Lily pulled on her emerald green dress, its skin tight, shiny fabric making her skin a milky white and her eyes pop. Her red hair was complemented by the green colour, and her freckles looked almost non-existent. She had on silvery heels, which seemed to sparkle in the light of her bedroom. She put on another coating of mascara, bringing the tally up to three times that night. Her eyebrows looked surprisingly okay today, which she was thankful for. She grabbed her silvery sparkly purse and headed down the stairs.
''Jesus, Lily! You're going to blind someone with those goddamn sparkles!'' Petunia said, shaking her head and glaring at Lily, who glared right back.
''And you're going to blind them with the light shining off your two front teeth. Or should I say continents, because they're that far apart?'' Lily said, turning on her heal and walking towards the front door while Petunia ran upstairs, her hand on her mouth. Lily knew how much she brushed her teeth for a 'shiny effect', but Lily knew she only did it to distract from the gap between them. Her mother walked into the entry hall, and stopped when she looked at Lily.
''Blimey, I didn't know you could manage to look this beautiful!'' Her mother said jokingly, and Lily laughed, giving her a hug before running a hand through her hair.
''Hello to you too, mum. Sorry I didn't say hi earlier, but I only got home about three hours ago, and then James rang me and asked me to go to dinner and- '' She was cut off by a squeal, and then her eyes widened. ''Shit.''
''YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND? WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO TELL ME?'' Her mother said, and she rolled her eyes.
''Not now, obviously. But yes, I do, his name is James, he's picking me up in about thirty seconds, and I honestly hate my stupid big mouth right now, but yes, see you.'' She said, and her mum just shook her head as a car horn sounded outside and Lily checked herself in the mirror before opening the door.
''You're telling me more later! Be home by ten!'' Was the last thing Lily heard before she was opening the door to James' car and hopping in.
''Well hello.'' James said as Lily sat down, and she rolled her eyes, kissing him on the cheek as he drove out of her court and onto the main road, heading towards the restaurant Sirius' family owned.
''Hi, asshole.'' She said, and he laughed as he pulled in at the packed carpark. It was always packed.
''Why are we going to Sirius' parent's place? I thought you hated them?'' She said, and James nodded.
''I hate them, yes, but their food.'' He said, stepping out of the car and joining Lily on her side of the car. He knew better than to open the door for her.
''My boyfriend, always the fat lazy ass.'' She said, rolling her eyes.
''that's me!'' He said, doing finger guns at her and winking. She bit back a smile.
''If you do that again, I'm not sitting near you.'' She said, and he made fake puppy dog eyes at her.
''But you still love me, yeah?'' He said, and she laughed.
''Yes, dickface. Now go buy me a drink.'' She said, and he laughed and gave her a quick kiss.
''Love you, too, baby.'' He said, and he walked off as she smiled to herself.
-.-.-
Lily intertwined her fingers with James' as they pulled into her court.
''I enjoyed tonight.'' She said, smiling up at him as he shut off the engine, as signal that he wanted to talk. He smiled back.
''So did I.'' He said, and she smiled again, although it sort of faltered when she saw how worried his eyes looked.
''What's wrong? She asked, her voice concerned. James shook his. Head.
''It's just, earlier, when I said 'you still love me, right?' and you said, 'yes, dickface', were you being serious?'' He asked, looking like a sad little puppy and Lily's eyes softened.
''Of course I was. I love you. I promise'' She said, and James grinned, kissing the back of her hand.
''Good. I love you too.'' He said, and she kissed him, soft, slow, long, before pulling away and opening the car door.
''I know,'' She said, stepping out of the car and closing the door.
''Hey!'' James said, rolling down the window, ''You can't Han Solo me and then walk away like that!'' He shouted out of the window, and she didn't even bother turning around, but did smirk as she unlocked her front door. She heard a door slam behind her, and whipped around to find James, looking rather put-out, standing behind her.
''Well hello,'' she said, raising an eyebrow in questioning as James rolled his eyes and put his arms around her waist, kissing her on the forehead. She rolled her eyes now, putting her hands on his chest and pushing him away from her. He pouted.
''My parents are inside and don't know we're dating,'' she reminded him, and he laughed, quickly kissing her on the lips as the porch light went on.
''No time like the present,'' he said, and she laughed, swatting his arm away as it tried to find its way around her waist.
''Lily! You're home! And who's this? Your boyfriend?" Lily turned to find her dad, standing in the door way and grinning at her and James. James smirked, and lifted his hand to shake Mr. Evans', which Lily rolled her eyes at.
''Acting like a gentleman in front of my parents to suck up them, are you Potter?'' she mumbled, and James laughed, which in turn made Lily glare.
''Hello, Mr. Evans. I'm James, James Potter. I suppose Lily hasn't talked about me, has she?" James said, pouting for effect, which made Lily smack his arm. Her dad laughed, shaking his head.
''No, actually, she hasn't. Although I can't say I'm too surprised, to be honest. I mean, this is Lily we're talking about. When she first joined that Slytherin High study club, she failed to tell us until a year and a half later, when she left for 'Gryffindor purposes'.'' Mr. Evans explained, and James laughed, glancing at Lily who scowled and shook her head.
