Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the characters I make up.
Chapter Three
Three weeks had gone by since school started. Now that James and Lily were getting used to their new dormitory, every Friday they held parties for their friends. Well actually, James held parties every Friday. Lily usually stayed in her room, reading. Occasionally she would come down, get a few drinks, dance for a while, and then head back up to her room. Tessa had begun spending all her time with Sirius, doing god know what and Ashley met a Hufflepuff boy by the name of Amos Diggory, who she was always with. That left Lily all alone.
That Friday night, Lily could hear the music blasting and people dancing. She groaned to herself. Usually, she was the one who ended up cleaning up after everybody and healing their hangovers. But whatever, she had gotten used to it.
James, surprisingly that night, was not drunk and came up to Lily's room. He gently knocked on the door.
"Come in", he heard Lily say in a tired voice.
"Hey Lils", he said, sitting on her bed. "Why don't you come downstairs and join the party?"
She sighed. "Not right now Potter."
"Okay," he said in a disappointed voice, going back down.
After two hours, Lily was beginning to get bored. What the hell, she thought to herself. She put on her jeans and a fitted white shirt and went down.
Lily was a smart girl. She didn't get drunk, but watched as everyone else in the room (excluding James) did. She made her way across the area designated as the dance floor, where she found James sitting on a couch, not talking to anyone.
He perked up when he saw her. "Hey, wanna get out of here? We'll clean up tomorrow. I told Sirius to send everyone out by 3."
Her instincts told her not to go with him, but she did anyway. "Yeah sure." He grabbed her hand and they went up to her room. James locked the door and sat down next to her on the bed.
Lily closed her eyes for a minutes, opened them and said, "It's pretty crazy down there", referring to the party.
"Yeah. Um, Evans, I mean Lily?" "Yeah?" she said, indicating for him to continue.
"I know you think I'm just doing this to bug you, but I really do want to go out with you sometime. Why don't you just give me a chance?" Lily bit her lip. He sounded so sincere, and yet, Lily had to do it.
She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Potter. I want to, but I just can't." She prepared herself for his usual response, a 'yeah, whatever' in a dejected voice. But it didn't come.
Instead, he got angry. "You know what, I really don't get you Evans. What did I ever do to you? I mean, I know I've made a few jokes about you, but I didn't do anything to make you hate me", he said, his voice getting louder with every word.
"I, um, do you want to know the real reason?" Lily sighed. He deserved to know. James nodded.
"I don't want to get hurt." She said simply.
"That's it?"
"Um, yeah. What were you expecting?"
"I don't know. But really Evans, that's it? You don't wanna get hurt? For crying out loud Evans, have you EVER been out on a date?"
"I, uh..."
"Evans, answer me. You're seventeen years old and you've never been out on a date. What do you possibly know about getting hurt?"
This angered Lily. She stood up, yelling, "Don't tell me I don't know anything about getting hurt Potter. You don't know A THING about my life, okay? My mom killed herself because my father hurt her. And for the past 4 years, I have seen how Tessa and Ashley are after they got dumped. So don't you dare tell me I don't know anything about getting hurt."
Listening to Evans yell, James' expression softened. "I'm sorry Evans. But you know what? You can't spend your entire life hiding, just because you're afraid of what's out there. I'm not going to lie to you. Yeah Evans, you probably will get hurt sometime or another. But trust me, it's worth the sacrifice. If you just let yourself be loved, you're gonna get so much more in return."
"I don't want anything in return. I just want to live my life without worrying about being loved. Potter, I can handle not being loved. But I can't handle getting hurt."
"No, see, that's where you're wrong. You're stronger than you think. Getting hurt might seem like a big deal, but trust me; you'll get over it. But not being loved? Oh boy. If you don't let yourself be loved, well, you're missing out on the greatest thing in life. And later in life, you'll regret it. You really will." He paused. "You gotta take bigger risks to get bigger rewards.
Seeing the look on her face, he stopped. "Okay, I'm gonna go, um, end the party. I'll see you later."
After he left, Lily laid in her bed for hours, crying. She thought and thought about what he said. Maybe he was right. Who was she kidding? She knew he was right. She couldn't spend her life hiding.
The next morning, she came down to find the common room spotless. Lily turned to the couch, where James lay asleep. He looked exhausted. She sat down next to him.
"James?" she said softly.
He recognized her voice at one. "Evans?"
"Yeah." She affectionately rubbed his forehead. "Sorry I didn't come down and help you."
"Oh that's okay. Hey Lily?" He said, as she began to get up.
"Yeah?"
"You know what I said last night?" She nodded. "Well, I'm sorry I was so harsh. It was just...I don't know. I was just angry about something else and I took it all out on you."
Lily took a deep breath and sat back down next to him. "Its okay James. You know what? You were absolutely right. About everything."
A/N: Okay, so that's end of this chapter. Don't worry, James will ask her out soon enough. I love the reviews! Keep 'em coming!!
