"Comfort Refused"
By: Avalon Merquise
DramaQueen572@hotmail.com
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"Owowowowow," Sora winced as she plunged her hands into the scalding hot dishwater. Even with rubber gloves on her hands still got burnt. The dishwasher was full so she had to wash the pots and pans by hand. She hated washing dishes by hand. She turned on the cold water to cool it down a bit, at least enough so she could keep her hands in for more than 3 seconds at a time.
Just then the phone rang. "I'll get it!" Sora yelled. "Oh yeah, I'm the only one home," she remembered. She turned off the water and pulled off the gloves. She ran to her mom's desk and picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey Sora." Tai had talked to Sora on the phone enough times to know her voice.
"Hi Tai, what's up?" Sora was the same way with Tai.
"Did you get your report card and all that stuff in the mail yet?" he asked.
"Yeah I just got it today, how bout you?"
"Yep I just got it. You know those tests we took at the end of last year?"
"The finals, Tai?" Sora asked trying not to laugh. Tai of all people should remember the finals.
"No, not the finals. Those other tests that tell you if you're supposed to be in the advanced classes."
"Oh, the placement test."
"Yeah. They sent the results of that along with my report card, finals results, and schedule, and, guess what?"
"What?"
"They put me in the advanced class!" Tai exclaimed.
Sora laughed. "No way. You?"
"Hey," Tai said in a phony hurt voice. "Okay but anyway, yep. They said I made great progress last year and I scored above average on the placement test so they're putting me in the advanced class!"
"Cool! We'll be in all the same classes. Well, except for electives and lunch. Which period do you have Gym and Lunch and electives?"
"I have 1st Lunch, 6th Period Gym, and Wood Shop for 5th."
Sora picked up her schedule and examined it. "Hey, me too! Cool we'll have all the same classes. Have you talked to Matt lately?"
"Yeah I just called him a few minutes ago. He's still advanced, and he has the same Lunch and Gym as us but he's in World Languages for 5th."
"That sucks but at least the 3 of us will be together in all our other classes. Listen, I gotta let you go. I'm supposed to be doing my chores."
"Okay, I'll talk to you later, Sora."
"Bye Tai."
"Bye."
Sora hung up the phone and finished the dishes.
-----
The last 3 weeks of summer passed by quickly, too quickly in Tai's opinion, and soon it was their first day of 7th grade. Tai, Sora, and Matt all rode the same bus and Tai and Sora were at the same bus stop since their apartment buildings were across the street from each other. Tai stopped by Sora's house in the morning like he usually did. He had on new clothes, as did she. Sora had helped Tai pick his out when they went shopping for school supplies. On the first and last days of school the students were allowed to were whatever they wanted but every other day they had to wear uniforms.
The school they went to had 4 classes for each grade. There was 1 Below average class, 2 average classes, and 1 advanced class. In 6th grade Tai had been in an average class, while Matt and Sora were both in advanced. But this year they were all together.
When they got into their classroom they were surprised to see Mr. Fujiyama. "You're our teacher this year?" Matt asked in disbelief.
"Yep, isn't it great? We get to spend another year together!"
The three kids sweatdropped. "Um, yeah, great," Tai said quickly and they walked away. "Man, we already had to deal with that weirdo in 5th grade."
Sora and Matt laughed.
After the bell rang and the Morning Announcments were over, Mr. Fujiyama said to the class, "Now, I'm letting you choose your own seats--" He was cut off as the class cheered. He waited. "Now wait. Choose them wisely because they'll be your assigned seats for the entire year. That is, of course, I feel the need to move you."
Naturally everyone in the class sat with their friends, except for the new kids who just chose some empty seats. Tai sat between Sora and Matt, and a new girl sat next to Sora. "Hi," she introduced herself to Sora. "I'm Nika. I just moved to Odaiba."
"Sora." They shook hands.
Each of the classes were an hour long. They stayed with Mr. Fujiyama in the morning for Advanced Math, English, Social Studies, and Science. Then they had lunch. There was 3 lunch periods, each 20 minutes long and the 40 minutes that you didn't have lunch you had Study Hall. After that was electives. Everyone was required to take Gym (unless you had a note from your doctor excusing you) and you get to choose another elective.
They barely did anything on the first day. The rules were explained and what they would be doing over the school year. The books were issued. At 12:00 Mr. Fujiyama sent them off to lunch.
Tai and Matt's lockers were 3 away from each other because they set them up alphabetically by your last name. Sora's was way down the hall from them. She met Nika in the hall on her way to their lockers.
"Hi," Sora greeted. "What lunch period do you have?"
Nika checked her schedule. "First."
"Hey, great! Me too! Do you wanna sit with me and my friends?"
"Sure," Nika shrugged.
After they dumped their stuff in their lockers and grabbed their lunches they headed off to the cafeteria. Sora led Nika to their usual table and they sat down with Tai and Matt, along with Joe who was a grade ahead of them but had the same lunch period.
"Ooh, 3 guys," Nika teased. "Which one's your boyfriend? Ooh I bet it's the brown-haired kid. You and him were chatting all through class."
"Tai?" Sora blushed. 'I wish,' she said to herself but to Nika she yelled, "No! None of them are my boyfriends! I don't have a boyfriend!"
Nika laughed. "So is the blond one single? He's cute."
Sora rolled her eyes and sat down. "This is Nika from our class. She's new. Do you guys mind if she sits with us?"
Everyone shook their head and introduced themselves. A few minutes later they were joined by Mimi, who was mad because her 3 best friends in 6th grade all had 2nd lunch.
"You know, the system at this school really sucks. They have 3 lunch periods right? And 3 grades. It would be a lot smarter if they had one grade per period so I'd get to be with my friends," Mimi whined. "And my teacher really sucks and we already have homework. I can't believe that, homework on the first day. And it's my first day of junior high too, you'd think they'd lighten up on a bit but no," Mimi whined. Then she noticed Nika. "Oh, hi. I'm Mimi. I'm in 6th grade," she said in a cheery voice.
Nika introduced herself for what seemed like the millionth time that day.
-----
One day 3 weeks later Sora waited for Tai in the morning. He usually came about 7:20. The bus came at 7:30. Sora waited but he still wasn't there at 7:25 and she had to leave to make sure she didn't miss the bus. She wondered where he was. 'Probably just overslept,' she thought.
