Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
A/N: This will be my last update until the new year because I'm so busy, but I'll get back to writing as soon as I can. Thanks! Oh, and please review!
My Best Friend's Girlfriend
Chapter 15: Another Twist of Fate
Mimi Tachikawa
Mimi quickly hurried down the hallway, glancing anxiously over her shoulder.
If Sora catches up with me, she's going to know right away that I'm hiding something. What am I going to do? I can't tell her about Tai. If he finds out that I was eavesdropping on him and Kari, he'll never speak to me again!
She had left Tai's house immediately after he had ended up confessing his love for Sora. After all, she had not wanted Kari to suddenly open the door and see her standing there.
What am I going to do? Sora's my best friend. She deserves to know about the fact that Tai's in love with her.
Unfortunately Tai was her friend, as well, and he had every right to keep his feelings a secret.
It doesn't matter what I do. Either way I'm going to end up hurting someone, and I've already hurt Matt! How did life get to be so complicated?
She could not betray Tai by telling Sora his secret, but she could not bring herself to hurt Sora either.
I'm starting to think that true love is a lot more trouble than it's worth!
She quickly turned a corner, heading towards her locker, and she promptly ran into Matt. The blond managed to grab onto her arm, and she quickly leaned against a row of lockers to stop herself from falling flat on her face.
"Matt," she whispered, staring up at him with wide frightened eyes.
Her heart skipped a beat as she stared into his clear blue eyes, and it took all of her self-control not to blurt out the fact that Tai had fallen in love with Sora.
Matt stared silently back at her, and she could tell from the icy look in his eyes that he was not about to forgive her for keeping secrets from him anytime soon.
Matt Ishida
Matt gazed into Mimi's eyes for a moment, and he felt a sudden stab of pain in his heart.
I only just managed to get away from Tai and Sora less than a minute ago! The last thing I need right now is a conversation with Mimi!
"Hi, Matt," she said softly, giving him a hesitant smile.
"Excuse me, but I have to get to class," he mumbled, avoiding her eyes.
He was about to start off down the hallway again, but Mimi suddenly flung her arms around him and promptly burst into tears. Several students stared at him and Mimi as they walked by, and Matt felt his face turn pink with embarrassment.
"Mimi, will you quit it?" he whispered, trying his best not to be overheard. "Everybody's watching us!"
"I don't care!" Mimi wailed, hiding her face against his chest. "I'm so sorry, Matt. I never meant to hurt you. You have to believe me!"
Matt shook his head and let out a sigh.
Mimi might be drop-dead gorgeous, but that doesn't change the fact that she's totally out of her mind!
"Come on," he muttered, taking her hand and pulling her into an empty science room. He did not really feel like talking to her, but it was the only way to stop her from embarrassing him in front of the whole school.
"Matt, you have to believe me," she whispered softly in his ear. "I never wanted to make you feel as if you can't trust me. You're my friend, and I care about you. The only reason I kept Tai's behaviour a secret from you is because I didn't want you to be angry at him!"
He let out a deep sigh and gently wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug. Mimi was one of his best friends, but that did not stop him from feeling a little bit awkward. After all, Sora was his girlfriend, and she was the only girl that he had hugged ever since the day that they had started dating.
Well, I guess that's not entirely true. Mimi did hug me yesterday, as well.
He knew that Sora would not mind because Mimi was her best friend, but that did not stop him from feeling a little bit guilty.
It's not like I'm hugging Jun or anything, so why do I feel like I've done something wrong?
"Matt," Mimi whispered, looking up and gazing into his eyes. "Is something wrong?"
"No," he mumbled, avoiding her eyes. "I should really get-"
Mimi suddenly placed her warm fingers against the side of his face, and he found himself at a loss for words. His heart was pounding a little faster than usual, and he was finding it difficult to concentrate on what she was saying.
"Matt, listen to me," she said quietly, leaning forward and resting her forehead against his. "Tai's your best friend, and he cares about you a lot. You're one of the most important people in the world to him. Why else would he have gone to so much trouble to be friends with you? I know he would never do anything to hurt you. In fact, that's the problem."
Matt gazed deeply into her tear filled eyes and frowned. The only reason he was going to Tai's apartment that afternoon was because he wanted to figure out what was wrong with his best friend. Somehow he was going to have to get Tai to tell him what was wrong without revealing the fact that he was extremely upset about what was going on. He did not want Tai to take advantage of his emotions, and he was not about to let his best friend have a glimpse of what was left of his soul. His heart had been shattered into a million pieces, and it was going to take some time to pick up all the shards and glue them back together again.
He had almost revealed his feelings to Tai earlier that morning, and he was not about to make the same mistake again. That was why he had cancelled his date with Sora. She had hurt him deeply, and he was not yet ready to face her again. She had kept a very important secret from him, and it was going to be a long time before he could really trust her again. He could not deny the fact that Mimi had lied to him, as well, but Sora was his girlfriend, and that made her actions seem much more serious.
It also had something to do with the fact that Mimi had been given The Crest of Sincerity. When she had said that she was sorry, he knew that she had meant it, and that was why he was finding it difficult to stay mad at her.
His best friend was a different story. He did not even want to think about what Tai had done to him.
