Fear

By: Ms. Perfect

"No man or woman is worth your tears, and the one who is won't make you cry." - Unknown

*****

"C'mon, Lily. You look great! Let's go!" Chelsea said, sweeping her arms towards the door to emphasize her point.

Lily's sigh issued from the bathroom. "Fine, fine. I'm coming."

Chelsea grinned at her friend as they walked out of the room.

"Hey James," Lily said, glaring darkly at Chelsea.

"Oh, c'mon. It'll be fun." James said as they walked down to the Great Hall.

"If you say so," Lily replied, still sounding doubtful.

As it turned out, Lily did have fun. She danced with James for the most time, but she didn't say no when Chelsea had jokingly asked her.

When another slow song came on, Lily knew it right away, and was apprehensive.

"Want to dance?" James asked.

Lily debated it. "Sure," she said, shrugging. She put her arms around his neck, and he, her waist.

"Do you always sing along with the songs?" he whispered into her ear.

Lily grinned sheepishly. "Sorry..."

"Never said it was a bad thing," James replied.

Lily snorted with laughter until James pinched her arm slightly and told her to be quiet. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"And you're seventeen? Mature..." he said jokingly.

Lily jabbed him with her finger in the chest. "You're one to talk, Mr. Potter."

"Want to go outside? It's kind of stuffy in here," James asked.

"Sure," Lily said. As they walked outside, she looked around for Chelsea. When she saw her, right as she was going out the door, she smiled.

Lily and James walked along the lakeside in silence. Lily looking up at the stars, James making sure she didn't walk right into the lake. Soon they were sitting down, Lily leaning against James, his arms around her to hold her up.

"Lily?" he asked in a whisper.

"Hm?"

He lowers his mouth to her ear, still whispering. "Can I keep you?"

Lily gasped. "It was you... You're the one that sent me the roses..."

James nodded.

"Then you – oh. Oh. I have to go..." Lily replied with shock, and confusion, laced in her voice. Without another word she got up and ran back to the castle. Her mind was bursting with questions; yet numb at the same time from the knowledge.

Lily avoided James.

James avoided Lily.

A perfect match in the game of Avoidance.

Lily sat on her bed, clutching her stuffed bear her father had given her when she was born. It was raggedy, but she loved it. It comforted her. She couldn't face James. Not until her thoughts were sorted through one by one.

"God, Lily. What happened?" Chelsea asked again. Had James done something to her? If he did, she thought with mirth, he's dead!

Lily shook her head.

"Please, Lily! Please tell me what happened. I can help," Chelsea sat on the bed.

"Trust me, you can't. Not with this one, Chelsea. I have to figure this one out myself, or I'll think that I never could have made the decision on my own," Lily replied.

Chelsea sighed. Lily had been saying everything in monotone since Valentine's. What had happened? Why wouldn't she talk, look, or meet with, James? What was going on that Chelsea didn't know? She decided to find out. If she could.

"James... what's wrong with Lily?" she asked innocently.

James sat there quietly. Staring. Ever staring at the fire.

"James!" Chelsea yelled. Hoping to get his attention this time.

"What?" he asked.

Chelsea sighed silently. "What's wrong with Lily?"

He remained quiet.

Chelsea clenched her teeth and screamed.

"Why won't either of you talk to each other? What happened on Valentine's Day, James? What?"

James stood up, furious now. "Nothing! That's exactly what happened. Nothing."

Chelsea took an instinctive step back. "Nothing?" her voice full of curiosity.

"Nothing," James said. "She knows I'm the one that sent the roses. And do you want to know what she said? She said: 'then you – oh. Oh. I have to go.' And then she ran away."

"You sent her the roses?" Chelsea asked, brow furrowed.

James looked at her like it should have been common knowledge.

Chelsea slapped her palm to her forehead. "I should've guessed. I mean, who else would send Lily roses everyday..."

James sat back down in his chair. "I really like her. But it doesn't matter anyway, she pretty much hates me."

"No she doesn't," Chelsea said as she sat down across from him. "She's just confused. Or at least I think she is. Anyway, why are you avoiding her?"

"Me? Avoiding her? I think you've got it a little mixed up, Chelsea," James said.

So there was one problem. Both thought the other was avoiding the other.

"Maybe, in a week or something, you should try talking to her. She's got a lot on her mind and she's going to go through it one by one. Even if it has nothing to do with – with this – whatsoever." And then she got up and left the room. Her head hurt, she needed to relax.

Lily quietly crept back into her room, shutting the door with a slight click. She had heard the whole conversation. Why did Chelsea have to be such a perceptive friend? She clung to the raggedy bear as if she would fall off the earth if she let go.

