A Rose in a Million • Rose Weasley

Chapter 16

There was only a week and a half left until the Christmas party, and I was starting to freak out.

Never in my life had I cared so much about finding myself a date, until now.

I had assumed that maybe Scorpius would ask me, but despite the vast amount of time we had spent together, he never asked. And as much as it pained me, I was beginning to think that he just didn't think of me in that way.

Maybe it was for the best.

Still, in the deep, dark pits in my mind I held out in the hope that he would ask me, despite how glaringly obvious it was that he wasn't going to.

I was feeling particularly frustrated, and it was on that day that I couldn't contain it anymore. I happened to let it all out to the only person who was around: James, much to his dismay. Poor James, I doubt listening to a fifteen-year-old girl complain about a boy was his ideal way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Nonetheless, he sat there and listened, something that I was grateful for.

James may not look it, but he's good at listening and giving advice. Sure, he wasn't my go-to when I had a problem, but he had an interesting perspective when it came to most things. Normally, I went to Scorpius when I had problem, but as I couldn't exactly talk to Scorpius about himself, James would have to do.

"So let me get this straight, you want Scorpius to be your date to the party?" James asked, after I had finished telling him everything that I was feeling.

"No!" I exclaimed, but I said it too quickly causing James to eye me suspiciously. I sighed. "I... I don't know."

"So you wouldn't mind if he asked out somebody else?"

I shrugged my shoulders in an attempt to seem as nonchalant as possible, as if the thought of Scorpius going with someone else didn't make me sick to my stomach. "Course not, he has no reason to ask me."

I mustn't have been very convincing because James smirked knowingly. "Right...." he trailed off. "So you don't want to go with him to the party, but you also don't want him to go with anybody else?"

I bit my lip, realizing just how insane it sounded. "Does it sound as crazy as I think it does?"

"Very." James reached for his wand and twirled it around his fingers. Clearly, his mind was elsewhere. "I don't know, Rose. It looks to me like maybe you do like him."

"But I don't."

He stopped twirling his wand and shot me a confused look. "Why are you so adamant about this?"

"I'm not. I just.... I would know if I felt something for him." And I was certain I would. What I felt for Scorpius couldn't be classified so simply. My feelings for him were confusing and clouded by years of friendship. And I couldn't quite decipher them no matter how much I tried.

"Look, take it from someone who knows a thing or two about love," I rolled my eyes, but James continued. "It's always worth having the truth out in the open. Even if you don't know what you feel for him yet, he should know."

I raised an eyebrow, not quite believing what he was telling me. "You're telling me that I should tell Scorpius that I feel something towards him, but I don't quite know what yet, so could he maybe put everything on hold and wait?"

"Maybe phrase it a little better." He grimaced, and began twirling his wand again. "I know it sounds crazy, but if you told him, you could figure it out together."