Title taken from the quote: "Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light" by Helen Keller

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The rest of the evening was kind of a blur after her… conversation and then having to rush off to dinner when she’d agreed to meet people there.  She already had a ridiculous amount of class work and she wanted to stay on top of it.  The last thing she needed on top of everything else was to fail a class or fall behind in her NEWT work.  She wanted to graduate at the top of the class next year, not to continue to fall from grace, as it seemed she was destined to do. 

So, with homework accomplished and her mind wandering every which way, she’d asked Neely to go for a walk with her.  Sure, it was a little late, but it was nothing they hadn’t ever done before and more than that the weather was decent enough (not too cold and no rain!) so there was an excuse in and of itself. 

They hadn’t talked much over break either, which also aided in the invitation.  While Jordyn hadn’t talked to her much over break, she’d excused herself from most social things with the excuse of studying, plus most of her friends had vacated the castle, so that was enough for Jordyn.  She really just wanted to talk to Neely, alone, without fear of anyone else hearing.

They had a lot to talk about, of course, and Jordyn threw on her cloak before she rushed from the dormitory to meet Neely by the castle gates to the courtyard and then they’d make their way out to the gardens, she figured.  It could really end up being a walk to anywhere, as long as it was far from the castle and there was no one to overhear. 

Oh Godric she was feeling that same nervousness, but now that she knew she wasn’t a complete screw up and that everything that happened hadn’t been a total muck up.  After all, there was something lined up now, and that was good.  It would be good to tell Neely now. 

Standing by the doors of the castle in the drafty hall, she imagined it had to be much colder in here than it was outside.  Looking around, she played with the hair that was hanging down over her shoulder and she bit her lip.  When she spotted Neely, she dropped the curly end and smiled.  “Neely!” she waved happily and rocked on her feet, of course she was on time!

outfit

“Oh my Godric, Jordy. I got stuck behind a bunch of Hufflepuffs who don’t know how to walk in flat shoes,” Cornelia lamented stormily, a pout on her koala-shaped face. Despite this hardship, the very same pout dissolved quickly into a smile— equal parts girlish and scheming. “Your hair looks very chic,” she chirped next, grabbing the other girl by the arms lightly and leaning back a bit to study her friend. “And your cloak.”

Like anything else could be expected.

Neely dropped her bestie’s arms, only to loop one of her own through one of Jordyn’s a moment later. The pair headed out of the double doors, trading the unflattering-to-everyone-but-them light of the entrance hall for the glow of wand lights and star systems. “Break was way too short, but I can’t believe we didn’t hang out. We should be in Azkaban.” It was a punishable crime. At least they were making up for lost time now, could exchange highly classified gossip without being overheard by the lessers.

“I brought chocolate-covered strawberries,” she said as they walked. “And brownies.” As usual, Neely’s tiny purse was stuffed with far more than it appeared to be able to hold. “Were you doing homework all break? Or were your parents just being cruel?” Neely probed with sympathetic nosiness as they made their way to a familiar spot. “Or let me guess, you met a famous seeker and ran off to the coast and forgot to tell me,” she joked, throwing the girl another smile.

“Thank you! You’re a vision!” Jordyn greeted, trying to ignore the fact that Neely mentioned Hufflepuffs and walking and the whole deal.  She inwardly felt a little panic, thinking maybe Neely saw it in divination class or something – as though she already knew and was just teasing Jordyn about it.  But, the way she ran up and pouted and seemed so innocent about the whole thing, perhaps she didn’t.  Maybe Jordyn was getting flustered and nervous for nothing.

That seemed like the most reasonable explanation.  Yes, it had to be.  She pressed her hands against her stomach under her robe and took a deep breath.  Yes, it was okay. 

Neely was completely acting like herself too, which was another good sign.  Nodding along, Jordyn wasn’t sure she necessarily agreed, break seemed quite the right length, but she could see how someone who got away from school and actually had places to go and people to see would think so.  Jordyn was finding that any time that wasn’t eaten up with school was bound to lead to something destructive. Maybe there was some legitimacy to the “devil’s playground” argument. 

“It’s just lucky I already did my assignments so we have the time,” she teased a little bit, a somewhat weak smile decorating her lips.  The promise of treats made that smile blossom though and Jordyn perked, walking a little taller as she did.  “Strawberries sound wonderful!” she added happily – it was totally true.  She loved the idea of chocolate covered strawberries over brownies.  “We should get into those when we get to the garden,” she teased and put her hands into her cloak pockets and directed them further from the castle.

