Disclaimer: Tom Riddle doesn't belong to me.
FEELINGS YOU CAN'T DENY
Chapter Sixteen: Anger's Just Love Disappointed
Clarissa and I were pushed out of the stands with the other Hufflepuffs. We stood for a moment outside the field, while everyone else went toward the castle.
"I think I'll watch Rodney practice," Clarissa told me as she headed back to the field.
"It's raining," I told her, pulling my robes over my head to protect me.
"It's fine," Clarissa assured me. "It will stop soon."
"Clar!" I shouted but she didn't hear me over the thunder.
"Lina, wait!" Tom called as he ran up to me. "Did you want to go to the library?"
"Can you believe how quickly this came on?" I told him, indicating the storm.
"Yeah, well, we'd better get out of it," Tom insisted, putting an arm around me.
"No, wait," I said, grabbing his robes to stop him. "Clarissa's still out here."
"She didn't go to see Rodney, did she?" Tom asked urgently.
"She did, why?" I asked.
Tom just glanced toward the field. I looked too and saw Clarissa running up. I expected her to stop when she reached us, but she just kept running, and I thought I heard her sob.
"Clarissa!" I called, but she didn't respond.
I sprinted after her. Tom must have known that we'd want to be alone because he didn't follow. I caught up with Clarissa under a tree near the lake. She fell to her knees and cried.
"What's the matter?" I asked, trying to speak over the thunder and rain. "What happened?"
"It didn't really happen," she sobbed.
I set a hand on her back. "What didn't happen?"
Clarissa shook her head. I grabbed her by the shoulders and made her face me. Rain and tears soaked her face.
"Tell me," I said gently.
"He was," Clarissa sniffled, "dancing with that blonde girl on the team."
"Helga?" I asked. "But I thought he said he didn't know how to dance?"
"He doesn't! It didn't really happen! Rodney loves me!" Clarissa shot, her voice shaking with anger. Then she broke down in tears again.
I got mad. I got really mad. How dare Rodney do this to my friend? Oh, I could smack him. I could kick him. I could push him down the stairs. And Tom had helped him.
"Stay here," I said through my teeth. "I'll come back for you."
I jumped to my feet and ran across the grounds. Tom stood where I left him, getting soaked in the rain.
"Lina, is Clarissa OK?" He asked as I walked up.
"What do you think?" I shot at him. "Your friend lied to her."
"Calm Down, he had his reasons," Tom said calmly.
"His reasons!" I shouted. "What reasons could he have that would excuse this?"
"Honestly, it's nothing," Tom insisted.
"You jerk!" I cried. "I can't believe you just let him do this to her!"
"I think you both need to just calm down," Tom told me. "You really don't understand what's going on here."
"I understand," I grumbled. "First you help Rodney lie to my friend, and then you don't even care that he hurt her."
"Well, he didn't mean to," Tom said. His calmness was killing me. How could he stand there and act like this was nothing?
"If he didn't want to hurt her," I began, "he could try not cheating on her."
"That's not what was going on," Tom insisted, folding his arms.
"Clarissa saw what was going on!" I shouted. "She wouldn't lie to me."
"Instead, she'll make ignorant assumptions," Tom muttered.
That was it. How dare he! I couldn't contain my anger. Quickly, I smacked him across the face. Tom looked at me, still very calm.
"Tell Rodney to stay away from Clarissa," I shot at him. "And you'd better leave me alone, too."
With that, I walked away. I went to my friend and walked her to Hufflepuff hall. She lay on her bed, crying, while I ran my hands over her wet hair.
"There are other men for us, Clar," I told her, trying to keep from crying myself.
"No," Clarissa sobbed, "there is only Rodney."
The rain thundered against the window. Seeing the water streaming down the glass was just making everything worse. I lay myself next to Clarissa and cried with her.
**Heart
I know I've been hard on you
I'm sorry
For the things I put you through
Please
Don't you break on me
I need to make you see
I wasn't meant to be**
-"Heart"
A/N: Stupid boys!! Anyway, don't worry. Things will work out.
