The ending is near at hand! So please review! And sorry if I rush this chapter's ending. ( I do not own digimon)

Chapter 10: Growing Up and Growing Apart

The next day flew by fast. Tai couldn't remember that day at school very well. He just couldn't wait until that Wednesday afternoon, when he would get to spend the afternoon with Sora. He wondered where they would go, what they would do. Maybe get something to eat, hang out at the park, but what really made him happy was the thought that he would be spending time with her again!

Sora was happy also. She spent most of the school day deciding on what they were going to do that afternoon when she eventually decided on spending time with Tai at the mall. She didn't want to tell him because she didn't want him to think that they would actually being going shopping. I mean why would I want to spend our time shopping? He would know me better than that, but I still, he might actually think that. No, it'll be better than doing that. We'll have a lot of fun together, so much that we won't ever forget it. I hope…Maybe it'll be just like all the other times we've spent together…all I bet he's forgotten…She then shook away those saddening thoughts and got back to planning.

Well, she was wrong. He hadn't ever forgotten those times they spent together. He still remembered all those times deep down, just never thought much about them since there were so many. Never thought about how she may have felt. That was just how dense Tai could be, and when she realized this, she gave up. Life went on normally, and they still didn't spend lots of time together, just that for some reason, Tai felt that things felt different. He never paid much attention to that thought and kept being just a great friend. Just a great friend... Well when Matt came and asked her out, she was wondering if she should actually say yes. She wondered about Tai, but then ignored that thought thinking that he would never see her as more than just a friend. So she said yes. And now she's been pretty happy. Except, Tai still troubled her a bit and since they spent less time together, she thought she still felt troubled because he might forget her. And so now she hoped this would make her feel better and finally get over Tai. Or will it…

Mimi was feeling a bit like Tai and Sora, as she now started to hope that the unexpected plan was starting to work. I really think I could see him getting jealous! This has got to be working! Her hope was swelling as she watched Matt throughout the day, just hoping that he felt something! Well, there was one person not too happy that day. Matt just felt horrible after Mimi told him the news and it just kept bothering him throughout the entire day. I don't feel anything for her and that pink hair...But he knew he couldn't deny it anymore. He felt something for her. He was dating someone and he felt something for another girl. Matt's day was just horrible, the worst of them all, and he couldn't help feeling that he was a traitor. A traitor he was, but to Sora or to his feelings?

Izzy was feeling pretty good for how he should after a rejection. He felt relieved that he had told her and now, I guess he has gotten over it. As he walked down a sidewalk towards home, he wondered if he would ever meet anyone or something that could make Izzy forget about everything. Just make him feel just as happy as before anything had happened. And that was when he saw the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life.

"Oh my god, I can't believe it! My questions have been answered!" izzy started to get really happy as he seemingly ran towards a girl leaning against the display case of D&D's electronics store.

As he ran up to her, he looked up and smiled at her. "HI! How are you?"

"Um, fine. T-thank you for a-asking." She noticed Izzy with his laptop and as she looked down at Izzy , she started to blush light pink. She was a bit shy and was a nerd(not that that is bad) but beautiful for a nerd with her shining, emerald green eyes, her jet black hair, and her thin, delicate body. She looked away from Izzy, who was shorter than her making it impossible to look down without looking at him. Then he spoke up again.

"Um, could you please move aside for a bit?" She then moved over allowing him to fully glimpse what was sitting in the display.

"Wow, I can't believe it! A new laptop that they've made! It looks so awesome and look at what it comes with, installed! I could sell them my laptop and use my saved up money to buy it!" As he stared at the new laptop, the girl felt that she should try getting his attention back, maybe try to talk to him.

"Um, are you…you're interested in laptops?" She couldn't come up with much else to say.

"Oh, uh, yah. I'm a real electronics freak." He looked up at her and wondered what a girl like her was doing by an electronics store.

"Oh, you do? I like them, too! I left my laptop at home. I made it myself. It was kind of hard to get some of the parts, but it works pretty well."

"Oh, you made it yourself? Wow that's pretty cool, could I go over and see it?"

She started to feel better, a bit more at ease, and then smiled at him. "Sure. After you get your new laptop, we could go over to my house."

They then both walked into to the store so Izzy could buy his new laptop, both happy. And that was how Izzy became just as happy as all the others, except for Matt who felt horrible that day.

"Hey Tai, remember that we got something to do this afternoon? I decided on what we were going to do!" Sora had walked up to Tai to talk to him as they were leaving school.

"Huh, what do you mean? What do we have to do?" Tai gave her a confused look.

"What, you forgot?" She wasn't expecting that and it started to make her feel bad.

All of a sudden his confused face broke out with a bright grin. "Ha ha ha! I got you going there, didn't I? Of course I remember. So what are we going to do?"

Sora smiled at him and punched him in the shoulder. "Hey what did you do that for? You punch pretty hard for a girl." Tai said this as he rubbed his arm, still grinning.

"Don't do that, you actually made me think that you forgot." She was smiling at him as they started to joke around a little more, all the while she steered him towards the place where they would spend their afternoon.

"We are going to the mall!"

"What? We better not be going in to look at clothes!" Tai remembered when Mimi took him to buy new cltohes and shivered.

"You've been spending too much time with Mimi. Don't worry, we won't be looking at clothes. We'll have lots of fun!" She assured him.

