A/N: Hi, all! I'm really glad that you appeared to like the prologue! The action is just beginning… BTW, if you haven't read the prologue, it's not really necessary, but it would help. Kari and TK are now 20; Tai, Sora, Matt, etc. are all 24. Thanks for reading!
Important Information: Okay, I may have said I would try to get one chapter out a week. But after seeing how difficult it is to balance this story and my current workload at high school, I may not be able to do it. It's really hard to study for finals, get all my homework done, and write this. Although this is my favorite of those three, it can not take precedence. I'm going to try to write as quickly as I can, but I don't want this story to turn out really cruddy. I'm trying!
Disclaimer: Neither the show Digimon nor the characters from that show belong to me! Also, Kari's Shakespeare book is not a real one, as far as I know, and none of Matt's band names are intentionally taken from real bands.
Awakenings 01: The Sophomore Blues
"When you're flying high
Take my heart along
I'll be the harmony
To every lonely song
You ever learned to play…"
-Nickel Creek, "When You Come Back Down"
Two years later…
Kari felt the cool autumn breeze flutter across her face as she walked down the street from the college building to her apartment. She carried a bookbag, which contained books, pens, pencils, a notebook…
As she reached the glass entryway, she heard a voice calling her name. "Kari!"
She turned, a motion that caused a few of her chestnut brown locks to blow into her eyes. She brushed them away as she waved to TK, her best friend and college buddy. The tall blond boy ran over, grinning.
"Guess who's coming to visit?" He held a sheet of paper over his head. She jumped, trying to retrieve it, but neither the fact that TK was taller than she was nor that he had longer arms than she did were in her favor.
"You expect me to guess?"
"Yep."
"Um, Davis." She jumped, trying to retrieve the paper from his grasp.
"No."
"Yolei?"
"Nope!"
"Cody?"
He shook his head, a grin on his face.
"Taiora?"
"What?"
"Tai and Sora. Tai plus Sora equals Taiora."
"You are very creative, but no."
"Really? Who's coming?"
"I'm not going to tell you!"
"Please?"
"Well…"
"Pretty please?"
"Alright, fine." A smile brightened his features as he handed her the sheet of paper. "Go ahead, read it."
Kari shook out the white sheet and read the black ink.
T.K.,
How is you? Yes, I know. That is bad grammar.
Well, college boy, how's life on campus? Tai wants to say hi, I'm writing you this in Anthropology 101. He's reading over my shoulder. He is also daydreaming about Sora, only he doesn't know that I know. What Tai? What was that? That's not true? Oh well. I say it's true, and that's what matters, right?
About your earlier request, I can't help you out on this one. You're on your own. Good luck, though. Wish I could help, but you're the only one who can do anything. Ha, ha, Tai has no idea what I'm talking about and it's making him "sad". It's hilarious!
Hey, I'll be up this weekend. Chandler, from my band, has family up there, and so we're playing something at somewhere, don't ask where, 'cause I don't know. Anyway, you can come, if you want, but you've seen the stuff a gazillion times (Tai says that's not a number, oh well) so you'd be bored. So, see you on Saturday, maybe.
Say hi to Kari for me. Hey, squirt, why the heck haven't you gotten your phone hooked up? I've called the number a bunch of times, but the operator is going on about the number not being valid. Wait, Tai's laughing about something… I've got to find out what. He's not telling, but that's okay. I'll find out. I hope he gets in trouble and has to go to the front of the room like I had to last week… Never mind, you weren't supposed to know that…
See you soon, squirt. Ha-ha, you're still smaller than I am!
MATT
Kari grinned. "Sorry about that phone thing, I let it slip to Tai, he thinks it's funny."
"Well, Matt doesn't know that I gave him a fake number. At least not yet…"
"Hey, what was the 'earlier request'?"
"Oh, nothing, don't worry about it."
"So Matt's coming up in two days?"
"Yeah, him and his whole band."
"What's that band named, anyway?"
"Actually, I don't know if they are. They're not professional or anything, so they don't need one. They've got a couple of ideas, but no manager or anything."
"Well, they need a name, let's think of one."
"How about…"
Kari smiled. "Broken Dialogue?"
"Hey, you're good!"
"Thanks. I'm not a Lit major for nothing."
"What about Cream Puff."
Kari giggled. "They'd love that…"
"Or, maybe Pink Fluffy Bunnies?"
Kari was now trying desperately to stop laughing.
"I can picture it now: the Momma's Boys…"
"Come on, be serious…"
"Who me?"
"Well, try, okay?" Kari was giggling.
"Okay, okay… Fine…"
"Matt's band needs a name…"
"Electric Toboggan."
"Where did THAT come from? How about Enigma?"
"What the heck is that?"
"It means 'puzzle'. I like it."
"So do I."
"Hey, you want to go in? It's cold."
TK nodded in agreement and they rode the elevator up to the third floor. Kari used her key to open the door to her apartment.
