Odaiba High
Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or any of its components (such as Odaiba High and the characters). Oh! But I do own Jenashu and Carter. My friends own Lily, Indy,Adrian, and Ryn. I'm also making up names for the teachers, the classmates, and for the members of Matt's band.
Jenashu: Hey everyone! It's me again. This story is about the every-day life of teenagers who attend Odaiba High, and of the students who attend...Tai's old school (I don't know what it's called-can someone enlighten me please?). Umm, this one will not have as much action as my faithful readers (about four of you) are used to recieving, but it's more honest and cute. I think you'll like it (well, I hope you will, anyway, or all of this typing is in vain)!
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Chapter One
A Change in Izzy
Jenashu Zircona, Koushiro Izumi, and Taichi Yagami burst through the doors of 9A and into their seats, avoiding the stares of their pupils. Izzy glanced nervously at the clock.
"You made it, and just in time. It's 8:08, so unpack as quickly as you can. You heard me, get moving." a woman said as she checked their names off on an attendance sheet. Jen and Izzy sighed in releif; they had never been late before, and they didn't want to start now. Tai really didn't care; he was the King of Tardiness.
"That was close." Jen whispered to Izzy as they took their coats off in the hallway.
"I know. I told you we should've left without Tai." Izzy replied as he placed his lunchbox in his locker.
"Oh well. I don't leave my cousin behind, even if he's still in bed when he should be meeting us." Jen said. Izzy rolled his eyes, and Jen punched him playfully. "Stop it, you know I would've waited for you, too." she told him.
"Yeah, I guess so." Izzy said as he opened the classroom door for Jen. They stepped inside and packed their books. Tai was talking to Sora and Matt about his latest misadventure in the Digiworld when the first class bell rang. He hurridly piled his books onto his desk and walked out of the room.
"See you at lunch." Tai said. He wasn't in any of Jen and Izzy's classes (with the small exception of specials). He walked towards Level 5 Science, while his two friends went to Level 10.
"As you all know, I'm assigning you new lab partners today." Mr. Rekounen said as a greeting to his class. Everyone cheered or sighed in releif. Jen smiled broadly. She hated working with Yuy; he always dropped chemicals on her uniform. He even stained her skin green once!
Mr. Rekounen reeled off the names of the new partners in his loud, clear voice. "Jenashu and Drellus will be working together." he declaired. Jen smiled in releif as she took her seat next to her new partner.
"Hey, Drell." she said happily. "I guess we're partners now."
"Yeah, and what a releif. Working with Mizt was a living nightmare. I don't know why he's in Level 10 Science, he should be in Level 2..." Drellus said as he picked up his binder.
"Koushiro and Yuy." Mr. Rekounen announced. Izzy winced heavily for a moment before taking his new seat. Jen knew what he was thinking; What color will my skin end up being when I walk out of here?
Jen caught his eyes as he sat down and shrugged. "Sorry." she mouthed. Izzy rubbed his temples before mouthing, "Lucky you." in return.
After a while (or an eternity, if you happened to be sitting where Koushiro was), the class bell rang. The students of Level 10 Science filed out into the hall to go to their next classes.
"I don't beleive I'm stuck with Yuy!" Izzy complained.
"Well, it could be worse." she said. Izzy gave her a weird look. "Um, okay, so maybe it couldn't be worse..."
"Oh well. See you in World Civ." Izzy said as he walked into Level 10 Math (the equivilent of calculus, or the really, really hard stuff).
"See you." Jen replied as she went to Level 8 Math. She strained to pay attention as the snow outside fell to the ground. It was much more pretty and interesting than the equations on the board.
"Miss Zircona! Do you find the snow outside more interesting than my lesson?" Mrs. D (short for Drihishi) asked, breaking Jen's daze.
"Yes. I mean, no ma'am!" Jen said hurridly. She gulped as Mrs. D walked towards her desk. "I'm sorry, ma'am..."
Mrs. D sighed. "Well, I did that a lot when I was a kid, too. So, you are excused this time. Just don't let it happen again." she said. Jen sighed in releif.
"Yes, ma'am. Thank you." she said. Sora caught her eye and mouthed "Teacher's pet!"
"Am not!" Jenashu replied silently. Sora rolled her eyes and continued her work. Jen decided that it would be best to follow her example. After doing about twenty problems, the class bell rang. Jen hurried to her World Civ. class, where she sat a few seats behind Izzy.
Finally, when Jen fancied her hand would fall out if she wrote one more set of notes, the class bell rang. Izzy and Jen headed towards Level 10 Health Class, and then to Level 10 English.
"Ahh, lunch time! I'm so hungry!" Jen said to Izzy.
"You always say that." he pointed out. Jen thought about that for a minute. She had said that yesterday, the day before, and the day before that.
"Maybe you're right." Jen said offhandedly.
Matt, Tai, and Sora were waiting for Jen and Izzy at the usual table. Matt was frowning and picking at a disgusting glop of cafeteria food on his plate. Tai did the same thing, only more violently; he had had no time to pack a lunch that moring, and he had not eaten any breakfast.
"Well, it's gotta be better than your Mom's cooking, anyway." Jen said as she sat down next to him. Izzy sat on her other side and opened his lunch box. He pulled out a rice ball.
