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
'Whatsername'
(don't own Green Day either)
"Oh wow, that didn't take long but why are ya guys all dressed up?" Kari asked suspiciously when Tai and Sora got in the limo. "How did you change so fast?"
"Well ya see..." Tai started to explain.
"To tell you the truth Kari, I was kinda hoping you'd let us come with you cause after we drop you off, Tai is taking me to a romantic dinner," lied Sora.
"Oh...really?" Kari asked, "that's nice."
The limo left the hotel and the closer it got to its destination, the more nervous Kari got. When the limo pulled up to the large building where the reunion was held, Kari just sat and stared out the window. She couldn't get herself to get out and walk in. She was too scared.
"This is so exciting! This reminds me of our ten year reunion," said Sora.
"Yeah, do ya think they would let us in for a few minutes?" Tai asked, playing along with Sora charade.
"Maybe. Do ya want us to go in with ya Kari?" Sora asked her sister-in-law,
"No," answered Kari and she shook her head. "There are somethings I have to do alone."
The limo driver got out and opened Kari's door. He graciously helped her out like she was a famous celebrity. Kari stood and watched as several people walked up the steps into the large building. Tai and Sora got out of the limo anyway and Kari was secretly glad they did. They helped her build the courage to walk up the steps and into the reunion. When they walked in the doors, Kari turned around for moral support but Tai and Sora were suddenly gone. 'Hey... where'd they go?'
Her nerves were coming back, but Kari kept walking. She walked up to the registration table to get her already made "Hello...my name is..." name tag and recognized her favorite history teacher sitting behind it. 'Maybe this won't be so bad after all.'
Kari followed a small group of people down a long hallway into a giant room filled with hundreds of people. Immediately Kari was confused, she knew she didn't have this many people in her graduating class. She took a closer look of the people standing around her, she recognized a few of them but they weren't from her graduating class. Kari looked around for one of those banners that said something like "Welcome Class of 2008" or "Ten Year Reunion" but instead saw several banners that said "Welcome Odiaba High School Alumni." Kari finally realized she wasn't at her ten year reunion, but instead at the all school reunion!
Kari was pissed. How did this happen? She started looking for Tai and Sora and saw them running away from her, even though she wasn't chasing them. Kari quickly walked after them, she wanted answers. She found them standing with a group of very familiar people.
"Tai, Sora! Did they send me the wrong invitation?" Kari asked them, purposely ignoring her old friends.
"Hey Kari!" Izzy happily greeted her and so did the rest of the digidestin.
"Hey," Kari shyly replied to her old friends before turning back to Tai and Sora. "How did this happen?"
"Well ya see..." Sora started to explain.
"Sora photoshopped your invitation so that ya would miss you ten year reunion and come to the all school reunion to see all your friends again," Tai interrupted his wife. Sora angrily elbowed him in the ribs.
"Ya what?!" Kari angrily asked, "you tricked me into going to this stupid thing?"
"Yeah...I'm sorry Kari!" Sora apologized, "I just wanted to ya to see all your friends again."
"So Kari, what have you been up to in the last ten years?" Jake asked her, breaking the tension between the two sister-in-laws.
Kari took a good look at her old high school friends and calmed down when she noticed a certain someone wasn't there. They had all changed in ten years, yet they all still looked very much the same.
"Well I went to college and became a teacher," answered Kari, embarrassed about how she had acted just a few moments ago.
"So I saw you got engaged in the paper, congratulations!" Joe said excitedly.
"Ya did?" Kari asked and all the digidestin nodded their heads, "oh wow, thank you!"
"Show us the ring!" Yolie said and Kari held out her hand to show everyone the huge diamond ring on her finger.
"When are you getting married?" Mimi asked as she continued to stare at the giant ring.
"December 20th." Kari answered as she put down her hand.
"Are you getting married here or in America?" Davis asked curiously.
"We're getting married in America," answered Kari.
"You don't want to get married here?" Ken asked, shocked she didn't want to get married in her hometown.
"It never really came to mind. A lot of our friends live in America so we thought it would be more convenient to have the wedding in America," explained Kari.
"What about us?" Davis asked, "Jake, Yolie, Ken, Cody, TK and me all still live in Japan."
"I'm sorry," replied Kari as she shrugged her shoulders. She began to feel really bad. She never even thought about inviting them to her wedding.
"So are you and Brian deciding on having kids soon?" Mimi asked, switching the subject after she noticed how uncomfortable Kari was starting to get.
"Well...Since the Nascar schedule is so hectic, we're going to hold off on having kids. Brian thinks it would be best to wait until he retires in a few years," Kari explained with a slight hint of sadness.
The Digidestin were shocked, not even Tai or Sora knew this. They all knew of Kari's dreams of getting married and having many kids. They knew she loved children and couldn't wait to have some of her own. It was the major reason why she became a elementary teacher.
TK walked up the steps and into the building where the all school reunion was being held. He had gone to every all school reunion since he graduated, hoping to find Kari there. He got his "Hello...my name is..." name tag and started walking down the hallway that led him to the reunion. As he walked down the hallway, he noticed several class pictures hanging on the wall. Odiaba High School was a young school, with thirty-four graduating classes so far. He slowed the pace of his walk, looking for the class of 2008's class picture. As he got closer, he couldn't help but notice a familiar person staring at the wall.
