Chapter Thirty.

Everybody Hurts.

When your on your own

In this life

The days and nights are long

When you think you've had too much of this life

Hang on

Well everybody hurts

Well, sometimes everybody cries

Everybody hurts sometimes.

Everybody Hurts by REM

Livvy opened her eyes and was met by a very blurry sea of peoples faces. She closed her eyes. She was lying in a bed, not her own, and, from what she could tell, she was in a room, surrounded by people. Her head was thumping, and though she didn't want to, she tried to open her eyes.

She looked up.

"Hi Remus," she said, wearily.

"Hi Liv, how are you feeling."

"Okay."

"Where am I.?"

"At Lainie's. She was at her cousins and it seems you collapsed on the footpath outside their house. Then she took you home."

"Oh."

"Hi Livvy." Lainie said, coming in through the door with a drink of water and a couple of pills.

"Hi, Lainie."

"Here take these. I bet your head hurts like hell."

"Thanks." Livvy said, gulping the water. "Lainie, what am I doing here."

"Well, your parents are downstairs, but I thought that you'd like a moment to get yourself together before you faced them, oh, and Sam's on his way."

"Oh." Livvy said, remembering the events of last night, though not very clearly.

"I'll tell them to come up okay, Liv, they need to see you. And Sam's here too. Yell if you want anything." Lainie said, grabbing Remus and pulling him out of the room.

Sam came into the room first, still wearing his suit, he had come straight from work.

"Hi Sam," Livvy said, wearily.

"Oh, Livvy." He said, giving her a hug.

"I don't want to live there anymore Sam. I won't go back at the end of this term. And you can't make me."

"That's fine, Liv. Come live with me, okay. Permanently," Sam said, his steady and trusting light blue eyes, staring at her.

"Thanks, Sam. Do you know that nothing is ever going to go back to the way it was, ever."

"Yeah, well, it was good while it lasted. And, Liv."

"What Sam?"

"I know you have every right to be furious, but try to see reason."

"What bloody reason is there? If everyone had been fair and reasonable none of this would have happened. There is no reason for this, just a couple of bloody selfish people." Livvy snapped, her voice dangerously raised.

"Okay, Liv." Sam said meekly, resigning himself to the fact that there would be many, many fights, no matter how hard he tried to avoid it.

Livvy went to Sam's the next day and spent the remainder of her holiday there. Though there was the slight issue of Sam's girlfriend Lindsay, not being too happy. And then Livvy telling her where to shove it, after one particularly uncomfortable dinner.

Livvy's bedroom was kinda small and dark, but after she and Lainie painted it a rather shocking pink and added a large mirror, curtains with polka dots and Livvy's antique bed. Oh, and Lily's paintings were displayed on the walls along with many photos.

On the day before school went back, Lainie and Livvy were lying on her bed, talking about stuff.

"I never understood the nail polish thing." Lainie mused, looking at Livvy's pink toenails.

"Ah, Lainie. There are many things that you don't understand. And many things we don't understand about you."

"Like what." Lainie said with mock horror.

"Like how you play Quidditch on an all male team without a second thought about one of them. well, maybe one of them. And how you love clothes and shoes but have not the slightest interest in make up."

"Well, there's always stuff like that. For instance, I don't know how James watches me get pushed around by all the boys on the team but when someone even touches Lily, he gets all over protective and stuff. And how you can be so calm, laidback and restrained and I have to be fiery, crazy and stuff like that. You and Lily are so lovely and ladylike and all the boys love you and I'm some crazy tag along. It's so not fair."

"Lainie, don't be melodramatic. Guys do like you. Just as a friend." Livvy said, grinning wickedly.

"Shut up." Lainie said, pushing her.

"Bite me." On this Lainie shoved her off the bed and chased her down stairs, only to discover that Sam was in the doorway kissing someone that wasn't Lindsay. They stopped in the doorway then being seized by the urge to laugh, they sprinted back to the bedroom. After locking the door, they collapsed on the floor, in hysterics.

"So Sam," Livvy said over dinner. "Who's the girl."

"What girl." He said, feigning innocence.

"Oh, come on. The one we saw you kissing."

"Oh. Right. How come you knew about her."

"I work in mysterious ways."

"Really."

"Me and Lainie caught you at it"

"Oh."

"So, who is she."

"I met her at Kieran's twenty first. Her name is Natalie."

"Okay. And are you going out."

"No. maybe we are, I don't know."

"So does Lindsay know."

"Um, not yet."

"Ohhh, Sam Barnette, bad boy and heartbreaker."

"What, do you like Lindsay."

"Are you kidding. No, couldn't stand her. Invite Natalie out for dinner."

"Fine. But what'll I say to Lindsay."

"Say that you grew apart, it's not her, it's you, it's best if we go our separate ways…."

"Fat lot of help you are."

So Sam broke up with Lindsay and Livvy relayed the story with great relish to her friends. But before they knew it, they were on the train and all too quickly, they were back in the castle, snuggling down under there duvets.

Hey guys. How was it. Remember to tell me, please. I love the song by REM, don't you. Anyway, hope you like it. Back to school next time.

A few replies to the lovely people who reviewed.

Fainus – do you get it. Livvy caught her mother in bed with someone. Gross and scarring. Thanks for reviewing and I hoped you enjoyed it.

Shan- thanks, I also love Lainie as you could probably tell.

Kacy-thank you so much. I feel so special getting this.

And a big thank you to my beta reader, captain star. She did a fabulous job don't ya think.