[Hi there. This is Arek the Absolute, and I just want to say that it's good to be back after all these months without any way to put up any of my fics. To any new readers, I hope you'll read my other little stories. Now get ready, because here comes the disclaimer. *Ahem* The following has been rated PG-13 for material including frequent references to a certain aspect of the male anatomy which is never specifically named or shown (so it doesn't cross into R territory), as well as mentioning of a more morbid topic. I don't know. This one is kind of weird. You might like it. You might not. I just had to get though it before I could move on to my next big fic. I should also give due credit to Stephen Lynch, whose song "Half a Man" served as the original inspiration for this piece. Now sit back, enjoy, and keep an eye out for the rapidly approaching premier of The Last Digivice…]
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The Day the Music Died
3:42 PM
It was another busy day at the soccer field. The sun was shining and the temperature was soaring. Almost the entire student body of Odaiba High was there to cheer on their team. A fairly nondescript city bus pulled to a stop just above the field, which was positioned at the base of a hill that had been transformed into the bleachers. Just then a roar of applause broke out in response to Odaiba's team scoring a goal. The bus door swung open and a slender young man rushed out. He had straight, neatly trimmed dark brown hair that he had grown out a bit longer in the past few years. In fact it nearly came down to his jaw. He wore a purple shirt, buttoned neatly, and tan slacks with a belt and brown shoes. Slung over his shoulder was a small, yellow backpack.
Not wasting a second, the young man rushed down into the stands, where he knew his friends would be waiting for him. Sure enough, he caught sight of them a few seconds later. They were right there in the third row from the front; he quickly went to join them, moving very courteously around the people who were already seated.
"Hey, Cody!" the older blonde greeted warmly upon seeing the young man's approach.
"Yo, Teek," said Cody.
Although he hadn't been really scrawny before, TK had matured a great deal in the past five years, at least physically. Mentally, though, he hadn't really changed much. He was still the optimistic, fun-loving type, but perhaps a little naïve. Davis was an even match for TK in any intellectual conversation, but of course Davis had shown remarkable improvement in that area, much like Tai before him had done. Physically, though, TK was at the top of his game. He'd developed a lot of muscle from his years of playing basketball and his height was most impressive. Today he wore a green, unbuttoned short-sleeved shirt over a yellow T-shirt as well as a pair of cargo shorts and his good old cap, which he hadn't brought himself to part with in a long time.
TK was sitting on the far right side of the group with a few empty seats on his left and another empty seat on his right with Yolei to the right of that seat and Kari to her right. Cody looked the situation up and down and took the seat between Yolei and TK. He knew as soon as he sat down that things would probably be a bit cool; TK and Kari weren't sitting next to each other and that meant trouble. Ever since they'd started dating again a few months earlier they'd been in a vicious cycle of fighting, breaking up, and getting back together. On top of that, with TK and Kari broken up for the time being, Davis was sure to be insufferable for the next few days as he fawned over Kari, his on-again off-again girlfriend.
"How's it goin'?" asked TK.
"Oh, you know," Cody replied sullenly.
"Your mom okay?"
"Yeah, she's doin' fine…just fine."
"Hi, Cody. Gum?" Yolei offered.
"No thanks."
Yolei hadn't changed much. She still wore glasses, despite a brief flirtation with contacts, but she had switched to much smaller frames. She'd said contacts were too much of a hassle, but everyone knew she'd stuck with the glasses because Ken said they suited her. She had dressed herself up a bit today, with her hair back in a ponytail and a light dusting of makeup on her face. She wore a slightly skimpy green dress and Ken's heavy green and black jacket.
"So what's the story this time?" Cody whispered to Yolei. "Floozies, schedule conflict, food poisoning…or perhaps jealousy?"
"Floozies AND jealousy," she whispered back.
"Anyone I know?"
"Same one as always: that cheerleader, Ayumi Tanabe. She was all over TK again."
"You don't think that there's actually anything—"
"Of course not!"
Yolei had said that last part a little louder than she meant to. TK and Kari both gave her odd glances.
"Uh, you know I can't stand popcorn, Cody," Yolei said quickly.
