Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, the Miss America pageant, or Tera, or Adrian! So don't even think about sueing me! Besides, you wouldn't get much!
Jenashu: Hehe, sorry about my absence, everyone. School kinda occupied my time. But hey, at least I learned a lot already about writing, so my ficcies should be even better! ~.^
Yama: Only three chapters left, Jen?
Jenashu: Yup. But don't be sad. There are 18 more stories for my fans to read!
Izzy: I want to read Digi Interview.
Jenashu: Uhh, I'm working on it? Anyways, on to the chapter, everyone! Enjoy!
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The Winners
"Has anyone been keeping track of the score?" was the constant question on everyone lips at the time. The last challenge of the WSC was over and scored. There were no more chances for miracles. Every point was currently being counted by every student from every nation. No one seemed to know for sure just how many points their school had been awarded. Except...
"IZZY! You're kidding me! You know how many points we have!?" Matt demanded of his friend. Izzy swelled with pride.
"Yes, of course," he said. With that, he pulled out a small pad of paper from his pocket and held it up. The scores of that the Japanease had been awarded were written across it in Izzy's tidy handwritting. "And," he added, now positively bursting with happiness at the euphoric look etched across Jen's face, "I've also been keeping track of everyone else's scores." Izzy lifted the first few papers, revealing page after page of figures. "The final information is on my laptop."
Sora buried her face in her hands. "I'm afraid to look," she stated. Then her hands dropped to her lap. "But I gotta know!"
Jen threw her arms around Izzy's thin body. "You're going to tell us now, right?" she asked.
"Well, I could just make you wait," Izzy said with a grin. Tai frowned up at him from his seat on the floor.
"That cutesy stuff may work on my cousin, but if you don't tell the rest of us the results now, you're toast!" he exclaimed, raising a fist threateningly. The Teenage Wolves nodded in consent.
Izzy's muscles tensened. Jen felt the sudden change and smiled. Izzy was taking Tai's threat seriously, but Jen knew better. She sat down on the floor and pulled Izzy down with her, wrapping her arms even more possessively around his small frame. "You'll have to get through me first, Tai!" she teased.
Just as Jen had expected, Izzy grew more tense than before. "I don't think that's nessissary!" he said, sounding paniced. Tai and Matt exchanged short glances before laughing. Izzy blinked in a confused sort of way.
"You're so easy to tease!" Jen exclaimed as everyone else caught on to the joke. Izzy heaved a great sigh of relief before leaning back against Jen. He tilted his back to look at her and gave her a mock frown.
"Yeah, yeah. Enough touchy-feely stuff, you two. Just tell us who won already!" Yaten said. Izzy frowned. He looked away from the others, as if he didn't want to tell them.
"Spit it out!" Matt demanded. Everyone sat staring at the little redhead. Suddenly, a voice from the loudspeakers boomed throughout the room.
"All students please report to the auditorium," the voice said. Izzy somehow managed to pry himself out of Jen's embrace. A moment later he was lost in the shuffle of students.
Yaten frowned. "I'm going to have some choice words with that nymph later," he said. Jen glared at him before dissapearing into the crowd as Izzy had.
***************
Jen practically jumped out of her skin when she felt someone grab her arm. She turned around, expecting to see a tall bully of some sort, only to find her mild-mannered Izzy. "There you are! Why did you run off like that?" she asked. "Weren't you comfy?"
Izzy sighed. "Oh, yes," he said softly as he took a seat in the auiditorium. He gently pulled Jen into the seat beside him. "But...you may recollect that incident with the French students a while back?"
"How could I forget?" Jen asked with a frown. "That was the day you almost got pounded." Izzy nodded in acceptance of the reprive. He leaned over to whisper in Jen's ear.
"Well, we've already been accused of foul play. If all the Japanease students pranced around telling everyone that they knew who won, then there would be pandamoniom!"
Jen tilted her head and considered Izzy's message. It made sense to her. "Couldn't you have just pointed that out to everyone?"
Izzy snorted. "With the Teenage Wolves around, it wouldn't have made any difference."
"I guess you're right," Jen said with a smile. "Now, aren't you going to tell me?"
"Hmm, I already informed you that you were obliged to wait," Izzy replied with an innocent smile. Jen stared at him in disbelief.
"No fair!" she said, frowning at him. "I thought that was a joke!"
"Negative!" Izzy responded with a grin. Jen's jaw dropped.
"But! But!" she sputtered. "You're just teasing me!"
"Folly not!"
"You're kidding!"
"Not so!"
"This is cruel!"
"You two love birds are arguing?!"
"Huh?"
