Method to his Madness

Prologue - Succesfully Avoiding Responsibilities

I sigh as I lean my head back against the window, the late August sun warm on my back. Somedays, I feel myself longing for that kind of friendship. It's only been four years, but I miss my home more and more. Signing up for this job was fun and all, but I wouldn't mind if it ended. Sure, I'd miss this world (the pizza's!), but the longer this lasts, the less it's worth it being away from home. And being invisible kinda sucks as well, of course. Despite the fact that I can make sarcastic comments whenever I want to without getting reprimanded, it becomes kind of lonely.

"Alright guys," Emma says, leaning over the lunch table. Her white hair is frizzy and falls down in waves over her back, creating some kind of regal image. "It's the first evening. What do we do?"

This is - just like Harry's sleeping in - another tradition they have. On the first evening of school, they will always find a way to spend the night together with all of them, causing as much ruckus as they can without getting caught. Charlotte groans as she eyes Emma from the other side of the table. "Aren't we a bit too old for this by now?"
I click my tongue as I shake my head at her in mock-disappointment. Always the killjoy, our dear Charlotte. Harry wraps his arm around her and tugs her against him. "C'mon babe. It'll be fun!"

She frowns. "It's childish."

Emma rolls her eyes and mutters something under her breath. I can't catch what she's saying, but it wouldn't surprise me if it wasn't friendly. I don't know what happened between them, but the relationship between Emma and Charlotte has been strained since day one. It could be because they both dated the same boy, but Emma doesn't strike me as the type to be jealous, and definitely not of Harry. After all, their friendship is still going strong, even after breaking up, and I don't see anything change that anytime soon.

"Let's go to the rooftop!" Rafe suggests with a grin. Emma seems to think this over, but then shakes her head. "Boring."
Rafe cocks an eyebrow at her, although she can't see his facial expression. "Since when is the rooftop boring?" She swats him away. "It's not necessarily boring. It's just boring on the first night of our senior year."

"You're making it sound as if you're going to lose your virginity or something," Liam pipes up, and Emma screws her face up at his words. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Li."
"We can go to the basement," Harry offers, breaking up the banter.

"Oh! Yeah!" Emma's face lights up with excitement. "That sounds like an excellent idea, Harold!"
He flicks a bit of his pasta at her face. "Not. My. Name."
She responds by poking him between his ribs. "Not. Like. I. Care."

I follow the conversation with interest, my head moving around as if I'm watching a ping-pong match.

"Don't forget we have soccer practice first tonight," Liam says. Emma groans, and even Felicity's face screws up at the words. "On the first day of school, really?"

Liam shrugs. "Levi wants us too." He looks over his shoulder towards Levi and his friends are sitting in the cafeteria. It's not that difficult to find them, they are almost constantly surrounded by a group of worshippers. They might not see it, but I know exactly what it means to worship someone and the pupils at Saint. Jude's definitely worship Levi. The soccer captain is holding court at his own lunch table, his two best friends closely at his side as a bunch of sophomores and juniors are drooling all over him. The freshmen are absent, like always. They're too afraid to get near that god-like creature, even though he really isn't that interesting in real life.

Charlotte leans her head on Harry's shoulder. "Do you guys really want to go to the basement?"

He shrugs as he presses a kiss on her head, being disgustingly cute in the process. "Why not? It'll be fun."