February 26, 2010

AN: I don't really know why I'm posting this. I probably shouldn't because after this chapter, I only have chapter 6 written and I am in danger of falling behind, but I just feel like posting this so I will. I've been thinking about writing this week but I've just been so busy that I barely have time. Sunday will be my study-all-day-in-the-library-day though, so I will be bringing my laptop with me and I'll probably write during study breaks. I tend to write the most when I'm procrastinating studying for school. That says a lot about me.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Odaiba High

Chapter 5

-Mimi-

I have mixed feelings about cheerleading tryouts. On the one hand, it's always so sad to deliver the heartbreaking news to all the girls that didn't make the squad. I hate crushing dreams! But on the other, it's always so fun so tell the select lucky girls that did make the squad!

Monday after school, the entire squad sat behind three pull-out tables in the gym for tryouts to replace Serena. Like I told Sora and Matt I would, I visited her on Sunday. By that point, the shock of her injury had worn off and she'd cried about how upset she was that she wouldn't be able to cheer in her final year of high school. I felt so sad for her but I think I did a good job comforting her. An insult or two may have been made about Phoebe. She was smiling by the time I left.

"Alright, we have six girls trying out," Phoebe said, glancing at the list in front of her. "Four seniors, a junior, and a sophomore." She sighed. "Let's get this over with."

The first two girls were pretty bad. I don't think either of them have had any type of formal dance training before. They seemed to have very stereotypical views of cheerleading; one of them just brought pom-poms and chanted one of our cheers whilst jumping up and down. When asked if she could do a back handspring, she stared blankly. The other one did a very basic cheer and then said we would have to teach her the rest if we wanted her.

A senior named Jun Motomiya was next. "I think I would be a perfect cheerleader," she practically shouted, "because I have a loud voice that carries!"

There was a small silence. "Is that it?" demanded Phoebe. "Because we need a little more from you."

"Oh, right!" Jun laughed loudly. She backed up and situated herself in a pre-move position. I leaned forward eagerly, hoping finally to find someone that could do a cheerleading move, but was immensely disappointed when Jun executed an absolutely horrific cartwheel. Her legs and arms were not straight and she fell upon landing.

"Thank you," said Phoebe curtly. "You can go."

Thankfully, the next two girls were simply marvelous! They could do every move that we fired at them, had perfect cheering voices, and at least had some background in dance. The final girl was okay, but the other two were clearly better.

"What are we gonna do now?" I sighed. "I can't decide which one was better!"

"Me either," said Angela. "What do you think, Phoebe?"

Phoebe shrugged. "I don't know. Mariah was better at the jumps but Demi was a really good dancer." She frowned. "This'll be a tough choice."

"If only we could have them both," Mindy sighed.

Nodding slowly, Phoebe said, "Yeah, if only."

-Tai-

Soccer practice after school on Monday was amusing. Davis had no recollection of Friday night.

-Sora-

Since it is now the second week of school and I haven't even started writing my partner essay on Matt, the two of us decided to spend after school on Monday working on it. Well, Monday night, actually. I had tennis practice for two hours after school and Matt had band practice. Afterwards, he invited me over to his house.

He opened the door and I felt instantly embarrassed that I was still in my tennis outfit. Here was Matt, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, and I'm wearing a white mini-skirt. I tugged on it, slightly self-conscious.

"Hey," he greeted. "How was tennis?" He stepped back so I could enter.

"It was fine," I responded. "And band practice?"

"Fine."

Awkward silence.

"Well… I think I'm gonna change," I said, holding up my duffel bag. "Where's your bathroom?"

After I changed into a more casual outfit and pulled my hair into a ponytail, I joined Matt at his kitchen table with our English worksheets and Matt's laptop.

"Alright," he said, reading the handout Miss River had given us on the first day of school. "So… we have to write about where the other person was born, how many siblings they have, what their parents do, what activities they do outside of school, what they do with their friends – legal activities only, it specifies – what they want to do post-high school, and what career they want to have. Other information needs to be used if we still need to fill the three pages."

I sighed. "Are we in eighth grade? What a pointless essay."

"I cannot understand what benefit I'll get out of doing this essay," Matt said. "Other than getting to know you… but I doubt the school really cares about that." He sighed. "Well, let's start at the beginning. Where were you born?"

"Odaiba," I said. "Fascinating, isn't it? What about you?"

