CHAPTER 2: Some of Us Have Waited Too Long
Matt sighed, leaning against Sora's locker, his mind wandering as Sora chattered. For some reason, Sora and he just didn't feel *right* anymore, as if there was someone else out there for him…
"…gotta go. Bye!" Sora gave him a quick kiss before disappearing through the crowded halls.
Matt leaned his head back on the locker, closing his eyes and sighing. Why was he thinking like this?
Catcalls and whistles broke into his thoughts, and he opened his eyes. Thinking that the boys were bothering some innocent girl again, he was about to leave when he caught sight of Joe and Izzy, who had their mouths open.
"Man," he said to himself, "if Joe and Izzy are like that, it's certainly not any chick at school, none of them are *that* hot…"
He watched as the crowd of boys parted, and he felt the world spinning around him…
All he could see was *her*. Her hair was dyed pink, and she wore a tight shirt that showed off her curves that exposed part of her midriff. Her short skirt hugged her hips, and her feet were in platform shoes. Stars shone in her hair.
Closing his mouth, he tried to swallow, but the vision before him was making it hard to even breathe. Then, the person besides her came into view.
"Taichi?!"
He couldn't believe it! Tai was in the company of the hottest chick in the history of Odaiba, Tai!
The girl stopped, having caught sight of Joe and Izzy. Then, with a squeal, she rushed over to them and gave them each a hug.
Matt studied her. No *sane* popular girl at Odaiba would dare hug Joe or Izzy. She must be someone special…
He watched as Joe's face lit up, and Izzy even smiled. They shared another hug before the girl waved good-bye and walked down the hall again, closer to him…
"…Tai, I haven't seen him anyw- Yamato Ishida, is that you?"
He started. Even in his wildest dreams, he would *never* have imagined that *she* would talk to him, much less know him…
"Answer her, Matt," Tai said roughly.
Matt hesitated before he began, "I…"
Suddenly the girl wasn't there. Turning around, he found her walking around him, studying him. "Let's see…ooh, fashionable jeans, very popular in New York. The customary soccer jacket…soccer? Since when did you play soccer?"
"What…"
She didn't let him finish. Standing again besides Tai, she turned to him and said, "Gabumon was right. Matt *did* deserve the Crest of Fashion."
"It was Friendship, Mimi, not Fashion," Tai corrected. "Geez, how did they put up with you in New York?"
She stuck her tongue out at him. "Ha-ha, very funny. At least I'm not the one who thought his best friend was moving to Alaska!"
Tai blushed. "That was nothing, really…"
"What, the igloos and the sled dogs? I thought that was so funny, you know…"
"Shut up, Mimi," Tai said quickly, covering her mouth with his hand.
Matt stared at her, recognition finally on him. There was only *one* person, and only *one*, that was so close with Tai, and that was…
"Mimi Tachikawa?" he gasped out.
Both turned to him.
Tai let go of her. "He finally recognized you, Mimi."
"It took him less time than you," she said playfully, clutching his arm. "I had to…"
Tai smiled at her submissively, interrupting. "Okay, you win. So, what now?"
Mimi found it hard to think with Matt looking at her. He was so hot! With that outfit, the slightly calmed down hair…
"Um, let's go see Sora! I haven't seen her in a while…"
"Matt? Where is she?" Tai asked him.
Matt shrugged. "How should I know?"
"Well, she's *your* girlfriend…"
Mimi felt betrayed. Matt was going out with…Sora? She yelled at herself. She had gotten over that crush long ago…hadn't she?
Tai was looking at her strangely. "Are you okay, Mimi?"
Mimi smiled, and said, "I'm fine. Now, let's go!"
She tried hard not to cry as they talked to Sora. Sora looked so happy, so animated as she talked about Matt. Mimi knew very well that her crush on Matt on the Digiworld had never died, and it hurt so much, hearing about their first date, their first kiss, their first…
Tai had hurried her away, and was now asking, "What is it, Mimi?"
Mimi blinked away the tears in her eyes. "Do you remember years ago when I…when I told you I had a crush on Matt?"
Tai nodded solemnly as he replied, "Yes."
"Well, I think that I still have it…"
"WHAT?"
Mimi let the tears come. "Tai…"
Tai immediately put his arms around her comfortingly. Wiping away her tears, he said, "I know exactly how you feel. I realized that I had feelings for Sora…after she started going out with Matt…"
Mimi looked up in surprise. "You…really?"
Tai nodded. "Life's not fair, is it?"
"No, it isn't…"
Suddenly Tai leaned over and gave her a shy kiss.
"What was that for?" she asked, surprised.
"I dunno," he said blushing, "you just looked so lost and lonely, I just…I…"
Mimi interrupted him with a small kiss of her own. "Thank you. It made me feel better…"
"Wow, I mean…Mimi, you must have been practicing!" Tai stuttered, red in the face.
She just smiled. "Is it that obvious?"
Tai wouldn't look at her. "Um, you know, Mimi, people already think that we're going out…"
"They do?"
"…so I'm thinking that we *shouldn't* tell them that it's not the truth. Maybe Matt and Sora will get jealous…"
Mimi clasped her hands together. "Wonderful idea!"
Another voice broke in. "Tai…"
Mimi frowned. "Oh no, it's Matt! What am I…?"
Tai cut her off. Smoothly, he brought her into his arms and held her close.
