AN: Edited extremely roughly…just trying to get it posted ;) please forgive mistakes in grammar and "flow" :D I love you all!

Chapter 9

Homecoming…was, interesting to say the least. Sora had had fun with Matt and even more fun watching him drool over all the boys in her grade. Still, James had been there with a tall lanky blonde who Sora had never met, but somehow despised all the same. She was jealous; the couple danced together every slow song as Sora watching on from a corner by herself, waiting for Matt to get back from checking out guys. She begged Matt to leave early but he had begged her not to go. Matt had ended up staying to socialize while Sora went back to her dorm to sleep.

A week or so later, the dance was forgotten about…mostly. After Sora left, Matt met some guy named Andy. The two had danced together once and exchanged screen names. After that, Sora couldn't have a conversation with Matt without him mentioning Andy. "How is Andy? Did you see Andy? What does Andy like? What was Andy wearing?"

Sora tried to explain she had only met the boy once at orientation and hadn't talked to him since then, but Matt wasn't interested. She would sigh, and make up answers which he would happily accept. It was a rather twisted friendship.

Another change since homecoming was the way in which James treated her. The boy who was once bordering on stalker now barely said a word to her. She suspected he had figured out she wasn't interested in him or maybe, he was just busy stalking that dumb blonde. Either way, Sora was down another friend, and not happy about it.

Conversation with Tai barely existed, and what did, was forced. As obvious as it might have been, she refused to believe their relationship was suffering, swearing to anyone who would listen that Tai would be her best friend forever and their relationship wasn't experiencing any problems.

Neither could really help it. Sora was overwhelmed with work and had little time for friends. She refused to get anything but A's so too little sleep and too much to do left her with a fiery temper and little sympathy for anyone. The old Sora had been buried under books and papers and a new girl, one Sora wasn't sure she liked, had been forced to emerge.

Thankfully, a small amount of hope gleamed in the distance. Her old school in Miyazaki was having their homecoming in a week. She wasn't naïve enough to believe Tai would actually ask her, but she had fashioned another (hopefully more) foolproof plan to somehow make it to the dance. As with most high schools, only Miyazaki students were allowed to go to their homecoming…unless, of course, you were taken as a date. Sora planned to convince Tai she wanted to go so she because it would be a great chance to catch up with everyone. Once he was convinced, she'd explain that she needed a date to get in and he would only have to act like her date until the got in.

She had decided she would implement the plan a week before the dance. It was the only way Tai couldn't come up with the excuse of, "Can't you find someone else?" and the only way he wouldn't realize how far in advanced Sora had everything planned out.

Time went slowly until there was only two weeks left until the Miyazaki homecoming dance. Sora had spent the previous weeks making changes on the dress she wore to her homecoming until it was absolutely perfect (or as close to perfect as she could get it). This had meant losing countless more hours of sleep and quite a few pricks with a sowing needle…but it was worth it. It was time she won Tai back.

It was about this time that Mimi called. Hearing her voice, Sora cringed. She hadn't realized how much she disliked Mimi until lately but the more she thought about…the less reasons she could find why she was ever her friend.

"HI SORA!" Mimi squeaked excitedly.

"Hey Mimi," Sora mumbled rather monotonously.

"Oh my god, you'll never believe what happened. Okay, so like Homecoming's coming up, right? Well, I like, totally know I'm going to be princess, because come on…really! Anyway, so I needed a date but Tai refuses to go! He actually had the nerve to say that homecoming was dumb! Can you believe it!?" Mimi said, sounding genuinely offended.

A huge smile spread across Sora's face, "So…this must mean you don't 'love' him anymore? Right?"

"Oh no no," Mimi assured her happily, "It just means I have to work really hard to get him to go."

Sora saw her golden opportunity. It would be too her advantage if both she and Mimi were pestering him to go to the dance. "You know," she confided, "I was thinking of going to your homecoming…but I'll need someone to pretend to be my date…maybe we could convince Tai to go for that."

Mimi was slightly offended (and rightfully so) that Tai might go for Sora, when he wouldn't go for her. All the same…it was true, Tai had always been better friends with Sora and had quite often stated that he would "do anything for her". Once Sora lured him to the dance, she would make her move.

"Yeah," Mimi said, her devious plot in mind. "We'll try that."

The conversation had ended shortly after the two had briefly discussed a few other methods of getting Tai to the dance. As soon as Sora hung up the phone, she dialed Tai as quickly as she could, knowing Mimi would do the same. Thankfully, Sora could dial that number in her sleep and got to Tai first.

"Moshi Moshi," Tai answered.

