FSE

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"Well... Yes, I guess anyone could take him as long as they tended to his needs. Why do you ask?"

Again, Julie froze, and her heart beat out of her chest. Now, she had to give the real reason behind her visit to the office or leave it be and lose Midnight forever. "What if... Wh-What if I were to take him?"

"You want to take Midnight?" Mr. Willam was taken aback by this statement, and Julie had no idea how he felt about it.

She nodded as she didn't want to say too much.

"Hm... How old are you?" He leaned back in his chair.

"Eighteen, sir."

"Why don't you return on Friday after school? We could discuss this further. You should get to class now, but thank you for stopping by, Julie. Any other questions?"

"That would be all. Thank you for your time. I'll be back for sure." She grinned to herself and exited his office.

Alyssa had been leaning against the wall by the door on her phone while waiting for Julie. "Oh, finally, how'd it go?" She slipped her cellphone into her pocket and turned to Julie as she came out into the hallway.

Julie exhaled, releasing any pent-up emotions that she'd held in. "He said to come back next Friday. I asked about Midnight, and one thing led to another... Then I asked if I could take him." Julie smiled, proud of herself for asking the question she was previously too afraid to bring up.

"Doesn't sound like a no to me. See? Wasn't that hard." Alyssa was relieved for her. Midnight was an immense source of her happiness.

"I know; he said I'd just have to care for him and his needs. It's the only requirement." Julie sounded better already, and Alyssa would ensure Julie didn't lose much hope until then.

"That shouldn't be too hard for ya. You could easily tend to his needs... and desires as a bonus." Alyssa couldn't help herself sometimes, plus Julie's reactions were amusing to watch.

"Alyssa..." Julie pushed her arm.

"Heh... C'mon, we still have ten minutes before lunch is over."

--

The rest of the day went great. Julie no longer felt hopeless. Nothing was guaranteed, but there was a chance, and whether big or small, it was all she needed to hold on to.

Later that night, while Julie was lying in bed, she thought of what it would feel like to have Midnight be with her off of school grounds. Julie would hold him anytime she could, take him everywhere she went, and the nights they'd share would be amazing. Julie hoped the decision worked out in her favor. She knew Midnight would be happiest with her. It wasn't her being selfish. Julie saw it in those crimson-colored orbs whenever she spent time with him. Before thinking about it further, Julie turned onto her side. Maybe she was absurd to feel this way about a pokémon, but it was too late to change how she viewed Midnight. Julie felt lonely without him. Lilly slept in her bed often, but no love was involved. Only Friday would tell, hopefully. Julie would still have to get through the rest of the week without him, which would suck, but it was doable. She'd done it for a while already, and it was only for a while longer that Julie would have to endure school without his company, although she had Alyssa.

--

Soon after she closed her eyes, they opened to daylight. A quick transition. At least Julie felt well-rested. She yawned, took five minutes to wake up, and then got ready for school. Julie got her hair ready and clothes on quickly, so she still had time to eat before leaving.

Once through with breakfast, she grabbed her backpack and exited her house. To her surprise, Alyssa was waiting for her in front of the porch.

"Thought I'd walk with you to school today since we don't anymore... If that's okay with you?" Alyssa asked.

"Course' it is." Julie walked past her, which signaled Alyssa to follow. "How was last night? Get any sleep?"

"I slept fine, but I get trapped in my head often."

"Okay, so... off-topic, but I meant to ask you something. If you do happen to get Midnight, what would your mom think of it?" Alyssa had to bring it up before she forgot.

"Oh, she'll be just fine with it... but after I graduate, I want to travel to another region. If I have Midnight, I'll take him with me, so we'll both be away from home for a while." Julie made up her mind on that, and it would give her and Midnight a lot more freedom.

"That's not a bad idea, getting away for a while, just don't forget about me." Alyssa was joking, but she hoped she and Julie didn't stop talking one day.

"Of course not. After my first trip, you and I could go on one together." Julie grinned as they sauntered down the sidewalk. Alyssa gave her a small, positive boost for the day, and it was needed, especially during this week.