Closed Battered Rose

[Edmund Westwick]

Edmund had never intended to attend tonight's dance. It was foolish, didn't interest him at all, and the possibility of running into Diana again was too great to risk. He had been bracing himself for an icy night of silence, alone in the dorm with Theodore. This afternoon had changed everything though. A rose, a pink rose, from Analei. He needed to talk to her. So Edmund had donned the same suit he wore to the Yule Ball, and made his way down to the dance, heart in his throat. What should he even say to her? Edmund didn't know how he felt. He was beginning to like Analei. That much he had accepted. The stutter in his heartrate when he saw who the rose was from had been enough to tell him that. But his feelings for Diana hadn't died yet. He had hoped the rose was from her, and even though the chances of that seemed impossible, he didn't know how fair it would be to pursue things with Analei when he felt so torn. Edmund didn't know anything. But he needed to find Analei, talk to her, before he could understand any of this. So he looked around the dance, elbowing past couples and nearly stepping on a girl's long, trailing dress. It took a while, but at last he found her, heart fluttering as he he approached. "I got your rose..." he said slowly, but what he needed to say beyond that still escaped him.

 

[Analei Westwick]

Analei had worn this dress before, but it still fit. She hadn't had time to go shopping for a new dress, and she figured no one would remember the dress she wore to her first Yule Ball. Besides, she felt pretty in it, and didn't know why it had to go to waste. The blonde girl had been nervous all day, and yet she hadn't run into Edmund, so she was hoping he would show up at the Dance. Analei understood that the dance wasn't everyone's type of thing, but she couldn't go waiting as long as she did for Simon, for an answer.
The Hufflepuff girl arrived at the Dance early, unable to settle her jitters or wait around for anything. Unable to spot Edmund, she made her way to the drinks table, and got herself something, before slowly making her way to a table. She didn't drink any of it, just clutched it with both her hands. Was it because of how Simon reacted that she was feeling this nervous and... horrible? Analei was beginning to feel her heart sink, and was starting to think it would just be better if she went back to her dorm. She was silly for attending, or for thinking that Edmund would like her back. Leaving her drink, untouched on the table, Analei stood up and began to walk out - slowly, hoping for one last chance that she would spot Edmund. And she did.
He approached her and said he got her rose. Analei's breath hitched in her throat, and he didn't say anything else. "Oh." She managed to get out. "Sorry if - you didn't want it - or..." She trailed off, completely having lost her confidence.

 

[Edmund Westwick]

Edmund didn't know what kind of reaction he had expected from Analei, but her panic surprised him. The reaction felt as though it served as answer enough to his next question, but he couldn't resist asking anyway. "Did... did you mean to send that colour?" He asked nervously, voice catching in his throat. It was the explanation that made the most sense to Edmund. A mistake. Analei was too good a person to be interested in someone like him. Diana had been on his level, their shared love of cruelty a point of bonding, but how could someone as kind as Analei be interested in someone as deliberately horrible as him? It could only be that she had meant to send him a yellow rose, and been misinterpreted. Even a yellow rose was somewhat surprising. Pink was... Edmund didn't know why Analei would have thought to send him that, but if she really had meant it... Edmund's heart raced nervously, as he waited for her answer.

 

[Diana Hollis]

