CHAPTER 2
When I woke up the next morning, I was surprised to hear a snore coming from the other bed. I had become used to being alone. I dressed as quietly as I could, and smiled when I saw Logan curl up in the warm spot I had left in my bed. I ran to the girl's dorm bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face, and when I got back I looked into the long mirror hanging on the wall to straighten my uniform and tie my long, black hair into a braid, so it wouldn't blow in my face during the game.
I grabbed my Firebolt off the trunk and tiptoed over to James' bed. I peered through the bed curtains and covered my mouth with my hand to muffle a laugh. He was sleeping soundly with is mouth wide open and drool on his pillow. His feet were sticking out the bottom of the blankets. I whispered, "James… James…" He didn't stir. I glanced at the clock. If he didn't get up soon, he would miss breakfast.
I tapped him on the back, I pulled his hair, I tickled one of his feet… he still wouldn't wake up. I sighed and cleared my throat.
"JAMES!" I hollered. He flew a foot into the air and twisted around with surprise to find me laughing at him. His hair was all stuck up on one side and the drool had dried on his face.
"Wha…?" he muttered.
I laughed harder, then finally managed to get out, "Come on. Get up, lazy bones. Breakfast's in 10 minutes." He tore around the room grabbing clean clothes and socks, and stopped in front of the mirror to groan at his dishevelled appearance. I laughed again. "I'll show you where the bathroom is so you can at least wash your face. But hurry." Somehow, we managed to make it to the dining hall with a minute to spare, even after taking the 7 flights of stairs to get down.
We walked into the hall and I headed for the team table, ignoring the stares James and I were receiving from the entire student body. I stopped in front of the team table and sighed. Everyone was staring at James. I cleared my throat and Ryan snapped out of it and pulled up and extra chair.
"Guys, this is James Prescott. My new roommate," I said, sitting down. Caroline raised her eyebrow at me and I smiled slightly. As I proceeded to introduce the entire team, I studied each person's face for their reaction. So far, it seemed like everyone was surprised, but cool with the situation. Only Ryan seemed to have a weird expression once the introductions were done.
My concern, however, was forgotten when I noticed James was the only one without food on his plate. I laughed and showed him how the menu worked. He found it as cool as I did in my first year, and everyone was amused by his enthusiasm.
As we sat and talked casually, Caroline interrupted with a sudden choke. We stared at her as she spazzed and coughed on her mouthful of toast. She gulped down water teary-eyed, and pointed wildly across the room. We looked at each other with questioning eyebrows, and looked in the direction she was pointing. Suddenly, it clicked. The entire Nuage team table was empty. We all stuffed as much food in our mouths as possible and grabbed our broomsticks off the floor. As I ran for the door with the rest of the team, I remembered James.
I ran back to the table and looked around crazily for a quick solution. I was about to grab his shirt to drag him with me, but someone laid a calming hand on my back. I spun around to face Scott, and was filled with relief.
He smiled at me. "I'll take care of him."
I threw my arms round Scott and squeezed him as hard I could, then bolted for the door. "Thanks Scotty!" I bellowed as I ran down the hall to the main doors. I heard his laughter as I burst outside and ran across the field to catch up with my team.
We sat in the dressing room before the game and listened to the stands start to fill with yelling, laughing students. I was standing in a corner with Zach, and we were stretching each other's arms. Caroline paced back and forth in front of the door, waiting for the runner to give us the 3 minute warning. Sara and Phil were talking quietly on the floor, running through different offensive patterns, and Sam sat on the table under the chalkboard, reading his playbook. I smiled at Ryan who was sitting on the bench, getting into his "zone". He grinned back at me and gave me a wink. I giggled and shook my head at him, then went back to cracking my wrists.
The loud bang of the door made us all jump. The runner stood there.
"Sorry," he said. "Y'all got 3 minutes."
He left, and Caroline closed the door behind him with irritation. We all stood and faced her, awaiting the pre-game pep talk.
She took a deep breathe with her eyes closed, and when she opened them, I was comforted by the familiar look of suppressed fury and concentration. I loved how worked up Caroline got before games. Her intensity was contagious.
"Ok, guys. Here we go. This is our second last game before finals. You know what we have to do. You all know your jobs. We've run through the plays hundreds of times. I know you could do your patterns in your sleep," she said, and started pacing again.
"We can beat these guys, no question. And we have to. You know as well as I do that a win against Nuage secures a tie for 1st with Chaleur, and that means we'll be playing for the cup. Just play with your hearts, not your heads. If you think too much, you'll screw up. You all know that." I smiled as she began to get louder. Ryan stood next to me and squeezed my hand.
"Intuition. Concentration. Energy," she continued. "We are the Glacier house team, and our motto is ICE. Remember that. Now let's get out there, and kick some ass! Let's show these guys how ICE will always weigh down CLOUDS!"
I laughed and cheered with the rest of the grinning team. We all loved how absolutely corny Caroline always got. We burst out of our dressing room and lined up in the tunnel into the stadium. As the announcer called out our names, we ran out into the bright sunlight in the centre of the pitch. I bathed in the cheers and whistles from the crowd. Mr Gaudet stood in the centre circle with his whistle. I groaned inwardly. I forgot he was refereeing… no doubt he'd call some stupid penalties on me.
I shook off my disappointment and stared down the 3rd year across the circle from me. I looked at Zach out of the corner of my eye and he nodded sternly. I smiled smugly at Caroline - a smile which she returned - and then winked at Ryan. He smiled broadly. Nothing fazed him.
