I don't know whether you would consider this a long chapter, but it has many parts, for some reason... I HAVE UPLOADED!!!
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The soccer tryouts.
Ken swallowed; he was nervous. He wanted to make the team. It was probably the only way he could get her to…
'No', he told himself. 'Don't think about her. Just focus on making the team.' He tried to think about everything Taichi Kamiya had taught him. How to kick the ball better, how to make a good pass… he was grateful to him for helping him out. But he couldn't remember anything else.
He sighed.
He couldn't concentrate. Once more, he wondered why he was doing all this. He was already a musician *and* a genius. Why did he bother trying to prove himself even more?
And once more, he mentally kicked himself. He was doing it for *her*.
He had heard her talking with her friends one time in school. No one ever noticed him, even though he was probably more famous than all of them combined. He was just some quiet kid who could play instruments and beat everyone in chess and intellectual competitions.
He wasn't exactly eavesdropping on purpose, but he was just watching her. He admired her spirit and found himself falling in love with her, even if she *was* a year older than he was. Even if she probably wouldn't even spare him a single glance.
No wonder he was here.
'They say that love's irrational,' he thought grimly. 'I'm probably insane now.'
He remembered her conversation clearly. It was, after all, the reason why he was here, trying in vain to make it into the team. She was raving about jocks. He knew right then that she would only pay attention to him if he played a sport of some sort (A/N: *Snort* Hehe. No retort, my fellow cohorts.)
He looked around. There were many people sitting in the grandstands, watching the people trying out for the soccer team. There was an old man wearing some ancient-looking soccer jersey jumping up and down, yelling loudly. He glanced toward the edges. There was an older boy falling down the bleachers, watched by a smirking redheaded girl.
Very interesting, but where was she?
His eyes scanned the bleachers. There she was, sitting with her friends on the bleachers, watching the tryouts.
It was Yolei. Was she there to watch him? She knew that he was trying out for the team. He caught himself staring at her and blushed, even though she didn't know he existed until that Tuesday. And *that* was just a coincidence.
He had been practicing his sonnets for an upcoming recital when they stumbled upon him in his secret little hiding place. He hadn't noticed they were there until he finished playing his music.
That's when they started clapping. When he realized that it was Yolei who was clapping for him, he nearly exploded with happiness and fear. (A/N: BOOM!!!) Did she like his music? Or was she just mocking him?
Once he got to know her and her friends, he realized that they were a good group. How could he fit in with them? He was lonely. But they accepted him right then and there and even offered to invite him to join them when they would go to the mall.
He was happy that he finally had friends, but he was even happier that he could be closer to Yolei Inoue.
He glanced her way again and she stood up and waved at him. He grinned at her and waved back.
"You can do it, Ken!" she yelled.
His cheeks reddened slightly and he smiled. So she really did want him to make the team. That was good.
"Ichijouji!" the coach yelled, blowing her whistle. "Wake up, boy!"
He jerked up, startled. He looked around wildly. The coach was gesturing to him.
It was time.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Mimi sighed inwardly. She was glad the day was over for her. She couldn't bear listening to the cheerleaders' mindless chatter, but she was in love. Never mind that he was two or so years older than she was.
She hoped that her friends weren't mad at her for not eating with them during lunch and fervently hoped that Matt had remembered to tell them why she wasn't eating with them. He tended to forget things that weren't about himself. Joe was for her, she was convinced. The minute she saw him, she was immediately in love.
As of yet, though, none of her baiting attempts (A/N: That sounds a little too cruel…) had succeeded in drawing his attention away from his book. She had done her best to attract his eye, but he was too involved in whatever he was reading.
She sighed. Was there anything she could do to get him to talk to her?
Mimi was sitting down at a table in the library, a few tables away from Joe's, holding a book in front of her. She wasn't reading anything, really. Why would she want to learn about the physics of a tissue roll?
She sighed again as she watched him paging patiently through a thick book. He was holding his spectacles a little closer to the page as he peered through them. His light blue hair moved slightly as he continued to turn pages.