The rooms weren't overly large, but they worked. A sophomore in college didn't have the most money in the world, but Kari had saved and borrowed from her parents to furnish her apartment. Her refrigerator always had some food, her bed had blankets, her walls were covered with photos, her bulletin board had announcements and reminders tacked all over it. She had a phone (and her family knew the correct number). She had a desk, she had a couch, she had a small television.
TK flopped down on top of the couch as soon as he got into the door. He knew Kari's apartment as well as his own, and vice versa. Kari tossed her bag down onto the floor and grabbed two cans of pop from the fridge, tossing one to him.
TK grabbed Kari's bag and peered at the books inside. "Hey, Kari, how come you never turned out to be a veterinarian?"
"I don't know. I guess I just couldn't stand the sight of blood." She grinned. "How come you're not a basketball player?"
"I am."
"No, like professionally."
"I can't dribble a ball around a court for the rest of my life, can I? I've got to have a greater ambition that that."
"So you're going to be a lawyer." Kari giggled. " TK Takaishi, protector of the weak and innocent! Just like that statue of justice…"
"Well, except I'm a guy and I can see."
"Something like that. What are you doing tomorrow?"
"As in tomorrow night?"
"Yeah, you want to get together to study for that test in World Literature? The one on Shakespeare?"
"Yeah, sure, why not? Stock your fridge with caffeine, we'll need it."
Kari grinned. "Hey, you want to see if anyone else can come?"
"Nah, it's easier with less people. Less distractions. Anyway, I've got to go, basketball practice. See ya, Kari."
TK waved goodbye and let himself out of the apartment.
Kari sat on the couch, holding a copy of Shakespearean Literature and it's Effects on the Outside World on her lap. She didn't want to study though; what she really wanted to do was talk to Sora. She grabbed the cordless phone and dialed the number.
She got a recording. "Hello, this is Sora Takenouchi! Thanks for calling! If this is Tai, yes, I do have other things to do besides talk to you! If it's Kari, call back or whatever, I'm dying to talk to you! If you're anyone else, just leave a message, please! Thanks!"
Kari sighed and left a message. Sora wasn't home; she was probably out with Tai. What time was it? She checked her watch to find the time was 5:37. Dinner, she expected. Probably at the little restaurant down the street from Yolei's convenience store. She hoped Sora would be back soon, she wanted to talk to her. She hung up the phone.
Kari got out her Shakespeare book again. She skimmed the pages, preparing for the literature test the next day.
Kari sighed; she was bored. And tired. Tired of school, tired of being away, Kari was suffering from a case of the sophomore blues.
But was it really school? Sora had Tai, TK had his brother, Izzy had his computer. But whom did Kari have?
ab
Kari woke to the sound of the phone ringing. She yawned, rubbed her eyes, and grabbed the cordless. She heard Sora's voice in her ear. "Kari?"
"Hello?"
"Hey! It's me! How are you?"
"Fine. A little tired."
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! Did I wake you up?"
Kari grinned. "Yeah, no big deal, though. I was studying something about Shakespeare."
"Ooh, fun."
"Yeah," said Kari sarcastically. "Anyway, how'd I do on my predictions?"
"Yeah, you were right. How can you do it?"
"What, guess where you are?"
"Yeah! You can do that every time?"
"Look at the time, the day of the week, all that stuff. Did you have fun?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't I?"
"Have fun? You're with Tai!" Kari laughed.
"Oh, be nice."
"To Tai? Yeah right!"
"So hey, what are you doing tomorrow?"
"TK and I are going to get together and study for a test."
Sora whistled.
"Don't be like that Sora, you know we're just friends…"
Sora giggled. "Yeah, right, Kari… I don't believe you…"
"You should," said Kari crossly. "What have I done to make you think otherwise?"
"You guys are always together!"
"So? You and Tai were always together! Plus, we're in a bunch of the same classes. How could we not see each other?"
"Right. That's the point. We were always together, Kari. Think about it for a while, 'kay? Anyway, I've got to go, my mom has to make a few calls." Kari could picture Sora making a face at the phone. "Talk to you later, I'll call you back."
"Yeah, sure. See ya, Sora."
"Bye." Kari could hear the 'click' as Sora placed the phone back onto the holder.
Kari remembered Sora's words as she got up to put her cordless phone back on the hook. Yeah, right, Kari, I don't believe you… You guys are always together… We were always together…
She hadn't been thinking anything of getting together to study with TK. It had seemed like such a good idea, it's not like they were romantically involved or anything… What's wrong with two best friends getting together?
But why now, after talking to Sora, did it seem like such a bad idea?
A/N: Okay, so this isn't exactly that exciting… The next one is though, I promise. It depended at the point where I had ended, and I ended at a different place than I had expected… Anyway, feel free to e-mail me at bee824@yahoo.com to tell me you want e-mails when I post or put me on AuthorAlert! Praise/Flames/ Comments in General always welcomed! I'm still looking for a beta reader! Please review!