Skipping Out

[Isaac Chambers IV]

Isaac had been contemplating on whether or not to go to the Yule Ball this year and on the day of the dreaded event, had still not made up his mind. The Slytherin had been laying low for the first semester of his first year, though unfortunately ending up in Isabella's "Gossip Magazine" every issue, which annoyed him slightly because he preferred to be known as something better than that. After seeing everyone getting dressed and hearing girls giggle nonstop, Isaac decided not to go. Anyway it wasn't like he had a date. His crush on Isabella was gradually fading and he had been thinking of another older, brunette girl lately, Arianna, though he doubted anything would happen between the two for some reason. Isaac just needed to shake things up, let loose, stop being so anti-social and selective about who he chose to mingle with - it was just a bad habit he picked up from his arrogant father and snobbish mother.

Wearing a green checkered shirt and black jeans, Isaac followed the crowd down to the entrance hall but instead of heading to the Great Hall like all the glammed up couples, he exited the castle and roamed the empty grounds, ignoring the few couples that were already sitting in benches making out, not having been able to make it into the ball yet. Isaac rolled his blue eyes at them but didn't do anything, just walked until his feet brought him up to the cliffs.

He sighed and smiled a little at the peace surrounding the area, finally glad that he wasn't hearing the giggles and talk of dresses and crushes. He placed his hand on the railing that had been put up for their protection and leaned over, just to see how far up he was from the ground. I'm probably the only person in the castle who skipped out on the Yule Ball, Isaac thought to himself, unsure of whether this upset him or not. The Slytherin placed his feet on the bottom bar, balancing on the bar as he overlooked the cliffs.

 

[Kaede Okinawa]

Kaede sighed as she made her way past all the people dressed up for the ball. No one had asked her, and she hadn't felt like dancing alone. She had gotten a dress, but now it was worthless, and would only collect dust in her trunk. Before the ball had started she had sat in her room looking at the dress, trying to decide if she should just go for the heck of it, but she knew she wouldn't. After she had thrown on a yellow dress and a long jacket and a blanket, she made had made her way down the steps. All the people around her were oblivious to her unglamorous look, and she was glad they had.

Quietly slipping out the door, she made her way to the one place she knew she would be able to forget about the whole thing: The Cliffs. The climb was tough with a blanket in her arm, but she made her way to the top. Seeing the half slit of the moon gleaming over the lake, she sighed with relief.

All of a sudden she saw a shadow out of the corner of her eye. Who would be up here during the ball? Realizing how hypocritical she blushed a little, even though no one would see her. The boy looked like he was her age, but she had never met him before. Not sure what she should do, she huffed loudly, blowing her bangs out of her face. Realizing that the boy had probably heard that, she hit herself on the head and decided that since she had already made it known that she was there, but not on purpose, that she could at least say a quiet hello.

Her shoes made a soft tap as she walked up to the railing, standing a few feet away from him. Looking down at the deadly drop below, she blushed a little and muttered a quiet, "Hello." A strong wind blew past her, making her hair hang farther out over the cliffs. At least she knew she wasn't going to be alone on the dreary night, even if he didn't acknowledge her prescence.

 

[Isaac Chambers IV]

Isaac was overlooking the view as he balanced on the bottom rail, not expecting anyone else to be here so when he heard a loud huff from behind, he was startled and lost his balance on the railing. He wobbled and grabbed the rail with his hands to steady himself and then decided to get off the railing, thinking it was probably not a good idea to stay on them. He could've slipped and hit his head on the metal bars.

Once he had scolded himself for being so careless, Isaac heard someone softly say 'Hello' behind him. He had every intention of turning around to see who it was from the moment he heard a huff, however after he nearly slipped and mostly, embarrassed himself, he was afraid to face someone laughing at his face. His eyelids slid over his blue irises for a second before opening them again and then turning around. His blue eyes met those brown eyes of a girl about his age and he smiled at her, glad that even if they ended up not getting along, at least he knew he wasn't the only one to avoid the Yule Ball. "Hi," he returned her greeting warmly.

 

[Kaede Okinawa]

Kaede's eyes opened wide with shock as the boy slipped. She hadn't meant to startle him. Her shock didn't last long when he turned around and greeted her. With a warm smile, she decided that she might as well try to start a conversation. "Hi," she said again, not knowing what to say. Her cheeks became a dark pink color as she realized that she greeted him again. "O-oh, um, I meant, I didn't mean to say that again." Her stuttering made her even more embarrassed, and her cheeks became a rosy red, although it was hard to see in the darkness of the night.

There was a short silence before she blurted without thinking. "I'm Kaede, Kaede Okinawa." Suddenly realizing that she was being ridiculous. It was obvious that he wasn't going to kill her or eat her, so she didn't need to act so skittish. "I'm sorry, I was just sort of out of it. I act really weird sometimes." She started to laugh, glad that she could still have fun without having to dress up in uncomfortable clothes and glop on goopy make up. She liked the natural feeling, it made her feel more like a human being instead of some clone.