"Here." he said, handing it to Matt.
"Thanks a lot, Izzy." he said. Jen opened her lunch box and frowned.
"Darn it! My brother must've taken the last Carmello!" she said.
"Oh well. You've got enough chocolate in there anyway." Izzy informed her as he looked into her luch box. "Your diet is horrendous! All of this chocolate will give you pimples."
"I do not! It is not! It will not!" Jen said, answering all of Izzy's comments indignitly. "Here, Tai. Take this." she said, tossing him a fudge brownie a little harder than she meant to.
"I'm just concerned about your health. We can't have any fat Digidestineds, can we?" Izzy asked.
"Argh! Get off of my back!" Jen said as she bit into her sandwich.
"Oh, come on, he's just worried, Jen. He cares about you! Isn't that sweet?" Sora said. Izzy and Jen choked.
"Of c-course I do, I mean, I care about all of the Digidestinds, there's nothing sweet about it!" Izzy exclaimed.
"Sure. Tai eats like a pig, but you never say anything to him." Matt pointed out. Izzy started to blush.
"I-I never noticed!" he said. Jen looked at him for a minute. "What?"
"Nothing. I guess I'll lay off the chocolate a little, okay?" she said. "See? I can be reasonable."
"You're also good at changing the subject." Tai said with a sly grin.
"Do you want that brownie or not?" Jen snapped.
"Sorry!" Tai said. He took a bite out of the brownie so Jen wouldn't want it anymore.
Izzy and Jen remained rather quiet after that. Jen didn't even notice when Tai took her Twix bar.
"Hey, guys." Matt said suddenly. "Who's everyone taking to the dance tomorrow night?"
"I'm going with you, Matt." Sora reminded him. Tai frowned for a moment, but quickly got over it.
"Jen?" Matt asked. "Going with Carter?"
"Never! Never, never, never, never!" Jen cried loudly.
"Okay, okay. I was just kidding. So, let's see...are you going with Yuy?"
"So he could spill punch on me? No thanks. I guess I'm just going alone. Or maybe I'll stay home." Jen said slowly.
"Izzy?" Matt asked. "Got a crush yet?"
"No. I'd rather stay home. We have finals soon, and I need to study." he said quickly.
"Well, at least I won't be alone. Can I study with you, Izzy?" Jen asked. Izzy opened his mouth to answer, but Matt cut him off.
"Come on! You two don't even need to study!" Matt said. "Why don't you go together instead? Come on, it'll be boring without you guys!"
"You're not kidding anybody, Matt. It wouldn't make any difference if I came or not." Jen pointed out.
"Yeah, it would." Tai said. "If you don't come, then we'll have no one to pick on or play match-maker with."
"You don't have a girlfriend, either." Izzy pointed out. Tai huffed and looked down.
"Hey!" Jen said suddenly. "What happened to my Twix bar...?"
"Umm, gotta go." Tai said. He got up and disposed his trash before running out of the cafeteria. Jen sighed.
"What a stinker. Oh well, lunch is almost over. I'm going to the librairy." Jen said. She emptied her lunchbox out over the trash can and walked down the hall.
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Izzy knew what section Jen would be in. Sure enough, she was sitting in a poufy chair in the art section with "How to Draw Manga" open in her lap.
"Didn't you say something about studying?" Izzy asked as he sank into the seat next to her. He opened his own book ("My Brian My Buddy"), but didn't start to read.
"I said I'd study later, but I wasn't being quite truthful." Jen said. "I just wanted to get myself out of that situation, but it didn't work very well."
"Don't mind Matt and them. They're just teasing." Izzy said. Jen pulled a stray peice of hair out of her eyes before replying.
"Yes...and no. I wish the wouldn't play match-maker with me. I can make my own choices and build my own relationships. I've never had a boyfriend before, but I have plenty of friends besides the Digidestineds." Jen said suddenly. It was like she had finally said something that she had been holding inside of her for ages.
"I agree with you. I feel the same way, you know. I'm not nearly as popular as you, but I have made other friends, and I can definately make my own decisions." Izzy told Jen. She smiled and played with her long brown braid for a moment.
"Thanks, Izzy. It feels great to have someone like you to talk to. You always understand me completely, and you always listen. You're a great friend." Jen said.
"No problem...but the same goes for you, too." Izzy replied. He pretended to be absorbed in his book after that in order to hide his red face. Every now and then he heard Jen mumble something to herself about what she was reading.
"No, no...It would be better if I drew it like this..." she stated in a whisper. She pulled out her sketchbook and started to draw.
"Excuse me, but...drew what how?" Izzy said. Jen gave him a confused look before it clicked in her mind.
"Oh, I was just talking to myself, I guess." she said before erasing something. "Could you stand still, please? Go back in that position you were in. No, no, like this..."
"Why? Are you drawing me?" Izzy asked. Jen nodded and stared at Izzy face for a moment. He felt his cheeks reddening, and he quickly looked down.
"Are you okay...?" Jen asked in concern. "I think maybe you should go to the health room."
"Um, no! I-I'm fine, really." Izzy said quickly. Jen didn't look convinced.