TK and Kari seemed satisfied and went back to the game. Kari was cheering for Davis of course. She had grown her hair out much longer in recent years and it now hung down to the middle of her back. She still had that pink hair-clip to keep it out of her face though. She was wearing a yellow tank top and a pair of blue jeans in addition to a few pieces of simple jewelry like earrings, a necklace and a bracelet.
"Hi, Kari!" Cody finally greeted.
"Hey there, Cody," Kari said with a very friendly wave.
That just about did it as far as conversation went. Between TK and Kari not speaking, neither Yolei nor Cody wanting to give them a reason to start up, and also the fact that they were all becoming engrossed in the game, there was next to no conversation within the small group of four. They all watched intently as a young man with short, dark, spiky hair, striking blue eyes, and wearing a green and black soccer uniform slammed the soccer ball right past Odaiba's goalie and into the net.
"Go Ken!" Yolei cheered wildly. "You're the greatest!"
"Hey come on Yolei. He's on the other team," said Kari.
"So what?" Yolei asked indignantly. "I can cheer for whoever I want."
"Nice try, Davis!" TK called out. "You'll get him next time!"
Kari shot TK a dirty glance, but he didn't see it.
"Come on Ken!" Kari shouted. "They don't stand a chance!"
"Now look who's rooting for the other team," Yolei said slyly.
"And against your boyfriend, too," Cody said playfully.
Kari blushed. "Oh come on; he's not my boyfriend."
"Then what exactly is he?" asked Yolei.
"He's a friend that just happens to be a boy."
"You could say the same about me, but I don't think you and I have ever had a romantic dinner," Cody remarked with a smirk.
"You're probably the only one in town, Cody," TK said snidely.
"I heard that!" Kari huffed.
"Well at least we know your hearing works."
"You know, the last time I checked, I wasn't the one flirting with every floozy to come strutting along."
"This could go on for a while…" Cody whispered.
"Nah. I give 'em until halftime," Yolei whispered back.
The arguing continued for several minutes before TK was so fed up with it that he had to get some air. He wandered off and Kari stuck around, albeit with a peeved expression. The last few minutes of the first quarter ticked away and the whistle finally blew, signaling the players to return to their benches. Yolei and Cody watched Davis walking back to the bench. Davis had gotten surprisingly muscular in the last few years and his soccer skills were growing very impressive. He even had scouts looking him up and down to possibly move on to pro some day. He flipped his head back, flinging beads of sweat from his hair and face. He was at once more mature and yet maintained his boyish charm; he had more than his fair share of girls fawning over him. He wasn't wearing his goggles—for fear of getting them banged up—and of course he had on his red soccer jersey.
"Wow! Ken was so great out there!" Yolei cooed. "I'll bet he could win the game all by himself!"
"Don't count your chickens," Kari advised thoughtfully. "Davis is really on fire today."
"Don't kid yourself. Ken is SO going to win."
"Please; we both know it's going to be Davis."
"Ahem. If by Davis, you mean Ken."
"No, I meant Davis."
"Well then you obviously have their names mixed up, because my Ken has been dominating that field!"
"Davis is going to win!"
"No, it's going to be Ken!"
"No, Davis!"
"Ken!"
"DAVIS!"
"KEN!"
"Uh, shouldn't you let THEM decide?" suggested Cody.
"Cram it!" Yolei and Kari barked simultaneously.
Those two continued arguing as the players headed back onto the field.
4:21 PM
A bead of sweat rolled down Davis' forehead and onto his nose, where it hung dangerously over the precipice. The score was tied and the pressure mounted with every depleting second. Ken was starting to show signs of weakening under the pressure, but so was Davis. He knew that he could win it all if he could deliver one decisive, morale-crushing blow to the opposition. Maybe, just maybe that would impress Kari enough to earn him more than a hug and a peck on the cheek.
The heat was on for Ken. His teammates were starting to slow down, as was he. Davis stood before him, breathing heavily but poised to strike at any moment. Ken could see the gears working away in Davis' head; he was up to something. The rivalry between the two of them on the soccer field had lasted for years now, and they would remain rivals in this setting no matter how friendly they were everywhere else. Ken also knew that if he could pull off a victory today he would score some major points with Yolei.
