Hey guys. Not my best chapter but it's about to get good after this chap! Hope you enjoy, thanks so much for reading this!
Jennifer's POV -
The following day, I can't seem to focus on anything other than Draco, which is the exact opposite of what I had originally been planning to do.
I still have so many questions for him, and last night just gave me more. However, I've unwillingly accepted the fact that they'll most likely never be answered, which is a slight disappointment.
Draco avoids my eyes the entire day, which sort of makes sense, when you weigh in the fact that he basically told me he wanted nothing to do with me anymore.
By 8:00 that night, I've completely accepted the fact that I will not be speaking with him again, unless it is 100% necessary.
Part of me is still wishing he would want to talk to me as much as I secretly want to him, but I know he doesn't. Which I don't want to believe is true, but honestly, I have to. It's necessary.
A few hours later, the dark common room is empty, and I'm glad to be completely alone, curled up on the couch with a book.
Suddenly, I feel the couch sink down next to me, and an all too familiar voice whispers, "We need to talk."
I close my book a little more violently than necessary, and rest my head against the cover. "What the hell." I breathe softly.
"What?" Draco asks, and I turn my head towards him, praying to God that he's joking.
"You're kidding, right?" I say in disbelief, but the dumbfounded look on his face does not change. "You told me to leave you alone not even 24 hours ago, and now, you want to talk?"
The mental struggle taking place within him is evident on his features, and I sigh impatiently. "Please, just leave me alone."
"No." He finally says, and I can't help but notice the way that he inches closer to me.
"Did I not make myself clear enough the first time?" I say after a few moments in which he remains still.
"No, you did, but I'm not going. We're doing this, now."
"I don't get it." I say, before he can continue talking. He stares at me, expressionless. "You said you didn't want to talk to me, but now you refuse to stop."
His hand flies to my shoulder, almost instinctively, but he quickly removes it after realizing what he's done. I try to ignore my pounding heart. "You don't get it." He pleads.
"I think I do." I say, standing up and brushing off my robes. He jumps to his feet.
"We're not done here." He says, an undeniable harshness lingering on his words.
"Really? I thought you were done last night." I spit. I can hear the venom in my own voice.
"No-we need to talk-"
"See, that's the thing. You pretend to care, you pretend that you, I don't know, like me, and then you turn it around on me at the last second, and I can't stand it anymore!" The words flow out of me in a jumbled mess, it feels like I have been waiting to say them for an eternity.
For a brief second, the look on his face is stunned and angry, but he recovers quickly. "It's not my fault you're clingy." He says cooly.
What the hell?!
"You know, you're a real asshole." I say, beginning to walk away as quickly as I possibly can, dying to get to the staircase.
"Nothing I haven't heard before." He retorts, and I roll my eyes, red hot anger shooting through me as I take the stairs two at a time.
I don't know whether to scream or to cry. Why is he such a jerk? Right when I begin to think we had something good going for us, it all turns to shit.
***
Draco's POV -
As soon as she's out of my sight, I collapse back onto the couch, resting my forehead in my palm.
I refuse to show her what she can do to me. How even the tiniest thing she says can send my emotions into a frenzy. It fucking sucks, which is why it's better if she doesn't know.
When I finally look up after what feels like hours, I see that she's left her book next to me on the couch.
Without even thinking, I swipe it up off of the couch and shuffle up the stairs to find her.
"Hey." I breathe the words out when I finally reach her. She reels around on her heels, obviously not ecstatic to see me.
I hold out the novel carefully. "You forgot your book."
She mutters a thanks, in despite of her anger towards me, and snatches the book out of my hand with a glare that could freeze the entire room over.
And like that, she's gone again, before I can say another word.
***
The next morning, I can immediately tell that Jennifer is beyond pissed at me, and let me say, the feeling is mutual.
But we're not angry at each other for the same reasons. She's angry at me because I was being an egotistical asshole, which shouldn't have been a surprise. But what can I say, I'm not a man of inferiority. However, I'm angry at her for entirely different reasons.
I've never felt very emotional with girls before. They've never really been a matter of importance to me. Which sucks ass for them, because they think I want more than just to mess around, which is definitely not the case. That's until now.
I don't know what it is about Jennifer, but everything she does sends me on edge. I don't fucking get it. I'm not supposed to feel like this. I mean, who the fuck does she think she is to make me feel like this?
I can't even get her to look at me at breakfast. She seems to be spaced out, and rather tired. Faint dark circles rest under her eyes.
I look up at the ceiling, which is peppered with snow. Winter break is approaching quickly. The year is flying by, and I still have so much to work on with the vanishing cabinet.
Thinking about my task makes me want to crawl into my dorm and never come out again. Which, of fucking course, reminds me that I'm not supposed to be associating with Jennifer at all in the first place. Which that lasted, what, 19 hours?
Jesus Christ, Draco.
When I make it to potions, I realize that I'm barely able to keep my eyes open. How much sleep did I lose? I'm not even sure.
Jennifer looks worse. Dark circles swim beneath her eyes, her hair is a little messed up. I notice that she's running a shaky hand over a small bracelet on her wrist, but I dismiss it without a second thought.
I don't realize that Slughorn has started to list off the daily announcements, and quickly begin to pay attention.
