Bothering April

[Syrus Stilinski]

Commotion broke out throughout the great hall as some of his peers started filing in. Syrus, unaware what was going on, peaked around to see what had cause this sudden loudness. Someone ring out a noise maker, another roared while wearing a lion head piece. They gather at the end of the table and started to bang up on the surface, making even more noise than ever. Quidditch! He forgot about the game was today, he had missed it. From the looks of it, it had been a great match! Gryffindor had won this time, and it was the first week back. Syrus smiled, clapped and cheered for his housemates. Though, he was slowly getting over his obsession over the sport, he started to regret not going.

Syrus got up to clear his plate of his leftover. He tossed everything in the trash and haul his way back to gather his things and join in the celebration. He was feeling in the mood to gloat with the rest, though he couldn't help to look over the Hufflepuff table. He forgot the game, but he remembered who they were playing against. With a smug look on his face, Syrus sauntered over to the badger's table. There was only one person he wanted to talk too, and to his satisfaction she was there. "Great game, huh?"
​

 

[April Ward]

The quidditch match had ended in pretty much the worst way possible for April Ward. She had been hit by a bludger only moments before the other seeker caught the snitch. Even though she was usually a cheerful girl, she couldn't help feeling very down about this. Sure, James was by far the more experienced seeker, but she'd still thought she had a chance. For the first time, she was doubting herself. Was she even any good? What hadn't helped was how her dad had treated her like a child afterward. Usually, she loved that her dad was a professor here, but he overreacted about Quidditch quite a lot. She had to convince him for nearly ten minutes straight that she didn't need to go to the hospital wing. Though her back still hurt a bit from the hit.

Poking at her food, she let her mind drift back to the match. She tried to focus on the positive aspects. Like how it had felt to fly around in the gorgeous weather, and how her housemates had cheered her on. But that last thought just made her remember how she had disappointed them. She groaned, wishing for a distraction. As if summoned, one appeared. Though, it wasn't the distraction she wanted right now. She scowled as she looked up to Syrus, who came to gloat despite not doing any of the work himself. "If you're here to make fun of me for losing, go away." She told him, pointing her fork at him. "You didn't even do anything, so don't you start making fun of me."

 

[Syrus Stilinski]

She knew him too well. The parade of celebration happening at his table would have to wait. Syrus planted himself right in front of her. "What? Can't two people talk about sports? Is it a taboo, now?" Syrus quipped. "Actually, I was wondering why you're even here? From the looks of it, you don't look so great." He noticed how she was sitting, had she gotten hit with a bludger? Damn, he really missed a good match. He thought, why did everything good happen when I'm not around!? "Got a little banged up there?" Syrus continue to tease her. "Good, serves you right thinking you're invincible. Was going to say something the last time. But then that kid got in the way. Who, by the way I was only going to mess with a little. Then you and your fans were like ready to jump down my throat." Guess he was holding all that in since the last time. He not remotely aware he doing it, because hell, he was happy that she lost. A little. There was some concern how she was sitting, the way she was sitting. Some, "Where did you get hit?"
​

 

[April Ward]

April's stormy mood just got worse when Syrus moved in front of her and pretended he had just been talking. She scowled at him, crossing her arms in front of her. "I'm FINE, you sound like my dad. I don't need to go to the hospital wing from a single bludger hit." She snapped at him, annoyed that he was pretending to be concerned when he was clearly making fun of her. "I don't think I'm invincible, you stupid poop! I don't know where you got that idea. Unless you're just jealous I never gave up and now I get to play." If he was trying to get to her, she would try the same thing. "And they weren't my fans, just people that could see how stupid you were being! You're better than that, picking fights with a little girl." The girl had been annoying, but clearly had been no older than a first-year. Syrus had overreacted, plain and simple. Though a part of her did like that he came to her defense. Only a little, though. "I don't understand you." She said after he asked her where she had been hit. "One moment you're teasing me and making fun of me, the next you are concerned? Or are you just pretending to be so you can tease me more?" She asked, genuinely a little puzzled. "Did you not watch the game?" She then added, feeling herself deflate a little bit. Somehow, she had expected him to watch, even if she hadn't expected him to root against his own team to support her. But maybe they weren't really friends after all? She had no idea how Syrus saw the situation, as he seemed very hung up over their last encounter. Something April had all but forgotten about already. Maybe she had hurt his feelings more than she had known.