"Are you sure?" she presisted. Izzy nodded a few times. "Well, okay then. But if you start to feel bad, make sure you go to the health room. Gym's next, and I know how much you hate it, so..."
"I wonder what we'll play today. It's snowing outside, and the gym's being decorated for the dance tomorrow night. That doesn't leave us many options." Izzy pointed out.
"Yeah, well...We'll probably do something in the cafeteria. Hey, Izzy, do you remember the day we got our physical fitness scores...?" Jen asked.
"Gese, don't remind me!" Izzy said, flipping a page in his book. "I'm just glad that you can't fail gym..."
"Poor Izzy. Oh well, we all have to be bad at something." Jen said in a comforting way. Izzy frowned.
"What are you bad at, pray tell?" Izzy asked. Jen thought a moment. What was she really bad at?
"Cartwheels!" she said suddenly. "Gymnastics...arobics...anything where I have to stretch this leg too far." Jen rubbed her hand against her hip, where Izzy knew she had a long scar.
"Hmm...But you're still a good athlete. I can't do anything sports-related." Izzy said with a deep frown. Actually, he really wasn't interested in sports at all, but he wasn't just bad at them; he really, really, really, sucked. He understood Jen's point that everyone was bad at something, but it was harder when it was sports. Almost everyone he knew was really good at them, and if they weren't, then they were about average. Even clumsy Yuy got chosen for sports teams before Izzy did.
Not only that, Izzy reminded himself, Yuy was considered cute and/or handsome. Izzy was just the class geek. He used to be perfectly happy that way, too, but lately...Well, lately he just felt different about himself.
"So?" Jen said. "You're nice, trustworthy, great with computers, a genius, and...I'm not sure if you want to hear this, but you're cute, too."
"What do you mean, cute? Like some kind of stuffed rabbit or something?" Izzy asked (although he knew exactly what he meant, and he felt his whole face, neck, and ears turn red).
"No, no, not like that! Or maybe it is supposed to be something like that? I'm not all that sure. My definition varies from everyone else's , but I know it's a good thing." Jen said quickly. Her pencil made a soft swish sound against the paper suddenly.
Of course your definition varies from all of the other girls'! Izzy thought. It's because you're so different from the others, who can't see me as anything more than the class nerd. You're not like those bubbly idiots who think it's cool to backstab people or to ridicule them.
"Thanks. I feel better about myself now." Izzy said. Jen gave him a questionate look.
"You were feeling bad about yourself?" she asked. Izzy felt his mouth go dry.
"Yes. I guess I was." he said slowly. Jen looked very concerned.
"You should have told me. It's not good-even unhealthy-to beat yourself up or to doubt yourself. Why, anyway?" she asked. Suddenly the class bell rang and Jen shot up. She shoved her book onto the shelf and zoomed towards the girl's locker room.
"What do you think we'll play today?" Tai asked as he pulled on his gym shirt on a carefully as he could (so he wouldn't mess up his hair).
"Don't have a clue." Matt replied as he reached into his gym locker. Izzy noticed that there was a HUGE container of hair gel inside. Matt stuck a comb in the gelly goo and ran it through his hair. Izzy shook his head and grimaced quickly.
"How did you get a sunburn in the middle of winter?" Matt asked suddenly, noticing Izzy's red shoulders and face. Izzy glanced at Matt's locker mirror and frowned nervously.
"It's not a sunburn." he said as he hastilly put his gym uniform on. Matt and Tai exchanged knowing looks and smiles.
"Okay Izzy, who've you been flirting with?" Matt asked with a sly look. Izzy bit his lower lip.
"Don't know what you're talking about." Izzy said offhandedly. Tai laughed.
"Yeah, Izzy's not assertive. The question is, who was flirting with him?" he said. Izzy frowned and walked out of the locker room. Matt and Tai presisted to annoy him with their inquiries.
"Leave me alone, guys." Izzy said forcefully. Tai opened his mouth, but closed it when he saw his teacher (who gave him the evil eye).
"Okay, everyone. We're having gym in the cafeteria, which means our options are slim and none. It looks like you'll have to settle for dodgeball." the teacher said. A few people groaned and mumbled, and someone shouted something about dodgeball being "just SO, like, junior high!".
"Great! I always loved dodgeball." Jen said with a smile. The teacher must have heard her, because he said,
"Great. Then you and Taichi can choose teams. Remember, go boy-girl." Jen frowned a little. She hated choosing teams.
"Okay...I choose Matt." she said.
"Hiren." Tai decided.
"Sora!"
"Val."
After a while, long pauses followed each choice. All of the best players were all taken, but there were still about ten left.
"Izzy." Jen said suddenly. He didn't seem to be listening at all. "Izzy. IZZY!"
"What?" Izzy asked suddenly. Jen motioned for him to come. Izzy looked around, and was surprised at the number of people left.
"I'm getting old over here, Izzy." Jen said jokingly. Izzy smiled (a bit goofily) and went to join Jen's team. Adrian complained audiably,
"Jen, do you WANT to lose or something? What are you doing?"
"Shut up, Adrian. If I remember correctly, you got hit in the face the last time you played dodgeball." Jen said defensively. Tai and Matt watched all of this with interest.