''Gits. But, yes, go ahead, laugh at me failing to mention the Slugclub. I'm your daughter, dad, and I'm your girlfriend, you twat, I deserve respect.'' She said, and the two men laughed again, making Lily smile. She was only pretending to be angry, after all. How could anyone be angry at two of their favourite people getting along so well?
Her father sighed happily, shaking his head at his daughter's comments. ''Well, come inside then, James. I'm sure Linda can make us all a coffee!'' He said cheerily, opening the door for both Lily and James, who stepped through the door gratefully, welcoming the delicious smell of baking, even though it was close to midnight.
Sounds could be heard from the kitchen, along with chatter and laughter. Mr. Evans led James through the house, pointing out the bathroom, the upstairs bit, what to not go into, and then finally leading him into the kitchen. Lily followed behind, making a few sarcastic comments here and there, adding her input on the house and making fun of her father's words. They entered the kitchen, James shrugging off his jacket and putting it with Lily's purse on the table. She turned around, seeing Petunia gape at them, and her mother laugh.
''Lily, if I had one this bloody handsome, I wouldn't be afraid to tell my mother,'' Mrs. Evans said, and Lily and James laughed. The latter reached out his hand for Mrs. Evans to shake, and she smiled.
''Nice to meet you, Mrs. Evans. I'm James Potter, Lily's unmentioned boyfriend,'' He said, and everyone laughed. Mrs. Evans shook his hand, smiling.
''Nice to meet you, James. Please, call me Linda. This is Jerry,'' she said, pointing to Lily's father, ''and this is Petunia.'' She said, pointing to another girl, who must've been Lily's sister. ''You're always welcome here, James. Hang on, James Potter?'' She said, sounding quite baffled.
''Uh, yeah?'' He said, raising an eyebrow in questioning as Linda laughed.
''Oh my god! Ha! I remember when Lily started out in her first year of Gryffindor High! She said, 'stupid git Potter with his stupid messy hair! He asked me out twenty times today! Twenty, mum! Blimey, by the end of the year it'll be six thousand!''' Linda said, laughing as she remembered her daughter's words, and they all laughed again. James glanced at Lily, who glared at him.
''In my defence, he was pretty annoying,'' she said, and he pouted again.
''Oi! I am not annoying,'' He said, and she laughed.
''Maybe not, but you are a twat.'' She said, and he rolled his eyes as she laughed. Petunia made a gagging noise and Lily looked up at her, a glare in her eyes and a scowl on her lips. She faked a smile, watching as her sister studied James curiously.
''Maybe if you stopped flirting, we'd get a coffee in before dear old James here has to leave.'' She said, batting her overly fake lashes in James' direction, who looked thoroughly confused as Lily glared her sister.
''Whatever you want, Tuney!'' She said, faking to be cheery, knowing that it scared the shit out of her sister when she pretended to be happy. Petunia rolled her eyes, looking a bit overwhelmed, and Jerry clapped his hands to break the tension.
''Let's have a coffee then, shall we?'' He said, and they all agreed, standing around the kitchen counter. Lily looked at James, at how at ease he looked, and she smiled, intertwining her fingers with his under the table. He squeezed her hand she grinned at him, before turning her attention back to her mother, who was explaining Lily's baby stories to James in excruciating detail. She was glad they were getting along.
-.-.-
Lily was so scared. She had never felt so vulnerable. She knew she was just being stupid; however, she couldn't shake the feeling of doubt as her finger hovered over the call button on her iPhone. She had talked about this with Alice, Mary, Donna and Dorcas. Mary and Donna were going to Florida for a month, Alice and Frank were basically married already and had decided to settle down in an apartment together. Dorcas had finally gotten Peter to ask her out – after fucking each other, but still – and it seemed to Lily like she was the odd one out. There was just one person she could call to hang out. Although she was worried. What if he said no? What if he didn't want to go with her? What if he said 'fuck it' and ran off with another girl?
Lily groaned in frustration and threw her phone across her room, where it landed on her cream coloured rug. She rolled over onto her back, feeling the mint green duvet underneath her starting to heat up as her body temperature rose. She hated March. It was that horrible time in between winter and summer. She couldn't wait for it to be June already, that way the weather could stick to heat and not change half way through the day. She rolled off her bed, retrieving her phone and decided to call someone who she knew she could trust, and get an honest opinion from.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
''Hey Lils.'' Remus said, answering on the fifth ring, and Lily silently thanked god.
''Hiya, Rem. Hey, I was wondering, would it be a pain in the ass for you to come over? I need your honest opinion and all my friends are busy.'' She said, nervously chewing her lip. She heard Remus' easy going laughter over the phone, and breathed a sigh of relief.
''Yeah, 'course. Want just me, or want me to bring the guys?'' He asked, and Lily panicked. What if she saw him?
''Nah, just you.'' She said.
''Alright, mate. See you in a few,'' he said, and Lily hung up, grateful that she had a male friend who she didn't question anything with. She went downstairs and sat on one of the counter stools to wait for Remus, who she knew would be arriving any second. They lived only a few minutes away.
