EP2 - The gaps between

Dreamchasers- Episode 2

“The gaps between”

# Scene 1

Dorothy & Ash

a week passed from school. After a peaceful weekend, there comes a new wave of adrenaline for Ash.. the week where they have to face the clubroom of the Literature Club. They woke up extra nervous today. They didn't get out of their room because they didn't want to go to school. Dorothy, Ash 's stepsister noticed that Ash is unusually late, so she decided to take action.

She rushed in front of Ash's room.

* Dorothy: AAAAASSSHHH! What are you doing?

No response.

* Dorothy: Aren't you supposed to be up and having breakfast by now? Get out of bed! It's 7:30!

Ash still didn't respond. They just sat in silence in their pajamas, wondering if they could avoid school by acting sick.

* Ash: uuuggghhh… I don't wanna go to school..! What if I just… pretend to be sick?

* Dorothy: Do you want me to remind you in your presence or what?

Dorothy opens the door and goes into Ash's room.

Ash is showing up in their notebook as she walks in.

* Ash: My stomach hurts..

* Dorothy: Oh god, not this again..

Trying to make an excuse to stay home from school again?

Ash began shaking in response.

* Dorothy: Ah..just as I thought. \*sigh\*

..I know you too well. What happened at school this time? An exam you didn't study for?

* Ash: …n-not exactly…

* Dorothy: Then are you not going because of someone again, just like last year?

* Ash: D-DOROTHY!

Ash became embarrassed by how fast she guessed that.

* Ash: H-how does she know? Was I that obvious???

* Dorothy: Look Ash, ..Mom is right..You can't keep hiding from everyone. You need to go to school and face it. You can't just disappear under your sheets forever. For starters, it's not healthy for you mentally. Plus, we want you to improve your social skills, especially if you're going to join the heroes league.

* Ash: I WON'T BE ABLE TO JOIN THE HEROES LEAGUE!!

* Dorothy: Ash, you have to accept the fact that you have a superpower.

* Ash: I STILL DON'T WANT TO JOIN THE HEROES' LEAGUE!!! I DON'T HAVE A DEATH WISH!

* Dorothy: Ash, your da-....

Dorothy realized she shouldn't be mentioning Ash's dad. She paused for a few seconds.

…Oh I mean- just go to school, okay? It's for your own good. You even have friends now, so what are you waiting for?? Kayla might already be waiting at our door.

# Scene 2

Kayla & Ash

After dressing up and having breakfast, Ash came out of their flat heavy-heartedly.

And who was waiting for them in front of the door? Kayla of course, as usual.

* Kayla: Oh- HELLO!

Kayla was surprised since Ash came out later than usual and also because their face was equal to a weared-off grizzly bear's.

* Kayla: What's up with the gloomy look? Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?

Ash nervously looked at her in response.

* Kayla: I'll…take that as a yes. Are you good tho? You seem a little bit more stressed out than usual.

* Ash: I-I um.. I don't want to go to school-..

* Kayla: ..I have a feeling like they are going to start that again today...

Ash. Tell me why. I don't want to go through the same thing from last year again.

* Ash: ..What did you experience last year..?

* Kayla: …witnessing you having a panic attack and fainting?

Ash got shocked from Kayla's sentence.

* Ash: I-I..t-told you..to..fo-forget..that!

* Kayla: Let's be real..how the hell could someone forget that? Tell me to pretend it didnt happen instead. But still, you're lucky I was there. It could have been worse.

* Ash: Then what will you do now …follow me everywhere to avoid that or what?

Kayla almost bursted out laughing from that.

* Kayla: PFFFF- Oh no no no no, it would be creepy if it was against your will! But I can help you if you want me to!

(while a small laugh) I'll be the red-haired knight on my white horse!

* Ash: Who's the white horse? Blake?

um..Kayla..so..the reason why I didnt w-wanna go to school w-was..the..my f-first day…in the li-literature c-club..

* Kayla: Ah, I had a feeling that this would be the reason.. Blake really pushed you hard, didn't he? If you want, we can tell him that you changed your mind and dont wanna join, then boom! We're done.

* Ash: B-but..I'm afraid that..

* Kayla: He won't be your friend anymore? Don't worry about that, I'll make sure he stays friends with you.

* Ash: ..Please don't use that fighting method of yours.

* Kayla: Haha, Blake doesn't need that at all! Words are enough. So are you in, or you'll try do the club after all? Don't force yourself if you don't want to.

* Ash: ..I want to be in the c-club..but..not like th-that..

* Kayla: Blake will help you whenever it comes to talking. you also could use that kitty-cat notebook of yours. Or do you want me to come with you in the clubroom? I don't mind-

* Ash: Kayla!

Ash was feeling like Kayla was becoming "their mom" at that point.

* Kayla: ehehe, I realized that it might be better if i watched over you two. Moreover, maybe my power might be being an expert at literature!

