Closed Inconspicuous Mission

[Augustus Westwick]

Augustus wasn't exactly following Nicole, but he also wasn't entirely not following her. He had spotted her on the fourth floor and had headed into the library after her because he had been looking for an opportunity to deliver his message to her for a while now. He pulled the creased piece of paper out of his bag and glanced around the room nervously. Nicole was working on something and Augustus hid behind a bookcase for a bit. When she finally stepped away from her table to get a book, Augustus hurried over to drop the paper in her bag. When he was done, he turned around to scurry out of the library as fast as he could. Only to come face to face with Nicole. She hadn't been as far away as he had thought. His eyes widened and his face grew hot. "Uh." Was all he managed to say, and he wished the ground would open up to swallow him.

 

[Nicole Fisk]

Nicole knew she should be embracing the lull in her studies that preceded her NEWTs next year, but she'd had an idea on how to alter a hair potion and she couldn't get it out of her head till she'd checked if it might actually work.

She'd just gotten up grab a book from a different shelf when movement back by her bag caught her eye. Ugh, Ryan's creepy little (or maybe not so little anymore) friend was lurking around touching her stuff. Nicole rolled her eyes, stomping back over to the desk with a huff, giving Augustus an unamused look when he turned around and spotted her. "Look, whatever Ryan told you to take, just give it back," she said, holding out a hand impatiently. Her brother seriously needed a reminder about boundaries, as did his friend.

 

[Augustus Westwick]

Augustus shook his head at Nicole’s accusation, hands flying up automatically in his defence.He splayed his fingers, showing her he hadn’t taken anything. But then he cursed himself mentally. Maybe, if he had thought a bit more, he could have pretended to quickly put something back in her bag and grabbed the note. But instead he was standing here, almost frozen in place. “I didn’t take anything.” He said in a miserable whisper.

 

[Nicole Fisk]

Nicole clicked her tongue in annoyance when Augustus disputed he'd taken any of her stuff, shouldering past him impatiently to dig through her bag. It looked like everything was accounted for, even her coin purse, though Nicole paused when she spotted a loose piece of parchment she didn't recognize. She tentatively picked it up, pinching it through two fingers cautiously as she pulled it out, giving Augustus a pointed look as she unfolded it. "What's this then-" She started, feeling vindicated until she started reading, her brow furrowing. "Is this.. a love note?" She asked, glancing between Augustus and the note, her stomach sinking in a mix of second-hand embarrassment and her own discomfort.

 

[Augustus Westwick]

Augustus was fervently wishing for the ground to open up to swallow him, or maybe for someone to stun him so he’d wake up in the hospital wing later without Nicole there. But no, he had to stand there and watch as Nicole grabbed the piece of parchment he had just dropped into her bag. He felt his cheeks heat up and cast his eyes to the floor. “Uh,” he mumbled. “I’d… classify it more as a like note.” He told his shoes.

 

[Nicole Fisk]

Nicole's stomach sank even further as Augustus all but confirmed the love note, settling somewhere uncomfortably around her knees. Why did her secret admirer have to be Augustus of all people. That was just her luck, having her little brother's creepy friend following her around and going through her stuff. Ew. Nicole barely suppressed a shudder, clearing her throat. "Well. Um. Look. Augustus. That's all very uh-Sweet. Of you. And I'm sure you're a very... Nice. Boy. But I'm not interested, I'm sorry," she said, brusquely folding up the note so she wouldn't have to look at it again before handing it back stiffly to Augustus. "And besides, I have a boyfriend now so uh yeah. Not happening. Sorry," she said, hoping the message was clear enough so she could hurry up and escape the awkwardness already.

 

[Augustus Westwick]

Augustus really wanted to just run away, but he couldn’t. He flushed when Nicole said she wasn’t interested. He had known that he hadn’t thought she’d like him. All he had wanted was to show his appreciation, to make her happy. But all he had done was weird her out. He took the note from her as she held it out to him. “Thanks.” He said automatically, then he winced. Why was he thanking her for rejecting him? “I’ll.. leave you alone.” He mumbled, taking a few steps backward.

 

[Nicole Fisk]

Nicole was relieved when Augustus simply took the note, glad he seemed about as mortified about this whole ordeal as she did. She was grateful for her year as a prefect having steeled her somewhat for uncomfortable conversations like this, though she grimaced when she remembered Augustus was also a prefect now. Which meant avoiding him forever after this was going to be a lot harder. Nicole made a mental note to ask Ryan to make sure Augustus stayed out of her stuff. She doubted it'd do much, but it'd make her feel a little better. "Right. Good. Thank you. Bye," she said stiffly, clearing her throat and busying herself with her bag so Augustus could make a clean get away and end what had to be the most awkward conversation ever. She had to tell Jenna, Emma, and Sophia about this immediately.