Author's Note: I'm heading back to Canada after 6 weeks of travels in the UK and France and I'm really sad about it. Heartbroken. I don't want to do it. Anyway, it'll be nice to be able to stay in one place for awhile and not have to deal with hauling heavy luggage around and take trains and planes. But I'll have to get back to work and school which will suck. Anyway, here's another sexy chapter! I also just realized I haven't mentioned NEWTs at all. I was also writing a new chapter recently and realized I hadn't written a single Quidditch match, so I ended up writing one, but that's it, I can't be bothered with sports. *sassy hand emoji*

Content Warning: Strong language, drinking, drug use, and sexual content.

Chapter 15

Toxic Proximity

Lacey

I woke up with an arm around my waist and a leg over my leg. I twisted around to peer blearily at Eve as she lay fast asleep and half on top of me. Her face was shielded by a storm of shiny dark hair. It looked flawless even after a night's sleep. We had been drinking champagne the night before and she had slept over.

Now, the sunlight shone through the blue velvet hangings of my bed and lit it with a dim blueberry hue. I turned around completely so I was facing Eve, and I gently combed the hair out of her face with my fingers. She blinked and woke up then, and she smiled at me sleepily. Her face was puffy and there were pillow lines on it, but she still looked amazing somehow.

She hadn't kissed me again since the night of the party, but everything she did seemed to be a flirtation. I couldn't help but pick up signals all over the place. Our friendship felt just like that first kiss; every moment was a shocking delight, and yet it was always so uncertain and forbidden. I knew I shouldn't want my best friend's girlfriend. It was driving me crazy.

"How'd you sleep?" Eve asked, her green eyes sparkling and smiling at me, like I was special.

"Horrible! You kept whacking me with your arms and legs!" I giggled.

"It's just the way I sleep," she replied. "You shouldn't have invited me to sleep over."

"Well, when I said 'sleep together'..." I trailed off suggestively and winked.

"Oooh, take me, Lacey!" she joked, thrusting herself into my arms. We laughed, and her hair brushed past my face, trailing her scent with it. I was still holding her when we stopped laughing. She brought her face level to mine, gazing enchantingly into my eyes. "Well, if you only want me for sex, you better make your move fast!" She smirked. I had stopped breathing momentarily. "I've never had sex with a girl before. Love to try," she said, but she giggled, so I continued to struggle to figure out whether she was serious or not.

"Neither have I," I muttered.

"Really?" she asked, sounding surprised. I gave her a look. "Oh, I didn't mean...you know, you just seem so certain I thought you'd done it before."

"Nope," I answered.

"Well, I guess we're in the same boat then." She smiled. We remained in that same toxic proximity for a few moments longer, but then I snapped back to myself and feigned moving away so I could stretch, then I sat up.

"We should go...get breakfast or something," I said, but she groaned and tugged my arm for me to lie down again.

"Nooo!" she moaned dramatically.

"Yes, let's go! I want tea."

"Oh fine." She sat up at last.

Scorpius walked into the Great Hall minutes after we sat down at the Ravenclaw table. He spotted us and strode over, placing a kiss on Eve's cheek before sitting down beside her.

"Hey, I was just thinking about you ladies," he told us, sliding an arm around Eve and nuzzling his face into her hair to kiss her again and again. She giggled and pulled him into a sideways hug. I looked away, hoping I didn't look bitter or jealous. I wasn't, not at all, but my heart was flip-flopping around, and my stomach felt uneasy. "Did you girls sleep okay?"

"Oh, yeah, except for when I was getting attacked by Eve's rogue limbs!" I replied.

"Shush," she said, "I only do it to those I love." She grinned, then planted another kiss on Scorp's face, before marking me similarly. Her lips felt like rose petals brushing against my cheek, and for a moment, I thought she meant to linger longer, but when I looked up, she wasn't even looking at me anymore. I let out my breath, then looked down at my breakfast, immersing myself in the process of eating while Eve and Scorp conversed in soft voices beside me.

"Oh heeyy, if it isn't that wimpy Malfoy kid!" James drawled as he strolled up to our table.

"Get lost, Potter," Scorpius muttered through clenched teeth as he averted his eyes.

"What? But I'm just coming to say hey. I don't understand why you must be so rude all the time." He crouched down beside the table and leaned on his elbows. Scorpius couldn't help but send an unpleasant glare his way. "Oh, also, err, someone else has a message they wanted me to deliver to you. It's that, uuuhhh, oh, what was it...ah! You're a massive wanker and you look like a beauty contestant wannabe."