* Ash: I doubt that-

* Kayla: But my mom said it must be a knowledge superpower I'm going to have! It can be literature..hmmm..I've never tried it out before..

* Ash: You're just trying to get a reason to come with me, aren't you?

* Kayla: No! This might be it! I've been searching for my power for a while now and I think it must be that! Can I come in the clubroom to check it out, pleeeeeease? I can help you in return!

Kayla used the "puppy eyes" weapon on Ash.

Ash looks at their phone.

* Ash: Oh god! Look at the time…

Ash ran down the stairs.

Kayla looked at her phone as well.

* Kayla: Oh frick! HEY! I WILL CATCH UP TO YOU!

Kayla ran after Ash.

# Scene 3

Veronica, Lia, Ash

After the first lesson, Ash has decided to go to the rooftop again. As usual, they started walking up the stairs.

* Ash: I’m going to meet up with Aoi as usual!

Unfortunately, the popular girl and her friend happened to be sitting on the stairs, eating their breakfast. Since the girl and her friend were blocking the way up, Ash wanted to take action.

And of course, both girls still don't know Ash's pronouns..

* Ash: u-um…I-I…

* Veronica: Oh god, you again~? What is it this time?

* Ash: I just..just..

* Lia: Veronica, was this the person you were talking about last week?

* Veronica: Of course, who else has laundry-looking hair with a baby face??

Ash shook from Veronica’s insult.

* Lia: um..are you sure this is a good idea?

* Veronica: Shut it, my ideas are always brilliant!

* Ash: S-so…I w-want..

* Veronica: You want what? Me?

* Ash: NO!

Ash became more and more anxious since they don’t know how to act towards people like Veronica, especially if she just insulted them.

* Ash: S-sorry...f-for…t-that…

* Lia: Oh no..what the hell is he even apologizing for? Veronica, stop insulting him, you’re misleading him.

* Veronica: I do whatever I want to do, Lia! So~ laundry-hair, what are you trying to tell me?

Ash shook at her insult again. They almost lost their ability to talk with their current stress level. And neither Lia or Veronica understood them. But they didn’t want to grab that notebook in front of that mean girl! Ash completely got nerfed.

* Ash: t-to….to….

* Lia: Veronica, it’s getting worse. Poor kid is just standing there and can't even talk. (concerned)

* Veronica: Wow, what a boomer~!

* Lia: Are you not trying to understand what he wants to say? Why the hell are you even entertained by this? (getting upset)

Ash gave up and went back to the classrooms where Kayla was.

* Lia: Aaaand…he gave up. Good job, Veronica.. (with irony)

* Veronica: At least we can continue to eat this top tier food!

# Scene 4

Ash, Blake, Kayla

Another lesson had passed by. Kayla wanted to start a conversation with Ash and Blake about the literature club.

* Kayla: So, uh, I brought you two here to talk about something!

* Blake: Hmmm?

* Kayla: It's about the club! I would like to take a look at the club you’re in, just for this afternoon!

* Blake: ah, thank god…i prayed for you to come.

* Kayla: REALLY?!

* Blake: I honestly expected chaos since we both have a kind of problem with communication. I’m glad you’re coming along.

* Ash: H-HUH?

* Kayla: Oh? I know why Ash would be in trouble, but why would you be too?

* Blake: The..new club president is a …girl…

Ash sulked into the thought of Julia.

* Kayla: You can still talk a bit tho!

* Blake: ah…but last time i talked to her, it was... really awkward…even Ash was looking at me like I was an idiot..!

* Kayla: PFFFTTT-

* Blake: Even though it was awkward, I may get used to it after some time..

* Kayla: Yeah, this is why I didn’t worry that much about you communicating.

* Blake: Um….Ash?

Ash was looking down while deeply thinking.

* Kayla: Ah, they got spaced out again. Hello~! Earth calls Ashie!

Ash realized someone was talking to them, which pulled Ash back to the ground.

* Ash: eh?

* Kayla: Oh, there you are!

* Blake: So Kayla is coming with us to the literature club just for today. Are you okay with that, Ash?

* Ash: um…yeah…

* Kayla: Okay then!! It's settled!

* Ash: Great..Now i feel like Kayla really is my mother now..

# Scene 5

Kayla, Ash, Blake, Julia, Belle, Wendy

It is the afternoon. It’s time for the club activities! Kayla, Ash and Blake are walking to the library..

* Kayla: Lets-…go! Lets-…go! Lets-…go! Hip-hip-hip! One-two-three~! One-two-three~!

* Blake: Looks like Kayla is having fun.. Ash on the other hand..

Ash is walking silently behind Blake and Kayla, with a sulking face.

* Blake: So the clubroom is in the library, Kayla. We‘re almost there.

* Kayla: Okay~

Kayla slows down her tempo and starts to walk next to Ash.

