Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, so have a nice day, and don't sue me^-^
Jenashu: Yes, hello everyone! How is everyone doing? Well, here's chapter seven of Odaiba High. Izzy and Garu become rivals, fighting fiercely to earn Jen's affections. Needless to say, this rather disturbs the girl, who wants to focus on the WSC, not a petty rivalry...
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The Rivals
"Hey everyone," Jen said when she caught up with her friends in the food court. "look who I met!" She motioned towards Garu, who stood close to her side.
"Don't I know you?" Tai asked. Garu nodded slowly.
"Yeah. Garu Sayoe," he said simply. Tai gawked at him.
"Man, you're that little kid that Jen used to play with all the time?! What kind of vitamins have you been taking?!" he asked in disbelief. Garu's thin lips twisted into a smile.
"It's been a while. Too long for my tastes." Garu replied, gazing at Jen as he spoke. Matt blinked. He was the only one who was piecing things together.
Jen smiled cheerfully. "Is it okay if Garu hangs out with us?" she asked. The others said things like, "I don't mind," and "sure". "Okay, great!" Jen chirped. When the others weren't paying attention, Matt grabbed Izzy's arm.
"It's not okay with you, huh Izzy?" he asked, lowering his voice so he wouldn't be overheard.
"Definately not. He's got the hots for her." Izzy said with a sigh. "And I can't be sure how she feels about him..." Matt screwed up his face in thought, and finally shrugged.
"She's probably just excited to see him again." he consoled. Izzy shook his head slowly, showing how unsure he was. "You're really worried about it, huh? Well, just don't leave them alone, I guess. Better yet, try not to leave her alone at all. At least you'll know that way. I know how much you hate not knowing something, Izzy."
"You think she'll be mad if I smother her like that?" Izzy asked. Matt shrugged in a way that said, "you're her boyfriend, you know more about her; so you tell me".
Suddenly Tai's stomach rumbled loudly. "Can we eat now?" he asked, motioning to the resteraunts. "Pizza, hotdogs, hamburgers, fries...classic Americanized junk food. Take your pick."
"Like you ever worry about health." Matt pointed out. Tai shrugged and went to stand in line. "He's probably just glad that he doesn't have to deal with his Mom's cooking." Matt added in exasperation.
"I have to question the wisdom of putting anything into my stomach." Izzy said quietly to Jen, who nodded in consent.
"Actually, I'm really not hungry" Garu said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck and staring at the roller coaster that loomed over the food court.
"Fine, you two can starve," Jen teased, "but I'm eating." Her face lit up when she realized that they had ice cream, too. Izzy frowned at her.
"That girl and her obsession with chocolate..." he mumbled under his breath with a small smile. "How many times have I...oh well..."
"What are you mumbling about?" Garu asked, putting an extreme amount of effort into hiding the bitterness in his voice. Izzy looked up at him in surprise.
"It doesn't concern you." he said bluntly, staring fiercely into Garu's eyes and trying not to flinch under the cold look from someone so much bigger than him.
"If what you said was about Jen, then it is my buisness." Garu replied coldly, this time not bothering to hide his dislike.
"Your only claim on her is friendship!" Izzy exclaimed, sounding scandalized at Garu's remark. Garu gave the small redhead a very serious look.
"Then what is your claim on her?" he asked, his low voice turning dangerous. Izzy swallowed hard.
"Just watch her, and you'll see." he said after a pause. Suddenly, Jen was walking towards them with a very delighted look on her face. She sat flopped down on a stone, bench-like seat and placed her hamburger, fries, and three drinks on the table in front of her. Jen looked at two boys and motioned for them to sit with her. Izzy sat on the stone bench before Garu could.
Jen pushed a drink towards each boy. "You guys should at least drink something," she said matter-of-factly. Garu stared at her as she started licking an ice cream cone.
"Shouldn't you eat your food first...?" he asked. Jen smiled at him.
"I'm still a little weird, Garu," she said happily as she snacked.
