Digimon: Conquering Middle Ground
Episode 5
"The Problem"
By: Shmeilia Rockie
A/N: Hey, ya wanna know something funny? There was an unwitting allusion to my giant hot dog commercials in the Scooby Doo movie!!! (okay, not technically...) Shaggy turned to Scooby at one point and said something like 'Boy, I haven't felt this bad since we tried to eat the guy in the hot dog costume!' I could almost see Matt running on and shaking his hand for that. I burst out laughing and everyone was staring...
Yolei tinkered with some of the inner workings of Cody's computer, but there wasn't much point to it. Everything worked perfectly. But she couldn't just sit around, and this had been their ritual for years. Besides, what else would they do? Make out? Their relationship just didn't work like that. Although she wouldn't mind it once in a while...No. They had made an agreement to not get serious for at least another year. By then she would be in college, almost an adult. Something inside of her couldn't wait for him to be out of school. She knew they would probably tie the knot in a couple of years. She didn't feel as comfortable around anyone else as she was around him, and yet she couldn't just sit and chat any more. Not when they were all alone in the appartment...
"Yolei?" He gently touched her hand. "Could you crawl out of that computer and talk to me? I need to hear your ideas on our situation."
She sighed and put down her screwdriver. "Problem is, I don't have any. And it's not like I haven't given it enough thought. He's all I've worried about since you told me."
He winced. "Sorry. I knew I shouldn't have said anything."
"No, I'm glad you did." She joined him on the floor and laid her head on his shoulder. (That's as intimate as they normally got now.) "I don't want you to go through this alone."
"Thank you." He half smiled to himself at the compasion in her voice. But he could sense her desire to be closer, and it made him nervous. He loved her with all his soul, sure, but he didn't want to break down and do something rash. That would be, well, rash... He sighed and shrugged it off. "Davis shouldn't go through it alone, either, but he has."
"This kinda reminds me of when Ken was going through his remorseful period." Yolei studied her neatly done fingernails. She felt edgy bringing up the topic of Ken around Cody, even though the two stopped being rivals long ago. "And Davis was always there for him. Do you think Ken even knows?"
Cody waited for the answer to pop into his head, but it didn't happen. It instead forced him to make an educated guess. "No, or he would have already talked Davis into telling the authorities."
"Should we tell him?"
His mind and his heart battled each other for a whole minute before the former managed to beat back the latter with the weapon of common sense. "Yeah, we should. Davis will hate me forever, but that's just something I'll deal with."
She looked him in the eye, barely an inch from his face. "If you didn't have my utter respect before, Cody, you have it now. I could never make that decision."
He closed his eyes, and smiled as he felt himself blush. Then he reached for the cordless phone and dialed a number he rarely even thought about.
Ken's mother's peppy voice squeaked out of the answering machine. "Hello, you've reached the Ichijouji residence. We're either busy or out, so leave your name and a message and we'll hopefully get back to you soon!" BEEP!
"Ken, are you there? This is Cody. I need to talk to you about Davis. It's an emergency, so please call me when you get the-"
Cody could almost hear Ken running down the hallway to stop the answering machine. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH DAVIS?!?!"
Even Yolei flinched at the sound.
"I...Uh, I've been having visions since we got back. About people in pain."
Silence.
Cody bit his lip, unsure of what to say. "I think he's being abused. By his father."
Ken said something very un-Ken-like *Fill it in using your imagination here*. "Great, just one more BLASTED thing for me worry about. WHY IN THE GOOD DIGIWORLD-" He stopped himself from loosing total control. "Thank you, Cody. I'll talk to him about it."
Click.
"Well, that's it. Ken sure sounded stressed."
"He's the Key. He has the weight of the whole world on his shoulders."
"I know. And on top of that, he teaches at the university. How he balances everything is beyond me."
* * * *
Davis had to get out of the house. He just couldn't stay inside any longer. Sure, it was the middle of the night, and he was forbidden to leave the house without permission. But aside from being beaten into a coma, there wasn't a punishment he couldn't endure now. He'd mastered the numbness technique...But only to a certain point. After that, he had to get out. And so, he did.
He'd come to love the park. The cool night air felt wonderful on his sore face as he walked slowly down the path to the kids' area. He could vagely remember doing the same thing when he was younger. He seemed more innocent back in the days before becoming a Digidestined. Things were simple.
