Just breathe, Oliver. Just breathe.
It's ok.
I'm not panicking.
Everything's just fine.
"And they've been practicing all morning, Daniel's even skipped his classes just to be with her."
Huh?!
"Well, we still got Chog-um whatever."
"Cho-Chang."
"Yes, her."
"You know, this girl Katie, she's kind of weird."
"I know, whenever she misses a shot, she exclaims 'Merlin!'"
Oh dear.
"What's that about?"
"I don't know, Lyra told me she found a feather in her bedroom."
Crap.
"A feather?!"
"I didn't know Daniel had such taste!"
Great, now they are laughing.
So Katie was fine, perfectly fine. When I was dying to know how she was. She was "practicing" and drinking cappu-whatever with that dumbball!
Now I'm pissed
I'm so calling for early practice tomorrow. So she won't practice with...urghh-Daniel.
And I've got Muggle Studies right now, so they can tell me that I shouldn't play with the minds of out dear fillers, and by fillers I mean four people who wouldn't last a second in the air, not even in a frikking...plane. Oh wait,
that memory still hurts.
Oh even better, here comes that Logan Rowlin with that piece of gum called Anne Marie, his girlfriend of like forever, I've been told. What is it that they want? They are nosy and I'm in a bad mood. Sho-shoo, go away! They just look so in love.
And I hate that.
"Hey Oliver! What's your next class?" she asks.
Now Mr. Romeo is gonna speak, as always, backing her up any time.
"It's just so bad that they have you all away from all the crowd."
Right now, I think that's better.
"Latin," I recite, like my fake schedule says.
"Oh, we have Italian," he says happily, too happy for my taste, happy like Katie is right now, shooting the ball with Daniel as goalkeeper. Arghh.
And what is it with thid school and all those languages?
"But we have practice at 11:00, isn't that lovely?" she asks, blinking exaggeratedly.
And the world keeps going on and on about LOVE!
I nod. "Yeap"
"Well, we have to go now," he finally announces and they walk away.
So here I am, sitting on this bench outside the boys' changing room after I just heard that Katie is going out with that rat. I never liked that guy, he was so showing off that morning at the pitch.
And did I mention that our first game against "The Slutties and the Dragons" is in four days?. Oh yes, they scrambled us, and I'm gonna go against Slytherin, the Eagles and The Slutties. Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Free Elfs and the Sharks are all against each other. Damn Cedric Diggory is learning too fast about football, Roger is completely lost and Flint...well Flint is Flint, he doesn't even know what braces are, or a toothbrush for that matter.
Also our uniforms suck big time, I mean try to make a shirt and shorts that have the Gryffindor colors and doesn't look gay, my legs feel naked and exposed!
And Katie is going out with Daniel.
Katie.
Katie.
Katie.
Mighty-Katie.
And Daniel, Daniel, Daniel. I'm frowning now, what is it with these people? Is it my position? Do I look like an attraction at an amusement park? Now it's Fred, George and their new friend Eliot.
"Ollie! Lets go learn Latin!" Fred shouts.
"Well, I have National History, so I'll see you all at 11.00," Eliot says, smirking, and leaves. I notice he's not heading towards his classroom but towards the cafeteria. I'm not surprised.
"Well, I'm just dying to learn about Muggles with Snape," George said and laid on the bench.
"Hey brother, where are our female halves?" Fred asks.
"I think I heard Alice say something about dragging Katie to class."
"Where is she anyway?" Fred asks.
"With her boyfriend," I hiss and stare at the floor. I still see from the corner of my eyes the two Weasleys opening their mouths wide.
"What?! But if you are here!" Fred exclaims and I glare at him.
"Oh no! She's not with someone else, is she?"
"Daniel's the name," I say and lean back to see their astonished faces.
"Ryder?!" they yell at the same time.
I nod dreadly.
"But, how do you know?" George says.
"I heard some guys at the changing room, gossiping all about it."
"That's-"
"Not good."
"Really, he's an ."
"Eliot told us he's cocky and mean, and that he was already dating Lyra" George explains. Before just a small hope appears I remember I already saw Lyra with another guy this morning, very early.
"He's not anymore."
