back to school tension. -Amina

[Victoria Abernathy]

Merlin what a summer. In the history of Victoria's life her summers had always been fairly the same. One summer vacation for a week to some exotic location where she would burn the second that the UV rays hit her skin. She would be blistering and peeling by the time that she got back to her house. She would then sleep for a good month until her skin was back to the pale color that it was made to be. Then, there would be some sort of summer camp for her to 'build character' so that she wouldn't 'forget where she came from' and then it would be back to school shopping and then school. Where her friends were. She hadn't heard much from them over the three months. Of course, she had sent and received a few owls but nothing interesting. Amina was out doing Merlin knows what wherever she was spending her warmer months. Even though she had only known the woman for half of the last school year, she felt closer to her dorm mate than most of the other women she had spent that past six years of her life with. Amina didn't push, she didn't try to make Vic into something that she wasn't, and that was a quality that she admired. So, honestly, she had been expecting to see her at least in time to shop for new school supplies. Though, that didn't seem to be the case. Luckily, this summer was a little different in that she had gotten her Head Girl pin toward the middle of the summer. Her parents, knowing that it was something of an honor they had really gone all out. Let her choose their destination for their vacation as well as name brand things for her to go back to school with. For the first time, they seemed to be giving a damn about hr reputation. It was nice, almost paternal of them.

Whenever Victoria had boarded the train back to Galaxia, she had been expecting something..more. Not that she had expected a parade, or balloons or anything...not really. She had at least wanted to spend some of the time catching up with her friends, she had barely time to even wave to Wil before being dragged off into the front compartment of the train to get all of the information that she was going to need for the school year and what all she would be required to do in order to keep the title 'Head Girl' which, would have been all well and good if it weren't for the fact that Head Boy had been given to Giovanni. The dashing boy she still couldn't look in the eye without blushing. He made it nearly impossible to focus to anything that the Headmistress had been saying. For all of her years of studying, of working as hard as she possibly could, to have her work undone by a handsome man? It was almost unthinkable, and yet, it was still happening. She couldn't focus on anything until the train had been pulled into the station and they had been announced at the start of term feast. No, not even then. She couldn't think of anything until she was back in her bedroom, next to a silent Amina. She didn't even have anybody to talk to about the things that were tying her stomach into knots. She was so afraid of doing a bad job, and Amina wasn't helping to make her feel better.

Normally, Victoria wasn't a selfish woman. She really did want to know what was wrong with her friend, really she did but there was nothing that she could do about it if her friend wasn't even willing to draw back the curtains and talk to her. Instead, Victoria was forced to fester in her own drama. Something that she had never had very much experience with before. She was the sort that always avoided drama, and yet, here she was. If this was what she had to look forward to the rest of the year, she was in for some real trouble. At least once Quidditch started back up, she would have some outlet for the ball of stress that she was quickly becoming. Classes were going to start next week, that was also something to really look forward to. She had elected for another full course load to ensure that she got to study healing under the right mentor whenever she graduated next spring. If there was somebody else that she could talk to about this sort of thing, she wouldn't keep trying to bug Amina with it. She was just off in her own little world lately, and anybody else that Victoria could talk to would just make her feel bad about the whole situation to begin with. This morning had been no different at all. She had woken up, and gone over to Amina's bed to try and talk to her, just like they had done every morning last year. It was starting to get to the point that she was going to take it personally. Like Amina was avoiding her out of everybody, except that Amina didn't seem to be doing much of anything at all. Vic could only assume that it had something to do with her competitions and it was really bad.

Victoria had resigned to getting on her uniform and heading down to breakfast, alone. Again. She was starting to think that being head girl was more of a burden than a blessing. She had put her books out on the table in front of her, wanting to finish the rest of her summer reading before classes started back up, but her heart wasn't in it. Not really. She couldn't even bring herself to turn the page, much less comprehend the words on the page. Taking a bite of her apple pastry, she allowed her elbows to rest on the table. If she didn't figure out how to break this tension, or at least make new friends...this was going to be a horrible year.

[Amina Krane]

It was odd how little any one could do to get Amina to get out of bed. For the last week of summer, Amina’s mom had done literally everything she could think of to get her to just go downstairs and eat. For the whole week, Amina had hardly eaten anything and what she did eat had to be delivered to her in bed. She only got out long enough to take a shower when she found out just how badly she was beginning to smell and when she had to go to the bathroom. No one knew what had happened, and Amina was going to keep it that way. Saying what was on her mind was just too difficult for her to do and she felt like if she did speak it out loud, it would all of a sudden make everything reality. She still had some hope that this summer had been all a dream. That she would wake up one morning to find herself lying on the couch in the living room of the family’s Florida home the day before her gymnastics competition to find Gavin stroking her hair aside just as he had in her dream. They would go to dinner, come back and roll around in her Egyptian cotton sheets, the first time they had ever spent time together in a bed since they had met. They would go to her competition and she would win the gold and get her offer to the Olympic trials to try for one of five spots in the competition. Without confiding in Gavin, she would deny the offer so she could spend as much time with him as possible. They would spend their whole summer together and go to Kat’s party and go back to his house, the one that he didn’t share with his parents, and spend the rest of their summer there in hiding until the last day. The last day she would go home, pack up her things, and go to the train station for the ride back to school. She would be spending her time with him every second they could outside of classes and extracurricular activities. Maybe this year he would even let their relationship become more public. Everything would be perfect.

