Younger Years (ALTERNATIVE: SAVING HIM)

The Past

A few days after their talk in the clearing, Red and Serena had begun to talk more. Red still didn't do well with the other students, he tended to avoid them but he would let Serena talk to him and be around him. And as Red rose in the morning, he looked out his window to see Serena standing there waiting.

Serena stood outside Reds house, waiting for him to wake up. It had become normal for one of them to wait for the other before leaving through the woods to school. It was early and Red figured it was best not to wake his mother who slept at the bottom of the stairs in her room. Looking out his window he saw Serena waving two apples, one for her and one for him. Red smiled slightly as he dressed, woke Pikachu. and clambered out the window.

"Hey!" Serena exclaimed as Red walked over to her.

"Hey." he responded, it wasn't cheerful but it was better than how cold he used to be and it was a step in the right direction.

They set off through the woods and eventually arrived at school where they sat down by the wall. Red pulled out his notepad and began to draw the sunrise as they waited for school to start.

"Ash?" Serena spoke up.

"Hmm?" Red hummed, focused on his drawing.

"Where did you learn to draw? You're really good at it." she asked him.

"Oh that, I just kinda picked it up I guess." Red told her.

Serena just nodded and they sat in silence for a while, but it was a comfortable one. Soon the rest of the school arrived and the day began. Red and Serena made their way to class only for Serena to be dragged away by Dawn. Serena had been slowly introducing Red to the group but he wasn't really one for groups and stuff like that. So while Serena was dragged over to her other friends by Dawn, Red simply took his own seat and pulled out his notepad. 

"So Serena?" Dawn began, "You and Red there, what's all that about?" 

"Hmm? Nothing, we're friends now though." Serena told her.

May looked over Serena's shoulder to see Red's eyes were closed and he looked to be asleep.

"How does he have straight A's again Serena?" May asked having heard from her friend about Reds grades.

"What do you mean?" Serena asked her.

"Well let's see, he's asleep right now and a few days ago he got in trouble for drawing you, right?" May explained.

"Oh that, well I don't know. He's smart so it's not to big a  surprise he has good grades." Serena told her.

May had hoped to get a reaction out if Red drawing Serena but she just played it off as nothing. Class went on and before long it ended, Red was making his way to his next class when he felt someone shove him towards the wall. It was Calem.

"What?" Red asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"C'mon, it's time for your bath little baby." Calem teased, the students around laughed with him

Red sighed, "Listen Camel, we've been over this. I like it when you dump water on me so if you're gonna do it make sure it's cold. And really? That's the best insult you have?"

Calem grew angrier at the nickname and Red's not being intimidated. Calem was, to be fair, bigger than Red. But Red was at least ten times more terrifying than Calem would ever be. Calem moved away from Red as the bucket dumped down the cold water, just like Red had predicted. Red simply walked away as Calem yelled after him.

"Screw you, loser!" came Calems voice.

Red just ignored him and walked onward to class, Calem had become a regular annoyance in life. Ever since Serena broke up with him he had blamed it on Red for some reason, like he had made her but at the time Red still disliked her.