She decided not to despair too much. She should appreciate this rare moment of peace. None of her fans were harassing her, as of the moment. She should be grateful for this little silence. She hadn't had that many during school hours.
The girl flipped her curls over her shoulder and crossed her arms on the table, leaning her head on them and closing her eyes.
How to get Joe to notice her...
Mimi was suddenly interrupted from her scheming when someone cleared his throat behind her. Hardly daring to hope that it was Joe, she turned around slowly. It was Tai. He grinned at her at took a seat across her.
"Hey, Mimi," he said. "What are you doing here reading about," he glanced at her book, "the physics of *tissue paper*?" He gave her an incredulous look. "I know you're trying to hook Joe but this is ridiculous—"
Mimi reached over the table and hurriedly clapped her hand over his mouth. She looked around and saw that Joe had looked up. He was looking at her! She gave him a smile and he nodded. He pushed back his chair—
And took another book out of his backpack which was by his chair on the floor.
Mimi's heart sank and she sighed. Tai saw what she was looking at and mouthed sheepishly, 'I'm sorry.'
"It's all right, Tai." She let out her breath. "In three seconds, you managed to do something I've been trying to do for hours here."
"What's that?"
"You managed to get Joe to look up from his book and actually glance at me," Mimi answered.
"But then," Tai said reasonably, "he probably thinks you're an immature student, goofing off with me in the library. He's one of *those* types, but he's a cool dude. When he's not reading, that is. But don't worry. He could just classify us as children instead of immature. Although I like immature better."
"Thank you for that little idea, Tai," Mimi said dryly. "Another thing to add to my list of mistakes so far. And the list keeps growing…"
"Anything I can do to help?" Tai asked eagerly.
She laughed. "Tai, No matter how much I want to hurt you right now, at least you got me laughing."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Shina sat down at her computer, happily hacking away at the system files of a major oil distribution company. She wouldn't normally be doing this—OK, she might have, since hacking was one of her favorite hobbies—if it were not for Sora.
It was a promise she had made to her friend a long time ago, a few years back. The oil spill really caused her friend some concern because Sora loved the beach more than anything, except maybe for her little parrot named Biyo and her pet iguana.
She squinted through her glasses at the screen.
Well, well, well…
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Was it a dream? Ken was still in shock.
Did he really make it into the team? Was he really celebrating with his new friends in the pizza parlor? Was Yolei actually *hugging* him?
He looked around. No. It was no dream. He really was in the team. He really was celebrating with Yolei, Davis, TK and Kari at the pizza parlor. And yes, Yolei really *was* hugging him.
He felt a little dizzy, but he was thrilled.
Ken smiled grandly at his friends. They were all chatting with each other about the tryouts and often glancing at him with happiness, Yolei most of all. 'Did that mean anything?' he wondered, but he decided not to hope.
After all, he was her friend now. He would have plenty of time to figure out her feelings.
Smiling once more to the purple-haired beauty at his side, he picked out a pizza slice and took a bite. He recoiled and glanced back at the slice he had taken and made a face.
Green peppers…
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It was Friday.
Izzy walked quickly down the street, feeling extremely excited. It was Friday! FRIDAY!
Sure, it was rather depressing that school would be out for the next two weeks, but it was Friday! It was the day the Digimon marathon was starting! He did a little jig, drawing some concerned looks from by-passers.
"Izzy? What are you doing?"
He stopped in mid-trot, turning to see a puzzled Shina and a laughing Tai.
Tai remarked, "I think he's trying to dislocate his hips. It definitely isn't dancing."
"For your lack of information," Izzy scoffed, "it is. I *am* dancing. It is a certain form of the formalized foxtrot. Of course, I wouldn't expect you to know. Your head is too full of Chopin. You wouldn't know."
Tai looked offended but Shina spoke up, "That's because you made it up. All forms of the foxtrot do not involve any spastic hopping." Shina grinned. "Anyway, why are you dancing, then?"
"The Digimon Marathon..." He laughed happily and happened to glance at his watch. He suddenly turned pale. "…is starting right NOW!"
Shina looked bowled over. "TODAY?!?" she shrieked. "It's today???"
