Summary: It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?
Hard to Love You
'Hate That I Love You'
(don't own Rihanna either)
"America?" TK asked, making sure he heard her correctly.
"Yeah," replied Kari. "Do you want to go to America with me?"
"Why are you going to America?" He asked curiously.
"My old boss, Rick Hendrick, sent mom and dad tickets for next weekend's Nascar race in Florida. But mom and dad don't want to go because grandma is really sick again. So they gave the tickets to me and I have an extra ticket soooo?" Kari explained, hoping he'd say yes. "Do you want to go with me?"
"That sounds like a lot of fun but I'd have to ask my mom and dad." TK replied, "but when would we leave? How long would we be gone? I don't want to miss one of my basketball games."
"Our plane leaves next Wednesday, so you five days to decide if you want to come or not.," answered Kari. "And we probably wouldn't get back until the day before we go back to school which would be Sunday night. So we would be gone about...ten days."
"Ten days?!" TK exclaimed, "what about Thanksgiving?"
"We would celebrate it in America," answered Kari.
"Where would we stay? How are we going to pay for all this? How.." TK asked as Kari interrupted him.
"Don't worry TK! It's all planned out. All we have to do is show up!" Kari assured him over the phone.
"I don't know Kari. I'm not sure mom and dad would let me go and it's kinda a lot of school to miss," TK replied hesitantly.
"I understand. I just thought it would be a good way to spend some quality time together since you've been so busy working for the past few months," said Kari sadly.
"I'll think about it okay?" TK asked.
"Okay," Kari replied. "So did that college scout offer you a basketball scholarship?"
"Yeah," TK answered."But now that's the fifth basketball scholarship I've been offered and I still don't know where I want to go."
"Well sometimes you just have follow the money," said Kari. "And where ever you go, I'm going with you."
"So if I decided to go to college in Timbuktu, you'd come with me?" TK asked theoretically.
"Well...I wouldn't follow you that far!" Kari joked and laughed.
"Anyway, I think I'm gonna get ready for bed. Coach wants to have an early Saturday morning practice," said TK. "I'll talk to you later."
"Alright. Talk to your mom and dad about coming to America with me, ok?" Kari asked, hoping they'd say yes.
"Ok," replied TK."Love you."
"I love you too," Kari said and hung up.
"Kari wants you to do what?" Jake asked TK while walking to school Monday morning.
"She wants me to come to America with her for ten days!" TK replied, still mulling over the idea of going with her.
"What the hell for?" Davis asked surprised.
"I guess her old boss gave her parents some tickets to a Nascar race and they gave them to her. Kari had an extra ticket and asked if I wanted to go," explained TK to the boys.
"Are you going to go?" Cody asked curiously.
"I don't know if I want to. I kinda suck at speaking English," TK answered.
"Are you crazy?" Davis asked, "ten days alone with Kari without adult supervision! You should be jumping at the chance!"
"Yeah TK, just cause you can't speak fluent English, that shouldn't hold you back from taking a once in a lifetime opportunity!" Jake said, "I would totally go to America for ten days if my girlfriend had free tickets!"
"I still don't know," replied TK. "She'll probably want to hang out with all her old friends than want to spend time with me."
"I got it! Why don't you ask someone who knows all her old friends?" Jake suggested.
"Like who?" TK asked.
"Duh...her ex-boyfriend, Willis!" Jake answered, "I bet he could tell you everything about them!"
"Willis and I aren't exactly on the best speaking terms," TK replied.
"Well think about it this way," proposed Davis. "Would you rather... not go to America and wonder what Kari did while she was gone? Or go and have fun with her?"
"I guess I never thought about it like that," replied TK. "Maybe I should talk to Willis?"
TK walked to his locker where Kari was waiting for him. They hugged and kissed each other and talked for a few minutes before they had to go to class. While they walked to class Kari asked him about coming to America.
"So did you ask your parents if you can go?" Kari asked anxiously.
"Yeah and they said I could go," TK answered. "But I'm not sure if I want to go."
"Oh," replied Kari disappointedly. "Well I really want you to go with me! I hope you decide to come! You only have one more day to decide."
The two walked to their first period class. The morning classes passed by so slowly as TK waited impatiently for lunch. He wanted to talk to Willis about Kari's friends and get his opinion about them. TK knew if he talked to Willis, it would help him decide if he wanted to go or not. After TK went through the lunch line he went and sat down beside Willis while Kari sat with the other cheerleaders. Willis was shocked to see TK sitting at his table with him.
