Closed To Be Thirteen

[Addison Beckett]

Addison had asked Augustus to meet her in the gardens, humming as she sat near a lilac bush. She liked the smell of the purple flower, and she enjoyed the shade. The breeze was nice, and she was ready to give him his birthday present. He was taking forever, it seemed, but she was patient. She flipped through her latest notebook, mostly filled with fun facts about auras and technology. She wasn't watching as close as she could have been, lost in her own thoughts.

 

[Augustus Westwick]

Augustus had gotten Addison's message about meeting her in the gardens, so he headed out there afer class. He looked for her for a little while, a small smile appearing on his face as he spotted her. Augustus headed over with his bag. He'd gotten some birthday treats from his parents that he wanted to share with her. "Hello." He said to Addison as he took a seat next to her. "Why did you want to meet me here?"

 

[Addison Beckett]

Addison smiled at Augustus when he appeared. "Hey," She greeted. "I did," She took the journal from her bag, wrapped in a dark, navy blue wrapping paper and a black bow. "Happy Birthday," She told him as he sat with her, offering him the present. The gift answered his question, so she didn't bother saying anything else. "Did you know that September has several birth flowers? The forget-me-not, the morning glory, and the aster." She smiled at him.

 

[Augustus Westwick]

Augustus' eyes widened at the sight of the present, and an uncharacteristically wide grin appeared on his face. "For me? Really?" He asked as he took it. "Thank you..." He didn't even remember mentioning his birthday to his friend, and had a warm feeling in his chest knowing she had remembered and thought of him. He started opening the present carefully, making sure to preserve the paper so he could save it. "I didn't know much about birth flowers, so no..." He said softly. "That's interesting to know." He finally took the wrapping paper off, and stared with wide eyes at the new notebook Addison had given him. "It's beautiful." He said softly, glancing up at her shyly. "What should I use it for?"

 

[Addison Beckett]

Addison smiled at his reaction, interested in how he was saving the wrapping paper as well. "It's yours now," She replied, bumping his shoulder lightly with her own. "You can do whatever you want with it. Write down facts, keep a journal, or just put it on your shelf to be pretty, it's up to you." She tucked her hair behind her ear. "I'm glad you like it." She was really pleased he enjoyed it, she'd taken a bit to find it.

 

[Augustus Westwick]

Augustus smiled a little as Addison said it was his and that he could choose. "I know." He said quietly, bumping her shoulder back. "But you have good ideas." He told her with a small shrug. "Maybe I'll keep a journal, or is that weird?" He remembered being called a freak, and was somewhat nervous about his dormmates thinking him weird for keeping a journal. "I like it a lot... and I like that you thought of my birthday." He told her earnestly. "When is yours? I want to be a good friend too."

 

[Addison Beckett]

Addison laughed lightly. "If you're looking for bad ideas, ask my sister," She teased. She smiled softly as he asked if it was weird. "Of course not," She put her hands behind her, leaning on them and crossing her legs as she enjoyed the feeling of the sunshine on her skin. "Besides, you keep acting like weird is a bad thing. I'm weird," She told him. "It's just a fun way of saying we're unique," She bit back a yawn. She smiled at his question. "March 9th." She told him easily.

 

[Augustus Westwick]

Augustus wasn't sure what to make of Addison's comment, assuming it was a joke, but not entirely sure. "Why would I look for bad ideas?" He asked her uncertainly. But at her next words, he hunched over a bit and looked away at her next words. "You're not bad weird." He mumbled. "You're pretty and nice and know how to talk to people." He told her quietly. "No one would call you a freak." He then grabbed a pencil from his bag and opened his new notebook. On the first line of the first page, Augustus wrote her birthday, with her name behind it. He smiled a bit. "Now I won't forget."

 

[Addison Beckett]

Addison chuckled. "It was a joke, silly," She teased him lightly. Her brows furrowed at his reaction. She sat up, ignoring that he scribbled down her birthday. She leaned over, trying to catch his eye. "Thank you," She spoke softly, "But I have been called a freak. And a know-it-all. My sister got into a lot of fights at our old school because people would try to bully me for being- well, for being me. I think," She smiled, putting her hand lightly over his and smiling warmly. "You are smart, and curious, and special. There will always be people that don't like us, August, but it's the people that we choose to keep close to us that really matter." She smiled warmly at him.

 

[Augustus Westwick]

Augustus blushed when Addison said it had been a joke. He'd often taken jokes too seriously, and always felt a bit embarrassed when he did. As she said she had been called a freak, he looked at her in surprise and dismay. He hadn't expected that, and he wished he hadn't brought it up. "I'm sorry." He mumbled, lowering his eyes. "I didn't know." He also didn't get it. Why was it wrong to know a lot? He loved hearing Addison's fact whenever they spent time together, she always knew a lot of interesting things. He blushed as she called him smart and special, his cheeks turning pink. He smiled back, but then sighed. "I just... don't get why they don't like us." He admitted. "I've never understood how to make friends before, either." He added. "I never went to school before Hogwarts, I just read about friends in books. The muggle children living nearby all thought I was weird." He also had been worried about revealing magic to them by accident, so he had somewhat purposely kept his distance, as well. They had been intimidating to him, part of an entirely different world he knew little about.

 

[Addison Beckett]

Addison shook her head. "It's alright, you don't have to apologize." She told him simply. She hesitated at his words, unsure how to explain. "Augustus," She turned so she was facing him, looking into his blue eyes. "You are weird. But that isn't a bad thing. It's what makes you, you," She gave him a smile, reaching out and brushing his hair out of his eyes like her father often did to her. "Not everyone is going to like us. But you're my friend, and I don't really care about the other kids like Luxen or anyone else. If they decide not to like me, or you, that's their fault." She hesitated a second. "I like you a lot," She told him, smiling shyly.

 

[Augustus Westwick]

Augustus blushed a little when Addison said he was weird, but that it wasn't a bad thing. She had said things like that before, and he appreciated it, but it was difficult to really believe it when it had always made him feel so bad. But he smiled a little as she brushed back his hair, feeling safe and content with Addison. "You're my friend too." He said softly. "I hope we can make more friends, together." He added, as he always thought it would be nice to have a few friends. He smiled back at her. "I like you too." He said softly. "You're my best friend, I think." He added, not sure if he was allowed to call her that.