"Seth?" TK asked, surprised to see him here. It was the first time in ten years that TK saw him at any of the all school reunions.
"TK!" Seth greeted when he turned around, "my man, how are you?"
"I am good," replied TK. "How have you been since graduation?"
"I don't know," answered Seth. "I can't remember!"
"Are you...high?" TK asked suspiciously.
"Totally." Seth nonchalantly answered and started following TK as TK looked for their class portrait. TK finally found it and stopped to stare at it. Seth stood next to him, also staring at their graduating class. "So did you ever marry whatsername? Carrie, Karen...Moeshia?"
"Kari?" TK asked as he looked at the blown up picture of their class. He couldn't help but look at Kari in the picture when he said her name.
"Yeah..." Seth replied.
"No. We broke up in high school and I haven't seen her since we graduated," TK explained. "Did you end up marrying Jessica?"
"Yeah...I think so?" Seth answered, obviously the drugs had taken a negative effect on his brain.
"Well... I think I'm gonna go in," TK said and he left Seth to stare at their class portrait. TK figured he was amused by all the bright colors in the picture but he wasn't sure.
TK walked into the main hall to see hundreds of people talking amongst themselves. He immediately started looking for the Digidestin. He hadn't seen most of them since last year's all school reunion. TK walked around until he finally found them gathered around an all too familiar girl in a red dress. He became excited yet at the same time very nervous. What was he going to say to her? How was he going to act around her?
He decided he needed to loosen up first and walked over to the cash bar. TK figured a shot of his favorite whiskey would calm his nerves. As he sat at the bar, he kept his eye on Kari, never letting her out of his sight. After his third shot and second beer, the bartender stopped serving TK. He finally decided he was loosened up enough and started stumbling over to the group.
"But Kari, you love kids!" Yolie exclaimed yet Kari just sadly shrugged her shoulders.
"Well...I think I'm gonna go," said Kari. She had enough of their interrogation of her life.
"Kari!" Sora exclaimed, "but ya just got here!"
"I meant, to go get punch," Kari lied and walked over to to the punch table. When the Digidestin weren't looking, she started quickly walking towards the door.
"Hey guys. Where's Kari?" TK asked when he met up with the Digidestin.
"Hey TK! Um... she left to go get...punch?" Tai pointed to the punch table but when he turned around, he didn't see her by the punch table at all.
"Damn it, I bet she's trying to leave early," Sora said as she stood on her tippy toes, trying to find her over everyone's heads.
"Is he drunk?" Jake whispered to Davis as he watched TK leave as quickly as he came.
TK started walking back towards the door. He spotted a girl in a bright red dress and tapped her on the shoulder. When she turned around, TK immediately realized it was the wrong person. He quickly apologized and started his search again. TK finally found Kari near the door and was certain it was her this time. He ran up to her and grabbed her wrist, whipping her around to face him.
"Did you think you would leave without saying goodbye to me?" TK asked.
"Are ya drunk?" Kari asked as she smelled the whiskey on his breath. With her free hand, she fanned the air in front of her face to get rid of the stench of his breath.
"Maybe," he answered ashamed.
"Let go of me TK," Kari sternly ordered but TK only tightened his grip on her wrist.
"I just wanna talk," TK simply replied.
"Then start talking," said Kari, still very angry.
"I love you Kari," TK drunkenly blurted, shocking himself and Kari.
"Well ya know what TK? I don't love ya, so ya should just move on with your life, cause I have." Kari replied, trying to wiggle her wrist free. TK heard her but chose to ignore it. He leaned in for a kiss only to get a big slap in the face. TK immediately let go of her wrist and Kari angrily stormed out the door. TK just stood there, rubbing his sore cheek. Sora walked up to him and gave him a supportive hug. She had seen everything from the punch table.
"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to get drunk before seeing her for the first time in ten years huh?" TK asked sadly.
"No, it wasn't," answered Sora as she patted him on the back.
"I just wasted one last chance with her," TK started to go off on a tangent, "I shouldn't have grabbed her wrist like that. I shouldn't have tried to kiss her. I shouldn't have..."
"TK, it's alright!" Sora tried to calm him down. "She's staying here in Japan for a week before she's going home again."
"Really? Are you serious?" TK asked in disbelief.
"Yes, Brian thought it would be good to see all her old friends again before the wedding," Sora explained.
"Wedding? She's getting married? To Brian?" TK angrily exclaimed.
"Wait, she didn't tell ya?" Sora asked.
"No!" TK answered angrily, "why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought for sure ya would have read about it! It was in very newspaper around the world!" Sora explained, "and I thought for sure she would have told ya."
"No, she didn't!" TK exclaimed still in complete shock.
"I don't understand how ya didn't know," replied Sora. "You're a sports journalist!"
"I don't know, ok?" TK said frustratedly. "Do you know which hotel she is staying in? I have to apologize to her."
"She's staying at the Hilton," answered Sora.
"The Hilton?" TK asked, shocked Kari would be staying at such a lavish hotel.
"Yeah," replied Sora as she watched him stumble out the doors.