"Shouldn't you be eating lunch with the rest of your popular friends?" Willis asked coldly. He was shocked to see TK sitting across the table from him but ignored his presence.
"The reason I'm eating with you is because I want to ask you a question," explained TK, trying to avoid an argument of any kind.
"Well?" Willis asked, waiting for his question while played with the fried rice on his plate.
"What can you tell me about Kari's friends from America?" TK asked, ashamed he was even asking.
"What?" Willis asked confused but suspiciously, "why?"
"Kari's old boss sent her parents some tickets to a Nascar race but they don't want to go," TK started to explain. "So they gave the tickets to Kari and she asked if I want to go. But I don't know if I want to go. So I was wondering if you could tell me about her friends?"
"Oh..." Willis was surprised by TK's question. "Well our friends from Degrassi are pretty cool. Her and Spinner use to be pretty tight. I think they actually dated back like in the 6th grade. I'd maybe watch out for him but the last time I talked to him he had a girlfriend, but you never know with him. But her Nascar friends..."
"What about them?" TK desperately wanted to know.
"Well Jeff and Jimmie are married but they really like Kari. I suppose they think she's the teenage daughter they don't have yet, I don't know. But I'd watch out for Kyle and Brian." Willis warned him, "Especially Brian. Even back when Kari and I use to date, I swear those two spent more time with each other than her and I spent together. In fact, Brian dumped his long time girlfriend for her! But he'll never admit that. However, Kari knows that and she's always felt really bad about it."
"So that's what Gatomon was talking about after Kari destroyed Daemon and almost died." TK said to himself. (A/N- Chapter 14 in Listen to Your Heart)
"Yeah, anyway, Brian likes to spoil her rotten," said Willis. "I can't tell you how many times Kari came home from the races and she was wearing some expensive piece of jewelry Brian bought her. He likes to take her to fancy, expensive restaurants, big movie premieres and a whole bunch of other places I don't even know about."
"Maybe I should consider going then," replied TK.
"Consider?" Willis asked, "you should want to go! If you still want Kari to be your girlfriend, you better go and keep her away from Brian!"
"I thought he was a nice guy?" TK asked.
"Oh, Brian is a great guy. He's one of the nicest drivers in Nascar. He just likes to steal other people's girlfriends." Willis answered bitterly. (A/N- For the record...Brian doesn't actually steal other people's girlfriends!) "The thing is, Brian is seven years older than Kari. I think that's what kept Brian from pursuing an actual relationship with her. He would have gotten thrown in jail if he did cause she was only fifteen back then."
"Oh wow, thanks so much Willis," TK thanked him. "I think I'm gonna go with her now!"
"Yeah, whatever," Willis replied coldly and went back to ignoring TK again. "Just keep Kari away from Brian and you'll be fine."
TK thanked Willis again and got up to finish eating lunch with Jake and Davis. When they finished eating, TK searched for Kari to tell her his final decision. He found her in the courtyard with some of the other cheerleaders. TK led Kari away from her friends so he could tell her his good news.
"Oh TK! I'm so excited!" Kari exclaimed jumping up and down in excitement. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the lips. "Do you want me to help you pack or are you working tonight?"
"Actually I quit my jobs," TK answered.
"What? Both of them?" Kari asked I complete shock and TK nodded his head. "I don't get it! All of a sudden you get two jobs and now you're quitting both of them?"
"Yeah, I was saving up money to buy something really important and now that I have enough money I don't need to work anymore," TK explained to her vaguely.
"So what are you going to buy?" Kari asked curiously.
"I already bought it," replied TK, avoiding her question.
"Well...what did you buy?" Kari asked.
"I can't tell you. It would ruin the surprise," answered TK.
"Oh come on TK, now you have to tell me!" Kari begged with puppy dog eyes.
"Nope," said TK. "I'm not telling."
"Ugh...I hate that I love you!" Kari said jokingly.
"Well, I love that I love you," replied TK and smiled.
"And I love that I love you too!" Kari said and kissed him again.
"So, do you want to come over and help me pack?" TK asked.
"Yeah!" Kari answered, "oh, I'm soooo excited!"
"Me too," said TK. "Me too."
"So what did you buy?" Kari asked again.