American Girl: Chapter 5

As she stepped into the common room for her very first time, Kirsten drew in her breath sharply. This place was dazzling! There were deep scarlet armchairs and couches, beautiful paintings on the walls, tables to do homework at, and a roaring fire. Kirsten jumped into an armchair and bounced a little. Very comfortable, she thought. She noticed a sign pointing towards the girls' bedroom and walked up the stairs. Turning the corner, she gasped again. Four poster beds! She ran over to hers, finding her stuff already neatly stored in a trunk at the foot of her bed. A picture of her family sat on her end table, and a little porcelain figure of a ballerina. Kirsten collapsed onto her bed only to find that the red velvet bedspread and mattress were just as comfortable as the furniture in the main room. Very pleased with her new environment, Kirsten walked back into the common room, only to find Hermione reading a huge book.

"Hey, girl!" she called, and sat down next to Hermione. Hermione sighed very quietly, and nonchalantly moved a few inches away from Kirsten. "Hi," she replied, her nose still buried in the book.

"Wow, this place is awesome!" said Kirsten turning towards her. "I can't believe that you guys have gotten to live here for five years. So jealous. The dormitories in Cali were so way not as cool as this." She flipped her hair off of her shoulder and looked at Hermione more closely. There was something wrong. "What's up? Is something the matter?"

"No," Hermione replied, and kept on reading.

"Yes there is," Kirsten said in a singsong voice. "And you are going to tell me what the matter is!"

Hermione sighed once again, closed her book, and looked up at Kirsten. "It's Ron I guess."

"Ooooh!" Kirsten squealed and leaned in closer to her new friend. "You like him don't you?"

Hermione looked around, checking if anyone was there. "Yes I do. But don't tell anyone! You're the only one who knows, not even Ginny! But how could I tell her? She's his sister! She would totally tell him. I mean, if I had a brother and my best friend was obsessed with him, I would be very inclined to tell. Not that I'm obsessed with him, well maybe I am. I don't really care though because he doesn't like me so I'm going to stop liking him. Well, he might've used to like me but he doesn't like me today so I don't either. And..."

Kirsten cut her off. "Woah! And you said I could talk!" Hermione blushed the color of the sofa they were sitting on. "It's okay, girl. He's a great guy! You deserve a guy like him. And he deserves a great girl like you! He is an extreme hottie, and beautimous babes like you always get the nice hotties."

Hermione stared puzzled at Kirsten. Boy did they talk differently in America. But then she snapped to attention. "You think Ron is good looking? Do you like him?"

Her face remaining unchanged, Kirsten snapped back, "Of course not! I met him today!" Boy was she glad she was so good at poker! She needed to be convincing. "He's all yours. And he will be yours, don't you worry about it. And your secret is safe with me, honey."

Hermione smiled. Even if Ron was in love with her, she was a nice girl. Good best friend material. The trio was definitely in need of another female to balance the hormones. Too much testosterone could really do something to a girl. "Thanks a lot Kirsten. I feel better. I'll talk to you later." And with that, she closed her book and walked to the bedroom.

Kirsten watched Hermione walk away, holding her breath. As soon as she heard the bedroom door slam, she let all of her air out with a big sigh. She felt bad lying to Hermione, but how could she tell her that she liked Ron when she was so upset? That would have killed her! Getting Ron would have to come a little later, when everyone least expected it.

Ron strolled lightheartedly up the stairs, climbing and climbing until he finally reached the tallest one. He opened the door of the Astronomy Tower, checked to see if anyone was there, then plopped himself on the ground. He lay flat on his back, staring at the stars through the open ceiling. The brightest and most brilliant star caught his eye. He turned his head to look at it and smiled. That one is Kirsten he thought. He thought back to dinner, holding her in his arms for those few moments that felt like decades. He hadn't been so happy with a girl in a long time. And he had just met her! Holding her in his arms had felt so heavenly, like grabbing a piece of a fluffy cloud, or clutching your favorite teddy bear. It felt good. Damn good. Another thought leaked into his mind... Hermione. She had seemed kind of weird at dinner. He rolled over onto his stomach and rested his chin on his hand. Was she jealous? Did she finally like him? Two wonderful, amazing, gorgeous girls to choose from. What a blessing, he thought. And yet, what a curse. How would he decide? Man... he thought. I guess right now I'll get to know Kirsten more. Then I'll decide the better of the two.