"Me too," Matt replied. "You're an only child, right?" I nodded. "And you know that I have a brother. What do your parents do?"

"My dad is a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder," I said. "And my mom is a flower arranger. She's kind of famous, I think, in the flower-arranging community."

He blinked. "Wait, your dad is a college professor in Colorado?" I nodded again. "Are your parents divorced?"

I sighed, shaking my head. "No. We don't see my dad a lot. He comes home for Christmas and a few weeks in the summer, but that's it."

"Why? I mean…" He paused and started over again. "Why don't you and your mom live in Colorado?"

"Well, my mom loves Odaiba and she didn't want to leave," I explained. "Plus her studio is here and everything. And I was in seventh grade when my dad got his job, so I didn't want to move to Colorado."

"That makes sense," Matt said. "Although it's pretty unorthodox."

I smiled. "I know. We're a weird family. Your turn. What do your parents do?"

"My dad is a consultant at Fuji TV," he said. "And my mom is a journalist."

"Cool!" I said earnestly. "Does your mom write for the Odaiba Telegraph?"

He shrugged. "I think so," he said.

I finished writing down Matt's answers and then put my pen down. "I think it's time for a break."

"Good idea." Matt stood up and led me into his living room. The two of us sat down on the couch and he turned on the television. An acoustic guitar was perched next to the couch. I picked it up, with Matt watching me. I strummed a couple basic chords and Matt raised his eyebrows. "You play guitar?"

"Not really," I said. "My dad can play and he taught me a little when I was younger. I only remember, like, three chords."

"Still," he said. "That's pretty cool. I never thought that you would be musically talented."

I smiled. "It's 'cause I'm just so sporty."

"Do you sing too?" he asked me.

"Oh, nooooo," I said, laughing. "No, no. No one wants to hear that."

"I'm sure you're not that bad," he reasoned.

"Trust me, I am," I insisted. "Tai's heard me sing before and even he told me not to do it ever again."

He smirked. "Tai also thinks I sing badly."

I blushed. "Well… that's different."

"I know, I know. I'm just kidding."

I smiled slightly. "I don't understand you guys. You know what I think? I think you guys could be really good friends."

Matt raised an eyebrow and stared at me. "Come again?"

"I do!" I said sincerely. "Really. You guys have some major differences, but you also have a lot of similarities."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" he challenged.

I frowned. "Well –" I thought hard. "There's – well – okay, I can't think of them off the top of my head, but I know that I've heard you say something before and thought, wow, he's just like Tai!"

Matt grinned. "Yeah, okay, Sora. Tai and I will never be friends. We haven't liked each other since middle school. And we only have nine months left together, so chances are a friendship won't bloom in that time."

"That's too bad," I said. "Because both you and Tai are great guys."

"I'll accept the loss."

-Matt-

"We should probably get back to work now," Sora announced after a very entertaining episode of an MTV reality dating show. We migrated back to my kitchen table.

"What do you want to do after high school?" I asked her.

"I'd like to go to college at Emroy or Armstrong Atlantic State," she said. "They're both in Georgia and really good tennis schools."

"What's the appeal of Georgia?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Nothing. It's just a coincidence, actually. What about you?"

"Well, ideally my band and I will try to make it big," I said. "But my dad wants me to go to college."

"And you don't?" she said.

"Not really," I said. "I'd rather focus all of my time on my band. Maybe I'll go to a community college for a while, just to please my dad."

Sora nodded. "That's probably a good idea. You can take a few general classes each semester until your band starts to become successful. If you go to a four-year school, you'll have less free time."

It struck me that she said "until" my band reaches success, not "if," and I stared at her in wonderment for a few seconds.

"What?"

I blinked. "Nothing… let's move on."

-Kari-

I was already waiting for Christmas break.

I was learning quickly that when our junior high school teachers told us that high school would be much more difficult, they were not empty threats.

And this is why I could be found on a Tuesday morning in my Homeroom classroom ten minutes before the bell rang, finishing filling in countries on my map of Africa for World Cultures, reading Act I, Scene I of Romeo and Juliet for English, and working on two worksheets for Algebra.

By the time the bell rang and the other students started to file in, I had finished my map and moved on to the reading. I had English second period and Algebra last, so I reasoned that it would be best to do the reading now and the math during lunch. School is all about learning how to prioritize.

