AN: I was trying to get this chappie up by Thanksgiving break, but it just didn't happen. I thought I'd have a lot of time since I'd have a week off but I guess not, so sorry for the delay. Finals are just around the corner so it's been a little crazy. I wanted to make this chappie longer but I wanted it to end where it was, plus I didn't want to prolong my update any longer. Anyways, thanks for all of your reviews! I wish I could just reply to everyone here but now they have that new feature, so I'll use that if I see fit to respond. On Friday I was so excited 'cause there was a free In The Groove (kinda like DDR) tournament going on, so my sis and I decided to join. She ended up getting 4th place and I got 1st place! I was so surprised, 'cause the guy I had to beat was really good, but in the end I somehow did it! The best part was that I won $50, but I have to use that money for Christmas presents. XP I love entering tournaments 'cause now I'm not just blindly writing about how Kaeli feels…now I actually know! Well, not to her extreme extent but at least some. :)
Mr. Moogle: aliasfan doesn't own DDR, though she is getting DDR Extreme 2 and some new dance pads soon.
Chapter 19: The Least You Could Do
I'm just sitting here. And he's holding me. All of the noise, everything that's happening around me…I can't hear. I'm just in this one moment, and the only two people in this room are me…and him. Words are not enough. Nothing can explain the way I feel right now. To know that so much can be going on in your life…yet one little thing can change it all.
Kaeli felt Jake shift a little bit. She broke from her thoughts and turned her attention to Jake. He seemed to be staring at something, so she followed his gaze, her eyes leading her to the clock that hung on the wall across from them.
"It's almost time…" Kaeli whispered to Jake.
Jake looked down at Kaeli and his lips turned upward slightly. "Almost time for it to be over, right?"
Kaeli straightened up, rubbing her nose. "But I don't want it to start…"
"Kae, this has to happen. Fate decided to do this for a reason. I understand why, and soon you will too." Jake explained, stroking Kaeli's hair.
Kaeli sighed, deciding not to ponder on the matter of fate and destiny for too long. "I wonder what song we'll dance to."
"Probably something hard. Though I'm sure nothing's too hard for you, Kaeli." Jake smiled. "I hope it's one of my favorite songs, like End of the Century or Afronova. I can get A's on those most of the time."
Kaeli furrowed her brows, turning to Jake. "Why are you so calm? Why doesn't this bother you!" she said with slight irritation in her voice. Here I am freaking out and he's all cool about it.
Jake scratched his arm and sunk deeper into the couch. "Don't get upset. I just know what I'm doing, that's all."
"Oh, and I don't?" Kaeli asked.
"C'mon Kae, that's not what I mean. All I'm saying is that I have everything worked out, so in the end, everyone will be happy."
"But…how can we both be happy if one of us is leaving the competition?" Kaeli asked, confused. I hope he knows what he's doing…
Jake laughed a little. "Well, you'll find out soon enough." He gave Kaeli a hug and stood her up. "It's time."
Kaeli glanced at the clock again. "So it is…"
-----
"Kaeli should be competing soon, right?" Singa asked anxiously.
"Yah, so we should be heading back." Shawn said. He and Singa had been getting food from the kitchen. They had been watching the competition unfold all day and had forgotten about eating amidst the excitement.
Singa finished up making her sandwich. "You know, I can see it in your eyes."
Shawn put the bag of chips away, closing the cabinet. "See what?"
"That you're afraid Kaeli doesn't like you. But I know she does. Deep down she does."
Shawn sighed, leaning up against the counter. "But is she willing to dive deep enough to find it?"
Singa smiled. "Aw, c'mon, be positive!" she said as she and Shawn walked into the t.v. room.
Shawn was about to respond but something on the t.v. screen stopped him. His eyes widened and he nearly dropped his plate of food. "Be positive? How can I…now that…"
Singa looked at the t.v. and saw Kaeli and some guy standing next to her. "Is that…him?"
Shawn nodded. "It's him." Shawn sat down as close to the t.v. as possible, watching the events before him. I can't believe it…
Shawn watched as the couple walked hand in hand up to the DDR machine that was waiting for them. Kaeli seemed really nervous, more so now than she was before. People had started to gather around the machine, and the cameramen were already there, ready to catch the action.
Shawn's heart was beating faster. If I'm this nervous, I can only imagine how Kaeli's feeling right now. "When I was up against Jake, I couldn't beat him. Kaeli's gonna have to kick his butt for the both of us."