"Alright, allow me to refresh your memories. If you get hit, you sit down. When someone on your team catches a ball from the air, everyone stands up. If you catch the ball, the person who threw it sits down. Say the ball bounces on the ground twice and rolls into my leg. That doesn't count. Also, hits in the face don't count. The object of the game is to get the whole opposite team on the ground. So, that's about it. Line the balls up on that line, and go to the wall. When I blow my whistle, run up and get them." the gym teacher instructed.
So Jenashu and Taichi lined the balls up and joined their teams on the wall. The PE instructor brought his whistle to his lips and blew in it. Tai, Matt, Hiren, Sora, Val, and Adrian made wild dashes for the balls. The each grabbed one, and Val threw hers at Hiren. He dodged and hit Sora.
Izzy stood still as dodgeballs flew around him. It seemed that no one was interested in hitting him, which was good news. Izzy had heard horror stories about how hard the things were, and he didn't want to feel it.
He started watching Jen as she dodged right and left. It was like a game to hit her; she and Sora were the only ones near the front of the dodgeball line. It was darned hard to hit her, and all of the guys thought it a challenge. One of her favorite manuvers was to grab a ball and use it to knock three others away before throwing it at someone.
"Watch it!" Sora shouted suddenly. A ball came out of no where and smacked Jen in the leg. Izzy saw her wince and curse under her breath before she flopped dejectedly onto the floor. She looked at her leg and saw a bruise forming.
"Yeah!" Hiren shouted from across the line. "I told you I'd get you eventually!"
"You idiot, that was in the sixth grade!" Jen said. "This bruise is turning purple. How hard did you throw that stupid thing?"
"It's just a bruise!" Hiren told her. Suddenly a ball hit him hard in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. He sank onto his knees to catch his breath.
"Nice one, Izzy!" Matt said in amazement as he threw another ball. "I didn't know you had it in you!" Neither, apparently, did Izzy. He stood there with his hand still held out, looking bewildered.
"Yeah, that was great. Take that, Hiren!" Jen said jokingly.
"Oh, be quiet." Hiren replied in a slightly high and squeky voice.
"Catch it, Izzy!" Jen said suddenly. Izzy looked up and saw a ball dropping quickly into his reach. He snatched it out of the air and stared at it. Jen smiled and jumped up. "Nice catch!" she commented. Izzy just looked at her. "Well, throw it at someone!"
"Oh! Right." Izzy said. He looked around and aimed at the person he knew Jen (and he) hated most; Carter. He threw the ball with all of his strentgh and hit Carter in the back (who was doing some kind of ballet-style thing to dodge another ball). Carter jumped about two feet into the air and turned around.
"Sit down, Carter!" Jen sang with an evil smile on her face. Carter frowned.
"Stop hitting me! Can you please find a different way to flirt?" he said. Jen grimaced.
"Izzy hit you. And you're the last person on Earth that I'd ever flirt with!" she said. Carter glared at Izzy, who glared back. They stood there, locked in a hateful gaze for a moment filled with hostility and malice. Izzy hated Carter because he constantly flirted with Jen (who constantly rejected him), and was able to freely express his feelings for her (even though she flattened him for doing it). Carter, on the other hand, hated Izzy because he was in Jen's immidiate circle, and because she constantly stood up for him.
Suddenly, the gym teacher blew his whistle. Jen was caught in mid-throw, and, with a dissapointed sigh, she let the ball in her hand fall to the floor. The teenagers went back to the locker rooms to change into their regular uniforms again.
Izzy had no sooner stepped in front of his locker when Tai and Matt showed up. They looked smug and sly, like they knew something that everyone else didn't. Izzy didn't like the looks of it all.
"Hey, Izzy, that was your best game of dodgeball ever! It brought your total of dealt hits up to two! Did you see how high Carter jumped?" Tai commented jokingly. Izzy didn't reply. "Hey, don't be mad. I was only kidding around. You've been so moody lately!"
"Really?" Izzy asked without interest. He pulled his green uniform jacket out of his locker and closed it. He didn't think about what Tai had said until he was in his next class.
I've been moody? What does he mean? Oh, I remember now. Tai and Matt frustrated me earlier, and I told them to let me be, and then... Izzy thought. He continued to think about his emotions until he felt something hit the side of his head. It was a peice of paper that was scrunched up in a way that made it easy to throw and open. Therefore, it could only be one thing; a note.
While his Spanish teacher had her back turned to him, Izzy opened the paper up. It read in an untidy scrawl:
Hey! You're not paying attention, are you? You're spacing out. Anyway, are you really studying Friday? It's not like you really need to. If you decide to stay home after all, can I study with you? I don't want to spend the night alone, and I know that you don't want to either. I don't blame you for not wanting to go to the dance, but if you change your mind, I'll go too. Now pay attention when the teacher is teaching!
-Jen
PS- You had a great game! See, I told you that you were talented. Thanks for walloping Hiren and Carter for me!
Izzy glanced back at Jen. She smiled at him before putting on a stern face and mouthing, "pay attention, young man!". Izzy smiled and pocketed the note. He didn't start to pay attention, but instead he thought about the note. Would he go to the dance or stay home and study?
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So, what does everyone think? Do you guys like it or...not? Well, I'll see you in the next chapter of Odaiba High; Izzy's Decision!
Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or any of its components (such as Odaiba High and the characters). Oh! But I do own Jenashu and Carter. My friends own Lily, Indy,Adrian, and Ryn. I'm also making up names for the teachers, the classmates, and for the members of Matt's band.
Jenashu: Hey everyone! It's me again. This story is about the every-day life of teenagers who attend Odaiba High, and of the students who attend...Tai's old school (I don't know what it's called-can someone enlighten me please?). Umm, this one will not have as much action as my faithful readers (about four of you) are used to recieving, but it's more honest and cute. I think you'll like it (well, I hope you will, anyway, or all of this typing is in vain)!
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Chapter One
A Change in Izzy
Jenashu Zircona, Koushiro Izumi, and Taichi Yagami burst through the doors of 9A and into their seats, avoiding the stares of their pupils. Izzy glanced nervously at the clock.
"You made it, and just in time. It's 8:08, so unpack as quickly as you can. You heard me, get moving." a woman said as she checked their names off on an attendance sheet. Jen and Izzy sighed in releif; they had never been late before, and they didn't want to start now. Tai really didn't care; he was the King of Tardiness.
"That was close." Jen whispered to Izzy as they took their coats off in the hallway.
"I know. I told you we should've left without Tai." Izzy replied as he placed his lunchbox in his locker.
"Oh well. I don't leave my cousin behind, even if he's still in bed when he should be meeting us." Jen said. Izzy rolled his eyes, and Jen punched him playfully. "Stop it, you know I would've waited for you, too." she told him.
"Yeah, I guess so." Izzy said as he opened the classroom door for Jen. They stepped inside and packed their books. Tai was talking to Sora and Matt about his latest misadventure in the Digiworld when the first class bell rang. He hurridly piled his books onto his desk and walked out of the room.
"See you at lunch." Tai said. He wasn't in any of Jen and Izzy's classes (with the small exception of specials). He walked towards Level 5 Science, while his two friends went to Level 10.
"As you all know, I'm assigning you new lab partners today." Mr. Rekounen said as a greeting to his class. Everyone cheered or sighed in releif. Jen smiled broadly. She hated working with Yuy; he always dropped chemicals on her uniform. He even stained her skin green once!
Mr. Rekounen reeled off the names of the new partners in his loud, clear voice. "Jenashu and Drellus will be working together." he declaired. Jen smiled in releif as she took her seat next to her new partner.
"Hey, Drell." she said happily. "I guess we're partners now."
"Yeah, and what a releif. Working with Mizt was a living nightmare. I don't know why he's in Level 10 Science, he should be in Level 2..." Drellus said as he picked up his binder.
"Koushiro and Yuy." Mr. Rekounen announced. Izzy winced heavily for a moment before taking his new seat. Jen knew what he was thinking; What color will my skin end up being when I walk out of here?
Jen caught his eyes as he sat down and shrugged. "Sorry." she mouthed. Izzy rubbed his temples before mouthing, "Lucky you." in return.
After a while (or an eternity, if you happened to be sitting where Koushiro was), the class bell rang. The students of Level 10 Science filed out into the hall to go to their next classes.
"I don't beleive I'm stuck with Yuy!" Izzy complained.
"Well, it could be worse." she said. Izzy gave her a weird look. "Um, okay, so maybe it couldn't be worse..."
"Oh well. See you in World Civ." Izzy said as he walked into Level 10 Math (the equivilent of calculus, or the really, really hard stuff).
"See you." Jen replied as she went to Level 8 Math. She strained to pay attention as the snow outside fell to the ground. It was much more pretty and interesting than the equations on the board.
"Miss Zircona! Do you find the snow outside more interesting than my lesson?" Mrs. D (short for Drihishi) asked, breaking Jen's daze.
"Yes. I mean, no ma'am!" Jen said hurridly. She gulped as Mrs. D walked towards her desk. "I'm sorry, ma'am..."
Mrs. D sighed. "Well, I did that a lot when I was a kid, too. So, you are excused this time. Just don't let it happen again." she said. Jen sighed in releif.
"Yes, ma'am. Thank you." she said. Sora caught her eye and mouthed "Teacher's pet!"
"Am not!" Jenashu replied silently. Sora rolled her eyes and continued her work. Jen decided that it would be best to follow her example. After doing about twenty problems, the class bell rang. Jen hurried to her World Civ. class, where she sat a few seats behind Izzy.
Finally, when Jen fancied her hand would fall out if she wrote one more set of notes, the class bell rang. Izzy and Jen headed towards Level 10 Health Class, and then to Level 10 English.
"Ahh, lunch time! I'm so hungry!" Jen said to Izzy.
"You always say that." he pointed out. Jen thought about that for a minute. She had said that yesterday, the day before, and the day before that.
"Maybe you're right." Jen said offhandedly.
Matt, Tai, and Sora were waiting for Jen and Izzy at the usual table. Matt was frowning and picking at a disgusting glop of cafeteria food on his plate. Tai did the same thing, only more violently; he had had no time to pack a lunch that moring, and he had not eaten any breakfast.
"Well, it's gotta be better than your Mom's cooking, anyway." Jen said as she sat down next to him. Izzy sat on her other side and opened his lunch box. He pulled out a rice ball.
