(That doesn't mean that it'll definitely be the Tai/Sora/Matt romance, however... ¬ . ¬)
The names "Skids" and "Cy" are tributes (not stolen, mind you) to the online comic (a href="http://boymeetsboy.keenspace.com" target="NEW">Boy Meets Boy, my latest online obsession. Please check it out, and find out why I absolutely LOVE Skids & Cy.
7:46 P.M.
Wednesday 16 May
Odaiba High - Gymnasium
I set my guitar down in its stand on the stage as our drummer Cy cranked out one last drum solo for the set. He was on tonight; the entire band was on. They were playing better than any rehearsal we've ever played...I just wish I could have said the same about my performance. "We'll be taking a short break, people," I said energetically into the microphone, hoping that the rest of the band made up for my guitar riff mistakes and sour notes. The dressed-up young girls of Odaiba High, who reeked of baby doll perfume and trying too hard, squealed below my position on the makeshift stage. "But we'll be right back, so don't you go away!"
I smiled at the eruption of swoons and contented screams as I turned my back and escape with the rest of the bane backstage. It was nice to have people like your music - especially when it's your own music, and now some cheese N'SYNC remake - but it was definitely a bigger ego rush to know that all those girls out there were screaming for me. And, after Davis's sister June stopped hanging around me like a lost puppy, the fans got a lot less scarier, too.
My face fell. But I would trade a million of those giggling fans just to have the one girl I really cared about.
Why did I have to be such a jerk to her yesterday?
Skids, the bassist in the band with dirty blond hair and a strange obsession with Britney Spears, walked up to me with concern, wearing a black T-shirt with our "Teenage Wolves" logo in bold, red letters. "Dude," he said, in a bad surfer accent he had acquired after listening to one too many Beach Boys songs. "You totally tanked on that guitar solo in 'You Don't Know Jack.' You usually hit that like it was nothing. What's going on?"
I sighed, keeping my fingers busy by balancing a guitar pick on my fingernails. "I don't know, man," I replied, my mind most definitely on something - or someone - else. "I guess I'm just not in a music kind of mood right now."
Skids cocked an eyebrow at me, surprised. "You?" he asked, skeptical. "Not in a music mood? Are you sick, or something?" Skids stopped his questioning then, and his surprised look was replaced with a sly smile. "If Matt Ishida isn't in a music 'vibe,' then the world must be ending." He snorted at his own joke. I was just glad that Skids and the other guys in the band didn't know about me being a DigiDestined, or the end of the world would have had a whole different meaning. "Or...you're thinking about a girl instead of your music, which is a whole let more realistic than the world ending."
I smiled at Skids, who never really knew how many times the world was actually in danger of ending, and how many times I was one of those who stopped just that from happening. "You're tripping, man," I said nervously. "I'm just off my game tonight. I'll do better after this break, I swear."
Skids crossed his arms in front of his chest. He wasn't buying it. "Who's the girl, Matty?" he said jokingly. I rolled my eyes. "I'm not gonna budge till you tell me who's the girl."
"Your sister," I said sarcastically, wanting desperately for Skids to get off the topic. I began to walk away, but Skids stood fast, his arms still crossed over his chest. I turned back around and sighed. "Truthfully, Skids, there's no girl," I lied. Well, only half-lied. Sora was most definitely in my thoughts, but there was no way that I was in hers.
Skids threw his arms up in frustration as the music from our pre-recorded CD blared through the gym. I had written the slow, mournful song that was playing when I was thinking about Sora, once. I had lied to her when she asked me who I had written it for, and said Gabumon. I couldn't tell her the truth. I can never tell her the truth. "I don't believe you," he said. "Now are you gonna tell me what your problem is tonight, or am I going to have to kick your ass to find out, and then I'd have messed up that pretty face of yours."
I sighed and gave up. If he was threatening my life, it'd be one thing, but my face was much more important than my secret. "It is about a girl, Skids," I said, and Skids grinned, knowing that he hit my problem right on the nose. "I really like this girl, and we've been friends for a long time. But I don't think that she likes me more than a friend. I can't keep hanging out with her because every time I see her, it just makes me feel so depressed to know that I'll never be with her. And I can't tell her how I feel about her, because then our friendship will be ruined."
I took in a deep breath, thinking about how trivial this whole thing sounded when I actually spoke it aloud. The only problem with Sora and me was me, and if I just stopped acting like this was bothering me, and continued to be her friend (that was, if she still wanted to be my friend after all the shit I'd said to her yesterday), then nothing would be wrong. I should have never had these feelings for her...it just fucked everything up between us.
But there was no going back to the way things were now.
Skids looked at me, a confused expression on his face. "That's it?" he asked. I shrugged; I didn't know what else to do. This seemed pretty serious to me. "Dude, I thought you had some real problems, like you got some girl pregnant, or something." I laughed off yet another of Skids's misinformed comments; right at this moment, I knew that Kari and T.K. were at the dance, but I wouldn't know where they would be in an hour, two hours, or on into the wee hours of the morning. And even though T.K. seemed pretty confident at the time - though I would have called it "cocky" instead of "confident" - I wasn't so sure that my little brother knew how to use a condom properly. Those kids were going to get into trouble tonight, I just knew it...
"If the girl's your friend like you say she is," Skids continued, "then she really won't be bothered by you liking her. The worst case scenario is -"
"- She'll think I'm a creep and hate me forever," I interrupted. There was no way Skids was going to convince me that Sora would be okay with this. "You're full of shit, Skids."
Skids gave me a look. He doesn't like to be interrupted. "...is that she won't have the same feelings for you, but hopefully, if your friendship is strong enough, it won't damage it. And the best case scenario is that she actually does feel the same way about you, and then, you really have nothing to worry about."
I shook my head. "I really doubt that, man."
He shrugged. "Just my opinion, man. Take it or leave it." I could hear the CD come to a spinning end on the speakers, and I knew that our short break was over. It was time to get back on that stage, in front of all those girls who giggled and screamed my name, but would never be her.
"Hey, man," I changed the subject, trying to get more into my "music vibe," as Skids had called it, and attempt to get through this set without messing up. "Sounds like we're up."
"You got it." We began to walk out onto the stage, but just as I reached the navy fabric curtain that separated the stage from backstage, Skids pulled me back by my shoulder. "But just remember what I've said, Matt," he said in a serious tone, the Californian accent drained from his voice. "And tell Sora how you feel. You won't regret it."
It took me a second before I realized that I never really did tell Skids Sora's name.
I cringed at the thought, as the entire gym erupted with the sounds of teens cheering for our music. Was I really that obvious?
Putting on a bright face for the crowd, I looked out onto the gym, seeing a mass of faces, some a barely recognized, and some I didn't even know. But all I could really focus on was the one beautiful young woman that stood across the room, laughing and talking with her date.
I knew I wasn't going to get through this night without seeing Sora - and consequently having my heart stomped on more than it already was - but I just hoped that I wouldn't hurt Sora or Tai tonight by doing anything stupid.