But it wasn’t a dream. She was in the unfortunate reality called life. Amina Krane, a usually very strong willed female, was in the fetal position in her dorm room. Classes had only been going for only a few days, not even enough for homework to start piling up yet, and already Amina had missed a handful of classes and meals. She was getting better, no doubt. The day before she had actually woken up and gone to her first class. Hell, she had even managed to do her required prefect duties without thinking about Gavin every millisecond she was patrolling the corridors. The ride to the school had been torture when they gathered them all in the same compartment to explain the requirements of their new positions. On multiple occasions Amina had made an attempt at eye contact with Gavin just to see if he would look at her with the same caring eyes. She even hoped maybe he would pull her aside afterwards and explain about it being a joke or how he needed a week alone and he was over it. But they had no interactions. None at all. In fact, he hadn’t made eye contact with her since school started. The classes they did have together that she happened to make it to, he did whatever possible to keep from having to see her. She, of course, wasn’t as disciplined and looked at him for as long as she could without other people thinking she was a stalker or obsessed. Honestly, she wasn’t sure what she was expecting. He had broken up with her. Explained that it was the end. How could she imagine it would be any different with them in school?

This morning had been a bit better. She hadn’t woken up and looked for Gavin next to her in bed. It was the first morning since the breakup that she had been able to say that, but yet, she still didn’t feel quite right. Normally she would go for a run before classes to wake herself up and get her day started out right, but she hadn’t had the energy to run for weeks. This morning wasn’t any different, but she did have the energy to actually stretch out of the fetal position and lay flat on her back, staring at the fabric covering the top of her four poster bed. She took in a deep breath and let out a sigh, hearing the click of the dorm room door right as she did so. Furrowing her brows, Amina rolled to her side and peeked out the curtains of her bed. Victoria’s bed was made, curtains tied to the post, and her books were gone. Suddenly Amina felt a pang of guilt. Almost every morning since school started, Victoria had attempted to get Amina to talk to her but being in such a slump, Amina had hardly said two words. At the time, she hadn’t understood why Victoria tried. Didn’t she realize how terrible of a mood Amina was in and how she just did not want to talk to anyone? But now, looking at the empty bed and realizing her roommate and best friend didn’t even attempt to wake her up, Amina realized she was being an idiot. Victoria had done nothing and didn’t deserve Amina’s cold shoulder. Pulling her lips between her teeth and biting down, Amina took in another breath and, as she exhaled, sat up in bed and swung her feet out onto the floor, pulling back the curtains at the same time. She wouldn’t keep this going. She couldn’t. No matter how much pain she was in, she couldn’t keep ignoring her best friend. She needed her.

Running her fingers through her hair, Amina took in one more deep breath which got her through the last step of getting out of bed. In a minute, she had a pile of clothes in her hand and was running to the showers. It took her five minutes to clean herself up, the first time in two days, and get dressed. When she got back to the room, she slipped into a pair of heels and used her wand to dry her hair straight. She only hoped Victoria was at breakfast and would still be there. She needed to talk to her and explain that she didn’t hate her. That this wasn’t Victoria’s fault. Amina needed her best friend to pull her out of this slump. Once her last strand was straight, Amina slipped on her robes and put her wand into her pocket. She felt strange being in the robes after spending most of the summer in swim suits and shorts, but she would have to get used to it. She was a student again. No longer was she Gavin’s girlfriend. The thought made her want to crawl back into bed again, but she shook her head, grabbed her bag, and headed out the door. She would go to breakfast, smooth things over with Victoria, get to class on time, and get her life back on track. Life wasn’t going to stop because of him. After all, one day things would all work themselves out. If it was meant to be, it would all work out. She just had to wait for the day when he came back and agreed it was a mistake.

As she made her way down the stairs, doing her best to keep her composure despite the thoughts of Gavin, she searched for signs of Victoria. The common room had a few people in it but most of them were just catching up on details of the summer. Some looked at her and said hi, which she pleasantly responded, but most just kept with their conversations. She wasn’t shocked to know that people didn’t really notice her attitude but Victoria. She would have been more shocked if people did make comments other than her. The good thing was she had made it out of the common room without much fuss and was now on her way down to breakfast. Her hope was Victoria would be there. If not, she wouldn’t see her until her third class of the day, if she made it that far. No, not if. You have to. Buck up and be a woman, damnit. Her thoughts were enough to put a smile on her face as she trotted down the stairs a little bit faster. It had probably been fifteen minutes since Victoria had left the room. If she was still the same Victoria, she should still be sitting at the table eating. Merlin she hoped so. The last few staircases were a little more full than those up top, mostly with the students going to and from the Great Hall, but once she managed to slip through, her eyes immediately roamed the Gryffindor table.

