Author's Notes: This is the second part of the incredibly large AU that has Ken and Davis in high school.
Rating: R for language and sexual situations
Pairing: Ken/Davis
Written: 2003
Davis decided that the nastiest thing in existence was the lumpy, chalky white substance the school cafeteria attempted to pass off as mashed potatoes with gravy. He wasn't exactly sure what the gravy was, except it looked like gray lumps in brown sauce. Or brown lumps in gray sauce depending on the mood of the cafeteria workers.
It didn't look edible. The best use Davis had found for it was to make semi-hard potato statues. Right now, he was trying for some sort small monster with ears and a kind of dinosaur looking shape. With a little bit of imagination, he could pretend the gravy was blue and where the potato shown through was its white belly. Davis was giving it a tail when he heard snickers from a nearby table.
Today was not a good Monday.
For starters, Davis had managed to piss off the only so called "friends" he had at this school. It really wasn't fair. They had all agreed to go to the movies on Saturday. In the town he used to live in, most theaters showed movies at 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, 7:00, and 9:00 on Saturday and Sunday. Here they theaters started at noon and showed movies every two hours.
All the guys had shown up at the theater at 11:45 and waited for him. At 12:10 they decided to go ahead and watch the movie without him. Davis had shown up at 12:45, realized what had happened, and had waited till the 2 o'clock movie had let out to explain. None of the guys had really been that interested in hearing his excuses.
Which was why Davis was currently sitting at a lunch table by himself carving sculptures out of his lumpy mashed potatoes. At least the whole thing with Ken didn't come back to haunt me. In fact, things have been rather quiet with him. If I had known all it took to shut him up was a little tongue I would have done it when I first met him. That thought at least brought a smile to his face.
"Do you mind if I sit here?"
"Huh?" Davis looked up from his mashed potatoes. His first thought was that this kid had to have skipped a few grades. He looked too young to be in high school. Davis's second thought was that he knew the kid from somewhere. Even though Davis couldn't place a name with his face, the boy looked naggingly familiar. "Sure. No problem."
The boy's hair was dark brown, cropped short around ears that contained more piercings than Davis could count. He wore a dark, baggy jacket with zippered pockets and a black punk band T-shirt. Ragged jeans and $150 sneakers completed the outfit. A set of headphones hung around the boy's neck, and a cord led from them to a walkman on the boy's hip. Davis didn't think headphones were even allowed at school. He kept expecting one of the teachers to walk by and confiscate them.
"What's your name?" Davis finally asked. The boy looked at him, and smiled slightly.
"Cody."
"I'm..."
"I already know. You're Davis Motomiya," Cody said. Davis blinked at him for a second before he gave him the victory sign and a grin.
"Cool! I'm famous." Cody gave him a look and then rolled his eyes. Davis laughed self-consciously and went back to poking at his mashed potatoes. He kept shooting looks at Cody from the corner of his eye. Where have I seen him before? I know he looks familiar.
"Hey Cody! How do you make it through the line so fast?"
Davis recognized both the voice and the person who it belonged to. He looked up in time to see Yolei coming towards the table complete with purple hair and glasses. There might have been enough time to bolt down his food and leave before Yolei got to the table, but Davis doubted it. Besides he did not want a stomachache for the rest of the day.
"It's because I get out of class five minutes early for lunch like everyone else who's got high enough grades. It's one of the benefits of being on the honor roll," Cody replied. Yolei snorted and flopped down in a chair at the table. Davis half expected her to prop her black leather boots up on the table, but she kept them on the floor.
"Know-it-all prick. You and Ken have no life. I, on the other hand, would much rather have averages grades and actually have a life," Yolei stated. She opened up her backpack, fished out her lunch and was about to open up the containers when she noticed Davis. "How did you get through the line so quickly?"
"I'm on the honor roll too."
"You? On the honor roll? I don't believe it. You probably bought the teacher with all the money you're family has. Or something," Yolei said. Davis shifted uncomfortably.
"Come on Yolei. It's not too hard to believe that Davis might be smarter than you," said another voice. It was another girl, this time with pink streaks in her brown hair. "He is in some of the honors classes. I've seen him."
