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Chapter Twenty-Six
Staring
Ethel was sitting on her bed brushing through the long blonde locks that she had just washed with one hand as she stroked Nightstar who was next to her purring contently, with the other.
Mildred was sat opposite her on her bed, drawing the blonde girl and sneaking glances at her now and then so she could get the detail right.
"Why do you keep staring at me?" Ethel asked having noticed Mildred was glancing up at her now and then.
"I am drawing...Nightstar" Mildred lied not sure how Ethel would feel about being the model.
"Oh let's see," Ethel said wanting to see the picture of her beloved cat.
"NO! I mean...it came out badly, I need to start again" Mildred told her, Ethel didn't look convinced.
"Oh no HB is coming," Ethel said causing the brunette to turn worried. Ethel pulled the pad out of her hands as she did so and Mildred turned back realising it was a trick and Ethel saw her drawings. Mildred couldn't draw anything else these days.
"I am sorry," Mildred said not wanting her now friend to flip.
"You...are drawing me...why?" Ethel asked sounding surprised someone would choose her of all things.
"I like to draw beautiful things," Mildred said without thinking, hitting herself for the bad attempt at flirting. Ethel started to laugh.
"You need your eyes, as well as your ears, tested," Ethel said but she had turned red, touched at Mildred's words even if she would never believe them.
Staring at one another was becoming a problem though, currently, Ethel was sat in potions, staring across the room at her crush lovingly.
"Why is Ethel staring at us?" Enid asked not knowing who she was looking at but it was in the direction of her and her friends.
"She is planning something," Maud said as Felicity tried to get Ethel's attention as HB was approaching but it was no good, Ethel was lost to anything in the world but her crush.
"Ethel...Ethel Hallow. ETHEL HALLOW" HB shouted sending the blonde back to reality, the girl turned to look at her teacher as if she had never seen her before.
"Maybe you can answer my last question as you seem to be very focused on the lesson," HB said annoyed. Ethel looked at Felicity for help but she hadn't been listening either as she was focusing on getting Ethel to listen so she shrugged.
"Oh erm...Miss Drill?" Ethel guessed
"The person who invented the cauldron was Miss Drill" HB replied causing the class to laugh at the stupidity of it. "Detention Miss Hallow," the woman told her, Ethel sighed but nodded.
"Ha gutted" Enid shouted out and Mildred glared at her friend.
When class was over HB called the blonde over looking at her intensely having noticed she had been very distracted of late.
"You have been distracted these last few weeks, your grades are slipping," HB told her "I don't want an excellent pupil to go downhill," HB told her knowing she was smart and not wanting her to fall behind.
"Sorry Miss Hardbroom, just a lot on my mind, I will try concentrate," Ethel told her with a sigh.
"Very well, tonight detention, five-thirty" HB told her not letting her off the hook, Ethel nodded and left the classroom.
Mildred was also having the problem of staring at Ethel. When she saw the girl leave her classroom she couldn't take her eyes off her and the way her ponytail bounced as she walked. She was so distracted she walked headfirst into a dustbin.
"AHHH!" Mildred screamed as she fell in, she was only in a few seconds before her friends were helping her out.
"What happened?" Maud asked wondering how even Mildred had managed to do that.
"I was staring at..." Mildred cut off "It doesn't matter" Mildred replied
"Something or someone?" Enid asked realising her friend was spending a lot of time staring at her enemy these days.
"No just..." Mildred said
"If I didn't know any better I would say you have a crush on Ethel" Maud replied folding her arms. The brunette was caught, there was no point hiding it now.
"I love her," Mildred said simply. Suddenly she was being pulled to Enid's room and the door was slammed shut before she even had time to react.
"You...like Ethel?" Enid said not able to physically say the word love and associate it with the blonde.
"I fell for her months ago" Mildred admitted
"Mildred she is no good!" Maud replied annoyed.
"You can't help who you fall for!" Mildred replied getting upset and worked up.
"I didn't even know you liked girls" Enid replied surprised.
"I realised last year when I developed a crush on an actress, but this time it is more than that" Mildred replied. She was shocked to see her friends back away slightly as if she had told them she had a contagious disease.
"Mildred...it is Ethel flaming Hallow" Enid replied not able to understand it
"And she is funny and gorgeous and talented and makes me feel like I live in the clouds" Mildred admitted, now unable to stop admitting her feelings.
"So you and her ..." Maud asked wearing the most disgusted look she had ever seen Maud wear.
"She doesn't like me back so no, nothing will happen" Mildred replied seeing her friends looking at each other. "What?" Mildred asked frustrated.
"Well, what do you think she was staring at in potions, the chances of it being Maud or I are about as much chance as Miss Harbdroom becoming a ballet dancer" Enid replied. Mildred smiled, in fact, she beamed.
"She likes me back?" Mildred asked her heart full of joy
"I would say yes, but don't start anything Midred, she is horrible, she will break your heart and I will have to pick up the pieces" Maid replied. Mildred knew deep down there was a chance that could happen but she also knew if Ethel liked her she would risk it all just for one day with her, one hour with her, just one kiss, she had stolen her heart and for one moment with her, she would risk her heart been shattered.