Open Woes and Broken Bones

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Tears welled in Minnie's eyes as she sat on the hospital wing bed, tears she roughed brushed from her eyes with her good arm. Being hit with a bludger was decidedly not fun, and the pain of being hit three times was a little overwhelming, but it wasn't that brought the tears to her eyes. She had been taken out of the game, she hadn't caught the snitch, she'd told her parents about this game they would be so disappointed in her. She should've been better, she should've been quicker, she should've dodged better, she should've caught the snitch. They wouldn't want her to continue with the sport if she wasn't doing any better. Even if Minnie though this was the best she'd flown and it was just that seekers were targeted more than any other player, her parents were sure to not see that. Minnie sighed heavily, she couldn't even not mention it to her parents and lying to them wasn't something she wanted to do either. ​

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Minnie roughly wiped at her eyes again. She looked down at her shoulder and arms, according the nurse who'd just given her a once over, Minnie had a good number of bruises from the first bludger hit to the back, the second bludger had broken her collar bone and the last had just dislocated the arm on the same side as the broken collar bone. She could see the ugly, worsening bruising, the way the break of the collar bone could just be seen. The nurse had left her to get the different potions that they would need to fix it all. Minnie crossed her legs under her and glanced around the hospital, the tears still welled in her eyes but if she ignored them, they would go away. She hoped that she'd be fixed up quickly, with this failure she wanted to get back to the studying, at least she was still good at that and if she promised her parents to study more, that she was more caught up than ever, maybe they'd let her continue on the team. She wiped her eyes roughly again, "Stop crying," she spoke quietly to herself, as if it would at all help in way at all. ​

 

[Eric Holland]

Eric hadn't ever cared much about Quidditch, so it was not that strange that he left the stands in the middle of a game. He had no reason to stay, he wasn't invested in it. The fact that his feet had taken him to the hospital wing also meant nothing. He was just curious, maybe kind of hoping to see Minnie upset. It had nothing to do with making sure she was relatively okay. Really, it didn't. He genuinely didn't care about Minnie as a person, but he had been a little annoyed when she had been targeted so much in the match. He figured Quidditch was just an unfair sport like that, with someone so vulnerable unable to defend themselves. He'd never thought about it much before. Eric peeked into the hospital wing, frowning. "Are you talking to yourself?" He asked, as he had heard Minnie's voice but noticed there was no one around her.

 

[Emily Hastings]

Emily had only gone to the match at Ava's insistence, and had left once she saw Minnie being taken away. She walked into the hospital wing, brushing past Eric with a smile. "Hey, Eric," she greeted calmly before moving to sit by Minnie. "Hey, Min," she settled in her chair. "Rough game."

 

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie looked towards the voice in surprise, what was Eric Holland doing here, of all the people? "I can't seem to stop crying thought telling myself to might help," Minnie found herself saying to him, though why would he care, wouldn't that just add more fuel to his fire towards her. Though it wasn't like it was him making her cry for one. Minnie wasn't sure if it was a comfort to see him, or if it made her feel worse. She didn't know where she stood with him, though she hated him - or so she told herself, it didn't make sense with him. She roughly wiped her eyes and looked towards him, tears ever present in her eyes, "What do you want Eric?" But there was little bite in her tone as she said it, "If it's to tell me that I'm the worst quidditch player ever, and to laugh at me, then do it quickly and go away," she kept her eyes on him as she spoke, a harshness in her tone clearly directed at herself. She was half hoping that he would stay, she didn't really expect anyone else to come visit her. ​

The statement wasn't particularly true, when of all people that walked in next was her roommate Emily. She had through they might be verging upon friends, but she hadn't expected her to come and sit with her. Minnie had a clear look of surprised on her face as she watched the girl sit beside her. She looked at her shoulder, at the bruising on both it and the collar bone. "Yeah," was all she said, she didn't look at either, looking away for a moment to just wipe her eyes again, her mind had been on the game for a moment, on the way she knew her parents would be so disappointed. She hadn't expected anyone to come to her, and she wanted to ask Emily why she was here, in the same way she had asked it of Eric. "Why are you here Emily? Do you know Eric?" Minnie couldn't help but ask, she was trying her best to just ignore all of her swirling emotions, and focus on the people there.​

 

[Eric Holland]

