- Messages
- 3,609
- OOC First Name
- Camilla
- Blood Status
- Muggleborn
- Relationship Status
- Single (Not Looking)
- Wand
- Curly 13" Rigid Pine Wand, Meteorite Dust Core
- Age
- 18 (21/9/2043)
absolutely stealing Ana's thing of writing mini exposition one shot threads. casual warning for mild bullying though I tried to keep the language toned down!
Summer days always felt like they lasted forever. In the sense that the sun was still up well after 9pm, at least. On New Year’s Eve, Aine wondered if the local councils were counting the seconds until they could actually set off the early fireworks. Or the parents were counting down until they could send their kids to bed without them being woken up by them, if they weren’t having a party.
Not that she wanted to think about parties, mind you. Aine stood in waist deep water, probably about twenty or thirty metres out from the shore. It simultaneously felt to her like she was a whole world away and yet like she couldn’t get far enough from it all. The wind was light enough that the waves were barely buffeting her, and the water was cold yet it was her arms, above the water, that were covered in goosebumps. She wrapped them around herself with a sigh, breathing slowly and steadily and trying desperately to maintain a sense of calm.
What was I thinking? She questioned, bitterly, shuddering as the evening replayed itself once more, unbidden. Aine ducked her head under the water, squeezing her eyes shut and letting her makeup wash off her face. She was sure Siobhan would be disappointed, her sister having taken the time to help her find an outfit and get dressed up and made up for the party. Maybe for her it was a distraction project over the holidays, though. Even Aine, who thought being a project was the worst kind of hell, was at least polite enough to let her (though being nudged by her mother probably helped). Why did I ever think it was a good idea?
It had probably been a bad idea from the start, realistically, to go to a party with a bunch of footy and netball players who were vaguely aware of her from primary school. She didn't really know any of them, but Conor had insisted that it would be totally fine, he coached the boys and they were all pretty cool, they would let her feel welcome. And it wasn't as though she had any other plans, she'd be sitting at home doing nothing otherwise. Besides, she'd met up with some of them beforehand, and she'd thought they were nice. Sure, she had to handwave any questions about school, but 15/16 year olds weren't really keen to talk about school anyway so she figured she could get away with it. She'd even got the impression that one of the boys thought she was cute, considering how he'd been extra friendly to her. Aine knew she didn't really fit in with wizards, but it was nice to believe that maybe she did actually kind of fit in with muggles, more than she had before.
Except she'd been wrong, and she was humiliated.
She'd been washing her hands in the bathroom, more for the sake of gathering herself after the boy whose name she wanted to pretend she didn't remember had told her she looked nice and gave her shoulder a squeeze. Aine knew, logically, it was more just a passing minor crush that meant absolutely nothing, she didn't know him at all, but it was nice to think that maybe she was likeable and pretty. She'd reached for the doorhandle, ready to put on her best smile and brush-offs of personal information to ask friendly questions.
"Oh my god, so what dirt does the coach have on you that you had to invite his weirdo sister?"
Aine had paused, slumping her shoulders. She wasn't so blind to not think people would say things like that about her, but there was a difference between getting snide comments directly in her day to day life and overhearing things when she was putting herself out there. She didn't want to hear it, and yet she felt like she had to.
"Sorry...mum said I didn't have a choice. Like, nobody from whatever crazy school she goes to would even invite her to a party, it's kind of a pity thing, you know?"
"Yeah, obviously." The laughter grated in her ears and her hand slipped off the handle, palms getting sweatier. Nerves wrapped around her heart, like a vine coated in thorns piercing her chest. It shouldn't have felt so bad. I tell myself this all the time. But it felt worse than it should have. "She's like, totally all over you too, it's soooo pathetic."
"Do you think she'll do something weird when I turn her down? Could be funny."
"Gawd, you're such an a**!" More laughter, harsh in her ears. "Drinks?" Aine had waited for the footsteps to go away, before she turned to look blankly in the mirror. What are you looking at? You should've known how much everyone hates you. Pities you. No good as a witch or as a muggle. You will never fit in.
Another wave brought her back to the present. The sky was a pale pink, the last hints of sunlight fading over the ocean. She'd politely excused herself to one of the parents, saying something along the lines of feeling unwell and she'd just go back to her sister's. Conveniently, they had rented a place for a week after Christmas in Port Fairy, as everyone from town did. And she'd walked, and walked, going down to the beach and far enough down the shoreline that she wouldn't run into anyone from the party if they decided to go for an evening swim. She tried to think of something else, anything else, but all she could do was dwell. But she focused, steadied her breathing, and tried her best to at least not show anything on her face.
At least nobody at Hogwarts would ever have to know about this. She could practice lying, saying she had muggle friends, she'd had a great time at New Year's Eve. That a boy had shown interest in her but she wasn't interested in dating right now. If she had to practice lying to muggles, she could lie to wizards. Aine took deep breaths as she slowly walked back to the shore. At the very least, her divination reading had been correct. She wasn't sure if that was a comfort or not.
But her sister was waiting for her, a worried look on her face. And when she confided, after about half an hour of pretending everything was fine, Siobhan had hugged her and insisted that "men are total s**t, and boys are even worse." It had helped, if only a little. At midnight, instead of partying she was in bed, overhearing Cecilia crying, awoken by fireworks, and trying to settle her brain so she could sleep. At the very least, she'd made up a new year's resolution. Or at least, something of a mantra she could tell herself every night.
