Chapter 19- Friends and Tears

            "What do you mean your cloak was in your trunk?" Lily exclaimed, having leapt out of her rather comfortable position, she was now sitting next to him. She ignored Kelly, who was setting a paper bag down and staring at her as if she were mad.

            "Er- it was in my trunk. Simple."

"That isn't simple! How the hell can we get it back?"

            Kelly stood in front of them, looking back and forth between James and Lily. She suddenly said, "If this is about your trunks, I've already taken care of it."

            "What do you mean?"

"Well," she said slowly, seeming to procrastinate and Lily couldn't figure out why. "I, erm, sent your mum an owl. About them. I pretended to be employed by Hogwarts and angry with you."

            "You didn't tell her where I am." Not a question. Lily clutched her pants until her knuckles turned white. Kelly seemed to notice this, and after a long silence, assured her,

            "Of course not."

"But- how did you know where to send the owl? And how did you know about the trunks anyway?" Lily asked, her eyes crinkled up.

            Kelly turned around (away from them), fiddling with her brown paper bag. She mumbled, "You mentioned it."

            "Oh, right." I'm more tired than I thought. "Well, if you've sent her an owl, then I suppose all is well. After all, my mum isn't that much of a dim soul. She should be reasonable about it."

            "I hope so." James grumbled, watching her intently.

She shifted, feeling rather uncomfortable. Well, she thought, I should give Kelly some credit here. She was smart enough to pretend to be someone she's not and angry with me. I'm glad she did, in any case. A piece of hell I'm already in, as if I need a missing expensive cloak to add to the list. "Don't worry, James. I'm sure we'll figure it all out."

            His face relaxed, thankfully, with a smile. Kelly had turned back around and was grinning at them. "I'm tired." She stifled a yawn. "Think I'll get into bed. By the way, that couch pulls out into a bed. You two can just sleep there, unless you prefer someplace else?" she raised an eyebrow, but James and Lily shook their heads, so she nodded in an amused fashion, said a quick goodnight, and exited.

            Lily and James looked at each other, for a long time. Suddenly, she seemed to realize that there was something called time and scooted a bit. "Guess we should nod off too."

            "Yeah." He shifted his gaze and rose from the couch. When Lily continued to stare around, he added, "Well?"

            "Oh." Lily got up as well, and he proceeded to pull the couch up and out. Two pillows were already inside, and sheets. It was almost as if Ms. Johnstone had been expecting two visitors. But that was stupid; she seemed like the woman to always be prepared for even the most bizarre situations. It was a good trait to have.

            "Erm..." James started. Lily raised an eyebrow, and he continued, seeming to weigh her with his eyes. "Pajamas…"

            "Oh yeah." Lily shrugged. She turned to rustle through the small pile of clothes Kelly had left her and pulled out some flannel pants and a t-shirt. James, however, was looking around and rubbing his arms. Kelly didn't have guys' pajamas. Lily looked up at him and smiled suddenly. "Well, just sleep in your boxers."

            "But you-"

"In case you forgot, I've already seen you half naked." He just grunted. "You, however, have not seen me. So turn around while I change."

            His eyes widened when he realized what she was going on about, and he quickly fumbled around. Lily, not able to wipe the silly grin off her face (she was rather enjoying teasing him when he was in such a state of embarrassment), slipped the pants and shirt on quickly. Instead of telling him to turn around, she grinned profusely to herself and hopped onto the bed. He twitched as if he wondered what she was doing, but didn't move, for fear that she wasn't finished changing. She stood up on the bed, a little off balance, and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him down onto the bed on top of her. Lily snickered and James did the same, after a bit of blinking. He flipped himself over so that they were facing each other.

            "Jam-ugh- can't…breath." Lily managed to spit out.

He cackled amusedly, "And I should care?"

            After calming down a little and staring at each other, she squirmed over to her side of the bed. James sighed and went to his. She yawned and climbed under the sheets. They turned away from each other and Lily muttered something that caused the last light to wink out.

            After some rustling and rolling over, James said, "This is the first time we've slept together." A quick shift. "Erm, that is, in the same bed…"

            Lily let out an awkward laugh. "I suppose so."

Pause. Rustle. Roll. "Well d'ya think we have stay on opposite sides of the bed like this?"

            Really, for not being the shyest guy, he sure was awkward around her. She smiled to herself, feeling a little bad for him and his uncertainty, and replied quickly, "Since we're friends, no, I see no reason for it."

            "Right, friends." He mumbled. She felt his arms encircle her and patted his hand, grinning. They drifted off quickly.

@~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@

            Lily opened her eyes drowsily and flung a hand out. She hit cold sheets. As usual, it seemed that she was the last one up. She rubbed her eyes and stretched as she sat up, looking around.

            She could see through to the kitchen. Something was sizzling on the stove, it smelled deliciously like bacon. Smiling, Lily slipped out of the couch-bed and trampled over to the kitchen. But nobody was there. She heard voices, and followed them.