 

[Isaac Chambers IV]

Isaac chuckled a little when the girl repeated her greeting though it wasn't noticeable. He watched as she seemed to stutter and become quite flustered as she began speaking and normally Isaac hated people like her. He hated those who weren't confident in themselves to introduce themselves firmly and confidently, as he was taught to do. Just as he was thinking perhaps he wouldn't associate himself with her after all, the girl finally introduced herself firmly, automatically making Isaac think twice about giving up on what he hoped would be company for the evening. He smiled again, noting that her name sounded vaguely familiar though nothing came to mind right away. "Isaac, Isaac Chambers," he replied regally with a proud smile. "No need for apology," he said, waving his hand nonchalantly, that was another thing he hated, when people apologized for their actions. Why should he apologize for being himself, and the same for others. "Why aren't you at the Yule Ball?" he asked her lightly, his emphasis on the Yule Ball indicated that he wasn't very fond of it.

 

[Kaede Okinawa]

Kaede smiled when he laughed. She was still a little embarrassed that she had said something so stupid, but it didn't matter. Her cheeks started to turn to their regular color. The moonlight made her already pale skin even paler. At first she had been scared that he wouldn't be friendy, but she had taken the chance, and it had been worth it so far. He said his name was Isaac. His name was familiar but she couldn't place the name. Either way she had never met him before, so it wasn't that big of an issue.

He went on to say that she didn't need to apologize, and she realized that she apologized a lot. More than need be. It was the way she had been raised though, if she didn't apologize to people her parents would tell her she was rude, or even worse, if she didn't apologize to them, she would get in trouble for it. But she was at Hogwarts now, and not at home, and it wouldn't matter if she did or didn't apologize, because her parents simply weren't there.

When Isaac asked why she wasn't at the Yule Ball, Kaede sensed a dislike towards it. The only reason she noticed it though, was because of the way he had said Yule Ball. She decided that she wouldn't say anything about it, it would only turn the comfortable mood sour. "No one asked me, and I don't find dancing by myself very entertaining." Her voice had a laugh to it, but it was nothing more than somewhat cheery. "Besides, the cliffs are a lot more enchanting than a ball..What about you?" she said, a friendly smile spreading across her lips.

 

[Isaac Chambers IV]

Isaac leaned against the railing, carefully this time to make sure he didn't slip or fall, and chuckled at her response. "You shouldn't let the fact that no one asked you stop you from going," he commented with a shrug, slipping his hands into his pocket. Although he really wasn't one to talk. The reason he didn't want to go was because he couldn't bare to see Isabella having a great time with that Gryffindor boy Mike. He smiled when Kaede said the cliffs were much more enchanting than the ball. "I agree, something about the natural light of the moon is more mesmerizing than the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall," he said absent-mindedly, his blue eyes looking up towards the sky. He looked back down at her when she asked why he wasn't there. "I'm tired of fancy events," he said, glad that he had found another excuse rather than his real reason for not going. "I've been to too many black-and-white tie events to last me a lifetime," he joked while shaking his shaggy blonde hair.

 

[Kaede Okinawa]

"No, I probably shouldn't, but the dance didn't really appeal to me much either. I don't think I really had a reason to go yet. I'd rather wait for someone special to take me, then it would be more of a treat than just going with some random person. I know waiting for that special someone isn't realistic, but I mean more of someone who is important in my life. Meaning a best friend, or someone I just really like to be with. You know what I mean?" Kaede took a deep breath. Her whole blob of words had winded her, and she had to stop for a second. She knew of a certain someone she would have enjoyed to go with, but she hadn't seen that person in the past few days. It was alright though, she knew that she would get her chance one day. "Besides, a dance is just a dance right? If you really want to dance, you should just dance, because really, who's going to stop you?" She smiled at this, even if she didn't get to dance now, she could dance in a month, a year, or even a decade, and it would still matter just as much or even more as the dance tonight.

Looking up at the bright moon, her chocolate brown eyes shone lighter, almost as if she had just had a sudden realization. The cool wind caressed her skin as it flew past her, making the night even more radiant than it had been before. Nodding her head at Isaac, she laughed. "If they were smart they would have had the Ball outside. It's a beautiful night, and the moonlight is just one small part of it that makes it so beautiful."

She smiled broadly as he said he had been to too many black-and-white tie events. She herself had had her share as well. "I agree, instead of dressing up in glamorous gowns and caking layers off make up on their faces, they should just dress in whatever makes them feel comfortable. I'd rather do that than tie my hair back so tight that it gives me a headache." She started to laugh, and suddenly a wave of relief washed over her. Kaede was truly glad that she had decided to skip the ball.

 

[Isaac Chambers IV]

It sometimes amazed Isaac that there were other girls besides those like his sister and Isabella. It wasn't that he didn't ever talk to girls, it was just that most of the time he did, they ended up being the same types, obsessed with looking good and fawning over events like the Yule Ball. When Kaede mentioned a 'special someone' Isaac's mind teased him with images of Isabella though they faded quickly. Lately he had been thinking of the Hufflepuff second year Arianna though he felt he was hopeless with her as well. He smiled when the girl in front of his spoke of dancing freely, whenever, and said, "Alright that's where I draw the line at agreeing with you," he said jokingly. He really couldn't dance so he wasn't going to be breaking out in dance any time soon.

