Digimon

Chapter 1

It was a hot day in August and Tai Kamiya was stuck in the sports hall in the middle of an interschool basketball semi-final. Only he wasn't playing. Nope after injuring his wrist in training earlier in the week the coach was adamant that he couldn't and wouldn't play. Ok so basketball wasn't really his thing anyway, he was more of a soccer kind of guy but being benched really sucked. And now with the heat and the noise from the crowds he kind of wished he'd never even bothered to come and watch anyway. His team was winning – naturally – Tai didn't play for losers and star player TK had already scored a billion times, now it was just a wait for the whistle to blow. Tai pulled his phone out of his pocket to check his messages. Suddenly, right as he held his phone it began to buzz, it was his mom. She was probably wondering what time he'd be home, checking up on him as always. Tai was tempted to ignore it but it was a perfect excuse to leave stuffy gym and get outside so giving the coach a quick nudge he left his seat and went out through the back doors.

"S'up mom?" he said once he was able to hear his mother properly.

"Oh Tai, honey, I'm really sorry but I won't be able to pick you up after your game," his mother's voice was a little panicked.

"Why? What's up Mom?" Tai demanded worried about his mother.

"It's nothing to worry about sweetie it's just Kari, she's really not well honey and I don't want to leave her and your father won't be home until seven..."

"It's okay Mom," Tai sighed knowing that there was no point in arguing with her or telling her that Kari was fourteen with a fever and could handle being left alone for a half hour "I'll hitch a ride of one of the guys."

"Thanks for understanding honey,"

Tai hung up and sighed, he wished she'd called him sooner, the guys in the basketball team would probably be staying for a post match celebration and all of his other friends had left school an hour ago, it was going to have to be a long trek to the subway. In that case he was going to need a soda and some smokes for the journey, so he headed over to the corner shop across the road from the school.

Armed with a Pepsi and a packet of cigarettes Tai light up and braced himself for the long walk and even longer commute on the subway ahead of him.

"You know for a sports freak you sure know what substances to pollute your body with," Tai turned to the snarky voice and saw Izzy Izumi strolling towards him with his laptop case strapped around his shoulder. Ordinarily Tai wouldn't be friends with such a sarcastic, superior geek as Izzy but the two of them had bonded when Izzy had helped Tai pass his IT exam in middle school and had remained weird friends ever since.

"What are you my mother?" Tai laughed and took another drag.

"What are you doing standing on street corners with a smoke hanging from your mouth like a stereotypical badboy anyway?" Izzy asked refusing Tai's offer of a cigarette.

"My mom bailed out on me so I've got to take the sub home," Tai explained "so I'm bracing myself for the walk home. What about you , why are you still here? Still trying to hack into the school's exam paper files?"

"No, actually I was just doing some homework, I didn't really fancy going home what with all the tension and all." Izzy said glumly.

"Oh right, are things still awkward between you and your folks because of the whole adoption thing?" About a month ago Izzy had told Tai that he'd confronted his parents at last about him being adopted, despite having overheard his parent discuss it a year earlier.

"Things are a little strained."Izzy admitted "but hey, whatever. I'll walk home with you, at least then you'll have someone to talk to,"

"Sure," Tai said glad for the company

"Give me a second I just need to pick up some snacks for when I spend the whole of the evening locked in my room on my computer," Izzy said dryly whilst walking into the shop. Tai patted him on the shoulder and then stamped out the butt of his burnt out cigarette.

"Hey Tai!" a girls voice called out. Tai looked up to see Sora, the cutest, most amazing girl in his class waving at him.

"Hey Sora!" he cried kicking away the cigarette butt and standing up straight. She looked great, dressed in a soft looking yellow and white striped jumper and super-skinny jeans with her fiery red hair around her shoulders. Tai actually felt his heart skip a beat.

"What are you doing?" she asked when she reached him.

"Oh you know, just waiting to start the long walk home with Izzy," he replied casually, Sora lived in the same estate as he did and maybe just maybe she'd join them.

"Well I was just about to go and grab a slice of pizza, you guys can come along too if you like?" Sora replied.

Oh I see, Tai thought sure, you were 'just about to grab pizza' a girl grabbing pizza on her own? Unlikely, she'd seen him alone by the store and had just made up that story just to get him to come along with her! Tai grinned at Sora,

"Sounds like a plan to me," he said then he shouted into the store "hey Izzy! Change of plan, we're grabbing pizza with Sora!"

"Oh are we?" Izzy said exiting the shop with a carrier back of nachos "Well I sure am glad you told me now and not after I'd spent ten dollars and junk food." He added sarcastically.

"Well that's settled then," Sora said ignoring Izzy's comments "Matt will be here any minute now."

Matt? Tai suddenly felt like he may have cashed in his good luck a little early.

"Uh, who's Matt?" he asked trying to sound casual.

"He's this guy from my history class, he's really nice, he asked me to go for pizza today but I'm sure he'll be cool with you guys coming along so don't worry."

That wasn't what Tai was worried about how come this Matt guy was asking Sora to go for pizza? And more importantly how come she said yes?

Next thing, a black car pulled up by the school gates.

"That's his car!" Sora said "come on guys!" she hurried across the road towards the car. Tai made to follow but Izzy grabbed his arm,

"Hey Tai do you think this is a good idea? By the sounds of things I think this Matt guy is expecting a date." He muttered, Tai thought about it for a second – it would be pretty awkward being the third wheel but on the other hand, Sora wouldn't have a great first date with Matt if he was there too.

