✓ the kiss list ━━ adrian pucey ³

xxxvi. bad timing

the kiss list, adrian pucey
𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓/𝒋𝒂𝒏𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒚, 𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟐-𝟑

chapter thirty-six, BAD TIMING

✧ ━━━ · ✦ · ━━━ ✧

     MAXINE O'FLAHERTY WAS TRYING HER BEST. But when Bianca hadn't done so much as smiled, it was getting quite hard to be optimistic.

     "You wanna do something tonight?" The Hufflepuff asked her friend, as the pair sat in the library ─ Bianca with her head craned towards a stack of parchment, no doubt an essay she was doing, and Maxine, trying to get out of the mundane room, without feeling bad that she was leaving Bianca there all on her own, on New Years. "I heard the Ravenclaw are finally pulling their weight and having a party for New Years," she suggested, although it was more like a prompt ─ Maxine really wanted to be at that party, and not studying in the library.

     Bianca didn't lookup. There was no way she was in the mood for a party (if she ever was ─ she still isn't the biggest fan), "Nah, I'll probably fall asleep by ten," It was part of a lie. Bianca didn't quite want to admit that she would rather stay in the library alone, writing a Charms essay, during the school holidays, and on the last night of the year, then go to a party. "You should go, though," she added, just to make it clear that Bianca wasn't going to force Maxine to stay with her in her tragic environment of a teenage girl

     "That's not the attitude to have," Maxine pouted. When Bianca didn't reply or exclaim excitedly that she wanted to go, the Hufflepuff's shoulders drooped to the floor. "You either cooperate, or I drag you there," she demanded.

     Bianca sighed, and let her quill fall onto the pile of paper. She looked her friend in the eyes, all tired, and fed up, "So either way, I'm going?"

     "Uh-huh."

     Bianca couldn't be bothered to do anything, as of late. And "by late", that means the past twenty-four hours. Leo had put together a small celebration for Bianca's victory, and she was so internally grateful that she lucked out in the friend department. There was cake, banners, and a very large turnout for what she had won. But after seeing Adrian, Bianca had become very down in the dumps. Which is the complete opposite of how she should be feeling. She won the Hogwarts Chess Championship only yesterday, and to some, that may seem lame, and not much of an accomplishment. But it was to Bianca. She had wanted that title since her first year, and now that she had finally got it? She was too sad to even lighten up a bit, and celebrate the end of a pretty decent year.

     1992 bought fun bets (although she's even questioning how that's going), amazing O.W.L results in her previous year, she turned sixteen (not that exciting, but apparently important), and her parents had even brought her a car, for Pete's sake, so she could learn how to drive. And of course, she became the best chess player in the school. So why didn't she want to celebrate it?