She just didn’t want anyone overhearing and it was a lovely night, despite a little bit of a chill.  She blushed at Neely’s assertion though and she felt a little better that it was at least dark out so Neely couldn’t tell.  “Not quite,” she laughed a little, “that exciting… what did you do over break?” she started with asking, rather than telling.  She had a feeling it would be a conversation take-over if she did, and she didn’t want to be rude. 

Grinning at the compliment as if that was what she lived on (and, partly, it was), Neely took solace in the fact that even if they were tucked away in a remote part of Scotland that shrouded itself from the glory and chic air of London boutiques, they had one another. They looked like an editorial, walking through the double doors and into the sprawling place that kept their secrets.

Neely rolled her eyes— a gesture which looked particularly delicious under the Fairy Wing Double Thick mascara in Classic Quill Ink she had just bought— and then looked out at the grounds. “I have plenty of time for my assignments. It’s still very early. And I have all tomorrow morning, too.” If Neely had other things on her plate which too precedent: Julian, beauty sleep, writing owls to beg Daddy for more of the Fairy Wing collection, and pretending to practice charms while taking the opportunity to describe to her boyfriend various apocalyptic situations in which he would need to protect her, well. She was a sixteen year old girl, and there was no group on the planet that worked harder. “This is why you’re totally going to graduate at the top of our class.”

Thank Merlin Jordy was the one of the group who had that covered.

They strolled toward the garden and the promise of treats, and if Jordyn didn’t expect Neely to pick up on her not quite, the poor girl was dearly mistaken. Neely was on the verge of interjecting ('You can’t just leave me hanging like that!’), when her friend followed up with a more droll explanation. Her face wore torture well. But it flattened into a kind of pout. Still, she thought she would get the details out of Jordy after she plied her with brownies.

If Neely were a less wonderful friend, she would have spiked them with Veritaserum. Where was her Seer cousin when she needed her?

Talking about her own break was a good temporary solution.

“I hung out with Julian. A lot.” Her voice became very meaningful, offering nothing short of a teaser for an epic romance. “I think we’re almost there,” she continued, her voice lowering to a whisper. She knew how Jordyn got about these things, but Neely couldn’t hold it in. She tugged at her friend’s arm a bit as the approached the garden. “I wish we didn’t have to cover so many quidditch hoops in my parents’ house, though. It’s kind of a buzzkill. Like what if the elves walk in on us? I know they’re totally loyal to me, but still. What if it’s daddy’s elf?”

 “Don’t jinx it!” Jordyn responded almost immediately to Neely’s compliment.  She didn’t want to even risk that piece of her reputation.  If the rest of her life fell apart at least she’d have her status near the top of the class to keep herself afloat.  The idea that words alone could take it away was preposterous, but it didn’t mean Jordyn didn’t have a little bit of superstition burned into her. 

To talk about things was to create the invitation to the world to mess it up, and that was not in her tarot cards.  Maybe she should have Neely read them later in the evening when they got back to the dorm, just in case.  That might be a good idea.  She did take Divination, so she had to be better at it than Jordyn could ever be: she was far too practical to have any skill with it. 

Fluffing her hair a little, Jordyn turned her attention to more important things: a change of subject!  Jordyn was no longer at the forefront of conversation and her shoulders dropped with an instant sense of relief. 

The energy in her step was magnified and she listened to Neely talk, unsurprised at the mention of Julian.  Jordyn had always liked Neely’s on-again-off-again beau (not like that), and she was happy for Neely.  Their relationship was a fabulous thing, basically the opposing gender version of one another, but then Neely was tugging on Jordyn’s arm and she felt like she could die. 

How did everything go back to this topic.  She tried to be as cool as possible, but it wasn’t just windburn coloring her face.  Neely was aware of Jordyn’s… delicacy about the subject, but she wasn’t really talking about it, even though she totally was.  Taking a deep breath, Jordyn avoided looking at Neely as she tried not to step in any holes in the ground.  “I couldn’t imagine,” Jordyn tried to laugh: it was easier thinking of the bulging eyes and floppy ears of an Elf in shock at the… sight.

She could at least smile at the thought.  “Though, I suppose if it died of shock you wouldn’t have to worry about much of anything,” she tease lightly, still uneasy.  “But, I mean, you don’t want to rush into anything,” she steered them toward the gardens, seeing the hedge-encased opening that they would be crossing soon.  “It’s a big decision to make, and you wouldn’t want to waste it.”

