Disclaimer: Well, I think we all know what goes in here...

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Davis scuffed his shoes in the dirt as he walked home in the dark. His nose throbbed, though had long since ceased bleeding and his signature goggles hung dejectedly in one hand, their cracked lenses glittering in what little light filtered from the moon. He had been offered several rides home, both from Ken, Cody, and, most surprisingly, T.K., but he had refused them all. Instead, he had elected to walk, though his home was quite a distance from the school itself.

He certainly made a pathetic picture. Blood was smeared beneath his nose and on the sleeve of his formally immaculate shirt. His hair was a dust-coated, untamed mess and his eye was beginning to swell closed. All in all, he looked nearly as poorly as he felt. What had possessed him to taunt T.K.? While the boys may not have been friends, they certainly hadn't been enemies- at least not until Davis had pulled his stupid stunt.

His fingers clenched over the broken headgear. How was he going to fix this? His own stupid jealousy had driven him to hurt someone he genuinely admired (though he would never admit it) and a girl that he had honestly liked. Perhaps even loved. He groaned, throwing his head back to peer at the moon through his remaining eye. He had hoped the walk in the chilly night air would help to clear his head, but all that he was accomplishing was merely making the horrendous mess he had created for himself seem more… messy.

He veered off the road and onto the shoulder as the gleam of headlights alerted him to a passing car. As he was expecting it to pass him without a backward glance, he was understandably surprised when the vehicle rolled to a stop and reversed to idle beside his motionless form. The driver's side window rolled down and a familiar face peered at him from the brilliantly lit interior.

"Davis?"

"Hi, Anna." His tone was sheepish. Why he was embarrassed, he couldn't have said, but something about anyone, most especially a female, catching him in this situation brought a crimson blush to his cheeks. He cleared his throat, his eyes focused on the tips of his muddied shoes, rather than on her face. He glanced up at the expression she wore, braced for the worst.

Just as he had expected, a look of pity flared in her eyes. However, what he hadn't expected was for her to actually get out of her vehicle and come to his side. "Are you okay?" Her voice was soft, and the gentle fingers she used to examine his swollen eye felt much better than they should have. He frowned inwardly, momentarily perplexed by his own response. What was it about this girl that made him so uncertain of himself?

"I'm fine." His voice was gruff, and he took a step back from her in an effort to regain his equilibrium. She shook her head and dared back inside her car, gone from his side and back again in less time than it took him to formulate an appropriate excuse for his appearance. In her hands she carried a clean cloth and a bottle of water. Instead of handing the items to him, she wet the cloth and gently dabbed at the blood smeared across his face.

Outwardly, he flinched as the cloth brushed lightly across the bruises tenderizing his skin, yet inwardly he was wondering at her kindness. Why would she help him? They barely knew each other. She had enrolled only a few years previously. They had only a few classes together and didn't share the same friends, or interests- outside of soccer. In fact, the only reason he knew who she was, was primarily because of her position as the starring forward on the girl's soccer team. They had shared a field more than once, dribbling the ball up and down, practicing shooting and blocking. Still, it hadn't been enough to stimulate conversation between them, at least not more than the cursory introductions.

His eyes remained closed as she finished cleaning his face. "What happened?" The question was soft, the concern genuine. He opened his left eye, the other reduced to a swollen slit by that time and peered at her. She was holding the bloodied cloth in her hands, twisting it back and forth between nervous fingers. He sighed and raked a hand through his hair, tugging at the strands with impatient fingers. It felt odd not to encounter the smooth glass and elastic band of his goggles.

"I got into a fight."

He didn't elaborate and instead of prying, she simply nodded. "Do... would you like a ride home?"

He paused for a few moments and surveyed her in the fading light. Her body was outlined by the interior lights of the car, still idling on the side of the road. Her petite figure, honed by years of soccer, the soft, almost ethereal weight of her light blond hair, falling freely down around her hips, the gentle expression in her aqua eyes...

Dropping his hand to his side, he finally allowed the familiar weight of his goggles to slip silently from his fingers and fall unnoticed to the side of the road. "Sure." He agreed softly, warmed by her smile. "I'd love one."

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MM7 says: I'm afraid I can't apologize for my lack of updating... My stories are a bit erratic as of late. We'll have to see if I manage to finish them all (eventually).

A bit of symbolism in this chapter- at least I can assure my English teacher that something is getting through- Davis letting go of his goggles. It was supposed to symbolize letting go, moving on with your life and forgetting the past, etc. Not sure how well that worked out.

Honestly, I wanted my OC in this chapter to be an actual character from the Digimon series- I don't suppose anyone knows... In the movie, Kari attends another child's birthday party- I know they say her name, but I couldn't remember what it was (or what she looked like)! Originally, I had every intention of basing "Anna" off of that child, simply so I could say that I haven't used any OCs!

Ah well. I suppose that's the price I pay for not shelling out a few dollars and renting the movie. I'm so cheap! tear