Chapter Four: Cold Hard Bitch
Immediately following my shower, I threw on an old pair of pajamas and got straight to work. I sat myself down at my desk with a notebook and a quill and started plotting.
'Today's the sixteenth…wait a minute, Lavender's rabbit died! That makes it exactly three weeks until the quidditch match against Hufflepuff…oh, that's…we loose that one, badly actually.' I quickly did the math in my head and scribbled down a few dates on the notebook paper.
Oct. 31-first Hogsmeade trip-Saturday
Search of the castle
Halloween
Nov. 6-quidditch match-Friday
'Well, at least it's a start…' I thought to myself. Reaching into my bag, I whipped out my schedule and studied it for a few moments. Monday was Herbology. Musing, I sat back in my chair and my thoughts drifted.
I wanted to murder Oliver's stepfather. There was no use trying to deny it or forget what he'd related to me out on the pitch. Sure he'd beaten around the bush; sure he hadn't full out said the words "he abuses me". But I didn't care; I knew it when I saw it. And I guess it made sense in a few ways. Why I hadn't thought of it before was starting to bug me. I can't stand feeling stupid. What I can't stand even more than that is any kind of threat (be it physical or emotional) against my friends. I may have been a tolerant girl, but I was territorial beyond belief. Get those flames going and the passion that rose was very hard to extinguish. All my friends knew this well.
Sighing, I ran a hand over my face and figured I should get a start on my homework; I could work this out tomorrow morning. But even once I had my books and everything out and ready…more things started to bother me.
Namely Oliver. I was still concerned about trying to establish a real relationship with him.
How had this happened anyway…? What had I done to deserve this? It dawned on me that I wasn't sure whether I meant that negatively or positively. None of this entire situation made sense. Life at Hogwarts was so involved and I was trying to get into the swing of things so badly…I hadn't once questioned all of this. What was going on?
This was some nightmare out of a sci-fi movie. And gosh do I hate sci-fi movies.
Pushing it all to the back of my mind, I set to doing my homework.
It was dark and quiet when I woke up. A shiver coursed over my skin and goose bumps left a trail down my arms and legs. Everyone's bed curtains were pulled closed except for mine. Glancing down I realized I must've fallen asleep in the middle of outlining the telepathy chapter we'd be looking at next week in divination. My eyes wandered to the table alarm clock gently ticking away. It appeared to be about one in the morning.
Looking all around the room again, I decided to just go curl up by the fire downstairs and let my mind wander. Taking my notebook and quill with me, I set off. My footsteps halted at the door. I stood there, pondering for a moment before back tracking, grabbing a quilted blanket from my bed and going off once more. I could feel my skin, warm and soft from sleep, as my sock laden feet met every cold, stone step.
Coming to the foot of the staircase, my walking approached a dead halt again. Now, it wouldn't have been much of a surprise to see him normally, seeing as I was practically living a Mary-Sue nightmare. But it wasn't just Oliver down in the common room, oh no. Alicia, of all people, was with him. They both looked up at me, surprised.
Smiling politely, I gingerly began walking their way. The both of them were seated very close together on a couch near the fire. I was trying so hard not to raise a questioning eyebrow at Alicia, or even glare her way.
'What's the name of this?' I thought. Of course that isn't what I said.
"Well, good morning." That's what I said. Sigh I hate it when I sell myself out…Polite though my smile was; I struggled not to get bitter on them. The sweet, pumpkin orange firelight played over Oliver's cheek and eyes. His few freckles dashed across his cheeks, I realized with amusement, looked very sexy under the play of light. Suddenly I wished I had my few freckles back. My stomach threatened to flip and I realized I couldn't stay mad at him. Alicia on the other hand…
"I was just telling Ollie about some ideas for the team." She smiled at me as if happy I'd joined them. I felt my eyes widen a little at her addressing our team captain as Ollie. It was disgusting.
"Oh? I'd love to hear a few." 'Don't be rude, try to stay civil, don't be rude'
She just looked at me for a moment, amazed that I'd challenge her into such a tight spot. Just as I'd assumed, her "ideas for the team" must've had something to do with a deduction on my part. The part of me that wasn't angrily questioning was glad to see her so uncomfortable.
"Oh, it's nothing, really." She tried to smile at me. Mental note: Alicia does not work well under social pressure.
