Love Just Is
By Christine Lennoire
Chapter Two: "The Anonymous Paper"
Kari woke up with a start. Her alarm clock had been beeping for the last fifteen minutes! "Kari! Kari are you up yet?!" Tai shouted groggily. "Would you turn that damn thing off?" he groaned. She reached over and hit the button to turn it off. "Thanks!" Tai shouted back.
"I overslept!" She wailed, petrified. She jumped out of bed and ran to her closet. She grabbed out her clothes and dashed to the bathroom. "Get up, Tai! Why don't you do your biology homework for once?!" she shouted, knocking on his door loudly.
"How did you know about that?" Tai shouted, bewildered. He poked his head out of his room. "Did I tell you about that at all last night?" he asked, scratching his head. "I'm pretty sure I didn't!" he said, frowning. "Do you have some kind of secret I don't know about?"
"What? Like super powers or something?" she laughed. "No. But I've spoken to Ms. Yuma. I think she said something to the effect of... 'If Tai did his homework on time, I think I'd have a heart attack'" Kari laughed out loud. Tai snorted.
"Aw, what does she know anyway!?" he smirked. He gave up on sleeping. He grabbed his pants and his green jacket, putting them on slowly. He yawned. "You know. I might just do that! My biology homework, that is. I just want to see the look on Ms. Yuma's face." He cracked.
Kari smiled. She had actually got him to do something he didn't want to! Her brother was so... unpredictable. She would have loved to see the look on Ms. Yuma's face. She put on a peach button-on shirt, and a pair of khaki pants.
"Tai?" she shouted out to him. "What time is it now?" she said, while putting on her socks. She started brushing her hair thoroughly. Tai grunted. He looked up from his biology book to look up at the clock, a black and white cat clock with a swishing pendulum tail.
"It's 6:45." He shouted. Normally, he would be getting up at this time. He groaned. He finished up his biology homework. Then, he threw it into his backpack. "You better hurry up!" he laughed. "Or I will leave with out you!" he said, putting on his winter coat and boots.
"Wait up! I'm coming!" she shouted!" she shouted, grapping her white and pink sneakers. "I'm just about ready." She said. She pulled on her sneakers. "I just need to get my backpack!" she said, running into the living room and grabbing it. "Ok! Thanks! I'm ready! Let's go!"
"Good, because I promised we'd meet up with Matt and Sora." Kari winced. She knew that seeing Matt and Sora together still hurt him. Yet, he had managed to put it behind him. They were still very close. She smiled. He was so strong, and yet he was so caring!
"Okay!" she said. They stepped outside. The air was cold, but the sun was out. But it wasn't warming. "I can't wait till it snows." Kari smiled. She hated the time when it was really cold, but there was no snow. It was no fun! She smirked. Snow was fun.
"Yeah." Tai smiled broadly. "Dad said he'll take us skiing during the winter break" Tai said, boldly. "It's going to be great! I've been skiing once before, but I remember how. But that's when you were little! I can teach you." He said, shrugging. "You'd like it. You'd probably be good at it. You're graceful."
"Who's all going? Is it just us, or can we bring friends?" Kari asked excitedly. She knew who she would ask if she could. Tk loved skiing. He would love a trip like that! He told her all about it once. His mom had taken him once. He said he loved it. Tk said she would like it, too!
"Yeah. Dad said that if we want, we could each invite two friends!" Tai replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I asked Matt and Sora if they wanted to go. Sora said yes right away. You know she loves a challenge. But Matt said that the only way he'll go is if Tk can to. I told him not to worry. I figured you'd ask Tk to go."
"Yeah, but who else can I invite?" Kari asked, frowning. "Mimi's going to Hawaii again. Izzy's going to a computer camp. Joe's going to be hard at work in Doctrine school, and you've already invited Matt and Sora!" she said. She didn't know what to do.
