Don't Come Back For Me (Addilyn)

[Deleted]

Second Week of September

Edmund was annoyed. He came to school so excited for the new school year and for the opportunity to be near Addi again, but it was more than that. After his conversations with Lusie and Will he wanted to talk to her about his feelings. Ed had no idea what exactly he wanted to say, but he wanted to talk with her. At least, he wanted to, but now things were getting all complicated. Addi was starting to spend a lot of her time with Steve Kolstad, which was utter crap. He knew Steve and he didn't normally mind the guy, but he and Addi were flirting constantly, and he saw the guy flirting with other girls as well. What did she think she was doing? He knew it was technically none of his business, but he couldn't believe something like this was getting in his way. 

Either way, he and Addi were supposed to meet here together. It was something they did somewhat frequently, but Ed couldn't decide how he felt about this meeting. If Addi was going to insist on spending her time with Steve, Ed didn't want to know about it. So he waited, taking deep breaths and trying to figure out what to say to his best friend when she showed up.

@addilyn

[Deleted]

Addi had been... distracted so far here at school, and she knew it was bothering Edmund. She wasn't stupid, and he wasn't great at hiding his feelings. At least not from her. Still, she was glad that they had agreed to meet up today to make sure they spent some time together. Things with Steve were... well, she knew that it wasn't going to go anywhere serious now, which was okay but also kind of a let down. Not that she was all in love with him or anything, but she did like the idea of having someone to be close to, especially since Aiden had left. But then there was Edmund and... well, there was a reason she hadn't been spending much time with him. Unlike Steve, she didn't really like the idea of being romantically involved with more than one person at a time, so that made it hard to be around Edmund while she was seeing Steve.

It was a strange moment when she came to the realization that this was the reason it was hard to spend time with her best friend. Because she did have stronger feelings for him, and she didn't think it was right to feel those when she was interested in Steve. In all honesty, Steve and Edmund were complete opposites and that almost made it easier to think of both of them at once, but it still wasn't right. But... well, Steve was Steve and Edmund was waiting for her and things would be different after today. She had a gut feeling.

She saw him up ahead at the Black Lake's edge and slowed her walk, her breath catching a little. There he was, just waiting for her. He looked tense, even from this far away... she kept walking, but slower than she meant to.

@edmund

[Deleted]

Ed tried to stay calm as he waited for Addi to show up. What was taking her so long? Okay, so fine. He came a little early because he was annoyed and nervous and didn't really know what he was going to say or do when he saw his friend. He didn't even bring his watch so he couldn't be upset that she was late. If she was late. He didn't know. All he knew was that he did not like waiting and he wasn't really sure how to stop himself from being so antsy. 

After a bit he bent over, looking through some of the pebbles and picking a few up. Ed liked to skip rocks. It was actually one of his favorite things to do when he could, so he might as well do that while he was waiting. He decided to pick up a handful before he started skipping and searched the ground more carefully as he looked for the best rocks. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something moving, so he turned to look and an instant smile came to his face. Yes, he was annoyed, but Addi was here and he was glad to see here. "Come on, slowpoke," he called, looking back down at the ground. She actually was moving more slowly than normal and he started to wonder why, then stopped himself. He didn't want to analyze things right now. Edmund just wanted to enjoy some time with his best friend.

@addilyn

[Deleted]

She caught her breath as he spoke, telling her to come over and calling her out on her slowness. His eyes were downcast and she picked up the pace, reaching him and bending down to grab her own rock. "I was just happy to see you, that's all, it distracted my feet from moving," there was nothing wrong with being mostly honest about why she had slowed down, right? It was better than making him think that she was avoiding him, because she certainly wasn't doing that. She was trying to find a sort of balance, something that made sense to her in her relationship with her best friend. She felt strange in her stomach, but also incredibly happy that they were purposefully making time for each other. "Is it strange being the eldest Winsdor at Hogwarts now?" she asked, tossing her rock and watching it skip two, three, four times before sinking down.

