Chapter 21-Pet Names? Oh Joy!
Lily ran as fast as she could in her school shoes - too bad the shoes were at height of overbalance as her feminine urges had chosen appearance over comfort. Damn those heels.
"James!" she called out, managing to make it near the Portrait of the Fat Lady and only steps behind him as he walked in definite angry stomps. "James?" she called out again, this time uncertainly, yet he didn't turn around as he muttered the password barely above a whisper and hurried inside Gryffindor Tower without a second glance back.
To say Lily was shocked was an understatement.
He always looked back.
Whenever she'd called his name, preferably an angry shout of his surname, his head would have snapped around like lightening. There were times when she would have just muttered his name in conversation with friends in the Great hall, and he'd suddenly be at her side, grinning a mischievous smile and teasing her about talking about him secretly behind his back, which then led to Lily hurling hot mash potatoes in his face for even thinking she was mentioning him for good reasons, which she had definitely not been.
There were even times in class when James cheekily called from across the room, "Did you call my name, Evans?" which, of course, Lily did not, and replied a wrathful, "No." This process repeated at least seventeen times until Lily eventually called his name in a hellish scream that burst everyone's ear drums.
But this time, his neck didn't even twitch.
He'd always looked back.
As she took the last few steps determinedly towards the portrait, a shadow appeared from her left and she felt a hand rub her shoulder.
Lily paled at the sight of Derrick and quickly rubbed at her eyes, wiping them dry.
"I've been looking for you everywhere," he said, annoyed. "I haven't seen you since this morning." He looked at her glassy eyes and furrowed his brow. "What's happened?"
Lily tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Nothing, I'm fine," she reassured with a fake smile.
Derrick looked at her dubiously, but the gaze eventually faded though Lily felt her insides squirm. "I was just going to go for a walk. Want to come with?"
Lily opened her mouth slightly, glancing at the portrait who seemed to be looking at her with condemning. And if Lily wasn't mistaken, was also miming the word 'BITCH' as she glowered severely.
"Well, I was kind of-" she began.
"Nothing's stopping you, is it?" Derrick cut her off.
Was there anything, really? Or, more specifically: anyone?
"Well-" she started, then stopped almost suddenly. She mentally slapped herself. Was she really going to run after James and apologize when it was blatantly clear that her words meant nothing? Was she really going to make things worse, get caught up in the moment and end up probably kissing him again? She would be if she entered that portrait.
...But did she actually want that?
"Come on, then," Derrick said impatiently, walking ahead as he already assumed he would be accompanying her.
Lily blinked, still glancing back and forth between the portrait and Derrick as if one would call out to her, which indeed Derrick was doing.
"What are you waiting for?" he pressed.
What the hell was she thinking, following James? He was clearly angry with her, which was what she wanted, right? Maybe he would finally end his infatuation with her and stop this whole palaver.
