Earlier that week, Kari's classmates had become obsessed over their school dance taking place this Saturday night. Yolei found Kari in the hallway on Wednesday and ran up to her, chatting ceaselessly about her and Ken's plans for the dance. It hadn't been a shock when he asked her, in fact, Yolei was probably the only one who was surprised (even though Kari suspected that she had already known as well).
"So Kari," Yolei began mischievously, after she finally stopped for a breath, "have you decided on who you're going to go with yet?" she asked, very casually for this important a question.
"Decided on? Like I could just pick any random guy in the school and he would want to go with me?" said Kari sarcastically.
"Well, actually Kari, you probably could," said Yolei. "Just look at how many guys have already asked you. Hey, I know! You could try and set a world record! What's the current status on how many times you've been asked?"
"Uh…well…if you really think I could set a record," Kari laughed with Yolei, "I've been asked thirty-nine times by twenty-five different guys. The difference comes from Davis- he's asked me twelve times," she recited disinterestedly.
"You've turned down twenty-five guys? What was wrong with them?" Kari had to admit that Yolei looked kind of shocked.
"Yolei there was nothing wrong with them…" Kari tried to say but was cut off.
Yolei smiled her impish grin again and said, "Oh, I think I know what's going on. You haven't said yes because you've got your eye on someone in particular."
Yolei took Kari's flushed face as a confirmation and quickly added, "Kari! That's so great! Who's the lucky guy?"
"Yolei," Kari looked suddenly serious and pulled her into an empty doorway. "Yolei please don't say anything about this to anyone, okay?"
"But Kari, as soon as you have a date people will start leaving you alone about it. Just ask him, you have like a ninety-nine percent chance that he'll say yes."
"I can't Yolei, you don't understand. It's complicated."
Yolei arched her eyebrows, "Alright Kari," she said, "I won't say anything, but I'm not making any promises."
"Yolei!" began Kari, but she intruded before Kari could say anything more.
"Geez Kari, I'm just kidding, I won't say anything. That is, as long as your 'mystery man' isn't Ken."
Kari laughed and they walked on to their next class.
All day Kari felt uneasy as she watched Yolei, who sat in front of her in class, stare off into space. Kari knew that she was filing through her amazing knowledge of all the single guys in school; trying to figure out which one Kari had a crush on.
Yolei kept her word and made it to lunch without bringing up the "mystery man" subject. They sat across from each other, Yolei once again talking mindlessly about her and Ken's plans for Saturday, when Davis and T.K. approached, carrying their lunch on plastic trays. T.K. looked like he was holding back laughter, and one look at Davis explained it all. Davis slammed his tray down next to Kari, grabbed a fistful of napkins, and began viciously scrubbing the remains of food from his soccer jersey. While T.K. was politely keeping down peals of laughter, Yolei could not contain it. And after Yolei let go, Kari and T.K. had no choice but to laugh with her.
"Guys!" yelled Davis, "I have a game today! I can't play with a stained jersey!"
"Chill out Davis, my uncle sells cleaning products and he gives me free samples," said Yolei. She handed him a brightly colored cloth which he immediately swiped from Yolei, tossing the napkins in Kari's direction.
"Oh thanks Davis, we always wanted your dirty napkins," T.K. said sarcastically. Kari giggled and Davis fixed his attention back on Kari.
"I'm sorry Kari," he said as he gathered up the stray napkins, "which reminds me; I know that you don't have a date yet for the dance so how about I pick you up at six?"
"Davis, I'm sorry," replied Kari, "but I'm not going to the dance with you."
Yolei laughed very mockingly, "I guess that makes thirteen for Davis, thirteen rejections for Davis."
"Wow, thirteen," said T.K., "But I bet it'll take twenty-seven before he gets the hint."
"Hey, this is none of your business T.C., but at least I'm brave enough to ask someone."
"You really haven't asked anyone?" said Yolei, immediately concerned. "But I'm sure there's lots of girls who want you to ask them, right?"