Chapter Three
Three weeks had gone by since school started. Now that James and Lily were getting used to their new dormitory, every Friday they held parties for their friends. Well actually, James held parties every Friday. Lily usually stayed in her room, reading. Occasionally she would come down, get a few drinks, dance for a while, and then head back up to her room. Tessa had begun spending all her time with Sirius, doing god know what and Ashley met a Hufflepuff boy by the name of Amos Diggory, who she was always with. That left Lily all alone.
That Friday night, Lily could hear the music blasting and people dancing. She groaned to herself. Usually, she was the one who ended up cleaning up after everybody and healing their hangovers. But whatever, she had gotten used to it.
James, surprisingly that night, was not drunk and came up to Lily's room. He gently knocked on the door.
"Come in", he heard Lily say in a tired voice.
"Hey Lils", he said, sitting on her bed. "Why don't you come downstairs and join the party?"
She sighed. "Not right now Potter."
"Okay," he said in a disappointed voice, going back down.
After two hours, Lily was beginning to get bored. What the hell, she thought to herself. She put on her jeans and a fitted white shirt and went down.
Lily was a smart girl. She didn't get drunk, but watched as everyone else in the room (excluding James) did. She made her way across the area designated as the dance floor, where she found James sitting on a couch, not talking to anyone.
He perked up when he saw her. "Hey, wanna get out of here? We'll clean up tomorrow. I told Sirius to send everyone out by 3."
Her instincts told her not to go with him, but she did anyway. "Yeah sure." He grabbed her hand and they went up to her room. James locked the door and sat down next to her on the bed.
Lily closed her eyes for a minutes, opened them and said, "It's pretty crazy down there", referring to the party.
"Yeah. Um, Evans, I mean Lily?" "Yeah?" she said, indicating for him to continue.
"I know you think I'm just doing this to bug you, but I really do want to go out with you sometime. Why don't you just give me a chance?" Lily bit her lip. He sounded so sincere, and yet, Lily had to do it.
She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Potter. I want to, but I just can't." She prepared herself for his usual response, a 'yeah, whatever' in a dejected voice. But it didn't come.
Instead, he got angry. "You know what, I really don't get you Evans. What did I ever do to you? I mean, I know I've made a few jokes about you, but I didn't do anything to make you hate me", he said, his voice getting louder with every word.
"I, um, do you want to know the real reason?" Lily sighed. He deserved to know. James nodded.
"I don't want to get hurt." She said simply.
"That's it?"
"Um, yeah. What were you expecting?"
"I don't know. But really Evans, that's it? You don't wanna get hurt? For crying out loud Evans, have you EVER been out on a date?"
"I, uh..."
"Evans, answer me. You're seventeen years old and you've never been out on a date. What do you possibly know about getting hurt?"
This angered Lily. She stood up, yelling, "Don't tell me I don't know anything about getting hurt Potter. You don't know A THING about my life, okay? My mom killed herself because my father hurt her. And for the past 4 years, I have seen how Tessa and Ashley are after they got dumped. So don't you dare tell me I don't know anything about getting hurt."
Listening to Evans yell, James' expression softened. "I'm sorry Evans. But you know what? You can't spend your entire life hiding, just because you're afraid of what's out there. I'm not going to lie to you. Yeah Evans, you probably will get hurt sometime or another. But trust me, it's worth the sacrifice. If you just let yourself be loved, you're gonna get so much more in return."
"I don't want anything in return. I just want to live my life without worrying about being loved. Potter, I can handle not being loved. But I can't handle getting hurt."
"No, see, that's where you're wrong. You're stronger than you think. Getting hurt might seem like a big deal, but trust me; you'll get over it. But not being loved? Oh boy. If you don't let yourself be loved, well, you're missing out on the greatest thing in life. And later in life, you'll regret it. You really will." He paused. "You gotta take bigger risks to get bigger rewards.
Seeing the look on her face, he stopped. "Okay, I'm gonna go, um, end the party. I'll see you later."
After he left, Lily laid in her bed for hours, crying. She thought and thought about what he said. Maybe he was right. Who was she kidding? She knew he was right. She couldn't spend her life hiding.
The next morning, she came down to find the common room spotless. Lily turned to the couch, where James lay asleep. He looked exhausted. She sat down next to him.
"James?" she said softly.
He recognized her voice at one. "Evans?"
"Yeah." She affectionately rubbed his forehead. "Sorry I didn't come down and help you."
"Oh that's okay. Hey Lily?" He said, as she began to get up.
"Yeah?"
"You know what I said last night?" She nodded. "Well, I'm sorry I was so harsh. It was just...I don't know. I was just angry about something else and I took it all out on you."
Lily took a deep breath and sat back down next to him. "Its okay James. You know what? You were absolutely right. About everything."
A/N: Okay, so that's end of this chapter. Don't worry, James will ask her out soon enough. I love the reviews! Keep 'em coming!!