"Players, mount your brooms," said Gaudet. We did.
He opened the case and released the Snitch, and I watched Sam trace the miniature ball through the sky until it disappeared. Then up went the Bludgers, and I raised my club, in case they decided to assault any players as we waited in the centre circle. Caroline bared her teeth at the guy across from her as they readied themselves. Gaudet reached into the case and pulled out the Quaffle, paused, then tossed it into the air above Caroline and her rival. As soon as his fingers left the ball, Caroline rocketed after it and snatched it out of the air in front of the guy's reaching hand. In a flash she was off towards the opposing rings, tailed closely by Sara and Phil.
Ryan flew off to defend our rings, and Zach and I began to circle the pitch, ready to deflect the battering Bludgers from our team mates and towards the Nuage players. I had already lost Sam in the air; he was probably already on the Snitch's trail.
I had a few good smashes during the game - one which almost cost one of their Beaters his arm. I was flying above the game, watching for rogue Bludgers, when I caught sight of Sam. He was hot on the Snitch's trail, and within reaching distance of the little ball. I could tell he was struggling though, and didn't realize the problem until I noticed the Nuage Seeker… she was holding onto the back of Sam's broom and trying with all her might to hold him back from the Snitch.
Filled with righteous anger, I was about to dive bomb her, when a lucky Bludger soared towards me. Raising my club, I grinned mischievously. At the last second, she looked up at me, and fear filled her eyes. I felt no pity, and banked the Bludger with a crack towards her. It smashed into her broom, which snapped, and she plummeted towards the ground.
I smiled and sat back on my broom as Sam's hand closed around the Snitch. I could hear the cheers of the crowd and the sigh of relief as the girl who had fallen was lowered safely to the ground by Mr Gaudet. I knew he would do that. I wouldn't have risked the shot if she wasn't going to land softly.
Sam smirked at me and flew up to give me a high-five. I laughed as Sam and I were bombarded mid-air by the entire team. Caroline was almost crying she was so happy.
"What's this?" I teased. "Tears? And I thought you were completely confident in our ability to win?"
She snorted and wiped an eye. "Well… there's always a chance…" she tried to explain. I just laughed and patted her on the back. We flew in a clump back to the ground and were immediately accosted by the entire Glacier house. We were all raised on people's shoulders, and I smiled as widely as I could at Mr Gaudet as I was carried away. He stood in the centre of the pitch, glowering. I waved and laughed, knowing full well that he knew he couldn't do anything about it. I hadn't committed a single penalty.
As we were put on the floor of the entrance hall and headed up to the house lounge, I found James. He was grinning at me from across the crowd. I made my way over to him and was surprised when he wrapped me in a huge bear hug.
"That was awesome!" he said. I giggled and put my arm through his as we were caught up in the flow of the crowd moving up the stairs. I talked about the game with James and few other people around me, and scanned the crowd for my team. Caroline, Sara, Zach and Phil were racing each other up the staircase; Sam was flirting with his girlfriend and Ryan… where was he? I didn't find him until much later during the celebration party in the Glacier lounge.
James, Caroline, Scott and I were sitting on a couch and I was talking to James when I saw Ryan cross the room, sitting in a chair. He was staring at me. He caught himself when I found his eyes, and he looked away, embarrassed. Without looking back at me, he stood up and headed for the stairs. He was stopped by a few people congratulating him, but made his way through the crowd and up the stairs to his room without even a glance back at me.
"Hey Adrien… Adrieeeeen," said James. I blinked and realized that I had stopped mid-sentence.
"Hunh? Oh… Sorry James," I muttered. I was still distracted by Ryan's weird behaviour. It confused me. And kinda hurt. I looked at the floor and cleared my throat, then looked up at James and put on a smile. "Listen," I said. "Why don't you stay and hang out here with the rest of the team. I'm really tired and I still have to shower and do some homework."
He frowned slightly. "Oh. Ok," he said. I could tell he was slightly hurt.
I smiled and gave him a side-hug. "Caroline'll take care of you. And she'll introduce you to some more people, ok?" Caroline smiled and said, "Sure!" and I stood up. I headed to the bathrooms and smiled at James over my shoulder. He gave me a worried grin and I continued on, smiling and thanking the people who patted me on the back and complimented by battering skills.
After my shower, I took the side door out of the bathroom so I wouldn't have to go back through the party with only a towel on. When I reached my room, I pulled on my pyjamas and slippers. I grabbed my Defence Against the Dark Arts books out of my bag on the floor, and lay on my bed. Logan jumped up next to me and curled against my side.
I tried as hard as I could to stay focused on the essay I was supposed to be writing, but I couldn't stop picturing Ryan's expression as he stared at me from across the room. I sighed and put away my books. I always had tomorrow to write the essay, and I was a good last-second writer. I knew I had to tour James around tomorrow, but figured that I could always stay up late to do the essay. I pet Logan and thought about how I should probably talk to Ryan tomorrow, too. That, however, I would try to avoid for as long as possible.
I shooed Logan off my bed and grabbed the vial with silvery stuff. Falling asleep under the tickling snow, I thought about the game, my homework, and Gwyn; and wasn't even aware of James entering the room and looking at me through the gap in my bed curtains. I never saw the sadness on his face, and I didn't hear him sigh as he climbed into bed; thinking of his fear of a new school, his confused emotions… and his girlfriend.