"I…uh…well, yeah, I guess I've been asked, but…uh…I'm not so sure that I'm going to go yet," T.K. stammered. Yolei watched him intently and didn't miss his eyes flicker across the table to Kari, who was being unusually quiet. Davis brought up his upcoming game, but Yolei was watching Kari, who had her head bent low over her tray, eating faster than Davis, which was saying something. Suddenly, it clicked for Yolei, who gasped causing Kari to incline her head enough to shoot her a waning glare.
Kari's glare, however, didn't stop Yolei from tracking her down in the hallway before her last class and dragging her into the computer lab.
"Kari we need to talk," Yolei stated.
"In the lab?" asked Kari curiously.
"Yeah, whatever, I just didn't think that you wanted anyone to hear what we're talking about."
"I'm sorry Yolei, but what are we talking about?"
"It's T.K.!" she exclaimed.
"What's T.K.?"
"Oh don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about," she said, pointing her finger in Kari's face. "I know that he's the one you want to go with, so why don't you ask him?"
"Because…I don't know, there's a lot of reasons I guess," said Kari, staring down at the shining linoleum.
"Well, let's hear them. I've got time," said Yolei as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"But Yolei, class starts in five minutes," but her fierce look made her keep going, "well, for one, T.K. and I have always been friends and I don't want to mess that up. Secondly, well…you heard what he said at lunch- he doesn't even know if he's going on Saturday."
"I've told you already Kari, I promise he'll want to go with you, you have like a ninety-nine percent-"
"chance that he'll say yes," finished Kari, "But Yolei you're wrong this time. So what if I'm popular, or a cheerleader, or attractive. None of that stuff matters to T.K." Yolei could see tears beginning to form in Kari's eyes, a very rare sight.
"Kari don't worry about it, the only things that matter to T.K. are the things that you have. That may not have made much sense, but trust me on this one: you two are perfect for each other."
Kari wiped her eyes and they took off running for their last class to get there before the bell rang.
Little did Kari know, however, that she wasn't the only one Yolei had been sneaking conversations with. Later that day, Yolei caught up with T.K. after basketball practice.
"Hey Yolei," he said as she raced up to him. "Were you at the soccer game? How'd it go?"
"Oh, it's not over yet, and Davis's team is winning by five. But hey, I really wanted to talk to you."
"Oh, okay, that's cool, but do you mind if we walk while we talk, I have to get home."
"Yeah sure, it's no problem. Look T.K., it's about Kari. I'm worried about her."
T.K. stopped walking, a serious expression on his handsome face, "What's wrong? Is she okay?"
"I'm not sure…" Yolei began, "it's just…I don't know if you've noticed, but she's been acting very strange lately."
T.K thought for a second and then said, "Well, now that you mention it, she has been a little quiet lately, but I didn't think it was anything major."
"Yeah, but besides that, I think this whole dance thing has really gotten to her," said Yolei.
T.K. looked sort of confused, "What do you mean?" he asked.
"She told me today that she's had about thirty-some different guys ask her to the dance and she's said no to every one of them."
This time T.K. smiled, "Yolei, I don't think that's a problem, maybe she just doesn't want to go."
"Yeah, maybe you're right," said Yolei, "but still, it seems so unlike her. Back to my point, Kari is a very unique person, yet I've always kind of pitied her. Davis is constantly hanging on her and she's always to good to tell him to back off or to leave her alone. And I guess she has been polite in her rejections but it still seems very un-Kari-ish."
She waited for T.K. to say something and when he didn't she carried on, changing the subject, "so you're really not going to the dance?"
"I haven't decided," he answered.
"Well I guess that means that you haven't asked Kari to go with you yet?"
"What do you mean by 'yet'? Or had you assumed that I was already one of the thirty-some guys that's been rejected?"
"So you haven't asked her?"
"No, Yolei, I haven't," he replied, obviously getting aggravated with this conversation.
"Good," she said. "You see, today I came to a conclusion about Kari's behavior and I knew I had to tell you before anyone. What I think is this- the reason that Kari is rejecting so many guys is because the one that she wants to ask her hasn't decided if he wants to go to the dance yet."
With that she turned around and started walking back in the direction they had come. T.K. was still standing where she had left him when she yelled, "Think about what I've said!" before turning the corner.