            Kelly and James were talking in excited tones in a small room next to Kelly's bedroom. It was full of pictures and trophies, signed photos and quidditch balls. Obviously, James had found his match in quidditch IQ. Lily leaned against the doorframe and waited a bit; they didn't notice her just yet.

            She watched James mostly; his dark eyes lit up in the heat of the discussion. At least he had more than boxers on again, for some reason the thought of other people (girls) seeing him in only boxers bothered her. This was nonsense, of course; Ms. Johnstone didn't care.

            His messy hair was bouncing all over the place. She almost forgot why they weren't together, after kissing each other in the train station. Why had she kissed him anyway? Oh, it was just that she was caught in the moment. They had never said, 'we're back together.' Not formally. And she had good reasons, anyway, such as they would break up again. Yes, it would definitely be better for everyone if she and James remained friends.

            "Oh- nice to see you Lily." James said lightly, grinning at her.

Kelly turned around and gave her a warm look. "Yes, you must have been tired."

            "Why? What time is it?"

The woman waved her question away with one hand. The other was busy holding a snitch. "Oh- that doesn't matter."

            Lily was looking around the room again, before her eyes came back to rest on Kelly. "If you were on a professional team, why did you quit?"

            Ms. Johnstone's lips pursed as if she were debating what to say, before she sighed and replied, "Well, it's a pretty long story. I, er, got into some trouble. Perhaps I'll tell you about it sometime."

            "Oh." Was the brilliant reply Lily came up with. They all glanced around uneasily for a bit.

            "I think breakfast is ready!" Kelly exclaimed, squeezing her way past Lily and into the kitchen.

            The two teenagers didn't follow right away. James smiled and asked, "Sleep well?"

She smiled sweetly back and replied, "Of course, although it was a bit cold once you left."

            His eyes widened, as if she had just said something enlightening. "Really?"

She only snickered and walked away. Upon entering the kitchen, she saw that Kelly had already set out three plates, and was pouring orange juice into three tall glasses.

            "You don't know how much all of your help means to me." Lily told her, and helped with taking the juice to the table.

            "Don't mention it. As I said before, I don't often have visitors and it gets a bit lonely."

            "Yes, I guess so." She was about to ask why, then, had there been pillows on the couch bed and other things like that set around. Why, if Ms. Johnstone never had visitors? But she couldn't find the right way to ask, and James came strolling in, looking a bit confused, and took a sit beside her. Kelly took the last seat, next to James.

            "And to have someone else who loves quidditch! It's wonderful!"

"Er, of course." James replied, picking at his roll. "You have some pretty nice stuff."

            Lily gave him a look as if to say, 'is that the best compliment that dull brain of yours can think of?'. But he didn't notice her; the food was more interesting.

            Breakfast was much like their coffee had been the day before, and after cleaning up, Kelly announced, "I must be going into town. You two just make yourselves at home, I shouldn't be too long. And tonight, we'll set up the Christmas tree."

            "Sounds good to me." said James.

@~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@

            Kelly still wasn't home. What did she do, out all day? Lily shook her head, squeezing the rag in her hand. She and James had made dinner out of some stuff in the fridge, not knowing when their hostess would be arriving home. She sighed, setting another dish aside to dry later. Abruptly, she felt something on her shoulder; James' chin. His hands came around to her sides. Grinning, she wiped her hands and quickly turned around in his arms.

            He leaned down closer to her face but she turned her head, as if to deny him a kiss. "I thought you were listening to me when I said we were friends."

            He nodded, rubbing a finger against her back unconsciously. "I was. But you never said we weren't more than friends."
            "Oh, honestly."

"See, you don't have anything to say to that."

            She rolled her eyes, but was unable to wipe a smirk off her face. "You know what'll happen if we get together."

            "Yeah, so. We'll break up and get together again." He shrugged.

She smiled at him. "Well, I don't like the idea. It's a vicious cycle that I'm not going to put myself through anymore." For emphasis, she threw the rag in her hands aside and took his arms from around her and put them firmly back against his sides.

            His smile faded. "You're annoying me again."
"Don't argue with me. We aren't a couple."

            "So? I can still yell at you!"

"Wanna bet?"

            James huffed at her immaturity and left. She left in the other direction, rolling her eyes at his stupidity.

@~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@

            Around midnight, Kelly came bursting in, looking ragged. She leaned back against the door after shutting it with a firm hand. Lily came up to her and asked, "Is something wrong?"

            Kelly's eyes popped open and focused on Lily. "No, of course not." She replied quickly. "Sorry for being so long. I was held up."

            "'S okay."

"We'll set up the tree tomorrow, I suppose. I'm just wiped out." Kelly slipped away from Lily, who raised an eyebrow at her. Was she avoiding something? But, why would she?

            "Kelly?"

The woman stopped, and frankly burst into tears. Startled, Lily rushed to her side and tried to comfort her. James had heard the bustle and popped into the room in confusion. Lily felt Kelly's forehead as the woman openly bawled and announced, "You're hot Kelly, you must have a fever. James! Come here!"

