Author's Note to Microsoft Works AKA Satan:
DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU… er, BACK TO HELL!
MSW just decides to crash whenever the hell it feels. Thus losing the two pages of fluff I had struggled to pound out. Yep, 60 minutes of work. I hope it's happy.
I wanted this chapter to have a mushy, sappy love song. But not too mushy or sappy. It was gonna be I Melt With You, because I wanted the song to be in the story, but I changed it because this song is basically the essence of the whole plot to my story, so as for IMWY, it will come later. Two chapters to go following this one. Then I'll update That Summer some more. 'Accidentally In Love' is property of one of my personal favorite bands, Counting Crows.
And as for this chapter, it is 100% fluff. If you dig through long enough, you may just find some plot in there, but if you look closer, it's just hardened sap. Tee hee, I'm not used to writing romance, because I'm not a romantic by any stretch of the imagination. But the next (and final) two chapters will sound more like me; humor and angst. Two things I can do. Usually.
I Melt With You
"Five months… eleven days… six hours… forty-one minutes!" Yolei sobbed, throwing herself onto her bed desolately.
Kari couldn't help but think this a little bit strange, "How do you remember this kind of stuff?"
Her friend covered her head wretchedly, "B-b-because I love him!" She stuttered through tears, "He was my only one!"
"I don't see what's so great about Tai," Kari muttered, "There's a thousand more just like him out there. Better ones too."
Yolei hurled a throw pillow at Kari, curling into a tiny, sobbing ball. "Not for me, there isn't! You don't know what it's like to be ugly, Kari."
Deciding it would be better to be sensitive, Kari climbed onto Yolei's bed next to her, placing a hand gently on her friend's back, "You're not ugly, Yolei. My brother was very lucky to have you."
"Yeah, sure he was." Yolei said sarcastically, "Which is exactly why he left me so he could 'keep his options open at college.' "
"He said that?"
"Of course he said that!" Yolei screeched, face still buried somewhere in the blankets of her unmade bed.
Kari attempted to hug her. "You know, there's only a few boys out there that are worth crying over and the ones that are won't do it."
"Really?" Yolei looked up, eyes still red and puffy.
Kari smiled, "Yes, really. There's a whole lot of smarter, nicer, cuter fish in the sea -"
"What about Matt?" Yolei asked suddenly, reaching for her glasses on the nightstand, "Would you cry over him?"
"Um," Kari blushed, "I'm not sure, I mean…"
The older girl scoffed, cleaning her lenses off, "You two have the strangest relationship I've ever seen. You've been dating at least five months; almost as long as me and Tai… were. And I've barely even see you kiss."
"We kiss -"
"You never hold hands when you're out in public…"
"Yes we do -"
"Aside from that song he wrote you, there has been absolutely no indication that you two are even dating! You avoid each other like the plague…"
"We just don't want to -"
"Fine then, Kari. Name three romantic things you two have done together over the past five months." For most people, this would be no problem, but Yolei figured she had the couple pinned down. Kari would be unable to think of anything, proving she was still as cold-hearted as the day Yolei and Tai had fixed the two up.
"Alright," Kari said uncomfortably. "But I don't see how this will help you getting over my brother…"
"It will," Yolei assured her, "Just start."
So she did:
"Our one-month anniversary was February 13th, the day before Valentine's day, except I didn't remember this, of course..."
/So she said what's the problem baby/
/What's the problem I don't know/
/Well maybe I'm in love/
/Think about it every time/
/I think about it/
/Can't stop thinking 'bout it/
/How much longer will it take to cure this/
/Just to cure it cause/
/I can't ignore it if it's love/
/Makes me wanna turn around and face me/
/But I don't know nothing 'bout love/
"Practice on a Saturday morning?" Kari cried, "Does Suki want us, like, dead or something?"
Not taking her eyes off the road, Mimi chuckled, "Actually, I think it's just you. What did you do to piss her off so bad?"
The younger girl looked up from tying her shoelaces, "She really does hate me?"
