Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I'm extremely sorry this took so long, but I'm trying to make sure I don't overlook anything I've already written. Anyway, enjoy this new chapter!

My Best Friend's Girlfriend

Chapter 21: Hidden Feelings

Mimi Tachikawa

Mimi slammed the door of her locker shut and glanced nervously around the hallway. She had spent the last forty-five minutes hiding in the library because she had wanted to avoid running into Sora. The thought of coming face-to-face with her best friend made her feel sick to her stomache, and she quickly headed for the nearest exit. Thankfully the corridors were empty, and a small sigh of relief escaped her lips.

I guess it's safe to head home now. Sora would have left the school a long time ago, and the same goes for Matt. I wonder how his conversation with Tai is going.

She glanced anxiously over her shoulder and quickly stepped out into the rain. Unfortunately she did not have an umbrella with her, and she wrapped her arms around herself in an effort to stay warm.

Could this day get any worse? I've never been so wet in my life! Stupid rain. I don't even want to think about what it's doing to my hair!

She smiled slightly and shook her head. She hated getting wet, but the rain was the least of her concerns. There were two reasons why she could not stand the thought of facing Sora again. One was Tai, and the other was Matt. She had promised Tai she would keep his secret, but she was afraid she was going to end up breaking that promise as soon as she met up with Sora. They had been best friends for years, and she could not help feeling guilty about keeping such a huge secret from the other girl.

I have a really bad habit of blurting things out at the worst possible moments. I just know I'm going to end up telling her about Tai, and then Tai's never going to forgive me for betraying him!

Then there was Matt.

Mimi's eyes filled with tears, and she hung her head. She had not meant to fall in love with him, but somehow it had happened without her even realizing it.

I never thought I could fall in love with someone like Matt because he's so different from me. I've always been outgoing, and he tends to keep his feelings hidden inside of himself. I never realized he was such a sweet and sensitive person until I had that conversation with him earlier this morning. I saw a side of him I never even knew existed. We've been friends for a long time now, and I always knew he wasn't as cold as he made himself out to be, but I never suspected he was such a loving person. Everything about him just blows me away. I love his eyes, his smile, but most of all, I love his personality. I love being able to see the real him, and I love the fact that he wasn't afraid to show me his true feelings today. This morning, he finally let me into his heart, and now I'm never going to be able to stay away from him. I wonder if Sora realizes how lucky she really is...

"Mimi!"

Mimi looked up in surprise and froze at the sight of Sora racing towards her. Her immediate reaction was to run, but she made herself stay where she was.

Sora already knows I'm avoiding her, and if I run away now, it'll only make her even more suspicious of me.

"Mimi, where have you been! I've been looking all over for you!" Sora cried, coming to a stop on the sidewalk and gasping for breath.

Mimi's heart began to pound rapidly in her chest, and she plastered a fake smile on her face. "Hi, Sora. Where did you get the umbrella from?"

"I always keep one in my locker for days like today," Sora replied, twirling the black umbrella in her hand. "You should probably do the same thing. Look at you! You're soaking wet!"

Mimi allowed Sora to pull her under the umbrella, and she gave her best friend a grateful smile. She was already cold and wet, but she barely even noticed. Sora's small gesture of affection made her feel warm inside, and this time the smile on her face was genuine.

"You're going to end up catching a cold, you know that?" Sora scolded, giving her a disapproving look.

Mimi wrapped her arms around herself again and shrugged. "I'm okay," she mumbled, avoiding her friend's eyes.

Great. This day just keeps getting better and better. I thought Sora would have headed home a long time ago! Has she been waiting here for me all this time?

She felt Sora's arm go around her shoulders, and she glanced up in surprise. Sora smiled at her and gave the umbrella a hopeless look. "This thing isn't really helping, is it. Come on. Let's head over to my house. That way you'll be able to change into some dry clothes, and hopefully you'll be able to avoid getting the flu, as well."

Mimi glanced around for an escape route and let out a sigh of defeat when one did not immediately catch her eye. "Alright," she said wearily.

"Where have you been all day?" Sora asked, watching her closely.

Mimi blushed and quickly lowered her eys to the wet sidewalk. "I've been...around..."

Oh, Sora. Please don't hate me for falling in love with your boyfriend. I swear it was an accident!

She had always wondered why Sora had chosen Matt for a boyfriend because the two of them seemed like such an unlikely couple. Now she understood why her friend had been so eager to date him.