Both competitors had a lot riding on the next few seconds. They were spurred on not just by their prides but also—and much more forcefully—by their raging hormones. The whistle blew. Davis kicked the ball past Ken and dodged around him. He tore down the field, dodging Tamachi players left and right with surprising agility. Ken was close on his heels though, but he doubted if he would be able to make it in time. As he ran, Davis glanced over at the stands where he saw Kari cheering for him with all her heart. This momentary distraction was just enough to disrupt Davis' footing. In an instant he tumbled forward, taking a header in the dirt. Davis snapped back to reality and scrambled to his feet. With the opposing team closing in on all sides he knew that if he was going to make his move it would have to be now.
Ken closed in as fast as he could. It would be cutting it close, but he knew he could pull it off. Davis was already pulling his foot back to deliver the kick. The whole world seemed to be moving in slow motion. Ken pushed himself to the breaking point. He rushed forward, ready to kick the ball away. He felt his own foot pull back and then he released it. He put as much strength as he could muster into that kick. But while his kick was still in flight, he caught the heavenly visage of Yolei out of the corner of his eye and was instantly transfixed. Much like Davis had done before him, Ken lost sense of his footing. He felt himself slip. His kick went wild.
"YEEEOW!!!"
5:38 PM
Kari, Yolei, Ken, Cody, and TK all sat in a row of chairs in the hospital lobby. People worked busily all around them—phones rang, doctors checked charts, secretaries made copies, nurses pushed gurneys and gathered medical equipment—but the five friends were quite silent and in varying moods. Kari wore a clear expression of concern while Yolei was acting very comforting toward Ken who had the look of someone sick to his stomach. Cody shifted about and twiddled his thumbs absentmindedly as TK tried to lean back in the stiff chairs with his arms cushioning the back of his head.
"I said I was sorry," Ken remarked meekly.
"We know you are," Yolei said as she patted her boyfriend on the back.
There was another long pause. TK drummed his fingers against his chair. Cody looked up at the ceiling. Kari brushed some hair out of her eyes.
"I wouldn't have expected so much blood," Cody said offhandedly.
The three guys shifted uncomfortably in their chairs, crossing their legs nervously.
"Well, that's one mystery solved," TK said with false mirth. "At least we know where all the blood that never makes it to his brain ends up."
"TK, that's terrible!" said Kari.
"And gross," said Cody.
TK would've felt authentically bad about himself if he hadn't seen Ken and Yolei both smirk at his joke before quickly covering it up.
"So how much force do you suppose went into that kick?" Cody asked after a few seconds.
"Everything I had," said Ken.
The others all nodded.
"I'll bet he wishes he'd worn a cup," said Yolei.
"He always says they're too uncomfortable," said Ken.
"I'm not sure how much good it would have done," said TK.
The three guys shifted in their chairs again and re-crossed their legs. There was another long pause. A little time passed and Davis' parents finally emerged, looking relieved.
"Hi there, kids," said Mr. Motimiya.
Ken immediately jumped up from his seat.
"Is Davis all right?" he asked hastily, hoping to vindicate himself a little bit.
"He should be just fine," said Mrs. Motimiya. "Mostly."
"Um, what exactly do you mean by 'mostly'?" asked TK, also standing.
"Oh look at that! They have a vending machine here! I think I'll go get something to eat!" said Mrs. Motimiya, rushing off.
"That was weird," said Cody.
"Come on. What's wrong with him?" asked Kari. "It's not anything serious…is it?"
"What? No, dear me no," Mr. Motimiya stalled. "Hey, that was some kick there, Ken. You really belted him."
"So they tell me," said Ken.
"So what's the deal already?" asked Yolei.
"Um, boys?" asked Mr. Motimiya, looking at Ken and TK. "Could I speak to you two privately?"
"Sure. Okay," said TK.
"Let's move over here," said Mr. Motimiya, walking down the hall a little ways.
TK and Ken followed behind him and they came to a stop a few seconds later, just out of hearing range of the rest of the group.
"Okay, so what's the matter?" asked Ken. "Is something wrong."
"Well, let's just say for the moment that it's not quite right," said Mr. Motimiya. "I wanted to tell just you two because I know you're probably the best friends he has, and this kind of news might be easiest…coming from other guys your own age."
"Can you hear what they're saying?" whispered Yolei.
"I got nothing," Cody whispered back as he tried his best to remain clandestine in his spying efforts.
"Look, I'm sure that it's nothing serious," said Kari. "They already said he was just fine."