Isaac laughed when she spoke of having a hairdo that was pulled back so tight it gave the girls a headache. "Well 'beauty is pain' is it not?" though he shook his head vigorously. First he was disagreeing with the saying altogether, and secondly, he was rather embarrassed at himself for saying it aloud, not a masculine thing to know. "Sorry, I have three sisters," he said as a form of explanation to why he would know that.

 

[Kaede Okinawa]

Kaede started to laugh at his joke. Most people didn't really get what she said, because they didn't like the logic of it. It wasn't "natural" to not want to dress up for everything, or to cake make up on your face. To Kaede, it didn't seem human, or even confident. Why should you have to hide your face behind makeup if you weren't confident in yourself? That was what didn't make sense to Kaede. Whenever she had make up on, it was because she was forced to, not because she wanted to. Her parents had put enough make up on her face to cover the planet at least one time ove r. "So I'm guessing you don't like dancing then?" She joked. She knew a lot of people didn't like dancing, but that was just fine with her. Everyone had things they like and things they don't like.

Her eyes got wide, and then she started laughing when he said beauty was pain. Most guys usually didn't say stuff like that, but it wasn't that big of a deal. "That's waht they say, but it isn't really true." Smiling, she shook her head at his apology. "No no, it's fine. I totally understand. I have two sisters myself, and all they ever talk about it girly stuff. Not that I'm not a girl, I just don't like the same things they do." She felt that no explanation was needed, knowing those kind of things was actually something that was good to know.

 

[Isaac Chambers IV]

Isaac allowed a chuckle to escape him once again when Kaede asked if he didn't like dancing. The Slytherin shook his head as he said, "No, I'd rather not stomp on my partners toes all night." It just seemed so complicated, dancing, whether with someone, without someone it was also humiliating for him. Of course his parents had made him take ballroom classes with his sisters, humiliation of his life, but that didn't mean he looked good doing it.

Isaac winced when she began laughing after he'd said the 'beauty is pain' comment but his wince was only playful since he was feigning being hurt by her laughing at him. After she said 'not that I'm not a girl' it was his turn to laugh. "Well Kaede, it is sad of me to say that you're one of the first non 'girly' girls I've met," he stated with a small smile, though he shook his head in disappointment. It was sad that many girls his age or slightly older seemed to be obsessed with looks, they were only kids, they shouldn't be worrying about that. Of course Isaac too worried about things way beyond his maturity level already and more important than looks, like his father's job which he soon hoped to take over, but he thought that was a different situation.

 

[Kaede Okinawa]

Kaede smiled as he chuckled. She laughed when he said he didn't want to stomp on his partner's toes, which she totally understood. "That's a pretty good reason for not liking it. Who wants to do something with someone they like and then hurt them?" She laughed again, a wider smile spreading across her face. Kaede knew pretty well what it was like to have her feet stomped on. Ballroom dancing had been forced upon her, and so the few rare times she had to go to balls she had to dance with some people who weren't very good at it. It had never made her mad though, she knew some people just didn't have a thing for dancing.

When he winced Kaede immediatly felt bad, even though she didn't know what she had said to offend him. Suddenly realizing it was fake, she smiled, and thought, He's pretty good at acting.

Her eyes widened when he said that she was one of the first non girly girls he had met. It shocked her. She had thought that at least more than a few girls thought that it was ridiculous to get all dressy for stupid things. "Really? Well, my view on it is that if you have to hide your beauty behind make up, then you must not be very confident in yourself. It's different when your going to a Ball, but every day? I personally feel a lot more beautiful not wearing make up." Thinking about what she had just said, all she could do was think of all the girls in the Great Hall at that moment. With that, she started to laugh. "Besides, if I need to cry, I won't have to worry about having make up dripping down my face."

 

[Isaac Chambers IV]

Isaac listened with interest as Kaede began to give her opinion on girls who wore make up versus those who didn't. Confidence was it? He had never thought of that, though now that she explained it, it made complete sense. His younger sister Summer, who was still too young to wear make up (not that it stopped her) was always the first to slap on the whale fat on her lips and across her eyelids and wherever else they put it, and though she seemed the most confident with her push-around attitude, she was really the most insecure. Now it all made sense. Isaac smiled at Kaede, almost as if thanking her for the realization, before he laughed when she said she wouldn't have to worry about make up dripping down her face as she cried. "And why ever would you be crying?" he asked with raised eyebrows in curiosity.

 

[Kaede Okinawa]

Kaede smiled as he asked about why she would be crying. "Well, there are many reasons. I could have been pushed down the stairs, even though I don't know why anyone would do that. And then there's well, I could sprain my ankle, which is something I've done quite a few times, which I'm not so sure I should be proud of." She started to laugh at that, how many times had it been now? Seven times? She was a natural klutz, she tried to control it, but sometimes she got so distracted she didn't know she was tripping till it was too late. Her parents hated the fact, but even though they had tried to fix it, it had been virtually impossible.