"Something tells me you're not here just to insult me," Scorpius said in a shockingly even tone, though I could see his knuckles beginning to turn white as his fists rested on the tabletop.

"Ding ding ding! You're correct! I wouldn't waste time on someone as low and petty as you. Unless I was headed in your direction anyway. Which I was. I'm actually here to speak with Lacey."

"Hm?"

"Yeah, I need help, Lace, I need mucho help!"

"With?"

"Everything, Lacey, everything!"

"What do you mean?"

"I've got five classes with Aura; she helps me with everything, she's the best. But now she's in the Hospital Wing and apparently I'm not allowed to see her, and I can't find Rye." He took a moment to run a hand through his mess of hair. "Help, Lace, help!"

"Wait, Aura's in the Hospital Wing?" I asked and he nodded. "What happened?"

"I dunno." He shrugged.

"Come on," I said, standing up. "Let's go find out. You coming, Scorp?"

"No!" he almost shouted. "Madam Luxill hates me, you know." He sent a subtle glare in James's direction.

"Huh. That lovely lady? Really? But she's so sweet to me. Loves me. But, then again, most people do." James grinned proudly as I dragged him away.

"You're such a tosser," I said with a roll of my eyes as we entered the hallway.

"Hey, it works for me," he replied, stretching his arms out to each side as if presenting himself to the world.

"I guess it does," I said. "It must help your feelings. I wish I could act heartless like you all the time."

"Huh? You think I'm heartless?"

"No, I didn't say that. I said you act heartless."

"Well...how do you know it's just an act?" He raised an eyebrow at me.

"'Cause I know you; you care," I replied. "You care a lot." He rolled his eyes as though it wasn't the case, but he didn't bother denying it. I walked on ahead of him and began ascending the stairs.

When we got to the Hospital Wing, the heavy doors were closed. They were never closed. I shot a look at James, and he shrugged. He pushed one of the doors open and slipped through, then I followed. The room was empty but for the bed at the very end of the row and the surrounding area. The screen was drawn, but the shapes of several people could be seen behind it. They were speaking in low voices, but even from the far end of the room, I could hear the underlying anxiety in the tone of their conversation.

James and I exchanged worried looks before approaching the bed. We hadn't got very close, however, when the Headmistress came out from around the corner and fixed us with a perturbed look. After her came Professor Abbascia, Madam Luxill and, at last, Riley. They each wore the same mix of perplexity and dismay on their faces.

"You two shouldn't be here!" the Headmistress said at once. "The Hospital Wing is closed."

"But Aura's our—"

"Nobody is allowed in at this time!" she continued, whisking Riley, James and I back out the door.

"What was that all about?" I asked Riley as soon as the door had slammed shut in our faces.

"They don't know what's wrong with Aura," he replied glumly. "She fainted last night and now she can't talk. They think it's a hex, but nothing they do will cure it. They're thinking it might only be reversible by the one who cast it." He hung his head.

"You don't know who did it?" James asked.

"No. No clue."

"I can't believe it," I breathed. "Who would do this?"

"Some sick bastard...probably a Slytherin," James muttered. "Heh-heh, finally, time to bash some skulls." He grinned darkly, then started to walk away.

"Get back here," Riley ordered.

"What? Why?"

"Because your approach of always blaming the Slytherins right away is getting old. There are three other houses and plenty of students in them that are capable of doing this."

"Yeah, but it'd have to be someone in sixth or seventh year, because of the complexity of the hex."

"They'd also be the only years that might have a grudge against Aura."

"Okay, so what's the plan?" James asked.

"Split up, ask questions?" I suggested doubtfully.

"And get lied to? Yeah right, let's do some hexing of our own and then see what they have to say!"

"Or not," Riley replied.

"Oh, come on, you never let me have any fun!"

Riley sighed in exasperation. He puffed out his cheeks, then declared that he thought it would be best to round up the rest of the gang and have a pow-wow. He didn't exactly use those words, that's me adlibbing for the guy. He actually said it in the very soft, measured voice of Riley Cael Finnigan.

So, we found ourselves together in the Room of Requirement which had taken the form of a Detective's Office. There were desks and filing cabinets and shelves of folders. There was also a section dedicated to coffee and snacks, which was nice, and which June was definitely taking advantage of, though she didn't seem interested in the food. There were various categories and sub-categories and intertwining categories. Everything seemed organized at first glance, but as you upset the illusion and began investigating, it got out of hand fast.