 

[Syrus Stilinski]

Stupid Syrus would've just shrugged and moved away from her. But as he recalled his third year, a certain girl doing the same when he had been in a bad mood. Maybe not in the same format, however, he wasn't gonna move on from her that easy. "Are you sure? Your dad smart then! Because if you're really hurt, the one that's going to have a problem is you at the end! For being stupid and ignoring the pain." Syrus pointed out. Syrus hit the table hard, "I'm not! I just, WHATEVER!" The Gryffindor won't admit he was jealous. But she didn't need to show off every chance that she was around him! "You're the one that like to prance around and stuff, I'm not jealous." Syrus huffed, lying to not only her but himself. He thought he's gotten over his obsession, he was working at QQS after all. He's around brooms all the time when he wasn't in school. Syrus decided not to respond to the incident, it was dumb of him to bring it up. She was right, she's always right! No, if he could go back there again, he'd probably reacted the same way. Maybe actually levitated that brat in the air or something. It would've been funny to him. "I didn't..." Syrus muttered. "I am concern, actually! My brother was hurt by not one, but two in his last year! So don't tell me what I am or what I'm not! You don't know how I feel, unless I tell you! Like I am now!"
​

 

[April Ward]

April sighed deeply, still entirely unsure what to make of Syrus' sudden concern. "I'm sure, okay? I'm fine." She said with a frown. She had been hit by bludgers before, and this time wasn't any worse than those. Maybe she shouldn't have brought up his own past with being denied from the Quidditch team, but he had started teasing her first. "Prance around and stuff?" She asked instead, frowning. "I don't do that! And even if I did, why does that mean I think I'm invincible?" He was making less and less sense to her by the minute. She was also more than a little insulted that he hadn't actually watched the game. Though the story about his brother made her feel bad for him, she still didn't think he was right to criticise her. "Okay, here's the thing. I should be careful, and I'm sorry that happened to your brother. But you shouldn't make me feel bad for playing! I love Quidditch and I'm actually kind of good at it. So I don't like it when you say mean things about it! And it's hard to know if you mean what you say if you also joke a lot in between, you know!"

 

[Syrus Stilinski]

"I don't..." The fun left out of his voice, it's no longer fun anymore. Syrus looks down, then away, avoiding looking directly at his friend. Friend? Or whatever label they throw at each other. There is guilt in his eyes, and he feeling rather crummier than the last time. "You're right. I know you're good, you don't have to tell me. I've watched you play." He said it deflated and all. "And I maybe a little jealous, but I'm getting over it. Like I said, I wasn't at the game. Think I'm growing out of this obsession or whatever you wanna call it...." Syrus shrugs, he gets up to leave her alone. He open his mouth to say something, about the rose. If she got the rose, then he shuts his mouth dismissing that idea. "See you around."
​

 

[April Ward]

April could tell Syrus wasn't enjoying the conversation anymore and bit her lip. She didn't want to make him feel bad, she just wanted to understand him. He was her friend, but boy was he confusing! When he got to his feet, she quickly got to her own feet as well, shaking her head. "Don't go!" She said, frowning a little. "Let's talk about other things, okay? Quidditch maybe isn't the best subject for either of us right now." She sighed, glancing around. "I just want to be your friend, Syrus. Let's stop fighting and making each other sad, okay?" She gestured back to the benches. "Let's just sit and talk! I bet we can have much better conversations about so many other things!"

 

[Syrus Stilinski]

Syrus breathe in deeply and exhale out of his nose. "That's the thing...." He said quietly, looking around the hall. "I sent you a rose, did you get it?" He went on, unsure if he really wanted to cross that line of no return. Tell her, should I tell. Should I tell her that I really like her? She will just laugh at me anyways! She won't think I'm serious, she won't think it's true.... Syrus bit down his lips, hard. He wanted to stop himself from spilling the beans! He bit his mouth so hard he was beginning to draw blood from his lips. His skin broke and he was legit bleeding from his lips, and went inside his mouth and he made a face at the taste. Metallic, that's what blood tasted like.
​

 

[April Ward]

April watched Syrus closely, hoping he would accept the olive branch she offered. She really wanted to be his friend, the two had had a lot of fun in the past. But there was something confusing about him, something she didn't understand. Her brow furrowed when he asked her if she had gotten his rose. Thinking back, she didn't think she had received one from him. Though her mind snagged on the pink one, the one that she had written off as a joke or mistake. But no... he couldn't mean that. Slowly, she shook her head. "I don't think I got one with your name on it." She said, though she was purposeful in her wording. With some worry, she noticed her was bleeding. "Syrus, your lip is bleeding." She told him, feeling more confused than ever. "What's wrong?"

 

[Syrus Stilinski]

Syrus, your lip is bleeding. "What?" Syrus touched his lips, blood smeared on his fingertips. He was bleeding! Syrus looked around for napkins, "Why am I bleeding?" Syrus found some napkins by someone's plate. He took it and covered his mouth with the napkins. "I gotta go, I don't know why I'm bleeding?! What the heck is happening to me." Syrus made his attempts to dodge April, all together. He did this to himself, though he kind of blanked out without realizing it. He was thinking about the rose, and the note he sent her. Name or secret admirer, he forgot which one he had signed in that moment as he chewed out his lips.​

 

[April Ward]

The longer this conversation went on, the more baffled April felt. "I think you were biting your lip." She supplied when he asked why he was reading, but she didn't really get why he had been doing that. It was a little tiring to never get this boy, and it sort of felt like he was hiding information from her on purpose. Maybe this was all his idea of a joke. "I don't know, Syrus..." she said when he asked what was happening, with a small shrug. "I'm sorry I didn't get a rose from you. I don't think so, anyway." She looked away, wondering what to do.