The Dance
Tuesday Morning
(continued)

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11:49 A.M.
Tuesday 15 May
Odaiba High

Yolei

"Izzy!" I yelled shrilly as I ran through the crowded halls of Odaiba High, trying desperately to get to the red-haired computer whiz before I was trampled by scores of hungry teenagers trying to get to lunch.

After a few seconds of pushing through bodies and calling Izzy's name, I finally reached him, a look of shock mixed with annoyance on his face...not that I cared about being annoying or anything. "Hi, Izzy!" I said cheerfully, as I saw Izzy roll his eyes and smile faintly.

"Hi, Yolei," he replied, not too enthusiastically. I pretended I didn't notice, even though his coldness towards me was eating me up inside, and merely smiled even brighter.

"Well, Izzy, I just wanted to ask you right now...if you had a date for the Youth Day Dance on Wednesday," I said, crossing my fingers behind my back, hoping against hope that he'd say no, but yes, he'd love to take me.

"Um, actually, Yolei..." Izzy began, reaching behind his neck to scratch the back of his head, "I'm kinda not going to the Youth Day Dance this year. I...well...have to format my hard drive that night, and you know how long that can take..."

"Well, can't you do it some other time?" I said, a bit of sadness and disappointment creeping into my voice.

Izzy shook his head. "I don't have any other time to do it," he said as he hurried off to the cafeteria. "But tell me how it was afterwards!"

And just like that, he was gone.

Sighing, defeated, I began my trek to the school's courtyards, where T.K., Kari, Davis and I usually spent our lunch period, my head down the whole way. I wasn't even looking up when I bumped into a mass of gray cotton and jet black hair, sending both his and my books flying across the floor.

11:52 A.M.
Tuesday 15 May
Odaiba High

Ken

"Oh, I'm sorry," the teenage girl before me mumbled, her wire-rimmed glasses falling to the floor with a clatter. She immediately bent down to pick them up and pick up the books that fell between us. "I wasn't looking where I was walking. I am so sorry -"

"Yolei?" I didn't catch a good look at her face, but from the long purple hair pinned beneath a maroon beret, I could tell it was her. I bent down myself to pick up my notebook, bending down to meet Yolei's eye.

"Oh!...Ken," Yolei said, startled. "I didn't even see it was you...are you okay?"

I smiled faintly, seeing the slightest tinge of fear and disgust in Yolei's eyes that she was trying to keep hidden, even though she wasn't doing it too well. I knew that, even after I had given up on being the Digimon Kaiser and took my place as a DigiDestined, some of my new teammates wouldn't trust me, and Yolei was one of them. She had tried to assure me - many times - that she welcomed me with open arms into the group, but I could see through her cheerful exterior to the pain and distrust in her eyes. I had done a lot to get rid of most of that hatred of me and what I had done, but I knew that it would always be there in her eyes. Cody's, too; but Cody was a special case. With Yolei, I was able to break through to her, and she trusts me a little more now than before. I haven't been able to get through to Cody, and something inside me says I never will.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied. "But Yolei, your glasses..."

Yolei picked up the broken pair of glasses, scrutinized them, and shrugged. "They're only broken by the frame," she said, and placed them carefully in her backpack. "I guess I'll just be wearing contacts for the dance..."

Then, a sudden thought dawned on her, and it was clearly evident by the expression on her face. Her mood brightened, and she looked up at me with eager eyes. "Hey, Ken," she began, a smile creeping up on her face. "Are you going with anyone to the Youth Day Dance on Wednesday? Because, I'm not going with anyone yet, and if you're not going with anyone, and I'm not going with anyone, then -"

"No! I...I can't!" I blurted out loudly, causing Yolei to jump back a little in surprise. I calmed down a little, took a deep breath, and began to explain myself. "I can't, Yolei," I said, lowering my voice. "I just can't."

"Why?" Yolei asked timidly, as I saw her expression change from cheerful and anxious to gloomy. I felt horrible that I was doing this to her; it was clearly evident that she wanted to go with me to the dance, but...like I said, I couldn't. I wasn't going to that dance. It wasn't because of Yolei, and it wasn't because I used to be the Digimon Kaiser or anything...but I couldn't step foot inside that gymnasium Wednesday. I just couldn't.

"I...uh..." I gave a weak smile, as weak as my excuse. "I have to wash my hair that night. You understand," I said, hoping that I wasn't hurting Yolei's feelings too much.

"Oh..." Yolei stood up slowly, trying not to bump into anyone or anything now that she didn't have her glasses on, and I followed her, helping her up and escorting her to the cafeteria doors. It was the least I could do. "I understand...I guess..." Putting on a good show and hiding her real feelings, Yolei smiled warmly at me. "I'll just see you around, I guess."

I nodded my head, and began to apologize almost immediately. Here I was, trying to find some minor footholds of trust in this girl, so that she might one day come to trust me and believe in me as part of the DigiDestined team, and I just told a bald-faced lie, right to her face. "I'm really sorry I -"

"No, it's okay," she said, her smile a sad one, as she walked through the cafeteria doors. "You don't have to say anything. Goodbye, Ken."

"Goodbye, Yolei." And with that, I turned around, already knowing that Yolei was walking towards the courtyard to meet the others, and made my solitary way to the computer room.