@edmund

[Deleted]

Ed couldn’t help but smirk when Addi reached him, giving her flimsy excuse. “Yeah, sure,” he snorted softly as he tossed his first rock into the take, watching it jump three times. He couldn’t help it. Seeing him made her stop walking because she was happy? That was just weird and he was pretty sure she made it up. He bent down to pick up another rock as she asked her next question. “Yes and no. I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet. I keep expecting Susan to come and find me, but then I remember she’s not here. I’m glad Lusie is though.” He glanced over at her before skipping his next rock and asking his own question. “How does it feel being the only Slater at Hogwarts? And being Head Girl?” he moved a little closer and nudged her shoulder, chuckling a little. He couldn’t help but tease her, now that they were finally doing something together.

@addilyn

[Deleted]

He didn't buy her excuse, clearly, which wasn't a surprise to Addi. He could always see right through her, even when she tried really hard to hide something. The only way she ggot away with keeping a secret is if she stayed away from him, and she didn't really enjoy doing that. "Fine, don't believe me," she countered, smirking at him. In answer to her question, he said that it hadn't really sunk in yet that he was the eldest in his family there, always expecting to see Susan. "Lusie is a great person, I'm glad you two get along so well," she chimed in. Then he looked at her, and she looked down to grab a rock, waiting for him to throw his before throwing hers.

His question was expected, but she was still surprised by how unprepared she was to answer. He nudged her shoulder and she smiled, looking over at him. "Well, it's... wonderful, in a terrifying way. I mean, you know Grey and I aren't close," she tossed the next rock in her hand, looking at the water to watch it skip and then looking back at Edmund. "So it's not like it's that different... but it is strange not to just know he's there, you know? I mean, just in case I..." she shrugged, "being Head Girl is everything I dreamed it would be."

@edmund

[Deleted]

"I don't," Ed answered easily when she told him to not believe her. He wasn't going to push her to tell him more, though. As much as he liked to know what was going on with Addi, he didn't want to pressure her or make her upset. Then she might avoid him for real, which he really didn't want to have to deal with. He nodded at her comment about Lusie. "Yeah, we get along really well. She's easy to talk to and pretty understanding." That was one of the reasons why he'd always gotten along much better with his younger sister than his older siblings. 

She was smiling now and Ed was glad. He laughed at her contradictory answer. He picked up another rock, letting her continue. He might as well let her say whatever she wanted to before he started making comments. "I get that. You never did a ton before, but it was nice to have that kind of backup." He paused a second. "You know ... we could be one another's backup ... just in case we ever need anything," Ed tossed his rock, not sure how she would respond to that. Then he smiled, "I'm glad you like being Head Girl. You're doing a great job." There was no question of that. Addi was a good leader.

@addilyn

[Deleted]

Ed claimed he didn't believe her about why she had stopped walking upon approaching him. He was smart, he knew that there was somethign going on in her mind. The only issue is, she didn't really even know how to articulate what she was thinking. But the conversation moved on to siblings, as it often did, and he said that Lusie was easy to talk to and understanding. "Can't ask for much better than that," Addilyn commented. Claire wasn't easy to talk to, but she was understanding... mostly. Grey didn't seem like either, but she hadn't really given him a chance to prove himself.

Ed explained it in a good way, that is was at least nice to know Grey was there as backup. But then he paused, and Addilyn looked back to him as he went on. He said that they could be one another's backup,.and she felt a small lump in her throat at that. She didn't deserve his backup... well, at least she didn't think she had really been a good friend lately. She simply nodded, swallowing before speaking again. "Yeah, I... I'd like that," she said, tossing another rock, too. He said he was glad she liked being Head Girl, that she was doing a great job and she smiled, shaking her head a little. "I guess so. I feel like the responsibilities suit me, maybe I add a little more responsibility than necessary but.... I think it's important to focus on school unity right now, you know?"