* Kayla: Ashie!

* Ash: …What now…(with a sigh)

* Kayla: You don’t seem excited..

* Ash: um…I don’t…I d-don’t feel…really well…

* Kayla: Are you anxious? As i said, you don’t have to force yourse-

* Ash: I won’t…turn b-back…

The squad arrives in front of the library door. Blake frowns at the door.

* Blake:Ugh, this goddamn enchanted door again.! I hate this door! This is so confusing! How does this door even work!?!

* Kayla: Opening the door! Sesame open!!!

Kayla opens the door enthusiastically.

* Blake: You should slow down a bit Kayla, that’s a bit too much energy you have there!

As the three of them walked in, they saw a bunch of bean bags placed around in a corner of the library. There were some people who already arrived. It is Belle and Julia. Julia is busy with something at the moment. Belle comes up and approaches Kayla’s gang.

* Belle: Hello there, welcome to the literature club! I am Belle and the person in the back is Julia! Can I have your names please? Oh and also~ Julia, the club leader, prepared some tea for you! It's really tasty! And it's strawberry flavored~

* Ash: Strawberry flavoured tea? HEY!! That’s my favorite! Why did she choose the strawberry flavour then!? Is Julia trying to deceive me!?

* Kayla: I am Kayla! I haven't joined this club, but I came here as a guest! These two beside me are Ash and Blake! Club members!

* Belle: (mumbles)Ash and Blake…

Yep, they are on the member list! But.. I don't know if guests are allowed here… I think they are..

* Ash: This blue haired girl..she was the one Julia was talking to during breaks! What should i do??

* Belle: Come, you all have a seat! We‘ll have 6 more members! …Lucas, Madison, George, Sheila…Wendy…and..who was the last one…Oh! And Jane! How can I forget her?

Belle, Ash, Kayla and Blake sat down on a bean bag.

* Ash: Jane!?! Oh god, please don’t tell me she’s talking about THAT Jane…and Wendy?..wasn‘t she the short white haired girl I met on my first day who helped me out?

* Belle: Ah, did you know that Jane is Julia’s childhood friend~? She’s really smart! But she gets bored when I talk about shoes..

* Kayla: shoes?

* Ash: Oh no… she’s talking about THAT JANE… I'm completely doomed.. she hated me..

Ash became more anxious than they were before. Julia walked up to the 4 who were sitting on the bean bag. Ash became really nervous at that point.

* Julia: Hello everyone! Welcome to the club! So the present people are currently…Ash, me and Belle… and…you’re Blake if i remember correctly? Oh and, who is this red haired chick?

* Kayla: RED HAIRED CHICK? I'm Kayla!

* Julia: Ah, um, Kayla.. that name is oddly familiar.. Do I know you, Kayla?

* Kayla: You’re Julia, right? I've heard some things about you from Ash, but I can't remember much, unfortunately.

* Julia: Oh, so you heard about me from Ash? Wait a second.. Then yes, I know you! I am glad we met in person, Kayla.

A white haired girl came into the library.

* Belle: Ah, that must be Wendy! I’ll be back in a second!

Belle ran to Wendy. Now it’s Kayla, Blake, Ash and Julia sitting.

* Julia: So Kayla, you’re friends with Ash, is that correct? For quite a long time. It's surprising that nothing happened between you two..

Kayla took the wrong idea and blushed hardly.

* Julia: I’ve never heard of this kind of long and stable friendship before.. You must trust each other a lot..

* Ash: ..stable friendship? But.. We did not talk much last year…and it was because of my selfishness..

Kayla stopped blushing.

* Kayla: Hahaha, of course! trust each other really well..And here I am talking to Ash about my life and secrets, but they don't say anything in return.. They want to keep their secrets and feelings away from me! They probably don't even trust me, even though I'm supposed to be their closest friend..Am I trying too hard?

* Wendy: Hello everyone.!

Both Ash and Kayla sulked into their thoughts. Meanwhile Wendy and Belle sat down as well now.

* Belle: So here is another member! Her name is Wendy! She’s a second year, and decided to be in the literature club like last year.

* Julia: Hello Wendy! I am the new president of the literature club. Nice to meet you.

* Blake: He-Hello.!

Ash and Kayla kept just sitting silently while sulking.

* Blake: Oh no..Kayla is suddenly TOO silent.. What happened with these two?

* Julia: Today we will have Jane and George and maybe Sheila arrive here too, as promised. The other people unfortunately do not have time on Mondays or will arrive later, because someone is still on a summer vacation. We really need to discuss what time we should have these club meetings on. We have to hold a meeting at least twice a week during the afternoon.

* Wendy: Oh, alright!

Wendy looked at Ash.

* Hey! Isn’t the blue haired one..the person who I guided to the classroom because he was lost?

Hey! Blue haired boy.! Hello again..

Wendy isn’t very sure that her words reached Ash.

