Alone, as Always

[Arvel Ayers]

Set early in the evening on Halloween, continued from here

After fleeing the party in the great hall, Arvel slipped out into the courtyard, a cold gust of evening air drying the tears half way down his face. He wiped at them, sitting down on a bench and hugging himself hard. He remembered, now, why he didn't bother trying to make friends. Nobody liked him. The worst part was, Arvel didn't even blame them. He wouldn't have wanted to be his friend, either. It wasn't that he didn't have interesting thoughts sometimes - he just didn't know how to say them in an interesting way. That, or people talked over him, dismissing him as Onyx had done just moments ago. He looked up at the stars, thinking about the planets he'd learned in Astronomy and wondering just how far away they were. The vastness of the sky made him feel smaller than ever, and before long, he found himself missing home. Not his home in New Zealand - his home in Scotland, where he'd had friends. Would things have been different if he'd stayed, he wondered? He wouldn't have met Analei. He sighed, looking down at the ground. Maybe he was better on his own.

 

[Geovanna Adler-Cade]

Geo's costume wasn't anything close to elaborate as it had been in years prior. Instead of dressing up as Professor Pendleton, a clown or even the sorting hat, the fourth year had decided to go with something quite simple for her standards, and making her way down from the Hufflepuff common room she hoped to meet up with her friends. They were on much better terms than they had been last year, and even though things were still strange between her and Jess and Leila, they could have been worse. Perhaps her mood came down to having Austin's company, and without that she wasn't sure she would have been able to pull herself out of whatever depths she'd plummeted into over the holidays, at least not as easily, and for that she would always be grateful. Of course Austin wasn't the only thing that seemed to be improving her mood over the last few months, she had to put a lot of it down to the Professors and re-evaluating what she considered to be most important and worth her time.

As the blonde made it to the Great Hall, she could already hear the music of the Halloween event going on inside. It was her favourite season and time of year and she'd been looking forward to this night for weeks. She paused outside for a few minutes though, taking a moment to realise how far she'd come. She knew first hand how easy it was to get swept up into the action and drama of events unfolding around the school, and before she pushed herself into the room to join the crowds, she enjoyed a few minutes by herself to appreciate where she was. Anyone from the orphanage no doubt would see it very strange that Geo could hold back, consider what she was doing, and it only made her remember how much she'd changed in the last few years.

Although her eyes were looking around at the students that came and went, joining and leaving the hall and doing their own thing with their friends, it wasn't until she spotted a particularly upset looking student headed outside the main doors that she perked up her attention. She didn't know Arvel particularly well, although he had been a great help during the game of Assassin last year, and despite not getting to know him beyond simple pleasantries they did seem to be able to share a civil conversation now and again. Perhaps it would have been better to leave him to himself, sometimes she knew it would help if he needed time to think, but considering how Professor Pendleton had recently caught her in a state of her own, she'd been glad for company and someone to vent to, and that was before he'd managed to help her out. She followed the younger boy out hesitantly, approaching him cautiously into the court yard in case he decided he didn't want her around, but not willing to just leave him out there without checking first. "Arvel?" She called out. The last thing either of them needed was for him to be startled. "Are you okay?"
​

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Either Geo was incredibly light on her feet, or Arvel had been too wrapped up in his own thoughts to hear her follow him outside. He glanced over his shoulder, and then back down, curling in on himself. Great. Just what he needed - one of the few older students he admired seeing him crying. But he couldn't help the tears; no matter how tight he shut his eyes, they continued to escape him, accompanied by quiet sniffs. Eventually, he shook his head. The embarrassment of being seen like this was far less painful than Geo walking away would have been. He didn't ask her to stay - he couldn't bring himself to - but he willed her to sit down, to talk to him, to hug him, to do anything besides leave.

 

[Geovanna Adler-Cade]

Geo's steps towards him never stopped, although they slowed down a little the closer she got. It wasn't until he shook his head that her thoughts were confirmed, and the fourth year took a seat on the bench beside him. She wasn't like the others, she didn't know what to say to help someone upset. Growing up, especially as she came to the age of leaving St. Mary's, she'd been there to look out for the younger children, although that usually consisted of them being told off or getting themselves hurt. This was a little different though, and although she didn't understand why Arvel was upset, she hoped that she could be of some comfort in the only way she knew how. She wrapped both arms around the younger boys shoulders, pulling him into a tight hug and resting her cheek in his fluffy brown hair, just holding him securely for a few minutes in silence. By this time it was already quite dark out, and not too many people were around as they were distracted with the events going on inside, but someone in need of her help would always come as a priority. "What happened in there?" she asked eventually, releasing her grip on him slightly and lowering her arm, but leaving one draped over his back as she spoke. Geo thought she'd seen him around with another Hufflepuff girl in his year, although since she wasn't in sight she wondered if something had happened between them. She knew exactly how that felt.
​

 

[Analei Westwick]