"It better be." Tai mumbled.

"What Tai?"

"Um, we should get there faster if we want to spend more time together!" Tai then grabbed her hand and dragged her along as they ran towards the mall, both of them hoping that for something special to happen, and Tai hoping they didn't go in to look at clothes.

Some people may have expected fun to be doing something new that you have always wanted to do. But to Sora and Tai, this was just spending time doing what they usually did together. And THAT is what they did.

They didn't go to any fancy restaurant like on the double date, no, they did quite the opposite. They decided to walk through the mall for a little, noticing all the little stores with their different signs (some blinking lights and some hand painted), and as they walked through the mall, they found the cafeteria and, as Tai's idea, they ordered burgers and went to sit at one of the tables. It was nothing romantic, but to Sora, it was great. It was just like how they used to spend time together, except this time things felt a bit different. It felt a bit awkward and she started to think that he didn't want to be there, with her.

Tai noticed that she was starting to act weird, so he decided to try and act happier and let loose. "Come on Sora! Brighten up! Lets go do something fun already!" Tai got up from seat, grinning down at her, and dragged her off her seat to see what they could do next.

They ended up finding a small movie theater in the mall. To Tai's relief, they didn't watch a chick flick. They decided to watch a comedy and they later walked out laughing and joking with each other. They then went to the mall's arcade as Tai messed around with Sora, telling jokes and making her laugh. Tai got some change and they went around playing random games together (like air hockey and Time Crisis and whatever they could find) until Tai ran out of quarters. With whatever money they could spare, they found an ice cream cart. Once they got their ice cream, they walked out of the mall and found a bench to sit at. Tai had unconsciously grabbed Sora's hand at some point inside the mall. As he noticed he was holding her hand he tried to pull his away, but Sora held on.

"Um, Sora." He noticed that she was staring up at the sky and when he tried to pull away his hand, she tightened her grip.

"Oh, uh, sorry Tai." She slowly pulled away her hand and put it on her lap. As they were sitting on the bench under the the night sky, neither bothered to notice the time. They forgot about having school the next day as they sat there and eventually Tai began to speak.

"Sora, thanks. Thanks for today, it was fun. Just like back then..." He sighed and looked at her face, beautiful as it stared at the night sky. She shivered and looked at him as he said that. She was relieved that he liked the afternoon together, but was worried at what he said.

"Just like back then...Tai, why does it have to be back then? We used to spend so much time together, but now...we hardly talk to each other! What happened Tai?"

Tai looked into her big, worried eyes. I've been asking myself the same question, Sora. Why? "Sora, I don't know. Maybe we're just growing up?" It was true. They were 15 and they couldn't do all those things they used to do together anymore. They weren't kids anymore.

"Then I'd rather not grow up." She looked down and crossed her arms stubbornly. Tai looked down at her and wondered how he liked how she looked when she was stubborn.

"I wouldn't want to grow up either if it meant losing you, Sora, but we eventually have to. Life has to move on and no matter how much we try not to, we will eventually grow up."

Sora was surprised to here this from Tai, who always acted like a little kid, always grinning and having fun, until lately. As she turned to look at him, she noticed how much he had grown up. He's not the little kid I knew anymore. She smiled at him and then hugged him as hard as she could, catching him off guard.

"Thank you Tai."

"No problem Sora. Anything for my best friend." Tai grinned at her as they broke up and walked together to Sora's home. As they were getting close, Tai was about to leave Sora and they said their good byes.

"Good night Sora! I had fun."

"Bye Tai." Sora hugged Tai once again, causing him to have a sudden urge to speak.

"I love you Sora..." Tai whispered. He then noticed what he said and broke away from Sora. She looked up at him shocked.

"What Tai? What did you say?" Sora was shocked at what she heard and wondered if what he said was true.

"I-I didn't say anything...i-it was..." Tai couldn't deny it. He looked at Sora, letting her see the truth in his eyes.

"Tai... i don't understand. How could you love me? You've never showed anything, I was always just a friend..." She knew what he meant, but she didn't know how long he felt that way. And Matt...

"Sora, I could guess that it happened when you started dating Matt. I just don't know why!"

Sora began to look a bit saddened and angry at what he said. "So your just jealous? Your jealous that Matt asked me? You had your chance! And now your just being jealous and selfish! How could you Tai. I gave you a chance. And now its gone..." Sora turned away from him and walked away from Tai as a tear fell down her face. I'm with Matt now, it's too late...

Tai was left standing there, thinking back on what she said and their day. If he thought hard enough he would've seen how she really felt for him, but he felt too horrible to focus. He stood there for a good while just starring. It had eventually begun to rain, but he still stood there. He couldn't forget how they used to spend so much time together. Used too...He wouldn't be spending much time with her anymore. They had grown up. And he hated how they also grew APART. And when he did finally go home, he just wished they had never gone to the mall. That he never fell for her. That they had never grown up!

He went straight up to his room and the first thing he did was fall on his bed and cry. And Sora did the same thing, wishing that she could take back what she said and admit the truth to him. They were both so much alike, even when they weren't together. And at the moment, they both wished for the same thing. That they had never started to grow up.

The End... Or Is It?

This was Izzy's ending, but how about the others? I got the endings in my head, but I'll need time to get it right. Next chapter maybe the last! So please review!