"This is bad."
"When did this happen?"
"Apparently, it's been happening since that day Katie swung in the air."
"So about 5 days ago then."
"Well, what are you going to do?" Fred asks me sincerely and I get up from the bench.
"I'm gonna go to Muggle Studies," I say and walk away from them, to my classroom where I know I'll find her with that goofy smile she's been holding for the past 5 days and I didn't know the cause of. I wish I had known.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
PRACTICE.
I kick the Daniel's head furiously, it almost reaches the goal but Bobby stops it and I realize it's not Daniel's head as I've been dreaming, it's a pathetic football.
"Oww!" Jean exclaims from behind me, she wishes I had scored, I wish it had been Daniel's head all along.
We keep running and Simon passes it to Kelly, but my attention isn't with them. It's on the other side of the pitch, where Daniel runs and holds Katie's waist, she's laughing and he's tickling her. She sees me watching them and quickly pulls away from him, embarrassed. They had hidden it so well but now it seems more obvious than ever.
She stares at me surprised and he does the same, only a vicious smile appears in his face. I look away pretending I didn't notice but failing miserably.
Now Nick has scored and we are losing. Alfred passes me running and shouts:"Oliver, where are you?!"
"At hell," I mumble.
I look again and they are hugging while they pretend to be playing. He kisses her hair quickly and she grins. On their side Fred and George follow the ball, trying to get it and I almost smile with the ballet moves they attempt to make as they run.
Finally practice ends after many failed shots. I run to class and they're left behind, probably to cuddle inside some closet.
Gross.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE
"And Mr. Wood, I hope you understand that you should never, no matter what, try to hurt your other classmates. Even if you aren't real classmates, I mean, Hogwarts is far but still Mr. Ryder is your fella," the old principal says.
I shift on my chair, uncomfortable by the situation and by the weird eyebrows that cover his eyes. "Well, in my defense, I was playing and that dumb-...Mr.Ryder was blocking me, I was just trying to score."
I shrug, trying to look innocent. Truth is, I'm not and I'm damn proud of so.
It's been two days since I found out about "It". We've started calling it "It", like the monster, it's bloody scary! So it's 5, plus 2, a week! A whole week of this horrible experience and they are still on. Oh yeah, and Miss Katherine Victoria Bell has been trying to talk to me since she saw that I saw and now she knows that I know that she knows that I know. I'm also proud to say I'm Mr. Dodger, she hasn't found me, seen me in class since she always sits in the front and I always sit on the back. On practice I usually stay with the fillers so she can't see me because she's always juggling the ball up in the air with her feet, totally useless if you ask me since we have brooms and everything but she still sucks at it, haha.
And she's told the entire team that I spent a whole day watching her, that's so not true. I do not watch her, why would I watch her. I don't care that she sneaks out of her room every night at 11 to go out with her boyfriend and watch the stars. Watch the stars my ass!
He's really leading her to the Dark Side you know?
But I've decided in these past two days that I don't care.
It's fine.
Just a tad scary, can you imagine their children?
Poor kids.
But I still don't care and I'm fine with it.
Wait, what has the principal been babbling about?
Well, he's giving me his hand.
I'll just shake it and leave.
I never understand Muggles anyway.
"Faster!"
"I can't breath!" Angelina shouts and lands on the grass. She looks like a tired bird.
"Oliver, I cannot believe that after all we've been through you'd do this to me!" Fred exclaims and collapses on the grass too.
I groan. Why are they so lazy?
"Yeah! Do you think that making us run through those little cones 15 times isn't enough?" George sighs and joins them.
As I said. Why are they so lazy?! It's 15 times, not a big deal.
Awesome, here comes Katherine with Alicia, to complain of course.
"It's so unfair!" Alicia says and Katherine hides her head, she's embarrassed.
"Alicia, it's all part of your training. Look at Harry he isn't complaining, look at Wendy and Beru, they aren't complaining. Neither are Patricia and Alexis."
"Harry never complains, he's like all good," Fred points out.
"Wendy, Beru, Patricia and Alexis have all had training before this," Alicia says and rubs her left foot. I notice she's not wearing her snickers anymore,or her socks.