"Here." he said, handing it to Matt.
"Thanks a lot, Izzy." he said. Jen opened her lunch box and frowned.
"Darn it! My brother must've taken the last Carmello!" she said.
"Oh well. You've got enough chocolate in there anyway." Izzy informed her as he looked into her luch box. "Your diet is horrendous! All of this chocolate will give you pimples."
"I do not! It is not! It will not!" Jen said, answering all of Izzy's comments indignitly. "Here, Tai. Take this." she said, tossing him a fudge brownie a little harder than she meant to.
"I'm just concerned about your health. We can't have any fat Digidestineds, can we?" Izzy asked.
"Argh! Get off of my back!" Jen said as she bit into her sandwich.
"Oh, come on, he's just worried, Jen. He cares about you! Isn't that sweet?" Sora said. Izzy and Jen choked.
"Of c-course I do, I mean, I care about all of the Digidestinds, there's nothing sweet about it!" Izzy exclaimed.
"Sure. Tai eats like a pig, but you never say anything to him." Matt pointed out. Izzy started to blush.
"I-I never noticed!" he said. Jen looked at him for a minute. "What?"
"Nothing. I guess I'll lay off the chocolate a little, okay?" she said. "See? I can be reasonable."
"You're also good at changing the subject." Tai said with a sly grin.
"Do you want that brownie or not?" Jen snapped.
"Sorry!" Tai said. He took a bite out of the brownie so Jen wouldn't want it anymore.
Izzy and Jen remained rather quiet after that. Jen didn't even notice when Tai took her Twix bar.
"Hey, guys." Matt said suddenly. "Who's everyone taking to the dance tomorrow night?"
"I'm going with you, Matt." Sora reminded him. Tai frowned for a moment, but quickly got over it.
"Jen?" Matt asked. "Going with Carter?"
"Never! Never, never, never, never!" Jen cried loudly.
"Okay, okay. I was just kidding. So, let's see...are you going with Yuy?"
"So he could spill punch on me? No thanks. I guess I'm just going alone. Or maybe I'll stay home." Jen said slowly.
"Izzy?" Matt asked. "Got a crush yet?"
"No. I'd rather stay home. We have finals soon, and I need to study." he said quickly.
"Well, at least I won't be alone. Can I study with you, Izzy?" Jen asked. Izzy opened his mouth to answer, but Matt cut him off.
"Come on! You two don't even need to study!" Matt said. "Why don't you go together instead? Come on, it'll be boring without you guys!"
"You're not kidding anybody, Matt. It wouldn't make any difference if I came or not." Jen pointed out.
"Yeah, it would." Tai said. "If you don't come, then we'll have no one to pick on or play match-maker with."
"You don't have a girlfriend, either." Izzy pointed out. Tai huffed and looked down.
"Hey!" Jen said suddenly. "What happened to my Twix bar...?"
"Umm, gotta go." Tai said. He got up and disposed his trash before running out of the cafeteria. Jen sighed.
"What a stinker. Oh well, lunch is almost over. I'm going to the librairy." Jen said. She emptied her lunchbox out over the trash can and walked down the hall.
************
Izzy knew what section Jen would be in. Sure enough, she was sitting in a poufy chair in the art section with "How to Draw Manga" open in her lap.
"Didn't you say something about studying?" Izzy asked as he sank into the seat next to her. He opened his own book ("My Brian My Buddy"), but didn't start to read.
"I said I'd study later, but I wasn't being quite truthful." Jen said. "I just wanted to get myself out of that situation, but it didn't work very well."
"Don't mind Matt and them. They're just teasing." Izzy said. Jen pulled a stray peice of hair out of her eyes before replying.
"Yes...and no. I wish the wouldn't play match-maker with me. I can make my own choices and build my own relationships. I've never had a boyfriend before, but I have plenty of friends besides the Digidestineds." Jen said suddenly. It was like she had finally said something that she had been holding inside of her for ages.
"I agree with you. I feel the same way, you know. I'm not nearly as popular as you, but I have made other friends, and I can definately make my own decisions." Izzy told Jen. She smiled and played with her long brown braid for a moment.
"Thanks, Izzy. It feels great to have someone like you to talk to. You always understand me completely, and you always listen. You're a great friend." Jen said.
"No problem...but the same goes for you, too." Izzy replied. He pretended to be absorbed in his book after that in order to hide his red face. Every now and then he heard Jen mumble something to herself about what she was reading.
"No, no...It would be better if I drew it like this..." she stated in a whisper. She pulled out her sketchbook and started to draw.
"Excuse me, but...drew what how?" Izzy said. Jen gave him a confused look before it clicked in her mind.
"Oh, I was just talking to myself, I guess." she said before erasing something. "Could you stand still, please? Go back in that position you were in. No, no, like this..."
"Why? Are you drawing me?" Izzy asked. Jen nodded and stared at Izzy face for a moment. He felt his cheeks reddening, and he quickly looked down.
"Are you okay...?" Jen asked in concern. "I think maybe you should go to the health room."
"Um, no! I-I'm fine, really." Izzy said quickly. Jen didn't look convinced.