I didn't even realize that T.K. had sat down next to me until he said, "Cutting it close?" and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"Oh, hey T.K.," I said, breathing deeply. "Yeah, maybe just a little. I spent a little too much time on my Digital Art homework last night." I sheepishly nudged at the camera bag under my desk with my foot. "I'll get it all done though… I'm a champion at procrastinating."

Davis came in and greeted us (well, mainly me) before taking his seat in front of me. T.K. and I glanced at each other and smirked. Davis did not remember his drunken antics on Saturday night and I was certainly not going to be the one to tell him. I don't think I can ever look at him again without picturing him atop Mindy's rock waterfall, completely naked. The thought caused me to giggle.

A moment later he turned around and said, "Kari, can I copy your math homework?"

"I haven't done it yet, Davis," I replied. "I'm too busy reading sixteenth-century literature."

He scoffed at the book in my hand. "Please, Kari, it's called SparkNotes."

"I'll play it safe and read the actual book," I said. "It's only a few pages."

Davis sighed loudly. "Fine. Then let me see your history map." He grabbed my map of Africa off my desk and turned back around.

"Hey Kari, do you wanna get coffee after school today?" T.K. asked me.

There was a loud creak and both of us glanced up. Davis had spun around again in his seat and was glaring at T.K. "Wh-what did you say, M.T.?" he sputtered.

T.K. ignored him. "What do you say?" he asked. "Matt can drop us off on his way to band practice. The coffee shop is within walking distance to your apartment, I'm pretty sure."

"Are you talking about Joe Mamma's Coffee?" I suggested, and he nodded. "You're right, it is. Sure, let's do it!"

"Wait – what?!" Davis exclaimed. "The two of you – together – coffee – is this a – a da—"

I sighed. "Oh, Davis. Mind your own business."

"But – but –" Davis continued to stammer through the rest of Homeroom, during which time I managed to finish Romeo and Juliet and even a few problems for my Algebra homework. I grabbed my Africa map from Davis (which he had failed to copy due to the dramatic event that had transpired) just as the bell rang. Stuffing it in my bag, T.K. and I stood up to leave.

"We can work on our science homework together," I said as we neared our lockers, which were close to each other. After gathering our books, we headed up to the top floor.

"Science homework?" he repeated, blinking.

"When we get coffee," I reminded him.

"Oh – yeah, sure, that sounds good."

I looked at him strangely out of the corner of my eye as we climbed the stairs.

-Sora-

During Physics, we had to write up the beginning of our lap report before we perform the actual experiment tomorrow. Izzy and I read over the instructions and purpose of the lab before formulating our hypotheses and scribbling them down.

"Psst," came a hiss. "Hey. Sora."

I looked up and glanced around. Matt was leaning backwards, toward me. His and Tai's lab table was right next to mine and Izzy's. "What?" I whispered back.

"You're friends with that girl Mimi, right?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Uh, yeah, kinda. I guess. Why?"

"Well, I think something's wrong with her," he said.

I gave him a small, amused smile. "Matt, that's not very nice."

"No! I mean," he started over, "she was crying all through Homeroom today."

Furrowing my brow, I said, "Wait, what?"

"He's right, she was," Izzy said, and I turned to look at my lab partner. "I have Homeroom with her, too. She wailed for the entire period."

I frowned. "That's weird."

"I just thought you should know," said Matt. "I was kinda worried about her, but I didn't want to ask her."

Why was Matt so worried about her? My heart sunk slightly. I then closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Snap out of it, Sora! Something could be seriously wrong with Mimi!

"Thanks, Matt," I said. "I'll see what's wrong next period."

He nodded and sat straight again. My gaze slid over to Tai, who was scowling. I tilted my head to the side and gave him a sort of exasperated look. He sighed and looked back to his paper.

"I hope Mimi's okay," I murmured to Izzy.

"I've been in the same class as Mimi since second grade," he said, "and if my experience with her has taught me anything, it's that Mimi tends to make a big deal about things that most people don't see as important."

I grinned. "You're probably right. I get that vibe from her too. But still…" I shook my head as I continued to write. "Anyway, Izzy, I didn't have a chance to ask you this yesterday, but why didn't you come to the soccer game?"

Izzy stared at me, blinking. "Um. Well, Sora, soccer games aren't really my thing."

