Closed Backwards To One

[Blake van Houten]

As a kid Blake had always thought the Yule Ball was pretty stupid, too girly to be of any interest to him. It was still definitely too girly, but that was something Blake was more okay with with a girl on his arm. Alice was pretty, popular, a prefect and the daughter of the minister, everything Blake wanted to be associated with, and this was a perfect opportunity to show off. Hanging around with Alice was already raising his social capital, Blake could tell, and the Yule Ball was going to cement that. Entering the hall arm in arm with Alice, Blake couldn't help smirking slightly. He had definitely made the right choice of girlfriend. "Hmm, as I thought." Blake murmured to Alice, after looking around the room. "You're the most beautiful girl here, no questions."

 

[Alice Holland]

Alice had been looking forward to this night for a while, as it would be the first time she and Blake could go to the yule ball together as a couple. She had gone to the yule ball with Phineas two years earlier, but that had mostly made her sad. She hoped this time, going with a proper date would actually be as magical as she had always imagined it. Alice beamed as she spotted Blake, and happily took his arm. The two entered together, and Blake told her she was the most beautiful girl here. Alice smiled at his comment, though, not for the first time, she wondered if Blake thought of these things to say beforehand. Sometimes, it felt a little too perfect. But then she felt silly for thinking that, who was worried when things were too nice? "I'm pretty lucky myself." She said softly, touching Blake's arm. She really liked him, and she felt a warmth in her chest as she looked at him. Even if he thought of the things he said to her beforehand, it only meant he was trying hard to make her feel good. That was sweet. "What do you want to do?" She asked, glancing at the snacks and then at the dance floor. "I can't decide."

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake chuckled softly at Alice's comment that she was lucky, quietly thinking how true that was. She was definitely the popular, powerful type he had been looking for, but he had put a lot of work into making sure she was treated like a princess, and there was no doubt she was lucky to have someone like him. Spotting the two different directions she was looking, Blake thought for a moment. He didn't really want to dance, but it was going to be inevitable tonight. He could put it off though, easily. "Let me get you a drink." He offered, smiling. "So you don't get dehydrated dancing."

 

[Alice Holland]

Alice felt touched by Blake's suggestion, and she nodded after giving him a kiss on the cheek. "That sounds wonderful." She said with a smile. "Thanks. It'll make me ready to dance with you all night." She added with a grin. "While you go get drinks, I'll go look around to see if I can spot Ava and Tyler yet, okay?" She was delighted that their friends were here together, and was hoping to meet up with them so they could all spend time together.

 

[Blake van Houten]

"Perfect." Blake replied, smiling warmly and giving Alice a quick kiss before walking away, having to detour around a large group of people to get to the tables. He let out a small sigh once he was away, shoulders relaxing slightly. As great as Alice was for his image, it was exhausting being a perfect boyfriend all the time. He didn't know how people kept this up for an entire lifetime. It wasn't all bad, though. Blake took a moment to look around once he got to the table, hoping to see someone he knew, maybe chat a bit and delay dancing for a while longer. He was pleased to see Sierra, giving her the same smooth grin he had charmed Alice with. Hopefully this would be a worthwhile delay.

 

[Sierra Woodlock]

Sierra loved the Yule Ball, she loved seeing people getting dressed up and having fun. She hadn't bought anyone with her, and most of her peers were with one specific person, and it made her wonder if she should have asked people to go with her. Maybe she should for the Valentines Dance.
Sierra was busy eating at the table when she saw her friend Blake. She grinned back at him, moving towards him before remembering that she had to ask first. "Sorry - can I kiss you?"

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake wasn't quite sure what was happening when Sierra moved closer, leaning back a little out of instinct. Hie questions were quickly answered though, when Sierra asked if she could kiss him. Oh. Blake was a bit surprised, though he supposed he really shouldn't be. Of course girls would be falling over themselves to kiss someone like him. And kissing Alice was pretty fun, so why not? He glanced around, making sure the group of people he had needed to navigate around was decently in the way, before looking back at Sierra with a grin. It wouldn't be bad to be thought of as a player, who could get multiple girls on the ropes, right? The more girls, the merrier. "Sure." Blake grinned smoothly, leaning closer to Sierra again. "Go for it..."

 

[Sierra Woodlock]

Sierra was prepping herself to have to explain - she likes kissing, kissing should be for everyone, kissing is cool etc, but Blake agreed almost straight away, moving in closer. Sierra smiled, closing the distance between them and placing her lips on his.