"Are you sure?" she presisted. Izzy nodded a few times. "Well, okay then. But if you start to feel bad, make sure you go to the health room. Gym's next, and I know how much you hate it, so..."
"I wonder what we'll play today. It's snowing outside, and the gym's being decorated for the dance tomorrow night. That doesn't leave us many options." Izzy pointed out.
"Yeah, well...We'll probably do something in the cafeteria. Hey, Izzy, do you remember the day we got our physical fitness scores...?" Jen asked.
"Gese, don't remind me!" Izzy said, flipping a page in his book. "I'm just glad that you can't fail gym..."
"Poor Izzy. Oh well, we all have to be bad at something." Jen said in a comforting way. Izzy frowned.
"What are you bad at, pray tell?" Izzy asked. Jen thought a moment. What was she really bad at?
"Cartwheels!" she said suddenly. "Gymnastics...arobics...anything where I have to stretch this leg too far." Jen rubbed her hand against her hip, where Izzy knew she had a long scar.
"Hmm...But you're still a good athlete. I can't do anything sports-related." Izzy said with a deep frown. Actually, he really wasn't interested in sports at all, but he wasn't just bad at them; he really, really, really, sucked. He understood Jen's point that everyone was bad at something, but it was harder when it was sports. Almost everyone he knew was really good at them, and if they weren't, then they were about average. Even clumsy Yuy got chosen for sports teams before Izzy did.
Not only that, Izzy reminded himself, Yuy was considered cute and/or handsome. Izzy was just the class geek. He used to be perfectly happy that way, too, but lately...Well, lately he just felt different about himself.
"So?" Jen said. "You're nice, trustworthy, great with computers, a genius, and...I'm not sure if you want to hear this, but you're cute, too."
"What do you mean, cute? Like some kind of stuffed rabbit or something?" Izzy asked (although he knew exactly what he meant, and he felt his whole face, neck, and ears turn red).
"No, no, not like that! Or maybe it is supposed to be something like that? I'm not all that sure. My definition varies from everyone else's , but I know it's a good thing." Jen said quickly. Her pencil made a soft swish sound against the paper suddenly.
Of course your definition varies from all of the other girls'! Izzy thought. It's because you're so different from the others, who can't see me as anything more than the class nerd. You're not like those bubbly idiots who think it's cool to backstab people or to ridicule them.
"Thanks. I feel better about myself now." Izzy said. Jen gave him a questionate look.
"You were feeling bad about yourself?" she asked. Izzy felt his mouth go dry.
"Yes. I guess I was." he said slowly. Jen looked very concerned.
"You should have told me. It's not good-even unhealthy-to beat yourself up or to doubt yourself. Why, anyway?" she asked. Suddenly the class bell rang and Jen shot up. She shoved her book onto the shelf and zoomed towards the girl's locker room.
"What do you think we'll play today?" Tai asked as he pulled on his gym shirt on a carefully as he could (so he wouldn't mess up his hair).
"Don't have a clue." Matt replied as he reached into his gym locker. Izzy noticed that there was a HUGE container of hair gel inside. Matt stuck a comb in the gelly goo and ran it through his hair. Izzy shook his head and grimaced quickly.
"How did you get a sunburn in the middle of winter?" Matt asked suddenly, noticing Izzy's red shoulders and face. Izzy glanced at Matt's locker mirror and frowned nervously.
"It's not a sunburn." he said as he hastilly put his gym uniform on. Matt and Tai exchanged knowing looks and smiles.
"Okay Izzy, who've you been flirting with?" Matt asked with a sly look. Izzy bit his lower lip.
"Don't know what you're talking about." Izzy said offhandedly. Tai laughed.
"Yeah, Izzy's not assertive. The question is, who was flirting with him?" he said. Izzy frowned and walked out of the locker room. Matt and Tai presisted to annoy him with their inquiries.
"Leave me alone, guys." Izzy said forcefully. Tai opened his mouth, but closed it when he saw his teacher (who gave him the evil eye).
"Okay, everyone. We're having gym in the cafeteria, which means our options are slim and none. It looks like you'll have to settle for dodgeball." the teacher said. A few people groaned and mumbled, and someone shouted something about dodgeball being "just SO, like, junior high!".
"Great! I always loved dodgeball." Jen said with a smile. The teacher must have heard her, because he said,
"Great. Then you and Taichi can choose teams. Remember, go boy-girl." Jen frowned a little. She hated choosing teams.
"Okay...I choose Matt." she said.
"Hiren." Tai decided.
"Sora!"
"Val."
After a while, long pauses followed each choice. All of the best players were all taken, but there were still about ten left.
"Izzy." Jen said suddenly. He didn't seem to be listening at all. "Izzy. IZZY!"
"What?" Izzy asked suddenly. Jen motioned for him to come. Izzy looked around, and was surprised at the number of people left.
"I'm getting old over here, Izzy." Jen said jokingly. Izzy smiled (a bit goofily) and went to join Jen's team. Adrian complained audiably,
"Jen, do you WANT to lose or something? What are you doing?"
"Shut up, Adrian. If I remember correctly, you got hit in the face the last time you played dodgeball." Jen said defensively. Tai and Matt watched all of this with interest.
