The next morning, Lily woke up to screaming. It was a routine happening in the First Year's dorm, so Lily sat up groggily, not concerned. "Whaddist?"
"Today is the first Hogsmeade trip, remember?" Lina asked happily.
Lily threw aside her covers. "Oh my gosh! It is! What time is it? Where are my curlers?"
"Woah, slow down speedy…" Mary laughed, shaking her gold hair about. "It's only eleven o'clock. What's with the hurry?"
"I just want to look good."
"Oh, for Tyler?" Christy asked, grinning. "You two are so cute together!"
"Well, kind of for Tyler."
"Kind of?"
"And kind of for James, I bet," Lina giggled.
All eyes were on Lily. "Okay, a bit. I mean, yeah he was a jerk, and then he said he didn't really have a girlfriend… But I just want to show him what he's missing out on, you know?"
"We understand perfectly," Maria yawned from underneath her pillow. She came out into the sunlight and blinked a few times, trying to adjust her eyes to the brightness.
"Here, I'll help with your hair," Lina smiled, picking up a brush. "It always looks so gorgeous when curled."
"And, hey," Christy spoke up. "I've got a really cute skirt that'd go great with that white tank top of yours! I'll let you borrow it if I can borrow some of your jewelry."
"Yeah, and all of that will be super cute with your black robes, Lily."
"Aww…" Lily moaned, putting on a goofy smile. "You guys are so sweet!"
Mary laughed. "Don't get too gushy on us now. I can't wait to see James' expression."
When she was done, she met Tyler outside the Great Hall.
"Wow," he breathed, smiling at her appearance. "You look so pretty."
Lily grinned. "Thanks. Do you want to sit with us at our table?"
"Sure."
"Okay, you girls go ahead," Lily instructed. "I need to have a word with Lina."
They shrugged their shoulders and did as she said.
"What is it?" Lina asked, concerned.
"What does it mean when a guy calls you 'pretty?'"
"Oh," Lina said, relieved that nothing appeared wrong. "There's three simple things to it, really. When a guy calls you hot, he's looking at your body. When a guys says you're pretty, he's looking at your face… but when a guy tells you that you're beautiful, he's looking at your heart."
"So he was looking at my looks… all right then." Lily replied, and suddenly felt sad as a memory from her first day at Hogwarts came back to her.
"Wow," Lily breathed. "It's absolutely beautiful…" She saw James looking at her from the corner of her eye. "What?"
"I… So are you, Lily."
Her breath caught in her chest at he slid his hand along her jaw line. He pulled her lightly towards him, then laid his lips on hers.
She groaned. "Aww man, why did I have to remember that now?"
"Remember what?" Lina asked.
"James called me beautiful," she replied softly.
Lina rolled her eyes. "James is also a back stabbing jerk."
Lily shrugged. "It was still sweet… come on, then, I'm hungry."
Once she sat down, she went into a very animated conversation with Tyler. Before she knew it, breakfast was over and the huge crowds of students were making their way from the Entrance Hall to Hogsmeade.
Lily and Tyler were holding hands again, and Lily was talking to him very energetically. She was practically hopping up and down because she was so excited. Tyler was going to lead her around, since he'd been there plenty of times before.
"Hey, want to go get a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks?" Tyler asked.
"A what?" Lily said, totally confused.
"It's a really good drink! Here, the door is right there. Let's go in!"
They entered the bar, and Lily saw a few other people she knew there. Tyler ordered the drinks, and Lily went to find an empty seat.
"OY! LILY! OVER HERE!" Sirius yelled.
"I'm sorry Sirius, I would if I was here alone, but I'm here with my boyfriend."
Sirius looked a little jealous at her words, but he quickly wiped the look off his face, and said, "Well, next time, try to be alone! I feel like I don't know you anymore!" he laughed.
"Well, I'll be in the common room tonight, just for you!" she grinned back. "We'll chat then. Oops, there's Tyler with the drinks! I'll talk to you later."
They took the table across from Sirius, Peter, James, and Remus. James kept glancing at her from out of the corner of his eye.
Tyler slipped in the seat across from Lily, then set the drinks down. He seemed to have noticed the longing looks too, and it boosted his confidence some. He knew that there were some guys jealous that he'd scored someone like Lily, but he never knew the James Potter liked her.
Tyler started talking about the first approaching Quidditch match, and Lily took a sip of her drink.
The subject faltered. Suddenly, Lily noticed Tyler was staring at her. She looked up from her almost-empty drink and right into his brilliant blue eyes. His gaze seeped into hers too. He slowly moved forward, as did Lily. James and the rest of his table seemed to notice the movement, and they quit talking and moving to watch.
Their lips touched. He was a very good kisser, obviously experienced. Lily felt like she was soaring above the ground on a broom again, and they stayed together for several moments. When they finally pulled apart, they both had smiles on their faces. Tyler grabbed her hand and they both left the Three Broomsticks.
James looked like he'd swallowed a teaspoon of Zonko's Emotion Potion, which caused the drinker to switch feelings rapidly. First he looked shocked, then in denial, then hatred and hurt spread across his face. He stood up, his legs shaky. "Er… I think… I think that I need to go. Yeah. Er, go. Back… back to the castle! You'll see us guys later, I hope… I mean… I hope I'll see you guys later. Yeah. Bye."
"I… he really liked her, didn't he?" Sirius asked nervously.
"Yeah, Sirius, I think he did. He hurt her; she hurt him. It's like a cycle, isn't it?" Remus asked, looking up from his book.
"And… and I think it's all because of…me." Sirius said, then ran out of the pub.
"What is with them?" Peter questioned, flabbergasted.
"Sirius and James were both madly in love with Lily, just like everyone else, but James got to her first and Sirius got mad." Remus reeled off, then reopened his novel.
"Oh."