But Tai didn't show up all day. Sora got his homework for him and after soccer practice when she got home she went over to his apartment. When he answered the door he pulled her in and led her to his room.
"What's going on, Tai? How come you weren't at school today?"
"You know what today is?"
"Wednesday."
"Besides that."
"September 23."
"Right. It's Kari's birthday. She'd be 10 today."
"Oh."
"She didn't even get to see her 10th birthday."
Sora put her arm around Tai. "I'm so sorry Tai."
Tai shook his head. "It's not your fault." 'Like it's mine.' he thought.
Sora knew what he was thinking. "Tai, it wasn't your fault."
"Yes it was, Sora. I'm her big brother. I should've protected her better. That's what big brothers are for. Just like my mom said. But I wasn't responsible, and now she's dead!"
"Tai, you need to stop blaming yourself! There was nothing you could've done. And your mom doesn't still blame you. It's okay, Tai. It's not your fault."
"You're wrong Sora! It's not okay! It'll never be okay because she's gone! She's not coming back! You're smart, Sora, but you don't understand this! You don't understand at all! You're an only child and you don't understand what it's like to lose a sibling so butt out!"
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Tai regretted them. He saw a look of pain flash in Sora's eyes. She looked hurt. "Fine. Remind me never to try and comfort you ever again! Here's your homework. Bye." And she left.
-----
PART 2
-----
Sora fought back tears as she ran across the street and up to her apartment. She was glad she was the only one home cos she didn't want any questions. She made a beeline to her bedroom and collapsed on her bed in tears.
-----
Three hours later Sora heard the phone ringing. She sat up and realized she'd been sleeping. She must've cried herself to sleep. She checked the clock. It was 7:17. She groaned and reached for the phone. "Hello?"
"Is Sora there?"
"Speaking."
"Hey. It's Matt."
"Hi Matt."
"We're you sleeping? You sound like you just woke up."
"Yeah, I did."
"Are you okay?" "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Then she figured out what he was getting at. "Oh. You've been talking to Tai, haven't you?"
"Yeah I just got off the phone with him before I called you. He said you guys got in a huge fight."
Sora told him what happened.
"He's right, you know. Well, you're both right actually. But you don't understand at all about having a younger sibling to look after."
"Okay. I got that. I'm an only child. But he needs to stop blaming himself. It's not good for him and it's false blame."
"I know. You're right about that. But when you have a younger sibling and something happens to them that you think you could've prevented you feel like it's your fault, even when it isn't. Remember when we were in the DigiWorld? Every time TK got lost or anything like that, I felt like it was my fault. Like I should've been more responsible and protective. Even when there was nothing I could've done to change things, I still blamed myself. That's how Tai feels. He feels that if he had been more responsible for Kari then she'd still be alive to celebrate her 10th birthday."
"So what am I supposed to do? You said I was right and it's not his fault! But he won't listen to me! He'll just yell at me again!"
"He needs time, Sora. Time heals all wounds, remember? It may take him a while to realize that it's not his fault. We just have to wait it out."
Sora sighed. She felt bad for her best friend. She wished that this whole thing was over, and they could move on with their lives. But Matt and Tai were right. She didn't have any younger siblings, (or any siblings for that matter) and she had never experienced much death in her family.
"Thanks for talking to me Matt. I can't say I feel better, actually I feel worse now, but I understand a little better."
"Your welcome. I'll see ya tomorrow."
"Yeah. Bye."
She hung up the phone and buried her face in the pillows. Throughout their entire friendship, which was since they were in Kindergarten, Sora and Tai had never had a fight as bad as this. In fact, they had become considerably closer since their homecoming from the DigiWorld. Sora hated fighting with her friends.
She remembered when they were in the DigiWorld and they went after her crest. In the pyramid she kept yelling at Tai for every little thing he did. She wasn't mad at him, she was just nervous about being in Etemon's pyramid. When she was kidnapped by Datamon she was worried she'd never see him again and she didn't want to lose him with him thinking he hated her. When Datamon grabbed her she had called out Tai's name, and he ended up being the one rescueing her.
Sora cared deeply for Tai. She'd do anything for him. She'd give her life for him. She hated seeing him so depressed, and she wished she could do something about it. But she couldn't. Like Matt said, she had to wait it out.
Sora started to cry again. She wanted her best friend back.
-----
Tai was depressed. He'd not only lost his little sister, but now his best friend as well. He didn't mean to yell at her but it frustrated him the way she kept insisting it wasn't his fault. He knew it was. At first he'd tried to refuse the fact, and he tried to come up with excuses, but there was no way of getting around it. He was now an only child, and it was all his fault.
He knew his mom still blamed him too. It was 10 times worse than when Kari got pneumonia when she was five. His mom felt the exact same way he did, that he should've been watching out for her, and that he needed to learn some responsibilty. But soon she came to realize that it wasn't his fault, or at least that's what she said. But Tai knew that in her heart of hearts she still blamed him. He could tell from the fact that she seemed quite hostile to him today.
Tai agreed that her feelings were justified. He lost his sister, and he felt like a part of him was missing. His mother must feel a million times worse.
Sora didn't understand at all. She and her mom were their whole family, and no one really close to her had ever died. She didn't get it at all. She didn't know what she was talking about.
-----
The next morning Sora woke up at 5 AM. She realized she'd cried herself to sleep again, and this time slept through the night. She hurried and finished her homework. She'd gotten most of it done in Study Hall the day before so it only took her about half an hour and she was ready for school earlier than usual.
"Are you okay, Sweetie?" Sora's mom asked. "Every time I went in your room to check on you, you were fast asleep. You missed dinner last night. Are you sure you're not sick or anything?" "I'm fine, Mom," Sora lied. "I had a headache yesterday so I decided to go to bed early." It wasn't entirely a lie. She'd given herself a headache and now she was beginning to feel sick. But she didn't want her mom to think anything was wrong so she decided to go to school.
"Okay. Well, did you get all your homework done?"
"Yeah, I finished it this morning."
"Okay. Have a nice day, hun."
"I will." Sora wished that was true.
Her mom left at 7 as usual. Tai didn't show up again, but she wasn't expecting him to.