"Alright, allow me to refresh your memories. If you get hit, you sit down. When someone on your team catches a ball from the air, everyone stands up. If you catch the ball, the person who threw it sits down. Say the ball bounces on the ground twice and rolls into my leg. That doesn't count. Also, hits in the face don't count. The object of the game is to get the whole opposite team on the ground. So, that's about it. Line the balls up on that line, and go to the wall. When I blow my whistle, run up and get them." the gym teacher instructed.
So Jenashu and Taichi lined the balls up and joined their teams on the wall. The PE instructor brought his whistle to his lips and blew in it. Tai, Matt, Hiren, Sora, Val, and Adrian made wild dashes for the balls. The each grabbed one, and Val threw hers at Hiren. He dodged and hit Sora.
Izzy stood still as dodgeballs flew around him. It seemed that no one was interested in hitting him, which was good news. Izzy had heard horror stories about how hard the things were, and he didn't want to feel it.
He started watching Jen as she dodged right and left. It was like a game to hit her; she and Sora were the only ones near the front of the dodgeball line. It was darned hard to hit her, and all of the guys thought it a challenge. One of her favorite manuvers was to grab a ball and use it to knock three others away before throwing it at someone.
"Watch it!" Sora shouted suddenly. A ball came out of no where and smacked Jen in the leg. Izzy saw her wince and curse under her breath before she flopped dejectedly onto the floor. She looked at her leg and saw a bruise forming.
"Yeah!" Hiren shouted from across the line. "I told you I'd get you eventually!"
"You idiot, that was in the sixth grade!" Jen said. "This bruise is turning purple. How hard did you throw that stupid thing?"
"It's just a bruise!" Hiren told her. Suddenly a ball hit him hard in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. He sank onto his knees to catch his breath.
"Nice one, Izzy!" Matt said in amazement as he threw another ball. "I didn't know you had it in you!" Neither, apparently, did Izzy. He stood there with his hand still held out, looking bewildered.
"Yeah, that was great. Take that, Hiren!" Jen said jokingly.
"Oh, be quiet." Hiren replied in a slightly high and squeky voice.
"Catch it, Izzy!" Jen said suddenly. Izzy looked up and saw a ball dropping quickly into his reach. He snatched it out of the air and stared at it. Jen smiled and jumped up. "Nice catch!" she commented. Izzy just looked at her. "Well, throw it at someone!"
"Oh! Right." Izzy said. He looked around and aimed at the person he knew Jen (and he) hated most; Carter. He threw the ball with all of his strentgh and hit Carter in the back (who was doing some kind of ballet-style thing to dodge another ball). Carter jumped about two feet into the air and turned around.
"Sit down, Carter!" Jen sang with an evil smile on her face. Carter frowned.
"Stop hitting me! Can you please find a different way to flirt?" he said. Jen grimaced.
"Izzy hit you. And you're the last person on Earth that I'd ever flirt with!" she said. Carter glared at Izzy, who glared back. They stood there, locked in a hateful gaze for a moment filled with hostility and malice. Izzy hated Carter because he constantly flirted with Jen (who constantly rejected him), and was able to freely express his feelings for her (even though she flattened him for doing it). Carter, on the other hand, hated Izzy because he was in Jen's immidiate circle, and because she constantly stood up for him.
Suddenly, the gym teacher blew his whistle. Jen was caught in mid-throw, and, with a dissapointed sigh, she let the ball in her hand fall to the floor. The teenagers went back to the locker rooms to change into their regular uniforms again.
Izzy had no sooner stepped in front of his locker when Tai and Matt showed up. They looked smug and sly, like they knew something that everyone else didn't. Izzy didn't like the looks of it all.
"Hey, Izzy, that was your best game of dodgeball ever! It brought your total of dealt hits up to two! Did you see how high Carter jumped?" Tai commented jokingly. Izzy didn't reply. "Hey, don't be mad. I was only kidding around. You've been so moody lately!"
"Really?" Izzy asked without interest. He pulled his green uniform jacket out of his locker and closed it. He didn't think about what Tai had said until he was in his next class.
I've been moody? What does he mean? Oh, I remember now. Tai and Matt frustrated me earlier, and I told them to let me be, and then... Izzy thought. He continued to think about his emotions until he felt something hit the side of his head. It was a peice of paper that was scrunched up in a way that made it easy to throw and open. Therefore, it could only be one thing; a note.
While his Spanish teacher had her back turned to him, Izzy opened the paper up. It read in an untidy scrawl:
Hey! You're not paying attention, are you? You're spacing out. Anyway, are you really studying Friday? It's not like you really need to. If you decide to stay home after all, can I study with you? I don't want to spend the night alone, and I know that you don't want to either. I don't blame you for not wanting to go to the dance, but if you change your mind, I'll go too. Now pay attention when the teacher is teaching!
-Jen
PS- You had a great game! See, I told you that you were talented. Thanks for walloping Hiren and Carter for me!
Izzy glanced back at Jen. She smiled at him before putting on a stern face and mouthing, "pay attention, young man!". Izzy smiled and pocketed the note. He didn't start to pay attention, but instead he thought about the note. Would he go to the dance or stay home and study?
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So, what does everyone think? Do you guys like it or...not? Well, I'll see you in the next chapter of Odaiba High; Izzy's Decision!