Jen and Izzy turned around to see Tera, Mimi, and Michael sitting behind them. Mimi gave them an innocent look. "Whatcha arguing over?" she asked.
"Izzy knows-" Jen started. Izzy cut her off by covering her mouth with his hand. He laughed in a would-be casual way that nobody bought.
"What does Izzy know, Jen?" Tera asked. Jen sighed and shrugged.
"It's nothing. I'll straighten him out later," she said, giving Izzy a mock frown. Izzy knew that look. He blushed and turned back around to face the stage. He realized with a start that someone was standing at the podium. He prodded Jen to make her turn around.
"I know that all of you are awaiting the results of the WSC," the man said, "and you will know who won in just a moment." Everyone held their breath as the man ripped open an envelope.
"Now I know what it's like to be in a Miss America pageant," Jen whispered to Izzy. He gave her a small smile. The man seemed to be struggling to pull the paper out. He squinted at it as if he couldn't read what it said.
"...The country who scored the most points, the winner, is...JAPAN!"
Jen sat frozen in her seat. The next thing she knew, Izzy's arms were wrapped tightly around her. He pulled her up and led her to the stage, where all the other Japanease students were lining up. The rest of it became a blur as tears stung at her eyes. "I don't believe it," she whispered into Izzy's hair. "You just didn't want to spoil the surprise. I don't believe we won, Izzy..."
****************
"Well," Matt said while he tuned his guitar, "I guess it's home sweet home for us."
"Yeah," Tai replied. He smiled sadly. Clearly, the day had been bittersweet for him. He had won, but he would be leaving his girl. Izzy, however, was completely contented. He looked up and realized that he was supposed to be meeting Jen in a few minutes downstairs to go on a little walk. He bade farewell to Matt and Tai and started out.
Izzy had no sooner stepped out into the hallway when his cellphone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket. "Hello? Izzy Izumi speaking," he spoke into the receiver.
"Izzy? It's Kari..."
****************************************************************************
Jen: *whipes her eyes*
Izzy: What's wrong?
Jen: It really is bittersweet! I'm so happy that the story's almost over-and so sad at the same time!
Izzy: Aww, poor Jen *sweatdrop*
Yama: HA! WE WON! TAKE THAT AND STUFF IT!!!!!!
Jen: Yes! Bye bye! See you next chapter, where we find out why Kari's calling Izzy! And it's probably NOT because she lost Tai's number!
Jenashu: Hehe, sorry about my absence, everyone. School kinda occupied my time. But hey, at least I learned a lot already about writing, so my ficcies should be even better! ~.^
Yama: Only three chapters left, Jen?
Jenashu: Yup. But don't be sad. There are 18 more stories for my fans to read!
Izzy: I want to read Digi Interview.
Jenashu: Uhh, I'm working on it? Anyways, on to the chapter, everyone! Enjoy!
******************************************************************************
The Winners
"Has anyone been keeping track of the score?" was the constant question on everyone lips at the time. The last challenge of the WSC was over and scored. There were no more chances for miracles. Every point was currently being counted by every student from every nation. No one seemed to know for sure just how many points their school had been awarded. Except...
"IZZY! You're kidding me! You know how many points we have!?" Matt demanded of his friend. Izzy swelled with pride.
"Yes, of course," he said. With that, he pulled out a small pad of paper from his pocket and held it up. The scores of that the Japanease had been awarded were written across it in Izzy's tidy handwritting. "And," he added, now positively bursting with happiness at the euphoric look etched across Jen's face, "I've also been keeping track of everyone else's scores." Izzy lifted the first few papers, revealing page after page of figures. "The final information is on my laptop."
Sora buried her face in her hands. "I'm afraid to look," she stated. Then her hands dropped to her lap. "But I gotta know!"
Jen threw her arms around Izzy's thin body. "You're going to tell us now, right?" she asked.
"Well, I could just make you wait," Izzy said with a grin. Tai frowned up at him from his seat on the floor.
"That cutesy stuff may work on my cousin, but if you don't tell the rest of us the results now, you're toast!" he exclaimed, raising a fist threateningly. The Teenage Wolves nodded in consent.
Izzy's muscles tensened. Jen felt the sudden change and smiled. Izzy was taking Tai's threat seriously, but Jen knew better. She sat down on the floor and pulled Izzy down with her, wrapping her arms even more possessively around his small frame. "You'll have to get through me first, Tai!" she teased.
Just as Jen had expected, Izzy grew more tense than before. "I don't think that's nessissary!" he said, sounding paniced. Tai and Matt exchanged short glances before laughing. Izzy blinked in a confused sort of way.