Going to an event like this without a date was annoying, and Diana knew she needed to change that for next year. It was humiliating to walk in alone like some... first year. She had gotten used to having Edmund by her side, and even though she looked amazing, she knew she probably also looked a bit silly by herself. She scanned the room, hoping to see her friends in between the garish decorations. Domi probably loved them, but her sense of style was horrible. Diana's eye was caught by one of the twins, and her gut told her it was Edmund. She had seen him at the yule ball too, and his horrible brother never seemed to be at these events. Unable to help herself, she looked at him for a moment from a safe distance, watching him walk around. Her hands clenched into fists as she realized who he was walking toward. Analei. They had been talking at the previous dance too, but then Diana had managed to convince herself it was just Analei being pathetic and trying to get his attention. Now she could see Edmund seeking her out himself. Without stopping to think, Diana made her way over. She didn't particularly want to get back together with Edmund, as the humiliation she felt as she had been dumped always came back to her as she looked at him, but she also didn't want Analei to date him. Or any girl, for that matter. She approached quietly enough to overhear Edmund's words about a color. Had Analei sent a rose? A rose that wasn't yellow? More resolute than before, Diana stepped forward with her eyes only on Edmund. She made sure to seem as if she hadn't even noticed the blond Hufflepuff as she gave Edmund her sweetest and prettiest smile. "Hi." She said, keeping her eyes on him. "I was hoping to see you." She said softly, though her tone had confidence in it. "From the moment I stepped inside I could only think about last year... remember how fun that was?" She sighed wistfully, then took a small step closer, her expression hopeful. "I was wondering, Edmund... if we could dance? For old time's sake?" She batted her eyelashes at him once or twice, still determinedly ignoring Analei.

 

[Analei Westwick]

When Edmund asked if she meant to send that color, her heart sank a bit. There went her plan of pretending it was a mistake if he laughed at it. Why couldn't he give her any hint to what he was feeling about it before she made a fool of herself - again? Why wasn't any of this easy? Analei closed her eyes briefly, before opening them, but looking at the ground. She nodded her head. In that moment, she decided to never send roses again. It was all too humiliating to pursue someone. Her embarrassment only heightened when she heard a voice. Analei's eyes snapped up, landing on Diana's face. She felt her cheeks heat up - she wasn't doing anything wrong, but her last romantic pursuit had been witnessed by someone as well. Diana hadn't even acknowledged Analei, and the blonde's eyebrows furrowed when she asked Edmund to dance. Couldn't she see that he was busy? But this made sense. Diana and Edmund hadn't been broken up that long, they had defintiely been dating for longer than they were broken up for. Analei was the one in the way. Still, her heart surged with annoyance and anger at Diana. She was the worst. Analei took a deep breath, trying to keep her cool, but shaking her head in disbelief. "Do you reckon you could wait like, two minutes?" Analei asked, trying to keep herself from snapping at her.

 

[Edmund Westwick]

Analei nodded. Analei nodded, and Edmund had barely enough time to process what that meant. His suspicions were really true - Analei liked him, of all people, and that... changed everything. Before Edmund could figure out how he felt about this, could choose his words and decide how to respond, everything came tumbling down around him. Diana's interruption rocked Edmund to his core, making him second guess everything he had been about to say. He... liked Analei, he liked spending time with her, he was... gobsmacked that she seemed to like him back, but... no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get Diana out of his mind. He had felt so connected to her, and their breakup had been so sudden and so far out of his own hands that he had never been able to put any of his feelings to bed, feelings that were now boiling to the surface again, yearning to take her up on her offer. The old Edmund wouldn't have hesitated for a moment. But... Edmund had changed a lot in the last year. He liked... being liked, he liked having a friend. He didn't want to lose Analei. And he knew Diana. This could easily just be a ploy to hurt him. Torn in both directions, Edmund shook his head uncertainly and took a step back, looking between the two girls, a lump in his throat. How was he supposed to decide what to do?

 

[Diana Hollis]

Diana was looking only at Edmund, and made a point of pretending to notice Analei for the first time after the girl spoke. She shot her an embarrassed smile, only for Edmund's benefit. "Oh, we won't be long." She said, glancing back at Edmund. "I wouldn't want to presume anything, but I was really hoping for just one dance, for old time's sake." She tried to make it sound like she was afraid to ask for more but also hopeful. As she wasn't entirely sure how Edmund felt about it, so she didn't want to seem confident or arrogant. She thought he would probably enjoy it if she was a bit nervous about asking him, as it would seem like he still meant a lot to her. Deep down, he kind of did, but she was too prideful to admit it really. If this situation with Analei hadn't popped up, Diana wouldn't have made this move. She looked at Edmund's expression closely, and could see he wasn't sure what to do. She couldn't let Analei talk to him for two minutes, who knew what sort of damage she could do in that time? Diana hesitantly extended her hand, then gave Edmund a small smile. "Please? I won't steal you for long." She said, her voice light but flirtatious. "Promise."