            James stumbled over, grumbling. The sight of crying woman unnerved him a little. Kelly was looking a little unstable on her feet; Lily let the woman lean against her. "What's wrong, Kelly? Can I do something?"

            For some reason, this made Ms. Johnstone cry harder. Lily shook her head and added, "It's okay. Tell us tomorrow. You need some rest. James!"

            "What?" he looked exasperated, standing next to her.

"Help me carry her into her room. Let's get her into bed. I think she's caught something."

            He huffed, but ended up carrying Kelly into the room without Lily, who trailed behind them looking worried. What was wrong? She wanted to make Kelly stay up and tell them, but she wasn't that cruel. If the woman had meant to tell right then, she would have already. Lily sighed and watched as James lowered her into her bed carefully. He came over to stand next to her once he was finished. Lily looked up at him, a smile growing on her face. "I feel a bit sick too, mind carrying me to our bed?"

            He grumbled something and shook his head. "Women." He muttered, leaving the room.

            Lily observed Ms. Johnstone, who looked slightly feverish and was still sobbing quietly. The red-head whispered, "Goodnight." and left. She approached their bed and started to pull down the sheets.

            "Guess we'll set up the tree tomorrow," James said from behind her, startling her a bit. She spun around.

            "Is that all you're thinking about right now?"
"No." he said matter-of-factly, so sure of himself. What had happened to shy James? He was so strange. "But I doubt you'd want to know the other things." Her eyes widened slightly; she hit him on the arm. "Ow."

            "Wimp."

"You're a butthead."
            "Oh, is that right? Going all out on the insults, are we James?"

He rolled his eyes. "I- I- oh, shut up." Maybe he wasn't so self-assured, then.

            She smiled and walked over to give him a hug. "I like you better when you don't know what to say."

            Bewildered, he blurted out, "Why?"

"Because then I can make you do whatever I want." She beamed up at him pleasantly while he took a moment to figure out what she meant.

@~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@

A/N: Aw. *Hug* You are so nice to me in your reviews. Really, you are- all of you. And I wish there was some other way I could say thanks, but really, I'm not very creative =)


Everblue3- You like John Mayer? Me too =) You were right though, I was watching it.

Kitty Prydew- Yep, good old Grammys. Now I'm waiting for the Emmys.

Lamina Court- Of course, always the biology. It's my hardest class, actually. But she's my only good teacher…(or is that too harsh, lol?)

Bixxxou- Lol, I'm glad you liked that part. And hopefully I did a little bit better job of explaining in this chapter.

Kayla- Ha, of course they're dense. Oh well, I love them anyway. Interesting, eh? =)

MoonWonderer- Thanks. Yes, they get them back, but not as soon as they think...

Clearbrook- Really? That makes me smile.

Y. Kuang- Wow, thanks a bunch. For some reason the phrase 'battleground of plot bunnies' made me laugh. I don't know, I'm just strange like that ;)

Amadrieclya- Lol, I have to love the word bloody. Thank you.

Cecilia Orechio- Darn, I haven't read your fanfic yet, have I? I will, I promise. I totally agree with you about L/J stories feeling more mature. It's just more natural to me, even if I'm not as old as they are and I really have no idea, lol, I still think they're more realistic. Anyway, what a boring thank you note! And I did have a good day, thanks to you!

Mooky- Didn't expect me to update? What d'you mean? Lol, J/K. And you read Lily's character right, too! It's just that a lot of people don't, which is probably my fault. Anyway, more about Kelly next chapter, and thanks again!

Jenna- Oh, thanks so much. I'm glad it kept your attention. You're right about them getting the trunks somehow, but I don't believe it will be as easy as they think. Anyway, I'm happy you reviewed.

Potterholic- Lol, thank you. Hope you keep reading.

August 'roxy' Taylor- What a nice thing to tell me ;) I appreciate it. Although, I still think I'm a little strange in the head, but then again, who isn't? Just a smidgeon (I think I like that word). Before I scare you, I'll just say thanks again.

Jen- Lol, I'm glad we did start talking. I think the thanks is understood, so I'll just say I hope you're online sometime soon again.

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Pittsy- Yeah, the funny thing is that they even bother getting back together at all. Of course, we want them to, don't we?

Samantha- I'm glad you think so, it always makes me happy.

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Lizmaurder4eva- Lol, I think you're the first person who told me they thought that was funny, so thanks =) And as for Mary, they may be seeing her soon enough, but then, that all depends on what I change, because my original ideas are usually discarded. I'm glad you think the story isn't completely bizarre! Thanks for that.

Do you guys want me to do that every chapter? I felt compelled…

Well, have any of you read that series with the first book titled, "Angus, Thongs, and Full-frontal Snogging"? Because if you haven't, it's absolutely hilarious, and you should. I know it sounds sort of, um, strange…but I think you'd like them.  *Pauses to pet cat* I can't think of anything else to ramble on about, so you're free! Thanks for reading!