"What does it mean when people say that?" I asked. "I've heard people say that but it confuses me."

He chuckled. "I mean that computer nerds and AP kids like me don't typically enjoy soccer games."

"So you're saying that computers and soccer can't be two interests that one person has?" I challenged.

"I guess they can," he admitted, "but soccer isn't an interest that I have. Besides, none of my friends go to the games either, and I probably wouldn't be welcome by the people that do go."

"I would welcome you," I said. "In fact, I invited you."

Grinning, Izzy said, "You're different than most people at this school, Sora. You're probably the only one that would."

I shook my head. "You should give people more credit than that, Izzy," I said. "You'd be surprised."

Ten minutes later, the bell rang, and I went to my locker to exchange my Physics textbook for my Algebra II one. During the walk to my math classroom, I mulled over scenarios in which I would try to pry Mimi's problems from her. I figured if she was crying, then it would easy enough to simply ask, "Hey, why are you crying?" The only problem lay with what I would do if she didn't want to tell me.

As I was trying to come up with a game plan, I managed to bump right into the girl that I was thinking about in front of our classroom. She was crying and the first thing she did was throw her arms around my neck and howl right into my ear, "SORA, THEY KICKED ME OFF THE SQUAD!"

I pried her arms away from my neck and blinked a few times, trying to recover my hearing after going temporarily deaf. "Wait, Mimi, what?"

Mimi sniffled loudly. She was wearing zero makeup and her hair was pulled back into a messy bun – although not the stylish kind of messy that Mimi usually had and that took her ten minutes to do. It was an actual messy bun. Her eyes were rimmed red and her cheeks were tear-streaked.

I led her into the classroom, which was nearly empty since the second bell had yet to ring. "Okay, Mimi, start from the beginning. What happened?"

Mimi hiccupped loudly and wiped her nose with her hand. I dug through my bag and held out a small pack of tissues that I always kept with me, just in case. She opened it and took one, blowing her nose. "Thank you, Sora," she said softly. She hiccupped again and began her story. "Well, yesterday, we had tryouts to try to find a replacement – hic – for Serena. There were two girls that were really, really good. Every time we – hic – voted on which one would join, we reached a tie, so Phoebe was left to decide. She came to – hic – school today and told us that she had decided to put both of the girls on the squad and that – hic – instead, one of us was going to be kicked off. And – and – it was – hic – MEEEEEE!" She drew out the 'me' in a long wail before dissolving into tears again. She took another tissue and blew her nose, and then used another to dab at her eyes. "It was – hic – awful, just awful, Sora! It was so embarrassing! And – I love cheering! I don't know what I'm going to do without it! I – hic – I'm ruined!"

I grabbed Mimi's hands and squeezed them tightly, trying to calm her down. "First of all, Mimi, you're not ruined," I told her. "No one is going to judge you because you got kicked off the cheerleading squad." I realized then that I should probably be a little less blunt, since hearing that phrase caused Mimi to start crying loudly again. "Second of all," I raised my voice, so she could hear me, "You have to realize that this isn't the end of the world. Life goes on. It's just cheering."

Mimi stopped crying suddenly and narrowed her eyes at me. "Sora, I love cheering," she said quietly. "If someone kicked you off the tennis team and told you that you could never play again, would you say to yourself, 'oh well, life goes on'?"

I blinked, taken aback. I hadn't thought of it that way. "Well – no…"

"Cheering isn't like other sports, Sora," she said. "I can't just go to a racquet club and cheer for fun, like you can do with tennis. If I'm not on the squad, I can't cheer!"

I frowned, feeling awful. "Mimi – I'm sorry –"

Mimi's anger abated as she began to wail again. "Oh, it's okay Sora, I know you didn't mean it. I just – I can't believe this! I was supposed to be captain next year, and now I'm not even on the team!"

"I can't believe Phoebe kicked you off the squad," I muttered. "Do you think this might also partly be because of Serena?"

Mimi rolled her eyes and scowled. "It's a combination of her low self-esteem and being jealous of how good I am. I was almost captain this year, but Phoebe managed to change Coach Timber's mind to give it to her since she's a senior. Phoebe and I had a much better friendship before we were competing like this. Ever since then, she's been nastier to me than normal. I mean, she's always been a bitch, but never this much! She was so cold to me all summer and then this thing with Serena – but I never thought she would kick me off the squad!" Her eyes began to swim in tears again.

