Drowning in the stars

[Geovanna Adler-Cade]

Geo shoved the door of the IC storeroom back into its frame with such force, she would have been surprised if anyone in the towers hadn't heard it. Tugging her bag over her head and from her shoulders, she raced up to the second floor of their secret base, and threw it straight into her corner. It had been almost a year since their hideout was discovered by the IC, and yet still no one had accidently walked in on them. As such, the walls were decorated with a mixture of photographs of the girls, certificates, notes and the occasional drawing of Sophie's.

The second year was furious, and grabbing one of the cupcakes that Elly had recently brought in, she cracked open a window and threw it out, with as much force as a 12 year old could muster. Instantly she felt better. And then guilty. Elly was great at baking and now she'd just wasted one of their snacks. Sighing, she slumped against the wall beneath the window, elbows on her knees and fingers resting entwined in her newly blonde hair. Stop being ridiculous she told herself. It doesn't matter. It was no use. She was angry that she'd become this way, and deep down it scared her that perhaps she wasn't cut out for trying to be someone like this.

 

[Jessica Cade]

Jess was annoyed that she hadn't made the Quidditch team, especially as it was her brother who chose not to give her a spot. Part of her knew it was probably the right move given all the people who had tried out, but that hadn't stopped her from not speaking to her brother since the team had been posted. With homework starting to pile up, Jess decided she would head to the one place she was able to clear her mind and focus. The IC room Geo had discovered during their first year. Since then it had been their little clubhouse and thankfully it had not been discovered by anyone else. Evidentally no other student in the school was as curious as Geo.

The room seemed quiet when Jess entered so perhaps she was the only one there. Leila was probably hanging out with her Slytherin boyfriend, and Jess knew that the others had friends that she didn't know so they were probably seeing them. The blonde sighed and headed up the stairs to the second level, where she found Geo angrily throwing cupcakes out the window. "Wow, it must be bad if you're throwing Elly's cupcakes away," Jess smiled warmly at her friend. "What's up Geo?" She asked pulling the Hufflepuff into a hug and stroking the back of her head.

 

[Geovanna Adler-Cade]

"They didn't deserve it" She said quietly, referring to the cakes as she recognised the voice of Jessica as she approached. She was glad it was her that had come in. She didn't want anyone to fuss too much over her behaviour, and she knew at least Jess would take it in her stride. As Jess hugged her, she wrapped her own arms around her best friend, resting her head on her shoulder in comfort. It was always reassuring when Jess played with her hair. She liked to appear strong on the outside and to others, but deep down there was a fear that forever lingered. "What if I'm not good enough?" She asked, not really expecting an answer. "If I'm going to be an auror I need to pass these classes, but some," She paused, pulling back to look into the face of her friend "They're just awful".

She sighed, releasing her arms and slouching back against the wall in defeat. This was ridiculous. She was being ridiculous, and she knew it. Jess didn't need to hear her whine about how difficult she was finding her lessons, at least some in particular. Those she had this term were very important, but she couldn't stand Astronomy. "What happens to me if I don't become an Auror?" She added. Just saying those words felt wrong, as a sharp pang of guilt swam through her body. It's all she'd ever wanted, but maybe she wasn't good enough. Her eyes glanced back at her friend, and she already felt a little calmer now that she weren't alone.

 

[Jessica Cade]

Jess shook her head gently, "No, those cupcakes are heavenly," She giggled as she picked up one of the cupcakes that Geo hadn't thrown out of the window. Jess listened as Geo seemed to pour out her soul, it sounded like she was struggling with her classes, which wasn't surprising for her as Geo had always put a lot of pressure on herself, for as long as Jess had known her. "Geo, you are good enough, the only person who doubts that is you," Jess said pulling away from the girl. "Lets be fair, all classes are awful," She giggled.

As Geo slouched back against the wall, Jess stood next to her, their shoulders touching. "Geo you need to relax a little, we're only second years, no one is expecting you to get O's in every subject," Jess didn't understand why Geo felt it was so important to excel in all her classes so early on in her school years. After all her second year grades would be meaningless when she applied to be an Auror. "It'll be okay, you're exceptional, and you will change the world, you just need to give yourself a break,"

 

[Geovanna Adler-Cade]

Geo listened to the words of her friend, her eyes burning as she tried not to let any further tears fall. Of course she made sense, classes did suck, not because of the subjects but because of the pressure that they brought, and the second year knew it was only going to get more difficult with time. She turned her head towards the blonde, finally making eye contact with the Gryffindor. It was in that moment she realised she'd not only found a friend here at Hogwarts, but a friend for life. From the moment Geo had met Jess they'd gotten on incredibly well, enjoying the good times they shared. But even now, as the Hufflepuff sat in an air of her own sorrow, Jess was there to support her. She smiled at her friend as she mentioned she could change the world, and the appreciation Geo felt at that time was enough to calm her down. A moment passed in silence between them, and Geo rested her head back on the wall, closing her eyes.