He sighed and twisted the chains around his neck. For some reason, most people couldn't see them. The Megadigidestined could, and so could his girlfriend, but no one else. It was almost as if they weren't physically there. They felt real to him, but his father could reach right through them.
He sat in a low swing and ran his hands through his hair, wanting to cry, but not being able to. The ability to cry had finally been beatten out of him, it seemed. Or maybe that was a result of his disorder. One of the symptoms was 'accesive crying or the inability to cry', wasn't it? There were times when he wondered if the Digital World had really existed, or if it was a product of his faulty mind.
Faulty.
He was defective. No one wanted to hang around a messed up kid. Even if it wasn't his fault, they didn't care. He already noticed people throwing nervous glances at him from the corner of his eye. Even Lara sometimes looked at him funny. He tried to be cool about it, but it ate away at him every day. His grades were terrible, and it wasn't for his lack of trying. He was now sixteen, and yet everyone treated him like he was only five. Well, except for Lara. She treated him well, he supposed. Since he'd never had another girlfriend (Kari didn't count, since he only went out out with her for two days) to compair her to, he didn't realize she was using him. He didn't really care, either. He practically didn't have any self-esteem anymore. No, he still hated himself, although no longer for any one reason.
A riple of energy brought him out of his reverie. He slowly turned to see the angry glittering eyes of his best friend.
Ken crossed his arms and stared wordlessly down at Davis. He didn't need to say anything, really. Davis just knew he knew.
Davis turned back around. "Cody told you, didn't he?"
"Yes."
He grimaced. "Please don't stare at me like that, Ken. It makes me nervous."
"What do you expect? I don't like you keeping secrets from me, especially things as important as this."
"I know. I'm sorry." Now he was glad he couldn't cry.
Ken could feel his friend's pain almost if it were his own. He sat next to Davis, all anger quickly evaporating. "I hate to see you like this. You need to go to the authorities."
Davis looked into the star-filled sky. "But I don't want to go to foster-care. I've heard stories of kids being cycled endless from home to home because no one wants them."
"What makes you think no one would want you?"
"I have...Special needs." He noticed Ken get that suspicious look again and decided to come clean. He took a deep breath. "I have schizophrenia. You know what that is, don't you?"
Stunned silence rang in the air. He opened his mouth to explain when Ken recovered. "I teach pyscology; of course I know what schizophrenia is. When were you diagnosed?"
Davis stared at his hands. "A few months ago. I'm on a lot of medication, but it's not helping. It's supposed to take a while to work, and my dad's impatient with it. He still thinks I'm faking, really."He looked nervously at his best friend and quickly looked away again. "No one would be able to put up with me. No one w-would want me."
Ken put a hand on his shoulder. "That's not true, Davis. Lots of families would be willing to take you in."
"But look at what I've done to my own family! It's falling apart, and it's all my fault!"
"It's not your fault! Do you hear me, Davis?" Ken forced him to looked into his eyes. "It's not your fault. Okay? Don't ever think otherwise."
"I just want to know why all this is happening to me."
"Keesma. Your problems come from her."
Davis smiled for the first time in weeks. "Can't you track her down and kill her for me?"
"No. I can't."
"Why not?"
It was Ken's turn to stare into the heavens. His eyes clouded over. "That will be your job, someday. Only you will be able to destroy her."
Minutes passed in silence. The two looked at each other, but didn't say anything. The evening breeze whispered the promise of a chilly winter into their ears. Davis shuddered slightly, but not from cold.
"You know," Ken whispered, "My parents might be willing to adopt you if necessary. They'll be awfully lonely once I move out."
"You're moving out? Why?"
He shouldn't have shared that. "My parents and I talked it over, and we've decided I'm mature enough to make it on my own. I already take care of my own expenses and balance my own accounts. The problem is, I have my own job, and it's pretty demanding. Not to mention volunteer work...I hardly see my parents anymore. So why not move out?"
"Don't you want to spend time with your parents while you still can?"
He nodded distractedly. "But they understand my responsibilities, you know, as the Key. I'm still a warrior of good, whether I like it or not."