"What about Yolie or Cody? Or you could ask Ken!" Tai suggested. He tried to think up of all the names he could. But when he got to Davis's name, he stopped. He didn't know how she would react to such a suggestion. He didn't know how Tk would react either, to a week and a half with him.
"If I asked Yolie or Cody to go, you know that the other one would get jealous! I don't want to make either one of them feel bad. And Ken is spending some much needed and deserved quality time with his family." She said. Tai shrugged.
"What about Davis?" Tai asked cautiously, but he couldn't help but grin. "Sure he's a royal pain, but he's a friend and a good one at that!" he snickered. Davis would go wild if she asked him. He would so let it go to his head. He would be so happy! He would be ecstatic, even! Tai laughed.
"Yeah, I know. I guess I will ask him. It's not that I don't want to ask him! Don't get me wrong. But, with him and Tk spending that kind of time together, it might get ugly. And this was supposed to be a 'nice' vacation. The last thing we need is fighting." She said.
"I have a feeling that they can work this out." Tai grinned. "I don't know. Call it a hunch." He shrugged. "Look! There's Matt! And Sora's with him!" Tai smiled, waving casually at the two friends waiting for them down the street. Sora smiled and waved back. Matt just yawned and grinned lazily.
"Hey guys! Nice out isn't it!" Sora smiled, running up to meet with Tai and Kari. "Well, not nice but... oh, you know what I mean!" she scowled. Tai laughed. She was always getting her tongue tied. Kari smacked Tai playfully.
"Yeah." Matt said, yawning again. He stretched himself out. "Perfect. But we better keep walking. Our teachers won't be as pleased if we show up late!" He grinned. Tai nodded. They kept walking in silence. Finally, Matt spoke up.
"Hey, guys. I can't come home with you guys. I have to stay after school a little. You guys shouldn't wait up. It'll be a while before I leave anyway." He shrugged casually. He ran one hair through his perfectly combed hair. "I have something to take care of." He smiled.
"What's up?" Sora asked, looking at him. "I can't imagine you with detention." She looked concerned. "What happened?" He laughed, like it was not heard of. Tai and Kari exchanged glances. "Tell me!"
"I just have to stay with the band. The school's letting the band use the stage for practice. We have a few new numbers to practice and some old ones to work on before the big concert next week." He smiled. "We need all the practice we can get!"
"Ooh! Can we stay and listen?" Kari asked. Matt smiled. "Aww come on! We're your friends! Can't you make an exception just this once? I love listening to your band!" she grinned from ear to ear.
"Sure. If you want. But you better warn your parents so they don't worry." Kari and Tai nodded. Sora smiled. "The band won't mind. They like practicing and showing off in front of any audience!" he laughed.
"So, see you all after school in the auditorium?" Sora asked. Everyone nodded. "See ya!" she smiled. They all went their separate ways, towards their lockers and their first class.
Kari went to her locker and put her backpack in it. She pulled out her pink binder and her essay paper. "This is it. Time for English!" she smiled. She made her way to Mrs. Yasuhiko's classroom. She was the first one there, so she just took her seat and waited.
"Hey Kari!" Tk greeted her as he walked in. He sat down next to her. "Are you ready to read your essay? Don't be intimidated. Especially by mine!" he joked, punching her playfully. They laughed good-heartedly.
"Oh, don't worry about me." She said, as Mrs. Yasuhiko walked in. "Save it for someone who needs it." She smiled. He shrugged and laughed. Mrs. Yasuhiko waved her hands, quieting her students.
"Ok, calm down class! BE QUIET!" she shouted. Everyone went silent. "Now, you all know that your essays are due today. So, now the important question is, is there anyone who doesn't have it done?" No one raised their hands. "Good! Very good! Now, we will all read them. But, we're going to do it with a twist, just in case we have a few who are... self-conscious about people knowing and hearing what they wrote."
She smiled. "Now, pass them all forward. I'm going to take your titles and put them down here on my sheet next to your name. Then, I'm going to white out your name on the paper and pass them back out so that everyone has a different paper. Then, you will read the one you get. Nobody has to know which one is yours. Later, I'll submit your papers to the contest, and when I do, I'll put your names back on."
