Barry at the Party
Barry was still unsure about what had just happened. Torterra, his oldest and most loyal Pokemon, had lost to Wally’s Mawile. He’d lost the entire match. He’d never thought for a second that he would lose to Wally and it was only now that the battle was over that he realised the truth about what that meant. He’d made a deal, he couldn’t back out of it now.
‘Hey, Lucas?’ Barry tapped his best friend on the shoulder as he slipped into the empty seat beside him.
‘What?’
‘I sort of just lost a battle against Wally.’
‘Wally?’
‘Yeah.’
‘And?’
‘Are you doing anything now?’
‘Trying to sleep.’
‘Something other than that?’
‘Talking to you.’
Barry frowned and stood up again, dragging Lucas with him back out of the main hall and through the corridors until they were outside. The walk was silent but Barry put that down to Lucas being drunk and himself not really in the mood for conversation; after all, he’d lost a battle to WALLY of all people and now he had to kiss his best friend as punishment for it. Not that Lucas knew that yet, he was just standing there looking as grouchy as a three year old woken up from their nap an hour early.
‘I did something really stupid, Lucas.’
‘You always do stupid things. Why are we in the snow?’
‘Because we’re outside. But I made a really stupid bet because I didn’t think I could lose against Wally, but I did and now I have to do it because you can’t go back on a bet, you know that I never go back on it when I make a deal. Like do you remember that time I broke my arm because you and Dawn bet me that I couldn’t climb onto the roof of my house from the tree next to my house and then when it was broken and gross you dared me to show Belle and so I did and she screamed and ran away, remember?’ Barry was talking faster than Lucas could remember him doing for a long time, but none of what he said was sinking in for his best friend.
‘Can I go back inside now?’
‘Lucas, you’re not listening.’ Barry practically whined. ‘I bet Wally that if I lost I’d kiss my best friend!’
‘But I’m your best friend, aren’t I?’
‘I know! That’s the problem!’
‘You don’t want to be my best friend anymore?’
‘That’s not it!’
‘So we’re still best friends?’ Lucas asked with a yawn.
‘Yeah, but I don’t want to kiss you!’
‘Because I’m a guy?’
‘Because you’re my best friend! You’re not, well, you’re not Dawn.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘How much did you drink?’
‘A lot, I think. Why am I out here then?’
‘Because I was supposed to kiss you but now you’re here and I can’t do it!’
‘Because I’m a guy.’
‘No!’ Barry tugged at his hair in frustration. ‘Because you’re not Dawn and if I kiss you then I’m cheating on her!’
‘But you lost a bet.’
‘So!?’
‘It’s not as if you want to kiss me, is it?’
‘NO!’
‘It’s because you lost a bet.’
‘Yes!’
‘Can I just tell everyone that you did it? And then you don’t have to because I don’t really want you to kiss me.’
‘But I HAVE to, Lucas! It’s about pride and honour! Honour! I can’t start breaking my word now, can I? Then no one will ever take me seriously again!’ Barry threw his hands up in the air more dramatically than usual.
‘Just get it over with quickly then, okay?’ Lucas sighed.
‘I’m not going to kiss you!’
‘Then what are you going to do?’
‘I don’t know! Wally said I could run laps around the grounds instead but it’s so cold outside and that will take a lot longer than if I kissed you so I thought I could maybe do that instead but now I’m here and you’re here and I can’t do it!’
Even in his drunk and sleepy state, Lucas knew that Barry was only about four minutes away from actively trying to tear his own hair out in frustration.
‘Can you just decide which one you’re gonna do so I can go back inside? I’m cold and I’m tired and I don’t want to stand anymore.’
Barry just stared at his best friend. Lucas could usually be counted on for advice on matters like these. He wasn’t very good if you needed advice on things like girls or how to repair any kind of machinery (in truth, Brendan was much better at repairs from years of sewing machine maintenance), but Barry had always been able to go to him with the most obscure problems. Right now, however, Lucas was picking at his fingernails and looking cold. Barry sighed.
‘What do I do, Lucas?’
‘Do whatever you think is right, you always pick what’s right.’
‘Oh.’ Barry sat down in the snow without a thought towards the freezing temperatures. ‘I really, really do love Dawn.’
‘I know.’ Lucas sat down across from him on the step rather than directly in the snow. ‘And I really, really like having you as my best friend but I really, really don’t want you to kiss me.’
‘Do you remember when we went to Snowpoint when we were nine and me and you and Dawn all ran outside in our underwear because we wanted to go swimming in the lake before we knew it was frozen?’
‘Yeah?’
‘It feels warmer here than Snowpoint.’
‘So you’re not gonna try to kiss me?’
‘Nope.’ Barry grinned as he jumped back up to his feet and started stripping. ‘Hold these.’ He shoved his pants and shirt at Lucas and stood back. ‘Wish me luck?’
‘Luck.’ Lucas yawned and stood up to go back inside Lance’s house. It didn’t matter than he was holding Barry’s clothes, the blonde would walk straight in to the main hall in his underwear to get them back if he had to. After all, Barry wasn’t the kind of person to let something small stand in his way. He took off at a run through the snow, shouting out to Wally as he rounded the first corner. Lucas yawned again and went to find somewhere warm to sit down – he had no idea how long Barry would take to settle his bets.