Sora was able to see the real Matt, and that was something I had failed to notice. I guess her Crest of Love comes in handy sometimes. She might not have the actual object anymore, but that doesn't matter. The Crest of Love will always be a part of her because that's who she is, inside and out.

"Mimi, what happened at Tai's apartment last night? Did he tell you why he has been acting so rude to Matt lately?" Sora asked, her ruby red eyes glittering with concern.

Mimi blushed and quickly shook her head. "No," she mumbled, feeling extremely guilty. "He wouldn't tell me anything. T.K. and Kari were there, and according to them, Matt never showed up. I guess he must have gone somewhere with Izzy."

"Great. I guess that means we're no further ahead, are we?" Sora muttered, looking extremely disappointed.

Mimi tugged nervously on the edge of her short skirt and glanced anxiously at Sora out of the corners of her eyes. "Have you been waiting for me all this time?"

Sora hesitated and finally nodded. "I didn't see you leave the school earlier when our fellow students were trampling each other in the parking lot, so I decided to wait for you. I knew you would come out eventually."

"Yeah. One of my teachers held me up. Sorry about that," she replied.

Sora nodded, but she did not look at all convinced.

Mimi felt her face turn pink, and she quickly changed the subject. "What have you been doing all day?" she asked, stepping carefully around a large puddle of water.

"Actually, I've spent most of the day avoiding Matt," Sora whispered, her large eyes filling with sudden tears.

Mimi's mouth dropped open, and she stared at Sora in shock. "Why? What's wrong, Sora? Did something happen between the two of you?"

Sora nodded and used the sleeve of her blue shirt to wipe the tears from her eyes. "He knows I've been keeping Tai's strange behaviour a secret from him, and now he's angry at me. He even cancelled our movie date."

"Oh, Sora. I'm really sorry," Mimi whispered, giving her friend a comforting hug. "Don't worry. I'm sure he'll get over it eventually. You know what he's like. He can only stay mad for so long before he finds himself wanting things to go back to the way they were before."

"He has every right to be mad at me," Sora said quietly, her face a mask of sorrow. "I should have been honest with him right from the start."

Mimi gently patted her friend's back and smiled sadly at the dark, cloudy sky. Sora's tears were soaking into her short-sleeved, pink top, but she did not care one bit. She was already soaked, and Sora's relationship with Matt was ten times more important than an expensive, designer shirt. She had accepted the fact that she was falling in love with Matt, but Sora's pain did not bring her any happiness. She was not the type of person who took advantage of other people's suffering. The last thing she wanted was for Matt and Sora to end up hurting each other, and she was willing to give up her own chance at a relationship with the blond Digidestined to make sure that did not happen.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asked.

Sora managed a small smile and nodded. "I think so. Tai tried to comfort me earlier, but it didn't really help that much. In fact, I think he ended up making things worse for me."

Sora's face suddenly turned pink, and Mimi raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"I...um...nothing..." Sora mumbled, looking embarrassed.

Mimi froze and slowly turned to look at her best friend. Sora's face was bright red, and her eyes were filled with confusion and sadness.

What exactly happened between them?

Mimi frowned and slowly shook her head. When she was younger, she had gotten the impression that her best friend was falling for Tai. The two of them were a perfect match, in her opinion anyway, and she had truly believed they would end up getting together someday. Sora had never mentioned any hidden feelings for Tai, and she had assumed it was because her friend was too embarrassed to say anything, especially considering the fact that Tai had not shown any feelings for Sora one way or the other. Then Sora had started dating Matt, and that had thrown her whole theory right out the window.

I get the feeling Tai has been in love with Sora for quite a while now, and if that's the case, why didn't he say something to her before she started dating Matt? If he had, this whole disaster could have been avoided! Maybe he knew Sora wouldn't return his feelings, and he didn't want to end up humiliating himself in front of her. That makes sense. Men have always had more pride than brains! Only...what if Tai's wrong? What if I'm wrong? What if Sora really does have feelings for him, and the only reason she never said anything is because she didn't think he'd feel the same way about her...

Mimi let out a gasp and clapped her hands over her mouth.

Sora cares about Matt a lot, and that's why she started dating him, but I have a feeling Matt was never her first choice. Maybe I wasn't imagining things after all. Maybe Sora really does care about Tai!

"Sora?"

Sora slowly looked up at her, and she pulled her best friend into a hug.

"What?" Sora asked, her voice trembling with emotion.

Mimi took a deep breath and gazed directly into her friend's eyes. "Sora, are you in love with Tai?"

Sora did not answer. Instead, she covered her face with her hands and promptly burst into tears.