"Yes, Mrs. Yasuhiko." Everyone said in unison. Kari frowned. She had hoped that she would be able to read hers to everyone. They would have loved it! Now they would love it, but they wouldn't even know it was hers! She shrugged. At least it would still be hers for the competition!
It took Mrs. Yasuhiko only five minutes to jot it all down, then she passed them all out again. Then, one by one, they all read the paper they got. Kari didn't read the one she got until she was called on. But what she read chilled her and touched her.
"The title of this essay is: Love Just Is." She said. "Love is so special; you can not put it into words. It is everything your heart feels for a person. It is all the emotion you can pour into your soul. It is magic, and it is powerful, like music. It is the most emotional feeling you can have. Love just is."
"Love is nothing more, and it is no less. You can not put words to it, and you can not degrade it. It is the strongest, but if it's not true, it can destroy. Love just is what it is. It is love: the emotion of the heart. The feeling of caring for someone so much, that they are everything. Love, it is everything, once you find it."
"If you find love, it is all you'll ever need, and there are no special traits that can be put to love. For every one person there is another person meant to be by them. Each person will ask for something different. Each person wants something different. But if you asked me, there is only one thing I need them to be..."
"I need a person who loves me. I don't want to be hurt, so the love must be there. But if the love is there, I could ask for nothing more. I could not care what they dress like, what they look like or how they act, as long as they love me. Love just is."
"You don't need to question it. There is no need to ask why. If you find it, cherish it. And don't let it pass you by. But if you think you found that someone and they don't seem to know. Stick by them, because if love is true, love will find a way. It doesn't matter. Love just is..."
Kari was nearly in tears by the time she finished. Suddenly, she had a change in heart. She wanted so badly to know who wrote that paper. But she didn't notice the one boy who was staring at her behind her back. He just grinned, but when she looked, he hid his head behind the paper he got...
By Christine Lennoire
Chapter Two: "The Anonymous Paper"
Kari woke up with a start. Her alarm clock had been beeping for the last fifteen minutes! "Kari! Kari are you up yet?!" Tai shouted groggily. "Would you turn that damn thing off?" he groaned. She reached over and hit the button to turn it off. "Thanks!" Tai shouted back.
"I overslept!" She wailed, petrified. She jumped out of bed and ran to her closet. She grabbed out her clothes and dashed to the bathroom. "Get up, Tai! Why don't you do your biology homework for once?!" she shouted, knocking on his door loudly.
"How did you know about that?" Tai shouted, bewildered. He poked his head out of his room. "Did I tell you about that at all last night?" he asked, scratching his head. "I'm pretty sure I didn't!" he said, frowning. "Do you have some kind of secret I don't know about?"
"What? Like super powers or something?" she laughed. "No. But I've spoken to Ms. Yuma. I think she said something to the effect of... 'If Tai did his homework on time, I think I'd have a heart attack'" Kari laughed out loud. Tai snorted.
"Aw, what does she know anyway!?" he smirked. He gave up on sleeping. He grabbed his pants and his green jacket, putting them on slowly. He yawned. "You know. I might just do that! My biology homework, that is. I just want to see the look on Ms. Yuma's face." He cracked.
Kari smiled. She had actually got him to do something he didn't want to! Her brother was so... unpredictable. She would have loved to see the look on Ms. Yuma's face. She put on a peach button-on shirt, and a pair of khaki pants.
"Tai?" she shouted out to him. "What time is it now?" she said, while putting on her socks. She started brushing her hair thoroughly. Tai grunted. He looked up from his biology book to look up at the clock, a black and white cat clock with a swishing pendulum tail.
"It's 6:45." He shouted. Normally, he would be getting up at this time. He groaned. He finished up his biology homework. Then, he threw it into his backpack. "You better hurry up!" he laughed. "Or I will leave with out you!" he said, putting on his winter coat and boots.