That doesn't change the fact that I still want to know why he lied to me. I have to know. Our friendship depends on it.
Mimi's words suddenly came back to him, and his eyes widened in shock.
"Mimi!" he gasped, pulling back and staring directly into her eyes. "Do you know what's wrong with Tai?"
Mimi leaned against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Yes, I do," she said softly.
"Tell me," he whispered into her rosy coloured hair. His head was spinning so fast that he could barely think straight, and he felt as if his heart was going to explode.
How did she find out? Did Tai tell her?
"Please, Mimi. I have to know," he said quietly.
I'm not looking forward to going to Tai's apartment this afternoon, and now I might not have to!
Mimi wrapped her arms around his neck and gently kissed his cheek. "I can't tell you. I've hurt too many people already, and it wouldn't be fair to Tai if I gave away his secrets."
"How did you find out?" he asked, feeling confused.
"Um...it was sort of an accident," she mumbled, looking a little guilty. "Listen, Matt. It doesn't matter how I found out. That's not the point. Tai's counting on me to keep his secret. I can't betray him. You would do the same thing if you were in my place."
"But-"
Mimi hugged him tightly and placed a hand against his chest. "Matt," she whispered softly. "Look inside your heart. I think, deep down, you already know the answer to your own question. You know Tai better than anyone, and you know how to read his emotions. If you think about what has been happening long enough, I know you'll be able to figure out what's really going on with your best friend. In fact, I think that's what Tai's waiting for. He wants you to understand what he's going through, but he's afraid to tell you because he thinks that you'll end up hating him for being unable to control his feelings."
"Okay, I'm definitely confused," he muttered, giving her a suspicious look. "What did you mean before when you said that you had hurt several other people already? Who else have you hurt, besides me?"
"No one, yet," Mimi said with a sigh. "Unfortunately I think I'm going to end up hurting Sora, and that's definitely something I don't want to end up doing."
He rested his chin against the top of her head and frowned. "What does Sora have to do with any of this?"
Mimi smiled softly and rested her head against his shoulder. "More than you know," she whispered, her voice trembling.
Matt sighed and gently ran his fingers through her light pink hair.
Obviously Mimi's not going to tell me what's going on with Tai. It looks like I'm going to have to go to his apartment after all. I've never been so confused in my life!
"Matt, I really am sorry," Mimi whispered, placing a hand against the back of his head and gazing into his eyes.
He smiled softly at her and pulled her into a hug. "I know you are, and I accept your apology."
"Really?" she asked, looking surprised.
He let out a laugh and gently kissed the top of her head. "Yes. Don't look so shocked. I am capable of forgiving people, despite what you and the others might think!"
She gave him a weak smile and nodded. "You're right, of course. I just didn't think that it was going to be this easy to get you to understand why I kept Tai's behaviour a secret from you!"
"Mimi," he said softly, gazing directly into her eyes. "Will you promise me something?"
"Anything," she whispered.
"Will you please be honest with me from now on? I know there'll be times when you won't be able to tell me things because you're trying to protect someone else, but please let me know that that is the reason why you're keeping secrets from me. That's what you did just now with Tai, and I'm glad. It means a lot to me bacause I know that you care about me, even if it doesn't look like it at the time."
"I promise," she whispered, hugging him tightly.
The smell of her perfume tickled his nose, and he could feel her heart beating against his chest. She fit perfectly in his arms, and it made him smile. It was like they were two pieces of a puzzle that were meant to fit side by side.
Mimi stared into his eyes for a moment, and her face suddenly turned white.
"No," she whispered, her eyes growing wide with shock.
"What's wrong?" he asked, feeling suddenly concerned.
"No!" Mimi gasped, her eyes filling with horror. "This can't be happening!"
"Mimi, are you okay?"
He tried to take her hand, but she quickly scrambled out of his arms and backed away from him.
"This wasn't suppose to happen," she whispered, her eyes filling with sudden tears.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, moving towards her.
She let out a sob and covered her face with her hands. "I should have been more careful! I should have done something to stop this! Oh, Sora. I'm so sorry!"
Matt stared at her, feeling very uneasy, and she gazed back at him with pain and sadness in her eyes.
"I know why Tai did what he did," she whispered. "I know how he feels bacause I feel the exact same way. I'm sorry, Matt, but I have to go!"
"Hey, wait!" he shouted.
He reached out to put a hand on her arm, but she quickly pulled away from him and disappeared through the door.
Are all of my friends completely nuts?
He slowly sat down on one of the tables and frowned. He had always gotten the impression that Mimi was more beauty than brains, but he was definitely changing his mind about her.
She had said that he really did know what was wrong with Tai.
Maybe she's right. It looks like I have a lot of thinking to do...
Hopefully he would be able to understand what was going on with his best friend before they ended up having to face each other again.
He was about to leave the science room when he suddenly remembered one of his thoughts from earlier. He had called Mimi gorgeous without even realizing it. He felt his face heat up and quickly started off down the hallway.
What's wrong with me? Why do I feel so guilty all of a sudden? It's not like I've done anything wrong. I was merely stating a fact about Mimi. Anyone with eyes can see that she's beautiful. It doesn't mean anything.
Unfortunately his heart was telling him a different story.