Keeper of Friendship: Chapter Two
by: Sweet Cari
Later the next day, T.K. continued to struggle with his guilt. He kept fidgeting during school, and his friends were getting worried, especially Kari.
After school was over, T.K. told his mother that he was going outside for a walk around the city.
Ms. Takaishi told T.K. not to stay out too long, or she would get worried about him.
As T.K. began his stroll, he went past a park and saw some kids playing with their parents watching them.
T.K. hadn't gotten too far from the park when a soccer ball rolled up to his feet.
When T.K. picked up the ball, he heard somebody say, "Hey, T.K.! Throw us the ball!"
T.K. turned around and saw that it was Tai and Kari, running up to him.
"What brings you guys out here?" asked T.K. as he handed the ball to Tai.
"I'm just practicing my soccer skills for a big match coming up next week." explained Tai.
"And I'm helping him practice." added Kari, brushing her hair back out of her face, "So, T.K., what've you been up to? Want to play with us?"
"I don't think so, Kari. I was just taking a stroll..." T.K. paused for a moment, and then he thought about his own brother, "to get my mind off something," he finished, looking down at the ground, trying to hide his pain.
Tai and Kari noticed T.K.'s sudden depression as they watched him walk slowly to a bench and sit there, covering his face with his hands.
Kari began walking up to T.K., with her brother lagging behind, and asked, "T.K., is something bothering you? You know you can always tell my brother and me what's wrong."
T.K. looked up at Kari and knew that she was right. He was always there for her, whenever she was in trouble, just like she would be there for him.
"All right, it's Matt being in the hospital that's bugging me."
"You shouldn't worry about that, T.K.," said Tai, holding the soccer ball in his hand, "I think Matt will get out of the hospital before you know it."
"No, Tai, you don't get it!" T.K. shouted, nearly getting out of his seat, "It's that Matt almost died once because of me!"
Tai flinched and backed away a little bit and repeated a part of T.K.'s sentence.
"Matt almost died... because of you! What are you saying, T.K.!"
Slowly, T.K. told them what had happened...
"It happened when I was five years old and he was eight. Matt stayed home from school one day because he had a high grade fever, but the only thing I could think about while walking home from kindergarten was going outside and playing games.
"After I got inside our apartment, Matt told me that I shouldn't go outside by myself and that he should go with me. I knew he was sick and told him that he should stay inside until he felt better.
"But Matt insisted that he was okay, even though I kept telling him that he should stay here with our mom. He said that I'd get in trouble if I went alone. I knew that. So we both snuck outside without our mom knowing.
"Once we were outside in a nearby park, I realized that I forgot a ball that we were supposed to bring with us. I told Matt to wait out there until I got it back from our apartment.
"I really wasn't gone that long! Really, I wasn't! But when I came back with our ball... I saw that Matt had collapsed while I was gone.
"I had never been so scared before in my life, just seeing my older brother lying on the ground, like a limp rag doll.
"Terrified for Matt's life, I ran back to our apartment to tell our mom what had happened. She called an ambulance to get Matt to the hospital and called our dad as well.
"While Mom and I were waiting in the waiting room, our dad came running in and telling us what a bad condition Matt was in.
"Thinking that it was our mother's fault, he started to blame her for letting Matt out.
But she told him that Matt had gone out on his own and started to break down.
"Matt ended up with a fever of 103.6, he almost didn't make it.
"Even though our parents didn't blame me, I felt like... somehow it was my fault.
"Because a few months later...our parents got their divorce."
When T.K. finished his story, Tai and Kari were both shocked and surprised by what he had told them.
In an effort to comfort T.K., whose eyes were slowly welling up with tears, Kari put her hand on his shoulder and told him,
"It's not your fault that it happened, T.K., Matt was just looking out for you."
"Yeah," Tai added, "you know how protective Matt was of you back then." Tai was thinking of his experience with Kari years before, and put on a smile for his friend.
"Besides," said Kari, "I don't like seeing you like this, T.K."
After she said this, she slowly moved her hand up to T.K.'s cheek and brushed some of the tears off.
"Matt will get better, T.K.," Kari said, smiling sweetly, "that I'm sure of."
-The End