"I don't know. He's always picking fights with Ken. He can't be that smart." Another voice Davis recognized. That would be TK, one of the guys that Ken hung out with a lot. The girl with pink streaks in her hair was probably his girlfriend, Kari. All of Ken's friends were now sitting at the table around him.
Davis had a really bad feeling about this.
In his last school, a common ploy of the students was to surround Davis at the table at lunch. They'd sit with him and taunt him during the entire lunch. Finally, when he had had enough he'd try and leave. Then they would make their move: hitting, tripping, or throwing something at him. If one of the teachers got involved, the entire group would claim that Davis was the one at fault. This sudden gathering of Ken's friends at the lunch table left him nervous.
Suddenly, Davis was inhaling the cafeteria's chicken nuggets like they were prime rib.
"Well, looks like I'm done. I'll just be going," Davis said quickly. He slid his chair back with a loud sound and grabbed for his tray. No one at the table tried to stop him. This might actually work. He was just about to get up when a hand landed on his shoulder.
"Sit down Davis."
Davis didn't obey Ken's tone so much as the heavy weight on his hand forcing Davis back into his chair. Kari gave Ken a look. Ken ignored it as he grabbed an empty chair, pulled it up to the table, and sat down right beside Davis.
"Did I miss anything?" Ken asked.
"Just the amazing revelation that Davis is on the Honor Roll," Yolei stated. She opened one of the Tupperware containers and made a face. "Shit. Bean sprouts. Why the fuck does my mom think I need to eat this healthy crap anyway? Wonderful. My mom has started sending me prune juice as well. Thanks a lot Cody."
"It's not my fault. All I did was mention that my grandfather drinks it," Cody said in a reasonable tone of voice. The corners of his mouth twitched as he fought a smile. Kari was giggling behind her napkin.
"Yeah, but you did it around my mom. You know how she is and you said something on purpose. Anyway, we know why a boy genius like yourself got on the honor roll, Ken, but I still don't understand how someone like... ooooh. You got the last pizza slice, didn't you? Can I have a piece? Please? Come on Ken, they were all out when I was up there."
"Yolei, you bring your own lunch. You never even went through the line. Hands off," Ken said as he defended his lunch from Yolei's reaching hands. Yolei gave up but not before flipping Ken the bird.
"So Kari, how was that English test you were worried about this morning?" TK asked. Kari quickly warmed up to the subject, changing the topic of conversation before a true fight could break out.
What amazed Davis, as he sat tensely at the table waiting for them to remember he was still there, was how easy everyone at the table was with each other. All of Ken's friends had very different, sometimes clashing, personalities. It would be so easy for them to fight and hate each other. Instead, they all seemed to get along, fights dissolving into laughs before they could gain any real heat.
Davis wished he were a part of a group like this. The conversation flowed around him and he listened with half an ear. More than once he almost opened his mouth to say something, only to shut it before any words could come out. Instead he played with the mashed potatoes, and tried to remain inconspicuous. Davis had to keep reminding himself that he didn't want to be the center of attention. Not when it could lead to humiliation
When the first bell signaling the end of lunch rang, Davis couldn't get out of there fast enough. He grabbed his tray, slung his backpack on before anyone at the table to react, and bolted. Nobody called out after him. There was no sudden surge of steps as someone rushed to keep up with him. Davis let out a shaky breath as he deposited his tray and plates on the conveyor belt, and dumped his trash in the trashcan.
He'd made it.
Almost.
"Hey Davis."
Davis jumped six inches. He turned around and laughed sheepishly at Cody, who stood right at his elbow. Shit. Shit. Shit. I thought I was home free. I hope the others aren't coming up behind me. As quickly as possible, Davis scanned the crowd. He didn't see any of Ken's friends coming towards him. Then he turned his attention to Cody. "Sorry. I didn't hear you."
"It's okay. It happens a lot. I tend to walk really quietly," Cody said. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as Davis fidgeted. "Look, you seemed really quiet at lunch today. I just wanted to let you know that Yolei's like that with everyone. It's not just you. She's only really nice to people she doesn't like."