It didn’t take long for her to spot the red head among the empty side of the table. With a smile, she walked up behind her slowly. The whole way down here, she had just been wondering if Victoria would even be here. She hadn’t even thought of what she was going to say if she was. They had become so close in less than a year, talking every morning when they woke up and every night before bed. She didn’t want to say the wrong thing and mess up the only chance she may have to make this all better. The half of the table she was sitting on was nearly empty, the nearest people over ten feet away. At least Amina knew that whatever may be said at the table would remain between them. There would be no worry of others laughing at her for saying something stupid. Before she knew it, Amina was standing behind her friend and, with no idea what she was going to say, she did the first thing that came to mind. After clearing her throat, she took a step forward. “Is this seat taken?” she asked, pointing to the empty seat next to Victoria. Without even waiting for a response, Amina sat down quickly and wrapped her arms around Victoria. It was sudden, but it was Amina’s way of working things out. “I’m so sorry. I’ve been such a terrible friend and I hope you can forgive me. If you can’t, I’ll understand but I really, really am sorry.” Realizing the hug was probably extending longer than Vic may feel comfortable with, she pulled back and began to chew on the inside of her lip as she waited for a response. She couldn’t lose a friend now and, if she did, she would never forgive herself for losing someone like Victoria for something so petty as a boy, no matter who it was.

Words | 1,843
Tag | Vic
Outfit | Click

[Victoria Abernathy]

Victoria's small hands moved over her face slowly, careful not to mess up her hair since she had just gotten good at fixing it finally. She really ought to be in a better mood but she just couldn't. Perhaps it was the fact that she had spent that past six years of her life within these walls and she really didn't have much to show for it other than the badge pinned to her chest. She loved it, really she did but she felt even more of an outcast than she normally did. Victoria never had been much of a social butterfly to begin with. Socialization had never really been at the top of her list of priorities, but whenever she left school at the end of this year...she didn't know what she was going to do with herself. Sure, she knew what job she wanted, that was a easy choice for her. She had always wanted to be a healer. But, once she was out of school and done studying all hours of the day and night, how was she supposed to fill up her free time? What was she going to do on the weekends? She had absolutely no intentions of living at home for any extended amount of time after she graduated. The few people that she knew and liked here at the school, well, she didn't even know how to approach that topic. She hadn't heard much from them over the course of the summer and she certainly never brought up whatever they had planned for whenever they had all graduated and started to move on in their lives. One of her very best friends, Amina, still hadn't mentioned anything about it. How was she supposed to get any advice on how to conduct herself in the real world if she couldn't even open up her mouth and ask somebody that she trusted the simplest of questions?

Of course, that might have been easier to do if the girl hadn't been avoiding her this first week back. Dwelling on it's not going to make you feel better that annoying voice inside of her head chirped. It was the truth though. A knot flipped inside of her stomach and she took another angry bite from the pastry she was supposed to be enjoying for breakfast, she could hardly even taste it any more. With a chunk of the thing still hanging from her mouth she flipped a page in one of the books sprawled out in front of her, eyes unseeing as they scanned the page over and over again. Never before had she had this problem, where she allowed herself to become distracted from what she was attempting to accomplish. She had gotten this far in her academic career because of her focus. That, and the fact that she was so socially retarded. Her string of thoughts was progressing so quickly over such random topics that she was going to start to forget where she was, that she was sitting at a table occupied by dozens of other people. She was already being rude enough by taking up so much space without asking if they minded. “Is this seat taken?” the pastry fell from her mouth into a pile of crumbs on her plate. Hastily brushing off the front of her uniform she turned her head to the source of the voice she hadn't heard in so long. A small part of her had been starting to wonder if the girl had rendered herself mute somehow. Shaking her head she scooted herself over a few inches as finished cleaning off the front of her shirt.

She didn't even have time to process the fact that out of nowhere, her friend seemed to be herself again. More of less, before Amina had her arms around Victoria. Awkwardly, she attempted to return the hug, but didn't quite know what to do. She wasn't a hugger, not because she didn't want to be...but...the opportunity didn't come up very often for her. “I’m so sorry. I’ve been such a terrible friend and I hope you can forgive me. If you can’t, I’ll understand but I really, really am sorry.” Vic's large green eyes scanned over her friend's face, unsure of what to say or how to move forward. It wasn't that she was upset with the raven haired woman...but she certainly didn't know how to handle the odd hurt feeling that she had been coping with. Her eyes read a million questions that she didn't have the courage to say before she nodded once and averted her gaze to the books in front of her with a purpose. Speaking downward to the book, her hands pulled at her skirt and she crossed and recrossed her feet at the ankles. “I just...” she shrugged “I don't know what was wrong” she didn't want to claim that it was something that she had done herself, but she didn't want to rule it out either. A half smile moved across her face but she couldn't bring herself to confront her gaze directly. “But things are better...I think?” she shrugged again and nodded somewhat stupidly “Forgiven, of course”

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