Crushes, Conspiracy, and Heartache

Summary: The crush: Alicia and Katie like Cedric. Oliver loves Katie. The Conspiracy: the new social target is chosen. The heartache: and all of this somehow connects.

Disclaimer: I live in a shack. Do you really think I own Harry Potter?

Chapter 1: Introduction to the Crushes

Katie Bell sat, chattering excitingly about the latest gossip with her friends Angelina, Alicia, and Dena.

"Cedric Diggory cheating with Ms. Chang? Katie, Katie, Katie, your 'very reliable source' is ever-so unreliable." Angelina shook her head, as she glanced at Cedric and Cho Chang sitting beside each other. Both seemed perfectly fine, and were socializing with their friends.

Alicia laughed, "Cho Diggory….. Sounds a bit odd to me."

"Katie 'Bell' Diggory," Dena marveled aloud, "Alicia...Angel-face, you're going to hate me for saying this, but that does sound quite nice."

Katie's smirk had changed into a dazzling smile, as she drifted off to her own private world. Katie wasn't one to be so boy-crazy, but ever since that Cedric Diggory caught her fall at Quidditch practice, she was floating on Cloud 9.

Alicia slammed her head repeatedly on the table, and Angelina started to fake-groan in pain.

"Why Dee? Why oh why did you have to expand her egotistical bubble of dreams? Tell me." Angelina started to shake Dena violently as all three girls started to laugh… well, all except for Katie.

"Shut up," Katie stated icily, as she proceeded to….dream. All girls shook their heads in disappointment just when their 'sex-god hero', Oliver entered.

"Hello, ladies." The faint accent still caused Dena to cringe, Alicia to squirm, and Angelina to laugh at the girls.

Oliver glanced to the girls questioningly as he sat beside Katie. "I'm guessing Cedric's got her twisted up in a knot."

Katie immediately joined the conversation. "Hey! I prefer to call it a small infatuation that will pass….."

"….slowly." Alicia muttered softly.

"How can you guys not like him? He's handsome, a great student, and an extremely helpful person,"

"-who just happens to be taken by the lovely, Asian Cho Chang."

"Why must you remind me?" Katie sighed at Oliver.

Alicia patted Katie on the shoulder, "Look at yourself."

"I'm happy."

"And what happens when the woeful Cedric Diggory never comes around? You're sad, and left in your angst-filled days as a teenager, having barely enough time for us to annoy you to death because you're rotting away lifelessly in your room because of your painful heartache." Angelina said in one breath. Oliver and Alicia nodded their heads in agreement, and Katie smiled.

"I appreciate you caring… although it sounds partly selfish. I'm a teenager, let me live. I'll see you all at the common room." Tossing one last grape into her mouth, she left her friends to ponder this.

Dena grabbed her juice, and sat back, watching her friends think. "You know it. I know it. Merlin knows she's right. She has a completely valid reason, and we should bud out because…. Let me hear you guys say it once, and hopefully lastly, again."

"It's her life, not ours." The three repeated glumly, as if they had said the line many times before.

Oliver stood up, "Well, I better be off."

"I should be too. The sky's looking awfully pretty tonight, and I can hear my easel and paints beckoning to be used." Dena smiled, as she lifted up her messenger bag.

Angelina looked at the time, "Fred should be waiting for me. We'll see you later, Ali."

Alicia shrugged as she watched her friends kiss goodbye and leave. Once they were out of sight, she stared longingly at him, into his heart and soul. Alicia smiled, yet shuddered at the same time just as he walked away.

Alicia liking Cedric Diggory was not good… not good at all. She smirked. She liked the bad, but most of all, she loved challenges. Katie was not going to get her way this time….. and neither was Cho Chang.

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Oliver strode down the hall, gazing at a beautiful Katie Bell. Her eyes glazed over, and her cheeks glossed to a pink shade as Cedric strode by. It was obvious. She was out of his grasp.

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Katie laughed, smiling genuinely as she glimpsed at Cedric walking by. Her smile grew wider. She needed Cho Chang out of the picture. Cho Chang was nothing but a little girl with no feeling. Katie could love him better. Love. Yes, she could do that. But, right now, she needed a plan.

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Angelina cuddled closer to boyfriend, Fred Weasely, and thanked her lucky stars that she found someone. She was in paradise…..if only her friends were too.

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Dena Whitman laughed, spilling her paint as she witnessed ¾ of a make out session between Ginny Weasely and Neville Longbottom. The astronomy tower had turned into a joke…..maybe she could blackmail its predators…. but that was highly unlikely.

PLEASE READ THIS:

Okay, so it sounds like crap, but I have everything planned out so have no fear. I have the whole story planned out in my head actually. I even know what will happen in the sequel :P:P:P If you hate this story, too bad, you can't stop me from posting the next chapter! Muahahaha…. And if you can, please don't try! I'm very ill-trained when it comes to computers. I don't even know how to hack onto anything. Okay, I'll stop rambling.

Please R and R and let me know how many people are actually interested in this story. That way, I'll actually have enough motivation each day to write something. :D:) :P

Much Love,

SoHaPPy