"Oh." Why is he telling me this? "Thanks. I mean... yeah. I didn't know."
"I figured. You've not hung out with us enough to know about how Yolei is." The second bell rang. Cody looked up and made a face. "I got to get to class. I'll see you tomorrow at lunch."
"Okay." Davis just stared. He had thought... but then why was Cody being nice to him? Sometimes people were nice to Davis in an effort to get him to relax his guard. Then they'd make him the butt of some great big joke. Would Ken really do that?
Feeling like his world had just been knocked off kilter, Davis headed to his next class.
Which was chemistry. Davis walked into an empty classroom and stared. It took a few moments for him to remember that today they were working in the lab. Fuck. If he didn't hurry he was going to be late, and wouldn't that be the great?
By cutting through the crowds in the hall, Davis managed to not only get to the lab on time, he was a few minutes early. At first, Davis headed for the table where three of the guys he usually hung out with were. Hostile looks convinced him that that was not a good idea. Veering at the last minute, Davis sat down at an empty table near the back.
Unfortunately, Davis's "friends" didn't stay at their table. As soon as Davis sat down on one of the high stools, the three were right there. They didn't sit down but stood threateningly around him.
"Hey Motomiya. I see it didn't take you long to find yourself some new friends," said Mike, the leader of the group of three.
"What are you talking about?" Davis asked. His eyes darted towards the front of the room, but the teacher still hadn't entered.
"I'm talking about lunch. We all saw you sitting with Ichijouji and his punk ass friends. Obviously, we're no longer good enough for you." Mike grabbed at Davis's backpack, but Davis snatched it from him. Mike's buddies snickered.
"I didn't sit with them, they sat with me. Mike, I hardly even know them."
"Sure. We believe you Davis." This came from the one of Mike's buddies, the one whose name Davis could never remember. James or John or... some name beginning with J. "Tell me Davis, what have those losers got that we don't?"
Davis opened his mouth to respond, to deny that this was his idea at all. Another voice beat him to it.
"Hi Davis." Three heads snapped towards the sound of that voice. Davis blinked and looked over in time to see Kari heading towards them. She smiled at Davis. "It was nice to see you at lunch today. Do you mind if I sit with you?"
"Uh... sure." Kari pulled out one of the high stools and managed to get herself on it. The knee length skirt she wore was pulled extra tight and rode up her thigh.
"I always forget when we have lab and wear a skirt." Kari pulled at the hem of her skirt, trying to adjust the length. Three heads snapped downwards to stare at Kari's thigh where her hand lay against her skirt. Davis almost beat his head against the table. Can these guys get any more obvious? Why don't they just start drooling?
Not one to let an opportunity pass him by, Davis also took a look at Kari's legs. Nice. He quickly looked back up before Kari could notice.
"Hi Mike, Jake, and... Timothy? You guys hang out with Davis." Kari smiled at all three of them. "I asked Davis to sit with us at lunch. I hope you guys don't mind."
"Of course not," Mike said. He came around and threw an arm across Davis's shoulders. "Now I see why he was sitting with you and your group. Motomiya, maybe you'll be the one who finally wins Kari away from TK."
"Class, if you'll take your seats," the teacher said as she finally came into the room. She closed the door as the last bell rang. There was a general shuffling as people got to their seats, pulled out notebooks and paper, and found pens and pencils to write with. Davis pulled out a notebook and pen from his own backpack.
"What a bunch of jerks." Kari shook her head and looked at Davis. "I don't know why you hang out with them."
"They're my friends," Davis replied. "Kind of."
"You could do better." Kari didn't get a chance to say more because the teacher started writing notes on the board. Dutifully, all the students copied down the notes. Davis kept glancing at Kari out of the corner of his eye as he wrote.
"I didn't get a chance to introduce myself at lunch. I'm Kari Kamiya," Kari said when the teacher stopped writing notes up on the board. "I know your first name is Davis, but I didn't catch your last name."
"Oh. It's Motomiya. Davis Motomi... wait a minute. Did you say Kamiya?" Davis asked. Kari nodded, surprised at the sudden change in the conversation. "Do you know someone named Tai Kamiya?"