"So, what do we have?" Riley asked after about ten minutes of looking through documents.

"Dude, what we have is a room filled with a googolplex of facts about each student and teacher in the school's relationship with Aura," June answered with an edge to her voice. "This is hopeless. It's gonna take forever."

"Yeah, why didn't you get the room to narrow it down to just the 6th and 7th years?" I asked. As soon as I had spoken, 40% of the parchment in the room disappeared.

"Cheers, Lace," Riley said.

"This is so tedious!" I said. "None of this information is relevant to anything! All it is is just trivial facts about people; it's driving me insane." I slapped a folder shut and set it on the desktop, sliding the next one in front of me. We had divided the folders and been assigned a house and year each. Being a sixth year Ravenclaw, that's what I was working on. And let me tell you, I was finding out some things I'd rather not know.

"Ugh, hear, hear!" June agreed from across the room.

We carried on in this manner for another hour or so, but that was all we could take. Most of the others had given up or were complaining too much to pay attention. Then it was lunchtime, and we were all hungry. So, we abandoned our post, discouraged. We didn't talk much over lunch, mostly we were thinking, wondering, trying to figure out who would do it. But nothing seemed quite right.

After lunch, we each found other priorities calling to us, and we ended up separating for the most part. James collapsed to his knees before me, pleading for my help in his courses. I beheld his dramatic gesture with wonder, then rolled my eyes and consented. He leapt up with delight, then bent down over June's slumped shoulder and muttered softly to her. She sighed, then nodded slightly in response. He looked up at me again and grinned.

"She's coming with," he informed me. She moved heavily, so he helped her to her feet, then allowed her to lean on him as we made our way to the library.

She sat glumly beside him as we opened up our books and took out our writing instruments. I helped him with each of his assignments, but I wasn't solely focused on the coursework. For almost as much time as I was thinking and explaining, I was noticing. Noticing not only the solemnity that reigned over James, but also that studying wasn't the first thing on his mind. It was June. No matter how much he attempted to concentrate on the assignment at hand, he was always aware of her, of every movement she made, every deep breath she took. He glanced at her every few minutes, or touched her in some way, or spoke to her in a tone I'd never heard from him.

And for half the time I spent noticing, I was also wondering, wondering whether this change was due to concern for her in this dark time alone, or whether there was something more to it. It was true that all of her friends had been acting extra kind and treating her extra special lately, but there was a part of me, the romantic part, that believed there was a deeper change, and that it could be attributed to the influence June had had on James. Because of these thoughts, I found myself drifting into fantasy, losing grip on reality again, until James had to snap his fingers and wave his hand in front of my eyes.

"Oi...oi...oi, Lace!"

"Huh?"

"We lost you there for a moment," he replied with a smirk. "Something on your mind?"

"No, just the usual," I answered, then laughed because I realized it was true. So smart a girl. Too smart a girl to have her head in the clouds all the time...

"Well anyway, we've gotta go," James said as he started clearing up his stuff. "Thanks so much for the help though, love, you're a doll." He leaned over the table and gripped the back of my head, pulling it forward so he could smack his laps on the top of it, then ruffle up my hair before releasing me.

"Really? What are you going to do?" I asked.

"Oh, June wants some coffee so I was going to get her some, and then try to tempt her with some delicious food from the best cook in the school (moi), then I was going to take her on an adventure. I already have it all planned, but it's a surprise so I'm afraid I can't give you all the details quite yet."

"Oh." I smiled. "That sounds nice. Have fun."

I remained seated at the table for a while after they left, and I found myself doodling and daydreaming again. I looked up again only when I heard the sound of someone quietly clearing their throat, and when I did, I met Eve's entrancing gaze.

"Eve..." I muttered, still in a daze from my daydream, then I pulled myself back to reality and straightened up, dropping my quill.

"Yeah," she replied, "thought I'd find you here."

"Oh, of course," I said with a small laugh.

"Didn't think you'd be alone though," she continued.

"Well, June and James just left."

"So, you're not busy?"

"No."

"Let's get out of here then." She jumped up, pulling me with her. She waved her wand at my school supplies, and they disappeared.

"Hey!"

"They're in your dorm room," she explained, then she proceeded to whisk me out of the library and out of the castle in general.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we began to cross the grounds. It was a chilly day, and it was misting finely, but Eve cast a rain shield spell around us, and we kept going.

"Down to the lake," she replied pleasantly.

"What, why? It's a gross day in January."

"Yup," she said, "we'll have guaranteed privacy."