"Jeez, Kari. Can't you show a little more compassion?" asked Yolei. "I mean, he IS your boyfriend."
"No he's not! He's just—"
"—A friend that happens to be a boy," Yolei and Cody finished together.
"Wow. Have I really become that transparent?" Kari asked.
"Not really transparent, just predict—" Yolei began.
"Shh!" Cody hushed. "They're coming back!"
The girls turned their heads and saw Mr. Motimiya go off in search of his wife as TK and Ken turned back toward the three of them; they wore some of the strangest expressions any of them had ever seen. Pity was written up and down both TK's and Ken's faces, but somehow they also looked like they could burst out in hysterical laughter at any moment, but that was mostly TK. Ken, while still at risk of laughing out loud, was visibly more remorseful than before.
"So would you tell us what's wrong already?" asked Yolei.
TK and Ken exchanged glances.
"I, uh, think we should hold off on that a little bit," said Ken.
"Yeah," said TK, "the two of us were planning on going and seeing him right now. Hey, why don't you all go to the mall? I hear that new clothing store is having a sale; everything is one-for-two—uh, sorry, that's two-for-one."
Ken slammed his heel down on TK's toes.
"What he means is, we won't be too long. Just find something to do in the meantime," Ken corrected.
"Hey, what was that for?" asked TK, hopping up and down on his uninjured foot. "Are you nuts or something?"
Ken shot TK a deadly glare.
"Let's get going, shall we?" Ken asked impatiently.
"Hey, relax now," said TK. "No need to get all testy."
Ken fumed and shoved TK down the hall toward Davis' room.
"What was that?" asked Yolei.
"I think it would be best if we never found out," Cody said grimly.
"Stupid immature boy…" Kari grumbled.
5:46 PM
Kari, Cody, and Yolei continued with their waiting. Kari was clearly the most frustrated over not knowing how Davis was doing. Cody and Yolei seemed more bored than worried, but of course they too had concerns for their friend.
"So how are you doing, Cody?" Yolei asked, trying to make small talk.
"Oh, as good as can be expected…"
Yolei thought about his response for a moment and then it all came back to her. How could THAT have slipped her mind?
"And your mom? She's okay?" Yolei asked in a more sullen tone.
"She's holding up," Cody replied despondently.
Yolei hung her head, looking down at her hands in her lap. She felt like she was being the most insensitive person on the planet right then.
"You know, it's alright if you want to go," she spoke softly.
"Nah… I'd rather stay here anyway."
"You sure?"
"Yeah…"
"Okay then."
Yolei tried to sit up and act normal again, but she kept glancing at Cody out of the corner of her eye. He never once looked in her direction. He was always bent forward with his eyes staring straight down at the floor, wringing his hands.
TK and Ken meanwhile had busied themselves in trying to get Davis conscious enough to talk. He rested in an uncomfortable bed in a sterile, semi-private hospital room with nothing separating him from the surrounding bed but a thin, paper curtain that was only slightly thicker than the hospital gown he had to wear. Still, he looked like he was having the best sleep ever. His limbs were tossed akimbo, his mouth hung open with his tongue lolling out and a spot of drool forming on the pillow, and he snored softly. TK and Ken were perched on a pair of old stools seated near Davis' head. Despite their incessant attempts to wake him he seemed unaffected.
"Come on, Davis," TK sighed as he waved his hand in front of the sleeping young man's face.
"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty," Ken said as he pinched Davis' arm.
Davis unconsciously batted Ken's hand away and rolled over in his sleep.
"Look out! Aliens!" TK shouted in Davis' ear.
"Vampires!" Ken shouted in the other ear.
"Man-eating soccer balls!"
Still, Davis rested, although whatever dream he may have been having had probably gotten a whole lot weirder.
"Dang! Nothing works!" Ken cursed.
"How many sedatives did they give him?" asked TK.
"Probably quite a bit," said Ken. "He was screaming pretty loud, after all."
"So…are you gonna' tell him or should I?"
"I was thinking that could be your job."
"Me?! Why?"
"Well, you've been friends with him longer than I have."
"By a few months!"
"A few months is a few months!"
"But you two were partners! That's GOT to be worth a lot more than knowing him a few more months longer. Besides, you and I both know we weren't exactly the best of friends at the beginning."
