Disclaimer: Unless things have changed recently without my knowledge, I can stake no
legal claim to the show Digimon: Digital Monsters. I can, however, claim this plot.
Author's Notes: Hello, and welcome to another installment into the inner workings of my
brain. Twisted, no? Anyway, this idea just came to me one day, and it just put itself
together so fast that I could barely write it all down. Also, this weekend (the 9th
specifically) was my one month anniversary on FF.net. I figured I should do something to
celebrate. Anyway, read, enjoy, and as always: REVIEW!
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Opening Night
Prologue:
TK and Kari are juniors in high school. They have continued to be best friends through
all their years together. As of late however, things have taken a change. Over the past
summer, TK fell for his brown-haired best friend. He can't tell her, since he knows she
doesn't return his feelings, and he fears ruining their friendship. Meanwhile, his feelings for
her have gotten so strong that he feels about ready to explode. Davis got over his crush
when they were freshmen, but nearly half the guys in the school have their eyes on Kari.
Likewise, many girls have eyes for TK as well. It is nearing the end of April now, and TK
and Kari are in the school play. They are playing the leads, who have a kiss in the last
scene. TK is really nervous about it, for he doesn't know what he will do when he has to
kiss the girl that he loves. He fears he might screw it up, and there's always the possibility
that his feelings could show through and freak her out. Today was the first rehearsal to
actually go over the kiss. We will pick it up from here:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
`Arrgh!' TK mentally scolded himself. `That could not possibly have looked more
awkward!' He and Kari had just run through the kissing scene for the first time, and it was
just that; awkward. It wasn't as if he didn't know how to kiss, hell no. He had dated
before, and had always been told that he was rather good at it. He had even kissed Kari
before, but before he fell in love with her. At Christmas parties, she would play and kiss
him under the mistletoe, and they had kissed at New Year's. Not this last one, mind you,
the one before that. Kari had had a boyfriend during the holidays this past year, and it was
rather hard on TK. Not only because he had to watch the girl he loved be with another
guy, but also because the guy happened to be a good friend of his. He was a Senior, and
on the basketball team with TK. He and Kari had broken up about a month ago, and as
always, TK had been there for her. A shoulder to cry on, a best friend to hug, but nothing
more.
TK sighed as these thoughts ran through his head. `What I wouldn't give to be able to
kiss Kari whenever I wanted, and not have it feel so strange.'
As he was thinking this, he heard familiar footsteps behind him, and then the very
person he was thinking about sat down next to him on the edge of the stage.
"Hey TK, what's up?" Kari inquired cheerfully.
"Oh, nothing much," he replied, giving her that smile that was only for her.
"So what's the deal?" she asked. "That kiss was a little off. You losing your touch?"
He laughed a bit. "No, it was just a little awkward for me, that's all. You know, kissing
your best friend isn't the easiest thing in the world."
"I guess your right," she agreed. Then she got a teasing look on her face. "Maybe we
could use some practice."
Inside, TK was leaping for joy and gulping in terror at the same time. Outwardly, he
gave her a wry look and said in a flirty tone, "That might just be a good idea."
She laughed and leaned up against him, and he slid his arm around her shoulder. They
always acted like this; flirting and snuggling up together, but nothing ever came of it. It
never occurred to either of them, not even TK, that this might one day lead to something
more. They were just best friends who were really close. That's all, just best friends and
nothing more. Nothing more. . .
Later that night, TK lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He was worried about the
next time he would have to kiss her. Would it be as awkward as this time? Or perhaps
even worse? And what about this `practice' that she mentioned. Had she really been
serious? And if she had been, what exactly did she have in mind? All these and more
questions were running through TK's head and preventing him from sleeping until after
three in the morning.
The next day was Tuesday, and once again there was rehearsal after school. When TK
woke up, he was relieved that they would be starting at the beginning of the show again,
and he wouldn't have to worry about kissing her just yet. As he sat up to get out of bed,
he yelped in pain. His right shoulder and that whole side of his neck were so stiff he that it
hurt to even think about moving them. The nearest he could figure was that he slept on it
wrong. It took all his willpower to get up and go have breakfast. Then, against his better
judgment, he gathered his things and went off to school, meeting Kari outside her
apartment like he did every morning. Seeing her face brightened him up a little.
From the way he was walking, Kari could tell right away that something was wrong
with her friend.
"What's the matter, TK?" she asked, sounding very concerned.
"Oh, it's just my shoulder. I must have slept on it wrong or something."
"Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should stay home today."
"No, I'm fine," he insisted. "Besides, we have to work on the play again today."
"Oh, that's right!" Her voice shifted to a teasing tone again. "And you and I have to
work on our kissing, right?"
By now TK was pretty sure she was only joking around, so he played along. "You bet
we do. After school, in the auditorium before rehearsal starts." He winked at her, and she
laughed and gave him a playful shove. Instantly he winced in pain and grabbed his
shoulder.
"Oh my God!" Kari gasped. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" She was really worried,
both about the fact that TK was hurting and about the fact that she had caused her friend
this pain. TK didn't want her to be upset, so he just smiled at her like he always did and
denied everything.
"No, I'm all right," he said. "Don't worry about me."
A look of relief appeared on her face. "Good Lord! Don't scare me like that! You need
to take better care of yourself!"
The two of them continued to talk until they reached the school. They had different
classes until the end of the day, so this would be goodbye for a while.
"I'll see you in sixth!" Kari said as she waved goodbye.
"Okay!" TK waved back, then sighed when she turned her back to him. He watched
her go, unwilling to tear his eyes from her until the moment she became indistinguishable
from the rest of the crowd. As he himself was turning to leave for class, he again winced in
pain and grasped his shoulder. He gritted his teeth to prevent himself from screaming out
something that he shouldn't. He stood there for a moment until the pain partially subsided,
then headed off to class.
Their last period of the day was drama. TK loved being in the auditorium, it gave him a
sense of peace. He had grown to love acting almost as much as he loved basketball. He
was pretty good at it, too.
It was Kari who had first gotten him interested in the theater. Back in eighth grade, she
had begged and pleaded with him to take an acting class with her. He had finally given in,
but he ended up really enjoying himself. He and Kari had been actively involved in theater
ever since, and he'd enjoyed every minute of it.
As he sat in his chair waiting for Kari and the rest of the class to arrive, he pulled out
his script and started working on his lines. The play was not part of class, but a large
portion of the class was in it, so the teacher let them work on it during the period.
Students who were not in the cast had other projects they could work on.
As he was reading the script, a head appeared over his right shoulder. He couldn't turn
his head to see who it was, but he didn't need to.
"Working hard?" Kari asked him.
"You know me," he joked. "Always the perfectionist."
She laughed a little, then wrapped her arms around his neck from behind and draped
them over his chest. She rested her head on his shoulder ever so lightly so as not to hurt
him, and their cheeks touched. TK almost melted.
"So, you ready for rehearsal this afternoon?" she asked in a half-whisper.
"I guess," he replied. "I just hope my shoulder doesn't screw me up too badly."
She got up and released him, then came around to the chair next to him and sat down.
"Is it really that bad?" she asked, concerned again.
"I'm going to sleep with a heat pad tonight," he said. "Hopefully it'll be gone by
tomorrow."
The rest of the period went by rather uneventfully. The two of them worked on their
lines, and talked about how great opening night was going to be. When school got out,
they waited in the auditorium for rehearsal to start. They didn't practice their kissing,
which caused TK to feel at the same time disappointed and incredibly relieved. During
rehearsal, they got through the first act, which was about all anyone was expecting. TK
walked Kari home as always, and she gave him a peck on the cheek before going inside
her apartment.
"Feel better," she said with a sweet smile.
"I will," he said, smiling back. When she went through the door and shut it, he slowly
put his hand up to his cheek where she had kissed him. He shook his head to the best of
his ability and turned to go home.