"Well, if anything good came out of this," I said, "it's that you realized just what kind of a person Phoebe is. A true friend would not do what she did to you." She nodded meekly. "What about your other friends that are on the squad? What did they do?"

Mimi sighed. "Nothing. What could they do? Phoebe would smite them if they did anything."

"So… are they never going to talk to you again?" I said, hardly believing it.

Mimi blinked at me, a couple tears leaking down her face. "I hadn't thought of that," she said softly. "I don't want to be friends with Phoebe anymore, so that means Angela and Kelly and Mindy and everyone else won't be friends with me." Her lower lip trembled. "Sora, I have no friends!"

The second bell rang and the rest of the class began to crowd inside. "Mimi, you do have friends," I assured her over the rumble of other students' conversations. "I'm your friend. Don't worry, you're not alone."

Mimi turned to me and gave me a very watery smile. "Thank you, Sora."

-Tai-

Ever since school started, Sora and I have been eating lunch with random groups of people. Today was no different; we ate with Mimi Tachikawa, T.K., Kari, and Kari's new friend Yolei. Sora offered me a quick explanation on our way to meet them in front of the school about how Mimi had been kicked off the cheerleading squad and had no friends or something. I felt bad for her, although the whole situation seemed weird – how could Mimi go years being friends with these girls, only to have their friendships broken just because of cheerleading?

The four of them were already sitting down and eating when Sora and I got there. I greeted Yolei, whom I had never met before but Kari had told me about the day before. Apparently Yolei and Kari have P.E. together and according to Kari, Yolei doesn't have many friends. Kari said she decided to try to strike up a friendship with Yolei because her only real female friend is Sora and she said that that barely counts since Sora is more my friend anyway and almost like a sister to her.

"So, are you all enjoying your Tuesday?" I asked them. "I, personally, am not a fan of Tuesdays. Mondays sucks, but Tuesdays suck more, I think. Wednesdays are alright, Thursdays are better, and Fridays are the best."

Yolei blinked at me.

"So Mimi, I think I know of something that will cheer you up," I said, changing subjects rapidly. Mimi turned and blinked at me.

"What?"

"In fourth grade," I said, "Phoebe Jenkins was caught showing Walter Hollow her underwear. We all knew she was a slut back then."

Mimi giggled lightly.

Sora beamed at me gratefully. "Yeah, we have tons of Phoebe stories," she said. "In fifth grade, she threw a tantrum because she was captured in capture the flag. She tackled Gracie Hammerhead because of it, and Gracie ended up having to get to three stitches on her eyebrow from where her glasses cut her."

"Once a bitch, always a bitch," Mimi muttered.

"Phoebe Jenkins?" Yolei repeated. "Are you guys talking about cheerleading captain, Phoebe Jenkins?" We nodded. "You mean, only the most beautiful girl in this entire school!?" she yelped. "Mimi, aren't you two best friends?"

There was an uncomfortable silence; from the looks that Kari and T.K. were exchanging, it seems as if they too had heard about what happened. I glanced over at Sora and she gave me worried look.

"I guess she's pretty if you're into fake hair, fake tan, and a fake nose," spat Mimi, before gasping. "Oh my gosh – I can't believe I just said that!"

"She had a nose job!?" cried Yolei.

Mimi held her hands over her mouth. "Don't tell anyone," she said in a furious whisper after lowering her hands.

"So I guess – you guys aren't friends anymore?" Yolei asked, blushing. "I must have missed something… as always."

"Oh, it's okay, Yolei," said Mimi, shaking her head. "It's stupid, anyway."

Yolei smiled. "Well, now that you mention how fake everything about Phoebe is, Mimi, I'd rather have your beautiful imperfections that her fake features!"

I scratched the back of my head and glanced at Sora, who was hiding a smile. Kari giggled silently behind her hands – I don't want to sound mean, but it wasn't too hard to see why Yolei had only a few friends, due to her lack of social skills.

"Erm – thanks, Yolei. I think."

-Kari-

After school, I tracked down Tai on the first floor hallway at his locker. I'd forgotten to tell him at lunch about my plans with T.K. – well, actually, I had purposely not told him, since I didn't want him to freak out in front of T.K. Tai tends to be overprotective when it comes to boys, even if it was a guy I was just friends with.