Though Analei was enjoying herself, she kept glancing around to see if she could see her friends. They hadn't made plans to meet up, but she assumed they were going. Her eyes caught Arvel as he left the Great Hall, so she excused herself from the company she was with and made her way towards him. He had left a lot quicker than she thought, and by the time she found him, he was outside. It took her a moment to figure out what was happening, a few sniffs coming from the area where she saw the girl she knew as Geovanna with her arms around him. Analei made her way slowly towards them, sitting on the floor in front of Arvel, and just rested her hand on his foot, so that he knew she was there. She had no idea what happened, but she hated seeing her friend like this.
​

 

[Arvel Ayers]

When Onyx had tried to hug Arvel, the Hufflepuff had immediately shrugged him away, irritated by the uninvited physical contact. But he wanted Geo to hug him, and so leaned straight into her comforting warmth. It was nice, though he felt guilty for making her damp. He could have stayed that way much longer than Geo allowed. "Just... nobody wants to talk to me," he choked out, rubbing his face. It was then that Analei came into his view, startling him. He watched her sit down on the cold, hard stone, resting her hand on his foot, and felt suddenly protected, as if together she and Geo had formed a wall around him to shield him from the loneliness. He felt... cared about. He didn't understand why they cared, and still half expected them to ditch him again at any second, but they were here. For a moment, he could only sit and savour the beautifully overwhelming feeling. Then he said, "I just want someone to want to talk to me. Nobody wants to talk to me. I was talking to Onyx, in the hall, and he acted like I didn't exist - like he couldn't wait to get away from me. It's like that all the time. I haven't got any friends - except you, Analei - and you're going to get bored of me, too, and leave, and I won't have anybody, and I don't know what to do!"

 

[Geovanna Adler-Cade]

"Are you sure that's true?" Geo asked, as she spotted the girl she usually saw with him approach and take a seat in front of Arvel. She had been a little hesitant to ask as if the issue lay with the girl then it would have been more difficult for Arvel to open up about it, but given her demeanour Geo didn't think that she was doing anything to make the matters worse. The fourth year still wasn't sure what was wrong but did her best to deduce what had happened, although the younger boy opened up to them there and then. She swallowed nervously when he mentioned not knowing what to do, and while she felt as though she knew what he meant to feel as though no one wanted to talk to him, that didn't mean she knew how to fix it. The Hufflepuff didn't know who this Onyx was, it wasn't a name she recognised, but she didn't like the way that Arvel felt as though he needed anyone's approval to be considered interesting. "If he doesn't want to talk to you, that's his loss." She started, peering down at her house mate even if he didn't want to meet her gaze. Geo was lucky in that she did have a group of friends, but that didn't mean they'd come without their own share of problems and even now things weren't exactly smooth. "Some people are way too wrapped up in their own worlds to even realise what they're doing. And I know we don't talk very much but I already know a tonne of interesting things about you!" she shot him a small smile, "You just need to keep being you and you'll see that those who really want to be your friend will be." Geo glanced between Arvel and the younger girl, hoping that she would agree. "One of my closest best friends, I met him in the abandoned bathroom at the end of my second year. I didn't know we were going to be friends until we were, and sometimes you just click with people more than others."
​

 

[Analei Westwick]

At Arvel's words, Analei felt her blood boil. She knew she was supposed to be controlling her anger, but this felt justified. Someone was hurting her friend. Her friend was hurting because of someone's idiotic actions. Who even was that kid?! She had never heard of him before. Analei was livid. But Arvel needed her to be a friend right now, not an angry badger. His next few words broke her heart, and she shook her head fervently. She sat up on her knees as Geo spoke, nodding her head in agreement when she told him to just keep being him. "Arvel, you will always have me." Hoping she seemed sincere, even though she still had her monster makeup on. "I'm not going to leave you, don't worry. You're stuck with me forever. If someone's too lame to see how amazing you are, then - Geo's right. His loss. I always want to talk to you. Anytime. I'm always here for you, okay?"
​

 

[Arvel Ayers]

It wasn't Onyx's loss. What was there to lose? Arvel sniffed and rubbed his face again. He wanted to believe Geo really knew some interesting things about him, but since he couldn't recall telling her any, he only felt as if she were pitying him. She did have a point, though, about making friends. After all, he didn't particularly want to be friends with someone rude enough to brush a person off - someone like Onyx. Maybe, really, he wasn't missing out on much. He looked down at the ground near Analei, unable to meet her eye as she assured him she wasn't going anywhere. He felt silly for needing her to say it, yet simultaneously didn't want her to stop. Reluctantly, he nodded, the words to thank them stuck in his throat. Thanking them would be admitting he'd needed it, and though they had both now seen him crying, he still wanted to hang on to his last shreds of dignity. "I want to go back in," he said instead, after a moment. Onyx wasn't going to ruin his evening. "You don't have to stay with me," he added, in case Analei didn't want him cramping her style, either. "I don't even have a costume."