"You haven't noticed?! My gosh, every time you fall out of step - even a little - she makes us all stop and start over. Plus she's always talking about how weird you are in the locker room. Once she said she even heard you talking about yourself."
"Gee," Kari said glumly, "Thanks Mimi."
The older girl grinned brightly, setting the parking brake in the school parking lot, "No problem, dear."
Cheerleading practice went pretty much the same way it always had for Kari. She wasn't the loudest or the least flexible of the group, but she certainly wasn't the best either. But the fact remained that every time Kari made an error, even a tiny one, Suki would call the rehearsal to a halt, point out Kari's mistake, and make a big point of showing the girl how to do it correctly.
By the time the hour and a half practice was over, Kari was equally exhausted and humiliated. A scowl was set deep into her face as she swung open the door to Mimi's unbelievably-expensive-like-all-the-rest-of-her-stuff convertible and slumped into the leather seat.
"Um…" Mimi started, eyeing her friend's face worriedly.
"Don't even start."
"But…"
"What did I do to make Suki hate me so much? I mean, I'm not that bad of a person, am I? You'd think I tried to, like, kill her family or something? Now on top of being embarrassed in front of the entire squad again, I'm also tired as hell because I had to do everything six freaking times! If anyone else does anything to piss me off, I swear, I'll -"
"Um, Kari?" Mimi interrupted.
Kari's brown eyes darted over to the nervous older girl. "What?" she spat.
"I, well, I… I can't give you a ride home."
"What?!" Kari roared, "Why not?!"
Mimi shrank down in her seat, "I can't tell you. I just… can't."
Furious, Kari climbed out and slammed the door behind her, giving Mimi the finger as she stormed back onto the curb. She sat, head in her hands, for a few moments before spotting Suki's black Mercedes double-parked in a handicap spot in front of the school. Kari looked back mischievously, knowing Suki had a captains meeting with the school gym teacher for the next half hour, but just wanting to make sure.
She unzipped her purse and dug through the contents, quickly finding her bottle of bright red nail polish. Grinning evilly, she stood up and crept across the sidewalk to Suki's car. Just as she had twisted off the top, she heard a voice behind her, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Someone might be watching…"
Instantly, she froze and turned around. She dropped the topless bottle of nail polish with a sigh of relief when she saw it was Matt. "What are you doing here?"
"Trying to stop you," he said calmly, "She would of found out."
"I know," Kari sighed, looking down at her shoes. "Shit! I spilled nail polish all over my shoes! Augh, I can't wear these to the game! Now I'm gonna have to buy new ones…" She took a few steps over, burying her face in Matt's chest. "Everything sucks today…" she moaned.
"It's alright," he smiled, wrapping his arms around her protectively, "Do you know what today is?" She shook her head, not making a sound. "Good, because I've got somewhere to take you." With that, he took Kari's hand and led her across the parking lot to his car.
Matt's car wasn't exactly as nice as Mimi's or Suki's. It wasn't even in the same league based on stereo, upholstery, engine, or paint job. Similar to her brother's, all it could really do was run. Once in a while, the two would make a game of trying to understand a song coming through on the radio, but other than that, it wouldn't be nearly as fun to ride in as Mimi's car, except for the fact that it was with Matt. And that made all the difference to her.
Cheering up a bit, she smiled. "Where do we have to go?"
Matt rustled around in the backseat for a moment before coming up with a red bandana. "Now, I know you're in a pissy mood right now," he coaxed, leaning over her, "But you're gonna have to trust me here." With that, he tied the bandana around her head, covering her eyes. "Can you see anything?" Kari shook her head no. "Good," he grinned, getting back in the driver's seat, "It won't be long now."
When Matt finally took the blindfold off, about ten minutes later, Kari first laughed and then broke into peals of laughter. They were at the same resturant, the same booth of their first date; the dinky pizza parlor in the mall. A large cheese pizza sat in the middle of the table, a solitary pink candle stuck in the center. "Happy anniversary," Matt said, grinning ear-to-ear, "I even got you some Pepsi, in case you wanted to throw it in my face again."
