Feel like a blob

[Maria Madison]

Maria hadn't spent much time outdoors this year, in contrast to the glorious tan she had gained the previous summer. The fight with Sephora and becoming a Hufflepuff had changed her, she hardly recognised the child she used to be anymore. Ever since the fight, most of her time had been spent indoors; cooped up in her dorm area with a sewing machine, or in the library, with a book. She hadn't written her family since the fight, though she had gotten a disappointed letter from her mother, and a scrawled ominous note reading 'Hope you got her good, sis! See you when I start school!' from Ricky. Oddly enough, though the note chilled Maria to her very bones, it also gave her a strange feeling of hope. Ricky might be coming her way, true enough, but she was also coming his, and the fact that she had managed to not crumble under Sephora's bullying meant that just maybe she was strong enough to withstand Ricky's own strange flavour of abuse.

These thoughts carried Maria all the way from her haven in the library, down to the great lawn outside the school. She had dressed carefully; all this sitting around had curiously made her clothes snugger than ever before, and she felt oddly discomforted by that. The walk with Angel had confirmed to her that she had to get out more, or she would wind up a fat, ugly blob, which could NOT happen. She had to be slim, sophisticated, and ever so gorgeous by the time Ricky entered Hogwarts, so she would at least have that advantage over him.

 

[Aspen Jones]

Aspen paused on the steps leading out from the castle, surveying the warm summer afternoon. The grounds looked inviting, but, to Aspen's surprise, and pleasure, were almost deserted. She smiled to herself, relieved. The fewer people who saw her in her current jelly-like state the better.
She set off at a jog, heading for the great lawn.
A few minutes later, and she was already feeling the curious burning sensation that indicated the exercise was doing its job. She kept running, though, trying to ignore the pain.
Finally, after doing about two laps of the lawn, Aspen was forced to stop. Her breath was rattling in her chest, and her throat was horribly dry. She bent double, panting, trying in vain to regain her breath and the motivation to keep going. Her eyes began to water, tears of frustration and pain, and she keeled over on the grass, landing flat on her back, arms and legs splayed, chest heaving. She squeezed her eyes tight shut against the glare of the sun.
When she opened them, she was shocked to see another first year sitting on the grass near to her.
'Oh! I'm, uh, sorry, I didn't see you there,' Aspen said, sitting up.
She quickly turned her face away, hoping the other girl hadn't seen the blush that was slowly rising up her neck. She'd already seen what Aspen had hoped would be a private humiliation, of course, but Aspen was hoping to retain at least a shred of her dignity.

 

[Maria Madison]

After looking around for a bit, surveying the Hogwarts grounds, unsure as to how to proceed with this 'getting out' thing, Maria decided walking was the best option. Her heels dug into the soft ground slightly as she strolled across the grass, arms crossed defensively against the world. If anyone tried to talk to her about anything, she was going to hit them, and run back upstairs. All she had heard from anyone since the fight with Sephora was 'Hey! You're that first year who beat up another Hufflepuff in the second week, aren't you?' and she was sick of it. This whole stupid, stupid thing was ruining her life. She couldn't even eat without getting odd glances from Sephora's friends, and people who had seen the fight. Jessame Rose was the only person talking to her anymore, asides from that Angel guy she'd met in the dungeons. He seemed sort of cool. Much less moronic and bumbling than the people she spent most of her life ignoring.

Maria didn't even realise she had stopped walking, and was just standing still, until a voice broke through her haze of depression. Turning, she saw some fat, wheezing girl lying on the grass. Taking a step back to avoid the sweat, Maria wrinkled her nose in annoyance. "And I was just fine not noticing you." She replied haughtily, turning away from the girl.