Closed Tears of a Lily

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily had gone to the one place in school she knew neither Lars nor Elliot would go. She had curled up in a less used corridor in the dungeons, knowing the fear of Tyler and Blake would keep the two boys she needed the most away. Of course, after the conversation she had just had, she couldn't shake the feeling Lars wouldn't care if he saw her right now. That just made her cry harder. She bit her lip, her sobs quiet as she curled in on herself. Tears streaked her face, and her shoulders shook, but she was so quiet it would have been hard to see her. She held her knees to her chest, head buried in her arms as she mourned the loss of one of her closest friends.

 

[Philip Maxwell]

Philip had just come back from a stroll outside. He kept on postponing going back to the common room as he had nothing better to do as well as going back insde meant he had to finish his homework. With that, he sauntered past the door and continued walking until he reached the less frequented area of the dungeons. Nothing seemed interesting until he heard the faint sound of someone crying. He looked around until he spotted the crying ball with long hair. He cocked his head, trying to figure out if it was Ava. He knew her profile so well and she would not come all the way here just to cry. He cautiosuly approached the girl, his hands checking his pockets until he found what he was looking for. "Hey...are you okay?", he softly whispered as he crouched down in front of her.​

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily tensed, biting her lip and shrinking back against the wall when someone spoke to her. She glanced up at him through her hair, her eyes red from crying and her cheeks flushed. She shook her head, holding her knees tighter to herself and looking away from the older boy.

 

[Philip Maxwell]

Philip noticed the tensed shoulders and he scooted back just a bit to give her space. He held out the handkerchief and offered it to her after he softly tapped her arm. He sat there across her and patiently waited. If she wanted to cry, he would let her be. Just he would keep her company in this cold dungeon corridor.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily cried quietly for a few moments, looking up to see he was still there. She accepted the handkerchief from him, sniffling and dabbing at her eyes. "I'm sorry," She murmured quietly. "T-thank you," She bit her lip, giving him a shaky smile. "W-who... who are you?" She asked softly.

 

[Philip Maxwell]

Philip smiled, shaking his head in understanding. "No need to apologise. If crying helps, don't hold back." He scooted a bit closer to her now that he had seen her smile and somehow calmed down. Asked for his name, he pondered. "Philip George. You can call me whatever you want." Giving his full name allowed the person options on what to call him. Philip just had too much negativity for him because of Ava.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily watched as he sat next to her, trying to calm herself. "I... I like 'Pip'," She murmured softly. "My name is Lillian. Lily," She told him. "I..." She sighed. "My best friend started dating someone last year, and I grew really close to their boyfriend, they're both my best friends in the whole world," Her lip quivered. "But then- then they broke up, and now Lars doesn't want anything to do with me, but I can't tell Elliot how sad and upset I am, cuz then he'll feel even worse, I just- just," She started crying again, burying her face in her arms.

 

[Philip Maxwell]

If Philip was surprised, he did not show it. It seemed that there were two people who would call him Pip. "Pip it is, Lily.", he smiled. He scooted closer next to her until they were shoulder to shoulder. He listened with patience when she started to tell him why she was in the dungeons in the first place. He vaguely remembered who the students were around him, let alone his classmates. He was not able to linger on that for Lily burst out crying again. His brotherly instinct sprung into action, seeing as his siblings were not here. He put an arm around her and pulled her to his embrace. "Oh,Lily. Hush now.", he cooed, rubbing her hair. "If you can't tell Elliot now, Pip us here to listen to you anytime you need to." He pulled away just enough to see her face. He brushed the tears off her cheek. "Dry those tears now, okay?", he sofly said.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily was a little startled when Pip pulled her closer, but she was upset enough she didn't mind. She leaned into his side, still crying. She sniffed softly, looking up at him as he brushed away her tears. "You're really sweet," She spoke softly. "Why do you care?" She asked, gently. "You don't even know me..." She wiped her face on her sleeve, looking up to him curiously.

 

[Philip Maxwell]

Philip smiled when Lily's cries slowed down to a sniffle. He was relieved when she had relaxed into his hug despite not knowing who he really was. At her words, he merely shrugged, not knowing he was not really that sweet. When asked, he feigned hurt and surprise. "I know you. You know me. I'm Pip and you're Lily." He gave her a warm smile once more. Guiding her head back to his shoulders, he added. "I prefer calling you Lils though. It's a bit close to lil' sister."

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily couldn't help but laugh lightly, letting him pull her back against his shoulder. "It would be nice to be the little sister," She sighed softly. "I'm the oldest of three. It's hard sometimes," She sniffled, shutting her eyes and relaxing against him. "It doesn't help that my closest friends hate each other now," She bit her lip. "I didn't expect things to be the same, but I didn't think he would leave me, too," She sniffled again, rubbing her sleeve over her cheeks. "I miss him, I miss him a lot," She admitted softly.

 

[Philip Maxwell]

Philip puffed his chest comically. "Don't fret. Big bro's here.", he joked before laughing. He stretched out his legs in front of him as he stroked Lily's hair. He listened in patience as she continued to pour her heart out. When she sniffled again, he straightened up. "Hey.... They are your friends, right? I am sure they will come around. If you miss them, they miss you too. More than you know. Just... give them time... and space. It hurts, I know. But how will they heal faster if we keep reminding them of the pain?" He never thought he would ve saying those things. Ever since with Ava, he had never thought of doing all those. Meeting Lily helped him realize it.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily was surprised how comforting it felt to have Philip stroke her hair. She would have to see if Clifton would play with her hair the next time they were cuddling in the common room. She looked up as he spoke, listening to his words and knowing he was right. "I... I can't argue with that," She smiled softly. She leaned into him again. "Do... you like muffins? Or some other treats?" She asked, giving him a smile. He would need something as a thank you.

 

[Philip Maxwell]

Philip chuckled softly, his body shaking before he glanced back down at Lily. "Big brother is right, Lils." He jokingly said. He was just glad she was calmed down now, better than the crying state he found her in. At his question, he thought for a bit. "You bake? How about you surprise me? I'm not picky." He gently pulled away from her to stand and help her up. Taking her hand, he pulled her to a walk in the corridor, still deserted and quiet for them to talk. "Glad you're better now."