For October Fest Special on the Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry Forum.
Claudia and the Red Roses
Claudia sat with Kristy on the bleachers, mindlessly watching the baseball game as she chewed on a Twizzler. Although she tried to stay focused on the ball, she found her eyes constantly straying towards the dugout. Even though the two had come to watch Bart, he'd barely even glanced their way. And when Kristy had given him a half-hearted wave, he'd turned away without even a smile.
"Hey." Claudia nudged Kristy in the side and ignored her subsequent yelp. "Why's Bart ignoring you?"
"He's upset with me," Kristy responded matter-of-factly. "He's just being stupid though. It'll pass."
Claudia's ears immediately pricked up. Boy drama was the exact kind of excitement this baseball game needed. And that it was coming from the usually unassuming Kristy made it that much better. Fortunately, she didn't need to pry. Kristy was more than willing to continue sharing.
"He came over last Sunday and gave me some roses. I laughed."
Claudia blinked. "You laughed?"
"Yeah!" Kristy sounded indignant. "It was ridiculous. We're not even dating. And even if we were, I'd never want flowers. It's so...ugh."
"Oh..." Claudia winced. "Come on, Kristy. No wonder he's upset."
At this, Kristy's face snapped towards her. "You can't seriously be siding with him.
"I know you're not dating," Claudia said. She paused for a moment, considering how best to word her thoughts. "But you do like him, and he definitely likes you. It's pretty obvious."
Kristy's silence was confirmation enough.
"And," Claudia ploughed on, "I think he gave you roses because he wants to finally stop pretending that you're just friends. Flowers are romantic, you know? Laughing in his face...uh. It's a little insensitive."
Claudia waited patiently for Kristy to reflect. Her friend was headstrong and compulsive—they were qualities that, most of the time, Claudia admired about her—but she was also brash and single-minded at times. She didn't always notice when her honesty hurt the people around her. Claudia watched as Kristy's gaze shifted to where Bart was standing. The corners of her lips turned downwards.
"I wasn't laughing because it was funny," Kristy said finally. "It was just a surprise."
"Of course."
"And even if I do like him," Kristy continued, "I still don't like flowers. I'm just not that kind of girl. I thought Bart understood that."
"He's probably just not sure how to start being more-than-friends." Claudia raised an eyebrow. "It's not his fault that he's bad at romantic gestures. He's a boy."
Kristy nodded slowly. "I'll apologise for laughing."
"And tell him you like him."
Kristy stared at Claudia in horror, and Claudia chortled.
"Okay, okay. Maybe not," Claudia said through her laughter. "Baby steps. Apologise first. We'll work on your grand gesture later."