 

[Alice Holland]

Alice had looked around for a bit to see if she could spot her friend and her date, and beamed when she spotted the two of them together. She saw Avaria kiss him on the cheek, which made her want to squeal with delight. She had definitely made the right choice, setting them up together. Not wanting to disturb them, she turned back to Blake to share the happy news. She didn't spot him right away, but as she moved in the direction of the drinks table, she saw him after a group of students moved out of the way. Alice didn't immediately realize what she was seeing, but when she did she stopped in her tracks. There was Blake, her boyfriend, kissing another girl. She was completely frozen in shock, unable to do anything but blink. What... was this? How could he do that? She knew he liked her, he kept telling her so. So why would he do this? Alice's face flushed, and she felt tears sting in her eyes. But she wasn't going to shed any, not here and now. With an almost eerie calm, she walked over to the two of them.

Alice placed a hand on Blake's shoulder, which thankfully caused him to pull away from the younger girl. Alice turned her attention on the Gryffindor, who she recognized vaguely, but now immensely disliked. "Would you excuse me and my boyfriend for a moment?" She asked her, her voice cold as ice. The glare she then gave the younger girl said more than her words could, but she only spared her a moment before turning her attention to Blake. The tears were still threatening to spill, but she managed to force them back for now. She would be able to get out of here soon, part of her brain was already calculating how far it would be to walk to the doors of the great hall. Alice's voice was perhaps a bit louder than she needed it to be, but she wanted nearby people to be able to hear her. Still, she wasn't yelling as she spoke to Blake. "I don't know what sort of idiotic game you're playing, but I'm not going to ..." She faltered, for a moment before finding her resolve again. "I'm not going to put up with it. You're a pathetic loser, Blake. And I'm dumping you." She then grabbed a drink from the table, emptying it on Blake's head. She hadn't intended to do that at first, but it was too satisfying and she couldn't regret it. The only thing she regretted was the way her voice had wobbled at the end of her sentence. But there was nothing to be done now. Alice turned away, and while she wanted to stride out gracefully, she couldn't stop herself from breaking into a run after a few steps. She needed to get out of the great hall, before she burst into tears. Why had Blake betrayed her like this? Had it all been just a joke? Or had he simply been happy to replace her the moment her back was turned? She didn't know, and she wasn't ever going to find out.

 

[Tyler Lee]

Tyler had been having a good time with Avaria, and was starting to think Blake was really onto something with this dating thing. He'd always thought you really had to like a girl to go out with her, but it really seemed more important that she really liked you. Ava was cute and sweet, and really seemed to like him, and it was great. But even as the two of them had been dancing, he couldn't quite get his mind off Sierra. She had looked so beautiful in the red dress he'd spotted her in moments before, and even as he moved around the dance floor with the Ravenclaw, he couldn't help looking for a flash of red in the crowd. He finally spotted the familiar figure by the drinks table, but what he then saw made him stumble and stop dancing. He stood, frozen in place for a moment as he watched his best friend kissing the girl he liked. Had liked for ages, even since their first year, if he was really honest. Blake knew that. Quietly, Tyler let go of his date, without even really realizing he was doing it. He took a step towards the two, as if he was hoping to stop it from happening. His gaze was trained on Sierra for the most part, but that was because it was too painful to look at his best friend. He knew Blake wasn't always the nicest guy, but he'd thought the two of them were loyal to each other. That Blake would do as much for Tyler as Tyler would do for him. That clearly wasn't the case. But then Alice Holland came to interrupt them, Tyler had almost forgotten about Blake's girlfriend in all this. He watched the exchange silently, his expression neutral as Alice dumped some punch on Blake. It wasn't until he met Blake's gaze a moment later, that he knew he had to go. He knew Blake would see the hurt and the betrayal in his eyes, and knew now that he apparently didn't care. He swallowed thickly, then finally turned to his date, even if he didn't quite meet her eyes. "I have to go." Was all he said, before he moved away from both her and the scene they had just witnessed. He was vaguely aware of where he was going, but most of all he just needed to get away.

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava had been having a good time, happy and enjoying Tyler's company. It would be too easy for her to let herself like him, even if Philip was still in the back of her mind. But the more she focused on Tyler, the further away Philip was from her thoughts. Which was both good and bad, as it meant she could see Tyler was distracted, not as into the dance as she was. She had been about to ask what was going on, when he stopped. Her brow furrowed. "Tyler...?" She started to reach a hand for his face but paused as she saw he was staring at something. She turned, her heart sinking a bit as she noticed the girl he was staring at. Oh, he has someone. She bit her lip. She knew the look in his eyes, it was one she had herself often when looking at Philip when he didn't see her.

She took a step away, not wanting to stay there anymore. She tried to hold back her tears as Tyler excused himself, already knowing he wouldn't be back, This was a disaster. She looked to the girl again, her eyes moving to the boy she was kissing. Ava's eyes widened. That was Blake! She watched in horror as Alice stormed over. Ava looked around frantically, spotting Vader across the hall talking to the head girl. She waved frantically at him, praying he'd seen her. She turned to look back to Alice, seeing her running from the hall. "Allie!" Ava yelled out, darting after her friend.