Garu looked at her in disbelief. "You're not weird," he said softly as he reached out to put his hand on Jen's free one. She immediately pulled her hand away and gave Garu a questionate look.
"What...?" Jen whispered so softly that only Izzy, who sat close beside her, could hear.
********
"Hey, there they are." Tai said as he carried a tray of food. He tilted his head towards where Jen, Garu, and Izzy were sitting.
"No," Matt said abruptly. "We should sit away from them."
Sora gave him a confused look. "Why?" she asked.
"There's an important reason. I'll tell you guys, but we should sit away from them..."
********
There was a very awkward silence hovering around the table. Then Izzy noticed the melted ice cream streaking slowly down Jen's peach skin, dying it brown. "Jen, here," he said, handing the stunned girl a napkin.
"Huh?" Jen asked, blinking at him. Izzy whiped her sticky fingers gently, and Jen put her ice cream cone in her other hand. "Oh. Thanks, Izzy..." she said, allowing Izzy to continue. When Jen wasn't paying attention, Izzy shot Garu a look that said quite clearly, "I told you that you'd see". Garu glared at him darkly in reply.
"Are you sure you're not going to eat anything? I'll share." Jen said, though Izzy couldn't tell if she was talking to just him or both boys.
"I'm not going to risk it." Izzy mumbled under his breath. Jen wasn't giving up yet.
"Come on, you need to eat something. It's not healthy to skip meals." Jen presisted as she offered Izzy some fries. "You too, Garu."
"I'm fine." he said, staring at the table as if he was in deep thought. Jen frowned and looked at Izzy again. He sighed and took a few fries.
"Happy?" he asked after he ate them. Jen smiled and held out her ice cream.
"Why don't you like chocolate?" she asked curiously. Izzy stared at her for a moment before shrugging. "Have you even tried chocolate ice cream, Izzy?"
"No, actually. There's always just been vanilla at my house, and it never occured to me to request a different flavor." Izzy said, shrugging. Jen gawked at him.
"It's really good! Try some." Jen said to him. Izzy blushed and took a bite from her ice cream cone. "Isn't it good?"
"Yeah." Izzy replied slowly as Jen finished her snack. Then she started to devour her hamburger. Jen tried to keep a conversation going, but the two boys, for some reason that Jen couldn't understand, didn't seem to want to talk to each other.
**********
"Come on, Izzy! This thing is totally tame; look, it's a wooden one." Hiren complained when Izzy decided to sit out on another roller coaster ride. "Your feet won't even dangle. Come on!" Izzy sighed and nodded.
"Great!" Jen said happily. "Are you coming too, Garu?"
"Umm...well...yeah, sure." Garu replied. However, Jen thought as she sat between the two boys a while later in the roller coaster, perhaps I shouldn't have encouraged him. Both Izzy and Garu looked deathly pale, and ready to barf all over her. That was something Jen could skip out on.
***********
By some miracle, everyone got back to the hotel without any more trips to the bathroom (if you get my drift). Jen still didn't understand much of what was going on between Izzy, Garu, and herself, mainly because she never thought Garu would show an interest in her. Couldn't he see the feelings she had for Izzy pouring out of her eyes? Jen thought it would take a blind man to overlook that.
"Hey," Jen said sleepily to Sora, "the academic boards will be the first to compete again, right?"
"Yeah," and equally exhausted voice responded. "Didn't you say that Garu's on the board for his school?"
"He is," Jen mumbled as she drifted closer to sleep.
"Who will you root for if they're pitted up against each other?" Sora asked. She waited a moment, but no reply was given. Guess she's asleep, Sora thought. But Sora was wrong; suddenly, Jen was wide awake and considering Sora's disturbing scenario.
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Jenashu: Well, who's side do you think Jen will be on? Point me, oh faithful readers! If you've read some of my earlier fics, you'll know that I like to let my reviewers direct the stories sometimes. So, who will Jen end up with, Izzy or Garu? And who will she be rooting for? Why don't you tell me? Don't you just love auidiance participation?