Eric hovered awkwardly near the door, surprised by the honesty of Minnie's statement. It was just like the time she had told him she had no friends, but this time Eric had no idea what to say. He thought crying was pretty weak usually, but Minnie was a girl... and she had been hit a lot. It made sense. "Well... Did it help?" Was what he found himself asking, surprised himself. "I don't want anything." He mumbled. "I was just... nearby." He frowned. "Do you think I would do that? I don't even care about Quidditch. I saw worse players out there anyway." He added, not aware he just contradicted his first statement about being nearby by then saying he had seen the match. "The real cowards just become keepers, those don't seem to do much, or get hit." He winced as someone moved past him, and sighed when he saw who it was. Emily, the horror book girl, he realized she and Minnie were roommates. He shrugged at Minnie's question, even if it wasn't aimed at him. "We met once, I made fun of her books." He cracked a slight grin as he looked at Minnie. "Sound familiar?"

 

[Emily Hastings]

Emily rolled her eyes good naturedly. "Hes my friend just like you are," she told the girl. "Dont just hover, Eric, come sit with us." She motioned him in. "Careful or I'll start telling stories. I managed to freak out an older boy with one, it was fun." She turned to Minnie. "Are they keeping you overnight?"

 

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie gave a little smile at his question, "Unsurprisingly no," it was odd, they weren't arguing back and forth and he even in his reply seemed like he might care, especially when he said he was nearby, nearby and looking to come see how she was? That just wasn't like him...She didn't know why he suddenly seemed to care. Why he seemed to say that he had seen worse players, but wasn't interested in the sport. Had he really been concerned for her, or was he only being nice now that he saw how upset she was. Was he only being nice because if he wasn't she would cry. Minnie didn't want to cry more, this was bad enough, and any thought towards the game and what she was going to tell her parents made her tear up more. It also didn't help that she was still so very sore. ​

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Minnie wiped her eyes again, and looked to Eric as he told her how he'd met Emily, she felt a small smile on her features, "So you do that with everyone then?" She couldn't admit to particularly enjoying when he made fun of her books, especially thinking of the first time they'd met. The time he'd basically made her cry. She shook her head at the question, "I asked them not to," Minnie glanced back at her arm and the bruising, "I have to study," it didn't really matter that she'd been hit on the arm she did use to write with. That she had been told to maybe not use it for the evening, but Minnie couldn't she had work that needed done. She stole a glanced towards first Emily and then Eric, "I can't fall behind," Minnie looked down at her hands, her eyes filled with tears suddenly with more force. She wouldn't be able to keep playing once she told her parents about this, and they would insist she put the time to more studying, but she was so sure if she could just show she was already studying, maybe they'd let her keep at it. ​

 

[Eric Holland]

Eric was kind of glad to see her smile. At least it was no longer crying. He shrugged carelessly. "Right." He mumbled. Then he snorted at her question. "Only Ravenclaw girls." He mumbled. "They tend to read a lot." He shrugged. He balked a little as Emily said they were friends. "No we're not." He muttered, though he moved into the room. He didn't sit down, though. Eric blinked. "You got knocked off your broom, why are you studying? And why can't you study here?" He asked her, trying to understand. "Besides, you won't fall behind from one day. You're already like, leagues ahead of everyone else." He said with another shrug. "You worry too much."

 

[Emily Hastings]

Emily shook her head. "I agree with Eric," she told Minnie. "That's why I brought your bag from your bed," she pulled it up and set it on the foot of the bed. "You really should stay here tonight." She leaned forward, glancing between the two of them. "Min, I know you might not listen, but maybe you dont have to tell your parents how bad you got hit. They're already pretty strict on you. Maybe we can work around this without telling them? And it will be alright." She gave Minnie her best smile.