Neely’s nose scrunched, and her face tilted back in laughter. “Jordy, I love you, but breathe. Please. Talking about what a genius you are isn’t going to jinx it. It’s just the truth. Everyone knows it. They have to recognize your mark are better than theirs, they just have to. It’s just a fact.” It was also a fact that Neely was very thankful for such a studious Best Witch Forever. Jordyn kept the Woolfolk girl’s heel-pinched toes in line when push came to shove… and shove came to exam time. Yuck. Thank Merlin the only saving grace of having to count the days until she turned 17— in chronic pain— was that O.W.L.s were over and N.E.W.T.s were ages away.

With her spare senses, she could tell that she would have to go on a secret-hunting very soon. She was happy to talk about Julian for now.

The blonde drew in a sharp, scandalized breath, but there was an edge of laughter there. She wouldn’t really be pleased to find a dead elf on her floor. She did like them a lot. Periwinkle knew how to cover for her Mistress. Pearl and Lacey were less clever, but still meant well. “Golly, Jordy, now I’m worried about jinxes. Peri is the only one who knows how to make a perfect iced hot cocoa.” She had been making it since Neely was a little girl. Obviously forever ago. “And talk about never getting it done. What if he thought of a dead elf every time we started and then it just—” She gestured, the universal sign for equipment. “Doesn’t work?” The shame was something Neely didn’t want to feel.

She tilted her head, her face full of different emotions. Neely understood overthinking things and wanting things to be perfect, but Jordyn’s anxiety about rushing was a whole new level. “How could I waste it on Julian? He’s the one. I mean, we’ve already—“ She cut off just before the words left her mouth, and decided for once Jordyn could use her imagination. “Totally not a waste, trust me.” In all her teenage groping experience, she felt like a qualified expert; Julian was definitely interested, the evidence existed, and he was good at what they had done so far. That had to mean he would be good at the rest. "But maybe we should get a hotel for the next step. What do you think? I could surprise him at his place… his dad is really cool... but we’d have to wait until summer.” Her face looked crestfallen.

They made it to the gardens and slowed in pace. Neely found a good spot and began to take things out of her purse, spreading them out neatly. “Come on, tell me how you would do it.” She looked up with a grin. Nibbling at a strawberry, she waited for sage words. Maybe if Jordyn wasn’t going to dish on her own break just yet, she could put herself in Neely’s shoes.

 “We’ll save Peri from the trouble then,” Jordyn teased, gingerly bumping her shoulder into Neely’s.  It wasn’t hard enough to actually knock her off the path, but just enough to suggest the joke was over and she smiled at many memories of Neely’s house, particularly over breaks, sitting in her plush bedroom while the elves, particularly Periwinkle, bringing them drinks and snacks. 

Thankfully there was nothing to drink right now though, or Jordyn would have spit it all out.  Dead elves was a new one from what Jordyn had heard.  Fergie and Bran had different things they talked about, for sure.  Wrinkling her nose, she tried to maintain the airy teasing she’d done before: “I always thought quidditch was the standard thing to think about – I guess my sources were wrong,” she shrugged and suppressed her blush.  She didn’t need to blush – even if Neely’s rather… creative way to signify what she was talking about made her want to die on the inside.

At least the next bit of what Neely was saying was sweeter  - a little more romantic and in tune with how Jordyn viewed what things should be like.  Neely really liked Juilian.  She described him as the one.  Even if Jordyn didn’t know that was true, but she also didn’t know it wasn’t.  That was for Neely to decide, and if she felt that way, she was entitled to the feeling. Her eyebrows did shoot up when Neely declared they had already done things that made it totally worth it.  As much as Jordyn loved Neely, she would not be pumping her for the details.   

At least Jordyn could just listen at this point.  It was sort of nice, thinking about it so hard and trying to think of how to make it work. When they got to the garden, Jordyn found her space on the bench with the treats in between them.  She eyed those strawberries with a healthy amount of desire (partially to ignore some of the things that were swirling around in her mind) and picked one up she tried not to think too hard on the issue.

Even more than that, she could almost feel the irony of the whole situation.  If only Neely knew.  But then again, thankfully she didn’t.  It was so much better to have something to eat in her mouth and the lighting didn’t reveal how very pink she was at the moment.  “How would I?” she repeated after swallowing and clearing her throat, “I mean…” she paused and bit the inside of her lip, “I guess it depends on you.  A hotel would be… difficult to get without your parents knowing,” she spoke from a logical point of view. 

