Closed Dashed Hopes and Bitter Thoughts

[Eric Holland]

Eric couldn't believe he had actually decided to wear nice clothes, go to the dance, drink some of the disgusting punch, only to realize that the one person he had hoped to see was there as a date of someone he hated. He had seen Minnie and Noel together and immediately decided he hated the entire dance and everything about it. The decorations were tacky, Valentine's day was stupid anyway, and Eric was an idiot for even going. He had pushed his way out of the great hall, elbowing people out of the way in his haste. He didn't want to be seen by Minnie, or Noel. Somehow, he feared that all his emotions were showing on his face. He needed to leave.

But once Eric left the great hall and stepped into the now empty Entrance Hall, the urge to leave disappeared. He sighed, slumping against a wall and undoing his tie. What now? Was he going to just sit in the common room on his own, pretending not to be bothered? Again? It was how he spent most of the events at Hogwarts, and he was tired of that too. Rather than angry, Eric felt... defeated, for once. He had actually thought he might try this thing out, try to have a nice time at a thing everyone seemed to love. But seeing Noel's smug face as he led Minnie around had spoiled everything for him. He scowled as he thought back to it, crossing his arms. Maybe he could pull some sort of prank on Noel, leave something gross in his bed. It felt to Eric like his night should be ruined as well.

 

[Nicole Fisk]

Nicole hadn't really been feeling the dance tonight for once. Even though she tried to downplay it as silly, she loved the idea of Valentine's. The roses, the notes, the dancing, the dresses, it was all so romantic and she couldn't help getting caught up in it all. But the reality of it was that she didn't have a partner or even a date this year. She was a boring nobody who had to have their roommate take pity on them to teach them how to kiss because she was so lame. Nicole sighed. She had made it up to the dance and tried to find her friends to have fun and relax, but after seeing all her friends there with dates it had been a little disheartening. And then she'd seen Ajax with Emma and felt even more dejected. It was stupid, she did even like Ajax or Emma she was sure, but he'd been her date first and she'd thought maybe that could have been a thing.

Despondent, Nicole suddenly didn't see the fun anymore, setting her drink aside and leaving the hall. If she was so boring she could go be boring alone in her dorm. Once out in the entrance hall, she felt even more alone, the babble and music of the hall cut out now that she'd stepped away and Nicole hesitated, eyes scanning the hall. She was surprised to see Eric Holland slumped against the wall nearby, looking about as put out as she was. Now there was someone who didn't care what anyone thought. No one would dare call Eric Holland boring. Tentatively, Nicole moved over to him, leaning against the wall and turning her gaze to the ceiling, unsure what she was doing over here. "This dance sucks," She said, glancing quickly down at Eric and then away.

 

[Eric Holland]

Eric wasn't sure why he was lingering here. It was like he didn't want to be at the dance, but he didn't want to leave either. It would feel like defeat, walking back to the common room on his own in his nice clothes. But going back into the pink and red monstrosity of a room also didn't appeal to him. All there was to do there was look at mushy couples sucking each other's faces off, and that wasn't exactly Eric's idea of a good time. He frowned as a girl approached him and went to stand next to him, turning his gaze to her with a frown. He recognized her as one of the girls his brother sometimes spent time with, but didn't know her name. "It does." He said with a shrug. "They all do." He added. "Did you get sick of the mushy romance, the gross punch, or the ugly decorations?" He asked, then glanced back at the door. "Or is it something else?" He was surprised to find he was actually a bit curious. This girl seemed like the sort of person who should love these things, he wondered what made her upset. It was easier to focus on that than his own mixed up feelings. It always felt nicer when he wasn't the only one feeling bad. "What's your name?" He added, frowning as he tried to think if he knew it . He knew that she was in Connor's year, but that was about it. He'd sometimes heard Connor talk about his friends, but there were a lot of girl names he mentioned. Could this be Emma? Or maybe Poppy? He didn't want to guess in case he got it wrong. Not that it really mattered.