Davis couldn't understand why his best friend wanted away from his parents. As far as Davis was concerned, they were the best parents in the world. He didn't stop to think about how advanced Ken had become, compaired to how simple they were. They couldn't communicate anymore. "I wish I had your parents...They're so nice."
"There's a better life for you, if you'll reach for it," Ken told him and stood to leave. "I won't turn your father in, although I should. I'll leave that up to you. But I hope you realize there are wonderful people out there who would give their lives to take care of you. You don't need to be miserable. You shouldn't live in misery; No one should. Remember, my parents love you. I'm sure they wouldn't mind taking you in."
* * * *
Commercial Break: A nightmare...
Matt's sitting at a table, merrily drinking coffee. The background looks like it'd been drawn by a three year-old with a crayon. The infamous giant hot dog sneaks up behind him and starts babbling sensless garble (something to do with sharing...?), but he doesn't notice because of his coffee-bliss. Suddenly it yanks the coffee cup away from him and runs away at top speed. Of course, this sets Matt off...
Matt: *Tackles the giant hot dog, sending the coffee flying everywhere* This is the LAST time you take advantage of me! I will DESTROY you NOW!!!
Giant Hot Dog: *laughs evilly* That's what you think, Digidestined! You have not yet begun to suffer my wrath! MWAH-HAHAHAHAHAHA! *Disappears*
Matt: *wakes up in a cold sweat* A dream! It was just a dream. *Rubs eyes* Man, that is the last time I eat pizza right before I go to bed!
Narrator-guy Shmeilia thought she'd disposed of: Will the giant hot dog ever stop tormenting Matt? Find out in the next commercial of Digimon: Conquering Middle Ground!
Shmeilia: *Beats him up off-camera* Not if I have anything to say about it! DIE!!! You hear me? I SAID DIIIIIIIEEEEE!!! *A cat screeches, glass shatters, and a car alarm goes off...*
Matt: *sweatdrops* And I thought I had anger management issues... Sheesh!
* * * *
Ken's words echoed in his mind all day durning school, taunting him. He didn't need to live that way...
But he couldn't just tell a random teacher, could he? It had to be someone he trusted.
He made his way to the counciling office, but stopped at the door. Wasn't he betraying his family? No... He reached for the doorknob, but hestitated. He wouldn't get a choice of where he wanted to live, would he? No. He wouldn't.
The bell rang. He was late.
After school, he dropped by the coach's office. "Sir, sorry to bother you, but-"
"No, no, Davis. Please, come in." The man practically shoved him into a chair. "What can I do for my STAR athlete?"
"I-I just wanted to inform you..." He swallowed loudly. "I'm quitting the team."
Coach's face fell like a heavy weight. "Why?"
He grimaced. Why did this have to be so hard? "I can't do it any more. My grades are crap, and I just don't have the energy to play anymore. I'm sorry, sir. I really am."
There was an uneasy silence as the coach turned the information over in his brain. Finally, he shook Davis's hand. "Well, I hate to loose you. You were one of the bests we've ever had."
"Thank you, sir." Davis felt physically sick. Soccer was his life.
Walking home, he realized he'd chickened out of actually telling anyone about his problem. But what could he do? Things weren't going to get easier, he knew. Something would give, and it would probably be his sanity. Literally. Or, it could be a lot worse... How many times had he been beaten unconscious in the past couple of months? How much more rage would it take for his father to keep beating until Davis was dead? As much as he often longed for someone to snuff out his life, he didn't want it to end like that. He looked up at his bedroom window for a long time. He'd lived there all his life. Even when he was younger, things had gotten better. But then again, things were never nearly as bad as they were now. His dad would slap him once in a while, but he never tried to strangle the boy. How much more could Davis take? He walked inside the appartment. No one was home, so he rolled up his sleeves and looked at the latest bruses. Normally, doing that around his parents would envoke a certain amount of rage. They didn't want to think about how much pain he went through.
They didn't care. What kind of parents don't even care about their own son?
Suddenly, he couldn't stand it anymore. He had to get out of there. Perminantly. He scrambled to his room and began frantically packing. He would run away. Didn't Ken say he could live at his parents' house? Yeah, that's where he would stay, until he could find a place of his own. He would get a job and pay them rent...But if he couldn't handle school alone, how could he handle school AND a job? At least he wouldn't need to worry about getting the snot beaten out of him for a bad grade.