It’d be very weird, Jordyn recognized for herself.  If parents kept track of finances (like her parents did), it’d end up being even worse than the house elves.  “I guess – well,” Jordyn took a deep breath and leaned over the treats to lower her voice, “I have a confession,” she kneeded her hands in her lap, pressing her lips together again before she spoke, probably almost inaudibly while avoiding eye contact at all costs: “I did.” 

Neely grinned, leaning in as Jordy bumped her shoulder, head bobbing toward her friend’s. “Yeah, if we end up doing it at home, I’ll have to find like… lots of privacy charms. Which aisle do you think they keep those in?” In the library, she meant. If she could buy one, she might have got that part of the plan out of the way ages ago. And would be that much closer to…

“Quidditch. No, you’re totally right.” Why wouldn’t that kill someone’s lust? It was kind of boring and at times confusing… but Neely did think some of the players were fit. Which defeated the purpose of thinking about quidditch. “I bet if he thought about quidditch and not me, it would go away like—” She waved her wand in a gesture, like a finger snap. Bludgers were just not cute. (And Neely Woolfolk apparently had lots of ways to animate loss of interest.)

Neely jabbered on as they settled in, accepting Jordy’s expressions as just part of Jordyn and how she was. She wasn’t really questioning Neely’s insistence that Julian was the one teen-fantasty-novel-slash-product-franchise style. Obviously.

They started on the strawberries, which slowed the blonde a bit, but not enough not to start racking Jordyn’s brain for answers. Neely swore she was like secretly a Ravenclaw in another life. If they were into the horcrux thing, Jordyn would totally have a Ravenclaw horcrux somewhere. (And like the tiara, it would be tasteful, because the Slytherin side of her still overpowered everything else.)

But when Jordyn seemed absolutely caught off guard— and not just in a panicking-about-TMI way— Neely frowned. Had she picked the wrong snack for girl talk on the grounds? Chocolate covered strawberries were dainty finger foods, but she supposed they could get a little messy.

Then came the sound advice, and Neely was momentarily reassured. She nodded quickly in agreement, but then added: “I could totally tell them I’m surprising my mum for a Hogsmeade weekend. They know her, they’d believe me.” She sat up a bit and batted her lashes extra extravagantly to demonstrate her prowess for swaying adults. The only good thing about not being seventeen yet was that it made her even more adorable.

Jordyn still seemed to be struggling a bit, and Neely was sure now it wasn’t the strawberries. Didn’t she ever think about this? She must! She liked to plan things, too. Neely always looked to Jordyn for scheduling schoolwork and picking outfits and planning parties and just about everything else. Even if she didn’t want to say, Neely was sure she had at least spent a boring History of Magic class or two (or a whole semester, because really there was no surprises in history), thinking about the ideal moment.

And it was a moment, a bigger one than flats making a comeback or thinking about adding coffee to one’s cocoa.

A confession. Neely braced herself, strawberry midway to her mouth.

Which opened further, slowly, and shaped itself into an oh of shock. Jordyn had done it?!

“Oh. My. Golly. Go— Jordy.” It was a hiss, not of scandal, but of the news having managed not to present itself before now. “When?!” The strawberry almost went flying as Neely’s arm extended in emphasis. “Please tell me it was like last night or between lunch and Charms earlier.” Which was still ages away in Girl Time. And they had had this whole walk from the castle to the garden.

And, then, of course, Neely thought of something equally important. “Who was it?”

A privacy spell? Jordyn giggled.  That was cute, and totally reasonable, actually.  Frowning a little, she tilted her head.  “We could always look later,” she grinned and bumped shoulders with her friend, “the library is practically my dorm anyway,” she added happily.  She’d be glad to do more research on just about anything – if it would help Neely, then she’d do it, regardless of the purpose it served. 

Jordyn couldn’t blame Neely though, she planned for everything.  It would make sense that Neely would want to plan this particular thing.  Jordyn would be lying if she didn’t plan everything down the final detail.  It was just when those plans didn’t exactly pan out – or just weren’t even accounted for that she fell apart a little bit.  The whole thing with Jai was just that: a completely unforeseen, and thus, unplanned for event. 