She sighed, "You're right, those cupcakes really weren't worth throwing" She said eventually, before giggling and turning her head back to look at Jess. "You know how to cheer a girl up Cade" She added sincerely, thinking how lucky she was to have her. One of her hands found Jess's, and she entwined their fingers, giving her hand a soft squeeze.

 

[Jessica Cade]

Jess laughed as Geo mentioned the cupcakes, happy to see her giggling and acting cheerful. The Gryffindor blushed as Geo took her hand and interlocked their fingers. Ever since they met Jess had begun to feel something toward her that she didn't feel with her other friends, she squeezed Geo's hand in return and rested her head on the girl's shoulder. "Thanks, though I have to admit its new for me, Leila is usually the optimistic one," She giggled, the thought of her best friend made her feel guilty for a moment but she tried not to think about it as she turned her attention back to Geo. "Geo, do you want to go to the Yule ball with me?" Jess asked without looking at the girl, she wasn't brave enough to look her in the eye while she asked. "As my date,"

 

[Geovanna Adler-Cade]

As Jess leaned her head on her shoulder, she followed suit and rested on own against her soft blonde hair. She wasn't wrong about Leila, she too always seemed to be incredibly energetic and hopeful, no matter the situation. It was only because of her that Geo had even become friends with her two favourite Gryffindors, and she'd always be thankful to her for that. Geo enjoyed the time though that she got to spend with Jess, and she had always felt like they were connected on a different level. Even if they didn't speak as frequently as others she would have a profound effect on her emotions.

Geo's heart did a sudden flip at Jess's unexpected question. She had been wondering who she would go with this year and she was delighted she wouldn't be going alone. "As your date?" She repeated the second half of the question out loud, making sure she understood what was being asked of her. While part of her didn't want to get too excited if Jess was simply referring to two friends keeping the other company, she couldn't help but wonder if that wasn't her intention. Geo shifted a little from her seat, sitting up and turning to face her friend. It would have made sense, after all she'd never known Jess to be as physical with anyone else. The second year looked to see if she could place Jess's feelings, trying to catch her glance with her own. "Jess?" She asked, hoping she wasn't getting the wrong idea, "What do you mean?".

 

[Jessica Cade]

For a girl so sure of herself as Geo, Jess was surprised that she seemed so unsure of the girl's intentions. She was sure she had put all the necessary emphasis on the word date that was needed to convey her intentions, but it made more sense that Jess hadn't been clear enough than that Geo simply needed it spelling out. "Geo, I like you differently to the others, I want you to be my date, like a date," Jess blushed, she was rambling and wasn't sure if she was even making sense. "Sorry I'm rambling," Jess took a deep breath and leaned forward to place her lips on Geo's. It was only a few moments but it felt like a lifetime when Jess pulled back and began to awkwardly play with her own hands. "Does that answer your question?" She asked.

 

[Geovanna Adler-Cade]

Geo let out a smile at her friends confession, she knew there was something about her attitude towards the Hufflepuff that was different from most. Jess was so cute, and even more so when she was nervous, but Geo found herself similarly flooded with emotions as she leant forward to kiss her. What were they now? How was this going to affect their friendship? Geo pushed the questions out of her mind as she kissed her back, but was quickly brought to reality when Jess stopped. The Gryffindor looked slightly flushed, her ears almost matching her school robes. Geo moved a hand across to take one of hers, entwining their fingers to give it a reassuring squeeze as her eyes looked into her best friends. "Of course I'll be your date" Her smile reappearing as she teased her a little in her tone. She wanted to resume their previous position, but Geo was hesitant, unsure if Jess wanted to continue. "Have you kissed anyone before?" She asked shyly, both out of curiosity and to find out if it was best they take their time.

 

[Jessica Cade]

Jess was surprised by Geo's reaction once she ended their kiss. It was her first kiss but she wasn't sure she wanted to admit that to Geo who she suspected had kissed others before. Jess looked away from Geo and shrugged her shoulders. "Why do you ask? Was it bad?" She asked wondering if she had done it wrong. She had enjoyed the kissed and wanted to do it again but she wondered if Geo felt differently. "Do, you want to try it again?" Jess asked blushing as she did so. While Geo had agreed to be her date she hadn't indicated if she felt the same as she did, maybe she was just being polite.

 

[Geovanna Adler-Cade]

Geo's smiled reappeared when Jess doubted herself, although that wasn't what she had been intending for. Before the Hufflepuff responded, she knew it would be better to show her rather than tell her, and leaning forward again once more, one hand sliding through her hair, her lips made contact with her best friends. Geo didn't want to let go, nor stop, as they finally gave in to a feeling that had been lurking for the last year or so; at least in Geo's case. She'd known there'd been something different about this girl, even from the day they'd met and they'd shared a bar stool. The second year pulled away after a minute or so, although not really aware of how much time had really passed as she tried to catch her breath. "Jess, I think you're amazing" she said honestly, looking straight into her eyes as she said so.