"He's my brother." Kari looked both surprised and pleased. Davis felt his stomach drop down to somewhere around his ankles. Crap. Crap. Crap. This is not happening. This can't be happening. The one girl in this entire school who's actually talking to me and I've slept with her brother. Hell, my parents got a court order to keep him away from me. Why me? "Where do you know Tai from?"
"Oh. Um. I was on his soccer team for a while. I had to drop it but... he was a great guy." Davis fidgeted in his seat while the teacher explained the procedure for doing the experiment. Kari took notes while Davis mentally beat his head against the table. He could just imagine what would happen when Kari went home and asked her brother about a guy in school named Davis Motomiya. It would be his old high school all over again.
She'll think I'm a freak. Or worse, blame her brother. Then she'll tell everyone else about it. Won't that be great? Then guys will get the idea that I'm an easy target and an easier lay. Fuck.
Ken is going to think I'm a slut.
That there might be a reason why Ken having a low opinion of him bothered Davis never crossed his mind.
"Okay class, the substances we'll be testing with the cabbage juice today are on the board. You're going to want to make a chart listing both whether the substance is an acid or a base and what you think the pH of the substance is. There should be a chart in your labs telling you what color the cabbage juice will turn if it contacts an acid or a base. The lime I've listed on the board is not like the fruit but is calcium oxide.
The cabbage juice is the dark purple liquid in the large beakers. The substances you'll be testing are in the small beakers and are labeled. If one person from each group will come up to the front of the class and get a beaker of each of the substances."
"I'll go get it," Kari said. Davis blinked and nodded. He just realized that if he and Kari were sitting at the same table, they would be expected to do the lab together. It felt... strange to have someone else getting the stuff for the experiments. Usually he was the one fetching everything from the front table.
It wasn't like Mike would let him actually do the experiment either. Once he'd gotten everything, Davis was gently pushed to one side and told to write down what they told him. He never got a chance to actually do anything interesting. Davis figured it was because they were too afraid he'd blow up the lab or something.
"Here are all the beakers we'll need," Kari said after three trips to the front of the room. "Did you make a table for the stuff?"
"Yeah, I've got one made up."
"Good. Do you want to help me do the experiments? We can write up a lab report together tomorrow in class," Kari said as she started setting up the beakers. Davis blinked again. Even though they were supposed to do the lab report as a group, Davis had always just fiddled his thumbs while the other people wrote the lab and put his name on it.
Someone actually wanted his opinion. Kari wanted his opinion. Davis's felt like the sun had just come out from behind the clouds.
"Sure. If you really want me to help."
The lab passed relatively quickly for Davis. It was actually kind of... fun. Kari kept up the conversation when things seemed to drag, deftly filling in the silences when Davis realized he'd nervously babbled on for too long.
He'd had friends once, back in middle school, but they'd all deserted him when the whole thing with Tai went down his freshman year of high school. Two years without friends and suddenly Kari was there. Davis wasn't quite sure how to react, had lost most of his people skills. On one hand, Davis knew he was over-reacting to the fact that someone seemed to care. On the other hand, he couldn't seem to stop himself.
It didn't help Kari seemed genuinely interested in what he had to say. And she didn't get upset or think he was stupid when the cabbage juice refused to change colors when added to the lemon juice. Even though Davis knew for a fact that lemon juice had to be acidic, the cabbage juice would not turn red.
Kari was like a dream come true.
Eventually, the teacher told them it was time to clean up. Kari helped him clean up; laughing when Davis accidentally broke one of the beakers and helping him pick up the pieces. It was nice. She was nice. When class ended Davis came to the conclusion that he didn't want this to end as well.
"Hey Kari, do you mind if I walk you to your next class?"
"No Davis, I don't mind." Kari gathered up her books and smiled. "I've got French II next. What about you?"
"Honors English III."
"That's on the other side of the building! You don't have to walk me to class," Kari said. Davis shook his head and grinned.
"No, no. I don't mind." He wanted to do this, to show her he appreciated her being nice to him. They left the classroom just as the bell rang and entered the crowded hallways. Talking was impossible while they both jostled through the halls. It was only when they were right in front of Kari's classroom that they could talk.