"Wait up! I'm coming!" she shouted!" she shouted, grapping her white and pink sneakers. "I'm just about ready." She said. She pulled on her sneakers. "I just need to get my backpack!" she said, running into the living room and grabbing it. "Ok! Thanks! I'm ready! Let's go!"
"Good, because I promised we'd meet up with Matt and Sora." Kari winced. She knew that seeing Matt and Sora together still hurt him. Yet, he had managed to put it behind him. They were still very close. She smiled. He was so strong, and yet he was so caring!
"Okay!" she said. They stepped outside. The air was cold, but the sun was out. But it wasn't warming. "I can't wait till it snows." Kari smiled. She hated the time when it was really cold, but there was no snow. It was no fun! She smirked. Snow was fun.
"Yeah." Tai smiled broadly. "Dad said he'll take us skiing during the winter break" Tai said, boldly. "It's going to be great! I've been skiing once before, but I remember how. But that's when you were little! I can teach you." He said, shrugging. "You'd like it. You'd probably be good at it. You're graceful."
"Who's all going? Is it just us, or can we bring friends?" Kari asked excitedly. She knew who she would ask if she could. Tk loved skiing. He would love a trip like that! He told her all about it once. His mom had taken him once. He said he loved it. Tk said she would like it, too!
"Yeah. Dad said that if we want, we could each invite two friends!" Tai replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I asked Matt and Sora if they wanted to go. Sora said yes right away. You know she loves a challenge. But Matt said that the only way he'll go is if Tk can to. I told him not to worry. I figured you'd ask Tk to go."
"Yeah, but who else can I invite?" Kari asked, frowning. "Mimi's going to Hawaii again. Izzy's going to a computer camp. Joe's going to be hard at work in Doctrine school, and you've already invited Matt and Sora!" she said. She didn't know what to do.
"What about Yolie or Cody? Or you could ask Ken!" Tai suggested. He tried to think up of all the names he could. But when he got to Davis's name, he stopped. He didn't know how she would react to such a suggestion. He didn't know how Tk would react either, to a week and a half with him.
"If I asked Yolie or Cody to go, you know that the other one would get jealous! I don't want to make either one of them feel bad. And Ken is spending some much needed and deserved quality time with his family." She said. Tai shrugged.
"What about Davis?" Tai asked cautiously, but he couldn't help but grin. "Sure he's a royal pain, but he's a friend and a good one at that!" he snickered. Davis would go wild if she asked him. He would so let it go to his head. He would be so happy! He would be ecstatic, even! Tai laughed.
"Yeah, I know. I guess I will ask him. It's not that I don't want to ask him! Don't get me wrong. But, with him and Tk spending that kind of time together, it might get ugly. And this was supposed to be a 'nice' vacation. The last thing we need is fighting." She said.
"I have a feeling that they can work this out." Tai grinned. "I don't know. Call it a hunch." He shrugged. "Look! There's Matt! And Sora's with him!" Tai smiled, waving casually at the two friends waiting for them down the street. Sora smiled and waved back. Matt just yawned and grinned lazily.
"Hey guys! Nice out isn't it!" Sora smiled, running up to meet with Tai and Kari. "Well, not nice but... oh, you know what I mean!" she scowled. Tai laughed. She was always getting her tongue tied. Kari smacked Tai playfully.
"Yeah." Matt said, yawning again. He stretched himself out. "Perfect. But we better keep walking. Our teachers won't be as pleased if we show up late!" He grinned. Tai nodded. They kept walking in silence. Finally, Matt spoke up.
"Hey, guys. I can't come home with you guys. I have to stay after school a little. You guys shouldn't wait up. It'll be a while before I leave anyway." He shrugged casually. He ran one hair through his perfectly combed hair. "I have something to take care of." He smiled.
"What's up?" Sora asked, looking at him. "I can't imagine you with detention." She looked concerned. "What happened?" He laughed, like it was not heard of. Tai and Kari exchanged glances. "Tell me!"
