So, Um, Hi?

[Austin Zhefarovich]

Austin Yves Devearux got ready in the Ravenclaw House. He felt slightly guilty that he would not be going with his girlfriend, Taylor. He adored her to the end of the world. However, because of the OWLs, he was wondering if it was really smart to even hold a relationship. And then there was that other little voice in his mind that cursed him for even liking Taylor, and not going after Arianna. He felt bad almost all the time, but he was convinced that they were just friends, and she would never see him like that. And now, he was fixing himself up to see her at the Ball. She had won him, and he had to admit, he was so happy over it. He combed his hair and he was ready. He smelt good, and now it was time to meet up with his best friend for a lovely night. There was just one little problem.

He had not had the guts to tell Arianna he was dating Taylor. He sighed and he descended down into the Great Hall. He acknowledged his buddies in the Brotherhood, and he smiled as he saw Danny and his cousin. Though the age was a bit...off, but still. They looked rather cute. He did not see Aleyha as he waited at the doors. This would be the second school gathering with Arianna. He leaned against the doors, and he fiddled with his tie. He muttered, "Please don't make me look like an idiot." Austin prayed to a higher being up in the sky, and he wondered for a moment, why was he so nervous about tonight?

 

[Arianna Tipley]

Dressed in the blue strapless dress it had taken her so long to find, Arianna put the final touches to her hair before assessing her appearance in the mirror. Though not a vain girl, Arianna was reasonably pleased with what she saw. Gone were the days of purposefully not brushing her hair and dressing in her scruffiest clothes just to annoy her mother. Though the tomboy nature still lingered in her actions, and also had given her a love of jeans instead of skirts, her appearance had improved greatly. Arianna ran a comb through her recently cut fringe one more time before slipping on the plain black flats and grabbing her small bag. She walked easily out of the dormitories, dodging quickly past other girls struggling to descend the staircase in their ridiculously high heeled shoes.

Arianna fond herself moving down to The Great Hall much faster than she normally did. The reason for this was simple. Austin. One of her best friends, and she been lucky enough to win him in that auction, that had seemed stupid at the time. Arianna was very glad of it, as she knew that she would never have asked him to go herself. They were just friends, and though friends went to the Yule Ball togeher all time, it would have almost suggested that she felt for him a different way, which she half hoped he would realize. She also hadn't heard from him since the summer they had spent at her place. A smile played at the corners of her mouth as she thought about the times they had spent together. The small smile stayed on her face as she asended the steps to the Entrance Hall and began searching for his familiar face in the crowds of excited people beginning to gather. Spotting the Ravenclaw, she made her way over a little slower than before, suddenly feeling shy. Austin had never seen her in anything other than a t-shirt, and shorts or jeans. Though she was confident of her appearance, it was still... Different. Arianna came to stop in front of him, taking in the suit and tie which made him look ridiculously handsome. "Hey you" she said, unable to keep the smile off her face, all insecurities fading away at the sight of him. He had this way of making her feel as if she didn't need to pretend or be made up around him.

 

[Austin Zhefarovich]

How Austin remained standing would be a mystery. The moment those emerald eyes were laid upon Arianna, his heart started to pump like mad. For a moment, he thought that he might have a panic attack. He could only hope not. He had been rather busy with all of the OWLs coming, and this was his only time to really relax. How he adored being the summer with her. Maybe they should do it again sometime? For a tomboy, Arianna really could make herself look so gorgeous, and he was almost sure that he was the lucky one. Almost sure? His luck at bit him in the ass because he should have been here with his girlfriend, or maybe he should be here with Arianna but he didn't at the time have the guts to ask her to be his own girlfriend. Austin murmured, "Arianna, you look amazing." Saying that she looked hot would be so uncalled for, even though it was true. He held his hand out for her to take, so he could lead them into the Great Hall. He definitely needed to tell her about him and Taylor. But right now, that was in the back of his mind. Knowing him, he would blurt it out eventually. Knowing you, you will mess this up anyway. Can't you just tell her you like her? No, she will never like you as anything more than a friend anyway, but it is better than to just lie to yourself. Curse his thoughts for making him feel even more confused than ever. He can't be a good friend and a good boyfriend to two different girls. Especially when he was so caught up in studying, he can't be a good boyfriend anyway.