"Matt!" she cried, euphoric, "I… I don't know what to…" she stopped, taking a drink of the soda, "I don't think that will be necessary."
/Come on, come on/
/Turn a little faster/
/Come on, come on/
/The world will follow after/
/Come on, come on/
/Cause everybody's after love/
"Awww," Yolei gushed, "Tai never did anything like that for me!"
Kari looked at her, swinging her legs over the side of the bed, "See what I mean? He wasn't that great…"
Yolei sniffed, wiping her eye, "I don't know… keep going, please?"
"Of course," Kari answered, beginning the second story…
"This one's really cheesy. It took place sometime in March, I think. I had never really been in love before, so naturally, when I first realized it, it all seemed sort of sudden…"
/So I said I'm a snowball running/
/Running down into the spring that's coming all this love/
/Melting under blue skies/
/Belting out sunlight/
/Shimmering love/
/Well baby I surrender/
/To the strawberry ice cream/
/Never ever end of all this love/
/Well I didn't mean to do it/
/But there's no escaping your love/
And sudden it was. Kari lay spread-eagle on her bed, staring up at the ceiling wistfully when it came to her. Hit her like a freight train. There was a split second where she didn't quite realize what this situation was, but an instant later, she had it figured out: I'm in love.
It was a strange feeling and surely a strange way to realize it, but the more Kari lay there, the more she stared into space, the more true it became. She was hopelessly, totally, and undeniably in love with the last person in the world she ever thought it would happen with. To be perfectly honest, this wasn't the best time for her, especially because she and Tai were going to meet up with Matt and Yolei at the movies in about fifteen minutes and -
"Wait a minute! I'm in this one?" Yolei interrupted.
"Yep," Kari nodded, "And the next one, too."
Yolei seemed to be thinking for a moment, "You said this took place in March?"
"Yes…"
"I think I remember that day! Did you tell him you love him, Kari?"
Kari blushed, "Er… let me finish the story."
To be perfectly honest, this wasn't the best time for her, especially because she and Tai were going to meet up with Matt and Yolei at the movies in about fifteen minutes and Kari wasn't quite sure how she'd react. It couldn't really be that much different, could it?
Of course, Kari was wrong. When she and Tai stepped into the lobby of the movie theater, Matt was already there. And Kari felt her heart rise up into her throat: it was different. Well, it surely wasn't his appearance: He was the same old Matt in his vintage tshirts and khakis with the knees torn out that she had known since childhood. No, she decided, I think it's me that's different. I'm the one who's changed.
During the entire movie, Kari could hardly concentrate on the screen. Which was bad, since she had nothing to tell Yolei when she would lean over and ask what was going on. This was because Yolei was missing most of the key plot events on account of she was making out with Tai throughout most of the picture. Matt's arm rested on her shoulder, nothing more, but it was enough to make her begin to sweat.
"Are you alright?" Matt whispered into her ear, sensing her tension.
Kari shook her head no, "Will you come to the bathroom with me?"
He made a face, "Um… sure…"
Attempting to de-sweat her palm, she wiped it on her jeans and took his hand, closing her eyes as they brushed past her brother and best friend entwined in a long embrace. Once they got to the entrance of the bathrooms, she gave his hand a tug and pulled him inside the girls ones, "What are we doing?" he hissed as she opened the door to a stall.
"I need to talk to you," she whispered back, climbing onto the grimy toilet.
"In here?" he asked, climbing up next to her.
She glanced around at the filthy walls, hundreds of names carved into the metal stall, a small puddle of what she hoped was water on the little square of floorspace, someone's blue sweatshirt wadded up and left on the back of the toilet. "Yes," she nodded, "In here."
"Alright, what is it?"
"Er…" she hesitated, shifting her weight and feeling the weight of her brother's pocket knife in her jeans pocket, "Well, I…" She looked up at him; it was the same old Matt. The one she loved. Mustering up her strength, she reached into her pocket and took out the knife.
