This is my first attempt at fanfiction, feedback (positive and negative) would be greatly appreciated. :-)
Wicket Girl
Lola was pretty much the only person not having fun. Well, not really. There were probably other people also not having fun. But it really, truly felt as if she were the only one. Everyone else seemed to be having fun. Couples were cuddling and smooching, younger students were tearing up handfuls of grass and throwing them at each other quite gleefully, groups of friends were laughing together, class clowns were getting up to all sort of shenanigans...They all seemed so carefree, so happy. What was there to be happy about? The lush, emerald green grass? The warm breezy day? The bright sun? Bah, who cares? Lola thought. Who cares indeed. Not me, I certainly don't care. Life is horrible, then you die! They're all fooling themselves.
...What am I talking about? They're just enjoying a pleasant, Sunday afternoon off classes! She looked down at the novel she had been pretending to read for the last hour and sighed. I'm pathetic and lame, she concluded Here I am sitting under a tree all by myself, yards away from any other human, and pretending to read a book I've already read four times just so people who aren't even paying attention to me anyway will assume I'm alone because I want to be.
No more! a voice inside her shouted. No more caring what other people think! Now is the time, my friend, now is the time to be a free-spirit! Lola wondered if that proud, confident voice smoked quite a lot of marijauna during it's teenaged years.
Don't be ridiculous! it shouted and chortled. I'm merely an extension of your own personality!
Well, of course you are. Lola thought politely. If I was actually hearing voices, I would be insane rather than simply lonely enough to talk to myself. She set her book down and stood up on her knees, looking around at her fellow students. Then she pushed herself to fall face first into the grass. That rather hurt her stomach, smacking down onto the ground like that. But in a good way, yes? the voice told her. She spread out her arms and rubbed her face against the grass. Ahh, this is refreshing. The plump, healthy, dark green blades of grass had been cooled by the shade and they felt utterly delightful. She inhaled deeply.
"Mmm..." she said aloud. Now that was a wonderful smell. So crisp, so earthy! This was how green smelled. She took another deep whiff and ran her fingers through the grass for a full minute before it grew stale. The smell was just as fabulous, of course. But the novelty of the situation began to wear thin. She sat up.
Well, that was enough empowerment for one day. She folded her legs crossed and clasped her hands in her lap while she wondered if anyone noticed or cared that she had been laying with her face in the grass. Maybe I should dye my hair blue and pierce my nose or something. Then I'd be cool and everyone would love and/or fear me, surely. Lola often fantasized about being someone completely different. Someone people were interested in, someone people respected, someone everyone knew and loved. Heck, she'd even settle for being one of the people everyone just knew at all, whether they liked her or not didn't really matter. Shame it would never actually happen. No, the school already had it's pecking order and she certainly wasn't at the top.
No, the Potters that place, hands down. They were truly Hogwarts' It students. Wizarding world royalty wherever they went, really. They weren't just popular...No, what they had was more than that. People harbored a deep adoration for that lot, students and teachers alike. James, Albus, and Lily Potter. They were pure gold. You loved them or you were jealous of them. Or people think you're jealous of them for not kissing their asses, Lola thought slightly bitterly. She held no ill-feeling toward the Potters, they were nice enough people, but she couldn't help but feel they were put in such a high place of honor because of their parents, especially their father. Harry Potter was a larger than life legend. He was...truly indescribable. A leader, a celebrity, a savior for the entire world.
His children were truly remarkable in their own right, if Lola was perfectly honest. Albus, he really was something special. He wasn't outside with everyone else at the moment (working on some kind of extra project or having a mature chat with one of the teachers, no doubt). In his 6th year, extraordinarily gifted intellectually, rather quiet at times and not boisterous like his brother, but still an incredibly friendly young man and very eager to help other students. He was a teacher's dream and really had his pick of the girls, but he didn't seem to have gotten a large head about it. Unlike his brother, whom Lola had long ago labeled "a master in the art of assholery".