* Um…Hello?

Ash noticed her, which popped them out of the thoughts in their clustered mind.

* Wendy: oh…Hello! Nice to see you again..

Ash felt blocked because of Julia's presence. They just kept staring at her.

* Wendy: ..are you ok?

Ash started searching something in their bag. They pulled out their notebook. While shaking, they wrote in it and showed it to Wendy.

* Ash: Hi..

* Wendy: OH NO! You are deaf!?

* Ash: What? I'm not deaf, sorry for making you think that..

* Wendy: Oh..

* Belle: Why are you using that thing then?

Blake thought it's time for him to save the day again, since Kayla is still spaced out af.

* Blake: ..T-They are nervous..

* Belle: Nervous? ..Huh..that is ..interesting.. how can I believe that?

* Julia: Hahaha, calm down guys, it's just typical nervous Ash. They're not deaf. If they get enough courage, they can talk smoothly.

* Wendy: "typical nervous Ash"? But they seem terrified..Last time I met them they were a bit calmer than this..

Ash started feeling unwell and dizzy. Their skin turned pale. Meanwhile, Kayla just noticed that she spaced out.

* Kayla: Wait, what's happening now?

Kayla looks at Ash. She noticed that they are really not doing so well. Luckily she was sitting next to them so she could act in case something more serious happens.

* Kayla: This is not a good sign.. Did they force themselves to talk too much? …Wait, they're using the notebook.. Then is it Julia who makes them feel like that even with a notebook? Ugh, I really hope not.

* Kayla: You want some water, Ash? I have a bottle with me.

Ash looked at Kayla.

* Belle: Wait, wait, wait!!! We can drink tea as well!!

Ash got shivers from the thought of the tea. They shook their head.

* Kayla: Tea probably won't help, shut up, shoe girl!!

Kayla started searching in her bag and pulled out her water bottle. She offered it to Ash.

* Kayla: Here!

Ash accepts her offer with a nod and takes the water bottle and drinks from it. They feel a bit better now. Ash started to not regret letting Kayla come with them.

* Ash: ..She..she saved me..What would have happened if Kayla wasn't here with me..? I feel so pathetic..

Blake wanted to help Ash too. Of course, his nervousness kicked in due to talking to those girls.

* Blake: I gotta say something for Ash too..oh let's make a distraction. So, um… Would y-you..like to..re-read something.?

* Belle: Oh, sure!! You can search around here in the library. I can give you a guide if you would like to!

* Blake: Oh, um..su-sure.

Blake and Belle walked up to the books. Kayla meanwhile stood up and grabbed Ash by the arm. Ash stood up with a big surprised face. They have left their notebook on the ground too.

* Kayla: Come on, let's look around! Me and you! Yes, finally some alone time for us.! Thanks Blake.

* Ash: ..o-o..okay..

# Scene 6

Ash, Kayla, Jane

Kayla and Ash walked up to a section far away from the club corner.

* Kayla: Ash, from the films I watch, what book would suit me?

* Ash: U-uhm..I don't watch those kinds of films like y-you..I don't like h-horror..

* Kayla: Anyways, are you alright? We can leave if you want to.

* Ash: ..I'm feeling b-better now..

* Kayla: I know you do since you're away from the root of your problem. But if we go back I bet you're going to fall back to that phase again. Are you sure you can do this?

Kayla moved closer to Ash. Ash started thinking about the topic.

* Ash: I-I mean…I really wanted to be a member...But um…Julia and Jane uh...But…I don't w-want to turn back...I would offend e-everyone there…

* Kayla: …You even lost track of your words just by mentioning them…Don’t care about what they will think about you! You're more important than any of those people.

Ash went and sat down on a bean bag placed nearby the place they were standing.

* Kayla: \*sigh\* it’s your choice anyways, I won't stop you. But there's one thing I would like to remind you of.. don’t be afraid to call me. I will always be there for you. Nothing will change that fact. I’m sure that we can do this, together. I can even join the club for you.

* Ash: Kayla..you don-…

Ash almost felt like crying because of what Kayla just said to them. They got touched by Kayla’s actions and words after what happened at the meeting talk.

* Kayla: Ash? Did I say something wrong..?

* Ash: ..n-no..

Kayla lifted up Ash by their arms and hugged Ash tightly. Ash got really surprised and confused at the same time.

* Kayla: …Never forget that…

Ash had tears in their eyes.

* Ash: How am I so…stupid? …I shouldn’t have left Kayla alone for Julia back then…I replaced her. It’s all my fault. I was ruining the friendship I was supposed to be cherishing..How is she…still here with me? She could have anyone she wants…Why would she wanna be with me? I'm nothing special..

Ash hugged Kayla back.

* Kayla: It’s going to be okay…We can be friends like we were back in 5th grade…I really hope. And maybe they will trust me more later on…I hate that they would rather choose somebody else to tell their problems to, while I am supposed to be their best friend…

Meanwhile, an orange haired girl happened to be passing by them.