"What's that?" He asked, becoming more and more confused.
Silently, she flipped open the blade, leaned forward, and began carving into the metal of the stall door. 'I-' She had a little trouble at first, trying to form letters, but as she went on, it got easier, "L-O-V-E-' At this time, she looked back at Matt, who had figured out what she was doing by now; his expression was unreadable. But it was too late to turn back now. 'Y-O-U'
"Say it." He commanded softly.
Her eyes grew wide and she turned and looked at him, knowing she meant it, "I love you."
There was a long pause as he processed this information in his head. Wordlessly, he took the knife from her hands and scratched the letters 'Y-I' underneath where Kari had written it, followed by the date, '03-29'. He turned to her, meaning it too, "I love you, too."
Grinning, she took the knife back yet again and added a 'H-Y' next to his initials. Before she could say anything, there was a sharp pounding on the door, "If you kids think no one saw you go in there, you're wrong! Exit the stall now or we will be forced to kick you out!" Kari and Matt stepped off the toilet embarrassedly and walked past the shocked group of middle-aged women back to their movie. Tai and Yolei hadn't even noticed they were gone.
/These lines of lightning/
/Mean we're never alone/
/Never alone, no, no/
/Come on, Come on/
/Move a little closer/
/Come on, Come on/
/I want to hear you whisper/
/Come on, Come on/
/Settle down inside my love/
"We were not making out that much!" Yolei protested, although she was laughing, "I don't believe it, though. Yagami Hikari vandalizing? You might has well have told me you two were in there making a baby."
Kari smiled knowingly, "It's still there. You can go see it if you'd like."
"Maybe I will. Now go on, you said you'd tell me three."
The younger girl now moved onto the floor next to her friend, "Alright, and this is my favorite. You'll remember it well; it took place a couple weeks ago." She took a deep breath and began the final story…
"My sixteenth birthday wasn't supposed to be that big of a deal. But as you'll recall, everyone else seemed to have other plans…"
/Come on, come on/
/Jump a little higher/
/Come on, come on/
/If you feel a little lighter/
/Come on, come on/
/We were once/
/Upon a time in love/
Please don't let this be like Sixteen Candles, Kari thought, sitting down to breakfast with her parents the morning of her birthday. Even if they forgot, it still wouldn't be the same. She already had the cute senior; except he was out of town for the weekend and had probably forgotten, too. Her father was busy with the newspaper, Tai was busy rooting around in the fridge for some orange juice, and her mother was busy with her French toast. "I think I'm gonna go to Yolei's." She announced after a long silence.
"NO!" Her family all jumped up from their respected spots.
"No?" Kari asked, puzzled.
"I've got vacuuming for you to do -" proclaimed her mother.
"I want you to burn me that CD now!" shouted Tai.
"And you need to feed the dog!" added her father.
Kari looked at him, "We don't have a dog."
"Then, er - feed your… brother." He said quickly.
Glaring daggers at them, Kari crossed the kitchen and produced the orange juice from the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. She handed it to Tai bitterly and stormed into the living room, "One down, two to go."
Oddly enough, every time Kari would finish one of their rapidly thrown out menial tasks, they would quickly come up with another; just as menial. It took until around two p.m. before she finally collapsed onto the couch in a heap of exhaustion and rage.
Not long after, she was joined by Tai, who perched tentatively on the edge of the sofa, "Still wanna go to Yolei's?"
"No," Kari said flatly.
His eyes widened, "Er… why not?"
"Not in the mood to watch you two make out. I miss Matt."
"He's been gone for… what? Two days?"
"Yes."
"Do you wanna go to Yolei's yet?"
Kari heaved a throw pillow at his head, watching narrow-eyed as it bounced harmlessly off his hair, "I told you, I'm not going."
"But you have to," Tai whined.
"And why is that?"
"Uh… just because… you do," he stammered.
Deciding to mess with her brother, Kari sat up and playfully draped her feet over his lap, "Why would that be?"