The next he woke up, his shoulder hurt just as bad as ever. Even worse, he was going
to have to kiss Kari again today. He was so distressed all day that he barely heard a thing
any of his teachers said. By the time rehearsal started, he was a nervous wreck. Every
scene got him closer and closer to humiliation. In the second to last scene, his shoulder
flared up on him. The teacher gave the cast a five minute break. He had told her about his
shoulder yesterday, and she was almost as worried as Kari was.
"You take care of yourself," she said. "I don't want you getting in even worse shape
on account of this play. If you need a day off then just take it. I can't have my star nearly
crippled, now can I?"
During the break, Kari came over to talk to TK and see if he was all right. He told her
that he was fine, but she didn't believe him. She gave him a hug and told him to feel better
soon. Just the fact that she cared made him feel a little better right then.
When the break was over, the cast got back to work. Well, sort of. No matter how
many times they went over the same scene, they couldn't get it right.
"I don't believe this!" exclaimed Kari. "And two scenes form the end, too!"
They never did get through that scene that day, and their teacher sent them home
telling them to study their lines and blocking hard, and they would give the second act
another try tomorrow.
TK woke up the next day, Thursday, and rubbed his eyes. His shoulder didn't feel as
bad as it had, but he was sweating bullets. Today, he really would have to kiss Kari, and
there was no way out of it. He wasn't ready yet! He could only imagine how horrible it
would feel to be up on stage, get right to the kissing scene, and choke. He continued to
dwell on it as he went to the kitchen for some breakfast.
"Good morning, sweetie!" his mother chirped.
"Morning, mom!" he threw back, using all his acting abilities to make himself sound
calm and cheerful. She bought it.
"So how's the play coming along?" she asked.
"Pretty bad," he answered truthfully. "We went over this one scene six times yesterday,
and we still didn't get it right."
"Well, you've still got three weeks until you open," she commented.
"Yeah, I guess. I'm worried though."
He finished his breakfast, said goodbye to his mother, and left to go meet Kari. She
was standing outside her building waiting for him as usual.
"Hey TK!" she said with a bright smile.
"Hey Kari!" He met up with her, and the two began their daily walk to school, talking
about this and that. When they arrived, they had to part quickly for they only had four
minutes before classes started.
"I'll see you I sixth!" Kari yelled over her shoulder as she waved back at him.
"Okay, bye!" He waved back. He was able to do so with his right arm this morning,
much to his great glee.
The day went by as a blur. Even more so than yesterday. By the time TK finally got to
sixth period, he felt as if he were getting off a roller coaster. He was sitting in his seat
when a pair of hands came over his eyes and he heard a familiar female voice.
"Guess who?"
"Um, Davis?" he uttered jokingly.
"That's not even fully," Kari said, pretending to be hurt. She came around and took her
seat beside him.
"So what are you thinking about?" Kari asked him. "You seemed kind of lost in
thought there."
"Oh, I was just thinking about the play," he told her. "We've got a lot of work to do."
"You can say that again!" she laughed. "Some of those freshmen could really use some
more practice!" He laughed along with her, and the two began to run their lines.
TK looked at her as she practiced her big monologue. Somehow, just being with her
right there sort of took his mind off everything else. He was amazed at how fast the period
went by. He was reminded of a quote from Albert Einstein that his physics teacher had
told them on their first day.
"If you put your hand on a hot burner for a minute it seems like an hour, and if you sit
with a pretty girl for an hour it seems like a minute. That's relativity."
That quote seemed to fit this situation perfectly, for all of a sudden TK found himself
preparing for rehearsal. At least this was the last on this week. They didn't have them on
Fridays.
The second act went over pretty well, even the `groundhog scene' as it had come to be
called. Throughout the whole thing, TK felt himself growing more and more nervous. By
the time they got to the last scene, he was about ready to explode. Right as they were
getting up to the kiss, a plan formulated in his mind. They all knew about his shoulder,
maybe. . .
The kiss was approaching. It was now or never. He started to say his line in his
character's charming, innocent voice. "Well perhaps maybe I can-AHHHH!" TK gripped
his shoulder as hard as he could and collapsed on the floor. He gritted his teeth in pain,
mumbling some obscenities. Kari immediately dropped to her knees beside him, and the
rest of the cast came rushing over.
"Oh my God!" Kari was wailing. "TK are you all right!?" She had her hands on his
arm, and looked at his face. His eyes were squinted, but he was starting to open them. He
looked back at her. The worry on her face was clearly evident. Their drama teacher was
hunched over him, just as concerned.
"TK? TK!?" Kari was starting to flip out. TK opened his mouth to speak. His voice
was strained.
"Yeah, I'll be okay. It'll probably go away in a minute or so." Of course he was faking
it, but he was good. After about forty seconds, he slowly got to his feet. The teacher came
over and looked him right in the eye.
"You go home and rest, and I want you to promise me you'll see a doctor!" she said to
him. He nodded in reply.
"C'mon, TK," Kari said. "I'm taking you home right now!" She took his arm and put it
over her shoulders, then started walking off. They were out of the school when TK finally
convinced her to let him walk on his own.
"Thanks Kari, I appreciate it," he said to her as they walked, his voice a little more
calm now. Kari had a look of relief in her eyes.
"Don't you scare me like that!" she scolded. "What happened, anyway?"
"I don't know," he replied. "All of a sudden I could feel this sharp pain shooting up the
side of my back! It caught me off guard, that's all. That's why I fell over."
She gave him a big squeeze. "You worry me, that's all." She then turned to face him
and they stopped walking. "Just promise me you'll see a doctor, okay?" Her eyes were
pleading him, and he couldn't resist her.
"Okay," he nodded, "I promise." She hugged him again, and they resumed walking.
When they got to TK's apartment (Kari had insisted upon seeing him all the way home),
she turned to face him again.
"So you're going to see a doctor tomorrow, right?" she demanded.
"Yeah, I will."
A grin appeared across her face. "Good. I'll see you later then." As she said this, she
touched her index finger to the tip of his nose, and he reached up and snatched her hand.
He brought it down to his lips and lightly kissed the tip of her finger. She giggled. It was a
ritual they had shared many times, and neither of them ever grew tired of it. They waved
goodbye to each other, and Kari trotted off toward her own building. Once inside his
place, TK leaned up against the back of the front door and slunk down to the floor with a
sigh. He remained there daydreaming until his mother came home an hour later.
During school the next day, TK went to see the doctor as he had promised. He went
not only because his shoulder did still hurt, but because Kari wanted him to. Normally his
mother wouldn't want him missing school for anything, but when he told her about what
happened the previous day, she made an appointment.
While sitting on one of those ironing board things waiting for the doctor, TK thought
about what he had done at rehearsal. Why had he done it? He was merely delaying the
inevitable. Might as well do it now and at least have some time to get used to it before the
show opened. He continued to mentally scold himself as the doctor walked into the room.
"So, TK. What seems to be the problem?" the doctor asked politely.
TK proceeded to explain the whole thing, from when he woke up Tuesday feeling
crappy to how he felt right then. He excluded the fiasco on Thursday of course, seeing as
it was all fake.
The doctor listened intently through the whole thing, occasionally nodding or jotting
something down on his notepad. After TK was done explaining, he got up and went over
to inspect TK's shoulder.
"Whoa, your muscles are really tight," he said. "Does it hurt right here?" He pointed to
a spot and TK shook his head. "What about if I do this?" He Gently pinched the area, and
TK groaned in discomfort.
"Mm-hmm," said the doctor as he went back to write something more on his notepad.
"TK, what you have are muscle spasms induced by high levels of stress. You need to relax
for a day or so, and in the meantime I'm gong to give you some muscle relaxants." He
handed TK a small package. "Here. Take one of these now, one when you get home, and
then at every meal through Sunday, okay?" TK nodded in understanding. "I think that's
about it," the doctor said. "You can probably go back to school now, unless you think it'll
be too stressful."
TK looked at the clock on the wall. "Nah, it's just drama. That usually relaxes me."
"Good," said the doctor. "So go back, and then when you get home put some heat on
your shoulder. And don't forget to take that medicine."