"For...?" I asked, but she just turned and smiled at me enigmatically.

"Come on." She beckoned to me, and continued at a rapid pace, her large canvas bag hitting her side rhythmically. By the time I got to the lake, she was already waiting for me, facing away across the water.

"Okay, now what?" I asked. Her only response was taking the bag off her shoulder and pulling a folded-up square of striped fabric out, then shaking it out until it had set itself up as a small tent. "A tent? Really?"

"Yes." Eve grinned, then she ducked inside. I caught my breath as she did so because she was wearing a very short dress and when she bent over, the skirt rose until it revealed a glimpse of her bum and her black lace knickers. I followed her inside, then looked around as I straightened up. It was much larger within than it was without, and the walls were cream-and-maroon-panelled. The room consisted of a sofa, an armchair, a fireplace- with a hearty fire already blazing-, a coffee table and a circular oasis of pillows and blankets which served as a bed or nest, I supposed. Eve had dropped her purse beside the coffee table and was sitting on the armchair, taking her boots off. She had removed her coat and scarf as well before she looked back up at me.

"Are you going to sit down?" she asked, reaching into her bag again and pulling a bottle and two wine glasses out of it.

"Oh..." was all I could manage before I perched at the end of the sofa. Eve began pouring the deep red liquid into the glasses.

"You like wine?" she asked.

"Yeah, I like red wine."

"I thought I'd do something special," she replied. "For your birthday, you know."

"Oh!" I said, surprised. "It was Thursday."

"I know," she said. The bottle made glugging sounds as she continued to pour, tipping it until it was completely vertical, then she set it aside. She had emptied the whole bottle into the two regular-sized glasses, but they appeared to be only two thirds full. Eve handed one of them to me, then we clinked them together. "To attractive brunettes," she toasted. We drank.

"So...what'd you do today?" I asked, trying to stop thinking about Eve calling me attractive.

"Oh, just hung out with Scorp," she replied, then took a gulp. "We talked and cuddled and stuff. It was boring."

"Oh? You were wanting mind-blowing sex?"

"Yes, exactly." Her eyes on mine were intense, and I had to look away and bury my face behind the wine glass and drink more. "I don't think he likes having sex with me anymore," she went on, pouting a little.

"Eve, that's crazy."

"I know. But he's just such a timid guy and I have needs, you know, very intense needs."

I nodded but she could see I didn't fully understand so she leaned closer, raised an eyebrow, and said, "I'm too rough for him." She leaned back and smiled at my face. "And I'm too dirty." She winked. I tried to take a casual sip, but I ended up choking on it and spluttering awkwardly, letting a couple drops fall onto the front of my coat.

"Bollocks," I muttered, putting the glass back down and reaching for my wand.

"Oh! Silly you." Eve had already gripped me by the front of my coat, wand pointing at my chest. Her nails glinted in the candlelight of the tent. "That was smooth." The stains vanished then, and she put her wand away.

"Thanks," I said as I took the coat off, feeling the heat from the crackling fire behind the grate. She swished the wine around in her glass, then took another sip.

"Did you find out what happened to Aura?"

"Nope. We think someone jinxed her though. I can't think of anyone who would do that...can you?"

"No, that's awful."

"Hmm."

"Well, I hope it doesn't last long."

"Yeah, same."

"So," she said softly, looking down at the glass in her hands, her dark hair falling in a sheet before her eyes, "what were you thinking about when I found you in the library? You seemed really into it."

"What!" I cried out in alarm, upsetting my drink again, this time into my lap. Once again, I reached for my wand, but Eve's hand came down on mine just as I found it. My breath caught in my throat. She knelt on the floor in front of me, hand on mine, staring up at me with that same intensity from before. She cleaned the splotch of wine away with her wand, then set it aside. She touched the place where the stain had been before, just lightly, with the tip of her middle finger. As she did so, I felt a surge of electricity race through my body. She trailed all her fingertips over the area then, as though testing the fabric for any remaining dampness, though we both knew there was none.

"This is such a nice dress," she said, "you shouldn't spill on it."

"Well, I try," I replied, nervously tugging at the end of it as Eve retracted her hand and pulled herself up to sit on the sofa beside me.

We drank more. Eve talked about what she and her friends had been up to; about some of the stupid things Olivia would say all the time, or Katie's latest object of affection, or Angela's latest phase. She talked about the boys too, Zaid and Thaddeus; we had a lot of stories of Zaid's utter idiocy.