"Just because. Kari, please, you've gotta go to Yolei's," he pleaded.
She wiggled her toes, "I don't know…"
"Please?"
Her temper flaring, she swung her feet onto the ground and stood up, pacing back and forth. "No, I'm not going to Yolei's because as soon as I open the door, a bunch of idiots will burst out of her bedroom and yell -" she tore around the corner into the Yagami family kitchen, where a bunch of idiots lay in wait.
"Surprise!" Came the excited cheer. Kari shrieked as she surveyed the mass of people crowding into the tiny kitchen along with her parents. TK and Sora were, of course, pressed against opposite walls to avoid any further awkward contact since their break-up; Davis and Yolei held the cake: frosted white with little red roses, both sporting matching eager grins; Izzy and Ken watched Kari shyly, fingers permanently entwined; Mimi held a giant box wrapped in shiny blue paper that Kari hoped was those pink legwarmers they had seen in the mall; Joe was chatting up her dad in the corner, and rounding out the group, Cody stared sullenly out the window, probably wishing he was somewhere else like usual.
Rounding out the group. That was it. No Matt, of course.
"Well," she breathed, trying to hide disappointment, "The gangs all here…"
"No they aren't," Yolei blurted. Davis jammed an elbow into her side.
From behind her, Tai put a hand on her shoulder, "She's right."
The sound of an acoustic guitar drifted in from the other room. Kari could hardly contain her excitement, though she tried, as she turned to find Matt standing in the living room where she and Tai had stood only moments before. He took a few steps toward the group, strumming the guitar. "Happy birthday to you," he started, alone. She stood, awestruck, as one by one, her friends and family joined him in the singing.
"…Happy birthday to you!" By the end, everyone had joined in and burst into scattered applause. Davis and Yolei sat the cake down on the table and stood back as Mr. Yagami lit all sixteen candles, one at a time. Kari closed her eyes, made a wish, and blew as hard as she could.
Fifteen candles fizzled out.
Instantly, every eye flicked to the solitary pink candle still burning, stuck into the center of a red rose at the far corner of the cake. In the blink of an eye, Matt licked his index finger, reached across the table, and snuffed the flame. Applause broke out again.
The party wasn't exactly bangin' by anyone's standards, but everyone had fun. The cake Yolei had made was terrific, Kari's parents only made two attempts to dance (a record!), and TK and Sora even got into an amusing argument in front of everyone culminating with both parties bursting into tears and running into their respected best friends' bedroom to sob.
As Kari was attempting to coax TK out of her room, Matt slid up behind her, "Can I talk to you?"
Sighing, she nodded. "Alone again, I presume." After four months, everyone knew they were dating, but every time they did anything remotely intimate, Matt pulled her into a secluded place. She wasn't huge on PDA, but it almost felt like he was ashamed.
Without answering, he took her hand, leading her out to the living room, where everyone else was watching Mrs. Yagami doing 'The Robot' on top of the coffee table.
When they reached the center of the living room, Matt stopped, took her hands in his, and looked into her eyes, "I love you." It was clear and articulate and every head in the room snapped to attention, having rarely heard the two exchange tender words, yet alone I-love-yous.
But Matt wasn't done. He reached into the pocket of his old pair jeans and pulled out a small black box, unmistakably containing jewelry. Every female in the room sighed, wishing their respective significant others would buy them jewelry. "Happy birthday," he said softly, popping the tiny box open.
"Oh my God!" Yolei squawked, shattering the moment, "Is he proposing?"
Matt turned red, "Er… no."
Yolei's face fell, "Oh. Sorry, then."
Two tears formed in Kari's eyes as she gazed upon the contents of the box: it was a tiny gold locket, shaped like a heart. She blinked, attempting to banish the tears back to where they came from, but instead forced them out to trickle slowly down her cheeks. The group watched expectantly as Kari pried open the tiny locket, each expecting to find a picture of the couple, 'I love you', or something similar.
