Degrees of Separation | Sebastian Sallow

Chapter Eight - Girls, Gossip and Garreth's Potions

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"Rue? Earth to Rue?"

Poppy's voice wakes me suddenly, and I struggle to push myself up onto an elbow, realizing that I'd fallen asleep on her bed mid conversation. I search for the sound of her voice, sitting up a little further to see her and Natty staring at me funnily from the foot of the bed, both their knees drawn up to their chests, looking as if they've been locked into some sort of hushed gossip.

"I'm up," I groan, rolling over onto my stomach so that I could face them.

Poppy and Natty both share a look between themselves and I raise a suspecting brow, resting my cheek into my palm as I prop myself onto an elbow. "What?"

"Oh, nothing!" Poppy chimes, knocking a shoulder into Natty's. "We were just asking you if you were still planning on coming to The Three Broomsticks with us tonight."

Oh— I'd all but forgotten I'd made plans to go with them this weekend.

"Um... I don't know, Poppy. I'm really tired— I haven't been getting much sleep." I glance over to the ticking clock on Poppy's bedside, watching the hour already pass nine.

"Oh come on, Rue. You've never turned down a trip to The Three Broomsticks before! It's a new semester— the beginning of our last year! It'll be fun!"

Natty nods along to Poppy's insistent pleas, holding a hand out as if to solidify her point. "She is right, you know. Besides, you seem really tense. Perhaps a little night out is just what you need."

I narrow my eyes, my gaze flicking between the two of my friends. It was extremely difficult to say no when they both gave me those eyes.

"Plus..." Poppy drags out the word. "Isn't your super attractive but super scary boyfriend going to be there?"

I practically yelp out in surprise, pushing myself up enough that I can give her shoulder a nice shove in response. "Poppy! He's not— he's not scary," I grumble, ducking my head in fear that my cheeks were all too flushed.

"To you, maybe! You're not scared of anything! But he's scary to me!" Poppy giggles, joining in with Natty's own guilty laughter.

"Natty! You think he's scary too?" I can't fight the horrified laugh bubbling up from my throat when I look back up to see the both of them trying to cover their grins with their hands.

Natty only shrugs, a sheepish smile twitching at her lips. "I don't know him enough, but he is very intimidating."

"Yeah, and the way his father skulks about the castle at night freaks me out, too," Poppy adds, and I give her a look. "What? I see him sometimes... when I sneak out to go poacher hunting."

"Poacher hunting? You're still doing that?"

"That's besides the point, Rue!" Poppy huffs, holding up a hand to silence me, and I have to bite my lip to keep from barking out another laugh. "Anyway, as I was saying... he gives off a weird... aura."

"Wait, Mr. Malfoy or Killian?"

"Mr. Malfoy."

Hm. "Well, I've never met him so I can't say."

"Wait, didn't you spend all summer with Killian?"

Again, I duck my head to the side, chin to chest, to keep my furious blush to myself. "Yes."

"And you didn't meet his father?"

I glance back up, heart lodged up into my throat. "No. We kind of... snuck around all summer. Kept things to ourselves, you know?" I pick at something nonexistent atop Poppy's blanket, pretending to flick it away.