Some of his father's earlier words floated back to him as he attempted to squish everything he owned into one suitcase. "If you even try to run away, we won't look for you. The minute you set foot out that door, you'll no longer be a Motomiya. You will have disowned yourself." Davis sat on the suitcase and burried his face in his hands. Was he really ready to leave the familiarity of his home forever? Again, he looked over his battered arms, his eyes resting on a small cut on the underside of his left forearm. He'd given himself that one in frustration. He regretted it now, but at the time it had helped relieve the pressure that kept building in his mind. He deeply longed to live in a place where he didn't feel the need to punish himself. He wanted parents who wouldn't make him feel like a worthless failure. No, he needed to leave, before he resorted to cutting himself again.
He wrote a note, plainly stating that he'd had enough, and that he understood what leaving meant. As an afterthought, he appologized to June. Then he grabbed his suit case and backpack and left that life forever.
A/N: This is Shmeilia's writer's block speaking...Hope you liked this episode. She struggled for several weeks on it before giving up with this ending. It may be a bit short, and I appologize for that. Good news, though! She has a website now! It's www.angelfire.com/anime4/toasterhappy
Okay, I'll switch out of third-person now... All of my BT and CMG art is there, and episode 1 of Bigger Threat. Not that you need to read ep. 1 if you've come this far, but oh well. Check it out!!! Enjoy my 'Matt frames' layout. I'm so proud of it!
*Turns to the other camera* In other news, I just found out that Tyler Haston's real-life counter-part, Taylor Hanson, got MARRIED!!! *A Middle-School-aged, DERRANGED Hanson fan pops out of Shmeilia and cries a river (anime style, of course), drownding the whole gosh-darned world. Sheila-The-College-Student also pops out of Shmeilia's head and beats back the kid with a mallet.* Sorry 'bout that. I just thought that that's funny, because I'm going to make Matt get married, and I've long stated that he looks just like Taylor...I'll shut up now, thanks. *wink* Gee, I haven't felt this bad since Matt married Sora! Grr. Bad memories.
Episode 5
"The Problem"
By: Shmeilia Rockie
A/N: Hey, ya wanna know something funny? There was an unwitting allusion to my giant hot dog commercials in the Scooby Doo movie!!! (okay, not technically...) Shaggy turned to Scooby at one point and said something like 'Boy, I haven't felt this bad since we tried to eat the guy in the hot dog costume!' I could almost see Matt running on and shaking his hand for that. I burst out laughing and everyone was staring...
Yolei tinkered with some of the inner workings of Cody's computer, but there wasn't much point to it. Everything worked perfectly. But she couldn't just sit around, and this had been their ritual for years. Besides, what else would they do? Make out? Their relationship just didn't work like that. Although she wouldn't mind it once in a while...No. They had made an agreement to not get serious for at least another year. By then she would be in college, almost an adult. Something inside of her couldn't wait for him to be out of school. She knew they would probably tie the knot in a couple of years. She didn't feel as comfortable around anyone else as she was around him, and yet she couldn't just sit and chat any more. Not when they were all alone in the appartment...
"Yolei?" He gently touched her hand. "Could you crawl out of that computer and talk to me? I need to hear your ideas on our situation."
She sighed and put down her screwdriver. "Problem is, I don't have any. And it's not like I haven't given it enough thought. He's all I've worried about since you told me."
He winced. "Sorry. I knew I shouldn't have said anything."
"No, I'm glad you did." She joined him on the floor and laid her head on his shoulder. (That's as intimate as they normally got now.) "I don't want you to go through this alone."
"Thank you." He half smiled to himself at the compasion in her voice. But he could sense her desire to be closer, and it made him nervous. He loved her with all his soul, sure, but he didn't want to break down and do something rash. That would be, well, rash... He sighed and shrugged it off. "Davis shouldn't go through it alone, either, but he has."
"This kinda reminds me of when Ken was going through his remorseful period." Yolei studied her neatly done fingernails. She felt edgy bringing up the topic of Ken around Cody, even though the two stopped being rivals long ago. "And Davis was always there for him. Do you think Ken even knows?"