Jenashu: Yes, hello everyone! How is everyone doing? Well, here's chapter seven of Odaiba High. Izzy and Garu become rivals, fighting fiercely to earn Jen's affections. Needless to say, this rather disturbs the girl, who wants to focus on the WSC, not a petty rivalry...
**********************************************************************************
The Rivals
"Hey everyone," Jen said when she caught up with her friends in the food court. "look who I met!" She motioned towards Garu, who stood close to her side.
"Don't I know you?" Tai asked. Garu nodded slowly.
"Yeah. Garu Sayoe," he said simply. Tai gawked at him.
"Man, you're that little kid that Jen used to play with all the time?! What kind of vitamins have you been taking?!" he asked in disbelief. Garu's thin lips twisted into a smile.
"It's been a while. Too long for my tastes." Garu replied, gazing at Jen as he spoke. Matt blinked. He was the only one who was piecing things together.
Jen smiled cheerfully. "Is it okay if Garu hangs out with us?" she asked. The others said things like, "I don't mind," and "sure". "Okay, great!" Jen chirped. When the others weren't paying attention, Matt grabbed Izzy's arm.
"It's not okay with you, huh Izzy?" he asked, lowering his voice so he wouldn't be overheard.
"Definately not. He's got the hots for her." Izzy said with a sigh. "And I can't be sure how she feels about him..." Matt screwed up his face in thought, and finally shrugged.
"She's probably just excited to see him again." he consoled. Izzy shook his head slowly, showing how unsure he was. "You're really worried about it, huh? Well, just don't leave them alone, I guess. Better yet, try not to leave her alone at all. At least you'll know that way. I know how much you hate not knowing something, Izzy."
"You think she'll be mad if I smother her like that?" Izzy asked. Matt shrugged in a way that said, "you're her boyfriend, you know more about her; so you tell me".
Suddenly Tai's stomach rumbled loudly. "Can we eat now?" he asked, motioning to the resteraunts. "Pizza, hotdogs, hamburgers, fries...classic Americanized junk food. Take your pick."
"Like you ever worry about health." Matt pointed out. Tai shrugged and went to stand in line. "He's probably just glad that he doesn't have to deal with his Mom's cooking." Matt added in exasperation.
"I have to question the wisdom of putting anything into my stomach." Izzy said quietly to Jen, who nodded in consent.
"Actually, I'm really not hungry" Garu said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck and staring at the roller coaster that loomed over the food court.
"Fine, you two can starve," Jen teased, "but I'm eating." Her face lit up when she realized that they had ice cream, too. Izzy frowned at her.
"That girl and her obsession with chocolate..." he mumbled under his breath with a small smile. "How many times have I...oh well..."
"What are you mumbling about?" Garu asked, putting an extreme amount of effort into hiding the bitterness in his voice. Izzy looked up at him in surprise.
"It doesn't concern you." he said bluntly, staring fiercely into Garu's eyes and trying not to flinch under the cold look from someone so much bigger than him.
"If what you said was about Jen, then it is my buisness." Garu replied coldly, this time not bothering to hide his dislike.
"Your only claim on her is friendship!" Izzy exclaimed, sounding scandalized at Garu's remark. Garu gave the small redhead a very serious look.
"Then what is your claim on her?" he asked, his low voice turning dangerous. Izzy swallowed hard.
"Just watch her, and you'll see." he said after a pause. Suddenly, Jen was walking towards them with a very delighted look on her face. She sat flopped down on a stone, bench-like seat and placed her hamburger, fries, and three drinks on the table in front of her. Jen looked at two boys and motioned for them to sit with her. Izzy sat on the stone bench before Garu could.
Jen pushed a drink towards each boy. "You guys should at least drink something," she said matter-of-factly. Garu stared at her as she started licking an ice cream cone.
"Shouldn't you eat your food first...?" he asked. Jen smiled at him.
"I'm still a little weird, Garu," she said happily as she snacked.