"Come on Izzy!" Tai said with a grin "three's a crowd but four's a party!" and he dragged Izzy along with him across the road. The car had pulled up and a tall, slim guy with ivory coloured skin and windswept honey coloured hair climbed out of the door of the driver's seat. The guy wore dark denim skinny jeans, a black t-shirt and a black jacket over it along with a pair of dark brown designer shoes. Tai suddenly felt very aware of the fact that he was wearing khakis and a blue hoodie.

"Hi Matt!" Sora cried.

"Hey," Matt replied he glanced over at Tai and Izzy who were appropriately standing a few feet behind Sora.

"This is Tai and Izzy," Sora said waving her hand at the guys "I said they could come along if that's okay?" Tai noticed the colour drain from Matt's face and he knew that he was an unwanted guest – perfect, the guy was nothing but a pretty boy in a nice car anyway and was probably as dumb as he was good-looking.

"Uh well," Matt scratched the back of his neck awkwardly then sighed "yeah, fine, whatever," then he nodded at Tai and Izzy and pointed to his car "climb on in."

Tai took the back seat with Izzy and Sora rode up front with Matt. There were a few text books scattered around the back seats one for an intensive physics course, one labelled organic chemistry and one with an image of a swastika plastered on the cover.

"Hey Sora, I think you're friend is a little right-wing!" Tai said waving the book at her.

"Tai that's the course book for our history class!" Sora giggled and she reached into her bag and pulled out a replica of Matt's book "see, I've got the same one!" Tai groaned inwardly disappointed that his joke had been taken seriously, in fact he saw Matt's mouth turn into a smirk in the rear view mirror and had to overcome the urge to fling the book right at his blonde head.

Matt turned on the radio and a big, rock power-ballad began to play.

"What is this? Eighties FM?" Tai snorted.

"If you don't like the music you're welcome to walk," Matt said with a smile that revealed his pearly white teeth. He said it jokingly, with a smile but Tai heard the slight malice in his voice – seemed like the dislike for one and other was mutual.

They drove for another ten minutes until they reached Joe's Pizza. When they arrived Tai saw that the parking area was already pretty full.

"Do you think we'll get a table?" Matt asked Sora

"For four?" Tai added.

"I'll go inside and check," Sora said "you find some place to park the car." And she unbelted herself and left the car. Matt parked the car in the last available space and cut the engine.

"I'm going to wait outside," he said leaving the keys in the ignition "get some air."

Suddenly Izzy's phone began to ring,

"It's my Mom," he said "I'd better take it," and he stepped outside for some privacy. Not wanting to be left alone in the car Tai climbed out and stretched. Matt was leaning against the front of the car, it was just the two of them. Tai wondered what to say, the silence was getting pretty awkward.

"So how do you know Sora?" he asked at the exact same time as Matt did. Matt flinched a little then replied;

"She's in my history class. How about you? Do you guys have the same classes?"

"Nah," Tai replied Sora took a bunch of artsy subjects which were a bit too deep for him "no, we live in the same estate plus we've been going to the same schools since we were like, four." In your face, Tai mentally added he'd known Sora a lot longer than this guy had.

"Cool," Matt said nodding his head. There was another silence. "So uh, what classes do you take?"

"Biology, geography, phys Ed and sports sciences." Tai replied."I'm on the soccer team and the basketball squad too."

"Oh maybe you know my brother," Matt said a little more enthusiastically "TK? He's on the basketball team,"

"TK is your brother?" Tai asked – how could TK a cool kid have such a jerk as an older brother? Come to think of it, Tai didn't even realise TK had a brother. "He hasn't mentioned you," Matt's pretty boy face darkened,

"Yeah well, I'm not really his favourite person."

"I can believe that," Tai muttered. Suddenly, Sora had joined them looking disappointed

"They're all full," she sighed

"Hey, no worries we can go somewhere else," Matt said giving Sora's arm a rub which annoyed Tai "there's a great steakhouse about a mile from here."

"Good idea Matt!" Tai said trying to sound enthusiastic – he was going to get a meal with Sora this evening even if it meant driving one hundred miles to find a place. With Izzy back the four of them got back into the car and Matt had just turned the keys when they saw a tall, lanky guy running at the car waving at them.

"Joe?" Matt asked rolling down the window "Hey man how's it going?"

"Thank goodness you saw me!" the guy said, Tai saw that he was tall, probably even taller than Matt and looked a little older too. "Could you give me a lift to the train station please? I'm running late and I've already missed one train – I have to get home, my dad's sister is coming to visit and I need to be there or else my dad will flip out!"

"Ah Joe we were just about to- "

"Please Matt, I'm asking you as a friend!" the guy looked hysterical to Tai. Matt glanced at Sora who shrugged.

"Alright then get in, Tai, Izzy you're going to have to budge up for Joe." Matt said with a sigh. Tai moved over into the middle seat and the guy, Joe sat next to him.

"Thank you Matt, I really appreciate this." He said once the car was moving again, he turned to Tai then, "Hi, I'm Joe," he held out his hand and Tai shook it,

"Tai. Are you a friend of Matt?"

"Sure, we went to the same school and then we were in chemistry class together last year – I'm in university now."

"What do you study?" Izzy asked speaking for the first time in ages.

"Medicine, I want to become a doctor."

"Hey is that what I think it is?!" Matt's startled voice interrupted them "look out of the window, I think it's snowing!"