* Jane: huh? Isn't that..

Julia's ex??! ..Wait..who is that red girl tho, and why are they hugging each other..is she his girlfriend?

Kayla noticed that someone was watching. She moved away from Ash as quickly as possible because she was embarrassed.

* Kayla: …ehehe…

Ash noticed the orange haired girl looking too. They froze in one place.

* Jane: Oh, they noticed me. Guess there's no going back, eh?

Hello there. …I am surprised that...we meet again, Ash. Also, hello, um…red girl? I don't know you. What's your name? I'm Jane. Are you Ash's girlfriend?

Kayla's face went red. Ash still looked fearfully at Jane.

* Kayla: I-...umm…uhh…I am Kayla...and...uhh…uuuuugh...I'm not..dating Ash.. Yikes, this is so awkward!!!! What is wrong with me?? I'M SO NERVOUS ALL OF THE SUDDEN! I am REALLY not used to this!! Just calm down.. UGH!!

* Jane: Oh, sorry, my mistake. Also..Ash, I just wanted to say..that I would like a fresh start. I don't know if you agree with me, but I think this might be the best for both of us, since we are in the same club, again.

Ash nodded in relief. They are glad that Jane doesn't want to hate them anymore. They calmed down.

* Ash: O-okay..

Jane is surprised because it was the first time she heard Ash talk to her (with their voice).

* Jane: Did you just..talk to me with your voice for the first time?! I'm glad you feel the same way. Oh and I apologize again for mistaking you two as a couple.. You seemed so close to each other..

Kayla couldn't get that sentence out of her mind.

* Kayla: We seemed so close to each other..? I mean…EVEN THOUGH WE CAN BE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS TO ME!!!

Kayla didn't know what to do because she became really confused. Jane noticed that she is still not over it.

* Ash: W-what?

* Jane: I won't say it again because I'm afraid of you "joining her" as a result.

# Scene 7

Blake, Belle, Ash, Kayla, Jane

Blake and Belle have joined the conversation.

* Kayla: No-no-no! I am fine! I am seriously fine! I'm just a bit confused..

* Belle: Oooo what is happening? Why is Kayla confused?

* Jane: Ah! It is nothing, really. It happens sometimes. It was my mistake, so I apologized.

Blake started wondering what she told Kayla by mistake.

* Blake: Huh.? I have never seen Kayla behave like that.. What did she even tell Kayla? This smells fishy.. I might just go and ask Kayla later..

After a few hours of reading in peace and quiet, Ash, Blake and Kayla leave the library.

* Kayla: Oh dear god, I took like, half an hour to find something that might be interesting.

* Blake: Let me guess…the genre was horror?

* Kayla: OF COURSE IT WAS! I love those kinds of movies! So I thought I might be getting a book that has the same genre.

* Blake: I am not surprised.

* Kayla: Anyways, Ash, are you okay?

Ash nodded.

* Kayla: Glad to hear that! I was still a bit worried.

* Blake: Well, yeah. Ash seemed much calmer after we got back compared to the start. Even though they still didn't say a word to anyone. Did something happen with you two before we found you talking with Jane?

* Kayla: Ah, uhm…nah, not really..

* Ash: Y-yeah..n-nothing happened.

* Blake: uhh..this is a bit awkward. I might just.. text her when I get home. Well, guess I'm going home now. See you tomorrow!

* Kayla: See ya!

* Ash: See you..

# Scene 8

Kayla, Ash

Now it's only Ash and Kayla walking next to each other.

* Kayla: Oh, I just remembered! My mother will make some cupcakes this afternoon! I will bring a cupcake tomorrow with me!

* Ash: …Cupcakes? …Uhm…Can I get one too.?

* Kayla: Yeah, sure!!

* Ash: Thank you..

* Kayla: Hey, can I come to the rooftop with you tomorrow? I'm curious about what you're doing up there.

* Ash: Uh.. I'm meeting up with someone.. nothing else..

* Kayla: WHO?!?!! TELL ME!

* Ash: …Aoi…

Kayla shook from what they had said to her, while not knowing any reason why.

* Kayla: Aoi??! Who is that??

* Ash: Well, um..you see.. she's a student from another class..she knows her power already… probably why she's not sharing the same class with us..

* Kayla: I WANT TO MEET HER!

* Ash: I will ask her tomorrow about it then.

* Kayla: YES!!

Ash started thinking about the past again.

* Ash: I just remembered.. I should be apologizing to Kayla.. I- Um.. Kayla…This is off topic, but.. just wa-want t-to say… I am s-sorry for wh-what happened…

* Kayla: What do you mean? You don't have to be sorry for anything..

* Ash: F-f…fo-….for….. Gosh, dang it! WHY is it so difficult to say this?? I wanted to say sorry because I left her alone a year ago… ugh! I don't want to use my notebook!