"The same is true about me, remember?"
"Well still…"
"Look, we'll just tell him together. Agreed?" Ken asked.
"Agreed," TK said.
The two shook hands on it.
"But that still doesn't change the fact that our semi-neutered friend is still out like a light," TK pointed out.
"Would you knock it off already? Something tells me Davis won't be in any mood for your wisecracks."
"What about a polite euphemism or two?"
"No."
"Aww. Come—"
"No!"
"Fine, fine," TK agreed. "Hey, didn't that doctor say he'd be right back?"
"Yeah. Looks like he's late though."
"Oh well. Hey Ken, can I ask you something?"
"Shoot."
"What was the deal with you out there today, on the soccer field? You didn't really seem to have your heart in the game."
"Oh, yeah, well…to tell the truth, it wasn't."
"What's that?"
"I don't know. Soccer doesn't really hold my interest the way it used to. The only reason I've stuck with it this long is because of Davis. There's no way he'd give it up, and I know he'd go crazy if I wasn't there to keep an eye on him."
"So what does hold your interest?"
"I don't know. Lots of stuff. For example, I've been reading a lot of really neat books lately. Have you ever read Sherlock Holmes?"
"No, not really."
"You should. They're really great. I love mystery and detective novels. Movies too. They're very interesting. But enough about me, what about you, Teek?"
"Again with the Teek?"
"Oh. I take it someone already mentioned that."
"Yeah. Cody. Back at the game."
"Sorry. It's something the rest of us cooked up the other day when you weren't around. I think you had basketball practice or something. But anyway, back to you."
"Well, you know. Things are going all right. School is tough. Kari and I had another fight. My mom seems happy. I haven't seen my dad in a while. Matt's band broke up. The usual."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," said Ken. "The Teenage Wolves broke up?"
"I guess it was kind of inevitable," said TK. "The way I heard it, it all started when they realized that none of them were teenagers anymore. Anyway, Matt wanted to change their name simply to the Wolves, but then someone said that was stupid and it'd be like they were trying to be like the Beetles or the Monkees and that set off this whole other thing and…it's really weird."
"Jeez. So what's Matt gonna' do now?"
"I don't think even he knows. He'll land on his feet though. He always does."
"…Guys…?" asked a very tired voice from the bed.
"Davis!" said Ken and TK at the same time.
"You're awake!" said TK.
"You feel okay?" asked Ken.
"What are you guys doing in my room?" Davis asked with a dry-sounding voice.
"You're in the hospital," said Ken.
"The hospital?" asked Davis. "What for?"
"You…had an accident," Ken lied.
"Actually, you were kicked," TK corrected.
"Which was an accident," Ken said in order to defend his claim.
"And Davis was the one that got hurt," said TK.
"Only because Yolei distracted me," said Ken.
"That's nice," Davis said, turning away and trying to get comfortable again.
"Um, anyway…" said TK.
"You got a little banged up," Ken continued.
"I feel fine," Davis said with a yawn. "Now go away. Sleepy time now."
"That would be the pain killers," Ken explained. "You're not as fine as you think."
"Relax," Davis said, now buried under the sheets. "I've broken bones before. No big deal. Sleep now."
"Um, it wasn't a bone this time," said Ken.
"Well…" TK pondered.
"Shut up!" Ken said quickly. "Anyway Davis, you're, how can I put this…?"
"Like a marathon runner with just one leg," TK said with a smirk.
"Um, I guess you could say that," said Ken.
"No, wait! I can do better!" said TK. "You're like…a gambler with just one die!"
"Huh?" asked Davis, lifting his head ever so slightly.
"What TK is hinting at is that, well…" Ken said as he thought about how to phrase this tactfully. "You don't exactly have a matching set."
"What ARE you guys talking about?" asked Davis, sticking his head above the sheets.
"Your stereo is missing a speaker," said TK.
"Your dictionary only goes through M," said Ken.
"You're a Tweedledee with no Tweedledum."
"Your duet is now a solo."
"Whatever…" said Davis.
"Alright, alright," Ken finally said. "The thing is, that was a really strong kick. You weren't wearing a cup like you should have been. One of your…boys…threw himself on the grenade."
Davis looked at Ken very strangely. "Do you mean…?"