Lily knew she liked James. And now she knew that James liked her. So what was the problem?

She didn't want to get hurt again.

Over the next week, nothing changed. James and Lily still avoided each other.

"Hey Lily, are you ever going to talk to him?" Chelsea asked.

Lily pulled her tank top over her head. "At some point."

Chelsea rolled her eyes and fell backwards onto Lily's bed.

"Hopeless," she muttered.

"Oh shut up," Lily said, tossing her pillow into Chelsea's face.

Chelsea made a noise before tossing the pillow back onto Lily's face.

"I'm going to bed," Chelsea said before climbing over to her own bed.

Lily was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. When she woke, she couldn't remember her dream, though she knew it had been a weird one. Then her whole body froze. There was another rose on her pillow.

"Chelsea!" she hissed. "Chelsea, wake up!"

"Wha—?" Chelsea said sleepily.

"Look," Lily said, pointing to the rose on her pillow.

"What's it say?" Chelsea asked, sitting up.

Lily shrugged, "dunno. Haven't looked at it yet."

Chelsea rolled her eyes. "It won't bite. What's it say!"

Lily picked it up, opening the note. Then she gave Chelsea a confused look. "All it says it 'Hi.'"

"'Hi'?" Chelsea repeated.

Nodding, Lily passed the note to Chelsea.

"Huh," Chelsea said. Then she started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"You guys," Chelsea stated.

"What?"

Chelsea sighed and went into teacher mode. "You too are so hopeless! He likes you; you like him. He's avoiding you; you're avoiding him. Hello! See a pattern anywhere?"

"That we're both –" Lily searched for the right word.

"Idiots?"

"Hey!" Lily said, throwing her pillow at Chelsea again.

Lily stood up and put her bathrobe on before Chelsea could hit her with the pillow.

"Coming?" Lily said in a mischievous voice.

Chelsea ran out the door, grabbing her own bathrobe at the same time. "What are you doing?" she hissed.

"Nothing," Lily's mischievous voice had changed into a singsong voice as she opened the boys' dormitory door and creeping over to James bed. Chelsea watched her friend from by Remus' bed.

"Lily!" she whispered.

Lily turned around, putting a finger to her lips. Chelsea threw up her hands in defeat and walked to Lily's side.

"Snitch boxers? That boy is obsessed..." Chelsea commented.

Lily nodded. "Rise and shine!" she said loudly as she signaled for Chelsea to open the window curtains, flooding the room with sunlight.

"Just five more minutes, Mum," James mumbled in his sleep.

Lily and Chelsea almost collapsed with silent laughter.

Lily sobered as best as she could and her voice took a stern tone. "James Potter, you get you butt out of bed or you'll be late for school!"

James shot up in surprise. "Wha—!"

Chelsea and Lily were hanging on each other; they were laughing so hard.

James rubbed his eyes. What was going on? He then spotted the two laughing girls and hurled a pillow at them.

"Hey!" they said defensively.

"Hey yourself! I was trying to sleep," James said.

Remus' voice came from beside the girls. "So was I."

Chelsea stuck her tongue out at him as Lily threw the pillow back at James.

"This isn't fair!" James said.

"Who ever said this was to be fair?" Lily asked.

Chelsea put her finger to her chin, tapping it thoughtfully. "Yes, who did say it was supposed to be fair? Lily, I do believe that no one said it was to be fair."

"Chelsea, I do believe that you are right," Lily replied. Then, with her eyes, she motioned towards the door.

"Hope you enjoyed the wake-up call, guys!" Chelsea said as they shot through the door.

James, Remus, and Sirius stared at the slightly opened door as Lily stuck her head back in.

"By the way, nice boxers guys," she said with a wink before leaving, dragging the door shut behind her.

~~

Author's note: Crappy, crappy, crappy ending, I know. But my Writer's Annoyance it getting worse. Er, yeah, so. Did you like it? Hope you did! This is only my second Harry Potter fanfic, and I don't know if I'm doing any good at all. Please review and tell me!

Thanks reviewers:

Satans Little Princess: Everyone is entitled to be slow once and a while! ;)

Lydia: Fluff... I'm not too great at writing fluff. Sorry if this doesn't satisfy your fluff need.

Shits and Giggles: Why thank you. :)

Jade: I know what that's like, when it won't load up. I hate it!

Fairygirl: Ooh, tabs. Sounds like you're in the Mafia. ;)

Min Hee Ha: Thanks for saying I was good at writing! I really, really like to hear that. It helps me out when I need inspiration.