Daddy issues

[Jessica Cade]

Jess needed a change of scenery as she hadn't left the common room all week. She had relied on the generosity of her friends to bring her food as she hadn't felt up to facing the many eyes the Great hall had to offer. According to James people had been asking about her, Geo in particular. Jess hadn't planned to speak to Geo much on returning to school after the Hufflepuff had ended things. Geo had been pretty cold about the whole thing so she had expected her to find her absence unusual. The truth was her ex-girlfriend was the last person Jess wanted to talk to about her father, she had planned to keep it from her altogether until her brother stupidly let it slip.

The drapes of her four-poster bed had been driving mad so Jess finally left the common room for the first time that week but she couldn't bring herself to venture further than the end of the corridor. It was there she curled up next to a window and began to sob.

 

[Professor Geovanna Adler-Cade]

Even though Geo felt as though she was keeping up with her lessons, she still noted the absence of one of her best friends, but after hearing from James what she was going through, Geo had wished more than anything she would for once be able to get into the Gryffindor common room. As it happened the third year had been left with her thoughts, and while Jess was her ex girlfriend she was still first and foremost her best friend, and she wanted to be there for her.

After exiting from the IC room, where she'd been running through some Ancient Runes revision set by Flavio, Geo knew it was time to get some food. From the towers she descended, and became quickly aware of something negative on the corridor she'd emerged to. Geo heard it before she saw it, but her stomach flipped as she recognised who the sounds belonged to. Following the sound of crying, Geo found a few moments later a scene that almost made her well up herself. Geo approached slowly, unsure as to whether Jess even wanted to see her, but determined she was going to try. Geo sat down beside her best friend that she'd not spoken to for what felt like it could well be months, and wrapped her arms around the girls shoulders as she pulled her into a tight hug. With no idea as to whether James has told her of her knowledge, Geo just had to pray she wasn't going to be pushed away as she didn't feeling like letting her go any time soon.
​

 

[Gwen Owens-Lee]

Gwen loved to explore. If there was something she felt like she was missing out on it was always exploring. The girl woke up in quite a good mood despite how down she had been feeling lately and left her common room, wandering happily down the corridor. But it didn't take long before she spotted two older girls sitting against the wall and noticed one of them crying. She tried to not let this spoil her mood and decided that she would try to cheer them up without asking them what was wrong. "It's a lovely day outside!" she exclaimed, beaming at the girls. "I was just going to go out and get some sun. Did you want to come with me?" She didn't want to see the girl upset, even if she didn't know who she was, and hoped that her offer to go outside would make her happier. After all, going outside always brightened Gwen's mood and she hoped this would do the same to the older girl.

 

[Phoebe Holland]

Phoebe was on her way to meet up with Rose at her common room when she stumbled across two girls she recognized, and one was crying. Jess Cade wasn't someone she had ever really talked to, but she was aware of the girl from her classes. Geo was someone she considered a friend, but she could see the two were too busy together to really want any interaction with anyone else. Apparently not everyone else could see that. She had just decided to walk past them pretending not to have noticed, when she saw a young first year approach and bother them. Her intentions were probably good, but it still seemed a little insensitive. But that wasn't what Phoebe focused on. The girl was her target for the assassin game, and she knew there was something she had to do. Maybe it would even distract the girl from Geo and Jess and allow her to leave them alone? She lit up her wand with a quiet 'lumos' and sneaked up behind the girl. As she approached, she tried to tap the girl's back with her wand.

 

[Gwen Owens-Lee]

Gwen wasn't sure whether or not she was really helping by offering to go outside. Sometimes things didn't work for other people that worked for her but she hoped nonetheless that the girl would appreciate it. As she waited for her to reply, she felt someone walking up behind her and quickly turned around to find an older girl with her wand out, attempting to assassinate her. Gwen jumped as she took a step aside, dodging the light from the tip of her wand. "Sorry." she muttered, to not only the Ravenclaw but to the other two girls before beginning to walk away. Despite the good mood she was in before she knew it was not rubbing off on anyone and so did not want to stick around.

 

[Leila Walden]

The last few weeks had been difficult, Leila's best friend Jess had been so upset and she hadn't known what to do for her. James and Maddie helped as much as they could but they had their last year to focus on, and each other, so Leila enlisted the help of her other siblings to try and cheer Jess up. Every day they would troop down to the kitchen and grab all the food that they could. Cakes, cookies, pies and muffins and anything else they could carry up to the Gryffindor Common Room for her. Leila even did the horrible tasks of bringing up homework that Jess may have missed and took the most detailed notes for her best friend to study from too.