Sora didn't even want to face Tai. But it was inevitable, since he was in all her classes and if she skipped school they'd call her mom. She reluctantly walked down to the bus stop but stood by herself instead of with Tai as usual.
-----
That day Sora realized what Mr. Fujiyama meant when he told them to choose their seats wisely. Sitting next to Tai was hard for her. She couldn't concentrate at all.
Nika knew something was wrong. "What's the matter?" she asked during passing period. "You and your boyfriend get in a fight?"
'Wow, she's good,' Sora thought. But she didn't want to explain everything again so she just said, "I've told you a million times, Nika. Tai is not my boyfriend! And nothing's the matter."
Nika held up her hands. "Okay, okay. It's just that you seem a little on edge today. And you yelling at me over a joke isn't disproving my theory at all."
-----
PART 3
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Tai and Sora didn't say a word to or about each other all day. Sora didn't want anyone to think anything was wrong, just like her mom, cos she didn't want to drag everyone else into her problems. Matt was the only other person that knew what was going on, and there was nothing she could do about that since Tai had told him first. Anyway she trusted Matt and knew he wouldn't get in the middle and mess things up worse than they already were.
After the episode with Nika in the hall, Sora worried about anyone else thinking something was wrong. So for the rest of the day she tried as hard as she could to act like her normal self.
Everyone else may have bought it, but Nika didn't. She knew something was going on, and she hated people being unhappy. She wondered what to do.
-----
"And last but not least, don't forget about the dance on Friday after school in the Gym, from 3-5 P.M." the voice of the principal finished the Morning Announcements.
And suddenly Nika knew exactly what to do.
-----
Nika spent the whole day coming up with her plan, and after school she began to put it into action.
"Hey Matt!" she called.
Matt turned around and faced Sora's new friend. She reminded him of Mimi. "Yeah?"
"Can I talk to you?"
"About what?"
"Tai and Sora."
Matt stopped walking. Nika caught up.
"First of all, I need you to promise not to say anything unless I ask you a question until I'm done. People always interrupt me and I hate that."
Matt reluctantly nodded.
"Okay. I have to start at the beginning. I really hate it when people fight, and I hate it even more when people who are best friends to be fighting. Second of all, I am a major romantic. I like to set people up. I have this sort-of sixth sense type of thing where I can sense when people would make a good couple."
Matt looked at her like she was insane. He opened his mouth to tell her that he had something else to do, but she held up her hand. "You promised not to say anything, remember? Just hear me out."
Matt sighed and started walking. Nika ran after him. "You do want them to stop fighting, don't you?"
Matt sweatdropped. "Sure, of course I do. I just really don't get what you're getting at."
"Just let me finish. Okay. So anyway, at my old school I used to set people up. And 2 out of 3 of them are still together, as far as I know. So I think I'm pretty good at what I do. So. I'm thinking. On my first day at this school I could sort-of sense that Tai and Sora would make a good couple. Now, the reason I set up so many people at my old school successfully is cos I went there my whole life and I knew everybody. Well almost everybody, anyway. So, I just moved here so I don't know that many people. You guys are the first people I know, but I need help. That's where you come in."
Geez this girl can talk, Matt thought. Even more than Mimi. "So, what do you want me to do?"
"You've known Tai and Sora for a long time, right?"
"Sure, a couple years."
"Okay. So, they trust you right? And they'll believe what you tell them?"
"What are you getting at?"
"Just answer the question."
"Fine. Yes, I guess they do."
"Good. No one else knows what's going on between them, but i think you do. And I doubt you'll tell me. I'll just have to work around that. That's also part of the reason I need you. You don't have to tell me what's going on. Just help me. Here's my plan..."
-----
Matt sighed. He didn't know why he agreed to Nika's insane plan. He guessed it was just to get Tai and Sora to stop fighting. But that was all he wanted. None of this romance crap. But Nika had begged him. He finally agreed just to shut her up.
"So are you going to the dance on Friday?" Matt asked Tai before school on the bus the next day.
Tai shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe, if I have nothing else to do."
"I'll go if you do. Maybe we can hook up with some cute girls there." He grinned. I can't believe I'm doing this, he thought.
"Sure then, I guess."
"Cool."
-----
Matt looked around for Sora right before class to complete the second part of the plan. He walked to her locker where she was shoving her coat in.
"Hey Sora."
Sora looked up. "Oh, hi Matt. What's up?"
"You comin to the dance on Friday?"
"Yeah. I'm just gonna hang out with some friends. Are you coming?"
"Yeah."
"Cool. Well we'd better get to class."
-----
"So are they coming?" Nika asked Matt at passing period.
"Yes! Everything's going perfectly! Now we just wait until Friday."
-----
On Friday Sora was hanging out with Nika and some other girls at the dance. Nika and Mimi had dressed her up, dress, make-up, and hair. They were just hanging out and daring each other to ask someone to dance. They were dancing in a big group like pretty much everyone else except for someone couples who got "Ooh"'s and kissy faces from everyone around them.
"Hey Sora, I dare you to ask Tai to dance!" Nika said.
Sora shook her head. She didn't know what Nika's deal with her and Tai was. She had some kind of obsession with thinking they were a couple, and she wouldn't let it go. Sora did used to like Tai as more than a friend, but now she was too angry with him. As much as she missed him, she was still mad at him.
Over on the other side of the gym Matt and Tai were standing around feeling out-of-place. Tai didn't want to be there, he was just there to keep Matt company. Matt didn't want to be there, he was just there because of Nika's plan.
Speaking of Nika, she walked past Matt, trying not to let Tai see her. She whispered, "Now," in his ear before running over to the DJ and doing her part of the plan.
Matt turned to Tai. "I'll be right back, okay?"
"Sure."
Matt walked over to the other side of the Gym where Sora was hanging out with some of her friends. Here came the hardest part of the plan. Matt saw Nika standing behind Sora.
He cleared his throat.