"Hey, Tai," I greeted, coming up to his locker. He was attempting to close the door of his locker, into which he had crammed all of his textbooks. "Don't you have homework tonight?" I asked quizzically. I myself was trying to balance a stack of books that included my world history, Spanish, science, and algebra textbooks, as well as Romeo and Juliet.

He scoffed. "Homework? I haven't done any of that since sophomore year."

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Whatever. Anyway, Tai, I don't need a ride home today."

"Why not?" he asked distractedly. His face was red with effort as he pushed with all his might on his locker. Finally the lock clicked as it closed, although the metal was bulging and I was afraid that when Tai got to school tomorrow morning he would find that his locker had exploded and all his stuff would be scattered about the hallway.

"I'm going to Joe Momma's Coffee with T.K.," I said carefully.

He whipped his head around. "What? Really?" He beamed. "That's great!"

"It is?" I blinked in surprise.

"Yeah!" He put his arm around my shoulders. "T.K.'s a good kid. You guys behave yourselves!" He winked.

I raised an eyebrow and stared at him. "Tai, what is wrong with you?"

"Nothing!" he cried defensively. "So, is this a date?"

My jaw dropped at the ridiculousness of his statement. "What!? No, Tai – we're just friends! We're going to do homework together. What's the matter with you?"

Tai looked like he was hurt, although I could tell he was acting. "Look, Kari, I'm just saying – if you were going to go on a date with someone, I'd like for it to be with T.K. But don't date him."

I sighed and rubbed my temple; I was getting very confused. "You want me to go on a date with him but not date him?"

"Yes!" Noting my bewildered stare, he continued, "It's one thing to go on a date and another thing to be 'official.'"

"Well, Tai, you're in luck," I grinned, "because I won't be dating anyone anytime soon. I'm just not interested."

"'Atta girl." Tai ruffled my hair in that annoying older brother way as we headed toward the school doors. "But it's okay to flirt with guys, remember that. Just not Davis."

"You're so confusing, Tai." I laughed. We reached the front steps of the school. "Well, I gotta go," I said. "Matt and T.K. are probably waiting for me."

Tai blanched. "Matt?"

I nodded. "Matt's dropping us off, and then I'll walk home. Joe Momma's Coffee is only three blocks away and I'll be home before dark."

Tai took a deep breath. Only my brother would have more trouble getting over the fact that Matt Ishida was driving me somewhere than the fact that I was getting coffee with a boy. "Okay. I'll see you later."

I waved good-bye as I trotted down the steps. I noticed Matt and T.K. standing near Matt's old car. Why had Tai and Matt never bonded over their ancient vehicles? T.K. waved me over and I soon joined them.

"Hey, Kari." T.K. smiled at me. "Ready to go?"

I nodded and climbed into the backseat while Matt got into the driver's seat and T.K. in the passenger's.

"So Tai was cool with you coming?" asked T.K. as Matt started to drive.

I nodded. "Yeah, he was fine. A little weird, but I guess that's what older brothers are for. I don't think he really cares, though – he has soccer practice in a half hour so it's kind of inconvenient for him to drive me home, anyway."

"What'll he do while waiting for practice, then?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Probably get an early start. That or watch part of Sora's tennis practice."

"How long have your brother and Sora been friends for?" T.K. asked curiously.

"For as long as I can remember," I admitted. "They've been good friends for a long time."

"Have they ever – like – dated?"

I wanted to ask T.K. why he was so interested in Tai and Sora's relationship, but decided against it. Instead, I just said, "No, I don't think so. They don't think of each other like that, I'm pretty sure. They've just known each other for too long."

-T.K.-

I felt kind of embarrassed for asking Kari so many questions about Tai and Sora but I was only doing it for Matt. Even though he had blatantly denied it when I asked him about it, I was pretty certain that he had a thing for Sora and this was my way of proving to him that Tai and Sora weren't "destined to be together," which he so strangely thought.

We reached Joe Mamma's Coffee, which was off the main road in Odaiba. It was on a strip with a candy and fudge shop, a small grocery store, an Italian restaurant, a bookstore, and, weirdly, a surfing shop. Across the street was an empty, weed-filled field that was surrounded by an iron fence. There was a sign hanging on the fence, which was too far away from me to read, and there was a single tractor, leading me to assume that it was a construction site.

After Matt dropped us off, I asked Kari, "What are they building over there?"

