Summary: I'm not bitter. Really, I am not. After all, I'm just his best friend. His buddy. His comrade and all that jazz. But is it so hard for him to notice that I am a girl? –From Angelina's point of view-
Rating: PG 13
Disclaimer: All belongs to J.K Rowling and all that jazz.
Author's Note: You know what they say, the more reviews that come up, the faster these things get uploaded hint hint LOL.. I'm glad you guys like it. I don't really know how it's going to turn out in the end, I have a vague idea but you know...
Hey guys...as I write this, the plane that I am on is descending... yep..I'm spending the long weekend in Bangkok.
I'm not bitter, I'm just contemplating.
Chapter Four: Strike...and You're Out!!
Hallways of Hogwarts Castle
If my life was a movie, I would have ran to the fields, cry my heart out and throw in some thunder rain for effect and then someone totally unthinkable, probably Fred's twin, George would scoop me in his arms and I'd confess my feelings towards Fred to him. George would then gallantly say something like "Angie, Fred's the idiot" and give me a very innocent, friendly hug which some passer bys misunderstood and spread the rumors that I am with George. Fred would then feel 'betrayed' that I did not trust him enough to tell him about me and George and in the middle of a blazing row I'd let it all slip out by saying something movie cliché like "I've been in love with you my whole life you ignorant prat" which will lead to a few awkward stammers and we would just fall out from being friends. Years would pass, we would have graduated from Hogwarts, won a few Quidditch tournaments without so much as an eye contact between us. Then when I'm in my mid-20s I get an invitation to Fred's wedding and everybody is persuading me to go but I send an RSVP saying I would not be able to attend. But then during the day of the wedding, I'll be extremely edgy and decide what the heck and apparate to the wedding chapel seconds before Fred and Ditzy Blonde would be officially husband and wife and I'll stop the wedding and create a commotion. What happens next would be according to how the twisted the script writers feel at the moment.
Heh. I'm sure that plot has been done before. Wasn't it in Runaway Bride? Or My Best Friends' Wedding? Or Notting Hill? Well whatever it is, my point was that it's a very used movie situation that would have happened to me if I was in a movie.
Except that I'm not in any blasted movie. This is MY life we're talking about. Yup, the non-existent one I mean. So there is no crying in the rain or blazing row.
Anyways, after I misunderstood Fred's physical signs as something more than friendship only to be told to help "cover" for him while he was out with his snogging mate also known as Ditzy Blonde, the girl with alarmingly long eye lashes and the forehead that is absolutely free of lines (I'm sure she used Magic-tox!!), I was crushed. Crushed, angry and humiliated. Crushed that once again the bloke of my desire did not return my feelings, angry that I let myself fall so deeply with Fred Weasley for Gods sake and humiliated that once again, I, Angelina Rory Johnson came out as a loser. (a/n: MY PLANE JUST LANDED!! HAHA)
I left the classroom that Fred had shoved me in moment ago when Ditzy Blonde arrived when I saw Fred and Ditzy Blonde head the direction of the Quidditch Pitch...also known as the broom shack. I sighed deeply as I trudged down the empty hallway. Everyone was either at having lunch or at the library or enjoying the clear day out. I walked to one of the many windows situated at various corner of the castle and looked out. It was such a fine day. Birds were chirping, the grass was freshly cut, there was a slight breeze and the sky was so blue.
A sudden image or Fred and Ditzy Blonde snogging under a tree while the hummingbirds chirped over their heads passed through my thought.
I closed my eyes deeply and prayed that there will be a thunder storm.
...
God has a funny way of showing me that he cares. After praying for all kinds of disasters of Mother Nature, I went to lunch and sat between of Lee Jordan and Alicia (was it my imagination but did they seem less than pleased when I sat in the middle of them?). There I was, having a lively conversation while eating my mashed potatoes and chicken wings when the double doors to the Great Hall burst open and a stream of students (some of whom I saw hanging about near the lake when I was looking through the window) come in, soaking wet and shivering. Filch burst in a moment later bursting obscenities but luckily things calmed down when some level headed Ravenclaws performed a drying spell on their friends and the whole army of wet rodents decided to follow suit.
Ginny Weasley, sister of Fred and George and a whole lot of other Weasley's that have left school sat in front of me. She had just performed a drying spell on herself but there was still a little wet patch on her robe that she missed. She gave us a quick grin and began piling on the food.
"What happened?" Alicia asked taking little bites of the sticky rice.