TK thanked the doctor, and then his mom took him back to school. Sixth period was
almost half over when he got there. Kari rushed up to greet him.
"Hey, TK! Where have you been?"
"I was at the doctor's," he answered.
"Good. And?"
"He said I have muscle spasms due to stress."
Kari laughed. "I can believe that! You're probably more worried about this play than
anyone!"
`Not just the play,' TK thought to himself. He smiled at Kari, and the two of them
went off to go have some fun. It was Friday, and no one in drama was expected to do any
work. That was another nice thing about that class; only four work days a week.
At the end of the day, they went to meet their friends at the caf‚ down the street where
they always hung out. TK knew he should probably go home like the doctor told him to,
but he couldn't pass up an afternoon with all his friends. And Kari.
When they arrived, Ken and Yolei were already there. As seniors, they didn't have a
sixth period and got out early. A few minutes later Davis arrived, followed shortly by their
freshman friend Cody.
"So how was everybody's week?" Yolei asked as they all sat down.
"Long," said TK and Kari in unison.
"What have you guys been doing?" Davis asked.
"Play rehearsals really intensified this week," Kari explained.
"Yeah," TK added. "The stress is killing me." He and Kari giggled a little, but
obviously no one else got it.
"So what are everyone's plans for the weekend?" Ken inquired.
"Nothing much" was the basic response from the other three guys.
"Well," Kari said, "Tai's coming home for the weekend, and I think I'm going to spend
some time with him."
"Tai's coming home?" Yolei exclaimed. "I bet you Sora's excited."
"You better believe it!" Kari laughed. "She said she's going to get some time off this
weekend and come see him." Then she added sarcastically, "I wonder what she has in
mind."
"Hmm," TK said. "I haven't seen Tai in a while. Maybe I'll come by this weekend,
too."
"Great!" cheered Kari. "We can have some fun this weekend!"
About that time, the waitress came over and brought them milkshakes. They didn't eve
need to order. They were in there a lot, and had become well known. When they were
finished, TK got up and said he had to go home and rest on doctor's orders. The others
waved goodbye to him, and he left.
On the way home, TK thought about the upcoming weekend. It was going to be fun.
He hadn't seen Tai since around Christmas time, and was looking forward to it. Also,
when Tai and Sora went off as they inevitably would, he would get some time alone with
Kari. He laughed at himself. He probably got more time alone with Kari than did her own
mother, but it was never enough.
The next day he awoke and the pain in his shoulder was almost completely gone.
Nevertheless, he took the medicine as he was instructed. He ate breakfast, then headed
over to the park where he was to meet Kari, Tai and Sora. Come to think of it, he hadn't
seen Sora in a while either. She was always at school or at work. He arrived to find
everybody else already there.
"Hey, TK!" shouted Tai. "How you doing, buddy?"
TK walked over to Tai and they slapped hands. They then proceeded to go through the
whole elaborate handshake thingy, complete with the hitting together of fists at the end.
"I'm doing okay," TK said. "How `bout you?"
"Oh, you know. Same old same old!" They talked for a while, leaving the two girls to
have a conversation of their own. Once they were all caught up, they went over to the
girls, and the four of them decided to go to a movie.
When they arrived, Tai and TK both went up to buy the tickets.
"Hey TK don't worry, I'll get `em," said Tai.
"No way! This is your break! I'll get them!" TK argued.
"No can do. Besides, I have to buy Sora's ticket. Unless you and Kari are dating, I see
no good reason why I should let you pay." TK was left speechless for a moment, so Tai
won out. "There, see? I always win." Tai laughed as he gave the tickets to the other three.
In the theater, Kari and TK split off to let Tai and Sora be alone. They ended up sitting
off to the side somewhere. This would have made TK feel nervous, but for some reason he
didn't. He felt just like he had in the old days, when he had only been best friends with
Kari. He knew that he still loved her, more than ever even. So why was he feeling so
natural around her again? He had to admit it was a welcome feeling. He had missed being
able to hang out with his best friend without worrying about screwing up somehow. One
of the things he had always loved about her was the way the two of them got along even
when they weren't doing or saying anything. Of course he had always kept this up, acted
cool and calm around her so she would never notice. But inside he was always either
melting with happiness, sweating in nervousness, or both.
About halfway through the movie, Kari shivered. "It's really cold in here," she
whispered. Without even thinking, TK wrapped his arm around her. This was what he
always would have done, and it just came naturally. It didn't bother him one bit. Kari
leaned her head on his shoulder, which felt almost 100% better.
"You know TK, to anyone else in here, I bet it looks like we're dating." She let out a
small giggle, and TK had to chuckle also. He didn't feel nervous one bit.
After the movie was over, Tai and Sora went out to get something to eat, and TK
walked Kari home.
"I guess I won't see you tomorrow," he said. "I think I'm gonna take the whole day off
to make sure my shoulder doesn't come back and bite me in the ass." Kari giggled at his
bizarre choice of words.
"I'll see you on Monday then," she said. She then went into her apartment, leaving TK
to dream about what that day would be like.
On Monday he arrived at school feeling fully back to his cheerful self. He labored
through his first five classes, and then finally made it to sixth period. As usual, he was one
of the first ones there. When Kari came, she came up from behind him as always, and then
took her normal seat beside him.
"So, are we working on act one again today?" TK asked her as she sat down.
"Yep," she replied. "We're supposed to try to get through the whole thing without
stopping."
"Like that'll ever happen," TK joked.
"We'd better hope it does. We've only got this week, next week, and the first three
days of the week after that until we open."
"Don't worry about it," TK said casually. "It'll be great, you'll see."
The entire class that day was spent playing improv games and such, and a good time
was had by all. When rehearsal got started, TK was totally loose and ready to go.
"All right everyone," their teacher announced, "Today I would like to get through the
entire first act without stopping. I know that's a lot to ask, but I think you can do it. Next
week we add costumes, and finish the set. We need to be ready. With that said, let's get
started." And get started they did. They made it through the whole first act, only stopping
twice.
"Good job everyone!" their teacher congratulated them at the end of rehearsal.
"Tomorrow we'll see if act two can go just as smoothly." And so they left, to return the
next day to work again.
Act two was running just as well. They were approaching the groundhog scene, and
they had only stopped once. They did have to repeat that scene three times, but it was an
improvement. At last the last scene was upon them. TK went out with all the confidence in
the world, and he never wavered one bit. He had sorted things out over the weekend. It no
longer mattered to him how Kari felt, all that was important was how he felt about her. If
they were destined to be just friends forever, then so be it. The feeling he got from being
with her already was more than he could ever ask for. He would simply continue loving
her, regardless of what he got in return. With that decision made, the ease and comfort of
their old friendship had returned to him. He didn't feel awkward at all having to kiss her
on stage. He certainly didn't appear awkward, either. When the kiss came, he hit it
without missing a beat. It was totally natural, and the scene flowed. He was proud of
himself for overcoming his insecurities, and he knew that it would never be a problem
again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was Monday, three days before opening. They had just run the entire show without
stopping and everyone was feeling rather pleased with themselves. The kiss had gone
perfectly, as had everything else. Afterwards, Kari came up to talk to TK.
"You're getting really good at that," she said. "You totally take control, and it's
perfect. You just sweep me in and. . .well there you go."
TK was very happy to get this kind of praise from Kari. "Thanks," he said with a smile.
"I guess anything would be an improvement over the first time." They both laughed.
"No, seriously," Kari continued. "You're a really good kisser."
"Stop it, you're making me blush!" She was, too. He tried his best to hide it, but she
could see the tint of redness in his cheeks.
"So do you think you can do it in front of an audience?" she asked.
"No problem," he responded with a wry grin.
"All right everyone, listen up!" They heard their teacher yelling. "It's time to do curtain
call! I want everyone to pay attention as I tell you when and where to come out." She
began assigning the order, and of course TK and Kari came last. "And you two," she said,
pointing at them. "I want you to come out from the center at the end, and walk downstage
to the edge. There you will take your bow, and still in character, I want you to kiss each
other again."
