Alice stood at the base of the lake feeling absolutely stupid. She held out her arms, bit her lip and started dancing around in a circle. It looked like what people did in the movies but a little bit more klutzy. She was humming to herself and doing pretty well for her first dance, when she tripped and fell on her knees.

     "Great." She muttered standing up and started teaching herself how to dance again. The Halloween Ball was coming up and she knew that even though she didn't have a date or a group of friends to go with, she still knew a few people and would at least show up. Dressing up was always enjoyable for her when she had an excuse.

     "Who needs a date anyways?" She smiled to herself twirling around. "Boys are immature, smelly, and terrible company. Besides, i much prefer you to any REAL boy that could ever ask me." she tried convincing herself and her imaginary partner. It wasn't that she thought she was that deserving. She always felt she looked like an alien and didn't have the best personality. When she was younger she got her nose and lip pierced because she actually thought it would make her more noticeable but no one said anything about it. Of course, she kept them because why go through the pain for absolutely nothing.

     It was never her intention to sound so pitiful  and pathetic but it managed to be that way. Everytime she opened her mouth it was something about what she never had or never did. And she definitely knew that was the way she was. It was just do difficult to change her entire self so she decided to go slowly.

     "You never step on my feet or ignore me. You are just the perfect gentleman." Her voice started to crack as she fought back tears. Normally she never tried thinking of boys but it just hit her that this year she had never even had so much as a hug from anyone let alone a boy.

    Blinking sent tears through the air as she spun around. It was no use trying to make friends. It made her happy in the moments that she was talking to people but she could never make a lasting impression. "You'll be my friend won't you Air? It isn't a very creative name, but you won't fight me against it now will you?"

Outfit

Maddie jogged along the lake, her sneakers squishing into the mud at the edge and splattering all over the bottom of her pants. She muttered darkly to herself that Ferris owned her a new pair of jeans, since she was getting all dirty TRYING to find him. What she was going to say when she did was beyond her. Why did puberty have to make things weird? A couple years ago, before she got boobs and he got muscles, she would have had no problem just asking him to go. But now... now she had no idea how to ask him to go to the dance with her without being hurt when he refused. It was obnoxious!

What was more obnoxious is that she had nearly run around the damn lake and still hadn't found him. It was so close to the dance that she was sure he already had a date and whats more, was probably off snogging her now. Out of breath, Maddie paused and wriggled her freezing tows in her wet shoes. Maybe she would catch hypothermia. That would teach him! Sighing, she turned back towards the castle, deciding that she would simply wait until later to ask. It was likely to be a 'no' anyways, so killing herself by running was pointless.

"You never step on my feet or ignore me. You are just the perfect gentleman."

Pausing, Maddie turned to her right, curious to see who was literally talking to Air. To her surprise, or perhaps her bemusement, she saw one of her own housemates, Alice Anra, dancing around and talking to herself. Funny, she always thought talking to oneself was reserved for the loopy Ravenclaws or the psychotic Slytherins, not level headed Hufflepuff. Forgetting her plans for a moment, Maddie stood there and crossed her arms, an amused smile on her lips as Anra continued.

"You'll be my friend won't you Air? It isn't a very creative name, but you won't fight me against it now will you?"

"Why would you want to be friends with him - er - it..." Maddie spoke up, unable to keep silent any longer. There was a hint of bitterness to her tone "... Just like all men... Air blows." She took a moment to chuckle at her own corny joke before approaching the other girl "...What are you doing out here Anra? Talking to aliens? I am assuming those things pick up some sort of signal..." She motioned to her lips, indicating Alice's piercings. She didn't have a problem with them really... they actually looked pretty nice... but playfully sarcastic banter was simply her way of saying hello.

      Alice stopped dead in her tracks as she was torn from her revery by a voice. She wiped her eyes and turned around smiling. She knew the girl but had to search in the depths of her brain for her name. As it turned out people didn't like when she forgot their name. Madeline!

    "Oh..H..hello Madeline." She stuttered embarrassed. Madeline just sarcastically asked her why she was there and brought up her piercings and aliens. Why was it that aliens were popping up so much for her that day? With a swift nod Alice decided to look up aliens and see what that was all about.

     Not really that great with sarcasm, Alice had to try with every fiber of her being not to be offended but to realize it was a way of joking for most people.

     "Only if the aliens are male. That's the only reason I would want contact. And I'm sure not all guys..um..blow as you put it. I mean why are you out here covered in mud? You can't tell me that it isn't in some minuscule way connected to a boy."

     She didn't know why she was suddenly so outspoken but Alice was secretly a hopeless romantic and knew there had to be at least one guy out there for everyone. Or maybe it was all the romance novels she had been reading. They made for good daydreaming was her excuse.

"Only if the aliens are male. That's the only reason I would want contact. And I'm sure not all guys..um..blow as you put it. I mean why are you out here covered in mud? You can't tell me that it isn't in some minuscule way connected to a boy."