* Kayla: Hm?

* Ash: A-uhm! Come on, come on come oooon!! Fo-for….Uhm, for b-being li-like th-that…….a-at the..lit-literature club.. Aaaand I screwed up. I ended up apologizing for another thing instead..

* Kayla: Awww, I said you don't have to! It's okay! You didn't cause any trouble! Oh and I'm surprised you're not using your notebook this time! I'm so proud of you!!

* Ash: ..oh..

# Scene 9

Dorothy, Ash

Ash and Kayla went home. Ash is sitting in their room with a book in their hand. Ash was feeling bad because they didn't manage to apologize about the past.

* Ash: I wish I had the ability to talk properly…I really hate myself…all I do is stutter and cause trouble…how can I help myself to be like others and not feel like an outcast all the time?

Ash looked sadly at the book, and then closed it since they do not have the mood to read anymore. Meanwhile, Dorothy suddenly came into Ash's room.

* Dorothy: Ash, it's time for dinner. Oh, are you ok? Seems like something’s bothering you

Dorothy sat next to Ash.

* Ash: \*sigh\* It's just….so difficult..

* Dorothy: What is difficult?

* Ash: I wish I could be like everyone else...I....hate to be me…I can't even apologize for something..

* Dorothy: …Ash…When will you stop hating yourself already….Also, what do you need to apologize for?

Ash becomes silent.

* Dorothy: Hm?

* Ash: I-It's..a long story..

* Dorothy: Who do you want to say sorry to?

* Ash: ...K-Kayla…

* Dorothy: Her? Ah.. But what happened then? Is she mad at you?

* Ash: ...no…she's not…I'm surprised…but it must have left an impact on her…The thing happened like...a year ago…or for a year?

* Dorothy: Huh..But you didn't talk to each other last ye- Ohh, now I get it. You're apologizing, because you didn't talk to Kayla last year?

* Ash: …yeah…

* Dorothy: Back at that time, you used to be talking to Julia a lot…the first time you got in contact with Kayla since then was after the break up. I think you started talking with each other properly from when you two met at the airport when we were moving to this magic region.

So my conclusion is..you feel like you were neglecting or replacing Kayla as your best friend? Am I correct?

* Ash: ..correct..

* Dorothy: Oh..I see..

* Ash: I tried to apologize for that, b-but.. couldn't s-say it.. but i would really like to say it out loud. It doesn't feel…genuine for me if I don't…

* Dorothy: I completely understand. Can I help you with this?

* Ash: ..How..?

* Dorothy: Pretend that I am Kayla. Now try to tell me that you feel sorry.

\*Clears throat\*..one, two, three.

Hey Ashie! What would you like to talk about?

* Ash: U-uhm…K-K…Ka-Kayla……..I want…to…say……some-something…im-important..

* Dorothy: (whispering) try to say it more confidently.

What did you say again?

* Ash: I WANNA- I WANNA SAY SOMETHING IMPORTANT!!

* Dorothy: (whispering) that's much better. But try to not scream and force your voice like a soldier.

What is it?

* Ash: U-uh..uh…um…i d-don't know h-how to s-say this..

* Dorothy: (whispering) Don't get nervous..deep breaths.

Ash is trying to keep things in control.

* Ash: \*sigh\* I-I wa-wanted to…say that I am…so-sorry…

* Dorothy: Here comes the deep water..

What are you apologizing for? You didn't do anything…

* Ash: F-for…NOT BEING ABLE TO TELL YOU THIS EARLIER-

* Dorothy: (whispering) Ash, stop raising your voice. I know this is how you force saying difficult things out, but this makes you look more likely angry than apologetic.

* Ash: …For..n-not being able to….tell you…th-this…earlier..

* Dorothy: okay.. what is it?

Ash gets too emotional while trying to say the apology so they really felt blocked.

* Ash: That I…I am……uh…….I …..am….I...am.…so-.....s-sor….sor..

s-sorry….for…

* Dorothy: ..oh no..they are getting very slow.. they don't seem to handle this well now…

Ash…you can stop now…

* Ash: SORRY FOR-

* Dorothy: ASH. NO. STOP IT. You can try this again after dinner.

* Ash: …okay…

# Scene 10

Kayla

Kayla is home. Nobody else is in the flat yet.

* Kayla: \*yawn\* Home!!! I did all my homeworks, and still no one else is here yet…shucks…

Kayla enters her room.

What can I do now? It's so boring.

I just noticed..why am I talking to myself? Meh, nobody cares if nobody knows!

Kayla notices that her phone just vibrated.

Ah, a message! Who is it~?

She checks her messages. It's Blake.

* Blake: Hey Kayla, can we have a quick chat for a second?

* Kayla: It's Blake!! YES, I am so glad!!