"Well," I turned to Oliver. If this was how it was going to be, I figured I should start getting more romantically ambitious. "I can't sleep, so I guess I'll just hang out with you guys." I grinned at Alicia, making a bubbly, excited face. Coincidentally, she turned to Oliver.
"I should've gone to bed hours ago. Don't want to be too tired for practice tomorrow. Good night Ollie." And then, just before getting up, she hugged him. She actually hugged him good night as I was sitting on the couch just across from them. And he hugged her back.
My jaw went slack as she smiled at me over his shoulder, stood, gave me a satisfied leer and trotted off towards the staircases. Eyes wide, I just stared after her in shock for a few seconds.
Involuntarily I shivered. Whether this was because of the chill in the night air, or the fact that I was chagrined at my teammate's vice, who knows.
"What was she talking to you about anyway?" I asked him as I got up to go sit beside him on his couch. The fire's warmth was thawing my nerves by now.
"Just quidditch, like she said." he yawned. Shaking his head slightly afterward, his tired eyes looked in mine. "She's right, you know. We should get to bed."
I couldn't help but feel disappointed.
"But I just came down"-
He sighed, "I can't afford to fall asleep in any more of my classes Chase. I need the cup this year and to be eligible to play, I have to be able to pull good marks in every class."
I shouldn't have, but I pouted.
"You know, you really didn't seem that concerned when you were talking to Alicia." I avoided his gaze, studying the wooden coffee table in front of me. Intricate carvings surrounded the border. I slid my sock clad foot off the low table a few times as we sat in silence.
"It's not that I don't want to hang out with you, you know. I've been in the common room all this time. If any one isn't making an effort to be around, it's you."
I rolled my eyes. I couldn't even find it in me to get very upset.
"You're the one who wants to get all of his work in order. If I'd been down here, neither of us would've gotten our homework done and you know it full well."
"So why did you come down in the first place?" he asked. Okay now I was upset. Hadn't I just told him? Hadn't he been listening? Or was he too busy staring at Alicia.
"I told you already, I woke up and decided to come down stairs. I didn't even know you were down here. And by the way, if Alicia's so great, she should at least have the guts to tell me to my face if she wants me off the team."
"Who ever said Alicia was great!"
"Well you'd obviously rather hang out with her than me." I was causing trouble he didn't need. Stressing him out when it was the least forgivable. I felt guilty, but I also felt frustrated and confused.
"Look, Alicia's just concerned about her team. You haven't exactly been up to par lately, Chase"-
"And what exactly is up to par? Perfect?"
"When you're on my team, that'd be good."
"Listen to you! She's concerned about her team, is she? That's funny, she seems a bit pre-occupied with you at the moment."
"Chase! How can you say that, I"-
"She likes you Oliver! Get over it! And you want the truth? It bothers me! It really bothers me, and do you have even the slightest clue as to why? Have you even noticed?"
"We both know you like me, and we both know I like you"-
"Oh? Funny way of showing that."
"Look who's talking! You're the one who started this fight in the first place."
"Ya know what, maybe I should just quit the quidditch team, that way you and Alicia can just hang out on your own with no distractions."
"Are you daft! Did you not hear what I just said to you!"
I sighed, sitting back against the couch. As I folded my arms over my chest, I thought about how immature my remarks had been.
"I'll see you tomorrow at practice." He mumbled as he got up from the couch when I wouldn't say anything. I didn't move. I couldn't. I attempted to send messages to my legs to move but they refused. Resolving to just stay where I was my eyes drifted to the thriving fire.
Sitting there, watching the hearth, I tried to convince myself "I'll see you tomorrow at practice." wasn't his way of saying "You're so difficult, why can't you be the girl I knew?".
The next morning I some how dragged myself out of bed. The windows were open. It was a nice, cloudy yet bright, breezy day on the grounds. Sighing, not fully awake enough to do much but shuffle towards the bathroom I headed that way.
The cold water I splashed over my face slid me back into full consciousness. The first thing that came to mind was the last I wanted to be thinking about.
Last night in the common room. The fight I'd managed to get into with Oliver. I could still hear Alicia's "Good night Ollie" running around in my thoughts. After brushing my teeth, I turned to leave and began opening the door when it seemingly flung itself open. Jemma stood on the other side, eyes wide and expectant. My own eyes grew larger at the sight of her. Her blonde hair stood in a tussled, halfhearted ponytail and her skin looked a little drier than usual. We just stood there for a second before she caught on that I had no idea what she was waiting for me to do or say.