She heard a car pull up as she opened a bottle of water, grateful that Remus had arrived quick enough to distract her from her thoughts.
''Hey, Lily!'' Remus said as he walked through the open door, and Lily got up, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She and Remus had been friends for as long as her and Alice had, and she trusted him with everything.
''Who's this? A new boy toy?'' Petunia said, walking down the stairs clumsily. Lily knew that she couldn't walk in one inch heels, let alone six inch. But she also knew Petunia was a show off, and more of one in front of Vernon.
''No, Tuney dear. This is Remus, who has been coming over twice every week since I was eleven. Or have you put so much hair spray in that bird's nest of yours that it's clogging your thoughts?'' Lily asked sweetly, and Petunia gaped at her before grabbing her handbag and walking out of the front door, slamming it behind her. As soon as she was gone Lily and Remus burst into laughter, walking up the stairs and laughing together.
''Thanks for coming over, Rem.'' Lily said, after the laughter died down. She was sat on her bed, across from Remus who was on the other side of it. He had his mustard coloured sweater sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his black skinny jeans tight as he sat cross-legged.
''No problem, honestly. But why did you want to talk to me?" He asked, and Lily sighed, picking at a thread in her denim shorts.
''Well, honestly, I was worried I'd mess up my relationship with James.'' She said, her eyes downcast. Remus grabbed her hands and held them both in between Lily and himself, nodding so she could continue.
''Well, I wanted to ask him what he was doing after school ends.'' She said.
''James is going to New York for art school, didn't he tell you?'' He asked her, and Lily nodded sadly.
''He did tell me, that's the problem. I knew if I asked him he'd feel guilty. He thinks I'm going to college to become an author, and I was, up until a few weeks ago when the college I applied for turned down my application. I didn't have a plan B because everywhere I went said no, and I ran out of options.'' She sighed sadly. ''I have no idea what to do, Rem. I want to ask James if I can go with him to New York, but what if he says no? What if he wants a break?'' Lily said, and Remus squeezed her hands, making her look at him instead of the duvet.
''Listen, okay? I'm sorry you weren't accepted by your chosen colleges. I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want you. But there are options. You could apply for a college overseas, or even try a different course. I know how smart you are, Lils. I know that you can do anything you try to. You're pretty ambitious, you know. But remember this; at the end of the day, we're always here. James is here, he's probably staring at his phone right now, waiting for you to call him, the hopeless git,'' Lily laughed at that, and Remus rolled his eyes, grinning before continuing, ''so if you ever feel that you don't have a plan B, remember, you can make your own plan B, or you could even join us on our plan As. Okay? We've got you, Lily, never doubt that.'' Remus said, and Lily nodded.
''Thank you Remus.'' She said, and they hugged each other, knowing that they would always be there for one another, even if the others wouldn't. When they pulled back, Lily studied Remus' face. He had looked a bit distant today, and she knew why.
''Are you okay?'' She finally asked, and she could see his eyes, filling with gratefulness in the form of tears. She knew he wasn't, and she wanted to change that.
''No. You know how you said that stuff about plan B?'' He said, and she nodded. He sighed. ''Well, I don't have on either. For a long time, I didn't have a plan A. But I'm so glad that about a month ago Sirius mentioned a road trip, a suddenly we both had plans. After we get back, I'm going to look after my parents as best I can, and I know Sirius is going to try and sort out his family troubles. We've decided that once we get back, we'll move in together. Sirius has a cousin whose daughter is pregnant, and we thought we'd look after the baby, since she's sick. It seems so far away, but I'm so ready. I'm only sad because my parents probably won't last another year. This time next year, they'll be gone, and I'll be the last Lupin left.'' He said, and it was Lily's turn to squeeze his hands to comfort him, and he looked at her as she shook her head.
''Honestly Rem. I thought by now you'd get it.'' She said, laughing softly, and Remus looked thoroughly confused.
''Get what?'' He asked and she laughed.
''You can make your own family, Remus. You, Sirius, his cousin's grandchild. Just make sure that you stay alive long enough for your children to remember you, Remus. Your parents have left you with memories. Some kids don't get even that.'' She said, and Remus smiled and nodded, reaching over to give her a hug.
''Thank you, Lily.'' He said, and she waved a hand dismissively.
''It was nothing but the truth, Remus.'' She said, and he nodded, smiling.
''Do ring James, okay? He won't ever say no to you. Maybe you could apply for one of the colleges there, if you want to become an author, still.'' Remus suggested, shrugging. Lily smiled and nodded.
''that's a brilliant idea! Why didn't I think of that?'' She said, and Remus laughed.
''Because I'm smarter?'' He offered, and she laughed.
''Git. But really, thanks Remus. I'm glad you're here for me, and I hope you know that I'm here for you.'' She said, and Remus grinned.
''Of course, Lils. Now, explain to me what the other girls are doing. I like to know what's up, you know, and no one ever tells me anything.'' He said, and Lily laughed before beginning to chat, thankful for Remus just being there, let alone his comforting words. I'll be okay, she thought. I can do it. We all can.
-.-.-