Closed Sides of a Story

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie had been in the great hall earlier that day and been a witness like many to Eric's.....outburst. She had immediately from his words been able to figure out that he was breaking up with her and could tell it hadn't been good. But of course the rumour mill went crazy about what had gone down, and all she'd heard all day was how Eric had over nothing shouted at and broken up with his girlfriend. She didn't know anything about that relationship...but she knew Eric....and she knew he wasn't the type to burst over nothing. She knew him well enough that if he burst out it was because of something, just Eric was louder. Minnie had considered seeking him out, wanting to be a good friend but unsure he'd want to speak with her. Or at least sit out in the open and speak with her. But, she sent a little note, and had asked for him to meet in the owlery, it seemed they always met there, it was quiet, besides the bird and it was not well frequented, they could speak in peace. She'd arrived well ahead of time, had a book balanced on her knees, she was taking time out of her studying for this, but she could read until he got there. if he showed. Their friend was so odd that Minnie wasn't sure he would come and she wasn't sure she'd try to reach again for a while if he didn't she didn't want to be pushy but she wanted to make sure he was okay. ​

 

[Eric Holland]

Eric had known that the gossip about what had happened would spread through the school like a wildfire. It was his own fault, really. If he had just kept his mouth shut and asked Nicole to talk to him privately, he could have dumped her without an audience. But he had been so angry and it had been impossible to keep it in. Even now, he was angry, though it was mostly humiliation he felt.

The note from Minnie had taken him by surprise. The skeptical part of him wondered if she just wanted to know the gossip, but he couldn't really imagine that being Minnie's only motivation. They were friends, sort of. He knew she wasn't like that. Eric made his way to the owlery, quietly reflecting on how this had sort of become their spot. They had met up here a few times now, and Eric didn't know how that had happened. It wasn't like the owl droppings and background screeching made for a very good backdrop, but at least it was relatively quiet. Eric stepped into the owlery and snorted a bit at the sight of Minnie with a book. Of course she would be reading now. But for once, he decided not to tease her. "Hey." Was all he said as he walked over to her. "You wanted to talk?"

 

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie didn’t have to wait long for him to appear. She gave a small smile at him, one of the few people she continued to find it easy to smile at without knowing it was forced. Minnie gently closed over her book and eyed him carefully. ”Yeah…” she wasn’t sure whether to say that she’d been in the great hall this morning, but perhaps it was better than him believing she’d heard everything from the rumour mill. ”I was in the great hall...earlier,” she spoke softly glancing away from him, ”I wanted to make sure you were okay?” she had taken a moment to find these words, how best to express that she didn’t need to know what happened, but wanted to see he was okay and to let him hopefully know that she was sure that she believed him. Not the girl or the rumour mill. Her gaze returned to him as she’d asked, her tone had been warm and caring, she really wanted to make sure he was alright..​

 

[Eric Holland]

There had been a small part of Eric that had hoped Minnie had asked him here for something unrelated to the Nicole debacle, but it wasn't a big surprise that wasn't the case. He sighed when she said she had been in the Great Hall, feeling embarrassed about his outburst for the first time. He faltered a bit when she asked if he was okay. "Yeah. I mean. Sort of... No, not really." He said, shrugging. "I... know that looked bad." He then said with a sigh. "Hell, it was bad. But she-" He shook his head. "I'm fine." He said, not sure if he should get into what Nicole had said, or if he wanted to. There was a part of him that definitely wanted to open up, but that was never easy for him. It was much easier to keep his walls up rather than let someone in.

 

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie knew the feeling or something close to what it seemed Eric was perhaps feeling to his break up. Her break up with Noel hadn’t been publicly but it had been a mess and horrible. She frowned a little at how he described it looking, but seemed to back off giving any details. Minnie knew it was difficult to open up about things like that, knew it was hard to be honest about feelings. Sure, she cried relatively often but it didn’t mean she was telling people how worried she was about going home or how lost she was knowing her parents didn’t love her. ”I can only imagine what she did to get that reaction from you, you deserve better,” she didn’t need him to give her the details if he didn’t want to. Her gaze moved to her hands as finger traced part of the cover. ”but, you know, you don’t have to pretend to be okay around me….I don’t mean you need to cry, that’s what I do, but, if you need to scream or throw things, you know, do, you don't need to talk,” she looked back him and carefully offered the book she’d been reading to him. It wasn’t a school book, it was a book her parents had got her when she’d missed a question in the revision before the prefect stuff had gone down. It was a highly detailed and complex book that Minnie knew now mostly by heart. ​

 

[Eric Holland]

Eric was surprised that Minnie immediately assumed Nicole had done something. She had, but it seemed like most people were content to just assume Eric blew up out of nowhere. Somehow, the fact that Minnie didn't ask made him want to tell her, even though he had thought he wouldn't tell anyone what Nicole had said. "Thanks." He said gruffly, looking away when Minnie said he didn't have to pretend to be okay,t hat he could scream or throw things. He'd sort of done that already in the dormitory, but he was still touched by Minnie's gesture. He blinked in surprise when she offered him a book, and he glanced at her with an incredulous look. "You're actually offering me a book to throw?" He asked her. "Are you okay?" He then asked, trying to joke but failing to actually smile. "No, it's... fine. I threw my own crap around the room for a while, and maybe some of Noel's and Sully's." He admitted. "It just... sucks." He said, deflating a bit. "She only dated me to seem cool and edgy." He finally said, frowning as he looked down. "But then said it was actually boring."

