CYNICAL, Fred Weasley - REWRITE

7. Sweet, Sweet Dreams

"Do I Wanna Know?"
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An aroused feeling erupted in the pit of Joey's stomach as she and Fred kept their eyes locked inches apart. George had never kissed her like that. A part of her had to admit she liked the way Fred kissed her. Maybe one day she could experience a kiss like that with George. George... Joey jumped and tore her eyes away from Fred, head jerking to George who was watching them both with an unreadable expression. Joey didn't know when the party got silent, but not even the library had ever been this quiet. She did it again. She did something stupid again.

George lifted his chin and looked around with embarrassment. "It's a game, people," he said, "she didn't actually want to kiss him. Right, Jo?"

Joey didn't mean to hesitate. She was still in shock that she had just kissed Fred. Fred, her boyfriend's twin brother. And her boyfriend watched. "Oh, of course not," she finally said, her eyes following to a figure behind George's head.

Joseph stood, shaking his head at Joey, before turning around and leaving. Joey jumped up and ran after him as George continued to defend his and Joey's relationship to everyone in the room. She kissed Fred, and Joseph saw. She had no idea what he must think of her, because he looked as though he had just gotten there. "Seph!" Joey called after him, as he angrily stormed through the corridors.

After much chasing, he stopped in a dark hallway and turned around, face red with anger. "What did I tell you? Why do you always have to do something stupid and embarrass yourself? Enough drinking, Joey! It's clearly not good for you."

"Would you like to know that George kissed Alicia before I kissed Fred? Because I'm pretty sure that's just as stupid! It was a game!" she shouted back at him.

"But he didn't kiss her like that, did he?"

"Millie changed the rules!"

Joseph laughed incredulously. "And you still think she's such a good friend?"

Joey clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes at him. "She didn't know it was going to land on Fred."

"Of course she did! She's causing trouble for you and your boyfriend, and for your boyfriend and his family. Millie likes to see things fall apart because that's all that ever happens to her in life. Misery loves company, Joey," Joseph spat. "I'm disappointed in you, and you better hope George loves you enough to realize that you're fucking drunk and stupid, and he was too for playing that adolescent game! Grow the hell up!" He stormed off without looking back once to see the effect his words had on Joey.

Silence again. Joey held her breath, holding and holding, until she couldn't. Bursting into tears, Joey held her face in her hands in the dark hallway. Joseph was right. She was being stupid. It was irresponsible of her to agree to that stupid game. Only single people should be playing that game. And this is why. Now she didn't know if the boy she loved hated her for kissing his brother. Even worse, she hated herself for liking it. She hated herself for falling into the kiss without thinking twice as if it were a hole she could never climb out of. Joey couldn't believe she could hurt George like this, all to appease Millie and get even with George.

The tears kept running and Joey didn't know how to make them stop. Quick footsteps grew closer to her, until she felt a pair of arms wrap warmly around her shaking body. "Shhh. It's okay, Josephina," It was Fred. Only Fred called her that. "George loves you, he knows that it... meant nothing. Otherwise, he wouldn't be yelling at a room full of people right now for you."

Joey cried harder into Fred's arms. "I keep making mistakes, Fred."

Fred laughed softly. "What're you talking about?"