Chapter Thirteen- Friendships Grow





Jesi sat at on a bench outside the school reading a book. Flotsymon slept on the bench

next to her.

"Hmm.. Ken should be here by now."

Suddenly a soccer ball landed in her lap and knocked her book to the ground. A boy with

big brown hair ran over and picked her book up for her. He handed it back.

"Here's your book," he said.

"Here's your soccer ball," Jesi said as she took her book and handed the soccer ball back

to him.

"Hi I'm Tai, aren't you Kari's friend?" Tai said happily as he shook her hand.

"Yes I'm Jesi Junryou, Kari's mentioned you." She bowed politely.

"Hey nice blue cat, is that your digimon?"

"Oh yes, I almost forgot you are a Digidestined too."

"Yeah, my digimon's Agumon."

"This is Flotsymon."

Flotsymon opened one eye and looked at Tai. "Pleased to meet you." Then she closed

her eyes again.

"I think she's taking a cat-nap."

Tai laughed and smiled. Then he grabbed her hand.

"Hey do you want to play soccer with us? We need one more person."

"Well I..." Jesi looked down at her white skirt and loafers. "I don't know if I can."

"Oh you don't know how to play? Well I'll teach you come on!" Tai ran back onto the

field.

"But I know how to..." Jesi started to call after him. "Well I guess I have to go play."

She looked back at Flotsymon on the bench.

"I'll keep your spot warm," Flotsymon said without opening her eyes.

Jesi ran out onto the soccer field and stood next to Tai.

"Here you be right wing," he said.

Jesi nodded, "Ok."

The forward on the other team kicked the ball to the left wing, Tai ran up and stole the

ball, he ran to the side and passed it to Jesi.

She saw the ball coming towards her and stopped it with her toe. She started dribbling

down the field, weaving in and out of the other team's players.

"Hey this is fun!" she thought. She looked to the side and saw Tai running along with her

blocking the other players.

"Keep going!" he yelled as he smiled. "You've got a wide open shot!"

Jesi jumped to the side past the defensive player and kicked the ball into the goal. Tai ran

over and gave her a high five.

"Hey you're really great, you should join the soccer club with me. Davis is in it too, you

know him right?"

"Yes I do, but do you really think I'm good?"

"Yes your great for a gir-- I mean.. Yeah you're great!"

"For a girl?"

Tai stopped smiling for a second. "Smooth move Tai," he thought. "Why am I so terrible

with girls?"

"Uh... No, no, that's not what I meant." he said, waving his hands in front of him.

"It's ok," Jesi smiled.

"Wow you're a lot more forgiving than Sora! Uh... Oops I mean...I think I need to tape my

mouth shut!" Tai scratched the back of his head and laughed. "Hey are you going to the dance at

our school next week?" he asked.

"I don't know yet, I hope I can."

"Hey Jesi!"

Jesi turned around to see Ken standing by the bench where she had been, holding Minomon. She ran over to him.

"Hi Ken!" she reached up and hugged him.

"Hi there Ken," Tai said.

"Hello Tai."

"Heh, well I'll leave you two alone. Oh and don't forget about that dance!" Tai winked

and ran back to the soccer field.

"What is he talking about?" Ken asked as he sat down on the bench.

"Well..." Jesi said and sat beside him. "There is a dance at our school next week, do

you want to come with me Ken?"

"But I don't go to your school."

"That's ok, I'll bring you as a guest."

"But I..."

"Ken, what's wrong?"

"I don't know how to dance."

"Oh Ken" Jesi smiled and leaned her head against him, and they sat watching the soccer

game together.







TK sat alone in his dark room. Patamon sat quietly on the floor wondering why TK had

been so distant in the past few days.

"TK?"

TK sat in silence and didn't even turn towards Patamon when he spoke. He had his head

resting on his knees as he stared at the wall with one thought going through his head.

"TK, why won't you talk to anyone?" Patamon sighed and decided to leave TK alone.

TK's mother knocked on his door. He didn't move when he heard the sound, if he heard

it.

"TK, may I come in? You haven't come out of your room all day. What's wrong?"

After a few moments with no answer, TK's mother opened the door and came in. She sat

down on the bed next to him.

"TK, what's wrong? Your friends are wondering where you are, and you haven't eaten.

Are you sick?"

He remained silent and unmoved. TK's mother sighed.

"Let me know if you need anything." She slowly got up and walked out of the room.

When the door closed behind her, Patamon got up onto TK's bed and sat next to him.

"TK you can tell me what wrong. I'm your best friend after all. We've been through

thick and thin together" Patamon looked at TK's face and saw a single tear roll down his cheek.

"TK why are you crying?"

"It's...Kari," TK said in a whisper. "I couldn't do anything to protect her, I'm such a

loser..."

"You aren't a loser TK, you saved Kari."

"I didn't save anyone...if it hadn't been for you Kari would probably still be with

Arukenimon."

"But it's your hope that gives me power. I couldn't digivolve if it wasn't for you."

"Hope...sometimes I feel like I have no hope, every time we beat an enemy a stronger one

comes along. What if there isn't enough hope to defeat it?"

"There's always enough hope TK."

"It has to run out some time...and without hope... what am I?"





