Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or anything related to it.
Geometry
"Tai..??"
The boy turned at the sound of his name. He had been kneeling on his futon, methodically punching his pillow. He kicked his legs out from underneath himself and bounced onto the hard mattress, tossing the pillow aside.
"Yeah," he said, acknowledging his sister.
"I'm worried about you," Kari said from her place in the doorframe. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he said with a wave of his hand.
"You haven't been acting like you're fine." Kari crept into Tai's bedroom and sat down next to him. "You want to talk about it? It'll make you feel better."
"My best friend and my girl are dating. Neither of them even told me they liked each other. They could have told me."
"She's not your girl, Tai," Kari breathed. "She's Matt's."
"I know," Tai sighed. "But I don't have to like it."
"No," Kari agreed, "but you can't stand in the way of your friends' happiness."
"THAT," Tai said, "is the exact reason why I wanted her to tell Matt how she felt. You should do the same."
"Huh? I thought we were talking about you," Kari protested.
"We were," Tai nodded, "but this scenario is awfully familiar. Two guys, one girl...sound like anyone you know?"
"Um, Yolei, Izzy and Ken?" Kari said hopefully.
"Think harder," Tai jokingly prodded.
"Me, Davis and TK," she sighed.
"You got it," Tai said. "They both like you, but you can only be with one. Someday you're going to have to choose. As you all get older, they're only going to get more interested, not less. You're way too young to date now, but you ought to at least let them know who you're leaning towards."
"But I don't want to hurt either of them like how Sora hurt you," Kari protested.
"That's why it's better to tell them when you're young. In three or four years it'll be harder to get over you then now."
"I can't see either of their crushes on me lasting that long," Kari mused.
"When you were little, could you see my crush on Sora lasting so long?"
"Tai, I could see the two of you getting married someday," Kari said frankly.
"Can you see Davis or TK sitting at home beating up a pillow while you go to the movies with the other if everything stays the same three years from now?"
"Davis, yes, TK, no."
"What do you think TK would do?"
"I'm not sure," Kari said, "but he doesn't get mad very easily. He'd probably be okay with it if I wanted to date Davis."
"So let me ask you one more thing: do you have a preference, or do you see them at the same wave length?" A deep blush stained Kari's cheeks, it was all the answer Tai needed. "You don't have to tell me who," he continued when Kari opened her mouth to speak. "I'd really rather stay out of it."
"I think you're right," Kari said, standing up.
"That I should stay out of it?" Tai asked.
"No, silly. That I should tell them. I can't keep leading them on like this or I'll wind up hurting one of them, maybe even both and I really don't want to do that."
"You know where the phone is, sis," Tai said. "And I'll bet you've got the number you want."
Tai watched his sister shuffle out of his room. He did feel a little better after talking about Matt and Sora. Not much better, but enough to be happy for them both. For them all if Kari could go through with what he thought she should. He still thought eleven was too young to date, but it was a fine age to have someone holding your hand. Another perk was that they were young enough to still be friends after they broke up; if Kari and her crush waited a few years the inevitable split could potentially be a lot harder on them both and that could prove disastrous for the Digidestined. Yes, it was best for Kari to do something now.
Tai stood up and retrieved his pillow from where it landed on the floor. He was about to toss it back on his bed but thought better of it and set it down neatly. He gave it another swift punch and left his room.
Walking down the hall, he noticed the cordless phone was off the hook. A glance in the direction of Kari's room showed that the door was shut. Quietly, he tiptoed to her door. Tai smiled; he could hear her laughing. He moved away from Kari's door. His little sister was growing up and she deserved her privacy.
Suddenly, the door swung open. Kari stood in the frame, one hand holding the phone the other covering the mouth piece. She grinned maliciously.
"Hey, Tai, do you want to tell June about Matt?"
"Therapy at it's best," Tai said, reaching for the phone.
Kari shook her head and pulled the phone up to her ear.
"He said 'yes,' Davis. Go get your sister." Once June was on the phone, Kari held it out to Tai. "Gotta go," she told her brother, "I'm meeting Davis at the park."