Cody waited for the answer to pop into his head, but it didn't happen. It instead forced him to make an educated guess. "No, or he would have already talked Davis into telling the authorities."
"Should we tell him?"
His mind and his heart battled each other for a whole minute before the former managed to beat back the latter with the weapon of common sense. "Yeah, we should. Davis will hate me forever, but that's just something I'll deal with."
She looked him in the eye, barely an inch from his face. "If you didn't have my utter respect before, Cody, you have it now. I could never make that decision."
He closed his eyes, and smiled as he felt himself blush. Then he reached for the cordless phone and dialed a number he rarely even thought about.
Ken's mother's peppy voice squeaked out of the answering machine. "Hello, you've reached the Ichijouji residence. We're either busy or out, so leave your name and a message and we'll hopefully get back to you soon!" BEEP!
"Ken, are you there? This is Cody. I need to talk to you about Davis. It's an emergency, so please call me when you get the-"
Cody could almost hear Ken running down the hallway to stop the answering machine. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH DAVIS?!?!"
Even Yolei flinched at the sound.
"I...Uh, I've been having visions since we got back. About people in pain."
Silence.
Cody bit his lip, unsure of what to say. "I think he's being abused. By his father."
Ken said something very un-Ken-like *Fill it in using your imagination here*. "Great, just one more BLASTED thing for me worry about. WHY IN THE GOOD DIGIWORLD-" He stopped himself from loosing total control. "Thank you, Cody. I'll talk to him about it."
Click.
"Well, that's it. Ken sure sounded stressed."
"He's the Key. He has the weight of the whole world on his shoulders."
"I know. And on top of that, he teaches at the university. How he balances everything is beyond me."
* * * *
Davis had to get out of the house. He just couldn't stay inside any longer. Sure, it was the middle of the night, and he was forbidden to leave the house without permission. But aside from being beaten into a coma, there wasn't a punishment he couldn't endure now. He'd mastered the numbness technique...But only to a certain point. After that, he had to get out. And so, he did.
He'd come to love the park. The cool night air felt wonderful on his sore face as he walked slowly down the path to the kids' area. He could vagely remember doing the same thing when he was younger. He seemed more innocent back in the days before becoming a Digidestined. Things were simple.
He sighed and twisted the chains around his neck. For some reason, most people couldn't see them. The Megadigidestined could, and so could his girlfriend, but no one else. It was almost as if they weren't physically there. They felt real to him, but his father could reach right through them.
He sat in a low swing and ran his hands through his hair, wanting to cry, but not being able to. The ability to cry had finally been beatten out of him, it seemed. Or maybe that was a result of his disorder. One of the symptoms was 'accesive crying or the inability to cry', wasn't it? There were times when he wondered if the Digital World had really existed, or if it was a product of his faulty mind.
Faulty.
He was defective. No one wanted to hang around a messed up kid. Even if it wasn't his fault, they didn't care. He already noticed people throwing nervous glances at him from the corner of his eye. Even Lara sometimes looked at him funny. He tried to be cool about it, but it ate away at him every day. His grades were terrible, and it wasn't for his lack of trying. He was now sixteen, and yet everyone treated him like he was only five. Well, except for Lara. She treated him well, he supposed. Since he'd never had another girlfriend (Kari didn't count, since he only went out out with her for two days) to compair her to, he didn't realize she was using him. He didn't really care, either. He practically didn't have any self-esteem anymore. No, he still hated himself, although no longer for any one reason.
A riple of energy brought him out of his reverie. He slowly turned to see the angry glittering eyes of his best friend.
Ken crossed his arms and stared wordlessly down at Davis. He didn't need to say anything, really. Davis just knew he knew.
Davis turned back around. "Cody told you, didn't he?"
"Yes."
He grimaced. "Please don't stare at me like that, Ken. It makes me nervous."
"What do you expect? I don't like you keeping secrets from me, especially things as important as this."
"I know. I'm sorry." Now he was glad he couldn't cry.
Ken could feel his friend's pain almost if it were his own. He sat next to Davis, all anger quickly evaporating. "I hate to see you like this. You need to go to the authorities."
Davis looked into the star-filled sky. "But I don't want to go to foster-care. I've heard stories of kids being cycled endless from home to home because no one wants them."