"Oh!" Eve cried out suddenly after a particular side-splitter. "I completely forgot; I was gonna spark this when we first got in here." She pulled a long, conical joint out of her pocket.

"Heh-heh, righteous," I responded with a laugh.

I swayed a little as I watched her put the spliff to her lips. My cheeks were flushed, I was feeling highly intoxicated. I glanced down at my glass, its level the same as it had been. I wondered how much I had drunk. Eve began to reach across me to grab her wand, but this time I stopped her, and held my own up. The corner of her mouth tilted up in a smile as I held her face to steady myself, by some bizarre logic of mine, and I lit the tip of the joint thoroughly. She breathed in deeply. I leaned back and watched her chest puff out as she filled it with smoke, then she paused and held it in, passing the joint to me. I took a toke, watching her the whole time as she opened her lips and let a cloud of smoke billow out to hang in the air between us.

She was grinning at me, and I almost hiccupped in delight, but I contained it, and blew the smoke out calmly. We continued until the spliff was done and I was feeling extremely otherworldly. At some point Eve had opened another bottle; I hadn't witnessed it though, so I assumed she had done it while I had made use of the tent's bathroom. I gazed down into the ruby abyss in my glass, wondering again how much was in it and how much I'd drank. But then suddenly I felt Eve's hand on my knee again.

"Lacey," she said softly.

"Yeah?"

"There's...there's something I've been wanting to do all night." I could tell she was as drunk as me by the way she spoke. She began to lean in, and my thoughts were racing. Is she going to...? No...If she does, I'm going to tell her off again, like last time. But how soft her lips look...She ran her fingers through my hair, eyes skimming over my face, then dropping to my lips, her own parting.

And then she kissed me.

My lips responded instantly, clinging to hers as she pulled me closer. A pang in my heart reminded me of Scorpius, but I just couldn't stop. I could feel something bubbling up inside me. Like a boiling kettle, I couldn't contain my excitement. Our kisses became more urgent; she gripped the back of my head firmly; my heart was pounding.

I put my palm against her chest to feel her heartbeat speeding up. I could feel her smiling against my mouth as she pushed me back against the cushions of the couch. My whole body was on fire as I felt the touch of her fingers along my neck, slipping down to the side of my breast, then trailing all the way down to the underside of my thigh. Her tongue danced into my mouth, intensifying the kiss- as if it could get any more intense.

"I want you so bad," she whispered, and I shuddered as her breath tickled my ear. She paused to look me deep in the eyes and I felt like the breath had been ripped from my chest. I was unable to breathe again until she pressed her lips to mine. In that moment, I wanted her more than anything.

Our kisses became more fervent, and Eve's supple body writhed against mine. Her hand strayed then, wandering up my thigh and taking with it the hem of my dress. It was all I could do not to cry out with pleasure as I felt her hand brush my knickers. She kept going though, until she had taken the dress off completely. Then she removed hers.

I leaned back, frozen with awe as I beheld Eve in nothing but her undergarments. I felt my stomach flipping upside down and over again with nerves. I had imagined this moment so many times, pushed it out of my mind, fantasized some more and pushed it out of my mind again. But the real thing was far better than I could ever have dreamed up. She leaned down again to kiss me on the lips, then she moved down to plant smaller kisses all over my neck. She went further still, lips and hands roaming over the rest of me.

I pulled her up level to me and enveloped her lips with mine again. Now that we had gone this far, I felt addicted, I kissed her again and again and again until my lips were numb. I wanted her to never stop holding me. I wanted to get closer. Her skin was unimaginably soft, her touch was ecstasy. Her whole aura resonated with brilliance. I felt marvelous.

It wasn't long before we had abandoned the rest of our clothes and a wild, yet still beautiful and graceful, animal had taken over Eve. She made love fiercely, forcefully, almost terrifyingly, but passionately. I was torn between pleasure and tension almost consistently. My knee would bang repeatedly against the coffee table, she would bite me or leave hickeys, her grip would sometimes leave bruises, but most of all, I suffered at the ends of her long nails.

It was all worth it though. She was divine.

We returned to our respective dorms that night; we had classes tomorrow morning. I fell asleep quicker than I normally do, due to my state of intoxication. I dreamt all night long about Eve. I wished to never wake up. But every now and then I stumbled into a nightmare, and Scorpius's horrified face loomed out of the darkness at me.

I woke up feeling heavier than I'd ever felt before. I lay in bed aching all over; my head feeling like it was filled with cement. I felt sick to my stomach, and I knew I was just on the verge of tears; I could feel them welling up in my eyes, only the beginning of a deluge. The events of the night before came back to me in painful flashes. I could hardly move for the guilt that had overcome me.