"I hope you'll sit with us at lunch tomorrow. I noticed you were kind of quiet today." Kari leaned against the doorjamb as she spoke and Davis laughed a little nervously.
"I was trying to figure out why you guys were sitting with me. At my last school the only reason people sat with me was to beat me up." Kari looked shocked and Davis quickly backpedaled. Oh shit. She was nice to me and I just implied that she and her friends were assholes.
"Not that I thought you would beat me up Kari. I mean you're too nice. And a girl. Not that girls couldn't beat me up or anything. I've heard stories about Yolei. Not that I believe them or think she's psychotic or anything. And it wasn't like I though your friends were going to..." Davis was saved by the first bell. "Anyway, I've got to go. I'll see you tomorrow at lunch and in class."
"Of course. See you." Kari watched as Davis made his way back through the students towards his class. She shook her head. Once she had gotten him started, Davis had rambled on for most of the class period mostly about himself. It had proved to be an interesting and informative experience. If today was any indication of how the rest of the week was going to go, Kari was going to have to start taking notes on Davis's life.
Come Friday she was going to have a whole book load of information on Davis to report to Ken.
*******************************************
It was decided that the group would get together on the bleachers near the soccer field after school on Friday. In reality, Ken had decided when and where they would hold this "meeting" and informed the others so they'd shut up about it. It had been almost a year since he'd dictated anything to his friends, falling back into a personality he thought he'd left behind after his freshman year of high school. After he had gotten his revenge on the guys who had beaten Sam.
Ken wondered why Davis had the ability to dig up his old demons. He wondered what Davis would think if he knew about his demons. He wondered why he cared.
Yolei had bitched about the location and timing, but Ken had just given her one of those looks. Sharp eyed and cold, the ones that always sent chills down his friends' spine. Yolei stopped complaining, and settled instead on accusing Ken of having a crush on Davis.
"Why are we having this meeting on the bleachers near the soccer field? Wait, I know. So Ken can eye his new boy toy." Ken rolled his eyes and ignored her as they walked across the grass towards the soccer field. Faint strains of music, something with a rock beat, came from the headphones that hung around Cody's neck.
It was early fall and the weather was still warm. There was a breeze blowing as the three of them -- Ken, Cody and Yolei -- sat down on the metal bleachers. In the distance, shouts from the soccer practice and whistles from the coach could be heard.
"I still don't see why we have to have this outside?" Yolei said.
"The fresh air and sunlight are good for you," Cody replied. "You stay in the computer lab too much."
"Yeah. Whatever. The only other person who wants me to get out of the computer lab is Mr. Tanner, and that's because I scare the shit out of him." Yolei sighed and laid down on the top bleacher. Ken climbed up to the second bleacher seat while Cody sat on the lowest one. "And all because I started drawing pentagrams around the computers. I thought it was funny."
"I don't think the pentagrams scared him Yolei. I think it was when you threatened to start sacrificing chickens if the computer didn't work that he freaked." Ken spoke absent-mindedly. Yolei grinned like he'd just given her a compliment. He didn't see her expression because he was too busy looking over his shoulder, back towards the school. "Where are Kari and TK?"
"They said they might be a little late." Yolei laid an arm over her eyes to block the sun. "Why the Hell couldn't I have been born a vampire?"
"We'll go ahead and start without them then," Ken said. He stopped looking for the two missing friends, and turned instead to look at the soccer field. Even from this distance, Ken recognized Davis's laughter even if he couldn't pick the boy out of the players on the field. "I got everyone together because I wanted to talk about Davis Motomiya."
"What about him?" Yolei asked. Cody said nothing, but Ken had his undivided attention. Ken could tell because the boy clicked off the music that was playing on his walkman.
"I want to know what you guys think of him." Ken tracked the player he thought might be Davis across the field. If we were just a little bit closer, I could tell. There's no mistaking the way Davis moves. All I have to do is catch a glimpse of him in the hall to know whether it's him or not. "It's been a week since we started sitting with him and I want to hear your thoughts."
"He's a twit," Yolei automatically responded.