"What makes you think no one would want you?"
"I have...Special needs." He noticed Ken get that suspicious look again and decided to come clean. He took a deep breath. "I have schizophrenia. You know what that is, don't you?"
Stunned silence rang in the air. He opened his mouth to explain when Ken recovered. "I teach pyscology; of course I know what schizophrenia is. When were you diagnosed?"
Davis stared at his hands. "A few months ago. I'm on a lot of medication, but it's not helping. It's supposed to take a while to work, and my dad's impatient with it. He still thinks I'm faking, really."He looked nervously at his best friend and quickly looked away again. "No one would be able to put up with me. No one w-would want me."
Ken put a hand on his shoulder. "That's not true, Davis. Lots of families would be willing to take you in."
"But look at what I've done to my own family! It's falling apart, and it's all my fault!"
"It's not your fault! Do you hear me, Davis?" Ken forced him to looked into his eyes. "It's not your fault. Okay? Don't ever think otherwise."
"I just want to know why all this is happening to me."
"Keesma. Your problems come from her."
Davis smiled for the first time in weeks. "Can't you track her down and kill her for me?"
"No. I can't."
"Why not?"
It was Ken's turn to stare into the heavens. His eyes clouded over. "That will be your job, someday. Only you will be able to destroy her."
Minutes passed in silence. The two looked at each other, but didn't say anything. The evening breeze whispered the promise of a chilly winter into their ears. Davis shuddered slightly, but not from cold.
"You know," Ken whispered, "My parents might be willing to adopt you if necessary. They'll be awfully lonely once I move out."
"You're moving out? Why?"
He shouldn't have shared that. "My parents and I talked it over, and we've decided I'm mature enough to make it on my own. I already take care of my own expenses and balance my own accounts. The problem is, I have my own job, and it's pretty demanding. Not to mention volunteer work...I hardly see my parents anymore. So why not move out?"
"Don't you want to spend time with your parents while you still can?"
He nodded distractedly. "But they understand my responsibilities, you know, as the Key. I'm still a warrior of good, whether I like it or not."
Davis couldn't understand why his best friend wanted away from his parents. As far as Davis was concerned, they were the best parents in the world. He didn't stop to think about how advanced Ken had become, compaired to how simple they were. They couldn't communicate anymore. "I wish I had your parents...They're so nice."
"There's a better life for you, if you'll reach for it," Ken told him and stood to leave. "I won't turn your father in, although I should. I'll leave that up to you. But I hope you realize there are wonderful people out there who would give their lives to take care of you. You don't need to be miserable. You shouldn't live in misery; No one should. Remember, my parents love you. I'm sure they wouldn't mind taking you in."
* * * *
Commercial Break: A nightmare...
Matt's sitting at a table, merrily drinking coffee. The background looks like it'd been drawn by a three year-old with a crayon. The infamous giant hot dog sneaks up behind him and starts babbling sensless garble (something to do with sharing...?), but he doesn't notice because of his coffee-bliss. Suddenly it yanks the coffee cup away from him and runs away at top speed. Of course, this sets Matt off...
Matt: *Tackles the giant hot dog, sending the coffee flying everywhere* This is the LAST time you take advantage of me! I will DESTROY you NOW!!!
Giant Hot Dog: *laughs evilly* That's what you think, Digidestined! You have not yet begun to suffer my wrath! MWAH-HAHAHAHAHAHA! *Disappears*
Matt: *wakes up in a cold sweat* A dream! It was just a dream. *Rubs eyes* Man, that is the last time I eat pizza right before I go to bed!
Narrator-guy Shmeilia thought she'd disposed of: Will the giant hot dog ever stop tormenting Matt? Find out in the next commercial of Digimon: Conquering Middle Ground!
Shmeilia: *Beats him up off-camera* Not if I have anything to say about it! DIE!!! You hear me? I SAID DIIIIIIIEEEEE!!! *A cat screeches, glass shatters, and a car alarm goes off...*
Matt: *sweatdrops* And I thought I had anger management issues... Sheesh!
* * * *
Ken's words echoed in his mind all day durning school, taunting him. He didn't need to live that way...
But he couldn't just tell a random teacher, could he? It had to be someone he trusted.