"I just have to stay with the band. The school's letting the band use the stage for practice. We have a few new numbers to practice and some old ones to work on before the big concert next week." He smiled. "We need all the practice we can get!"
"Ooh! Can we stay and listen?" Kari asked. Matt smiled. "Aww come on! We're your friends! Can't you make an exception just this once? I love listening to your band!" she grinned from ear to ear.
"Sure. If you want. But you better warn your parents so they don't worry." Kari and Tai nodded. Sora smiled. "The band won't mind. They like practicing and showing off in front of any audience!" he laughed.
"So, see you all after school in the auditorium?" Sora asked. Everyone nodded. "See ya!" she smiled. They all went their separate ways, towards their lockers and their first class.
Kari went to her locker and put her backpack in it. She pulled out her pink binder and her essay paper. "This is it. Time for English!" she smiled. She made her way to Mrs. Yasuhiko's classroom. She was the first one there, so she just took her seat and waited.
"Hey Kari!" Tk greeted her as he walked in. He sat down next to her. "Are you ready to read your essay? Don't be intimidated. Especially by mine!" he joked, punching her playfully. They laughed good-heartedly.
"Oh, don't worry about me." She said, as Mrs. Yasuhiko walked in. "Save it for someone who needs it." She smiled. He shrugged and laughed. Mrs. Yasuhiko waved her hands, quieting her students.
"Ok, calm down class! BE QUIET!" she shouted. Everyone went silent. "Now, you all know that your essays are due today. So, now the important question is, is there anyone who doesn't have it done?" No one raised their hands. "Good! Very good! Now, we will all read them. But, we're going to do it with a twist, just in case we have a few who are... self-conscious about people knowing and hearing what they wrote."
She smiled. "Now, pass them all forward. I'm going to take your titles and put them down here on my sheet next to your name. Then, I'm going to white out your name on the paper and pass them back out so that everyone has a different paper. Then, you will read the one you get. Nobody has to know which one is yours. Later, I'll submit your papers to the contest, and when I do, I'll put your names back on."
"Yes, Mrs. Yasuhiko." Everyone said in unison. Kari frowned. She had hoped that she would be able to read hers to everyone. They would have loved it! Now they would love it, but they wouldn't even know it was hers! She shrugged. At least it would still be hers for the competition!
It took Mrs. Yasuhiko only five minutes to jot it all down, then she passed them all out again. Then, one by one, they all read the paper they got. Kari didn't read the one she got until she was called on. But what she read chilled her and touched her.
"The title of this essay is: Love Just Is." She said. "Love is so special; you can not put it into words. It is everything your heart feels for a person. It is all the emotion you can pour into your soul. It is magic, and it is powerful, like music. It is the most emotional feeling you can have. Love just is."
"Love is nothing more, and it is no less. You can not put words to it, and you can not degrade it. It is the strongest, but if it's not true, it can destroy. Love just is what it is. It is love: the emotion of the heart. The feeling of caring for someone so much, that they are everything. Love, it is everything, once you find it."
"If you find love, it is all you'll ever need, and there are no special traits that can be put to love. For every one person there is another person meant to be by them. Each person will ask for something different. Each person wants something different. But if you asked me, there is only one thing I need them to be..."
"I need a person who loves me. I don't want to be hurt, so the love must be there. But if the love is there, I could ask for nothing more. I could not care what they dress like, what they look like or how they act, as long as they love me. Love just is."
"You don't need to question it. There is no need to ask why. If you find it, cherish it. And don't let it pass you by. But if you think you found that someone and they don't seem to know. Stick by them, because if love is true, love will find a way. It doesn't matter. Love just is..."
Kari was nearly in tears by the time she finished. Suddenly, she had a change in heart. She wanted so badly to know who wrote that paper. But she didn't notice the one boy who was staring at her behind her back. He just grinned, but when she looked, he hid his head behind the paper he got...