Rather than dreading this as he had before, TK was excited about it. This was the
perfect play for him if he could ever pick one! The cast ran through curtain call, and as
instructed, TK and Kari came down from the center at the end. They took a bow, then
faced each other. Kari was the one who was to initiate the kiss, and she did. It was a short
kiss, just what their teacher had in mind. After that, the rest of the cast came up to join
them, and they all joined hands and took another bow. Done.
The next two days went by just the same. On Wednesday during curtain call, TK got a
brilliant idea. It was perfect for opening night, and now he really couldn't wait. This was
going to be the best curtain call ever!
The next night was opening, and nearly the entire cast was down in the green room
pacing anxiously. (A/N: The green room is the room where the actors sit before the show,
and where they wait during the show if they have a while before they go on. It is generally
filled with old furniture and is usually in the basement.) Kari and TK however, were
seasoned veterans. They were a little nervous, as was only natural, but they were pretty
confident. Neither of them had ever really been bothered by stage fright or pre-show
jitters. Quite to the contrary, they loved being in front of people and found the tension
before a show exhilarating. At present, TK was sitting in his favorite chair that he had
claimed as his own when he was a freshman, and Kari was sitting across his lap. They
were having fun watching all the newbies freak out.
"Were we ever that nervous, TK?" Kari asked him.
"I don't think so," he replied. "I bet they're all looking at us and wondering how we
can be so calm."
Kari giggled. "We're role modes, TK!"
"I guess we are."
Just then, their teacher came down the stairs to address the cast. "Okay everyone, this
is it. The big opening. I know you're all going to do magnificent, and I just came down to
say break a leg all of you!" They all cheered. (Quietly, because the audience could hear
them if they were too loud.) Then the actors who were in the first scene headed upstairs.
This included TK, and Kari followed him up.
"Break a leg, TK," she whispered just before he went out.
He turned around just before he left the wing to whisper back, "You too."
The first half of the show went incredibly well. At intermission, Kari ran over to where
TK was standing backstage and gave him a huge hug. He lifted her off the ground and
spun her around.
"You were great!" she squealed as he put her back down.
"So were you!" he responded in kind. He stared into her eyes for just a moment. He
sighed mentally. How they could be so close, how he ever deserved to even know her was
utterly beyond his comprehension.
"Do you think the second act will go just as well?" she asked him.
"I see no reason why it shouldn't." He let out a small chuckle. "You worry too much."
She returned this with a wry little smirk. "You don't worry enough."
`That's a laugh,' TK thought to himself. Suddenly the lights flickered, the signal that
intermission was about over. All the actors rushed to their places for the start of act two,
and Kari and TK once again wished each other break a leg.
The second act was going along rather smoothly, too. In the groundhog scene,
someone missed a line, but TK covered it like a pro. As the curtain closed for the final
scene change, all the cast was buzzing around in total excitement. TK and Kari met behind
the curtain before their big scene. They gave each other a hug, and then Kari looked at TK
teasingly.
"So do you really think you're ready to kiss me in front of an audience?" she asked
him.
"You bet," was his answer.
"I don't know," she continued to tease him. "I don't think you can do it."
"What makes you say that?" questioned TK with a tone of mock innocence.
"Oh, you know you can't. You'll get up there, and mmmph!" She was silenced as TK
swiftly came in and pressed his lips against hers. He didn't know what made him do it, it
was simply one of those spur-of-the-moment things. Kari was caught completely off-
guard. Her eyes went wide as soon as he started to kiss her, then they shut for a moment,
then shot back open in shock as they parted.
TK looked at her with a sly grin on his face. "You believe me now?" he asked wryly.
She looked at him for a minute, then reflected his facial expression and voice tone.
"Yeah, I believe you." They stayed like that for just a moment, and then the curtain started
to open and they assumed their characters.
The kiss was inching ever closer. TK was aware of this, but was not nervous at all.
After what had just happened, how could he be? Before he knew it, they were right there.
TK slowly took her in his arms as he had done a dozen times in rehearsal. He looked into
her eyes, and to himself, he broke character. Right in front of him was the girl he loved
with every ounce of his being, and he was about to kiss her. It didn't matter that he was
supposed to, that it was in the script, that it was actually nothing more than his character
kissing her character, all that mattered was that he was going to kiss her. As they moved
toward each other, TK released all the feelings for Kari that were inside of him. He put
every last bit of all of them into that kiss. This kiss was more spectacular than anything
they had practiced, and patrons would later say that it was the most authentic kiss they'd
ever seen on stage. He didn't know if Kari noticed anything, and that was a credit to her.
He smiled to himself as they parted. She didn't break character once.
The scene lasted another minute or so after the kiss, and then the lights went down and
the curtain closed. The applause came instantly. When the curtain opened again, the cast
began to go out in the order they had previously decided. At the end came Kari and TK.
They met at the front, took a bow, faced each other, and Kari kissed him just as she was
supposed to. Then something else happened, though. As soon as they parted, TK took her
around the shoulder and dipped her. He then planted the biggest kiss imaginable on her
lips. She went wide-eyed for a moment, and she shut her eyes and wrapped her arms
around TK's neck. The audience was going wild. When they straightened back up, the
took a quick gasp for air and looked at each other. Then the rest of the cast joined them at
the front of the stage and they all joined hands for their final bow. The whole house was
hollering and going crazy.
When they were done, they relaxed, and the audience could now come up on stage to
congratulate friends in the cast. Kari at once turned to TK and gave him a shove.
"You goober! You scared the hell out of me!" She was laughing hysterically and had a
huge grin on her face.
"Oh my God!" the two turned to see Yolei standing a few feet away from them. "TK,
did you plan that!?"
"Of course I did!" TK said with a smirk.
"That was unbelievable!" Yolei still couldn't get over it. She ran over and gave both of
them a hug to congratulate them. Just then, someone else appeared to see them.
"Way to go TK!" they looked over to see Davis cracking up. He walked over to TK
and gave him a high five. "Where did you ever find the guts to do that?" TK smiled. He
was quite pleased that his idea went over so well, especially with Kari. The rest of his
friends came up to congratulate him, and Kari, and everyone else. About a half-hour later,
things were dying down. TK went back downstairs to get changed and get out before the
rush. When he got there, he sat down in his chair for a minute. He was about to get up
again when he heard a voice from behind him.
"TK?" he turned to see Kari standing there, her hands held nervously over her
stomach. He motioned for her to come sit on his lap, and she did.
"What's up?" he asked her.
"Well, it's about what you did at curtain call. And in the show, the way you kissed me
was different." It was easy to see she was having a hard time getting the words out, and
even in the dark TK could tell she was blushing. "I just wanted to, well. . ." she didn't
finish then sentence, but only because she had moved in to kiss TK. It was much like the
kiss he had given her backstage, only there was more behind it. The more he thought
about it, the more it seemed to resemble the kiss he had given her ON stage. When she
slowly pulled away, he could see her eyes quivering slightly, and the corners of her mouth
were turned upward just a little bit in a tiny, angelic smile. He knew immediately what she
was saying, and he smiled at her warmly. Instantly her little smile became a great big one
and she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him again. When this one was over,
the lights had come on and half the cast was downstairs watching them, They didn't care.
This was a moment neither one of them would ever forget. The moment when they had
stepped beyond what they used to be. The moment they finally became more than friends.
The moment that they told one another without words how much they truly meant to each
other. This was their opening night.
************************************************************************
Ta-daa! How's that for an anniversary story? The inspiration for this fic just kept coming,
and I had a hell of a lot of fun writing it. In case any of you are wondering, the term `break
a leg' goes way back in theater. The ropes that held up the curtain were called `legs,' and
if the audience cheered enough for an actor, the stage hands would raise the curtain again
for them to take another bow. With really popular actors, the curtain might go up and
down several times, causing one of the legs to break. This is why that is always what
actors say to each other before going out on stage. Saying `good luck' is considered a
jinx.
legal claim to the show Digimon: Digital Monsters. I can, however, claim this plot.