-----
Joe Rogin came up to the machine, mike in hand. "Alright, we have both contestants here, Jake and Kaeli. They will be competing in the third round of the DDR competition. Whoever fails or gets the lowest score will be going home tonight. "Are you two ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be." Jake said.
Kaeli nervously nodded. "Yes…I'm ready."
"Alright then, let's get started!" The crowd cheered as Rogin pressed the button, choosing a random song. "Ooh, this one's a little tricky…End of the Century!"
Kaeli groaned. She hated a lot of the steps in End of the Century. It was kind of tough for her, but she had danced to it before. I wonder how Jake feels about the song…She glanced over at Jake and noticed him smiling at the screen. Kaeli raised an eyebrow, then shook her head. I can't be worrying about Jake right now. Wait a minute, no wonder Jake seems so happy… wasn't this one of the songs he said he wanted us to dance to? He said he can get an A on End of the Century! I don't think I can do that!
Rogin pressed the button for the song to start. Kaeli wiped her sweaty palms and slowly started to slightly bounce to the beat of the song. There's no way I can beat Jake. He's really good at this song…But I'll just have to try my best not to look like a fool next to him. The arrows soon flooded the screen, and the dance was on!
End of the century Misery, can it be
Choose who's the boss Suffer a great loss
Man woman child No longer exist
Only the good ones will be missed
Life love cherish it all
Who will be left to conquer?
End of the Century started off fairly simple, but soon it became a swirl of long combos and choppy steps. Kaeli concentrated on the arrows, blocking out the words that the crowd could easily hear. Kaeli was so scared to look over at Jake's side to see how he was doing. She didn't want to get distracted. He's probably hitting all perfects anyway.
The end is coming. Don't start running
There's nowhere to run. Don't grab a gun
All over the land here this roar
No one knows what's in store
Look for star, he's on his way
No one knows what's in store
Love yourself and all around
In a blink of an eye
You won't hear a sound
Your heart is pounding at raided speed
Man will always feel the need for greed
Kaeli kept moving to the song, she could tell she was doing pretty well. Usually Kaeli could hear her opponent's steps and could tell if they were messing up or not, but somehow, subconsciously, her mind wouldn't let her hear Jake. Suddenly, she heard the crowd murmuring. What is going on? I didn't mess up…so maybe…Kaeli then started to hear Jake…first his breathing. He was breathing heavily. Then she heard his steps. They weren't in sync with hers all the time. What is happening?
The sky is falling
Eyes are balling
You had your chance
To make your stance
Love is a must life don't lust
No time to fuss
People start to cuss
Cry out who's going to care
Have no doubt have no fear
Believe in me I'll show you the way
The Feeling - is Amazing
(Ohh boy!) I want you (Come on and Get me!)
Kaeli could tell it was almost over, but she still danced her hardest on the song. Suddenly she saw the screen flashing red...on Jake's side of the screen! She quickly glanced at his bar and noticed it was low. How can he be almost failing? Kaeli heard the crowd murmuring again, this time a little louder.
Some just say the world is changing
Many people will agree
Many changes we are seeing
I just say…
It's the end... It's the end
It's the end of the century
As Kaeli finished up the song, she heard Jake stumbling again. What? Why is he doing this! As the last arrow finally left the screen, Kaeli leaned back on the bar. She wiped her forehead and breathed a deep breath in and out. Her legs were aching and her eyes began to water, knowing that someone was leaving the competition today, and she was afraid of who it was.
Kaeli looked at Jake. He was indifferent to the whole situation, just standing there. She turned to Rogin as he began to speak.
"Well, erm, that was a very interesting dance, wasn't it? Let's find out the scores of these two competitors!" Rogin exclaimed. The scores showed up on the screen. Kaeli, you got a B, and Jake…got a C! This means that Kaeli Abson moves on to the fourth and final round of the National Competition! Congratulations!" The crowd clapped and cheered wildly for Kaeli.
Kaeli smiled weakly, trying to take in everything that just happened. Tears began to fill her eyes, both of happiness for herself and sadness for Jake. She turned back to Jake but when she did, he wasn't there. She looked around anxiously through the crowd but couldn't find him. She was about to search for him when people started crowding around her, asking questions and such. Kaeli was stuck there for about five minutes until she was finally free. She quickly went to the register tables to find out her next opponent.