Inwardly, Maddie sighed. She forgot that purebloods didn't really 'get' popular muggle culture. Either that, or Alice was a muggleborn that grew up under a rock in Death Valley. But there were more pressing issues with her insightful statement that Maddie wanted to address, namely the comment that anything she did was influenced by a guy. It insulted her feminist sensibilities!

"Maybe I just like mud." She said flatly, crossing her arms. She stared hard at Alice for a moment before giving in "Okay, okay... Yes perhaps I was out here to talk to a guy. But a particular guy, not just any boy... And only because I wanted to go to the dance with my best mate... not my boyfriend. It has nothing to do with romance at all." She was lying to herself, which she loathed to admit, but Maddie was desperately trying to keep her heart from being broken. Men were clumsy when it came to hearts.

"Why would I want to go with a guy anyways?" Maddie grumbled loudly, sitting abruptly on a nearby rock "... Once they find out about their thing and start noticing boobs, then -poof-  four years of friendship flies out the window for the first pretty face that struts by. They aren't worth it at this age. I would prefer an older and more mature man, really." Too bad, she thought to herself, that I have another couple years before I can approach that option. Picking up a small rock next to her, Maddie begin to toss it up in the air and follow it with her eyes. She only looked away to glance at Alice and add off handedly "Why would you want to date any of the boys here anyways? Most of them are jerks or creepers..."

     Alice was taken aback that she was right about Madeline. Her people reading skills were always a bit flawed. She had to really think about her answer when she asked why she wants a guy.

    It wasn't that she was really desperate for romance it was more that she liked the thought of having someone. She wanted to know that if she wanted to go dance with a boy there would be one there. Chemistry was important, of course, but there had to be someone interested first.

     "I don't really know the guys here enough to know if they are jerks. I mean you obviously care about one of them enough to be searching for him at a lake. I doubt if he were so much of a jerk you wouldn't be here." She suddenly regretting saying it. It sounded a little harsh after she said it out loud.

   "I didn't mean for that to be rude sounding. I'm sorry. I'm just stressed out and completely took it out on you!" Something like that was the meanest thing she had said ever. "So do you have any clue where this guy is? OH! or what you will say when you find him?"

   Alice was getting way to into the thought of the romance between longtime friends.

"I don't really know the guys here enough to know if they are jerks. I mean you obviously care about one of them enough to be searching for him at a lake. I doubt if he were so much of a jerk you wouldn't be here."

"I guess--" you're right, is what Maddie was about to say in response. Alice was right, she couldn't sit there and say that he wasn't important to her or that he was a jerk. He was just a teenage boy who let his hormones take control of his brain, that's all. Maddie couldn't fault him for that. After all, wasn't it her hormones that made her go running around in the mud looking for him? She was going to tell Alice that she was correct, again, but the other girl started apologizing almost frantically.

"I didn't mean for that to be rude sounding. I'm sorry. I'm just stressed out and completely took it out on you! So do you have any clue where this guy is? OH! or what you will say when you find him?"

Arching one of her brows so high it looked like she had some sort of brain damage, Maddie tossed the rock at a nearby tree and shrugged at Alice's apology. "Why are you apologizing? It's true..." Maddie put too much importance on honesty to be insulted by someone speaking the truth. It was Alice's other question that bothered Maddie more, mainly because she wasn't sure how to answer it. "I don't know..." She started a bit testily.

Realizing that she was being short with her, Maddie moderated her tone and tried again "I mean... I have been mulling around what I am going to say for weeks now, but everytime I see him I am just reminded that we are better as friends and that asking him out will ruin that..." She sighed heavily and rested her chin on her palm "It doesn't help that he is practically ignoring me either... I can never seem to find him when I get the guts to ask him..."

 Alice frowned a little at Madeline's unsureness. She had similar feelings all the time but it was troubling to see it happen to someone else. Madeline seemed like a nice, if not sarcastic, girl so she didn't really deserve to be so upset.
 
     "Look at cheesy as it sounds I think you need to at least know. I mean what if he's avoiding you because he's nervous too? I'm not saying that I'm right about it, but it is a possibility." She didn't understand why people had such difficulties talking to boys. Madeline was very pretty and seemed like she could be sweet if only when she isn't stressed. Every one stressed out though so there was no reason to blame her for getting a little bit upset like every normal person did.

     It was something Alice was slightly proud of not showing. Anger. When she was stressed out or upset she would never even think about taking it out on anyone, but she didn't think that Madeline was a bad person for doing so. She just thought of herself as a defect.

       "Hey. Seriously I think you should find him and tell him no matter what mood you are in. Evennnn if it's one of those times you don't really want to tell him. As cheesy as it sounds you'll feel better at least knowing." Why she couldn't just take her own advice and just talk to a boy. She suddenly felt stupid for saying all she said.

     " I should NOT be telling you what to do and I am sorry. Throw out every single thing I said." She pleaded.