The Other Girl

Taichi is the captain of the soccer team, while Mimi is the captain of the cheerleading squad. She strives to get his attention, but can't seem to do it. It seems as if Taichi's mind is on the other girl...

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, yadda yadda yadda...

Chapter 1 - Autumn hue

I held my breath as he took a shot. Gracefully, he kicked the ball past the diving goalie and into the net. He made soccer look so easy... and beautiful. I sighed. Of course, he would. He's the best soccer player I knew, as well as the captain of Odaiba's soccer team. It's his job to run and score.

He ran past me, his forehead all scrunched up in concentration. I laughed to myself. He almost never thought. He's practically the densest of all of us. Maybe he only showed his intellectual side when he's playing soccer.

I watched as other players tried desperately to stop his kicks from scoring. Tough luck. What he wanted, he got. I knew that for a fact. Or maybe not. There was one thing, he never got. One person was still on his mind, a person he truly loved. He wanted to tell her, but Yamato beat him to it. It was the first time he ever lost. It hurt. I wonder, did he still love her?

I looked up just in time to see him sail past me. Our eyes met, and his lips curved up in a smile that made my heart melt. All his smiles did. Everything he did had an effect on me. I sighed again. If only I could tell him everything…

"Mimi?"

I turned around and came face to face with Kira, a friend of mine, as well as a fellow cheerleader.

"The whole squad is here. Should we start?" Kira had a concerned look on her face. Maybe it was because of my daydreaming. Or maybe she thought she disturbed me in a way. Patiently, she waited for my answer. My mind was wandering. He distracted me too much.

I blinked. "I'm sorry. Of course we can start." I took a deep breath and tried to get him out of my head. It was embarrassing: the cheerleading captain, not concentrating on team practice. Ugh, I must be nuts.

We went over our routines for about an hour. We then spent the next thirty minutes on just talking. As usual, the topic was boys.

Kira cleared her throat. "So, should we continue on making that special cheer for Taichi?"

Startled, I stared at her in surprise.

"Sakura suggested it, remember?"

"I think we should," supported Yume. She flipped her blond braid as she focused on the running athlete. "He is the most good-looking, most talented soccer player in Odaiba. That and he's the captain."

I shook my head. "Tai isn't that crazy about personalized cheers."

"Well I'd cheer for him anytime," said Sakura, eyeing him.

"He's so adorable!" gushed the admiring Natsumi. "I wish I could date him."

Enough of this nonsense! I stood up and grabbed my bag. "I'd better go home. Mom will have a fit if I get home past 5:30." I ran down the steps and crashed right into the person I expected the least.

"Owww," Taichi groaned as he rubbed his sore butt. "Gee, Mims, maybe you should join the sumo wrestling team."

I was horrified. Of all the people, it had to be him! "I'm so sorry! I was in such a hurry…"

Taichi grinned and held up his hand. "It's nothing serious. I'm fine. Just help me up, okay?"

I blushed and took his hand. I felt an electric shock run through me the moment our fingers touched. Dizzily, I tried to hold on to anything to keep from collapsing on the ground. I grabbed his shoulder as my vision clouded.

"Mims, you okay?" he asked me softly. Mims. Only he called me Mims. Everyone else called me Mimi. It was like his pet name for me, Mims... "Hey," he murmured, gently rubbing his hand against my face, creating a burning sensation on my skin. "Mims?"

I opened my eyes and saw only his chocolate brown ones, boring into me like a giant drill. My face reddened. I quickly stood up and smoothened my skirt. God, I must have looked like an idiot! "Thanks. I must have lost my balance there."

"I thought you fainted. Are you sure you're fine?" he asked, concern etched on his face.

He was so close to me. Just his presence was already driving me crazy! "Yeah. Um, I really should get home." I tried to run, but his hand caught mine, zapping me with a thousand volts.

"Wait! It's a getting dark. It's kinda dangerous to walk alone. You want me to keep you company?"

My eyes widened. "You... you want to walk me home?" I stammered.

"Just to make sure that you get home safely," he mumbled as he scuffed his sneakers against the soil, trying to look casual.

I blushed a deep red at his concern. Taichi cared for my safety. He was so sweet. I could never turn him down, not for anything. "I guess it would be pretty boring to walk alone."

He smiled at my words and grabbed his bag from the nearby bench. "You want me to carry your stuff?"

I shook my head. "No thanks. It's okay, it's very light."

As we walked into the dying afternoon, my eyes wandered towards the heavens. The sky was beautiful, in every shade of autumn possible. That was when I laid my eyes on the sun, as red as a ruby. Funny, it reminded me of Sora's eyes. It was the exact same hue of red. I looked at Taichi and he had this familiar look on his face. Was he thinking about her too?

r & r pls.