Izzy nodded.
"NOW?!?"
Izzy bobbed his head.
BBBBVVVVOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSHHHH!!!!!
Tai, who had been left behind, scratched his head after he finished coughing up the dust the had left behind. "…Strange."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chloris looked up from her book and stared out the window and into the sky. The stars laughed in their indifference, winking at her and dancing fiercely. She smiled and set down her novel.
Chloris Erato loved the stars, the skies and the heavenly bodies. As a young child in Greece, she and her parents had gone stargazing so often that Chloris could map the heavens without hesitation, stars, planets and all. The sky, though she could not reach it, was her haven. Her place of sanctuary from all the world.
But when her mother died, her father could no longer stand to continue the very activity which had brought him and his wife together in a romantic love story Chloris had heard countless times and still enjoyed hearing. So Chloris, who, on the other hand, could not bear to abandon her nightly watching of the skies, carried on with her favorite pastime. Alone.
She was suddenly startled from her reverie by the sound of a phone ringing in the living room. She looked around, dazed for a moment, then regained her senses and scrambled to get the phone in the living room.
When she picked it up, she heard Aki's voice muttering something inaudibly and said with some puzzlement, "Aki?"
"Chloris!" Aki exclaimed delightedly. "How are you?"
Chloris blinked. "You call me at 10:30 to inquire after my health," she stated, not knowing what to make of her friend's call.
"Can't I be concerned?" Aki retorted, but before Chloris could make her brilliant reply, Aki continued a bit ruefully, "Uh, never mind. Forget I asked. Now, down to the point. What do you think of Sora nowadays?"
After a few moments, Chloris glanced warily at the phone. "Aki."
"Yes?"
"Why?"
"Just tell me!" Aki yelled.
Chloris rolled her eyes. "Well, it has been pretty much a trial to keep my head on with her whenever Matt is around. It's like someone flipped the immature switch that I knew was hidden somewhere in her."
"Yes…" Aki mused. Then, "And that person is Matt…think she likes him?"
"AKI!" a voice yelled angrily. Chloris blinked in surprise. There seemed to be someone else on the phone, though this person didn't enter the conversation until now. Someone who suspiciously enough sounded like…
"Sora?" Chloris exclaimed incredulously. "Are you over at Aki's with an extension phone?"
"You blew it, Sora!" Aki complained, sounding a little whiny. She then said to Chloris, "Three-way phone line. We got it installed yesterday, for some obscure reason. It's been a blast."
"So what was the point of calling me?" Chloris inquired, barely managing to keep her voice level. She wondered if there was any way to kill people through the other end of the line.
"Sora and I had been arguing over the phone," Aki answered. "We were talking about school first, though."
Sora cut in, "Then you *had* to mention the obnoxious idiot—"
"Matt?" Aki questioned. "No, he's not an idiot. Time and time again he stumps you in your myriad arguments. Definitely no idiot. But then, yes, I believe that he's obnoxious, but not as obnoxious as you make him out to be."
"Sora," Chloris announced. "If you will think straight, you'll realize that your vehement protests don't really match with the facts. Matt's not that bad, if you just give him the chance."
"Which she is so not going to do," Aki muttered.
"He is so!" Sora insisted. "If Ishida isn't really that bad, then why did he blow his bubblegum all over my hair today? I had to go and have my hair cut shorter at the barbershop!"
Aki sighed. "That's because you switched the ink in his pens and got him in trouble with the history professor in front of the whole class. Besides," she added. "I like your new hairstyle. Very chic."
"But it's so short!" she wailed. "It hardly goes past my chin now! I liked my hair before."
"You look a lot prettier, Sora," Chloris assured her. "You could say that Matt did you a favor when he caused his gum to explode in your hair." She laughed. "It's a good thing that you switched his ink, then."
"Hey!" she protested. "I only did that because he tripped me into the fountain yesterday."
"Only because you sent him flying face first into a lunch tray," Aki reminded her.
"He jammed my locker first," Sora interjected.