"...as you know, winter break is nearing, and I am completely aware that most of you will not be studying." The class starts to murmur in agreement as the Professor lets his words sink in. "IF..." He continues, drawing all attention back to the front of the room, "Someone does not make you. So, I've made plans to keep you, eh, busy, over your break."
A collective groan rises from my peers, but I have neither the interest nor the energy to reply.
I gaze across the table, and see that Jennifer has fallen asleep, her cheek rested gently in her palm, a few strands of red hair falling in her face.
Without thinking, I reach over and touch her shoulder. Her eyes flutter open, and she turns toward me.
"You fell asleep." I whisper, and her cheeks turn a deep shade of crimson. "Why don't you go back to the common room and get some rest?"
She throws me a venomous glare, and I'm surprised she can pull it off, considering the fact that she's so tired. Maybe it's just the dark circles that add to the effect. "Since when do you care." It's more of a statement than a question.
I roll my eyes, and turn my attention back to Slughorn. Goddamn.
"To keep you busy, I am assigning a winter break project, in which you will be given a potion to research. You will - write a five page essay on it's ingredients and history, brew the potion itself, and present it to the class the first Friday succeeding winter break."
I let an exasperated sigh blow past my lips and rest my chin in my hand as the complaints surfacing around me grow to be more and more persistent.
"This is a partner project, as well. Don't get too excited, your companion will not be a matter of choice. To make things easier, I have simply assigned your common potions partner to work with you on this project. And there will be no work time in class, so the two of you will have to make arrangements."
Of fucking course.
The dreadful moans of my classmates are drowned out by my own thoughts. Obviously, that means I'll be working with Jennifer. Outside of class, over break, for an extended period of time.
How the hell will we manage that? You know, finding time to meet up and work. And there's always the fact that we can't go 24 hours without fighting.
I look over at her, absentmindedly wondering how she's taking this news. There's a grimace plastered onto her face, like somebody just told her something particularly gross. I can't be that bad, can I?
***
Jennifer's POV -
Meeting up with Draco over winter break to work on a project sounds like hell right now, but so does going home to my dad's house.
However, I'd rather take one asshole over three. It's cliché, but like every cliché, it's true.
"Jen?" Kelsie asks, bringing me back to the surface that is reality. Her head is tilted in concern.
"Hm." I say.
"What's on your mind?"
I shoot her a telltale look, and she instantly understands.
"C'mon, he won't be that bad. He can't be." When I don't respond, she pushes further. "Would you rather work with Blaise?"
"Um, no." I scoff almost instinctively. That scenario makes my current one seem like a walk through the park. I lean my head against the tree trunk supporting my back and gaze up at the daylight filtering through the leaves. "I just...I just don't know what to do about him."
"So don't do anything." Kelsie responds, as if it's that simple. I laugh a little bit at the thought.
"Break's almost over, I gotta go." She says, sweeping her slightly dampened books off of the dewy grass. I lazily raise a hand, as if to say goodbye, still lost in my own thought.
When she's out of earshot, I let out a sigh that I didn't realize I was holding in. How am I going to be able to deal with Malfoy for an additional two weeks? I still have no idea.
All I know is that this project is going to suck, for the both of us.
***
The dungeons are quite cold at night. I've known this for a while, but keep forgetting to bring a sweater to dinner.
I cross my arms and shiver unwillingly as the air shifts.
Right as I'm turning the corner, I ram into something, and hard. The impact sends me stumbling back a few steps.
When I look up, I see a face that makes me sick to my stomach. Blaise.
"Hey." A smirk is tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"What do you want." I manage to utter the words as I pull my eyes away from his gaze.
"Well, nothing really." He says, and I can feel him taking a moment to look me over, considering his options. "Well, maybe I do, actually." He chuckles to himself.
I cross my arms over my chest as he rambles on. "You know, maybe you should come over to my place over winter break. We could have lots of fun." He says, and I can hear the smirk in his voice. He wiggles his eyebrows and reaches an arm out towards me.
"Actually, she's coming to mine, you goddamn idiot." Draco says. I look to my side, bewildered, and realize that he has materialized beside me. What the hell?
Blaise's face slowly hardens. "Fuck you, Malfoy." He growls, and then strides away with his hands shoved in his pockets.
Draco shrugs from beside me, and I turn to him, infuriated. "What the hell was that?!"
"You'd think you would be a bit nicer to me, considering the fact that I just saved you from his perverted ass." He says casually, staring after Blaise.
I think about this for a moment. "Alright, sure. But I'm not coming over to your house."
"Why not? We have to work on that dumbass project anyways." He argues, and I roll my eyes.
"Have you forgotten that we hate each other at the moment?" I say persistently, and he hesitates for a moment, his features containing an uncertain look.
"Well, how else are we going to get the thing done?"
I grind my teeth together, thinking hard. What he says is true, it would be very difficult to get it done if we were at two different houses. "Alright, fine." I give in. "I'll think about it."
He bites his lip to hold back a smirk. "Okay."
As I walk away as quickly as I can, not bothering to look back, what seems like hundreds of questions reel through my head, no answers to any of them.
What the hell did I just agree too?
***
Not my best chapter but things will heat up verrrrry soon! Stick with me :) thanks so much for reading, voting, and commenting! See ya soon :)