Prompts: Screaming Heart (#567), scared
Oliver Rivers
"So, who are you going to ask to the ball?" Justin asked, leaning back against the gold and black striped couch, a book shut in his lap as he looked over at Oliver.
Oliver felt his heart pick up it's pace as he looked away from the brunette boy beside him.
"I... I don't know," Oliver replied, licking his lips as he nervously turned the page in his book and hoped that his friend wouldn't notice. "How about you?"
Justin went pink around the ears but twisted his hands in his lap, though there was a smile on his face. "I already asked Susan to go with me and she agreed."
Oliver smiled at Justin, feeling sincerely glad for his friend.
"Oh yeah? I didn't know. How did that go?"
As Oliver listened to his friend talk, not wishing to embarrass him, he couldn't help wishing that it was really as simple as that for him.
In truth, he didn't know who to ask or go with because... he wasn't interested in any of the girls at Hogwarts. Sure he knew which ones were pretty, and even got along with a fair few but none of them made his heart race or his palms sweaty.
Not like...
His heart picked up and he felt his cheeks flush as he thought of Wayne Hopkins, with his crooked smirk and his half-lidded eye- pools of the warmest hazel.
Sometimes in class, he thought of walking up to the boy, or just holding his hand. But... how did the wizarding world view that kind of thing?
Oliver wasn't really sure, but given blood prejudice, he didn't think wizarding society would take to it and couldn't help feeling scared about being so different. Scared of even letting on to his friends.
"You know, you better ask someone... before all the pretty ones as gone," Justin advised as he finished.
"Ask who what?" a deep voice popped up and Oliver felt his heart stutter and his eyes widened. He turned slightly and could see pale, exposed forearms with slightly bulged out veins. Arms that somehow looked lean but strong just the same.
Slowly, trying to calm his breathing and his heart, he looked up and stared at the sharp, handsome profile of Wayne Hopkins as he leant against the back of the couch and stared between him and Justin.
"I was just telling Oliver that he should ask someone to the dance before all the pretty girls are taken," Justin replied easily, sending a teasing smile at Oliver who felt his stomach flip as Wayne turned to regard him with his hazel eyes.
"Do you have anyone in mind?" Wayne asked, staring down into Oliver's brown gaze and causing the boy to run his hand through his own straight, brown locks nervously.
"Um.. no... not... not really."
"Hey, relax mate," Wayne replied, placing a hand on Oliver's back and squeezing his shoulder painfully, which only caused Oliver to spiral into further panic. "There's nothing to be scared of."
"I'm not scared!" Oliver retorted, lying through his teeth while his skin prickled beneath Wayne's large, warm hand. Shrugging the other boy off, he instead turned away and went back to his book. "I'm just... not really sure who to ask."
"Well, no one says you have to go with a date. And honestly, if you go alone, it isn't a big deal. If you were a girl, that would be a different story."
"Who are you going with?" Oliver asked, turning now to look at Wayne, hoping that he sounded as nonchalant as he wished and that his face would stop feeling warm.
"I asked a boy from Beauxbaton," Wayne replied and Oliver felt his eyes widen and his lungs feel like the air had been punched out of them.
"A... a... boy?" Oliver asked, causing Wayne to turn to him and narrow his eyes.
"Yeah. Is there a problem with that?"
Oliver shook his head, turning to look at Justin who also looked a bit surprised.
"Aren't you worried what people might say?" Justin asked, though he merely sounded curious, his expression open and sincere.
"I don't care what people will say. It's my life and I'm going to live it the way I want."
Oliver turned away at that and opened his book, trying to ignore the ache in his heart, wishing he were as brave as Wayne. Wishing it was him that was going with Wayne.
"Did you ask him or did he ask you?" Oliver couldn't help asking, though he didn't look up form his book.
"He asked me," he replied. "Why?"
"No reason," Oliver murmured as he stared at the words before him not taking them in.
Doesn't matter. It's not like Wayne could ever be attracted to me anyway. After all, I'm plain and boring as he's so handsome, and bold.
Oliver just wished his heart would stop screaming.
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