"Hey," Sora said, smiling wickedly at her victory.

"Oh, hey Sora, what's up?" He said, settling down into a chair.

"Actually, I called to ask you a favor…and I doubt you're going to like it," she answered hesitantly.

"Oh god, what?" he asked in faked fear.

"Okay, well…I know how much you hate dances and everything…but I was thinking that it would be nice way to see all of you and some of the other people from Miyazaki but, I need a date to get in. I was thinking that.." she stumbled with her words. In her rush to beat Mimi to the chase, she had forgotten that she was asking her long time crush to the homecoming dance and there was a LARGE chance that he would refuse.

She blushed but quickly thought of Mimi…she HAD to beat her, she HAD to go through with this, "I was thinking maybe like, you could take me or something. Just as friends, of course! I just need someone to get me in!"     

Tai groaned a little, "Sora, you know how much I hate dances…can't we do something else? We could all get together at my apartment."

Sora grimaced, round one went to Taichi…he had a point. "But I want to see everyone…not just the digidestined…people like Tereza, Tomas, Padriac, and Jestabell AN: Ten points for anyone who knows where those names came from!," she quickly retorted, mentioning the names of a few people that Sora had been friends with, but not good enough friends to see unless it was a special occasion. 

Tai sighed, "I'll go if you really want to…but I would really rather do something else."

Sora frowned…she didn't want him to go somewhere he hated…maybe it would be better if they just did something else. "No Tai," she conceded, "It's alright…you shouldn't have to do something you don't want to."

Now it was Tai's turned to frown. "I'll go if you go," he said, "At least then there'd be a point."

Sora resisted the urge to run around the room squeaking with joy. Finally she was going to dance with Taichi. "I'll have to check and make sure I catch a bus," she said, calming herself down, "but otherwise…well, really thank you."

"No problem," he answered, "I'll talk to you later…and oh, Sora?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell Mimi."

~

Keeping true to her promise, Sora didn't tell Mimi. For a while, she fought the urge to rub her victory in the valley girls face…but eventually realized that walking into the dance with Taichi would be even sweeter revenge. She felt temporarily bad for seeking revenge against her former friend...but the feeling quickly faded. This was war. No time for guilt.

Three days before the dance, Tai called up to make finite plans for the dance, or at least, that's what Sora thought.

"Hey Sora, it's Tai," mumbled the voice on the other end of the phone.

"Hey Taichi, what's up?" she smiled, sitting down with the phone squeezed in between her ear and her shoulder so she could continue work on her dress.

"Well…don't get mad or anything…but…I'm not going to the dance," Tai admitted.

"What?" Sora questioned, feeling shocked and sick, "Why not?"

"Everyone's been bugging me so much to go…and I really hate dances…It'd be pointless to go," he said.

"Taichi," she said, automatically reverting to her original plan, "I can't go without you. Please, we don't even have to stay the whole time…you said you would."

"Well, now I'm saying I'm not," he bit back, "Look Sora, I'm sorry…but enough people have been pestering me about it…I don't need you bothering me about it too. Just ask around, I'm sure someone else will pretend to be your date."

He had lied to her. He had promised he would go…and now he refused, her voice faltered as she held back tears, "Bu…Tai, please."

"I'm sorry, but no," he stated simply, "We'll do something some other time, I promise. I've got to go."

Before she could answer, she heard the click on the phone from the other line and knew Taichi had hung up. She was happy to have the room to herself as she let a few tears roll down her cheek.

In the end, she didn't get another date and all the work on her dress went to waste. The night of the dance, she had slipped on the completed dress and gazed at herself in the mirror. The dress was beautiful, but the farthest she would ever wear it was inside her dorm.

She sat doing a giant lab report as she gorged on candy, dress crumpled into a ball on the floor. Her hair was up in a messy bun and her eyes were slightly red from crying. Around 11, just when she felt the night couldn't get any worse, Matt called.

The boy spent about an hour describing in detail the wonderfulness of the dance she hadn't been a part of. When she was about to speak up in protest, his voice became a little softer…

"And, well, I think I have some bad news…"

"Oh?" she answered, not sure any news could further dampen her mood.

"Well, you know Mimi went over Tai's the other day?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sora said, fuming. She'd heard about that little episode from Mimi and hadn't been happy about it.

"Well," he said, "She told me that while she was there, they were sitting on his bed…and they started holding hands."

"WHAT!?!?" Sora screamed, waking up Meichico.

"Sora!!" Meichico yelled, "What the hell was that about?!"

Sora ignored her completely, waiting for Matt's response.