James, or Jamie, as he liked to be called was a real prick. Popular like a rock star, but an utter prick nonetheless. He just seemed so damn pleased with himself all the time. A terrific athlete (on the Quidditch team since age 12), gorgeous smile and messy dark hair, popular with the ladies (and perhaps some of the gentlemen, Lola supposed), he played in a muggle musical band (which people seemed to think was ever so cutting edge), and he was a trouble maker. Always creating mischief of some kind or another...But never actually in trouble. The teachers thought he was so charming, couldn't bare to actually punish him for his delightful little pranks and jokes at others' expense. They didn't seem to realize that his shenanigans sometimes left people humiliated, angry, bitter...Lola knew this better than some.
Lily, though, now she was an incredibly sweet girl. Outgoing and social, unbelievably popular like her siblings, but always wanting to befriend people or make them feel good about themselves. She stayed at school during Christmas last year, Lola remembered, and single-handedly put together a Christmas bash for the students who couldn't or wouldn't go home for the holidays. She made sure each and every person came, even if she had to speak with they personally and convince them they would be missed if they didn't show up. Everyone had a good time and no one was left out. That was true compassion, Lola thought, really something wonderful. Lily Potter had a family to go home to and her grades were already stellar so she didn't need the extra time at school...She just wanted to do something for other people. She was incredibly beautiful on the outside as well, just 15 years old, but a real stunner. Vibrant green eyes, long, shiny, deep red hair, flawless porcelin skin (save for a smattering of dark freckles across her nose), and classic, elegant features. She'd even done some modeling in several well-known wizarding magazines, but she never bragged about it.
The Potter kids really are a mile above average, I suppose, Lola considered. They're like super-kids. Perfection in human form. Not James, of course, he's an ass and a half, but Albus and Lily, they're all right. Perhaps I am just a weensy bit jealous. Well, maybe a lot bit jealous. But I do wonder if people would be quite as taken with them if they weren't-
A child's voice calling out a sort of bizarre battle-cry and a considerable amount of that green, juicy grass was all over her. A first year boy had come up and tossed a sweaty fistful of the stuff in her face.
"Hey!" Lola yelled and glared at him furiously. "What the Hell was that for?". The boy clutched his belly as he howled with laughter so hard his eyes began bulge out, seemingly thinking that this were truly the most amusing event that had ever occured in the history of humanity. The height of hilarity, truly. As Lola angrily scrambled to her feet he turned away from her and ran toward a group of first years who were also, to Lola's annoyance, laughing their scrawny bottoms off. Oh, you will pay for this, boy. Nobody throws grass at Lola Wicket and walks away unscathed! She ripped up a handful of grass and chased after him. Lola had never been very athletic, but she was definitely a match for this boy and his stubby little eleven year old legs.
"Hah!" she shouted as her wad of grass rained down on his head. He merely cackled even harder, stopped to scoop up another bit of grass, tossed it in her face, and carried on with running away. The battle, she decided, was on. And what a battle it was. When it was all over, Lola had chased him nearly a mile all over the castle grounds, pelted him with dozens of handfuls of grass, nearly tackled him twice, fell down three times, and developed a stitch in her side. Also, it was dinnertime and she was covered in grass blades and grass stains. Thank God for magical cleaning. Or thank whoever invented it. Discovered it? she wondered, as she walked into the castle with the crowd of other ravenous teenagers.
"Third years..." a short, brown-haired 5th year named Leona who was walking a few feet ahead quipped with a disgusted sniff to the girl next to her before jerking her head toward Lola. Who, me? Lola thought and turned around as she brush grass out of her hair to see if Leona had been perhaps refering to someone else. No, nobody there.
Well, thanks, I don't love you either. Lola glared at her. And you know damn well that I'm a fourth year, you pretentious sack of boring. She grabbed her robes and shook more grass and dirt out of them. Now to eat dinner! With nobody to sit by. Or talk to. This should be fun. As it always is.
But at least you won't have to pretend to be interested in other people's lives, my dear! That's what makes having nobody to talk to a very unique and freeing experience!