Pippa entered the room glancing around for Miss Cackle stopping short as she saw Hecate, who she noted was trying her best to look anywhere but at her. She placed her broomstick to the side stepping forward every movement stiff, awkward and calculated as she surveys Hecate. Not knowing whether to be happy or devastated at this opportunity now in front of her. Breaks the uncomfortable silence, that has covered them, to offer an explanation for why she had entered a seemingly random classroom "Mildred said Miss Cackle wanted to see me". Hecate stiffens before responding "that's funny, she said the same to me". Pippa grimaces, doesn't know whether to be grateful to or annoyed at the well-meaning pupil, and swallows trying to think of anything to say wonders if it would be better to just turn and leave without saying anything, as Hecate had done all those years ago, but she's here, after all these years, and the swirl of emotion is back, and she doesn't know what to do for the best.
Hecate is still standing stiffly looking anywhere, but at Pippa, as she speaks "well now we have discovered this was a juvenile prank you'd best be on your way". Pippa stays where she is stood tries to ignore the comment, the awkwardness in the air surrounding them, tries to find any way to start a conversation with her "I should probably tell you I've offered Mildred a scholarship" she says. Hecate looks momentarily shocked but doesn't add anything, and Pippa sighs scolds herself internally for thinking anything other than this would happen begins to turn around, to leave, but stops short before turning back to Hecate and speaking "just tell me why Hecate. Why did you abandon me that day and stop talking to me for no reason?".
Hecate takes a breath and deliberately turns her head looking to the other side of the room and Pippa knows she is hoping she will take her continued silence, as the blunt hint it is and just leave, but she steels herself instead and speaks again "you don't get to do this Hecate not again. I nearly didn't come you know" she sighs at Hecate's badly disguised a flinch at these words "it's bad enough seeing you at various conferences throughout the year, and pretending to ignore you, but whatever today has been was even worse. I'm not leaving without an explanation Hecate. You didn't give me a choice last time you just left, and quite frankly I deserve one for why you suddenly decided to just stop talking to me for absolutely no reason". Hecate finally looks up when she realises Pippa means what she said and hasn't moved an inch. Seems to force herself to say something, anything, "you were always the popular one you didn't want me getting in your way" Pippa frowns "when on earth did I ever-" she begins before Hecate cuts over her, her words coming out slowly "the night before the flying display. Ellanora and Cynthia cornered me. Told me that you'd said you didn't want me, didn't need me in your life, that I was dragging you down and all I would do was prevent you from reaching your goals. Said if I had any decency I'd stop trailing around after you. Actually, give you a chance to achieve your dreams".
Pippa gasps and takes a step backwards her eyes filling with tears at Hecate's words, who looks completely confused and stricken, but when Pippa speaks her voice is surprising calm as she refuses to let her emotions overpower her "well… it's nice to know how low your opinion of me was. I spent months, years, Hecate thinking about our friendship, about why you left, why you embarrassed me that day trying to work out what I had done wrong and I honestly don't know what's worse not knowing, or knowing that you thought so little of me to believe that. I don't know what else I could have done to prove my friendship; did you really consider me so fickle… so callous?".
"But they were right" Hecate says flatly "you didn't need me you never did. Look at what you've achieved without me". "Hecate, I achieved those things in spite of the fact you weren't with me not because you weren't" Pippa says a slight note of desperation coming into her voice as she tries to convey everything she wants through her words. Doesn't understand why Hecate still doesn't get it. "I made so many mistakes, so many failures in my first few years. Things I never would have done if you'd been with me like we'd planned, why didn't you just speak to me?" she asks desperately. "They were your friends!" Hecate yells back and Pippa is shocked by the level of emotion in Hecate's voice "and what was I? The freak. The charity case Pippa Pentangle took under her wing. They were right you were better off without me" Pippa doesn't know how to feel Hecate's admission is painful for her, the way she sees herself always has been painful to Pippa, but she's still so angry at the fact that Hecate would take what they said at face value, even after their years of friendship.