When she opened her mouth to speak, Jordyn immediately felt like her heart was going to pop out of her mouth.  The second her confession left her lips she could feel Neely staring at her, and then her mind started racing.  It was terribly uncomfortable.  What would Neely think?

Would she judge her?  She would totally judge her.  It wasn’t like Jordyn had the male version of herself like Neely did.  Well, maybe she did.  She didn’t know Jai that well, they were still sort of getting to know one another… Gosh that felt weird to think about. 

Her breathing was speeding up already and Jordyn tried to calm herself, lowering her eyes to avoid Neely’s piercing look and the way she hissed her name – oh Godric.  What’d she do?  She wished she could just take back what she said and pretend that she never said it.  “Oh Godric,” she breathed, finally able to make nosie and lowered her eyes, biting her lip hard enough that she feared she would break the skin for a moment. 

Composing herself, Jordyn brought her free hands (she’d dropped her strawberry ages ago) and pursed her lips.  “During break,” she practically squeaked, not wanting to bring attention to herself, and she was trying to talk but her tongue was getting tied.  “He’s a seventh year,” she explained quietly, “Jai Patil.  You know him?” she asked, but sort of didn’t ask at the same time. 

It was weird to say it, but she shook her head and sat up straighter, rubbing her palms over the fabric of her skirt, which rubbed onto her legs, causing a sort of slow burn over her tights.  “But, I mean – that wasn’t the point of me mentioning it,” she said quickly, trying to get away from the more personal details – after all, Neely was the first person to know and it somehow felt even weirder to tell her, like she should have kept it a secret or something. 

“I mean, it was in the castle, you know I didn’t go home – so there weren’t many people here,” she was probably speaking so quietly and quickly, it would be a wonder if Neely actually understood most of it.  “And the astronomy tower – we were just talking and then all of a sudden we weren’t just talking.  I don’t know…” she didn’t want to focus on it because it started to play through her head again and then she got even more embarrassed and flustered.  “The point is – be creative…?” That was lame.   

“Yeah it is,” Neely agreed, only lamenting a little. “Parts of it could use a makeover, but Mr. Morgan is the only one I wouldn’t even try to suggest that too.” Neely’s Dark Prince Of Shampoo and All Things Hair. “They should at least add some day beds in there, with better cushions. The chairs are torture devices. How do they expect anyone to stay on task?! They’re lucky I didn’t fail my exams.”

So was Neely.

Tales of the library were long forgotten— even with a worthy task in mind— when Neely zeroed in on her bestie’s confession.

She could see the panic rising out of Jordyn and settling around them; even if Neely was being dramatic animated in her surprise, she could pause (invisibly) and re-evaluate her reaction. Except how else was she supposed to react? This was Big News. The cover of a September Issue paled by comparison.

Neely took a huge breath and turned more properly to her friend. Her shoulders rounded as she exhaled, as if this would put her into some kind of Adult Stance.

During break…

And she hadn’t told her.

Well, she supposed it was a a lot to carry.

Neely’s parted lips seemed to rest a little easier as Jordyn began to elaborate.

A seventh year? Naturally. Despite her shock, there was admiration in her silence, too.

Neely considered the name— surprised it wasn’t someone she knew better, but then not. If she’d had a good idea of the person, she would have blurted it out right away. “The Hufflepuff?” She asked. She was more familiar with his sister, Lydie, who was similarly chatty. “A seventh year… that was a good decision,” she encouraged, lest Jordyn think she was outraged at the Hufflepuff angle. Not all of them were created equal. Among the plebs, there were a few worth the effort.

Neely loved to talk about her own problems, but now was not the time. As much as she was begging for Jordyn’s advice a moment ago, now she wanted more details of the other’s rendezvous. “The castle is probably a hundred times better when most of u— everyone is gone,” she corrected. Us included Neely, and Neely’s absence was never a good thing. “That’s really romantic, actually. Were all the stars out? Had he already…” She refrained from gesturing for the third time, but shifted a little nevertheless. “Did you do it more than once? Or do you think you’ll do it again?”

If there was anything that could get Neely’s fingers to itch for a notepad, it was something like this. History, who? Defense, what? Girl talk. “A hotel might not be creative enough,” she said suddenly, sounding crestfallen. Especially when Jordy had done at one of the highest points of the castle, overlooking the grounds. “What about the lake?!"