-----
Tai wondered what Matt was doing talking to Sora. Suddenly she looked over in his direction. Actually, he realized, she was looking right at him. Then he had half a mind to go over there and see what it was about, but he didn't have the will to talk to Sora yet. He hoped Matt wasn't asking her to dance. No, he told himself. Matt wouldn't do that. He was the only one who knew how much Tai liked Sora. That was part of the reason he was so miserable over this fight. He'd had fights with his friends before; he and Matt used to fight over every little thing. but he couldn't stand it not being friends with Sora. Through everything they'd been through together, ever since they were 5 years old, he realized that he truly did love her. But it took this fight to make him realize that. Tai thought that was terrible. But then he remembered hearing that you can't appreciate real love until you say goodbye. He hoped that somehow they would get over this fight. He didn't want to say goodbye to Sora for good. He'd already had to do that with Kari. He didn't want to lose the other girl he loved most in the world.
-----
"Sora, Tai... um... Tai wants... to know..." he drifted off. He looked at Nika who mouthed "Go on." to him.
Sora looked behind her where Matt was staring. "What? What does Tai want to know?"
Matt sighed. Might as well get it over with. Just do it quick and fast, he thought. Like pulling off a Band-Aid. "Taiwantstoslowdancewithyou," he said really fast.
Sora stepped back in bewilderment. Tai wanted to slow dance with her? "Really Matt?"
Matt nodded. He mentally kicked himself.
"Oooooh..." went all of the girls around Sora. Sora rolled her eyes.
"Come on, Sora!" Nika said.
Sora was confused. A week ago she would've jumped at the chance to dance with Tai. But now...
Matt pulled her away from the group of girls. "He wants to make things up to you. He's sorry about the fight." Matt knew that if he could get Tai and Sora to slow dance, Tai would more than likely apologize. That's waht Nika was counting on.
Sora stared at Matt. Was he telling the truth? "Fine," she said.
"Next slow dance, okay?" Matt said.
Sora nodded.
-----
Matt walked back over to Tai.
"What were you saying to Sora?" Tai asked.
Perfect. He hoped Tai would see him talking to Sora. Well, Nika hoped anyway. It was part of her plan.
"Sora really misses you and she wants to slow dance with you." Wow, Matt thought. That was easier than the first time.
Tai choked on his soda. "Very funny."
"I'm not joking! She really misses you and she said that she likes you a lot and she wants to dance with you." Matt hated lying to his friends. But Nika insisted it was for a good cause.
Tai looked across the Gym at Sora. Sure enough, she'd been staring at him and now she was blushing and looking away.
"Well, okay then."
"Next slow dance."
"Right."
-----
The next slow dance came after the current song was over. Tai took a couple of deep breaths and gathered together all his courage. He walked over to where Sora was waiting. Wow, she looked pretty tonight. She was beautiful all the time, but Tai noticed that she was all dressed up. He held out his hand. "Dance with me?"
Sora took his hand. "Sure." They walked out to the dance floor ignored all the "Ooh"'s and giggles and kissy faces from Sora's friends.
Sora put her arms on Tai's shoulders and he wrapped his arms around her waist. They began swaying gently to the music.
Tai looked at Sora. She was so beautiful. She was everything he'd ever dreamed of. He couldn't believe she was right here in his arms.
Neither of them knew what song was playing. They were too caught up in the moment. After the song was over, Tai grabbed Sora's hand. He was finally gonna talk to her.
"Sora can we talk? Outside?"
Sora nodded and they walked out of the gym doors.
Nika stood next to Matt. "We did it! Mission accomplished!" She slapped high fives with him. "Thanks for all your help, Matt." Then Nika spotted a cute single guy standing by the bleachers. "Gotta go..."
-----
Sora and Tai walked around in front of the school hand in hand in the cool dusk air.
Finally, after about 2 minutes Tai got up enough courage to speak.
"Sora, I'm so sorry about how I acted. I shouldn't have yelled at you. You were just trying to make me feel better."
"It's okay Tai. You were right. I don't understand."
"I know, but I still shouldn't have yelled at you." There was a pause. "I don't wanna lose you Sora. I... I love you," he said in a barely audible whisper.
Sora's heart flew. Did Tai really just say that he loved her? Or was she just dreaming? Only one way to find out.
"I love you too, Tai."
Tai stopped walking. Sora stopped too. For a moment they only stood there, staring deep into each other's eyes. Then, slowly they moved closer to each other as if pulled by some magnetic force, until their lips touched. The kiss started off small but got deeper and deeper, realizing all their unspoken feelings for one another.
Kissing Sora was like looking into Heaven. For that moment, Tai's whole world stopped. All he could think about was her. The world could've falled down around them and neither of them would've noticed.
Sora wrapped her arms around Tai's neck as he wrapped his around her waist and pulled her closer, closer, until there wasn't an inch of space between them.
Sora melted into Tai's arms. She never wanted to let go. She wished they could stay like this forever. She never wanted to leave.
Finally they had to part, so they could breathe. Sora rested her head against Tai's shoulder as he began to kiss her neck. Her arms slid down Tai's and their fingers intertwined.
Sora kissed him a couple more times. They rested their foreheads together and Sora whispered, "Let's go back inside and dance."
-----
They walked back inside the gym hand in hand.
"Stay here for a second. I'll be right back," Sora said smiling. Tai watched wondering what she was up to as she went and talked to the DJ.
Sora came back.
"What was that all about?" Tai asked.
Sora smiled. "You'll see," she said in a sing-song voice. "Come on, let's dance!"
The next song was the one Sor requested.
"This next song is dedicated from Sora to Tai," the DJ announced.
Tai looked at her in amazement.
"I want you to listen to this song, Tai. Listen closely to the words."
They began to dance.
When you feel all alone
And the world has turned it's back on you
Give me a moment please to tame your wild wild heart
I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you
It's hard to relief and people can be so cold
When darkness is upon your door and you feel like you can't take anymore
Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash them crash and burn
You're not alone
"Thank you, Sora," Tai whispered in her ear. He kissed her again.
When you feel all alone
And a loyal friend is hard to find
You're caught in a one way street
With the monsters in your head
Whem hopes and dreams are far away and
You feel like you can't face the day
Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash them crash and burn
You're not alone
Because there has always been heartache and pain
and when it's over you'll breathe again
You'll breathe again
When you feel all alone
And the world has turned it's back on you
Give me a moment please
To tame your wild wild heart
Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash them crash and burn
You're not alone...
-----
THE END
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YES!!! I finally finished!!! Woohoo! Please tell me what you think!
