Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age.
AN: Last chapter! Thanks for the reviews, and hope everyone enjoyed reading this! :)
Chapter 20:
Diego hadn't been joking when he told them the Tournament was one of the biggest nation-wide event. Shira and Ellie are quick to find a seat in the bleachers, watching as Sid ambles up to them with too much paint on his face and a huge bag of popcorn. They watch as the teams line up to present their schools, and then the matches begin.
Valley's sophomores watch with baited breath as their school wins and loses several events almost simultaneously. Other schools show up with cheering squads that provide morale support when needed, but let out boos and harsh critiques when their school team was found lacking.
With Manny as goalkeeper and Eddie and Crash's quick thinking, they advanced pretty fast through to the finals.
Considering that Zeke and Diego had both been lost, Half-Peak was doing pretty well themselves. Unfortunately, even with Soto's aggressive plays, many of the matches ended in ties that needed to be replayed - Half-Peak's students had not been immune to the melancholy and fear that had surrounded their school, and training had been lacking lately.
By the last day of the tournament, it was more obvious than ever that Half-Peak's substitute team members were highly accustomed to playing in the formations that Soto demanded.
Underworld cheated magnificently, though they remained in the clear with bright smiles and references to technicalities in the rule book. They made it to the top three with Valley and Half-Peak.
Valley lost, leaving Half-Peak and Underworld advancing to the finals.
Just as the match was getting underway, Shira shrieks in delight with the rest of the crowd as a familiar blonde head pops up and joins the Half-Peak team. After some persuading - and Diana's very creative threats - the Principal was finally convinced to allow his football team's top player back under the pressure of having the host school finally lose their winning streak.
The player that had replaced him was happily kicked out.
Underworld's complaints had gone unheeded with the referee having no say in this, to everyone's glee.
Every school in the area was united in their combined hatred of Underworld, and it showed in their exuberant cheers for Half-Peak and their excessive booing for Underworld.
With Diego back, plays became smoother. He was only one man though, and in the end, it had been a close near tie, with Half-Peak claiming title of champion 3-2. Everyone rejoiced as Underworld stood sulking on their second-place step; Valley beamed from their third-place. Gutt gives Underworld a nasty grin, ice still wrapped around his head from the foul kick that the Underworld captain had initiated.
Diego sneaks unseen as the celebrating begins.
Shira sighs as she notices everyone questioning his absence, and pulls out her phone. Invisibility spell? Really?
The answer was instantaneous. How dare you suggest such a thing. Camouflage spell.
As soon as the Valley students started to prepare for their return to Valley, Diego returns for the last few days. He watches as they pack, finally having that awkward conversation that they needed to have. Shira ducks into her room many times to escape the stares and glares, ignoring the betrayed looks both parties shoot her.
Several heated arguments later and Diego promises to keep his activities to a minimum.
They exchange contacts - though Manny does so on the supposed reason to keep 'an eye' on Diego (none of them had believed that for a second) - and agree to remain in touch.
As the holidays sweep in, Shira keeps mum about the details surrounding Diego's guilty sentence. Her parents sense that, and although they are far more careful around Diego, he is still allowed over regularly.
But as junior year starts, Shira often worries about the strain of a long-distance relationship.
She promises herself to bring it up with Diego many times, but it always seems to vanish from her mind until he's leaving again and she is left staring at her phone, knowing she can't have this conversation over a phone.
"Can't believe that it's Junior Year already." Eddie groans as he slams his locker shut. Crash is lying dramatically on the floor, his many textbooks spilled over him. Shira rolls her eyes as Ellie gives a small smile.
"C'mon, Eddie. Enjoy it while it lasts."
"How can I enjoy more work?"
Ellie shrugs, unrepentant, and turns to take out her remaining textbooks from her locker. Shira sighs as she opens her own locker, conveniently located only one or two lockers away from the others. She already misses Diego, especially after the good luck text he had sent this morning.
Warm arms envelop her from behind and she stiffens, ready to give this jerk a piece of her mind. Then the scent registers, and the voice.
"Morning, kitty."
Only one person calls her that.
Only one person dares to call her that.
She turns around with glee, eyes wide with astonishment as Diego lets go. She throws herself into his arms. "Di!"
The herd look equally stunned at the presence of the Half-Peak student, who is carrying a bag that seems to carry the same textbooks they have.
"What are you doing here?" Shira asks, though she certainly wasn't complaining. "Didn't Half-Peak started a week ago?"
Diego smirks wistfully. "Diana wasn't very happy with my treatment after Zeke's death. So she talked it out with my father, and well. They agreed that Valley was the best place for me. After all," he rolls his eyes, "he was an alumni. He had some strings to pull."
There was a whole backstory there that Shira would delve deeper into another time. But for now, she smiles and allows the possibility of a future with Diego here with her to wash over her. She hugs him again and buries her face in the crook of his neck.
"You are an idiot."
Diego seems to understand what she means as he laughs.
Pulling back, Shira tugs his hand and leads him to homeroom. Since he's not protesting, he was clearly in the same homeroom with her. She briefly wonders just what kind of strings his father had to put him in the same homeroom as the herd, but dismisses it quickly.
Question for another time.
For now, she grins as she hears the herd attempting to keep up, Sid giving pitiful cries as he struggles with his books. Diego continues to laugh, ignoring the strange and almost incredulous looks he receives from some students, and Shira soon finds herself joining him.
Maybe Junior Year wouldn't be that bad.