‘Hey, Lucas?’ Barry tapped his best friend on the shoulder as he slipped into the empty seat beside him.
‘What?’
‘I sort of just lost a battle against Wally.’
‘Wally?’
‘Yeah.’
‘And?’
‘Are you doing anything now?’
‘Trying to sleep.’
‘Something other than that?’
‘Talking to you.’
Barry frowned and stood up again, dragging Lucas with him back out of the main hall and through the corridors until they were outside. The walk was silent but Barry put that down to Lucas being drunk and himself not really in the mood for conversation; after all, he’d lost a battle to WALLY of all people and now he had to kiss his best friend as punishment for it. Not that Lucas knew that yet, he was just standing there looking as grouchy as a three year old woken up from their nap an hour early.
‘I did something really stupid, Lucas.’
‘You always do stupid things. Why are we in the snow?’
‘Because we’re outside. But I made a really stupid bet because I didn’t think I could lose against Wally, but I did and now I have to do it because you can’t go back on a bet, you know that I never go back on it when I make a deal. Like do you remember that time I broke my arm because you and Dawn bet me that I couldn’t climb onto the roof of my house from the tree next to my house and then when it was broken and gross you dared me to show Belle and so I did and she screamed and ran away, remember?’ Barry was talking faster than Lucas could remember him doing for a long time, but none of what he said was sinking in for his best friend.
‘Can I go back inside now?’
‘Lucas, you’re not listening.’ Barry practically whined. ‘I bet Wally that if I lost I’d kiss my best friend!’
‘But I’m your best friend, aren’t I?’
‘I know! That’s the problem!’
‘You don’t want to be my best friend anymore?’
‘That’s not it!’
‘So we’re still best friends?’ Lucas asked with a yawn.
‘Yeah, but I don’t want to kiss you!’
‘Because I’m a guy?’
‘Because you’re my best friend! You’re not, well, you’re not Dawn.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘How much did you drink?’
‘A lot, I think. Why am I out here then?’
‘Because I was supposed to kiss you but now you’re here and I can’t do it!’
‘Because I’m a guy.’
‘No!’ Barry tugged at his hair in frustration. ‘Because you’re not Dawn and if I kiss you then I’m cheating on her!’
‘But you lost a bet.’
‘So!?’
‘It’s not as if you want to kiss me, is it?’
‘NO!’
‘It’s because you lost a bet.’
‘Yes!’
‘Can I just tell everyone that you did it? And then you don’t have to because I don’t really want you to kiss me.’
‘But I HAVE to, Lucas! It’s about pride and honour! Honour! I can’t start breaking my word now, can I? Then no one will ever take me seriously again!’ Barry threw his hands up in the air more dramatically than usual.
‘Just get it over with quickly then, okay?’ Lucas sighed.
‘I’m not going to kiss you!’
‘Then what are you going to do?’
‘I don’t know! Wally said I could run laps around the grounds instead but it’s so cold outside and that will take a lot longer than if I kissed you so I thought I could maybe do that instead but now I’m here and you’re here and I can’t do it!’
Even in his drunk and sleepy state, Lucas knew that Barry was only about four minutes away from actively trying to tear his own hair out in frustration.
‘Can you just decide which one you’re gonna do so I can go back inside? I’m cold and I’m tired and I don’t want to stand anymore.’
Barry just stared at his best friend. Lucas could usually be counted on for advice on matters like these. He wasn’t very good if you needed advice on things like girls or how to repair any kind of machinery (in truth, Brendan was much better at repairs from years of sewing machine maintenance), but Barry had always been able to go to him with the most obscure problems. Right now, however, Lucas was picking at his fingernails and looking cold. Barry sighed.
‘What do I do, Lucas?’
‘Do whatever you think is right, you always pick what’s right.’
‘Oh.’ Barry sat down in the snow without a thought towards the freezing temperatures. ‘I really, really do love Dawn.’
‘I know.’ Lucas sat down across from him on the step rather than directly in the snow. ‘And I really, really like having you as my best friend but I really, really don’t want you to kiss me.’
‘Do you remember when we went to Snowpoint when we were nine and me and you and Dawn all ran outside in our underwear because we wanted to go swimming in the lake before we knew it was frozen?’
‘Yeah?’
‘It feels warmer here than Snowpoint.’
‘So you’re not gonna try to kiss me?’
‘Nope.’ Barry grinned as he jumped back up to his feet and started stripping. ‘Hold these.’ He shoved his pants and shirt at Lucas and stood back. ‘Wish me luck?’
‘Luck.’ Lucas yawned and stood up to go back inside Lance’s house. It didn’t matter than he was holding Barry’s clothes, the blonde would walk straight in to the main hall in his underwear to get them back if he had to. After all, Barry wasn’t the kind of person to let something small stand in his way. He took off at a run through the snow, shouting out to Wally as he rounded the first corner. Lucas yawned again and went to find somewhere warm to sit down – he had no idea how long Barry would take to settle his bets.