"You're so easy to tease!" Jen exclaimed as everyone else caught on to the joke. Izzy heaved a great sigh of relief before leaning back against Jen. He tilted his back to look at her and gave her a mock frown.
"Yeah, yeah. Enough touchy-feely stuff, you two. Just tell us who won already!" Yaten said. Izzy frowned. He looked away from the others, as if he didn't want to tell them.
"Spit it out!" Matt demanded. Everyone sat staring at the little redhead. Suddenly, a voice from the loudspeakers boomed throughout the room.
"All students please report to the auditorium," the voice said. Izzy somehow managed to pry himself out of Jen's embrace. A moment later he was lost in the shuffle of students.
Yaten frowned. "I'm going to have some choice words with that nymph later," he said. Jen glared at him before dissapearing into the crowd as Izzy had.
***************
Jen practically jumped out of her skin when she felt someone grab her arm. She turned around, expecting to see a tall bully of some sort, only to find her mild-mannered Izzy. "There you are! Why did you run off like that?" she asked. "Weren't you comfy?"
Izzy sighed. "Oh, yes," he said softly as he took a seat in the auiditorium. He gently pulled Jen into the seat beside him. "But...you may recollect that incident with the French students a while back?"
"How could I forget?" Jen asked with a frown. "That was the day you almost got pounded." Izzy nodded in acceptance of the reprive. He leaned over to whisper in Jen's ear.
"Well, we've already been accused of foul play. If all the Japanease students pranced around telling everyone that they knew who won, then there would be pandamoniom!"
Jen tilted her head and considered Izzy's message. It made sense to her. "Couldn't you have just pointed that out to everyone?"
Izzy snorted. "With the Teenage Wolves around, it wouldn't have made any difference."
"I guess you're right," Jen said with a smile. "Now, aren't you going to tell me?"
"Hmm, I already informed you that you were obliged to wait," Izzy replied with an innocent smile. Jen stared at him in disbelief.
"No fair!" she said, frowning at him. "I thought that was a joke!"
"Negative!" Izzy responded with a grin. Jen's jaw dropped.
"But! But!" she sputtered. "You're just teasing me!"
"Folly not!"
"You're kidding!"
"Not so!"
"This is cruel!"
"You two love birds are arguing?!"
"Huh?"
Jen and Izzy turned around to see Tera, Mimi, and Michael sitting behind them. Mimi gave them an innocent look. "Whatcha arguing over?" she asked.
"Izzy knows-" Jen started. Izzy cut her off by covering her mouth with his hand. He laughed in a would-be casual way that nobody bought.
"What does Izzy know, Jen?" Tera asked. Jen sighed and shrugged.
"It's nothing. I'll straighten him out later," she said, giving Izzy a mock frown. Izzy knew that look. He blushed and turned back around to face the stage. He realized with a start that someone was standing at the podium. He prodded Jen to make her turn around.
"I know that all of you are awaiting the results of the WSC," the man said, "and you will know who won in just a moment." Everyone held their breath as the man ripped open an envelope.
"Now I know what it's like to be in a Miss America pageant," Jen whispered to Izzy. He gave her a small smile. The man seemed to be struggling to pull the paper out. He squinted at it as if he couldn't read what it said.
"...The country who scored the most points, the winner, is...JAPAN!"
Jen sat frozen in her seat. The next thing she knew, Izzy's arms were wrapped tightly around her. He pulled her up and led her to the stage, where all the other Japanease students were lining up. The rest of it became a blur as tears stung at her eyes. "I don't believe it," she whispered into Izzy's hair. "You just didn't want to spoil the surprise. I don't believe we won, Izzy..."
****************
"Well," Matt said while he tuned his guitar, "I guess it's home sweet home for us."
"Yeah," Tai replied. He smiled sadly. Clearly, the day had been bittersweet for him. He had won, but he would be leaving his girl. Izzy, however, was completely contented. He looked up and realized that he was supposed to be meeting Jen in a few minutes downstairs to go on a little walk. He bade farewell to Matt and Tai and started out.
Izzy had no sooner stepped out into the hallway when his cellphone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket. "Hello? Izzy Izumi speaking," he spoke into the receiver.
"Izzy? It's Kari..."
****************************************************************************
Jen: *whipes her eyes*
Izzy: What's wrong?
Jen: It really is bittersweet! I'm so happy that the story's almost over-and so sad at the same time!
Izzy: Aww, poor Jen *sweatdrop*
Yama: HA! WE WON! TAKE THAT AND STUFF IT!!!!!!
Jen: Yes! Bye bye! See you next chapter, where we find out why Kari's calling Izzy! And it's probably NOT because she lost Tai's number!