"You getting up this morning, Lace?" Audrey inquired from beyond the sapphire hangings.

"Yeah," I croaked. I moved slightly. "What time is it?"

"Like, 7:15," she replied.

"Oh, fuck that," I grumbled, rolling over and burying my face in my pillow. "I've got two spares this morning."

"You're gonna miss breakfast."

"Not hungry. I'll sleep 'til lunch."

"Okay then." I listened to her leave, then closed my eyes and fell back asleep.

When I awoke again, I found that it was just about noon. I cursed inwardly as I made attempts to get out of bed. I managed it eventually though and threw on some cozy sweatpants and a sweater. I washed my face and tied my hair up sloppily. I almost fell asleep a couple times on the way to the Great Hall.

When I got there, I sat down at the Ravenclaw table alone, tentatively putting food on my plate. I was still feeling hungover, but less nauseous, and I knew I had to eat something so I could last through the rest of the day. I cautiously munched on some breakfast sausages, forced down some eggs, drank loads and loads of pumpkin juice, and picked away at the selection of fruit. I did pretty well, but it wasn't long before I was unable to force another morsel into myself.

After lunch I had Arithmancy. I couldn't really concentrate though, especially not on the tedious tasks we were assigned that day. I didn't want to be there; I felt too haggard. I felt like I looked that way too, and I didn't want to be in public at all. Rose and Dima sat beside me and yammered away loudly, giggling a lot. I wanted to cast a silence charm on everything around me. They tried to include me in their conversation a couple times, but I merely glared at them sullenly and they stopped trying.

The next class went essentially the same, only it was Transfiguration, and the girls I was trying to shut out were June and Minty. I found myself drifting off into slumber several times during that class too, and each time she noticed, June shoved her enchanted travel mug under my mouth and fed her coffee to me. This helped somewhat, and it was amazing coffee too, but I was still weary, emotionally and physically.

The day ended eventually, and I hovered outside of the Great Hall for several moments before I decided I felt too sick to eat, so I went right back to Ravenclaw tower and crawled into the comfy dark cave of my bed. Not before changing into pyjamas, though, because waking up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat from the volcanic atmosphere of my clothes wasn't really that appealing.

I managed to avoid Scorpius until Ancient Runes the next day. I had inched into the classroom, shaking with anxiety and scanning the room for his blonde mess of hair, but my stress only mounted when I didn't see him. I sat down in my usual spot, pulling my books and supplies out. I jumped when I felt a tap on my shoulder, but when I turned around, it was a different blonde I faced.

"Oh! Hi," I said when I saw Carlie.

"Are you okay? You seem a bit bothered."

"Yeah...just, er, not a good day."

"Mmm. One of those," she said, looking down at her hands in her lap, then she looked back up at me. "Know what always makes me feel better?"

"What?"

"Cutting class and drinking beers down at the Hogsmeade end of the lake, I've got this place I go all the time. We can go around and look in shops too. We can do whatever; run amok, y'know?"

"Run amok? You want us to run around with a frenzied desire to kill?"

"Well...isn't that what you do for fun? Or is it just me?"

"All right. Why not? I'll get my spear."

"Nah, actually it's crossbows only. I'll provide one for you."

"Oh thanks, that's awfully kind."

The class seemed to drag on forever. I tried to either face forward or down for the whole of it, but every now and then my eyes drifted curiously over to Scorpius. When I did, he looked over at me right away, and waved and smiled. I sent back a feeble smile, then continued to ignore him for the rest of the class. I could hardly focus on anything, I was just so impatient to get out and away from the anxiety, just for a little while.

I basically jumped out of my seat when Cavanaugh dismissed us. I squeezed out of the classroom before anyone else, and I waited for Carlie just outside the door. I spotted Eve's long, shiny hair in a crowd in the distance. She was heading in my direction to meet up with Scorp. I panicked and began weaving my way through students in the other direction. I had just broken out into a courtyard when I heard Carlie calling after me. I turned around to see her stopping at the doorway.

"Where are you going?" she asked, perplexed.

"Um...just...wanted to get away from all the people," I lied. She twisted her mouth, cool blue eyes piercing into me, then she smiled a little.

"All right, keep your secrets. Let's go."

I let out my breath and followed her. She looked back at me with a reassuring smile and for the first time since I woke up on Monday morning, I felt at ease.