I got up early Monday morning for a fly before breakfast. Sunday was pretty dull…I played quidditch with Katie for most of the day. Alicia joined us after she spent her daily three hours in the library. We saw nothing of the lads. Fred and George were working on their top secret joke shop products, which absolutely no one is privy to (I walked in on them once in an empty classroom and Fred shrieked at me that I was ruining his future. I swear, I thought he was going to have a heart attack), and Lee went to go see his grandma in Gloucester. She's leaving him a bunch of money in her will, so he goes and "checks up on his investment" occasionally. See? The boy is horrid.
My friends rarely come with me before school to go fly. They like to have lie-ins. I think differently. There's no sense in falling out of shape just because we don't get to play this year. Besides, I stole the key to the locker room from off of Filch's key ring at the beginning of the school year. George says I'm obsessed. I say I'm passionate.
Alicia and Katie were still sleeping when I left. It figured. Katie won't be up until the very last second before breakfast and Alicia, fulfilling some little theory she has about her being the balance between me and Katie, is probably going to get up around seven to get some homework done before breakfast. She's psychotic. But I figure it's just another way for her to block thoughts of men from her mind. She fills it up with school work. Maybe I should give that a try.
I tried not to think about Lee as I got out my broomstick from the shed. I tried not to think about him as I walked down to the pitch, and I tried not to think about him as I flew past the commentator's box. But I couldn't help it. I have a tendency of letting whatever comes in my head come out my mouth, and my temper can run away with me. I told Lee Jordan our friendship was an embarrassment. Normally, Lee lets my rebuffs roll off of him and he keeps pestering me, but Saturday he actually looked upset. I would have to make it up to him. But, in a way where he was clear that we would never be anything more than friends and in a way that Katie and Alicia and the twins wouldn't be obnoxious about it, and I say I love him and blah blah blah. Because I don't.
I flew for about another hour until I was winded, and then touched down on the pitch. I let myself into the locker room and peeled off my sweaty clothes, stepping into the shower. I missed this. I watched the water form little rivulets and roll off of my body. It was just something Lee could never understand. How could I date someone who didn't understand my passion? It was impossible. Then I caught myself. Oh gross, I'm thinking about Lee in the shower.
I quickly toweled off and got changed into my school uniform. I hate skirts. I don't know a single quidditch player that likes them. Alicia, Katie, and I complain about them constantly. When I get appointed captain next year, I'm petitioning McGonagall for a redress of grievances and get her to allow us to wear our quidditch robes on game days and our quidditch t-shirts on off days. It's a good plan. I'm brilliant.
I braced myself to bite the bullet and apologize to Lee when I walked into the Great Hall for breakfast. I found my mates at the Gryffindor table exactly as I suspected them to be. Alicia was sitting across from Lee (who, I tried not to notice, was looking rather forlornly into his cornflakes) and had her books piled up next to her. The twins were a few spots over, heads bent together. I could see sparks flying up from between them, and George's eyebrows looked rather singed. Katie burst through the side door a second later, looking completely winded. Her tie was undone and her bookbag was slung over her shoulder haphazardly. Yes, Ange, you are a genius.
I sat down next to Lee. Time to be direct.
"Hey, Lee," I said. He turned away.
"What?" I asked, affronted. "You're ignoring me now?"
"Look, Alicia," Lee said pointedly. "If I didn't know any better, I would think Ange is purposely trying to embarrass herself by associating with me."
Alicia raised her eyebrows. "Don't drag me into this," she said. "Fred, pass me a muffin!"
Fred tossed a muffin across the table as he and George scooted closer to the group, and Katie sat down across from them.
"Whoa, Kates," George said, ogling Katie, whose shirt was unbuttoned slightly. "Wanna show a little more? You're really getting better at this school girl look."
"Huh?" Katie asked, looking down. Then she scoffed and rolled her eyes. "George, don't perv on me when you don't have any eyebrows." She buttoned up the shirt, and continued to tie her tie.
"Can I?" Fred asked. "I have eyebrows."
"And I have something to say," I announced firmly. Everyone looked at me but Lee. I really command a crowd.
"I want to make up with Lee and he won't let me," I stated simply, throwing him a look.
"What's that?" George said obnoxiously. "You want to make out with Lee?"
"Oooh!" Fred crowed, and the two batted their eyelashes at the both of us. I threw an orange which hit Fred in the stomach. He doubled over and George leaned over to help him. They shut up.
"Lee Jee, why aren't you making up with Ange?" Katie asked, ignoring Fred who was making gagging noises and reaching for her glass of orange juice.
"I wouldn't want our friendship to embarrass her," Lee replied, carefully avoiding eye contact with me.
I rolled my eyes.
"Dammit, Lee," I said, "I wasn't serious."
"Ange does say lots of things she doesn't mean," Katie put in.
"Yeah, like the time she called me a no-fun-know-it-all," Alicia put in forlornly.
"That was in the first year!" I protested.
