to. They'll all be in poké balls." That brought a brief giggle out of Julie, and the subject was changed by Alyssa afterward. "Anyway, ready to revisit the office?"

"Just as ready as I was last time..."

"C'mon, remember our talk, no desperate stuff, and have confidence in yourself. You want that umbreon, and you'll take care of him better than the next guy, but at the same time, don't let that fill your head and start begging, not even a little. You've gotta try, Julie." Alyssa got up from the table since her next class started soon. "I'll be in front of the principal's office when you're out of your last class."

Julie watched her jog away, and it felt a bit like deja vu. Alyssa was always running off somewhere. Julie sat at the table for a few extra moments, taking in what advice Alyssa told her. It did help, and hopefully, it would pay off.