She followed my pointed finger and replied, "An outlet mall – the only thing that Odaiba lacks."

I could see what she meant. That square section of land was the only bit of untouched land that I had seen so far. Everything else was a house, an apartment, or a shopping center.

We entered Joe Mamma's Coffee and placed our orders: Kari got an Iced Carmel Macchiato and I chose a Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino. I panicked for a second while I internally debated on whether or not I was supposed to pay for her drink, but she paid before I could reach a decision. The next couple of minutes were spent with me stressing about how I hadn't paid. What if Tai found out? Would he be mad that I didn't make this clear that it was a date?

Was this even a date?

We sat down in two armchairs near the window at the back of the café. "This is nice," she said, sipping her drink. "I can't say I've ever gone out for coffee before. This seems like such a mature thing to do."

I chuckled. "My friends and I back home would always go out for coffee. I don't know what the appeal was but it just became our thing, I guess."

She picked up her bag, which she had sent down next to her chair. "Should we get started on some homework?" she asked.

She still hadn't gotten the hint that I had no intention of doing homework. "Maybe later," I said. "I was thinking for now we could just talk."

Kari looked slightly confused but set her bag down again. "Okay," she said. "What do you wanna talk about?"

Oops. I hadn't thought of that. "Um…" I was starting to get nervous. All of this pressure of having to flirt with Kari was making me forget what I was doing and only concentrate on how to woo her. When I'm not thinking about it, I'm fine.

And that's when I decided to just ditch this whole idea. I really like Kari as a friend and that's that. Whenever I try to act like I'm interested in her, she thinks it's weird. So I'll just tell Tai that I tried but she wasn't interested. There. Done.

"Let's talk about how you're going to have to give Yolei lessons on how to not be awkward," I grinned.

She pursed her lips in an effort to keep herself from smiling. "T.K., don't be mean."

"I'm not being mean!" I protested. "You noticed what an awkward conversation she had with Mimi today."

Thirty minutes later and my cheeks hurt from smiling and Kari was giggling.

"What should we do now?" she asked, as her giggles subsided.

I glanced out the window and tapped my fingers on the table. An idea struck me and I stood up. "Let's go," I said, throwing my empty cup away and grabbing my school bag.

Kari followed suit, asking, "Where are we going?"

I led her outside and we crossed the street, heading toward the empty field. "Let's go," I said again.

I walked around the perimeter of the field for a while, before finally finding a hole in the chain link fence. I slipped through and beckoned her to follow. She hesitated, asking, "Is this legal?"

Gesturing around at the emptiness, I asked, "Kari, who's gonna get us in trouble?"

She bit her lip but followed me anyway, stooping over slightly so she could fit. Straightening up, she asked, "So, what are we gonna do here?"

"When you think of a large, empty field," I asked, "what do you think of?"

Kari thought for a minute, then glanced at me and grinned. "Running!"

Before I could react, she had dropped her bag and taken off, running toward the middle of the field with her arms outstretched. I followed her, the breeze cooling my hair and whipping through my hair. After a moment, Kari, still some feet in front of me, stopped and laid herself down on her back, spread-eagled. I reached her, panting.

"That was fun," she smiled up at me, also breathing heavily. "I've always wanted to do that. Lay down!" she commanded, patting the space next to her.

I wasn't too keen on the idea – after all, it was a field filled with dead grass, weeds, and dirt – but I obliged anyway. I lay down next to her and stared up into the clear blue sky.

"This is calming," Kari said. I glanced over at her and saw her smiling up at the sky with her eyes closed. She breathed in deeply through her nose and exhaled through her mouth and I found myself looking at her in a new light. Kari really is a very pretty person, something I'd never really noticed before.

She turned her head to face me and smiled. Her smile reached her brown eyes, which sparkled. Kari's nose was really small and her smile was a little crooked, but I'd never before thought that anyone could look so cute.

"I need to bring my camera here," she said. "I never thought that such an ugly field could actually be such a pretty backdrop for a photo."

I smiled at her. "I'll just have to take you here again, then."

I didn't understand the drastic change in my feelings toward Kari and how I could go from deciding to only looking at her as a friend to thinking about how cute she is in thirty minutes, but I tried not to think about it too much. I wasn't sure if I liked her – but I was going to spend as much time with her as I could until I figured it out.