"You thought you were helping me?" Pippa scoffs. "I just…" Pippa begins her voice cracking before she swallows and forces herself to speak knows she will never forgive herself if she doesn't say what she wants to say. She's waited thirty years for this opportunity and will not let it slip through her fingers. "I don't understand why you wouldn't speak to me! Why you'd believe I'd ever say anything like that about you".
"It was never that… I never… truly believed you'd said that" Hecate said her face softening "but I couldn't deny to myself that they… they just pointed out the truth, and it was better for me to let you go than for me to hold you back from your dreams from what we both knew you could easily achieve without me".
"So, you set me free?" Pippa asks sarcastically "did you not think to ask my opinion on that matter? I don't want to be free of you, you silly, stupid stubborn witch" Pippa cries stepping back and throwing her arms up before rounding on Hecate once more "and today you were just going to let me leave, without saying anything again".
Hecate looks dumbstruck for a moment before opening her mouth but isn't afforded the opportunity to say anything before Pippa is speaking again. "Don't you dare say it is, or ever was, for my benefit Hecate Hardbroom!" she yells glowering "you have, you had, absolutely no right to decide what was best for me!". Hecate opens her mouth and quickly closes it seemingly struggling to find words, so Pippa ploughs on "Hecate you're brilliant!" Pippa practically screams at her Hecate starts and then scoffs begins to open her mouth again and Pippa can't bare it, to hear her old insecurities again, the insecurities she had tried so hard to make Hecate forget.
She steps forward, taking some relief from the fact that Hecate doesn't step backwards or flinch away "Hecate you were my best friend. I didn't care that you were supposedly the tall, gangly one, that the other girls in our year couldn't see how… how special how amazing you were, you are. If you'd spoken to me asked me to pick I would have chosen you in a heartbeat" she wants to say so much more, but knows Hecate probably wouldn't appreciate it, wouldn't believe it so stops, choosing her next words carefully "all this time we've spent hating each other, and for what?" she regrets her words as Hecate's face falls "Pips- Pippa I never hated you I just… I honestly believed what I was doing would be best for you".
There is so much more Pippa wants to say, she wants to scream and shout at Hecate some more, for ever believing those witches, for thinking she knew what was best for her without even considering her own thoughts and feelings, but this admission shocks her, and she remembers Hecate as a sixteen year old, a sixteen year old with no other friends, who had spent the entirety of their schooling ignoring the insults their classmates had levelled at her for everything from her academic ability to appearance, who had the expectation of perfection thrust upon her by a loveless father.
Remembers all of Hecate's insecurities, and she thinks she is beginning to understand how Hecate could have believed those words, could have thought that what she was doing would be to her benefit rather than her detriment. She tries to think of a way to convey this, but when she opens her mouth all that comes out is "I've missed you Hiccup". Even as she says it, she thinks the old nickname feels false on her tongue. Hecate takes a moment, an internal battle seemingly going on in her head, and Pippa thinks it was perhaps too much too soon, but doesn't say anything can't take the words back now they're out there, and prepares herself for Hecate to either vanish or ignore her words, can't hide her shock when Hecate speaks, albeit falteringly, "I've… missed you too… Pip… Pipsqueak".
Pippa tries to swallow the tears that have sprung to her eyes and moves forward tentatively, smiling as Hecate opens her arms notes, as she puts her arms round Hecate's shoulders, that nothing has changed since they were children; they still fit together perfectly, despite Pippa's growth spurt. Until a bell rings and Hecate is pulling away mumbling something and trying to run out of the classroom.
She would have worried that it had become too much for Hecate, that she was pulling away in more way than one, had she not noticed the pigtail whipping around the corner of the door before Hecate can reach the owner. She honestly doesn't know whether to laugh at how off balance Hecate is, or cry at the fact that their hug has been cut short, but she smiles as she hears Hecate ask about her scholarship offer; vanishing and reappearing to hear Mildred's decision, and to hopefully knock some more sense into Hecate's head. There's a long way to go she thinks, but at least they've started.