"Towel, check. Food, check. Change of clothes, check." I frowned at my bag of beach supplies. "Sun screen, check."
"Wormmon, check!" Wormmon grinned at me from my bed. "Please don't forget me, Ken, I want to come too."
"Of course you're coming!" I picked him up and swung him in my arms. "If for nothing else, I need you for moral support."
"Why Ken?"
I shook my head, refusing to explain. "It's nothing Wormmon. Come on, let's finish getting ready."
~~~
I was actually worried about what I looked like. I stood in front of my mirror in my bathing suit, staring at my reflection. "What do you think?"
The boy in the mirror smiled shyly back. His, my, violet eyes peered out under long, too girly eyelashes, and blue hair fell to shadow my, his, face.
"I hate talking about myself in third person." I covered my reflection's face with my hand and lowered my gaze to examine the rest of my body.
Shoulders... too weak. Chest... too skinny. Waist... too narrow. Legs... too long. I was so... awkward. Gangly. I pulled a tee shirt over my head and frowned. "Maybe I should tell them I'm sick."
"But you've been looking forward to this, Ken." Wormmon's large eyes shimmered in the light of dawn. "What would Davis say?"
Davis. I swallowed hard and turned away. "Who cares what he thinks?"
"You care, Ken, don't you?"
I flinched, and attempted to cover it with a shrug. Suddenly a horrible thought hit me. "Is it that obvious?"
Wormmon smiled gently. "It is to me Ken, because I'm your partner. But I don't think anyone else knows."
I heaved a massive sigh of relief. "If I ever start do anything... you know, to blow it all, make sure you stop me."
"You don't want Davis to know?"
"Of course not!" I yelled. Inhaling slowly, I managed to calm myself. "No, I don't want him to know. I don't want anyone to know."
"How come?"
I plopped onto my bed. "Well, I'm afraid he won't like me, even as a friend, if I told him. Besides, the whole thing is sort of weird, don't you think?"
"No." Wormmon snuggled into my side. "I just want you to be happy. And I like Davis. I think he's good for you."
"Davis is my only friend." At Wormmon's hurt expression, I added hastily, "Who's a human. I don't want to ruin anything with my stupid declarations of love."
"Why would it ruin your relationship?"
"Because." I flipped onto my back and rested my head on my arms. I stared up at my ceiling; the small cracks in the otherwise perfect white always amazed me. "He likes Kari. Even though she doesn't return his affections and never will. She's using him, though I doubt she means too. And I think he likes it, in a way. She's something he can run after. He needs her, he needs something to win."
"You didn't answer my question." Wormmon said gently.
I smiled. "It's simple. He doesn't love me."
Wormmon sighed sadly. "I don't want you to be upset Ken. And I think you should tell him. You told me, and I don't hate you."
I was about to tell him that it was completely different when a series of horn beeps shattered my reality. "Ahh! Tai's here!" With one hand, I grabbed Wormmon and with the other, I reached for my bag. I ran down the hall, stuffed my feet in my shoes and made it outside it record time.
"Wormmon, check!" Wormmon grinned at me from my bed. "Please don't forget me, Ken, I want to come too."
"Of course you're coming!" I picked him up and swung him in my arms. "If for nothing else, I need you for moral support."
"Why Ken?"
I shook my head, refusing to explain. "It's nothing Wormmon. Come on, let's finish getting ready."
~~~
I was actually worried about what I looked like. I stood in front of my mirror in my bathing suit, staring at my reflection. "What do you think?"
The boy in the mirror smiled shyly back. His, my, violet eyes peered out under long, too girly eyelashes, and blue hair fell to shadow my, his, face.
"I hate talking about myself in third person." I covered my reflection's face with my hand and lowered my gaze to examine the rest of my body.
Shoulders... too weak. Chest... too skinny. Waist... too narrow. Legs... too long. I was so... awkward. Gangly. I pulled a tee shirt over my head and frowned. "Maybe I should tell them I'm sick."
"But you've been looking forward to this, Ken." Wormmon's large eyes shimmered in the light of dawn. "What would Davis say?"
Davis. I swallowed hard and turned away. "Who cares what he thinks?"
"You care, Ken, don't you?"
I flinched, and attempted to cover it with a shrug. Suddenly a horrible thought hit me. "Is it that obvious?"
Wormmon smiled gently. "It is to me Ken, because I'm your partner. But I don't think anyone else knows."
I heaved a massive sigh of relief. "If I ever start do anything... you know, to blow it all, make sure you stop me."
"You don't want Davis to know?"
"Of course not!" I yelled. Inhaling slowly, I managed to calm myself. "No, I don't want him to know. I don't want anyone to know."
"How come?"
I plopped onto my bed. "Well, I'm afraid he won't like me, even as a friend, if I told him. Besides, the whole thing is sort of weird, don't you think?"
"No." Wormmon snuggled into my side. "I just want you to be happy. And I like Davis. I think he's good for you."
"Davis is my only friend." At Wormmon's hurt expression, I added hastily, "Who's a human. I don't want to ruin anything with my stupid declarations of love."
"Why would it ruin your relationship?"
"Because." I flipped onto my back and rested my head on my arms. I stared up at my ceiling; the small cracks in the otherwise perfect white always amazed me. "He likes Kari. Even though she doesn't return his affections and never will. She's using him, though I doubt she means too. And I think he likes it, in a way. She's something he can run after. He needs her, he needs something to win."
"You didn't answer my question." Wormmon said gently.
I smiled. "It's simple. He doesn't love me."
Wormmon sighed sadly. "I don't want you to be upset Ken. And I think you should tell him. You told me, and I don't hate you."
I was about to tell him that it was completely different when a series of horn beeps shattered my reality. "Ahh! Tai's here!" With one hand, I grabbed Wormmon and with the other, I reached for my bag. I ran down the hall, stuffed my feet in my shoes and made it outside it record time.