Never get your hopes up and keep your cards close to your chest. Keep the walls built up and know that you know best.
Summer days always felt like they lasted forever. In the sense that the sun was still up well after 9pm, at least. On New Year’s Eve, Aine wondered if the local councils were counting the seconds until they could actually set off the early fireworks. Or the parents were counting down until they could send their kids to bed without them being woken up by them, if they weren’t having a party.
Not that she wanted to think about parties, mind you. Aine stood in waist deep water, probably about twenty or thirty metres out from the shore. It simultaneously felt to her like she was a whole world away and yet like she couldn’t get far enough from it all. The wind was light enough that the waves were barely buffeting her, and the water was cold yet it was her arms, above the water, that were covered in goosebumps. She wrapped them around herself with a sigh, breathing slowly and steadily and trying desperately to maintain a sense of calm.
What was I thinking? She questioned, bitterly, shuddering as the evening replayed itself once more, unbidden. Aine ducked her head under the water, squeezing her eyes shut and letting her makeup wash off her face. She was sure Siobhan would be disappointed, her sister having taken the time to help her find an outfit and get dressed up and made up for the party. Maybe for her it was a distraction project over the holidays, though. Even Aine, who thought being a project was the worst kind of hell, was at least polite enough to let her (though being nudged by her mother probably helped). Why did I ever think it was a good idea?
It had probably been a bad idea from the start, realistically, to go to a party with a bunch of footy and netball players who were vaguely aware of her from primary school. She didn't really know any of them, but Conor had insisted that it would be totally fine, he coached the boys and they were all pretty cool, they would let her feel welcome. And it wasn't as though she had any other plans, she'd be sitting at home doing nothing otherwise. Besides, she'd met up with some of them beforehand, and she'd thought they were nice. Sure, she had to handwave any questions about school, but 15/16 year olds weren't really keen to talk about school anyway so she figured she could get away with it. She'd even got the impression that one of the boys thought she was cute, considering how he'd been extra friendly to her. Aine knew she didn't really fit in with wizards, but it was nice to believe that maybe she did actually kind of fit in with muggles, more than she had before.
Except she'd been wrong, and she was humiliated.
She'd been washing her hands in the bathroom, more for the sake of gathering herself after the boy whose name she wanted to pretend she didn't remember had told her she looked nice and gave her shoulder a squeeze. Aine knew, logically, it was more just a passing minor crush that meant absolutely nothing, she didn't know him at all, but it was nice to think that maybe she was likeable and pretty. She'd reached for the doorhandle, ready to put on her best smile and brush-offs of personal information to ask friendly questions.
"Oh my god, so what dirt does the coach have on you that you had to invite his weirdo sister?"
Aine had paused, slumping her shoulders. She wasn't so blind to not think people would say things like that about her, but there was a difference between getting snide comments directly in her day to day life and overhearing things when she was putting herself out there. She didn't want to hear it, and yet she felt like she had to.
"Sorry...mum said I didn't have a choice. Like, nobody from whatever crazy school she goes to would even invite her to a party, it's kind of a pity thing, you know?"
"Yeah, obviously." The laughter grated in her ears and her hand slipped off the handle, palms getting sweatier. Nerves wrapped around her heart, like a vine coated in thorns piercing her chest. It shouldn't have felt so bad. I tell myself this all the time. But it felt worse than it should have. "She's like, totally all over you too, it's soooo pathetic."
"Do you think she'll do something weird when I turn her down? Could be funny."
"Gawd, you're such an a**!" More laughter, harsh in her ears. "Drinks?" Aine had waited for the footsteps to go away, before she turned to look blankly in the mirror. What are you looking at? You should've known how much everyone hates you. Pities you. No good as a witch or as a muggle. You will never fit in.
Another wave brought her back to the present. The sky was a pale pink, the last hints of sunlight fading over the ocean. She'd politely excused herself to one of the parents, saying something along the lines of feeling unwell and she'd just go back to her sister's. Conveniently, they had rented a place for a week after Christmas in Port Fairy, as everyone from town did. And she'd walked, and walked, going down to the beach and far enough down the shoreline that she wouldn't run into anyone from the party if they decided to go for an evening swim. She tried to think of something else, anything else, but all she could do was dwell. But she focused, steadied her breathing, and tried her best to at least not show anything on her face.
At least nobody at Hogwarts would ever have to know about this. She could practice lying, saying she had muggle friends, she'd had a great time at New Year's Eve. That a boy had shown interest in her but she wasn't interested in dating right now. If she had to practice lying to muggles, she could lie to wizards. Aine took deep breaths as she slowly walked back to the shore. At the very least, her divination reading had been correct. She wasn't sure if that was a comfort or not.
But her sister was waiting for her, a worried look on her face. And when she confided, after about half an hour of pretending everything was fine, Siobhan had hugged her and insisted that "men are total s**t, and boys are even worse." It had helped, if only a little. At midnight, instead of partying she was in bed, overhearing Cecilia crying, awoken by fireworks, and trying to settle her brain so she could sleep. At the very least, she'd made up a new year's resolution. Or at least, something of a mantra she could tell herself every night.
Never get your hopes up and keep your cards close to your chest. Keep the walls built up and know that you know best.