Today was no different, Leila wobbled all the way up to the common room with her arms full of sweets when she heard sobs coming from one of the corners of the room and it turned out to be coming from Jess. She immediately dropped what she was carrying and ran over to her best friend to check that she was okay. Only, someone else had got to her first. Geo, their fellow IC member and Jess' ex girlfriend. Leila's stomach dropped when she saw that Geo was cradling Jess. "Jess...?" Leila whispered as she backed away from the two of them a little.

 

[Jessica Cade]

Jess had left the common room for a change of scenery but she had chosen her location because it was a part of the corridor that ordinarily saw little foot traffic but Jess hadn't counted on her sobs attracting attention. Geo was pretty high on the list of people she didn't want to see. Being in a relationship and having that relationship end had taken some of the gloss of how she saw the Hufflepuff. While she didn't hold a grudge against her ex-girlfriend for ending things, she was not the kind of person she wanted to turn to during the most painful time of her life.

To make matters worse two other girls showed up. One was young and energetic, babbling on about how nice the day was. Clearly, the idiot girl hadn't read the mood before she intruded. Then Phoebe Holland showed up, Jess didn't know her well but she knew she was a friend of Geo's and suddenly Jess felt outnumbered by people she didn't want to be around. Thankfully for Jess the one person Jess wanted to see arrived almost as if she was drawn by the sound of her tears. At the sound of her best friends voice Jess shrugged free of Geo's grip and held her hand out for Leila. Her fellow Gryffindor was the only person. Leila came over and put her arms around Jess and suddenly she felt better and everything around her melted away as she buried her face in Leila's neck. "I don't want to talk to anyone," Jess whispered in her best friends ear through her sobs.

 

[Professor Geovanna Adler-Cade]

Sat on the floor with her arms around her best friends shoulders, Geo had been sat silently for a few minutes when she spotted Gwen approaching them. The Hufflepuff frowned her eyebrows a little, wondering whether she couldn't tell that they were busy. She was sure the Gryffindor she knew from the Assassin game was simply trying to be friendly, and no doubt she'd try to find her later, but right now she thought Jess would need her. She hadn't seen her friend for months, and was grateful to see Phoebe join the group. The corner of Geo's mouth smiled to the girl in appreciation, but the pink haired student quickly turned her attention back to Jess. There was something between them that was still a little awkward, although Geo was doing her best to push it to the back of her mind, there was a priority after all.

Distracted once again by another voice, she looked over to see Leila, another of her best friends whom she'd not seen for a number of weeks. Wherever Jess was, was Leila, and even Geo knew the pair were inseparable at the best of times. Unfortunately despite this, Leila barely registered that Geo was there, and before she realised what was happening, Jess had forced her way out of her arms. Tears stung in the third years eyes as she felt cast aside. Not wanting to create a scene when Jess had much more pressing concerns, Geo considered whether she should have said anything. Leila would look after Jess, but apparently neither of them wanted anything to do with her right now. Silent and angry, Geo stood from her position on the floor, feeling rejected and hurt, and proceeded to walk quickly down the corridor before anyone could stop her. She needed some air.
​

 

[Phoebe Holland]

Phoebe soon realized that the chance to attack her target hadn't been worth this. It was just awkward to be around a girl she barely knew in so much distress, and she didn't even manage to get her intended target. She grimaced and stepped back, intending to leave. But it surprised her that Jess pulled away from Geo and to Leila who had just arrived. Geo seemed a little put out by this, and Phoebe quickly followed her. She was glad to be out of this awkward situation, if she was honest. "Hey, you okay?" She asked the Hufflepuff as she caught up with her.

 

[Leila Walden]

Completely unaware of the others around them, Leila grabbed Jess' hand and pulled her into a tight hug and cradled her head as her best friend continued to sob into her. She stroked her hair and glanced at Geo who looked extremely hurt when Jess left to her to run to Leila. She tried to shoot her a look that was understanding but she needed to be there for Jess at this moment in time so she watched as Geo walked off down the corridor. "Why did you come out here Jess? Especially on your own?" she asked her best friend while resting her cheek on Jess' head. She hoped that Phoebe would be able to comfort Geo, she didn't want Geo to be angry with either of them but she just didn't understand at the moment, Jess was deeply upset and she needed to be on her own. Leila hoped that in time Geo would understand this but it wasn't the right time to explain it to her.

 

[Jessica Cade]

Jess watched over Leila's folder as Geo began to walk away looking visibly upset but Jess was upset too and in that moment it wasn't about Geo and she hoped that her friend would understand. She was glad that Phoebe went off after Geo hopefully she would be okay if she had someone to make her feel better and she was glad the first year had also gone and left Jess alone with Leila. "There's just many people in there, I wanted to be alone," Jess sobbed. Of course when she said 'alone' she didn't count Leila in that. If Jess had her way she would never be apart from her best friend. She was the only comfort she needed.