Neely being silent was not what Jordyn wanted.  It would have been so much easier if she immediately began to chatter about what she thought about what happened.  She was sure that she had something to say, but she kept letting Jordyn fill the silence, which made the brunette feel like she was going to die… sort of.   

A blush bloomed over her face when Neely asked about the Hufflepuff.  She wasn’t sure if she was being judgmental or if it was just a question.  Hufflepuffs were sort of the butt of jokes, as far as Slytherin was concerned, but Jai was nice to her and he was smart, from what she knew about him.  She nodded to Neely’s statements though and let out a deep breath. 

Honestly, she hadn’t really imagined any of this in her life.  She had assumed she would be an adult and it wouldn’t really matter where or when or what happened because she’d be supporting herself and she wouldn’t be so embarrassed about it.  Not that it was embarrassing, she felt a sort of sting at the thought, but it was… conflicting.

She searched for anywhere else to look, settling on the strawberries again and lifted the one she had dropped earlier to take a bite.  It was a good preoccupation for letting Neely talk. 

Neely was so good at it, it was like she never had trouble finding what to say.  Jordyn was envious of that.  While she could do homework without a problem or do class work without thinking about, she certainly couldn’t do it with awkward conversations.  Licking a piece of chocolate off her bottom lip, Jordyn blushed, lowering her eyes.  “It was a little romantic,” she admitted shyly.  He’d told her about some of the stars and things she hadn’t learned about in quite a long time.  “He was telling me about the stars and we were just talking…. And then he kissed me,” she looked down again before her head perked right up, a surprised gasp escaping her voice.

“Neely!” she squeaked, “You are unbelievable!” she laughed awkwardly, permanently pink at this point.  But, despite her incorrigible questioning, she supposed they were at least decent questions.  “We stayed in the astronomy tower all night,” she added, “and I don’t know. I mean, we still… have to get to know one another.  It was sort of a spontaneous decision,” she added honestly.  “I think, at the least, I’d like to get to know him a little better.” 

That felt weird to say.  It should have been so opposite.  At what point this year had her life actually turned entirely upside down? 

Shaking her head, she refocused on Neely’s problem and tilted her head, considering the possibility of the lake.  “Perhaps the boat house.  Less… public,” she said delicately.  “Though, I suppose the interior isn’t all that much to look at.  I’m sure you could fix it up first though, blankets and candles and things, you know – since you’re planning,” she actually teased a little and popped the rest of the strawberry into her mouth to finish. 

Neely drew in a breath and sighed out of envy. “Is he going to be an astronomer?” She asked. A seventh year. He could be on his way to a top notch Ministry job before they started their seventh year! Then Jordy would have an adult boyfriend, and Neely would still be stuck in cherryville with her elves. She was happy for her friend, though. As shocked as Neely was, she decided that Jordy would get it done first. At least Cornelia could interrogate poke her for advice now, and more than just advice on hotel rooms versus warding charms.

If Jordy’s face was changing colors and if her voice betrayed her discomfort, Neely wasn’t deterred. She still wanted to know how experienced he had been and when Jordyn wasn’t going to get up to it again. “That sounds really exciting, though. Like when Julian and I made up last time, we had the best snog session. You have ages to get to know him. But don’t wait too long. I need you as a life coach, Jordy.” Her eyes appealed. “And obviously you should have a fun study break once in a while.” Neely grinned. As concerned as she was for her own plans, she was being sincere. “Did it hurt?” It had to be asked. “Have you seen each other since? Are you dating now?"

Her face brightened in the dark and Neely reached for another strawberry, finally. “The boat house. You’re a genius! Privacy, no parents, and it’s not cliche at all.” Neely’s voice began to raise in octave as she spoke. “I just have to pick a night…”

“I… don’t know,” was the weirdest response to that question.  These were things she should have known about someone that she… well… knew like she did.  But, such was not the case and Jordyn shifted uncomfortably on the bench before she took another treat. 

She’d eat her weight in chocolate dipped strawberries if she could.

Perhaps she shouldn’t though, considering if she was even thinking about seeing Jai again she didn’t want to be bright red and shaped like a deformed strawberry either.  She was sure that wasn’t exactly what a boy was looking for, particularly when it came with the rest of her, which was already full of anxiety and ridiculousness. 

At least she could focus on Neely for a little bit, which made her giggle.  Neely was so bubbly and actually genuine about everything, even if people wouldn’t actually think that by looking at her.  “My role as your life coach will always come first,” Jordyn assured her friend.  One might have assumed that they’d be constantly competitive or fighting over something, frenemies, as it were, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.  They were practically sisters, so it was only right that they be talking about this stuff, right? 