FEELINGS YOU CAN'T DENY
Chapter Sixteen: Anger's Just Love Disappointed
Clarissa and I were pushed out of the stands with the other Hufflepuffs. We stood for a moment outside the field, while everyone else went toward the castle.
"I think I'll watch Rodney practice," Clarissa told me as she headed back to the field.
"It's raining," I told her, pulling my robes over my head to protect me.
"It's fine," Clarissa assured me. "It will stop soon."
"Clar!" I shouted but she didn't hear me over the thunder.
"Lina, wait!" Tom called as he ran up to me. "Did you want to go to the library?"
"Can you believe how quickly this came on?" I told him, indicating the storm.
"Yeah, well, we'd better get out of it," Tom insisted, putting an arm around me.
"No, wait," I said, grabbing his robes to stop him. "Clarissa's still out here."
"She didn't go to see Rodney, did she?" Tom asked urgently.
"She did, why?" I asked.
Tom just glanced toward the field. I looked too and saw Clarissa running up. I expected her to stop when she reached us, but she just kept running, and I thought I heard her sob.
"Clarissa!" I called, but she didn't respond.
I sprinted after her. Tom must have known that we'd want to be alone because he didn't follow. I caught up with Clarissa under a tree near the lake. She fell to her knees and cried.
"What's the matter?" I asked, trying to speak over the thunder and rain. "What happened?"
"It didn't really happen," she sobbed.
I set a hand on her back. "What didn't happen?"
Clarissa shook her head. I grabbed her by the shoulders and made her face me. Rain and tears soaked her face.
"Tell me," I said gently.
"He was," Clarissa sniffled, "dancing with that blonde girl on the team."
"Helga?" I asked. "But I thought he said he didn't know how to dance?"
"He doesn't! It didn't really happen! Rodney loves me!" Clarissa shot, her voice shaking with anger. Then she broke down in tears again.
I got mad. I got really mad. How dare Rodney do this to my friend? Oh, I could smack him. I could kick him. I could push him down the stairs. And Tom had helped him.
"Stay here," I said through my teeth. "I'll come back for you."
I jumped to my feet and ran across the grounds. Tom stood where I left him, getting soaked in the rain.
"Lina, is Clarissa OK?" He asked as I walked up.
"What do you think?" I shot at him. "Your friend lied to her."
"Calm Down, he had his reasons," Tom said calmly.
"His reasons!" I shouted. "What reasons could he have that would excuse this?"
"Honestly, it's nothing," Tom insisted.
"You jerk!" I cried. "I can't believe you just let him do this to her!"
"I think you both need to just calm down," Tom told me. "You really don't understand what's going on here."
"I understand," I grumbled. "First you help Rodney lie to my friend, and then you don't even care that he hurt her."
"Well, he didn't mean to," Tom said. His calmness was killing me. How could he stand there and act like this was nothing?
"If he didn't want to hurt her," I began, "he could try not cheating on her."
"That's not what was going on," Tom insisted, folding his arms.
"Clarissa saw what was going on!" I shouted. "She wouldn't lie to me."
"Instead, she'll make ignorant assumptions," Tom muttered.
That was it. How dare he! I couldn't contain my anger. Quickly, I smacked him across the face. Tom looked at me, still very calm.
"Tell Rodney to stay away from Clarissa," I shot at him. "And you'd better leave me alone, too."
With that, I walked away. I went to my friend and walked her to Hufflepuff hall. She lay on her bed, crying, while I ran my hands over her wet hair.
"There are other men for us, Clar," I told her, trying to keep from crying myself.
"No," Clarissa sobbed, "there is only Rodney."
The rain thundered against the window. Seeing the water streaming down the glass was just making everything worse. I lay myself next to Clarissa and cried with her.
**Heart
I know I've been hard on you
I'm sorry
For the things I put you through
Please
Don't you break on me
I need to make you see
I wasn't meant to be**
-"Heart"
A/N: Stupid boys!! Anyway, don't worry. Things will work out.