Chloris noted, "And before he jammed your locker, you managed to knock him down the grandstands at during the soccer tryouts." She paused. "How did you do that? You were nowhere near him at that time."
Sora laughed mysteriously. "We redheads never reveal our secrets." She added rather pointedly, "Others, though, never seem to hesitate to tell them for us, so we don't really need to tell."
Aki's predictable cough even managed to sound slightly guilty.
"Besides," continued Sora. "I only flipped him down because he did the same to me."
Chloris frowned. "I don't remember him knocking you down any bleachers. What do you mean, Sora?"
Sora then responded, "Remember lunchtime a few days ago? I got knocked out of my seat when that bimbo of his went to our table. I've still got the bruises to prove it."
"I'm certain Matt still has his own bruises for remembrance. But *she* was actually the one who shoved you out of your seat, Sora, not Matt," Aki objected.
Chloris mused, "I wonder, though. How did she do that to you, Sora? I barely saw anything. And she isn't a redhead."
"Hey," Aki said. "I didn't see that girl with Matt today."
"Yes," concurred Chloris. "She wasn't with him anymore. I saw her, though. She was telling her friends that they broke up but she didn't seem to mind that much. She seemed euphoric."
"Ha!" exclaimed Sora. "She probably found out what a jerk he was and is now glad to be rid of him!" She laughed. "And here I was, thinking that all the important things in her life were fluff, bunnies, idols and looks. Maybe she does have a brain, after all."
Aki disagreed. "No. But I get the rumors now."
"Rumors?" Sora inquired. "I haven't heard any."
"That's because your head's always up in the clouds," Aki replied. "The word is that Bimbo was too thrilled to be dating the rock star that she didn't care that he broke up with her. She's got it forever engraved upon her fluffy little heard that she was the first girl he asked out from Odaiba High School."
Sora remarked, "Fascinating how petty some people's lives can be."
"Indeed," Chloris noted. "How they fill their lives with useless things such as revenge is a pretty good example of pathetic living, right Sora?"
"Definitely—hey!" Sora protested. "Are you talking about me?"
"Is anyone else here bent on revenge so useless it's pitiful to talk about it?" Aki asked. "You know, playing juvenile tricks on other people in an endless and repetitive cycle. That kind of thing."
"Endless, I can understand. But repetitive?" Sora screeched.
"Well, the two of you *have* been creative," Chloris admitted. "But will you ever end this war? It will get old very soon."
"For you, maybe," Sora retorted. "But I take great pleasure in seeing the dumb blonde windbag being knocked down a few pegs, even if he will be getting back at me with another trick. And when he does, it's an excuse for me to express my creativity. It's all very entertaining."
"She's hopeless, isn't she?" observed Aki.
Chloris sighed. "Please, Sora. End it soon and resolve your differences with him. We all want a little peace and quiet without having to worry if whatever we do will be turned into a prank. Why don't you grant us just that?"
"I'd like to grant him peace, too," Sora grated. "Eternal peace. Maybe I'd help him along and ask him to see what the inside of a plugged blender looks like up close. Then I'd accidentally turn it on and slam the lid down on his head. Maybe. But right now, I need to go. My mother's calling me. See you soon."
And with that said, Sora hung up without letting them get in another word. Of course, her leaving meant that she left Chloris and Aki to freely discuss more things on the phone.
"It chills my spine to hear how coolly she plans to get rid of Matt," Aki said, shuddering. "Ugh."
"She won't listen to us, would she?" Chloris murmured.
Aki grunted noncommittally. "She's a redhead. What do you expect? She's got a stubborn streak in her a mile wide. Wait…are we certain that she hung up? This three-way think could go both ways. Like a road. Sora? You here…? Hmph. She wouldn't answer if she was still here, anyway. She's too smart for that. She'd wait for us to spill something for blackmail."
Chloris laughed. "That's our Sora, all right." She grew serious again. "Aki, what are we going to do about the two of them? Matt and Sora are our friends. There must be something we can do to stop them from fighting all the time."
Aki said hopefully, "Maybe they'll stop. Maybe it'll blow over with time."