Author's Notes: Hello, and welcome to another installment into the inner workings of my
brain. Twisted, no? Anyway, this idea just came to me one day, and it just put itself
together so fast that I could barely write it all down. Also, this weekend (the 9th
specifically) was my one month anniversary on FF.net. I figured I should do something to
celebrate. Anyway, read, enjoy, and as always: REVIEW!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Opening Night
Prologue:
TK and Kari are juniors in high school. They have continued to be best friends through
all their years together. As of late however, things have taken a change. Over the past
summer, TK fell for his brown-haired best friend. He can't tell her, since he knows she
doesn't return his feelings, and he fears ruining their friendship. Meanwhile, his feelings for
her have gotten so strong that he feels about ready to explode. Davis got over his crush
when they were freshmen, but nearly half the guys in the school have their eyes on Kari.
Likewise, many girls have eyes for TK as well. It is nearing the end of April now, and TK
and Kari are in the school play. They are playing the leads, who have a kiss in the last
scene. TK is really nervous about it, for he doesn't know what he will do when he has to
kiss the girl that he loves. He fears he might screw it up, and there's always the possibility
that his feelings could show through and freak her out. Today was the first rehearsal to
actually go over the kiss. We will pick it up from here:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
`Arrgh!' TK mentally scolded himself. `That could not possibly have looked more
awkward!' He and Kari had just run through the kissing scene for the first time, and it was
just that; awkward. It wasn't as if he didn't know how to kiss, hell no. He had dated
before, and had always been told that he was rather good at it. He had even kissed Kari
before, but before he fell in love with her. At Christmas parties, she would play and kiss
him under the mistletoe, and they had kissed at New Year's. Not this last one, mind you,
the one before that. Kari had had a boyfriend during the holidays this past year, and it was
rather hard on TK. Not only because he had to watch the girl he loved be with another
guy, but also because the guy happened to be a good friend of his. He was a Senior, and
on the basketball team with TK. He and Kari had broken up about a month ago, and as
always, TK had been there for her. A shoulder to cry on, a best friend to hug, but nothing
more.
TK sighed as these thoughts ran through his head. `What I wouldn't give to be able to
kiss Kari whenever I wanted, and not have it feel so strange.'
As he was thinking this, he heard familiar footsteps behind him, and then the very
person he was thinking about sat down next to him on the edge of the stage.
"Hey TK, what's up?" Kari inquired cheerfully.
"Oh, nothing much," he replied, giving her that smile that was only for her.
"So what's the deal?" she asked. "That kiss was a little off. You losing your touch?"
He laughed a bit. "No, it was just a little awkward for me, that's all. You know, kissing
your best friend isn't the easiest thing in the world."
"I guess your right," she agreed. Then she got a teasing look on her face. "Maybe we
could use some practice."
Inside, TK was leaping for joy and gulping in terror at the same time. Outwardly, he
gave her a wry look and said in a flirty tone, "That might just be a good idea."
She laughed and leaned up against him, and he slid his arm around her shoulder. They
always acted like this; flirting and snuggling up together, but nothing ever came of it. It
never occurred to either of them, not even TK, that this might one day lead to something
more. They were just best friends who were really close. That's all, just best friends and
nothing more. Nothing more. . .
Later that night, TK lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He was worried about the
next time he would have to kiss her. Would it be as awkward as this time? Or perhaps
even worse? And what about this `practice' that she mentioned. Had she really been
serious? And if she had been, what exactly did she have in mind? All these and more
questions were running through TK's head and preventing him from sleeping until after
three in the morning.
The next day was Tuesday, and once again there was rehearsal after school. When TK
woke up, he was relieved that they would be starting at the beginning of the show again,
and he wouldn't have to worry about kissing her just yet. As he sat up to get out of bed,
he yelped in pain. His right shoulder and that whole side of his neck were so stiff he that it
hurt to even think about moving them. The nearest he could figure was that he slept on it
wrong. It took all his willpower to get up and go have breakfast. Then, against his better
judgment, he gathered his things and went off to school, meeting Kari outside her
apartment like he did every morning. Seeing her face brightened him up a little.
From the way he was walking, Kari could tell right away that something was wrong
with her friend.
"What's the matter, TK?" she asked, sounding very concerned.
"Oh, it's just my shoulder. I must have slept on it wrong or something."
"Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should stay home today."
"No, I'm fine," he insisted. "Besides, we have to work on the play again today."
"Oh, that's right!" Her voice shifted to a teasing tone again. "And you and I have to
work on our kissing, right?"
By now TK was pretty sure she was only joking around, so he played along. "You bet
we do. After school, in the auditorium before rehearsal starts." He winked at her, and she
laughed and gave him a playful shove. Instantly he winced in pain and grabbed his
shoulder.
"Oh my God!" Kari gasped. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" She was really worried,
both about the fact that TK was hurting and about the fact that she had caused her friend
this pain. TK didn't want her to be upset, so he just smiled at her like he always did and
denied everything.
"No, I'm all right," he said. "Don't worry about me."
A look of relief appeared on her face. "Good Lord! Don't scare me like that! You need
to take better care of yourself!"
The two of them continued to talk until they reached the school. They had different
classes until the end of the day, so this would be goodbye for a while.
"I'll see you in sixth!" Kari said as she waved goodbye.
"Okay!" TK waved back, then sighed when she turned her back to him. He watched
her go, unwilling to tear his eyes from her until the moment she became indistinguishable
from the rest of the crowd. As he himself was turning to leave for class, he again winced in
pain and grasped his shoulder. He gritted his teeth to prevent himself from screaming out
something that he shouldn't. He stood there for a moment until the pain partially subsided,
then headed off to class.
Their last period of the day was drama. TK loved being in the auditorium, it gave him a
sense of peace. He had grown to love acting almost as much as he loved basketball. He
was pretty good at it, too.
It was Kari who had first gotten him interested in the theater. Back in eighth grade, she
had begged and pleaded with him to take an acting class with her. He had finally given in,
but he ended up really enjoying himself. He and Kari had been actively involved in theater
ever since, and he'd enjoyed every minute of it.
As he sat in his chair waiting for Kari and the rest of the class to arrive, he pulled out
his script and started working on his lines. The play was not part of class, but a large
portion of the class was in it, so the teacher let them work on it during the period.
Students who were not in the cast had other projects they could work on.
As he was reading the script, a head appeared over his right shoulder. He couldn't turn
his head to see who it was, but he didn't need to.
"Working hard?" Kari asked him.
"You know me," he joked. "Always the perfectionist."
She laughed a little, then wrapped her arms around his neck from behind and draped
them over his chest. She rested her head on his shoulder ever so lightly so as not to hurt
him, and their cheeks touched. TK almost melted.
"So, you ready for rehearsal this afternoon?" she asked in a half-whisper.
"I guess," he replied. "I just hope my shoulder doesn't screw me up too badly."
She got up and released him, then came around to the chair next to him and sat down.
"Is it really that bad?" she asked, concerned again.
"I'm going to sleep with a heat pad tonight," he said. "Hopefully it'll be gone by
tomorrow."
The rest of the period went by rather uneventfully. The two of them worked on their
lines, and talked about how great opening night was going to be. When school got out,
they waited in the auditorium for rehearsal to start. They didn't practice their kissing,
which caused TK to feel at the same time disappointed and incredibly relieved. During
rehearsal, they got through the first act, which was about all anyone was expecting. TK
walked Kari home as always, and she gave him a peck on the cheek before going inside
her apartment.
"Feel better," she said with a sweet smile.
"I will," he said, smiling back. When she went through the door and shut it, he slowly
put his hand up to his cheek where she had kissed him. He shook his head to the best of
his ability and turned to go home.
