Grape Soda

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio had put an end to the intentional distance he was keeping from his hufflepuff friends by reconciling with November, so it was only a natural development for him to seek Amber out and attempt to reconcile with her, too. Distance was something Flavio thought he needed when the weird feud between Amber and November during last semester caused problems for him that he did not understand and later caused more confusion for him after the yule ball, giving him an even longer list of thoughts and worries he could not begin to cipher. However the distance then lead Flavio to realize that no matter what he did, he could not win, and distancing himself hurt his friends more than he thought it would.

So he had decided to return things back to the way they were and passed Amber a note in class, asking her to meet him in the student lounge. They had a lot to catch up on, the valentine's roses being one thing and the chili chocolate competition being another. Flavio had managed to place third and the prize of a box of Bertie Botts beans somehow made the burning in his mouth from the chili and upset stomach from eating too much chocolate worth it. He wanted to brag about his place and brought the still unopened box of beans with him that day, hoping that the promise of candy and unpredictable flavors would be enough to convince Amber to meet with him, if she did not think his company sufficed. He sat at a table by the window after arriving to the lounge, and placed the box down as he waited for his friend to arrive. Hoping that she would indeed arrive and that she still wanted to remain his friend after he had avoided her.
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[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber had noticed she saw her friend Flavio less lately, but she assumed it was because both of them were busy preparing for the end of year exams. She was very nervous about them, and it felt like she was spending every free minute lately studying for them. She was happy and surprised to get a note from him during a class asking her to meet him in the student lounge. It had been a while since they talked, and Amber was happy for the chance to catch up. She had scribbled a hasty agreement on the note before passing it back to him.

Now it was time to meet with Flavio, and it felt a little odd. She had noticed him dancing with November at the Yule Ball and suspected the other Hufflepuff girl liked him. Did he like her too? Amber couldn't help but hope not. If they liked each other, it wouldn't be hard at all for November to turn Flavio against Amber. She didn't want to lose one of her oldest friends to this girl that disliked her for no good reason. Sure, they'd had a somewhat pleasant conversation on Valentine's Day, but she still didn't forget how badly November thought of her for caring about her appearance. Flavio avoiding her after the Yule Ball also made her think November may have told him something bad, and that thought made her nervous. As she arrived in the Student Lounge, she scanned the room until she spotted him near a window. She smiled and headed over,sitting down opposite to him. "Hi! You wanted to meet?" She asked brightly, hoping this wouldn't be some bad November-related news.

 

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

As Flavio waited, he occupied his thoughts by opening the box of beans, picking one from the top and putting it in his mouth. His face immediately scrunched up when he realized the flavor was salt, and looked around as he swallowed the bean wishing for a glass of water to wash it down. It was as his eyes scanned the room that he noticed Amber arrive. He smiled wide as she sat down in the seat opposite him. The fact she had arrived told him she still wanted to be his friend, and the consequence of the distance he was intentionally putting between them due to the drama between her and November was not something he needed to worry about. Flavio felt relieved and continued to smile as he greeted Amber in return. "Hey. I just wanted to see how you were doing with classes and things, since we have not talked as much this semester and I want to change that." He explained, trying to make his distance from her seem as if it was due to circumstances related to school and their looming exams, rather anything intentional. "We have a lot to catch up on. Would you like a bean?" He offered the open box to Amber, continuing to smile and waiting for her to tell him all about what was going on in her life.​

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[Amber Chou Wilson]

Flavio seemed happy to see her, which was a good sign. If he had asked her here to tell her they couldn't be friends anymore because his new girlfriend November didn't like her, she thought he would at least look sad about it. She smiled at his question and answered cheerfully. "Well, it's a lot and I've been very busy. I assume you have been too." She was pretty sure Flavio was taking even more classes than she was. "I'm happy to talk more! I missed you." It didn't feel weird saying it, but after she said it she wondered if it was weird to say that to a boy. Her mind flashed to Evelyn, who had implied she hoped Amber and Flavio would get together once or twice. Amber really was sure now that she didn't feel that way about Flavio, or, for that matter, any boy she knew. That thought troubled her sometimes, and she found herself watching him to see why she didn't like him. He was nice, friendly, smart, not bad looking. She was sure November liked him, as the girl was hardly subtle about it. It annoyed her a bit, and made her feel a little jealous too. Why couldn't she feel that way about a boy? "Thanks." She said as she took a bean from him. She wondered if this was really all he wanted to ask about, as it hardly warranted him getting her a note, right? She bit down on the bean and pulled a face. "Eugh, salt." She said, wiping her tongue to get rid of the intense salty taste the bean had given her.