"So!" her hand gripped my forearm, dragging me from the bathroom in an excited hurry.
"So…what?"
Sitting me on her bed forcefully, she let go of my arm. I massaged it lightly as I searched my thoughts desperately for some kind of clue as to what she wanted from me.
"You and Oliver, duh. You and him were in the common room last night." She broke out into a grin as I tried to swallow the fact that she knew. Not only had last night sucked, but my only known friend had been watching me. Lovely.
"How did you know I was down there with him?" I hate it when my words have a waspish tone when I don't particularly mean for them to.
"I left the common room late, remember I'd wanted to talk to him about the Slytherin team? Anyways, the second I was in bed, I saw you creep down stairs. I think I accidentally woke you up. Sorry about that." Her words just kept spilling out until she was done.
The nod I gave her before running a tired hand over my face wasn't exactly enthusiastic. But Jemma wasn't finished.
"So…?"
"So what?" I snapped, getting up and heading for my dresser drawer. Mentally I cringed.
'I really shouldn't talk to her like that.'
Guilt filtered my thoughts as I rummaged through the clothes in Chase's drawer. Everything was neatly folded and perfectly stacked. This was quickly not so as I tossed things around and unfolded random shirts and pants. Persistent and strong-headed girl she was, Jemma followed me.
"So! What happened last night!" she whined way too close to my ear. My eyes stayed on my clothes. I attempted to occupy myself with what was in front of me. Blue sweater or green? Jeans or khakis?
"Nothing." I murmured absently.
"If you don't tell me I'll just ask Alicia. She came up not long after you went down."
The realization that Jemma was on good terms with Alicia caught my attention and I was tempted to turn and say "Then why don't you go bother her about it, if she's so great?". But that would have been highly uncalled for, not to mention a bit off subject. I could barely admit to myself that it was really the fact that no one could see how much of a bitch Alicia was being that was bothering me. I was convinced I could just deal with it. That I'd show her in the end with Oliver. It was then that I realized just how insane this was getting. Grabbing a bright red, long sleeved shirt and a pair of khakis I grabbed my runners and threw myself back into the bathroom.
"I'll talk to you later." I muttered to Jemma on the way there.
While getting dressed I'd decided I would get to work finding Oliver and apologize for being such an immature bitch the night before. Of course I was sure I could find more eloquent words than this, but mentally I couldn't stop cursing at myself for being so selfish. If love makes you do crazy things, greed and hatred must be the absolute undoing of all our hard work in life. Half tying the laces of my runners as I made my way out the dormitory door, I hurried down the stone steps and quickly glanced about the common room.
Just as I had assumed, Oliver wasn't there. Why should he be? With the way he was running quidditch practices my only hope (for both our sakes) was that he was in the library catching up on his homework. Making my way out of the portrait hole my hurried steps began towards the staircases…but it was then that I realized, I wasn't quite sure how to get to the library. My eyes couldn't help but roll for a second. Satan is definitely in the details.
I pondered for a moment. It had to be on the ground level somewhere, perhaps off a wing in the corridor that led to the front staircase and the great hall. Just as I was making to set off, I heard a chipper "Good Morning" from the wall beside me. Turning to look, I was amused to find the painting to my left smiling at me and waving casually.
"Good morning." I replied, trying to sound like I always chatted with paintings that talked back. "How are you?" I hoped that this wasn't a strange or somehow inappropriate question to ask a painting. Not that it really should be but still…
"Oh I'm quite well, thank you. I've just come back from a morning walk about the castle walls. There's a nice little orchard on floor five I like to stroll through once in while." The person I was talking to was a middle aged wizard wearing robes of a burnt orange color. He seemed very content. Then an idea struck me. Perhaps he knew how to get to the library.
"That sounds lovely. I wish there were an orchard like that on the grounds. What kind of fruit does it grow?" I'll just butter him up a tad.
"Grapes. Great big green ones at that. I believe it was painted as a scene from a wine field. But I don't really know."
"Oh? Well, knowing the castle so well, I was wondering if you might be able to tell me how to get to the library."
"You don't know?" he seemed a bit put off by this.
"Well, I've only just transferred and"-
"Well it's quite a long way into the school year; you haven't found your way there by now?"
I eyed him a bit. Was I going to get the same reaction from everyone? Why couldn't people just help me? I wasn't asking much, just directions towards the library. Honestly, isn't that allowed?