@edmund

[Deleted]

Addi didn’t respond when Ed said he didn’t believe her, but he found himself unsurprised by that. Most of the time his best friend had an energetic attitude, but at the same time she often kept to herself, especially when it came to things she found personal. Edmund knew he was one of the few people she trusted. He felt the same way when it came to her. At the same time, he knew better than to push her into talking about things she didn’t want to share. He nodded when she mentioned that they couldn’t ask for better than that. He loved Lusie and was coming to trust Susan and Will as well. He tossed another rock, grinning when it jumped six times.

After he mentioned that they could back up one another, he couldn’t help but look up to his best friend. He knew her well, but he wasn’t entirely sure how she would respond to this suggestion. She seemed to hesitate, her expression unsure until she nodded. He couldn’t help the smile that slowly grew on his lips. “Good,” he told her, relieved that she still trusted him. Her acceptance of his suggestion was evidence of that.

She seemed to relax, a comfortable smile crossing her features when they started talking about her being Head Girl. Ed shrugged his shoulders, “You might be adding a little more responsibility than others have … but isn’t that the way you work?” Ed barely held back his teasing grin. “I mean, you always take your responsibilities so seriously.” So did he, when it came to Quidditch and such, but he didn’t need to say that. He bent down to look for a rock, but stood and took a step closer to her when she mentioned needing to focus on school unity. “Do you have any plans on how to do that?” She probably expected that question, but Ed couldn’t help it all the same. Addilyn Slater was very creative when she wanted to be and now he was curious to learn what she had in mind.

@addilyn

[Deleted]

He said 'good', and nothing else as she agreed that they could look after one another. She felt like he could sense that she was being strange about it, but was glad he didn't ask. She didn't really know how she was feeling right now and it would be a lot better not to try and explain herself at the moment. She couldn't even wrap her mind around it, let alone speak out loud. All she knew was that she wanted to be near him always, and in what capacity was still unclear.

He commented that her adding more responsibilities was just the 'way she worked', and he wasn't wrong. Her grin grew too, at the comment, enjoying the fact that he knew her so well. Then he was stepping closer to her, a new rock to skip in hand, asking how she played to implement 'unity'. "Well, we have the buddy system program, which is nice. American students pairing with people who've been around to find their way. Having some American Professors is also good... but, I think we need something less formal. Anyway, Hugo and I have talked about a few ideas," she paused, looking over at him, "to start, I think it's important to focus on friendships we already have, strengthen those in order to reach out to others."

@edmund

[Deleted]

At least Addi seemed to be coming back from her melancholy mood, smiling over at him when he agreed with him. Good. That was the way things were supposed to be. Her being angry or uncomfortable around him was definitely the last thing Ed wanted. He tilted his head to the side a little. "Buddy program? How come I haven't heard about that until now?" Probably because he wasn't super reliable ... when it came to his attitude, that was. Some days Ed was in a good mood and ready to interact with others, but that definitely wasn't the case always. He knew that as well as most people. Ed shifted when she mentioned Hugo, twisting and flinging the rock in his hand. He knew Hugo had a girlfriend, that the Gryffindor boy likely wasn't interested in Addi, but he didn't like the fact that the two of them spent so much time together. It put a bad taste in his mouth. He mentally counted the skips, turning to look at Addi when she mentioned focusing on current friendships. "Oh? And how are you planning on strengthening your friendships?" He couldn't keep the question from escaping him, didn't even try. His palms were suddenly cold and clammy, his heart thumping uncomfortably in his chest as he looked at his best friend. She was planning on doing that with him, right? Or did she think they were fine and decide to focus on her friendships with other people? He couldn't be sure. 