HELLOOOOOO!!! I MISSED YOU 😭😭

And yeah sure!!

* Blake: Okay then..I want to ask you..what happened at the club? What did Jane tell you? There's no use if you only tell me "it was nothing"! Something is clearly odd here.

* Kayla: What do you mean?? 💀

* Blake: Well..you were behaving really different from the usual without a doubt..

* Kayla: oh..

* Blake: Kayla..Please tell me what happened.

* Kayla: Fine! I got embarrassed because she thought I'm dating Ash..

* Blake: Dating Ash?? Ah..now I get it.

* Kayla: don’t you dare get the wrong idea.

* Blake: Well Kayla..what I am thinking of would connect everything together then..Maybe you have something going on about Ash?

Kayla's face went red.

* Kayla: No. Blake this is not funny!!! Stop with your assumptions 💀

* Blake: I never thought that it's funny. Never. 🤦🏻‍♂️ I'm being serious right now.

* Kayla: EVEN WORSE...SHELDON. Say sike right now.

* Blake: WHY ARE YOU CALLING ME SHELDON?!?!

* Kayla: SAY SIKE RIGHT NOW

* Blake: But you care so much about them… Are you really sure that this is not the case? I could help you if you would like me to.

* Kayla: YES I AM!! NOW STOP IT!! IT WOULD BE STILL BAD EVEN IF IT WAS ONLY A JOKE!!!!

Kayla became even more redder than she was before and threw her phone away.

* Kayla: Why does he think that I have "SoMEtHinG GoiNg oN" with Ash? It's not like that!! It's not only me who would react that way if that happened to OTHERS!!! UUUUGGHHHHH!!!

She takes her palms on her face.

* Kayla: I hope I didn't make a bad impression of anyone while acting like that at the literature club..IT'S SO "NOT LIKE ME"! I hate feeling this strange!

Okay, okay..calm down Kayla. Keep yourself together.

Kayla calms down, walks up to a framed picture of her and Ash when they were smaller and looks at it. She grabs it and looks at it closely.

* Ahaha..those good old times. Sometimes I wish that I could go back in time and experience it again. I miss the friendship we used to have. Ash just feels so...distant…

It's normal to feel like sometimes your best friend is distant...right…?

Today was the first time I felt like I was a bit closer in so long…

Kayla, unwillingly, became sad because of looking at that picture reminding them of the good times.

* Th-…this is normal…….right..?

She silently sat down on her bed with the picture in her hand.

# Scene 11

George, Kayla

Meanwhile, Kayla heard someone coming home.

* George: I'M HOOOOOME!

* Kayla: G-...George? WAAAGH!

Kayla panickingly stood up and started searching for a place to hide the picture to not have any suspicions from George.

* George: Kayla..? Are you ok over there?

George looked at Kayla's room from the living room.

* Kayla: Y-YEAH OF COURSE I AM!!

Shoot..

* George: I feel like you're hiding something.

* Kayla: NO GEORGE!!! I'M NOT HIDING ANYTHING!!!

* George: AND I DON'T BELIEVE YOU BECAUSE NORMALLY YOU DO NOT REACT THIS WAY!

* Kayla: DON'T COME INTO MY ROOM!

* George: I'M COMING INTO YOUR ROOM!!

George "broke" into Kayla's room.

* George: What are you thinking about, huh?

* Kayla: NOTHING!!!

Kayla was red as a tomato again.

* George: …Why are you holding that picture again? (While sigh)

* Kayla: I-.....UM-......UH-.....IT-...FELL DOWN AND I WANTED TO PUT IT BACK IN P-PLACE!!

* George: .. Uh-huh..

* Kayla: BELIEVE ME! I'M NOT LYING!

* George: Calm down, Kayla.

* Kayla: I'M NOT LYING!

* George: I SAID CALM DOWN!!!

* Kayla: YOU DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!

George disappointedly looked at Kayla.

* George: ..congratulations.. (upset)

George walked out of Kayla's room and shut the door. Kayla wasn't red anymore.

* Kayla: GEORGE?! GEORGE!!

George kept walking further from Kayla's room.

* Kayla: GEORGE!!!

George sat down on the sofa and picked out his phone. Kayla ran out of her room in search of George. She ran to the sofa.

* Kayla: GEORGE!! DON'T BE MAD AT ME!! DON'T GIVE ME THE SILENT TREATMENT!!

George looked at Kayla angrily for a second and then he looked at his phone again.

* Kayla: Geoooooorrggeeee..

No response.

* Kayla: I'm SORRY, OKAY? I'm sorry.

George looked at Kayla again. He decided to talk to her now.

* George: Okay. Feel free to sit next to me if you want to talk about it.

Kayla sat down next to George.

* George: Aha, I knew it. She wanted the attention from me.

I accept your apology. Also, please stop shouting because you might disturb people that might be under or above our flat.