"I'm serious, Yolei. I want more than just that." Ken didn't know why it mattered what his friends thought on Davis. He preferred not to think about it.
"Fine, fine. He's either too quiet or too talkative. One minute he acts like his birth was the greatest gift to man, and the next he's acting like you're going to kick the shit out of him. There's no middle ground with that guy. He's bi-polar taken to a whole new level." Yolei paused for a second. "Except around you Ken. If you say anything to him, he acts almost normal. A kind of obnoxious normal, but normal."
"I like him," Cody said. "He was quiet at first but he's opened up a lot. I don't think he trusts us yet not to do something to him though. Davis seemed really surprised that first day when I talked to him. Or should I say, when I was nice to him."
"Cody, I didn't know you'd be here." Kari's voice stopped any further comment from Cody though Ken got the impression the younger boy had more to say on the subject of Davis. "I thought you had kendo practice on Fridays?" Kari asked as she and TK got to the bleachers. Yolei waved from her prone position on the top of the bleachers, but didn't bother sitting up. Or even looking at them.
"I told Ken yesterday after school. My grandfather had a doctor's appointment today. Practice with him got moved to Saturday this week. It's why we didn't meet yesterday." They both sat down near Cody on the lowest seat. "Ken was just asking us our opinions about Davis."
"He hits on Kari. I can't fault his taste but I don't like it. I'm not to sure I like him." Kari blinked and stared at TK like he had suddenly sprouted a second head. "What? He does. Heck, the people he used to hang out with are all taking bets on how long it will be till he manages to win you from me."
"Davis has never hit on me. He's nice to me, but that's because I'm nice to him," Kari protested. TK didn't look convinced. He took off his battered hat, ran his hand through his hair, and put it back on. It was a nervous gesture.
"Did you get him talking during your class together?" Ken asked. He had stopped trying to pick Davis out from among the soccer players and turned towards Kari. The other all looked at him like he had lost his mind. Even Yolei was sitting up to stare at him.
"Ken, have you lost your fucking mind? You sent Kari to spy on Motomiya? If you don't like the guy just beat the shit out of him. Don't pretend to be his friend and then spread his personal life around school behind his back," Yolei said. "That's just not cool."
"I didn't..." Ken sighed and put his head in his hands. This is ridiculous. They know me better than that. "I'm not going to spread rumors about Davis. I asked Kari to find out about Davis because I'm trying to figure him out. I want to know more about him."
"Why do you care?" TK asked. Kari gave him a sharp elbow in the side and a look that told him in no uncertain terms to behave.
"Yeah, why do you care Ken?" Yolei sat up and was watching him like a hawk. Sometimes Ken forgot just how observant she could be beneath her don't-give-a-shit exterior. "I mean he's the new kid and all, but he's just a spoiled brat trying to be something he's not. Really, why is he important enough for you to pull all this crap?"
Because he kissed me. Because I can't stop thinking about what happened. Because after a week of trying to figure him out, I still haven't got a clue what goes on in that head of his. Because there was no fucking reason for him to kiss me like that. Because... BECAUSE.
What came out was just the first part.
"Because he kissed me." Ken winced. He hadn't meant to say that.
"He did what?!" All four of Ken's friends said the exact same thing at once. A sharp piercing whistle from the coach split the air. Practice was almost over. None of his friends noticed.
"Holy shit, you're serious." Yolei was openly gaping. Ken could feel all their eyes on him. "Do you need me to take care of him? I can make sure no one knows where we dumped the body."
"No!" That came out sharper than Ken meant it to. He took a steadying breath, not liking the way he reacted to the thought of hurting Davis. "No. I don't want you to bring this up to him. Any of you. I don't want him to know you guys know." Hell, I didn't even want you guys to know. Ken closed his eye, tilted his head back to let the sunlight hit his face, and stared at the back of his eyelids until he imagined he could see patterns. "I'm just trying to figure out why he did it."
"What exactly happened?" Cody asked. "Davis doesn't strike me as the kind of person who would just randomly kisses someone."