 

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie wasn't sure why Eric would deny that he was friends with Emily, even if Emily was saying they were. She wouldn't call him a friend, and she was sure the reverse was true for him. But really, she didn't care what previous arguments and fights they'd had, she was too sore and tired from the match to really, honestly now care why he was here, why he stood at the side of the bed she was sat on. She didn't care that she was half in tears, it certainly wouldn't be the first time that she would be in front of him. She knew the reactions her words would earn, she shook her head when Eric suggested she study there in the hospital, Emily had even brought her stuff, but she shook her head. "The nurse said I shouldn't really study but I have to stick to my schedule, so I'll just get healed up and study in the dorm, between the game itself and halloween, I can't lose more time. But thanks Emily," Minnie told them quickly, looking very briefly towards them both. Eric's words that followed were almost complimentary but she couldn't even muster a retort or a smile, even when he said she worried too much. ​

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Minnie wiped her eyes again, emily was likely more clued in than most to Minnie's schedule, given they shared a room together, but she didn't get it and he certainly wouldn't. "It won't matter that I got hurt, it'll matter that I didn't catch the snitch. If I'm not winning, then I should be dedicating to my time to something I can actually do," Minnie quoted the latter half from what her father had said to her in his last letter. Minnie looked at Emily "I have to tell them, and they'll tell me to quit, but I think if I also tell them that I'll change my schedule, get up at five instead of six, and spend that extra hour in each day studying, then maybe they'll let me stay on the team," Minnie didn't dare look towards Eric as she spoke. He wouldn't get it, he'd think her silly, whatever tentative half truce they had would end. Emily was much safer, Minnie could easily just look to her. ​

 

[Eric Holland]

Eric was surprised Emily had had time to go up to the Ravenclaw tower to get Minnie's things before visiting her here, and had had the foresight. He guessed the girl was really Minnie's friend, which made him more awkward about hanging around here. But he still didn't quite want to leave yet. He scowled when Minnie said the nurse had advised against studying. "So the nurse at school says you shouldn't study, someone who trained to know what's best for hurt kids, and you're going to ignore it?" He asked her in annoyance. "I thought you were smarter than that." He added, grudgingly. He spotted her wiping her eyes, and his annoyance faded. As he listened to what she said next, he realized Minnie's parents really were bigger jerks than he had even imagined. He couldn't imagine his own mother ever saying something like that. In fact, out of all adults in the world, Eric knew his mother was the one person he truly trusted. He thought about what Minnie could do. She should probably lie. "First of all, that's pretty awful of your parents." He told her. "Second of all... do they need to know you played? You could say you were sick. Not feeling so well, decided to stay in bed and study instead of playing and that's why Ravenclaw lost. Your team practically begged you to come back next time because you're such a good seeker. Or whatever." He shrugged. "It's not like they have a spy at Hogwarts to tell them what's happening here, right? Who says you even have to say Ravenclaw lost?" He paused. "Or you just tell them screw it and back off. They sound like-" he paused before he could say something bad, "jerks."

 

[Professor Noel Waldgrave]

Noel was really liking the quidditch game he had saw. He could just sit at the bench and watch. And he would be the person next to play. But the seekers got really hurt by the bludgers. And especially Minnie. Noel had been meeting the girl at the Halloween Feast and she was really interesting to speak to and a bit funny too. He wanted to make sure she was doing fine so he went to the Hospital Wing. She seemed a bit of a loner, so he figured it would be stupid if she was there alone. Perhaps she could use a friend. But when he got closer he heard voices and he peaked at the door and saw Minnie in a bed and another girl at her side and someone else. Eric! What was he doing there? Noel frowned but than he heard them talking. And he heard Eric saying nice things to Minnie. It was a different Eric what he heard. The brown haired boy was suprised and figured he would just wait. And he was kind of suprised by Eric. Noel figured he would make fun of Minnie to be knocked out of the game. But he was here for her? Noel had no idea but it seemed that Minnie had enough company. He would check on her later on. But it was fun to hear Eric speak and he kind of eavesdropped a bit. And made sure he was hidden on the corner of the door.

 

[Emily Hastings]

Emily raised a brow when Minnie didn't want to take her books, lowering the bag to set it by the table. She knew how stubborn Minnie could be, so she didn't want to push too much. She listened as Minnie talked to her about the changes in her schedule. "Well, do you think you can handle a change in your schedule like that? Maybe we can study together to help you make up for lost time," She suggested idly.

Her eyes turned to Eric, and she listened to all he had to say, hesitating. Well, he always seemed to be a bit opinionated. "Well... don't kill me for agreeing with him," She started hesitantly, looking back at Minnie, "But is your schedule really so important that you can't be happy? You have to risk your health, be miserable, and report every little thing back to your parents and do as you're told? It doesn't exactly make sense, Min," She said gently, crossing her legs.