 

[Arianna Tipley]

A blush tinged Arianna's cheeks at his comment, and she looked down at her shoes for a second, trying to pass it off. "Thank you. You do too" she said as she looked up, glad that her voice came out more confidently than she was currently feeling. The small smile was still on her face, however her eyes were bright from the excitement and happiness of being here with Austin. She took his hand lightly, being careful not to grip too hard. She definitely didn't want to come across as desperate or clingy or anything. Following him into the Great Hall, Arianna only gave an appreciative glance around at the decorations. This being her fifth Ball in this Hall, the novelty had mostly worn off. Arianna glanced up at his face, and her stomach turned slightly as she caught another look of his face, which seemed to be getting more and more handsome every time she saw him. She pushed these thoughts out of her head. Arianna did not want to let herself think those things about him, and gain false hope about them being more than friends. She would just concentrate on having a good time with him, which she knew would be very easy. It didn't seem as if anything could wrong tonight.

 

[Austin Zhefarovich]

Austin felt Arianna's hand in his own, and it somehow tingled his skin, and felt...right. He led them to the Great Hall, and though he had been to a few Yule Balls, just not every one because he didn't really appreciate dancing much, but he would do anything with Arianna here. He glanced back down at her, and he just hoped that he wouldn't screw it up. He smiled, "I'm glad you won me in that Brotherhood bet. I am so glad that you didn't get screwed over in the end... Or myself for that matter." Joking was something he used from occasion to cover up his own nervousness. Though he can often say the wrong thing, just like he just did... "Then again, well... Arianna, things are awesome right now, but I must confess. Taylor Mercer is my girlfriend." Austin released her hand, but there was conflict in his mind. Half of him was happy that he finally told her, but there was something else yelling at him too, for saying it tonight. But why confess something when they were meant to be just friends? Well, f***, if I even suspected that she liked me, well I just screwed that up. Austin, you are an idiot! Austin ran a hand through his short hair, and he wondered why in the world was he put in Ravenclaw. He was not very smart when it came to this.

 

[Arianna Tipley]

Arianna's heart leapt a little at his words. He was glad that she had won him? What did that mean? She knew that she was very glad that she had won him, though probably for different reasons to him. Arianna was delighted at the chance to go to the Yule Ball with him, because though she had told herself that she just wanted to be friends, the greater feelings she had for him were undeniable. However it sounded like Austin was just glad that he hadn't ended up with up a first year. Or another boy for that matter. Arianna nodded "You're lucky you didn't end up with another guy..." she said, glancing over at her old friend Aon with some Slytherin. She shook her head, giggling a little. This was the perfect oppurtunity to tell him exactly how she felt. What could go wrong? Well there were a lot of things, but she tried not to think of them at that moment.

Arianna took a deep breath, trying to be brave and just tell him "There's somethi-" she started. However his next words drove the thoughts clean from her mind. He was with Taylor. He was with Taylor? That meant that all she had told herself had been true. Ausin felt nothing outside of friendship for her. And to think she had just been about to tell him how she felt. Hurt and anger welled up inside her as she snatched her hand back, not even attempting to compose herself. The normally quiet Hufflepuff had a fiery temper when it was ignited. "What the hell?" was what came out her mouth. She had thought that he had possibly been interested in her. But now... She didn't know what to think.

 

[Austin Zhefarovich]

Austin's green eyes went over to Aeon and Brodie. He only knew them by names after all. However, they seemed rather happy to go together. Must be really good friends. He thought it was cool for friends to go to the Yule Ball. However, what he was not expecting was Arianna getting mad at the news. It left him thoroughly confused, and staring at her in bewilderment. Austin had never seen her so fired up, and if he weren't so shocked and slightly scared - though he would never let this show, then he would have thought it was quite hot. But not right now. There was just some things that one should have never said, and he thought that he really screwed up her night, and he naturally assumed that he just ruined their night. The one time that he could really be comfortable without the pressure of OWLs on his shoulders. This was not fair, to either of them.

Austin just had to question it too. Why would Arianna act like this? Did she really have feelings for him that was probably gone now? He blew it, sky high. If he had known, he probably would not have dated Taylor to begin with. Austin averted his eyes to the ground, and he uttered, "I didn't know you would...mind. Arianna, I... Damn it, I just... I don't even know now. I wanted tonight for us to be perfect, and here I go, screwing it up. But I really didn't think you cared if I was dating Taylor or not." Austin was going to add in that friends normally are happy for another to start dating, but he knew for a fact that if someone started to date Arianna, he would be out for blood. Guess that the feelings were mutual. He no longer could make eye contact with her. He had really sunk himself into a huge hole. It was almost expected that he would screw it up. Austin really needed to control what came out of his mouth.

