A/N: ...marmot.

Lies make it better
Lies are forever
Lies to go home to
Lies you wake up to
Lies from the alter
Lies make you falter
Lies keep your mouth fed
Lies till your death bed
Lies

-Billy Talent. Song: Lies

Blue Roses.

Chapter nineteen: Lies are forever

"Where are you going?" Skye asked as Cedric towel-dried himself quickly and began to throw his clothes on.

"Umm...emergency homework."

"Emergency homework? Cedric, don't lie," Skye swam to the edge of the tub and watched Cedric hastily put his clothes on.

"See you later," Cedric gave Skye a quick kiss and practically ran to the door, exiting and leaving Skye shocked and confused.

- - -

Cedric sat beside Shaun in Transfiguration a week later, staring down at his paper as he scribbled answers to his quiz.

"Describe the main problem faced with human transfiguration."

"Having your girlfriend being stolen by merpeople," Cedric wrote, quickly disappearing it with a flick of his wand.

The only thing on his mind was that egg, and he had listened to it over and over again. There had to be a flaw; this was cruel and unusual. The merpeople were crazy; who knew what they could do to Skye?

Meanwhile, Skye sat in Arithmancy, attempting to follow Professor Vector as she explained the difference between logarithmic equations and logarithmic functions (A/N: I have no idea what they study in Arithmancy, so I thought I'd throw some calculus stuff in there). She was quickly scribbling notes down absent-mindedly, for she was more concerned about Cedric. They'd barely spoken since the Prefect's bathroom rendezvous, and she was concerned she had done something wrong. The way he looked at her she was pretty sure she had; but what? Was she too forward? Did he finally realize he was too good for her?

No. That couldn't be it.

They'd been together for almost 5 years. He couldn't just change his mind because of a stupid chant.

Or could he?

Cedric finished up the quiz and handed it to the front of the class just as the bell rang, eager to get out of the class so he could spend some more time in the bathroom, thinking over the egg.

"No, no leaving yet," Professor McGonagall said, sending a groan through the class as everyone took their seats. "I have an announcement.

"In regards to the tournament, we will be hosting a Yule Ball this year that will be held on Christmas Eve for those who wish to remain at the school for Christmas break. It is an opportunity for us to socialize with our guests, so I expect you to be on your best behavior and wear your best dress robes. The ball will commence at 8 o'clock, finishing at midnight, in the Great Hall. That is all."

Cedric stood up, reaching for the door in eagerness.

"Diggory! A word."

Cedric slumped his shoulders and rolled his eyes, turning towards Professor McGonagall.

"Yes?"

"You do know that you'll have to have a partner to the Ball."

"Yes ma'am."

"And you and the other champions will be opening the Ball."

"Yes ma'am."

"Then that is all."

Cedric turned to the door and opened it quickly, heading out of the classroom and through the hallway.

"Cedric!"

Cedric stopped and turned around, to see Cho Chang, a Ravenclaw fifth year, running towards him.

"Hey," she said, breathlessly.

"Hey," Cedric said. He knew Cho a little bit, recognized her from being in his Ancient Runes class because she was so advanced she had managed to get into the NEWT class of it.

"Listen, I wanted to know if...if you'll go to the Yule Ball with me, Cedric. I heard about it in my last class and..." Cho looked up at him, batting her eyelashes.

"No, that's ok. Thanks, but I'm gonna go with Skye."

Cho drooped her head, staring down at her feet in embarrassment.

"Oh, sorry I...forgot...see you..."

She turned slowly and walked down the hallway, her shoulders slumped from rejection.

At that point, Cedric felt as if someone had lit a switch in his mind.

"Hey, Cho!" he called. She turned around quickly, her long black hair whipping wistfully and beautifully. "I think I will go to the Ball with you, after all."

Cho's face lit up like a lightbulb. "Kay! Great! I'll see you then!" she waved and headed down the hallway, skipping once she was out of eyeshot.

- - -

Cedric took a seat beside Skye in the common room, having missed her at dinner.

"Hey," he said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Hey," she said, sighing. "Cedric; what's up with you?"

"Sitting next to you."

"No, that's not what I mean. I mean, with you. You're different."

"How so?"

"We barely talk anymore. Ever since the egg. I mean, Cedric...we haven't had sex in over a week!"