By: Avalon Merquise
DramaQueen572@hotmail.com
-----
"Owowowowow," Sora winced as she plunged her hands into the scalding hot dishwater. Even with rubber gloves on her hands still got burnt. The dishwasher was full so she had to wash the pots and pans by hand. She hated washing dishes by hand. She turned on the cold water to cool it down a bit, at least enough so she could keep her hands in for more than 3 seconds at a time.
Just then the phone rang. "I'll get it!" Sora yelled. "Oh yeah, I'm the only one home," she remembered. She turned off the water and pulled off the gloves. She ran to her mom's desk and picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey Sora." Tai had talked to Sora on the phone enough times to know her voice.
"Hi Tai, what's up?" Sora was the same way with Tai.
"Did you get your report card and all that stuff in the mail yet?" he asked.
"Yeah I just got it today, how bout you?"
"Yep I just got it. You know those tests we took at the end of last year?"
"The finals, Tai?" Sora asked trying not to laugh. Tai of all people should remember the finals.
"No, not the finals. Those other tests that tell you if you're supposed to be in the advanced classes."
"Oh, the placement test."
"Yeah. They sent the results of that along with my report card, finals results, and schedule, and, guess what?"
"What?"
"They put me in the advanced class!" Tai exclaimed.
Sora laughed. "No way. You?"
"Hey," Tai said in a phony hurt voice. "Okay but anyway, yep. They said I made great progress last year and I scored above average on the placement test so they're putting me in the advanced class!"
"Cool! We'll be in all the same classes. Well, except for electives and lunch. Which period do you have Gym and Lunch and electives?"
"I have 1st Lunch, 6th Period Gym, and Wood Shop for 5th."
Sora picked up her schedule and examined it. "Hey, me too! Cool we'll have all the same classes. Have you talked to Matt lately?"
"Yeah I just called him a few minutes ago. He's still advanced, and he has the same Lunch and Gym as us but he's in World Languages for 5th."
"That sucks but at least the 3 of us will be together in all our other classes. Listen, I gotta let you go. I'm supposed to be doing my chores."
"Okay, I'll talk to you later, Sora."
"Bye Tai."
"Bye."
Sora hung up the phone and finished the dishes.
-----
The last 3 weeks of summer passed by quickly, too quickly in Tai's opinion, and soon it was their first day of 7th grade. Tai, Sora, and Matt all rode the same bus and Tai and Sora were at the same bus stop since their apartment buildings were across the street from each other. Tai stopped by Sora's house in the morning like he usually did. He had on new clothes, as did she. Sora had helped Tai pick his out when they went shopping for school supplies. On the first and last days of school the students were allowed to were whatever they wanted but every other day they had to wear uniforms.
The school they went to had 4 classes for each grade. There was 1 Below average class, 2 average classes, and 1 advanced class. In 6th grade Tai had been in an average class, while Matt and Sora were both in advanced. But this year they were all together.
When they got into their classroom they were surprised to see Mr. Fujiyama. "You're our teacher this year?" Matt asked in disbelief.
"Yep, isn't it great? We get to spend another year together!"
The three kids sweatdropped. "Um, yeah, great," Tai said quickly and they walked away. "Man, we already had to deal with that weirdo in 5th grade."
Sora and Matt laughed.
After the bell rang and the Morning Announcments were over, Mr. Fujiyama said to the class, "Now, I'm letting you choose your own seats--" He was cut off as the class cheered. He waited. "Now wait. Choose them wisely because they'll be your assigned seats for the entire year. That is, of course, I feel the need to move you."
Naturally everyone in the class sat with their friends, except for the new kids who just chose some empty seats. Tai sat between Sora and Matt, and a new girl sat next to Sora. "Hi," she introduced herself to Sora. "I'm Nika. I just moved to Odaiba."
"Sora." They shook hands.
Each of the classes were an hour long. They stayed with Mr. Fujiyama in the morning for Advanced Math, English, Social Studies, and Science. Then they had lunch. There was 3 lunch periods, each 20 minutes long and the 40 minutes that you didn't have lunch you had Study Hall. After that was electives. Everyone was required to take Gym (unless you had a note from your doctor excusing you) and you get to choose another elective.
They barely did anything on the first day. The rules were explained and what they would be doing over the school year. The books were issued. At 12:00 Mr. Fujiyama sent them off to lunch.
Tai and Matt's lockers were 3 away from each other because they set them up alphabetically by your last name. Sora's was way down the hall from them. She met Nika in the hall on her way to their lockers.
"Hi," Sora greeted. "What lunch period do you have?"
Nika checked her schedule. "First."
"Hey, great! Me too! Do you wanna sit with me and my friends?"
"Sure," Nika shrugged.
After they dumped their stuff in their lockers and grabbed their lunches they headed off to the cafeteria. Sora led Nika to their usual table and they sat down with Tai and Matt, along with Joe who was a grade ahead of them but had the same lunch period.
"Ooh, 3 guys," Nika teased. "Which one's your boyfriend? Ooh I bet it's the brown-haired kid. You and him were chatting all through class."
"Tai?" Sora blushed. 'I wish,' she said to herself but to Nika she yelled, "No! None of them are my boyfriends! I don't have a boyfriend!"
Nika laughed. "So is the blond one single? He's cute."
Sora rolled her eyes and sat down. "This is Nika from our class. She's new. Do you guys mind if she sits with us?"
Everyone shook their head and introduced themselves. A few minutes later they were joined by Mimi, who was mad because her 3 best friends in 6th grade all had 2nd lunch.
"You know, the system at this school really sucks. They have 3 lunch periods right? And 3 grades. It would be a lot smarter if they had one grade per period so I'd get to be with my friends," Mimi whined. "And my teacher really sucks and we already have homework. I can't believe that, homework on the first day. And it's my first day of junior high too, you'd think they'd lighten up on a bit but no," Mimi whined. Then she noticed Nika. "Oh, hi. I'm Mimi. I'm in 6th grade," she said in a cheery voice.
Nika introduced herself for what seemed like the millionth time that day.
-----
One day 3 weeks later Sora waited for Tai in the morning. He usually came about 7:20. The bus came at 7:30. Sora waited but he still wasn't there at 7:25 and she had to leave to make sure she didn't miss the bus. She wondered where he was. 'Probably just overslept,' she thought.