The next he woke up, his shoulder hurt just as bad as ever. Even worse, he was going
to have to kiss Kari again today. He was so distressed all day that he barely heard a thing
any of his teachers said. By the time rehearsal started, he was a nervous wreck. Every
scene got him closer and closer to humiliation. In the second to last scene, his shoulder
flared up on him. The teacher gave the cast a five minute break. He had told her about his
shoulder yesterday, and she was almost as worried as Kari was.
"You take care of yourself," she said. "I don't want you getting in even worse shape
on account of this play. If you need a day off then just take it. I can't have my star nearly
crippled, now can I?"
During the break, Kari came over to talk to TK and see if he was all right. He told her
that he was fine, but she didn't believe him. She gave him a hug and told him to feel better
soon. Just the fact that she cared made him feel a little better right then.
When the break was over, the cast got back to work. Well, sort of. No matter how
many times they went over the same scene, they couldn't get it right.
"I don't believe this!" exclaimed Kari. "And two scenes form the end, too!"
They never did get through that scene that day, and their teacher sent them home
telling them to study their lines and blocking hard, and they would give the second act
another try tomorrow.
TK woke up the next day, Thursday, and rubbed his eyes. His shoulder didn't feel as
bad as it had, but he was sweating bullets. Today, he really would have to kiss Kari, and
there was no way out of it. He wasn't ready yet! He could only imagine how horrible it
would feel to be up on stage, get right to the kissing scene, and choke. He continued to
dwell on it as he went to the kitchen for some breakfast.
"Good morning, sweetie!" his mother chirped.
"Morning, mom!" he threw back, using all his acting abilities to make himself sound
calm and cheerful. She bought it.
"So how's the play coming along?" she asked.
"Pretty bad," he answered truthfully. "We went over this one scene six times yesterday,
and we still didn't get it right."
"Well, you've still got three weeks until you open," she commented.
"Yeah, I guess. I'm worried though."
He finished his breakfast, said goodbye to his mother, and left to go meet Kari. She
was standing outside her building waiting for him as usual.
"Hey TK!" she said with a bright smile.
"Hey Kari!" He met up with her, and the two began their daily walk to school, talking
about this and that. When they arrived, they had to part quickly for they only had four
minutes before classes started.
"I'll see you I sixth!" Kari yelled over her shoulder as she waved back at him.
"Okay, bye!" He waved back. He was able to do so with his right arm this morning,
much to his great glee.
The day went by as a blur. Even more so than yesterday. By the time TK finally got to
sixth period, he felt as if he were getting off a roller coaster. He was sitting in his seat
when a pair of hands came over his eyes and he heard a familiar female voice.
"Guess who?"
"Um, Davis?" he uttered jokingly.
"That's not even fully," Kari said, pretending to be hurt. She came around and took her
seat beside him.
"So what are you thinking about?" Kari asked him. "You seemed kind of lost in
thought there."
"Oh, I was just thinking about the play," he told her. "We've got a lot of work to do."
"You can say that again!" she laughed. "Some of those freshmen could really use some
more practice!" He laughed along with her, and the two began to run their lines.
TK looked at her as she practiced her big monologue. Somehow, just being with her
right there sort of took his mind off everything else. He was amazed at how fast the period
went by. He was reminded of a quote from Albert Einstein that his physics teacher had
told them on their first day.
"If you put your hand on a hot burner for a minute it seems like an hour, and if you sit
with a pretty girl for an hour it seems like a minute. That's relativity."
That quote seemed to fit this situation perfectly, for all of a sudden TK found himself
preparing for rehearsal. At least this was the last on this week. They didn't have them on
Fridays.
The second act went over pretty well, even the `groundhog scene' as it had come to be
called. Throughout the whole thing, TK felt himself growing more and more nervous. By
the time they got to the last scene, he was about ready to explode. Right as they were
getting up to the kiss, a plan formulated in his mind. They all knew about his shoulder,
maybe. . .
The kiss was approaching. It was now or never. He started to say his line in his
character's charming, innocent voice. "Well perhaps maybe I can-AHHHH!" TK gripped
his shoulder as hard as he could and collapsed on the floor. He gritted his teeth in pain,
mumbling some obscenities. Kari immediately dropped to her knees beside him, and the
rest of the cast came rushing over.
"Oh my God!" Kari was wailing. "TK are you all right!?" She had her hands on his
arm, and looked at his face. His eyes were squinted, but he was starting to open them. He
looked back at her. The worry on her face was clearly evident. Their drama teacher was
hunched over him, just as concerned.
"TK? TK!?" Kari was starting to flip out. TK opened his mouth to speak. His voice
was strained.
"Yeah, I'll be okay. It'll probably go away in a minute or so." Of course he was faking
it, but he was good. After about forty seconds, he slowly got to his feet. The teacher came
over and looked him right in the eye.
"You go home and rest, and I want you to promise me you'll see a doctor!" she said to
him. He nodded in reply.
"C'mon, TK," Kari said. "I'm taking you home right now!" She took his arm and put it
over her shoulders, then started walking off. They were out of the school when TK finally
convinced her to let him walk on his own.
"Thanks Kari, I appreciate it," he said to her as they walked, his voice a little more
calm now. Kari had a look of relief in her eyes.
"Don't you scare me like that!" she scolded. "What happened, anyway?"
"I don't know," he replied. "All of a sudden I could feel this sharp pain shooting up the
side of my back! It caught me off guard, that's all. That's why I fell over."
She gave him a big squeeze. "You worry me, that's all." She then turned to face him
and they stopped walking. "Just promise me you'll see a doctor, okay?" Her eyes were
pleading him, and he couldn't resist her.
"Okay," he nodded, "I promise." She hugged him again, and they resumed walking.
When they got to TK's apartment (Kari had insisted upon seeing him all the way home),
she turned to face him again.
"So you're going to see a doctor tomorrow, right?" she demanded.
"Yeah, I will."
A grin appeared across her face. "Good. I'll see you later then." As she said this, she
touched her index finger to the tip of his nose, and he reached up and snatched her hand.
He brought it down to his lips and lightly kissed the tip of her finger. She giggled. It was a
ritual they had shared many times, and neither of them ever grew tired of it. They waved
goodbye to each other, and Kari trotted off toward her own building. Once inside his
place, TK leaned up against the back of the front door and slunk down to the floor with a
sigh. He remained there daydreaming until his mother came home an hour later.
During school the next day, TK went to see the doctor as he had promised. He went
not only because his shoulder did still hurt, but because Kari wanted him to. Normally his
mother wouldn't want him missing school for anything, but when he told her about what
happened the previous day, she made an appointment.
While sitting on one of those ironing board things waiting for the doctor, TK thought
about what he had done at rehearsal. Why had he done it? He was merely delaying the
inevitable. Might as well do it now and at least have some time to get used to it before the
show opened. He continued to mentally scold himself as the doctor walked into the room.
"So, TK. What seems to be the problem?" the doctor asked politely.
TK proceeded to explain the whole thing, from when he woke up Tuesday feeling
crappy to how he felt right then. He excluded the fiasco on Thursday of course, seeing as
it was all fake.
The doctor listened intently through the whole thing, occasionally nodding or jotting
something down on his notepad. After TK was done explaining, he got up and went over
to inspect TK's shoulder.
"Whoa, your muscles are really tight," he said. "Does it hurt right here?" He pointed to
a spot and TK shook his head. "What about if I do this?" He Gently pinched the area, and
TK groaned in discomfort.
"Mm-hmm," said the doctor as he went back to write something more on his notepad.
"TK, what you have are muscle spasms induced by high levels of stress. You need to relax
for a day or so, and in the meantime I'm gong to give you some muscle relaxants." He
handed TK a small package. "Here. Take one of these now, one when you get home, and
then at every meal through Sunday, okay?" TK nodded in understanding. "I think that's
about it," the doctor said. "You can probably go back to school now, unless you think it'll
be too stressful."
TK looked at the clock on the wall. "Nah, it's just drama. That usually relaxes me."
"Good," said the doctor. "So go back, and then when you get home put some heat on
your shoulder. And don't forget to take that medicine."
