Dorcas sighed deeply as she looked out over the many backyards she could see from the balcony outside her room. Shaking her head slightly in exhaustion, she pinched the bridge of her nose and shut her eyes.
When a pair of strong arms encased her in their hold she nearly jumped, but slowly eased into them, a light smile spreading across her features.
"Want to explain to me what that was all about?" Jack murmured beside her ear.
Sighing again, Dorcas shrugged. "Not really--"
"That's alright then. You don't hav--"
"But I will." Dorcas smiled. He was going to find out sooner or later, and if he was going to go with her to James' party next week than he should at least be prepared for what could happen.
"Lily and James go to my school."
"You mean that boarding school you're parents send you to? What was it? Piggy something?"
Dorcas laughed softly and nodded. "Hogwarts." She corrected him. "Well Lily and James have never really been on good terms. It started on the first day they met. James, along with Black and his gang, played a prank on Lily; one she didn't find too amusing. For the better part of 3 years James continued pulling pranks at her expense, as well as sending her fake love notes. He was the ultimate example of a boy having a crush on a girl and showing that by teasing her senseless. Well as the years went on and James' hormones kicked in, he stoped pulling pranks on her and started asking her out incessantly. Which Lily, no doubt, refused as she had come to hate James, truly hate him. Sick to your stomach kind of hate. Anyway, after a particular incident at the end of the school year two years back, while we had exams, they had a rather…heated argument. For the past school year, I honestly think that James is trying to shape up."
Jack listened silently as Dorcas continued, vouching her opinion of James and of Lily and how they reacted with each other. "Although James can be all those things that Lily accuses him of, he can also be a great guy too. That great guy has never really reached the surface until lately, but you can still tell that James tries to act more mature and confident around her; which is what Lily refers to as cocky and arrogant."
Nodding slowly, Jack tentatively said, "Maybe it will work out different at James' party?"
Dorcas laughed with no humour behind it. "I've been saying that for years. But one can't stop hoping."
"C'mon, let's go find something to eat. You're kind of scary when you're so serious." He joked, attempting to make her smile. Which she did, before turning around in his arms to hug him tightly. And he was only too happy to reciprocate.
"Thanks for letting me get that out. I don't think I've been able to say my opinion on the situation as I've always had to jump between James and Lily." Dorcas said earnestly.
"Anytime." He shrugged off, happy to help her.
They stood there for a few moments more in a comfortable silence before Jack's stomach began to rumble noisily.
Dorcas laughed and poked him in the stomach. "Alright, alright. Let's go get some food" She smirked before leading the way.
&&&&&&&&&&
"Must we go to this bloody party? I mean what's so different about this one than any other? It's just a party!" Lily tried to argue.
Rolling her eyes as she put the finishing touches to her make up, Dorcas merely sighed. "Lily, you promised! You said you were fine to go not even fifteen minutes ago."
"Yeah…well that was fifteen minutes ago and this is now." She huffed childishly and crossed her arms over her chest.
Dorcas laughed and went over to grab at Lily's nose. "Quite being such a baby. You'll have fun. We already went over this. People from school will be there, people like Remus and…and…Well I'm not too sure who's invited but I'm sure there'll be someone willing to listen to your nagging." She smirked, giving herself a once over in the mirror behind her before walking out of the room.
"One person hardly qualifies as a distraction."
"I disagree. Jack seems able to distract me just fine."
Smirking, Lily prodded at her best friend. "Yes, but that kind of distraction is not what I'm looking for from Remus."
"Then find 'that' kind of distraction from some other cute boy." Dorcas replied swiftly, imitating Lily slightly.
Lily hit her in the arm and pouted.
Dorcas laughed. "C'mon Lily, I'll be there and Jack too. There you go, three people to talk to."
"Yeah, if you're not too busy sucking face." Lily snickered.
Dorcas shoved at Lily, but still had a sort of proud smile on her lips. "Look, we'll walk there so you'll know how to get back should you want to, and you already know my address off by heart so you can hail a cab and recite it to him as many times as you see fit." Pausing, she looked over at Lily a bit anxiously. "But I want you to at least try to have fun at the party Lily. If you do get bored or want to come back, tell me and I'll go with you. Agreed?"
Lily sighed in frustration. "Agreed." she mumbled.
"Good girl!" Dorcas encouraged.
Lily merely stuck her tongue out and marched down the remaining stairs.
"And she calls James immature…" She muttered.
"I heard that!" Lily called from the next room.
Dorcas gaped in wonder. "How…" Shaking her head, deciding it would be less painful to just appreciate Lily's super sonic hearing rather than question it, followed her best friend outside.
They arrived at James' house a short 15 minutes later with Dorcas smiling smugly, Jack with his arm around Dorcas' waist and Lily pouting slightly next to them.
"Hey guys! Glad you could make it." James said as he answered the door with a smile and beer in hand. "Drinks are over there, toilets are upstairs and to the left, and the party is pretty much everywhere." He said, pointing in each direction before gesturing to the room at large.
Dorcas smiled and hugged James. "Awesome party!"
"And you have yet to step inside the house yet!" He laughed.
Smirking, Dorcas gestured to Jack who was standing patiently behind her. "I don't think you've officially met. This is Jack Kerwin."
The boys shook hands while saying their greetings. James stepped back over the threshold and gestured for them to come in.
Dorcas grabbed Jack's hand and entered, leaving Lily and James behind.
An awkward pause fell down upon the pair, unsure what to say or do; they each stared down at their feet.
"Umm…want me to take your coat?" James asked, his hand already in his hair as Lily looked up.
"Will I get it back in the same condition?" She asked rather harshly.
Sighing James shrugged. "I really don't understand what you want from me sometimes Lily." He looked at her intently before walking away and joining the party.
Frowning slightly as an unfamiliar emotion bubbled in her stomach, one she had never felt around one James Potter, she removed her coat and laid it on the chair beside the front door. Who knew that Lily would ever feel guilty for reprimanding James?
&&&&&&&&&
Hey guys. Sorry this took so long. I had a really bad case of writer's block and I know its short, but it's all I could squish out of my head that isn't algebra, isometric drawings or persuasive techniques.
Please tell me what you all think :D