"It's been that long? Well, nothing's wrong. I'm having...umm...erectile dysfunction?"

"Cedric! Don't joke about that! What am I doing wrong?"

"It's not you. There's nothing wrong. Really. What do you think of the Yule Ball?"

"Oh," Skye said, sighing. "I don't think much of it. It's just a stupid event to get dressed up and make a fool of yourself as you roll across the dance floor. I don't think I'll go."

"Great!"

"What's great?"

"Well, I...Skye, I asked someone else to the Yule Ball."

Skye's mouth shot open as wide as her eyes as she felt her stomach drop to her knees.

"You...what?" she said, barely audibly.

"I asked Cho Chang to the Yule Ball."

Skye felt bombs explode around her. It was as if her life was blowing up before her eyes.

"So that's what's wrong! You're cheating on me with that slut!"

"That's not it, Skye, that's not it..."

"DON'T LIE TO ME! THAT IS IT! I'M JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"

"Don't say that, really..."

"Oh, let me hear your petty excuse."

"Well, err..." Cedric stared down at his feet. He hadn't quite figured out how to get himself out of this situation. He had expected her to blow up at him like this, but...

"I figure that there's a lot of fish in the sea, and..."

"SO I JUST DON'T DO IT FOR YOU? YOU NEED SOMEONE ELSE!"

"SHUT UP SKYE! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH!"

"MAYBE IF YOU STOPPED LYING TO ME I WOULD!"

The entire common room was staring at the two of them, now. They were both standing up, their noses almost touching. Skye's face was beat red. Skye's shoulders slumped and she turned around and began walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Cedric asked softly. "Skye?"

She whipped around to face him, her lips pursed and her cheeks wet with tears.

"To find myself, Cedric."

"That's not it, please don't go, I..."

Skye slammed the portrait on him (with an "ooh, really!" from the portrait) and stomped down the hallway, her robes wet with tears.

- - -

Cedric slumped down in his chair, staring down at his knees. What had he done?

Valencia stood in front of him, her hands on her hips. She looked down at him and shook her head.

"Well, now you know how it feels when you break hearts. Feels good, doesn't it, knowing you've smashed someone into pieces?" Valencia brought her hand up and smacked him across the face, the side with the scar from facing the dragon. Cedric took a short breath of pain in.

"You've just gotten too arrogant for your own good, haven't you? I told her you were a bad apple. But she just wouldn't listen. She was too busy being in love."

Valencia stomped off, leaving Cedric in tears in her wake.

- - -

"SKYE!" Chad called, when he saw her running down the corridor that lead to the Great Hall. "Skye!"

She turned around to look at him. He'd never seen her look worse; her hair was wiry and frail, her eyes watery and red, her skin was pale and her lips thin. She had her eyes wide and her arms wrapped around herself, and she was rocking back and forth.

"You ok?"

"Ok. Ok. Ok. Ok."

"Skye?"

"Ok. Ok. Ok. Ok. Ok. Ok. Ok..."

"Skye, come now, let's get you in the..."

"GO AWAY, CHAD!" she snapped. She turned around and walked to the doors to the Great Hall, swinging them open and walking through, stumbling slightly as she walked. She turned around, looking at him.

"I'm going to find myself. Ok. Ok. Ok..."

Chad reached his arm out, hoping he could reach out and fix her in some way. She just shivered and closed the door, and he heard her footsteps pound as she ran out the door, to places he was unsure of himself.

- - -

Skye was out on the grounds, her feet immersed in snow. She tripped over her robes and fell face first into the snow, feeling the cold rush through her veins.

"I'm okay," she muttered, standing up and walking towards the lake, having discarded her robes.

"I'm okay," she repeated, having reached the edge of the lake. She discarded her uniform and jumped into the icy water, feeling it envelop her. She dunked her head into the water, hoping that the freezing would bring her back to reality. She pulled her head up, and screamed to the sky.

"I GOT DUMPED!" she screeched. "I GOT FUCKED OVER!"

She pounded the surface of the water with her fists, making nearby ducks fly up in dismay.

"What do you think of your wonderful brother now, Brayden?" she asked the sky, as if she wanted Brayden to come down and fix things. She drooped her head and wept into the water.

"What have I done wrong?"

- - -

A/N: passes Kleenex around I feel the pain. I wrote it. Well...err...read and review. And whatnot.