7
Wes
"Why did I agree to this?" Maggie asked no one in particular as we ventured across the courtyard where students were sitting on the grass and having fun. It was unusually warm for September so no one let it go to waste. Some people were even wading into the lake which seemed to me like a horrible idea with the squid floating around in there.
"You agreed to this because you're my best friend." I said, knocking my shoulder into hers. "Once my documentary takes off then you'll be able to say that you witnessed the filming first hand."
Maggie rolled her eyes and pulled at one of her many curls. "As long as I get a share of the profit."
"Always so greedy." I replied before stopping abruptly and pointing to a boy talking to a group of people. They were all laughing and having a grand time and I had to restrain myself from rolling my eyes. Maggie didn't bother.
"Why did you ask him to be in the documentary?" Maggie asked, crossing her arms over her chest and inspecting the boy like he had personally offended her in some way. I didn't blame her though. I could see his teeth gleaming from 10 feet away.
"I need a full perspective. That includes jocks slash popular people." I answered. "I don't like it anymore than you do but what do we know? Maybe he isn't as conceited as he looks." At that moment the boy ran a hand through his perfectly tussled hair and it seemed like a sign that I was horribly wrong.
"It would've been less torture to ask Harry Potter himself." Maggie said before walking confidently to where the boy was. I was about to call after her but there was no point. I couldn't hide myself away like I so desperately wanted to.
The group noticed us before the boy did. They looked us up and down and scrunched their noses like they could smell our status. The whispers began as soon as the boy turned his toothpaste commercial smile onto Maggie and I.
"Hey, Wes." He smiled, putting out his hand for me to shake. "Who's this?"
"Maggie." She replied before I could, putting out her own hand. The boy didn't look phased by her and shook her hand politely like he was a politician. The once chatty group sneered at us.
"You'll have to excuse me." the boy said to them. "I have some business to attend to." The group flashed fake understanding smiles before moving away, their whispers fading.
"Sorry about them." He apologized, turning back to Maggie and I. "They seem to follow me everywhere." Even his laugh was perfect.
"The Ian Valerio fan club." Maggie snorted. I suddenly regretted bringing Maggie along with me. I loved her but sometimes she just didn't know when to shut her mouth.
"Sorry Ian, she's just kidding." I said quickly, shooting Maggie a glare. "Why don't we sit?"
Ian Valerio looked like a politician's son. He had a charming smile and unnatural good looks that made girls and boys swoon. He came from a Cuban family but moved to England when he was 4, which gave him a slight accent and the ability to speak fluent Spanish. He was everyone's favorite guy.
But it wasn't always like that. Ian used to be Cedric Diggory's biggest fan and honestly Cedric didn't mind. To him, Ian was just another friend to add to his crowd and Ian saw Cedric as a god just like everyone else. And when Cedric died, a replacement was needed and the next best was Ian. So he became the next Hufflepuff golden boy.
Ever since, Ian had been the stereotypical prom king jock just like Cedric Diggory was. The only thing he was missing was a trophy girlfriend, but lately there wasn't much time for dating. Although, he never really seemed too interested in any of the girls that were always flocking him.
"Alright Ian, the basic rule of filming is that you have to pretend the camera's not there. Just talk like you normally would." I began, using the same speech I used two days ago with Olivia. "I'm going to ask you some questions and all you have to do is answer them as truthfully as possible."
"Oh my..." Maggie wheezed, trying to stop herself from laughing. "You sound so serious when you talk like that." I rolled my eyes and set up my camera, ignoring Ian's confused looks between us.
I elbowed Maggie before pressing record. I gave Ian a thumbs up and he smiled in return. I had a feeling this was going to be a good interview.
I went through my usual intro of explaining what I was doing and having Ian read his name off of an index card. Things went a bit more smooth than before and I couldn't stop my hopes from rising. Maggie didn't interrupt again, just sat watching. I couldn't tell what she was thinking and I was suddenly hoping that she approved. My best friend wasn't very easy to please.
"My first question is, how do you think others would describe you?"
Ian looked away for a second, making a face similar to one of an actor trying to show that he was thinking. The gesture made it seem fake but the look of concentration on his face made me not so sure. When he finally looked back at me he seemed unsure and slightly nervous.
"Well, this seems conceited but I think people see me as being... I don't know popular I guess." Ian said,, not meeting my eyes or in this case the camera's lens. "They see me as this guy who has all these friends and can do anything or be anything. Someone to look up to."
"And what do you think about that?" I replied, watching the wheels turn in his head.
"They don't know what they're talking about." He answered after a moment. He said it with a smile but not the sparkling grin that he used before. He was smiling like some sort of mask had temporarily come off. It was toothy and different and wonderful. I glanced at Maggie, whose expression hadn't changed but I knew she was impressed.
"Awesome." I said, nodding my head and turning off my camera, feeling a whole lot more accomplished than I did the other day. The three of us seemed to relax once I put my camera away and I couldn't hold back a relieved laugh. Maggie pushed her shoulder into mine and I knew it was a small sign that she liked where this was going. I couldn't have been happier.
"That was actually sort of stressful." Ian laughed, smoothing down his wavy hair. I noticed his eyes darting around like he was worried someone was watching him but it passed as soon as it came.
"Don't worry about it. I'm guessing that most of your answers will be the same as the rest of the Hogwarts student body. If this documentary ends up going somewhere you'll have plenty of people supporting what you're saying."
"It'll probably get more stressful though." Maggie said quickly, shooting me a smile. I rolled my eyes at her for the hundredth time that day.
"I don't mean to be rude, but are you two...dating?" Ian asked after a second, his eyebrows raising like everyone else's did when they asked that question. And like always, Maggie and I looked at each other before breaking into laughter.
"Oh god no, I'm gay." I answered, almost feeling sorry for the concerned look on Ian's face. "And she's asexual." Maggie saluted in agreement.
"Oh." Ian said his face dropping for a second before spreading into a wide grin. "That's awesome!" And it wasn't the kind of awesome that was said with an air of hesitation and awkwardness. It was said like he meant it just like he meant that smile only a minute ago. In only one session I was breaking Ian Valerio into someone that wasn't just a preppy golden boy and it was the best feeling in the world.