"Yeah, I know…I didn't think he liked her either," he admitted, "Mimi said this would serve as 'the begging of their relationship'"

Sora cringed, "It can't be true…It can't."

Meichico watched the expression on her roommates face. Something must be seriously wrong, she was guessing dead dog or dead relative. She decided this was reason enough to forgive her for the sudden awakening and when the two girls from the next dorm over came to complain, Meichi told them that story.

"Well, Tai's neither confirmed or denied it…so Mimi could be making it up," he told her.

"She better be," Sora growled. "I need to figure this out Matt…I'll talk to you later."

"What was that?" Meichico asked, hands on her hips, as Sora hung up the phone.

Sora stammered a bit, she hadn't realized she had waken Meichico up. "Uh, I'm sorry Meichi…my friend…got hurt pretty bad," she lied.

Meichico looked slightly more sympathetic. "I figured something like that," she said and glanced unhappily at the clock...realizing how late it was, she sighed, "Do you like…need to talk about it or something?"

Sora shook her head. "No…" she said, dazed. She laid back down on her bed, turning from Meichi. "I think it would be better if I just went to bed."

The next day, Sora numbed herself in order to get through her classes. She refused to think about what Matt had said, or even what she was going to do about until she returned to her dorm that evening. Without thinking, she signed online to talk to Tai, hoping he could help her feel better.

She wanted to ease slowly into her plan, allotting some time for normal conversation before jumping on him about Mimi. However, that was unsuccessful and after a few IMS she found herself asking the obvious question.

TnnsNrd: Taichi…you don't like Mimi, do you?

When Tai answered, 'Sora, we already went over this', she saw an easy way to bring Mimi down. It was harsh, to say the least…and Sora, under normal cirrcmstances wouldn't resort to it…but then, these weren't normal circumstances…and this wasn't normal Sora. It was a Sora that was lonely, depressed, afraid…and desperate.

TnnsNrd: Well, I know how you like to be… "affectionate" sometimes…

That was true enough. Tai never had a problem giving hugs or punches to anyone. He was very much like a little kid, wearing his emotions on his sleeve and sharing them physically with everyone and anyone.

But, she continued, Mimi doesn't understand that…If you're not interested in her…you're sending her the wrong signals…and I don't want her to get hurt.

She was lying through her teeth…but she didn't care…she had to get Tai back.

SoccrStr07: Wait a second, are you saying…Mimi likes me?

TnnsNrd: That's not what I'm saying…what I'm saying is that you're sending the wrong signals…

SoccerStr07: But she likes me?

Sora felt uncomfortable that he was so interested in what Mimi felt…and she was also uncomfortable about openly revealing a secret. She forced herself to think of Mimi and Tai kissing…erasing any guilty feelings from her conscious.

TnnsNrd: Well, yeah, but you can't tell her I told you Tai, I just don't want anyone to get hurt…

Such a lie, she was setting Mimi up for a fall.

SoccerStr07: I'll brb

Tai didn't come "right" back. In fact, he was gone for over an hour. At first, Sora didn't know where he had went to…but after a while, Matt got on and told her the awful truth.

BigBadBandBoy: Mimi says she's having a serious discussion with Tai

Crush her hopes Tai, tear her limb from limb…Sora thought angrily. She sent him a thousand IMs, asking him what was going on…how was Mimi taking it.

When he finally returned, he gave shady responses, never really answering her questions. So she continued to dig, his unclear responses scaring her more then she ever knew she could be scared. She even turned to Mimi for answers.

Eventually, they both got tired of interrupting their own conversation to calm Sora down.

PinkFlowaPowaShoopingPrinzess: You know Sora, it's really none of your business

Sora turned red with fury, "OH YEAH!?" she screamed at the computer. She typed her response so fiercely she nearly broke the keyboard.

TnnsNrd: You're my friend and Tai's my friend and whether you like it or not, you're actions effect all of us. So yes, it is my business and no, the world doesn't revolve around you

Mimi couldn't come up with a counter response. Instead, she told Sora something that would plague her for weeks after.

PinkFlowaPowaShoopingPrinzess: It's not like we're like… "a couple" or anything stupid like that…

Mimi refused to say anymore…but what she had said was enough…it was obvious Tai hadn't rejected her…so what had happened?

Sora continued to drill her friend….unwilling to accept the horrible truth from anyone but Tai…but she got the same response from him.

SoccrStr07: Look Sora, this is getting old. I don't mean to be mean, but… it's really none of your business

She had never felt so hurt.

TnnsNrd: You're right…goodnight Tai

None of her business… she had been his best friend…it use to be her business. He couldn't have known how deep those words had stung her.

That night, she cried herself to sleep.