TK thanked the doctor, and then his mom took him back to school. Sixth period was
almost half over when he got there. Kari rushed up to greet him.
"Hey, TK! Where have you been?"
"I was at the doctor's," he answered.
"Good. And?"
"He said I have muscle spasms due to stress."
Kari laughed. "I can believe that! You're probably more worried about this play than
anyone!"
`Not just the play,' TK thought to himself. He smiled at Kari, and the two of them
went off to go have some fun. It was Friday, and no one in drama was expected to do any
work. That was another nice thing about that class; only four work days a week.
At the end of the day, they went to meet their friends at the caf‚ down the street where
they always hung out. TK knew he should probably go home like the doctor told him to,
but he couldn't pass up an afternoon with all his friends. And Kari.
When they arrived, Ken and Yolei were already there. As seniors, they didn't have a
sixth period and got out early. A few minutes later Davis arrived, followed shortly by their
freshman friend Cody.
"So how was everybody's week?" Yolei asked as they all sat down.
"Long," said TK and Kari in unison.
"What have you guys been doing?" Davis asked.
"Play rehearsals really intensified this week," Kari explained.
"Yeah," TK added. "The stress is killing me." He and Kari giggled a little, but
obviously no one else got it.
"So what are everyone's plans for the weekend?" Ken inquired.
"Nothing much" was the basic response from the other three guys.
"Well," Kari said, "Tai's coming home for the weekend, and I think I'm going to spend
some time with him."
"Tai's coming home?" Yolei exclaimed. "I bet you Sora's excited."
"You better believe it!" Kari laughed. "She said she's going to get some time off this
weekend and come see him." Then she added sarcastically, "I wonder what she has in
mind."
"Hmm," TK said. "I haven't seen Tai in a while. Maybe I'll come by this weekend,
too."
"Great!" cheered Kari. "We can have some fun this weekend!"
About that time, the waitress came over and brought them milkshakes. They didn't eve
need to order. They were in there a lot, and had become well known. When they were
finished, TK got up and said he had to go home and rest on doctor's orders. The others
waved goodbye to him, and he left.
On the way home, TK thought about the upcoming weekend. It was going to be fun.
He hadn't seen Tai since around Christmas time, and was looking forward to it. Also,
when Tai and Sora went off as they inevitably would, he would get some time alone with
Kari. He laughed at himself. He probably got more time alone with Kari than did her own
mother, but it was never enough.
The next day he awoke and the pain in his shoulder was almost completely gone.
Nevertheless, he took the medicine as he was instructed. He ate breakfast, then headed
over to the park where he was to meet Kari, Tai and Sora. Come to think of it, he hadn't
seen Sora in a while either. She was always at school or at work. He arrived to find
everybody else already there.
"Hey, TK!" shouted Tai. "How you doing, buddy?"
TK walked over to Tai and they slapped hands. They then proceeded to go through the
whole elaborate handshake thingy, complete with the hitting together of fists at the end.
"I'm doing okay," TK said. "How `bout you?"
"Oh, you know. Same old same old!" They talked for a while, leaving the two girls to
have a conversation of their own. Once they were all caught up, they went over to the
girls, and the four of them decided to go to a movie.
When they arrived, Tai and TK both went up to buy the tickets.
"Hey TK don't worry, I'll get `em," said Tai.
"No way! This is your break! I'll get them!" TK argued.
"No can do. Besides, I have to buy Sora's ticket. Unless you and Kari are dating, I see
no good reason why I should let you pay." TK was left speechless for a moment, so Tai
won out. "There, see? I always win." Tai laughed as he gave the tickets to the other three.
In the theater, Kari and TK split off to let Tai and Sora be alone. They ended up sitting
off to the side somewhere. This would have made TK feel nervous, but for some reason he
didn't. He felt just like he had in the old days, when he had only been best friends with
Kari. He knew that he still loved her, more than ever even. So why was he feeling so
natural around her again? He had to admit it was a welcome feeling. He had missed being
able to hang out with his best friend without worrying about screwing up somehow. One
of the things he had always loved about her was the way the two of them got along even
when they weren't doing or saying anything. Of course he had always kept this up, acted
cool and calm around her so she would never notice. But inside he was always either
melting with happiness, sweating in nervousness, or both.
About halfway through the movie, Kari shivered. "It's really cold in here," she
whispered. Without even thinking, TK wrapped his arm around her. This was what he
always would have done, and it just came naturally. It didn't bother him one bit. Kari
leaned her head on his shoulder, which felt almost 100% better.
"You know TK, to anyone else in here, I bet it looks like we're dating." She let out a
small giggle, and TK had to chuckle also. He didn't feel nervous one bit.
After the movie was over, Tai and Sora went out to get something to eat, and TK
walked Kari home.
"I guess I won't see you tomorrow," he said. "I think I'm gonna take the whole day off
to make sure my shoulder doesn't come back and bite me in the ass." Kari giggled at his
bizarre choice of words.
"I'll see you on Monday then," she said. She then went into her apartment, leaving TK
to dream about what that day would be like.
On Monday he arrived at school feeling fully back to his cheerful self. He labored
through his first five classes, and then finally made it to sixth period. As usual, he was one
of the first ones there. When Kari came, she came up from behind him as always, and then
took her normal seat beside him.
"So, are we working on act one again today?" TK asked her as she sat down.
"Yep," she replied. "We're supposed to try to get through the whole thing without
stopping."
"Like that'll ever happen," TK joked.
"We'd better hope it does. We've only got this week, next week, and the first three
days of the week after that until we open."
"Don't worry about it," TK said casually. "It'll be great, you'll see."
The entire class that day was spent playing improv games and such, and a good time
was had by all. When rehearsal got started, TK was totally loose and ready to go.
"All right everyone," their teacher announced, "Today I would like to get through the
entire first act without stopping. I know that's a lot to ask, but I think you can do it. Next
week we add costumes, and finish the set. We need to be ready. With that said, let's get
started." And get started they did. They made it through the whole first act, only stopping
twice.
"Good job everyone!" their teacher congratulated them at the end of rehearsal.
"Tomorrow we'll see if act two can go just as smoothly." And so they left, to return the
next day to work again.
Act two was running just as well. They were approaching the groundhog scene, and
they had only stopped once. They did have to repeat that scene three times, but it was an
improvement. At last the last scene was upon them. TK went out with all the confidence in
the world, and he never wavered one bit. He had sorted things out over the weekend. It no
longer mattered to him how Kari felt, all that was important was how he felt about her. If
they were destined to be just friends forever, then so be it. The feeling he got from being
with her already was more than he could ever ask for. He would simply continue loving
her, regardless of what he got in return. With that decision made, the ease and comfort of
their old friendship had returned to him. He didn't feel awkward at all having to kiss her
on stage. He certainly didn't appear awkward, either. When the kiss came, he hit it
without missing a beat. It was totally natural, and the scene flowed. He was proud of
himself for overcoming his insecurities, and he knew that it would never be a problem
again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was Monday, three days before opening. They had just run the entire show without
stopping and everyone was feeling rather pleased with themselves. The kiss had gone
perfectly, as had everything else. Afterwards, Kari came up to talk to TK.
"You're getting really good at that," she said. "You totally take control, and it's
perfect. You just sweep me in and. . .well there you go."
TK was very happy to get this kind of praise from Kari. "Thanks," he said with a smile.
"I guess anything would be an improvement over the first time." They both laughed.
"No, seriously," Kari continued. "You're a really good kisser."
"Stop it, you're making me blush!" She was, too. He tried his best to hide it, but she
could see the tint of redness in his cheeks.
"So do you think you can do it in front of an audience?" she asked.
"No problem," he responded with a wry grin.
"All right everyone, listen up!" They heard their teacher yelling. "It's time to do curtain
call! I want everyone to pay attention as I tell you when and where to come out." She
began assigning the order, and of course TK and Kari came last. "And you two," she said,
pointing at them. "I want you to come out from the center at the end, and walk downstage
to the edge. There you will take your bow, and still in character, I want you to kiss each
other again."