 

[Nicole Fisk]

Nicole wasn't sure what'd she'd been expecting in response to starting a conversation with Eric, and even though his tone still sounded pretty harsh, she was relieved he was responding at all. It was so hard to imagine how he and Connor were related at all, but then again, she would say the same about her and Ryan. She'd been about to cover up her feelings, just go along with Eric's take on the 'mushy romance', but at the mention of it being something else, Nicole sighed. "Everyone else is off having fun without me and I guess I'm not important enough to have any as well or something," She said, crossing her arms and frowning. "I wish I was like you, you don't seem to care about what anyone thinks. You don't need anyone," She added quieter, glancing back at Eric. "Oh I'm Nicole. I'm one of Connor's friends?" She said, suddenly feeling stupid again. Of course Eric didn't know who she was, she was a nobody who no one wanted to dance with let alone date or kiss or anything. All her love of romance was just a stupid pipe dream. Nicole just needed to stop thinking about it and focus on class or something like a proper nerd until she graduated.

 

[Eric Holland]

Stupid as it sounded, even to Eric himself, he was pretty grateful for the company of this girl. At least it gave him a reason to hang around a bit longer, without having to decide if he was going to return to the party or to the common room. He listened as she explained why she thought the party was stupid, and he snorted. "Did you get stood up or something?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. It surprised him to hear her say she wished she was like him, a bit alarmed to realize she had an idea of what he was like. At least it wasn't the worst way to be seen. It was exactly what he wanted people to think about him. "You're right, I don't need anyone." He said, though there was a sadness to his voice as he thought back at Minnie. "I never come to this, I figured i might as well see it. But you're right, it's stupid." the girl introduced herself, and Eric nodded, recognizing the name. "I know you're one of Connor's friends." He said, glancing at her. "I just wasn't sure of your name, though it sounds familiar now. But yeah, I know who you are. You're the Slytherin one." He said, not adding that he was mostly aware of that because he had been a bit worried about Connor hanging around someone from that house. Any house that had Sydney in it couldn't be trusted. But this girl was nothing like her. Eric supposed he was nothing like Sully or Noel either. Houses didn't say everything.

 

[Nicole Fisk]

Nicole couldn't help but making a slightly hysterical huff of laughter at Eric's question, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "As if, nobody even wanted to ask me to the dance this year," She said, realizing how sad it sounded to say it out loud. "And one of my best friends ended up going with this guy who I might maybe kind of sort of like, and she didn't even ask me if it was okay," She added in a rush. It wasn't really fair to Emma, she had no idea Nicole liked Ajax. Nicole didn't even know if she liked Ajax, but she would have liked the opportunity to find out! She had no idea why she was telling all this to Eric Holland though, like he said, he clearly didn't need anyone like that. "Yeah.. Sorry for being all lame," Nicole said meekly, sliding down to sit on the ground with Eric, tucking her knees under her chin. "Why'd you come tonight then?" She asked. "If you want to say, I mean," She added hurriedly, not wanting to upset Eric on the off chance he would leave if she got too nosy.

Nicole felt a little better that Eric did kind of know who she was. At least what house she was in. "Yeah, yeah! That's me," She said softly, picking at her shoe. She didn't think she'd ever manage a reputation like Eric. Not in the sense of starting fights or anything, but just, standing out so much that half the school already knew his name. And she bet he didn't even try to do that. Here Nicole was, hoping everyone would notice her, and Eric just did it without even trying. Maybe his methods weren't the best, but Nicole still had to be a bit envious.

 

[Eric Holland]

Eric winced as the girl said she hadn't been stood up, but that no one had wanted to ask her. He wasn't sure why that was such a big deal, but as she spoke more he started to understand. "Sounds like a crap friend." He muttered, glancing at the girl. "You shouldn't just take that. You should tell her that sucks." He said, thinking of what he would do. He raised his eyebrows a bit. "Why are you apologizing? I asked a question." He said with a shrug. It wasn't lame that she had answered it honestly. She asked him a question in turn, and initially Eric wanted to snap at her and say it was none of her business. But she'd been honest with him, he could at least answer her back. "I... guess I was hoping to see someone." He admitted, then frowned. Why had he said that? "And I wanted to see what all the fuss was about for once. But it's not worth the trouble, clearly. On both counts." It surprised Eric how pleased the girl was that he knew who she was. Why did she care about his opinion? "Do you know if Connor went?" He asked, gesturing to the great hall entrance. He hadn't spotted his brother in the brief time he was inside. "He doesn't have a date, does he?" He added, frowning If this girl and her friends were talking about dates, that meant Connor could be too. It was an alarming thought, somehow.

