I haven't updated this in a pretty long time, so I'm sorry about that. But this chapter took my an annoyingly long time to write, and I was having some problems with it. x-x; I originally wanted to write up what happened in Kari's whole class, but then I felt that it was too boring and hard to understand for people who haven't taken a photography class, so I cut it out. Anyway, I basically skim over her whole photography class, making this chapter seem extremely short. I know these chapters are basically meant to be short, but this one seemed too short and… oh, I don't know. I'll stop rambling now and just say that this isn't my favorite chapter in the world, but I had to introduce Kari's photography class somehow. xD

Thank you to my reviewers! Ugh, I spent too long rambling and now I have to update this before I have to go to bed… I'm assuming you'd rather have a new chapter up than have me reply to your reviews, but I'm very sorry that I'm not… I promise to do so next time!

:: nineteen : an actual class : kari ::

Finally, it was the time I'd been waiting for: my first photography class! I had photography every Wednesday after school, and during my second day of classes, I'd been counting down the minutes until I got to go. I'd kind of been ignoring Davis all day, even when we'd walked to school together and he'd wanted to talk. I hadn't really meant to, but I was really eager to go to photography all day. He'd been acting kind of weird lately, and for some reason that morning Tai had been watching him very closely. I wasn't exactly sure why.

After my last class, which I had with TK, I went hurrying outside. He followed me to my locker as I got out my camera. It was a 35mm Pentax, an old camera that I'd gotten on sale at a camera shop near my house. I'd messed around with it a little bit this summer, but I'd only done much digital photography before. I was excited to learn how to develop my own film and make my own prints in the dark room, though.

"So I guess we're not walking home together today, huh?" TK asked as I went through my locker. Yesterday, Miku, Kaoru, TK, Matt, Jun, and I had all walked home after school. Davis and Tai had soccer, and Tai had made Matt walk me back home, because he still thinks I'm a little kid or something.

I found my algebra book, then shook my head. "Sorry," I said. "Maybe you can walk with Kaoru and Miku?" Ah, good plan. Kaoru and I were officially matchmakers, trying to set Miku and TK up together. Not like they needed any help. With Miku's record, she'd be with TK and have him acting as her slave in minutes.

"They don't have anything after school today?"

"Miku doesn't do anything after school. But Kaoru has tutoring after school…" I tried to think when she said she was going to have it this year. "I think she has it on Thursdays."

TK looked kind of disappointed. "I have basketball on Thursdays…"

"What, you're looking for time you can spend with Miku alone?" I asked, half joking. But TK nodded. "Oh. Um… I can try and get rid of Kaoru sometimes for you." I wasn't sure what else to say.

"Thanks," he said. "Not today, though, right?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Sorry…" I was finished with my locker and closed it, then put my backpack on. "I have to go to photography now… If you want to find Miku, she's probably at her locker."

"Okay. Thanks, Kari!"

"No problem. Have a wonderful time." I walked away quickly. I'd tried not to let him see how annoyed I was at the whole TK-Miku thing, but I couldn't quite help it. And why was I so annoyed? Probably because I was sick of TK going through me and hanging around me to try and get information on Miku or find out what Miku thought of him or when he'd be able to spend time with Miku. I had a life of my own! It didn't revolve around their stupid relationship! And I was sick of Kaoru pushing me into matchmaking them. If they wanted to get together, they could do it themselves. Nothing was stopping them. Miku didn't need us to get a guy!

Woah, calm down there, Kari. I took a deep breath. Why was I getting so mad? Just a few seconds before I'd been trying to be a matchmaker, right? I shook my head as I turned the corner, walking towards what Tai had told me was the photography room. You're not being yourself. Stop getting annoyed so easily and help out your friends!

There were a few kids inside the photography room, and I recognized one of them as Joe Kido. Smiling, I went over to him. "Hi, Joe!"

He looked up at me and smiled back. "Hey, Kari. Tai didn't tell me you were in this class!"

"He didn't tell me you were either!" I sat down next to Joe. He's one of my brother's best friends. They don't hang out that much anymore, mostly because Tai is always playing soccer and Joe is always studying. He wants to get into a good college and become a doctor. He was supposed to graduate last year, but he didn't get into the colleges he wanted to because he didn't have enough credits. Now he's taking a few classes at Odaiba High this year to make them up and have some kind of super transcript.

"Apparently I don't have any art credits. So I'm taking photography. It can't be that hard, right?"

I wasn't sure about that, but I was glad to have him in the class. "Right!"

Once the teacher came in, she introduced herself as Ms. Satoshi. I was kind of disappointed to see that she didn't seem very nice, but maybe she was just having a bad day. She talked for a long time about photography, though most of it was all about the technical parts of dark room developing. She'd started to write calculations on the board before Joe seemed to panic and pull out a notebook. He started scribbling as fast as he could. I wasn't sure if I should take notes or not. I couldn't understand anything she was talking about anyway, so I didn't think notes would help me.

When the class was over, Ms. Satoshi told us to take pictures of anything we wanted and to come back with the film next time. Then she would take us into the dark room and teach us how to develop film and make prints.

When Joe and I left the classroom, we were both almost in a daze. "I never knew photography was that… mathematical," Joe said. "I'm already terrible at math. Why does everything have to have math in it? Even medical professions seem to be all about stupid math!"

"I hate math too," I said. "That was not what I was expecting. I thought we'd go out and take pictures of stuff, you know? And it would be all fun and laid-back. That was like an actual class. I didn't think it was going to be like an actual class!"

"So much for this being easy," Joe said. "Did you see the syllabus? We have projects due like every other week. And it's too late to drop classes! If I fail this class, I'll never get into any good colleges!"

"Don't worry," I tried to console him. Joe got nervous pretty easily and freaked out over stuff like this. "At least we're not alone in this class, right?"

He sent me a small smile, the kind someone gives their companion on a desert island – or something like that. It was kind of worried looking, and kind of desperate and hopeless – but at least it was a bit of a smile. Probably the kind that comes before your desert island friend eats you since there's nothing else around.

I'd been (slightly) successful in cheering Joe up with that statement, but not myself. How were we not alone if neither of us knew what was going on?

I think I'd rather be setting up Miku and TK than be enrolled in this class, I thought to myself drearily.

-x-

Well, how'd you like it? As much as I did (aka not very much)? xD The only part I like is how Joe is in her class. He was originally going to be in college, but apparently Japanese colleges aren't very good (according to my friend from Japan, who came here to go to college). I pictured Joe in the best medical school in the world, but also didn't want him to have to leave Japan and be all far away. So… he has to get more art credits, because doctors need to be artistic, of course! xD

So! Next chapter will be called 'competition' and features Ken, though Davis is in it quite a bit too… As well as Tai, Kyo, and other people who all share some kind of common interest… Hmm… I wonder which one? ;D Anyway, please review!