Kaeli glanced down at the piece of paper handed to her. "India Misabu…" she read out loud. Never heard of her…She looked at the time of the final round. 9:00…that means they're giving me an hour to rest up…
Kaeli quickly stuffed the paper in her pocket. Good, that gives me enough time to find Jake. I don't know why I don't care that I won…all I care about is if Jake's okay…and…why he did it.
Kaeli searched throughout the crowds but to no avail. Knowing Jake, he's probably away from the competition room…She quickly walked around the hotel, and made her way outside. She circled the pool and went out on the patio. Not there either…Kaeli thought hard. Maybe he's packing in his room…Kaeli ran to the elevator and pressed the button for her floor. She got off and turned the knob to open the door. It was locked. She looked underneath the door and saw that the lights were off. I guess he's not here either…Kaeli started to walk away, then stopped. Well, maybe he is in there. She took out her key and quickly unlocked the door.
She stepped into the dark room, closing the door. "Jake?" she called out. "Jake, are you in here?" She reached for the light switch so she could see.
"Don't turn it on." A voice said.
Kaeli lowered her hand and squinted, her eyes slowly becoming adjusted to the light. She looked to where the voice came from and noticed Jake sitting on his bed, his back to her. She walked a little closer, to the opposite side of the bed and stood there. "Jake?" Kaeli said softly, trying to hold back her tears. "You didn't have to do that for me…"
"Kaeli, I had to. It was the only way." Jake said quietly.
"No, it wasn't. We could have competed fair and square, and you would have won for sure."
Jake turned his head slightly. "Kaeli, you should be happy. I did this for you."
Kaeli walked around the bed to Jake, sitting down next to him. "Then why aren't you happy? You said we'd both be happy. But here we are, miserable."
"Well, we'll just have to change that, won't we?" Jake said, turning to Kaeli. He pulled her to him and kissed her gently.
A small smile appeared on Kaeli's face. "When do you have to leave?" Kaeli asked, her face becoming sad again.
Jake leaned in closer to Kaeli, his lips nearly touching hers. "Never…" he whispered, giving Kaeli another kiss, this time more long and passionate than the one before.
"Kaeli, I love you. I just want to make you happy…"
Kaeli smiled again, giving Jake another kiss. She was about to part when Jake held her in closer, so she continued to kiss him. Jake leaned in more, slowly laying her down on the bed. Then he began to caress her body gently.
"Jake," Kaeli said softly. "What're you…"
"Shh…" Jake said, kissing her more. His hands slowly moved to the bottom of Kaeli's shirt, and he began to take it off. Kaeli blushed, pushing his hands away and straightening up a bit. "What're you doing, Jake?"
"I'm just trying to make us happy, Kae. Don't you want to be happy?" Jake asked.
"Well, yes, but…not like this…" Kaeli said.
"C'mon, it's okay." Jake said, grabbing Kaeli's waist.
"No!" Kaeli said, moving away from him a little bit. "You know I'm not that kind of girl."
"Yes you are. You know you want me." Jake said, moving closer to Kaeli again.
Kaeli furrowed her brows. "What! What're you thinking? We can't do this!"
"Yes, we can." Jake said, he leaned onto Kaeli, kissing her neck.
"Ugh, stop it!" Kaeli exclaimed. She pushed Jake away and before she knew it she had slapped him across the face. Kaeli sat there, stunned at what she had just done.
Jake seemed surprised too. "What'd you do that for!" he said angrily.
"I told you, I don't want to do this!" Kaeli said, a little nervous.
"Why do you think I threw the match!"
"What?" Kaeli asked, her eyes widening in shock and confusion.
"There I go, losing on purpose for you, and this is how you repay me?" Jake said harshly.
Tears began to form in Kaeli's eyes. "How dare you…"
"Kaeli, I let you win. Doing what I want now is the least you could do."
Kaeli began to cry more. "How can you say that!" She buried her face in her hands.
"C'mon Kae, just do it. Look at what I've done for you." Jake said, putting his arm on Kaeli's shoulder. She pushed it away.
"You didn't do it for me, Jake." She said, standing up. "You did it for yourself."
"No, that's not it. I love you." Jake said, moving closer to Kaeli.
"No! I hate you, Jake!" Kaeli yelled, running out of the room, her vision clouded by her tears.
Kaeli truly didn't know what to say. Her stomach felt like there were butterflies but it also felt like she was going to be sick.
"I love you…Jake…"
"I hate you!"