"Alicia, would you please put on your socks and your snickers? Don't do it for me, do it for the good of humanity, the atmosphere!" I exclaim and wrinkle my nose.
"I like her feet that way," George says, smirking, and Alicia beams at him, pecking his lips.
Another of their disgusting actions to prove their affection.
"Arghh," I mumble and look back. Katherine is watching me with those big eyes of hers. They are quite attractive if you try not to think how many times those eyes have looked at Daniel with care.
"Look, we have a game against The Dragons in-"
"Don't forget Slutties" Fred says maliciously, and Angelina slaps his head.
"Whatever," I say, rolling my eyes, and continue. "It's in two days and we still pretty much-" I bite my lip trying to think of a better way to put it.
"Suck?" Harry inquires, appearing next to Alicia. I look back to where he was running but the girls are still there, running like there's no tomorrow and they never miss.
"No, we just need to-. Look, just be here 20 minutes before the game and we'll look back at the plays, alright?" I ask and they nod, unsure.
"You shouldn't have to worry about time, Oliver, with the letter Dumbledore sent us. 'Tournament may take more than two weeks, I'm sorry I didn't inform you sooner. Ps: You'll have to make a small and tiny report of every week for your Muggle Studies class. Pps: you're my favorite Team'," Angelina says angrily.
"I bet every team got the same letter, including PS's" Alicia says, rolling her eyes.
"I can't believe this," Harry says and covers his head with his hands.
Now that was a letter I didn't know about.
And it also sucks, by the way.
I have to give them courage, though.
"It will be fine, just a few weeks more, did he specify how many?" I ask, truly curious, begging to hear a small number.
"As long as the Tournament needs, so you may start to count: 12 games not including the final one, two games are played by week so I'd say-"
"We have like 7 weeks left here."
"Ughh." They grimace and I try not to. 7 weeks are like 49 days, with 24 hours each. Most of those I'll have to spend watching Katherine and Daniel cuddling.
Repulsive.
"We'll do well and guess what? We've finished early so you can go now." I finally say those words they have been expecting and they run like they didn't while we were practicing.
There's still someone here, though. Yes, Katherine hasn't left, and now she's approaching me.
"Oliver?" she asks. Suddenly she's in front of me pleading me with those eyes.
"Yes?" I ask trying not to look at her. She takes a deep breath.
"I know that you saw us, me and Daniel, I mean. I'm sorry. I really didn't want you to find out like that. I would have told you but I just...I was scared." She stops and waits for me to answer, I assume, because she's not moving.
"Still, it would have been nice to know," I say sadly.
"I know. Please believe me that I am sorry. I just didn't want to hurt you"
she whispers to me.
She didn't want to hurt me.
She didn't want to hurt me?!
Yeah right!
Then why on Earth would she do it on the first place? Why is she going out with that ass?!
Now I'm angry.
"Look, Miss Bell. I could very much care less whatever it is that you do with him. It's your business and we are nothing, so you don't have to explain anything to me. It would have been nice to know, I repeat. But since you are completely self-centered and egoistical, you wouldn't think that maybe, just maybe I would have liked to know. And maybe, just maybe I would have liked to know because I actually had something to say about it. Because maybe Katie, just maybe, I truly cared!"
And that, my friend, is what in Quidditch, Football or any situation in life, we like to call: Total Loss of Control.
She stares at me, surprised and hurt. She looks down and her breathing is hard. She finally looks up and her face is in tears, before her hand slams my cheek.
I never knew that a slap could hurt so much.
"And how was I supposed to know?! You never say anything Oliver. You are like this big, giant wall I can't get through! I never know how you feel, I never know if you feel the same. You are so difficult and hard to see through! I just, I can't believe I ever wanted to be with you, you think I'm self-centered and egoistical? Well you are the same, adding obsessive,
tiresome and a jerk!" she screams and runs away. And I don't even go after her.
She thinks all that of me?
Well, fine. She can go to Hell with him.
I'm done here.
As I said before, I DON'T CARE.
I also don't know what hurts more, the slap or the hole I can feel on my chest near my heart.
END OF OLIVER'S POV
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AN: a small, tiny review? )