But Tai didn't show up all day. Sora got his homework for him and after soccer practice when she got home she went over to his apartment. When he answered the door he pulled her in and led her to his room.
"What's going on, Tai? How come you weren't at school today?"
"You know what today is?"
"Wednesday."
"Besides that."
"September 23."
"Right. It's Kari's birthday. She'd be 10 today."
"Oh."
"She didn't even get to see her 10th birthday."
Sora put her arm around Tai. "I'm so sorry Tai."
Tai shook his head. "It's not your fault." 'Like it's mine.' he thought.
Sora knew what he was thinking. "Tai, it wasn't your fault."
"Yes it was, Sora. I'm her big brother. I should've protected her better. That's what big brothers are for. Just like my mom said. But I wasn't responsible, and now she's dead!"
"Tai, you need to stop blaming yourself! There was nothing you could've done. And your mom doesn't still blame you. It's okay, Tai. It's not your fault."
"You're wrong Sora! It's not okay! It'll never be okay because she's gone! She's not coming back! You're smart, Sora, but you don't understand this! You don't understand at all! You're an only child and you don't understand what it's like to lose a sibling so butt out!"
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Tai regretted them. He saw a look of pain flash in Sora's eyes. She looked hurt. "Fine. Remind me never to try and comfort you ever again! Here's your homework. Bye." And she left.
-----
PART 2
-----
Sora fought back tears as she ran across the street and up to her apartment. She was glad she was the only one home cos she didn't want any questions. She made a beeline to her bedroom and collapsed on her bed in tears.
-----
Three hours later Sora heard the phone ringing. She sat up and realized she'd been sleeping. She must've cried herself to sleep. She checked the clock. It was 7:17. She groaned and reached for the phone. "Hello?"
"Is Sora there?"
"Speaking."
"Hey. It's Matt."
"Hi Matt."
"We're you sleeping? You sound like you just woke up."
"Yeah, I did."
"Are you okay?" "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Then she figured out what he was getting at. "Oh. You've been talking to Tai, haven't you?"
"Yeah I just got off the phone with him before I called you. He said you guys got in a huge fight."
Sora told him what happened.
"He's right, you know. Well, you're both right actually. But you don't understand at all about having a younger sibling to look after."
"Okay. I got that. I'm an only child. But he needs to stop blaming himself. It's not good for him and it's false blame."
"I know. You're right about that. But when you have a younger sibling and something happens to them that you think you could've prevented you feel like it's your fault, even when it isn't. Remember when we were in the DigiWorld? Every time TK got lost or anything like that, I felt like it was my fault. Like I should've been more responsible and protective. Even when there was nothing I could've done to change things, I still blamed myself. That's how Tai feels. He feels that if he had been more responsible for Kari then she'd still be alive to celebrate her 10th birthday."
"So what am I supposed to do? You said I was right and it's not his fault! But he won't listen to me! He'll just yell at me again!"
"He needs time, Sora. Time heals all wounds, remember? It may take him a while to realize that it's not his fault. We just have to wait it out."
Sora sighed. She felt bad for her best friend. She wished that this whole thing was over, and they could move on with their lives. But Matt and Tai were right. She didn't have any younger siblings, (or any siblings for that matter) and she had never experienced much death in her family.
"Thanks for talking to me Matt. I can't say I feel better, actually I feel worse now, but I understand a little better."
"Your welcome. I'll see ya tomorrow."
"Yeah. Bye."
She hung up the phone and buried her face in the pillows. Throughout their entire friendship, which was since they were in Kindergarten, Sora and Tai had never had a fight as bad as this. In fact, they had become considerably closer since their homecoming from the DigiWorld. Sora hated fighting with her friends.
She remembered when they were in the DigiWorld and they went after her crest. In the pyramid she kept yelling at Tai for every little thing he did. She wasn't mad at him, she was just nervous about being in Etemon's pyramid. When she was kidnapped by Datamon she was worried she'd never see him again and she didn't want to lose him with him thinking he hated her. When Datamon grabbed her she had called out Tai's name, and he ended up being the one rescueing her.
Sora cared deeply for Tai. She'd do anything for him. She'd give her life for him. She hated seeing him so depressed, and she wished she could do something about it. But she couldn't. Like Matt said, she had to wait it out.
Sora started to cry again. She wanted her best friend back.
-----
Tai was depressed. He'd not only lost his little sister, but now his best friend as well. He didn't mean to yell at her but it frustrated him the way she kept insisting it wasn't his fault. He knew it was. At first he'd tried to refuse the fact, and he tried to come up with excuses, but there was no way of getting around it. He was now an only child, and it was all his fault.
He knew his mom still blamed him too. It was 10 times worse than when Kari got pneumonia when she was five. His mom felt the exact same way he did, that he should've been watching out for her, and that he needed to learn some responsibilty. But soon she came to realize that it wasn't his fault, or at least that's what she said. But Tai knew that in her heart of hearts she still blamed him. He could tell from the fact that she seemed quite hostile to him today.
Tai agreed that her feelings were justified. He lost his sister, and he felt like a part of him was missing. His mother must feel a million times worse.
Sora didn't understand at all. She and her mom were their whole family, and no one really close to her had ever died. She didn't get it at all. She didn't know what she was talking about.
-----
The next morning Sora woke up at 5 AM. She realized she'd cried herself to sleep again, and this time slept through the night. She hurried and finished her homework. She'd gotten most of it done in Study Hall the day before so it only took her about half an hour and she was ready for school earlier than usual.
"Are you okay, Sweetie?" Sora's mom asked. "Every time I went in your room to check on you, you were fast asleep. You missed dinner last night. Are you sure you're not sick or anything?" "I'm fine, Mom," Sora lied. "I had a headache yesterday so I decided to go to bed early." It wasn't entirely a lie. She'd given herself a headache and now she was beginning to feel sick. But she didn't want her mom to think anything was wrong so she decided to go to school.
"Okay. Well, did you get all your homework done?"
"Yeah, I finished it this morning."
"Okay. Have a nice day, hun."
"I will." Sora wished that was true.
Her mom left at 7 as usual. Tai didn't show up again, but she wasn't expecting him to.