@addilyn

[Deleted]

He asked why he hadn't heard about the buddy program and she laughed, "Ed, there were sign ups all over the common room. You just don't notice things that don't directly apply to you," she joked, shaking her head. "I didn't expect you to be interested. It would mean having someone by your side all the time that you show around and basically befriend," she explained. "I'm not sure you would have liked that," she added.

Then he asked how she was planning on strengthening her friendships and she shrugged, "I'm not... sure. What could we do?" she asked, just coming out and saying it. Really, they were always really close but there was still more they could do to not have the awkward moments she sometimes let get between them... granted, maybe those awkward moments came from a less 'friend' place and more of a 'feelings' place. She felt like her throat was closing up again and she turned toward the water, fiddling with a rock between her fingers.

@edmund

[Deleted]

Addilyn was laughing, which Ed took as a good thing. It meant that the awkwardness was starting to ebb away. He hated when things were awkward with Addi, but they seemed to be happening more and more frequently since he accepted that he had feelings for her. Especially when she started avoiding him. Yeah, that hadn't helped at all. He grinned and shrugged, "Well I've had a lot on my plate with Quidditch tryouts and everything," he defended himself lightly. He knew she was mostly teasing. His eyes glinted and he smirked when she said he wouldn't like having someone glued to his friend. "Oh, I don't know ... I wouldn't have minded if it was you." That was true, but he treated his words like a joke. He didn't want to make Addi feel uncomfortable or anything. 

She asked what they could do and Ed rubbed his chin for a second. He could answer her honestly, but at the moment he was in a joking mood. Hopefully Addi wouldn't mind that. "Hmm we could ... go boating and try pushing one another into the water. Or we could wrestle, or try baking something together." Ha. Edmund baking, that would be a sight. "We could ... pull a prank on someone, though I don't think you'd want to since you're head girl and all, now would you?" He smirked, fully aware that he was being a punk but not really caring. When he realized that she wasn't looking at him anymore, he moved forward and gave her a little shove so she was closer to the water. "Or we could have a water fight," he suggested with a laugh as he moved to the water's edge and cupped a bit in his hands, tossing it at her. Really, he just wanted to have some fun with his best friend.

@addilyn

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He said he had a lot on his plate with quidditch and everything, and she nodded. She hadn't met to say that he was self centered or anything... but it was true that he had been busy and not noticed, or maybe just pushed the signs to the back of his mind. Before she commented on that, though, he said that he wouldn't have minded being glues to someone if it was her and she felt her smile perk up. "I mean, it would have been an American transfer..." she commented, another small laugh escaping her lips. But, she broke eye contact for a moment.

Ed considered her question and clearly decided it was time to start making jokes. He suggested boating and pushing each other into the water, wrestling, baking something and with each suggestion she just shook her head and laughed a little more. Then he suggested a prank and she raised her eyebrow, "only if it's not harmful," she explained. But then he was shoving her and she turned around, jaw dropping as he suggested a water fight. "You're on-" she started to saw before he was splashing water at her. She moved further into the water, her shoes sinking in as she splashed water at him, too. "I will win, Edmund Windsor," she said, bending down so she could use her whole arm, including elbows, to scoop a large splash.

@edmund

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There it was. Ed couldn't help but smile a bit more when he saw that his best friend was smiling bigger now. He scrunched up his nose and rolled his eyes when she said she would have had to pair him with an American student. "Don't you think you could have made an exception for me?" He teased, offering her another smile, mostly teasing, but wondering if he'd be able to try and convince her. Since it was obviously too late for her to make an exception for him, it was beyond the point, which was why it was so much fun to tease her about it.

Edmund rolled his eyes before making an innocent expression at his friend, "When have I ever done harmful pranks?" he asked. Though the better question was, when had he ever pulled any pranks. Ed wasn't generally the type for that sort of thing, but if Addi joined him he just might be. He laughed as she started to splash water back at him. "That's what you think," he argued, ducking down in the water so he could spray it better at her. This was the sort of thing he loved, having real fun with his best friend.

@addilyn