 

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie gave a little shrug, a shy smile, ”I basically know it by heart,” she replied rolling her eyes lightly at his attempt at a joke. She wasn’t too surprised to hear that he had already thrown stuff around, some of it being Noel’s. She didn’t know how she felt about that, but it certainly didn’t bother as much as it might’ve when she’d first broken up with him. But she nodded, knowing that breaking up with someone was hard, no matter the way the relationship was. She felt some small anger that this girl had to his mind only dated her because of reputation. It seemed quite cruel to date someone because of that and not have their opinion change once they got started. ”Wow, thats awful,” Minnie spoke softly. ”You know that she’s wrong though….right?” Minnie met his gaze a soft expression on hers, she knew that Eric was more than how he sometimes came across. There was a lot of anger yeah, but he was more than just his worst trait, like she was more than just her failures. ”Okay, I probably wouldn’t call you edgy, but spending with you is anything but boring. Even when we fought, it wasn’t boring…” she stopped herself before she said anything more, not wanting to say that though it had often upset her, his teasing had sometimes been the only real interaction Minnie had had in long stretches of time. ​

 

[Eric Holland]

Eric laughed softly when Minnie said she basically knew the book by heart, but it still didn't feel right to throw something of hers. She was always someone who was there for him, in a strange way. He didn't know what to make of their relationship, but he knew deep down that it was important to him. Too important to risk. She made him feel calm in a way no one else did. Eric shrugged when she said that she was wrong. "Sure." He muttered. "I don't... care." He paused. "I guess I care a bit." He felt his heart fluttering a bit when Minnie said spending time with him was anything but boring, but he pushed that feeling down firmly. This was not the time. Minnie was just trying to cheer her on. "I shouldn't have yelled like that. I wanted to humiliate her, and I did." He smiled a little at the memory of the look on her face. But then his smile dropped. "But it's not exactly helping people not see me as this... crazy angry guy." He said. "I shouldn't care about that, but it sucks. People just assume the worst." He said, frowning. "Of course, they're right sometimes. But..." He shook his head. "Sorry, I'm talking too much." He said quickly, feeling uncomfortable about opening up to her.

 

[Professor Minnie Calida]

When he didn’t take the book Minnie just returned it to sit on her lap and just nodded a little. Not too surprised that he did care a little, for all his claiming there was a part of him, that she’d been sure always existed that cared about what people thought. She could agree that yelling maybe wasn’t the best tactic, but it had definitely done what he’d intended. It was perhaps a little mean but she knew that there had been a reason for it and he’d given one, one she understood. Minnie knew he didn’t have the best reputation in school, that people did assume a lot about him, that she knew from spending time around Noel that the people he was around didn’t always give him the time of day. They just assume the worst. But minnie shook her head a little. ”No, you’re not talking too much,” but she wasn’t sure what to say, ”It’s difficult to not care about what your peers think of you. Especially when you get painted into a box and everyone’s trying to just get you to react in a specific way. You don’t get to be yourself and they end up only believing that their assumptions are valid,” Minnie said picking her words slowly, keeping her gaze on him, knowing that as she’d gotten to know him, when they weren’t annoyed with each other it was nice...difficult to define at times but nice. "I know it's not much, but I don't see you as that, a bit hot headed sure, but not a crazy angry guy. You're Eric...," she trailed off giving a little smile but not really wanting to say anything more. Thinking of how in these moments of calm, how nice he could be. ​

 

[Eric Holland]

Eric glanced at Minnie as she spoke about caring what other people thought, wonderinng if she ever cared about what her classmates thought. She seemed mostly to care about her parents, but suddenly Eric wondered if that was just part of the pressure she felt. "Well, I did sort of shout at her in front of the whole school. That's not the sort of thing a not crazy angry guy does. Even if she deserved it." He muttered, but he smiled a little at her words. "A bit hot headed is very generous." He told her. "That's like calling you just a little smart." He said, glancing at her. "And just a little nice." He added. "I mean. Thanks... for listening, and stuff." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked away, suddenly feeling awkward. "I hope I didn't keep you from anything important."