 

[Arianna Tipley]

Austin's confused stare softened Arianna's features for a second. He hadn't known how she felt, however... They had spent so much time together, and he had given her those earrings and the ring. Did friends do that for each other? A frown replaced the confusion on her face. Frustration built up inside her, and she looked down at the ground with hard eyes. This was one of those times that made Arianna glad that she rarely cried. It just wasn't in her nature. When something was bothering her, she would get irritated. She resisted the urge to tell him to spit the damn sentence out, as he fumbled a bit over his words. Didn't know she would mind? Was he that stupid? "And I always thought Ravenclaws were smart..." she muttered, not caring if he heard.

Arianna folded her arms "Well you know what, I really don't care" she said, though it was perfectly obvious from her body language that she cared a whole lot. She held her head high, as he avoided her gaze. She tried to make herself look as if she was absolutely fine, though inside, the walls she had just put up were beginning to crumble. How could he have thought that their night wpuld be perfect? Arianna didn't know what he was expecting. Well, any chance of that perfect night had evaporated.

 

[Austin Zhefarovich]

Austin thought over his actions and then it hit him, how in the world had he not known? He felt like such a jerk for leading her on so much. Austin wanted nothing more but to make it up to Arianna but how in the world was he going to be able to do that? But there was nothing he could do now to prevent the hurt that he had already inflicted. He heard what she muttered, and he flinched a bit. That was a blow to the pride, as he had always thought of himself as a smart kid. There was really nothing he could say or do. He wanted to ask her to be his girlfriend, but there were complications with that because he liked Taylor too. Austin finally made eye contact once more, but not with bravery, more like with necessity. Though she said that she didn’t care, he raised an eyebrow. If she didn’t care, then why be so angered? Her body language told different, as Austin had acknowledged that. “Arianna, if you don’t care, then why did you get angry in the first place? And why does your body tell different? If I had known any signs that told me that you would have been mad at me for dating Taylor, I would have chosen against it. Do you not like her…?” Maybe that could be it? Maybe. He was wondering what was really going on.

 

[Arianna Tipley]

Arianna watched his face, admittedly feeling a little bad when her comment seemed to hurt him a little. Though she was not happy with him at all right now, he was afterall one of her best friends. Or was he? She wasn't quite sure what to think. However she stayed quiet, not about to take it back. It wasn't punishment that she was trying to inflict on him, as she couldn't technically find anything that he had done wrong. They were friends, and then he had found a girlfriend. There shouldn't be anything wrong with that, however there was to Arianna.
Austin's words confirmed her thoughts. She swallowed, still looking him square in the eyes. "Angry? I am not angry." her stubborn tone suggesting the opposite. She wasn't quite sure what else there was to say. Catching the last of his words Arianna frowned once more "Taylor is a friend of mine actually" she replied. Admittedly, she couldn't think of a nicer person for Austin than Taylor, who she'd been friends with since the first year. Arianna couldn't help wondering how long Austin and Taylor had known each other. Keeping her gaze fixed upon his, Arianna tried to keep the hurt out of her eyes, but she knew it was there all the same. Suddenly she no longer wanted to be in this hall, full of mistletoe and happy couples.

 

[Austin Zhefarovich]

Austin was scared that this would lose Arianna as a best friend forever. Who else was he going to turn to when he needed a pick me up? She was the right girl for it, and she and he, they were two peas in a pod. It would be weird to see one without the other. Austin let out a sigh, and didn't know what else to say. He couldn't be mad at her. That was impossible. He could be scared of her, that was for sure. Her anger left him almost shaking. Austin narrowed his green eyes when she said that she wasn't angry. He countered with a calm voice, "That is a lie, I can see it right now. Anger is common in my family; I could recognize the signs." Oh boy, Austin needed to learn to shut his mouth. He just got smart with Arianna. With a woman. He was in so much trouble. He could barely see the hurt in her eyes, and in his own, he had nothing but confusion. "But, if you two are friends, then what is the problem? Arianna, this isn't fair to me." But it really was fair to him, but the stubborn Ravenclaw just did not see it like that at all. Instead, he just saw the faults that was everywhere except for his own. There were signs that she liked him, but he was too blind to pick up on them.