"I just need to"- I felt someone tap my shoulder and spun around. Timothy was behind me, his usual smile in place.
"Oh, hey Timothy. What's up?" I inquired.
"We'd better hurry yah?"
"What?" How can he just come up to me and say that? Ugh! These people were so-
"The meeting? On floor three? Oh come on then, Alicia must've told you. Wood's called a team meeting."
"Course he has…" I muttered under my breath.
"Hmm?"
I frowned, shaking my head quickly to dismiss the comment.
"Let's just go, we'll talk on the way." I sighed.
"Right."
We set off for the staircases.
"So what's this meeting about?" I asked as we began to climb.
"Umm, practices I think…" he looked as he was far off thinking for a moment before coming back, "Something like that anyway. So, Alicia didn't tell you? She was supposed to tell all the girls."
"Yah? Well I'm hardly shocked. That girl is asking for a fight I swear."
"What! Alicia? Spinnet? I doubt it. It probably just slipped her mind."
"Timothy!" What the hell was up with everyone loving Alicia? Was she really that amazing? "How could it have possibly slipped her mind? I'm in the same dorm as her!"
"Didn't you see her telling everyone else?"
"I was sleeping!"
"Well honestly Chase, there you go. She didn't want to wake you." We'd stopped out side the door of what I figured was an empty classroom.
"She coulda left a note." I mumbled, turning the knob and leaning against the heavy wooden entrance. The rest of the team turned to briefly glance in our direction before going back to their conversations.
My eyes immediately settled on Alicia. She was surrounded by the usual pack of girls, not to mention Jemma. That's it; I had to talk to her. If she has a problem with me, she's gunna tell me. I started off in her direction all but rolling up my sleeves and clenching my fists.
"Oi, Chase!"
Damn you Oliver…
I stopped and turned. He'd already walked up to me. Not clenching my jaw and glaring at him was a challenge. But I was learning to be as friendly as possible and thankfully it was sort of working.
"Look, about last night. I'm sorry."
'Does he even know what he's apologizing for. Because I sure as hell don't.'
"You know what, don't worry about it. You were right, I was being a bitch." So much for eloquence…
"I never said you were being a bitch." He'd lowered his voice. Grr…Frustration beyond words.
'What is it with men and assuming things! Why can't they just accept an apology or take a compliment or say 'yes'?'
"That's not what I meant. I meant I know I was being one."
'That's an awful lot of 'I's.'
"Well you shouldn't say that. You should have more self respect."
'Now why does the phrase, "Turn that frown upside down." come to mind?'
"Oliver some of us have homework to do, can we please just start?" George Weasley's voice sounded from across the room, as if he was actually worried about such things. A chorus of agreement circulated none the less. Leaving my side, our team captain made his way to the front of the room and cleared his throat.
"I know you all have things to do, so we'll try to make this quick."
I heard Fred stifle a laugh and tried to hold back one of my own at his antics. True, Wood was known for being a tad…long winded when it came to quidditch.
"I think we can all agree that practices have been going excellent, how ever we can probably all also agree that they are getting rather time consuming."
Quite a bit more enthusiastic concurrence sounded at this.
"Now, I want none of you to think that this means our quidditch practices are any less important. They are critical to winning the cup this year which praise God we had better. As you all know this is my last year at Hogwarts and I want that cup. Not just for me, but for the team as well. You lot are the best Gryffindor has seen in a long while and it's a crime that we haven't won the cup before now. This of course means that we should be putting all our energy into our practices and of course giving 200 at games. However, Professor McGonagall's had a word with me and…" It must've pained him to say this, "She feels…practices need to be shortened to three times a week. Now I know this may make you all nervous or distressed. However, she feels that for the sake of our studies we shall have to…back off a bit from practicing so much. Angelina and I will be comprising a new schedule which will be posted by tomorrow in the common room. That's all, if you have any questions feel free to ask." Apparently Oliver hadn't actually expected anyone to ask anything as he'd started turning to leave when Harry raised his hand.
"What exactly did Professor McGonagall say? I mean none of us are doing poorly in class are we?"
No one else had expected some one to say anything either from the way they all had turned to go as well. However, all eyes were back on our captain now.
"Oh, nothing about grades, just some pish posh about injuring ourselves in class when casting spells because of lack of sleep." A few people looked over at Timothy for a second.