Sora didn't even want to face Tai. But it was inevitable, since he was in all her classes and if she skipped school they'd call her mom. She reluctantly walked down to the bus stop but stood by herself instead of with Tai as usual.
-----
That day Sora realized what Mr. Fujiyama meant when he told them to choose their seats wisely. Sitting next to Tai was hard for her. She couldn't concentrate at all.
Nika knew something was wrong. "What's the matter?" she asked during passing period. "You and your boyfriend get in a fight?"
'Wow, she's good,' Sora thought. But she didn't want to explain everything again so she just said, "I've told you a million times, Nika. Tai is not my boyfriend! And nothing's the matter."
Nika held up her hands. "Okay, okay. It's just that you seem a little on edge today. And you yelling at me over a joke isn't disproving my theory at all."
-----
PART 3
-----
Tai and Sora didn't say a word to or about each other all day. Sora didn't want anyone to think anything was wrong, just like her mom, cos she didn't want to drag everyone else into her problems. Matt was the only other person that knew what was going on, and there was nothing she could do about that since Tai had told him first. Anyway she trusted Matt and knew he wouldn't get in the middle and mess things up worse than they already were.
After the episode with Nika in the hall, Sora worried about anyone else thinking something was wrong. So for the rest of the day she tried as hard as she could to act like her normal self.
Everyone else may have bought it, but Nika didn't. She knew something was going on, and she hated people being unhappy. She wondered what to do.
-----
"And last but not least, don't forget about the dance on Friday after school in the Gym, from 3-5 P.M." the voice of the principal finished the Morning Announcements.
And suddenly Nika knew exactly what to do.
-----
Nika spent the whole day coming up with her plan, and after school she began to put it into action.
"Hey Matt!" she called.
Matt turned around and faced Sora's new friend. She reminded him of Mimi. "Yeah?"
"Can I talk to you?"
"About what?"
"Tai and Sora."
Matt stopped walking. Nika caught up.
"First of all, I need you to promise not to say anything unless I ask you a question until I'm done. People always interrupt me and I hate that."
Matt reluctantly nodded.
"Okay. I have to start at the beginning. I really hate it when people fight, and I hate it even more when people who are best friends to be fighting. Second of all, I am a major romantic. I like to set people up. I have this sort-of sixth sense type of thing where I can sense when people would make a good couple."
Matt looked at her like she was insane. He opened his mouth to tell her that he had something else to do, but she held up her hand. "You promised not to say anything, remember? Just hear me out."
Matt sighed and started walking. Nika ran after him. "You do want them to stop fighting, don't you?"
Matt sweatdropped. "Sure, of course I do. I just really don't get what you're getting at."
"Just let me finish. Okay. So anyway, at my old school I used to set people up. And 2 out of 3 of them are still together, as far as I know. So I think I'm pretty good at what I do. So. I'm thinking. On my first day at this school I could sort-of sense that Tai and Sora would make a good couple. Now, the reason I set up so many people at my old school successfully is cos I went there my whole life and I knew everybody. Well almost everybody, anyway. So, I just moved here so I don't know that many people. You guys are the first people I know, but I need help. That's where you come in."
Geez this girl can talk, Matt thought. Even more than Mimi. "So, what do you want me to do?"
"You've known Tai and Sora for a long time, right?"
"Sure, a couple years."
"Okay. So, they trust you right? And they'll believe what you tell them?"
"What are you getting at?"
"Just answer the question."
"Fine. Yes, I guess they do."
"Good. No one else knows what's going on between them, but i think you do. And I doubt you'll tell me. I'll just have to work around that. That's also part of the reason I need you. You don't have to tell me what's going on. Just help me. Here's my plan..."
-----
Matt sighed. He didn't know why he agreed to Nika's insane plan. He guessed it was just to get Tai and Sora to stop fighting. But that was all he wanted. None of this romance crap. But Nika had begged him. He finally agreed just to shut her up.
"So are you going to the dance on Friday?" Matt asked Tai before school on the bus the next day.
Tai shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe, if I have nothing else to do."
"I'll go if you do. Maybe we can hook up with some cute girls there." He grinned. I can't believe I'm doing this, he thought.
"Sure then, I guess."
"Cool."
-----
Matt looked around for Sora right before class to complete the second part of the plan. He walked to her locker where she was shoving her coat in.
"Hey Sora."
Sora looked up. "Oh, hi Matt. What's up?"
"You comin to the dance on Friday?"
"Yeah. I'm just gonna hang out with some friends. Are you coming?"
"Yeah."
"Cool. Well we'd better get to class."
-----
"So are they coming?" Nika asked Matt at passing period.
"Yes! Everything's going perfectly! Now we just wait until Friday."
-----
On Friday Sora was hanging out with Nika and some other girls at the dance. Nika and Mimi had dressed her up, dress, make-up, and hair. They were just hanging out and daring each other to ask someone to dance. They were dancing in a big group like pretty much everyone else except for someone couples who got "Ooh"'s and kissy faces from everyone around them.
"Hey Sora, I dare you to ask Tai to dance!" Nika said.
Sora shook her head. She didn't know what Nika's deal with her and Tai was. She had some kind of obsession with thinking they were a couple, and she wouldn't let it go. Sora did used to like Tai as more than a friend, but now she was too angry with him. As much as she missed him, she was still mad at him.
Over on the other side of the gym Matt and Tai were standing around feeling out-of-place. Tai didn't want to be there, he was just there to keep Matt company. Matt didn't want to be there, he was just there because of Nika's plan.
Speaking of Nika, she walked past Matt, trying not to let Tai see her. She whispered, "Now," in his ear before running over to the DJ and doing her part of the plan.
Matt turned to Tai. "I'll be right back, okay?"
"Sure."
Matt walked over to the other side of the Gym where Sora was hanging out with some of her friends. Here came the hardest part of the plan. Matt saw Nika standing behind Sora.
He cleared his throat.