"Yeah," said Ken.
"Oh come on," said Davis. "You've got to be joking!" Davis saw no mirth in Ken's eyes. He turned toward TK, but even the boy who had been cracking jokes at every chance had grown solemn. "Alright, alright. Joke's over. I gotta' hand it to you guys, though. I don't know if I could hold a straight face this long."
"Davis…" said TK. "No."
6:58 PM
Davis held a remote control in his hand, angrily flipping from one station to the next, not really looking for anything in particular on the TV that hung on the far ceiling. Aside from the other patient in the room, no one was around.
"You're going too fast," said the other patient, a guy in his late twenties.
"Bite me," said Davis.
"Hey, watch your mouth, punk," said the other guy. "Whoa! Wait! Go back!"
Davis obliged, turning back to whatever the other guy had seen, which turned out to be a baseball game. Davis set the controller down and leaned back to watch. Maybe a little baseball would take his mind off his other concerns.
"And here comes the pitch…!" said the announcer.
The man at bat quickly stepped back to avoid being struck by the flying projectile that just barely avoided his helmet.
"That's ball one," said the announcer. "Two strikes and one ball—"
Davis clicked off the TV in an instant.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" asked the older guy.
"I don't feel like watching TV," Davis said.
"Punk."
"Whatever."
Davis, being the one who had the remote, had the last say in the matter. He was content to just lay back and get a little shuteye. That was interrupted pretty soon when Kari walked in.
"Hi, Davis," she said meekly.
"Hey! Kari!" said Davis, snapping to attention.
"How are you feeling?"
"Uh…fine, fine…"
"I heard about what happened."
"Oh. Well then if you must know, I've never been so embarrassed in my whole life."
"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said, offering him a sympathetic hand once she'd sat down on the stool nearest to his bed. "But come on, I thought you didn't get embarrassed."
"For this, I'll make an exception."
Kari gave a slight giggle.
"It's not funny, Kari!"
"I know, I know. I'm sorry about that."
"Yeah, well…"
"Maybe we should just talk about something else."
"Good idea."
"Right. So, how's your sister these days?"
"About the same. Still away at school. Still chasing after that Jim guy in her spare time. Still staying out of my hair. I wouldn't have it any other way." He smiled.
"That's nice."
"What about Tai? How's he?"
"You know Tai. He's still Mr. Leader. He spends more than twice the time on running the student council and being president of just about every club on campus than he ever spent on school work in his life."
"That sounds like Tai alright."
"But there's a downside too. He seems to wish he had a little more free time to spend with all his friends, and apparently it's been months since he's played any soccer."
"Well that's too bad."
"Yeah, it is. But you know…"
Kari went on at length and Davis listened intently to the whole thing. She had never been one to talk so much, and always seemed more interested in hearing about what everyone else thought, but something about Davis just brought it out in her. She felt comfortable enough around him to just let it all out. He was a good friend, and he just happened to be a boy.
9:16 PM
TK hit the pause button on the remote control, bringing the movie he was watching back home to a halt. The living room was dark except for the glow of the TV. A half-eaten bowl of popcorn sat on the coffee table between the couch and the television. The phone rang for a second time just before TK reached it and picked it up off the receiver.
"Hello?"
"TK?" asked a glum voice on the other end.
"Yes. Who's calling?"
"It's me; Cody."
"Oh hey there Cody. What's going on?"
"It happened."
"What hap…oh. Cody, I'm…I'm so sorry. I…"
"Don't feel too bad."
"Cody, is there anything I can do?"
"I don't know what you could."
"Well, if you want, I can listen."
"…I'm not sure."
"Well remember that I'm here if you need me, and there are a lot of other people who want to help."
"Yeah…that's what my mom said."
"Well she's right."
"I guess."
"So you want to talk?"
"Not right now."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. I think I'd like to just be alone for a while."
"Okay. And…I'm really sorry."
"Thanks, TK."
The line went dead when Cody hung up. TK just stood there for a moment, looking down at the phone in his hand.
Elsewhere, Ken found his reading by lamplight interrupted by the ringing of the phone. He tried to ignore it though, only responding when his mother called to him from the kitchen to let him know that it was Davis on the other end.
"Davis?" Ken asked upon picking up the receiver.
"Yo, dude," Davis said weakly.