Chloris shook her head though she knew Aki couldn't see her. "No." She then laughed ruefully. "Definitely not. Knowing Sora, she'd probably stick with this to the very end."
"You're right." Aki sounded glum. "I wonder. Is it only she who is mad at Matt? I mean, is Matt angry at her, too?"
Chloris said, "I don't think that he's mad at her, exactly. More like he thinks she's way below him because she won't worship the ground he walks on. But I think that he doesn't mind her as much. You say that he tried to apologize to her when he took her bike. That should count for something."
"Nah," Aki disagreed. "Tai told me a little about his conversation with Matt. Matt only did it because Sora would probably kill him the next time they meet. Their philosophy was probably, 'Say sorry now and the punishment later will be less.'"
"I haven't heard that saying yet," Chloris mused. "Did you make that up?"
"Yeah. Sounds profound, huh?"
Chloris nodded. "Definitely. It sounds wise. Which is why I think that you didn't create this little saying. Nothing that smart and deep ever comes out from a teenager, especially you."
"Chloris! You wound me!"
"Certainly."
"So what now?" Aki's voice suddenly sounded slightly sneaky. "Hey Chloris. Do you think that Matt likes Sora? Or is it that Sora likes Matt? Hmm…the possibilities are endless…"
Chloris laughed. "Do not venture down that way of thinking, Aki. You may not make it out alive. Who knows what kinds of barbs may be hidden in each step? Besides, if they could like each other, they'd kill each other way before they could discover that."
"So what now?" Suddenly Aki gasped. "I got it! Matt!"
"Huh?"
"Sora's completely convinced that Matt's a complete jerk, right?" Aki said excitedly.
Chloris nodded, beginning to understand what Aki was driving at. "Yes. And if Matt manages to somehow prove that he's not so bad…" she trailed off.
"Exactly."
"…Then what?"
"How should I know?" Aki's voice asked edgily. "I was planning to leave that part to you. I mean, I was supposed to tell you the entire plan, then you were supposed to tell me what would happen next."
Chloris could only laugh.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The weekend seemed to pass within seconds and before he knew it, Matt was back in school, keeping a wary lookout for rabid fans. It was currently lunchtime and he was sitting down in the library, reading. He had finished lunch early in an attempt to evade any of his admirers—he enjoyed their attention, but right now, he was more concerned with an essay he neglected to make during the weekend for a certain Biology teacher.
Matt looked at the book and slightly pushed his reading glasses higher. (A/N: Hehe. Matt with glasses. Didn't see that one coming. I think it'd look rather cool, though.) He hurriedly scribbled the last few phrases on his essay paper and slammed the book cover down, feeling rather satisfied. Against all the odds, he had finished his essay! (Of course, the mark he'd get wasn't probably going to be as satisfactory as this…)
He glanced at his watch—he still had a lot of time left before he would have to return to class—and smiled. Fifteen minutes to myself, he thought grinning. He leaned his chin against his hand and closed his eyes, enjoying the peace.
Ah…
"Hey, Matt's wearing glasses!"
His eyes shot open and saw Aki and Chloris sitting down at his table. He groaned, "Not you," and looked around for the redhead.
Aki grinned cheekily at him. "No, Sora's not here, she busy arguing with Shina and Izzy back at the cafeteria, and by the way, I really love the way you greeted us—must be a famous personality thing."
Matt rolled his eyes and took off his glasses. "What do you want? If all you wanted to do is to break the perfect reverie I was having and tick me off, you did it, rather well, I might add. So you can go now."
Chloris bowed slightly. "We are accomplished at that sort of thing, but really, we don't want to do that. All we want to do is ask for a favor from you. As a friend to another friend. That's all. We're sorry to interrupt you. 'It is not bad for men to reflect, and acting too quickly can lead one astray." She smiled cheerfully. "Proverbs 19:3. Such a true, true saying."
Matt stared at her. "You're strange."
Aki hauled him up. "And you're coming with us."
"What?"
"We can't talk in the library." She suddenly let out an evil laugh. "This talk may get a little messy…"
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Isn't it simply glorious to place characters in uncomfortable situations?