 

[Nicole Fisk]

Nicole was oddly touched when Eric tried to offer something not unlike sympathy. She'd half expected him to just roll his eyes and call her lame. "Yeah, maybe," She said, finding the inexplicable urge to defend Emma despite how annoyed she was at her right now. Instead she simply nodded when Eric told her she should give Emma a piece of her mind, though she knew she'd never dare. Not only would she have to admit that she might maybe have a crush on Ajax, she'd also have to tell Emma she was upset and Nicole didn't think she had the guts to do either. Emma would probably just laugh at her. Ajax too even. They were both more like Eric, unafraid of what other people thought of them and just effortlessly cool. Emma was even on the Quidditch team too. Eric might not play Quidditch, but people knew who he was. Nicole couldn't think of a single notable thing she'd done in three years worth of school and that probably wasn't going to change any time soon.

She was surprised to hear Eric had gone to the dance hoping to see someone, wondering if it would be an overstep to ask who. She had no idea who he was friends with, if anyone, so the idea of him going to the dance to see someone was unexpected. She wondered what sort of person he'd want to date. If she had gone to the dance with someone like Eric Holland then no one would say she was boring. "I can relate at least," She offered him sheepishly, unsure what to say. "I guess we're both not missing much, right?" She added, though it rang pretty hollow even to her own ears. "I didn't see Connor, no. I don't think he's seeing anyone." Nicole didn't think so at least. She wondered if she should mention Connor kissing some people at spin the bottle earlier in the year, but she didn't want to get him into any trouble if Eric was bothered by that sort of thing.

 

[Eric Holland]

Judging by the girl's tone, Eric figured she wasn't actually going to talk to her friend. He knew that people almost never did, even when things were bothering them. He personally didn't see the point in not confronting people when they deserved it, though distantly he could also recognize that hadn't always been the best decision. He shrugged noncommitally. It was her life, after all. He was cursing himself quietly for letting slip that he had been hoping to see someone. That wasn't infromation anyone needed about him, especially not this random girl. But he'd let it slip, and there was nothing to be done about it. A part of him wanted to leave, but her reaction was bearable, and he simply shrugged again, trying to move past the subject. "Obviously not. There are heart shaped tables." He said with genuine disgust. "Professor Alicastell clearly has terrible taste." He said, though he lowered his voice a bit just in case. Eric scoffed as Nicole said Connor wasn't seeing anyone. "Obviously not." He said quickly. "He's too young for all that." He added, frowning. But he wasn't entirely sure about that. Connor was only a year younger than him, after all. And he was the same age as Nicole, who clearly liked a boy. The thought was troubling. "Are many kids in your year dating?"

 

[Nicole Fisk]

Nicole ducked her when Eric harped about the dance decorations, unable to help an unflattering snort at his ire. Under normal circumstances, Nicole would have loved the decorations, even if she would have never dared to openly admit it, but tonight they definitely got on her nerves. She tucked her chin on her knees when Eric dismissed the idea of Connor dating, tempted to defend her friend, and kind of herself by proxy, but decided to hold her tongue. Connor was plenty datable in her mind, but she'd probably react the same way if anyone mentioned Ryan dating as well. "Some people are," She said vaguely, frowning as she glanced back towards the door into the dance. "My friends all managed dates tonight at least," Nicole mentioned again, feeling the wave of dejection wash over her again. Why couldn't she be interesting enough for people to want to date? Looking away from the dance and back at Eric, Nicole watched him speculatively before hurriedly dismissing the idea. If she dated someone as notorious as Eric, then everyone would pay attention to her, but she'd never have the guts to ask, surely. "I should.. go. Um. Thanks for talking to me," She said, standing suddenly before Eric could somehow sense her ridiculous line of thought. "Have a good night!" She called as she hurried away.