Jesi and Izzy walked across the school lawn towards the building. It was a bright sunny

morning and the school dance was only a week away.

"And then I said, that's not the printer port, that's my ear!" Izzy said as they walked to

school.

Jesi laughed, "Oh Izzy you are such an interesting person." She smiled happily.

As they walked, the three school creeps walked towards them. They were always causing

trouble and they were always together. Daburu, Toripuru, and Shinguru, who was the oldest and

the leader.

Shinguru walked over to Jesi and Izzy and stopped them.

"Hey Jesi, we got a present for you," He grinned. He put his arm on her shoulder and

handed her a yellow jump rope

"Why thank you, that's very nice." She smiled and accepted it.

Shinguru stepped back next to his two laughing cohorts.

"Why don't you try it out?" He laughed.

Izzy looked skeptically at the three, but Jesi happily accepted.

"Sure I will, it love to jump rope." She began skipping and she spun the rope.

"Down by the river where the green grass grows, there sits Kari pretty as a rose..."

As Jesi jumped and sang, Izzy saw why the three had given her such a "nice" gift. Each

time Jesi jumped her skirt flipped up, giving Shinguru, Daburu, and Toripuru a clear view of her

underwear.

"Hey!!" Izzy walked over and grabbed the jump rope out of Jesi's hands.

"Izzy! Why did you do that!?"

"You three are such creeps! You should be ashamed of yourselves."

"What's wrong Izzy? You know you wanted to see it."

Izzy glared at Shinguru. "Come on Jesi let's go." Izzy took her hand and they marched

away.

"Those perverts..."

"Izzy what are you talking about?" Jesi asked him.

Izzy leaned over and whispered in her ear. Jesi's eyes opened wider.

"Ugh! Why I never!"

Later that day Jesi and Izzy walked through the main hall in the school, heading to lunch.

As they walked the three bullies waited for them to come by.

"Ok ready?" Shinguru asked his two partners. They nodded and laughed.

"Izzy what do you think is for lunch today?" Jesi asked.

Just as Izzy was about to answer, Daburu and Toripuru ran by and knocked him back, and

as they ran by, Shinguru slid across the floor and pulled Jesi's skirt down around her ankles.

Jesi screamed and quickly pulled her skirt up. Izzy shot up off the floor.

"Are you ok!?" He asked.

"I'm...fine..." Jesi said quietly and stared down at the floor.

"That's it!" Izzy said angrily. He marched over to the three laughing boys. They looked

up for a second just in time to see Izzy's fist pound into Shinguru's face.

"Hey!" Daburu and Toripuru began beating on Izzy. Toripuru held him while Daburu

punched him in the stomach.

"Izzy!" Jesi ran over. "Stop it you two!!" She tried to pull them away but couldn't. She

beat her fists against Toripuru's back but he just laughed. "Leave him alone!!" she yelled.

Across the room, Tai, Matt and Sora were walking in carrying their books.

"So then Izzy says, That's not the printer port, that's my-hey, what's going on over there?" Tai looked up and saw the fight. "Hey is that.. Izzy!?"

Tai dropped his books on Sora's pile and ran off towards the fight.

"Hey!" Sora yelled.

Matt put his books on the pile too and ran after Tai.

"Hey wait I--" All the books fell onto the floor. "Never mind..."

Tai and Matt ran over behind the three bullies.

"Hey what do you think you're doing to our friend!?" Tai yelled.

Shinguru, Daburu, and Toripuru looked up for a moment, and Tai and Matt's fists made

contact with their faces. A huge fight began in the middle of the lobby.

"Fight, Fight, Fight!" The kids in the lobby yelled as Matt, Tai and Izzy duked it out with

the three creeps.

"Stop it!" Jesi yelled. "You're going to get hurt!!"

The six fighting boys didn't listen, they were to busy beating down on each other. As Tai

and Shinguru fought, it seemed like an equal match. For every blow Tai took, he returned one.

Matt fought against Daburu, the next youngest of the three. Matt was much quicker than

Daburu but Daburu had more brute strength. Matt swung his fist at Daburu's face, but Daburu

blocked him and hit Matt in the chin before he could get of the way. Blood trickled down Matt's

chin and Daburu began to laugh. Of course, this was a mistake, and Matt took the opportunity

and punched Daburu in the stomach.

While Matt and Daburu fought, Izzy held his ground against Toripuru. The big, and rather slow Toripuru tried over and over to land a punch on Izzy but he always managed to duck out of the way. Of course Izzy didn't manage to hit Toripuru either, not that he was trying.

"Izzy why don't you try to hit him!?" Tai yelled.

"I'm a lover not a fighter!" Izzy said as he ducked away from another of Toripuru's

punches.

"Ugh.. Woah!" Tai was narrowly missed my Shinguru.

"Hold still!" he said angrily.

Tai smiled as he whacked Shinguru in the back of the head. Shinguru shot up and grabbed

Tai's shirt and as he was about to punch him,

"What is the meaning of this!?"

The six boys froze and looked up to see the principal standing over them.

Tai scratched the back of his head and said nervously,

"Oh we were just practicing for the school play, heh heh...heh.. Oh boy.."