 

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie gave a little shrug she could agree that perhaps yelling at the girl hadn’t been the smartest decsion, that it wasn’t perhaps the way to go about things, but she had to admit that sometimes it was just difficult to go about things like how you were supposed to. She gave a little smile at him. ”I am a little smart,” she repeated with a little nod, she wasn’t necessarily trying to down play her own smarts but it was factually true that she was a little smart. She was also more than a little smart but it wasn’t incorrect for her to just let herself be called smart. She gave him a little smile and shook her head. ”I can always make a little time for you,” she said with a soft tone and she did mean it. It was always unclear what exactly they were but she could always make time for him. She would’ve been revising otherwise, re-reading the book in her hands, relearning everything for her OWLs though it wouldn’t matter what she did, it would never be enough for her parents, so of course she could find time for him. ”We’re friends...you're my friend...this is what friends do from what I’ve read...they look out for each other, listen to each other, are there for each other.”​

 

[Eric Holland]

Eric rolled his eyes. "Minnie, you're probably smarter than some of the professors here." he said, shaking his head. He didn't get how she didn't see how much of a genius she was, everyone else did. Well, maybe everyone but Professor Josephs, but Eric quietly put her in the category of professors less smart than Minnie. He felt his heart speed up a bit when Minnie said she could always make a little time for him, but he hoped he wasn't blushing. Why did she have to sound so sweet when she said things like that? "Right, well... thanks." he said a little awkwardly. He felt even stranger when Minnie said they were friends, both touched and... strangely disappointed. Eric swallowed. "Yeah, we're friends." He said, admitting it for the first time. "Thanks, Minnie. You've been a big help." He paused. "By the way, if you still want to get rid of that book you could just throw it out of the window. I wouldn't tell." He paused. "Maybe check if no one is walking down there." He paused again, smiling a bit. "Well, no one we like."

 

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie felt herself blush lightly and though her mind wanted to say, if she was smarter than most of the professors then why was she so often not recognised for her work, why didn’t her parents love her if she was so smart. She bite that back, not wanting to bring the mood to be about her or generally bring it down. ”Only some,” she retorted but there lacked any bite to it. It was said rather plainly. Minnie just smiled at him, as he confirmed they were friends, she wasn’t sure why the word had felt a little wrong in her mouth but they’d always struggled to define what they were...how this relationship was..and perhaps that was just why. She gave a little laugh and looked at the book, her fingers ran along the cover with a certain delicateness. She looked out over the window, and she was really thinking about it, but what if her parents asked about it. What if they wanted to know what had happened to that book. ”I don’t think I can…..if you damaged it, I’d be able to say I had nothing to do with what damaged it, if they asked me what happened and I damaged it, I’d have to tell them the truth…..and they...they ha...,” her voice had gotten ever quieter as she spoke, her grip on the book tightening, she couldn't yet vocalised the last part of what she might say there, that they, her parents, hated her enough already, she was quick to re-focus, steady her voice and just try to move past it. "I should probably....get back to studying, would you want to join me?"​

 

[Eric Holland]

Eric laughed softly when Minnie went along with his joke, even if she didn't seem very enthusiastic about it. He could tell she was thinking a lot of things, and wondered what was going on in her head. Mostly, what she was thinking about him. Eric had meant the bit about the book to be another joke, but it went in a different direction. He could see she was upset at the mere thought of telling her parents she had damaged a book. It was ridiculous, how much they controlled her. "I'll do it." He said, holding out his hand. "I'll chuck it right out the window for both of us." He added, a gleam in his eyes. "And then I guess I'll let you bully me into some studying, I do have exams at some point." He said, trying to pretend he wasn't even really aware of then the OWLs were. He took the book from her as Minnie offered it again, quickly peeked to see if no one was walking outside, then threw it out of the window. He watched the pages flutter as it started crashing down, and he turned to Minnie with a slight grin. "You had nothing to do with this. See?" He asked her, then held out his hand to help her get up. "Alright, let's go. I'm a bit tired of owl droppings." He said softly, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed about this.

 

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie knew she was in part being a little ridiculous, it wasn’t untrue, but god, it would require her parents to speak to her to know if she did destroy it, but she couldn’t, she couldn’t bring herself to. The thought of disappointing them more when she was already such a disappointment wasn’t something that she really wanted to bare. But Eric didn’t make her feel bad for it, seemingly used to how she then was with her parents sometimes, he said he would do it. She gave a little smile, running her fingers over the cover once more and smiling softly at what he said. She hadn’t thought he’d want to revise but perhaps he felt some pressure to at least try. Minnie handed over the book and watched as he threw it out the window, a small measure of relief at the book being gone. ”I hated that book,” she then admitted as he grinned at her, and she returned a small grin. She looked at his outstretched hand before taking it and letting her be pulled up. Minnie didn’t immediately let go of his hand, an odd thought that it was a nice feeling. She gave his hand a little squeeze as she went to let it go, ”If I can bully you into studying, can I bully you into letting me make you a study plan…,” ​