For Assignment 5 on the Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry Forum.
Claudia and the Argument
"You shouldn't have done that."
Claudia blinks. She looks over at Kristy, still sitting tall in her presidential chair, who has a deep frown on her face. Truthfully, Claudia doesn't want any further explanation. Kristy's tone is enough to let Claudia know that's upset—that she's angry, even. Claudia's never been very good at talking to Kristy when she's like this. That's always been Mary Anne's job.
"You said that Mal was ready to do a job by herself even though I had just said that she wasn't." Kristy's voice grows louder with each word. "You embarrassed me!"
Claudia gapes at her friend. "You're upset because I disagreed with you. Seriously?"
"You disagreed with me, the president, in front of our newest members!" Much to Claudia's dismay, Kristy sounds deadly serious when she continues, "It was disrespectful, Claud."
"Disrespectful?" Claudia repeats, incredulous. "I disagreed with you because Mal is ready to sit by herself. We've known her forever. We know she sits for her family all the time. She's ready, and we all know it."
"It's not your choice."
Claudia rolls her eyes. "It's not yours either. We're a club, Kristy. We all get a say. You're the president, not our boss."
Kristy's lips morph into a thin line, and Claudia immediately knows that she's said the wrong thing. Kristy's knack for leadership is one of her greatest skills—secretly, it's something Claudia admires about her—but it does go to her head sometimes. And this, Claudia recognises, is one of those times.
"And you're not just the president," Claudia presses on. "You're our friend. My friend."
"It wasn't appropriate."
All of a sudden, a wave of exhaustion hits Claudia. She can't entertain this. Maybe on another day, she'd have more patience. Maybe in another life, she'd understand Kristy's unquenching thirst for control. But at the moment, she doesn't have any sympathy for her friend at all. And she has absolutely no desire to apologise. Frankly, she doesn't think she has anything to apologise for.
"I have homework to do," Claudia says sharply. She hops off the bed, crosses the room, and begins to rummage mindlessly through her bag. She keeps her back to Kristy. "You should go."
Kristy leaves without a word. But when she hears the door click shut, Claudia's cheeks are still red with rage.