"Or the time she called me an obnoxious, tiresome twin," Fred recalled, having recovered from the fruit attack.
"No, she called me the obnoxious, tiresome twin," George said.
"I did not," I groaned, knowing full well I did.
"Or the time she called me a shameless tart," Katie added. "Wow, Ange, you really are mean."
I exploded. "Do we have to bring up every single little thing I do wrong? The point is, I didn't mean any of it, and I didn't mean what I said to Lee!"
"Yeah," George said. "That's what we meant. We were helping you."
"Well you're doing a bloody bad job of it," I snarled.
"Look," Lee said, sounding tired. "None of it matters, because she didn't tell any of you that you were an embarrassment. That's quite a bit different. Plus you all play quidditch, so she can be seen with you despite your annoyance levels. I can't be."
"Lee, that's not what I meant," I groaned, frustrated. "And you know it."
He shrugged.
"Don't make me beg, Jordan," I warned.
"Well what if I want you to?" he snapped, finally looking at me. "Why can't I see Angelina Johnson ask for my forgiveness? Is it too beneath her?"
"It is!" I yelled back, grabbing my bookbag. "I can't believe I just tried to make up with you!"
I was about to storm off when I had the idea of tossing Katie's orange juice all over Lee. The liquid dripped from the tips of his dreadlocks.
XXX
Things were awkward when I walked into potions later that morning. My friends all stared at me to see what I would do. I realized I was straining the friendship circle, but I didn't care. Lee Jordan would not make me grovel at his feet. He was trying to bait me, and I wouldn't let him. Wanker. I sat down next to Alicia, who's my cauldron partner without saying anything to anyone.
"Actually Ange, I'm working with Katie today," Alicia said tentatively. I could tell she was afraid I was going to blow up on her.
"But Katie works with Lee," I said confused, looking between them.
"Lee said he had a new cauldron partner," Katie said, shrugging.
"Well who am I supposed to work with?" I said, annoyed.
"You can be with us!" Fred and George chorused.
"Ugh," I said. "I'd rather give myself a lobotomy." They shrugged.
I was frustrated. Stupid move by sensitive Lee, and my potion grade for the day is ruined. I'm going to have to be with that Slytherin girl that sits at the back and doesn't have any friends. So much for my potions grade for the day. I specifically snagged Alicia at the beginning of the year so that I could have a chance for a decent grade. I'm not so great with potions. Fred and George have some sort of deft brilliance for the subject, but they're always each other's partners, so that was out. Alicia was a good bet because she studies extremely hard for everything, and is pretty good herself. Katie and I are at about the same level of competence, which is an "I can pass, but I don't really care about this subject." Lee's totally daft. Katie ended up with him because she drew the short straw because I cheated so I could have Alicia. I should feel bad, but I don't.
"Why can't Katie work with the twins and I can still have you?" I whined.
Alicia looked at me like I was stupid. "You want the three of them together around a cauldron?" she asked. "Someone's bound to make love potion, and who knows what could happen then."
"Shh!" Katie hissed, glancing over at Fred and George. "Someone might hear you."
"Oh, like there's someone out there that doesn't realize you're an insufferable tart," I snapped. She glared at me.
"No wonder Lee's mad at you," she said, defiantly placing her potions ingredients in my place and butting me out. Alicia shrugged at me.
Annoyed, I strode to the back of the room and threw my bag down by the Slytherin girl.
"Anybody working with you?" I asked gruffly. The girl's head snapped up like she was surprised she was being addressed by another human.
"N-no," she stammered. "I'm Gertrude."
"Angelina," I said, refusing to make eye contact with her. She could have been Snape's relative: dark hair, dark eyes, swimming in grease, bad acne. I was a snob, I didn't care who knew it. I was stuck working with slime ball back here because Lee had to go grow feelings. Where was he anyway? What poor sap did he get to agree to be his cauldron partner?
And then I saw him. Coming through the door with some blonde girl from Beauxbatons. I didn't mind having to share our school with other schools, mainly because it gave our professors other people to divert their attention to, but all of a sudden I hated it. I recognized the girl instantly; her name was Danielle and she was the cousin of that half veela princess Fleur Delacour.
"Disgusting," I spat out incredulously.
"What's disgusting?" asked my new partner Gertrude.
"Uh…Snape," I said, looking away from Lee and his new "partner."
"Snape's not disgusting!" Gertrude said, looking highly scandalized. "I'm…" she looked around to make sure no one was watching her. "In love with him."
I stared at her.
"We'll have an affair someday," she said matter-of-factly. "It's so romantic."
Great. I was stuck in potions with a seriously disturbed wingnut while Lee was off being a wanker and won't forgive me, and flirting with some blonde tart from Beauxbatons.
I kept glancing at her all through Potions. She had clearly found out Lee was a moron when it came to the subject, but it didn't deter her from flirting with him. Probably all attracted to the British accent because she's French and foreign. Whatever. I could so beat her ass at quidditch. And it's not like I care anyway, right? Screw Lee.