Ginny took her time chewing before replying, "A bunch of us was outside when without warning it just started to rain."
I felt my heart soar. No snog fest for Fred then!
Without realizing it, I had punched my left fist, which was still tightly clamping a fork on to the air.
"What the-?" Exclaimed Lee who was two inches away from being stabbed by my fork. I quickly put my fork down, realizing that now there were a few eyes on me.
"Sorry." I mumbled looking down. I realized they were still waiting for an explanation. "I, um, had an itch." And as if to prove my point, I quickly scratched my underarms which I realized was quite disgusting but, I'm Angelina Johnson- the Quill Lover. People have seen me doing far weirder things before.
Lee burst out laughing, Alicia quirked an eyebrow and Ginny just looked confused as though wondering if this was a normal occurrence.
"So, uh, Ginny? Where is Fred?" I asked trying to sound nonchalant. Ginny frowned and made a motion that she could not hear over Lee's loud howling. I rolled my eyes and as pleasantly as possible smacked Lee on the back of his head and leaned forward. He made some choking noises and he hit himself in the chest before something that looked oddly like a chewed piece of scone flew out of his mouth and landed directly on his plate. Disgusting. Apparently, he seemed to think so to.
"Disgusting!" He said wrinkling his noise. "That's it. No more lunch for me." He grabbed his book bag and stalked off the hall, not before his bag "accidentally" hit the small of my back.
Bugger.
Alicia sighed and gave me a long withering look once Lee left the Hall.
What? Is it my fault or something? Plus, who eats scones for lunch?
I took a bite of my mashed potato (perfectly acceptable food for lunch-not like scones!) before I realized Alicia was still giving me that long look as though waiting for me to say something.
"Wha-?" I asked accidentally spitting some bits of the mashed potato. Alicia's eyes flicked from the place where the bits had landed and gave this long exasperated sigh.
I rolled my eyes and swallowed my food. "What?" I asked.
Alicia just shook her head and put a few scones on her napkin and wrapped it up.
"I have had enough of lunch too." She announced before leaving the hall.
What?
"Honestly, I think something's going on with them." I told Ginny after a long awkward pause nodding towards the door. And by them, I mean Lee and Alicia.
Ginny just shrugged and kept on eating her peas (now come on, who eats peas for lunch? Peas are never acceptable for any time of dining!) lifelessly.
I paused suddenly I don't feel as though I have any appetite for lunch either. I played with my mashed potato, trying to think of a tactful of asking Ginny about her brother. She didn't seem to be in the mood to be Merry Sunshine either.
"Ginny?" I asked.
Ginny looked up at me, a slight dazed look in her eye. I was so tempted to ask her where in the bloody name is her brother but I knew she would then be suspicious. Ginny's a smart girl. After all, she figured out about Percy and Penelope way before any other Weasley (granted, she caught them kissing but still. You should have seen the look on Fred's face when he told me about them. Two words: pure evil) so I couldn't just ask about her brother out of the blue.
"Ginny looks like she's half asleep. Go on, just ask her about Fred. She's too out of it to notice anything amiss." A small but rather sinister sounding voice in my head told me.
"No! She looks like she's in trouble. Don't be insensitive, girl. Be the big sister she never had and ask her what's wrong. Who knows? She might be touched that you're considerate and score you some brownie points with Fred." Another little voice in my head called out but this one sounded eerily like Mariah Carey in Glitter or in other words, not a good thing.
"And she'll tell Fred what? That she thinks you're her sister? Isn't that the notion we're trying to get Fred to GET RID OFF?" The first voice said again.
I closed my eyes and rested my head on my hands.
First sign of insanity: There are voices talking to you in your head, and you're actually contemplating whether or not to follow "its"advice.
In the end I decided to follow both of my inner voices. After all, didn't some noble prize winner once said "There will be no science without intuition?"
I asked Ginny if she was okay, like what the second voice said. And when Ginny mumbled that she was fine, I decided to follow the first voice by ditching the big sister role and not bothering to really make sure she's fine and ask about Fred instead.
Ginny told me she saw Fred and Ditzy Blonde (no, she did not refer the girl with the abnormally long legs as Ditzy Blonde, she said Jemaya) outside when she was near the lake. And when they were all rushing back to the castle after the rain, she heard Fred say something about going back to the common room.