It helped assuage any of her negative feelings at least a tiny bit, even if she was still feeling uncomfortable.  “Slow down!” Jordyn laughed, albeit awkwardly.  “We haven’t really talked about it…” she pursed her lips for a minute, “and it was weird, but not necessarily painful, I don’t know.” She wrinkled her nose; she had been a little intoxicated, not enough to not know what she was doing,   “It’s weird to talk about.” 

Shaking her head, she had to refocus: boat house, yes.  “And décor,” Jordy added to Neely’s shrill declaration.  She had to smile a little.  “I suggest cream and green.  I’d avoid any clichés, like red or black.” 

It wasn’t that huge of a deal if Jordyn didn’t know what he wanted to be. Lots of people changed their minds, anyway, and Neely wasn’t even sure she and Julian would give the same answers to that question they had the last time they had had that conversation. Now that she thought about it, they hadn’t talked about much at all the last time they’d gotten together. They’d only had time to lock lips between assignments, thanks to the tyrannical overlords who sucked the fun out of the air (otherwise known as teachers). At least Julian could kiss the fun right back into her lips. She almost smiled at the thought, then remembered the conversation they were having. “Maybe he doesn’t know either,” she said with a shrug. His status as a seventh year made up for the possible indecision. “Asking just gives you an excuse to talk to him again.”

Jordyn’s anxiety was almost giving Neely anxiety. But she grinned brightly at her friend’s words, made an awwwww noise, and outstretched her arms in a kind of mid-important-conversation air hug, grabby fingers and all. “And I? Will always be here to let you know that the sky isn’t falling if Beauxbatons boys go to war Seventh Years and tear the library apart trying to talk to you.” How romantic! And lucky for the rest of the students. “Best excuse ever not to hand in homework.”

But that little scenario didn’t stop the rainstorm of questions. Neely did slow down— for a moment— just enough to let Jordyn answer the first few. “He obviously likes you if he did that with you. Do you like him? Like, do you want to date him?”

It was weird? Weird didn’t tell Neely anything about how it felt! But she could tell by Jordyn’s face that she was pushing her luck. “Did you like it?” She asked, rephrasing the question.

As for her own soon-to-be tryst… “Cream and green is stunning. But not overbearing. Springy…” With candles and water, it was the perfect combination. “I know I can get us something to drink. I can hide it all in my purse, with blankets. Perfect.” She grinned. “Do you think I should tell him where we’re going and what we’re going to do, or make it a surprise?”

She was so lucky to have a friend like Neely.  She always knew the right thing to say to make Jordyn feel better and add something to the conversation more interest – and infinitely less serious.  Jordyn actually laughed at the image of the library being destroyed by this imaginary war over her and she rolled her eyes.  “You should write the next Slither Girls novel,” she teased her friend with the compliment. 

It was true, Neely’s imagination was running positively wild.  At least, it was amusing!  She was really a good sport about this.  Usually, she and Bran were driving Jordyn crazy with their talk and how they pushed her to be engaged in conversations that normally would send her stomach into knots and her heart racing. 

But, alone, Neely was much less pushy about things and asked in a way that made Jordyn still have to take a couple of deep breaths, but they were already talking about it – she’d made some pretty embarrassing confessions so far, so as long as they were still alone, she supposed she could let her in a little bit more.  “I think I like him,” she answered as honestly as she could, “but… I don’t know if it’s going to go anywhere.”

It didn’t have to, of course, but Jordyn would have liked it to.  Even if she had to make a face at Neely’s next question.  “I wouldn’t say like,” she lowered her voice, whispering, “It was uncomfortable...  I mean from what I’ve read, that’s not unusual…” It felt odd to say, but she shrugged.  “I think you need to… do it… a few times before ‘like’ enters the picture.  That’s what Witch Weekly says.”  Not that it was the source to go to, but it was better than nothing. 

TeenWitch certainly didn’t run articles about it, and Run Witch wasn’t that type of magazine either.  Of course, onto Neely’s little idyllic scene, they didn’t need magazines.  The two of them could figure this out.  “I would say surprise,” Jordyn answered honestly.  “That might make it more romantic, you know.”   She nibbled on the strawberry in her hand, "you should definitely bring these," she grinned, "if only for yourself!"