Come Hell or High School

Chapter One :: Tradition

"Mooooom!" Mimi Tachikawa called from her room, where she was digging through a pile of clothes. "I can't find my favorite skirt!"

"It's in the laundry, dear!" The girl's mother called from the kitchen where she was reading a fashion magazine. She was quite used to Mimi's 'dilemmas'.

Mimi ran to the room across from hers, pulling her skirt from the clean clothes pile and tugging it on. She only had half an hour before school, and she still had to do her hair and make-up!

In another house, two streets over, Yamato Ishida, otherwise known as Matt, was having a different dilemma. He couldn't wake up.

"C'mon, Matt!" His younger brother, Takeru "TK" Takaishi shook Matt's shoulder anxiously. TK was already dressed and ready. "We have twenty minutes before the bus comes, and you still need a shower because man, you stink!"

"Aw, shuddup," Matt groaned sleepily. "You just wanna see Kari anyway…" But Matt still pushed off his covers and headed to the bathroom.

The aforementioned Kari was actually Hikari Kamiya, TK's girlfriend. At the moment, she was having a sibling problem as well. Her brother Taichi, called Tai by just about everyone, had hidden her sneakers again. "Tai!" Kari yelled, pounding on the bathroom door. "Where are my sneakers?"

Suddenly the door opened and Tai handed Kari her sneakers, which had been hidden in the cupboard under the bathroom sink. Kari glared at him but Tai just laughed, reaching out to ruffle her hair as he passed. Kari groaned. Now she would have to redo her hair!

Ken Ichijouji, Tai's best friend, was all ready to go. He had packed everything the night before, and since he lived out of the school district, he was already at the bus stop, dressed in one of his trademark black outfits, waiting.

Meanwhile, Kushiro "Izzy" Izumi was intently focused on eating his cereal without getting any on his shirt. His hands were shaking with excitement. A new school year, a new chance to make more friends… That's what his mom had told him the night before. But Izzy was happy with the friends he had, his fellow digidestined. They'd been through so much together, since such a young age… He wouldn't trade any of them for anything! Finishing his cereal, Izzy put his bowl in the sink, grabbed his backpack, and went out to wait for the bus.

Sora Takenouchi sighed as she pulled her signature hat onto her head…. Then pulled it off again. It was her Senior year of high school for Pete's sake! She had this debate every year, but this year she was finally going to get rid of that hat…. Maybe. She knew Tai liked the hat, but he also liked her without it.. Tai was Sora's on-again-off-again boyfriend, currently on, until he did something stupid. Tossing the hat onto her bed, Sora pulled on her shoes and left the room before she could change her mind.

Joe Kido was late. Almost. He had ten minutes before school started, and the poor digidestined had three blocks to go. So he was still running when a car pulled up alongside him.

"Mimi?" Joe asked as she rolled down the window.

"Yes, get in Joe! We're going to be late!"

Obediently, he got in and the driver sped off to the school.

"God, where are Mimi and Joe?" Tai wondered aloud. All the digidestined were gathered in front of their school, except for Mimi and Joe. Every year, they entered school together. It was like a family tradition. And, Tai realized, we practically are a family…

With five minutes before the bell, everyone was getting anxious. But just then, a black car pulled into the parking lot and Mimi and Joe got out, hurrying over.

"Sorry we're late, I stopped for an iced latte on my way!" Mimi giggled.

"And to pick me up," Joe laughed along with the others, and they all linked arms with three minutes to go.

Walking up the front steps of the school, Kari and Sora unhooked arms for a minute so they could all get through the doorway. Earning them some odd looks at their linked arms, they walked into the school's main hallway and waited.

"Welcome back, guys," Tai grinned, and they all smiled back at him before hurrying off to their homerooms, one minute to go.

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Sorry if anyone seems OOC, but I tried my best! And sorry if the whole, 'high school tradition' thing seems kinda cheesy, I just really wanted to put that in there.

xoxo

- RealitySucks95