 

[Analei Westwick]

Analei rolled her eyes when Diana mentioned they wouldn't be long. That wasn't the point. She really didn't want to leave the conversation up in the air with Edmund, and him leaving with his ex girlfriend to dance was definitely not the way she saw this conversation going. Analei was frustrated; nothing ever seemed to work out for her. Not the conversation with Simon, and that horrendously embarrassing occasion, and not this. Even at the Yule Ball, Diana had made the dance uncomfortable. Analei liked Edmund, but if he still liked Diana, and she was going out of her way to make it difficult for them, she wasn't sure if it would ever work. Though she was still young, she knew better than to be someone's rebound, or to be with someone who was still in love with their ex. That's what all the sad love songs were about, right? Analei shook her head. "Whatever." She said, disappointed, but turning to walk away. Might as well make it easy for them.

 

[Edmund Westwick]

Edmund felt as though his mind was ringing with all the different aspects of the decision he had to make. Analei's rose had changed everything, it would be disingenuous to pretend it hadn't, but he had never gotten over Diana, not really, and a huge part of him yearned to get her back. Before Edmund had to make a decision though, one was made for him. His first instinct, when Analei started to walk away, was to chase after her, to fix things, but then he saw Diana again, smiling and beautiful, and Edmund buckled. He gave Analei one last regretful glance before turning to Diana, heart in his throat as he took her hand. Part of Edmund felt guilty, knew he owed Analei an apology if he wanted to keep her as a friend, but he did his best not to dwell on it as he turned towards Diana, giving her a nervous smile. "For old time's sakes?"

 

[Diana Hollis]

Diana's body was tense as she waited to see what would happen next. She had laid her trap, but it was uncertain how well it would work. Diana could barely suppress a smirk when Analei started walking away, feeling victorious already. But the next part was even more important, as Edmund had to actually stay with her instead of following poor sad Analei. Diana waited with bated breath as the boy made his decision, then grinned as he turned to her. "Yes." She said, pleased. She led him onto the dance floor and placed her hands on his shoulders. "I didn't know you and Analei were friends." She said casually, glancing in the direction the girl had gone and barely looking at Edmund. She still felt hurt when she looked at his face, so tried to avoid it. "Or more? I heard you say something about a rose." She shrugged, finally glancing at him. "You dodged a bullet... she's totally already dating that Arvel guy. Haven't you seen them together? They're like, glued to each other."

 

[Edmund Westwick]

Edmund couldn't bring himself to look where Analei had gone. He knew he had hurt her, knew this was cruel to her. But what was Edmund, deep down, if not cruel? It felt strange to hurt someone and take no joy in it. Had Analei been anyone else, he would no doubt have relished this moment. He had to force Analei out of his mind though, trying instead to relish the moment with Diana. He couldn't tear his eyes from her face as he rested his hands on her waist and they started to dance. Edmund had never thought he would be so close to Diana again, and the part of him that still missed her wanted to remember every moment. Diana didn't let him dwell though, forcing his thoughts back to Analei. "I've been giving her piano lessons." He said shortly, hoping Diana would drop the subject. He gritted his teeth when Diana brought up the rose, hating that she had heard that, that she would remind him of it. "It's... it doesn't matter." That was a lie. Analei's rose mattered a lot to Edmund, and his heart ached unpleasantly at the thought of it, but Diana was the last person he wanted to talk to about that. And if everything had really changed, it might in the end wind up not mattering at all. Diana went on though, and Edmund's heart sank more. He didn't know who Arvel was, but he didn't know much about Analei's friends. Meeting Diana's eyes though, he was reminded of their time together, the things they had talked about, the lies they had told. Why would she have changed now. "Is that true?" He asked slowly, not looking away from her eyes.