-----
Tai wondered what Matt was doing talking to Sora. Suddenly she looked over in his direction. Actually, he realized, she was looking right at him. Then he had half a mind to go over there and see what it was about, but he didn't have the will to talk to Sora yet. He hoped Matt wasn't asking her to dance. No, he told himself. Matt wouldn't do that. He was the only one who knew how much Tai liked Sora. That was part of the reason he was so miserable over this fight. He'd had fights with his friends before; he and Matt used to fight over every little thing. but he couldn't stand it not being friends with Sora. Through everything they'd been through together, ever since they were 5 years old, he realized that he truly did love her. But it took this fight to make him realize that. Tai thought that was terrible. But then he remembered hearing that you can't appreciate real love until you say goodbye. He hoped that somehow they would get over this fight. He didn't want to say goodbye to Sora for good. He'd already had to do that with Kari. He didn't want to lose the other girl he loved most in the world.
-----
"Sora, Tai... um... Tai wants... to know..." he drifted off. He looked at Nika who mouthed "Go on." to him.
Sora looked behind her where Matt was staring. "What? What does Tai want to know?"
Matt sighed. Might as well get it over with. Just do it quick and fast, he thought. Like pulling off a Band-Aid. "Taiwantstoslowdancewithyou," he said really fast.
Sora stepped back in bewilderment. Tai wanted to slow dance with her? "Really Matt?"
Matt nodded. He mentally kicked himself.
"Oooooh..." went all of the girls around Sora. Sora rolled her eyes.
"Come on, Sora!" Nika said.
Sora was confused. A week ago she would've jumped at the chance to dance with Tai. But now...
Matt pulled her away from the group of girls. "He wants to make things up to you. He's sorry about the fight." Matt knew that if he could get Tai and Sora to slow dance, Tai would more than likely apologize. That's waht Nika was counting on.
Sora stared at Matt. Was he telling the truth? "Fine," she said.
"Next slow dance, okay?" Matt said.
Sora nodded.
-----
Matt walked back over to Tai.
"What were you saying to Sora?" Tai asked.
Perfect. He hoped Tai would see him talking to Sora. Well, Nika hoped anyway. It was part of her plan.
"Sora really misses you and she wants to slow dance with you." Wow, Matt thought. That was easier than the first time.
Tai choked on his soda. "Very funny."
"I'm not joking! She really misses you and she said that she likes you a lot and she wants to dance with you." Matt hated lying to his friends. But Nika insisted it was for a good cause.
Tai looked across the Gym at Sora. Sure enough, she'd been staring at him and now she was blushing and looking away.
"Well, okay then."
"Next slow dance."
"Right."
-----
The next slow dance came after the current song was over. Tai took a couple of deep breaths and gathered together all his courage. He walked over to where Sora was waiting. Wow, she looked pretty tonight. She was beautiful all the time, but Tai noticed that she was all dressed up. He held out his hand. "Dance with me?"
Sora took his hand. "Sure." They walked out to the dance floor ignored all the "Ooh"'s and giggles and kissy faces from Sora's friends.
Sora put her arms on Tai's shoulders and he wrapped his arms around her waist. They began swaying gently to the music.
Tai looked at Sora. She was so beautiful. She was everything he'd ever dreamed of. He couldn't believe she was right here in his arms.
Neither of them knew what song was playing. They were too caught up in the moment. After the song was over, Tai grabbed Sora's hand. He was finally gonna talk to her.
"Sora can we talk? Outside?"
Sora nodded and they walked out of the gym doors.
Nika stood next to Matt. "We did it! Mission accomplished!" She slapped high fives with him. "Thanks for all your help, Matt." Then Nika spotted a cute single guy standing by the bleachers. "Gotta go..."
-----
Sora and Tai walked around in front of the school hand in hand in the cool dusk air.
Finally, after about 2 minutes Tai got up enough courage to speak.
"Sora, I'm so sorry about how I acted. I shouldn't have yelled at you. You were just trying to make me feel better."
"It's okay Tai. You were right. I don't understand."
"I know, but I still shouldn't have yelled at you." There was a pause. "I don't wanna lose you Sora. I... I love you," he said in a barely audible whisper.
Sora's heart flew. Did Tai really just say that he loved her? Or was she just dreaming? Only one way to find out.
"I love you too, Tai."
Tai stopped walking. Sora stopped too. For a moment they only stood there, staring deep into each other's eyes. Then, slowly they moved closer to each other as if pulled by some magnetic force, until their lips touched. The kiss started off small but got deeper and deeper, realizing all their unspoken feelings for one another.
Kissing Sora was like looking into Heaven. For that moment, Tai's whole world stopped. All he could think about was her. The world could've falled down around them and neither of them would've noticed.
Sora wrapped her arms around Tai's neck as he wrapped his around her waist and pulled her closer, closer, until there wasn't an inch of space between them.
Sora melted into Tai's arms. She never wanted to let go. She wished they could stay like this forever. She never wanted to leave.
Finally they had to part, so they could breathe. Sora rested her head against Tai's shoulder as he began to kiss her neck. Her arms slid down Tai's and their fingers intertwined.
Sora kissed him a couple more times. They rested their foreheads together and Sora whispered, "Let's go back inside and dance."
-----
They walked back inside the gym hand in hand.
"Stay here for a second. I'll be right back," Sora said smiling. Tai watched wondering what she was up to as she went and talked to the DJ.
Sora came back.
"What was that all about?" Tai asked.
Sora smiled. "You'll see," she said in a sing-song voice. "Come on, let's dance!"
The next song was the one Sor requested.
"This next song is dedicated from Sora to Tai," the DJ announced.
Tai looked at her in amazement.
"I want you to listen to this song, Tai. Listen closely to the words."
They began to dance.
When you feel all alone
And the world has turned it's back on you
Give me a moment please to tame your wild wild heart
I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you
It's hard to relief and people can be so cold
When darkness is upon your door and you feel like you can't take anymore
Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash them crash and burn
You're not alone
"Thank you, Sora," Tai whispered in her ear. He kissed her again.
When you feel all alone
And a loyal friend is hard to find
You're caught in a one way street
With the monsters in your head
Whem hopes and dreams are far away and
You feel like you can't face the day
Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash them crash and burn
You're not alone
Because there has always been heartache and pain
and when it's over you'll breathe again
You'll breathe again
When you feel all alone
And the world has turned it's back on you
Give me a moment please
To tame your wild wild heart
Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash them crash and burn
You're not alone...
-----
THE END
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YES!!! I finally finished!!! Woohoo! Please tell me what you think!