***AUTHORESS NOTES***

Gah, I'm working like a demon! This is the fourth chapter I've written
today! But I'm trying to at least get to 26. I know, I work myself too
hard. But I might go to the mall with Cloyster (not the Pokemon, the
author) and she might spend the night so I have to work even harder.

So yeah... This is already the 2nd to longest story I have up! *gasp*
I'm such a dedicated little girl. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 16: Red Hot (Not the Candy)


     I didn't think I would, but I had a lot of fun getting to know Sam
again. We were kind of at odds with each other, but I should be a little
chilly, right? I mean, this is my ex-boyfriend! He made me cry in 6th
grade!

     Nathan, on the other hand, talked less than the wall. He was
scaring me, but most of all, I knew he was becoming more distant than
ever.

      "Do you remember Alexis Quitman and Sierra Goode?" asked Sam.

     "Yes, they were two of my best friends!" I exclaimed.

      "They're in Kanto now," he told me.

      "Whatever happened to Adam Jackson? My other ex-boyfriend, I
mean."

      "I don't know. I think he's still there. But what do you mean,
your other ex-boyfriend? You had too many to count!"

     "No, I can count them... There were 13! Besides you and Taylor..."

     "Can you name them all?"

     "It'll be hard..." Vicky, Zach and Josh looked interested and found
us amusing. "There was Patrick Martin, Ryan Nickels, Zach Trujillo,
Jacob Brown, Wes Cameron..."

      "That's five," said Sam, looking a little surprised. Josh, Vicky
and Zach, on the other hand, looked bewildered.

     "Chris Garland, Chris McKeown, Caleb Sanders, Zach Sanders, Jack
Harris..."

     "Ten," counted Sam.

     "Um... Oh! Josh Hartman, Andrew Holtzer and Robert Hawk!"

     "Wow... That's scary," said Josh.

     "Slut," I could hear Nathan mutter. I smiled and pretended that it
didn't effect me.

     "Okay, now I think we should go to bed!"

     "Does that mean we should decide who's rooming with who?"

     "Yep," I nodded.

     "I wanna room with you, Jenn!" called Vicky.

     I nodded. "Sure!"

     "I'll room with Zach," said Josh quickly.

     "Oh hell no," said Sam, in a low voice that we were all hoping
Nathan couldn't hear. "I don't want to share a room with him! He's more
ornery than a donkey with cancer!"

     "Okay," said Josh wistfully. "You room with Zach, I'll room with
Nathan." He raised his voice a little bit. "Hey, Nathan, room with me?"

     "Sure, but first I want to talk to Jenn."

     "Of course! Vicky, why don't you go to hang out with Josh?"

     "Sure!" And then they all left and for the first time in awhile, me
and Nathan were all alone. 

     "Isn't it cool how I'm travelling with someone I met nearly a year
ago?"

     "What, isn't it enough travelling with three other guys, two of
them who practically worship the ground you spit on?"

     "What are you talking about, Nathan?"

     "I'm saying that you're a little whore!" His voice was cold, and if
it had been any colder, there would've been snow falling where we stood
with our hands clenched at our sides.

     "Don't call me a little whore! What has been wrong with you
lately?"

     "The minute Josh has been here, you've been sucking up to him. Then
we meet Zach and Josh is forgotten and you stare at Zach like you've
never seen a guy before. Then they're both forgotten when your
ex-boyfriend comes along!"

     "That's not how it is!" I said defensively, but Nathan was already
walking out the door.

     "Forget it, Jenn." And then he left me alone. I just curled up in
my blankets and tried to sleep. I don't remember Vicky coming in or
turning the light off. All I remember is trying to get that conversation
out of my head. He couldn't possibly think that about me. He knew me
better than that.

Didn't he?

     The sun was once again bright when I woke up but inside, I felt
dull and gray. I had dreamed, even, about the first few and blissful
days of me and Nathan's journey.

     The day was blurry to me. I know I challenged Flannery and I know I
won, but it was nothing to me. For the first time, when I won a badge,
Nathan was not proud of me and that made winning useless.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blah... I'm sorry that was short.

~Torchick