Goals Off Court | SatoSere

Chapter 5 - Only Time Could Tell

In the afternoon, Ash met up with Clemont by the library entrance. Both waved at each other. They've been good friends for a while now, first meeting outside of school, and found out they went to the same school coincidentally.

With a fist bump greeting, Ash tried to pull on the door which didn't budge. "What the hell? What's up with this door?" Repeating the same action, one would think he was trying to break the handle off. "No way this place is closed. I've got things to do in here for once."

Clemont used one hand to pat him on his shoulder and the other to simply point to the side where a metal plate that said "Push, Don't Pull" was on the wall beside the door Ash was pulling. Clemont pushed the door as it finally opened, leaving a once frustrated Ash, now staring and blinking, dumbfounded.

"Reading is fundamental," his blonde haired friend had told him as he walked through the door, the raven haired boy following afterwards, a look on his face that was completely comical.

"That door is stupid. Whoever made it is just as stupid," Ash said a little too loud, the lady at the front desk then turning her head at him with eyes having a piercing glare through her glasses. She placed a finger on her lip and he mumbled a quick apology, now realizing just how intimidating librarians can be. He continued his rant to Clemont, voice just above a whisper. "What door has a handle, but you have to push it instead? There's no purpose for it!"

"You might be asking the wrong person about that. I wonder the same thing every time I come here," Clemont stated, walking by people with a soft 'excuse me' or 'excuse us' and going to a free table where they could study at. "Now that we're here, do you have any work that needs to be done?"

"There's work online I have to get done for one of my classes," Ash said, plopping himself down in a seat while taking his bag off next to him. He looked at his friend with a sheepish smile, chuckling nervously. "Problem is, I kind of forgot my laptop back in my room. Do you have yours by any chance?"

"You're in luck because I do, but how do you forget the main thing you need to work with for tutoring sessions?" Clemont questions, pulling out his laptop to give to Ash. He takes out his textbooks just in case he managed to forget that as well.

Based on the relief on Ash's face, he was right.

Clemont stared for a good amount of seconds until he spoke again. "What's the point of your bag at this point?" Ash grinned from ear to ear and opened it. It was full of food and he didn't think twice to place some on the table. Clemont should be surprised, but at the same time, he wasn't. As if to still process it, he slowly said, "you brought a bag of food, but nothing for your work."

"Here me out. Food is just as important. I was in a rush. I almost overslept and I'm sure you have to report things about me like Serena said she does. I'm not risking that," Ash explained and quickly got on the laptop, opening it to its bright screen. After a short pause, he added, "you aren't really going to tutor me, right? Do you have some kind of way to do this or..."

Clemont shook his head and held a book he checked out recently in front of him. "I'm aware you don't need serious tutoring. I'm here for any minor questions you have about your work. As long as you get what you need to do done, I'll be able to leave a report up to Professor Oak's liking."

"So you're making this a study hour?"

"It is the case by the looks of it, yes."

"Sounds good enough."

There's another pause between them, and Ash stared at computer he had opened, continuing to push his body back and forth in the chair. He had no desire to study right now. Normally he studied at home, in his bed, when Gary wasn't there to intentionally annoy him. Currently focusing on Clemont's face, he was content with reading, but there was something, or more so someone, in his own mind.