Chapter 36: High School Woes
Hey everyone! Sorry about the over a month delay in the updates. Been a busy month between class, work, wedding planning, and the holidays. But I am glad I got this chapter done for you. :) Only a few more after this one; I think there's about 3 more chapters? Anyways, there's still the sequel, and I have to work some details out with that one, but it is coming. :) In the meantime though, I really hope you enjoy this chapter. :)
Dedicated to my best friend Kat for being so supportive and keeping me motivated. :) By the way, for any of you who are Doctor Who, Supernatural, Merlin, and Artemis Fowl fans, she's got an amazing story out called May The Stars Guide My Way. It's one of the few stories I always look forward reading. So if you feel froggy, give it a read! It'll mean a ton to the both of us. :)
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Diana pushed through the bustling hallway in a feeble attempt to get to her physics class. It was the last class of the day, and the girl was ready to go home. But even when this class was over, she couldn't go straight home; the girl had volleyball practice, and she was hoping it would be enough to distract her from all the craziness going on. Diana was a month into her senior year, and she was already counting down the days until she was done. The Homecoming season was in full swing, and everyone was running about worrying about dresses and dates. Diana was not one of them; for the first time the girl had decided to pass on attending the dance. She didn't want to go without having Artemis with her.
The girl sighed as she finally sat down at her desk. The mere thought of Artemis being thousands of miles away killed her. Granted, they talked several nights a week, but it just wasn't enough to fill the void. Diana reread his most recent letter at least once a day. It was all Diana could do to help pull herself through to Christmas time. As other teens began to file into the classroom, Diana rummaged through the top pocket of her bag for a few moments before she found the folded letter.
Diana pushed a strand of hair from her face as she took a deep breath. She carefully unfolded the paper for probably the hundredth time. Although she had read it countless times, the words still seemingly leapt out at her...
'Diana,
I apologize for taking so long to write this. It has been absolutely insane the past few weeks. Class has started, and while I am not struggling intellectually, it has been interesting trying to adjust to the fact that I am now alone. I have no family, no Butler, no roommate (as I sprung to have my own private room; my wish was granted), and certainly not you. In some cases, this doesn't bother me unduly, but it will take some getting used to.
Enough about my schooling; how is yours going? It is your final year, and it is very important that you keep strong throughout it. You've only got a few months remaining now; you've survived this long so I know you can get through the final stretch. You're a smart girl Diana, and I know you'll make us all proud. Keep focused, and keep your head up. The end is near, and this horrid stage of life will be over before you know it. When I get back, we'll have to discuss more about what you plan on doing for college, as you Americans call it.
It's late September now, and by the time you get this, I am sure it will be sometime in October. Before you know it, it will be December, and I'll be heading back to see you. And while it seems like a while away now, it will be here before you know it. Soon, we won't have to write letters or communicate through messages and the like. And it is that ever-present thought that gets me through the day. I long for the day that I will see you without the aid of a computer screen, and I know when I am finally able to, I will be completely happy again.
But for now, the mere fact that you are mine will be enough to get me through this all. And... Truthfully, I could talk about you all day and all night and I'd still have a million more things to say. But too many words become meaningless, so I'll just leave it at you're the most wonderful person I've ever met, and I can't imagine not having you in my life.
Anyways, I should probably wrap this up and head down for lunch. I hope this letter finds you well, and I will talk to you soon. Oh... and I forgot to add one more thing...
I love you.
Until next time,
Artemis'
Diana finished reading the letter just as her friend, Justin, plopped into the chair next to her. "Are you reading that love letter again?" he teased her.
Diana rolled her eyes, folding it back up and stowing it in her bag. "Like you have room to talk. You and Marisa have been making goo-goo eyes at each other for like ever now," she retorted. "I think I'm entitled to read a letter from my boyfriend if I want to."
Justin shook his head, causing some of his brown hair to fall into his face. "Whatever, Di. Do you know what we're doing in this class today?"
Diana thought about it for a moment. "I believe Mr. Johns is giving us class today to finish the labs we started on Monday, but ours is done so I'm probably going to just sit here and catch up on some reading."
The boy went to say something but was cut short when their teacher, a middle-aged, balding man started instructing the class on what they would be doing that day. When he announced exactly what Diana had predicted, she pulled out her book from her backpack. She found her bookmark and started to read where she left off.