* Kayla: ..I'll stop shouting..

* George: Let me ask you again..are you okay? Answer me honestly.

Kayla started thinking about it and broke down in sadness. She was almost crying.

* Kayla: I-I…I don't understand…

* George: Uh oh. That's much worse than I expected it to be.

..Kayla.. It's okay to feel sad sometimes. We can't always be happy-go-lucky. What's the matter?

* Kayla: …I'm…feeling so distant from my friend lately…I just realized…And I don't know why and how…I feel a kind of empty space in between us whenever we talk. I'm trying so hard to change this, but it almost NEVER works..

* George: Are you talking about Ash right now?

* Kayla: ..Of course I am..who else might be after seeing me with that p-picture..?

* George: Ah, so you're feeling drifted away from them..hm ..no wonder.

* Kayla: "No wonder?" Is it something THAT obvious and I never realized it before…??

* George: I have a clue although I may not be right. Is it because you haven't talked with Ash for a year?

Kayla was surprised.

* Kayla: THAT WAS A YEAR?!

* George: Yes.? They used to talk a lot to someone while you two weren't talking.

* Kayla: Oh, wait you're right..but who was it?

* George: From what I heard from Ash's mother one day, Ash was talking to their girlfriend if I'm correct.

Kayla became angry.

* Kayla: So she WAS their girlfriend..Julia…

* George: Kayla don't get overdramatic. They just probably enjoyed her company.

Kayla was almost crying again.

* Kayla: ..Enjoyed her company more than mine..

Then I AM RIGHT! I wasn't good enough!

* George: Now how do you mean this..as a best friend or the potential of being someone's lover?

Kayla is red as a tomato again.

* Kayla: OF COURSE AS A BEST FRIEND!! WHY WOULD I MEAN AS A LO-....LOVER?! WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH YOU AND BLAKE ASSUMING THAT?

* George: Kayla, please stop shouting. I told you that like a minute ago and you're at it again.

* Kayla: ..okay fine..

* George: Look, even if Ash and Julia will get along someday after breaking up, they will not be talking with each other that much anymore. This will leave you and Ash more space and you two can talk this out if the current state of your friendship doesn't feel right.

* Kayla: No..brother.. they can still get back together…

* George: Uh, I don't think they will get back together, Kayla. Their mother said that Ash thought they weren't enough for Julia.

* Kayla: GREAT. I'm not enough for Ash and Ash is not enough for Julia. How can it get better?

* George: Uhh..Kayla..

George and Kayla stared at each other awkwardly. After a while, Kayla realized what she just said to George and blushes hardly.

* Kayla: OH NO NO NO, I DON'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT OF COURSE! I MEANT IT LIKE A FRIEND!! I'M NOT ENOUGH AS A BEST FRIEND!!

George looked worryingly at Kayla.

* George: Kayla..If you ever change your mind about that and you meant it like a lover.. Please tell me as fast as you can. I will help you out the best way I can.. I think you need time to process this. When you're sure about what you're feeling and you're ready, I want you to tell me.

* Kayla: WHAT?! I SWEAR I'M NOT-

* George: Anyways back to the topic of drifting apart..you should invite Ash somewhere, maybe it will help you to make that feeling of emptiness go away. You can also talk it out.

* Kayla: Y-YEAH sure-

* George: Alright. Make sure that they will like your suggestion then. And also..please consider it thoroughly what I just said to you. Denying your feelings doesn't help at all. It will just make you feel worse. Also, Ash might find someone else later on, and it's NOT going to be you.

Kayla smiled at George.

* Kayla: George, I will be ok, I promise…I swear I don't feel like I want to be more than a friend.

* George: …And when you finally open up your eyes, you realize that you let your possible chances slip away and you will regret that you ever tried to deny it.

You will regret your actions in the past and cry that you can't do anything about it then.

You may not realize it now, but this can be reality.

* Kayla: I'm not lying! See? I'm smiling, and I can confidently say that I don't feel anything towards my friend! I'm not denying anything at all!

George looked worryingly at Kayla.

* George: \*sigh\* ..Kayla..

* Kayla: Going back to my room~! I'm gonna study for an exam.

Kayla stood up, walked back in her room and closed the door. Kayla's smile faded away as soon as she closed the door.

* Kayla: Brother and Blake..Why do they keep thinking that I have feelings? So stupid…

Also why would another random person come out of nowhere? They ain't even fully over Julia yet!

...That's right…Why would Ash go and date someone so soon? It is not like someone is…

…Wait second…What about-

Kayla collapsed on the floor in shock.

She put back on her smile to cheer herself up. Even though she was smiling, she sounded like she's actually panicking.

* NO-no-no… It can't be…Ash will not date anyone…I'm sure they aren't ready for that, I'm pretty sure…

…And it's not like it would annoy me if they dated someone anyway…

Kayla almost felt like crying.

…………..

...Right…?