Rather than dreading this as he had before, TK was excited about it. This was the
perfect play for him if he could ever pick one! The cast ran through curtain call, and as
instructed, TK and Kari came down from the center at the end. They took a bow, then
faced each other. Kari was the one who was to initiate the kiss, and she did. It was a short
kiss, just what their teacher had in mind. After that, the rest of the cast came up to join
them, and they all joined hands and took another bow. Done.
The next two days went by just the same. On Wednesday during curtain call, TK got a
brilliant idea. It was perfect for opening night, and now he really couldn't wait. This was
going to be the best curtain call ever!
The next night was opening, and nearly the entire cast was down in the green room
pacing anxiously. (A/N: The green room is the room where the actors sit before the show,
and where they wait during the show if they have a while before they go on. It is generally
filled with old furniture and is usually in the basement.) Kari and TK however, were
seasoned veterans. They were a little nervous, as was only natural, but they were pretty
confident. Neither of them had ever really been bothered by stage fright or pre-show
jitters. Quite to the contrary, they loved being in front of people and found the tension
before a show exhilarating. At present, TK was sitting in his favorite chair that he had
claimed as his own when he was a freshman, and Kari was sitting across his lap. They
were having fun watching all the newbies freak out.
"Were we ever that nervous, TK?" Kari asked him.
"I don't think so," he replied. "I bet they're all looking at us and wondering how we
can be so calm."
Kari giggled. "We're role modes, TK!"
"I guess we are."
Just then, their teacher came down the stairs to address the cast. "Okay everyone, this
is it. The big opening. I know you're all going to do magnificent, and I just came down to
say break a leg all of you!" They all cheered. (Quietly, because the audience could hear
them if they were too loud.) Then the actors who were in the first scene headed upstairs.
This included TK, and Kari followed him up.
"Break a leg, TK," she whispered just before he went out.
He turned around just before he left the wing to whisper back, "You too."
The first half of the show went incredibly well. At intermission, Kari ran over to where
TK was standing backstage and gave him a huge hug. He lifted her off the ground and
spun her around.
"You were great!" she squealed as he put her back down.
"So were you!" he responded in kind. He stared into her eyes for just a moment. He
sighed mentally. How they could be so close, how he ever deserved to even know her was
utterly beyond his comprehension.
"Do you think the second act will go just as well?" she asked him.
"I see no reason why it shouldn't." He let out a small chuckle. "You worry too much."
She returned this with a wry little smirk. "You don't worry enough."
`That's a laugh,' TK thought to himself. Suddenly the lights flickered, the signal that
intermission was about over. All the actors rushed to their places for the start of act two,
and Kari and TK once again wished each other break a leg.
The second act was going along rather smoothly, too. In the groundhog scene,
someone missed a line, but TK covered it like a pro. As the curtain closed for the final
scene change, all the cast was buzzing around in total excitement. TK and Kari met behind
the curtain before their big scene. They gave each other a hug, and then Kari looked at TK
teasingly.
"So do you really think you're ready to kiss me in front of an audience?" she asked
him.
"You bet," was his answer.
"I don't know," she continued to tease him. "I don't think you can do it."
"What makes you say that?" questioned TK with a tone of mock innocence.
"Oh, you know you can't. You'll get up there, and mmmph!" She was silenced as TK
swiftly came in and pressed his lips against hers. He didn't know what made him do it, it
was simply one of those spur-of-the-moment things. Kari was caught completely off-
guard. Her eyes went wide as soon as he started to kiss her, then they shut for a moment,
then shot back open in shock as they parted.
TK looked at her with a sly grin on his face. "You believe me now?" he asked wryly.
She looked at him for a minute, then reflected his facial expression and voice tone.
"Yeah, I believe you." They stayed like that for just a moment, and then the curtain started
to open and they assumed their characters.
The kiss was inching ever closer. TK was aware of this, but was not nervous at all.
After what had just happened, how could he be? Before he knew it, they were right there.
TK slowly took her in his arms as he had done a dozen times in rehearsal. He looked into
her eyes, and to himself, he broke character. Right in front of him was the girl he loved
with every ounce of his being, and he was about to kiss her. It didn't matter that he was
supposed to, that it was in the script, that it was actually nothing more than his character
kissing her character, all that mattered was that he was going to kiss her. As they moved
toward each other, TK released all the feelings for Kari that were inside of him. He put
every last bit of all of them into that kiss. This kiss was more spectacular than anything
they had practiced, and patrons would later say that it was the most authentic kiss they'd
ever seen on stage. He didn't know if Kari noticed anything, and that was a credit to her.
He smiled to himself as they parted. She didn't break character once.
The scene lasted another minute or so after the kiss, and then the lights went down and
the curtain closed. The applause came instantly. When the curtain opened again, the cast
began to go out in the order they had previously decided. At the end came Kari and TK.
They met at the front, took a bow, faced each other, and Kari kissed him just as she was
supposed to. Then something else happened, though. As soon as they parted, TK took her
around the shoulder and dipped her. He then planted the biggest kiss imaginable on her
lips. She went wide-eyed for a moment, and she shut her eyes and wrapped her arms
around TK's neck. The audience was going wild. When they straightened back up, the
took a quick gasp for air and looked at each other. Then the rest of the cast joined them at
the front of the stage and they all joined hands for their final bow. The whole house was
hollering and going crazy.
When they were done, they relaxed, and the audience could now come up on stage to
congratulate friends in the cast. Kari at once turned to TK and gave him a shove.
"You goober! You scared the hell out of me!" She was laughing hysterically and had a
huge grin on her face.
"Oh my God!" the two turned to see Yolei standing a few feet away from them. "TK,
did you plan that!?"
"Of course I did!" TK said with a smirk.
"That was unbelievable!" Yolei still couldn't get over it. She ran over and gave both of
them a hug to congratulate them. Just then, someone else appeared to see them.
"Way to go TK!" they looked over to see Davis cracking up. He walked over to TK
and gave him a high five. "Where did you ever find the guts to do that?" TK smiled. He
was quite pleased that his idea went over so well, especially with Kari. The rest of his
friends came up to congratulate him, and Kari, and everyone else. About a half-hour later,
things were dying down. TK went back downstairs to get changed and get out before the
rush. When he got there, he sat down in his chair for a minute. He was about to get up
again when he heard a voice from behind him.
"TK?" he turned to see Kari standing there, her hands held nervously over her
stomach. He motioned for her to come sit on his lap, and she did.
"What's up?" he asked her.
"Well, it's about what you did at curtain call. And in the show, the way you kissed me
was different." It was easy to see she was having a hard time getting the words out, and
even in the dark TK could tell she was blushing. "I just wanted to, well. . ." she didn't
finish then sentence, but only because she had moved in to kiss TK. It was much like the
kiss he had given her backstage, only there was more behind it. The more he thought
about it, the more it seemed to resemble the kiss he had given her ON stage. When she
slowly pulled away, he could see her eyes quivering slightly, and the corners of her mouth
were turned upward just a little bit in a tiny, angelic smile. He knew immediately what she
was saying, and he smiled at her warmly. Instantly her little smile became a great big one
and she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him again. When this one was over,
the lights had come on and half the cast was downstairs watching them, They didn't care.
This was a moment neither one of them would ever forget. The moment when they had
stepped beyond what they used to be. The moment they finally became more than friends.
The moment that they told one another without words how much they truly meant to each
other. This was their opening night.
************************************************************************
Ta-daa! How's that for an anniversary story? The inspiration for this fic just kept coming,
and I had a hell of a lot of fun writing it. In case any of you are wondering, the term `break
a leg' goes way back in theater. The ropes that held up the curtain were called `legs,' and
if the audience cheered enough for an actor, the stage hands would raise the curtain again
for them to take another bow. With really popular actors, the curtain might go up and
down several times, causing one of the legs to break. This is why that is always what
actors say to each other before going out on stage. Saying `good luck' is considered a
jinx.