He made his way to the counciling office, but stopped at the door. Wasn't he betraying his family? No... He reached for the doorknob, but hestitated. He wouldn't get a choice of where he wanted to live, would he? No. He wouldn't.
The bell rang. He was late.
After school, he dropped by the coach's office. "Sir, sorry to bother you, but-"
"No, no, Davis. Please, come in." The man practically shoved him into a chair. "What can I do for my STAR athlete?"
"I-I just wanted to inform you..." He swallowed loudly. "I'm quitting the team."
Coach's face fell like a heavy weight. "Why?"
He grimaced. Why did this have to be so hard? "I can't do it any more. My grades are crap, and I just don't have the energy to play anymore. I'm sorry, sir. I really am."
There was an uneasy silence as the coach turned the information over in his brain. Finally, he shook Davis's hand. "Well, I hate to loose you. You were one of the bests we've ever had."
"Thank you, sir." Davis felt physically sick. Soccer was his life.
Walking home, he realized he'd chickened out of actually telling anyone about his problem. But what could he do? Things weren't going to get easier, he knew. Something would give, and it would probably be his sanity. Literally. Or, it could be a lot worse... How many times had he been beaten unconscious in the past couple of months? How much more rage would it take for his father to keep beating until Davis was dead? As much as he often longed for someone to snuff out his life, he didn't want it to end like that. He looked up at his bedroom window for a long time. He'd lived there all his life. Even when he was younger, things had gotten better. But then again, things were never nearly as bad as they were now. His dad would slap him once in a while, but he never tried to strangle the boy. How much more could Davis take? He walked inside the appartment. No one was home, so he rolled up his sleeves and looked at the latest bruses. Normally, doing that around his parents would envoke a certain amount of rage. They didn't want to think about how much pain he went through.
They didn't care. What kind of parents don't even care about their own son?
Suddenly, he couldn't stand it anymore. He had to get out of there. Perminantly. He scrambled to his room and began frantically packing. He would run away. Didn't Ken say he could live at his parents' house? Yeah, that's where he would stay, until he could find a place of his own. He would get a job and pay them rent...But if he couldn't handle school alone, how could he handle school AND a job? At least he wouldn't need to worry about getting the snot beaten out of him for a bad grade.
Some of his father's earlier words floated back to him as he attempted to squish everything he owned into one suitcase. "If you even try to run away, we won't look for you. The minute you set foot out that door, you'll no longer be a Motomiya. You will have disowned yourself." Davis sat on the suitcase and burried his face in his hands. Was he really ready to leave the familiarity of his home forever? Again, he looked over his battered arms, his eyes resting on a small cut on the underside of his left forearm. He'd given himself that one in frustration. He regretted it now, but at the time it had helped relieve the pressure that kept building in his mind. He deeply longed to live in a place where he didn't feel the need to punish himself. He wanted parents who wouldn't make him feel like a worthless failure. No, he needed to leave, before he resorted to cutting himself again.
He wrote a note, plainly stating that he'd had enough, and that he understood what leaving meant. As an afterthought, he appologized to June. Then he grabbed his suit case and backpack and left that life forever.
A/N: This is Shmeilia's writer's block speaking...Hope you liked this episode. She struggled for several weeks on it before giving up with this ending. It may be a bit short, and I appologize for that. Good news, though! She has a website now! It's www.angelfire.com/anime4/toasterhappy
Okay, I'll switch out of third-person now... All of my BT and CMG art is there, and episode 1 of Bigger Threat. Not that you need to read ep. 1 if you've come this far, but oh well. Check it out!!! Enjoy my 'Matt frames' layout. I'm so proud of it!
*Turns to the other camera* In other news, I just found out that Tyler Haston's real-life counter-part, Taylor Hanson, got MARRIED!!! *A Middle-School-aged, DERRANGED Hanson fan pops out of Shmeilia and cries a river (anime style, of course), drownding the whole gosh-darned world. Sheila-The-College-Student also pops out of Shmeilia's head and beats back the kid with a mallet.* Sorry 'bout that. I just thought that that's funny, because I'm going to make Matt get married, and I've long stated that he looks just like Taylor...I'll shut up now, thanks. *wink* Gee, I haven't felt this bad since Matt married Sora! Grr. Bad memories.