"What are you doing calling me? Aren't you still in the hospital?"
"Of course I am. I just thought I'd call."
"That's nice, but why exactly?"
"Oh, I don't know just to—aaargh—chat or something."
"You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, fine," Davis said through clearly clenched teeth. "It just hurts a little to stand."
"Why are you standing? Shouldn't you be trying to rest?"
"That's what they tell me, but there's no phone in my room so I'm using the one in the hallway."
"Well as flattered as I am to know you'd endure excruciating pain just to hear the sound of my voice, I already have a girlfriend."
"Knock it off, man!"
"Sorry," Ken said with a little laugh. "So what was so important it couldn't wait?"
"I had to talk to someone! Do you have any idea how boring it is around here? Even worse than that, I think some of the nurses are laughing at me behind my back!"
"Come on, you're just being paranoid."
"I heard one of them call me Mr. Uniball."
"Oh. Well. Okay…"
"Forget it. So what's up?"
"Huh? Oh. Nothing, really. Just reading."
"Reading what?"
"You know. One of those detective novels."
"Cool. Is it good?"
"Sure, I guess. Only if you like the genre."
"Uh-huh…"
"So, what's up with you? Well, except for the obvious."
"Sitting here for the last three and a half hours has given me a chance to think, you know man? It's not like I had anything else to do."
"Right."
"I've been thinking about what happened out there today. And you know what? I've realized something. I am SICK of soccer. I'm done with it. Can't stand it."
"Hey, come on Davis. You love soccer, remember? Don't let this one bad experience get you all upset."
"I'm serious. For a while now it seems like I've just been going through the motions out there on the field. It's just not fun anymore."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I hope you aren't upset."
"Why should I be upset? It's fine with me if you don't like soccer anymore."
"To be honest, I thought about quitting months ago, but I figured you'd be upset if I left. I thought it'd get boring for you if I wasn't around."
Ken smiled for a second and was just about to tell Davis the decision he himself had reached, but decided against it. "Well, it'll be more boring, that's for sure," said Ken. "Then again, most things are when you're not around. I'm sure I'll manage. Now are you sure you didn't decide to quit because you're afraid of losing the other one?"
"Yes I'm sure!"
"You don't sound that sure to me," Ken said playfully. "Losing one is bad enough, and I sure wouldn't want to go out there and risk losing number two."
"Shut up, dude!"
"I'm just saying that if I were half a man—"
"Hey! Even at half strength I'm twice the man you are!"
"I'd be surprised if you could still have kids after that kick."
"I'll show you! I bet I'll have five kids by the time you lose your virginity!"
"And how are you ever going to get an action with a missing trooper?"
"They have a prosthetic replacement that I can get put in! No one'll know!"
Ken was just messing with Davis of course, and he knew his old friend needed this kind of gentle nudging to get back to feeling like himself after such a day.
"Besides," Davis added, "I've been closer with Kari than you've ever been with Yolei!"
"How? You've never been dating Kari long enough to get anywhere!"
"Oh that was low, man."
"You're right, you're right…but it's true."
"I'd hang up, but you're right."
"Hey, don't worry. I'm sure someday you two will be dating for more than thirty minutes at a stretch."
"Listen to me, Ken. I want you to hear this. I promise you that from this point on I'll never play soccer again and I WILL prove that I'm still as much a man as I ever was. And the first step is to get Kari to go steady with me!"
"That's the spirit!" Ken said enthusiastically, knowing full well that Davis didn't stand a chance.
"Look man, thanks for letting me get all that off my chest."
"Hey, it's no problem."
"And if you see Cody tomorrow, tell him I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to ask about his grandfather. I hope he's feeling better."
"Last I heard it wasn't looking too good for the old guy."
"Oh man. I hope he doesn't die. Poor Cody."
"Feel better, Davis. Just try and get some sleep and I'll see you tomorrow."
"Alright. Goodnight."
Davis hung up the phone and checked the change slot on the pay phone to see if anyone had carelessly forgotten a refund before returning to his room. Laying down in the bed again and pulling the paper-thin sheets up to his chin, he closed his eyes and began to drift off to sleep. He knew that whatever problems he'd had that day, all he needed to do was let it all out and things would feel better in the morning.
Sweet Dreams, Dear Prince…