Garu looked at her in disbelief. "You're not weird," he said softly as he reached out to put his hand on Jen's free one. She immediately pulled her hand away and gave Garu a questionate look.
"What...?" Jen whispered so softly that only Izzy, who sat close beside her, could hear.
********
"Hey, there they are." Tai said as he carried a tray of food. He tilted his head towards where Jen, Garu, and Izzy were sitting.
"No," Matt said abruptly. "We should sit away from them."
Sora gave him a confused look. "Why?" she asked.
"There's an important reason. I'll tell you guys, but we should sit away from them..."
********
There was a very awkward silence hovering around the table. Then Izzy noticed the melted ice cream streaking slowly down Jen's peach skin, dying it brown. "Jen, here," he said, handing the stunned girl a napkin.
"Huh?" Jen asked, blinking at him. Izzy whiped her sticky fingers gently, and Jen put her ice cream cone in her other hand. "Oh. Thanks, Izzy..." she said, allowing Izzy to continue. When Jen wasn't paying attention, Izzy shot Garu a look that said quite clearly, "I told you that you'd see". Garu glared at him darkly in reply.
"Are you sure you're not going to eat anything? I'll share." Jen said, though Izzy couldn't tell if she was talking to just him or both boys.
"I'm not going to risk it." Izzy mumbled under his breath. Jen wasn't giving up yet.
"Come on, you need to eat something. It's not healthy to skip meals." Jen presisted as she offered Izzy some fries. "You too, Garu."
"I'm fine." he said, staring at the table as if he was in deep thought. Jen frowned and looked at Izzy again. He sighed and took a few fries.
"Happy?" he asked after he ate them. Jen smiled and held out her ice cream.
"Why don't you like chocolate?" she asked curiously. Izzy stared at her for a moment before shrugging. "Have you even tried chocolate ice cream, Izzy?"
"No, actually. There's always just been vanilla at my house, and it never occured to me to request a different flavor." Izzy said, shrugging. Jen gawked at him.
"It's really good! Try some." Jen said to him. Izzy blushed and took a bite from her ice cream cone. "Isn't it good?"
"Yeah." Izzy replied slowly as Jen finished her snack. Then she started to devour her hamburger. Jen tried to keep a conversation going, but the two boys, for some reason that Jen couldn't understand, didn't seem to want to talk to each other.
**********
"Come on, Izzy! This thing is totally tame; look, it's a wooden one." Hiren complained when Izzy decided to sit out on another roller coaster ride. "Your feet won't even dangle. Come on!" Izzy sighed and nodded.
"Great!" Jen said happily. "Are you coming too, Garu?"
"Umm...well...yeah, sure." Garu replied. However, Jen thought as she sat between the two boys a while later in the roller coaster, perhaps I shouldn't have encouraged him. Both Izzy and Garu looked deathly pale, and ready to barf all over her. That was something Jen could skip out on.
***********
By some miracle, everyone got back to the hotel without any more trips to the bathroom (if you get my drift). Jen still didn't understand much of what was going on between Izzy, Garu, and herself, mainly because she never thought Garu would show an interest in her. Couldn't he see the feelings she had for Izzy pouring out of her eyes? Jen thought it would take a blind man to overlook that.
"Hey," Jen said sleepily to Sora, "the academic boards will be the first to compete again, right?"
"Yeah," and equally exhausted voice responded. "Didn't you say that Garu's on the board for his school?"
"He is," Jen mumbled as she drifted closer to sleep.
"Who will you root for if they're pitted up against each other?" Sora asked. She waited a moment, but no reply was given. Guess she's asleep, Sora thought. But Sora was wrong; suddenly, Jen was wide awake and considering Sora's disturbing scenario.
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Jenashu: Well, who's side do you think Jen will be on? Point me, oh faithful readers! If you've read some of my earlier fics, you'll know that I like to let my reviewers direct the stories sometimes. So, who will Jen end up with, Izzy or Garu? And who will she be rooting for? Why don't you tell me? Don't you just love auidiance participation?