Matt sighed, leaning against Sora's locker, his mind wandering as Sora chattered. For some reason, Sora and he just didn't feel *right* anymore, as if there was someone else out there for him…
"…gotta go. Bye!" Sora gave him a quick kiss before disappearing through the crowded halls.
Matt leaned his head back on the locker, closing his eyes and sighing. Why was he thinking like this?
Catcalls and whistles broke into his thoughts, and he opened his eyes. Thinking that the boys were bothering some innocent girl again, he was about to leave when he caught sight of Joe and Izzy, who had their mouths open.
"Man," he said to himself, "if Joe and Izzy are like that, it's certainly not any chick at school, none of them are *that* hot…"
He watched as the crowd of boys parted, and he felt the world spinning around him…
All he could see was *her*. Her hair was dyed pink, and she wore a tight shirt that showed off her curves that exposed part of her midriff. Her short skirt hugged her hips, and her feet were in platform shoes. Stars shone in her hair.
Closing his mouth, he tried to swallow, but the vision before him was making it hard to even breathe. Then, the person besides her came into view.
"Taichi?!"
He couldn't believe it! Tai was in the company of the hottest chick in the history of Odaiba, Tai!
The girl stopped, having caught sight of Joe and Izzy. Then, with a squeal, she rushed over to them and gave them each a hug.
Matt studied her. No *sane* popular girl at Odaiba would dare hug Joe or Izzy. She must be someone special…
He watched as Joe's face lit up, and Izzy even smiled. They shared another hug before the girl waved good-bye and walked down the hall again, closer to him…
"…Tai, I haven't seen him anyw- Yamato Ishida, is that you?"
He started. Even in his wildest dreams, he would *never* have imagined that *she* would talk to him, much less know him…
"Answer her, Matt," Tai said roughly.
Matt hesitated before he began, "I…"
Suddenly the girl wasn't there. Turning around, he found her walking around him, studying him. "Let's see…ooh, fashionable jeans, very popular in New York. The customary soccer jacket…soccer? Since when did you play soccer?"
"What…"
She didn't let him finish. Standing again besides Tai, she turned to him and said, "Gabumon was right. Matt *did* deserve the Crest of Fashion."
"It was Friendship, Mimi, not Fashion," Tai corrected. "Geez, how did they put up with you in New York?"
She stuck her tongue out at him. "Ha-ha, very funny. At least I'm not the one who thought his best friend was moving to Alaska!"
Tai blushed. "That was nothing, really…"
"What, the igloos and the sled dogs? I thought that was so funny, you know…"
"Shut up, Mimi," Tai said quickly, covering her mouth with his hand.
Matt stared at her, recognition finally on him. There was only *one* person, and only *one*, that was so close with Tai, and that was…
"Mimi Tachikawa?" he gasped out.
Both turned to him.
Tai let go of her. "He finally recognized you, Mimi."
"It took him less time than you," she said playfully, clutching his arm. "I had to…"
Tai smiled at her submissively, interrupting. "Okay, you win. So, what now?"
Mimi found it hard to think with Matt looking at her. He was so hot! With that outfit, the slightly calmed down hair…
"Um, let's go see Sora! I haven't seen her in a while…"
"Matt? Where is she?" Tai asked him.
Matt shrugged. "How should I know?"
"Well, she's *your* girlfriend…"
Mimi felt betrayed. Matt was going out with…Sora? She yelled at herself. She had gotten over that crush long ago…hadn't she?
Tai was looking at her strangely. "Are you okay, Mimi?"
Mimi smiled, and said, "I'm fine. Now, let's go!"
She tried hard not to cry as they talked to Sora. Sora looked so happy, so animated as she talked about Matt. Mimi knew very well that her crush on Matt on the Digiworld had never died, and it hurt so much, hearing about their first date, their first kiss, their first…
Tai had hurried her away, and was now asking, "What is it, Mimi?"
Mimi blinked away the tears in her eyes. "Do you remember years ago when I…when I told you I had a crush on Matt?"
Tai nodded solemnly as he replied, "Yes."
"Well, I think that I still have it…"
"WHAT?"
Mimi let the tears come. "Tai…"
Tai immediately put his arms around her comfortingly. Wiping away her tears, he said, "I know exactly how you feel. I realized that I had feelings for Sora…after she started going out with Matt…"
Mimi looked up in surprise. "You…really?"
Tai nodded. "Life's not fair, is it?"
"No, it isn't…"
Suddenly Tai leaned over and gave her a shy kiss.
"What was that for?" she asked, surprised.
"I dunno," he said blushing, "you just looked so lost and lonely, I just…I…"
Mimi interrupted him with a small kiss of her own. "Thank you. It made me feel better…"
"Wow, I mean…Mimi, you must have been practicing!" Tai stuttered, red in the face.
She just smiled. "Is it that obvious?"
Tai wouldn't look at her. "Um, you know, Mimi, people already think that we're going out…"
"They do?"
"…so I'm thinking that we *shouldn't* tell them that it's not the truth. Maybe Matt and Sora will get jealous…"
Mimi clasped her hands together. "Wonderful idea!"
Another voice broke in. "Tai…"
Mimi frowned. "Oh no, it's Matt! What am I…?"
Tai cut her off. Smoothly, he brought her into his arms and held her close.