Her eyes scanned over the contents of the locket, taking only a quick moment before averting her eyes back up. She said nothing.
"Lemme see that, Kari," Tai said, snatching the necklace out of her hand. He read it quickly, then looked up, confused. "03-29? What's that supposed to mean?"
Neither party responded; both just stood, gaze locked. Another tear made its way down Kari's cheek.
Mimi stepped forward, taking the necklace out of Tai's hand and dangling it in front of Kari, "It's obviously something important to them. Right? Kari? Matt? You guys listening?"
Needless to say, they weren't. Matt put his hand on her cheek, brushed away the tear, and kissed her. Right in front of everyone.
/We're accidentally in love/
/Accidentally in love/
/Accidentally/
/I'm In Love, I'm in Love/
/I'm in Love, I'm in Love/
/I'm in Love, I'm in Love/
/Accidentally/
Yolei had stopped crying long ago, but now she was near tears again. But not for the same reason as she had been earlier. "So that's what that damn locket meant! The date you two wrote on the bathroom…"
Kari touched a finger to her throat, where the locket rested, "Yes."
"Awww, you too are too damn adorable. Cute as puppies, you are."
"You sound like Yoda," Kari snapped, trying to sound cruel despite her silly grin.
"I don't usually say this, but you were right. I'm better off without Tai," Yolei proclaimed, standing up, "Deserve me, he does not."
Kari giggled, "You go girl!" The long, awkward silence that always follows when that phrase is used ensued. "Did I pull that off?" Kari managed meekly.
"Nope."
"Damn it."
"Anyways, I think I've fond someone new already," the older girl continued, studying her reflection in the mirror and opting to apply another coat of lip gloss.
Feigning jealousy, Kari crossed her arms, "I don't care how cute you thought my stories were. You can't have Matt."
"No, not Matt. Someone new. Someone available."
"So soon?"
"Come on, it's been three hours and forty-nine minutes already. You expect me to wait around forever?"
"Excuse me…" Kari shot back, sarcasm dripping from her voice.
Switching to applying eyeliner, Yolei nodded, somehow managing to not smudge it a bit; the girl had a talent for makeup. "I'm feeling adventurous. I think I'll go talk to him right now."
"What about me?" the younger girl threw up her hands, "And who is this mystery boy?"
"You know him well."
"TK?"
"Try again."
"Cody?"
"No way!"
"Ken's gay, Yolei."
"I know. It's not Ken."
"Izzy? Joe? Could it be Tai again?"
"All wrong."
It couldn't be. It wouldn't work. Ever. Under any circumstance. "Did I say Cody?"
"Yes, you said Cody."
"I know him well?" Yolei nodded. This, of course, left one person. A lump rose in her throat, "Davis?" she choked.
"Bingo," Yolei said, grabbing her purse and heading for the door, "You coming with?" Trying to swallow the growing lump, Kari could only nod and watch her friend venture out to make a gigantic fool of herself.
/Come on, come on/
/Spin a little tighter/
/Come on, come on/
/And the world's a little brighter/
/Come on, come on/
/Just get yourself inside her love/
/We're accidentally in love/
Reviewer Notes:
PK - Er… I think I have a bit of a Davis bias. Just because he's portrayed as an asshole on every other fic on here and if I had to pick a favorite character it would be him. But I've always liked TK, too. The next chapter is slightly more Davis-centric. With more of him being super terrific. So biased.
Sen-Tay - I think you know this is coming? You do? Okay, well… you rock.
Lets-Play-With-Matches - No, that was sap. This chapter is fluff. Pointless, useless romantic trash. Thanks for all the reviews! =)
Kieri Baka Katsumi - Thanks for leaving me such nice reviews. Without reviews, I'd be one sad, unmotivated little girl.
Crystal - Er… I think I already explained everything to you. Um, Ryan is better than Seth, bwahahahaha. =P
Like I said, two more chapters to go. And this is the last of the fluff, so kiss it goodbye, you won't see it EVERAGAIN!