So after that, I bid my goodbye to Ginny and went back to the common room. I know it was mean but I couldn't help wishing that Fred was at the fireplace when I went in, sulking while he's drying himself off that his carefully thought of plan went haywire. Then I can go in, play the heroine, play a game of wizards chess with him, fail miserably and let him laugh at my horrible thought of moves in chess and make him feel better. That way, he'll see that he doesn't need a girl with a perfect tan to make him happy.
But when I went in, Fred wasn't there. So I sat near the fireplace (in the armchair that I hoping to see Fred sitting down all pouty and all) and after about twenty minutes, I started to get agitated. Where was he?
As though to answer my question, Fred started descending from the boy's staircase dormitory with Lee on his tow. I sat up straighter but my spirits plummeted when I realized it was just George. Sighing, I slumped down again and stared at the flickering flames of the fire. I could hear bits and pieces of George and Lee's conversation but they didn't interest me. Quidditch, Quidditch, pranks, more Quidditch (they sound like an exact replica of Oliver Wood, I tell you)Quidditch, Fred in a broom shack, Quidditch....wait a minute, FRED in a BLOODY BROOM SHACK?
I craned my neck trying to hear George and Lee.
"..luckily that prat was innovative you see," I heard George saying. "Jemaya was a bit put out that they didn't get to continue their picnic you see but Fred, that lucky git, suggested they finish their date in one of the empty classrooms. And out of the hundreds of classroom in the castle, he just happened to pick a broom closet." I heard George say before him and Lee sniggered.
"Lucky prat." Lee said and just like that, they changed their conversation to Quidditch again.
Boys. Will never be able to understand them.
.....
I didn't really want to listen to George and Lee anymore. After twenty minutes of listening to them debate about who was a better team; Falmouth Falcons or Pride of Portree, it was clear that they were not going to return back to the subject about Fred any sooner so I decided to leave the common room. At first I thought of going to the Quidditch Pitch and fly about for awhile but the weather did not permit me to do so. I was tempted to go to the Owlery too, I keep hearing how people always go there when they need some peace and serenity but I decided against it as I don't react well to sudden owl droppings. So I went to the place that any normal, self respecting, broken hearted sixteen year old would; the library.
Don't scoff me! It isn't like there are many places to go to in Hogwarts when you're in a foul mood without risking the chance of bumping into someone like Filch or that insufferable Slytherin, Marcus Flint. Yes, the library was a safe place. All I had to do was go to the table where I was clearly out of view of Madam Pince and just...relax... Yes, in a library.
I randomly picked up a thick book and opened to the middle page so it would seem as though I was learning if the librarian happen to walk past. I glanced at the tiny roman writing and gave a short bark of laughter. I had picked a book where the language would change every five minutes. It was fascinating really. At first it was Swedish, then Japanese then it was Arabic then it was French then it was English then it was
"Gibberish?" A voice behind me ask.
The voice startled me and I turned around so fast I think I pulled a muscle. It was Fred, of course. (I did say my life was kind of like a very weird but kind of predictable B-grade movie. My crush just happens to turn up everywhere I go. Not that I'm complaining of course- there's no trace of lipstick on any of his visible body parts.)
"Fred! Don't scare me like that." I scolded him.
"Okay." He said cheerfully- a bit too cheerfully actually as he slid into the chair opposite of me. "How do you want me to scare you next time?" He asked.
I rolled my eyes and muttered "Prat" while looking at the writing change into Spanish. I was trying to keep a blush from rising to my face. I had turned from the girl who was so comfortable with Fred to someone who turned into a blushing fool every time I saw him.
I pretended to be absorbed by the book whose language I can't even understand all the while trying to pretend I cannot feel Fred's gaze on me.
"Angie." He finally whispered.
"What?" I whispered back.
He leaned forward and I took a sharp intake of breath as he slammed my book shut. "Let's go take a walk."
I pretended to ponder. Book that was turning into Gibberish or a walk with Fred?
"Let's go." I whispered back.
....
I had learned from this morning's experience to never get my hopes high again when it comes to Fred Weasley. Not even when he is walking as close in proximity to me as he is now. But when he suggested taking a walk around the lake, now, I couldn't help but feel a bit giddy.
The rain had stopped but there were still droplets of water dropping off the leaves of the trees and there were small puddles of water sloshing our feet. I guess some people can call this a romantic scenery (I swear, the next holiday I'm going to suggest Jamaica and I'm going to be so incredibly tanned that all this little blushes won't even be noticeable anymore.)
We were just walking aimlessly and not talking. It wasn't even an awkward silence, but a nice comfortable silence.
"How are you Angie?" He asked.