"What the heck are you reading now?" Justin asked, peering at the cover of the book.
"Oh just a book Kat bought me a few weeks ago," Diana replied. "It's based off one of our favorite TV shows. You know... Supernatural?"
"Yes, I know what you're talking about," Justin muttered. "Between that and Doctor Who you two never shut up."
Diana sighed, "The life of a fangirl." The girl dove back into her book, trying to remember what was going on with her favorite fictional brothers. Within a few moments, Diana was submerged in another world, one that kept her mind off of whatever was going on in the class surrounding her. The girl hardly heard the final bell ring at the end of class.
She gathered her things, and made her way to the girls' locker room in the gym. Although she was not really in the mood for practice, she knew she needed to; being captain, she didn't have much choice but to go. There was a big game tomorrow, and Diana was not going to let her team down. After slipping into a pair of shorts and a tank top and pulling her hair up into a ponytail, the girl began her duty of setting up the nets so practice could begin. It was days like today the girl wished the rest of the team would show up on time; most of them were too busy talking to each other and boys to even remember they had practice half the time.
As the girl finished tying the net up, she had the feeling she was being watched. Diana glanced over her shoulder, only to see someone she had been purposely avoiding all school year. Certainly, she was over all the issues her ex-boyfriend, Brent, had caused, but she certainly was not willing to be friendly with him either. Yet, here he was, being a creep.
"What the hell do you want from me, Brent?" Diana questioned, not hiding her annoyance.
"What? I can't come say hi?" he responded, pushing himself off the wall, sauntering over to where she was standing. "Besides, I was wondering what you were doing Saturday evening?"
"Absolutely nothing," Diana answered, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"
"I wanted to know if you'd like to go to the dance with me?" Brent asked.
Diana burst into laughter, unable to resist a chance to laugh at his stupidity. "Uh no," she replied between a few giggles. "In case you've been living under a rock the past few months, I have a boyfriend, and as far as you and I are concerned- we're over, and we're not even friends."
"Boyfriend? Who the hell are you talking about? I certainly haven't seen him," Brent retorted skeptically.
"His name is Artemis Fowl, and of course you haven't met him, as he is a university student in Ireland," Diana briefly explained. "In case you were wondering, he's the one I was with the day at the book store, and he's the one who opened my eyes to how much of an asshole you are. So please... if this is the only reason you came to talk to me, go away. I'm not interested."
Brent snorted. "What makes him so great? If he's in Ireland, there's no way you can actually know what he's up too. He could be cheating on you as we speak."
Diana rolled her eyes. "I trust Artemis wouldn't do that. Besides, that's real rich coming from you. You've got some nerve criticizing someone you don't know when you yourself have been nothing but a cheater since the day we met. Don't think I don't know about what you did, because I know." She paused for a moment, glaring at him. "You disgust me, Brent. Now... if you don't mind, I have volleyball practice to attend to. Have a nice life."
The girl turned on her heel, and began walking away from the boy who once meant the world to her. Diana couldn't believe he had had the gall to try to ask her to the Homecoming dance after all he said to her over the summer. She knelt down next to a bag of volleyballs, and began to fish one out as she heard Brent speak again.
"Whatever, Di. He's just going to screw you over, and worse than I ever did. I mean, why else would he be an ocean's distance away?"
Without so much of a second thought, Diana launched the ball cradled in her hands directly at the boy, hitting him in the nose with a pleasant smack before rolling away. "You don't know Artemis. You don't know what we've been through together. You don't know what our relationship is like. So shut the hell up, and stop trying to compare him to an idiot like you," she hissed, watching him wipe away the blood dripping from his nose. "Get out of my life."
She continued to glare at him, fists clenched by her sides, until he finally scurried out of the gymnasium. It was moments like this that made her truly want the school year to be over already. Diana was irritated with nearly everyone, especially people like Brent. Nothing bugged her more than being judged by someone who hardly knew what was going on in her life. This was not the first time someone had done so. Diana swore silently to herself, wishing she had some friends at her school other than Justin and Marisa. The girl walked slowly over to where the ball had finally come to a rest, and picked it up. She stared at the ball for a few moments before looking back at the net. Some way, somehow, she was going to get through this year, even if that meant only talking to the few people who kept her sane and counting down the days until she got to see Artemis once again.
Two more months, she thought, and then stepped onto the court.
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