Ken told them about Davis and his friends talking trash about Sam. His friends responded with outrage. They knew what had happened to his brother during Sam's senior year, and exactly why Sam had lost his scholarship to college. Why Ken had become the cold, ruthless bastard that the school had learned to fear his freshman year. Then he told them about the confrontation behind the gym, Davis's uncontrollable laughter, and the kiss.
He was careful to leave out his own unexpected and disturbing reaction to the kiss.
"At first I thought he did just to have something to talk trash about. Something to lord of the great Ichijouji. I told him he better not tell anyone else or I'd kick his ass. He didn't, which confused the Hell out of me. I talked to Sam about it, but that didn't clear anything up, only made things worse. So I asked you guys if we could sit with him." Ken shook his head. "I still don't understand why he did it."
"It still doesn't seem like something Davis would do," Cody said. Kari agreed. "Why kiss you just so he could go and say you were gay? Everyone knows you don't care what they think. And then he would have to try and explain why he kissed you to his friends. It doesn't make sense."
"I don't think..." Kari started. She stopped and tried to fit what Ken had said in with what she had found out about Davis during Chemistry. "You know how he's always kind of jumpy around groups of people? I think he was beaten up a lot at his last school. In fact, I think that's why he transferred here. But I could never find out why."
"What? Davis getting beaten up? But he's so cool and smooth and diplomatic." TK's voice was coated in sarcasm. Kari planted her foot in the middle of his chest and shoved him off the end of the bleachers. When he started laughing from his new vantage point on the ground, Kari started giggling as well. The others just rolled their eyes.
Sometimes Kari and TK were so cute it hurt. Sometimes Ken wished he could find someone like that. And then sometimes, Ken wanted to march over to them and stick a ruler between them so they wouldn't be all over each other. This was one of those times as Kari offered her hand to TK, pulled him back up on the bleachers, and kissed him on the cheek. TK grinned.
"Enough of you two flirting," Yolei said. "What else did you find out Kari?"
"He likes to talk. He loves soccer. He's rich but doesn't really care. And he knows Tai, which is really weird."
"Why's that?" Ken asked. He opened his eyes and watched as Kari spoke.
"Well, they were both on a soccer team together. I guess from when Tai was still in high school. Davis talked like they were friends or something, but he was always kind of shady about it. I figured it might have been when Davis was at that other school, and Tai might know something about what happened. So I asked him about it.
"Only Tai freaked and said that he didn't know anyone named Davis. But he knew Davis's last name even though I never told him what it was." Kari sighed. TK put his arm around Kari, and she leaned gratefully against. "I don't know what that was all about. Older brothers are such a pain sometime."
"Do you want to know what I think?" Yolei asked. She didn't wait for anyone to answer. "I think it was a one time thing. Maybe he's gay? Maybe he's not? Whatever it is, this is Motomiya. He probably doesn't even understand his own brain. I say we forget it ever happened and go back to the way things were."
"We can't just dump him like that," Cody protested. Yolei just shrugged.
"Why not?"
"He doesn't have anyone else. Are we going to just send him back to those jerks that pretend to be his friends so they can get their kicks out of humiliating him?" Kari demanded. Again, Yolei just shrugged.
"What do you want us to do? Hang out with him even though we don't like him? Then we'd be as bad as they are. I say we tell him sorry, it didn't work, and let him do what he wants. We can't baby sit him," TK replied. It was one of the few times Ken had heard him disagree with Kari. I can't blame him though. He thinks Davis is after Kari. Maybe Davis is after Kari.
That just made the whole Davis kissing him thing even more confusing.
"We'll vote on it." Ken glanced one last time where Davis had been practicing. The soccer field was empty. "How many think we should stop sitting with Davis?" Yolei and TK raised their hands. "How many think we should continue sitting with Davis?" Cody and Kari raised their hands. "A tie. Fine then. We won't make any moves to try and sit with him on Monday, but we won't ostracize him if Motomiya sits with us. If he wants to be friends with us, he can make the first move."
"Ken, I'm not sure..."
"But he's such a dork..."
"Fine, but if he doesn't loosen up I'm going to..."
"Enough." That one word was enough to cut off all further protests. "This discussion is over." Ken walked away from the bleachers, hands in his pockets, before anyone else could say anything.