His tone was casual and not playful so I was relieved. It meant that he wasn't in the mood to try and test some of his inventions on me.
"Things are good. Had detention with Filch, the bugger, but it wasn't too bad. You?" I replied.
"Things are good too." He answered but his voice sounded distant but I wasn't going to press into it. I just wanted to enjoy the walk... and how physically close we are right now. He looks so thoughtful.
I knew deep down he wanted something from me (as in a favor, you perverts!) but I didn't want to think about it. I was trying to fool myself into thinking that he just wants to talk and make things back like how it used to be, pre Ditzy Blonde (I guess I have to thank Ditzy Blonde cause before she came, though we were close we were never THISCLOSE you know what I mean?)
"Hey Angie?" He asked.
"Yeah?" I murmured.
"Sit." He ordered pointing to a patch of grass.
I laughed.
"What?" I asked, bewildered.
He shrugged.
"You looked tired."
I could feel my eyes bulging. A serious Fred, a thoughtful Fred now a considerate Fred. I don't know how much more of this I can take.
"No, it's okay." I said. We had stopped walking and just picked up small pebble stones and try to throw it as far as possible to the lake.
It wasn't the smartest thing I could have done because I had pulled my muscle back in the library when I turned too fast and now I aggrivated my shoulders again.
"Ow." I said softly as I put my arm down. I watched as the stone I threw fall in the middle of the lake with a small plop and massaged the area around my neck.
"You okay?" Fred asked noticing that I stopped throwing pebbles already.
I heaved a sigh.
"Yeah, it's just that I think I pulled a muscle. Bloody perfect timing too, Oliver's going to kill me if I miss a practice." I complained.
Fred's eyebrow burrowed in concern as he shortened the distance between us (and let me tell you, he did not have to take THAT many steps).
"Just relax." He commanded softly as his hands slowly began threading the knots on my shoulder.
"Ow." I cried again when he began massaging the area where it was hurting.
"Just relax. Charlie told me how to do this. It'll lessen the pain."
And it was true. At first the searing feeling felt painful beyond belief but after awhile it felt much, much better.
As though sensing it, Fred asked me, "Better?"
"Yeah." I murmured still in a lull and daze from where his warm hands gripped my shoulders. It felt so good but Fred put his hands down, much too soon for my liking.
"Okay then." He paused and took a step back. "So I just wanted to continue where we left of this morning. As I was saying, just in case the..."
I sighed and rubbed my eyes tiredly as he began telling me his exact plans for Ditzy Blonde's birthday. I decided it was easier to tune him out and sat on the patch of dry grass he pointed earlier.
I rested my head on my arm as I watched him talk. I knew it was coming, I knew he was going to ask for my help regarding Ditzy Blonde but I decided to ignore the fact and just enjoy the time we were sharing.
"...you get what I'm saying, Angie?" He asked finally turning to face me.
I nodded and forced myself to smile.
"Yeah, I do." I told him.
..
A/N:FINALLY! I finished typing this thing. I know it's a bit lame and abrupt but hey, it's 12.22 in the morning. I have school tomorrow but it's open day so I guess they won't mind if I go there at 9 and not 7. I am way too lazy and tired to read it through again. Any mistakes, e-mail me ya. Thanks again guys. Please review! Thanks..
A/N: I started typing this thing, TWO MONTHS ago when I was in Bangkok but alas, I was hit with the dreaded Author's Block. Yikes! Sorry guys if this chapter is super lame. Just wanted to get it out of my system.
To READER: Let me remind you, that there are many factors to me not posting any new chapters.
1) My computer was hit with a virus (So therefore I could not even switch it on to continue typing and after I cleaned my hardware system, my internet was down for a couple of weeks.)
2) As I said, Author's Block.
3) I live in Malaysia, a country in South East Asia so therefore my holidays are way different than in America or Europe. We don't even get summer breaks. We have summer all year round. In fact, the only long holidays we get are in December.
4) I am absolutely swamped with school work as this is middle of the year, we have SO many projects coming up. Important projects that will contribute to my mid year examinations so there is no way I'm skimping on it. And not only that, there have been so many school things going on. School plays, school trips, tournaments asap. I hope you guys can understand.
5) It takes more that ½ of my day to write this. Heck, it took me two months!
6) Thank you for reading my story. After I read your review, I knew it was time to get my lazy arse down and start typing. Thanks, man!
A MILLION OF THANKS TO THOSE WHO HAD REVIEWED especially those who were slightly frightening and used a lot of capital words.